Chapter 47 - The Divine

Lilly flew through the air on her way back to Stort City. Everything that had happened in Dortfell still felt unreal, but she knew it wasn’t. The ruby in her pocket told her that much.

She had received some unique clothes that were slightly too loose for her, but she preferred that over having them be too tight. They were far more modest than she had feared, covering everything but her head and hands.

‘So… All in a day’s work, huh?’ Myndia said, sounding relieved.

Lilly smiled, thinking back to the long day. One of many at this point. ‘Yeah, no big deal. Negotiating peace between two nations, I could do that every day.’

The sky had turned dark at this point, making it harder to navigate the lands. But Myndia proved to be a great navigator, guiding her with certainty. She might be completely wrong, but at least she was confident about it.

‘Hey, now you can tell me what Goddon was talking about, right? About the personal blessing from your father.’ That had been on Lilly’s mind for a while now, but she was slightly nervous to ask, thinking it had been a secret for a reason.

‘... Yeah, I can. It’s supposed to be a secret, but since he already gave you a blessing…’ She sighed, clearly hesitating with her next words. ‘My father has watched over me ever since my birth and helped me through each rebirth. And in the same way, I’ve helped him…’

Lilly didn’t make the connection instantly, but soon it dawned on her. Myndia had told her about a phoenix helping her during rebirths as she had helped him.

“Beak is the Divine Phoenix?!?” Lilly erupted, not bothering with keeping it inside her head. The revelation was too monstrous to stay silent, especially as she remembered everything she had done with Beak in the past.

She had fed a god her chewed meat.

“AAAHHH!!” She screamed in horror, begging to take her past actions back. Or at least that he wouldn’t remember it once he regained his memories.

She had stopped flying, too shocked to focus on pushing her staff forward. ‘The staff…? You're saying this staff has four divine hearts inside it?! And I have the heart of a god in our storage… Myndia, you’re joking, right?’

‘Ahh, that’s exactly the reaction I expected. No, I’m not joking. How do you think my mother met him in the first place?’

‘But… he’s so normal! He seems like just another phoenix! How is he just another phoenix?’

‘Hey now, phoenixes are great creatures! But I understand your confusion. The gods aren’t as powerful as you think, Lilly… in terms of combat prowess, at least. Especially after they hand parts of their powers to their children. Each time, they lose parts of themselves and the aspect they represent. They’re still immortal, of course, and Father hasn’t shown you any of his true form. But he’s not much stronger in combat than you are right now.’

Lilly needed some time to absorb this. It had shattered her image of great and all-powerful beings sitting somewhere in the sky watching over them. But she had wondered why no one ever heard of the gods interfering in the world anymore.

‘Then… Are the other gods in the same position?’ she asked, wondering if the world met each new day without guidance.

‘Most of them, yeah. Only the Seraphim remains at his full power, watching over all people. But he never interferes unless true disasters appear.’

‘... So when Goddon was talking about you having more support from your father, that was about how much power you received?’

‘No, not exactly. I embody more of my father’s aspect, being able to travel back and forth from the afterlife. Goddon has some power over the earth, but it’s not comparable to the Divine Titan, who can alter continents. So, in terms of power, we would still be quite similar. Of course, like my father, I also gave much of my power to my descendants. Although it’s more like a loan in my case.’

‘The Divine Phoenix is the god of the afterlife, then. What does the purifying power of the flame have to do with that?’

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

‘... You’re getting very close to learning some of the fundamental secrets of the world, Lilly. Are you sure you want to?’

Lilly paused again. Did she want to?

‘No, right now I just want to go home. I’ll ask again one day if I feel like it.’

Myndia sounded like she was smiling as she responded. ‘Then let’s keep going!’

Stort City looked wonderful in the dusk, with the streets lit up by magical lanterns, giving off a warm yellow glow. The dark made it slightly harder to find the way back to the offices, but she found it after a bit of looking around.

The hole in the wall was still there, revealing a female elf sitting tucked in a thick blanket looking up at the sky. The sight made Lilly feel sorry for not letting her follow, but she still thought it was the right choice.

Eolande spotted Lilly as she got closer and got up from her chair, staring straight at her as she approached. She seemed to be on the verge of tears, only waiting for Lilly to speak.

“Hey, Elly. The war is over!” Lilly stuck her arm out, showing a thumbs up.

The sight made Eolande laugh, but it was mixed with happy sobs. She looked overwhelmed with emotion and opened her arms for Lilly to come into her embrace.

Lilly didn’t hesitate, joining Eolande in a warm and wet hug after flying through the broken window.

“I’m so proud of you, Lilly!” Eolande said between her sobs. “You’re the best girl in the world!”

“We’ve got to be close to nine hundred hugs left now, right? I haven’t kept count, but that feels about right,” Lilly said jokingly, thinking back to when Eolande promised her a thousand hugs.

But Eolande shook her head. “Nope, the interest rate is one percent every day. We’re closer to twelve hundred hugs remaining now.”

Lilly smiled, not minding the extra clause. As long as she stayed under ten hugs a day, she would never pay it down. “Fine by me.”

Eolande let go after a good while, looking into Lilly’s eyes and anxiously searching for something. Lilly had expected more questions, but perhaps the result was the only important part. Or perhaps Eolande feared that what happened was something Lilly didn’t want to talk about. She had left with every intention of destroying a city if that’s what it would take.

“Nothing bad happened, Elly. I talked to the king, who was an idiot, but then Goddon came and made a peaceful solution.”

The anxiety slowly faded from Eolande’s face, replaced by a wide smile again. “You really are perfect, Lilly. Ahh, I’m so relieved!” She pulled Lilly into another short hug. “We need to tell everyone! The war is over!”

Lilly let out a small sigh, longing for her bed. And for her large, muscular pillow. “Could you tell them, Elly? I wanna go home now.”

Eolande smiled and kissed Lilly’s forehead. “Of course, brave warrior. Go home and rest; you’ve earned it. I’ll take care of everything here.”

Lilly felt so grateful to have Eolande in her life. Someone who would always be there, even when Lilly would be old and grey, to help her with whatever she might need.

“I love you, Elly.”

Eolande looked slightly surprised by her words, but then her smile turned even brighter. “Of course! I love you too, Lilly! More than you know, even.”

“Hey, let’s not make it a competition!” Lilly replied, fearing she would lose. “Before I go, has Selene woken up yet?”

Eolande’s expression fell a bit. “Not yet, but she should be fine. Rantas is still watching over her, so she should be perfectly safe.”

“... Is there… something between the two of them?” Lilly asked, finding Rantas’ actions to seem like those of a person in love.

“I think Rantas feels something, at least. I’m less convinced that Selene feels the same way. But after he carried her all the way here, maybe something changed. Having your life saved tends to have an effect on the heart.”

Lilly felt hopeful that that would be the case. Selene had always been alone ever since she was placed in an orphanage. She was reminded of the enchantments near Selene’s core, which had similarities with Beak’s heart.

‘Beak’s heart? The heart of a god?! What the hell did her parents do to her?!’ Lilly felt shocked and turned to look toward the infirmary. The unusually bright moon made it possible to see the vague shape of the building as it rested after a long day.

‘... Myndia, what does the Divine Seraphim rule over?’

‘... The celestial bodies. Why?’

Lilly felt there were more secrets surrounding Selene’s childhood than she had thought. But right now, it didn’t matter much. She turned back to Eolande and gave her a final hug. “I’ll see you back in Thundrel soon, right?”

“Of course, Lilly. I might spend some more time with Dahn in Eldhaven for now, but I won’t be gone for more than a week. Depending on him, we might even go there together.”

Lilly felt a strange pain in her heart, as if this goodbye was harder than the ones before it. A tear rolled down her cheek as she let go, preparing to leave. “Goodbye, Elly!”

Eolande smiled and waved at Lilly as she left. “Goodbye, Lilly.”