Work Text:
Naru doesn’t understand how she ended up in her current predicament. She remembers the exhaustion setting in after using the overwhelming amount of Light aether she absorbed from the Wardens to defeat Emet-Selch.
Only empty space remains in the spot where Emet-Selch stood. Despite the trouble he caused them and his generally poor attitude, Naru hopes that he’ll find some measure of peace in the Lifestream.
Of the Ascians who caused her the most trouble, only one is alive now. Elidibus. She doesn't know much about him, but she can't claim she knew much about Lahabrea or Emet-Selch either. If they all truly lived as long as Emet-Selch said, then she can't imagine everything they've seen throughout the ages. Everything they've done.
The Exarch looks rough, but he’s alive and happy to see her again without his true identity hidden. He needs help from Thancred to walk, but she supposes that this is far from the worst-case scenario. He’s upright and conscious.
She’s barely the same, she realizes. Fighting through Emet-Selch’s recreation of the Final Days, then facing him with the abundance of Light cracking her soul have left her exhausted to an extreme she’s never felt before.
Alisaie and Alphinaud must notice her growing unsteady on her feet. They let her rest her arms over their shoulders so they can support her from either side.
“One step at a time,” Alphinaud says. “We’re not in a rush anymore, so we can get back to the Crystarium at our own pace.”
Step by step, they leave Emet-Selch's recreation of Amaurot. It isn't easy. Her body hurts to the point that she feels her arms and legs beginning to go numb. It's a bad sign that her pain is transitioning like this, but it makes it the smallest bit easier to walk with assistance from the twins.
It's difficult to believe that the world was one a paradise like Emet-Selch described, but she can't help wondering what sort of precious things she left behind when her soul was Sundered.
She's in a white space. There are no walls or windows. Nothing to tell her that she's in a room instead of a void and it's unnerving. As a child, she might have believed that this is what the inside of a cloud looked like. However, those foolish thoughts left her long ago, and she understands that there's no time to daydream when she wakes up in an unfamiliar place.
Metal shackles dig into her wrists and ankles when she tries to move, but she can’t figure out where the chains attach to in this emptiness. It doesn’t help that her aether is blocked off, leaving her unable to teleport away or fight her kidnapper.
Regardless of how tired she was after her fight with Emet-Selch, being moved and chained should have woken her up.
She tests her restraints again, trying to gauge their durability. The only result is that her cries of frustration echo as she realizes that achieving her freedom will require severe harm to herself, and it might not be possible even then.
“Cease your struggles. They’ll amount to nothing.”
Naru looks in the direction of the voice, narrowing her eyes on Elidibus in his familiar white Ascian robes. The Emissary.
“I thought you wouldn’t attack somebody unless they attacked you first,” Naru says.
The visible part of Elidibus’ face shows no change. He tilts his head a bit to the side, but she can’t read him. His lack of expression sets her on edge, and she keeps herself prepared for anything as adrenaline burns through her veins.
“I don’t recall attacking you,” he says. Matter-of-fact, as always.
Naru’s jaw tenses as she bites back the scathing retorts that try to escape from between her lips. “Well, kidnapping somebody isn’t usually part of an emissary’s job, as I recall.”
“And if I gave up my job as an emissary?”
His stoicism makes it difficult to tell if he’s being serious, and Naru hates handling enemies she’s unable to predict.
“Why would you?” she asks. The curiosity in her voice is genuine.
The Ascians always spoke of their duties. Without Lahabrea and Emet-Selch, perhaps he feels that those duties are no longer worthwhile. Perhaps they’re no longer attainable.
If that’s the case, she finds the smallest bit of pity for him in her heart. However, that doesn’t excuse his decision to bring her here while she was sleeping.
Elidibus removes his mask, and Naru gets her first look at his brilliant eyes. They remind her of the Crystal Tower shimmering in the sunlight and humming with the enormous amounts of magical power it contains.
“I’m searching for something.”
“For what?”
After she asks, Elidibus stares at her in silence. The weight of his gaze is uncomfortable, but she doesn’t dare to look away. In this place, he holds all the power. He’s her enemy, and the Ascians have all made it clear that she’s an obstacle (although she doesn’t know how true that is if Elidibus is giving up his duty).
“Even if you don’t understand now, you will,” he says. “You always do.”
He doesn’t snap his fingers like Emet-Selch or monologue like Lahabrea when he uses magic. Instead, he’s silent as he shrouds Naru in darkness, robbing her of her sight.
“I’ll return,” Elidibus says. “For your own sake, I suggest you accept your predicament. You can’t escape from here, Naru. Especially without the use of your aether.”
“Hey! Wait, you—”
Her objection turns into incoherent grumbles and growls of rage as she hears the twisting of dark magic teleport him away.
As she’s left blind and bound, Naru tries to think of a plan for when Elidibus comes back.
The problem is she doesn’t know when that will be.
-:-
It’s impossible to know how much time passes in that space. Naru has since lost feeling in her arms and legs from the unrelenting pull of the chains. Her body is stiff, but she thinks that being able to bend and stretch might be painful after she’s been trapped in one position for so long.
In other situations, she’d take some comfort in the thought that the Scions must be searching for her. This time, she’s worried that Elidibus will view them as a nuisance and hurt them, and she knows that he could likely call it self-defense with the Scions who have fiery tempers, jumping into fights out of impulse and emotion.
Naru is pulled from her musing about what could be happening in the world without her present by the sound of Elidibus’ return.
"You must be hungry," he says.
"Are you here to torment me about it or make me eat something that will make me sick?" Naru asks.
"No," Elidibus says. "I've brought food. It isn't much, but it's enough to sustain your feeble mortal shell for now."
Of all the scenarios she thought of in his absence, this wasn't one of them. She wants to brush his kindness off as a trap, but she can't convince herself that he has ill intent. It would be easy for him to let her starve or force her to eat food that isn't fit for confusion, but he's choosing not to.
Instead of questioning his motives—and risking changing his mind—Naru says, "Thank you."
He doesn't return her sight, but he feeds her fruits slowly, letting her take a bite, chew, and shallow before he offers more.
"That's enough," Naru says. "I don't want anymore."
"I don't know when I'll be back to give you food again. Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Naru says. "If anything, I'd like you to do something about these chains."
She feels the chains give way and let her rest on the floor.
"I trust you won't try to escape."
"Where would I go?" Naru asks. "Besides, I still can't see."
She swears that she hears a soft chuckle from Elidibus. She didn't know he could express, well, any emotion.
"That may be so, but you're the Warrior of Light and Darkness. The famed Ascian slayer. I'm not yet ready to meet the fate of my brethren."
“I think your precautions might be extreme,” Naru dares to say. “I can’t escape, especially without the use of my aether. Keeping me blind and chained to this extent is excessive.”
Silence stretches between them for long enough that Naru wonders if she made a mistake and pushed her luck.
But Elidibus sighs and she feels his magic around her. The shackles on her ankles disappear while those on her wrists change shape to feel lighter.
To her surprise, he returns her vision as well. When she looks at her wrists, she sees that the chains are gone. Her shackles have been replaced with sleek bands, but she feels them suppressing her aether.
Then, she looks at the other changes Elidibus has made in what is now a void with a few features that make it feel a little less empty. Though not by much. She finds that he's created a large birdcage around her with a few pieces of furniture, namely a simple bed and a chair set next to a small table.
When she turns towards him, he shakes his head like he's expecting her to protest.
"This place exists between reflections of Etheirys. If I don't limit your movement, even I may be unable to find you again," he says.
Naru nods. He's been more generous towards her request than she hoped for, and if his words are true, then she doesn't want to be lost here.
“I appreciate the changes,” she says. Even if she’s confined, this is more comfortable than being unable to move at all.
It’s difficult to tell what Elidibus is feeling, but Naru thinks that she spots a hint of surprise at her words.
He clears his throat before he says, “If you’re grateful, then search for answers from within rather than trying to understand this place.”
She doesn’t get a chance to ask what he means by that. As soon as he finishes speaking, dark magic wraps around him, and he’s gone.
Naru is more confused now than when she first arrived here, and with Elidibus gone, she’s left alone with her thoughts once more.
Naru sees Amaurot in its true splendor in the distance. Not a recreation at the bottom of the ocean, but the real city. Its spiral towers stretch towards the sky. This is the center of the Star, she thinks. Emet-Selch’s recreation didn’t capture its beauty and wonder.
"No matter how many times a soul gazes upon Amaurot, it still feels awe."
She turns to find that she’s accompanied by a man in white robes. Elidibus, her memory fills in. Then, the name ‘Themis’ comes to mind.
Her mouth on its own, her memory of the past taking over. “Did you bring me here for a reason, Themis?”
“When you return from your travels, you tell me how beautiful the places you visit are. I wanted to remind you that home is beautiful, too.” He lowers his voice to the point that she almost doesn’t hear the next part. “Maybe you’d come home more often, then.”
She turns around, wanting to tease him, but his sincerity makes her heart flutter. Being Azem isn’t an easy job. She doesn’t spend much time in the place she calls her home. As a result, she hurts the people around her by not being present.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
“I’m not asking for an apology,” he says. “I understand the importance of duty, and before we even met I had nothing but respect for you, Azem. Your seat is not an easy one to hold. Traveling and fighting… it’s exhausting, but you never complain. When the rest of the Convocation asks you to leave and investigate a far away place, you hardly ask questions about it. You just go.”
“I’m here now,” she says.
She puts her hands on his shoulders and pulls him in for a kiss, their masks clacking against each other. Her heart swells the closer she is to him.
“I’d give up my seat for you, Themis. If you wanted me to,” she says, breathless when they separate.
“You only say that because you know I’d never ask you to forsake your duty,” he says. “Having you to myself for a moment instead of sharing you with Etheirys. I can accept that.”
Naru—no, she’s Azem now—removes her mask and tosses it aside before she falls to her knees in front of Themis, pushing him until his back is against the nearby tree.
“Azem, what—”
She shushes him, pulling up the hem of his robe and shoving it into his hands to hold out of her way.
“Azem, this is too public,” Themis says. “It’s indecent!”
She glances up at him. His face is red, and she says, “Fine, then I’ll stop and we can go all the way back to our apartment before continuing instead of giving you a taste now and saving the main event for our home.”
As she begins to stand, she feels his hand remove her hood and rest on her head with his fingers tangled in her hair.
“Don’t stop,” he says, his voice turning husky with a touch of breathlessness.
Azem’s smile turns devious as she palms her hand over his crotch, feeling him grow harder, before she moves her hand and lets her mouth take its place. She wants him to feel the heat of her breath, and she’s rewarded with the sound of his breath hitching as his nails scrape over her scalp.
She hooks her fingers into the band of his pants, pausing to look up at him before she continues. The flush across his cheeks makes his eyes shine more prominently even when they’re glazed over with his lust. His hair—messy on a normal day—is in disarray as his free hand tries to push strands out of his face, only for them to fall back a moment later.
“Why… Why are you stopping?”
“Oh, are you impatient now?” Azem asks. “You wanted my time, didn’t you?”
Themis groans, half in pleasure and half in frustration. “Please, Azem. Keep going.”
While she considers prolonging the wait and teasing Themis until he falls apart before she even touches his skin, she can’t deny that she craves a taste of him.
So, she pulls down until his cock is freed from fabric. She feels no need to undress him fully. She leaves his pants as they are and takes the base of his cock in her hands, then drags her tongue along its length, drawing out the motion as long as she can to set his nerves ablaze.
She swirls her tongue around the head before taking him in her mouth, hearing his moan as pleasure mounts within her, too. Her body begs for friction, leaving her squirming until she takes one hand away from Themis, weaving around layers of clothing until her fingertips brush over her smallclothes. A wet spot is forming through them, and even the slightest pressure has her groan around Themis.
They fall into a rhythm, the pleasure of one building the pleasure of the other. Azem settles into a pattern, licking and sucking as she circles her fingers around her clit. Saliva drips out of the corner of her mouth, and she can’t tell if it’s from the sweet, salty taste of Themis or the electricity that her own touches send through her body.
At first, she intends to bring him to the edge and back away, leaving him wanting. However, the heat of the moment has her unable to stop, chasing her own release as she brings him closer to his climax with his hips bucking as he tries to keep them from shoving his cock deeper than she can handle.
She reaches her climax first, and it’s the sounds that she makes vibrating around him that bring Themis to his own release shortly after.
Breathless, she removes her mouth after swallowing as much as she could, knowing that some must be trailing down her chin. In truth, she doesn’t have the energy to stand, but Themis seems to realize this as he helps her to her feet and lets her lean against him.
He rights his clothing with one hand before he tilts her chin up, kissing her. “You look so beautiful in these moments. I don’t want anybody else to witness you in the throes of passion. I want it to be a sight for me alone.”
“I didn’t know you had a possessive side,” she says. “It’s cute.”
He looks away, and she lets out a soft laugh, saying, “I don’t want anybody else either. Only you.”
Naru wakes up with the feeling of arousal following her into the conscious world. It’s been a long time since she had the chance to sleep with a man, not that many catch her interest anyway.
Now, however, after that memory—it was too similar to a scene shown by the Echo not to be—she can’t get the image of Elidibus as Themis out of her head. Plus, she’s not sure she wants to. That intense connection and level of trust is hard to find.
Lying on the bed that Elidibus created for her—which is more comfortable than she could have asked for—she stares at the top of the birdcage and wonders when he’ll return so she can ask him questions about the memory. He was in it, so surely he’ll be able to explain the relationship they once had.
Is that why he brought her here in the first place? To try and bring the memories of her past life back?
She runs her hand over her chest, gripping the fabric over her heart. If that’s the reason, then she can sympathize with him. His methods might be extreme, but how long has he been alone, replaying memories long past in his head as his only source of comfort in a world that’s no longer familiar to him.
When she thinks about it, the Ascians had a rough fate. She doesn’t know a lot about Lahabrea, and she doesn’t think she’ll ever understand how he became the man she faced. But as she learns more from Emet-Selch, and now Elidibus, she begins to realize that their intentions are nowhere near as destructive as their actions.
She wonders if she would follow the same path as them had she been in the same position. It’s difficult to imagine being one of a handful of people who remember a perfect world, and then have to witness it in a broken state. Not for just a few years, either. They’ve seen the rise and fall of civilizations. Death and destruction again and again, yet none of it likely reached the same scale that they experienced when their own world broke apart.
Naru sighs. Her head hurts at the thought of going through so much, and all she gets in return for trying to figure out the Ascians is a headache and confusion.
She glances over at the little table to find it empty. It would have been nice for Elidibus to leave some food here with her. He admitted that he didn’t know when he’d be able to return with more food for her, but now she’s alone, hungry, and bored.
In a fit of childish anger, Naru punches one of several pillows on the bed. “Damn you, Elidibus! You couldn’t be normal about this? Is the abduction really necessary? I would have listened if you’d decided to sit down and explain it all to me.”
Next time he shows up, she’ll treat him to a harsh slap across his face.
Without a way to track the passing of time, Naru doesn’t know how long passes before Elidibus decides to show up again. She falls asleep a couple more times, but she doesn’t witness more memories in the form of dreams.
She doesn’t know if she should be relieved or disappointed. She already has too much to think about, but curiosity about her past life burns in her veins.
“I can sense your discontent,” Elidibus says, appearing in the middle of the cage.
“Good,” Naru says. “You’re the source of it, so you should sense it at least.”
“I am?”
Naru stands and moves in front of him. “Yes, you are. Do you have any idea what I saw in my dreams after you left last time?”
“I don’t know,” he says, a touch of hesitation mixed with uncertainty in his voice. “What did you see?”
“You,” Naru says. “Us. And we… We… You know.”
All the anger and bravery she built up fails her when it comes to admitting out loud exactly what memory she saw in her dreams.
“Oh, we…” Elidibus clears his throat. “Well, you don’t have to say which memory it was. The important part is that you remember the way we used to be.”
“Is that why you did all this? Brought me here and kept me captive?”
“Yes. I know I always promise that I’ll leave you alone to live your life as you wish next time, but when I come across you in every era, who I used to be returns more and more. You make me more than Zodiark’s heart. You make me… Themis.”
His words leave her stunned. He found her in every era? Lifetime after lifetime? The weight of his devotion is crushing.
“Why didn’t you leave me behind? I’m not Azem anymore. I’m not the same.”
“How could I leave you behind? Everytime I started to lose myself under Zodiark’s influence, it was my memories of you that helped me hold on. Whether those memories were of Azem or any of the other lives you’ve lived, I treasured them.”
Memories flash in front of her eyes. She’s lived countless lives, but there was one constant through them all: Elidibus. He didn’t look the same in each one or go by the same name, but it was undeniably him.
Naru lifts her hands and takes Elidibus’ mask off. “I told myself that I’d slap you the next time you showed up, but it seems that I can’t bring myself to do it.”
“You wanted to slap me?” Elidibus’ eyes widen at her words.
“Of course, I did,” she says. “Can you blame me? You should have just explained everything to me instead of bringing me to a void in the middle of the night and chaining me up.”
“Would you have believed me if I told you?”
“Even if I didn’t believe you at first, I would have listened,” Naru says. “And if meeting you was enough to bring back some memories, then it wouldn’t have taken long for me to believe you.”
Elidibus has the decency to look ashamed. “I—”
Naru cuts off his words with a kiss, swiping her tongue over his lips until he opens his mouth to her. She pulls away just enough to speak. “Do you have any idea how hungry I am? I suppose I’ll have to settle with eating you.”
Elidibus overcomes his shock quickly, taking the lead and walking her back until she falls onto the bed, where he pins her hands high over her head. “Do you think I’ll let you win at this game that easily?”
His switch to being assertive throws her off guard and she admits to it. “I actually did think that.”
“You always won when you were Azem, and it’s made you arrogant,” Elidibus says. “This time, I will claim victory. And claim you, Naru.”
His magic wraps around her wrists again until she can’t move her arms. Then, he leans back and brings out the claws on his gloves. “Do you know how sharp these are?”
“Show me,” she says, biting her lower lip in anticipation.
Does he know how she’s dreamt of those claws even before she knew that they once had a relationship, and could again?
He obliges, placing one claw under the collar of her shirt, then dragging it down. She wears durable clothing for the sake of fighting, but his claw has no trouble tearing open her top until only her breasts remain covered.
She looks down to find that there isn’t a single scratch on her skin. “Wow, your control with those is incredible.”
Elidibus pulls her shirt the rest of the way off and tosses it aside before he buries his face between her breasts, placing kisses on her chest. “Of course. I wouldn’t dare to mar your skin with cuts. Not unless you begged me to.”
He moves farther down, cutting away her clothes as needed until she’s naked while he’s fully clothed, and the contrast sends a shiver of lust down her spine.
Opposite of the memory she witnessed, Elidibus takes the lead this time. His trail of kisses leaves her skin burning as lust pools in her lower belly. Instead of stopping where she wants him to most, he continues down to kiss her inner thighs. One side, then the other.
She clenches her hands into fists. She can’t even grab his hair and move his head where she wants it.
“Themis, please,” she says. “Don’t tease me like this.”
“Didn’t you start it?” he asks. “But I suppose I can wait and tease you next time. Be warned that I won’t go easy on you then.”
“Fine, just let me—ugh!”
The swipe of his tongue over her clit has her buck her hips up, yearning for more. Then, he moves lower and slips his tongue into her hole. When he speaks, she feels the heat of his breath tickle her skin.
“It never did take much to get you wet,” he says. “Call me by my name again. I want to hear it.”
“Themis,” she says, her breathing ragged. “I’ll say it as many times as you want if you’ll just fuck me already.”
Her words elicit a groan from him, and he hurries to remove his own clothes. “I’ve waited so long to have you back again.”
“How long?” Even in the haze of lust, she can’t quell her curiosity about the matter.
“Centuries.”
He crawls up her body until they are face-to-face, and his kiss is more tender than any others before. However, feeling his hard cock against her leg takes a bit of the sweetness away.
Yet, he doesn’t rush. She feels him slip one finger in, then a second shortly after, pumping them in and out of her. He spreads them apart to stretch her, then brings them back together.
With how good his touch feels while he lavishes attention higher up as well, she doesn’t mind that he’s taking extra time to make sure she’s prepared.
She grips onto his shoulders, letting her nails mark his skin with scratches, as her moans grow more frequent. At this rate, she’ll come before he even gets the tip in. As if he can sense this, he removes his fingers and lines up his cock before plunging in.
The sudden feeling of fullness takes her breath away, and Elidibus seems to be having similar difficulties as he rests his forehead on her shoulder for a moment.
He takes time to let her adjust before he starts moving. But when he begins to move, he can’t seem to stop, thrusting in and out of her at a pace she struggles to keep up with.
She wraps her legs around his waist, trying to meet each thrust with her hips, and he moves his hand between them until he finds her clit. Given the time he took to prepare her, she comes quickly once Elidibus’ fingers put pressure on that bundle of nerves.
As she tenses, she grips onto Elidibus, moaning his name as he helps her ride her climax. She didn’t realize that he came during that time, too absorbed in her own ecstasy to take note of the world around her, but she feels some of his release leak out and onto her thighs when he pulls out to collapse beside her on the bed. Finally, he dissipates the chains holding her arms still.
“I love you,” Naru says, feeling the build-up of affection for him from countless lives. “But I’m still upset with the way you went about reminding me of our relationship.”
He looks at her with sad eyes, and she forgot how innocent he can look when he tries. “What if I bring you a nice meal? You said you’re hungry, and you probably worked up more of an appetite now.”
Naru rolls to her side and tosses her arm across Elidibus’ chest. “You’re right, I am still hungry. But can’t we go eat together? Why do you have to keep me here even after I started regaining my memories?”
“Can’t I be selfish for a little longer?” he asks. “I’ve been without you for so long, and I didn’t think that I would be able to trigger your memories again this time. Not when you’re so closely watched by Hydaelyn.”
He pulls her close to his chest, but it doesn’t stop her from feeling the slight trembling of his arms.
Naru sighs. “Fine, a little longer. But I want to eat more than just fruit this time.”
The joy that fills his expression is worth it.
The Scions will be okay without her for a few more days, won’t they?
While he recovered, the Exarch has been unable to check on Naru before now. None of his injuries had been life-threatening, but he had so many of them that he was ordered to bedrest anyway.
He thought it’d be fine. The Scions would watch over Naru and make sure that she takes care of herself and her wounds, knowing that she wouldn’t seek out a healer without being on the verge of death.
However, he didn’t expect that the Scions would leave her to rest, only to find her room empty when they checked on her the next day.
He should have asked somebody to watch over her, but he respects her privacy. After all she’s done for him and the people of the First, she deserves to rest unbothered.
Perhaps she simply returned to the Source? She does leave to check on the physical bodies of the Scions and fill in others about how her journey here is going.
No, he has no reason to panic over her sudden absence. She has no obligation to inform others when she decides to leave.
The Exarch sighs and returns his attention to the half-dozen open books on his desk in the Crystal Tower’s study. The words blur together as he wonders what Naru is doing and where she is, but he promised that he’d find a way to send the Scions back. If that means reading every book hidden within the Crystal Tower, then that’s what he’ll do.
He just hopes that she’ll return safely.
Naru swallows another bite of food that Elidibus brought back, both of them sitting at the little table after he made a second chair. However, he doesn’t join her in eating. It isn’t necessary for him, he says. After all, the body he inhabits isn’t his. Not really.
He says his physical body was destroyed in the Sundering. His soul lived on with Lahabrea and Emet-Selch, but none of them knew why they were spared and others weren’t.
He tells Naru his story while she eats, explaining himself the way he should have in the first place.
The more he speaks, the more her heart hurts for him. Parts of his story bring up vague memories that she still struggles to piece together. In time, and with Elidibus by her side, she assumes that clarity will return to her.
His words fill the time it takes her to eat, and she appreciates that he took the effort to bring back a wider variety of foods, most of which are among her favorites (to which he explained that her tastes haven’t changed much between lifetimes). Alone with her, he’s not the villain she once saw him as. On the contrary, he’s considerate of her and ways she could have never expected.
“There’s one thing that I’m concerned about,” she says.
“What is it?”
“Zodiark is still influencing you, isn’t he?” she asks. “You are his heart, after all.”
If Zodiark demands that Elidibus continue destroying entire reflections for the sake of rejoining them, then the first thing she needs to do is find a way to sever their connection. He'd be able to lead an almost normal life alongside her after that. It might not be the life he imagined, but they would be together.
"Even Zodiark understands that I don't have enough power to orchestrate and carry out the remaining rejoinings on my own."
“So, you’re free from him?” Naru asks. Really, it sounds too good to be true.
“Completely? No,” he says. “You should know that the price of freedom is rarely worth paying. The situation is less clear. In time, he may impose his will upon me once more. However, the current situation has no path that leads to the return of Etheirys. At least, no visible path for the time being.”
“That means that you could go the rest of your life without him ordering you around again, though.”
Elidibus tilts his head to the side. He no longer wears his hood or mask in her presence, and he’s adjusted his appearance to resemble Themis as she remembers him when she was Azem. “That is a possibility, yes.”
Naru nods. “Then, in the meantime, why not join the Scions with me? If Zodiark has given up on his previous methods, then there’s no reason we can’t be allies.”
She swears that the glint she spots in his eyes is a touch of hope.
“I doubt that they would accept me after all I’ve done.”
“Not as Elidibus,” Naru says. “But if you start a fresh life as Themis, then I can’t see why there would be any problems.”
“Am I allowed to stay by your side?” he asks.
At that moment, he looks lost. He hasn’t lived an easy life since the Sundering, and he’s always at risk of being called upon to fulfill the will of the oldest primal. If anybody deserves to start over—if only temporarily—she thinks it might be Themis.
She reaches across the table and takes his hand in hers. “I would like you to. But if you don’t want to, I understand.”
He tightens his grip on her hand. “I want to. I need to at least try to live as myself. That way, if Zodiark calls me away tomorrow or a year from now, I won’t regret my choice.”
Naru nods. “Alright. When you’re ready to go back and live among us mortals, we’ll go back together.”
As the Warrior of Light and Darkness, she knows that no shortage of trials lie before her. Yet, the path ahead seems a little brighter with another ally, and one who has stolen her heart lifetime after lifetime.
“Together,” Themis agrees.
Themis spends the night in the cage with her. While she doesn’t ask it of him, she’s glad to have his presence and to sleep in the warmth of his arms. It feels like it’s been centuries since a chance to just relax in each other’s presence. And that very well could have been the case, considering she doesn’t have a sense of how long passed between her lives.
However, when she wakes up, she finds herself in a predicament too similar to the days immediately following Themis bringing her here.
Namely, she can’t move because the shackles are back on her ankles and chains have been added to the bands on her wrists.
“Themis?” she asks. “What are you doing?”
He enters her vision, looming over her. “I told you that I wanted to keep you to myself for a bit before we do anything else. In addition, we were both too eager last night to truly enjoy our reunion. Unless you don’t believe that you can handle my desire.”
“I’m not one to back down from a challenge,” Naru says.
“You remember the signal if you want me to stop?”
It’s been a long time, but the memory presents itself and she nods. “I do.”
He leans down to kiss her, and in the middle of it, robs her of her sight once more.
The light clothes he gave her to sleep in are removed with minimal effort, and he traces patterns over her bare skin with his fingertips, using the lightest touches he can. Gone is the hunger and desperation from the night before.
Naru, too, relinquishes herself to him and melts into his touch.
Except he removes his hands far too quickly for her liking. He replaces them with his aether, and the feel of it unlocks a barrage of memories.
Life after life, Themis teased her like this, using his aether to drive to the edge again and again until she’s left as a sobbing mess, begging him to let him come.
The pressure of his aether grows as it moves to travel up her legs, lingering over her inner thighs, before it circles her clit.
She gasps and says, “I know what you’re up to.”
“Oh, do you? Have more memories come back?” he asks. “What if I’ve decided to change my routine this time?”
“Change it how?” Naru asks, fighting against her own sounds of pleasure in order to get the words out.
“Well, I don’t really need to be here. I should prepare some belongings if I’m joining you in going to the Scions. They need to believe that I’m an average person with above average magical abilities.”
“You wouldn’t just leave me here like this.”
It has to be a bluff, Naru thinks. To go through the effort to bring her here, only to leave her like this… that’s ridiculous.
However, Themis seems to have meant his words. His aether shifts so that part of it remains stimulating her clit, and another part penetrates her, expanding to fill her before it begins to thrust.
Then, she hears Themis’ magic as he teleports away.
She doesn’t understand how he’s managed to control his aether with this type of precision without even being present. When she draws closer to her climax, his aether stops moving. Since she’s also unable to move and chase after her own pleasure, she comes down from her high. Then, his aether begins to move again.
It’s a pattern that quickly drives her mind. Pleasure is so close, but Themis makes sure it doesn’t come by making sure she doesn’t come.
Her moans turn into cries of frustration, but finally the rhythm of Themis’ aether shifts again. This time, she reaches her climax, shaking as she rides out her high. If her sight wasn’t already gone, she suspects she might have blacked out from the intensity of her orgasm.
However, his aether doesn’t stop there. Again and again, she’s forced to orgasm. She feels a wet spot growing on the bed beneath her each time she’s brought to her release, and she doesn’t know if she prefers too many orgasms, or none at all.
She doesn’t know how long it continues, but it turns almost painful. She is incapable of catching her breath, her lungs burning as they beg for more air than her gasps provide.
“Please come back, Themis,” she says, realizing how hoarse her voice has become.
Tears fall down her cheeks, and she feels a gentle hand wipe them away.
“I’m right here, Naru. You’re doing great,” he says, his own voice thick with lust.
He plants a kiss on her forehead, then on each of her cheeks.
“Did you leave?”
“No,” he says. “How could I leave and miss the sight of you like this? Rather, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the show.”
“You bastard! I really thought you left me here.”
“If you hadn’t been absorbed in what you felt, then you might have heard my sounds of pleasure. I couldn’t resist helping myself along.”
“Are you done with this part of your game, then?”
“Do you give up?” he asks. He traces his fingers over her collarbone, then her chest, and settles with circling one of her nipples.
“Yes, okay? Yes, I give up,” she says. “Please, fuck me properly. Let me feel you so deep inside me that I can never forget you again.”
Her words are enough to draw a moan from him, and apparently to convince him to return her sight.
She sees how messy his hair has become in the time she believed he was gone. His eyes are fiery as they take in her appearance, and she sees a possessiveness in him that’s almost frightening.
“When you say it like that, how could I possibly say no?” he asks.
She gets a small break when he removes his aether, and the feeling of emptiness doesn’t last long before his aether is replaced by his cock. She’s so wet from multiple orgasms that he has no issues sliding in.
The patience he had before is gone, and Naru can do little more than throw her head back in pleasure as he thrusts into her at a rough pace. She’s covered in sweat, her own cum, and a few tears, but according to him, this disheveled appearance is even more arousing.
“If I could keep you like this forever…” He trails off without finishing his thought.
“You wouldn’t,” Naru says between her gasps and moans. “Because you understand the importance of duty.”
His laugh is breathy. “So, that was the memory that showed up.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No,” he says. “Not at all.”
The conversation dies off, and they speak with their bodies instead. Since he enjoyed watching her so much, it doesn’t take Themis long to come. In Naru’s case, her body is overstimulated and burning with arousal to the point that she doesn’t think she would be able to feel another orgasm if it came.
Themis stays still for only a moment, and she feels how hard he is even after his orgasm. Yet, he doesn’t move right away to chase another. Instead, he pulls out and frees her from her chains.
“As much as I would love to keep going, I think you need a rest and something to drink, Naru,” he says. “We’ll have to continue later.”
Naru never thought that she was missing a piece of herself, but she feels whole with Themis. He’s considerate of her feelings and needs, and when he risks going too far, he’s there to reassure her with gentle touches and soft kisses.
“I’m sorry you were alone for so long,” Naru says after she’s had time to catch her breath. She’s barely able to turn her head to look at Themis with how exhausted she is.
Themis chuckles. “You say that everytime, but I’m no less glad to hear it.”
He brushes away strands of her hair that have fallen into her face and places a tender kiss on her lips, not demanding anything more from her.
“I can’t promise that I won’t leave you again. I’m only mortal,” Naru says. “But I can promise that I’ll spend as much time as I can with you.”
The look on Themis’ face is bittersweet, but his eyes are filled with understanding. “Then, I promise I’ll find you again in the next life.”
Naru musters up enough energy to grin. “It’s a deal.”