In a World without God

Chapter 46

Ygraine's form crumbled. It disintegrated into tiny grains of light, like sand.

Edulis stared blankly at the place where Ygraine's image had once been, his hand still outstretched in the air. He then glanced up, his eyes locking with Laotou's. Even without words, they knew each other's thoughts and the emotions in the depths of each other's eyes.

"The piece must have been too small," Edulis said. It was a shame. If only it had been a little bigger, so he could have seen Ygraine's face a little longer...

However, the grains of light did not scatter into thin air. They danced through the air, like pollen caught in a maelstrom, and swirled around Edulis.

Then a voice was heard.

- Orma.

Edulis felt nostalgic, as if he had turned the first page of an old, dusty storybook and remembered his mother's voice reading it to him.

- It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong.

- Let's forget. Let's forget it all and start over. Someday, somewhere, we'll meet again and...

The voice echoed in Edulis' ears again and again. Words he didn't remember but missed terribly.

And then the grains of light that had been swirling through the air flew toward a single point. Toward the heart of Lutea, held by Laotou.

Then, at the heart of Lutea, at the apex of the silver apple, a bud emerged. Leaves sprouted from the stem, which grew a finger's length. Soon a warm scent wafted around them, like a mother's embrace.

"Bosha...can you hear it?"

At Laotou's words, Edulis nodded.

Ding, ding, ding.

There was a ringing, a clear, beautiful sound. It sounded like the tolling of bells in a church far away.

It was unmistakably coming from Lutea's heart, the silver apple.

"The heart has begun to move on its own."

Laotou arched an eyebrow, as if thrilled, as her body began to glow.

"Laotou?"

"Ah...Lady Lutea."

The sword marks on Laotou's body began to heal. At the same time, bone grew and flesh appeared from one of the four broken legs that Laotou had lost, and it glowed like obsidian.

"What happened?"

"I've been using my power to keep this heart alive, and now that it is beating on its own, albeit feebly, the power to keep it alive has returned to me."

"So... if I retrieve more of the pieces, your three remaining legs will also return to you?"

"Yes. But...."

Laotou held up her axe spear, which had served well enough in Taharka's hands, but in her hands, it seemed to become a different weapon altogether. It swung freely through the air as if it had become a part of her, as if weightless. Every time she swung the spear, a small storm arose, stirring up the grass and branches around her.

"See? I'm strong enough as it is."

"So?"

"Lady Lutea's heart still needs my magick, but I can go out and fight for about a day now, so...if Akale shows up, call me. Call my name three times against your shadow. Then I can go out to where your shadow is."

She contorted her face and clenched her teeth.

"How dare she impersonate Lady Lutea, and get Taharka killed!"