Five days had passed since the events on the Goddesses’ Altar, and the world would never be the same again. Not all of the changes had fully taken hold yet. But they were undeniable, hiding just beneath the surface, and easy to spot to those who knew what to look for. With each passing hour, the thickness of mana throughout the world continued to grow, and with it, the magic it fueled became increasingly powerful and erratic. With it would come more powerful monsters, eager to fuel themselves with the new richness of magical energy.
And soon, war would follow. Zethira did not know whether it would be between nations with vast armies, small independent warlords banding together, or individual champions venturing forth. But numerous would be those seeking the Aetherial shards, vestiges of the power once held by the twin goddesses Elana and Raesha. And she, like the others who bore a portion of the goddesses’ power, heard the clarion call of the myriad shards in her soul and knew they longed to be brought together.
Zethira floated a few hundred feet above the western shore of a small island about halfway between the eastern continent of Ezoriar and the middle of the Central Ocean, looking out against the vast skyscape high above the ocean’s surface. A week ago, the spot she looked upon had been home to the floating continent of Primaos, restored to its former glory by the twin goddesses Elana and Raesha. Two weeks ago, it was just an expanse of sky overlooking an otherwise nondescript patch of ocean near the intersection of the equator and the prime meridian.
But now it was the nexus of a group of small islands floating in the sky, each drifting off in different directions toward unknown and unseen destinations. One such island floated overhead, moving ever closer toward mainland Ezoriar, while others scattered about along the horizon in seemingly every direction.
“Hey, Zethi!” a beautiful voice cried out. “Can you come down here?”
With a deep breath, the half-dragon spellsword undid the runology she had employed to keep herself aloft and slowly drifted back toward the surface, where she was greeted by the most delectable of sights. That smooth, youthful face, those piercing blue eyes, that gorgeous flowing red hair that had grown a bit longer in recent months, the pink crystal embedded within her forehead, glowing just underneath her bangs, and that smile that radiated with a literally divine beauty.
A few paces before her stood one Elissa A’Nilliere Alstara, former princess of the dead Kingdom of Alstara, the human reincarnation and vessel of the goddess Elana, and, most importantly, Zethira’s partner and lover. The two women closed their distance in an instant, sharing a brief kiss and a long hug. Zethira wrapped her arms and claws as tightly around her love as she dared, and Elsie did the same to her.
“Is something the matter, Elsie?”
“Elana says there’s probably an Aetherial Shard up on the island just above us.”
Zethira looked at the sun as it approached the western horizon. “I think it’s too late to head up there tonight. We should leave at dawn tomorrow morning. There’s a good chance of wraiths among the sky islands, plus any number of other creatures I’d rather not deal with at the same time.”
“I agree,” Elsie said. “Though, there’s still some time until dusk. How about a quick sparring match?” Her eyes and smile lit up even further as she spoke her idea.
“Just swordplay, or do you want to go all out with magic as well?”
“I think all out is better. I’m still not completely used to synchronizing myself with Elana while using our magic, and the more practice I get, the better.”
Zethira nodded and walked over to a small heap of logs and branches she’d gathered a short while ago and picked out a pair that would work well as makeshift swords. One a bit longer and broader for herself, and another better shaped for her partner’s smaller hands and stature. It wouldn’t be quite the same as fighting with her proper weapon, but such precautions were still warranted. Thanks to her bond with the goddess Elana and months of Zethira’s own intensive training, Elsie was now every bit a match for the veteran warrior. Certainly a far cry from the trepid, weak woman she was four months ago when the two first met, progress which made Zethira very proud.
She tossed the improvised weapon toward Elsie, who grabbed hold of it with her gravitic magic and willed it into her hands. With their sticks in hand, the two combatants made their way to their makeshift battlefield, a flat patch of grass about two hundred feet square. They turned toward each other, standing apart at a distance of about twenty paces, and bowed before taking fighting stances.
“You ready, love?” Zethira asked.
“Of course, Zethi. Whenever you’re ready.”
The breeze around the pair intensified at Zethira’s behest, sending her ebon locks, slightly longer than shoulder length, flowing toward her side. But neither combatant made a move, each staring the other down, looking for an opening. The sun continued its slow descent against the western horizon, and as Elsie took a moment to blink, Zethira charged at a full sprint, taking full advantage of the momentary lapse to close the distance.
Mana twisted around Zethira as she got within five paces of her love, and before her mind was fully conscious of what was happening, her body jumped back of its own accord. By the time she realized what had happened, the flat surface beneath her had buckled and took the shape of a divot as large as she was tall and half a foot deep. Zethira sped up her pace, weaving in and out, left and right as she evaded the spheres of intense gravitation being thrown by her love.
The two continued back and forth, Zethira attempting to press the attack and Elsie shielding herself with even more gravitational energy, forming various barriers around her that slowed the assault. She couldn’t help but feel even more proud of her love’s continued improvement as she zigged and zagged through every obstacle thrown at her.
“Good going, Elsie! I’m gonna speed up now, okay?”
“I’m ready!”
Zethira concentrated on the wind rune scarred into her right shoulder and willed the air around her to roar at her back, pressing against the walls of gravitational force surrounding Elsie with all the strength she could muster. With the momentary distraction, she sprinted forward, leaping into the air and diving down toward her love.
Elsie attempted to slow Zethira’s fall, but with the powerful downburst at Zethira’s feet, she pushed through the barriers that attempted to keep her away. She launched a downward slash from midair, though it was easily parried by a sideward thrust from the former princess. Undeterred, she swung her legs back and used the momentum to flip herself forward toward Elsie’s back, but her love had already anticipated the maneuver and trapped her within a bubble of intense gravity.
Zethira felt a literal ton crashing down on her in an instant, one that would have crushed an untrained soldier into the ground at her feet. She struggled to breathe, so intense was the pressure exerted on her body. But she quickly acclimated, using her mastery of wind runology to circulate air where her lungs struggled on their own and used a building updraft to buttress her muscles as she struggled to claw back to her feet.
The two lovers entered a clash of wills, Elsie focusing her entire might on wielding her and Elana’s power to force Zethira into submission, and Zethira channeling every ounce of strength and magical prowess at her disposal to fight the technique off. For a moment, Zethira considered transformation— the burst of strength from assuming her draconic form would be more than enough to slough off such force. But she dismissed the idea as quickly as she thought it; it was difficult to control herself in that form, and the humiliation of defeat was far less than the grief she’d feel if she ever seriously injured her beloved, no matter the circumstance.
With magic bolstering muscle and will energizing both, Zethira slowly clawed her way upright, first forcing her torso off the ground, then forcing herself to one knee. She attempted to support her body on her wooden weapon, but it began to splinter from the overwhelming weight being placed upon it. Instead, Zethira came up with another plan, blowing a plume of smoke from her nostrils toward Elsie. The attack did no damage, the smoke cloud barely able to rise above Elissa’s knees under the intense pressure weighing upon it, but it did distract her just enough for Zethira to force her way back to her feet and resume the fight.
The two continued on as the sun descended down toward the western horizon, neither combatant able to gain more than a momentary advantage. After putting their magical might to the test, they switched tactics, engaging in a blurred barrage of strikes with their weapons. Just as before, the two were virtually evenly matched, and over the next half hour, the two sparred further, neither getting so much as winded throughout it all, and both wearing a bright smile as they continued their match. Such was the boon of Elana’s blessing, greatly amplifying the ability of one’s body to absorb ambient mana, providing fuel to both physical and magical muscles alike.
Only as the center of the sun’s disc reached the horizon did the two engage in one final back and forth, a series of slashes at a speed too fast for most to track, one that created small shockwaves through the air with each swing. The combatants filled the island with the rumble of sound explosions as they threw their all into one final attack. Both branches were reduced to stubs the size of a large dagger from the impact, the remainder of their weapons sent flying in either direction. Zethira’s smile expanded into a grin as she pointed what remained of her wooden blade at Elsie’s exposed neck, stopping just short of impact.
“It looks like I win,” both combatants said in unison.
“Are you sure?” they both asked each other, again speaking in perfect unison. Zethira looked down to see Elsie’s weapon in the same position as her own, and then looked back up to see her love’s prideful grin. The two smiled and laughed and then dropped their weapons, sharing a warm embrace.
“Another tie?” Elsie asked.
“Looks like it. Though I’m not surprised. We do complement each other quite nicely. On the battlefield, and as a couple.”
Zethira kissed Elsie. “That we do. Though, we should hurry.” She looked behind herself as the top of the sun finished descending below the horizon, filling the sky with a momentary green before returning to a dim glow of gold and red. “Wraiths.”
The two had yet to see one, thankfully enough, but Elana insisted they existed, and neither was going to disregard the words of a goddess, especially when they both knew in their souls that the words Elana spoke were the truth. They quickly set up their campfire for the night and grabbed a few more logs to keep the fire going through the dawn.
After Zethira finished roasting a couple of small birds over the open flame and the pair ate, they spent a long while cuddling in the twilight, stargazing and watching the islands drifting high overhead while listening to the crackle of the flames at their feet. Neither woman spoke until late in the evening, both content to enjoy the embrace and gentle strokes of affection from the other throughout the evening until the hour grew late and the embrace of sleep sought to join them.
“Did I forget to tell you that I love you today, Elsie?”
“Of course not, Zethi.”
“May I say it again? For my sake?”
Elsie giggled and floated up, rotating to a face-down position in midair and gently setting herself down on top of Zethira.
“You don’t have to ask for permission for that, Zethi!”
The two shared a long kiss and a longer hug. Zethira closed her eyes and smiled.
“I love you, Elsie.”
“I love you too, Zethi.”
Patreon
