She who Devours All

Minus One, Plus One

The voyage continued on steadily, the men happy and merry with the death of the Sea monster that had plagued them for years. In the hold of the ship, Kerubi and her group were huddled together in a room, having small talk together as Kerubi's arm steadily healed from the injury she received from Duke Fishron.

Although, in terms of talking, there wasn't much of that happening at the moment, mostly the occasional speak from Áine and Kerubi as the small Fae Goddess made sure Kerubi was safely healing. Everyone could see the unease in the Worm's eyes however, and much of it seemed to be about her previous battle.

Tragedemia swallow the lump in her throat, before clearing it. "Kerubi?"

She turned to meet her gaze. "Are you...feeling alright?"

"...Physically, I'm feeling better."

"Did the battle truly take that much out of you?"

"Yes. Well...it's not just that, but..."

She went quiet again, seemingly trying to find the right words for what she wanted to say. Eventually, she reaffirmed her gaze, raising her injured arm and gazing at the mending flesh.

"That thing was powerful...almost unbelievably so. If I stayed in that water for too long...it would have been over for me."

She put her arm down again, staring at the floor. "If this is just one of the things I need to face in this trip of ours...what's next? What kind of monster is going to stand in our path to try and kill me...to kill you all?"

...

"I just...I tasted death." She put a hand to her face, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "I-I don't even...I've known you all for a short time, but these weeks, months for some..."

"Hey..." Áine flew next to her face, gently patting her cheek. "Don't worry about that Kerubi. We're all powerful enough to protect ourselves."

"But you saw what we just went up against. It's took all of us doing something to take him down...what will we do if the next thing is even worse?"

"Then we run. There's no shame in preserving your life."

"And if we can't?"

With that, she was left to silence. She brushed the hand still covering her face through her hair, her eyes looking sunken and tired.

"Sorry...but I was just reminded of my mortality. I've been facing things that haven't cause me much worry at all, from the Two Gods, to the Demon army, and even that Clone of the Witch."

She moved her gaze to Áine, giving her a small, yet grateful smile. "Although...thanks for the comfort."

The Fae smiled, giving her a thumbs up. "Anytime."

The little talk certainly lifted Kerubi's mood, but the dread of what is to come still loomed over her, and now it also went to the others after her little spiel. Astraea seemed the least affected by it, her attention rather on Kerubi's state.

The Star God was staring at the distant look in her eyes, comparing it to the version of her that haunted her memories whenever she dared to sleep. Her blue eyes, the same shape as they were those years ago, were far softer than she ever thought possible for the beast who slew her.

'So you really are a different person now...' Her doubts persisted for long, but in the face of all that had happened, she had to come to terms with it in one way or another.

The two of them were a phenomenal team as well, taking on the Terror of the Seas with incredible efficiency. As much as she loathed to say it...they were a great pair.