The world just beyond the trees was shrouded in rain and mist. Tiny puddles were all over the village, and a fog was rolling in from the nearby lake and mountain. It gave the Bell Church a rather somber appearance, but at the same time made it feel cozy. It made even me want to find a nice chair, light up a warm fireplace, and read a good book.

Instead I was hiding here beyond the rim. In the forest surrounding the village, not far from the new wall that was still only half built.

It was midday, and thanks to the weather no one was out and about. No one other than Lilly, at least. I ignored her approach as I stared into the foggy window in the distance, at Renn. Or well, her silhouette. My eyes could see her from here, when she was in my line of sight, but I sensed her more than saw her.

Her heart was forming. And it was no minor thing. Another heart was near her, likely the one from the monarch they had just slain, but it was almost not noticeable when compared to Renn's.

I sighed a bit, as a hooded Lilly clambered over the half built wall between me and the village. I watched the way she did so, and noted the way she had not used her left arm at all as she did.

Shifting a little as she walked up to me, I studied the owl. She didn't seem to be limping, nor did I see pain or fatigue on her face… but yes, her left arm was definitely being favored. Maybe it was broken?

"Hurt, Lilly?" I asked as she got near enough.

She paused, and then glared at me. She had been about to say something first, and I had interrupted her. She put it aside though as she pushed back her cloak, as to show me her left arm as she stepped up to me. "Was shredded rather bad. Got stuck in that cat's teeth during the battle. Light healed it, but it still aches," she explained.

Ah… I nodded. I did in fact feel the faint remnants of divine power upon her. "How's the rest of you? Everyone else?" I asked.

"The only one who really got hurt was Martin. He lost his arm."

My eyes narrowed a bit. "Martin lost his arm…?" To that monarch? One as weak as that?

I honestly hadn't planned to ask for the full details, since as long as everyone was alive and the monarch dead that was really all that mattered… but now? Now I felt like I needed to know.

"Not that one. It's his son. He's… not as strong as his father, luckily," Lilly said with a small smirk.

Ah. That made a lot more sense. Almost too much. "I see."

Lilly sighed as she glanced me up and down. "Um… are you okay?" she asked.

"Hm?" I looked down, but hadn't needed to. I knew why she was asking. My clothes were utterly destroyed. I didn't even have a shirt anymore, since I'd torn off the few pieces that had remained while coming here. And my pants weren't much better. They were hanging on with threads.

"I'm fine. How long ago did you get here?" I asked. I felt as if I'd just missed their battle with that monarch.

"Last night. A bit after sundown. We were able to travel quicker with only one wagon," she said.

I nodded. That made sense. "Can I ask why Renn's in Fly's old home?" I asked.

"Because she had asked for it. When told there were only a few empty houses, she had overheard that it was still not cleaned out so she had nabbed it up. You should have seen the way her tail had twitched when she had heard Plumb imply that no one had wanted to live there since it stunk like Fly," Lilly said.

I nodded gently at that. Renn would not have taken that well at all, no.

"And the banishments?" I asked. Not only was Renn here, so was Lilly. And Merit. Something that shouldn't be possible.

"Like any of that matters when Light says they don't. Plumb and the rest just bent the knee the moment Light stepped off the cart and started giving orders," Lilly said with a gesture at the village.

Wanting to sigh at that, I simply nodded instead. "Like her mother."

"Worse, actually."

"How so?"

"She's absolutely ensorcelled by Renn. To the point it makes me sick. By the way Merit's here," she said with a point to the building.

I scanned the building and the area around it… half expecting to see the tiny white fish as she hurried over too. I didn't see her though. "I know. I stopped at Lumen on the way here. Heard all about how shocked everyone was Merit agreed to join you."

"Hm…" Lilly frowned at me as she nodded.

For a few moments we stood in silence, and I realized I probably owed her a thank you. "Thank you, Lilly… for keeping her safe," I said gently.

Lilly stood up a little straighter, and I heard her arms shift under her cloak. "It's okay, Vim. I like her. I… don't like her friends, but I've come to realize that's just who she is. And it gives me hope, to be honest, so I'm okay with it," she said.

"Hope?"

Lilly nodded softly as she looked into the village, to the building in the distance. I knew her eyesight was nearly as good as mine, so I wondered if she could see Renn right now as I could. She was helping Light cook dinner, it looked like. "My children, Vim. I fear losing them. I'm… hoping she, who can be friends even with those like them, can help me rebuild those bridges. To help and teach me. To regain what I've lost, through her," she said softly.

Oh my… "Have you spoke to Renn about this?" I asked.

She nodded.

"And Renn of course didn't hesitate to help," I said, knowing my wife.

She nodded again.

"Then there's no need for hope, Lilly. It'll happen," I said simply.

She smiled at that. "So I believe too," she agreed.

Hm… "So…? Anything I should know before I go get myself involved?" I asked.

"Your wife's got Light wrapped around her finger. They spent half the night, and all morning, talking in private. I don't think Light realized Merit and I were awake, but Renn did after a bit. They were talking about stuff that honestly I wish I hadn't heard," she said with and odd tone.

"Um… do I even want to ask?"

"No. But I need to tell you anyway. Merit thinks Light's just trying to worm her way into Renn's heart, by abusing Renn's kind gentleness. It seems when Renn gets told a secret, one that no one else has ever been told before, she falls in love with the one who told her it. I… don't disagree with Merit, but after listening to the two all morning, I've come to the conclusion that Light's been waiting for her all this time. I think Light's convinced herself, from her prophecies or what have you, that Renn's her sister. As if in blood, in fact," Lilly said.

I frowned at that. "Are you saying it's Renn she's after and not her daughter?"

"No. That's the weird thing. Renn and Merit both think it's your daughter they want, that she wants, but I don't think so Vim. I mean… yes, it's important, she's going to be important, but I think Light's fascination with Renn is more than that. By the way why did you never tell me she was a half-breed?" Lilly suddenly asked.

"What…? She told you?" I asked, absolutely shocked over hearing so. More than I was Lilly's assessment.

She shook her head. "That was the big secret she told Renn. I never knew… but now it makes sense. Renn's said she smells like Witch, that human saint friend of hers. I can't see it, since I don't think she smells like Elaine, but I don't doubt Renn's memory," Lilly said.

I shook my head. "No. Don't doubt her memory, ever. She told me that too. You… wait…" I felt my head start to hurt as I realized what Lilly was implying. Or well, what Light was.

Lilly nodded. "I don't think Renn's noticed yet, but I think Light's saying she's related to them. Elaine's bloodline or whatever. Light sees them as flesh and blood sisters, Vim. She keeps saying it, offhandedly," she said.

Great. "It's… possible…" I admitted. After all Celine had known where Elaine, the human witch that was a descendant of Renn's friend, was. At the time we, or rather I, had simply assumed that Celine had seen a prophecy concerning her and the heart she had taken from Elaine, but…

"You're the one who found her. Did you happen to meet her parents?" Lilly asked.

"No. Her mother had been dead already. And I had killed her father rather quickly. He had been a disgusting man," I said. Just thinking of that moment made me smell that building. That cesspool. It made me want to spit, as if I could taste the disgustingness just from my memory.

"So can't confirm it," Lilly said.

"No. But it doesn't matter. If Light sees it that way, whether it's the truth or not is of no concern. Especially since Renn will happily believe it, since she supposedly smells just like her old friend," I said.

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"Exactly. I know you don't like imposing your will Vim, but… please. She's your wife. Don't let her get corrupted by her, for all our sakes," Lilly asked carefully.

I nodded and sighed. "Right…"

Lilly crossed her arms under her cloak, and oddly her doing so reminded me of her wings. When she had ruffled them as if upset. The sounds had been similar.

Taking a small breath, I glanced at the owl. She looked… annoyed, but maybe not too badly. She was looking down at a nearby root, one coming from the tree we stood under.

Probably was thinking of her own Root.

How long had she been away from her newborn now…? Months? Not just her newborn daughter either, but the rest of her family. All because I'd asked for her help. I had taken her from a happy home, a true purpose, to fight monsters and mingle with people who hated her and made her uncomfortable.

By my parents I was a terrible protector. And an even worse friend.

Looking away from Lilly, I reached up to scratch at the back of my head. My hair was soaked. As soaked as my soul.

"Are you saying… I don't need to kill her then?" I asked carefully, trying to stop myself from going too far off topic.

"Hm… I think if you do now it'd just cause more issues than it'd solve. Miraculously," she said with a nod.

Great. "Was kind of hoping to come back and find her throat in Renn's mouth, or something similar. Jokes on me, I guess," I said with a huff.

Lilly laughed. "You don't need to feel so defeated, Vim. She's met quite a few people she's unsure of what to think of these last so many days. Though I fear they'll all end up latching onto her like the rest of us," Lilly said with a huff.

"Hm…? More of them?" I asked.

Lilly nodded. "Regrettably."

Just great! Let me guess most were women, too!

Lilly chuckled at me, likely seeing my distress as I rubbed my temple.

"You'd not laugh if you were in my shoes, Lilly," I said stiffly.

"Oh, I'd be worse off than you. Luckily for me Windle is too much of a coward to even consider cheating on me. Though unlike you, I'd kill my partner if they even thought of it. You though are too nice. You give her too much freedom, Vim, be a man," she said.

"You say that, but if I kept her from being your friend you'd not be happy, would you?" I asked.

"Huh…? Oh… right…" Lilly mumbled as she realized what I meant, and then she nodded. "I guess… yes…" she admitted after a moment.

Hmph.

"So…? I'm used to you showing up looking like this, but how'd this happen here and now Vim? We're the ones who fought a monarch, not you," Lilly then asked with a gesture at me.

I gently shrugged. I honestly wasn't in the mood to talk about it. At all. "I ran into the god who made the monarch you killed," I said.

While studying the house, I noticed one of the windows get opened. It was one on the second floor, the one over the front door. I at first couldn't see who had opened it, but then the white hair made it clear. Merit had opened the window, for whatever reason.

"Uh… Vim?"

I blinked and glanced at Lilly, and found her staring at me with an odd look. For a tiny moment I wondered what was wrong, but then I remembered what I'd just told her. I nodded gently at her, to confirm I had been speaking the truth.

She shifted and glanced around, and then looked back at me. "Should… should I worry?" she asked with an odd tone.

"No. He's dead."

"I… A god is dead… you killed a god. Just now," she said, confirming what I was saying.

"Mhm. The one who had made that monarch. By the way had it been a lion? It had looked like one," I asked.

Lilly didn't answer. She simply stared at me, as if I was speaking in riddles.

For a small moment I held her gaze, and then I looked away from her and sighed. "Really Lilly. You should know better than to be so shocked," I said as I stepped forward.

"How could I not be! Don't just drop such a huge thing on me like that, I don't know what to think or do about it!" she said as she hurried to join me.

We walked up to the stone wall and I half-jumped and half-climbed over it. I made sure not to break it as I did, and I stepped deeper into the village as Lilly too clambered over it.

"Keep it to yourself for now. I'll tell Renn when I get chance alone with her, but make sure you don't let Light know," I said as we headed for the house. The one Renn was in.

Usually I'd go see Plumb, the elder of the village, upon first getting here. But I was in the mood to hear Renn's voice. Plus Light was in there too, and if Plumb and the rest were going to kneel and bow to her then in essence that meant she was the elder of this village, for now at least.

"Keep it to myself? More like try and forget about it! What even happens when you kill a god…? Do you get cursed or anything? Should I not touch you for a bit…?" she asked worriedly.

I smirked at that. "Superstition."

"Don't smirk at me! This is serious…" she groaned.

It was. But not for those kind of reasons.

As we headed for the house, I noticed Merit peer out at us. She gave me a weird look as I glanced up at her, and then she huffed and shook her head… and then shut the window. As if to not have to hear us.

"Is Merit upset with me?" I asked.

"Hm? No? She's being her typical self, of course, but she's actually been in a good mood lately. You should have seen her a couple days ago, Vim, we all made dinner together and she even hummed a tune as she stirred the stew. It made me pause," Lilly said.

Oh…? That was interesting. I wonder where they'd done such a thing… had they taken Lilly into the Animalia building? If it was a few days ago it would have been when they were back in Lumen…

"Wait Merit can cook?" I asked, a little shocked over that.

Lilly snickered at me. "Not just cook, but do it well, too. I don't think I've eaten anything that good in a hundred years," she said.

You were kidding! Well… it's not like I'd know, I guess. I'd always tried not to get too personal with our members, especially the ones who were… well… wanting to jump into my bed, or whatever. I honestly had thought Merit had always relied on others to cook, such as Nasba or Sofia. But maybe that was my fault for assuming. After all everyone had to know how to take care of themselves, at least to a point…

"Renn's a good cook too by the way," Lilly then whispered. Likely because we were nearing the home, and she didn't want to be heard.

"I know. I try not to admit it, though."

"Yes. Terrible for a husband to compliment his wife. Especially over her cooking," Lilly teased.

"It is," I agreed.

Reaching the front door, I sighed softly as I heard the silence behind it.

Lilly stayed back a bit, and I knew it was because she could tell too. Just beyond this door… waiting apprehensively, was Renn.

I reached out and grabbed the door's handle. As I did, I thought of Fly. The last time I had tried to open this door, it had been locked. Because Fly had left the house, via the window, without unlocking it first.

Typically I would knock, but there was no need. Renn already knew I was here. And Lilly was behind me… yet…

Opening the door, I stood up a little straighter as I greeted Renn. She looked about ready to pounce on me, but hesitated once she took in the sight of me.

"What the! Vim!" Renn scowled at me, but laughed all the same.

In the corner of my eye I saw Merit walking down the stairs, holding the rail as she did. She had her typical upset frown on her face. Not far from those stairs was Light, who also had an odd look on her face. She had a towel in her hands, and she was in the middle of using it to wipe them off. Likely because she and Renn had been cooking just now, I could smell the food.

"Hopefully you brought me some extra clothes," I said as I entered the house.

"I didn't!" Renn groaned at me as Light giggled at us.

Stepping up to her as she sighed and studied me, I wondered what she had planned to do before noticing the state of my attire. She had looked about to jump on me, not just hug me but actually jump onto me. Had she planned to kiss me or something?

I wanted to kiss her. To hold her. But I didn't want to do so in front of so many viewers. Particularly these ones.

"Lesson learned, then. You should always have an extra set on you, just in case," I said.

"I will from now on! Sheesh! What'd you do…? And you're soaked…" she groaned as she hesitated. She had been about to step up to me, to touch me, but had then noticed how wet I was.

Reaching out, I gently tapped her outstretched hand. She flinched at my touch, her ears fluttering as if I'd just shocked her with static. I hadn't though.

"Glad to see you're all okay," I said gently.

Renn huffed at me. "Of course we are."

"Considering how close it had come to being worse, I'd like to voice a bit of reason if I can," Light said.

I ignored the saint as I studied the way Renn stared into my eyes. Her golden pupils looked… tired all of a sudden, even though she hadn't been a few moments ago. Had Light's comment done that to her, or something else?

Still… she did look fine. I could feel hear heart, it had finally manifested into a real one. It was forming near her ass, it seemed… "Hm…" I reached out, grabbing her by the shoulder. She went stiff as I gently turned her, and I stared down at her rear.

Yep. Right above her tail. Interesting… I wonder if that was just coincidence, or because of the nature of the heart she had originally absorbed?

"Vim…?" Lilly said my name, with an odd tone as she entered the house and shut the door behind her.

"Not only are you not going to hug or kiss her, you're going to act all weird? Maybe I should be glad I never found a way to grab your heart…" Merit said from the stairs, sounding annoyed.

Renn's ears fluttered as she made a tiny noise, something akin to a whine. She must have not liked what Merit had said much, though I knew the real reason for her to react in such a way.

She didn't like it when Merit was self-depreciating like that. At all.

Releasing Renn's shoulder, I patted her gently before I did. "What's for dinner?" I asked.

"Wha!?" Renn made a noise as I turned away, as to head towards the kitchen. I paused to glance back at her, and found her staring at me with wide eyes of shock… as if I'd just accidentally stepped on her tail.

"Hm?"

"By the gods he's worse than I heard…" Light said with a sigh.

Frowning at that, I glanced at Light and found her walking away. She was shaking her head, as if not able to watch the scene before her anymore.

Merit too sighed as she continued down the stairs, no longer seemingly willing to watch either. Lilly didn't wait to join them, as she went to putting her soaked coat onto a rack. "I don't know why anyone's surprised. Vim's still Vim, no matter how much she changes him," Lilly said.

"Because it's disappointing. It makes me feel sad for her," Merit said as she walked over to stand next to Renn… who was glaring at me.

Shifting a little, I frowned at them all. "Wait… I'm not forgetting anything, guys…" I said, hoping to defend myself.

"Obviously you are!" Renn shouted at me. She was now angry, and it showed.

"I'm not! I just don't want to do it in front of them!" I said back.

The house went quiet, and I realized I'd shouted a tad too loud. I coughed a bit, and made sure to keep myself in check for any further outbursts… hopefully no one else came over to find out what was going on, there were a few houses close enough to have heard me just now… I already had an audience, I didn't need to make it worse for myself.

"Now I'm jealous again!" Light shouted behind me, sounding defeated.

Lilly and Merit also both shook their heads, with Merit actually reaching up to cover her face as if embarrassed... And Renn gave me a beautiful smile, as if forgiving me for everything I've ever done in my life. All my mistakes and faults, until now and forevermore.

Which only made me regret not just kissing her in greeting as they had all expected me to.

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