Elyonari crouched by the edge of the volcano vent. What she saw almost made her laugh. There were actual carved stone stairs leading directly into a volcano vent.
She cautiously made her way down the winding path, the air thickening with molten heat the deeper she descended. The dry scent of sulphur hung in the air, but it wasn't overwhelming. Lazily twirling in the churning magma like it was a hot spring, was Adelasta.
At first Elyonari thought her eyes were playing tricks. The magma wasn't behaving like magma. It had a thicker flow than water sure, but it wasn't bubbling, erupting, or devouring. It moved like warm jelly. Somehow, the environment had adjusted to divine standards. Even this extreme heat had transformed into something manageable for a being like Adelasta.
Elyonari blinked as Adelasta noticed her. The woman rose from the magma like some infernal goddess, her entire body steaming but perfectly intact. Magma peeled from her skin like water, sliding off and vanishing into mist as she floated upward, landing smoothly on the carved edge near Elyonari.
The heat was intense. Elyonari staggered back instinctively, raising a hand to shield her face. Adelasta chuckled as she tapped her shoulder and lowered her heat field with a quiet flick of her hand.
"Sorry. Forgot I'm more than ten thousand degrees hot."
She was wearing a light, sleeveless summer dress, unfazed by the flames that should have incinerated cloth. Elyonari honestly didn't even want to know what the fabric was made of. Adelasta stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, her body now cool enough not to burn.
"You're finally awake and walking. That's good. I was honestly worried. But uh... why are you here? Shouldn't you be all snuggled up to our man?"
Elyonari looked away, her cheeks puffed, the jealousy still fresh and sour on her tongue.
"He was too busy to even notice I was alive. All three of them were just... making Arrays. He kissed me on the lips without looking me in the eyes and just kept going. I called his name three times before he even heard me. I said I was going outside and he didn't even look up."
Adelasta didn't comment right away. She simply floated upward, tapping Elyonari's shoulder and gesturing for her to follow. Together, they leapt out of the vent and landed softly at the summit. They sat on the rim of the volcano, they legs dangling. Elyonari kept her arms crossed.
"I don't know what's wrong with me. I've been really emotional. I passed my First Sacred Trial. That should be a big deal, right? But he didn't even say congratulations. I thought maybe he'd... I don't know, say something? Anything?"
"You're feeling moody because it's normal. You're in a new phase. You just got your Divine Enlightenment. It amplifies everything. And besides, Darling is like that."
Elyonari glanced sideways. "Like what?"
"Like a wall when he's working. He gets into a mode where everything else shuts off. Emotion, warmth, everything. When he's in that state, it's like he leaves the room but his body stays behind. That's why I hand over most of his duties as Dynasty Monarch. I gave them to Leon, Leones and Milliania. When Vastarael works, he becomes someone else and honestly? It's scary."
Elyonari's brows furrowed. Adelasta nodded at her expression.
"It's true. Three years ago, there was a financial collapse in part of the Dynasty's economy. He worked nineteen days straight. I tried to pull him away just for a minute. He didn't even look at me. He just said, 'Later, Adelasta,' like I was a notification he dismissed."
Elyonari looked down at her hands, guilty but also... validated. Adelasta wasn't done. She leaned back on her elbows, her eyes clouded over.
"His flaw isn't just women, though I'm not sure how that works. It's duty and responsibility. That's what breaks him. And his Bane doesn't help."
"Isn't it women?"
"It's why he died for Narisva. It's also why he suffered in the Obsidian Runic Spire because of Erna... well, Asenane, technically. It's also why Stephos nearly killed both of us when we were thirteen. His Bane makes him vulnerable to any women his destiny has. Loyalty and emotion are dangerous for him but he never gave them up. He keeps trusting and giving, even though it literally almost gets him killed."
"Then why doesn't he stop? Why keep doing that?"
"Because he loves too deeply, even when it hurts and it gets him broken. He's stupid like that. The worst part is he knows it's a weakness. And he still chooses to care."
Adelasta had just finished stretching out her limbs.
"There's actually a way to make him focus on you, you know."
She revealed suddenly, tilting her head toward Elyonari. Elyonari's long elf ars perked but she didn't turn to face her.
"What?"
"I mean it. There's a little trick. It's simple and dumb but it works. Just say you're bored and say you miss him."
Elyonari blinked, now turning to her completely.
"That's it?"
"Yep," Adelasta said, popping the 'p' with a teasing grin. "Say that to his face and it's like his brain does this... instant override. Whatever he's doing, however deep he's buried in his obsessions, that one sentence rips through his thoughts."
"Wait, you tried that?"
"Three years ago during the financial crisis. So, I tried talking to him. Nothing. I tried hugging him. Nothing. So finally I just said, 'I'm bored and I miss you.'"
Elyonari narrowed her eyes, already suspicious.
"And?"
Adelasta looked up at the sky dramatically, like she was reliving a life-changing moment.
"He looked at me like he hadn't seen me in a hundred years. Next thing I knew, we were upstairs. It was raining outside. You can probably guess the rest."
Elyonari's face went crimson instantly. "Why... why would you tell me that?!"
"Because you're clearly jealous, moody, and hopeless. Look, I get it. I've been there. He can be so emotionally constipated when he's in work mode that it feels like talking to a glacier. But he doesn't mean to be that way."
"You think it will work on him again?"
Adelasta stood up, brushing ash off her dress.
"It's Veneri. Of course it will but not today. Before I left the mansion this morning, he told me he wants to finish the Array today for Denisia and Natalis."
Elyonari sighed, "So it's a big deal."
"Yeah. Those two will pass their First Sacred of the finish it. The Array is meant for them to use their heavenly nature even more."
"Ugh." Elyonari's face scrunched as she stood too. "So we can't even distract him for fun?"
Adelasta laughed.
"Nope. Not unless you want him to start over. And I like my free time, thank you."
With one last wistful glance down into the glowing heart of the volcano, Adelasta stretched again.
"Come on. Let's go see Xander and Farrynelle. I'm done. If I stay in there any longer, I'll collapse and wake up a skeleton."
Elyonari smiled faintly, her mood lightening a bit.
"You're literally fireproof."
"Emotionally? No. I'm ready to cry from this heat. My skin is begging me for mercy."
They both leapt off the volcano's edge toward the center of the island where, far below, the sound of sparring blades and clashing powers hinted at Xander and Farrynelle training beneath the glow of a sun too intense for anyone.