I look down at the girl in white. Spread form her left breast is a flood of blood, “Child of Snow.”

“I am not a child of that bastard family.” Her face lights up. The amazement and happiness...Than the horror as she looks around with tears in her eyes, “Ivan? Ivan! No no no! I could not be taken away from him! I was meant to be by his side!” She turns to me. A mixture of fear, sadness, and anger painted on her face, “He is alive? Of course he is. What could kill him? Can you send me back to him? I beg of you. I will do anything, I liked being near him. It was so warm...So comfortable… I felt needed…” She seems to have lost the energy and fever that she held in her eyes for a moment.

“You are dead, child of snow. You took a bolt that would of injured him, crippling one of his lungs. He would of struggled without your sacrifice, now he is leaving the capitol in ashes, and flames.”

“Good...That cesspool deserved to end…”

“Child of snow. Denounce your lineage, and I can offer you an alternative to reincarnation.”

“What do I have to say… You are Fata Stele aren’t you? He was right. You are beautiful…” Her eyes are on me. Her eyes are looking over my figure. Her eyes are scanning each and every inch of me. I was watching when she was so gently held.

Chosen influence the gods, the gods influence the heros.

I took away much of his inhibitions. Maybe a bit too much. I feel care for him, beyond that should be normal. But what god would not love such pure pitey? No seeking power as he has it. He is simply grateful, “Thank you. Simply say, ‘I deny the name of Snow.”

“I deny the name of Snow.” I smile as a layer of magic slides off of her and vanishes. That small claim that Snow had on her, and her family is gone. The power held in it, is gone. They will not be born with great mages of frost

“The best thing I can do… Is give you a chance. I will kill someone, and your soul will fill their body. Can you do that? Are you willing to kill, to destroy someone’s soul just to be by his side?”

She nods. Desperately. I smile at her. This will teach that battle loving, stick swinging, piss poor heat lamp god about intervention. Other gods can do it as well.

I believe Ivan has imparted some of his grudge holding off on me. I do not mind it. A worthy trade.

That girl that is traveling with him. The last heiress to the Throne of Light. Too protected. A slave is running towards his cart after the explosion that doomed the country. It seems she got lose. She is not diseased. She is a bit younger than he is. Her body is similar to mine. If this girl is in it, I am sure that he will welcome her.

I pluck her soul out and watch as she falls to the ground limp. I crush it and scatter the remains in the night sky. I ease it on, causing the energy to form into a star made of a soul. It is quiet and dark, her life not important or long enough to make a lovely and bright star. I forgot the pleasure of making these myself… The elves that I pulled danced the stars into the sky. But Ivan is strange. He calls them. He tames them. He holds so much of it back while changing it into something so intense.

What he thinks is a star… Is terrifying. Just a bit of its power, just a bit. It destroyed so much. It poisoned the land. That will become hallowed grounds for me in time. Only those devote could live on it...He did something. And I think I am starting to love him for it.

I grab the soul of the white haired girl in front of me and push her into the body. Wiping the memories, everything besides warmth. I guide her with a compulsion. Safety, warmth, love. It is all that way. A man to dream about. A wonderful, word abiding man. So many prayers. The last prayer of the hero of sword was to me of all people! A cry to stop the pain! So I gave him death and a place among the stars, to amaze and add wonder to those who look up...Forever.

~~~

I wake up. The sun is bright. I blink. I hiss at it, “Fuck! I just remembered the suit!”

“Did you actually hiss, also what suit?” The voice of the maid is heard form the head of the wagon. I feel it actually stop. So I get up and slide out of the back so I can stretch my body while looking around. Mostly plains, I kinda boring look. I see trees. The road. Grass. Little rocks. Not much else.

I miss Shio. With her it was a comfortable silence. Right now there is a tension between the maid and I, “Shio and I were having a suit made for me so I had something else to wear than my leathers.”

“...And after killing a castle and collage full of people, that is what you care about?” Sylvia looks to me with her head tilted to the side. Her face is frozen in confusion.

“Yes! Those people killed Shio and tried to kill me! ME! The hero of the greatest goddess that his sad world has ever seen.” I stand up and spread my arms. I feel much more free, open and the words flow out of my mouth easily while I grin at this poor maid in front me, “Rest, your are a orphan now. I am going to practice my magic.” I walk a bit away from the wagon. I give her no chance to talk back.

A few good few hundred yet away I sit in the grass and summon a star almost instantly. It comes so easy now. I swirl my hand in the mana. This makes higher and lower pressure zones. In the higher pressure zones the mana collapses under its on weight. The event horizon for the mana rest above the star itself, constantly drawing more and more mana inside of it. This causes low pressure around the star I made causing mana to rush in and fill in the space. Mana likes to be equalized… But this starts causing low and high pressures. More and more stars are dwaren in more and more. This lightens the fog of mana around me while the stars themself bath everything around me in countless snowglobe sized balls of mana acting like stars. Behaving like stars. Becoming them.

I look around and on the horizon I see a figure limping towards me. I tilt my head and with a smile I walk to the figure. It is a girl. A bruised and bloodied girl that reminds me of Shio. I should take her in. Like a form of coping when you get a new cat or dog, you get one that looks like the one that died but you hope it acts different deep down.

I banish the stars. I let them collapse on themselves. Than the corpses of the stars evaporate into nothingness leaving none of my magic behind. Some has returned to me through a function of the process that I am unaware of at the time. I look up to the sky… It's like...Noonish?

The girl stumbles to me. Her clothes are ripped by thorns and what looks like blades. I sigh as I look her over. She's around my age. Her hair is a beautiful deep red, her face is sharp and beautiful, her eyes are blue. A deep unnatural velvet blue, one of my favorite colors, “Hello there. I am a Hero, I will keep you safe.” I give her my best smile. A upturn of the lips.

~~~

I saw glistening lights far away. They blinked into reality one by one. A star after a star. I pushed my body forward.

Quicker. Faster. I fell a few times. The stars vanished into orbs of darkness. They looked wrong. My mind could not understand what I saw. But I kept limping forward.

A Cat-kin. A handsome man met me and smiled, “Hello there. I am a Hero, I will keep you safe.” He bent down slightly to hug me. And I never felt so warm. Warm, happy, and safe. So I sobbed. I sobbed. I cried out the pain of being kidnapped, beaten, groped and told over and over the only reason they have not used me is because I would cost more untouched.

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But a hero. It is fate that I am going to be saved. That dream... that dream that I can not erase still is stuck in my mind. A kind hero saving me. A handsome hero of unimaginable power. A hero with eyes for me and me alone. A hero that holds glistening lights that burn the air and land around him. And he exist. He exist. Thank you gods. Thank you Fata Stele.

~~~

I guide the girl back to the cart thing. The horses are eating and shitting. I fourge through the bags and pull out some basic clothing that was apparently in them. I get a piece of cloth and a water skin than I pour water all over it, “I'm going to wash some of the dirt and blood and see what I can do.” I try to smile at her again. She has not said a word, the only noise I have heard is her sobs when she broke down while hugging me.

We sit on the road, upwind of the horses for my sake. I take my time rubbing off the dirt and blood. Most of the cuts have clotted and on the way to being healed so I rub them with the clean part of the cloth. It is the best I got sadly.

I got her to a reasonably clean state. I wring out the cloth and hang it on the carriage’s side, “Do you have a home?”

She shakes her head.

“That is a shame. Would you like to travel with me? It will not be pleasant sometimes. But for the most part, the journey there is going to be quiet and peaceful, but I have business with the demons a bit more west.”

“Why are you telling me this?” She tilts her head, not looking me in the eyes but close. Her voice does not have much volume to it nor force. Like the fire that lit her soul is down and almost dead.

“Because it is easier to tell you than make up some lie and deal with the fallout, plus I pretty much purged the capital of most its noblitly, soooo. I need a new place to live while I find out how to do what I want.”

“What is that?”

“To make Fata Stele the most loved god of all time! Well worshiped. I think I can maybe convince the demons to making a temple to her, but I might have to purge a few more cities till they listen and know that I am serious.” I smile at her. It looks to be a bit past noon. The maid should be up soon.

“She sounds like a lucky god…”

“No no no. I am a lucky hero to have a wonderful god like her.” I shake my head. I grab a hold of her hand and start back to the carriage, “Do you know how to guide a carriage?”

She nods. I grin as I get up on the driver seat. She sits with me and grabs a hold of the reins. She gives them a harsh snap and horses start to trot. They have rested for quite a while. Ate quite a lot of the grass around us. Good poop machines.

I will admit. Magic makes up for not having internet. It gives you power. That makes pretty girls somehow flock to you. By no means am I ugly, I was just too quiet to catch any girls attention usually.

At some point the movement of the carriage lured me to sleep. I never notice the exhaustion I feel with playing and practicing magic till it hits me in the face like a semi with a dead guy behind the wheel. I am not sure why that is the mental imagery I have.

~~~

I wake up to the sound of horses hooves clomping on the road. I fucking hope that fucking insane cat-kin is not trying to force the horses to move. I sit up form the bench that I was resting on. A cover falls off of me, did he put that there? I know I did not fall asleep with it on.

I look through a window to glance at the driver seat that the cat kin is sitting at. His tail is hanging through the window. It looks soft and silky.

My eyes are drawn to the more feminine figure beside him that is holding the reins. H-how did he find another? Are girls just attracted to him like a magment? I mean, I flirted with him before I found out just how unhinged he is...Fuck. I am going to have to deal with this till I find a place to rest and build a life aren't I? How long will this one last?

Poor girl. I should take her to the side when I get the chance and talk to her, “Ivan!”

I have never seen someone jump that bad form their name being called. A wave of mana washes over me, like a tidal wave that drowns out any attempt at mine forming an- well...This time I seemed to actually get a small layer out to protect myself… little good did that that for the royal knights.... Just a few inches. That is...impressive under his influence… I thought they said I had no future in magic...

“Holy fuck maid girl! Do not scare me like that. Nearly kneed over clenching my chest!” I see his face looking at me through the window. No matter how active his voice sounds, his eyes look dead to me. Slightly sunken in, so dark in color that I can barely tell his pupils form his iris but you are aware of those dark dead slits that are a mimicry of a beautiful tiger eye. I do not know why, but those eyes are ones that exist in my nightmare.

“Who is the new girl?” I bite the inside of my cheek. I can not show weakness. Not to him. Not after how he burnt those men alive in their armour. I can still smell burnt flesh and ash. For some reason I as spared. I only ever felt warmth like a gentle spring morning.

If he can produce such kindness and warmth, why only share it with so few?...

“She is a escaped slave. I think. She has not said much. Reminds me a lot of Shiro. I also used some of the female clothes because her previous ones were torn and just miserable.” He smiles at me. A little too wide showing off predator like teeth. Countless dagger like teeth fill his mouth. I am now aware I am in an enclosed space, and the only way out is by him… I do not feel too safe. I am scared to speak in case I offended him… He is not stable.

He is looking at me for a response… “That is fine...They were just women clothes nothing special…” Gods how did I ever snap at him?

A hall of fire. Halls I lived my entire life melting. Men screaming. Stars rule the air.

Nightmares are not fun. Especially when the star of them is smiling down at you with a maw that looks like it would fit a tiger or dragon better.

“Does the girl wish to rest?” I look to the back of the girl that is driving the carriage. I look out to the sky and see the sun is very close to setting on the horizon. It is quite late. I hope this dumbass has not overworked the horses…

He turns to the redhead who nods hesitantly. Hopefully he will join her in here and I can be alone with my thoughts…

The carriage stops for a moment. The door opens and I watch as they walk in and get comfortable with some blankets and pillows. It is worrying with just how affectionate he is being with her if they just met today. That is not normal, the same thing could be said about the redheaded girl pushing her body against his like hers is seeking warmth that only he can make.

It is not right watching them act like newlyweds. So openly affectionate on the first day that they have met.

I leave by the open door, closing it behind me. I groom the horses, make sure that they are on a good spot to graze and check just how tired that they are. The poor things are panting, overworked and most likely exhausted. Does he not know anything about caring for one these beautiful beast? Why did the girl not say anything? Was she scared of him? Too scared to speak up?

I sit down on the drive bench and bury my head in my hands. I did not want this. I just wanted to escape being a maid to stuck up nobles and serving my grandfather with that face as if he was expecting him to thank me for it. I just wanted to be acknowledged by my bastard of a father, for my mother to care about me in the slightest. I wanted to escape that city that was my own special sort of festering rotting hell. I did not want it to burn, to be destroyed by a unstable cat kin with too much power than is healthy for a single person to possess.

Gods… why him? Why not a elf? A calm elf that just stayed in there damn treehouses and do not bother the rest of the world.

I push my magic out of my body. The field of my influence comes much easier than it has ever. The range has increased till the horses head. Before it barely would of reached them at all…

I snap my fingers making a small ball of light. A kind, healing light that could be used in so many ways. I always loved legends of the hero of light. Of my ancestor. I am the last one? Aren't I? The last of the Marshall royal family bloodline. I thought it was a rumor that children of heros inherited a small potion of there divinity touched magic. This is telling me that I am well and truly the last one. My father, my grandfather, my uncles, the king, the blond headed shits. All dead. In an instant. In an outburst by a insanely powerful fuck that does not deserve to live on our beautiful world.

~~~

I open my eyes and feel an arm around my waist. Not a big burly arm but a thin and lightly muscled one. The sound of soft breathing comes from behind me along with the faint sound of a house cat purring. I gently twist my body around to come face to sleeping face of the Cat-kin that has promised to keep me safe.

I-I feel warm… So warm…

My eyes grow heavy under the gentle embrace of him and the warmth. My body relaxes for the first time for months as I feel safe.

I fall asleep safe and warm for the first time in months.

It was the best sleep of my life, sleeping on the carriage floor with my arms around this strange, powerful, kind Cat-kin who’s name I can not remember. But it is on the tip of my tongue. It feels natural, like he is my soulmate...

~~~

I wake up to see the girl with firey hair resting while facing me. Her lips are upturned with a gentle and relaxed smile. Her arm is around my waist while her hand rest on the base of my back where my tail sticks out from my armour.

I gently untangle myself form her sleeping embrace while shaking my arm that was under her waist awake. Ahhhh pins and needles, pins and needles.

I stand up and move past the sleeping girl, intent of letting her rest as long as she likes. I move to the seat behind the horses where the maid girl is playing with a ball of light while guiding the horses to keep them on the path, “Hey there. What you doin?”

I watch as she jumps violently in the air, the ball of light that she was holding vanishes from her hands and the extremely faint pressure that I felt form her influence vanished as well. I didn't even notice it till it was gone. I am just proud I felt it at all.

“Is it time to switch already?”

I shrug, “Only if you want to get some more sleep. The girl is still sleeping on the floor so be careful going in.”

The maid nods and gets off form the driver bench while I take the reins and try to remember the lessons that the redhead taught me during the long, long time that we were alone for. Almost half the day.

I start to hum to myself to keep my mind from sinking into mindless boredom. I can not practice my magic easily while driving like this. Even when I hold back most of the heat, the radiation, the actual brightness. You know that whole thing about having the same matter of the star the size of a needle head? That is equal to an atomic bomb. I sadly have to hold back to keep this world in a state that I actually like looking at it.

Not craters and dead lands wherever I pass. I also do not think I could handle that type of power just yet. Maybe in time but not yet.

I hope it happens soon. Walk up to another kingdom, throw a needle size of unrestrained star matter and watch the fall out. It would not be as bad as a nuclear bomb. I think. If I understand how my magic works and the process it goes through at least.

My theory is if I truly stopped holding back, the actual material would not be left over after I retrained my influence. It will be just like a gamma wave. A burst of life destroying energy, but the actual radiation poisoning of the land would not be too severe and could be livable again in just years? Interesting thing to think about.

Maybe I’ll try it and keep track of it as an experiment into the power that Fata Stele has gifted me.

Dear gods, this is taking forever. I miss cars.