– What can I do, right?
Freya murmured to herself while the goddess and Ravina waited for her answer.
She gazed at Evo with a certain glow in her eyes, contemplating something in silence. Then she nodded, having made her decision.
The goddess, who had been observing quietly, immediately noticed the shift.
– "I see you've already decided, Freya. That was quick!"
Freya gave a mischievous smile and agreed.
– Yes, I've decided what I'm going to do about this.
– "And are you going to tell us?" the goddess asked, genuinely curious.
Freya stood up, glanced at the starry sky, then turned her attention to Ravina, who stared back in expectation.
– Well!.... What I'm going to do… is wait!
Both the goddess and Ravina looked at her as if Freya were a clown.
Neither of them understood what she meant.
– Hm?
– "Hm?"
Freya barely managed to hold back her laughter at their confused faces. But of course… she didn't hold back at all.
— Hahahahahahah!
– What's with those faces? Did I say something wrong?
Both of them were frowning, while Freya delighted herself with their reaction.
– "Freya dear… what exactly do you mean by" "wait"?
Freya wiped a tear of laughter and answered honestly.
– To be sincere, I'm still a little surprised by what you two just said.
– Ravina and I, as you mentioned… we're inexperienced with this.
She looked at Evo and gave a gentle smile.
– We've always received those disgusting, lust-filled stares. People who only saw our bodies as tools to satisfy their desires.
– So we always pushed those kinds of people away… and never bothered to look for a partner, mostly because…
Freya stopped. Melancholy flickered in her eyes.
The goddess understood exactly what was missing and completed the thought:
– "And also because both of you are eternal."
– "You fear loving someone, only to… watch that person leave you behind."
Freya and Ravina's expressions turned somber, confirming the truth of the goddess's words.
— Arrrrrrr…
– Indeed. You're right.
– So, keeping all that in mind… like I said, I'll wait.
– I'll let Evo, when he's ready, express these feelings to me and to Ravina.
Freya then looked at Ravina.
– That way, we'll both have time to think… and Evo will have time to get himself together.
Ravina nodded. Freya's words fell like a lifeline in a sea of confusion.
Inside, Ravina was utterly lost. Now she finally had a path to follow.
– "That's a good idea. No rush, slowly."
– "But neither of you mind sharing the same man?"
The goddess asked, curious — she already knew the answer, but wanted to hear Freya say it.
Freya shook her head with a dismissive smile.
— Hun, hun.
– Not at all!
– That scoundrel.... only with two women?
Freya tilted her head, an ironic smile curling her lips.
– Do you really think that bastard is only going to end up with two women in his life?
The goddess responded, almost laughing:
– "Not a chance!"
Freya shrugged and rested her head on Ravina's shoulder.
– And if it's Ravina, I'd be even happier to be her sister-wife, if things end up that way.
– But the matter of eternity still worries me…
Freya sighed, imagining the day Evo would leave forever. Just thinking about it triggered a spark of desperation in her eyes.
But the goddess soothed them:
– "As for that… don't worry."
– "Evo is destined for great things. But that's all I can reveal."
Freya and Ravina both felt a sting of relief — perhaps there was a solution for what they feared most.
Then the goddess asked:
– "So, girls, tell me… do you want to see all the other scenes, or is this one enough?"
The two witches narrowed their eyes.
– Goddess… what do you mean by that?
The pleasant tone vanished completely.
Maybe they had misunderstood… or maybe they didn't want to believe what she was implying.
The goddess sighed.
— Arrrrrr…
– "Evo has gone through these cycles many times."
Freya stepped forward, her voice tense:
– Many… how many, Goddess?
She growled, already fearing the answer.
The goddess revealed:
– "Twenty-nine times."
Now it was Ravina who roared:
– Twenty-nine!?
– How is he even still sane!?
The goddess continued:
– "On the second cycle, Evo discovered the illusion of this world and challenged the one who placed him there."
– "Even with his heart shredded, he stayed firm… always repeating to himself that it was fake."
– "He accepted the lie and moved forward, waiting patiently to be set free."
– "Until that person killed the aggressor and rescued Evo."
Freya and Ravina remembered Evo's strange coldness earlier that day in the office.
Now it made sense.
He was exhausted. Hurt. Forged by the repetition of pain.
It was a miracle he was still standing.
The two made their decision, fierce and resolute:
– We're going to see all of them!
They roared together, and the goddess simply smiled.
– If Evo faced all of that alone… I want to at least feel a bit of what he felt.
Freya declared. Ravina agreed without hesitation.
The goddess raised her hand and spoke with authority:
– "Very well, my representative. I shall grant your wish."
– "Prepare yourselves… time will be long."
{ Evo's View }
Evo walked through the academy corridors toward a specific place.
He didn't go straight to his room.
He had other plans — plans that would mark the beginning of a major shift.
His destination was the Advancement Room.
A rather self-explanatory name: it was where students could advance their existence without blowing up the place due to the released energy.
Feeling something move around his wrist, Evo smiled faintly and rolled up the sleeve of his suit.
– You glutton… I missed you!
He stroked the scales of the small serpent.
She stared at him as if saying: "Are you crazy? I've been with you the whole time."
Evo chuckled and caressed her chin.
– It's nothing, little one. I'm just a bit emotional right now… it'll pass. Soon enough.
Kalythra hadn't accompanied Evo during his journey inside the false realm of the Divinity. So she didn't understand his behavior.
As he walked through the dim corridor, Evo noticed a poster on the wall.
Curious, he approached to read it.
His eyes lit up when he saw the content:
[ We need first-year students to help organize the excursion to the capital of the elven kingdom, four months from now ]
– Oh! We're going to the elven kingdom mid-year?
He murmured, surprised.
If that was true, he would need to accelerate his plans even more.
– Yeah… looks like the next four months are going to be pretty busy.