Chapter 95: Chapter 95
Life went on for the cat.
Even in grief and pain, absurdity and softness coexisted... indeed, that was ’life.’
Lying naked under the sheets, Xenos stared up at the ceiling.
The room was quiet; only the soft sound of Gaia’s breathing filled the air.
She was still pressed against him, all warm and tangled up, her blonde hair spilling over his chest while her arm was thrown lazily across his stomach.
He sighed contentedly.
’Hm... that was... good.’
It wasn’t exactly how he expected his night to go.
Actually, no. He never expected this.
Of all the possible things he thought would happen in this realm—dueling for a bastard’s honor, marrying her, that same daughter of a Lower House, one had to add, killing assassins in the street—doing that definitely wasn’t on the list.
Or, well, it was, but eventually.
Wasn’t that how it usually went in stories?
...the ones far from degeneracy, at least.
Xenos felt like he was breaking some sort of rule here. Perhaps it was normal, and he was simply out of touch with what was trending.
But hey, either way...
He certainly WASN’T complaining.
Oh no, far from it. Last night was very...
Still, despite the warm body and the pleasant exhaustion crawling through him, Xenos couldn’t fully relax.
It was because someone still hadn’t answered him. Someone who always did, never once failing to bid him a good morning.
Xenos wanted to check on Her yesterday, but he found himself somewhat... busy.
In any case, now that he had more than enough time, he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, sinking his focus inward.
The sound of Gaia’s heartbeat filled his mind first...
A little slower than his.
His heart joined it, only to drown hers out.
Until eventually, it faded away as well, leaving only the void.
Slowly, the darkness shifted, and the pull came, tugging his consciousness further into himself.
Only this time, instead of the endless dark space filled with floating Runes and faint motes of Divinity, he found himself somewhere else entirely...
But also very, very near.
As far away from death as life was.
As far as Calamity was from Luck.
Xenos was in a realm of light.
A warm, white light, softer than anything he’d seen before. And at the end of that light stood... a damned manor.
It was gothic and regal, towering high in the Soul’s space like it didn’t belong there, a castle of pale black stone with tall windows and a faint shimmer of red threading its edges.
’Definitely Eris’s style.’
Xenos started walking toward it, his boots echoing faintly against the nonexistent ground.
When he reached the front door, it creaked open on its own, welcoming him in.
Inside, the air was warm and the lighting was dim... something that he didn’t quite notice.
His attention was on the dying fire crackling in the hearth across the room. Or rather, it was on the one who sat on the couch before it.
She was lying on the couch, one arm draped over the side. Her black hair spilling down in messy strands while Her usually sharp crimson eyes were dulled and half-lidded as She stared at the weak fire.
This Goddess looked... tired.
And that worried Xenos extremely.
Gods didn’t have ’tired’ in their dictionary.
Eris’s head snapped up, obviously startled.
Her red eyes widened slightly when She saw him.
"W–What brings you here, Xenos?"
Oh, the fact that She noticed him only now, when he spoke to Her, was even more worrying.
So, not answering right away, Xenos walked over, sat down beside Her on the couch, and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his grey eyes staring at the fire.
"I came to thank you."
"For earlier... You got me out of my head when I needed it."
"And... to check on you; you haven’t been replying."
Eris turned away slightly, Her voice becoming quieter.
"I... thank you for worrying, but I’m fine. I was—am simply... tired."
Her tone faltered on that last word, as if She hated saying it.
Xenos studied Her beautiful face before sighing, not at all buying Her words.
He leaned back and looked around the room.
"Nice place you’ve got here, though. Where’d you get the Divinity to make it?"
Eris blinked and gave a small smile, the faintest trace of amusement flickering through Her tired expression.
"Only a little pest."
Their conversation died.
Silence settled once more.
It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was a bit heavy.
The fire popped in the background, sparks leaping and fading, making it quite relaxing.
Xenos didn’t pry further; if She didn’t want to say, that was Her business. And She... looked like She needed the quiet more than anything.
Eris was feeling off.
So they both stayed there, not knowing what to do or say. A Runebearer and a Goddess, sitting side by side in a dimly lit room that existed only within his Soul.
Eventually, after who knows how long, Eris stood up.
Her black hair settled neatly around as She turned and gestured for him to follow.
Xenos rose without question.
She led him back outside the manor.
There, She pointed up at the realm’s ceiling.
The void above them wasn’t an empty black.
It was alive with Runes.
Their Arcane burned across the ceiling in gold, slowly shifting, spinning, writing, and rewriting themselves in patterns too complex for human eyes to follow.
"...a beautiful sight, isn’t it?"
Xenos looked up and felt something tighten in his chest, watching the entire sky glow in white gold, radiant against the darkness.
He never thought a Soul could be so beautiful. Especially not his own, one belonging to an ugly owner.
When he turned to answer, his eyes stopped on Her, on the Goddess of his Rune Path.
Her black hair shimmered in the glow, Her crimson eyes reflecting the gold, Her lips curved in the faintest, most peaceful smile. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novelFɪre.net
For a second, Xenos forgot to breathe.
Eris’s smile brightened a little more as the tiredness in Her face faded and was replaced by something gentler.
Unknowingly to Xenos, his heart began to beat faster. Meanwhile, behind them, the fire inside the mansion roared back to life, its flames burning tall and bright, casting a red light through the open doorway.
"Let’s tell her about me."