Chapter 70: Thrust 7

Elania’s fingers gently ran through Shadow’s fur as she scratched behind his ears. The darkwalker leaned into her touch, his eyes half-closed in contentment.

As she pet him, Elania checked her [Divine Power].

It was steadily rising.

But not nearly as fast as before. She rubbed her forearm, the bracer cool to the touch. The connection was growing stronger, but it was taking too long.

A sense of inadequacy jabbed.

Yolani had achieved so much in the last few days.

Elania frowned. She was falling behind. Not that it was a competition exactly.

But, dammit, she was supposed to be the leader. The “demi-divine,” or whatever they wanted to call her. How could she do better?

The sound of the door opening drew both Elania's and Shadow’s attention. Yolani stepped inside, a warm smile on her face as she carried a large bottle in her arms. “Shadow looks happy.”

“Another one?” Elania asked, watching as Yolani set the bottle down on the table.

Shadow stood, his tail pointed straight up as he bumped and rubbed against Yolani’s leg, nearly knocking her off balance. Yolani laughed, reaching down to rub his ears.

“Ember gave it to me,” she explained, her cheeks flushing slightly. “She made this one herself, recently.”

Elania hummed. “I’m surprised you accepted it from her. Remember what happened last time?”

Yolani’s face turned scarlet, and she glanced away, unable to meet Elania’s gaze. “I remember,” she mumbled, her embarrassment palpable.

Elania couldn’t help but giggle at her partner’s reaction.

Yolani, however, took a deep breath and turned back to face Elania, her expression determined. “I want to drink half this time.”

Elania blinked, her mouth falling open. Now, her cheeks began to heat. “W…why?”

Yolani looked away, a frown tugging at her lips. “I want to be stronger,” she confessed. “So I can fight beside you.”

Tears began to form in Yolani’s eyes, and she reached up to wipe a cheek, her hand trembling slightly. “I’m terrified of something happening,” she continued. “If I drink the ambrosia, it might let me live longer, maybe even as long as you.”

Elania stood up, her heart aching at the sight of Yolani’s distress. She pulled her partner into a tight embrace, holding her close. “Yolani,” Elania murmured, “you’re already amazing. You’re doing so much for everyone.”

She pulled back slightly, looking into Yolani’s green eyes. “You figured out the detection device, upgraded our weapons, and came up with dozens of different plans and ideas. Like how to do the repairs more efficiently.”

Elania’s brow furrowed as she continued, “If anything, I’m the one who can’t do enough.”

Yolani’s eyes widened. “No, Elania! Without you, we would never have made it to Contia. You’re strong and smart, and you even got Hels to give us the detector. That was all your work. I just figured out how to copy it to something we could use, but you already made most of the effort.”

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She squeezed Elania’s arms, her intense gaze filled with unwavering belief. “Without you, everything would have fallen apart. You’re the most important person in my life, Elania.”

Elania blinked, taken aback by the depth of Yolani’s conviction. She swallowed and embraced the other girl again. “Same… same.”

They stood like that for a moment before Elania pulled away slightly. A grin spread across her face. “Let’s both drink it.”

Yolani looked at Shadow. “Time to go to your own room, Shadow.”

The big cat mewled but then headed for the door. His tail flicked out as he went through, pulling the door shut.

“That’s… I am not sure that’s normal,” Elania muttered.

Yolani giggled. “He’s getting smarter. I never heard of a darkwalker like that, so I think it has something to do with your connection to him.”

Elania blinked, then looked out into the hallway. Sure enough, there was a golden thread linking her to Shadow.

Yolani reached for the ambrosia bottle and then headed to the bed. Elania followed her a second later, leaving the desk behind.

They settled onto the edge of the bed, the silken sheets rustling beneath them as Yolani uncorked the bottle. Without hesitation, she brought it to her lips and took a huge swig, the liquid disappearing down her throat in large gulps.

Elania watched, her eyes widening in surprise. “Hey woah, uh, are we going that fast?”

Yolani shoved the bottle into her hands, the glass still warm from her touch. “Yes.”

Elania glanced at the remaining ambrosia, the liquid swirling within the bottle, and decided to follow Yolani’s lead.

As the ambrosia passed her lips, Elania was struck by the difference in taste compared to their previous experience.

This time, it was all fire—a searing heat that filled her mouth and throat, the liquid settling in her stomach like a barely controlled inferno. It didn’t hurt, but the heat spread rapidly through her entire body, reaching the tips of her toes and fingers.

Elania turned to Yolani, noticing the flush that had crept onto her partner’s cheeks, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

As their eyes met, a wave of desire washed over her, a potent mix of need, love, and want that threatened to consume her.

It was as if the divine conduit that ran between them had shattered, the barriers that separated their emotions falling and allowing Yolani’s feelings to flood into her.

And hers to Yolani.

Elania realized they might as well be each other’s mirror.

She leaned in, capturing Yolani’s lips in a searing kiss as she pressed her into the soft pillows.

The sweet, intoxicating taste of the ambrosia lingered, heightening every sensation as the empty bottle clattered to the floor, forgotten.

Yolani’s hands reached up, grasping Elania’s shoulders as she flipped her over, trading places in a swift, fluid motion. Straddling her hips, Yolani gazed down at her, her green eyes smoldering.

“I know this is what you want,” Yolani whispered.

Elania’s heart raced, pounding against her ribcage as Yolani leaned down, capturing her lips in an enthusiastic kiss that left her breathless.

Hours later, Elania stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she found herself tangled in the silken sheets, Yolani’s raven locks entwined in her fingers.

Their bodies were pressed close, skin against skin, as if they couldn’t bear to be apart.

Exhaustion settled deep in Elania’s bones, a pleasant weariness like two bonfires that had burned until nothing remained but embers.

As Elania’s gaze drifted to the bedside table, her heart skipped a beat.

The [Regalia] was missing. Panic began to rise in her chest, but a sudden warmth on her arm drew her attention.

The bracer emerged from her forearm, melding with her skin as if it were a part of her.

Elania blinked. What about the revolver? As if in response to her thoughts, the bracer slid into her palm, transforming into the familiar shape of the weapon.

Beside her, Yolani mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, and the [Regalia] instantly rushed back into Elania’s palm, returning to its dormant state.

Realization dawned: her bond with the [Regalia] was complete.

She could feel the divine power thrumming through her veins.

She checked her [HUD].

[Divine Power: 4,998/50,000]

Elania blinked and read it again. That was a tenfold increase to her maximum capacity.

Elania swallowed and tried to calm her heart.

It was going to be hard to fall back asleep.

She slipped her arm back around Yolani and pulled herself closer while the other girl mumbled sleepily.

Now, she just needed to figure out how to increase her [Divine Power] regeneration.

Maybe she’d be able to protect them after all.