[TWS] Chapter 310 – Old Oaths, New Goals (Patreon)

Asterios opened his eyes to a wooden ceiling made of sloping beams. A warm glow filled the room he was in. Squinting his eyes, he raised his hand to rub them as a sharp headache thrummed in the back of his skull. His groan caused whatever he was lying on to stir and someone quickly hovered over his face.

“Ast!”

Tina’s worried voice reached his ears, and lifting his eyelids once again, he found his blue-haired girlfriend staring down at him with her lips almost trembling. She sat right next to his body, most likely lying by his side just a moment earlier. That state didn’t last for long though as she quickly threw herself at him and hugged his chest tightly.

“Ugh. Let’s slow down a little. Everything hurts like hell.” He let out a strained chuckle.

She hastily sat up, releasing him from her firm embrace. “Oh! Sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s alright. I don’t blame you. Hopefully, I wasn’t out for too long this time?” He reached out to brush her cheek.

Tina shook her head, taking hold of his palm. “Not exactly. It’s still about three days but I don’t think that can be considered too long. Even so, we were really worried. That ritual looked very painful and serious. Then, you both just dropped to the ground while the green veins continued to glow under your skin. They faded quicker for Althea, remaining for almost a day in your case. She also woke up faster, but…”

She glanced away, clearly avoiding his gaze.

“Is she alright?” Asterios started raising himself up while grunting in pain.

“It’s okay! She’s alive!” Tina pushed him back down. “You need to rest more. This entire thing has clearly weakened you. Bryn is looking after her. Speaking of which, I better let the others know you are back. Miria would never forgive me for hogging you to myself in such a situation.”

He shook his head with a wry smile. A moment later, he heard a chorus of footsteps rushing their way and the door to the room burst open, followed by a chaotic stream of women trying to look over each other as they pushed forward.

“Master!” Miria basically screamed as she launched herself at the bed he was in, crashing into him with a soft thud. “I was so, so worried!”

As she sniffed into his neck, latching onto him with all her limbs, the other ladies crowded the mattress from the available side. Its other edge was set against the wall so they had to huddle up close to each other. Warm, relieved smiles greeted him, save for a few slightly stronger expressions. Like Grea’s, for example.

Noticing her basically chewing off her bottom lip, he gestured at the demon woman to join the panthergirl and she climbed up onto the sheets to drop by his side. He rested their foreheads together as she snuggled to his side. They lay like this for a while, until Bryn reached out to place her palm over his wrist.

“May I?” she asked.

He nodded and let the Valkyrie do her thing. A pleasant sensation spread through his body as she checked him inside out with her magic. The golden gem embedded in her circlet shone brightly. They must have delayed interfering with his brief coma until he woke up. The worry was still written all over their faces, and Bryn’s charming eyes glimmered with traces of unshed tears, clearly of happiness and joy.

Soon, Asterios felt a little bit better, his muscles becoming less sore and hurt. His circuits still itched but it was much easier to ignore. Bit by bit, his winged mate relieved him of his struggle, continuing to cast spell after spell, leaving nothing untouched. When she was finally done with her treatment, she exhaled heavily and smiled at him beautifully.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” He smiled back. “And sorry for making you all worry again.”

“You better be…” Grea muttered under her nose, slugging him in the side.

“It’s alright, my Lord. At least we’ve been somewhat prepared this time,” Selene chimed in with a muted chuckle.

“We believed in you too,” Silvia added, stroking his hand. “Though, it’s been hard not to come here and help you recover.”

“Yeah.” Bryn rubbed her eyes a bit.

“I can imagine.” Asterios took a glance at Grea and they both wiggled closer to the wall, making more space on the bed, and inviting the others to pile up on him too.

Somehow, they all managed to join in, with Miria lying on his chest, Grea squished between him and the wall, Bryn lending him her thighs as an additional pillow, Selene dropping herself onto the demon lady’s flank, and Tina with Silvia resting by his free side together. They all shared a laugh after seeing their silly arrangement in full view.

“So, would you mind filling me in on everything that happened and the current state of events just a little bit?” He met each of their gazes with a raised brow.

“After we moved you both to Althea’s cottage, which is where we currently are, we left the queen and Bryn behind to take care of the rest of the cult,” Silvia began. “We didn’t want anyone dropping in through the hole in the ceiling, nor escaping the temple somehow.”

“Silvia and I returned to the surface to make a report to Imadil and Cynthia in the queen’s name, checking on their progress too,” Tina continued. “We helped track the last secret agents who’d managed to hide themselves from them. Umbra assisted us, of course. He’s still watching over the capital as we speak. Most operations have already ceased, but we are being careful since the queen doesn’t want to leave yet.”

“Then, everyone in the temple?” Asterios asked.

“Dead.” Grea sneered. “Just like they should be. Fuckers.”

“With the exception of the researchers,” Bryn clarified. “They’ve been transported outside and forced to work on the antidotes and any other remedies. Everyone is currently focusing on that, for obvious reasons. Thanks to the items we stole, they are making decent progress. Most toxins can be now neutralized with proper solutions.”

“But not all of them,” he noted. “Which means Althea is still sick.”

Their expressions fell visibly as no one said anything else.

Sighing softly, Asterios brushed through Grea’s and Miria’s hair. “Tell me.”

It was the panthergirl who responded, raising her face from his neck. “She woke up first, but… The ritual has clearly taken a toll on her… Althea is much, much worse now… She can’t move from her bed and looks… Looks… Looks like she is going to die at any moment now… Even with the antidotes we feed to her…”

He cursed under his breath, then remembered the final words of the mysterious woman he’d met in that weird realm of his.

“Help me get up,” he said, kissing her cheek.

“You should rest more, my Lord,” Selene insisted.

“I’m as good as I can be thanks to Bryn. I need to see her. Now.” He didn’t relent.

The girls shared a glance, then nodded at each other, doing as he’d requested. With a slight wobble at first, Asterios found his footing fairly quickly. Getting out of the bed revealed that he was still just as naked, but thankfully, there were no traces of the emerald veins from the day of the ritual. Causing a few disappointed whimpers, he resummoned his attire, smirking in Grea’s direction specifically.

“Later. I haven’t forgotten.” He winked at her before slowly walking out of the room. “What about the serpent? Did it disappear or did you do something with its remains?”

“Miria insisted that we should salvage its corpse for materials that could be of use to you and that’s what we tried to do,” the demon lady replied. “It was quite a hassle as it didn’t seem to lose its toxicity even after death.”

“Thankfully, Bryn’s magic seemed to work well against it, just like during the battle, so she took care of the vast majority of the work,” Tina added as they all smiled at their winged sister-mate, who blushed lightly.

~That’s natural considering the fact that her race was literally created to fight such vile beings. Especially the serpent-kind,~ Tia suddenly chimed in.

“Who’s there?!” Miria jumped at the sound of her voice, drawing her blades in a flash and scanning the cozy cottage with a hawk-like focus.

“A friend. I’ll explain everything later.” Asterios snorted quietly and plopped his hand onto her hair, caressing her ears which stood at full attention. “So, there’s a chance that they are related?”

~It must have been the World Serpent’s far descendant, living and growing in some abyssal realm,~ the Dryad replied.

“And how do you know about all of that?” he wondered out loud.

~I’ve been helping myself to some of your memories to get to know you a little better. I hope you don’t mind.~ She sounded both hopeful and apologetic.

“Just make sure to stop before you reach a scary-looking barrier, alright?” Asterios shook his head with a wry smile.

~Yeah. I’ve already seen what it can do. I promise to be careful. And not too nosy.~ Tia giggled sweetly.

“Wasn’t the World Serpent a Lesser Dragon according to Atra?” Bryn questioned her.

~And where do you think the serpents came from?~ Tia’s cute snort echoed in their heads. ~True Dragons mated with slightly lesser, big lizards, cue Lesser Dragons. Lesser Dragons mated with the same lizards, cue serpents and snakes. That can’t be said about every creature in the universe, but almost all snakes have some Dragon ancestry in them. Just ask Althea.~

“I think that’s a story for another time,” Asterios interrupted. “We have more important things to focus on first.”

The conversation was dropped as they just arrived in front of the door the girls had guided Asterios to. Bryn opened it and they spilled into a similar room to the one he had been resting in. Civienne sat on a small stool right by the bed which also stood next to the far wall. She held Althea’s hand to her forehead while leaning onto the mattress with her elbows.

And as for the emerald-haired lady, Asterios could immediately tell that her condition was nowhere good. Althea’s skin turned ghastly pale and she’d definitely lost a bit of meat to her bones already. Her hair was matted. But, the most noticeable thing was the black streaks running along her actual veins

She was clearly losing the battle against the toxins.

The queen finally noticed their arrival and angled her head to look at them.

“You are awake,” she whispered without much emotion in her voice, not even close to her usual, icy tone. “I’m glad. Your women were really worried about you.”

He slowly approached Civienne and rested a hand on her shoulder with a silent nod, turning his attention to Althea. To his surprise, she lifted her eyelids with a lot of struggle and forced a smile in his direction.

“Is she well?” the Dragon lady asked weakly.

“I think so. There’s now a massive tree inside me,” he replied with a gentle smirk.

~Tell her that if she dies to some amateur hodgepodge of random poisons, I’m going to shove a branch up her ass while using nature’s most deadly venom as a lubricant. And this time, I’m not going to be gentle,~ Tia said tensely in his mind.

He did as told and caused Althea to burst out laughing, which then made her wince in pain and cough awkwardly as her troubled body couldn’t withstand such sudden motion. All the while Civienne stared between them in pure confusion.

Althea closed her eyes again after calming herself and Tia spoke to him once more. ~Help her.~

~How?~ Asterios asked.

~Use me,~ she encouraged.

He recalled their discussion inside his Inner Sanctum and turned to Bryn. “Are you able to do anything for her?”

The Valkyrie met his gaze and smiled sadly. “I tried. I haven't drawn on your draconic energy yet, but I don’t think it will be enough. It’s not just the artificial toxins we have to deal with, but also the serpent’s venom, which seems to have infiltrated her system during the battle.”

Asterios offered her his hand and she took it with slight confusion. She let him pull her closer and join their lips with a tender kiss, a bit surprised, but not protesting. Then, Bryn’s eyes widened to the brim and she shivered strong enough for Asterios to have to wrap his arm around her waist.

He pulled away while she stared at him in shock, subconsciously licking her lips. “It’s so… Invigorating… What’s this?”

“Your new strength.” He grinned at her. “Follow the thread and head straight for the source. Then, it’s all yours.”

She nodded eagerly, her wide eyes skipping between his lips and his gaze. He brushed her cheek with his free hand and joined them together in another kiss. This time, Bryn wasn't as passive and went right after him. She did slow down a little after noticing how intense they were getting, but he pushed himself more into her to take her mind off their surroundings. All she had to focus on was the energy flowing between them.

The others watched as the Valkyrie gradually glowed more and more with a radiant, golden light, her skin receiving a divine sheen and her feathers sparkling like the finest silk. Her intricate halo pulsed with power, illuminating the room like a miniature sun. They had to shield their eyes at the peak moment or risk getting hurt.

Then, as the duo parted once more, the visual assault subsided but still remained somewhat active. Bryn hugged Asterios tightly, and stepped back, moving her gaze down onto Althea. With a quick glance over, her head snapped to the queen.

“We need all the medicine we can get. Including the unfinished ones,” she requested, talking faster than Miria ever did even when she was the most excited, but before Civienne could reply, she shook her head. “I’ll ask Umbra to bring it. Selene, help me out, please.”

Everyone stepped away, except for the fox lady. Communicating with Bryn mentally, she levitated Althea’s body into the center of the room and rested it atop a cerulean, spiritual construct resembling a slab of stone. Just like Asterios, the Dragon lady was completely naked, but no one paid any attention to such details while in such a serious situation.

A moment later, a myriad of glass vials, jars, and containers began popping out of shadows pooled over the floor. Bryn nodded silent thanks in their direction and turned to Asterios and Civienne.

“This will take a long time. I need to concentrate during the entire process. Please, do not disturb me until I’m done,” she stated firmly, resolution filling her golden eyes.

“Here, swallow this.” Selene offered her a thick pellet and they both ate their nourishing pills.

Asterios took Civienne’s hand and started slowly leading the queen away alongside the other girls while Selene and Bryn began the operation. With a few flicks of the Valkyrie’s wrists, sophisticated arrays materialized above Althea’s body, reaching the very ceiling, and spun slowly in various directions. Golden needles of pure light appeared in her hands, which was the last thing they saw before leaving the duo to their work.

Convincing Civienne to leave her friend’s life in Bryn’s hands was an almost impossible task, but she finally relented under the joint pressure from Asterios and all his mates. The people on the surface needed their queen and she knew it too. She’d already delayed her return for a long time by acting selfishly. Not that they didn’t understand her reasons.

Bryn had not been exaggerating by saying that it would take a long time. Entire days passed with the Valkyrie and the fox lady holed in the little cottage, never moving out of Althea’s room. Asterios and the girls took turns to visit them and help with anything they could. Food wasn’t necessary thanks to the pills, but they still poured some water into their lips to help with thirst or wiped the sweat from their foreheads. He also made sure that they didn’t lack spiritual energy, though it seemed that both women had plenty to spare.

Above the ground, the queen busied herself with all the formalities and paperwork after their successful destruction of the cult. Imadil, Cynthia, Fievedem, and Ast’s team of course assisted her. Especially Tina and her squad, making use of their official business in the nation. The common residents knew nothing about the entire operation, but there was still a lot to take care of around the palace and all the important facilities. Nothing could escape their attention.

Then, after about five days, Silvia informed Asterios that they were being called down during her shift to watch over Bryn and Selene. He grabbed the queen and transported them right in front of the cottage. Civienne immediately burst out of his hold and charged into the little house. He followed right after her, with a bit more self-control.

When he reached the room the women were in, he found the queen on her knees, hugging Althea at her waist, who was sitting on the bed while covered in a simple but high-quality emerald robe, barely hiding her charms by resting over her shoulders like a cloak. She looked much better, lacking the ghastly-pale carnation and weakened muscles. A gentle smile painted her lips as she ran her fingers through Civienne’s hair like a doting mother.

Giving them some time alone, Asterios walked up to Bryn and Selene, who sat on the floor in the corner of the room with tired but truly joyous expressions. Silvia offered them lots of water while the other girls began gathering behind him, coming out of their portals. The incredible duo sent him wide smiles as Asterios knelt by their side. A mountain of empty glass vials and other containers riddled the floor, with their clothes stained with a rainbow of fluids. Not to mention their skin.

“We did it.” Bryn beamed at him, barely sitting straight. “I can’t believe it, but we did it, Master. I’ve never felt such strong healing power in my entire time in this world. What is it?”

He wiped some medicine off her face and planted a kiss on the bridge of her nose. “It’s life. Something you’ve already been working with while relying on your light. But, we can talk about it after you rest. You’ve earned it.”

“I can stay awake for a little longer.” She looked into his eyes pleadingly, and Selene nodded behind her.

“Fine.” Asterios shook his head.

Flicking his wrist, he transformed his ring into the greatsword, shoved its tip into the wooden floor, and activated one of the stored crystals, additionally filling it to the brim with the newly gained rejuvenating energy. A greenish array appeared underneath the girls and bathed them in a gentle light. They glanced themselves all over as their fatigue slightly receded.

When they recovered enough, he and the other ladies helped them up and turned to Althea, who was already watching them with a kind expression.

“Thank you.” She bowed her head. “I owe you my life. And not only mine.”

Seeing that Bryn wasn’t responding, most likely waiting for him to accept the gratitude instead of her and take the credit, he nudged her a few times with his elbow. She blushed lightly and nodded at the Dragon lady.

“You are welcome. I’m glad we’ve been able to help. It’s been eating me inside out since the first moment I tried to aid you, but thanks to Master, I’m finally strong enough to do something. And if I’m not mistaken, that’s also partially thanks to your ritual.” Bryn bowed at her waist.

While the girls already knew the entire story, she had to stay much more focused, hearing only tidbits of their conversations, including Tia’s own input. But, it was enough. And she could now catch up at any moment while being nursed to full strength by Asterios. Alongside Selene, of course.

“Right. The ritual.” Althea’s smile turned a bit more melancholic, and she glanced at Civienne. “Would you mind lending me a shoulder, Little Levander? I would like to go outside.”

The queen wanted to argue at first, but under her stern gaze, she quickly relented. They stood up together, and Ast’s group made way for them to leave the room, following shortly after the pair. Althea already looked to be in a more than decent condition, needing just a little bit of rest to regain her lost vitality.

They moved out of the cottage, taking a slow stroll through the ruined remains of the Dragon lady’s lair. Most of the trees had been toppled down or completely obliterated by the serpent’s thrashing and venom. Not to mention the huge hole in the ceiling, which damaged the circuits responsible for the fake sky covering the marble-white walls of the artificial cavern.

Soon, they neared the Tree of Life’s stump, still lodged deep into the ground. The main difference was its color. Instead of the previous, dark brown, it assumed a grayish shade, losing all of its vitality. Given enough time, Asterios was sure that it would crumble into ash now that the spirit living in its core was no longer inhabiting it.

As they stood in front of the withering stump, Althea left Civienne’s shoulder and moved closer. Placing her palm on the cold bark, she stared up at the remains of the Tree with a sad expression.

“With the Tree gone, at least you are no longer restrained by your oath,” the queen said softly.

Althea gazed upon the stump for a little longer and shook her head, turning her face to Civienne.

“No. The Tree might be gone, but its spirit is not. And as long as it lives, my oath stands, as I swore not to protect the wood, but the soul.” She then moved her eyes to Asterios. “It’s just that the target of my promise might have slightly changed now.”

She then slowly walked up to him and the girls with a warm smile, holding the single sheet of her emerald robe closely around her figure.

“So, you’ve mentioned looking for a mentor?”

★━━━━━━━━━━━━Author's Notes━━━━━━━━━━━━★

End of Volume 8! 

Whew, that's definitely going to be over 200k words.