A Gift from the Goddess のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 91 - チャプター 100

There was only one choice. Only one that would allow me to salvage what little I did have left. I’d already burnt bridges, destroyed faith… ruined any chance of having the life I used to so desperately crave. I couldn’t necessarily fix what I’d already done but I once used to believe that more bloodshed wasn’t the way to solve the past, and that was probably still true now. Even if Thea made it harder to see things that way. No, I needed to save him… even if it proved more difficult than worthwhile. Calm down and think. I needed to consider this very carefully. There was always a logical explanation for these things when analysed, some sort of strategy. She could mess with my emotions and how I perceived things, but she couldn’t change the hard facts. They were there if I just focused enough. I just needed to push past what I felt I needed to do, and concentrate on what the situation was actually telling me to do. I needed to

…What the hell is this? I should be dead. I know I should be. I’d received a lethal blow to my shoulder with silver. No one could survive that. And yet… And yet I couldn’t help but notice that, if I were dead, then the Abyss smelled oddly like a hospital room. A new renovation they must have added since the last time I visited. Everywhere in my body ached, everywhere felt… cold. Except for one place. My hand. My right hand felt warm compared to the rest of me. So, if I’m not dead… then what sort of intervention had Selene done this time? Was this the same year or had she brought me back to an earlier time? Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if she had just sent me on my way without even telling me. After all, I did try to kill her the last time we met face to face. That probably didn’t instil a desire to catch up and chat. Though how many times could she do that without completely destroying herself? I’d seen the way Se

Most of the preparations were made within that meeting. Or, at least, right up until I could start to feel the medication begin to wear off. After which, we all agreed I should be moved back to the packhouse until everything was arranged since that would be easier to defend. For obvious reasons, I wasn’t privy to any information regarding the move. It was all to be kept completely secret from myself, and even Aleric wouldn’t know exactly where until it was time to go. Cai took on the responsibility of choosing the location to ensure that there would be no chance of Thea finding out beforehand, preparing envelopes for us both; one for Aleric, to be opened only when we were leaving, and another for myself, for in the event of an emergency occurring. I was nervous, to say the least. How could I not be? So much was riding on just theories. But I had to believe that it would be correct. I needed space to be able to work on fixing myself; both internally and externally. An

His free hand immediately found my waist, pressing me against him, and his lips enveloped my own. It was like we’d both been starving as we hungered for the other, everything happening so quickly. A response probably resulting from how long the two of us had been holding back now. It didn’t take long for my body to then find the wall behind us, his hands supporting my weight as I clung to him. With one of my arms around his neck, the other was grabbing at his chest greedily, feeling his body against me. Constantly wanting more… and more… almost as if an insatiable desire was moving me forward. And though I was giving myself over to my yearnings completely, I’d never felt more in control than I did in that moment. That there was not even a shred of doubt in my mind that this was exactly where I needed to be. “I want you,” I moaned against him, repeating the words he’d wanted me to admit. Because I was hungry for so much more than just this. He’

“Aleric…,” I cried, feeling completely useless. This wasn’t good. This was really, really not good. And worse, even on the small possibility that this wasn’t Thea’s doing, there was no chance she didn’t already know by now. Either way, I was wasting time being stuck inside this vision. I needed to get out. Now. 'Wake up.' I slapped at my cheeks, wishing more than anything to break out, but it was no use. I wasn’t really ‘here’ so there was no physical pain trigger. A snapping sound then came from somewhere in the distance, and I immediately looked up towards it. It sounded like someone had stepped on a branch further into the woods. I wasn’t the only one who noticed either as Aleric also detected something, walking cautiously towards it. It didn’t leave me many options in what I could do next… I had to follow him. We walked for maybe a few minutes, deathly silent the entire time, before a clearing came