It took Leon a few minutes to get control of himself again. He spent those minutes holding Naiad close and desperately trying to keep his crying to a minimum. But it was a bright spot in what had otherwise been a terrible half year, and the sheer joy of her return combined with the grief of losing his unit and the giants prevented Leon from staying as stoic as he would’ve preferred.

For her part, Naiad enjoyed every moment that Leon held her in his arms. She practically melted into his embrace, wrapping her own arms around his waist and savoring every second. She cared not a whit for Leon’s minor breakdown and gave him all the time he needed to compose himself.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Leon softly asked, “What happened? Where did you go?”

Naiad slowly pulled back so that she could look Leon in the eye, though both kept their arms around the other.

[You asked me to commit. I wanted to… but… I had some business to attend to back in Saron…]

“Saron… Right, I think you mentioned that before…? A city of river nymphs?”

[In a manner of speaking,] Naiad replied. [It’s the center of what passes for our civilization. It’s not as… complex as that of humanity, but it’s ours. My mother is the Empress of my people, and I had to say my goodbyes to her, to see her one last time and tell her face to face that I wasn’t going to come back to Saron ever again…]

“So… that means…?”

[To finally give you my answer, Leon, I would like to be a part of your family, if you’ll still have me.]

Leon smiled and tightened his hold on Naiad, pulling her back in and pressing his forehead into hers.

“There will always be room in my family for you,” he whispered to her. “No matter what happens, you, me, and Elise are family.”

As he finished, he tilted his head to the side and pressed his lips against hers. He went in light, giving her plenty of room to pull back if she wanted to. Instead, Naiad snaked her arms out from around his waist so that she could then wrap them around his neck and head. Then, she pulled him in closer and tighter, pressing her body against his as her mouth opened, and she began licking at his lips.

Leon reciprocated in kind, pushing Naiad up against a nearby tree as he began tangling his tongue with hers. As he began to be more assertive with his actions, Naiad let him take the lead even though she had more than enough power even after Leon’s ascension to push him down if she wanted.

But she didn’t want to push him down. She did that when they first met, and it led to their relationship getting off on entirely the wrong foot. Needless to say, she was more than happy that Leon was now so willing to take charge of their intimate moment. She enjoyed it even more when Leon’s hands snaked down her back, his fingertips gently stroking her spine and causing goosebumps to sprout all over her tanned skin. Leon’s hand eventually stopped when they reached the bottom of her butt, at which point he sank his fingers into her toned cheeks and lifted her off her feet.

The two were still locked together at the lips, and Naiad moaned in surprise and pleasure as her feet left the marshy ground. She spread her legs and wrapped them around Leon’s midsection while she removed her arms from around his neck to begin grabbing at his shirt. She pulled the fabric off Leon’s hard abs and over his broad chest. There, she paused, for she’d run into a terrible problem: if she wanted to remove Leon’s shirt completely, they’d have to separate, and after so long away, that was the last thing Naiad wanted.

Suddenly, and to Naiad’s shock and dismay, he quickly set her down and pulled away. He didn’t leave arm’s reach, but he did pull back far enough to make it clear that they weren’t going to be going any further right now.

[Something wrong?] Naiad asked, now feeling more than a little worried.

“No, no, I just… I just want to talk a bit before catching up in that way,” Leon said with a smile. If he were honest, the thought of Elise also had him hesitating to take things further with Naiad, but he also knew that Elise wouldn’t care, not after everything the three had done before Naiad left. Still, it was going to take a few more minutes to work through that particular mental block, and in the meantime, he wanted to talk to his gorgeous river nymph Queen for a while.

[Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you,] Naiad said, smiling seductively at Leon as he lightly set her back down on the ground.

“First off, and I kind of hate myself for saying this, do you mind putting on some clothes? You’re very… distracting right now…”

Naiad’s smile grew wider as she felt Leon’s stare wander over her body, and she pushed her generous chest out a bit to show off. She held that pose for just long enough to tease Leon before conjuring some clothes over her body, though the long-sleeved shirt and pants that she chose did little to hide her figure even if her exposed skin had been mostly covered.

“So,” Leon began as he fully disentangled himself from Naiad, save for one of his hands which remained locked with one of hers, “you’ve never really told me about your mother. What’s she like?”

[I’ve never told you before because you’ve never really asked,] Naiad chidingly replied, but her smile remained radiant letting Leon know that she wasn’t too upset about that fact. [My mother is the strongest person I’ve ever met. Stronger than me, even.]

“Stronger than you? That’s hard to imagine,” Leon said, squeezing her hand.

Naiad chuckled and said, [I’ve never managed to pin down exactly how powerful she is. By human standards, I’m eighth-tier, as you know, but I’d estimate my mother is ninth-tier at the weakest.]

“Ninth-tier?!”

[Yes. Her aura is immense, and I can barely even discern it. But her power is almost wasted, for she never leaves Saron.]

“Why not? I can’t imagine someone committed enough to reach those magical heights not having some ambition they want to fulfill, or being content to waste the fruits of their labor…”

[That actually happens more than you think, I’d guess. Many people just want to get stronger for themselves, they don’t crave political power. That’s not why she remains in Saron, though. She has a duty to fulfill, that of watching over the city and making sure that the graves located there remain undisturbed.]

“What graves?”

Naiad then told Leon all about the immense cavern filled with thousands of black pyramids, and she made sure to tell him about the Great Pyramid and its blue beam.

[… that thing has always given me a feeling of terrible doom, as if some unfathomable thing resides within… I can’t say for certain what, if anything, lies within, though, and the only thing I can say with confidence is that I’m glad that I will never return.]

As she’d told Leon about Saron, the two found a nearby boulder sticking out of the mud to sit on as they spoke. They weren’t quite as physically close to each other anymore, but their entwined fingers hadn’t separated for even the briefest of moments during their talk.

“That’s… I don’t even know what to say to all that…” Leon stated as Naiad finished her explanation.

[I don’t blame you, I don’t know what to say about it, either.]

Given her descriptions—especially notable to Leon were the massive skeletons of winged humanoids as well as the hallway of carved reliefs—he had an idea as to what all of those pyramids were…

“Do you know what this planar cluster is referred to by the people in the Nexus? I mean Aeterna and the closest eleven planes.”

[No,] Naiad replied, cocking an eyebrow at Leon for the strange question.

“They call this region of space the ‘Divine Graveyard’. It’s where the Primal Gods and their servants, as well as the Primal Devils and their followers, were interred following the ancient war that led to their deaths…”

[Now that you mention it, I do remember you saying something to that effect several times back at your home, but I have to admit that I never paid too much attention…]

Leon smiled in exasperation, then proceeded with great patience to tell Naiad everything that he’d been told by the Thunderbird regarding the history of the Universe—all of which he’d already told Elise long ago. By the time the two were done getting on the same page, almost an hour had passed since Leon found her.

[And you think that Saron is one of the graveyards that has given this planar cluster its name?] Naiad asked once Leon was finished.

“Seems obvious to me, though I can’t say for certain without going there.”

[Something to consider, I suppose. Not that it matters too much in the immediate future, nothing’s going to happen to that place with my mother around.]

“If she’s as strong as you say, then I don’t doubt that conviction,” Leon said. “I can’t help but be kind of fascinated, though. I wonder if there are more places like Saron around the plane? I mean, you say there were thousands of pyramids, but I can’t believe there were enough in that cavern to account for even just a twelfth of the population of Gods and Devils…”

[I can’t speak to that, I’m not that well-traveled,] Naiad admitted. [There could be more, there could not be. I’ve certainly never heard of another place like Saron…]

Leon nodded and smiled as he thought about the possibilities that Saron represented. He didn’t think there was much practical gain to be had by going there, especially since the Thunderbird had explicitly said that if there had been any loot to be had following the war that killed the Primal Gods and Devils, it would’ve all been taken before the Gods and Devils were laid to rest. Still, he wouldn’t mind seeing Saron someday if he ever had the chance.

“Naiad…” Leon began after a long pause, his tone turning more serious, “why did it take so long for you to come back? You told me that your mother imparted all of her knowledge of the river nymphs to you, whatever that means, but did it really take so long?”

Naiad grimaced, but she felt like she needed to give Leon an answer. She thought for several seconds about what to say, and eventually settled on the most honest answer she could give.

[No, it didn’t take that long. I’ve been here a while, watching you.]

“I thought so, I sensed your power before… when I lost Lapis, the giants, and the others who followed m…”

Leon wasn’t even able to finish before letting his voice just taper out. But Naiad could feel his anguish by the way that his grip on her hand tightened, even if his expression barely changed.

[I’m sorry,] she whispered in his mind. She would’ve leaned up against him so that he knew she was there for him, but she refrained, sensing that he wanted a bit of space instead. [I… I could’ve done something, then. Should’ve done something… but I didn’t just want to show up again and ask you to take me back. I wanted to save you, to arrive in such a manner that you wouldn’t… turn me away…]

Leon glanced over at her, seeing her hunch up as if bracing herself for his anger. And he did feel a little angry. She was incredibly powerful, and if she’d acted sooner, then Lapis could still be alive. The rest of the giants could still be alive. Leon’s unit and the Barons that led it could still be alive.

But instead, she stayed away, watching and never acting until Leon chased her down and practically forced her to reveal herself.

“I sensed your power, I could tell that you were gearing up for something big when it seemed like everything was over,” Leon said.

[I was, it seemed like the perfect moment,] Naiad admitted, her gaze still lowered. She knew what she was saying and how it sounded, that the death of Lapis meant nothing to her beyond being a perfect moment for her to return.

“But you didn’t take it,” Leon said, his tone still serious, but also calm and even.

[No,] she murmured. [I saw those others starting to make their move, and I decided to wait for another chance, when you were actually in need. You weren’t in need of my power anymore after all of those humans turned against their comrades…]

Leon sighed as he turned his eyes to the bright blue sky. Naiad stayed braced for his inevitable fury, but Leon remained almost frighteningly serene, and his hand never left hers, even when she unconsciously pulled back a few times.

“I didn’t need your power,” Leon quietly said. “I’ve never even really wanted your power. I wanted you. I just wanted you back. I wanted to apologize and to show you all the love that I should’ve shown you before. All that matters to me right now is that you’re back.”

He turned his face back to hers and gave her the warmest, most genuine smile that he’d ever given her, and in it, she could see nothing but love.

It was now Naiad’s turn to start tearing up, and after a moment, she threw herself forward and began sobbing into Leon’s shoulder. Leon didn’t say anything more, he just held her close for the few minutes she needed to get it all out and compose herself.

When she pulled herself out of his embrace, her eyes were still wet and she could barely meet his gaze.

[If I’d moved sooner, you wouldn’t have lost all of your people…] she stated with a heartbreaking amount of anguish.

“Maybe…” Leon lightly assented, his thoughts now turning to others. Several faces flashed by in his mind’s eye, but the last one to do so was Valeria’s. “But you’re not all-powerful. Who knows what might’ve happened. Whatever, I don’t for a moment blame you for Lapis and the rest. If I’d led them better, they wouldn’t have died. If I’m going to play the blame game, then I have to start with myself. And after me would come Gaius Tullius and the Duchess of Vesontio. If they’d made their move sooner, then my people would never have died. If Sertor Arellius had been just half an hour faster, then my people wouldn’t have died. I don’t blame you Naiad, just as I don’t blame them or myself. I did my best, they were looking out for their people more than me—which I can fully understand—and Arellius marched as fast he could. The only people to blame for killing Lapis and my giants and my unit either died in that battle or fled south after we kicked their teeth in later that day.”

If he was willing to try and make peace with Justin Isynos, then there was no way he couldn’t find a way to forgive Naiad for this, not when she was so clearly remorseful.

Naiad finally began to look a little better as Leon’s assurances hit home. She bit her bottom lip in hesitation, but then, she seemed to come to an internal resolution and her expression became much more determined. Leon just sat there, gently watching her with a smile on his face, waiting for her to make the next move.

Naiad leaned forward, scooting over on the rock until she was pressed right up against him, and wrapped her arms around his neck again, letting go of his hand as she did. She held him tightly for several seconds before moving her lips close to his ear.

Her lips parted, and with a light, enchanting voice, a smooth, breathy, soft, and silvery voice that sent shivers down Leon’s spine and caused the power she’d left within him to vibrate like a bell that had just been struck, she said, “I love you, Leon Raime. My name isn’t Naiad. My real name is Maia.”