Luna pressed on the clothes she had already packed, trying to push them as much as possible.
-Are you sure that leaving this quickly is a good idea?- Gentiana asked again.
-I have to do it- she answered, grabbing the last personal effects on the bed -The call has been made.
-Escaping from Niflheim, however, is not an easy task- continued the woman, without altering her neutral tone.
-The peace treaty will be signed in a few days. I have to get to Noctis first.
-You won't make it alone.
-I have to try, Gentiana- said Luna, closing the suitcase, which snapped sharply -If he fails to fulfill his destiny, there will be no second chance.
The young woman headed resolutely, but calmly and regal, to the door of her bedroom.
-I have no doubt about it- Gentiana told her, when she was about to cross the threshold -I just want to know if you will be able to pay the price.
Luna just sighed, pushing the doors aside.
-For Tenebrae, Lucis, and Eos, I have to do my part. I am the Shaman, I am the only one who can lead the King and make him fulfill his destiny.
She turned briefly in the direction of his guardian, and saw the woman bow her head in good luck. With that greeting, Luna entered the corridors of the palace of Tenebrae, and took her way.
-You can come out now- she said, detached. Her human robes were comfortable, they made her invisible to many, but when it came to him they were far too conspicuous.
Nolum appeared through the mirror in Luna's room, the sack of signs over his shoulder. He put his luggage on the bed, heaving a sigh. He avoided looking directly at her, probably wanting to conceal the conflicting feelings he was having at the time.
-The princess has a big heart, more than one would expect- she observed, trying to start a conversation, but he didn't seem very happy to answer her.
-A sacrifice is still a sacrifice, even if it is masked by an act of will- he said with detachment.
-I wish I could do something ... - he added shortly after, shaking his head.
"To prevent it." she finished, in her head. She didn't need to hear him say it to know what he was thinking right now.
-The prophecy cannot be changed, but many implications remain obscure- she said, keeping her distance so as not to annoy Nolum -We are never quite sure what we will really find in front of us.
-We both know this very well- the man admitted, placing his hands on his hips and looking up at the bedroom door -Ah, what a complicated situation.
-Do you still think about what the king told you?
-I don't like that you know what I think- he replied, giving her a hostile look -And I don't like it when you show yourself with her face.
-I'd prefer not to freeze everything in these circumstances- she took the offense without problems, but she knew it was a dangerous game. Appear to Nolum in the guise of Gentiana was never a wise choice, but she could also turn it to her advantage. Besides, she couldn't openly show herself to Niflheim in all her icy glory, it was still too dangerous. The man snorted, and ruffled his disheveled hair with one hand, gazing in the mirror to check his work.
-Nolum- she tried to ask -Why did you agree to come?
He remained silent, continuing to look in the mirror, before lowering his gaze to his feet.
-Was there something you wanted to ask me?- he replied, sitting down on the bed with a dejected attitude. She was a God, she didn't judge creation with the same… parameters that humans used. But, observing more carefully the appearance of his interlocutor, she noticed that the clothes were mostly ironed, and even the hair, although wildly arranged on the head, as a whole was somehow… elegant.
-I think you already know what I want to ask you- she said, taking a step towards him, but receiving only an annoyed look. Better than usual, at least.
-The fate of the world depends on the True King and the Shaman, and now there's no turning back.
She walked the short distance from the bed as she spoke, and sat down next to Nolum. Their gazes met, and she saw his cold contempt, but less intense than she had expected, or remembered from the last time she had seen him.
-I don't interfere with big events, Goddes- he replied, looking away -You know well that I limit myself to my duty.
-You agreed to go to the king to give him advice.
-It was my job anyway.
-We won't have to wait long for her to be on the street- she insisted. She lowered the volume of her voice to take on a more accommodating tone: the last thing she wanted was to make Nolum hostile towards. She knew why he hated her and the other gods, and if only she could, she wouldn't have forced him to deal with this. But this was more important than his resentment. She ventured a friendly gesture, placing a hand on his shoulder. She felt a strange shiver at the touch, something any god had never understood. Nolum turned abruptly, looking first at her hand and then at her. Then he pushed it away, shaking his head.
-Don't do that- he said. Then he got up.
-I just want to prevent the worst from happening- she continued, without moving -Please.
-I'll do what I can, as long as I don't have to push myself beyond my duties- he replied coldly, glancing in her direction. She cocked her head to the side, giving him a faint smile of gratitude. Nolum almost reciprocated, before shaking his head and stiffening, looking back in front of him.
-My duty calls. That's all- he said, on a hasty note. He turned to pick up the signs, and headed back to the mirror, but she wasn't finished. She released a light icy breath into the air, and a sheen of ice quickly spread across the glass, cutting his way out.
-Don't do it- he begged her, serious, turning to look at her -Not again.
-I don't ask for more- she insisted, standing up elegantly and walking towards him with a calm step.
-Please…
He didn't push her away, but she could see the sadness in his eyes, and even a faint sense of bewilderment. She kept her gaze fixed on his face, watching him open and close his mouth nervously, moistening his lips and folding them into a grimace.
-One last time- she said, whispering lightly. She placed her hands on his forearms, always maintaining a demeanor in her gestures and face, but she could not hold back those pleasant shivers caused by the sensation of his body. As a goddes, she did not fit into the parameters of humans, neither in consideration of beauty, nor in other canons, and she did not understand many of their feelings either, although she had come close to them very often.
Pride, Honor, Respect, Ambition, were traits that she could deduce, but others, like Passion or Love, were a real mystery. How did the human being to feel such an intertwining of… of…? Whatever they were, the other Siderei had them, they never would have had them, but he…
She didn't even realize she closed her eyes when she kissed him. In centuries, it had happened other times, but so rare that they could be counted on the tips of his first had been her mistake, Nolum had said, but it had surprised her so much that she had wanted to try again. And then again. The third time he had pushed her away, but it had happened again. She couldn't even explain why she did it, much less if… she didn't know if she really "felt" something for Nolum, but she certainly recognized that she was curious. Why was he different? That is, she knew very well why the man was unique, but she did not know why he was also unique to her. Not being human, she was unable to understand "unique" human behaviors and reactions, but she let herself be guided by curiosity.
-Enough- he interrupted her curt. In an instant they were apart, and he was holding her wrists in the air.
-Enough- he pleaded, swallowing noisily. She inhaled, disappointed, but agreed without batting an eye, slowly lowering her arms as he let her go.
-Stop doing this to me.
-I'm sorry Nolum- she answered sincerely, while the ice that covered the mirror disappeared -I don't do it to torture you.
-But what do you want to know?- he interrupted her, angry -You are one of THEM, you have nothing to share with us.
-Maybe… or maybe not- she admitted, looking away. She sympathized with the human race, she knew how badly they still suffered from what had happened centuries ago, but at the time she wasn't sure why, why she was so attached to men and women.
-You are not her- Nolum blew into her ear -You will never be.
She unconsciously gritted his teeth, shivering at his anger, but she pulled herself together in moments.
-I don't want to be her.
Her sentence must have caught Nolum off guard, because his aggressive expression turned to surprise, leaving him thrilled in front of her eyes.
-Go where the road takes you, Nolum Cassio Feri. It is likely that ours will not meet again- she greeted him, stepping back royally. During their kiss she had probably let her self-control get out of hand, judging by the thin layer of ice and frost that covered all the furniture and knick-knacks. Nolum blinked, without taking his eyes off her, before smiling. It wasn't a facade, the man was giving her a sincere smile, glowing with benevolence. This time it was her turn to be surprised at that opening gesture.
-Your kisses will drive me crazy sooner or later- he commented, before walking into the mirror -Anyway, I've lived too long not to appreciate honesty.
"Humans are seriously unpredictable" she thought, watching the other's silhouette disappear beyond the glass surface, causing sinuous waves. When those too ran out, and the mirror went back to being a normal mirror, she sighed, and realized that the human heart she held in her chest was beating faster than normal.