"You'll do that," a small smile curved on Anathasia's lips as she looked at Lucian, whose gaze was still fixed on the sheets. "Right, little man?"
She glanced at Roselia next.
"You've got your aunt helping too."
With a shrug, she turned away, clasping her hands behind her back. She stopped beside me, then looked over her shoulder again.
"Intentional or not, you're one of us now."
Her gaze settled on Reina, who was still watching us carefully.
"As for your boyfriend..." she tilted her head slightly. "Well, dating someone tied that deeply into reality isn't the worst thing."
She reached out and patted my shoulder.
"Like this man right here-before he figured himself out."
My expression flattened immediately as I caught the faint curve of her lips-
[Dating someone like that isn't even that hard~]
-her voice echoed in my head.
I let out a quiet sigh, watching her fingers trace lightly along my arm before she pulled away and faced them again, all smiles despite the tension.
"So-"
"I was already planning on doing so."
Lucian cut in, talking right over her.
Anathasia went silent.
Everyone else in the room turned to him.
Roselia immediately grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head frantically.
Meanwhile-
[Bold. Not bad.] Anathasia noted casually, crossing her arms.
I glanced at her.
[Don't mess with him, oi...]
[I won't,] she shot back. [I was just saying. I'm not that edgy.]
[Says the woman who played Arianne like a fiddle twenty years ago?]
A sharp pinch hit my side.
I winced and shifted behind her.
[Stop bringing that up, bastard. That was two decades ago.]
[...ngh...]
She turned back to Lucian, clapping lightly.
"Well said."
A brief pause.
"Grace will be with you, then."
Her gaze swept across everyone, giving a small nod before she turned around. Her hands landed on my shoulders, turning me with her.
"That settles it. We'll check back in a few days~"
And just like that, we vanished.
Our forms frayed at the edges before disappearing completely, long before we even reached the door.
-
In the following days, I found myself staring up at the sky more often than not.
Usually under the same tree near the beach house in Ishtar.
And usually, with Anathasia using my arm as a pillow.
Like right now.
My gaze drifted lazily across the clouds, then toward the ocean where massive fish occasionally leapt from the water. Some of them looked... wrong.
Like distorted anglerfish, minus the glowing lure. Or whatever that thing was called.
I let out a quiet breath, resting the back of my head against my hand while the other remained trapped beneath the white-haired woman beside me.
The wind brushed gently against my skin.
Waves rolled softly against the shore.
Leaves rustled above us.
"How peaceful..." I murmured, taking a slow breath in.
Beside me, Anathasia stirred.
"Three days..." she mumbled, her eyes still half-lidded. She shifted closer, curling slightly into my arm.
"I wonder how they're..." a soft yawn slipped out. "...doing..."
Her body tensed for a brief moment, then relaxed as she stretched lazily.
"Reina's probably stabilized by now," I said, gently running my fingers through her hair. "Grace and Roselia are with her. She should be fine."
She stared out at the sea just as a particularly large... fish, if that's even what it was, launched itself into the air before crashing back down with a massive splash.
"Everything seems normal so far..." she murmured.
Then suddenly-
she turned and grabbed my arms, leaning in until our faces were inches apart.
I narrowed my eyes.
"...What?"
"Let's go check the church real quick."
I blinked, then slowly pushed myself upright.
"The church?" I gave her a flat look. "Yeah, no. You'd probably break something just by stepping in."
She recoiled instantly, eyes darting away.
"How the hell did you-"
I sighed, lifting a finger and lightly tapping her forehead.
"You're not subtle."
She clicked her tongue, folding her arms as she looked off to the side.
"You're too damn sharp for your own good..."
A brief silence passed before she glanced back at me.
"Jokes aside," she said, raising a finger, "aren't you at least a little curious about what kind of nonsense they're writing about us?"
I stared at her.
"...Did you really just call their scriptures 'nonsense'?"
She held my gaze, tilting her head slightly.
"Well?"
I exhaled slowly.
"So we're just ignoring the part where you insulted an entire religion, huh?"
She huffed, leaning back and brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"I'm just curious. That's not a crime."
A small pause.
"And I want to see what kind of... interpretation they came up with this time."
Her eyes drifted toward the ocean briefly before returning to me.
"Rania and Roselia's archives are one thing, they're actually the closest in accuracy."
Her lips curved slightly.
"But the church?" she tilted her head. "I want to see how they tried to make sense of me."
I frowned a bit.
"...Did you check Rania and Roselia's archive or something? How do you even know that?"
Her expression flattened instantly.
A hand shot out-
tap.
She flicked my forehead.
"I have access to those kinds of records," she said casually. "Call them Akashic Records if you want."
She shrugged lightly.
"And I have omniscience, remember? It's not always running, but... I can look whenever I feel like it."
I let out another sigh before pushing myself up to my feet. Then I turned back to her, holding out a hand.
"Fine. We'll check the church since you're that eager."
A smile immediately spread across her face as she grabbed my hand and pulled herself up.
"That's settled then."
Her smile lingered as I glanced back at her, and for a moment, I just... stopped.
...She's beautiful...
"Kyle?"
Her voice snapped me out of it.
I blinked, only to see her waving a hand in front of my face.
"Earth to Kyle? You're spacing out."
"We're in Aegea-"
"Don't get smart with me."
She cut me off instantly, her hand clamping over my mouth as she stared at me flatly. After a second, she let out a quiet sigh and pulled her hand back.
"You're being weird. You don't space out like that often."
She leaned in slightly, hands tucked behind her back as she tilted her head up at me.
"Something wrong?"
I shook my head, glancing briefly toward the direction of Ishtar before looking back at her. A small smile tugged at my lips.
"Nothing..."
A short pause.
"I just remembered how beautiful my wife is, that's all."
Anathasia went still.
Her eyes widened just a fraction before her entire posture stiffened. Then, slowly, she stepped back, giving a small nod.
"I see..."
A quiet breath left her lips.
"...Makes sense..."
-
A few minutes later, we materialized in a narrow alley within Ishtar.
The moment we stepped out, the world came rushing back in.
Voices overlapped from every direction.
Carriages rolled past, wheels creaking against stone as horses trotted along the streets, their hooves striking in sharp, rhythmic beats.
Both sides of the road were lined with stalls. Meat, vegetables, fabrics, trinkets. Each vendor calling out to passing customers.
And beyond it all, rising above the city stood the church.
Its white structure gleamed even from a distance, towering over everything else.
Anathasia's gaze narrowed the moment it came into full view. She tilted her head up slightly, cracking her knuckles as she stared at it.
"Alright," she muttered. "Let's go in."
Before she could take a step, I grabbed her shoulder. She paused, glancing back at me with a frown.
"What?"
I nodded toward a nearby stall just off to the side, something like candied fruit skewers laid out in neat rows.
"How about we try that first," I said. "Then we go in."
A brief beat.
Her expression shifted slightly. The tension in her shoulders eased as she followed my gaze, then gave a short nod.
"...Alright."
She exhaled quietly.
"I guess I can go for a few snacks before diving into..."
Her eyes flicked back to the church for a brief second before returning to the stall.
"...whatever nonsense they came up with."
I nodded, placing a hand lightly against her shoulder as I guided her toward the stall.
She didn't resist.
Not even a little.
-
After grabbing a few candied fruit skewers, we made our way toward the church.
We stopped just short of the entrance, both of us tilting our heads up to take in the structure.
Anathasia stood beside me, biting into a candied strawberry.
"Tsh... way too flashy for a church..."
"Don't talk while chewing," I muttered, shooting her a glance as I handed her a handkerchief.
"And we're not even here for the building, remember?"
She nodded, swallowing as the stick in her hand slowly frayed at the edges before dissolving into nothing.
"It's for the books, yeah."
A small smile curved along her lips.
Her gaze lingered on the massive doors ahead.
"Let's see how close they got..."
A pause.
"...to the real thing."