’I think this much is more than enough...’
I hadn’t meant to spit all that prattle, but now that I had, I felt like I needed to wash myself clean and stick to my heavenly nature.
The world already had enough righteous and morally upright people. It also had enough twisted sinners and loathsome evil practitioners too. I mean, look at these two.
’I should be true to myself, yes. That one is much better.’
I breathed in, then out. It seemed like the rest of the group finally came alive to me after I did.
All of them before now had been so silent they made it almost too easy for me to forget they were here in the first place.
I glanced at the Fox lady and the Pale Rose one more time, took a few moments, then said:
"Whatever it is you lot have concluded from this little conversation, I really don’t care actually."
’It’s a lie. I do. I do like mad!’
"But what I know is your life could hold far more meaning than... these..."
I turned my face with a little irritation as I said the last words, making sure they both saw it.
"But for today, at the very least, I believe the desert needs to breathe."
They were both still standing even after I spoke. My gaze hardened further and a white glow glinted in my eyes.
The fire lashed out as my voice rang cold.
"That was your cue to leave."
Both of them looked at me. One with hesitation and restraint. The other with something closer to respect. But they each stepped back, and in the next moment they vanished into different directions.
As they disappeared from the area, it suddenly felt like the night got better. The air grew colder and moved freely again. The desert itself suddenly felt wider than it had moments ago while they were here.
And it was all like I hadn’t noticed any of this before.
’Their presence was that suffocating, huh.’
A weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying lifted from my shoulders. Playing a role was exhausting. Playing it well, even more so.
I heaved a great sigh and dropped to the sand, laying on my back and looking at the vast and seemingly endless sky, dotted with distant stars. The grains shifted beneath me, still warm from the day’s heat despite the cold night air. The silence that followed was different from the one that had come before. Lighter. More breathable.
Kassie sat down beside me, folding her legs into a lotus position. She didn’t say anything, but her presence was steady. Grounding in a way I hadn’t expected to need.
Tristan lowered himself to the sand, and Levi was looking around, particularly at where the two ladies had stood. Nisha seemed to be doing something similar, her gaze lingering on the empty space like she expected them to reappear.
They were all speechless for about a second.
It was Levi who first broke the silence.
"Wow... if I knew you were this good, I’d have just asked you to advertise our company to them." He sounded a little regretful.
"I’m telling you. He looks like he has enough words to sell anything. If only they knew who those words were coming from." Nisha sighed deeply. "Being a Spirit Summoner really does open a lot of doors."
I leaned up slightly, looking at her. There was something in her tone that didn’t quite match her words. A tightness around her eyes.
’What’s with the sound of hate.’
"This ended far better than any of us thought it would," Tristan said, sounding genuinely relieved.
He looked at me.
"That was a very endearing thing to do."
I shrugged.
"Was it though? All I had to do was portray myself in a certain way."
"You have no idea the gravity of the role you just played because you don’t even grasp yet the influence these people have. The lady told you, didn’t she? She called herself a War-Prelate. That title could be considered as powerful as a Cardinal in the Eternal Light church."
I paused for a moment, thinking about what Nisha said.
"Well, I haven’t met a Cardinal before..."
But I knew there was one in the Aetheris kingdom. We were in fact supposed to meet them after our first success in the Spirit Gate, at least that was what the Arch-priest had said. The thought of standing before someone like that, someone who held that kind of authority, felt distant. Abstract. Like a problem for a future version of myself.
I turned to Nisha with curiosity.
"So... a Cardinal is above an Archbishop?"
"An Archbishop answers to a Cardinal. A Cardinal is the second in power, but they are usually distributed to some region where they exert their authority. I don’t know much more about it." She gestured toward Tristan. "You should just ask him."
Tristan at this point was standing up.
"You already did plenty of explanation... we should get going now. We’ve been delayed a few hours, and Recimiras is not so far from sight."
He stretched his arms. "The gods know I’d need at least two days worth of sleep to function normally again."
Levi shook his head. "Not you alone, bro."
I glanced at Kassie and stood up, then extended my hand toward her.
Her helmet had vanished, and she wore a silent expression that broke into a small smile as I extended my hand. She took it and stood up.
I knew full well she deliberately didn’t entrust her weight to me. If she had, both of us would’ve crumbled together instead of her getting up. But that wasn’t the point, was it? The gesture was hers to give, and mine to receive. The acceptance of it mattered more than the utility.
That was enough.
"Well then..." I said as I straightened, Kassie now standing beside me. "To Recimiras, I guess?"
All of them nodded, and we began to walk forward. The stars watched our departure in silence, and for a while, that silence was enough.