Chapter 19: Let My Shadow Stand by Your Side
As expected, Oleg came on the first sign of daybreak to visit her the next morning, hair and beard still a little damp from the shower he took and smelling fresh amidst the sterile stench of medicine.
He immediately pulled her into a half hug after giving her a greeting, his other hand occupied with her clothes he brought for him, while Seele had to put aside her tray of food lest she wanted it to be squeezed between them. There was no words spoken but the way he held her was enough for Seele to understand.
"Morning, chief," she replied softly as she patted his back with her own free hand, smiling. "Sorry for the trouble."
The double implications weren't lost on Oleg who proceeded to give her a squeeze before pulling back, as if to make sure she was real, while his hand grabbed on her shoulder instead. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay."
"I'm fine," she shoved another bite of her breakfast into her mouth which made Oleg release her entirely to let her eat unhindered. "Sorry to make you worry. How's everyone, though?"
Oleg studied her for a moment before he smiled, finally putting down her clothes on the bed beside Seele. "We have never been better. Foods and aids are coming steadily and everyone can finally reunite with their family. All thanks to Madam Supreme Guardian."
"Good," she nodded approvingly between bites. "As expected from Bronya."
"She's certainly wise, especially for a woman her age."
Seele hummed as she finished the last of her food. It wasn't exactly tasteful but she had had worse and it was far from the worst thing she had eaten, far better in fact she could easily ignore the less than stellar taste. It would be hell on earth before she ever waste food, anyway. "Yeah," she gestured at the blue armband around his left arm with a raised eyebrow, asking "What's that?"
He glanced at it and chuckled. "Just something the Silvermane came up with. They couldn't blitz through the Underworld with the distrust still in the air so they let us Wildfire take care of things as usual. This so we're recognized when we're in the Overworld as an ally."
"Huh, neat. You seem rather proud, by the way."
"Is it that obvious?"
Seele rolled her eyes good naturedly and smiled. "Oh, yeah. What with the smile and all."
"Maybe I'm just happy knowing you're alright?" Seele snorted, though it lacked any malice as she sent Oleg a playful huff. He grinned and proceeded to pat her in the head affectionately. "I really am, kiddo. You have no idea how freaked out we were when we caught the news, especially your brother."
She shrugged halfheartedly. "It's not like I could help it."
"Still, you should go talk to everyone when you can."
Seele nodded slowly, leaning on Oleg's touch almost instinctively. He was the first person she had ever opened her heart for and their relationships ran deeper than the frozen rivers of Jarilo-VI, warmer than the bare sunlight of the planet, too. "I will, chief. Don't worry about it."
But from the way he looked at her told the opposite. Concern and weariness lingered in his gaze as his hand slid down to her cheek, caressing the soft and warm skin there with his calloused palm before, eventually, he sighed explosively and suddenly Oleg seemed a decade older to Seele.
"You're the closest I have to a daughter," he started tenderly, still looking at her in the eye. "When my wife died many years ago, she took with her our daughter. Seeing you grow up filled the void they left behind and with it comes the joy of a father."
She inhaled and put her hand on top of his, squeezing it softly in a comforting manner. "I know. You told me this before."
"I suppose. However, I think it's also important for you to understand how precious you are to me, to everyone dear to you, and that your actions really shook us." A frown graced her lips, so quick and fleeting yet to Oleg's trained eyes it might have been permanent. He knew Seele for a better part of her life so he was well accustomed to her expressions, no matter how small and imperceptible they were.
He shook his head and continued, smiling again but this time with a great amount of pride. "No, I do not disprove of your deeds. In fact, I was very proud of you and your selflessness in the face of great perils. Your actions have probably saved Belobog and everyone from certain doom and for that I am pleased, pleased that you've known the importance of life and the need to protect it."
Oleg stepped back then, warm hand slipping free as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You've grown into a fine woman, incredible in feat and deed we taught you. Yet, when I received the news I felt nothing but great sadness and despair."
Her gaze fell and for the first time she felt the weight of her actions on her shoulders, how deep the consequences could have been or how terrible they might have been to those around her. At that time, she felt nothing but the urgency to help Bronya and nothing else seemed to matter but now the dust had settled, it was truly frightful to think.
Though she was familiar with death, she was never one to be its subject for obvious reason. She didn't know dying could be so scary despite her acceptance that she would one day experience it herself. Maybe, if she was the only one affected by it she wouldn't be as caring but life granted connections and when those connections were severed with said life, things tended to be put into perspectives. It was akin to tearing the heartstrings apart, invisible to the naked eyes but the pain was there.
"I did what I had to do," and it was no excuse either. Saying she had no choice would simply be incorrect because Seele chose to help. She was committed to it, to everything even the risk, so she could save someone she truly found worthy to save. All the years she lived, she did so for herself and nobody else but now someone was more important than her meager existence showed herself, she gladly laid down her life to protect her and her beliefs. "I'm sorry for making you worry but I regret none of it."
Maybe just a little but it was none for herself. She regretted it had to come to that, she regretted for the sake of everyone around her who was affected because, at the end of the day, she was just one woman and the world didn't revolve around her. Even if she had died, everyone would eventually move on and forgot about her.
"As you should," Oleg nodded approvingly, tender and proud, making Seele looked up. "I know you care not about honor or valor the Silvermane Guards hold, nor fame or wealth a lot of people desire. What you did was pure kindness done out of necessity and that is the highest form of sacrifice one could achieve in their life." He shook his head fondly, "you know, if the Guards caught a wind of your deed they would seek you out and give you the Qlipoth's Sigil of Defense and you could live for free for the rest of your life. The city is obliged to fulfill every of your needs henceforth."
Seele made a face and snorted dismissively while Oleg chuckled, fully expecting her response. "Yeah, no. That sounds neat but I'll have to pass. Everything has a price and being famous is the last thing I want. I'd rather be dead than to have people flocking on me like they would a celebrity or some shit, honestly."
A pause as the father-daughter duo related in everything but blood stared at one another until finally Oleg bursted out laughing, followed by Seele who shared the same sentiment. However they thought about it, the image of Seele being hailed and paraded around the city was an amusing one especially with the knowledge that Seele would be frowning her hostile frown the entire time due to her disdain to the predicament. That alone would scare half the people, probably.
"In any case," Oleg began after catching his breath, finally calming down though the grin was still audible in his tone. "You were right for what you did and you should be proud of yourself. I couldn't ask for a better daughter myself."
The meaning behind those words were as warm as it was saddening. She knew that the man before her had gone through a lot in life and thus was very familiar with loss of loved ones. Natasha might have witnessed more deaths than they both combined, but Oleg's experience was more personal that even before he was a Wildfire, he had lost a lot comrades in-arms in his duty as a Silvermane Guard.
"Yeah," she simply said with a smile. Oleg hated it when she discredit herself so she took it all with open heart knowing he did approve of her. "And I couldn't have asked for a better mentor and caretaker, too."
He taught her the way of life and the necessity of connections when all she knew was how to bite and whatnot. Everyone worth their life knew how to fight in the Underworld but not everyone understood what bond was. Not like she could blame them since that too was understandable, at least in her eyes with all that ugliness she had witnessed.
It was only when Oleg took her in did Seele understood that there was always a bigger picture to everything. Sure, if one was to think everything didn't matter as long as one could live and survive for the rest of their life but then came the question; How long until that?
If everyone was selfish and only thought of their survival, the Underworld would've spiralled into anarchy a long time ago with warbands and lords rising to claim what little resources they could have until they too perished and collapsed on themselves, the weight of the world crushing them with its ceaseless demands. Instead, people like Oleg who believed the betterment of others rose and created a semblance of order for the people, safekeeping them from threats and helping them manage their scarce resources so everyone had the chance to live, to survive, in the shared hole they called home.
It was not without opposition, even the most stable and fair of reigns had oppositions, but they prevailed through it all. The Wildfire was the embodiment of grit and the warmth they casted upon the people burned them into embers that lit up the flame even further.
Seele was one of those people and she was proud of it because, at last, she found her purpose in life when she sworn that solemn oath of a protector. It wasn't an easy job and the pay was hardly sufficient but it was necessary and that was enough for her. If she could help, then she would. Even if she had little love for the way of living of the Underworld it was still her home and that was always worth fighting for.
Oleg chuckled fondly then, once again ruffling her hair which made Seele groan knowing it would be even more unruly now. In response, Oleg merely laughed before he stepped back. "We make the best team."
She snorted, though it lacked malice as proven by the playful smirk on her face. "Yeah, well, someone has to take care of things now that you're a senile old man."
"Oi, I'm not that old."
"Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? Your hair and beard are all white."
"They're always white."
"Whatever you say, chief."
Another bout of laughter, another tender moment between the two. Oleg excused himself after it died down, telling her that he still had works to be done and Seele, not wanting to hold him back, simply waved her hand with a reassuring smile.
"Oh, before I forget," he poked his head back through the doorway and Seele raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "Natasha told me that you should go find Serval to get your phone back. It was damaged before so she took it upon herself to repair it for you."
"Now? I'm afraid she's busy, though."
"Why would she be and how do you know?"
Seele shrugged, jumping down the bed and stretched, sighing in pleasure when she felt her joints popped. "She's a former Silvermane, her expertise on recent matter is invaluable so I imagine she would be busy helping her brother and all."
"Her brother?"
"Yeah, he's a Silvermane Captain. Gepard is his name." There was no response from Oleg so Seele looked properly at him, raising an eyebrow at his surprised expression. "What?"
"Gepard is her brother?"
"Yeah, why? Do you know him?"
"He's the Silvermane's liaison officer in the Underworld. This whole joint operation thing is his idea."
"Huh. So that armband is his idea, too?"
"Yeah."
"Wait, is he the reason you look so proud of them?"
"Yeah," Oleg answered sheepishly and Seele blinked in disbelief.
"You're weirdly simple sometimes, you know that?"
"... yeah?"
Once Oleg left, Seele made a a short work on preparing herself to visit Serval, changing out of her hospital gown into the clothes Oleg brought for her in record time. She combed her hair in the blind since there was no mirror nearby, scoffed disdainfully at that one lock that always stood defiant on the top of her head before slipping through the door and out of her assigned room.
Her steps were quiet as she traversed the neutral white hallway still lit by the lights, not wanting to disturb the other patients still sleeping in their own respective rooms, until finally she found the exit. Thankfully, Natasha had the thought to tell her where it was when she dropped by earlier to give her her breakfast and prescriptions so Seele wasn't lost.
Well, not entirely anyway. It was still a new environment so it was inevitable that she took the wrong turns a few times on her way out.
The Guards stationed on the front barely spared her a glance when she walked past them compared to the nurses who looked at her for a few long seconds before deciding that she was not in trouble or need. Still, Seele nodded at them in acknowledgement before she took her first step into her first ever sunrise.
It was kind of underwhelming.
She had dreamed about it but now she was there, it wasn't what she expected. Though, to be fair, she didn't know what to expect to begin with. The idea was as foreign as the sea to her, vast and unreachable, until it became a reality.
The freezing atmosphere robbed it almost all of its growing warmth, sparing only the barest to reach the world below. What should've been a warm morning was almost as cold as the night that even the Underworld was warmer with its abundant supply of Geomarrow being constantly mined and transported about. Seele huffed a misty breath, disappointed as one of life's greatest mystery turned out to be not as fascinating as she thought it would be.
The Administrative District looked a lot different than the last time she was there with streetlights illuminating the road and local area with its golden glow while shops were still being opened by their owners. It was still early so it wasn't as crowded, too, with the Guards dominating the count. Seele took in the silence with brief interest, enjoying the atmosphere which was vastly different than the usual Underworld mornings.
She was an early bird so Seele was no stranger to mornings even if she hated them. As many other things she did, waking up early was done out of necessity since she had people to relieve of their duties after a long night of working security. Granted, sleeping schedule in the Underworld was as fickle as the wind itself with no sun to dictate the day and night.
As it seemed, however, she wasn't the only one to think as such.
Many faces she saw were familiar, people from the Underworld who finally had their freedom after a decade of oppression lounging about the District while looking unfazed by the cold, some accompanied by unfamiliar faces she guessed were their Overworld relatives or friends. The sight brought a small smile to her face, especially when she noticed the clear happiness they wore.
None of them paid her any attention, though, and Seele was fine with it. It wasn't like she was that famous, anyway.
Arriving at her destination, Seele promptly pushed the shop's doors open and stepped inside, the chime of the bell above alerting the people inside of her entrance. She ran a hand over her hair to get rid of the snowflakes building on it and sighed at the warmth radiating from nearby Geomarrow heater, walking to the front desk only to pause when she spotted something by the corner of her eye.
Or rather, someone.
"Dan Heng? What are you doing here?"
The aloof young man turned to face her from his position behind a workbench, obviously in the middle of something if the things on it were any indication. Seele didn't have much conversation with Dan Heng so they weren't exactly close, though she didn't doubt his intentions at all, and since he was almost as stoic as Bronya there wasn't exactly much to talk to begin with. He mostly kept to himself and Seele respected that. People who talked less usually had things done better than the more obnoxious bunch.
He regarded her for a moment before he replied, tone as level as usual while his eyes remained critical. "Volunteering," he answered simply as he returned to tinkering on the things. "How are you?"
Seele blinked and leaned on the counter, arms folded under her weight. "Good. Do you know where Serval is?"
"Back there in the house," he gestured at a door to his right while throwing her a quick glance. "She's waiting for you."
"Alright, thanks."
"Sure."
Strange kid but Seele had met stranger. Without further thoughts, she walked into the door and quietly closed it behind her, humming a pleased hum when the smell of oil and grease were replaced with the delicious smell of bread and coffee. "Hello? Serval, you here?"
"Yeah!" A loud voice to her left answered and Seele turned to its direction, walking down a well lit hallway and further into the house. "Over here, Seele!"
Serval was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast by the stove while a basket of freshly baked breads sat on her dining table along with the coffee she smelled earlier. Gawking slightly at the sight, Serval must have seen the look on her face with the way she laughed. "I hope you're hungry!"
"Well, no I actually..." Seele trailed off, contemplating on whether she should tell Serval that she had had her breakfast already or not until she decided to go along with it. Besides, she wasn't one to turn down foods. "Nevermind."
Serval smiled, returning her attention to her cooking. "Sit down and have some coffee. I might not be as amazing as Mei but I know a thing or two about food."
"You've had Mei's cooking?" Seele asked curiously as she sat down, dragging a mug of dark liquid close before taking a whiff of its steam. It smelled heavenly, so unlike the low quality products the Underworld was forced to consume for years.
She took a sip and hummed at the taste.
"Oh, yeah. Amazing stuff. The first day after the battle, we've had to set up camps for the Underworlders who poured out to seek their relatives so Mei volunteered to work on the makeshift kitchen. I heard her skills were quite the talk already with her providing food a while back?"
Seele nodded, though Serval couldn't see it with her back still facing Seele. "Yeah, we've had a problem in the mine with monsters and vagrants disturbing everyone. Plenty of wounded and dead."
"My condolences."
Seele shrugged and took another sip, finding comfort in the warmth blooming in her body. It was unfortunate but not something unheard of. "Don't be, it's not your fault."
Serval smiled sadly at that but didn't say anything further. The general condition of the Underworlders itself was depressing to see, a sight she got to witness first hand, with distrust thick in the air. If it wasn't for the Astral Express crew, she wasn't sure that they could mend the severed bonds between the two worlds that even now with their help it was still a slow, yet steady process.
She sighed quietly as she turned the stove off, put a pair of mittens and carefully lifted the pot to the table. Seele watched it all with mild interest that turned into a full blown curiosity when she saw what was inside of it.
"What is that?" She asked as she leaned closer for a better view. The smell was great but... but... "Why is it red?"
Serval chuckled at her reaction, putting two bowls and began filling them up with its content. Last but not least, she put a spoonful of sour cream on each, its white a contrast to the near crimson. "It's called Russian Borscht, Bronya's country signature food. She gave me the recipe a while back."
"Is it good? I've never had any red soup before."
"Kiana vouched for it. It's authentic."
Seele raised an eyebrow at that. If even Kiana approved of something Bronya suggested, then it should be good. That in itself was a miracle.
Serval handed her a spoon and Seele accepted it with a thanks. Staring at her bowl for a second, she shrugged and dipped the spoon into the content, taking a generous amount into her mouth.
The moment it touched her tongue, her eyes lit up.
"Oh..." She was speechless. The taste was nothing like she had had before, which was fair since it was the first time she had Borscht, and it certainly new. Taking a spoonful, she scooped the meat mixed in it and brought it to her mouth again, humming at the explosion of taste once she bit it. "Oh, this is amazing!"
Serval watched her with a mixture of amusement and fondness. "Dip the bread into it."
Seele did as told without thought, at this point too enraptured to even conjure a comprehensive thought. It was an endless waves of new experiences, each ingredients tasting different than the last, that she was certain it was the best food she had ever had, second only to Mei's.
Frankly, if Mei ever cooked a Borscht Seele would probably die on the first bite with sensory overload being her cause of death. Serval was amazing but Mei was simply a step above divine.
She proceeded to wolf down the rest much to Serval's amusement. Watching the younger woman eat her fill gave her pride, knowing she did great for her first time cooking the food. In a much more languid pace Serval followed suit, humming quietly when she got the first bite into her mouth.
It was... understandable, for Seele to enjoy it as much as she did. Bronya gave her one hell of a recipe despite the substitutes she inevitably had to use as ingredients.
Eventually, Seele emptied her bowl and Serval who had been watching her through her periphery caught her glancing at the pot with hunger clear in her eyes. Chuckling softly to herself, Serval loosely gestured at it. "You can have more if you want."
A pair of purple eyes flicked to her direction almost scandalously before they returned to the pot. It wasn't as much as a battle as it was a struggle which Seele had already lost the moment she got her first taste of the food. Grunting loudly, she filled her bowl with another hefty portion and began eating.
Another portion later and Seele finally had her fill, not out of satisfaction but rather physical limitations as her stomach was filled to the brim. She couldn't bring herself to take another bite but the taste...
The goddamn taste...
"I can give you the recipe later," Serval proposed, her own empty bowl on the table before her, long abandoned after the first time it was emptied. "Or you can go ask Bronya yourself. Maybe she will offer you some personal suggestions while she's at it."
"I'll do just that."
Serval smiled as a comfortable silence descended upon them, content to just bask in the moment. She rarely got guests so early in the morning and judging from Seele's expression the feeling was mutual.
Besides, it wasn't like a lot of people frequented her, anyway. After everything that had happened to her, she was content to live a life of solitude doing her hobby as work. Serval had decided to leave the world of politics and bureaucracies behind when she was stripped of her uniform.
Well, at least until recently anyway.
"So, what is it?" Seele asked after a long pause, beating her ahead by a small margin. Looking up, she saw the more familiar eyes of a determined and fierce girl she first met in her shop a few days ago.
Serval cleared her throat. "There's something I need to tell you."
"Yeah, I figured. You wouldn't have asked me to meet you otherwise." Seele shrugged then as she crossed her legs under the table, smiling a friendly smile. "I mean, don't get me wrong I really enjoy this but you really should've just been upfront about it, y'know."
"Sorry, I really didn't know what excuse I could use." Serval laughed sheepishly then. "But, hey. It worked."
Seele snorted. "I guess. But you do have my phone, right? Is it still usable?"
"Oh, yeah." Serval got up to pick a small box from the top of her refrigerator, sliding it to Seele as she sat back down. "I fixed it already. Don't worry, all the data is still fine since all I had to do was replace the screen."
Seele opened the offered box where her phone was carefully fitted between soft paddings, pulling it out she then tapped the screen twice, sighing with relief when her usual wallpaper greeted her. "Thanks. I'll pay you up as soon as I can."
But Serval merely waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, don't worry about it. It's on the house."
"You sure? That was a lot of money."
"It was just—" Serval stopped herself, remembering who she was talking to. While the Overworlders might consider it cheap, the same couldn't be said to the people living in the Underworld. It was just a screen, yet it probably costed the same as someone's weekly salary down there so instead Serval simply nodded and thinned her lips, trying her best to suppress the grimace threatening to spill forth. "It was a thanks, from me."
She sighed as she leaned back on her chair before continuing. "It's the least I can do after all the sacrifices you made for us, every single one of us."
Seele pocketed her phone then after turning the data off and the onslaught of messages stopped. Most of them were from Luka and for a second she wondered if someone actually told that dumbass that she was in a coma the past few days or not. He could be so clueless sometimes, or just plain stupid.
"If you say so."
The near dismissive way Seele said it had Serval pausing. Nodding slowly, she raised an eyebrow at the purple haired woman. "How are you feeling, though?"
Seele shrugged nonchalantly. "Better."
"That's good to hear. You gave Dunn and me quite the scare, back then."
Seele snorted and took a sip of her cooling coffee, letting it soak on her tongue as she mulled over her words. "It's not like I could help it. Still, tell him I'm sorry for the troubles."
The blonde visibly hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip silently before Serval sighed deeply. "You do realize that you were dead, right? How could you be so indifferent about it?"
Words couldn't describe the pure dread she felt when she and Dunn found Seele and Bronya a short while later after picking up a call from the former, a call which echoed nothing but a scream of pure agony that had her heart plummeting to the pit of her stomach. Serval knew something was terribly wrong but the sight of Seele lying in the pool of her own blood while Bronya was stuck in a murder trance wasn't what she expected. She caught a glimpse of Seele's blood on Bronya's bayonet a second before the Silvermane Commandant turned her rifle on them, if it wasn't for Dunn and his impeccable reaction speed she was sure she would've caught a bullet to the stomach.
Dunn's words still lingered in her mind whenever she recalled that moment.
"What the hell is happening?! This is the second Rand that is intent on killing us!"
What happened afterwards was even more strange. Amidst the pinging of bullets on shield and the sparks they created, she saw a flicker of purple and red energy practically oozing from Seele's body before Bronya suddenly stopped on her track and fell on her own weight, unconscious. They had to carry them both back to Belobog then with Dunn practically bulldozing through the snow like it was nothing, urgency fueling his sprint, with Seele carefully wrapped around his arms.
The red that painted the white snow as Serval followed him with Bronya on her back would forever haunt her. It travelled down Dunn's armored form before pouring down to the ground, leaving behind a scene of pure horror until it just stopped. Somehow, it was even more scary because they knew it was simply too late then.
They arrived at the outpost a few minutes later with Serval hyperventilating from both panic and exertion, from then everything was almost a blur. She felt Bronya being removed from her back and brought to safety with a full escort by the Guards, the gentle squeeze of Dunn's hand on her shoulder yet all she could focus on was the body left in the medical tent, the doctors there briefly checking on it before they shook their heads and left.
Not even the cold could stop the warm tears from falling as she broke down there and then with thousands of thoughts racing in her head. She was no stranger to loss but to experience it was always despairing no matter how much it had happened.
She stayed like that for God knew how long, almost as motionless as the dead before her and barely blinking. At one point, the Astral Express crew returned and the absence of Cocolia was enough explanation on what happened to her yet she felt nothing when Mei told her the news.
Mei... was shocked when she saw Seele, but it was fleeting compared to the three teenagers who pretty much shared the same reaction as Serval's. At first, Serval thought she was just that jaded but when she called Kiana she knew it wasn't true. She was simply aware of something they weren't.
Of course, Serval had heard the tale about the Express even if it was just briefly. Some books had records of their arrival on ancient Jarilo-VI but it had been centuries since then so nobody really knew them anymore. One thing she was certain of, however, was that nobody should posses the power Kiana had.
Kiana arrived through her portal, not looking worse for the wear even a slight bit, but it was who that followed her that had Serval reeling in surprise.
She had Bronya's face, voice and name but she wasn't the Bronya Serval raised alongside Cocolia. Her silver eyes were hard as steel and nearly as cold, almost unfeeling even when she saw Seele's cooling body. Almost because Serval certainly saw a flicker of shock even if it's just for a split second, a feat possible to achieve for the sole reason that she had known thay face for years and thus could count even the smallest of shift.
They didn't say anything but somehow managed to hit the same consensus from the stares they shared with each other. A silent communication possible between people so close they were one in all but body. Mei moved with grace to close the tent flaps before she stood right before the entrance, hands clasped together in front of her as she offered Bronya and Kiana a near imperceptible nod.
What happened afterwards could only be described as miraculous.
They saw with clarity how Kiana's jacket burned away along with the rest of her outfit, whittled away by a purple fire which then coalesced and condensed on her figure into an elegant dress that radiated elegance. The energy from it alone was enough to make her heart pound in anticipation, every fiber of her being telling her that she was in the presence of something great, something powerful words simply couldn't describe yet it wasn't oppressive but rather comforting, like the flow of cool spring water on the skin of the weary.
Although, the same couldn't be said to both Mei and Bronya themselves.
When the energy hit them, something flickered and out of existence around their body, outlines of armor and dress that perpetuated similar energy. They seemed to resonate with each other and it was so fascinating to watch, more so when Bronya put her hand on Seele's chest right over her heart and let the energy flow into her body, repairing all the damage and injuries she sustained with ease until she was breathing and alive again.
"Wait," Kiana interrupted her then when she was about to grab Seele, still encased in the strange energy, to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "It's not done yet."
"She's alive, right...?"
"Her body is. There's another thing we need to get, something as precious but more intricate."
"The soul," Bronya chimed in, voice level even as she continued to stare at Seele's rapidly reddening face now her blood was flowing again. "The world doesn't allow one to gather the pieces of a soul. We'll have to get her back."
"Back?"
"She's in the afterlife now, resting on beyond the Sea."
"But how?"
"By guiding it," Bronya glanced to Kiana who nodded before the Kaslana pulled out her phone and dialed someone, much to Serval's confusion. "We know someone."
Three rings were all it took before it was answered, three rings that felt like eternity. "Hey, it's me. Sorry for calling suddenly but do you have a moment? No, no Bronya is okay we just need your help. Uh-huh, yeah with that. No, just go first I'll catch up later. Okay, yeah thanks, Seele."
Kiana pocketed her phone back, ignoring the dumbstruck stares she received from Serval and the girls while Dan Heng was looking at her with intrigue, and grinned. "Don't worry, she's gonna be fine. That I promise."
Without another word, Kiana raised her hand and snapped her fingers and everything just stopped. The energy gone along with her dress while the woman herself swayed and fell back towards a waiting Mei's embrace, unconscious.
They had assured her then that everything would be alright and she chose to believe them. After all, the rise and fall of Seele's chest was enough proof that the girl was alive again. Whatever they did, it obviously worked which further being accentuated by the fact that very same girl was now sitting behind her dining table. Alive and well.
"I guess you'd just have to accept it," said Seele with a shrug. She did that a lot today and it was still morning. "I've known that I'd one day die."
"Yeah, but weren't you scared?"
Seele scoffed. "Of course I was, and still am in fact. It's just that you shouldn't live with that fear. When you die, you die. Nothing you can do will stop it." She shook her head after a short pause, "but I guess that mindset is just another byproduct of our society. People die almost every day in the Underworld and we're dying already so there's really not much stake left."
Serval saw that. In the eyes belonging to the Underworlders when they first went to the Overworld after a decade of forced seclusion. Gritty, hardened eyes that reflected the souls of everyone but the hope was unmistakable, especially ones displayed in the eyes of the children.
"The future generations are always ahead the rest of us," Mei had quietly commented then, obviously seeing what Serval was seeing. "They see the world for what it is; full of possibilities and limitless opportunities. That innocence is what make them better for when all we see is struggle, they instead see hope. Pure, unadulterated hope and wonders."
"Everything will be fine," Serval offered and Seele grunted, not denying nor agreeing. Hope was as dangerous as it was beneficial, being tentative about it was the smartest move when it come to it. "Bronya is smart and wise. She will lead everyone fair and just."
"Yes."
The blonde chuckled. "Always so quick to agree about Bronya, huh?"
Seele glared at her but Serval was unfazed, returning it with a sly smile of her own. Rolling her eyes, Seele answered "I have faith on her. She's better than her mother was and she won't lead us astray."
The smile on Serval's face vanished and she looked down to her empty cup of coffee. Noticing the way her eyes grew distant, Seele raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I wouldn't exactly agree..."
"What do you mean?"
Serval audibly sighed as she pondered on her words, languidly twiddling with her thumbs as she mulled over them. "Actually, this is what I've been meaning to tell you."
"Yes?"
"I'm sure Bronya had mentioned this before but Cocolia and I had histories." Seele nodded silently. Bronya had, in fact, told her about it. She also had told her about Serval's apparent hatred on Cocolia.
"Yeah, you didn't like her. I think it's fair, though."
Serval chuckled dryly. Seele was being mild with her words and she could see it. "Dislike didn't do it justice, I hated her guts to the point I couldn't stand in the same room with her." She ran a hand over her face then, leaning back on her chair and gazing up to the ceiling. "But it's not always like that."
"Oh," Seele scratched the back of her head and frowned. "Were you guys like, lovers or something?" She asked tentatively.
Serval made a face at that, looking at Seele straight in the eye. "No, how did you reach that conclusion?"
"I dunno, all my life I've only seen former lovers hating each other so much to your description."
"It's not like that. And by the way, you should work on your definition of lovers, missy."
"Former, and for the record I've never engaged myself in a romantic relationship so I wouldn't know."
Serval's eyes bulged out almost comically, mouth hanging open. "Not even once?"
"Nope, no time.'
"Oh, my poor Bronya."
"What does Bronya have to do with it?!"
Serval promptly buried her face in her hands and lamented. "My poor, poor Bronya. I think you should go talk with Mei or Kiana to understand this matter."
"Okay...?" Seele drawled, still unsure. "So, like what were you guys?"
"We were best friends," Serval settled to say, gone was the jovial glint in her gaze as she stared at nothingness behind Seele. "Sisters even, related by everything but blood."
"But you hated her?"
"Not always. She and I shared many things in common, including hobby."
"You mean your fondness to music? Was she a fan of your band or something?"
"Nope, she was our member. Our bassist, to be precise."
Seele blinked in disbelief. "That Cocolia?"
"It's hard to picture, right?" Serval said bitterly. "The Cocolia you know is the tyrannical leader that forced you and many others into difficulties, but to me she was more than just that."
Seele snorted indignantly, though it wasn't directed to anyone in particular. At least, not anyone present. "Just you said..."
"It's hard to believe, I know but it was the truth. Cocolia was kind, caring and ambitious in her youth. Much like Bronya." The last part made Seele's eyes snapped towards Serval who readily met her gaze with her own. Smiling sadly, the blonde continued. "Precisely like Bronya I must say since she and I taught and raised that child to who she is now."
"... where are you going with this?"
"The truth I'm afraid will be buried now it was in the past. I'm merely telling you this to show you what might come to you now you're bonded with our dear Supreme Guardian."
Seele scowled. "Bronya won't turn into a monster like her mother."
"I wouldn't have thought Cocolia would too but she did."
"No, she won't."
"How can you be so sure? I did happen to her mother and I assume many previous Supreme Guardians."
"Because I'm here," Seele exclaimed resolutely. "If she even thinks about relinquishing our freedom for survival like her mother to another power, I will smack her again and again until she returns to her sense but only if it happens which I doubt it will. Bronya knows what is best not just for the city but also the people. I have faith in her."
Through her confession, Serval's smile grew and grew until it became a full blown grin. Seele didn't see it at first as she was too busy rambling. "The road ahead will be hard and people will change along the way. It's simply inevitable."
"But their core values won't. The Bronya I know will change but her kindness and fortitude will stay the same. Besides, she and I made a promise and until it was fulfilled, I'll continue on demanding it from her."
A memory that felt like a lifetime ago, which technically was true, of a promise that still rang true in her heart and mind. Bronya had promised her out of desperation to help her people but there's undoubtedly a sincerity in it, a desire to fulfill it no matter how.
"I'm afraid that they won't accept me."
"She's doing everything for the interest of the people," Seele continued softly, a tender smile blooming on her face that had Serval staring in wonder. She traced circles on the rim of her mug mindlessly as she formulated her words. "It will be hell on earth before she even turn her back on the helpless."
"You are right," Serval said just as softly. "She has you and many others. Unlike me, you won't abandon her in her time of needs."
"Do you regret that?"
Serval sucked in a breath and nodded. "Everyday. Everyday I think of another possibility where I didn't walk away, where I was just a little bit stronger. That perhaps I could've saved Cocolia from the path of certain doom she's walking into."
"I see..."
"Don't be like me," Serval told Seele solemnly. "Don't give up on Bronya. You both will disagree on something, you will fight over it but whatever happens, do not leave her alone. It will be more painful once everything's too late between you both."
"I was told I could be a little too stubborn, though."
"Well, it's the better then," Serval laughed and Seele cracked a smile at it. "Be stubborn. That's when you know you won't give up no matter what."
"Can I ask you something, though?" Seele began after a short pause, smile still lingering on her lips, and continued when Serval gave her a 'go ahead' nod. "How's Bronya when she was a kid?"
The sudden shift of the mood had Serval grinning from ear to ear, she cleared her throat and hummed noncommittally. "Well..."
Hours passed, by the time Seele emerged back to the world the sun was already high in the sky and bright. The talk itself was enjoyable and Seele found herself intrigued the more they talked, however every good things must end and Serval unfortunately still had works to do so after a quick good-bye she made her way out of the shop with mood better than before.
The Administrative District was more crowded this time with people finally woke up and about the place, either working or simply enjoying themselves in the relatively clear weather considering the fact Jarilo-VI itself was an icy planet. At first, she didn't have certain direction to go so Seele merely strolled around mindlessly, taking in the sight of the Overworld properly.
Currently, she was watching a bunch of kids as they learned about the history of Belobog near a large Geomarrow monument with the very same bespectacled, midget woman she met days ago giving the lecture. Seele was a good tens of meters away so although the woman didn't notice her with how crowded it was, Seele could still see the passionate smile she had despite some unruly children doing unruly things amidst the bunch.
Seele smiled faintly when she noticed a few familiar kids including Hook and her gang, though she seemed more interested with the moving tram that went around the city every now and then than the lecture itself. She couldn't blame them though. Even if she understood the importance of education, it was still boring as hell.
Her thought was interrupted when someone bumped into her back. "Hey, watch it!" Seele hissed angrily as she turned around, only to pause when she realized who it was before a grin broke on her face instead. "Oh, it's you guys."
"I'm so sorry!" March apologized profusely, almost instinctively, until she too realized who it was. "Seele?! You're out already?!"
Seele waved her hand dismissively. "Just sneaked out this morning, how about you guys? What are you doing?"
Stelle approached them and raised the blue camera in her hands. "March wanted me to take a few pictures so I figured now that we're free, it's time we do just that."
"Oh, yeah. I heard what you guys did. Thanks for helping everyone."
"Nah, don't worry about it. The pay is good."
Seele smirked. "I saw Dan Heng in Serval's place early this morning, where is he now?"
"Last I heard he's picking something up from the Underworld, we didn't quite have the time to rest so we made good of our time instead."
"How long have you guys been running errands?" Seele asked worriedly, properly looking at both girls. They didn't look worse for the wear so it's hard to imagine that they had been working nonstop. "You're not pushing yourself too hard, are you?"
"It's fine," March assured her with a smile. "The Path of Trailblaze gives us the strength. We could go on for a whole week without sleeping so this is nothing."
Seele regarded the pinkette for a second before she shrugged. "Well, if you're sure. Speaking of which, have you guys seen Bronya?"
"Which one?" Both March and Stelle chorused before they shared a glance, the former giggling in amusement while the latter rolled her eyes playfully. Seele simply shook her head at their antics and smiled.
"Your Bronya."
"Truth be told, we haven't seen her much these days," Stelle answered and March nodded along. "She can't really show herself in the open since it may cause some confusion so Bronya usually went on her own ways without us. Try checking on Mei or Kiana, they probably have an inkling or two on her whereabouts."
Seele hummed in thought. It made sense for Bronya to hide from public's eyes since she shared face with her Bronya and to have someone that looked exactly like the Supreme Guardian running around the place would raised some alarms. Still, it didn't explain why Bronya didn't pick up her call.
"You know what, I'll do just that." Seele settled to say. "Do you know where Kiana and Mei are?"
"Oh, they're eating lunch over there." March raised a finger to somewhere far and Seele's gaze followed it. "Just go to that direction, there's an open restaurant that way."
Seele nodded. "Alright, thanks. I'll see you two later."
"Sure. It's good to know you're well, by the way."
"Yeah, me too. Later, March, Stelle."
She bade her good-bye to the two girls who returned it with smiles and nods. As she walked away, March grabbed Stelle's by her arm and yanked her close, whining "Why didn't you warn me?! That was embarrassing!"
"What? Bumping on Seele in a literal manner sounded quite funny to me," Stelle retorted flatly yet the amusement in her golden eyes was unmistakable. "She was ready to chew you alive, too."
The pinkette groaned. "You're unbelievable. As an apology, you'll have to accompany me for the rest of the day."
"Wait, what?!"
"You brought it upon yourself! I intended on having Dan Heng with me but your action changed my mind."
"Oh, come on!"
Their voices faded into background noises the further Seele go, heading straight to the direction March gave her. It wasn't a long walk as she saw both Kiana and Mei sitting under an umbrella.
"Mei, Kiana," she greeted the pair with a nod, gaze stopping on Kiana when she noticed the strange color of her eyes. They were vibrant gold instead of her usual blue with some intricate patterns in them.
Those very same eyes flicked to her direction before they rolled dismissively with a scoff.
Seele blinked, surprised and baffled by the sheer curtness of the action.
Mei laughed warmly. "Sorry, Kiana is not exactly here."
"Huh?"
Mei proceeded to spoon-fed Kiana ice cream, of all things, whose expression immediately changed to delight as she squealed. "This is Sirin."
"... who?"
"Sirin," Mei explained, "it's a long story but Kiana has two personalities inside her. One being Kiana and the other is Sirin, who's currently in control of her body."
Seele frowned, scratching the back of her head in confusion before she shrugged helplessly. "I wouldn't believe it if it's someone else telling me this, the idea of dual ego is a little farfetched."
Kiana, or rather Sirin, glanced up to her direction before bursting into laughter. Her voice was a little different than Kiana's, younger but the smugness in it was obvious as she spoke. "Oh, that was rich coming from you," she simply said before returning her attention to her food.
"Sirin, that is not very nice to say," Mei scolded the girl who only pouted as a response. Shaking her head fondly, she then addressed Seele. "She's a little straightforward with her words but she's not a bad girl, still I apologize on her behalf."
Still staring at the girl, Seele hummed. "Nah, it's fine. I like people who're honest with themselves." A sigh. "Speaking of honest people... do you know where Bronya is?"
"Bronya?"
"Yeah, your Bronya," Seele clarified. "I tried calling her but she didn't pick up my calls."
"Hm," Mei tilted her head slightly to the side, appeared to be in thought. "Oh, she's having a meeting with her company's board members right now and didn't want to be disturbed."
"I see..."
"Why are you looking for her?"
"I need to ask her a few things."
"Is that so? Well, Bronya just told me you can come and see her."
"Huh, how did you— You know what, I'm not even going to ask. Just tell me where she is."
"It's a cafe called Hoffnung, here let me send you the city's map." Mei unlocked her phone and after a few seconds, Seele felt her own vibrated in her pocket. Fishing it out, she downloaded the file Mei sent her and hummed to herself, taking in the map briefly.
"Thanks," she said and Mei nodded. "I'll be going now. See you later."
"Of course."
She met Dunn on her way in a tram.
At first, she didn't recognize him since she hadn't seen him outside that bulky armor of his but she did recognize his voice even if it was slightly different now it's not muffled by his helmet. He was large, burly, and a little too pale yet the gentle smile he had was true and honest.
He asked her a lot of things and Seele did her best in answering him, in return she asked him about the finer details of Belobog's Overworld layouts to memorize for the future. She had a feeling that she would be around often and when she told him that, he simply chuckled.
"It's nice, isn't it?" He had asked her then, "Everyone is finally together again."
She agreed wholeheartedly, even though she didn't exactly have anyone on the Overworld to look for but the joy of everyone was enough for Seele. For the first time she saw her people so jovial and alive, finally quenching their desire for reunion with their loved ones and it was enough.
Unfortunately, their meeting didn't last long with Dunn first hopping off at his destination. It was his day off and he had places her wanted to visit. He promised her that they would meet again after exchanging contact information, among which he also told her that the Guards would always have her back henceforth.
Apparently, Bronya was not only held in high regards but she was a close friend to them. When words got out that Seele and the Crew saved her, they made it their duty to return the favor by including them in their fold. Dunn explained that whatever they needed, the Guards would be willing to help as long as it was within reasons.
Seele understood the weight of it. From tactical standpoint alone, it meant that the Wildfire would have backups now in fighting the remaining menace in the Underworld. It was just words and while she wouldn't usually take them at face value, she'd learned to trust the Guards through Bronya and her actions. These people were the pillar of defense and they upheld their Codex highly so they would keep their promises.
Still, besides the job ends it also gave her butterflies to learn that they had forged relations already. Seele made sure Dunn heard her gratitude when he walked off.
That was roughly an hour ago. Now, the feeling was gone and all that remained was frustration. She had tried to get her bearings but she learned that she sucked at reading maps too late now she had been walking in practical circles around the area. It took Seele almost another half an hour in which she had to ask for assistance from Bronya until she finally found the cafe.
With her mood now decidedly sour, Seele briskly entered the building and looked for a head of silver hair amongst the tables. It was easy to spot Bronya since her appearance stood up like a sore thumb but it was the fact that the waitress and owner were staring at a certain spot that gave it away.
Their expression was one that could be described as bewilderment and shock, looking at Bronya like a deer caught in headlights while the woman in question easily ignored them by favoring her laptop on the table. It was open and as Seele approached, she noticed the wireless earphones on her ears.
She was also smiling, something that made Seele pause.
Seele sat down across of her and Bronya finally looked away from the screen of her laptop towards Seele. She obviously had seen her through her periphery since she sat facing the entrance.
Bronya removed one of her earphones, still smiling, and greeted her. "Hey."
"Hey," Seele mumbled, still baffled by Bronya's expression. It wasn't one she had seen before and for the first time Bronya actually looked human. "Are you busy?"
"No, I've just done with my meeting. Sorry for not answering your calls."
"It's fine. It's not like it was something urgent."
"Glad to hear," Bronya paused as she took a sip of her coffee. "Would you like to order something? Maybe lunch? The cake is great, by the way."
Not one to usually turn down food, Seele shook her head instead. "Thanks but I'm still full. Serval made an amazing Borscht and I... had a few."
"Really? That's amazing. I've only given her the recipe yesterday."
"Yeah, she told me it was from you." Seele sighed and allowed herself to relax, leaning back against the couch and crossing her leg above the other. When she looked back to Bronya, she saw her following every of her movement, as if to ascertain there was nothing wrong with her.
It was brief and Bronya's gaze returned to its passive attentive not a second later. "How are you feeling?" Bronya asked gently only to raise an inquisitive eyebrow when Seele groaned exasperatedly in return.
"Everyone has been asking me that a lot it's honestly getting tiring. I'm fine, no need to worry."
"Well, we were worried."
"You should've known that I'm fine. You're the one who brought me back to life."
"That would be Kiana."
"Don't discredit yourself. Whatever bullshit you pulled certainly helped, too. Natasha told me." Bronya hummed but didn't answer verbally and Seele continued on. "What is it with Kiana, though? She has two personalities?"
"Oh, you've met Sirin?"
"Yeah, she was... well, different I guess. A little scathingly frank but I don't dislike it."
Bronya's smile turned somewhat sad at that. "That girl has gone through a lot. It's a long story but she was a victim of our circumstances. Thirty years ago she lost all her friends and herself, now we made it our goal to see her happy."
"But, how did she end up in Kiana's body?" Seele asked confusedly but instead of answering the question, Bronya shook her head.
"That's not my place to tell. If you really want to know, you'll have to ask Kiana yourself."
A shrug. "If you say so. What about Kiana though? You know, since she's not in control is she like... somewhere else?"
"Oh, she's probably sleeping in her own head. Bringing you back took quite the toll on her and we haven't exactly been resting after everything. Plenty of jobs between the Overworld and Underworld to take care of."
"She brought me back to life. Her being exhausted from using her power is not really that surprising."
"You're mistaken," Bronya curtly said and Seele blinked at her. It was only then did Seele notice that throughout their conversation, Bronya's other hand was busy sketching something on a sketch book over her lap. Bronya didn't seem bothered by her either as she made a steady progress on drawing... Svarog and Clara?
"Bringing you back barely took a percent of her power, however to control it is a different matter entirely." Bronya caught her staring at her sketch book and smiled faintly, bringing it up to the table so Seele could see it better. "Her power is like the ocean, vast and limitless, and just like the ocean if left unchecked it will flood over the world and drown everything in destruction. She was the floodgate that control it, and using it on you is akin to filling a straw with that water. It takes precision and precision requires control, in which can be exhausting."
"Is that why you guys don't use your power freely?" Mumbled Seele who was now openly staring at the drawing with fascination. It looked so detailed and Bronya drew it from memory alone which was impressive in itself.
"More or less. There's also a danger that came with it which is the number one reason why we don't use our Authority freely."
"For you?"
"For the universe." A sudden silence descended upon them as Seele stared at Bronya with wide eyes, shocked and speechless by the sheer certainty in Bronya's tone. The woman before her also wore another strange expression, one Seele hadn't seen on her before. "A snap of her fingers can collapse reality, a wave of her hand can conjure an army of beasts that will bloat the galaxy in its shadow. There's no telling what will happen if she were to use her full, unbridled power but the end of time is not all that farfetched of a prospect."
"But don't worry," Bronya assured with a smile. "Kiana isn't a tyrant who oppresses people under an iron fist. I doubt she has thought of the idea either. She's just a girl who fights for all that's beautiful and she would never use her power to make others suffer."
"I—I see... That was some scary things you said."
"Sorry, I was just being frank. I'm not good with words." Bronya leaned back and sighed, glancing to the screen of her laptop briefly with a small, barely noticeable, grin and folding her arms over her chest. "So, while it's a fascinating talk, I assume you're not here to talk about Kiana?"
Seele shook her head. "No, I actually have a few questions for you."
"Sure, ask away."
"What do you think of your mother?"
Bronya paused and frowned in thought, not expecting this particular question. "My mother? Matushka Cocolia?"
"Yeah. I know the previous Supreme Guardian is not your mother but ever since you told me that your version of Cocolia is also your mother, I can't stop thinking of what kind of person she is. Obviously, your world is not suffering from the Eternal Freeze like mine so she can't be a Supreme Guardian too, right?"
Bronya nodded. "That would be correct. Matushka was a branch leader of Anti-Entrophy, a human military organization whose sovereign was my mentor."
"Your mentor?"
"Yes, his name is Welt Yang. He's the first person from my world to arrive on this side of the universe, it's thanks to him that we're here."
"Where is he now?"
"Onboard the Express. If I were to say, he's your Oleg for what he is to me."
That painted a very clear picture. Though not everyone could see it, she suspected Bronya's and her outstanding perception saw through the thin veil of professionalism she and Oleg showed in public. Seele was never one to show affection, she simply didn't know how, but the small gestures were there to see for people like Bronya.
The brief touches, the glances and the subtle change in her tone... All of it were Seele's ways in expressing her feelings to someone and the way she talked and looked at Oleg gave it away.
"How do you feel about all this?" Seele continued quietly after a short pause. "Cocolia is dead and while I understand she's not your mother, she's still a version of her."
Bronya sighed deeply and for the first time her smile vanished. "Disappointed mostly because I knew this would be how it end."
"Huh?"
"I tried to warn her," she explained with a shake of her head. "But she wouldn't listen. I knew it's a futile endeavor but I had to try anyway. She could be very stubborn at times but now I learned that it wasn't any of her will... Well, I wish I had done more to help her."
It wasn't like she could detect the Stellaron's influence on Cocolia either. It didn't give her any superpower so there wasn't an energy to detect to begin with. Unlike Stelle's, the Stellaron here wasn't imbued in someone's body but rather it used its power to fill the world with its poison, a promise of salvation that led to nothing but stagnation and then decay.
"Do you regret it?" Seele asked tentatively and Bronya nodded.
"I do. I thought that, if I hadn't given up on her so easily then things might have gone differently. I let my biased view on Matushka blind me."
"Serval told me that," Seele eyed the woman before her, taking in every of her reactions. "That I shouldn't give up on Bronya no matter what. I don't want her to turn into her mother, she's too good for this world."
A nod. "She'll need you. She'll need people to help her forward. Nobody can survive the cold alone."
Nobody except her but Bronya kept the thought to herself knowing the prospect itself would only result in more harm than good. In no way did Bronya enjoy the harsh loneliness of it and she certainly didn't want anyone to experience what she experienced in the distant past. Seele might not have found her sooner in this world but she was here now, her anchor to the world and reason to kindness. They would complete each other like her Seele did to her.
"it's a rather big shoe to fit, but I'll do my best to help her."
"I know you will."
"... do you love her?"
"Who?"
"Your Seele. I don't know what kind of person she is but you always talk so fondly about her. I'm not her and I can't be her to my Bronya."
Bronya's eyes softened. "I know. I'm sorry if you feel pressured by the fact she and I are lovers. You are you and you both don't share the same story nor past, if anything it's my fault for bringing it up to you. You and Lady Rand didn't know each other to consider yourself more than her friend, much less something romantic."
"No, it's not like I'm against the idea. She's a good person but I barely know her."
"Then you can start now, right? Even if you both turned out to be something different, it would be enough. Worst case scenario you might get a new friend which is not a bad thing, anyway. I'm not expecting you to love her like my Seele did to me because you're not her and Lady Rand is not me. You are your own person."
Seele fell quiet, gaze drifting away from the woman before her to the outside world absently. What Bronya told her was true. She should start to know that Bronya properly now the crisis was over and peace was restored. The concept of romance was foreign to her and while she didn't feel anything romantic towards that Bronya, it was undeniable that she'd grown on Seele.
It was hard to not admire that courage of hers especially for Seele who'd lived only for herself. A woman who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and the countless souls that live in it tirelessly without complaints worth everything of Seele's service, a service she hoped would be enough to help Bronya even if just marginally.
Her younger self from a long time ago would scoff at her and call her stupid, that there was nothing more important than her own survival. But she wasn't that girl anymore. Oleg and her friends taught her the importance of bonds and sacrifices for others, that there was always a bigger image in the smallest of things. Something as minuscule as sharing a bread could be the difference between someone's life and death, a life that potentially would bloom into a bright candle that lit up the darkness ahead.
Nobody could know, yet they taught her to treat everyone the same for their lives were equally precious. However, Bronya's was certain so for Seele it wasn't even something to think.
She is that beacon, and she would do everything to keep it alive because she was important, not just as a figurehead but also a friend for many.
Bronya watched Seele delve into her thought in the silence, the smile she had tugging even further up. Tapping on the last earphone still on her ear to disconnect it, she grabbed her laptop and turned it towards Seele's direction, a brief mischief flashing on her silver eyes as they met the screen in the process.
"I want you to meet someone."
Bronya's voice brought Seele back to reality and she blinked, a mixture of intrigue and confusion painting her expression. A who? sat at the tip of her tongue but before she could say it, she suddenly stopped and froze.
Two pair of purple met, separated only by a thin screen and a distance so far away they were galaxies apart. In any other circumstance, it would've been impossible but thanks to Bronya's Authority it was made possible.
Not that Seele knew that, nor she registered the ramifications of it as her brain practically shortcircuit in her head. When the girl on the other side of the call smiled, Seele's felt her mouth dropping open further.
"Wah! You're so pretty!" She said, voice slightly garbled but unmistakably hers, albeit lighter and lacking the wittiness. "I see what Bronya meant! Hey, Seele, come look at this!"
Seele, still trying to process basically everything, didn't respond. She only watched as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around the girl's torso from behind her, the dark room concealing their owner until they leaned their head on the girl's shoulder.
"What? You're on call with Bronya?" Said the newcomer as her face came to light.
Seele's breath hitched in her throat.
She had long dark hair just like the girl but wherein the girl's inner mane had light blue color, hers was crimson just like the color of her pupils. Pupils that blown wide just like Seele's own from shock as they stared at each other.
In that moment, only one thought crossed both women's heads.
"What the fuck?"
"What the hell?"
"Run me that again?"
"As I said, you cannot enter without express permission or permits."
"Why?"
"Ma'am, you're requesting audience with the Supreme Guardian. We cannot allow just anyone entry for security reason. Unless you're a staff or government official, you cannot freely roam this building."
If look could kill, the glare Seele sent towards the Guard blocking her way would've ripped him apart.
She was right there, a literal few steps away from entering Bronya's office, when one of the Guards stationed by its door stopped her and asked her for identification in which she couldn't provide for the fact she never had one. She grew up in the Underworld where bureaucracy was practically nonexistent and with Cocolia closing their way up, she never had the chance to make any.
Now she was stuck with two peope who looked like they would rather be anywhere but there blocking her way and asking her questions for which the answers were the same no's. In any other circumstance she would be sympathetic of their predicament but she was positively pissed at them she couldn't care less about them.
"I understand your concern," Seele gritted out through her teeth, watching in pleasure the way they recoiled in surprise when her pupils bled red. "But I'm Bronya's friend. I've been through a lot of bullshit today just to get here so either you step aside or I will kick this door open with both of you along."
"Please do not cause us trouble," said the man warily as he and his friend tensed up.
"You're the one causing me troubles!" Seele snapped heatedly. "What the fuck happened to the whole joint operation thing between the Silvermane and Wildfire?! Do you not see that I'm a Wildfire?!"
"You do not seem like one."
"Why? Because I'm a girl?"
"Because you don't even wear a proper identification. We know Wildfire members wear red ribbon on their arm."
"What do you mean? I have it right—" Seele stopped, hand coming up to feel her nonexistent red ribbon. She must have forgotten to wear it earlier in the hospital. "I... forgot mine."
"Not that it would suffice, anyway. Anyone can just find themselves some red piece of clothes and claim to be a Wildfire. Until we can get everyone proper identification, this building is off limits for the Underworlders."
"We're sorry. We don't mean anything by that but we cannot risk the safety of our Supreme Guardian." His friend explained and Seele sighed in defeat.
"Fine, you're right."
Seele turned to leave, feeling just a little disappointed by her failed attempt to meet Bronya. The Guards weren't her enemy and if she was to make any aggression on them, it would only cause more troubles for Bronya and Oleg. She had her own responsibility to carry and she couldn't just be selfish, even Seele understood that, so with leaving as her only choice at the moment Seele made her way out.
Fate, however, said otherwise.
Her small stature made her almost unnoticeable to Seele until she crashed on her as she turned around. Eyes widening in surprise, Seele scrambled to help the woman to her feet before picking up her scattered belongings from the floor. "Sorry, I didn't see you. Are you alright?"
"Yes, and don't worry it happens more often than you imagine." Pela looked up and smiled reassuringly, though it quickly turned into a frown of recognition. "Oh, you're that girl from a few days ago."
Seele handed her the sheets of documents and books she picked up, smiling somewhat sheepishly. "Yeah."
"What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk with Bronya but since I don't have the permits for it they sent me away," she gestured with her thumb at the Guards flanking the door who were now staring at nothing in particular, boredom clear in their gesture.
"What businesses do you have with the Supreme Guardian?"
Seele shrugged nonchalantly. "I just want to check on a friend."
Pela huffed. "Everyone can be friend, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, but I doubt she stabbed any of her 'friends' to death before."
Pela's icy blue eyes widened behind her glasses in a mixture of surprise and recognition for a split second before she caught herself and schooled her expression back to neutral. It was a little endearing to watch but it was true to her job as an intelligence officer.
She pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose and said to Seele curtly "Wait here."
Seele raised and eyebrow as the small woman briskly walked past her and into the office, the Guards letting her pass without as much as a glance, and waited as instructed.
Three minutes later Pela exited the office, now empty handed, and again gestured for Seele to follow her. Still baffled by her action, Seele only did as asked and began to trail the much smaller woman at a much slower walk since her steps were far bigger than Pela's.
Once they rounded a corner, Pela exhaled rather audibly as she visibly deflated. "Bronya is not in her office," she told Seele quietly. "She retired early today."
"So, where is she now?"
"In her chamber."
"And where it might be?"
Pela threw her an amused glance. "I'm bringing you there so you won't have to sneak around the Fort."
Seele snorted but conceded anyway with a shrug. It would be so easy to sneak through the hallways and straight to Bronya's place with her power, the only problem being her lack of knowledge about the Fort's layouts.
Oleg had told her about Qlipoth Fort before, a building so massive it's a literal fort built by the Architects many centuries ago to act as Humanity's last bastion. It housed Belobog's governmental body amongst many things, including its own garden, Geomarrow supply and space available for the people in case of a siege by the otherworldly force attacking the planet.
It was meant to be the final line of defense where everything was lost, but as Seele ventured it deeper still all she could see was an echo of past glory.
The reinforced wall felt cold and the air whispered nothing but emptiness, for a building so vast it had very little soul residing in it. Perhap, it was for the best yet the quiet was unnerving.
Pela didn't seem bothered by it, though. Her strides were sure, full of purpose, and her head held high with gaze set forward. Seele studied the woman before her quietly, wondering what she was to Bronya and what their relationships were.
She called Bronya by her name and Seele hadn't met anyone from the Overworld who called her such aside from Serval and Serval was technically a mother figure too to Bronya, or at least something close to it if what she told her about raising Bronya was true. They were very respectful with her title that was all they used to address her. The fact that Pela called her by the name easily meant that they knew each other enough to be on first name basis.
Of course, she did it when none of her peers was around. She made it pointedly clear when she dragged Seele away from the Guards earlier.
"May I ask your name?" Pela asked her and Seele nodded.
Realizing she couldn't see the gesture, Seele answered her verbally. "It's Seele."
"So, miss Seele, are you an Underworlder?"
"I am."
"I see. Thank you for taking care of our Bronya."
"I wasn't the only one who looked after her."
"That might be true, but dare I say none had done more than you."
Seele hummed absently. "I did what I have to do."
"Right."
They spent the rest of the walk in silence afterwards, Seele being fascinated by the sight around her almost crashed on Pela the second time that day when the smaller woman suddenly stopped right on her track.
"We're here," Pela announced.
Tilting her head curiously, Seele followed Pela's gaze which was set on a nondescript door. It didn't look anything extraordinary, rather it seemed normal it was almost indistinguishable to any other doors they'd passed by on the way if not for the small plaque on the wall beside it.
Bronya Rand, it read.
This was Bronya's room. Right on the other side of the door was Bronya herself. Seele huffed and grinned, finally able to meet the silver haired woman again after everything that had happened.
"Wait," Pela stopped her right after she took her first step and Seele obliged, though the inquisitive dip of her eyebrows was obvious when she faced her.
"What?" She shot back, sounding a little harsher than she intended.
Pela didn't seem bothered by it. "Can you wait for a few moments? I'll be back soon."
"What? Where are you going?"
"The kitchen."
Pela made good of her promise and returned not even ten minutes later. Seele, feeling somewhat indebted, waited as asked for her the whole time outside Bronya's room. It took everything in her power to not just say fuck it and barge in, knowing patience was not her strong suit, and was right on the verge of it when she spotted Pela approaching from around the corner.
She was carrying something in her hands. A small box she immediately handed over to Seele who confusedly accepted it without thought.
"What's this?" She asked, raising the box up. It felt a little warm on her fingers.
"Food," Pela told her and Seele blinked, perplexed. "Bronya hasn't been eating well lately so I hope that you can give it to her while you're in there."
Seele sighed exasperatedly. "That Bronya..." she muttered angrily yet the concerned look on her face was obvious as her eyes drifted towards the door. "Thanks, I'll make sure she eats it. One way or another."
"Please don't be too hard on her," Pela jokingly said and Seele snorted. "Then, I'll leave it to you."
"You sure? I might do something horrible to your precious Supreme Guardian, you know. I'm literally nobody you have no knowledge about."
Pela scoffed and crossed her arms. "One, it's rather bold of you to assume I don't know about you, miss Wildfire." She said smugly and Seele rolled her eyes. So all the questions were a test.
"And two..." Pela continued, expression softening. "You're the one she's been agonizing about the past few days even if she tried her best to hide it. As of late, she's been trying to see you in the hospital but since her works required her attention, she couldn't spare the time. I imagine she's troubled by it."
"She's always been like that, huh? Hiding her feelings and keeping them to herself."
"Simply because she must. A Supreme Guardian cannot waver in her duty, else people will start to doubt her. I'm sure you understand." Seele nodded, earning a warm smile from Pela. "Sorry for the trouble."
"It's fine."
With another warm, albeit sad smile, Pela left. The clicking of her heels echoing in the empty hallway until it faded away.
Running a hand over her purple mane, Seele allowed herself a moment of reflection. There beyond the door was Bronya, in whatever pitiful state she was in and being on her most vulnerable. Something that nobody else was allowed to see.
The idea alone brought Seele sorrow.
Without much preamble she knocked on the door, staring ahead at the wood as if to bore through the material with her gaze alone. There was a soft shuffling, and the faint noise of footsteps approaching before the knob twisted and the door was opened from the inside.
Throughout the whole ordeal Seele had been tense with her muscles taut around her bones. She didn't know what to expect or what to say now she was here. When she decided to visit Bronya, she just wanted to make sure she was okay. Maybe ask a few questions here and there before leaving but the more she learned of her wellbeing, the harder it was to just dismiss and pretend everything was okay. That everything would return to normal tomorrow.
How pretty the lie was it's almost disgusting.
"Hey, princess," Seele blurted out before the door could open fully. She heard a sharp intake of breath and the door stopped moving, frozen in place just like its owner. "I've come to see you."
Silence. Seele waited patiently for a response but nothing came out, both figuratively and literally, for a long time it started to worry her. Frowning in concern, she pushed the door gently and opened it further.
"Bronya?"
The moment her foot set step inside the room, she was suddenly enveloped in a tight embrace that had Seele wheezing from the initial impact. A what the hell? was stuck in her throat when she realized Bronya was quietly crying on her shoulder, her hands tightly wrapped around her middle as if to make sure she was real, while her body shook in bouts of shivers.
Seele sighed sadly, putting her free hand between Bronya's shoulder blades and patting her in a comforting manner. "You're such a crybaby, you know that?" The words held no malice as they were delivered with a layer of humor, though it fell flat at the moment. There was no response from Bronya aside from her further tightening her embrace around Seele.
Seele kicked the door behind her closed, placed the box of food on nearby dresser, and guided Bronya back into her chamber. "I'll say this upfront, Bronya," Seele whispered to Bronya's ear, settling them both down on the edge of Bronya's bed. "I'm terrible at comforting people so I'll say this; don't hold back. If you want to cry, then cry. Nobody will hear you except me. I promise you that."
The dam broke, shattered under the pressure left built up for so long. What started as a whimper turned into a heart wrenching wailing that felt like a knife to Seele's chest. Yet she took it all, making good of her promise by taking all of Bronya's misery and suffering alone. Nobody was here to witness her pain except Seele, nobody was present to judge her in her moment of imperfection as Seele had promised.
Under the golden glow of a dying day, a pair of bloodshot red eyes glared at the frozen world beyond the window. Silently cursing it for its cold cruelty, a cruelty that had claimed yet another individual into its reality.
TBC.