It didn’t take us very long to get through our meal. As usual at this restaurant, the food was naturally fit for each and every one of our unique tastes. At first, I was worried that this wouldn’t apply to the cake, as it was made for multiple people, but those worries were soon proven false.
Upon taking my first bite of the cake, as well as seeing Irena’s reaction to it, I knew that it had a spiritual component designed specifically for her. Similarly, there appeared to be a bit of a ki component in its craft, as even Scarlet greatly enjoyed it.
Once we had finished our meal, Ryone, Irena, and Terra led Dana, Tsubaki, and Lifre to a private back room where they could change. When they emerged, each of them was wearing a new dress that seemed to match the style of the Goddess that they served. I gave a small smile at that, nodding my head towards them, and it was clear that Dana really enjoyed getting to wear a dress like this, as she kept looking down at herself with a grin.
“Alright, Terra, do your thing. Where are we going?” I asked, smiling towards Terra. If there was anyone that knew where to go in these circumstances, I trusted it to be her.
Terra tapped at her chin for several moments, seeming to be thinking about something before she smiled. “The place of beginnings that have no end.”
I blinked for a moment at her response, before letting out a light chuckle. Irena’s cheeks flushed, and it was clear she knew what Terra meant as well. Somewhere that only the two of us had visited out of this group, the Spring of Origins.
“Huh? Where’s that?” Lifre asked, looking at the three of us who seemed to know. “What can have a beginning with no end?”
“It’s the Spring of Origins.” I answered, clearing my throat. “It’s a sort of hidden area within this secluded world. And if you are willing to pay a truly obscene amount of points, you can have a similar spring made in your own world.”
“Like, twenty thousand or so?” Dana spoke up, tilting her head. “Going by how much you’ve mentioned things costing, that seems fairly extreme.”
“More like half a million, dear.” Irena said in a gentle voice, causing Dana’s eyes to go wide in shock. “The spring’s water has the effect of calming energies to allow for easy merging, even accidentally. With it, even a novice could become a god with little effort.”
“Y-Yeah, that does seem like a lot of points.” Dana gulped, even though she was surprised just as much by the effects of the spring. “Anyways, why would you hold a wedding there?”
“It’s a symbolic thing in this world.” I explained with a smile, recalling the words of the pixie that had introduced the spring to us. “The spring will only appear for people who are searching for a new beginning that will never end. So, many people came to accept it as a romantic getaway. Irena and I accidentally found it on a walk in a previous meeting.”
“Well, now we know what to look for!” Terra exclaimed, taking my hand in hers and turning to walk towards the forest away from the growing city. Hearing about the special location we were going to, Aurivy all but ran ahead, only stopping when we called her back to make sure nobody got lost. It was hard to say where or when it would appear, so it was best for everyone to move together.
Though she did pout at being held back, Aurivy obediently walked along with the rest of us, who made our way into the forest as one large group. Knowing what to look out for, I kept listening for any sound of flowing water. And, after roughly fifteen minutes of walking, we were able to hear it.
Now that the spring had been found, Aurivy immediately turned to run in that direction, causing me to let out a laugh and follow her with the rest of the party. “Welcome, welcome!” We were greeted by a small, golden pixie. “Oh, if it isn’t the return of the wandering pair from before!” She looked at us with gleeful eyes, flying up from the spring to circle around our group. “This many people, are you here for a ceremony this time?!”
“That’s right!” Aurivy answered, hopping up and waving towards the pixie. “Hey, come over here for a minute, please!” The pixie turned, blinking at her in confusion before walking over and landing in Aurivy’s palm.
“You see…” Aurivy leaned in and whispered to the little creature, who nodded her head every so often.
“Hmm? Oh, that makes sense. Ah, really? Well, it’s not too hard. Sure, we can do something like that, it’ll be fun!” The pixie smiled, readily agreeing with whatever Aurivy had said to it. Once she flew up, she placed two fingers in her mouth and let out a soft whistle. “Alright, girls, we’ve got work to do!”
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at that. Certainly, it wasn’t dozens of streams of golden dust flying out of the spring and circling the area. Wherever they passed, objects seemed to fade into existence from the ground up. First, a circular platform suspended over the stream itself, with three bridges moving away in three different locations.
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The platform looked to be made out of purely white wood, with the bridges having flowery carvings along their walls. Above the platform was a canopy of silk, vines appearing to wrap around it as decoration. Even the spring itself changed shape, circling beneath each of the three bridges as if to offer its blessing.
When Aurivy saw the changes were done, she jumped up to the platform, spinning around on her heels and calling out. “Will the groom please join me on the stage, while the brides and bridesmaids stand at the ends of the bridges?”
“Aurivy, what are you doing?” I blinked, taking one of the bridges up to the central platform and looking down at the mischievous halfling goddess.
“Well, duh. I’m the Goddess of Love! Of course I’m going to marry you!” Aurivy said, sticking her tongue out.
My brain temporarily froze there for a moment, looking back at the three brides. “Uhm…”
“What? No! Not like that!” Aurivy shook her head. “Like a priest! I’m going to officiate the wedding, you doofus!” She said with a laugh, shaking her head at the apparent misunderstanding in her words.
“Okay, maybe make it a bit more clear next time…” I let out a low groan as I said that, causing a mischievous glint to appear in her eyes.
“Next time, huh? Already planning for a--oww, stop that!” I cut her off by rubbing my knuckles into the top of her head. This earned a small smile from the watching crowd, though I soon stopped to let Aurivy take her position.
“Now, with that distraction out of the way… Pipi, can you handle the next step?” She asked, looking upwards.
“Huh? Pipi? Is that me?” The pixie looked around, before pointing at herself.
“Yeah! You look like a Pipi, and I don’t have anything else to call you! So, can you do it, or not?” Aurivy grinned as she casually assigned a name to the system’s guide to the Spring of Origins.
“Pipi can do it!” And… she readily accepted that name with a wide smile. Pipi cleared her throat, bringing both of her hands to her chest, and began to hum. Slowly, her voice rose into a soft melody that seemed to echo off of the trees.
The sound resonated with the water, causing a calming sensation to spread through my body. Aurivy gave a satisfied nod when she felt this as well, turning to face me. Her expression turned serious even as she spoke in a soft tone. “Dale, Keeper of myriad worlds. We have gathered here today under your banner, to watch in this union which transcends creation.”
“We are joined now above that which begins, yet knows no end, in the hopes that the bonds created here today will similarly last eternal. That nothing may stand in the way of your matrimony. May our brides and bridesmaids please approach, and join us?”
Terra and the others smiled as they stepped onto their bridges. The wood of the bridges began to glow with their steps, as if marking their progress. Faintly, I could hear the rushing of the spring as it branched off beneath their feet, following them to gather beneath the central platform.
“Your brides, who have joined you in trials of life and death, creation and destruction.” Aurivy continued, gesturing gently towards the three goddesses. “After trials and tribulations, you have found yourselves here. Do you three accept this eternal commitment, to be bound together with the Keeper who created you?”
The three girls looked at one another, warm smiles on their lips as they nodded, turning to face Aurivy in unison. “We do.”
Aurivy nodded her head, turning to look at me next. “And do you, creator and captor of their minds, bodies, and hearts, accept this eternal commitment with the three women before you?”
I couldn’t help but nod my head, my gaze softening. “I most certainly do.”
“In that case…” Aurivy smiled, looking at our audience. “If anyone should have reason to object to this union, may they speak now. Otherwise--”
“I object!” Aurivy twitched as she was cut off, turning and glaring to look for the source of the objection. Eventually, her eyes traced upwards, landing on Pipi.
“Pipi, this isn’t part of the script…” Aurivy muttered, but Pipi simply stuck her tongue out.
“I object! I always wanted to say that… I object to this wedding on the grounds that we haven’t been able to offer our present yet!” Aurivy blinked when she heard that, tilting her head.
“Present?”
“Yup!” Pipi nodded, vanishing and diving beneath the platform. Soon, she emerged once again, carrying a large, silver chalice. The sight of her dragging the cup into the air, when it was several times larger than herself, was quite an amusing thing. “We like to do this whenever anyone holds this kind of ceremony here! They drink from the spring to receive its blessing!”
Aurivy blinked again, but soon smiled. “Hey, I can improvise. Go for it.” She said, gesturing for us to take the chalice. Sure enough, there was a clear liquid within it.
Irena was the first to take the chalice, sipping from it before passing it to Ryone. When she did, her body began to emit a faint silver radiance. Similarly, Ryone’s body gave a similar glow, and then Terra’s. Finally, when it was my turn, I took a sip from the chalice and passed it back to Pipi. I could see my own hands emitting the same radiance as the others.
“Now, if there are any more objections?” Aurivy asked, looking around before giving a pointed glance to Pipi. Pipi shook her head, one hand coming up to zip her lips. “The moment you have all been waiting for… I pronounce you, Keeper and Kept. You may kiss the brides.”
I rolled my eyes playfully at Aurivy’s pun, before finding myself all but tackled by Ryone, who first claimed my lips for herself for several seconds. When she was done, she brushed herself off, and Terra was waiting there for her turn. Finally, the two looked at Irena, both gesturing her over. Her face had an adorable flush to it that seemed only better with her almost angelic glow.
She leaned in, pressing her lips against mine while the rest of our audience offered their applause. Even Pipi cheered happily, dancing around the platform in midair. “This is why I love weddings!” She called out, causing Aurivy to nod her head in agreement.