"Shit, what do we do?" Sora asked.
"Sora, use inspect and when the dragoness HP is at 1, let me know. Sasha, Levi, get out of here right now. Brie, I'm going to need you," Jubelle ordered.
Levi and Sasha sprinted out of the dungeon, not asking any questions.
'I'm glad they trust Jubelle.' Sora thought.
"What's the plan?" Brie asked.
"We have to make it appear that the dragoness is dead. Only then can you initiate a seal with her to join the party. Once we complete that, you can teleport us to Sasha and Levi. That's why I sent them out. The dungeon is already collapsing. I'm sure there is no treasure here," Jubelle said.
He sprinted to the dragoness and ordered Sora to break the chain off her neck.
"Lockheart Slash!" Sora shouted and snapped the chain from the dragoness' neck.
"You could have damaged her; it would have sped this up." Jubelle complained.
"What on Earth are you all doing? Who are you? What's with those eyes? You're half god… what is going on here? How long have I been locked away? The dragoness asked.
"Not the time or place. We have to imitate your death and then I'm going to initiate sealing magic. Accept the conditions and join my party. If you wish to break the conditions afterwards, that's fine, but we can teleport to the other party members outside." Sora said.
"Ok, I trust you." she said.
Jubelle slashed her neck clean open with his nail as Sora and Brie both inspected and watched her HP drop.
"5… 4… 3… 2…"
Sora's system took control, which took him by surprise. He feared the worst. 'Is this how I start my path of destruction?'
[Seal initiated. Seal conditions accepted. New party member: Leila Fury. Teleporting to Levi and Sasha. Transferring your passive regeneration to party member Leila Fury.]
Brie noticed the horrified look on Sora's face.
"System. What just happened?"
[I failed to explain my emergency protocol. When Jubelle gave commands, you agreed, which allowed me to override your mind and body momentarily due to the seriousness of the situation. I followed the emergency protocols Chronos created. You never asked about emergency protocols, so I did not explain them.]
'Thanks system. You saved us tonight. But who else is in my head right now? UGH. Why can't I just be the only one in my own damn head?!?!'
"I sense you don't fully believe the sincerity in your first thought, do you Sora? Don't worry. Only you and Brie can hear me. You still don't know who I am, but I promise you I am an ally. Whether you choose to trust in me is up to each of you."
'Hey, lady in our minds… Can you please give us a moment?' Brie thought.
"Yes, I'll wait." she said kindly.
"Leila, are you ok?" Sora asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you so much! I would love to join your party. Thank you for saving me from those dreaded demons. What about Master Rook?"
The party frowned.
"The noble Ancient Rook wished to move on to the afterlife to see his family," Levi said while bowing.
"This is going to sound really, really selfish and strange, but Brie and I need to talk about something, alone. I'll explain later, I promise." Sora said to his party.
Sasha gave a nod, Leila looked confused and Jubelle just stared off into the moonlight. Levi began chatting with Leila to make her feel more comfortable.
*****
Once they were about 50 feet from their party, Sora hugged Brie and kissed her on the forehead.
"Ready to hear this voice out?" He asked her.
"Ok, we're ready." Brie thought.
"Thank you. Master Lockheart and Lady Lockheart… sorry, Reinhardt."
Both Sora and Brie turned away from one another, trying to avoid eye contact as both their faces turned beat red.
'What the hell?' Sora thought.
'Why is she referring to me like I'm his wife? We've been dating for a month?' Brie thought.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to refer to you as a married couple. Anyway, Sora, I sense unease in your mind. Your girlfriend was correct. Your Mother visited you in your dreams. She's worried about you. I'm close and making myself available. I assure you that in your current future, I see only love, friendship and a party that grows in numbers and in trust. Your dream wasn't just a dream Sora. You saw a projection of your future. This isn't supposed to happen for anyone who is not a god or goddess." the voice continued.
'Wait? Are you referring to the other night when I thought Sora died? Isn't he technically a god?'
"Yes, he is. Although he is only half-god, he's able to see other's visions when the link between the god's realm and Exteria is weak. This happens when a goddess or god contacts someone via their dream."
'So, you're the reason the King's able to transport letters and clothing to a certain location completely undetected. You said you're close, does that mean you're on Earth and which goddess are you?' Sora asked.
Brie smiled and finally turned and hugged Sora from the side. He slowly turned and put his arm around her.
"Yes, I am on Earth. I am Celeste. Indeed, I will not share all of my abilities with you, but I am able to speak to and hear anyone and everyone telepathically. I'm also able to become completely invisible and move without anyone tracing me."
'Then how was I able to sense you were in my head, right before you talked to us?' Sora demanded.
'Wait, what, Sora? I wish you could hear me right now. How can I hear you? I think we should trust this goddess. Why else would she speak to us telepathically at the council meeting, and appear when you're most angry?' Brie thought.
"I'm not certain how you sensed me, Sora. That is for another time. For now, take good care of your party and your soulmate. Brie, he can hear you because he is part god and you can hear him because Rook passed along Sora's message. His parents are quite happy. Brie, you have their blessing. Being blessed by a goddess is not a common thing. This is how you are able to hear his thoughts when I speak with him. Also, expect a visit in your dreams. Aphrodite wishes to formally give you her blessing. Until next time, goodbye…" the voice faded away.
Sora held Brie tightly and said, "We have a lot to talk about. I don't want to share what I saw in my dreams because I want to live our lives and not just follow some path some goddess tells us we're following. I love you now, let's go get the others." Sora smiled as he spoke.
"I love you too, but please make sure I don't die in my dreams tonight!"
They approached the rest of the group and Sora said, "Leila, it's nice to have you. I'm sure you have many questions. Sasha, Levi, Jubelle, I'm not exactly sure how to explain this, but we need to all sit down tomorrow morning after we get some rest and talk. Great job tonight everyone. That wasn't easy. I'm proud of all of you." Sora passionately stated.
"Thanks! Let's go get some rest, you and Brie look like you just experienced some strange trauma. I sensed unease and my sword… she began shaking–" Levi said nervously.
"Shaking, what do you mean shaking?" Sasha asked.
Sora dismissed the comments to not worry the party. "Rest up, tomorrow's a new day. Leila, please feel free to choose any room you'd like once we get there. Let's get to the car and get home!"
The group walked to the car and got in. Despite the distance, they were back at the mansion quickly.
"Home sweet home," Sora said. His party smiled as they walked inside.
Once inside, Levi smacked Jubelle on the back before walking into his room. Jubelle walked into his bedroom, right next to Levi's. He shut the door quietly and sat at his desk jotting down notes in a notebook labeled, 'Demons.'
Sasha showed Leila to a room next to hers, which she gladly claimed as her own.
"Thanks Sasha, you didn't have to go out of your way to do all of this!" Leila said.
"It's really no problem. I figured you could use a bed and a good night's sleep. Being locked up for as long as you were… I can't even imagine. Check out your walk-in closet as well. There's a sauna on the third floor and a spa on our floor. Get some rest."
"A spa? That sounds lovely! Maybe tomorrow the ladies should have a spa day!" Leila said.
In Sora's room, they cuddled but Brie was nervous to fall asleep.
Sora decided to make out with her for a while. This time they made out passionately, with Sora laying on top of Brie. Eventually, he could sense her tired breathing.
"Don't worry. I'll even link with you."
"Wait, we never even broke the link! But please yes, keep it active. I'm worried."
"Don't be. If it's my mom, she's really nice!" Sora assured her.
Brie finally drifted off into sleep…
'Well, here goes nothing.' Sora thought.