Shaula stands at the door in front of Andal’s naked skull. An ugly sight. Not one that can bother her right now though.

She takes a deep breath. Life feels alright for now.

Shaula has obtained her revenge. She isn’t a believer that revenge will make everything better or provide catharsis, but sometimes, in order to move forward from your pain, you must obtain it.

She has obtained it.

Shaula examines her body’s condition. She considers what she is feeling at the moment.

She realizes that a lot of her energy went into destroying the two of them. Gratia and Andal. The man who had killed her and the man who had let it happen.

Why was this Andal fuck armless? I didn’t do that part... well, as long as he’s dead...

Shaula still feels wonderful. She still feels her body surging with a vigour and life that she doesn’t normally have, even on her best days.

Well, maybe on the nicer days when I’m with Ajax... like that time we watched tv in my bed and he tucked me in... sigh Well... I probably can’t use this thing until I really need to.

Shaula has to make sure she doesn’t use this power again for a while. The power to burn down the world around her. She should save it for when it will be needed. Because she knows in her soul, that it will be needed.

Others will arrive soon to deal with them. Shaula doesn’t know how many people are in the building they’re in but she can’t imagine that these two she destroyed are the only ones.

Perhaps they’ll be cautious and not barge into the room without gathering a larger force.

Although Shaula doesn’t know this, the two she had just faced and destroyed were a cardinal and an archbishop. She had heard their titles already but she doesn’t know their significance.

Both of them were near the pinnacle of humanity on this world.

If their enemies, the other holy knights and remaining archbishops wish for more and more unneeded casualties, they will move in quickly without thought to the power of the enemies who could kill their strongest men.

However, if they wish to protect their valuable heroes, integral military assets for the war they’re currently fighting, then they will focus on evacuation and defending the heroes, rather than confronting the enemy head-on.

However, with the Cardinal, their commander, dead, they might also behave like headless chickens in this unprecedented situation.

Too many unknowns at the moment.

Shaula moves quickly with the assumption that they’re on their way right now.

She first looks around the room for clothes for herself and Ajax. There are no closets in this room. However, there is a box at the foot of her bed with the blanket she woke up in bunched up on top of it.

Shaula moves the blanket, probably placed there by the cardinal or archbishop, off the box, opens it and finds a number of items.

Underwear. Dresses. Towels. Bathrobes. An extra quilt aside from the one she had woken up in. All of these articles meant for a woman of her height and proportions.

None could really be used for Ajax. Perhaps the bathrobe?

Ugh, first, let’s take care of that guy...

Shaula takes a brown towel from the box and places it over the corpse of Andal, making sure to hide his head. Truly, it is unsightly.

Shaula then hurriedly puts on underwear and one of the dresses from the box. A long, blue dress with the skirt going down to her feet, long-sleeved and covering her shoulders. A quite conservative dress.

The humans of this world appear to be reserved in their fashion choices.

As Shaula puts on the dress, she notices. She examines her right arm and right upper thigh. On these parts of her body, there used to be large, unattractive burn scars, prior to being summoned here.

Burns she never wanted to show Ajax. She was careful to wear long-sleeved shirts and never exposed her bare legs for the sole purpose of never letting him see her wounds.

Used to be.

Right now, on her entire body, there were no scars or unsightly wounds at all. No wound or mark on her chest either, where her chest had been opened.

No. That all can wait until they escape. Such considerations aren’t helpful right now.

That quilt... She recalls the extra quilt in the box. Perhaps...

A toga?

Shaula positions Ajax’s body so she can wrap a classic toga around him, trying her best with what she has to cover his nudity.

She can lift him fairly easily at her current strength. She feels his warmth. He feels warm. She doesn’t recall feeling any warmth or coldness since arriving here. Except for him.

The toga is wrapped well. She looks at Ajax’s sleeping face. She truly loves him.

Shaula touches his face in affection. His hands...

Something...

Huh?

She remembers a familiar sensation. She takes hold of his left hand. She slowly places its palm on her cheek.

...It was you.

It should have been obvious. There were three people in the room besides herself. Gratia and his lackey would never touch her with gentleness and affection. She would have felt their perverse intent.

Ajax was that hand of God. He was that warmth that brought her back to life. No one else here would touch her with love and friendship.

No, now is not the time. Now is the time to consider escape. But one thing is clear.

Carrying Ajax is a difficult prospect.

She might have enhanced agility and strength at the moment. But still, the prospect of carrying him the entire time would be too difficult.

If her vitality left her for any reason, she would just be stranded with his useless body. She wished to protect him, but not when he can protect himself. She wanted him to help their struggle, not to be a burden.

Of course, she would carry his body without hesitation in order to save him. But perhaps, she has options to wake him up right now.

The warmth of Ajax’s hand. She had been holding that hand and running into... that fire...

Shaula remembers the dream she had. The dream. The current only clue to this new world and her powers.

Ajax was with her then. They both were walking through fire... and Ajax wasn’t hurt either.

Is it possible that he can’t be hurt by fire? No, that kind of thing isn’t useful right now.

In the dream, after letting go of Ajax, she had burned everything away. Her activation of her power in reality against Gratia and Andal was like...

Muscle memory? I felt the sensation of using the fire... and then I was able to use it. To extinguish their lives...

But was that the extent of her power? To only burn things away? Perhaps. But it feels more like... the ability to command energy...

She wasn’t producing fire. She was producing heat. A form of energy... is it too far a leap to consider that other forms of energy...

I had felt it. Ajax giving me power. His hand directing energy into me. Or was it me consuming his energy? What if... what if I give it back? Can I...

Shaula’s intuition is particularly strong. She is a natural genius after all. Even if her assumptions were wrong, it wouldn’t hurt to make educated guesses.

Perhaps, fire isn’t the only outlet. It certainly felt that way but dreams can be interpreted in different ways. Perhaps, the fire was a representation of energy.

It simply doesn’t feel like fire is the only outlet. Perhaps... perhaps, it’s her instinct.

Either way, it feels natural that...

I could direct my strength to him, maybe? His hand is warm... That dream. It was like a... a prophecy... instructions... No, right now... let me try this... I don’t really have any other option to wake his ass up.

Shaula holds Ajax’s left hand tightly. Warmth.

She commands her body, her soul, her spirit, to slowly direct strength and vitality to Ajax. Not heat. Not fire. Just... vitality.

Only she and Ajax were in that dream land.

Only she and Ajax were given the providence of Ahura Mazda’s blood. This is the power of his blood, right?

Carefully... carefully direct the power... don’t... don’t overload him...

Shaula looks at Ajax’s face for any signs of change. She can feel his body accepting her vitality and her own vitality slowly decreasing in turn. Not decreasing to zero but to normal.

Ajax’s eyes twitch.

She holds her breath. Her instincts have been proven correct. Did he... did he also have the instinct to wake her up?

Was his act to touch her face what he thought would wake her up in that moment?

Ajax’s eyes slowly open.