Mature Content Warning: A little foul language maybe, and emotionalness

Author's Note: This is an absurdly short chapter, but it raises the death flag for one of the running themes of this story, and opens up a new avenue for the future. :)

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Chapter 11: Can You Forgive Me?

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Dreams and reality, sometimes they were so similar that it was impossible to tell them apart. Even after roughly two months on ARS Scott was not certain if he was dreaming or awake. There were times when he awoke suddenly and was surprised that he was still in a tent or a room at a quasi-medieval inn.

When Scott awoke from his latest bought with slumber it was with the same customary confusion, but a new burden upon his heart. Ero had made a confession to him that he could not ignore, though he certainly intended to put off thinking about it for a while.

The sorcerer lunged to his feet then checked on Rhea. She still snored peacefully. Briefly, he considered her face and form. He thought of her wide and often heartbreakingly trusting eyes and innocent smile. Even when she was bossy, she still had a general sweetness and light about her that made him want to hug her till she squeaked. He could admit that to himself, now.

He did not deserve to be with a girl like her, but despite how strangely he acted at times in this world, he did not feel the urge to run away. Scott had chosen to stop trying to hide from his thoughts and feelings. She said that she wanted to be with him, and he believed her.

Of course, Ero had similar feelings toward him. He understood why she felt the way she did, but things had been so much simpler when she had just been his adorable BFF. How dare she have real thoughts, and even emotions! What was she, some kind of girl?

Scott sighed a little then shook his head. He needed to do something mindless to take shake the feeling of masculine angst from his body and soul. Life was so hard for him. Two beautiful girls wanted to spend their life with him. If he counted the mermaids Neira and Kiley, or even that crazy but interesting ninja girl, Sharde, that was quite the amorous crew. Yet, he could not look at any of them in the way that he looked at Rhea. That is, until Ero had made her confession.

The sorcerer knelt down beside the sleeping form of the sweet girl who had technically waited for him possibly longer than he had been alive. From what he had learned from her, time was a strange concept in her native world. A minute or a decade could pass and yet they had a thriving, if bizarre, civilization. As crazy as it sounded the math worked out. She had both met him recently, and still pined for him for longer than he had been alive. He kissed her gently on the forehead. “You deserve better.”

He stood up and left the tent. The perfect way to spend time now would be to mindlessly train his new spell. Ero was asleep. Rhea was asleep. The mermaids were keeping watch, and he was alone. If he did not take this time to train, he would go crazy.

Out on the sand he looked up at the darkening sky then down at the surf. He had slept longer than he would have liked, but it was fine. His health and mana were close to completely restored by the lengthy nap. After gaining a few levels, he seemed to regain his health and magical ability a little faster during rest periods.

Scott envisioned the fire hose then cried out, “Blue Water Fang!”

Water spiraled up around him and formed into a ball before firing outward. Nothing had changed with the spell, not that he had expected that it would.

He waited for the cool down period to end then repeated his casting. He did not charge the spell at all, that would have been counter-productive.

Scott spent nearly two hours working the spell before he managed to increase its level. He read the information that it provided carefully, and was surprised by what he saw.

<<< Spell Level Up! >>>

Blue Water Fang > Level 2

Through tireless training you have increased your knowledge and skill in the usage of the Blue Water Fang spell! Please choose a method to update the spell.

Charge Cost Reduction

Force Increase

Decrease Casting Time

Add Spell Feature

>>

“What? Did I master it already?” Scott checked the basic screen for the spell and noted that it had a new level-up requirement of two hundred casts. He could upgrade it despite the fact that it was not mastered?

“You actually mastered something?” called a soft voice.

Scott smiled briefly then his joy faded in light of what was about to come. Still, he turned to face on of the reasons that his life here was so enjoyable. “Welcome back, Rhea.”

She smiled softly at him then casually strolled over to where he stood. The elf remained standing there for a moment while looking him in the eyes. Gently, she reached out and placed her hand on his cheek.

Many of the emotionally tormented man’s feelings of guilt began to fade as he looked onto those soft green eyes. However, his eyes widened in surprise when Rhea asked, “So, what’s this about Ero bathing in our only cook pot?”

Scott choked a little. How did she know about that?

Rhea laughed at him sweetly then shook her head. “Seriously, you couldn’t wait until you were asleep to do that sort of thing?”

Scott stared at her like she was speaking obscenities in a foreign language. “How...?”

She giggled softly then pulled him close. She smiled brightly and whispered into his ear, “I see everything. Goddess.... remember?”

“Every...thing?” asked Scott in a hoarse, cracking, voice. He had not made a sound like that since he had finished going through puberty.

“Mmmhmm.” She kissed him on the ear.

Scott shuddered softly and tried to comprehend what he was hearing. When she said everything, did she mean everything?

“The dream... Did you...?”

Rhea kissed him softly on the lips then sighed. “I’ve been selfish haven’t I?”

The stare returned with full force. What language was this woman speaking? “Selfish... You?”

The elf looked up again then nodded. “I should have returned sooner... But I saw the scene in your dream and I was so jealous that I might have actually turned green.”

“Rhea... I’m sorry...”

“For what?” She looked at him with her wide and trusting eyes.

“You saw... The dream... Ero...” said Scott. Why wasn’t she as angst-ridden about this as he was? He had dealt with his man-pain for hours dammit! Shouldn’t she have had a more normal response? Slap him, scream at him, tell him he’s a cheating asshole! No one was this damned accepting... It wasn’t humanly possible.

“She needs you. I can’t be too angry, though I can be angry... Even if it hurt to see it.” said the elf.

“That was confusing.” admitted Scott. She can’t be too angry, but she was angry?

Rhea giggled in a sad, tired, way. “I’m angrier at myself than anything else.”

“Why? What possible reason....” began Scott.

“I’m the goddess of love Scott. Love. Capital L with an Oh Vee Eee after it. That’s... as much as I want you only to myself; I have a duty to the people of this world and their beautiful hearts.”

“Rhea...” Scott blinked at her and then his eyes began to mist over. Was she serious?

“Don’t cry Scott... Please... If you cry, I’ll cry. I did not put on eye liner before coming out here just so you can make me look like a damned raccoon.”

“You’d be the prettiest raccoon on the island, Rhea.” said Scott, before his first tear fell.

She saw his tear falling and she rushed to kiss it away. “No! No crying... Don’t do it.”

“Too late...” said Scott. He tried to blink away the tears, but he could not help it. He was a man dammit! Yet, after everything that had happened of late he could not stop those traitorous bastards from falling.

“Asshole... This...” Rhea started to sniffle a little. “This eye liner isn’t cheap you know...”

Scott held her close and it was not long before the beautiful high elf, who totally did not need makeup anyway, looked like the world’s most beautiful raccoon. The sorcerer cried. The elf goddess of love cried. It even began to rain, so perhaps ARS itself was crying. Then again, maybe it was tired of seeing so much emotional rigmarole and wanted to force the couple into their tent. ARS would not have to bear witness to their relationship any longer.

Inside the tent, the lovers held each other close and whispered sweetly to each other. It seemed as though both of them were venting and releasing the emotional turmoil of many long years of loneliness.

Rhea kissed Scott tenderly on the lips then nuzzled against him. She clutched at his sides with her hands and looked away from him with a glassy eyed expression.

Scott ran his fingers through her lustrous blue hair and caressed her back. What had he done to deserve such a person in his life? Seriously, he’d like to know the answer.

“It was as tiring for you as it was for me, wasn’t it?” asked Rhea softly.

“Hmm?” asked Scott.

The elf maiden lifted her head so that she could look him in the eyes. “I used to watch you when you cried. You would berate yourself for being a wuss, or unmanly. You even joined the army to toughen up and have an adventure, right?”

Scott bucked a little as a spasm of emotional pain ripped through his body. “Yeah... Sounds about right.”

“You were beautiful when you cried.” said Rhea. She kissed him on the chin.

Scott was immediately, and distinctly uncomfortable after hearing that. “Why do you think that?”

She smiled gently then spent a moment just looking at him before she answered. “I... Think about the calm and confident man who rescued that poor little fat girl, and then I think of the man crying in the shower. Did you think the water washing away your tears would make them not be true?”

Scott squirmed a little underneath her, but slowly became still when she kissed him on the eyebrow and then on the cheek. Why was she saying these things?

Her face took on a soft pink tinge before she spoke again. “I wanted to do that every time I saw it. After a while I thought that perhaps you were trolling me. You cried a lot.”

He grunted then looked away from her. Why did she keep mentioning it?

Rhea kissed him sweetly on the lips. Her nose softly brushed against his. Her hands rose up to cradle his face and in that moment Scott knew true defeat. He could never win against her and her soft kisses or innocent desire to get to know him better. Remnants of his guilt began to fall away in that moment.

“I forgot that for a while. I was jealous, kind of bitchy even... But I won’t forget again.” said Rhea.

Scott blinked away a few stray tears but said nothing. What was there to say?

“Can you forgive me?” she asked the sorcerer.

Unable to comprehend a situation like this, all the man could do was answer honestly. “There’s nothing to forgive...”

“That’s not what I asked...” she said softly.

Scott nodded slowly then forced himself to turn his head and look at her once more. He looked into her wide and trusting eyes. He searched them for a hint, a whisper, of malice or deceit. He saw nothing in them but a deep and abiding sincerity.

“Rhea...” said Scott softly.

“Yes...?” she replied with equal softness and a hint of worry in her tone.

Scott closed his eyes tightly for a moment. His chest began to heave as his breathing became labored. However, the moment passed and he slowly opened his eyes once more. His eyes locked with hers and he said, “Origin... I... love you.”

Rhea’s eyes slowly widened. All time seemed to stop for them. After that moment where the world stood still, her eyes began to shimmer and the world’s most beautiful raccoon became slightly more beautiful. Hot tears of joy flowed freely.

“Scott!” cried Rhea before kissing him several times in rapid succession. First she kissed his lips and then his nose. She kissed his cheeks, and his chin. Any place above his neck that she could find that deserved a sweet heartfelt kiss received it.