Edited by: tommyjl7

A cellar is not the best place for a nap preceded by a love-making session. And I don’t mean that it was a place in which dark forces dwelled for days corrupting innocent soul, nor a place in which already mentioned dark forces were interrogated by artificially created flower which was feasting on its very existence, for we already did more romantic things is less romantic places. The location sucks simply because it was cold and damp and as soon as we woke up we felt the pain in our bones, just like old people do.

Yet, eventually, we managed to rise from our not-very-comfortable “beds” (or pieces of leather witch provided barely any warmth) re-dressed and left the building.

Inhaling fresh, cold air I looked at the still dark sky. It was about an hour before morning. Once again we entered the inn just to notice that nobody was awake. Of course, it was sometime around 4 am, what normal soul is working at this time?! Giselle moved on the higher floor to wake up Lanele and inform her that we will be leaving the village soon. At the same time, I allowed myself to “break” into the kitchen and start preparing some early breakfast and a provision for later. The sooner we would leave the better, otherwise, we would risk meeting village mayor, and bastard definitely wouldn’t be happy to know that we are leaving, there are still crops to be blessed, people to be cured and so on, and each time you finish one task two more would pop. I understand him, being a mere villager is hard – the lord demand taxes, monsters may attack and no matter how much you work one bad event can cause it all to be in vain… so a little magical help is always handy.

I can already imagine him finding around a dozen reasons for us to stay “just one more day”, but then the emergencies would keep coming over and over again and before I notice I would have a cabin built at the verge of the forest in which I would cure blisters and varicose veins. Thank you, but no.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize Gisele sneaked up on me, as I was adding seasoning to goulash she hugged me from behind and whispered in my ear.

- “Smells delicious! What is it?”

- “Your regular meat-soup. The one I always do.”

- “Hmm? Don’t get me wrong, it’s always tasty, but this time it looks even better!”

- “Because as we are traveling I am forced to use dried meat and seasoning I could find near the road, so just some wild herbs. This inn is greatly supplied so I can let my cuisine-imagination bloom. It’s like alchemy, skills are extremely important, but you won’t make an aqua della vita with skill alone… but don’t get overly excited. While traveling we will eat dried meat again.”

- “Doesn’t matter! What was yesterday was yesterday, what is tomorrow is tomorrow! And in a couple of minutes, there will be a goulash, and that’s the only thing that matters!” she said cheerfully giving me another squeeze. “… we have almost finished gathering our things, soon we will be ready to leave… Where are we going?”

- “To infinity and beyond!... Do you have any particular place you want to visit?”

- “Not really, but Lanele talked with villagers a little and heard about some inn three days of travel from here to the west. I have no idea why, but she got kinda… hyped?”

I stopped mixing in the pot.

- “Lanele? Hyped? Hyped elf? I want to see it.”

- “Later. Finish soup first.” Hearing that I may stop doing my magic over her next meal, Gisele’s tone became cold, and her grip from comfy and full of love turned into ice cold death grip.

- “Have I ever finished things undone?”

- “Hmm, lemme think, does our lovemaking counts?”

Now, even as a joke, this is a thing that my pride would never let me take.

I turned around while picking a pan off the table and throw it at dragoness which started running away from the room.

- “GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE AND I WILL SHOW YOU UNDONE!... usually I don’t do it but this one time I will cook your ass-steak well-fucking-done!”

- “Really? A kitchen pun?...” her head appeared one more time through the gap between door and jamb “… you are getting kinda pathetic.”

- “And now you are offending my puns…” I just shake my head to the sides wondering if I did the right thing by choosing as my mate such a horrible, horrible woman.

The sun was rising as we were finishing our meal. And just as Gis said, when I asked priestess if there was a place she wanted to visit, her pupils narrowed, cheeks blushed and muscles tensed before she fired like a cannon that we HAVE TO visit an inn called , then she kept numbering reasons why we should see it, but she was talking so fast, that separating a single word from this cacophony proved to be nearly impossible.

So, we took a map, checked the location, and noticed that there was a city further to the west from there with quite a few dungeons around. We would have to travel for one additional day (not counting the time we would spend in resort), which wasn’t much of an inconvenience, as a result, we quickly agreed to do as elf asked.

We headed toward our cart as people started “emerging” from their houses, together with the mayor. Seeing us heading out he cursed under his nose as he didn’t realize we could hear him... well at least I could hear him.

- “Already leaving us, your majesty?” he asked bowing his head “… it saddens us greatly seeing you leaving us so soon. Was, perhaps, our hospitality lacking that much?”

I can already see where this is going.

- “Your hospitality was wonderful - I felt here as I do in my own home…” he tried to cut into my answer with something, that would most likely force me into staying, yet seeing him opening his mouth I raised my hand forcing him to let me finish “… but as the Oracle I am forced to abandon the idea of owning just one place I could call home, my life is bound to serve as Her herald as much as it is only possible, thus even if it hurts me greatly – to abandon this wonderful…” my ass “… village full of such brilliant…” how can I not choke on my own words? “… people, I am forced to seek those who are in need of Her guidance. This is Her will.”

And just like that, I shielded myself from any possible demand the old sly rat could have. How can he oppose the will of the Goddess?...

… What I did was exactly the same thing that most priests from my previous world did – hide behind the faith and responsibilities to avoid uncomfortable situations. Shame on me, the only thing I have to justify my actions is, that unlike those bastards I actually talked with goddesses and she did ask me to do this, she added “in your free time”, but suddenly – right now – I felt that I had lots of spare time to do as she pleased, though the time would magically disappear the second after I would sit in the cart.

- “I see, I see, everyone has a duty to fulfill, m’lord…” he kept nodding his head “… though I wish to believe that one day you would once again visit us.”

- “It would be a pleasure, and I do not imagine not coming back unless some really urgent businesses would prevent me from doing so.”

I kept lying my ass off.

He and those few villagers that already managed to wake up waved to us while wishing safe travels when our cart was vanishing behind the hill. I didn’t check on Marie nor Johann. I did everything I could to help him, the rest is up to them.

The only thing I regret is not mocking Marie in front of her hopefully-soon-to-be-spouse that after holding to my end of the bargain I demand her to fulfill hers. Which, for those who already managed to forget – was supposed to be her purity.

Well, that joke would cost me a punch from Giselle strong enough to send me through the wall, but I could take that.

Yet, before we left the village once and for all (cuz regardless of what I promised I had absolutely no intentions to ever come back), we stopped by the edge of the path leading deeper to the forest, I jumped off the cart and while promising to the girls that I would be back in a jiffy, I headed toward the altar and scorched ground around it. I had one last thing to do.

I have put the enchanted box on the altar. Inside of it, there were my children. Seeds of flower that should never have been created. A hybrid between plant and corrupted spirit, the fire that was supposed to cleanse another form of fire. Darkness swallowing another darkness. I wanted to burn seeds together with the container, but as I raised my hand torched with a fire spell, something stung me deep in my spine.

A feeling, an instinct. Telling me that something was off. Maybe seals that were a little bit broken, maybe the weight of the box which was a little bit different, something made me open it and look inside.

There were three seeds inside. Three. At least one was missing. Despite that I warned them, despite that I forbid them, despite that I stated that this was MY property… the members of the brotherhood decided to “borrow” a tool that could be used as a weapon against darkness.

If I wanted, I could sense it, track them down, force them to give it back to me and punish them thoroughly. Yet, in the end, I just shook my head to the sides. They made a decision and they will face the consequences. They will learn their lesson, but it will cost them direly. When I would meet them, or some other member of their organization, I would simply inform them how furious I am that they stole from me. But the punishment itself would be delivered by the plant. Maybe not this, maybe by one of its offspring, or offspring of its offspring, but it was sure, that someone, someday, would make a mistake.

But for now, it was not my concern.

I scorched remaining seeds and headed back to the cart, jumped on it and moved toward the desired destination. Yet, before I did so, I memorized the whole structure of the plant. No, not to replicate it, for the way it was, was insufficient, broken, flawed. Made under pressure of time. Un-perfect. But every failure is a lesson. One day, I may be forced to create something similar, or even completely different, but knowing how to make one thing, may be a good start to study the way of making another.

With such thoughts I pushed Giselle off the cart-man spot telling her that there is absolutely no way I would let her drive, dragoness protested loudly, but after I was supported by Lanele, which said that she considered herself to be too young to die in cart-accident, my love gave up puffing her cheeks in forced anger.

Same time. Ruins of fort serving as one of the citadels of Brotherhood of Dawn.

Rupert was climbing toward the room of gathering – were leaders of squads discussed their next moves. He was jumping, moving by three-four stairs at once, Jasper, as his 2nd in command, was following him trying to keep with old-man tempo which proved to be a rather exhausting task.

- “If I may…” young hunter started shyly

- “You may.” Rupert answered with his usual joke, yet this time he didn’t laugh, he was far too excited and focus.

- “I… I am not sure if it was a good idea.”

- “I made many mistakes in my life boy, yet I am still living and kicking. Bah, many of those saved my life and lives of those who followed me. Very often we have to do things against our morality, very often we have to degrade ourselves to commit sins that sicken us. It is not about us, Jaspy, we throw our lives away, now, we act for the greater good.”

- “But… what if what he said was true? What if we really won’t be able to control those?”

- “Then…” the man stopped and turned around “… the researches that our people would carry out would grant us the knowledge we lack to fight evil, then, we could use them to understand the nature of darkness… or if everything would fail, one of us could carry a single seed toward monster’s den and purify it once and for all. There are many people wishing for death among us, with hate and desire for revenge being the only thing keeping them alive. Whatever would happen, this sin may be our greatest breakthrough in fighting against the night. I will take every possible danger such an opportunity carries with it!”

Once again, in the eyes of the old man the fire of passion started burning. The memories of his lost family must have sparkled again, slowly, but surely, igniting his soul ablaze.

- “I was rather talking about angering the Oracle. You saw his skills, he was able to challenge the devil - to directly hurt it! We could have to rely on his help in future… but I doubt he would ever want to fight with us again. We don’t have many friends, not friends that could aid us, at least, making him hostile could be…”

- “Yes. I know. What hurts me the most was the fact, that he is a good man. A good…” he froze for a moment. “… if you would ever meet him… try convincing him that I am the only one responsible. That I either forced you to do as I said or that you didn’t even know I stole it. Yes, that would be best, maybe, if his anger would be focused on me alone, he would help if… No. it doesn’t matter. Not right now. Now, we have to tell the Lord Commander about this seed. He will find best use for this… thing….”

As if hearing the offense, as if understanding words, the box shook a little in the hands of the older hunter. Slightly, barely, not enough for Rupert to realize that it moved on its own, not when he was quickly climbing the stairs to meet his old friend.