Unwritten Destiny [Yuri/Sapphic, Isekai, LitRPG]

"You good?" I patted Hannah's shoulder.

"Me?! What about you!" She moved closer and gently took my bleeding arm in her hands. The blonde angel tore several strips of cloth from her under tunic and delicately began wrapping them around my wound.

"Look at her! She's fine. You don't need to fuss over her. She's an Elder God, not an infant." Lily huffed and quickly walked out of the room to explore a side room deeper in the temple.

Hannah's fingers slowed their work as tears splashed across the top of her hands. Her gaze fixed rigidly on her hands as she took a deep breath. "She's lashing out from pain. She doesn't mean it."

My entire body shook and trembled from the shock of blood loss and the tears streaming out of my eyes. "I-I t-think she m-m-means it..."

The tall angel finished wrapping the wound and gave a shake of her head. Satisfied with the bandage, she ripped off more strips of fabric and started fashioning a makeshift sling. Her modesty partially compromised, I looked anywhere but at her chiseled abs now on display. "You saved her life. Very nearly at the cost of your own. That is not the sort of thing that a woman forgets. Lily may not be able to show it right now, but... I believe she will."

I slumped and squeezed Hannah's hand with my good one. "Thank you. I don't think you're right, but... the alternative hurts too much. But what if you are wrong? What if she hates me forever? What will I do then?"

Her fingers gently caressed the back of my hand as the blonde woman stared into my eyes with a twinkle in hers. "Then you'll figure it out. The heart heals, same as any other part of you. And sometimes it finds new things to sing for."

My cheeks would have flushed if I still had enough blood left in my body. She had already admitted an attraction, but this was... I gently extracted my hand from hers, although perhaps more slowly than I would have a few days ago. "Let's get back to it, yeah?"

"Of course, my Goddes- I mean... Alexis." She stood and reached down, helping me up onto my feet.

The world spun and I wobbled as my knees nearly gave out. Hannah caught me and wrapped a steadying arm around my waist. "Thanks." I looked down at the mess on the floor. "I... lost a lot of blood."

We hobbled over to the altar, the symbols and runes etched into its surface, glowing with Divine light. I reached out to touch the biggest symbol; my fingers feeling drawn to it.

"I really wouldn't touch that." I looked up to see Lily standing off to the side with her arms crossed over her chest and a complicated expression on her face.

I touched it.

New Talent Acquired

Precept of Love

Rarity: Divine

As the bee to the flower and the beaver to the wood; you are to all which makes the heart race and flutter. Love is infinite. Love is eternal. Love is you.

"Huh. New Precept." Warmth and tingles ran up and down through my body; tickling every nerve in the exact same way that would forever be seared into my memory of the time I saw Abigail smile in the fifth grade and knew that girls were pretty.

Lily huffed angrily and rolled eyes. "That's why I told you not to touch it! YOU NEVER FUCKING LISTEN."

"Hey!" Hannah bristled and took an intimidating step towards the tiny ginger. "Give her a break! Alexis is doing the best she can. She saved your life! Although I can not fathom why just now. And she very nearly died in the process."

I numbly ignored the shouting. "Lily, was there anything useful in the other rooms?"

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot to mention. There's a map showing where we are and how far to all the nearest exits." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder towards one of the rooms.

A weight lifted off my chest and I actually smiled. We weren't going to be stuck here forever after all. "Really? Can you show us?"

Her expression soured. "No, not really! You desperately need to get better at reading sarcasm."

The weight came crashing back down on top of me. I turned and slowly trudged out of the temple. Maybe I was bad at reading sarcasm, but it sure would be a lot of easier if she ever said what she meant, instead of constantly snarking at me.

Hannah matched my pace and wrapped a supportive arm around my waist. I was thankful for someone to lean on, easing the weight crushing down on my jello legs. "Do you think your friends can find us?" I looked up at the tall blonde.

She frowned thoughtfully. "I do not think the chances are high. They don't know where we are, and they were busy dealing with a lich problem anyway. Cass will realize that we disappeared, but her messaging spell is short range. So, I believe we're on our own."

Well, that's fine then. I had been on my own for my entire life. Until I met Lily. My head peeked back over my shoulder without permission to find the ginger beauty walking along behind, staring resolutely at her feet. And as always, wearing a complicated expression.

<Dear Pheidros, I really like Tyra. Like, like like, but I don't know if she feels the same way or even likes girls. Please! I need a sign.>

"What the shit!" I stumbled and would have tripped if not for Hannah's supporting arm.

"What's wrong, Alexis?" Hannah looked down at me, concern pouring off her in waves.

I opened my mouth to try and put it into words when Lily raised her voice from behind. "The prayers have started, right?" She jogged up beside us.

"Prayers? Yeah, I guess that describes it as well as anything. There was a girl in my head pleading with Pheidros to help her with her girl crush." I rubbed my fingers against my forehead in a hopeless effort to ward off the headache I could feel coming. "But Pheidros is dead? I literally have her Precept inside me."

"Mortals don't know that. Gods are an idea as much as they are real entities." Lily spread her arms, gesturing at the mountain all around us. "Here, you lost this in the fight. It will keep the voices out." Lily wrapped the pendant back around my neck and fastened it.

Her fingers brushed my neck as she pulled away and it took everything I had to not cry.