36 CHAPTER 36: Generous Goddesses... (2/2)
”Huh? Okay...now I'm here...”
”What is it that you want now?”.
Mai sighed and walked near him. As soon as she was near him, Zeran felt very cautious of what Mai shall do next in front of him. Suddenly, Mai threw away her crossbow and wreathed her arms around him like a charming maiden. Zeran was surprised, since her very action was very unexpected. He tried to break free from her embrace but, alas her hold around him was tight. He noticed that Mai's face looked-like a woman who wanted to be loved and accepted. Thereupon, Mai says in front of his face, with a soothing voice of an angel,
”Zen...I know this sounds strange but...”
”Let's start all over again...only the two of us...”
”I'll be more caring and supportive to you...like a real wife would...”
”I would even help you on crushing down that evil Queen Fae who abused you...”
”Forget everything that's happening here...”
”Let's leave this place together...”
”I love you with all my my heart...”.
She tilted her head subtly to ask if her offers were enough for him. He wasn't pleased by the generous love and offer of his first former wife who wanted to start all over again, since his heart was already bound to another woman now, so he just closed his eyes. Soon enough, he cracked out a sarcastic smile and he huffed out a silly laugh, since he can't believe on what he had heard from Mai. Mai was surprised, so she removed her embrace. More than that, her intense raging aura was back. Afterwards, Zeran responds to her offer, though he was still laughing through the top of his lungs, with strong conviction in his heart,
”Forget? Be with you?! Wife?! Love?”
”Ha-hahahaha! I can't believe I'm hearing those words from you...”
”Those were the opposite of what you had said BEFORE we left on our seperate paths here...remember?”
”And if you didn't know...I don't have any ounce of love for you anymore...and our marriage is now gone as a clean slate...”
”I'm here for Ru!”.
He touched his chest and proved his words were strong and true to call. Mai felt angrier, as she heard the name of her fellow dark Goddess, making her to exclaim expressively,
”Sigh...why of all things...one of my dear for...I mean why her...”.
Zeran responds with great eagerness in his eyes,
”I have my reasons...”
”And since you're her friend...why didn't you save her instead?”.
She replies,
”Enough of this Zen...”.
Mai brought out her scimitar in a snap and tried to strike Zeran upwards with powerful force and blistering speed. Though, Zeran was able to block her attempt. Zeran tried to counter her attack by swinging his claw but, Mai was quick on her graceful feet, so she just jumped away and grabbed her crossbow lying on the ground. Zeran felt cautious and didn't tried to strike her since, she has the advantage in range. In turn, he stanced and focused on her next blow. For some reason, she still tries to communicate with him yet, her look was serious upon smiting him down,
”Tell me...why do you even want to save Ru?”.
Zeran replies with a determined smile,
”Well...I really don't know...but my heart kinda tells me so...”.
Mai gritted her teeth. She felt more and more infuriated, as she heard his convicted words for Ru. Thereon, she aimed her crossbow above and she casts out,
”NIGHTMARE BARRAGE!”.
Her crossbow shot a black arrow above. As soon as, it reached the highest center of the ceiling, it dispersed. Suddenly, huge searing chrome black arrows fell from above, aiming for Zeran. He was able to dodge a lot of them although, he was still damaged. As Mai was open for an opportunity, Zeran dashed to her and tried to strike her with his claw swing but, Mai was able to parry it with her scimitar from her other hand. Afterwards, Mai leaped away from him to gain the ranged advantage again. Zeran stood still once again and focused on her next attack, although he also said,
”And what about you?”
”You're her friend but, you're helping her enemies instead...”.
As she heard his remarks, her composure was gone, making Mai's boiling point to reach its peak. Her very seething anger caused her to burst out, as she shouts from the top of her lungs,
”SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”
”SHE IS NOT MY FRIEND ANYMORE!”.
She triggered powerful shots relentlessly afterwards, although her aim was a bit off, due to her emotions acting up, turning Zeran to dodge the random projectiles easily. More than that, she was letting out painful tears mixed with an ounce of guilt, as her arrow barrage was occurring. Soon, she wiped out her pitiful tears and she exclaims her defiant reply,
”DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT ME AND RU!”.
”TRIGGER BLAST!”
,as she casted out her spell, her crossbow released a fast moving white projectile directly unto Zeran's head, such as it was a strong beam of light. Though, Zeran blocked the lethal strike by using his golden claw. Zeran seemed to be grinning since, his dirty plan that just popped out from his mind was working unintendedly. Soon, he let out more insults from his sharp tongue,
”I thought Ru was weird but, you're kinda weird too...”.
Mai shouts back,
”I AM NOT WEIRD! SHE'S THE ONE WHO'S THE ONLY WEIRD HERE!”
”THAT'S WHY...I LEFT HER!”.
Then, she continued to wrought out a flurry of arrows but, due to her unclear vision from her swelling eyes with tears, she wasn't able to shoot her arrows accurately, making Zeran to just dodge them without breaking any sweat. As he heard her honest words, he was in his thoughts suddenly,
(”So that's how it is...”).
He sighed afterwards. Mai had stopped letting out her crazy shots, since her fuming and steaming self had calmed down. Her composure was back and aimed at Zeran's head but, she was still leaking out her crystal tears. Soon she casts out,
”DIVINE CHARGE...”.
The air became stagnant. Zeran felt cautious and braced himself for impact. Her crossbow was sucking out white energy from the atmosphere, siphoning and charging out its immense power that shall release her divine judgement soon. Zeran, didn't tried to strike Mai, since at any moment it would smite him down, if he grabbed the opportunity and opened himself for attacks, so he just let her crossbow charge to the fullest. Though, he just sighed again and he had stopped stancing himself. Later, he walked towards Mai very slowly, making Mai to be shocked and she says with an ounce of worry in her heart,
”W-what are you doing?!”
”Stay back Zeran!
”ZEN PLEASE!”.
Zeran ignored her plea and continued to walk towards her. The charging was complete. Suddenly, a destructive white projectile burst out, even though Mai didn't pull her trigger. It aimed unto Zeran, such as it was a divine missile sent from the heavens. The projectile exploded unto Zeran and it caused a powerful flash of light and white smoke in the aftermath. Not only that, it's gale caused a huge crater on the ground, ruining the glorious hallway of the castle. As soon as, Mai wasn't able to see him from the fog, she was filled with heartbroken tears, since she was convinced that Zeran was already gone from existence. She fell on her knees and dropped her crossbow, as she cried all her heart out in deep silence. Then she says,
”That's why...I warned you...”.
Though, as the fog cleared up. She noticed that there was a long black blade pointing at her neck. She looked above and noticed that Zeran was still alive and breathing, making her eyes to be widely shocked and to freeze her sudden tears. It seemed Zeran won the duel, since Mai was locked down on her knees and the blade would easily smite her life in an instant. Thereon, she expresses,
”Zen? No way...”.
Zeran replies with a smile,
”Yeah...it's me...Zen...”.
Mai tries to utter her words,
”Is that a...”.
Though, Zeran interrupted her,
”Yeah it's a Blade Memoria...called Da Reaz...”.
Mai was convinced that it was one of the most treasured sacred weaponry of the divine Goddesses at Celestia heavens that was ever expanding in its contents, since each Blade Memoria was different per certain individual. She felt that her heart was pierced, since the very essence of the Blade Memoria meant that it was carved from the sheer strong emotions for loving and protecting someone dear to a hero's heart. Most of the time, the heroes who would love their dear Goddesses with all their heart and soul, can manifest this kind of mysterious ability, due to the heroes love for them. Not only that, each Blade Memoria was easily identified due to the color identity or favorite color of the Goddess/lover. More than that, it was a huge trend amongst the Celestia Goddesses that would even tell that her hero truly loved her dear with all of his heart, since he would do everything for her with his weapon carved from his emotions for her. Even for Mai, she was interested in this trend, sadly none of her former heroes in her world was able to manifest this, meaning they didn't love her dear with all their heart. Mai was also convinced that the Blade Memoria Zeran was wielding was the favorite color of Ru and her very identity of amethyst gemstones with a touch of black and a serpent-like form, that proved Ru's identity. Since before, Ru and Mai participated in a controversial yearly event of knowing what their Blade Memoria would be manifested to their future heroes would be. It seemed the very weapon Zeran was wielding was the very image she had seen before in Ru's content. Later on Mai cried all her heart out, although it was loud and scandalous,
”UWAAAAAAAH!”.
Zeran sighed and just punched her delicate stomach, knocking Mai out cold and ending her huge scandal. He vanished his Blade Memoria and scratched his head, as he saw Mai was lying down on the ground. Soon, he says to her before he bids farewell,
”Sorry for hitting you Mai...”
”But I need to save Ru soon...nor I wanted to kill you...”.
Afterwards, Zeran left the place and trudged deeper into the inner castle grounds. After sometime has passed, Zeran's presence was totally gone from the area Mai was in. Moreover, Mai regained her consciousness but, she was still lying on the ground wearing a regretful face filled with tears, as she delve in her thoughts,
(”To think Ru...was able to manifest the ever glorious BLADE MEMORIA to him...”)
(”If only...I proved my feelings to him earlier...”)
(”And if I was just that strong enough...to free myself from their chains before...”).
She sighed. Then, she placed her hand on her forehead and continued to say in her thoughts,
(”Why are these so called distorted heroes so powerful than us Goddesses now?”).
(”Are we forever damned by those demonic Gods and insane heroes devoid of morality?”)
(”But maybe...Zen...would transcend them and prove something when he's with Ru...since he's crossing both sides of light and dark very carefully...”)
(”Zen...for my sake and Ru's sake...don't let your light to be distorted...”)
(”Don't become like you're father and the other fallen/distorted heroes like Nassus...”)
(”Your Goddess mother Arseia would be sad...”).