Chapter 58: 2-11: Words and Laments

(I awoke, Ourana still asleep in bed beside Me. Ourana, my wife. My wife of need, not want. A marriage brought about by a desire by both our parents to pull together their fortunes into a singular fortune. To each other we were not each other's whole world, but merely one part of it. I think we loved each other, both romantically and physically- but perhaps some desire to rebel against our parents told us to let ourselves have love outside the bounds of wife and wife. That said, I was the only one who had anyone between the two of us. Well, I was with them before Ourana, but still. I kiss her forehead and speak: “To Zalya’s Garden.” 

There was a flash and I found myself among familiar greenery and flowers. Zalya- no, that dress and stature was not Zalya. I see, today Yziuz was fronting. It had been a while. Well, honestly, I did enjoy her company more, since she’d listen but for what we needed today, Zalya would have been more appropriate.

“You’re late, Gaia.” She reprimanded me.

“Sorry, Ourana kept me up late.”

“Please, you probably let her suck some blood, and she passed out.”

“Guilty. Can’t do anything on her hungry nights. Where are the guests?”

“With your siblings.”

I nodded and walked forward towards a group of masked figures and my brother and sister, Alethian and Nyx. The later nodded as I approached. Before them were three masked and armed figures and one masked woman with long curly red hair. 

“You must be the woman of Words, Gaia.”

“I am. You are?”

“Kabuh. I speak for the components on our side. They are Asorica, Larissa, and Tashmetu.”

“I see. Well, it is a pleasure to meet you all.”

“Yes. For the future we all deserve.”

I nodded. “May nothing come and change it.”

"So, your siblings showed off their abilities to us. Why not yours."

"What about your girls?"

"Can't use our magic in your side of the coin."

"Of course, that's right. Well, it's not as impressive or mind breaking as concepts like truth or lies but still, I hope my Words impress you."

"Gaia, you continue to be to down on yourself. Do you not bend reality?" Ny asks.

I shrug, "Only that which has words to describe it."

"Well, here." Kabuh presented a dead corpse in front of me, probably a few weeks old. 

"Really? This is how you wish to see my power work? Why not find a Necrologuer or a Puppeteer?"

"I expect you to impress more than that, comrade."

I shook my head, "Fine. Corpse, Arise and stand, raise thy left hand and bow, then burn to ashes, nothing but ashes and burn nothing else."

The body jerked upright and stood still for a second before its left hand rose slowly to the parallel to its head. It then slowly bent over, in what could perhaps be called a bow, with the sound of muscles and bones tearing as it did so. Then as it stood up it suddenly became ablaze with a flame as white as snow. Its heat was even more intense than the light, making the others step back. It took about twelve seconds to burn out, leaving only a pile of ashes and the grass around where it had stood completely untouched by the flames.

"What language was that?"

"All."

"Hmm. Do you have limits?"

I shrugged, "None that I have reached."

"The abilities of this side are quite intense. I cannot see why you have agreed to this deal of ours."

"You know as well as us what our worlds are."

"Yes. Well, thank you for the demonstration." Kabuh bowed before walking away. 

"You realize that was an unknown body right, Gaia?" Alethian said.

"Oh... well, sorry."

"The Queen told us she wants you in her... personal chambers the rest of the day."

"Really? I kind of need to clean my house eventually."

"I mean the Y is fronting right? It's your fault for courting her."

"Don't you two have somewhere to be?"

"Farewell, sister." They waved as they spoke and then we not before me anymore.

I walked back over to Yziuz, letting her hook her arm with mine. She looked at me happily, "Let's not waste the time we have, my Gaia."

"My house is filled with filth, my queen."

Her eyes slanted, "You can speak it clean. Now, I know you want to."

"Fine, but I'm not moving. I am tired from do things for Zalya still."

"Of course. Besides, we need to spend as much time together as possible. The time of the unknown approaches soon." And she led me into the castle.)

(The void. My void.

Terra walks around casually trying to figure out the way it works, walking to one direction and ending up perpendicular to how she was moving. It is funny to watch. And calming. It made me happy to see her able to act like this despite the circumstances she was in.

"Hey, Dione."

"Yes, Terra?"

"You mentioned figuring out what you are. What are you?"

"Nothing for you to worry about."

"I mean you're in my head, I kind of have to be worried about that."

"If I ever have to be what I was, then you are in trouble."

"Well maybe I need to put myself in trouble then."

I shook my head, "No need. And by trouble I mean, dying."

"Oh."

"Look, you'll learn who I am on your own."

"Or you could just tell me, now."

"Well, the others. They'll know. Maybe he'll tell you, Augur."

Terra blinked. "Augur?" She asked as the void enveloped us both.)

Hayli

The human’s body slumped to the floor as my father removed his blade.

“I am sorry you had to see that.”

I frowned, feeling something in my chest twist. I could feel my eyes watering. Why?

“Oh, there, there my dearest little ruler of the sea. I know I was quite cruel with that one, but we are safe. And the machinations of the human will no longer affect you.”

“I- okay.” I nodded. 

“Great!” My dad patted me on the back and walked towards the door. “Now, how to open this bad boy.”

I glanced over at the body, tears once again welling in my eyes. Why? Why? 

I shook my head clear and went over to join my dad in trying to push the door open when I heard a noise.

The assumed corpse started to shake as a black… object began to engulf it. It stood up and spoke in a garbled sort of tongue, overlapping noises that created a chilling sort of noise: “Heal.”  I felt my body freeze, fear gripping me like nothing before.  This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t a human.

This wasn’t my Te- who?

The body began to shimmer, and new arms soon sprouted from the bloodied stumps she had. My father whipped around, and eyes widen in shock, “Necromancy? What a vile human.” And dashed at the once assumed dead girl.

“Stop Moving Your Legs.” She said again and my dad suddenly froze in place.

“W-what?” My father asked. “This isn’t necromancy. How many Magic’s do you have?”

A soft chuckle escaped her lips an oddly distant voice now coming from them in reply, “Me? I have only my Words. My augur however, well she has the postremordial soup all will go to. And if she can my Words as well.”

“Augur? Your Augur?”

“Yes. I thought one so attuned to this world would have recognized that. The odd magic, the name, I mean really. Terra. Gaia. It’s the same isn’t it. Even the deadname, just another word for me. Not like what became of Zalya and Yziuz. Though, miss sky over there, I wonder can her soul hear me?” 

Caela looked around nervously, laughing a little.

The human? Laughed, "No need to worry, Caela, your counterpart is waiting for the finalization like most are.”

“What do you want, deity?”

“I simply wish for my Augur to survive. So, I put a part of me in her. I had wished she had just used her own power, but your little stunt angered her too much for her to think. Now, I would usually kill you hear, but…. Well, the inheritor of Yziuz would be saddened by that. So, a deal. I quite enjoy watching Terra’s drama, but I grow tired of you and your memory-based interferences in her love life, you heliocentric parent. So, I offer this. I will restore their memories you just erased but nothing before that. And the feelings Hayli had before being mind controlled by Azrael. The rest? Well, my Augur needs to stand on her own, right? And this path I am making? It is the best for us all. Also, Terra will not remember me, nor you are being present here. I will also make her forget how very rude you were. This is the offer I make you. You are lucky I am much kinder than my siblings would be if they were in my shoes. Besides, without my Augur, what can you do? You cannot bind without my blessing. Make a choice.”

My dad looked down at his hands now able to move. “Your presence and power are more than I had been told. Tell me, what is Terra to Hayli.”

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“Her light. And the same the other way around. It reminds me of… well, before they were betrayed by I.”

“I see.”

“I sense you do not trust me still. Here, let me use your twisting of my words.” She traded in the air some runes.

“Terra means Hayli no harm, and there is no one more important to her than Hayli.”

“Truth runes. I may have been too hasty.”

“You are only a father. You remind me of him, before Zalya and I’s first date. Memories.” The deity in human skin looked down sadly.

"So, you are that one. Your augur is not good at explaining herself."

"Like you are good at listening?"

"I will listen better from now on. I agree to your deal, deity."

“I have little time to waste. Remember from being freed from Azrael. Remember all the feelings you had towards my augur. Forget Terra nearly perished. Terra, forget the rudeness of Swyr. All forget I was here. Swyr, return to the capitol, in your underwear in the central square fountain.”

“Really? Hold a grudge much?” My father complained as he blinked away.

And then I felt my headache with the pain of a thousand needles and my vision blurred.

When it was over my father was gone and Terra was back to normal. Normal? No, she hadn’t done anything abnormal. I smiled and ran over to her, engulfing her in a hug. She looked down at me surprised.

“H-Hayli?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you hugging me?”

“Because we didn’t die.”

“Yeah, because Deus Ex Father saved the day.”

“Where is he anyway?”

Terra looked at us both, confused. “I think we should get out of here. And maybe out of Otterburgh entirely.”

“Why, Terr-Terr.”

“Terr-Terra? Heh.” She smiled at me, “You know we just killed a very rich man who is very involved in the local community.

Right. We had just done that.

 “Well, I guess we need to find a place to lay low. You as well, Terr-Terr.” Caela mocked me. “Any suggestions, local?”

Terra swished air around her mouth for a moment and nodded. “I have a brother nearby.”

“Okay. So, any cover story?” Caela asked.

 I looked at Terra and smiled. I mean it was part of the mission still, and I did like her a lot so, “Terra and I are dating.”

Terra blinked and turned red, “D-don’t say it like that.”

“Wow, and what about me?”

“Well, I don’t think we can do polygamy, so you’ll be the friend who’s here by order of my father to make sure Terra is fit to eventually marry me.”

“Is that a thing?” She asked,

“It is now.”

I took my girlfriend’s (As in my temporary, pretend girlfriend and not at all real one- nope, not going to just forget to end the cover story. Nope. No way, no how.) knife and struck it against the door. It swung open. “Well?” I asked turning around to see the two looting the rich bastard’s body. “Really?”

“He’s not going to miss these coins. And besides, I may have lost my allotment on gambling on fights.

“You had two free days, how?”

Caela shrugged. I shook my head and took Terra’s very sweaty hand. “Let’s go.”

 

Terra

I wasn’t sure what had happened but gift horse and all that. I mean even if it was pretend, to be able to call Hayli my girlfriend again, out loud and to her was… amazing.

“Hey, the catacombs were a bust but it’s not all bad, right Dione?” I thought.

There was no reply.

“Hey, Dione?”

Nothing.

Was she tired? Weird. Well, when I dreamed, I could see her then. 

We climbed out of the shaft, filthy and tired and passed out a few yards away in the protection of some undergrowth.

We awoke the next day, and after some deliberation we decided to not risk going back into town after seeing the fact that it was swarming with police and guards and what not. We managed to legally acquire a horse and open carriage and set off with me being forced to drive it.

As we passed by a farmer's field Caela asked, "So, Terra. You grew up in the Hero's town?"

"I grew up in his house."

"What?"

"My last is literally Thornell."

"Oh, are you like a cousin or something?"

"Are you a cousin of Lyre?" I replied, a bit rudely honestly.

"Uh, how'd you know my deadname? Terra? Terra?" She poked me as I turned to Hayli. 

"Sorry about, you know losing your chance to get a rune item."

"I accept that, Terr-Terr. Though, honestly, I'm still unsure that it was there. Besides you, nothing was that out of the ordinary."

"Yeah, three magic types? That's almost as good as a rune item, right?" Caela grinned.

"Actually, that number is zero."

"Okay, we all saw you use Ice and Water, and they said you used Wind."

"Nah, all I got is this." I took on hand on the reigns to produce that same old dark object. "Go on put a flame to it."

Caela produced a flame on her forefinger and slowly moved it towards the DS. At a certain point away from it, it suddenly went out. Caela moved her finger back to her face and stared. "Okay, you can cancel magic, but how did you use those other magics."

"I don't cancel magic. That's not a thing. I more... capture them. And..." I raise my arm and point to the sky. A much more uncontrolled flame shot out of my finger and quickly burned out. "Release it. It does some weird things to it though."

"Yep, definitely better than a rune item." Caela nodded with a smug look on her face.

I turned to Hayli, "I might have to warn you, only my older brother Ulther knows I'm Terra."

"Oh, you're not out to anyone else?" Hayli asked.

"Yeah, let's go with that." I replied.

"And you're bringing a girlfriend home who's also trans? And a best friend who's trans? Brave." Caela joked.

"I don't actually know the vibe around us in the Duchess's town. I know Demons are a bit iffy, because of an incident that me and Vern helped cause, but nothing beyond suspicious looks and a ban from the Nathers Estate. I am not sure about how humons are treated, nor queer people."

"No cool people?" Caela asked. 

"I didn't really pay attention."

"Well, guess we'll find out, babe." Hayli nudged me and winked.

"Yeah." I did that thing drivers do with the reigns to get the horse to pick up the pace. I wanted a bed to sleep in, no matter how awkward it definitely would be. 

I didn't like this. This series of events. It felt like a hand had swept pieces off a board and then picked me up onto a different game all together. I was going to get what I wanted, to be back with my friends, with Hayli but with I the only one with the memories that connect us together. Well, until I figured out how to do that, I should at least make the new ones, happy ones. 

I looked over at Hayli and shook my head free of those thoughts, no matter all that, I needed to enjoy what I had in the here and now. "Hayli."

"Yes."

I smiled, trying not laugh. Look I never got to tease her after Hayli kissed me the first time, so I was going to take every chance to this time around, "I love you."

Hayli coughed and grew crimson as she started to stammer. Caela laughed hysterically beside me, a real cackle. I stared ahead, trying to keep a straight face. Eventually Hayli collected herself and spoke, "Okay, haha. Just keeping in character, right?"

I gave her a puzzled look, "Character?"

Hayli pulled her shirt above her head and screamed. I had to stop so Caela could climb to the center of the carriage to lie on the floor and laugh. I smiled, feeling happy. Huh. That felt good.

 

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