The Last Goddess

Chapter Fifty-Five: Connecting

Aryan

Even as she slept, the sorrow that came off Samara was... intense. Whatever she's hiding, she's damn sure determined to keep it to herself. As much as that annoyed me, I did my best to pretend like I couldn't feel it.

She looked so peaceful as she lied there, but inside, she was a mess.

"Samara," I called, shaking her awake. "Get up."

Her face scrunched together as she squirmed. "Time to go?" she groaned, rubbing her eyes as she leisurely sat up and stretched.

"Yeah," I replied, surveying our surroundings cautiously. "Something feels off. So, we should head out."

Samara smiled with a humorous look in her eyes. "Are we going somewhere nice?" she teased.

"Heh," I rolled my eyes at her joke. "Yeah, well, some people like Willow."

Samara picked up her backpack and asked, "Do you?"

I watched her chug some water before saying, "I guess. It's not like I've ever stayed there long."

Just as she capped that water bottle, she froze. Her fingers tightened around the bottle and her free hand shot out towards the tree. Samara nearly slipped against the tree bark, but I caught her before she tumbled.

"Samara?" I asked carefully.

Her jade eyes moved side-to-side as she stared out blankly. She released one ragged breath before she secured her grip on my forearm.

A vision? I thought to myself. Great. What detour are we taking now?

Samara didn't say a word, but her nails dug into my skin a bit before she sighed. Samara's shoulders relaxed, and she blinked several times before releasing me. She glanced at my arm, catching the little crescent marks she embedded in me. Half her mouth frowned as her fingers hovered over the minor injury.

"Sorry, Aryan." she started slowly. "I didn't expect a vision."

"Do you ever?" I scoffed, shrugging off the already healing imprints.

Samara glanced at her fingertips wordlessly before answering. "Aside from the faint feeling just before, no."

"So, what was it?" I questioned. "The vision. Who are we saving now?"

Samara chuckled before shaking her head. "No rescue. I think I saw an event."

"Event?" I raised an eyebrow.

She nodded. "Yes. I saw people dressed in black and white. They were dancing and... wearing masquerade masks." She placed her palm in front of her face as she spoke of the masks.

"A black and white masquerade?" I thought about it for a moment before it hit me. "Oh. Well, that makes sense." I started, getting behind Samara, and pushing against her shoulders so we could get going.

She leaned her head back, looking up at me from those dark lashes. "What makes sense?" she wondered, puzzled.

"That you had a vision about the festival."

Her mouth pouted as she stared up at me with those big jade eyes. I tsked at her cuteness before remembering that she's not from Arcanum.

"It sounds like you're talking about the Festival of Light and Dark. It's an annual event in Willow."

"Willow?" she stopped dragging her feet and stood up as she walked backwards to look at me. "So, we will be just in time for this festival then." She looked thoughtful as she spoke. "I've never really been to anything like that before?"

"Never?" I raised an eyebrow at her as she innocently shook her head, making her hair swish back and forth.

"I didn't venture out much if I didn't have to." She shrugged turning around. I walked beside her, giving a little side glance as her face looked indifferent. She caught me staring and smiled slightly. "I... I was never lucky enough to be part of any real friend group. Before I met you, I mean."

"That's ironic." I scoffed. "Considering you can control luck."

"Control should be used loosely referenced when talking about my abilities." She said, good-humoredly.

"I don't see why you have such a hard time connecting with people." I commented. "It's not like you're unlikable."

"Ooh, Aryan." She wore a teasing grin as she said, "Is that a compliment?"

I rolled my eyes but played along as I felt the first sign of good feelings from her in over a day. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it."

"Wouldn't dream of it." She laughed a bit, looking forward.

After a moment I asked, "Why do you have so little friends, Samara? Seriously. You secretly evil?"

"What?" she giggled as she gave me a funny look. "No. Or at least, I hope not. I just..." she sighed as she tried to find the right words. "I think people in Curio could sense that I was different."

"You really give mortals a lot of credit, you know." I mentioned as I guided us onto the upcoming path.

Samara shrugged uncharacteristically before saying, "Or maybe a deep part of them felt that Arcanian magic within me, and they didn't like it."

"So, stupid." I shook my head.

"What is?"

"If that's the reason they stood away from you, they're all fools." I smirked darkly. "Hell, if that's all it took to keep people away, I would have moved to Curio a long time ago so people could get out of my face."

"You know," Samara smiled, brightly. "Maybe if you had, we would have met sooner."

Hearing her say that didn't leave me disgusted. Strange.

"I guess we'll never know."

"By the way, Aryan." Samara called, her hand reaching out to a withering tree branch and bringing it back to life. "Who are the deities of Willow? Azlin only told me the location. She didn't mention the goddess."

"Isn't it obvious?" I looked at her pointedly. "The Festival of Light and Dark?" At her blank stare I kept going. "Colten and Zenaida. The god of darkness and the goddess of light."

"Oh," she blinked, recalling something. "Ze—"

Before Samara could finish her sentence, someone came out of the bushes, and shoved her to the ground. She grunted, putting her hands up to block him from hitting her. Seeing this stranger put a hand on her released a rage I didn't realize existed in me. It was so potent, my glamour dissipated without my consent. But thanks to this asshole, I didn't have time to formulate a plan. All I could do was react. 

And the man would be lucky if I didn't personally escort him to the World Below myself.