Elyonari crossed the distance between them in two steps and grabbed his wrists hard. Her fingers locked around cold alloy where flesh should have been. Slowly, she let go and stared at his arms.
They were perfectly proportioned, flawlessly articulated and wrapped in synthetic skin so refined that even most Divines wouldn't notice. The joints were seamless. The energy circulation was silent. Whoever made them was a master.
But Elyonari wasn't "most Divines." She was the Split of Life. She felt no biological response in his arms.
"What happened to you?"
"What do you—"
She didn't let him finish. She slammed her palm against his chest. He staggered back half a step from the force. The sound she heard wasn't a heartbeat that she was used to. Well, he did have a heart but still...
"You have a mechanical heart."
Relief hit her first before the anger came crashing in behind it. She looked back at his arms.
"Who did this to you?"
Vastarael finally realized what she was seeing.
"Ely—"
She didn't wait. She grabbed his collar and pulled him close.
"WHO?!"
He wrapped his arms around her.
She flinched at the contact. Her hands clenched in his clothes as her forehead pressed against his chest, and the sob tore out of her before she could stop it.
"Why do you always have to go through this?"
"..."
"In the First Epoch Cycle, you lost an arm. Then your heart. And now you've lost both arms? Why does Destiny hate you so much?"
Vastarael tightened his embrace. "Ely—"
She pulled back just enough to look at him with tears streaking down her face.
"You can't even feel embraces anymore. You don't feel with those arms, right?"
"I don't."
He lowered his head slightly so their foreheads touched.
"I can feel your hug. Maybe I don't feel myself holding you but I feel you holding me. Isn't that enough? I'm used to this."
She pushed herself away.
"No. No, you should never be used to this. How much more are you going to sacrifice just to get stronger? Your arms, your heart, your eyes, what's next? Your life?"
He didn't answer.
"You shouldn't try to get stronger anymore. Every time you do, you lose more of yourself. Please."
"You're more broken than I am right now."
"I don't care. I don't care what I am, what I'm made of, what I lost or what I never had. All I care about is that you're safe."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"I can live with my pain. I can live with the truth. I can live with being a monster made from corpses and stolen lives. But I can't live in a world where you keep tearing yourself apart just to stand beside us."
The room was silent except for her uneven breathing. Vastarael didn't let go.
-------
For a long moment after her breakdown, Elyonari simply sat there in his arms as they sat on the floor. The peony scent emanating from him steadied her in a way nothing else could. Vastarael tilted his head slightly.
"Are you okay?"
She let out a small, tired laugh.
"Define okay."
She stepped back, wiping the remnants of tears from her face with the back of her hand. Her serene composure slid back into place.
"I found out that I was born from my grandmother's corpse."
"Oh."
There were very few things that genuinely shocked him anymore. Transmigration, Epoch cycles, mechanical organs, being torn apart and rebuilt, all of it had dulled the world's ability to surprise him. But that was new.
"Do you need to talk about it?"
She shook her head.
"I will. Just… not today. For now, I just want to be at your side."
She reached up and brushed her fingers through his hair.
"You cut it."
"Adelasta won't be happy about it."
"She's going to lecture you for hours. The reason you had long hair is because she forced you not to cut it."
"I know."
Her fingers drifted down from his hair to his arms. She held one of his hands in both of hers, studying it openly now. The craftsmanship was extraordinary. The energy articulation was smooth. The energy flow was subtle as well. In fact, the arms were connected to his soul so Omniphage wouldn't hurt him anymore. However, she could feel the absence beneath it.
She wasn't a master in mechanics but she knew that putting touch receptors in his arms would pose as a problem. It would be better if he actually didn't feel anything because Soul Energy is actually painful to use, since the Aeterium drain their souls to obtain Soul Energy.
"How are you adjusting?"
He rotated his wrist slightly, watching the fingers flex. They didn't look mechanic at all. In fact, it was so normal that she was fooled for a second.
"It took a while. The lack of the sense of touch is a little hard to get used to but I'm fine."
He reached up with one of those prosthetic hands and touched her cheek. She flinched again not because it hurt but because she hated that he couldn't feel her skin. He leaned down and kissed her. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers.
"You shouldn't worry too much about me. Apparently, you have so many problems. I didn't expect my beloved to be made from her grandmother's corpse but it's okay. We adapt."
"You're not worried?"
He chuckled. He brushed his thumb along her cheek again.
"Ely, I literally transmigrated from another world. I have mechanical arms and a mechanical heart. In both lives, I'm like a tragic experimental draft. I'm actually glad you managed to talk to me."
"What do you mean?"
"You never talk about your life."
She went quiet.
"You always make yourself the serene one. The gentle High Priestess. The calm presence among us. The one who is always kind and amazing. But I know you're far from that. I never asked because there's a reason you hide it and I respect that. I'll be here to listen when you're ready."
Her lips trembled slightly.
"You're always too kind."
He shook his head.
"I'm kind to the people I care about. Not to everyone though. I'm a monster."
"I know."
And somehow, that was the most intimate answer she could have given. Before the moment could deepen further, the door opened. Veylonar and Celadille stepped inside. Veylonar looked at Vastarael, at Elyonari and then back at Vastarael.
"Monarch Vastarael?"
He was genuinely stunned—not just by the presence of the Aeterium Monarch in Mintheris territory since he already knew that he was in a relationship with his sister—but by the fact that Elyonari looked calm.
Vastarael stood up, giving him a respectful nod.
"I'm glad to see you, Monarch Veylonar."
His gaze shifted to Celadille.
"And congratulations."
"Congratulations?"
Elyonari turned to him in amazement.
"How do you know?"
"Soul Vision."
"You can see souls in expectant women?"
"I can see Lady Celadille's unborn baby souls."
"Souls?"
Celadille instinctively placed a hand over her abdomen. Vastarael smiled.
"She's expecting triplets. That's extremely rare, especially among Divine Origin bloodlines. It's actually so rare that most records classify it as myth."
Celadille's eyes widened. "Triplets…"
Elyonari looked at her abdomen.
"That explains why the Nature Energy density around her felt abnormal."
Veylonar looked overwhelmed. He stepped closer to Celadille, placing a protective arm around her shoulders. Vastarael turned back to Elyonari.
"How long can you stay?"
"A few days."
Elyonari's eyes brightened slightly.
"The Second Epoch Cycle still has me trapped in another realm. But thanks to the World Tree, I can remain here temporarily."
"Then you can stay for the ceremony."
"Ceremony?"
"To welcome the new Mintheris members."
"It's the first time I've been to an Elven festival."
"Then prepare yourself."
"Oh?"
"Elven festivals are not calm."
Veylonar snorted. "That is an understatement."
Celadille smiled shyly. "They last for days."
Vastarael glanced at Elyonari.
"Then I'll stay."