Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 175

Chapter 175: Of Home, Hearth, and Heart

After two hours of heavy rains punctuated by fierce lightning, the rains over the small idyll of Ciricu dissipated, and the sun peeked through the clouds shortly after local noon.  As light shined in through the small window, Lysette roused from her restful torpor, stretching a bit before again pulling Mirae into her embrace.

“Ugh,” Mirae said.  “That feels so nice.”

“It does.  But I think it’s about time to get to work.  The sun’s back out and there’s plenty to do today.”

“You know, love, I think I might have to revise my earlier statement.  Because it sure seems like the two of us are working at night, during the day, and pretty much every time in-between.”

“A deity’s work is never done, it seems.”

“Oh, and do you have some plan for what you want to do today?”

“I’d like to build some defensive fortifications around the village.  I know that without some powerful artifacts to shore up those defenses, they won’t be of much use against any Cultivator worth the title.  But there are plenty of petty bandits, wild animals, and similar lurking in these areas.”

“That makes sense.  Although neither one of us has any skill with the Earth element.”

“True.”  Lysette stood up and wrung out her clothes before putting them back on.  “I could ask Amalia if she wants to come back, but I’d rather not pressure her into making a decision unless she’s fully on board of her own volition.”

“What do you think?”

“I think I should keep your earlier advice to me in mind and remember that even my offhand remarks will undoubtedly move the heart of my favorite priestess.”

“Favorite-slash-only!”  Mirae leapt up and kissed Lysette.  “Speaking of, I suppose I need to start thinking about a priest or priestess to spread the word of my Devotion.”

“When the time comes, I will support you however you see fit, whether that’s to help you judge if someone is worthy of the honor or just to stand back so as to not be seen as unduly influencing your adherents’ faith and your commandments unto them.”

“But you will, as you have ever since we met, and even before then.  Your words and actions influence me at all times.  And through me, any clergy I accept as my own will similarly be influenced by the tenets of Reciprocity you have instilled into me.  Reciprocity which forms the core of my Devotion and the Devotions of those who will follow in my stead.”

“I understand completely.  I just want to make sure you’re making the decisions which are right for you, not those you think I will prefer.  And, to the extent that is practicable, I want to ensure that the people of Ciricu retain full agency to determine how they wish to build their city.  To be their tool that shapes their town, rather than their leader who decides it from on high.  Anything less would not be in keeping with the sort of deity I wish to be.”

“Then, we should get started straight away!”

“Mirae.  I know the cold doesn’t bother you, but I would prefer if you were dressed first.”

Mirae shook their head and booped Lysette’s nose.  “Obviously!  I’m not as dense as you are!”

Lysette gave an incredulous stare.

“Okay, not quite as dense.  But still, Lyse.  I’ve been in love with you since the day we first met.  But you didn’t pick up on it until I literally projected my romantic interest in you to your brain through a joint Cultivation link!  Considering all that and how I wasn’t sure if you would have ever picked up on my interest in you, I believe I am allowed to refer to my girlfriend as at least a little dense.”

“I probably am, Mirae.”  Lysette sat down on a rather uncomfortable couch while Mirae got dressed.  “I’ve never really had any romantic interest in anyone until then.  No sense of physical attraction to anyone either.”

Lysette quickly continued before Mirae could interject.  “To clarify, I am very attracted to you now.  Physically, emotionally, and mentally all.  But the physical attraction didn’t come until after our emotional connection was established.”

“So, you don’t see others as attractive?”

“I mean, I can look at someone and say ‘yes, this person fits the standards for what is considered conventionally attractive’.  But I don’t feel anything.  No impulse to be sexual with them, no fantasizing about them, no physical desires welling up.  The only person I feel any of that with is you, Mirae.  And I prefer it that way, love.”

A mischievous grin spread across their face.  “I prefer it that way, too.”  They leaned in and kissed Lysette.  “I too prefer knowing that I won’t have to share you with anyone else.”

“Anyway, I’d like to get started with the defensive structures as soon as possible, but informing the elders of the situation with Karchek is more important.”

“So, the Whispers will no longer haunt Ciricu,” Joseph said.

Lysette nodded.  The two, plus Mirae and Joseph’s wife, Evelyn, were seated around a small coffee table in the elderly couple’s living space.  Many of the villagers, including the other elders who comprised the council, were still in their homes, enjoying the lazy afternoon with the company of family.  Neither of the two seemed to mind the sudden intrusion; if anything, they enjoyed Lysette and Mirae’s company, interspersing tales of their youth with the business at hand.

“As far as we are aware,” Lysette said.  “We located where Karchek had been imprisoned, and with the assistance of a friend, were able to see to his eradication.  With that said, although Karchek is no longer a threat, I cannot guarantee that there will not be more problems of a similar nature in the future.”

“You will protect us as you agreed?” Evelyn asked.

“We will,” Mirae said.  “Unfortunately, circumstances may continue to draw us elsewhere on Aimarion, just as they did last night.  While we were off a hundred miles away in the Spire Mountains, only Theo was available to protect the village from anything else that might have assailed it.  Lyse has been worried that someone might take advantage of our absence, and wants to take steps to defend it.”

“Well, what do you have in mind?” Evelyn asked.

“I’d like to set up some defensive fortifications around the village,” Lysette said.  “So far, Terean forces have only sent scouting parties and other small forces to test our abilities, but we should expect a larger-scale assault at some point.”

She took a deep breath.  “What I have to tell you won’t be easy to say or to hear.  But Domaria and Elithria are on the verge of full-scale war.  And, this is likely to be a conflict that will embroil the entirety of Kraciell.

“Rest assured, I will protect the village as much as I am able.  However, I would like to spend as much time as I can maximizing Ciricu’s ability to defend itself as well.  This will both provide an extra layer of defense and minimize casualties, while also preventing you and the people living here from becoming dependent on my protection.  And although it will take longer than I would have liked, I do still plan to continue to teach Cultivation to others as well.”

“I see.  If war breaks out between those nations, we will undoubtedly be caught in the middle of it.”

“Thankfully, I have some connections to the ruling faction in Domaria.  Between those assurances and the unlikelihood that they will have any desire to fight a multi-pronged war, I believe our alliance will hold until the situation changes.  With that said, assisting them more directly on the battlefield will only serve to everyone’s mutual benefit.”

“You have not committed to anything on that, I assume?”

“Of course not.  The only thing I have committed to was that it was best to avoid instigating a full-scale conflict with Domaria by refusing.  The individual who assisted us in–”  Lysette paused, thinking of the best word to use.  “In eliminating Karchek, was in fact, the highest-ranking Cultivator in the entire nation.  For now, at least, I had to commit to that much, as a matter of personal prerogative.  

“With that said, I am open to any advice, feedback, or direction that the council might have regarding the next steps to take.”

“This is… troubling,” Evelyn said.  “That’s the thing about war.  Those with power fight without regard for those without.  And those without must struggle, make do, try and survive the fallout.”

“I know,” Lysette said.  “I lost my family in an attack orchestrated by one of the gods myself.  Even now those memories continue to haunt me.”

“Do goddesses have families?” Joseph asked.

“I have Mirae,” Lysette said.  She clutched her love’s hand snugly and took a long and deep breath.  “I want to be honest with you, although I feel doing so may cause some ill feelings among some in the community.  I would ask that you two utilize discretion in sharing what I’m about to tell you with anyone else.”

“Of course, Lyse.  Please, continue.”

“I was not born a goddess.  Not even three months ago, I was just as human as you two are.  But a terrible tragedy befell my village.  My mother, my father, my younger sister, all died that night.  I was the only survivor of a great calamity, one brought upon by inquisitors serving Asterion, God of the Moon.

“By another god’s intervention, I was able to survive and be reborn as a deity.  Now, I fight both for revenge for my family for what happened that night, and to ensure that those tragedies never again threaten the innocents who walk Aimarion.

“I don’t always live up to those ideals, but I do try to embody them as best I can.  I only hope that I can be worthy of being this village’s guardian and protector.”

“I could not imagine the pain it must have taken to bury your parents when they were both so far before their time,” Joseph said.  “It was hard enough burying my own father some ten years ago when he passed at the ripe age of eighty-two.  Yours was?  If your appearance is reminiscent of your age when you were reborn then, they were what?  Late forties, early fifties?  And not just that, but your younger sister must’ve been quite young indeed.  Perhaps not even an adult.”

“She was sixteen.  And there were kids, toddlers, and even infants whose souls were taken to feed Asterion’s twisted goals.  Everyday I remain haunted by my memories of their faces.  And I fear other gods will send their followers to do much the same.

“I know that my actions have, regardless of my intentions to use my power for good, dragged you and all of the other villagers into this war.  And maybe I’m just saying this so I don’t feel quite as bad about doing so, but I think Ciricu was going to get roped into this conflict one way or another.  It’s the nearest town to Domaria on this side of the Spire Mountains, and it would have been a forward base of operations for the Terean mountains.  At least this way, the people of this town might be able to defend themselves better from the war, rather than being expendable civilians impressed into the war effort the next time the Archduke of Terea rears his ugly head.”

“Lyse,” Evelyn said.  “When you get to be my age, you start to learn a few things.  And one of those things is that change is going to happen regardless of how much we’d like to keep things the same.  Familiarity is comforting, and change is scary at times.  But, Lyse.”  Evelyn paused.  “I don’t want you to feel like I’m only telling you this because you’re a goddess or because you have power none of us will ever have.  But I truly believe that, though you may be uncertain how to go about things, your heart is in the right place.”

Lysette began sniffling and rested her head on Mirae’s warm, comforting shoulder.  She herself didn’t know if her heart was in the right place.  Or even if the heart of a demon could be in the right place.  But Saffron’s words resonated through her— she needed to decide who and what she was, her demonic impulses be damned.  And she wanted to be a protector of the innocent and avenger against the guilty in accordance with her Reciprocity.  Though she still needed to gather the strength to do so, as well as the wisdom to know what and how to go about that goal.

“And besides,” Joseph said.  “Karchek’s revival had nothing to do with your arrival.  It would have happened sooner or later.  Because you were here, we were all spared a grim fate.  Even if we concede that you were responsible for the issues with the Terean army— and quite frankly, their ‘protection’ hasn’t been worth jack shit— you took it upon yourself to investigate and handle something that had nothing to do with that.  We and our friends and everyone in this village are going to sleep soundly tonight knowing that a great threat has been eliminated.”

“I know some people will have reservations,” Evelyn said.  “But from everything you’ve said and done these past weeks, I really and truly believe that you have the best intentions for Ciricu at heart.  And we’ll all do our part as well, to make this village the best it can be.”

Lysette smiled through her tears.  “Thank you.  I’m going to make mistakes, but I promise you that I will continue to do all in my power to protect the village and everyone who lives here.  And from there, to make it as warm and welcoming and prosperous as I can.”

“Alright you two,” Joseph said.  “It sounds like you’ve got some grand plans and I don’t want to keep you from them.  Feel free to stop by later for some hearty bean and rice soup for dinner, and I’ll let the two of you get to it.”

“Thank you very much,” Lysette and Mirae said in unison, hands interlaced and smiles on both their faces.

Chapter 174: https://www.patreon.com/posts/109914080

Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/table-of-101896170

Chapter 176: https://www.patreon.com/posts/109914090