The metal long table, scattered with plates and cups, still held the lingering warmth of the banquet.
But the clamor and liveliness belonging to tens of thousands of Sisters had receded like the tide.
Inside the vast central hall, only Leticia remained.
She sat alone on that cold throne, resting her chin on one hand, watching the unchanging, deathly silent sea of stars outside the porthole.
Won.
Recruited tens of thousands of Battle Sisters.
Even reached a secret alliance with the Grand Abbot of Saints of the Empire.
The Genesis Sisterhood, the home she had built with her own hands, was growing crazily at a speed beyond imagination.
Everything was developing in a good direction.
But for some reason, a long-lost sense of exhaustion, originating from the depths of her soul, quietly engulfed her like an invisible tide.
Supporting all of this was not easy.
She needed to play the role of an omnipotent god.
She needed to become the spiritual pillar for all the Sisters.
She needed to plan every step for the future of this home.
This responsibility was heavier than the universe itself.
Just then.
A very light, almost imperceptible sound of footsteps rang out behind her.
Immediately, a pair of soft, small hands, with a hint of hesitation, gently rested on her shoulders.
A voice, milky yet filled with pure worry, rang in her ear.
"Sister..."
"Are you... tired?"
It was Terrania.
Leticia's heart warmed, and that heavy exhaustion seemed to be melted away by half in an instant by this soft, sweet voice.
She did not turn back, just gave a soft "Mm."
"I am a little."
Terrania seemed to have made a great resolution and moved to the side of the throne.
She stood on tiptoe, stretched out her fair, tender little hands, and, imitating how Leticia had once done for her, clumsily pressed them onto Leticia's temples.
The pressure was very light.
The technique could hardly be called professional.
But the warmth from those tiny fingers, carrying a hint of a milky scent, was like the purest force of [Vitality], instantly soothing the most taut string in the depths of Leticia's soul.
Leticia's body completely relaxed, letting this small figure serve her.
She closed her eyes, enjoying this rare tranquility that belonged only to her.
"Is it family affection?"
Leticia asked herself in her heart.
"Is it... the dependence of a fledgling on the first creature it sees?"
For these past days, she had always used this reason to define the relationship between herself and Terrania.
She was the protector.
Terrania was the protected.
Simple, pure.
But...
"Then why... when Sanguinia kissed her hand, did a trace of... displeasure that I hadn't even noticed myself arise in my heart?"
"Then why... when seeing Angronia curled up beside her like a behemoth, did I feel that the scene was incomparably harmonious?"
"And why... whenever the night was deep and quiet, did I always subconsciously walk to her bedside, and just by looking at her sleeping face, could I feel a satisfaction from the depths of my soul?"
Was this really just a pure desire to protect?
Leticia did not know.
She only knew that this emotion had become the... only pillar for her to continue fighting in this cold universe.
"Alright, little one."
Leticia opened her eyes, turned around, and smilingly held the little hands that Terrania was still using to massage her.
That hand was very small, very soft, as if it had no bones.
"Thank you, I am much better now."
She raised her head, preparing to say something more.
Then, she met those golden, flowing eyes, pure and without a trace of impurity.
In those eyes.
Leticia saw her own reflection.
And also saw... the things beyond that reflection.
That was no longer just simple dependence and admiration.
No longer just a child's attachment to an elder.
That was a kind of...
A kind of... surrender, where one offers up their entire world, cautiously and without reservation, placing it before you.
It was a kind of... purity, of "my world is small, so small that it can only hold you."
It was a kind of... love, that spanned ten thousand years of time, experienced endless suffering, and finally found its home the moment it saw you.
Boom—!
Leticia's mind went blank.
Her heart, within this perfect shell constructed of divinity, for the first time, beat violently, like a drum.
Once.
And again.
Each beat seemed to be declaring to her soul a fact she had been avoiding, yet had long existed.
Her feelings for Terrania...
Were never any damn desire to protect.
"I love her."
This thought, like the first light of creation, instantly illuminated all the confusion in my soul.
Yes.
It was love.
Not family affection, not friendship, not the pity of a god for a believer.
But a kind of... possessiveness, burning, crazy, wanting to knead her into her own bones and blood.
It was a kind of... love, wanting to lock her in her arms forever, not letting anyone pry, not letting any danger approach.
Having figured all this out.
Leticia looked at Terrania's clear golden eyes, which reflected her own image, and smiled.
She did not speak.
But the hand holding Terrania's tightened slightly, unconsciously.
All the divine majesty and cold detachment in her eyes, at this moment...
All melted away.
Replaced by a tenderness and doting that could drown the stars.
Terrania seemed to have read the change in Leticia's eyes too.
Her little face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head shyly, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up into a sweet arc.
In the air, it seemed as if invisible, pink flowers were quietly blooming.
A silent confession flowed quietly between the two.
Their relationship, at this moment, was completely sublimated.
However.
This just-sprouted, sacred, and private warmth was mercilessly broken by an abrupt alarm sound.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The piercing alarm sounded throughout the entire empty bridge.
A scarlet communication request, representing the highest priority, flashed crazily on the light screen in front of the throne.
That was a communication from Valeria.
It was a matter of great importance.
------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the fanfiction has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 or more chapters in advance over on my patreon: patreon.com/FTLGenBen
Also every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone, Thanks.