TGS - Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Reunion
Above the dome, the conceptual lines symbolizing the Yilu River snaked across the expanse. Once, they had been a brilliant river of stars, dense with points of light, but now only the largest and brightest remained, flickering unhurriedly at the very end.
In contrast to the pattern on the dome, the pool below was without a single ripple. The River Goddess still slumbered at the bottom, quietly sealed within the light-blue, amber-like water.
It was as if time itself had long since ceased to flow here.
Suddenly, the final point of faith detached from the dome. It plunged into the pool like a meteor and merged into the space between the goddess's brows.
It was brighter than all the other points of light, yet it was absorbed the fastest. When the starlight had completely dissolved, a blue gemstone suddenly materialized on the goddess's chest—the physical manifestation of her godhood.
The divine core settled quietly into the center of the goddess's necklace, occupying the space once held by the blue chalcedony she had given to the princess, looking just like an ordinary decorative gem.
Just then, the goddess's eyelashes twitched. Her silver lashes lifted slightly, revealing a sliver of frost-blue eyes.
Lotus remained motionless, her eyes half-closed, until her consciousness fully returned. Only then did she realize that the long process of stabilizing her divine position had ended.
It was time to leave.
She opened her eyes and sat up. The water obediently lifted her, carrying the goddess to the edge of the pool.
Droplets of water rolled in streams down her lustrous white skin, her damp silver hair and white dress clinging to her body. Lotus blinked, and the excess moisture instantly evaporated. She tucked her now-fluffy long hair behind her ears and walked out of the temple, step by step.
What should I do now?
Lotus was still a little dazed from her long slumber. She looked around, seeing only the green shade of trees and a flowing stream, a scene of tranquil peace.
Lotus subconsciously tapped her wrist. One second passed, then two. She let out a soft hiss.
I must have been really out of it from that sleep to have forgotten the little princess.
During her slumber, Lotus's consciousness had been hazy, but she could vaguely sense the passage of time. Considering the other three major gods had taken five and seven years respectively, she estimated her own sleep had not been short.
I have to get back as soon as possible...
Completely ignoring the fact that the Kingdom of the Gods was where a deity was supposed to return, Lotus glanced at the nearby stream. In an instant, she transformed into a white fish with a silver tail and swam away with the current.
As the goddess of rivers, Lotus was indeed faster swimming than walking. Before long, she reached the edge of the floating island, reverted to her human form, and leaped off.
Her slender figure vanished in a flash into the thick clouds below the island.
Meanwhile, the twin gods of the sun and moon stepped out of their respective temples. As their temples were built directly opposite each other, they came face-to-face the moment they exited.
"You felt it too," said Anmila, the Moon Goddess.
"Of course. The power of water stabilized so suddenly; Lotus must be finished," the Sun God, Suriel, said with a mischievous grin. "Having just been inundated with the massive amount of divine power needed to stabilize her position, her consciousness is probably still hazy. She'll be all dazed and easy to trick. Weren't we just like that back then?"
The Moon Goddess couldn't recall. "Were we?"
The Sun God coughed lightly. "...Sorry, I forgot you're always like that."
"Anyway, if we go over now, we might be able to coax her into calling us 'big brother' and 'big sister.' This is our last chance!" the Sun God declared with great solemnity.
The Moon Goddess replied with a deadpan expression, "Oh."
Long accustomed to such rebuffs, the Sun God paid her no mind and continued his pleasant fantasy.
When the two gods arrived before the great gate of the River Temple, they found a group of water-aspected subordinate gods and water sprites huddled together, staring pitifully at the gate, completely at a loss.
"What's going on here?"
The Sun God's gaze zeroed in on Adia, the Goddess of Love and Desire, amidst the crowd of deities. She was currently lifting the chin of a beautiful water-aspected subordinate goddess, whispering softly in her ear.
Hearing her nominal grand-nephew's question, the Goddess of Love tossed her long hair and said airily, "Ah, you're here. Oh, it's nothing much. Just that our adorable junior has run off."
The Sun God: "...?"
"I was surprised myself. A deity who rushes to leave the Kingdom of the Gods right after waking up—Lotus is the first," Adia said, sighing as she twirled a lock of her hair. "Such a shame. I was thinking of waking the others, but it seems today's welcome banquet is canceled again."
Though she spoke of shame, her expression was all smiles, as if she found the situation highly amusing.
She released the subordinate goddess's chin and began to gaze up at the sky, captivated. Her eyes reflected a crisscrossing network of lines, as if she could perceive the trajectories of certain things moving through the void.
"And that's why," she said in a playful tone, "it's so very interesting."
The Sun God did not find it interesting at all. He was heartbroken.
The Moon Goddess patted his shoulder. "Give it up," she said coolly. "No one is coming back to call you 'big brother.'"
The Sun God: "Sob."
The water-aspected subordinate gods and sprites couldn't participate in the major gods' conversation and could only huddle together for comfort.
They had learned from the higher gods that their own master had returned and had waited with great anticipation for years. The moment they sensed the stabilization of the water power, they had rushed over eagerly to welcome her, only to find their master had vanished to who-knows-where. If anyone had a right to be heartbroken, it was them.
Under the celestial light of the Kingdom of the Gods, the three major gods and the crowd of water deities and sprites stood outside the River Temple, cutting a strangely desolate figure.
Lotus, however, was completely unaware of everything that had transpired in the Kingdom of the Gods after her departure.
She had now arrived at the military camp outside Digebia City. As a goddess, she could vaguely sense the location of her believers, and this sense told her that Alyuin was still nearby.
The chronological chart hanging outside the camp was clearly marked, informing Lotus in no uncertain terms that three years had passed since she had bid farewell to the young princess.
Three years.
In modern terms, for a girl the princess's age, that was enough time to finish high school.
Lotus felt a pang of wistfulness. She floated around the training grounds in her spirit form, seeing only soldiers grunting and sweating through their drills. There was no sign of Alyuin.
She did, however, glimpse two or three familiar faces. After a moment's reflection, Lotus recalled they were soldiers under the command of Deputy Commander Lena.
"I wonder when Deputy Commander Lena will be back..."
"The victory report arrived yesterday. She should be back in a day or two, right?"
"She's a deputy commander herself, yet she rides out with Her Highness's cavalry every chance she gets. As for us, we've been completely forgotten."
"To be honest, I want to ride out with Her Highness too. Damn it, why am I not a cavalryman?"
"What are you saying? Throw this traitor out!"
"Yeah, throw him out! Even if you think it, you can't say it out loud!"
Lotus: "..."
It seems Alyuin has established quite a bit of prestige in the border corps, she thought.
The goddess, having returned to the mortal world after three years, stopped floating about. She sat down at the edge of the training grounds to listen to the soldiers' chatter.
And as it happened, she found a few veterans educating a new recruit.
The recruit was a greenhorn, so exhausted from training that he refused to move. Hearing the veterans beside him mention "Her Highness," he asked curiously, "Her Highness? We have a royal highness here? Is it the Crown Prince?"
The veteran burst out laughing. "No way. The Crown Prince is living in luxury in Akhet. Why would he come to the border to eat dust? We're talking about Princess Alyuin."
The recruit was even more confused. "A princess is even less likely. Why would the king let his daughter come here to suffer? And I didn't even know we had a princess..."
Hearing that the newcomer didn't even know who Alyuin was, the veterans perked up and began to enlighten him, all talking at once.
They started with the princess's exile to Kadera years ago, recounting how she joined the army and how, in just over a year, she had accumulated enough military merit to be promoted to battalion commander.
What came next was unknown to Lotus, so she couldn't help but drift closer to listen carefully.
According to these soldiers, Princess Alyuin was born for the battlefield. Her archery was superb, her swordsmanship exquisite, her insight unparalleled, and her military achievements were glorious.
Two years ago, the princess had already been promoted to Deputy Commander, the same rank as Lena. It had taken the daughter of the Lord of Digebia ten years to achieve that position; she had done it in two.
Ever since her feat of ambushing the Sanur in the valley became known throughout the army, she had captured everyone's attention with unstoppable momentum.
Time and again, she repelled the enemy with an endless array of tactics. Her achievements mounted, and in three years, she had never known defeat.
The Sanur feared her, calling her the "Demoness of Solancia." They even abandoned their raids around Digebia and went to cause trouble at another border city instead.
But Alyuin was not content to simply display her prowess in Digebia. The day after receiving the news, she set out to reinforce the other border city. She decisively broke their siege, drove back the Sanur, and pursued them relentlessly, forcing them to retreat into the wastelands.
Whether in terms of military achievements or combat prowess, Alyuin was more than qualified to be promoted to Army Corps Commander; she was fit to be a general.
However, an Army Corps Commander could only be appointed by the king. News of her achievements had long since reached Akhet, but an appointment was never forthcoming.
It didn't matter.
In the Digebia camp, the princess may not have held the title of commander, but she had long been the commander in fact.
She was the princess of Solancia.
And she was the brilliant, rising pillar of the border.
The recruit listened, dumbfounded. After a long pause, he asked suspiciously, "I feel like you're pulling my leg. According to you, Her Highness isn't even eighteen yet. How could someone so young have accomplished all that?"
Seeing the veterans just smile without answering, he grew more certain of his suspicion. "Alright, alright, I get it. You're trying to motivate me to get back to training. I'll do it. No need to make up stories to trick me."
"Tsk, tsk. Still so naive."
"You'll understand when you see the princess for yourself."
The veterans all shook their heads, leaving the new recruit utterly bewildered.
Just then, a clamor arose in the distance. An unknown voice pierced the sky: "Her Highness returns in triumph!"
Half the soldiers on the training grounds stopped what they were doing and scrambled to rush toward the camp entrance.
Lotus floated ahead of the crowd. In the distance, she saw a troop of cavalry galloping toward them, their hooves pounding the ground and kicking up a great cloud of dust in a thunderous approach.
High above them, two golden eagles soared, chasing one another, the golden tips of their feathers glinting in the sun.
The cavalry troop only began to slow as it neared the camp.
Lotus's gaze immediately locked onto Alyuin, riding at the head of the column, and never left her.
The princess rode a magnificent black steed, clad in black leather armor with metal plates protecting her vital areas, elbows, and knees. Her bound black hair swayed in the wind behind her.
As she drew closer, Lotus realized just how much Alyuin had changed. Seated on her horse, she was no shorter than the other riders. The leather armor clung to her form, accentuating her supple, slender waist, and the lines of her calves in the stirrups were fluid and graceful.
The princess's face had lost the immaturity of three years prior. Her features were now deep and strikingly beautiful, possessing a young woman's unique, vibrant youth. Yet her brilliant golden eyes stared straight ahead, her expression cold and as placid as that of a seasoned veteran.
Upon reaching the camp entrance, the cavalry troop slowed to a halt.
The horses' hooves clopped against the ground, not randomly, but in such perfect unison it sounded like a single horse. Yet no single horse could produce such a thunderous sound; it was as if the very earth trembled.
Suddenly, Alyuin's eyes flickered. She scanned her surroundings, but all she saw were the soldiers gathered on the roadside, their hands raised to welcome the returning cavalry.
She lowered her lashes, her interest waning. From a small pouch hanging on her horse's neck, she pulled out a golden feather. She waved it symbolically in the air before casually tossing it in a random direction.
This was a Solancian military tradition. After a victory, the returning commander would select a small, light item from the spoils and toss it into the welcoming crowd.
Whoever caught it was said to receive the good fortune of that victory.
After tossing the golden feather, Alyuin paid no more attention to the scramble on the roadside and led her cavalry back into the camp.
"Don't move! This one's mine today!"
"Only a fool wouldn't move—Ow! Who's that shoving me from behind?"
The soldiers scrambled for the prize like goldfish fighting over food, until someone realized something was amiss. In the midst of their struggle, the item had vanished.
Which quick-eyed, fast-handed person had taken advantage of the chaos to snatch the feather and disappear?
Elsewhere, Lotus twirled the golden feather by its quill, leisurely trailing behind the cavalry troop.
She gazed at Alyuin at the head of the column, and the more she watched, the more she felt she had truly missed a crucial period of growth.
The physical changes were secondary; the shift in her aura was far more pronounced. If the princess of the past had been a wolf cub that could perfectly disguise itself as a kitten, she had now transformed into a true apex predator.
Slender, agile, supple, and sharp.
The scent of blood and iron clung to her, and it was easy to imagine her as an unshakeable war goddess on the battlefield.
Yet as Lotus watched her, the image of the young princess tilting her head with a slightly cunning smile still surfaced in her mind.
Alyuin dismounted and strode into the largest tent, the place where the commanders discussed military affairs.
She emerged a short while later, waving for the cavalry to dismiss and return to their tents to rest.
The princess, meanwhile, returned to the tent she had occupied for four years.
Given her rank, she could have long ago abandoned this small, simple tent for a larger, more comfortable one, but she never had.
The soldiers were deeply moved by this, feeling that their princess lived in the same kind of tent and ate the same rations as the common soldiers, truly sharing their joys and sorrows. For this, they held her in even higher esteem.
Only Alyuin herself knew why she kept this small tent, and what she thought about as she lay inside it in the dead of night.
Three years.
The first year was spent in endless confusion and anxiety.
The princess had always been decisive and clear-headed. As long as she had a goal, her ambition and strength would drive her to achieve it. But faced with an inescapable conclusion, she discovered with sorrow that there was nothing she could do.
Loving another woman was nothing. Since the age of nine, Alyuin had been plotting how to defeat her uncle and reclaim the throne; why would she care if the person she loved was a woman?
The problem was that the one who appeared in the princess's first dreams of love was no ordinary woman, but the goddess who had protected her as she grew up.
Feelings that contradicted piety. Feelings that should not exist.
What was it, exactly? Dependence, faith, worship, deep affection, admiration, infatuation... or all of the above?
Before she could find an answer to these questions, a greater fear washed over her like a tidal wave.
Had Lotus really left just because something had happened in the Kingdom of the Gods?
Could it be that she had been seen through? The irrepressible blushes, the shyness, the flustered attempts to cover her feelings that the princess herself had barely been aware of—had the goddess understood their true meaning? Had Lotus finally found it unbearable and simply made an excuse to get away from her?
The second year was spent in anxious waiting.
That year, the Sanur suddenly grew rampant, and battles became frequent. Alyuin used war to numb her feelings; the blood of her enemies was the best anesthetic for her hopeless wait.
Her military achievements mounted. Behind her lay the corpses of her own soldiers and the Sanur. Blood soaked every stepping stone on her path, congealing into the black-and-red cloak that only a true commander was worthy to wear.
The third year was spent in the numbness of burnt-out hope.
Once, the princess was gravely wounded. An arrow pierced her chest. Though it missed her heart, it created the illusion of a mortal wound.
Even then, the goddess did not appear.
Aren't you watching over me?
By now, Alyuin no longer dared to hope that Lotus would return. She felt no resentment.
After all, she was the one who had harbored irreverent thoughts. For the goddess to have simply left in silence upon sensing them was the greatest tolerance she could have shown.
Her reason told her this, but a question still twisted relentlessly in her heart, a constant, churning interrogation.
Why did you abandon me?
If only I had the power to pursue a god.
If only... Lotus weren't an unattainable goddess.
Alyuin suppressed the thought and walked into her tent, her expression blank. As she raised her eyes, her expression froze.
A young woman with black hair and blue eyes sat on the edge of her cot, holding a golden feather. She offered Alyuin a faint smile.
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