Everyone needs saving
Chapter Six.
Yeah, because I wanted a bit of fanservice in the story. But it´s me, so a little bit of suffering is needed as well. Warning: This story contains sexual scenes. Thread with caution.
oooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo
The soothing sensation flooding around her during the journey into the warp device that brings her back to the Ark makes her forget for a moment about her pain and exhaustion, and specially about the curse. Lightning sighs in relief, opening up her eyes to find herself in front of the man, no, boy, she reminds herself, she helped to grow, and who looks at her with a rather empty stare, but with a faint rising of his brow, evidently trying in vain to convey something akin to worry. Or to disapproval, Lightning cannot say.
"Are you ok, Light? How are your injuries?"
Lightning gives the boy a small smile and pauses to pray for the Yggdrassil, offering the Eradia to it.
Unfortunately for her (and for them all), no flower blossoms.
She sighs again, this time feeling a heavy weight on her shoulders, and takes her sight away from the tree, somewhat disappointed but knowing in reality she couldn´t expect any less. With almost a day of convalescence, and her weakness making them go slower than she had wanted to, she hadn´t been able to collect as many souls as she would´ve loved to.
But she still forces a smile, for the boy´s benefit.
"I´m better now, thank you, though worried I wasn´t able to return to you until now. I think my body needed the refreshment it gets whenever I return up here, but for some odd reason time passed by and I didn´t come back to the Ark. And I´ve been wondering whether the day I passed without returning was the reason why I didn´t heal as fast as I wanted. Maybe being back here will help me cure the curse I have?"
Hope turns around to check on the screen, and then addresses her once again, with no emotions whatsoever.
"I´d love to tell you it will. But you couldn´t return to the Ark due to the severity of your wounds, and my readings tell me there´s still a fragment of chaos carved deep inside your heart. So I wouldn´t put my bet on your complete recovery by just being here. I´m sorry, Light."
She sighs. Of course it wouldn´t be that easy.
"Don´t worry, Hope. At least my energy is restored. Hopefully it will help me survive the day."
She witnesses the turning of his brows, but it´s hard to understand the feelings behind that countenance. If there are any at all.
"Something seems to be bothering you."
Lightning raises an eyebrow. So, wait, he can read my expression, but I can´t read his? That´s rather unfair.
"I´m okay, thank you."
Hope stands silent for a moment, his emotionless face, the one that tries to convey something without really achieving it, is starting to get on her nerves, but she says nothing more, and after a moment, he´s the one to break the silence.
"I´m sorry I can´t go with you, Light."
Oh. It was supposed to be sadness.
"I´m sorry too, Hope." In reality, he looks as empty as she feels. So odd she could be so angered and flustered around Fang. Though a negative feeling, it´s a feeling nonetheless. A moment of decay that at least taught her she has not completely abandoned her humanity. She uses his tactics and changes the subject. "I need you to look something up for me." His countenance finally lit up, as if thankful for the deviation of such an awkward situation. Lightning suppresses a scoff. "We are in Poltae, as you might already know, and the Priestesses said something about a ritual, The Ceremony of Resurgence, or something like that. Would you tell me what it's about?"
Hope immediately turns around to face the huge screens, and types skillfully for the machine to work. It starts sending them images and words, with such velocity and incoherence amongst them, that Lightning can´t find anything that would help her, and so she quits at her attempt to understand, and instead waits for the boy to do the honors. After a few more seconds, Hope finally turns to address her once more.
"It says it´s an ancient ceremony about the preservation of life. Or so it seems. It takes place in the Main Temple of Poltae, called the Temple of the Goddess; it´s related to the circle of life, of death and rebirth, mainly human, of course, but it´s linked to every life form in the planet. The ritual is used in weddings, births, deaths, harvesting and everything the Wildlands relates to the circle of life, which means it takes many forms."
"Does it say how it's performed?"
He types once more, and again, the images and letters assault the screen, making Lightning´s head spin for a moment, and she starts to feel the birth of a headache.
"It depends on the reason for the ceremony, but it mainly means they have to bathe on the temple´s main natural hot spring, when it´s related to human circle. Why? Are you going to participate?"
"Maybe…" She hesitates. "Are they… are they naked, when they perform it? When they… enter the hot spring?" She doesn´t know why she feels hesitant of exposing her nakedness. Maybe because it´s a high possibility there will be at least dozens of people watching her? For an unknown reason, her throat feels suddenly dry.
He types again. And then a pause, like a hesitation from his part, but he recovers quickly. "It doesn´t say per se. But… it comes from an ancient folklore, where the Redeemer of the Legends bathes in the holy springs, 'their skin becoming bright as the sun at the contact with the pristine water', they, apparently, have to enter almost naked, so that 'there will be no desecration of their holiness'." Another, almost full minute pause. "They are… They want you to go through with it… right?"
Lightning remains silent, not knowing what else to say. And for an odd reason, so does Hope.
And then, Lightning hears him whisper words she never thought she would hear from Hope, especially now that he seems void of emotions, his eyes unfocused.
"Light, you are… going to be naked…?"
"Hope?"
The boy´s eyes remain watching at an empty space for a couple of seconds, until she speaks his name again and he shakes his head, his vision focuses and he looks up at her, startled.
"I´m sorry Light, did you say something?"
"What were you thinking?"
"Me? Nothing. I sort of drifted off, that´s all. Why?" His voice seemed clinical again, detached of emotion. But Lightning had been so sure…
"You know you can tell me, Hope."
"I know, I trust you, but really, Light. Nothing was on my mind."
"Okay…" A delicate eyebrow rises, but his countenance remains impenetrable, so she lets him be. "I think I should be heading back then…" She moves to take her leave, but Hope stands up, and without breaking his expressionless face, he points at her breasts.
"I think you should wait, so I can take a look at your wound, and try to help you get better."
Lightning involuntarily gives a step backwards.
"Light?"
"I´m sorry, Hope. No offense, but I´m not quite prone to the idea of uncovering myself in front of you."
She would´ve expected a turning of the eyes or at least a scoff, but Hope´s voice remains as impassible and clinically cold as ever. "You don´t need to worry about me being disrespectful of you. You know you can trust me."
"Yes, I know. But I am better now. You don´t need to worry about me." A small lie that will preserve her chastity. Lightning doesn´t know why but she´s feeling rather self-conscious in front of Hope. Especially after his words.
"But I still sense chaos coming from the wound in your breast…"
He gives a step towards her to reinforce his statement, and as a response she gives another step backwards. "Yes, I can feel it. And I´ll take care of that as soon as I defeat Caius."
"About that, Lightning, I should advise you not to dwell on it. Remember you have to save as many lives as you can and spending too much time on one person can only lead to preventing you from saving many more."
"Yes, but the Eradia that I can collect from him could be enough to give me another day."
"But what if you don´t manage to save him? What if he defeats you, or worse, kills you? He almost did it once."
Twice, actually. She thinks with some remorse. "Don´t worry, Hope. I´ll manage. And anyways I have to go defeat him if I want to be finished with his curse."
"I´ve told you I can…"
"Try." She raises a finger towards him, trying her hardest not to seem too accusatory. "You told me you´d try to help me with the curse. You´re not sure you´ll be able to manage it."
"But Light…"
"I think it´s time for me to return to where I left, Hope." Lightning sighs, showing signs of tiredness. "I´m all better now, so I´m confident I´ll be able to achieve my goal for today. See you around."
Hope just stares at her retreating figure, as she steps into the warp device. Lightning lowers her eyes to the ground, refusing to meet his eyes and somewhat ashamed of her behavior. But being honest with herself, she´s sensing a pang of distrust for the poor boy, not really knowing where it comes from; but her instinct has never failed her before. She´s not going to start failing her instinct either.
oooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooo
Fang´s eyelashes flutter as the intrusive sunray enters her retinas, and she turns around, not much willing to take the call of dawn. But as her mind focuses on her situation, she stretches her long, tanned body like a recently awakened kitten, and she actually moans.
Hadn´t slept in something this soft in ages. She thinks, and feels grateful for her fantastic Savior that had suggested they go to Poltae instead of the Research Camp. Fang can remember the Camp´s small, rather uncomfortable beds, as well as the less than eatable food. How come people so smart mistreat themselves so badly? She stops her stretching and gets up from her bed, immediately searching for her partner, who, if she recalled correctly, had been left sleeping right next to her. But said bed is empty, its bedclothes skillfully and neatly placed on top of the soft mattress.
"Lightning?"
This oh, so bothersome and painful feeling of uneasiness comes back to her, but Fang refuses to acknowledge it. They´re among friends, people who adore the Savior. They would never do anything to harm her.
Except for sacrificing the Savior in order to return Etro to our lands.
Fang groans and shakes her head. Stupid imagination. She should be focusing on finding her friend, not getting all worked up like a toddler missing her mom. The tall woman dresses herself, while her eyes roam the place, searching for clues. As she finds none, Fang walks out of the room, wanting to ask someone, anyone, the whereabouts of the almighty Savior, but the pressure in her chests tightens.
There´s no one alive in the house that welcomed them. At her solitude, Fang´s feet walk a little faster, and she steps outside the house, searching for her friend, or for anyone, for that matter, and finds the place completely empty, not a living soul around.
What the hell?
The sun is still low in the sky, and she realizes it might not be even 7 in the morning. Too early for everyone to have gone to their jobs… or whatever they do on Poltae. She walks around, searching in every closed and locked door, sometimes even yelling out loud, but it would seem everybody has just disappeared… along with the Savior herself.
Her heartbeat starts to quicken as her mind runs on rampage, playing all the nasty scenarios that could happen to her friend. With every step she takes, she berates herself for letting Lightning out of her sight, knowing she´s completely weakened, and now probably delivered to their true enemy…by Fang´s very own hands.
You´ve got to relax, Yun… she breathes in and out, while her feet pick up their pace. There must be an explanation other than your friend being butchered by the group of people who supposedly claim her… supposedly.
With such a dire thought on her mind, she turns another corner and sees, at the far end of the corridor, coming right out from the entrance of the largest formation carved on the rock, the Temple of the Goddess, a woman dressed like Etro´s believers, her eyes scanning her surroundings, evidently searching for something, or someone, when her sight finally find the tall form of the now sprinting brunette.
"Fang! Queen of Bandits! This way!"
"Tilda?" The woman smiles a hesitant smile at recognizing her friend, and she slows her step, surprised and weary to see her, all at the same time. "What are you doing here? I thought I had left you at the Research Camp."
"And you did, but it would seem it was preordained I would get the honor to heal the Savior´s wounds, so without knowing, here I am, just in time to help her in her moment of need." The pride and glee is evident in the woman´s eyes, but her words make the Pulsian´s ache and anxiety reach a higher peak.
"You mean Lightning? How is she? Is she awake?"
"She´s a lot better now," Tilda answers her, trying to sound as reassuring as possible, but in spite of her efforts, her excitement spills through her voice very easily "It´s impressive! Her healing capabilities, mind you! I barely needed my skills to help her! But c´mon, the ceremony is starting!" The medic takes the thief by the hand, prompting her to follow inside the temple.
"Ceremony? What…?"
Tilda leads the bandit inside one of the caves, and Fang finds her eyes lost in the beauty of the temple. Its entrance was engraved on the rocks, but with intricate carvings more elaborated than the ones around. Fang can do nothing but stare in awe, while they both find the place completely filled with a massive amount of people, probably the whole population of Poltae had reunited in that very spot. Fang pushes her way through, ignoring the glares sent her way, as well as Tilda´s very apologetic eyes for her friend´s rudeness, while the tall woman´s eyes are still lost on the amazing and intricate patterns the inside of the cave has created, until a flicker of recognition illuminates her face.
"I know this place. This is where the high ceremonies are held, right? The marriage ceremony being one of them."
"You remembered! Yeah," Tilda´s voice goes from excited to dreamy, and she sighs. "I got married here, and it was so beautiful, like a dream come true…" she shakes her head and her voice became more clinic, though her blush gives away her embarrassment, "…but the Ceremony of Marriage is only a tiny reminiscent of the Ancient Ceremony of Resurgence, of Etro´s promise to end our suffering. The true ceremony is about to begin, the legend about to be fulfilled, with the Savior at the very center of it."
"What?! You´re gonna marry Lightning with someone else?!"
The medic chuckles at her words. "No, no. The Ceremony of Resurgence is a vow of protection. The woman and the man about to be married promise each other to love and protect one another, to form a new family together, in front of everyone. Instead, in this ritual, the original ceremony, the Savior reinforces her vow to save us from oblivion, and to guide us to a new, Promised Land. It´s like she´s marrying this world."
Fang wants to ask more, but without any more words Tilda pulls at her, and the tall brunette is being led (or rather, forced) towards the center of the cave, and she has to push herself even rougher, as the mass of people becomes thicker with every step they take. It´s obvious everyone wants to have a good view of the legend to be fulfilled. The atmosphere is heavy, full with flowered scents and incense everywhere, dim lights from thousands of candles illuminating the place, and creating creepy dancing shadows with the movement of their flames. Fang stands on her tiptoes, trying her hardest to see beyond the mass of people, searching for the pinkette desperately, until she finds a group of women dressed in white gowns that cover their heads and bodies, standing at the center of the cave, on higher ground, dancing and moving slowly at the edges of what seems to be a pond, from which warm and dense smoke comes out constantly; evidently a hot spring. Fang remembers now, the characteristics of their main ritual.
Etro´s priestesses. I thought I would never get to see the Ceremony ever again.
She pays more attention at their slow dancing, at the chanting, at the way their movements make the smoke dance with them, creating intricate patterns in the fog, and then the tall brunette finally finds pink locks among them, right in the middle of the priestesses. Fang wants to yell at Lightning, but once the women surrounding her step aside, the sight that meets her leaves the tall woman utterly speechless.
The fog is bathing the pinkette, twirling and dancing around her immobile body, but still Fang can easily see Lightning is almost completely naked, her slim and faultless body covered only with a white, almost transparent cloth, from her shoulders to her ankles, the piece of fabric obviously wet, since she can easily see Lightning´s form from underneath it, the cloth clinging to her skin and letting everything see through. Her perfect breasts with hardened nipples, the curves on her hips, her flat abdomen, her…
Fang shakes her head and looks at Lightning´s eyes, and falls startled at seeing them apparently unfocused, as if she weren´t looking at anything in particular.
"Why… why is she like that?"
"Like what?"
"As if she were asleep but still walking."
Tilda is hesitant for a moment, but then catches on the meaning. "Oh! That! In order for her mind to be open, she had to take some herbs, special ones made for the priestesses and that only they can drink." Fang looks at her intently, obviously clueless at the woman´s explanation, so she elaborates. "They´re hallucinogens."
"What?! So you drugged her?!"
She looks up, her eyes meeting her friend´s frame, and anxiety starts to grow again. The Pulsian makes up her mind and pushes the people aside, as she struggles to reach her friend, her heartbeat accelerating, Tilda trying to prevent her from it, but to no avail.
"It´s okay, Fang! She´s perfectly fine. They won´t hurt her, it´s just part of the service."
Suddenly, a crash is heard high above them, and rocks, sand and debris start to fall in the center and into the waters. Everyone takes cover and steps aside, colliding and falling against each other, including the priestesses surrounding the Savior, but Lightning, who remains in the center, stands still, unmoving, as if rock and debris weren´t falling from the celling, as if there wasn´t risk of being hurt; the light coming from the new opening in the cavern bathes her, making her look almost luminescent, surreal…Regal.
"What the…?"
Fang recovers first, and walks over the fallen people, trying to reach her friend and, not caring about the protests and curses, she rises for her effort, when she notices a tall figure coming from the broken ceiling, while it descends slowly, floating, and stands in front of the pinkette, who´s yet to react. Fang can see the face of the intruder now. It´s obviously a tall man, maybe taller than Snow, his well toned, naked body showing not a trace of fat, his skin as white and pristine as marble, wearing a metallic mask just as white as his skin, intricate golden patterns on it, black lips and eyes as green as the emerald. He looks down at the strawberry-haired woman and smiles, taking her by the arms, his hands wearing long fingernails that, unintentionally, rip apart the soft cloth and scratch the woman´s skin, creating thin trails of blood.
"Bhunivelze…" Lightning whispers in recognition, but it would seem it's the only reaction she has, while everyone else yells in surprise, outrage and fear at her words.
"Who is that?" Fang asks, and a man standing next to her, the Professor, she recognizes, answers her.
"That´s the God of Light personified. Bhunivelze." The Professor answers her without hiding the contempt in his voice. "But what is He doing here? This realm is sacred, dedicated to none other than our Goddess Etro. Why has He come to insult this land?"
"My beautiful goddess…" Everyone hears a metallic sound coming apparently from every corner of the cavern, although the man hasn´t moved his lips. "My perfect Savior. Here I am for you." He moves his hands inside the thin cloth that barely covers her body, and moves it aside, liberating her frame from it. The delicate gown falls at her feet, while her dampened skin meets the cold air, making her shiver. Fang seethes at understanding his intentions, just like everybody else, but instead of just sending curses and blasphemies at the intruder, like the rest of the people around her, she draws her crimson weapon and runs towards the god.
"Don´t you dare touch her!"
But meters before she reaches the embodied god, he turns his eyes towards the woman, and with a smirk, forces her to stop. Fang feels her body not answering her anymore, as if she where frozen in space, her chest barely moving, barely breathing. He sends a glare full of disdain towards the woman, and returns his attention towards his captive. Bhunivelze brings his nose close to Lightning´s neck, and inhales deeply, smelling her perfume, and then places his palms on each of her sides. The action makes them both, the woman and the god, levitate a few inches from the ground, as if his intentions were to reinforce the difference they have from the mortal flesh of Etro´s believers, gathered all around them. His palms trail her skin upwards from her sides, until he reaches her pale breasts. There, his eyes fall upon the ill-drawn star of her magic wound, and for a split second his pupils become obscure.
"Someone has dared to taint your perfect skin. But worry not, my Goddess. I´ll make you flawless again."
Slowly, his lips meet her injured skin, and a small blaze appears in between their conjoined flesh. Lightning gasps, her first response at his touch, but the rest of her body remains unmoved, as if her mind was anywhere but there. Fang, with all her heart, prays for it to be that way. Prays for Lightning´s consciousness being far away from witnessing her own desecration.
Bhunivelze finally moves away from her, and though diminished, Fang is still able to see the scar, and so does the god, whose eyes become darker, but forces a smile once more.
"Not to worry, my dear Savior. It might only mean you need more of me."
His words make Fang´s blood boil out of rage, and she curses inside her head, screaming silently for her body to obey, to move, but it refuses to give in, as it remains standing, the crimson lance high on the air, as if she were a statue made out of flesh and bones. The tall Pulsian wants to cry out of frustration, just like everyone around her is doing, in empathy for the sacrilege and rape against their beloved Savior, but even such simplicity is denied to her.
The all-powerful god, not heeding the sounds and pain his actions elicit around him, licks the Saviour´s wound, and draws trails of saliva through the tender skin of her breast. He finally finds her nipple, and he entraps it, sucking and biting, his sharpened teeth producing a thin trail of blood from her flesh. And yet Lightning doesn't react.
His palms entrap her sides once again, but now they follow a downward path, drawing the line of her curves, and the moment one of his fingers finds her warm entrance, he finally breaks the spell her breasts had cast upon him, and looks down, his pupils dilated, full of desire.
"Aaah…" he exclaims, as if he had just found out about her nakedness, as if her body were his most desired prize, "…the beauty of a woman. Such a simple, yet powerful feeling human lust can be." His smile grows wider as his fingers play with the folds of her womanhood, and slowly, he looks up, searching for her still empty sight, and straightens his posture, pressing his pelvis against her flank, his hardened manhood searching for the warmth of her skin, and he licks his lips, his eyes locked on her mouth, desire and anticipation written all over his countenance.
"The time has come, my beloved Savior. After this ceremony, I will do whatever you want me to. And you will be mine, for all eternity." With one hand, he delicately traps her chin with two fingers, and forces her to incline her face towards him, as he lowers his, searching for her lips, while with the other hand two mischievous fingers finally find their way inside her folds. The intromission makes Lightning flinch and moan, but it also has another consequence.
"Noooo!"
His mind invaded with such lust and desire, without his notice Bhunivelze had lost his concentration, thus involuntarily liberating Fang from her ties. Not a woman to lose an opportunity, she screams at the top of her lungs, to stop him from violating Lightning any further, and to give herself strength to throw her lance as fast as she can, cutting the air and embedding itself in the god´s flesh, right in the middle of his shoulder blades, and drawing silver blood.
"AAaaaarrrgghhh!"
The almighty god straightens his posture in pain, liberating Lightning from his hands, and the woman falls unceremoniously to the earth, her body hitting the sandy floor hard.
"Lightning!"
Fang runs forward as fast as she can, but a powerful hand stops her desperate sprint, long and sharpened fingernails hurting her skin. Bhunivelze has recovered himself, the lance now discarded on the ground at his feet, and he now is raising Fang´s body by the throat and above his head.
"You filthy drench! How dare you interrupt me like that! How dare you do such blasphemy! I´ll make you pay!"
Fang thrashes and kicks, trying to liberate herself from his tight grasp, but to no avail, and her sight begins to be invaded by a reddish hue.
"What is it that you seek, mortal? This is a place for gods, you´re an indecent little human. Not allowed near us!"
"She won´t… be yours…" Fang grunts, trying desperately to release her throat from his powerful fingers, but her efforts immediately prove futile.
"You can´t prevent it! I know she holds you in esteem. But she´s mine now. My Savior. My Goddess of Death."
"N-No… Lightning is… no one else´s… but herself…"
"Stop struggling, human. She is mine! You hear it? Mine!" He finally seethes in rage, his green eyes closed like slits.
"You… don´t… deserve… her."
The god growls at her daring words, and applies further pressure to her throat, and now Fang is almost unconscious.
"Let her go, Bhunivelze. Your hurting her is not part of our agreement."
Bhunivelze turns around at the voice, and finds the tip of Lightning´s blade, the Crimson Blitz, very close to his face, the Savior already fully clothed with her Innocence Garb. Fang, in spite of her plight, can´t help but notice that, if possible, she looks more beautiful than ever.
"Neither is that," she points at his already flaccid member, "nor touching me, part of our arrangement."
"You dare defy me, Savior? I was the one who created you."
"No. You forced a promise out of me, a promise I intend to keep, so long as you keep yours, Bhunivelze. With our understanding clarified, let her go so that we can keep harvesting souls for your world."
"I can kill you right here and now. You know that."
At his threat, she raises her chin defiantly. "Yes, and I´d gladly die and join my sister in the afterlife, than to let you invade me the way you just did."
Her words make him hesitate. "You were awake."
"And under the effects of the drugs, as you well know. Yet, you thought it was smart of you to proceed your desecration of me, in spite of knowing I couldn´t defend myself, or even protest, for that matter. Well, now, let me tell you I don´t approve of your actions. But we made a promise to each other, are you willing to keep it? Or we can break our pact right here and now. Either case I won´t let you hurt my friends. Your call, Bhunivelze."
The god knows he should punish her, he should show her who is boss right there. But how much can an almighty god like him, remain angry against the one he loves? After a moment, Bhunivelze releases Fang´s throat and chuckles, the woman falling unceremoniously at his feet, panting and gasping for air, as Tilda dares to run to her aid, hoping the god´s focus remains on the Savior.
"Very well. My apologies for forcing myself onto you. But heed my words, Savior. You´ll come to me, begging to become mine. You have a place amongst the gods, in the that case you fulfill your promise to my liking. But I can take the offer back. Never forget that."
"I will never forget it, Bhunivelze. As I told you before, keep your word and I´ll keep mine."
The god chuckles once more and, without further ado, his body becomes pure light, vanishing completely in front of everyone.
After a moment of watching at the empty space, waiting for any sign of his return, Lightning finally lowers her blade and runs towards Fang, who is already sitting on the ground, still coughing.
"Lightning… are you… are you ok?"
The pinkette smiles. That´s Fang alright, always putting everyone else before herself. Without previous notice, Lightning embraces her friend, a tight hug around her shoulders, but she doesn´t know whether it´s to reassure the Pulsian, or herself.
"I´m okay, Fang, I´m..." Scared to death? Angry? Impressed? Relieved? Thankful? So many emotions trying to find their way into her that the Savior´s empty heart just can´t take them all at the same time, their amount too overwhelming, and she chokes on her voice.
But Fang understands.
"Tch… always a knight… in shinning armor… remember?"
Lightning chuckles at her words. Yes, she understands.
"Always my knight in shining armor, Fang."
She helps her friend to stand, Tilda holding the Pulsian´s arm on the other side, her weakness evident, and both women share a look. But a movement on her peripheral vision makes Lightning turn around.
All the people inside the cave, every single soul around them, faces them and then one by one lowers their stance, until all knees are on the ground, palms firmly pressed in front of them, and all foreheads pressed too against the soil.
"What… what´s happening?"
Lightning and Fang look at each other with confusion, but Tilda´s eyes are full of tears at witnessing the display, and she´s the one to explain.
"Everyone had gathered here to witness a miracle. And you both have done it. Have expelled the invader Bhunivelze out of Etro´s holly ground, and thus protected us all, reminded us all you´re here to save us, to guide us to the promised land."
With those last words, she bows in front of Fang and Lightning too, knees, palms and forehead on the ground. Suddenly, a blinding light envelops the whole room, as each soul materializes in small particles, to suddenly fly without restriction towards the Savior´s insignia. Lightning, in a matter of seconds, has gathered more souls she has had in a couple of days.
Fang smiles in awe, and turns to look at Lightning, whose countenance is priceless: full of joy and bewilderment, she raises her eyes towards the sky, in a silent prayer of thanks, while her frame is bathed once again by the magical sunlight of the new day.
I really pray this gives me one more day. I promise I´ll save as many souls as I can.
oooooOOOOOOOooooooo
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A/N: hello there! I´m sorry for the long hiatus (yeah, I know, I ALWAYS start with an 'I´m sorry' … well, I´m still sorry for not being able to promise faster posting, but the point is this baby is not abandoned, and actually, thanks to Andy Farron, I posted this chapter sooner than I had thought. So let´s thank HER for pushing my strings to deliver this to you. Thank you, my friend! And OMG! She´s my new beta! So here it is, another shootout for a fantastic person! Thank you again, Andy! You´ve made my days brighter!
I´m sorry too, for those of you who thought this chapter was rather… unpleasant. I know, there were things that I wanted to get out of my system, and as you might already know, it´s through Lightning´s adventures that I can vent. But of the few things that prompted me to write the Savior´s violation, was that, just recently, I found out a few women I know, at least four of them among the strongest, most independent women I admire and look up to, had become victims of intrafamily violence, two just psychological, but two of them victims of physical violence too, and I was like "how in the world, someone so strong and hard headed like you would ever let anyone even raise a hand against you?!" I really couldn´t understand them, couldn´t fathom the possibility of someone even DARING to think they could be strong enough to do that to them. But they all come into the same conclusion: you don´t know, at the beginning, it´s violence, you don´t perceive it that way, and sometimes, the people play with your feelings with such ability, that guilt, shame and even fear makes you allow any desecration. Sometimes you think you deserve it. Some others you think there´s no way out. And you feel so deplenished in your ego and your self esteem, that you really find yourself terrified of the consequences of your leaving them. So you stay, and accept, and pray someday it will end. Only, it never does.' For my friends, their strong will, their independence and their hardcore survival instinct, in the end came to their aid, and even though difficult, they all are survivors of those moments. A few of them are still struggling against it, but thank God apparently healing and now almost able to stand tall by themselves.
So this chapter (and my last Under Kingsglaive Training chapter) is my tribute to them, to the strong women (and men) who survived gender violence and intrafamily violence, and my own call for help for those who are still struggling against it. Praying they will find a way to survive and escape such a life. Before is too late.