The King's Beloved

[Music Recommendation: "Bound by Fate" by Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Cross OST) - available in Spotify or Youtube]

"Haah… I'm dead," Selena said and dropped her knees on the floor, feeling extremely exhausted after launching her final blow to the monster. "I want to soak in a hot spring and relax."

Like her, the others also felt tired after the long battle, so everyone prepared to rest. The Guardians were once again in charge of lodging—setting up the camp, bath area, and others; and Selena, Illuminaire, and Clavis for cooking. While doing so, Ducis strengthened the barrier of the shrine, and Illuminaire let another clone of Rania to fix the fissures.

Since Selena felt dead tired, she left Clavis to cook and immediately dived into the hot spring as soon as the Guardians finished creating one for the women and another for the men. They separated them with magic and the campsite in between where they sleep.

"Ahhh… finally. This is more like it," Selena melted into the relaxing sensation of the warm waters.

Enjoying it so much, she didn't notice Illuminaire get in, along with the other female Guardians—Terra and Aqua.

"Woah! Everyone's here," she exclaimed when she bumped into Illuminaire. "Wait, does this mean all the men are left preparing our meal? Ha-ha-ha! That's funny."

"Ha-ha-ha," they chuckled.

"Only Clavis and Ducis," Terra corrected. "The others went straight to bath as well."

"Aww, poor hubby. I should give him a massage later."

"You two are really sweet to each other," Aqua said, giggling a little. "How does it feel to be with your destined person?"

Selena blushed at the question.

"W-Well… It's fun! And sweet, and I don't know how to say it."

"Come on, don't be shy," Terra urged her.

With a reddened face, Selena spilled a few of her experiences which the others happily listened to. Illuminaire, on the other hand, simply listened to them, amused by the unfamiliar conversation. They giggled and laughed and discovered new things about each other. Selena was surprised that Terra and Aqua never had lovers of their own.

"Are Guardians not allowed to have lovers?" she asked, curious about the matter.

"Hm, it's not that we're not allowed," Terra answered. "In fact, we are. It's just that we haven't felt that kind of emotion towards anyone."

"You can blame your brother for that," Aqua teased her. "He's a fortified wall anyone, but a few, can't pass."

"Huh? Saburra? Why?"

"You seriously don't know?"

"Know what?"

Aqua sighed. "Nevermind." Then, turning to Illuminaire, she asked, "How about you, Oracle? Do you have anyone in mind?"

Illuminaire was surprised. She had always been the silent one who merely listened to them talk.

"Uhm, I… never thought about it."

"Weren't you fond of the master when you were young?"

"Eh?! Really?" Selena was shocked. "B-But… he has Rania now."

Illuminaire chuckled. "I merely respect him and trust in him as our king. As for romantic feelings, hmm…." She pondered deeply before continuing. "I am not very familiar with it yet, and like the Guardians, I haven't felt emotionally connected to anyone except family and friends."

But then, an image of a man flashed in her mind. It was a certain young man with particularly beautiful and passionate jade green eyes.

"There is someone… that I'm rather worried about," Illuminaire continued. "What he has gone through is terribly heartbreaking, and yet, it has to pass. I can't help but think that he could have enjoyed his life with his beloved if it weren't for us. Somehow, I feel sorry for him, and I keep remembering it every now and then. Could it be guilt?"

"Ooooh," Selena teasingly hummed. "Maybe. Or maybe it's not just guilt."

"That, I am not sure. But I do hope he finds happiness someday. Perhaps, that would erase my worry."

Selena, Terra, and Aqua looked at each other's eyes as if they were communicating with their gazes, all agreeing with a certain thought.

"Other than that, there is one thing I am more worried about," Illuminaire continued in a serious tone. "Tomorrow, we're going to the last shrine for us to subdue before going directly to Vindicta."

Hearing that, the atmosphere turned sullen.

"You're right," Selena agreed. "Honestly, I feel so nervous. I have no idea what's gonna happen. Did our adventures to the shrines even help decrease her power? If not, I don't know how we're going to defeat her."

"Indeed," Aqua agreed. "It takes all of us just to conquer one beast. And to think she was the creator of those beasts, including the monsters throughout the planet. The only thing she used was a miasma. To be able to do that, it's just… terrifying."

"It is. But I believe in the Supreme and His chosen. I just hope everything turns well in the end."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Deep in their hearts, they prayed for a better outcome. The night continued until they finished eating and laid their heads to rest.

Meanwhile, Elliot's team just finished resting and set out to the next and last shrine before facing Vindicta—the Shrine of Ventus. Unlike the other continents, Ventus' was floating in the air, so aside from traveling a long distance above the ground, they also had to travel upward towards the sky to reach his continent. Along with that, they had to fight the monsters ahead.

Like what happened when they traveled to Aqua's continent, the team got exhausted from all the monsters along the way, so they decided to rest a bit before continuing to the shrine. They set camp at the edge of the continent of Ventus, where they have cleared the monsters.

As they rested, Elliot contacted Clavis through Caligo's skill. Clavis gave a status report to him and discussed these experiences so far. Then, they agreed to meet at Ventus' shrine once they were done dealing with their last shrine. They'll reconvene first and plan before heading out to Vindicta's lair.

Little did they know that something was about to disrupt the path they laid for themselves.