A moment went by before we all burst into a fit of laughter. Kalia still had her faceplate on, but I could sense she wanted to take it off even as she laughed. It's alright if you do, you know, I sent her. She looked to me, then Ysevel, with mild worry emanating from her core. You'll be fine. We'll understand if you don't want to, but it's alright, Ysevel chirped with an encouraging nod.
While the others were laughing, Kalia mustered the will to retract her faceplate. I knew she was struggling with the idea of showing her true face to an alternate, but Athar wasn't your average coreless creature. A moment later, followed by the tell-tale shink of her faceplate retracting, her trueface was revealed before Athar and Irun.
"Whaaaaat?" they shouted in unison. I could feel Kalia's apprehension surge as her desire to bring it back grew exponentially. "That's what you look like beneath your faceplate?" Irun asked with pure astonishment. "Is there something wrong with the way I look?" Kalia asked coldly.
This fucking moron, I thought, putting my palm to my face.
"N-No, not at all!" Irun began nervously, likely feeling her murderous intent laced within her question. "Y-You're actually beautiful. Don't you think so, Athar?" he asked out of the corner of his mouth, failing to notice his friend's pallid features.
"Athar?" I nudged him gently. "Y-You're…" he trailed off, finally getting Irun's attention. "Well, go on! Out with it," Irun said with a light shove. "Y-you're Devyr's mother, aren't you?" Athar finally managed.
I'm no stranger to realm-crushing questions, but the silence that followed Athar's could have been cut with a knife.
It was Kalia's turn to pale, her ashen skin somehow managing to grow even more pallid than I thought was possible. "Y-You've seen my daughter's true face?" she asked breathlessly. "It was just before my core was forcibly put into my alternate, but y-yes," he replied nervously.
Kalia took a moment to breathe through her confusion. The tumultuous emotions flowing through our connection made me realize she was having a difficult internal battle, but I knew there was little I could do to help. "If it's of any consolation, she always treated me kindly and was one of the only ones to do so in Pyrdredd. Although now that I think about it, she probably pitied me more than anything else," Athar blushed, prompting Kalia to snap out of her own thoughts.
"While I was helping Ardrin administer the tincture to the hegraphenes, she was one of the first to volunteer. She struggled through the augmentation and ended up unconscious for nearly three cycles," Athar began. Kalia's emotions began to stir again, but this time there was no anger or rage. Instead, there was an unquestionable sense of worry in her that neither I nor Ysevel could truly relate to without having had children of our own.
"D-Did you take care of her?" she asked weakly. "I did everything I could to make sure she wasn't going to die, and sat by her bedside for those three cycles without so much as a wink of sleep," Athar chuckled loosely.
"Her faceplate had retracted while she was unconscious, but since I was the only one in the laboratory with her, I didn't really know how much that meant to her," he continued. "That's impossible," Kalia erupted. "No matter who she's with, her faceplate shouldn't have retracted in front of one outside regardless of whether she was conscious, unless…" she trailed off, suddenly realizing something the rest of us were left to guess at.
"Unless what?" I asked, hoping she would answer. "Oh, no," she blanched. "Egeshe krag. Eg karaeda juka erugo," she hissed, confusing the fuck out of the rest of us. "D-Did I say something wrong?" Athar looked at me with fear in his eyes. "I think we should give her a moment," Ysevel said nervously, realizing something I hadn't.
Her wry look reminded me of when Kalia told us about the conditions for showing her true face.
Athar's going to die again, isn't he? I asked jokingly, getting a nervous giggle from Ysevel.
"I think you'll be alright, Athar. Your sacrifice will be remembered for all eternity," I reached over and patted him on the shoulder. "My sacrifice?" he nervously giggled. "Fare thee well, my wayward brother," I said with a crisp salute. Ysevel stifled a laugh as she tried to turn her face away from the two of us, leaving Athar to try to shake the answer out of me, but I held my salute firmly.
We quickly changed the subject while Kalia's emotional turmoil wreaked havoc on our connection. It was obvious that her conclusion had an infinite number of ramifications, but after about an hour of our rambling, we were able to distract her and bring the conversation around to other, less meaningful topics.
"How could my own daughter…?" she muttered after the other two had gone back to their respective bedrolls. "I don't even want to know what she'll say when she finds out his core is stuck inside his alternate," she shook her head dejectedly. "You're not mad about her decision?" I asked hushedly.
"I never said that," she scoffed playfully. "I was shocked to hear that that's who she had chosen," she scratched beside the slit on her temple. "B-Besides, after having gotten to know him over the past few years, he's not the worst choice she could have made. There are plenty of hegraphenes far weaker than Athar who have gone after her," she shrugged.
"So you approve?" Ysevel whispered, getting a heavy sigh from Kalia. "I suppose, but all that hinges on whether we're able to stop Nexis," she said distantly. "Bah, enough about that. You two should get some rest," she flicked her hand toward our bedrolls.
We thanked her for the enlightening conversation and quickly took our leave. I looked back at Kalia as I walked away and saw her worried look turn to a thoughtful smile as the warm sensation and thoughts of her daughter seeped through our connection.
Do you think he knows? I asked Ysevel, careful to not let that thought reach Kalia. It's unlikely, but I'm sure he'll figure it out at some point, she shrugged before resting her head on my chest. I really wish nothing but the best for them. All we need now is to find someone who could match Irun's sour personality, I sent, earning me a playful punch to the shoulder. What about Meliss? Kalia surprised us both by injecting herself in the conversation.
Oddly enough, I didn't feel any sort of shift in my emotional state. To me, it had been years since then and, after having spent so much time with Ysevel, I'd almost forgotten all about it as a result. It felt like a long-forgotten nightmare, distant and waning in its strength. There was nothing left for me to feel about her; no pain, no anxiety, no sadness.
I felt gratitude.
Without her doing what she did, as horribly managed as it was, it gave me the opportunity to love Ysevel as deeply as I had over the past seven years. Ysevel wasn't present in my life out of convenience or anything like that. She was my friend, first and foremost, and we'd built our relationship based on that premise.
With that in mind, I realized that the memory of Meliss seemed so distant to me that hearing her name, after so many years, did little to shake me anymore.
Nah, I wouldn't wish that on the worst of my enemies, I replied simply. Damn, Ysevel giggled in surprise, making me realize she likely felt the same way about Meliss as my mother did. Was it really that bad? Kalia asked with genuine curiosity.
I was with him while he cried, vomited, and shivered after reading her letter. I think it's safe to say that what she did was pretty heartless, Ysevel replied coldly. How far is Codrean from Caegwen? Kalia asked. It's about a week's worth of riding, I answered, unsure of where she was going with her question.
Then she should have made the journey in person. If she really cared about you, a week's journey, even here in the Underworld, means nothing when it comes to those matters, Kalia huffed. Thank you! Ysevel exclaimed, firmly extending a clawed hand. Hey, it was my first relationship. I didn't know any better, I mentally shrugged. That's exactly why Siraye and I were so angry at her, Ysevel explained.
I have to agree with her on this, Thoma. This Meliss would have suffered a trial by combat if she were here with us, Kalia huffed again. Who would be her opponent? Ysevel? I asked half-jokingly. Me, Kalia said coldly, making me realize just how protective she was of those she cared about.
Not that she could hold a mana flame to me, but I would avenge your emotional turmoil in the glorious Davo Dugo Guva for all to see that no one harms my family, she continued proudly, leaving me at a total loss for words. Thank you, Kalia. You honor me with your words and your strength, I said honestly, knowing it would mean a lot to her.
We made an oath after all, and that extends to matters of the heart, not just battle, she continued formally. Ysevel knows this just as well as I do, but she's already made her own oath with you, she said wryly. I could feel Ysevel's ear grow extremely warm as she blushed. Even after years of being together, that much had never changed. Not for her, and definitely, not for me.
It was reassuring to know that Kalia also felt so strongly towards me, though my relationship with her was more like having an older sister than anything else. Although, I admit I was a little nervous for any potential meetings in the future after what she said.
Like that'll ever happen, I thought listlessly before falling asleep.