Chapter 9: Imperial Order (5)

~9.5~

*****

Later that night, back at Northern Forest…

“So we’re all staying together again, eh?” Kye had just come out of the shower with only a towel to hide her modesty. There were two beds in the room before they went to Atlantis, but there was a single large bed when they returned. Their room was quite spacious, but the new bed took up a quarter of that space. Her pink and red-haired partners were lying on the bed. Kye smiled as she plopped her luggage on the corner of the bed. She fished out her nightclothes and changed.

She hid nothing from them, but she also didn’t give them a show. None of the four cared one way or the other, having spent many past lives together. Although they were still vulnerable to the urges of their young bodies, they had the self control befitting an immortal.

Michelle crawled over to where Kye was changing and, as soon as the blonde was done, she stole a kiss. “Of course! We’ll figure out how to stay together at the academy by the start of next term, too!”

Alethea smiled as she crawled over. “Hey, I wanted her first post-shower kiss tonight.”

Kye bent over and pulled Alethea’s chin up. “I could take another shower for you, love.” Alethea’s face went red as she froze in place. Kye smiled as she sat down next to Alethea and pulled her into a long, loving kiss.

Michelle giggled. “You still get embarrassed so easily, Maya.”

She swung around, pouting, “Hey!”

Kye and Adele exchanged glances and giggled. As Alethea was pouting at Michelle, Kye leaned over and kissed Adele. “I missed being together like this…” She suddenly felt dizzy and held her hand to her head. “Wait…” She fell forward a bit, but Alethea caught her.

“Shi-chan?”

“Eli, what’s wrong?” asked Adele.

Michelle narrowed her eyes as Kye recovered from the dizziness. “How do I know what it’s like for the four of us being together? That… shouldn’t be something I’m familiar with. We’ve not once had all four of us in one world before.” An image came to her mind. An image of the other three, but more mature and regally dressed. “I can see… a memory of the past. The three of you are in front of me. I have white bangs. Adele and Maya are… it’s from Athas. I’m sitting on some fancy chair… I can’t be sitting on a throne, can I?” She focused on the image. “I am… but why? Before I created the system… what was I?”

The three looked between themselves, then Alethea answered, “We can’t answer that if you are only asking, love. You ordered us once upon a time to stay quiet about the past you sealed away.”

“I ordered you?” She looked up. “Then if I order you now, will you tell me?”

Alethea hesitantly nodded.

“Then tell me. I want to know at least what I was. Alfia said crowned.” She looked away, grimacing as she pictured what she expected it to be. “You say I can order you to tell me. So tell me.”

Alethea exchanged glances with the other two, both giving her apologetic smiles. Alethea sighed and looked back at Kye, who was turning back to meet her eyes. “Very well.”

*****

“You have returned,” came the voice of a certain rainbow-haired, rainbow-eyed woman sitting on a white stone throne atop a white stone platform floating in a sea of stars.

“Yes, mother,” replied Alfia. As she approached, a white stone table and another seat appeared in front of the throne. The two began to have tea. “Elysia is doing well as a mortal. Her soul is bright, and she is taking good care of the mortals.”

“However?”

“However, as we expected, this is not a long-term solution. She will need to return to her original body soon or she will die. One way or the other, the system will kill her if she continues this. Kye Akari must be her final mortal life. The return or death of Elysia Athas is imminent.”

“How long do you think she can last?”

Alfia sighed and folded one leg over the other. “Five years at the most. That her body has held out this long is nothing short of incredible. To think her mana was so powerful that it could power the barrier around central Elysium for over five trillion years… it’s mind boggling.”

“Will you take action?”

“Yes. I will not allow Eli to die.”

“What will you do?”

Alfia was having trouble maintaining her calm. Elysia’s memories were locked, but Alfia’s were not. She remembered everything from growing up with Elysia to her sister’s wedding, ascension, and sealing. Everything. “I will kill the mortal Kye Akari, if I must, and take Eli’s soul to her body.”

“You do remember that Maya and the others retain their memories? They will resent you.”

“Let them. I like Eli’s spouses, but I don’t value their opinions of me. So, if I’m willing to accept animosity from one whose opinion I do value, I think I can live with their hate. It’ll be fine. They don’t know that Eli will die soon if nothing changes. Even if they do not accept my method, they will still be grateful to have Eli survive.”

“I see. Very well.” Eve stood up from her throne and began walking toward the edge of the platform. The sea of stars around them changed, replaced by a white room full of monitors. “I wonder how it will work out. Let’s change these monitors.” She was looking at a grid of four screens. The top left was showing a distant past long before Elysia’s descent to mortality. The bottom left was showing a not-so distant past from early in Atlantis’s time. Asteroids could be seen in the sky. The top-right was showing the present and followed Kye’s perspective. The bottom-right was showing a point in the near future.

“What are you changing?”

“I want to shift the present a few months. Nothing interesting will happen between now and December, so I’m moving the present monitor to her birthday.”

“And the future monitor? It was already showing the day after.”

“Yes. I’ll shift the future monitor to… the start of her fifth year in the academy. That’s just short of four years from now. We should start seeing signs of breakdown at that point.”

“I see.” Alfia turned and headed for the single door. “I’m heading back. I don’t need to see the future.”

“That’s up to you. When are you going?”

“The point I left. I want to spend as much time with Eli as possible. I will try to convince her.”

“Good luck, Fia. Whatever comes of it, I believe you will save her.”

“Pfft,” Alfia chuckled. “Don’t you already know the outcome?”

Eve turned to her and shook her head. “I know everything from the beginning to the end of her fifth year. I have intentionally chosen not to know anything beyond that point.”

“What will you do if she dies?”

Eve smiled and formed a mass of mana in her hands that Alfia recognized immediately.

“You would restart everything?”

“I would. I also refuse to allow Elysia to die. Just as she loves the mortals unconditionally, I love my children unconditionally. Any future without you, her, and your brothers is unacceptable and forfeit. While I will not directly intervene while the four of you are alive, I will if any of you die.”

Alfia smiled and left through the door.

I love you, too, mother.

*****

Revision: 12-27-2023