-Chapter Twenty-Six-

Maiden’s Promise - Part One

This is awkward, Aelius thought with the young woman in his arms, her pink eyes intently gazing into his.

The glowing, neon gems contrasted with her raven, dark ocean blue hair.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, appearance-wise, at least.

Her skin was fair and smooth, her cheeks sharp and noble, and her eyes large, as she stared up at him.

The two were all but silent for a long moment until he saw her sniffle and tears well up at her eyes, before she suddenly broke into a wailing, reaching up and latching onto him.

What the-?

Hugging onto him tightly, she cried her heart out without end and close to ten minutes passed by until she finally began to calm down and fall quiet.

Through it all, Aelius eventually simply began to patiently give her sympathetic pats on the back and soft rubs.

Having regained her composure slightly, she finally slowly released him before looking down to her naked body and he noticed her cheeks begin to flush.

“D-do you have anything I can wear?” she shyly asked, nervously looking away from his gaze with a warm, pink blush.

“Ah…” he noticed, quickly pulling off his jacket and covering her torso with it.

“Are you feeling a bit better now?” he asked, referring to her crying, while she covered her chest with her arms beneath the jacket too small to clothe her entirely.

“A little bit,” she pursed her lips and nodded. “T-thank you,” she quietly told him, avoiding his gaze.

“No problem. Is it okay if we get up now?” Aelius asked with a patient smile.

“Ah!” the young woman realised she was still pinning him to the ground. “S-sorry…” she tried to pull herself to her feet so Aelius could get up as well, but he frowned when she quickly collapsed back down on top of him.

“Huh…” Looking dazed, she looked at her shaking legs. “I don’t think my legs are working…”

Hesitantly, she looked to Aelius with fright in her eyes, like she was scared she was going to be beaten, her shoulders trembling.

“Oh…” Aelius glanced at her bare legs and shrugged his shoulders.

“I guess first time walking in over a thousand years would be a little hard,” he softly chuckled and raised a finger up to her.

“Fourth Tier - Summon Wind.”

A draft appeared out of nothing beneath the woman’s body and magically lifted her into the air.

“Whoa…” she looked at the ground in fascination as she floated. “Is this telekinesis?” she asked with curiosity.

“No,” Aelius responded as he stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. “I can’t use telekinesis yet, unfortunately. This is just good old Anemo elemental magic.”

He put his hands out and the girl was gently lowered by the wind into his arms, now being rested on top of him.

“Ah…” she blushed, looking away again.

“I’m sorry about the trouble. I’ll try and walk on my own as soon as possible.”

He felt her grip on his shoulder tighten, like some form of frustration gripped her, but only gave her a small smile from behind his mask.

“Jessica.”

Aelius approached the young Noble lady who was still sat on the ground. “How about you? Able to walk as well? Our business is done here. Your father is worried sick about you,” Aelius told her, who was staring at the girl in his arms.

“...A-ah! Right,” she answered in a daze, pushing herself to her feet. “Are you… intending on bringing this woman along with us in the convoy?” she asked.

“Hmm… for now, I’m going to get her clothed and fed,” Aelius responded after a moment of contemplation. “Everything else can come after that.”

Jessica looked at the girl with an unsettling look on her face.

“I-I heard the Cultists speaking about some sort of ritual where they sacrifice people…” she began to speak, and Aelius suddenly felt the girl’s hug around him tighten, as she coddled up against him.

“Yes… well,” Aelius’ tone ran ice cold. “I’m sure you’re curious.”

Jessica suddenly felt her spine freeze as she walked beside him.

“But curiosity is never good for the weary. You should forget everything you saw here.”

Jessica seemed to understand his meaning.

“O-okay. You’ve done your job brilliantly anyways,” she nodded nervously. “We can’t ask for anything more. You’ll be adequately compensated when we calculate the wages. I won’t say a word about what happened here.”

Aelius turned his head to her and she subtly flinched.

“I knew you were smart the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Without another word, he turned back and continued to walk in silence, leaving Jessica awkwardly following along, breathing a tense sigh of relief.

—-----------------------

They soon came to the room where Jessica had been held captive, and Aelius came to a stop at the blood-drenched door.

“Wait here for two seconds,” he told Jessica before entering back into the room, still holding the girl in his arms.

“O-oh… okay…” Jessica watched as the door closed, and then sighed, leaning back up against the wall, left in her lonesome, looking down the tunnel with solemnity.

Meanwhile, Aelius on the other side, cast a sound barrier again and gently rested the girl up against the back wall.

“Hmm, let’s see,” he turned around to examine the corpses of the clan members he had murdered.

“These people are…” the pink-eyed girl softly remarked as she observed the room. “The descendents of the clan that have been worshipping me. You killed them…”

Aelius heard relief in her tone.

“Yeah, because they’re crazy bastards. Ah.”

He spotted a female corpse about the right size and stripped her of her bloodied clothes.

“Here we go.”

He raised a hand to the shirt and pants.

“Summon Wind, Summon Water.”

With a mix of Anemo and Hydro magic, he quickly washed the clothes clean.

“Fifth Tier Arcane - Restoration.”

The now-clean clothes quickly turned dry in his hands, and he returned to the girl.

“So, what’s your name?” he asked her as he handed her the clothes and turned around.

“Ah, I’m… Saki.” she softly answered as he heard the shuffling of her clothes behind him. “You are?” she asked.

“For now, you can call me Lius,” he responded with his arms crossed, looking over the mural.

“I’m done, you can turn around now,” she added and Aelius turned back to see her shyly brush her hair behind her ear.

“Do you recognise the depictions on that wall there?” he gestured to the wall behind him without taking his eyes off her.

“Ah…” she subtly remarked and he noticed some sort of strange melancholy in her gaze.

“Well…” She put her hands together and clenched them tightly. “The first few images show how I died. Though I have no idea how people could have found out. Then, they’ve been offering me human lives for I don’t even know how long.”

Her eyes rested on the ground and he noticed tears begin to well up again on her face.

“So… are you a Datenshi?” Aelius coldly asked.

“A- a what?” she asked, reaching up and wiping her eyes.

“A Fallen Angel.”

“I haven’t heard of those words before. I-I don’t understand what it is you’re asking me.” Aelius sighed and slowly knelt down in front of her, causing her to flinch.

Reaching up, he took off his mask, revealing his brown hair and glowing, red eyes.

“Are you human?” he asked and confusion crossed her face.

“Well… one of my great ancestors was a Qinlin, but otherwise, yes, I am human?” she responded.

A Qinlin? Aelius wondered, but dismissed it.

“Then…” Aelius backed up again and pointed to the Angel returning into a portal in the second image. “Who is that, and where are they going?”

“That is most likely my killer…” At the mention of it, she softly sniffled. “It’s probably trying to show that she returned to the Grand Horizon after she murdered me…”

From her words, Aelius frowned and glanced to Asura, who had been watching onwards with her arms crossed in the corner of the room.

The Grand Horizon? he asked her, but saw her arms drop along with her jaw. Asura?

“The Grand Horizon?” she repeated and he noticed her face shift.

“T-that’s…” Asura bit her lip in what appeared to be frustration, until she finally sighed deeply. “Aelius, keep this woman by your side. It seems… she’ll be of great help to both you and me.” Aelius frowned, looking back to Saki.

I don’t recall something like this happening in my last life. Things are too different this time around. It’s safe to say Saki was successfully revived in my previous life too but, I never saw her. Where would she have wound up, if she hadn’t met me?

Saki blinked, looking in the corner of the room, interrupting Aelius’ train of thoughts when she spoke.

“So Lius is short for Aelius. It’s a nice name,” she delicately remarked. “But… you sound like you know of the Grand Horizon?” she asked, tilting her head, and Asura’s eyes widened.

“A-are you… talking to me?” she responded, pointing to herself.

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“Yes, of course?” Saki answered, and Asura looked to Aelius with a shocked gaze.

“What the hell…?”

“How are you able to see me? I’m only a Spirit,” Asura responded in confusion.

“Just because you are a Spirit does not mean you cannot be seen. Aelius is able to see you. I can see you too,” she answered.

“Yes, however Aelius and I are contracted. That’s why he’s able to see me. No one else should be able to.”

“Ah…” Saki gave a warm smile, and reached up to rest her hand on her chest. “It’s because my soul is now auxiliary to Lius. Fundamentally, the World Principles will recognise him and I as equivocal existences.”

“I’m sorry?” Aelius raised an eyebrow. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Ehm… well…” she scratched her head. “I mean, when you resurrected my fleshly vessel and deposited my dispersed soul into it, you included some of your own blood. Because of that, you and I have become parallel. Or rather, you made me parallel to your polarisation.”

Aelius waved his hand at her explanation.

“I cannot understand anything of what you just said,” he answered and Saki’s expression wavered.

“Oh dear… Awakening Arts do not exist in this era?”

“Hold on,” Asura flew toward Saki. “You weren’t only summoned with his blood though. You have centuries worth of blood used. His blood is only a drop in the ocean, so why has your existence bonded with him, and not everyone else who died?” she asked.

“Well… simply because he is the only one who is alive, for me to ‘bond’ with, as you call it,” Saki answered.

“Something still doesn’t make sense. Why does something like blood make you ‘polarised’ or whatever you called it? I can understand if blood reconstructed your physical body, and if your sealed soul stayed intact because you’re an Immortal being. But why does blood, that’s purely physical, affect something intangible like your soul?” Aelius questioned her.

Saki remained silent for a moment, thinking about her answer and looking up to the ceiling.

“I’m not Immortal though. I live on so long as my soul lives on, and as living beings, our souls are sustained through vitality, or life force. Blood is one form of life force,” she explained to them, looking more confused than they did.

Sustained through the soul? Awakening Arts? Aelius wondered.

“T-that is… My vessel was reconstructed with your blood, or life force. My sealed soul was deposited into this body at the same time. The current being that stands before you was created through your life force, and that is why the World Principles recognise us equivocally.”

She nervously looked to the two in front of her, who remained silent, frowning at her.

She began to squirm under their gaze, nervously fidgeting with her hands.

“Lius, you have a talent for Realisation. If you desire it, I can teach you what I’ve learnt. Just please don’t abandon me.”

Finally, Aelius sighed.

“We got a bit off-track. We can discuss this later. I won’t abandon you, so long as you behave. I can take it that now that you’re alive again, you won’t go around causing trouble, right? Cause as the one who’s revived you, all of that would fall on my shoulders,” he asked her.

“Truthfully, at first I was thinking that if I returned to life someday, I would go get my revenge. But…” Saki looked up to Aelius and then blushed, looking away. “But I’ve wound up being linked to you so… I don’t even know anymore.”

“Okay, let’s just get the hell out of this shitty region first, and then we can think about it.”

Aelius reached down and lifted Saki up again and left the room.

Much more comfortable in his presence now, Saki nuzzled up against him as he carried her and he looked down with a moment of uncomfortability, but nothing more.

—-----------------------

As soon as they escaped the mountain-cave, Saki looked up overhead at the rising sun. Aelius stopped briefly to allow her the view, and as she looked out over the trees and the sky, tears began to drop from her eyes again.

“You’re going to die again, of dehydration, if this keeps up,” Aelius joked and Saki gave a small laugh before falling silent for some time, gazing out into the outside world.

Finally, her soft voice began to speak again as tears stained her cheeks. But she wore a happy smile.

“Lius… thank you for saving me.”

She turned away from the world again and rested her head up against Aelius’ shoulder.

“And thank you for being you. Thank you for being kind to me, even after saving me.”

As her arm slung around his neck, she hugged him tightly.

“I’m glad the person who found me in the end was you.”

“Hahaha,” Aelius laughed. “Well, I’m glad too.”

“Ugh,” Asura groaned behind them, and took off into the trees.

Aelius looked down to notice Jessica glancing at them with slightly flushed cheeks.

As soon as their eyes met however, she jumped and looked around.

“L-lead the way?” she suggested, and he decided to do as she asked with a small breath. before taking a step forward after Asura.

“It doesn’t seem Sura-chan likes me very much,” Saki remarked, looking off into the trees where the crimson-haired beauty had disappeared off to.

“Oh…” Aelius wryly chuckled. “No. She’s probably jealous. Don’t worry about it, it’s my fault,” he assured her with a sigh.

“Mmm.” Saki looked out into the trees again. “The desert’s gone?” she asked.

“Desert?” Aelius wondered, and then recalled the sand drawn on the mural. “Oh… did Hamadia used to be a desert?” he asked.

As he carried her, they passed by a blooming flower and Saki gently swiped it.

“...It seems like hundreds of thousands of years have passed. I’m not sure if my family is still alive,” She remarked, the scattered petals of the crushed flower flying off her palm from the passing breeze.

At the sadness in her tone, Aelius dejectly exhaled.

“For now, you should keep this topic between us,” he said, eyeing Jessica over his shoulder.

“Right… of course,” Saki covered her mouth, before giving him a small smile. “Just between us.”

—-----------------------

As Aria supervised the camp from atop one of the wagons, she gave a dejected sigh.

A full night had passed by and Aelius was yet to return, but she could see his location off in the distance.

As she idly kicked her legs, waiting for him to come back, she heard a thud behind her and turned to see Lia climbing onto the wagon to join her.

“Argh, can you give me a hand?” Lia asked, struggling to pull herself up.

“Fourth Tier Arcane - lighten weight,” Aria tapped the air with her staff and Lia swiftly floated over to her.

“Whoa!” Lia exclaimed. “Magic can do this?” she asked as Aria disabled the spell and Lia plopped down beside her.

“Yes. For Sorcery and everyday life, Arcane magic is vital,” she smiled to her friend. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Lia softly nodded. “You haven’t slept yet, have you? I can take charge and wake you, so have a nap or something,” she suggested.

Aria looked off into the distance, her reptilian, cat-like eyes shining golden.

“Aelius is on his way back. I’ll wait until he gets here and then I’ll sleep.”

“Do you know if he’s okay?” Lia asked.

“Well, he doesn’t seem to be injured, and he’s been gradually getting closer to the camp, so maybe he’s rescued Jessica successfully?” Aria wondered.

“Aelius is… pretty strong, isn’t he?” Lia wondered, leaning forward to rest her chin on her elbows.

“Yes… he’ll soon step into the level of Holy Knights, since he’s already refined Six Mana Rings,” Aria responded.

“Was he always like that? I really wanna know what Aelius was like when he was young,” Lia asked with a giggle at the notion.

“Ah…” Aria smiled, recalling her memories with a warm look on her face.

“I guess… he was shy, timid, and weak. He needed protecting, but at the same time, he wouldn’t hesitate to stand up for someone else. He’d always get himself into some sort of trouble and then someone would have to swoop in and save him. But then… life sort of knocked him down so many times he stopped standing up. For the longest time, he was just crawling along. But I still wanted to protect him through that.”

Aria looked to her side to see Lia gazing at her.

“What?” she asked, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

“Oh… I was just thinking you must really love him,” Lia looked back out into the trees. “It’s nice to see, though I’m sort of envious. And, he doesn’t seem like the Aelius I know at all.”

“Envious?” Aria chuckled. “Of what, exactly? And no, he’s changed drastically. But I can tell it’s still him deep down.”

“Well…” Lia flung backwards to lie down on her back, looking up at the orange and purple sky. “Envious of your feelings toward him, I guess? I haven’t known him for long, though weirdly, I feel like I have. But sometimes, I feel like I shouldn’t even dream about him. I keep catching myself slipping. Truth is, I don’t have the qualifications. I’m just a lost puppy he happened to save. I received a little bit of his kindness. I don’t have any background, I’m not a Noble, I never even received an education. A normal love is already out of reach for me, so considering Aelius? Who’s so incredible? The only reason I dare to stay by his side is because he lets me. I don’t think I could love him without feeling guilty. And this curse of a power means I’m going to bring trouble to all those around me..

As she finished speaking, she looked to Aria to see her friend’s shoulders shaking.

“Oh, sorry. I just went and dumped a lot of my troubles on you. That was a bit selfish of me.”

“W-who cares about any of that!?” Aria suddenly burst out.

“I’m sorry?” Lia answered with a flinch, sitting back up again. “You’re the one who asked though?”

“No, I mean, who cares about qualifications, Lia?” Aria took her friend by the shoulders. “There’s no need to complicate it so much. If you love someone, then you love them. That’s it. And if they love you back, then they love you back. Nothing more, nothing less. Love is pure. Yes, it has to be pure, or else what the hell have all the idiots like me been living for? Besides, you don’t have to worry about not being worthy to stand by his side.”

Aria’s voice fell quiet and she sighed deeply.

“Aelius only keeps people that he knows with potential by his side, and trust me, your power is incredible. I don’t mean this badly but, he wouldn’t have even bat an eyelid at you if it wasn’t for your abilities. The fact that you’re here right now means Aelius will keep you by his side. But your place next to him is earnt, not given. Okay?” Aria asked, tapping Lia on the forehead of her mask.

“If anything, the only reason I’m here is because I kept hounding him. I’m envious of you.”

She leaned forward dejectedly. “If you’re not careful, Lia, someone will come along and suddenly overtake you.”

“No, Aria, not at all. You’re really smart and a really strong Mage! But… you wouldn’t mind if I fell in love with Aelius?” Lia asked.

“Who wouldn’t? Look at him, he’s so amazing. Especially if he appears like a knight on a horse in shining armour to save you. It’d be weirder not to fall for that person,” Aria answered with a shrug.

“Then what if he picks me? O-oh, I’m not saying he will! I’m just saying hypothetically, if he ends up with me, or someone else, even. Wouldn’t you regret encouraging someone like that? You could’ve prevented something terrible from happening with just a few words” Lia asked again with a finger raised.

“Well…” Aria sighed. “I’m foolish, but not that foolish. Is it really so terrible? If he chooses to love someone who loves him?”

She continued gazing out into the trees.

“I should be happy for him. And you, since you’re my friend.”

“Wow…” Lia looked back to the ground. “You’re really admirable, Aria. But, you sound like you’re talking from experience. What would we do if someone randomly appears and he falls head over heels for them?” she wondered.

“That’s because I am speaking from experience. You remember Alea, right? She was the one who cured the poison you and Aelius both had.”

“Yeah I remember her- wait, we both had?” Lia raised a brow.

“Yes, Aelius had the same poison. That’s how he recognised it in you, I’m sure, and how he knew to cure it.”

“What… how could that be? This poison was… I can’t believe someone else could have it too… and Aelius of all people. How did he get so strong despite it?” Lia looked at her hands. “But Alea cured it so easily.”

“Mmhmm. She appeared out of thin air one day. Aelius and I have known each other ever since we were four years old but… the first time I ever met Alea, Aelius had already been stolen out from right under me.”

“Ah. I see,” Lia laid back down. “Maybe that’s for the better. For me, I mean. I’m sure it would’ve hurt you a lot - still might. But knowing he already has someone makes me feel more comfortable about my one-sided feelings.”

“What do you mean? You shouldn’t give up, Lia,” Aria turned to look down at the other girl.

“What? No, I’m not shameless enough to ruin a relationship and steal someone else’s lover. Especially if he was so kind to me. I should step back and be happy for them instead, like you said,” Lia answered in surprise.

“I’m not suggesting stealing him, though?” Aria looked out to the forest, to see Aelius was close now. “Don’t you know? The Nobles in this country have multiple wives. For a long time now, I’ve already accepted that I can’t monopolise him, or even be his number one. But as long as he cares about me, it’s more than enough. There’s always plenty of love to go around.”

“Oh… but… ah! It’s so embarrassing to think about!” Lia exclaimed with a red face.

“Here comes our hero now,” Aria pointed to the forest and hopped off the wagon, readying a Hydro spell to wash him down.

Lia quickly joined up with her, and they approached the forest line.

The other Mercenaries noticed and also grouped up in anticipation, and as Aelius drew closer, a figure finally stepped out into the open.

It was Lady Jessica and at the sight of her unharmed return, the Mercenaries began to cheer and clap in relief.

Aria smiled at the fact that he had accomplished the task, but her expression turned sour as soon as he appeared behind her, carrying a young woman bridal-style in his arms.

The two girls then glanced at each other, though unable to see each other’s faces through their masks.

“Is this what you were talking about, with the whole being overtaken thing?” Lia asked.

“I hope not,” Aria shortly answered.