Sete's sleep was filled with dreams about the past: the countless springs that blossomed thanks to her, the slow awakening of her consciousness as a minor deity, the discovery of the existence of three other similar beings, their first contact with each other...
A bittersweet feeling gained strength in the young woman's heart, which is perhaps why a somewhat sad smile formed on her pink lips. The gesture did not reach her green eyes, now open and scanning the ceiling of the small cabin, analyzing the wooden beams in search of answers about these very human emotions.
As if sensing Sete's confusion, Vez caught her attention with his usual robotic voice:
"Good morning! Did you sleep well?"
She did not answer immediately, but raised her right hand to massage her chest, as if something painful was pressing on her heart and taking the air out of her lungs.
༻ ༊*·˚ ༺
"Congratulations, you managed to guide the heirs to safety and completed the [Rescue Mission]!" — Celebratory bells made Sete close her eyes, bothered by the sudden shrill noise. — "Here are your 10% power and 10% divinity, maybe this world won't end! :)"
"I already told you I hate those damn bells, Vez..." — The young deity muttered in thought as she looked around in confusion. — "Besides, we've been climbing this mountain for hours and there's nothing around here."
"Then you should check those vineyards up ahead~" — The System hummed, completely ignoring Sete's complaint.
They had been walking for hours, since early morning, and it was now past noon. So the prospect of finally reaching their destination excited Spring.
Therefore, Sete stepped forward — positioning herself at the front of the group of heirs — and placed her delicate hand on the stone wall. Small vines entwined her fingers, as if recognizing the presence of the deity. At that moment, she sensed an opening in the nearby rock formation: a crack large enough for three people to pass side by side, covered by a thick layer of gray vines.
Sete approached the passage cautiously and pushed the plants aside with one hand, the other clenched into a fist holding several seeds, ready to attack if necessary.
A moment of absolute silence preceded the swarm of mutant bats, which advanced squeaking toward them.
The handful of seeds exploded into a disorderly mixture of leaves and stems in the young deity's hands, the plants advancing blindly in all directions as she lost her balance with the attack of the flying creatures.
The huge black wings slapped Sete's face and blurred her vision with fast-moving dark shadows, a burning sensation on her cheek was the last straw to make her lose her temper. At that moment, a whirlwind of flames exploded behind her, burning several bats that squealed in despair. It was Reed trying to distract the monsters.
The few seconds of distraction allowed Sete to compact the plants in her hand, transforming them into an imposing spear of intertwined wood, with an unexpectedly unbreakable and sharp blade at the tip, green as grass.
Spinning the spear with deadly precision, she killed a few nearby bats. However, her main concern was the heirs, so she turned part of her attention to them, but noticed that they were counterattacking and doing well in the battle. So Sete was able to continue exterminating the monsters, who collapsed and quickly covered the ground with their black, foul-smelling blood.
— That's why I always cheered for Super- — Thomas was exclaiming angrily, but he was interrupted by the last mutant bat, which shot out of the opening in the rock straight at his face. The creature's shrill squeal ceased inches from hitting him when Sete cut it in half with a spear thrust.
An unfortunate amount of guts, rotten black blood, and whatever horrors were inside the creature landed on Thomas. The boy and everyone around him were speechless, disgust written all over their faces. Sete was the only one who remained indifferent, adjusting her expressionless posture and wiping monster blood from her face with the back of her hand, carefully avoiding the red scratch high on her cheek.
— I guess that's what they call an emergency landing… — Ethan muttered, discreetly moving away from Thomas.
— And what a hell of a landing… — Reed agreed with an innocent expression on his face as he backed away to Ethan's side.
Bianca and Lillia giggled softly, that shy behavior not befitting the tanned and muscular young man.
— We need a bath. — Sete finally concluded as she examined herself and noticed the state of the heirs, especially when she looked Thomas up and down a few times. Everyone was sweaty and dirty from the recent battle.
— Aren't you forgetting something!? — Thomas finally awoke from his trance, suggesting that Sete might owe him an apology for the disaster.
— Oh, yes… — She looked the boy up and down for a few seconds once more, thinking seriously about what to say. — We also need to eat, I'm hungry. And you're welcome.
Thomas was once again speechless.
Sete didn't notice anything wrong with him, even when part of the group stifled their laughter and looked away toward the horizon, deep in contemplation.
— Let's go. — She called, entering the crevice as if she were going to the market.
Everyone followed her, including Reed with a flame lighting the way, while Thomas stayed behind, shaking the excess dirt off his body.