Aerisse floated out of the tower—literally floated—to his side.
The boy looked utterly shocked, mouth frozen open for a few solid minutes. Still, he didn't loosen his grip on the sword.
"Did you miss me?"
"W-what?"
"I mean, I've been waiting for ages. What took you so long, Myrith?" Aerisse smiled—a rare event, indeed.
Guess she really did miss him.
But what was with that stupid face?
"Myrith? What the fuc—and who the hell are you?" he snapped, his voice surprisingly strong. Fierce, even. Impressive. Reincarnation had clearly scrubbed his memory clean.
He was now a total baby in the grand multi-planetary scheme of things. Completely clueless. Perfect. The perfect plan, actually. That way, he wouldn't freak out about the tiny fact that they were currently breaking about fifty cosmic laws.
Still, she did hope he'd remember her… What a pity.
"You've changed a lot," she sighed. "Didn't your mother leave a picture of me somewhere? Something to stare at from time to time? …No, that would've been creepy."
"What do you know about my birth mother? Speak, witch!"
His sword was sharp—she could see her reflection in the blade as it hovered at her neck. Aerisse smirked.
"Who doesn't know the late Empress? I told her I'd come for her firstborn son. Did she forget to mention that? Ugh, what a pain."
"How dare you, Myrhael!"
The sharp voice of the princess echoed through the garden. So that was his name now.
"Do you want to disgrace the entire imperial family?"
He looked confused but immediately lowered his sword. Obedient little thing. Clearly terrified of his sister. Once scared, always scared, I guess.
Aerisse smiled with her eyes.
"Greetings, Your Holiness." Zaryne bowed briefly, showing her respect.
I think I forgot to mention—since that little "incident" at my own birth, I used divine power to build the tower in the blink of an eye. No human force could ever shake it.
The church tried to drag her into their temple, of course, but all in vain.
Still, through generations, Aerisse had been revered as the vessel of the goddess, quietly waiting for Myrith's rebirth. Knowing he'd be born into this royal family, she'd befriended them ages ago—just to make sure they treated him very well when the time came.
She had missed the exact moment of his birth, unfortunately, but hey—better late than never.
There was still time to spend the vacation together, between her occasional cosmic errands. It was all going according to schedule. Hopefully.
"What do we owe the honor of Your Holiness's visit?" the princess asked.
We?
"Actually," Aerisse said, "I came for my disciple."
"Disciple?" The princess frowned.
"Precisely. That Myrhael of yours."
"Him?" She glanced back with visible disdain. Aerisse didn't like that look one bit.
"What use could he possibly serve Your Holiness? If you'd allow me, I'd be more than happy to—"
"I'm sorry, princess," Aerisse interrupted sweetly, "but I made this clear to the late Empress. The firstborn son, indeed. There's no mistake."
"Pardon me, but he may be Myrhael Solas, yet he is not my mother's son. His origins are unknown—highly suspicious. He would be of no service to you."
Wow, she really did hate him.
Not Aerisse's problem, though.
"Oh, right," Aerisse said, pretending to think. "How could I forget? She died giving birth to you, didn't she? Silly me for thinking he was the Empress's child."
Zaryne's smile faltered, but she quickly regained her composure.
"No matter who his mother is," Aerisse continued. "He carries the soul of my disciple. I'm taking him with me in three days time to… let's call it refining training. Please inform your Emperor. I'll return him once I deem him ready."
"Of course, Your Holiness. We thank you for your kindness."
The princess bowed, forcing the boy to do the same.
So obedient. Maybe it was a deep soul issue.
Well, this time, Aerisse would definitely teach him how to relax.
That was for sure.