Blessed Curse of Lust

Yelena was sitting on her bed. They safely returned to the academy and left Lily in the care of the healers in the infirmary. They said she would make a full recovery within a couple of days. That was a relief to hear, but Yelena was still troubled that she couldn’t stay by her side. Even after the healing, Lily would need to rest, so she couldn’t take visitors until at least the next day.

Thea and Valerie went to prepare their report on the mission and the ruins they found. They figured that even if they may not have cleared the whole place of undead, the mission would still be considered a success. Plus, they would likely get some extra reward for discovering a new ruin. The points given out by the school weren’t on a rigid system. Under special circumstances, they could earn extra points for doing well. Killing an undead knight, even if the exact method won’t be disclosed, plus finding an unexplored ruin would likely fall into that category.

Eris remained silent the whole way back and split from the group as soon as they arrived. Yelena wasn’t sure what was going on in the elven girl’s head, but she knew they would need to have a talk soon. She hoped her secret would remain hidden longer. She certainly didn’t expect it to be revealed during their first job together.

Yelena was still unsure how much she could trust Eris. All the others were different. Thea, she knew all her life. Sharing this with her was not even a question. Lily was different; Yelena didn’t know her, but the short time she spent with the redhead made her sure that she didn’t harbor any ill intentions. Still, given the situation, she had little choice but to tell her.

Valerie was once again a different case. Yelen had known her for a while now. Sure, she didn’t like the princess initially; that changed a lot, especially since she got to see her more vulnerable side.

Eris was different. She was distant and hard to read. Yelena didn’t know what her intentions were. The fact that she could immediately put things together regarding her being a champion meant that she was able to sense divine magic. From what Lucia told her, it was more or less only possible to those who spent a considerable amount of time near a divine source. Be it a relic or an anchor such as one in the school.

The issue was, Yelena didn’t know anything about Eris. It wasn’t even her real name. She didn’t know her origin or why she was even here. There was no guarantee that the girl would keep it a secret. Although given how quick she was to show respect to Yelena, the girl believed at least she could be reasoned with.

“Are you ready to talk?” Lucia’s words interrupted the white-haired girl’s thoughts.

Yelena looked up, seeing the goddess standing by the wall, arms crossed and waiting to start this conversation. Yelena knew there was a lot to talk about. Many things happened during that short period when she used her divine magic. Yelena had a lot of questions, many of which she hoped she could get some answers for.

“Yeah, I’m ready!” Yelena replied.

Lucia nodded and walked over, then sat down next to the white-haired girl. She let out a long sigh, thinking over all the things she would have to explain about what happened back in the ruin. She knew the day would come when she had to have this talk with Yelena; she just didn’t expect it so soon.

“Let’s start at the beginning. You probably noticed the chains that appeared around you when you cast the divine magic.” Lucia started.

Yelena gave a nod; even though they didn’t actually feel like they were restricting her movements, it was impossible not to notice them.

“Those are what we call seals. As the name suggests, they exist to seal off part of the divinity that was bestowed upon you when you became my champion.” The goddess told her.

“Why? Wasn’t I going to unlock these powers gradually? What is the point of adding an extra layer to it?” Yelena asked with her eyebrows raised.

“Because they are different than the divine power. The things that those seals hold locked away are not simply a fragment of my power. Those are literal parts of me. Parts of my very being that will be gifted to you.” Lucia explained.

Yelena gasped. Even just inheriting parts of a divine being’s powers was a big deal, but based on what Lucia just said, it seemed she would get much more than just that. She didn’t fully understand what the goddess meant by those being literal parts of her, but she knew it was not a small thing.

“Normally, those things wouldn’t even appear. Not unless I summon them. Also, I should be the only one to release those seals when the time is right. Which is why, even for me, the whole event was a surprise.” She admitted.

“Then how? Why?” Yelena asked back, trying to figure out what happened.

Even seeing Lucia confused was concerning. A being that existed since the beginning of time, yet even she was at a loss when it came to this.

“Good question. Maybe you are more special than I thought. Maybe your heightened emotions triggered something in the seals. I don’t really know. Never heard a champion summoning these seals on their own, let alone one actually damaging one.” Lucia let out a nervous laugh.

Based on those words, the seals were not a specific thing for Yelena. It was something other champions had before. Still, hearing that she was the first to do something made her feel a little proud, but also worried. Even the goddess didn’t know its cause.

“So then the magic you cast?” Yelena was curious about that.

“It was to repair the seal before it broke. Once it breaks, it cannot be remade. The part of me that would have been gifted to you by that seal wouldn’t have been useful in that fight anyway, and you are far from ready to actually use it.” Lucia said.

That was odd to hear. At least the first part. Yelena understood it might be too early, but she obviously had no idea why Lucia said it wouldn’t have been useful. A part of the divine must be extremely strong. Even if it was coming from the goddess of sex and lust. Well, maybe that was the reason. It is possible that whatever part Yelena would be given wouldn’t have much use in an actual fight, but could be useful in other ways.

Lucia laughed as she heard those thoughts going through Yelena’s head. No wonder; she could read the girl’s mind. Yelena actually talking out loud in this situation was pointless, but it also felt better than just speaking to herself.

“Don’t worry! It will be useful in a fight. Just not against that type of enemy. That is all I can say for now. You will learn more about it when the time is right. Until then, you should keep focusing on getting stronger.” Lucia helped clear up the things in Yelena’s head, even if just a little.

“Would it be really that bad if the seal broke back then?” Yelena went back to the time when the chains almost shattered.

“Yeah, it would have been a problem. To use those parts, you would need much more divine energy than you have right now. If it broke, you probably would have passed out before you could finish casting the divine bolt. So, I had to stop it.” She explained it in more detail.

Yelena didn’t even think about that. It made sense. Even just the divine bolt took the power out of her body. If she suddenly unlocked an even greater power, it sure could have ended rather badly.

“What do you think? Why did the seal weaken?” Yelena asked.

“As I said, even I don’t know. It never happened before. Hopefully it was a one-off thing. We really don’t need that to worry about on top of everything else. For now, I’ll keep observing; maybe we will figure out the reason. Until then, be careful!” The goddess replied.

Their conversation was interrupted by the knocking on the door. Yelena stood up and hurried over. She already had a feeling who it might be, and opening the door confirmed it. Eris was standing on the other side. She moved to kneel again, before she changed her mind and remained standing.

“Come in!” Yelena stepped aside and let the black-haired elven girl walk inside.

Eris nodded and stepped inside. She walked to the middle of the room and stood there watching Yelena. She was conflicted about how she should address the white-haired girl after such a big revelation.

“Take a seat, please! Wherever you feel like.” Yelena motioned towards one of the chairs in the room, then to her bed, offering both as a possible option.

“I’m good, thank you. It would be rude to sit down in your presence.” Eris looked very serious about it.

Yelena sighed; she hoped this conversation could happen in a more casual way, but it was clearly something that was difficult for Eris to do. In the end, she just shrugged and sat back down on her bed. Eris walked in front of her and waited.

“Okay then! Let’s start at the beginning. As you already know, I’m a champion of one of the gods. It wasn’t exactly something I chose, and still coming to terms with it. For now, I try to keep it hidden until things get a bit clearer. Hope I can count on your discretion in this matter?” Yelena went for the most important part for her right away.

She wanted to make sure Eris understood that it was very much a secret the white-haired girl intended to keep, at least for the time being. Yelena wasn’t delusional; she knew it wouldn’t remain hidden forever. Depending on what Lucia had in mind, sooner or later she would have to step out of the shadows.

“May I ask, which deity chose you?” Eris asked the question that had been weighing heavily on her mind since she learned about Yelena’s status.

Yelena sighed. She was not sure how Eris would react to the news. Most people would likely be weirded out. Luckily, those she had told before all reacted pretty well to this piece of information.

“Lucia, goddess of… sex and lust,” Yelena answered awkwardly.

It was still hard to openly admit it, felt quite embarrassed to say those words out loud. Eris, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed at all. She just stoically nodded as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“I know of her. Sister of Kytia and Imera. Many others too, but the family tree between the deities can be confusing.” Eris noted.

Lucia frowned and let out a loud groan when she heard Kytia’s name. Yelena already had a feeling based on the first meeting, but the two didn’t seem to be on the best of terms. She wondered what Lucia’s take was on the other goddess mentioned. Imera was the goddess of nature. One that was very heavily revered by the elfs.

“Imera is okay. She tends to take a more natural stance on things. I like her. At least she doesn’t act all high and mighty like some others.” Lucia answered the question in Yelena’s mind.

Yelena turned back towards the elven girl, who was looking at the spot Yelena was facing just a moment ago. She looked a bit confused, especially since she couldn’t see anything interesting at that spot.

“Sorry, I was just listening to Lucia. You can’t see her, but she is currently lying on my bed like she owns it.” Yelena pointed towards the middle of the bed.

Eris’ eyes opened wide, and she gasped loudly as she heard that. She looked again; of course, she still couldn’t see or feel anything, but just the knowledge that she was in the same room as one of the gods made her go pale.

“Wait! You are saying that she is here? Is Goddess Lucia in the room with us? How is that even possible? No, even more importantly, you should address her more respectfully. I know you might be her champion, but she is still one of the gods.” Eris went on a tirade; Yelena didn’t even have a chance to say something.

Lucia chuckled as she heard those words. So far, Eris was the one who probably freaked out the most about Lucia being present in the room. The others were surprised for sure, but they managed to accept it fairly quickly.

It was not really a surprise. Elves had a deeper connection with their goddess and worship in general than humans did. While most humans chose freely which deity they would worship, elves were first and foremost worshipped Imera. It was rare to see one who didn’t. Because of this, it was unthinkable for Eris to ever address a deity, even one she wasn’t actively worshipping, so casually.

“It is fine. It was she who told me that. She is… a little different than most other gods. She asked me to act more casual around her. So that is what I try to do, even if it was not all that easy at the beginning.” Yelena explained.

Eris was still torn even after hearing the answer. On the one hand, if it was a request from the goddess, it should be followed; on the other hand, it still felt wrong to address a deity in such a way.

“I understand. Also, what you said earlier. I won’t tell anyone; I promise. Not going to lie, it is a lot to digest. Never would have thought I would meet a champion. It is an honor to fight alongside you, if you still have me in your party.” Eris was moving to kneel again.

Yelena put her hand on the girl’s shoulder to stop her. She never liked people bowing to her or anything like that. She made sure to tell Lily that more than once before their relationship actually started.

“I’m glad to hear you won’t tell anyone. What I ask is for you not to treat me any differently than before. No kneeling or any of that thing. I don’t need nor want it.” Yelena told her.

Judging by Eris’ expression, it was not an easy request for the elven girl. She pondered for a short while and nodded.

“I’ll try my best. It will be difficult for sure. I might need some time to adjust.” She answered honestly.

That was all Yelena could ask for. She had a feeling that it would take some time for Eris to come to terms with everything, but at least she was willing to try.

“That being said, I’m more than happy to have you in our party. From my point of view, nothing has changed. You are still a competent fighter, and I saw that you are good at magic too.” Yelen told her.

Eris looked relieved. For her, it was a great honor to help a champion, and she would have felt devastated if she had been rejected from the party.

“There is one thing I wanted to ask. You recognized it was divine magic right away. From what I know, only people who were close to divine power can make it out. How did you do it?” Yelena asked.

“I lived most of my life near the gate to Imera’s realm. I’m very attuned to divine magic.” Eris replied honestly, and without thinking.

The next moment, she gasped loudly and pressed her hand on her lips. She realized she said too much. It all fell into place in Yelena’s mind. There was only one gate in existence that led to Imera’s realm, and it was located in Ura’ya’s capital. More precisely, in the royal palace.

This could only mean one thing. Eris was elven royalty. It made sense now why her identity needed to remain hidden. Also why Yelana couldn’t recognize her. Most of the royal family didn’t really interact with dignitaries from other countries. They tend to remain secluded from the political scene. There were a few exceptions, but those were rare.

“So you are from the royal family, right?” Yelena asked straight out.

Eris bit her lip in frustration. She gave herself away too easily. Just like Yelena, she wanted to keep things hidden about herself as much as possible. It was for the good of everyone.

“Yes… you could say that. I would like to ask to leave it at that and to not to tell anyone about it. If this gets out, it could cause a lot of issues. Not just for me, but possibly for the academy and you as well.” Eris made her request.

Yelana could understand it. She was not just royalty like Valerie. She was royalty from a whole different country. If people with bad intentions gained access to this information, they could easily exploit it.

Even in Ovalan, there were many noble houses with less-than-friendly views toward their northern neighbors. Eris’ position could easily be used to try and flame animosity between the two nations if something were to happen to her.

“I understand. I won’t tell anyone. Although I don’t think you should worry about the ones on our team. I think even Valerie would accept things, and believe me, she can be a tough one. Still, I leave that decision with you. You can make up your mind if you want to tell them or not.” Yelena replied back.

Eris gave a small nod. She was relieved that Yelena was not going to expose her. She was not yet ready to fully reveal her identity even to the white-haired girl, but maybe she could in the future. She still needed to learn how much she could trust the group.

“Well, I’m sure you have a lot more questions about me being a champion, so go ahead. Also, my offer still stands. You can sit. Would be more comfortable talking like that.” Yelena glanced over to the empty spot next to her on the bed.

Eris hesitated for a moment, but in the end took a seat next to Yelena, and the two began to talk and discuss the details of being a champion.