After.
POV: Devas Asura.
I'd like to say that the first thing I did upon waking up was to quickly get up, alert and ready for battle, but it wasn't.
The first thing I did when I woke up was sigh in relief, my body no longer aching, my bones no longer feeling like overheated metal, my blood no longer resembling magma.
I must have stayed there for a few minutes, with my eyes closed, breathing slowly, savoring the moment, savoring that my body didn't hurt like hell.
Seriously... that had been the worst feeling I've ever experienced in my life, and if I never felt that kind of pain again, it would still be too soon.
Only then, after a few minutes, did I open my eyes, only to be met with a strange ceiling... Is this some kind of weird curse, by any chance?...
I was sure this had happened a few times before, more than I'd like, actually. To the point where I'm starting to think it's some kind of cosmic joke or something.
Before I could even get out of the bed I was on, the stream appeared in my vision... Did I leave it in Endless mode, right?
How long did I sleep, or rather, how long did I sleep with so many people watching me?...
I sighed again, even more so because someone had changed the stream title.
[Quiet, don't wake Sleeping Beauty from his beauty sleep!]
Considering that only the (MOD's) could set or change the stream title, I had three likely options of who it could have been...
Damn! It was obvious it was Stark.
What a crappy three options, if by some miracle it wasn't Stark, he had a hand in it, for sure.
Before I could even get up from the bed, the (CHAT) came to life, thousands of messages appearing rapidly, viewers realizing that I wasn't dead.
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Finally woke up! Have you no shame? Sleeping for 2 days straight? Where have you seen a young adult act like this, unemployed?. (Iron Man relieved emote).
[WiseWizardGleam]: Devas! My dear friend, you woke up. We were worried when you passed out, how are you feeling?. (Relieved old wizard emote).
[AsuraLady]: ... YOU IDIOT! HOW. DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS IN THESE 2 DAYS?! THAT YOU WOULDN'T WAKE UP!?!
[YellowFlash]: I'm glad you've recovered!. I'm new here, invited by Fukasaku-sama, but still, I'll leave my well wishes for your recovery! (Yellow frog wishing happiness emote).
[(MOD)JackMom]: I'm relieved that you woke up, Devas, you worried us a lot in the last few days. (Relieved golden fish emote).
[(MOD)RedHuntressLive]: DEVAS!! YOU FINALLY WOKE UP!!! I WAS SO WORRIED WHEN I SAW YOU ALL BEATEN UP BEFORE I ENDED UP PASSING OUT!! THEN I WAS SO RELIEVED WHEN I WOKE UP AND YOU WERE OKAY!!.
[JiraiyaIsAnIdiot]: You worried us, kid, but I'm glad you're okay. (Relieved old frog emote).
[TohsakaHeiress]: I'm new here, but I'll leave my well wishes for your recovery too.
These and many more messages.
Harry, Percy, Red's team partners, HOTD folks, Takashi, Kohta, Rei, Saeko, Shizuka, Alice
Even the (GENERAL-CHAT) was the same, but I couldn't read those messages properly due to the speed, but most were like that too, wishing me well for recovery, happy that I woke up.
I let a calm smile appear on my face. I always felt happy when I saw that some people really cared about me.
It didn't take me long to notice new faces in the (CHAT), especially since I knew them.
"YellowFlash" was obvious, especially since he mentioned Fukasaku... It seems I had the Fourth Hokage watching me now, or the future Fourth Hokage, in this case.
The other was someone that, if I didn't recognize, I would have gone crazy, since, along with "Percy Jackson," the "FATE" universe was my favorite.
I only had doubts about whether this was a Rin, post or pre-war.
Finally, I stood up, throwing my legs to the side and sitting on the edge of the bed.
I realized I was shirtless only when I felt the air hitting my skin... Who had changed me?
By the way, where was this place?
I looked around as I responded to the (CHAT).
"Sorry for worrying you." Even though it wasn't my intention. "How long have I been asleep, by the way?" I had seen some people mentioning two days, but I needed confirmation.
As messages appeared on the (CHAT), I took the opportunity to look around the room... and my friend... where was I?
It was a room even fancier than the one I had stayed in at Saya's house... In fact, there was no comparison.
The walls, the furniture, the painting, everything screamed wealth, an image that could very well have come from an old noble house.
From the red carpet on the floor to the golden chandelier, which I frankly wouldn't doubt was pure gold, it was something that screamed, shouted, wealth.
The room was huge too, to the point where it could fit an entire house inside... where the hell was I?
In the meantime, new messages appeared on the (CHAT).
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Counting from the moment you passed out? 1 day and a half, fortunately, that means I won the bet! (Iron Man dancing emote).
[BestToadSannin]: ... Damn! You're rich, man, are you really going to care about such a silly bet? It was just a joke among friends, don't take it seriously... Why couldn't you have slept for another day, Devas?... (Sad frog emote).
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: What a silly bet, make sure to pay my money and Mr. Stark's money! Don't think I forgot how you laughed at my misfortune before?! YOU MISERABLE TOAD! HAND OVER THE CASH!
[(MOD)RedHuntressLive]: You slept for almost 2 days!!! By the way, I found out I have magic eyes!!! They glow and shoot silver rays!! I just don't know what they do, but they're really cool! (Happy Little Red Riding Hood emote).
[TohsakaHeiress]: Almost 2 days... And cover yourself!! I already had to see you being changed by that maid with dog ears, now this! put on a shirt already!
[YellowHuntressLive]: No, no, don't listen to the puritan nerd mage there, you can stay like that, no one's complaining here. Ruby can vouch for me too. (Smiling yellow bear emote).
[(MOD)RedHuntressLive]: YANGGGGG! (Blushing Little Red Riding Hood emote).
I blinked slowly, absorbing the information.
First, I slept for some time, almost two days is... not short, but not long either.
Second. Kazuma. There's no other character on the planet that I associate with that nickname other than Kazuma.
I just didn't know why he seemed to be sucking up to Stark.
Third and last: Rin, or at least who I think is Rin, mentioned a maid, so I was really in the house of a noble, or something like that... Dylan's family maybe?.
By the way, what happened to the guy towards the end of the battle?
Things had gotten a bit confusing for me, fatigue, then the searing pain, left my memories a bit muddled.
I remember saying something to Grongir, or at least to the goblins in general, and after that, it was a blank, with flashes of red and green.
I just hope my past self remembered to-
My thoughts stopped when I heard the door of the room I was in open.
It wasn't an enemy, of that I was sure, since on the Minimap, there was a yellow dot, but still, I stood up, hand already partially open, ready to grab any weapon if necessary.
It wasn't necessary... for two reasons.
The first being the person who opened the door. She was a short woman, very short, in fact, to the point where I could mistake her for a child.
The only thing that prevented that was, firstly, her breasts, which were ridiculously large for her size, and secondly, her muscular arms and legs for damn sure.
Arms that I had already seen on dwarves, both male and female, who roamed the runes of Terraria and the Guild.
A dwarf then.
And second, what prevented me from pulling a weapon was her reaction upon seeing me, or rather, seeing my naked body, which I hadn't noticed before.
I could see her neck blush, then her face to the point where she seemed completely red, but still, she tried to maintain a serious face as she spoke.
"I see that you have awakened." She coughed into her hand, trying and failing to avert her gaze from the lower part of my waist, which I quickly covered with the bedsheet.
"The Duchess gave me orders to escort you to her when you woke up... but I can wait for you to cover yourself... please, be quick."
She didn't even wait for my response, as the moment she finished speaking, she turned and swiftly exited the room, slamming the door behind her.
Okay...?
I shook my head, both due to the strange situation and the new information.
Duchess... I didn't know if that was a problem or not.
Nobles are usually a pain to deal with, both in real life and in stories... I just hoped that wasn't the case here.
I started dressing quickly, at the same time asking a few things on the (CHAT). I could have manifested my clothes directly onto my body... but frankly, I just wanted to relax, occupy my mind from the phantom pains...
Firstly, it was indeed Kazuma, the guy had confirmed that for me, and the reason he seemed to be sucking up to Stark was this.
[The viewer "AdvocateOfGenderEquality" died!]
He had already gone to Konosuba, or whatever the name of the other world he was in.
This message had appeared a few hours ago, meaning it had been recently.
From what Stark explained to me, everyone went "WTF?" when the death message appeared, especially when the "dead" guy showed up on the (CHAT).
Stark paid the (MEMBER) for the guy to come to the other (CHAT), one with fewer people, and explain why the hell a "dead" person was still "alive".
Kazuma explained what he could before freaking out when he realized he was talking to "Iron Man." From there, it went downhill, especially when he found out that "The woman who dwells in the abyss is among us."
Or, for most, Rin Tohsaka.
Rin, from what I had read in her previous messages, had spent most of her time just asking what she could from whoever she could.
Things like "What is a cell phone?". "Who are you guys?". "Are you a wizard??!!". "What the hell is aura?!." And so on.
I expected nothing less from a Magus, the first thing she does when she encounters something related to other worlds? Research!
Rin, when she realized the guy was literally the headmaster of a magic school, freaked out, asking everything she could.
Dumbledore seemed to enjoy it, answering the questions he could, his professorial spirit appearing again.
A little before finishing dressing, I ended up seeing my reflection in the mirror on the wall of the room, which made me hesitate for a second before putting on the shirt.
I no longer had the scar on my face.
I briefly looked at my body for any other scars I might have, and the conclusion was the same.
I no longer had any scars.
This was... both good and bad, actually.
I liked some scars, especially the one on my face, as it reminded me of what I had done when I provoked the Mother Slime.
But some were pretty ugly, especially the one on my shoulder.
Overall, it was a good thing, but still, it was strange to look in the mirror and not see the scar on my face.
Finishing dressing, I left the room. Outside the door, the dwarf maid awaited me in silence. When she saw me, she blushed a bit and quickly glanced at my groin.
I'm sure I heard her mutter something like "Could I handle that?". But I didn't comment on anything.
Without hesitation, she turned and began walking down the huge hallway.
"Follow me, I will take you to the Duchess." She continued her steps, turning only to see if I was following.
As we walked through the mansion's corridor... or castle, actually, since the place was huge as hell, I took the opportunity to observe the Minimap.
There was no red dot anywhere around that I could see, only yellow dots and one green dot, which I assumed was Dylan, but this specific green dot was stationary, not moving.
I ignored the mission completed notification and kept following the maid. I'll see what this Duchess wanted before checking out what I had gained as a reward.
After a few minutes of walking through what seemed more like a labyrinth than a house, we reached the Duchess's office.
The maid knocked on the door and waited a second before announcing loudly.
"Madam, I have brought the guest." At least she said guest, if she had said something like "prisoner" I would have blasted the nearest wall and run away.
The moment she said that, one of the three yellow dots inside the room transformed, its color turning green, an ally... I didn't know the reason for such a change, but I wasn't going to complain.
I didn't have to wait long; a few seconds later, the door opened, and out came what I can only describe as the most "Noble" woman I had ever met.
First of all, she was beautiful.
She appeared to be in her twenties, her hair was reddish-brown, reaching down to her shoulders, gently waving as she walked.
Her eyes were similar, having a lighter brown color. Her face was slender, accentuating her reddish lips.
But what caught more attention was not that, not even her enormous breasts held by her dress.
No, what caught the attention was the "aura" around her and the presence this woman had.
It was an air of nobility, the air of someone who was born, lived, and grew up noble, exuding royalty.
When my eyes met hers, I had to physically restrain myself from reacting.
She had mana... a lot, a whole lot of mana.
I didn't know how she had contained it to the point that I only noticed when I looked directly at her, but it was a lot of mana.
Forget the spell Dylan had cast using the Waterbolt, forget Grongir and his stolen mana and vitality orb.
Damn, this woman had tens of times more mana than those two combined.
And unlike Grongir, who seemed to not know how to use the mana he had, this woman had an experienced air, an air that, no matter how harmless she might seem, she was dangerous, my instincts practically screaming not to underestimate her.
It seems I hadn't managed to hide my discomfort since she noticed how my muscles tensed when I saw her.
Interestingly, she didn't seem to dislike my actions or be bothered by them; on the contrary, she waved slowly in appreciation, as if me being tense and alert in her presence was something certain and expected of me for some reason.
"Thank you for bringing him here, Anele, I appreciate your services." Her voice was calm, controlled, not once deviating from its tone.
The dwarf, or Anele, now that I knew her name, nodded and quickly bowed her small body before turning and leaving for somewhere, leaving me alone with the Duchess.
Without hesitation, the Duchess turned to me and smiled.
"You must be Devas, come, let's talk inside." Without hesitating or waiting for me, she turned, entering back into the room, leaving the door open.
She knew my name... I hoped it was Dylan who had told her.
I hesitated a bit before following her into the room, where she was sitting in a chair, next to the table. In the opposite corner of the table was another woman, a girl actually.
This woman was different from the Duchess in many aspects.
Where the Duchess was tall, around one meter and seventy-five, this girl was short, about one meter and fifty.
Where the Duchess had reddish-brown hair reaching down to her shoulders, this girl's pink hair went down to her feet, touching the floor behind the chair like a pink waterfall.
Where the Duchess had light brown eyes, the girl had light green eyes, like the sea.
Where the Duchess had an air of nobility, this girl had a more free, cheerful air, like a tomboy.
Where the Duchess wore a long and reddish dress, the girl wore a short dress, going a bit above her knees, the dress having a purple and pink color.
Where the Duchess had a beautiful body, ample breasts, and wide hips, this girl did not. Her body still had curves, like that of an adult woman, but something more symmetrical, but nothing compared to the Duchess.
But something they both had in common was the ridiculously large amount of mana.
The girl with pink hair had as much mana, if not more than the Duchess... but these two didn't compare to the damn MONSTER that was hidden somewhere in the room.
There were three points on the Minimap, one green, the Duchess, and two yellow, one was the girl with pink hair, the other was in the room, but I couldn't see the person that this point represented, but I could feel them.
The moment I entered the room, I felt the massive amount of mana that thing exuded.
If I were to make a comparison, Grongir's mana, or rather, the orb's, was like a small lake.
The mana of the Duchess and the girl with pink hair would be the size of a large lake, maybe more... but this... thing! It was something else.
It was as if I were in front of a damn ocean... no... a mountain was the right word for some reason.
It was as if I were in front of an immense mountain, with thousands of trees, the trees containing tens of millions of roots... and all of this seemed contained within this single room.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, at this moment it didn't matter much; this energy didn't seem divine... even though I had never come into contact with something divine before, I felt like I could distinguish... this wasn't a god, fortunately.
Frankly, forget about blowing up a wall and escaping; I was one step away from accepting a mission and disappearing to another world completely... Damn... I had just woken up, can't I catch a single break?...
The only reason I hadn't done that was simple: the remaining two yellow points, both the girl with pink hair and the... thing, had turned green.
Along with the Duchess, all three points were green... three allies... I didn't know how to feel about that.
I tried to react the best I could, as normally as I could, but I couldn't help my muscles tense, my senses and instincts warning me that I was entering the lair of a monster.
I took a deep breath, calming myself, and tried to relax, something I failed at, as both the girl with pink hair and the Duchess seemed to sense my unease, but didn't comment on anything, just continued sipping from their cups slowly while waiting for me, the third chair at the table empty.
I walked slowly to the chair but didn't sit; I stood next to it.
Both the Duchess and the girl with pink hair didn't comment on anything but looked at me as if they expected me to sit.
Which I did hesitantly.
The chair felt like it had spikes; even though I knew the "three" people in the room were allies, I still felt tense, the mana from this... thing, pressing on the room from all sides, didn't help either.
I coughed lightly into my hand and tried, failing again to relax, but commented:
"You have me at a disadvantage here; I believe both of you know my name, but I'll introduce myself anyway." I made a small bow, placing my right hand on my chest. "I am Devas, pleasure to meet you, ladies..."
I had no etiquette whatsoever; I had no idea if I had introduced myself correctly or addressed them with the right title, but I cared little at this moment.
The Duchess and the girl with pink hair didn't seem to mind that either, both having a small smile on their faces.
The first to speak was the Duchess.
She placed the cup on the table politely and turned, looking at me as she spoke.
"I appreciate the courtesy, but you can leave the formalities aside." She smiled sweetly before continuing. "My name is Helena Oakwood, Duchess of Terraria, but more importantly, the mother of the man you saved, Dylan."
From the way her smile took on a mischievous air, I hadn't managed to hide my shock. She had done that on purpose...
Dylan's mother... damn! She looked like she was in her twenties, thirty at most!
Unless she had had Dylan at ten years old, she should be at least forty, maybe more. I briefly looked at the woman who seemed even more amused...
... Would Dylan be upset if I became his stepfather?...
Ignoring my brain's rebellious thoughts, I closed my mouth that was still slightly open from shock.
The shock had been so great that I had even forgotten about the monster in the room... just for a moment, before my brain won over my dick and remembered there was something in the room powerful enough to wipe a country off the map.
This seemed to be enough for the Duchess, Helena, to turn around, pointing with her raised hand towards the girl with pink hair.
"This is a good friend of the family-." Before she could introduce the girl, the person in question tapped the Duchess's hand and lightly huffed.
"I can introduce myself just fine, Aunt Helena." She turned, taking her eyes off the Duchess and smiled slightly, standing up and making a small bow as she pulled up the sides of her dress and bowed the upper part of her body.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Devas, this humble girl is called Charlotte." She stood up, smiling again, this time a more genuine smile. "Thank you for saving the idiot with the name Dylan; Aunt Helena would be devastated if anything happened to him, Melissa too."
She sat back down, her movements quick but somehow containing a harmony of their own...
... Humble girl my ass!
I hadn't recognized her appearance until now because of the shock of that damn thing in the room, but seeing her actions and the way she moved, I realized who this girl was.
Everything about her was like one of the NPCs from Terraria, her pink hair, her pink/purple dress, her sea-green eyes.
Everything was like the NPC princess... which means this girl was the royalty of the damn kingdom I was in...
... Magnificent!
I didn't dare let my thoughts out, even less ask about the monster hidden in the room; I just nodded slowly and picked up the cup in front of me, bringing it to my lips, drinking the liquid inside.
I almost spit it out; it was tea.
I forced myself to swallow the leafy water and placed the cup back on the table; in the meantime, the (CHAT) had commented on a few things.
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Do you think the position to be Dylan's stepfather is still open? If not, could you kill a Duke for your buddy Stark, DS? (Innocent Iron Man smiley emote).
[BestToadSannin]: I'm an expert at courting married women; leave it to me. You wouldn't stand a chance against me! (Proud frog emote).
[YellowFlash]: But sensei... you haven't been able to court Miss Tsunade until today... I don't know about that... (Innocent whistling yellow frog emote).
[TohsakaHeiress]: You seem tense for some reason. Something tells me it's not because of the nobility in the room... did something happen? Did you feel something? Mr. Dumbledore mentioned that the world you're in is a dangerous place...
[(MOD)RedHuntressLive]: Is it something involving the third point on the Minimap? There are only two people there, but three points! If it's something dangerous, just leave. Don't try anything! You're still injured from the battle; don't do anything stupid!! (Little Red Riding Hood pouting emote).
Ignoring the two idiots trying to pick up a woman literally universes away and Minato who exposed Jiraiya's inability to court a woman for thirty years.
Rin realizing that I was tense wasn't incredible, as I could hide that very well, but her noticing that it wasn't because of the nobility in the room was a good observation.
Ruby noticed that there were three points and two people; the resident Little Red Riding Hood had a good eye... speaking of which, she had said something about magical eyes or something like that... Did her world have magic by any chance? Wasn't it just aura and Semblance?
I should have listened to my friend and watched the series; it would be very useful now...
... If only someone had warned me that I would be kidnapped; I would have watched a lot more anime, movies, and series...
While I read the messages in the (CHAT), the princess stood up and walked slowly towards me.
I just stood there watching, seeing what she wanted; her movements didn't seem hostile... and if she wanted to kill me, she could have done it while I was asleep.
She approached until her body was almost pressed against mine; even sitting, I was still almost the same height as her standing.
She held my face with both hands; I almost threw my head back, but restrained myself, as she seemed serious.
She looked at my face, from side to side, especially my eyes, in a serious way, before raising her hands, looking at my hair, the roots of my hair, as if looking for something.
She seemed not to find what she was looking for, as she sighed sadly and returned to her place, her steps light, as if she barely touched the ground.
I blinked slowly before turning to the Duchess, who seemed amused by the whole thing... even the mana of this... thing seemed amused in some way that I couldn't explain.
"Was that...?"
I asked hesitantly, Charlotte, the author of the scene, was the one who answered me.
"Ignore that, I thought it might be you, but I just got confused, sorry." She didn't comment much more, just going back to sipping her tea...
Okay, confusing me with someone, if it were a random person from the street, I could accept it; my face is kind of common.
But the princess confusing me with someone... damn! I'm not stupid enough to think there's nothing wrong with that.
I won't ask obviously, since she didn't seem to want to continue the subject, especially with that thing hidden in the room, but I'll keep that in mind.
I exchanged a few more words with the two before saying goodbye, the Duchess thanking me again for saving Dylan and calling a maid to guide me to the room where Dylan was recovering.
I didn't hesitate to follow the maid; the moment I left the room, relief fell on me instantly.
Let's see how Dylan was and get out of this place... I want to be as far away from that thing as possible as soon as possible!
[...]
POV: Narrator (3rd Person)
"He is dangerous... he could sense mana."
As Devas left the room, a third voice spoke, a feminine voice.
The voice was something sweet, velvety, containing a gentle warmth, but at the same time, playful, mischievous.
Charlotte and Helena didn't turn; both still sipping their teas slowly, but both knew whose voice it was.
From the floor, next to the chair where Devas had been moments before, vines began to emerge, creating a chair made of plants; at the same time, a woman seemed to emerge from these plants, sitting in the chair.
She was by far the most beautiful among the three; her beauty not being something human... or in this case, Terrarian.
She had long grass-green hair, even longer than Charlotte's hair, reaching the ground, spreading like roots.
Her purple eyes shone like two polished amethysts; a gentle and mischievous, joyful look.
She wasn't tall, the same height as Charlotte, maybe a little shorter.
The woman had pale but healthy skin; a combination that, along with the red of her lips, made for an even more beautiful contrast.
She also had the most beautiful body among the three; her breasts, hips, and waist being perfect for her shape and body, something unnatural, natural, a perfect balance of something that would be impossible normally.
It wouldn't be incorrect to call her form something close to perfection.
Her breasts, like her waist, were hidden by small green leaves, covering only what was necessary not to expose her to the world.
Something the woman didn't seem to care about, as one of her nipples was exposed, a small cherry, between the green leaves, like a small fruit.
Something that the Duchess, Helena, quickly noticed.
"Your chest is exposed, Alalia, cover yourself." Helena commented, her voice flat, as if this were a normal occurrence.
This was Alalia, the last Dryad of Terraria.
Or as Devas would call her, the monster in the room, or the "thing."
Alalia stuck her little tongue out and blew childishly at the Duchess, but covered her exposed nipple with a leaf.
"Even after years, I still can't understand why you Terrarians wear so many clothes... it's so... unnatural." The Dryad commented while drinking the tea from the cup Devas had drunk before, her red lips touching the same spot where the human's lips had touched before.
Alalia seemed to hesitate for a moment when her sweet lips touched the spot where Devas had drunk before, but resumed drinking after a moment without commenting, her amethyst eyes shining slightly.
"It wasn't him... What a shame, I thought it might be..." Charlotte, who had been silent until then, commented with a sad pout.
"And of course, he could sense mana; he practically showed it when he reacted to Aunt Helena's mana and mine." The Princess commented, as if it were obvious, looking at the Dryad who drank the tea in silence.
The Duchess added. "What was strange, he had almost as much mana as my daughter, but still, he seemed scared of something..."
Him being dangerous wasn't even mentioned; after all, that was obvious to both of them, the Princess and the Duchess clearly felt the amount of mana the human had, and they had seen the damage he had done to the plain in front of Jille village.
Helena then turned, looking at Charlotte. "Are you still looking for the hero of this prophecy?... Hasn't this obsession of yours passed?." The Duchess looked at the Princess as if reprimanding her for wasting her time on nonsense.
Charlotte, in a mature way, stuck her tongue out while pulling down the lower part of her eye.
"Bleh!"
Charlotte continued before the woman she called Aunt could hit her for her childish actions.
"I won't stop looking, Aunt Helena, especially with this new information... Who would have thought that goblins were also involved..." The Princess sighed, looking tired.
"How many mistakes did my ancestors make... how many more will I need to fix in place of my parents..." She seemed to slowly wither, before the Duchess, Helena, pulled her into a hug.
"Don't be sad, my dear little princess... Your mother and father may have left, but you still have us..." She smiled sweetly as she ran her hand through the Princess's pink hair.
"I, Melissa, Alalia... Dylan, as reckless as my son may act... We are still here, we will help you in any way we can, my dear."
This seemed to be enough to cheer up the pinkette, who hugged the Duchess back before withdrawing from the embrace, returning to her chair.
Alalia, who had just finished her tea, licked her lips slowly, savoring the last flavors of something, and hummed lightly, watching the sweet scene.
The Dryad thought about correcting the misunderstanding the two had, but concluded it was better not to.
Feeling mana was rare in Terraria, but still, some people had that talent.
Dylan, being one of them, the Duchess, and the Princess too.
But what Alalia had said was not that Devas could sense mana, no, it was that he could sense her mana, the mana of the last Dryad, Alalia's mana.
That would be basically impossible, Alalia's mana being the mana of nature, her presence being the presence of nature.
Alalia was effectively the gentle, warm, loving, and tender part of Terraria's nature, one part of two, one half of a whole. Her counterpart, being dormant.
The Dryad could not be felt if she didn't want to be felt, couldn't be discovered if she didn't want to be discovered.
It was effectively impossible for someone born on the planet to feel her presence...
Alalia smiled tenderly, her lips parting slightly in a joyful giggle that echoed through the room, making the air seem cheerful with just that, as if nature sang to the sound of her beautiful voice.
Her eyes shone with a barely contained joy, her happiness showing on her face, as if she knew a secret that no one else knew.
... But Devas wasn't born on the planet, was he? After all, he was a...
Alalia murmured, her lips closing, her little tongue licking around her mouth, feeling the remnants of a taste of something she had never felt before, a taste...
"...Foreigner."
...F͕͇̲͔̻̺͎̜ͮͩ͑̕o̢̝̼͎̙͚̬ͣ͒ͅȓ͚̻̺͝ͅe̬̘ͭ͑ͪ̚͢ï̧̝̥̲̮̯͌̉ͅĝ̮̠͉̠͎͢n̶͙̹̤͒̐͌e̢͓̲̤̥̞̜͇̫̽̚r̛̠̮͒ .
Alalia smiled even more, her smile lighting up the room, to a point where the two other occupants felt like the sun seemed brighter, the air purer than it already was.
The Dryad rose from her vine chair, the vines disappearing quickly, returning to the ground without damaging the wooden floor.
Her steps were something light, not weightless, but as if the air guided her, the ground cushioning her steps.
Ignoring the reaction of the two, the Princess and the Duchess, Alalia began to hum softly, words that the other two women in the room knew well.
"One rises, against The One"
An ancient prophecy, passed down from time to time.
A prophecy that Alalia herself had prophesied almost five hundred years ago...
"Like the sky, his kind eyes."
Blue eyes, like the sky...
... Devas had brown eyes, like honey.
"Like his enemy, his hair... pale."
White hair, pale like the moon...
... Devas had black hair, like a moonless night... without stars.
"Among all, the most beautiful."
Containing a beauty recognized by Alalia herself...
... Devas was ordinary, his face was ordinary.
"The strongest Terrarian..."
A Terrarian who would be the strongest...
... Devas wasn't a Terrarian...
"... A hero... The hero of Terraria..."
... Devas wasn't a hero...
"Not my hero..."
The last part was murmured, so low that the two other occupants of the room didn't hear.
He was just a fool, trying to do what he thought was right.
Devas was the complete opposite of the prophecy that Alalia had prophesied a long time ago, clearly, even someone blind would know that this so-called hero was not him.
But at this moment, Charlotte and Helena could see that Alalia was smiling, dancing slowly as her eyes gleamed with barely contained joy, her shoulders trembling slightly from a laughter barely held.
Until finally, she fell to the ground, laughing, rolling like a joyful child discovering something happy, like a young woman seeing her beloved... like a woman seeing her salvation...
... Like a small and lonely Dryad, defenseless, against an invincible enemy... waiting for the inevitable death... upon seeing her hero...
Both the Princess and the Duchess didn't understand the reason for the Dryad's happiness, the cause of such joy,
Not even Alalia was entirely sure.
Her predictions remained the same, divided into two,
In one, a joyful Terraria, the impossible happening, a hero appearing and saving the world from great evil, where the Dryad no longer existed, used as a sacrifice to create a sword capable of containing such evil...
... Terra... the ultimate blade of the planet...
In another, a desolate Terraria, lifeless, with the world consumed by the one who had come from afar, sealed on the moon, now freed...
... His mere presence driving the world mad... distorting reality...
In both endings, Alalia would die, she had accepted that long ago, spending her days as she could, enjoying herself as she could... After all, it was her job... her mission... her destiny.
But when she saw Devas, when she touched her lips to the cup, in the same place where Devas had put his own lips... for a moment... just for a fleeting moment, something happened.
A hallucination, coming from years of sadness and despair?... Alalia didn't know.
A mirage, coming from the lamentations of a lonely soul, waiting for death?... Alalia didn't know.
A vain hope of a Dryad waiting to be saved, by an impossible miracle, an impossible change?... Alalia didn't know.
But for a moment, just for a tiny, minuscule moment, a third path appeared...
So fast that the Dryad couldn't decipher almost anything...
So fast, like a stolen kiss indirectly...
So fast, as if her vision was allowed, just to mock her... give her hopes...
... Hopes that something could change, that something impossible could happen...
After all, without a great sacrifice, how could...
... How could a mortal... kill a God?.
So... for just a moment, Alalia saw something impossible... something unthinkable... an image that she would keep forever, until the day of her death.
The image of a broken man... His armor shattered...
The image of a man bleeding... His body barely holding up...
The image of a man steps from death... But resisting... His weapons, scattered on the ground...
Alalia smiled, a beautiful smile, to the point where Charlotte and Helena knew, by this smile, men would die, soldiers would march to war, just for that smile.
None of the man's weapons, none of his swords, spears, bows... none of them was the sword Alalia feared so much... the sword that haunted her nightmares every night...
The image of a man, who even in this state, smiled...
"Devas..." The Dryad murmured, "Devas... Devas... Devas..." And continued murmuring, as if to etch the name in her memory, not to forget it.
After all, the moon above, which once shone in the sky... Laid extinguished... without its presence...
... Split in half.
[...]
POV: Devas Asura.
"I owe at least a few weeks to recover, but I'm fine... I'm impressed with you, you look as good as new!" The guide said, still lying on his bed, his pale complexion.
I nodded slowly to his words, a shiver running down my spine...
Let's finish this conversation quickly and get out of this damn mansion; this place felt more like a damn monster pit, and I felt like a damn fish here.
Felt another shiver... Let's get out of this damn place soon!
(End of the first book: A Stranger in a Strange World)