Chapter 233: The Verdant Grove
Heartland City had many bathhouses, both public and private, far more than any city I’d visited. Here, they took it as a luxury, not simply a necessity. Tana’s eyes shone as we skipped into the Verdant Grove, her favorite among the private bathhouses.
The bath was a small, tiled indent in the floor fed by twin streams of water flowing from a nearby statue. It was far from their most luxurious, but a small, single bath was all I could afford at this point. Even before I slipped into the water, billowing waves of steam enveloped my body, tickling my nose with the scent of flowers. My skin glistened with condensation, the smooth, hard texture of my horns growing slick and glossy.
I’d never had much opportunity for true bathing in this life or my previous, but the moment the water rolled over my skin, I knew that had to change. It was near scalding, but the heat soaked into my bones, washing away the strain and stress of the day. Within seconds, I sat with my eyes closed, head leaning back against the wall. Among all the small pleasures I’d experienced in my life, this left them all behind.
As I soaked in pure bliss, my thoughts began to flow. The bustle and excitement of the day were a welcome distraction to the heavy weight of my vision, but I was now ready to face it.
There was an eight-level demon on Enusia. That knowledge alone trespassed into the realm of disbelief. According to the gods, no demon that strong was meant to appear in this war until, perhaps, the final battle. From the rumors going around the street, the demons had thus far failed to break a single gate, meaning they hadn’t even an army yet.
If that were it, there wouldn’t have been cause for worry. There were ninth-level beings on Enusia who were capable of snuffing out any existence below them, and even Soltair might be able to fight the demon. But the church had, or would, send Levin instead. He was a defensive, team-oriented hero, and while he was powerful, it was certainly too much for him to fight such an overwhelming force on his own.
Levin had always seemed calm and collected, a soothing, tranquil force amid the other heroes. Yet he had been in favor of the plan to abandon me to the horrors of High Valley and even fought against Korra when she tried to rescue me.
Was that what the demon had been talking about? He had mentioned something about the Throne and Valley, and-no, that was ridiculous. If anything, it would rejoice that another hero was gone. I was hated by both demons and the Divine, forsaken by everyone but the few I desperately hoped would remain my friends.
Even as I dismissed it, something about the demon pulled at my chest, leaving my heart aching. I sunk lower into the water, tears gathering in my eyes, yearning for the comforting embrace of strong arms, or a hand on my head and a voice telling me I was enough. A blurry face manifested in my mind, drudged up from the depths of my darkest and loneliest memories, but it dissipated before I could recall it.