Chapter 46: Chapter Forty-Three – Family

At some point between the gate of Tokarefes and our carriage, I passed out. Try as I might to stay awake so I could hear Rysa’s story, I simply couldn’t. My mind was too dulled by alcohol, and being gently rocked in Kyra’s arms as she carried me was too comfortable.

Next thing I knew I was waking up in bed. With Eskame nestled tightly against my stomach. Her tail warming my legs more than any blanket ever could. Yet something was off from our usual sleeping arrangement.

The arms wrapped around my shoulders were a bit more slender than Eurycelia’s, and I didn’t feel my girlfriend’s breasts pressing into my back. Someone with an exceptionally slender build was holding me from behind, and my brain couldn’t think of anyone in my usual entourage that fit the bill.

Carefully turning in bed so as to not wake Eskame, I came face to face with Rysa. Before I could speak the goddess smiled and brought her index finger to her lips, before motioning for me to follow her. Carefully the two of us slipped out of bed and stepped outside the carriage.

“Looks as though we cannot see the moon tonight,” Rysa said gazing up at the stars.

“I guess not.”

“How’s your head?”

“Ah,” I placed a hand on my chin and focused my attention inward. As far as I could tell, I felt fine. Better than ever even. “Nothing feels off.”

“I guess being Laura’s biological daughter comes with its perks.”

“Biological?”

“Magic exists in our blood. When she injected you with her magic, she changed you. It’s not as visible as the cute bunny ears, but you’ve been altered at every level. She may have not given birth to you, but your body is identical to what it would be like if she had.”

“Wow."

“Yeah,” Rysa chuckled. “You know, she and I had a pretty major argument when it was finally time to bring you here.”

“Really,” I raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

“I wanted to make you a child again. I missed your childhood, all of it. Traveling between this world and Earth is hard, and it leaves so many things undefended. Here, I can’t be with you every day, but I can still visit frequently. All we needed to do was find a loyal set of retainers to take care of you while we were away. But Laura refused.”

“Why? She seems to get a kick out of Lady Otrea being a toddler again.”

“Because she’d set her mind on setting you up with Otrea Ladnier. It’s her fault you were dropped in that forest without any idea what was going on. I guess she was ready for you to be an adult, and I still hadn’t had the chance to even pretend to be a parent, or an aunt.”

I sat on the dirt and leaned my back against one of the carriage’s wheels. I didn’t know what to say. Never would I have ever wanted to live through a second childhood. But saying that aloud would probably hurt Rysa’s feelings. So I just kept quiet and listened.

“Not that it matters now, Laura got what she wanted. She always gets what she wants.” Rysa shook her head and smiled sadly down at me. “It meant a lot to me when you called me ‘Mommy Rysa’ yesterday. It’d mean a lot to me if you could keep saying it Bernice. Even if it isn’t all the time.”

“Is that why you stayed down here, to ask me to keep calling you mommy?”

“Heavens no,” Rysa laughed. “I stayed because I promised you a story. But you fell asleep before I could tell it! Unlike Laura I follow through on my promises.”

“So I have two mothers,” I giggled. “One’s reliable, and the other’s good at parties.”

“That’s the spirit,” Rysa winked. “Of course I’m going to work hard to be your favorite. Laura may have had an eleven year head start. But that doesn’t mean anything when we have centuries ahead of us. By the time you turn one-hundred you’ll think of me first when you’re screaming ‘mommy’ in broad daylight.”

“I don’t plan to stay weak forever,” I mumbled, my cheeks starting to feel warm with embarrassment.

“Ah! That’s right, you’ve been trying awfully hard to be an Alchemist haven’t you?”

“Yeah, but it’s been a no go.”

“Hehe,” Rysa smiled deviously, leaning forward so she could poke my nose. “Maybe if you’ll say I’m your favorite mother, I’ll give you a shortcut.”

“A shortcut? Can you do that?”

“I’m the Goddess of fate,” Rysa replied placing a hand to her chest. “Just as Laura can cause great misfortunes like [Level Drain], I can cause great fortuity. I’m her direct opposite, which means I can bestow levels upon you with [Serendipity]. Who ever said a Demigod should work hard for the things she wants? With a snap of my fingers I can make you far more powerful than you are now.”

“Can you make me more powerful than Otrea?”

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“No,” Rysa deflated. “If I tried your soul would unravel and you’d die. Possibly even kill everyone close to you in the process. Power like what Otrea commands is something you have to grow slowly. Your soul needs time to adjust and grow larger before you can force it to contain more power. That said, I can pump you full of levels until we hit the limit of your soul.”

“I worked hard for nothing,” I sighed shaking my head. “What is the limit of my soul? Can you tell before you start raining levels on me?”

“You didn’t work hard for nothing,” Rysa sat down next to me. “Just because I can give you the class you wanted and some extra levels, it doesn’t mean you know how to use it. Everything you’ve learned up until now will be helpful. After all, you started your life in our world with [Fire Magic] thanks to Laura’s meddling. But you couldn’t really do anything with it until you learned the chants, right?”

“Right.”

“See. Same rules apply. Just because you’ll have the Transmute skill, it won’t mean squat till you’ve practiced. You’re still months away from creating coffee beans from random garbage. Especially now that you’re on the road and can’t devote quite as much effort to studying.”

“As for your second question,” Rysa continued, looking up at the night sky. “Eighteen. Any higher than that would be dangerous. It won’t put you on par with any of your companions, but it’ll be a start. A couple decades from now I could probably give you another dozen levels or so. If you’re willing to wait five or six centuries we could probably get you to Otrea’s level. You’re a demigod after all. It’s not quite as reality-breaking for you to be at level two-hundred as it is for her.”

“Speaking of Lady Otrea’s level, I assume you can still use [Analyze] on Eskame right?”

“Yeah. I am a bit stronger than an Elder Dragon, so Laura’s necklace has no effect on me.”

“Her current level… is it?”

“Unchanged? Yep. And I’m a little grumpy about it too. Me and Laura are going to have a long chat when I return to the heavens.”

“Ah, I feel a little bad for bringing it up.”

“It’s nothing you did Bernice. I noticed something was off with her soul when we arrived at the carriage. So while you slept I did a full inspection.”

“Is she okay?”

“Better than okay,” Rysa winked. “Actually, her soul has begun to reshape itself. When I saw her before, her soul had the reflection of her original self. Tall, big-breasted, purple-haired, the whole package. But now… her soul’s visage is different. It’s something between her current self and her former.”

“Is… she going to be okay? When her memories are freed this won’t prevent her from returning to her original body will it?”

“It shouldn’t. After all she had no complications inhabiting her current body when her soul bore the reflection of her former. All it means is that, on a subconscious level she’s happier like this. Your soul reflects the best version of yourself, the version you want other people to see. If her soul fully shifts to appear as she does as Eskame. It’s proof this is the best version of her. Though lacking her memories could be causing a false shift. Maybe she’ll change back once they’ve returned.”

“You think you could free her memories now?”

“Not now,” Rysa began petting my ear, “But I’ll consider it. Since it’s what my lovely daughter wants.”

My whole face felt so hot I was certain I’d turned as red as a tomato. It was hard for me to think of Rysa as my mother, at least emotionally. But I was happy to at least try and forge that bond with her. After all, she’d made it clear that her and Mommy Laura were lovers. Which meant logically that she was at least something akin to a step-mother if nothing else.

“You’re blushing so much,” Rysa giggled. “It’s so cute. I guess I can kind of see why Laura likes teasing you. Still, I’m running a little short on time. So how about it, are you ready to hear a story?”

“Yes!”

Rysa smiled twirling a finger in the air causing little glowing figures of light to emerge. “Now Bernice, before I begin, have you thought about whether you’d like me to use [Serendipity] on your behalf or not?”

“Please use it,” I chewed my lip. “Even if it feels like cheating, I’m willing to take any advantage I can get.”

“Good girl,” Rysa snuggled against me. “In that case, I’m going to weave a bit of magic into the story. Something to make you drowsy and help you fall asleep by the time it’s finished. Gaining levels quickly can be quite painful, and the last thing I want to see is you in pain. So once you’re asleep I’ll start.”

“Sounds good… though shouldn’t we head inside?”

“You’re not fond of sleeping out under the stars? I’ll carry you inside with my magic once we’re done. When you wake up you’ll be in bed with Eskame, just as you were before.”

“Will I see you and Mommy Laura again soon?”

“Of course, you’ll never be able to keep us away for long.” Rysa smiled before a wave of her hand had her little figures of light moving. “Now, it’s time to begin our story. Once upon a time, in a land far far away…”

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