Chapter 173: Omen – Chapter 159: Noblesse Oblige

Before Lady Vinmaier had any time to use whatever magic she had been trying to invoke, Aperio appeared in front of her. She grabbed the other woman by her collar and effortlessly lifted her off of her feet. "What led you to believe that I would just let you go?"

With no sympathy left for the woman and what she had done, the All-Mother unceremoniously threw her into the center of the chamber. As Aperio reappeared in her throne, murmurs began to spread through the room. She ignored them. It wasn't necessary for her to have physically stopped Lady Vinmaier from trying something, nor did she have to throw her across the room, but it felt so good. Almost disturbingly so.

"I have met plenty of mortals like you," Aperio said as she fixed her gaze onto the downed Human. "They thought that they were superior for reasons that I still fail to understand. That they had some God-given right to rule over others. I have not given such a right to anyone; will never give such a right to anyone."

The only one who would forever be above everyone else was herself, and that was not because she wanted to but simply because she was. It was a truth she, and everyone else, had to accept. No matter how hard anyone tried, they would never be able to reach her. And how could they? Everything they used to become stronger was something she — or more accurately, her past self — had made available to them in some way, shape, or form.

"Speak," Aperio commanded, still glaring at the mortal form of Lady Vinmaier. "Tell everyone why your son tried to collar me when I returned to this world." She grabbed hold of the armrests of her throne with a little too much force, causing a web of cracks to rush through the black marble. "Tell me!"

The burning rage within her had risen as soon as she had turned her attention to Lady Vinmaier, and it was a mystery even to Aperio as to how she had remained calm during the entire mortal-judging ordeal.

Just a short while ago, Aperio would have never brought this issue up; would have never even hinted at the circumstances that surrounded her return. But now, that had changed. The anger that continued to rise up inside her chest pushed away the thoughts of secrecy and the plain old wrong that had gradually made their way back into her mind. She wanted to kill the Human that cowered in front of her. Crush her very Soul.

But she didn't.

"No more words?" Aperio asked, rising from her throne. Her wings spread slightly behind her as the light in the room dimmed again in concert with her pull on her well. "Does anyone else wish to argue for this mortal's life?"

Much to the All-Mother's surprise, it was the [Grandmaster] who rose from her seat. She bowed slightly, keeping the posture as she spoke. "I do not have anything to say in favour of Lady Vinmaier, but I would like to point out that her death will leave the family in the hands of Lord Jester as his father passed away this morning."

Aperio's eyes snapped back to the cowering form of Lady Vinmaier. Something told her that the death of her husband was not something natural. "Anything you would like to add?"

The only answer Aperio received was in the form of quiet sobs as tears began to roll down the woman's face. The All-Mother could not help but frown at the Human. Why did she cry? What right did she have to be sad? She enslaved — tortured — others because she liked it; because she could. She did not deserve pity or remorse.

"Would you like to tell me why the Beastkin I saw walk around with your other son is not here to be freed?" the All-Mother asked. "Did I not tell you to make a list of every slave here? Or did you think I only wanted to put on a show; that I wanted an offering of slaves to free?

"Ridiculous," Aperio continued, a part of her mind already devoting itself to looking over every mortal that called Ebenlowe their home. "Why is it that mortals always think that I would not notice an omission like this? Or do you believe that I do not care?"

"They fail to accept what you are," Caethya said quietly, her voice only heard by the All-Mother herself. "And Lady Vinmaier likely thought she would be spared if she at least pretended to fulfil your request."

"Ridiculous," the All-Mother repeated herself, this time quieter and with a touch of magic so that only Caethya would hear. "It makes no sense. Does she want me to kill her?"

No matter how hard she tried, Aperio could not figure out what Lady Vinmaier was trying to accomplish. The woman had chosen to be less than thorough. There was simply no way that she could not have known about her son's 'extra' slave. Probably also didn't list the slaves her own family has outside of Ebenlowe…

"If you have nothing to say," the All-Mother began, raising her hand and summoning her swordstaff, "I will carry out your sentence." May your Soul live a better life next time.

Aperio's lifted hand was gently pressed against, causing her freshly summoned weapon to disappear again. The amount of pressure did not move it one bit, but the warmth of Caethya's touch caused Aperio to relax a little. Her love looked at her with her brows low and slightly pulled together, lips drawn downwards in a sad — bitter — smile.

Despite the saddened expression of Caethya, her love's mana carried a note of understanding; a thought of acknowledgement. In the end, the Demigoddess disliked the practice Lady Vinmaier had been pushing just like Aperio did. But, unlike the All-Mother, her vision was not reframed by the memories of a life as a slave.

Aperio took a breath, small strands of nothing rushing in from her Void and mixing with the pure mana she drew from deep within her well. "Your sentence is death."

There was no movement, no blood, and no screams. Aperio's word was absolute and the universe worked to set its Creator's will into motion. To make it reality.

The form of Lady Vinmaier slumped forwards as if she was a puppet whose strings had been cut. A rustling of clothes and the high pitched ringing of metal hitting the polished marble floor filled the chamber. The murmurs that followed were deafening to Aperio's ears, even though she could barely hear them. Only noticed them at the edges of her mind.

One of the guards began to move towards the body of the now-dead Human but Aperio simply raised a hand, causing the corpse to vanish. Lady Vinmaier did not deserve to be buried or mourned. No slaver did.

Aperio carefully took Caethya's hand into her own, letting a mote of her mana flow into the Demigoddess. Her love might appear calm, but Aperio could feel — hear — her distress. She would offer comfort, but did not know if she could manage to do so when she might very well be the cause of the Demigoddess' agitation. Still, she would try; losing Caethya was not something she wanted to imagine.

"Let this be a warning," Aperio said, her voice filling the room as it always did despite the turmoil her mind found itself in. "If I ever find a mortal like her in these gatherings again, I will end them."

There were no words of affirmation, only slow, hesitant nods. The All-Mother let her gaze linger on the gathered members of the council a moment longer before reality twisted itself apart and Caethya and herself disappeared, leaving behind a few black and blue feathers that slowly drifted to the ground where they dissolved.

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Aperio let go as soon as she had brought the two of them to her chambers in her temple and took a few steps backwards. She lowered her head, her wings slumping down and dragging on the floor. It did not fit the All-Mother, and neither was it how the one she loved should ever look.

Caethya closed the distance between the two of them in a few determined strides. What Aperio had done with Lady Vinmaier was not what she had expected, but neither did she dwell on the issue much. For the Demigoddess the life of a slaver meant very little; she had dispatched more than few on her own. Her main concern had been with her love's own well being.

"I am sorry," Aperio said as grabbed hold of her dress. "I did not mean to upset you."

Caethya frowned at the words. "Why would I be upset? You did what you came to do. If anything, I am worried for you." She took another step towards the All-Mother, moving herself so close that Aperio's lowered gaze met her eyes. "The longer you simply talked to Lady Vinmaier, the more anger I could feel. I had feared that you would do something you would regret if you killed her with your weapon; with your hands."

"There is little difference between using my hands or my magic," Aperio replied. At the same moment, Caethya felt herself gently embraced as if her love had wrapped her arms and wings around her. Except that she had not. Aperio had not moved a bit; her mana had simply taken a more physical form. "Mana is as much a part of me as my flesh and blood."

Caethya embraced Aperio, pulling the larger and much heavier woman into a hug as best she could. "You need to take better care of yourself," she said. While her voice was muffled from speaking into her love's chest, Caethya knew that Aperio would have no trouble understanding her. She pulled back slightly and looked into the All-Mother's ever-shifting eyes. "But we have been over this countless times."

"We have," Aperio agreed with a sigh. The rustling of feathers preceded her next words as the All-Mother briefly extended her wings to their full length before carefully wrapping them around Caethya. "But I cannot do that as long as I know these slavers exist. As long as Verenier is plagued by this… disease."

She ran her fingers through Caethya's hair, tiny bits of mana sometimes flowing from Aperio's hand. A moment later, the Demigoddess found herself held tightly against the All-Mother. The almost crushing embrace only lasted for a breath, however, before Aperio separated herself again.

"Tomorrow I will go to Geshwen," she said, extending a hand for Caethya to take. "And then I will clean up Ebenlowe for good."

"And after that?" Caethya asked, taking the offered hand and letting herself be pulled towards the bed.

Her love fell delicately onto the soft mattress, pulling Caethya on top of herself and wrapping the Demigoddess in her wings once again.

"Leave this world," Aperio said as she closed her eyes. "Go somewhere where people don't know me and try to live a little. Maybe go to the world that Kiro and Adam came from."

"And leave me behind?" Caethya asked, her voice not quite as steady as she had hoped it would be. "I don't want to be without you."

Aperio did not reply immediately, simply lying there without taking a breath. The only sign that she was even still there were the slight movements of her wings and hands as they moved across Caethya's back.

"I would like you to accompany me wherever I go," she eventually replied. "But I also cannot ask you to leave the only world you know. Leave your family."

Caethya pushed herself up slightly, moving to sit up straight once Aperio had shifted her wings away. "I would still have the opportunity to see them, though?" she asked. "It would not be much different from now. All that would change is that I would ask you to take me back home every now and then." She smiled slightly. "And, who knows, maybe my family might even like you."

"Will they not just bow and cower like anyone else?" Aperio asked. "They know what I am, after all."

"They also invited Mayeia to a tea party," Caethya rebutted. "For one reason or another, they don't really make a difference between the divine and a mortal." I am just not sure if it's because they don't care or because they are so… dense.

In Caethya's mind, Aperio would get along great with her family. Especially her parents. Both of them were very much to the All-Mother's liking, despising the games the nobility liked to play and much preferring just getting to the point. And they like fighting. Well, duelling.

The Martinek name had not always been nobility — once upon a time they were commoners and merchants — but somewhere along the line, another family had discovered that those commoners and merchants could fight, and fight well. Since then, most members of the Martinek family had taken up fighting in one form or another, and at some point they had been recognised for their service to the country; first with a knighthood, and later with a grander title.

"Maybe," Aperio mumbled. "Maybe."

Caethya laid herself down again, this time next to her love. She did not understand how Aperio's mind worked, but she also found that she did not really care. Trying to understand the All-Mother's mental processes was something she would leave to scholars and other insane mortals. All she had to know was that Aperio cherished her and, perhaps more importantly, accepted her help.

One day, Caethya thought to herself as she held onto her love a little tighter. One day you will think of yourself as I do.

GamingWolf

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