"What was that?"
I closed my lips and thought. Next to me, Titania had her mouth covered and was squealing.
What did I say?
"Would you?" I asked again, slightly shocked at the words that left me. It was almost as if I had no control over myself.
Lethe grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. She leaned down and whispered in my ears.
"You are the one who doesn't get a choice," she said. "You will marry me. You get no choice."
I nodded.
"That was the plan, of course."
Lethe stayed like that for a second.
"You want to get married now? Right now?"
"If it's possible."
A short round of silence loomed.
Her breaths passed by her veil and fell on my neck and ears.
"Do you want a big ceremony?"
"Of course not…"'
I gently ran my hand through her hair. It was still as soft as before. I almost felt sad since our hair didn't share the same color anymore.
Lethe continued speaking in a soft whisper.
"We have an altar at the Acacia estate where the generations of the family have made their vows."
I ran my fingers into her, holding her hand tight.
"Let's go home someday soon. We'll go there and get married."
I nodded.
"Let's go there and get married."
Lethe slightly pulled back and pitted her head against mine, kneeling in front of me. I gently pushed her veil away and met her lips with mine.
Before we could separate, I wrapped my hands around her and lifted her up straight to the couch in her room. She leaned away from me and wrapped her hand around my back.
"The bitch that killed you."
"I killed it back."
"Don't make me worry anymore."
"You won't have to."
It didn't take any seconds for our back and forth. I knew what she would say and she knew what I.
At the same time, just like always, both of us spoke once more.
"I love you."
I wanted to get married right away, but instead we made a vow.
It would be good to look for rings the next time I went out.
***
A grand chamber dyed with stars stretched. Corpses that had met their end littered the long way to the throne while the walls behind the enormous seat of the king was crushed backward.
Obfuscated by shadows of black and blue like nebulae in the outer space, the king peered down at his servants.
Sitting through the chamber on seats just as great as the throne were the twelve retainers.
Silence loomed in the grand chamber where even the light of the stars thought twice before peering inside.
Breaking the silence, the retainer at the forefront, closest to the throne, finally spoke up.
[My king…]
His voice grand, his words heavy, it seemed the entire universe was being affected by his every action.
[Forgive my transgression, but that wound…]
The king's cheeks.
Has swollen.
The retainers all trembled in fear as their head asked the question to their lord, but what returned wasn't an answer.
[Haha… HAHAHAH!]
The king laughed.
He laughed for a long while.
[Is it just the wound you see? Not everything around me?] he finally asked back.
[What… transpired here, my king?]
The king gazed at his subjects, at the corpses below that wouldn't come back to life no matter how he ordered them to.
With a wave of his hands, the corpses disappeared and the walls behind him fixed themselves.
[A being… exists in this realm]
[A being?]
One of the retainers yelped.
[A being powerful enough to touch you, my king?]
[Powerful enough to wound me and still hide some strength]
The retainers all shuddered at the mere thought.
They had felt it themselves, more and more of their brethren were losing. The people of this realm had started to become stronger, they had turned into hindrances on their path.
It still did not seem something they couldn't handle, but that wasn't the case anymore.
A completely new power had surfaced.
One that could wound their king.
[Invasion, Retro, Charger, Zega, more and more of our brethren are being snuffed out, their concepts returning to the worlds. We must be cautious now.]
[Timez, if that is the case then why have we stopped attacking more worlds?]
At the question of his comrade, the one speaking looked to his side.
[Cosmic heard that the worlds have formed an Alliance. He wanted to see how it would play out]
[How joyous] The king spoke again. [All the worlds in this realm have come together against us? It seems possible under that man]
[The man you speak of, my liege.]
The Cosmic Dragon's voice filled the air.
[I have never located anyone with such power. I believe, he isn't the one leading the worlds]
The others reeled back in their seats at the Cosmic Dragon's words.
The king gently touched his chin and hummed.
[Insight of this level? Even if Cosmic has a strange hobby, it seems impossible]
[Why, I wonder] Timez spoke. [I feel we have had this conversation before]
[Not in my memory] The head retainer cut down Timez, gesturing at the king. The fool had interrupted their lords words.
[Intriguing. Terribly so.]
The king leaned back in the throne and closed his eyes.
[My liege.] From the back of the room, came a voice. The one ranked the lowest amongst the twelve gathered here had spoke up for the first time in front of all his superiors.
[What is it, Arcade Gamer?]
[If you allow me, shall I go and kill this man before he becomes a thorn in our sides.]
The others were in equal parts flabbergasted and amused. They were shocked that he had the guts to say that about someone who wounded their king, and amused since they all wished for the same.
The king too, seemed to share their sentiments.
He broke into a loud laughter.
[Do as you please. I care for the ones who have pushed us down to this realm, not for the ones here.]
A sigh of relief left the Arcade Gamer.
[But.]
The King's tone changed and so did the air in the chamber. A stifling sense of dominance crushed down all the twelve retainers.
[All of you will die.]
Their eyes widened.
[That being will only be culled by my hands]
A gasp left the twelve retainers. Then, almost as if it were an illusion, the air pushing down on them dispersed.
[Well!] The king cheered and leaned back once more, crossing his legs. [It'll be a shock if you do manage to end him. Break a leg, surprise me. It is probably possible, whatever he used to hide his strength made it seem bottomless. I couldn't peer below, but it must have been an illusion is all. He might be…]
[Weak.]
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