120: My Girlfriend Controls the World
Chapter 120: My Girlfriend Controls the World
REYTH
The viswolf’s flanks heaved lightly as he bent his head down to drink. Reyth already had the brush out of the bag, the large mount’s harness and bags set aside so he could walk about freely. She’d let him run for a while, since she was a little ahead of her schedule for the journey and the long-legged beasts preferred to get a good sprint in now and then.
She’d named him Passi, after a much smaller pet she’d owned as a young girl. He was a young and able viswolf, and much calmer than some of the others she’d known. As she swept the brush through his fur, she was grateful for that fact. She’d gained enough skill in riding that she could handle long trips, but she didn’t trust herself to tame an unruly mount. It was lucky for her that most viswolfs were easily bonded to their riders, and this one had taken a particular liking to her.
“I thought we’d find you here.”
Reyth jerked her head around, startled to find someone here at the watering hole with her. When she’d arrived, it had been empty, with a small waterfall at the far end and some rocks to the side. Now one of those rocks was occupied by two elves, both clearly of the Calen line.
One of the elves wasn’t even looking at Reyth. She had very long hair, with much darker blue lines than normal along her legs and arms. She didn’t look alarmingly strange, but it was a notable and subtle difference from the various Calen that Reyth had run into. This strange girl was kneeling at the edge of the flat rock, peering into the water and tilting her head back and forth as if considering her reflection.
The other elf was a familiar figure. Wryna stood there, arms crossed and tail swaying impatiently. Her eyes held a more severe look, but the rest of her body language didn’t appear angry. It was also more repressed, more controlled than Akasha’s own playful and energetic nature, so Reyth knew instantly that this wasn’t Akasha, but the original Wryna.
Akasha’s so-called father.
Passi lifted his head, but barely gave a glance at Wryna and the stranger before nuzzling Reyth insistently. She’d interrupted her brushing, and he didn’t seem to care that there were new arrivals. She patted the impatient viswolf on the side and gave a slow stroke with the brush, but kept her eyes on Wryna.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she replied to Wryna, trying to keep her voice level. “Have you changed your mind about Akasha then?”
Wryna’s ears twitched. “Hmm? Oh… sorry, I meant I thought we’d find you here with Akasha. We’re here to speak to her.”
By now Reyth knew to look over her shoulder, where she immediately found an awkward-looking Akasha standing just behind Passi. The System-girl’s tail flicked nervously, and she stepped in close to Reyth, though she refrained from touching this time. That felt odd to Reyth, who had gotten used to the imitation-elf’s casual closeness.
With a heavy sigh, Wryna glared at Akasha, arms still crossed. “You really should have met us somewhere more private. I’m not sure how much we’re allowed to talk about in front of Reyth here. She’s uh…”
“Mortal?” Akasha finished. It was a weird word, but somehow Reyth understood what it meant. It sounded similar to how her kind sometimes treated the Calen elves. The inability to remember past lives was seen as a fundamental flaw in the Calen by most. Others considered it a blessing.
Reyth glanced at the unfamiliar elf to see what she was doing. The Calen was staring at Akasha quietly, and now stepped off the rock to walk silently forward. She ignored Reyth herself, the soft green eyes – not glowing like Reyth’s own – wandering up and down Akasha’s form with no emotion in them.
Wryna hopped off the rock and followed, her tail lashing with much more emotion than the unknown elf. Her ears quivered in annoyance, but they steadied when she turned to Reyth. “I don’t want you involved in this. I’m… hmm.”
She interrupted herself and tapped the strange elf on the shoulder. “What are the rules about mortals that learn about the workings of… us?”
That made the stranger stop, glance at Reyth finally, and just as quickly dismiss her to look at Wryna. “There are no rules. It is normally not done because they do not need to know, and it can complicate their lives. It is advised not to be direct, as that can cause religious upheaval and significantly affect energy flow, though not always negatively. It is your world, you make the decision.”
Reyth held her tongue, uncertain what she was even witnessing. At last, she felt Akasha’s arm hook around her and pull her close. For once, she returned the gesture, leaning in against the other elf, taking what security she could get. Something about the unnamed elf felt… wrong. Deeply so. Reyth’s mouth was dry when she finally found the words to speak.
“I know what Akasha is.” She forced the words out at last, then glanced at the girl holding her arm. “Something about this isn’t… feeling right. I can leave if you want.” The unsettling sensation was getting stronger, and if Akasha hadn’t been here, Reyth was sure she would have bolted. She didn’t understand how her viswolf could remain so passive.
Akasha’s arm tightened around Reyth’s. “I want her here.” She was also staring at the expressionless elf, but had some ear twitches to show she was thinking. She lowered her voice slightly before speaking in a reassuring tone. “Don’t worry. You’re feeling like it’s wrong because she’s not supposed to be here. I have to keep a dungeon from forming around her, I think father didn’t consider that.”
A soft grumble rose from Wryna, but her ear dipped slightly. She acknowledged the statement, and didn’t argue. The reaction made Akasha giggle softly, but she didn’t let go of Reyth. No matter the playful reactions, something about this unnamed elf continued to bring a little queasiness to Reyth’s stomach.
“Ah yes, the defense system… I suppose it would identify me as such.” The strange elf murmured to herself as she walked slowly around Akasha, looking her up and down. “Very interesting. A fully-formed soul, and one with more weight than a singular mortal soul. Not quite a Terminal… yet more than a Sub-Terminal. How is it you created this?”
Wryna sighed and watched the whole affair. “Sorry about this, Reyth.” The apology was done with ears lowered, showing some level of sincerity there. “Akasha, this is Orpheus. Orpheus… I didn’t make her, not intentionally. She has her own personality, and even if I’m not so sure about Reyth being here for this, I think you should treat Akasha as a peer. She’s young, not stupid.”
Another squeeze at Reyth’s arm, and Akasha flicked her tail angrily. “You told Sena all kinds of things! Why can’t I share with Reyth? I don’t want to keep secrets from her. I um… I need this.”
The elf examining Akasha – Orpheus – leaned in closer with eyes wide and blankly staring. “Incredible. A fully-formed emotional response without the need for a physical body to provide feedback. Her structure resembles Duck most closely, including parts that I have difficulty analyzing.”
Wryna looked at Reyth, who fought the urge to step back. Instead, she took in a deep breath and raised her chin, meeting the other elf’s eyes directly. The stare made Wryna blink and tilt an ear to the side, a startled twitch showing her confusion.
“You don’t need to look at me like that,” Wryna mumbled, tail lifting with a small quiver of awkward discomfort. “I don’t approve, but I’m not going to hurt either of you unless something huge changes. I understand you want to protect your lover, I just have to think about the future, especially the memory inheritance your kind can–”
“Lover?!” Reyth sputtered, heat flooding to her cheeks and ears. Why did this always happen? “Akasha and I… she’s a friend who… she…” The words were difficult to come, with how complicated their actual relationship was. After all, Akasha was just a girl who needed something done, and hadn’t respected her personal space to get her to do it. She was nice enough now that she’d gotten more focused, but…
A glance over beside her gave Reyth a sinking feeling in her stomach. Despite all her protests to the contrary, the vivid blush on Akasha’s cheeks and ears was obvious… as were the drooping ears. It finally dawned on Reyth exactly what had been going on.
At least Wryna caught on to what was happening right away. “Ah… you hadn’t told her yet.”
And then Orpheus, still examining Akasha clinically, had to speak up.
“I doubt they are truly in love.” The assessment the strange elf made was simple and straightforward, without regard to either’s feelings, and Reyth almost opened her mouth to yell at the blunt statement’s cruelty. But Orpheus continued with a slightly more gentle tone. “I think that Akasha is trying to understand the concept of love. She’s looking for someone to want to be with, someone she feels a connection to… and for whatever reason, these two have a very thin connection. Perhaps in time it will become more, but right now it is clear neither is ready to confront and process their feelings.”
The longer explanation brought out visible surprise in Wyrna, ears perking up sharply and her tail stilling. “I didn’t know you understood the concept.”
Orpheus stepped back at last and waved a hand at Wryna. “It has been… a long while, but I have inhabited mortal vessels before. I have lived lives like this, even in similar bodies. Most importantly, I can see that her soul is still unstable.”
She looked at Reyth, then back to Akasha. “I spoke quickly and did not spare your feelings. I do not mean to dismiss them, only to point out that they are not fully formed. A more appropriate way of saying it is that you both likely feel love for one another, but is it truly the kind you think it is? And do you share the same? Even if you do, how can you interact with one another when one is a completely different kind of existence?”
Wryna gently touched Orpheus on the shoulder. “We aren’t here about Akasha’s love life. Do you know what she is, then?”
The elf sighed and twitched an ear in a negative flick. “Not exactly. I have some ideas, however. She is currently intrinsically tied to this world, as she was born of it. This makes her ineligible to become this world’s Administrator.” She raised a finger to silence Wryna, who was about to speak. “Yes, it is possible to transfer world ownership, though obviously with you that would be fatal. The important thing to realize is that she is also incapable of ascending past the world, because she is woven into the structure, not merely an occupying soul.”
Orpheus glared at Wryna, then turned back to Reyth and Akasha, the latter of whom was now showing a drooping tail and ears.
“I do not want to upset you, child.” Orpheus now took on a more gentle tone, one that had Wyrna giving her a strange look. “This is something you must think about. I understand feeling attachment to mortals, but you are a being that exists for eternity. This elf will die and move on. Will you shackle her soul for your own comfort? Will you ask your father to force godhood upon her? You barely understand what it is to have a body, do you not? Forming attachments with those who are your wards is dangerous for them and for you. They can never truly understand you or be your equal, and you will inevitably lose them unless you ask them to make a choice that has consequences they are incapable of comprehending.”
It was a harsh statement, no matter how quiet and soothing the tone. Reyth winced, and she could already see Akasha was tensed up. She placed a hand on the System’s shoulder.
“We can talk about this later,” she murmured. Reyth wasn’t sure how to cope with an infatuated youth that ran the entire System her people relied on, but working it out here in front of strangers – even very powerful beings who understood it more than she did – was not the most emotionally stable place.
Akasha flicked her tail, but didn’t pull away from the reassuring touch. Her muzzle quivered as she looked at Wryna, then back to Orpheus, and then her ears pinned down tightly. Reyth recognized that look. It was the look of an upset child, one that was about to do or say something impulsive. She squeezed the girl’s shoulder and tried to tell her not to.
Too late.
Akasha’s tail swayed so hard it cracked hard against one of her ankles, as she huffed at Orpheus in indignation.
“Why not? That’s the only reason you’re an Administrator!”