-Chapter Twelve-

Symbiote

Aria was wondering what was so special about the Eighth Holy Knight, Alea Langston, that her first meeting would ensare her precious Aelius, but after meeting her at the Holy Knight Quarters, she found herself enjoying their time together. The elven beauty was kind, outgoing and accepting. She could see why Aelius would be drawn to such a radiant person. They shared tea in her room, talking about him with fond looks on their faces when Aria suddenly felt an ominous presence come over here. Her head whipped out to the window into the city. Aelius had arrived close to ten hours ago, but hadn’t visited them yet. Aria assumed he had some other business, and was patiently waiting. Something’s changed, she thought with concern as she saw a ball of his presence in the far corner near the slums. A moment ago, it was golden, similar to Alea’s - the colour of the Goddess. But suddenly, a fearsome, overwhelming aura of the thirst for death was pulsating out from him. Like an all-enveloping darkness, Aria felt nothing but black from him. A sensation of uneasiness crept up within her. What happened?

“Aria?” she heard her name called, and turned to see Alea looking at her with expectant eyes. “Is everything alright? You suddenly spaced out for a moment.”

“Oh… I’m okay, yes,” she nervously tucked her light blue hair behind her ear. “Do you not feel anything strange?” she asked.

“Hmm, no?” Alea wondered.

“Is that so… are you able to sense Aelius’ aura?”

“Yes, he arrived this morning, right?” Alea answered. But she clearly can’t seem to feel any difference, Aria inferred before she chuckled. Wow, that’s clearly rigged by the Goddess. How unfair. I feel envious. Aria turned her eyes out to the city again. A bond that cannot be broken by either of them.

“I wonder when he’ll visit,” Alea asked with a dreamy smile across her face. An inkling told Aria it would be very soon.

After taking a bath and buying some new clothes with the money Aelius had given them, Lia examined herself in the mirror to the bathroom, twirling her hair nervously. A beautiful, pink dress reflected back at her through the glass, with silk lacing and cotton fabric. It had been a long time since she wore such a dress, she was always running around covered in dirt and soil for as long as she could remember. It was thanks to the money Aelius had given her uncles they were able to go out and get treatment for their wounds, clean themselves, clothe themselves and get some nice food. Through it all, Lia felt like it was a dream. A fairy tale. Under his protection, could she continue such a lifestyle? He was even having her poison cured. What sort of good deed did she do in her past life for such good fortune would fall on her? To meet someone as amazing as Aelius? Nervously fidgeting with her fingers, she pulled outside of the hotel room and approached the room she was going to share with him. Taking a deep breath at the door, she gently began to push open the door, wanting to see if Aelius was awake yet, but only an empty room greeted her.

“Aelius?” Lia called out, stepping in, seeing his bed in a mess. Where did he disappear off to? she wondered, spinning around and leaving the room again with a pondering look on her face. She happened by a window, where she saw his figure leaving the inn. That’s him! she exclaimed and quickly jumped down the steps. Where could he be going at this time?

Before Aelius knew it, he had woken up from the dream of his past life. It was one thing to have memories of it. It was entirely another to experience it all over again. Dozens of conflicting emotions battled within him. The grief of losing the one he loved. The frustration of forgetting it all. The bloodthirst that drove him to madness. How meaningless his revenge felt. How lost he was, wandering alone through the harsh world. It was all at the tip of his fingers.

Violet… how could I have forgotten about you? Before he knew it, tears were dropping down his eyes. I’m such a terrible person. I can’t believe I forgot… he looked down at his hands. What else could I be forgetting? Could it be that not all of my memories made it back intact? How much more has this body forgotten? How much more of my precious memories have been taken away from me!? They’re mine! The proof of the existence of my loved ones… they’re all mine! Nothing can deprive me of them. These memories… even if I lose everything, at least let me keep all these memories, fucking damn it! Though tears shed at first from the induction to the pain he felt, the simple truth was he had lived for many more years after Violet’s death. He cried and wept miserably the day she died, but he was not the same now. A stronger will, a more mature mind, and steel gaze, he had been forced to develop in his escapades. If Rekindling is the only way for me to recall, then should I slit my throat again? What other precious things have I forgotten? The tears quickly subsided, he wiped his nose and pushed himself to his feet. Hunched over in a brooding mien, he snuck out the room, left the hotel and slipped out into the city. He was in deep thought as he walked through the crisp night, trying to clear his head. He soon came to a small creek with a serene bridge running across it, and leaned over the edge at the water, looking at his own reflection. I look miserable, he chuckled to himself. But it was the world that made me this way. Overhead, the moon shone brightly down on him. When Violet died, I was so angry at the Goddess. Well, I was young after all. Young and angry at the world. But this life will go differently. If I have to kill my enemies before they can hurt my loved ones, then so be it. I’ll gladly take that role. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a familiar presence close to him, and his eyes shot down the other end of the bridge to see two figures in the dark slowly approaching him. As they stepped into the light, he saw a woman with white, pale skin, wearing a veil and a gothic dress of black, as though she were mourning the death of a loved one, and a maid by her side, helping her walk. They stopped a few metres away, exchanging gazes in the night. Aelius struck a casual pose, leaning onto the fence.

“Well, to what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked. “Dear sister of mine.” Beneath the veil, the woman’s face did not change.

“I sensed you from across the city. I’ve never felt someone’s power akin to mine so strong,” she began to speak. Her voice resounded around the flowing water as an embodiment of sadness. She was like the spirit of grief itself. Her voice alone was enough to cast depression into the hearts of a layman.

“Well, maybe so. But your power is far stronger than mine,” he shrugged in response.

“Will you join me in my cause?” she offered a hand out. “We have a bond tighter than family after all.”

Aelius narrowed his hand at her black-gloved hands.

“I will join you, of course,” he smiled and stepped forward, taking it. “Though, I still have a lot of affairs to attend to. Unlike you, I’ve found my meaning.” The woman gazed at him for a long moment.

“The meaning you’ve found will be nothing but false hope, but I will not stop you. Do not hesitate to call on me for help if you need it, dear brother of mine.”

“I will, thanks.” The silence rang on for a moment longer between them, until the woman spoke again.

“Where did you come from? What is your story?” she asked.

“Maybe over a fine glass of midnight whiskey, I’ll let you know. It’s a long one.”

“Very well.” She turned away, together with her maid and began to slowly hobble off again. “You know where to find me should you need,” she spoke over her shoulder, and slowly made her way down the street. Aelius watched her from behind as she slowly disappeared into the city, wearing a small, melancholic smile on his face.

I wish I could help you. I wish I could return the debt I owe you, but I can’t even help myself right now. Still, I will free you from the curse someday. He looked back out over the running waters of the creek, eyeing the Path skill full in his vision. The corrupted power of the darkness.

In his first life, he had many ups and downs. More downs than ups, but during one of his darkest moments, he met her for the first time. She said the exact same words.

“Dear brother of mine, would you join me?”

Without any prying or questioning, she simply accepted him, for they were two of the same cloth. They didn’t need words to understand each other, and Aelius has never considered someone so close to him. She was truly like an older sister, guiding him through the shadows of the night.

Two people who understood each other. They are family by destiny, sharing an intertwined history.

It was in another world, a world that was now nameless, lost in time and the maze of infinite other worlds. There existed a Goddess of Light, her name now long forgotten. All that is known is she was a Goddess of the Light, and her world fought the forces of Darkness. The world was home to both humans and demons. It was like a fairy tale, with a fate ordained for the world that a Demon King would rise up and threaten the lives of the humans and the Goddess of Light. As such, she chose two gifted chosens to enact her will and save the world. One was the Saintess, with the power to heal and give love. The other was the Hero, with the power to eradicate evil. Like a fairy tale, they were to journey to the continent of demons, fighting off enemies and falling in love, before achieving the happy ending of defeating the Demon King and living happily ever after. What the Goddess neglected though, or perhaps underestimated, was the nature of mortals. Human hearts are unpredictable, and the blurred line of morality meant good and evil was often twisted. Light did not necessarily mean justice, and Darkness did not necessarily mean evil. They were just two different sides of the same coin fighting against each other.

Before the fairy tale was to begin, the yet-to-be Saintess had her heart broken by the Hero, who had the tendency to cheat on her. She cast him out of her life and left, carrying her shattered feelings with her until one day, she met another man and fell madly in love with him. He treated her like a Queen, with a handsome face and a sweet heart, mending her torn heart and restoring her good as new. He gave her everything she ever wanted, never neglecting her, putting her at the top of his everything. She did the exact same, their happiness was one and the same. As long as they were together, nothing was amiss.

The Hero often visited her, begging her for her love but he had no place for she was already content and satisfied. Years later when she awakened as the Saintess, her husband was also revealed to be the so-called Demon King. The Demon King was rumoured to be a vicious, evil and uncompassionate incarnate of death, yet she only saw the sweetest man when she looked at his face. It was like their roles were just labels forced on them by the Goddess. They were but puppets in a theatre play at her bidding. When the Hero awakened his powers, the first thing he did was attack the Saintess’ husband. Surprisingly, the husband was the Demon King and was extremely vulnerable to the power of light. He suffered heavy wounds, and the Saintess had no choice but to escape together with him from the Kingdom. They were named fugitives immediately, and had to run from town to town in fear for their lives. Their goal was to return to the demon continent, where the Demon King’s castle awaited. Through it all, their love for each other only grew deeper, and the Saintess’ hatred only grew stronger for the Hero.

All was seemingly on plan as they reached the border, but in the final moment, the Kingdom Knights were able to detain the Demon King and abduct the Saintess. When she tried to convince them that the Demon King was not evil and they were married in love, they claimed she was bewitched by devilry and didn’t know what she was saying. They splashed her with Holy Water, expecting her to be expunged, but when no change took place, they then claimed the devilry was simply too strong, too deep. She then realised for the first time how twisted human beings were. They could turn true love into devilry. They were willing to justify themselves in any way so long as to reach their goal.

When they returned to the Kingdom Capital, they tried to force a marriage on her with the Hero, as it was only natural the Saintess and the Hero stand together. They tried to chain her down to a wretched fate, ordained by the Goddess of Light. She resisted with all her might, forcing the humans to imprison her in a castle, where the Hero was to visit her. Even in such a moment, she prayed to the Goddess for help. If she truly loved her as her own child, then please get her out of this predicament. The Goddess never answered, and the Saintess was left to await her destiny of becoming the plaything of another man she did not love.

When nightfall came and the Hero appeared like a big bad wolf, his eyes taken by lust and greed, the Saintess was willing to end her own life on the spot, but it was at that moment the Demon King invaded the Capital with the full force of his army to rescue his beloved wife. He arrived like a shining knight to her rescue, fending the Hero’s hands off from her, but alas, it was too much to fight the Hero in his home territory of the Goddess. The Demon King knew this. He was willingly slain by the blade of the Hero, his final words being for the Saintess to escape and that he would gladly trade his life for her’s, so long as she could remain living.

The shock was all too great, the surreal scene of her beloved husband dying before her. He bled red blood just like any normal person. In his final moments, she tried to call on the power of the Goddess to heal him, but instead of mending his flesh, her power only burnt it. It was then she realised that there was no escaping the roles that had been forced on them, as her husband passed away. The Hero cackled like a madman, he was the true evil. The so-called Kingdom and Church of Light, with the love of all the citizens, acted as his hands and feet to carry out this evil deed. Everything could have been different, if only she wasn’t the Saintess. The Hero would have never coveted her if she were not the Saintess. If only her husband were not the Demon King. He would never have had to be killed by the Hero if he were not the Demon King. The power that flowed through her veins, which was the so-called ‘proof’ of the Goddess’s love, was in actuality a curse. The ‘gifted’ fate forced on her was also but a curse. In that moment her hatred blossomed. She screamed at the Goddess, she cursed her with her entire being. She grabbed a blade from close by and put it to her throat, prepared to join her husband in death when she felt something suddenly change within her. Her hatred was so thick that it shrouded over everything within her. It engulfed her like a flame, and her golden power of Light suddenly turned to a malicious purple. The once Divine power, now corrupted, took life as easily as it would have saved it before. With this new found force and the death of her husband, she fell into madness and took the crown of her husband, taking charge over the remaining demons. In that moment, the new Demon Queen was born, and she was the true cataclysm. Her power of Darkness that the Hero was useless against, destroyed the Kingdom of Light and eventually all human life.

It took many-a-year, but finally when her revenge was complete, she felt nothing but emptiness. Her husband’s grave was the reminder she was forever alone, until one day a divinitator of the demon race told her the Demon King might still be alive, out there somewhere. There might be a way to bring him back. She wondered what he meant, how could it be possible? And he said there is a world where her answer lies. She decided to set out on a journey once more alone, and with her corrupted power, tore open a hole in the fabric of space and reality. With but measly gold and clothing and some close servants, she dove into the time-space tunnel, unsure of where she would arrive on the other side. It was Vertex which awaited her.

Aelius gazed at the night sky. Such a sad story, he thought to himself. It’s very similar to my past life, but the difference between us is I have a chance and she no longer does. Hopefully, they do not become enemies at some time. They understand each other like no one else does. In the silence of the night, with naught but the sounds of crickets and summer-time cicadas, Aelius felt a strong wave of melancholy. I’ll make the most of this second chance. He pulled away again, turning down the bridge where he found Lia waiting for him. Her messy hair was now combed, and she wore a frolicky dress, patiently gazing at him. Right… I have the Heir of the Heaven’s Order in this life. She, who had died last time, is proof that I can change fate, he smiled warmly at her and she smiled back.

“Who was that lady just now?” she asked.

“Oh uh…” Aelius wondered how to respond as he joined her. “One of my very close family members. Maybe I’ll introduce you to her and the others someday. We’ll have to see.”

“Okay.” They walked alongside each other back to the inn in silence for sometime, before she spoke again. “Are you feeling a bit better now?”

“Hmm?”

“It just seemed like you were a little down,” Lia wondered.

“Ah… yeah.” Somehow she was able to notice? Aelius thought. “Yeah, I’m better now. Thanks for asking.”

“Well, just let me know if there’s anything I can do. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for the help you’ve given us,” she smiled sweetly at him and he wryly chuckled.

“Okay, I’ll hold you to that. I’m sure there’ll be a day that comes when I’ll need your strength.”

The next morning came and Aelius felt refreshed. Like a new day, a new life awaited him. He was sure to bring it about. Now, it’s time he goes to see his adorable little elven beauty. The small group of four had just finished their breakfast in the first-floor restaurant of the inn - Leo was still sleeping in their room. “I’ll be heading out with Lia. By the time we come back, her poison should be healed,” he told the uncles with a warm smile. They nodded to him firmly.

“We don’t know how we could ever make this up to you.”

“Haha, well, I didn’t actually go through too much trouble, so don’t worry about it too much,” Aelius waved his hand at them as he rose to his feet and held his hand out to Lia. “Shall we go now?”

Aelius was aware, ever since he arrived in the city, that Harmony and Resonance had been in effect, and he could sense Alea’s location across the city. Though, he would have gone to the Holy Knight Quarters even without the bond leading him. As he gradually drew closer with Lia beside him, he felt the ball of light belonging to Alea gradually grow restless and excitable. It seems they could also share to some degree their emotions. As soon as he arrived at the foot of the building and was knocking on the front door, it was thrown open to reveal Alea standing at the door, smiling at him. “Aelius!” she lunged forward, pulling him into a tight hug, but because he was so short, his head only reached her chest.

“Mmmfph,” his muffled voice came out as he tried to speak, and she pulled away with a giggle.

“Hehe… sorry. What took you so long!? I’m being deployed tomorrow!” she exclaimed at him.

“Sorry, I ran into trouble,” Aelius sighed and turned to Lia. “Alea, meet Lia. Lia, meet Alea.”

“Oh… nice to meet you,” Alea smiled with a small wave before stepping out the doorway. “Well, come on in.” As they walked up the steps toward Alea’s room, having exchanged their greetings, Aelius got down to business.

“I actually have a small favour to ask you, Alea,” he said as they walked side by side with Lia trailing behind.

“Of course. Just name it, I’ll do what I can,” she assured her as they came to her room and Aelius frowned. He felt an odd presence on the other side. The platinum blonde elven girl pushed open her door to reveal a familiar figure standing at the window.

“What… the fuck…” Aelius groaned as Aria turned, wearing a small smile.

“I’ve been waiting, Aelius,” she smiled. His eyes quickly dashed to Alea and then back to Aria, before he took a deep breath and entered.

“What the hell are you doing here? What about the Academy?” he asked her.

“Oh, who cares about such a dull place. It’s much more fun elsewhere,” Aria shrugged as Aelius stared into her golden eyes. “Come on, don’t be such a spoilsport. I didn’t come here with bad intentions.”

“Sure, whatever,” Aelius clicked his tongue as he took a seat and Aria turned her eyes to Lia.

“Oh my… this girl…” Aria quickly sprung up to Lia before encircling her. Lia nervously remained still, looking to Aelius for help.

“Stop harassing her,” Aelius told Aria firmly.

“I’m not harassing her, goodness. Just observing. Where did you find a companion like this? And she’s also got the same poison as you do.”

“Oh, so now you wanna talk about the poison?” Aelius snarled.

“I’m sorry,” Aria shrugged. “What did you want me to do? It was my parents who poisoned you. You were five at the time and I was four.”

“You could’ve told me?” Aelius asked with a raised brow.

“And? What would you have done in that useless state? Tch,” Aria spitefully looked away. “I didn’t come here to talk about this either though.”

“Whatever, go sit in the corner. I don’t have any business with you,” Aelius waved his hand dismissively and Aria’s face heated up.

“I’ll wait my turn, you can go see your beloved elf first, but it’s my turn afterward,” she clicked her tongue and disappeared out of Alea’s room.

“Come on, Aelius,” Alea sighed as she took a seat at the table. “Aria’s a nice girl. She’s been here since two days ago. I can tell she’s very nice. Can’t you just give her a chance?” Alea asked.

“Oh trust me,” Aelius rolled his eyes. “She’s unparalleled when it comes to acting, lying and manipulating. It runs in her stupid family, especially with those eyes she’s got.”

“It’s not her fault she was born with them, but ugh, whatever. What was the favour you needed?” Alea asked.

“Before that,” Aelius leaned forward. “I got you a gift.” His demeanour quickly switched to a warm smile and he revealed a box, setting it down on the table in front of her. Her eyes lit up at the gift and her cheeks turned slightly red.

“Oh… you didn’t have to…”

“No, I wanted to. It’s a keepsake, since I don’t know when we’ll see each other next,” Aelius gave an impeccable, warm smile to her as she opened the box, revealing pearl-white, feather-like hairpin inside.

“Aelius…” he felt an overwhelming amount of emotion erupt from within her at him, and her eyes tear up slightly. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah…” Aelius rose to his feet and offered his hand out. “Come on, let’s head to the mirror.” Together, the couple approached the dressing table and Aelius sat Alea down at the wooden stool, taking the hairpin into his hand before carefully slotting it into the hair above her bangs.

“As I thought, it really suits you,” he smiled as Alea reached up with a finger and gently touched it, her eyes wide with wonder, before her face heated up unbelievably red and she fell silent for a moment. Aelius chuckled to himself, seeing that even the outgoing and always unfazed girl was also a maiden at heart.

“I’ll… treasure it,” she assured him with a heartfelt smile, which Aelius returned to her.

“Good.”

Alert!

System change detected. The side effect Harmony and Resonance is evolving.

Chosen’s Bond is evolving.

-New title acquired!-

-Symbiote-

Two beings become one. Their power is shared and unified, creating an exponential increase. The Intimacy System upgrades to the Universal Intimacy System.

Your good deeds will accumulate like karma to aid you in your most desperate times.

-Universal Intimacy System-

Gain intimacy points from anyone you share significant ties with.

Aelius' eyes widened at the sudden change and evolution, blinking in surprise. Whoa… this seems far stronger. I wonder what the changes actually mean? He wondered when he began to hear ‘blings’ in his ears.

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

-Alea-

Aelius frowned at the name at the end. I can see the source of my intimacy points now? He wondered when more blings followed.

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

+Intimacy Points

-Aria-

Aelius blinked in surprise as a downpour of intimacy points showered him from Aria. What the fuck… he quickly took a deep breath, trying to hide the displeasure on his face in the presence of the two girls.

“Aelius?” Alea asked.

“Yeah?” he answered, pulling himself back to reality immediately.

“Thank you. I love it.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that,” Aelius smiled back.

“What was the favour you needed?” she asked, and Aelius turned to Lia.

“I think I just need to borrow your hand for two seconds, should be all I need.”