For long moments amidst the settling dust, Ori found himself captivated by Harriet's presence. With his newly acquired sight, she seemed to breathe life into the world around her.

"Mistress, I've prevented the staff from entering for now," Poppy said as she dashed into the sanctum, cautiously navigating through the dust and debris. She seemed to enrich the atmosphere, her movements causing ripples in the room's energies; multifaceted and sparkling like liquid crystal. Her Grace was displayed on so many layers that Ori found himself breathless with awe. "What happened?" she inquired, pausing to take in the full extent of the damage, Ori's glowing eyes, and Harriet's evident distress.

"Thank you, Poppy," Harriet said, regaining her composure as she stood and retrieved her dressing gown. "Please take Ori and wait for me in my drawing room, there we’ll try and work out what just happened. Ori, are you able to turn off that effect?"

Ori blinked, momentarily overwhelmed by the swirling energies around him. He hadn't considered that this sensory overload could be something within his ability to turn on or off. Closing his eyes, he managed to shut out some of the overwhelming colours and sensations. With much more effort and concentration than usual, akin to his experience with Aura of Amplification, Ori located a mental switch. Flipping it, he watched as the vibrant colours of the world faded.

"How's this?" Ori asked, reopening his eyes to a hall now coated in lifeless, monochromatic dust illuminated only by the baleful blue light of the rift. The two elves still looked beautiful, but the vivid life and energy he had seen before he turned off his newfound vision were now just faint traces. Observing their expressions, both Harriet and Poppy appeared reassured by his display of control, yet Ori was unnerved by their unwavering fixation on his eyes.

"Better, but still different. Go, and I'll see to the staff and repairs," Harriet said, her gaze lingering on Ori's eyes as she turned away to leave the sanctum.

"If it would please you, Ori," Poppy said, offering her hand. He took it, and within a few steps, found himself in a cosy office. The light from the ringed gas giant and a few lanterns gave the room a softer, warmer feel, contrasting with the wide and airy hall they had just left. Ori walked around the desk, his mind dividing its attention. One part wanted to gaze directly at Poppy but settled for the view outside instead. Another sifted through Eltitus’s memories and soul fragments, purging or quarantining those he found useless or unsettling.

While a third mind focused on Poppy, using her as a focal point to probe the changes to his passive awareness and its extended coverage.

"You feel different," she observed.

"Yeah, well, I'm working on it," Ori replied.

"What happened?"

"The short version is, a few days ago, I absorbed the soul of a Lich. I couldn't use his experiences or access his power until right in the middle of that transmutation," Ori explained. “And then it all came at once.”

"That's too short a version," Poppy said, her concern turning to displeasure at his flippant response. "Mistress looks genuinely shaken. What did you do?"

"Honestly, I don’t really know. Maybe we can piece it all together when she comes?"

Silence stretched for long moments. Both were motionless, with Ori sensing Poppy’s glare on his back. The first part of his mind joined the second in auditing his soul. While his soul felt stronger and more resilient than ever, a small part of it wasn't entirely Ori. He could sense a separate set of instincts, some benign, others irritating or outright dangerous. With the useful parts of Eltitus’s knowledge, tracing their roots back into his soul was now effortless. However, pruning them away from aspects that were useful or fused with his preexisting self was sharply painful every time he did it, but it was a necessary process.

While he could sequester or delete the undesirable parts of Eltitus’s soul, changes to the rest of himself were inevitable. The weight of the Lich’s four-hundred-year-old existence pressed down on him like anchors bolted to his chest. Glancing over those moments of abuse and torment, first inflicted on Eltitus and then on his enemies, was like a third infliction of horrors that aged Ori well beyond his two decades of life.

Ori used his bonds as a focus, always referring to them when his sense of self or purpose became unclear amidst the ocean of gloom and chaos. As the minutes stretched on, he indeed felt his chest lighten and mood brighten, with those second set of instincts disappearing or becoming less intrusive.

"Sorry," Ori sighed.

"For what?"

"For causing so much aggravation, and sometimes you've just got to apologise, even when things happen that are beyond your control."

"Well, at least you survived. I take it your soul isn't possessed by an undead Lich's spirit anymore?"

"More or less. How can you tell the difference?"

"You're not the only one with fancy perception, Ori."

"Heh," Ori laughed, turning to face Poppy, taking her in. "Are you alright?"

Poppy sighed. "There's much I cannot say."

"Like how you decided something, held my hand as if we were lovers, without any explanation?" Ori said, his smile softening his words.

"Yes, that," Poppy admitted, suddenly sheepish.

"Not saying I didn't like it. I did. It was nice, it's just..."

"It's just that you're a summons, or that your desires are split several ways, or that you don't see yourself worthy of anyone, let alone a Queen or her Handmaiden?"

"I..."

"None of that matters. As mad as it might seem to you, I've made my choice."

"About me? What does this even mean? Is it part of your heritage, or just like a crush, or what?" Ori asked, his confusion growing as his heart raced. As she approached him, Ori was once again captivated by the way she moved, as if carried by a hidden cadence, one that dictated a smooth rise and fall in time with deliberate, flowing steps. She stood before him, a hand on his chest, her usual enigmatic smile seeming more earnest as she looked up at him.

"Much more than a mere crush, I'm afraid I'm stuck with you, summon or not. Any more than that will have to wait until the mistress arrives. Will you be okay? I should go to see if I'm needed, and you seem busy with your thoughts."

Ori simply stared at her, his expression one of confusion and a hint of panic. However, if he were honest with himself, having some of the uncertainty cleared with the promise of answers helped to settle his mind. “I’ll be fine,”

----------------------------------------

In the quiet of the room, Ori delved into Eltitus's memories. His recent experiences had given him confidence in his ability to reassemble Sera’s soul, provided he had the pieces. However, as he scoured the Lich’s ancient mind, Ori was piecing together where those fragments might be and the challenges of retrieving them.

Souls he learned, went to a place called the Ethereal Demiplane. Unlike the other eight Demiplanes – Celestial, Astral, Faewyld, Material, Elemental, Abyssal, Underworld, and Infernal – the Ethereal Demiplane was inaccessible to corporeal entities and lay beyond the reaches of Fate and most Awakened beings. The fact that Ori was not Awakened seemed of little advantage, as the difficulty of finding specific souls within the Ethereal Soul Sea was staggering.

Continuing to sift through Eltitus’s memories, Ori stumbled upon the Lich's last thoughts during his battle with Lord Bartholemew and the “curious mortal that had given this pitiful force such foolish hope.” Ori was surprised to discover that Eltitus did not possess a true domain. Domains at the Sovereign rank were extremely rare, typically manifested by Divinities and higher beings.

Needing a countermeasure against Grace Knights – warriors who harnessed the nearly inexhaustible power of belief from their followers – Eltitus devised a pseudo Domain. He substituted the Intent, the unification of Will and Perception, with his Soul. It was that creeping swell of some foreign force during that final battle, seemingly invisible to those around him. With the power of his soul compensating for his inability to form Intent, Eltitus created a domain where he blocked the external influence of Lord Bartholomew’s grace, substantially weakening him. Eltitus believed his pseudo domain was more powerful than a normal domain in this regard, as using his soul to envelop another's was likely a more effective way of blocking Grace.

The more Ori examined the Lich’s soul, the more he appreciated the man's intellect. Eltitus was not one to settle for established wisdom or accept facts without verification, a trait Ori recognised from his own education in the scientific method, one that emphasised experimentation and peer review. However, as he delved deeper, Ori couldn't help but recoil at the Lich's methods and implementation. The desolation and loneliness that Eltitus seemed comfortable with were anathema to every instinct Ori had. The Lich's existence was steeped in a cold, detached cruelty, a grim contrast to Ori's own values and inclinations. It was a stark reminder of the path he never wanted to tread. As a result, he felt increasingly grateful to Sera for giving him a chance to survive. After Eltitus had held Ori in his grasp and made contact with his soul, there would have been no other way to escape.

The door opened and a flustered Poppy entered, followed by Harriet, radiating her Queen persona like a chill wind.

"I want to stay."

"Poppy, I'll tell him. Please attend to the staff."

"Anoriel!"

"Sarrecent! I should do this alone," Harriet growled, her anger piercing her icy demeanour. Sensing the argument involved him, Ori wanted to step in, feeling uneasy about potentially causing a rift between them.

"Is everything alright?" Ori asked, only to receive two angry, High Elven glares in response.

"Poppy, trust me to handle this."

"Very well, mistress," Poppy said, then left the room.

Ori watched in silence as the young Queen visibly relaxed with a sigh. He could have taken offence at their attitudes, but he felt guilty about the events during the Quickening of his Perception and was grateful for their help and presence so far.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Did it work? Any side effects?"

Ori activated his vision, seeing the world in colours beyond normal sight. He saw Harriet's lifeforce, the strength of her spirit, the Aether in her clothing's enchantments, and the quality of her soul. "I feel more exposed than ever when you look at me like that."

Ori deactivated his vision. "Sorry. As for side effects, aside from unlocking an ancient Lich's soul fragments at the worst time, I think Quicken Perception worked."

"What can you see?" Harriet asked, her anger replaced by curiosity.

"Colours, lots of new ones. I see ripples when things move. I can see all around me, but focusing is still best with my eyes."

"And your other senses? Hearing, touch, smell?"

"Hearing's the same. My skin and smell are more sensitive, even without the skill active."

"And this Lich's soul, are you possessed?"

"No, I absorbed the soul of the Lich I defeated at Astor," Ori explained as Harriet gasped. "I needed his knowledge, Harriet, to figure out how to get her back."

"I wish you'd confided in me," Harriet sighed.

"Well, I wish I knew why you summoned me. Sometimes, it seems you're the only one allowed secrets," Ori replied, frustration in his voice. "Help me help you, Harriet."

Harriet looked small and haunted, wrapping her arms around herself as she moved towards the window.

"I had this perfect plan to summon my Taurna’diem, to thwart the man who killed my mother and prevent our house's annexation through novel application of an archaic law. But things haven’t gone as planned, have they?" she said sullenly, her face ashen.

"What's a Turna diem?" Ori asked.

"Taurna’diem, it's... I wish I could sing its meaning to you. Speaking it out loud just sounds crass. In enchanting terms, the inauguration was my Quickening, while I was named Harriet by my brother, who has the class, and Taurna’diem is, as you can imagine."

"A soul bond? Between you and your... summon? Me?" Ori said, silently adding to himself, 'Again!?'

"High Elven tradition grants greater privileges to those who attain this bond, as many never find it. It's usually celebrated as an auspicious event, bringing tangible benefits to both parties."

"Okay," Ori said, dazed. "Okay."

"Let me start from the beginning. High Elven Society is typically ruled by representatives from each realm, the Briar Queens. During peaceful times, matriarchy is almost universal as our women generally have twice the aptitude for Affinity and Grace as men. However, occasionally, a High Elven male attains the Immortal ranks despite their disadvantages. It's rare for male elves at the Immortal rank to upset the status quo, and even rarer for them to succeed.

"However, we live in an age with no Immortal Briar Queens. Rufus Terradi’del Osson, a Silvan Elf at the Immortal Rank, who killed my mother and had my father assassinated, seeks to become an Elven Overlord under those same ancient traditions."

Ori swallowed. "And this Taurna’diem, would it prevent him from doing that?"

"It was my hope. Under High Elven law, no Taurna’diem can be broken in life by anyone outside of it. Breaking the soul bond would mean breaking elven law, a law enforced by our divine guardians and fate itself."

"But how does making it impossible for him to break this Taurna’diem stop him from becoming overlord?"

"To become Overlord is to seek submission of every Briar Queen by power or persuasion, under ancient traditions. Essentially, to marry him or die. When my mother couldn't defeat him in a formal duel, she chose death. And so will I if he can declare his challenge."

"So with a Taurna’diem, elven law would invalidate his challenge and prevent his rise to Overlord?" Ori confirmed.

"Though he could always have my brother and I assassinated. Most likely, it'll buy me some time."

"Time to level up and get stronger? I get it. It was a clever plan." Ori exhaled a long, deep breath. Shit suddenly got real, and while he had been expecting something like this, knowing the circumstances behind his summoning and his part in her solutions was a relief, even though he felt tremendous sorrow over the failure of the Queen's plan. Ori asked, his voice breaking, "So, I take it this Taurna’diem is some sort of love bond then? How does it happen? And why wait to tell me now?"

"Taurna’diem is forged during sex. I'm not clear on the details, but the elves involved often know well in advance of its occurrence, and love is indeed a part of it."

"I see."

"I didn’t tell you because... Well, if I had approached you after summoning, and told you that you needed to sleep with me, or else I’d die, it would have been a form of coercion, one I’d have had no interest in being a party to. Had I been so desperate to live, I’d have submitted to my parents' killer and be done with it," she said acidly.

"Alright."

"And I’m telling you now, well, because..." Harriet began but failed to continue. Ori turned away, unable to look at the Queen any longer. His mind raced, thinking of other ways he could help, if she even still wanted his help, or if it would be best to leave now and save her the risk of his presence making things worse.

"I get it, I'm not exactly a High Elven prince in shining armour. I'm grateful for your help and your company, thank you for being nice to me. If there's any way you think I could help, then I'd be happy to, but if you want me to go, then that's okay," Ori said, standing by the window with clenched knuckles, mentally preparing for his dismissal and deciding whether or not he would check in on her fate from Freya’s donated knowledge or save himself the heartache.

"I'm telling you now because I wanted some basis of trust between us before revealing anything. But now I realise that was just the foolish dreams of a little girl. How could there be any trust when I'm holding back the very reason why you were summoned in the first place? I had hoped to have left a better impression on you by now, but between my reticence and… well, my general inability to properly express myself, I’ve... spirits. Why is this so hard to say?"

"Goodbyes are hard to say because you are genuinely a nice person," Ori said, turning to face her one last time.

"Goodbye?" Harriet said, her confused expression twisting into horror as Ori prepared to leave the final trial. "WAIT!" She all but screeched, "Wait! Please wait."

Ori stood, heart thumping so hard he could feel it pulsing in his throat.

"Do… Do you really find me so distasteful that you would spend not a single, additional moment in my presence?" Harriet asked.

"What do you mean? You know I find you attractive. I mean, you are the most beautiful person I have ever met, and I’ve been under the charms of a greater succubus’s presence. You're also kind, I love how curious you are and how nice and generous you’ve been to me, I… Were you thinking I didn’t like you?"

"Well, I… I’ve heard it's different for humans. We elves just know if we’re in diem with another, society and bloodline considerations often get in the way, but with humans…" Harriet babbled.

"I’m confused. What are you asking?" Ori said, his Split Mind racing to work out what the woman was trying to say.

Harriet growled. "Perhaps it was a mistake to send Poppy away. Please sit." Ori moved to sit on the sofa Harriet gestured towards, it was closer to her than Ori felt like sitting at so he hesitated, before awkwardly sitting down.

"I did the summoning ritual intending to find my Taurna’diem, someone who was compassionate, someone who could make my spirit soar with their very presence, someone who could surprise and impress me with their determination, someone who could love as deeply and completely as I could. And when you arrived, I was insulting, unforthcoming and unable to properly articulate what I felt, hoping you would feel it too and it would just work itself out."

"So you're saying, you actually like me?"

"Yes," Harriet smiled with watery eyes. "I’m in diem with you, I have been, ever since I summoned you."

"Why?" Ori asked, completely bewildered.

"While I’m starting to understand you better, and the differences between our races... I swear that if I accomplish only one thing in our remaining time together, it’ll be making you see yourself the same way I see you. I asked for someone with compassion, I received a hero. I asked for someone special, someone who could make my spirit soar, and here you are. When I look at you, I see so much more than a mortal, a human, you are a genuine miracle in so many ways it’s hard to fathom. I asked for someone who could love, and here is a man who risks his very future for the chance to save his bonded's soul."

"I… But you're a Queen, and I’m just-" Ori said, his mind still unable to grasp the possibility.

"You're not 'just' anything. You are Ori Suba, Taurna’diem to I, Harriet Anoriel Thalionwen Luinilthar, if you’d have me." Harriet said with conviction, her hands clasped together in a way that, to Ori, exposed a woman who not just needed him, but wanted him in a way he had never really known from anyone, before now. Ori’s mind came up with countless roadblocks and ways this was all doomed.

"But I’m just a summons, I can’t stay here for long, I have to get back…"

"Then we’ll make no promises during the time we spend with one another, no claims on each other's spirit beyond the bond," Harriet said.

"What about the fact you're a Queen, wouldn’t you having a lover, a human lover, be a problem?" Ori said, giving Harriet a helpless look.

"Ideally, no one really needs to know who you are, but as Taurna’diem is recognised by fate, our bond should protect me even if it causes scandal."

"What about kids, don’t you need heirs?" Ori said, completely not ready to become a dad, nor finding out he had children hundreds of years older than he was upon ending the trial.

"That did give me pause. I cannot have your children, Ori, High-elven society would not allow it."

Ori frowned, finding himself surprisingly disappointed by Harriet’s answer despite having less than no interest in having kids right now as well. "That’s probably for the best, I’ve lived most of my life not knowing my father, and I would prefer not to visit that fate on my kids too. What about Poppy?" Ori suddenly remembered.

"Poppy is different, in some ways she has already formed a type of soul bond with you, her Var’Drow heritage choosing you as kin regardless of your consent, though she is also wishing to form a traditional Taurna’diem with you if you’d allow."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Yes," Harriet said, her steady gaze firm, a gentle smile making Ori fully aware she knew just what she was offering. Glad that he was sitting down, Ori sagged on the chair, his boneless exhalation leaving him tired and his mind spinning. He wished he could say something clever and sophisticated, or do something smooth with a twist of a twist or a saucy wink, but all he could feel was terror.

“I know my heart, and you're asking me to fall in love with you, the both of you, which would be no challenge at all for me to do, and then leave you. Abandon you both, halfway across the universe and centuries in time.”

“Centuries?”

“Yes, about seven hundred years,” Ori confirmed

“That’s... actually a good thing,” Harriet said, surprising him.

“It is?”

“Given our circumstances, yes. Assuming Rufus doesn’t opt for assassination, your unavailability will place you beyond his reach, we’ll be safer because no matter how hard he’ll try, for those long centuries, he’ll be unable to divine just who or where my Taurna’diem is.”

“But doesn’t that mean I’ll become a target later then?” Ori said, less perturbed at being the assassination target of a jilted suitor than he should have been.

“Maybe, but I will be doing all in my power to improve myself and put him down. And I won’t be alone, with other Briar Queens likely facing similar circumstances to mine.”

“Alright.” Ori exhaled,

“You're still concerned about abandoning us?”

“I guess so. I’m literally asking myself if it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?’ Ori chuckled. “I guess, let’s find out,” Ori said, a lingering smile growing as he took in the gorgeous Harriet standing just a few paces away from him. “So what now?” He wondered.

“I have no idea.” Harriet snorted, “I’m happy to take your lead in this.”

Ori spent a few minutes considering what to do and settled on something he was told relatively recently. "Well, when me and my dad reconnected when I was older, he told me, that the most important thing for a relationship to succeed, was not how hot she was, nor if you had things in common, or if you had the same goals or values. No, he said, the most important thing in a relationship was whether or not she liked you. And most men will never know for sure, not unless she shows you."

"And how do humans show that they like one another?" Harriet pressed.

"Every society is different, and every human is an individual with unique preferences and needs," Ori replied wryly.

"So, how does one show Ori Suba that they like him?" Harriet asked, moving towards Ori with slow, measured steps, her hips swaying, her eyes intensely focused on him.

Feeling buoyed and aroused by her approaching presence, Ori decided to be bold. "A kiss would be a good place to start."

Harriet sat on his lap, feeling impossibly light as his arms wrapped around her slender form to rest on her hips, which he had longed to hold since they first met. She wrapped her arms around him, resting them on his shoulders. He was enveloped by her woody, natural scent as her brilliant blue eyes set his heart racing, their faces inches apart. His gaze drifted to her perfect lips, her pale skin, and the valley of her cleavage, noting the rapid rise and fall of her chest. He pulled her closer, still in disbelief but now unwilling to let her go.

"This will be my first," Harriet said.

"Kiss?"

"Yes."

"Then it’ll be my honour to share it with you," Ori said, and they kissed. It started slowly, his hands rising to caress her cheek as their lips met, hers impossibly soft and smooth. He deepened the kiss, their noses touching, his desire to hold her transforming into a need to meld with her as their passions ignited. Lips gave way to tongues, their rapid breaths mirroring a mutual longing to merge into another.

Harriet gasped, as they ended the kiss. Her gentle rocking forced him to hold her tighter, though whether it was to encourage the movement or halt it, he wasn’t sure. Their foreheads connected, his eyes unable to escape the swell of her breasts, mesmerised by their motion under a rapid heart and heavy breaths.

“Did that go some way into convincing you that I liked you?” Harriet said, a smirk evident in her tone.

“A little, could always use more convincing though.”

Their kissing continued.