The festivities lasted until pretty late into the night. By the time the giant three story wedding cake with customized little characters depicting me, Cecily, Nelly and Cene all standing happily atop it came, everyone was in an extremely talkative and overall happy, albeit tired mood. Cene, still not used to staying up late, had fallen asleep on the chairs sometime around half past 9. In spite of the joy he had when he finally got clearance to stay awake past his usual bedtime, as well as his determination to stay awake until the famed midnight everyone around him always talked about, it seems his little brain couldn't handle the sudden change in schedule, so he only lasted a measly half an hour more than usual.
As Cecily and I cut the cake together as a couple with one of the rental sabers the venue offered, I had recalled the iron sword my father gifted me for my thirteenth birthday. I had actually written for him to bring it over just so we could use it to cut the first slice of the cake, as I felt it'd be a poetic and nice way to tie us back together, but we all know how that panned out. His sharp and short reply still cuts deeply, deeper than any cut we made on the cake today...
Ever since I woke up this morning and for the rest of the day, I had silently hoped that I'd see them burst through the church or venue doors to gift me with a dramatic and pleasant surprise. I didn't care how unnatural of an act that'd be from them, I didn't care how unrealistic that wish was, I just wanted to see them again. Hell, if they were to run in just to shout slurs at us and disapprove of Cecily and me getting married, I'd still have trouble hiding away my smile as I cursed back at them. I love my friends, and I love my family with Cecily even more, but no matter what, I think as I matured I've come to realize the importance of having my parents in my life. Obviously, had it not been for them, I wouldn't have even been born, but even after that, they've instilled into me a ton of important life lessons that I only now realize as a parent myself how difficult they are to teach. Whenever Cene does something wrong, I curse myself repeatedly for not paying attention to how my parents dealt with that same issue in me as a kid. It's a big point of envy whenever I see Ed do it so effortlessly, but I obviously don't say that out loud or make it apparent.
Cecily... seemed kind of troubled the entire evening. She was cheery and whenever we were together she had a happy smile on her face, yes, but I did happen to spot her in the corner of the spacious room at times just sulking and sighing away. It's definitely that, right? She's thinking about the thing I kept hiding from her after Adam accidentally let slip a detail he shouldn't have. Judging by her somewhat ticked off look whenever she seems to think about it, I can wager a hefty penny she knows it's got something to do with Marina. She's smart enough to deduct that much, but I think she's holding back from asking for the exact same reason as I am from telling. I don't want her to keep making that face, though, so I'll tell her after the wedding's done. Sometime in the morning, perhaps? I'm not too sure, but it's a bandaid that has to get ripped off eventually, so best to not hesitate and do it as soon as possible.
As a stark difference to her behavior, Issei and Othelia were completely letting loose and wholeheartedly enjoying the party. I was expecting them to look at the very least a bit melancholic or sad, seeing as they told us they'd be leaving soon after the wedding, but no, they were more than willing to become the light of the party. Well, I expected nothing less of Issei, seeing as he's prone to making a fool of himself at any form of friendly gatherings, but seeing Othelia start to get increasingly more provocative as the night went on to the point where she actually pinned Issei to the wall and started full on making out with him in front of everyone was pretty wild. I miss those days with Cecily... Well, we still have our moments at times, but since we put a pause on too much physical contact due to my death breath, I always had to stop myself mere moments before jumping her whenever the time arose. Here's to hoping this wedding kiss was the spark that relit the flames, I guess.
Nat and Eleanor had a pretty interesting reaction to liquor. They seemed to be the sad and weepy type when they got drunk, constantly sticking together in what they dubbed the "loner's lounge" as they cried out at their inability to find a partner. Honestly though, hearing the bratty and annoying Eleanor and the tomboyish country girl Nat throw away those characteristic facades just to truthfully ask fate what was wrong with them was kind of a joy to see, no matter how messed up that sounds. By the time midnight arrived, they were already passed out face down on their table with their makeup completely ruined from the excessive tears. Ed actually had to take them both to their homes, though he had to bring Adam with him since he didn't know where Nat lived. Well, I'd usually laugh in times like these, but I'm no monster, so I'll pray that they both find the perfect partner for them. Maybe someone who knows how to properly deal with drunks...
After the party was reaching its closing time, most of the tenants still didn't have enough, so they grabbed their friends and all went to celebrate at a nearby bar. Obviously, I didn't go because of my abstinence from alcohol, and Cecily wasn't interested in going without me, so we settled on taking Cene to bed early before going to bed ourselves. This was to be our first proper night spent together under the sheets as a married couple, and let me tell you - it was DIVINE.
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Hm? What...? Wait, did you expect me to write an entire essay down that accurately depicted the scene between Cecily and me last night? Well, sorry to ruin your expectations, but I just let loose years' worth of a certain substance, and I'm really not up for doing any more energy reliant tasks. I just wanna lay in bed the entire day... and maybe cuddle a bit more with her while I'm at it.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Still, I'd feel bad for those of you who genuinely came here expecting to see some good action, so like - The doors locked, the clothes unclothed, the bed creaked, the the folds folded, et cetera... There, that give you a good enough picture? Ya' pervs...
"Good morning, dear." Cecily noticed me kneading her chest a bit without thinking, "Don't worry, they won't go anywhere."
"I remember them being smaller." I didn't stop kneading as I tried recalling how they felt before I died, "Did Cene really have this big of an effect?"
"I doubt that's how it works, I think you're just misremembering." She giggled, "By the way, you can let go now."
"Five more minutes?" I asked for overtime.
"Dear, you've had enough." She got up to get dressed, "Geez, even Cene knew when it was time to quit."
"Yeah, cause he had his fill." I shot back, "His body took in however much it needed, whereas my adult body simply can't get enough. Really, it's basic science."
"What branch of science studies that?" She laughed, "Come on, I'll go make us breakfast. Aru and Cene should be... Ah."
"Oh shoot..." I thought the same thing she did, "We totally forgot to bring Aru with us last night..."
Just then, an angry knock on our window could be heard banging repeatedly on its surface. Going over to open it, a pissed off gremlin disguised as a God disguised as a little girl jumped right in to tear us a new one. Not prepared in the slightest for such a quicktime event, I hastily hid nude body under the covers.
"I see how my kindness towards you and your kid is being rewarded." She tapped her foot on the ground in frustration, "You guys really do make me wonder why we got rid of Hell and made everyone go to Heaven, cause you obviously don't deserve a spot in it."
"Well, it's not too late to..." I replied with a weak smile, though Cecily stopped me from digging us an even deeper hole, "A-Anyways, what exactly do you mean when you say you got rid of Hell?"
"What else? Originally there was Heaven and Hell - A spot for good guys and bad guys to go after they die respectively." She elaborated with a tired tone, "But because a certain Meditation God accidentally got stuck inside Hell for a few eons and got traumatized by it, Selzion swore to help him get over his fear by abandoning Hell and revamping Heaven into what it is now."
"So that's why the Gods kept referring to it as Heaven 2.0?" Cecily tilted her head as she said something unfamiliar to me.
"I'm really lost here." I sighed.
"So am I, but this is the first time Aru told us anything concrete about the world of the departed, so we can't let it slip by." Cecily explained.
"Well, we'll be leaving pretty soon anyways, and I think Lune Grimheart would find out about all this anyways, given his nature, so I don't really care about keeping you in the dark all that much anyways." Aru commented, "But just to be clear, everything I tell you now, I've kept hidden for your own safety. Just know that this is technically forbidden knowledge, but since you guys are enemies of the Gods anyways, I'll wager it won't change their opinions of you all that much."
"How are we enemies of the Gods?" Cecily asked, "Sure Selzion was kind of an ass for that whole debacle with the animals and wanting to hunt down Lune as soon as he rose from the dead, but we didn't really do anything to provoke the others."
"See that's the thing." Aru smirked, "Me telling you why would be me sharing forbidden knowledge with you. Either continue to live the quiet life I've given you without asking too many dangerous questions, or find out all that you wanna know, but be prepared to face the consequences. That's how it is."
"That's how it is?" Cecily smirked, "Well in that case it's a no-brainer! Tell us everythi-!"
"Hell no!" I shouted, still covering myself with the bedsheets, "What the hell do you mean, Cecily?! Did you even listen to a word she said?"
"Yeah, we're their enemies." Cecily explained, "And she's offering to let us know why, among many other important things about your resurrection. It's fate-altering news, and we'd be fools to let such a situation go."
"Look, I don't wanna be the guy to argue with his wife immediately after their wedding night, but are you serious?" I asked, "You're willing to jeopardize our happy life we've finally acquired after who knows how long, all just to get answers to questions you never would have even thought to ask in the first place?"
"Lune, you of all people shouldn't be saying this." She furrowed her brows, "You were always ABOUT getting such questions answered! Hell, YOU were the one that got resurrected, not me! So why aren't you being more involved!?"
"Because it got Carter killed!" I shouted, leaving her at a loss for words, "It got Sullivan killed, it got Genevra and Linus killed, it got Marina killed, and a whole other slew of important people in my life to boot! I've learned some things in my crazy life, y'know - I've learned that curiosity doesn't kill the cat. Rather, it goes after all of the cat's friends and family, leaving it worse off than just having it killed! Are you willing to see Ed, Issei, Othelia, Eleanor, Elaine, Adam or Cene DIE just to answer that damned question?! Huh?!"
"......" Cecily stood there, looking at me with her Eyes wide open in shock before looking down dejectedly at the floor and smirking, "Hah, to think that you of all people would be talking sense to me..."
"I promised to get my act together from now on, didn't I?" I chuckled back, "And that involves keeping you, my friends and my family safe."
"Ignorance is bliss, as they say." Aru walked past us and over to the door, "Then, we'll leave it at that. I'm not gonna say whether the choice you made was good or not, Lune Grimheart, however I will admit that it was well thought out."
Closing the door with a click, she left Cecily and I to mull it over for a bit more before we heard a hearty shout from downstairs.
"Awooo!!!" Cene ecstatically cried out, "Whewe wewe youu~! I thought you left me!!!"
"H-Hey, kid! I-I..." Aru found it difficult to keep up the cool Goddess act, so she switched right back to bratty mode, "I'm still here, so stop crying, for mine sake! Geez!"