Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Chapter 195

Weaving Love Under the Gibbous Moon

“Fly? You mean like what Martell did a few days ago?”

Connie shook her head with a smirk. “No, none of that mirror and smoke,” She stepped onto the intricately wooden railing and took a step over it. Instinctively, Illumca tried to catch her. Then she realized, to her amazement, that Connie was floating in the air.

“No magic broom, no flying sword. A true flight,” Connie offered her hand enticingly at Illumca, who, as if hypnotized, took it.

The young woman in Centipede Robe pulled her as she spun in the air, placing her other hand on Illumca’s back. Then with one fell swoop, swept Illumca off her legs with her left arm and supported her back with the other.

They rose a few hundred feet above the town. Illumca looked down and saw Greyvault, with all its little lights, scattered like fireflies. Each one represented a home.

“We’re flying? Really flying?”

“I told you that when you reach a certain level in your Cultivation, you’ll gain the ability to fly. Or did you forget my lessons?”

“I - I thought you were using tools like Martell did,” she said, still in disbelief.

Connie laughed, her bright voice like bells in the Dark Elf’s ears.

“Hahaha! Then let’s take a nightly stroll.”

Connie swooped down, swerving and dancing across town. The smell of burning firewood wafting from the chimneys of the houses as they flew past, Connie cheekily showing her experience with flight.

Connie then picked up speed and flew high into the night sky. Instinctively, Illumca tightened her hold around Connie’s neck. Her heart jumping erratically with fear and excitement. She had the experience of jumping over rooftops and cliffs before, but nothing prepared her from a real flight.

She brought Illumca, flying over a craggy mountain, following a small river that flowed vigorously into a larger river that cut through a valley covered with evergreen. That river then ended as a waterfall which opened to a large lake.

They flew under an ancient stone bridge, cold water splashed onto their faces.

“Tuck your scarf in, Illumca. We’re going down!”

“W-wait!” Connie stopped flying just as they reached the start of the waterfall and they did a freefall that took them what felt like a whole minute, making Illumca feel like her stomach was a left a few feet back. And then, just as they were about to plunge into the cold lake, Connie swerved and picked up speed, cutting through the moon’s reflection on the lake. She brought them lower. So low, Illumca could feel the cold water splashing on her skin.

“CONNIE!!” Illumca scolded her angrily, but she could not hide the laughter escaping from her lips.

As they flew even father, Connie spotted a pack of wolves walking over the hills, leaving long trails behind them.

“Connie?”

With a mischievous smile, she flew past them, her free arm dinged the leader of the pack’s ear. Incensed, the wolves ran after them, but Connie was too fast. They left the angry pack behind them, soaring across a forest. The scent of pine tickled Illumca’s nose.

Connie laughed with glee at her successful prank and looked at Illumca, who was gazing down at the forest with a joyful smile, as if her worries were nothing.

Not long after, Connie began to slow down and stopped when they reached a certain height.

“Had fun?” Connie asked Illumca, whose face was flushed with excitement. Her chest went up and down from the unfettered thrill of the first flight she experienced.

“Can you go higher?” She blurted out the question, and it seemed that she did not expect that question would come out from her mouth, as she placed her fingers over her lips.

“Do you want to?”

A shy, but excited nod was her answer. Seeing how innocent the gesture was, the blonde could not help but think of how lovable she was.

“Your wish is my command,” with a wink, Connie began a quick ascend.

Illumca felt the cold wind in her lung, passing through the milky white clouds. She closed her eye as they went through it. All she could hear was the wind rushing past her ears.

“Look,” Connie said.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a gibbous moon. So large and majestic. SO close that sh felt that if she raised her arm, she felt that she could touch it. The view was so overwhelming, that Illumca was lost for words. The Dark Elf felt an awe unlike any other, and tears fell from her eye.

They floated there in silence, enjoying the breeze while watching a scenery that only very few could.

When she had her fill of the moon, Illumca looked at her sun.

“Connie…thank you.”

The blonde turned to look at the Dark Elf in her arms.

“Illumca…I think I’ve fallen in love with you,” Connie said shyly.

Overwhelmed by the confession put into concrete words, Illumca could not help but cry. Then their lips touched, softly.

Witnessed by the moon, the white and black, the silver and gold, became as one.

After the exciting nightly stroll, Connie and Illumca decided to take a rest before returning to town.

The two sat at the edge of a remote cave, untouched by mortal men, overlooking a vast lake. Illumca had made a fire from dried woods from which they drew warmth. It was rather windy, but as they were Cultivators, they were able to withstand it.

They had spread a large, thick cloth under them. Connie reclined on her side while Illumca sat cross-legged, speaking about nothing and everything as they shared a bottle of wine.

Connie was telling her stories about her past self. The stupid things she did while she was young and innocent. “The first time I became able to fly on my own, I’d spend the whole day flying over mountains, rivers, lakes, until I was spent and collapse onto the floor like a sack of potatoes. Everything seems.”

“…small.”

Connie gestured with her finger as she sipped on her wine. “Yes.”

“And yet, even though I was able to fly, I could never reach the stars.”

Illumca nodded. She was not listening to her. Not really. For she was busy with her own thoughts.

Earlier that day, she came up to meet Connie with doubt and fear. And now, she was filled with so much love that she was scared that this was a dream, and that she would later wake up and found out that this never happened.

“Connie,” she said as she took a full swig of her wine. She bent down from her sitting position until her face was mere inches from hers. Her breath was sweet. “…you said that I can be more selfish.”

“Yes. I did say that.”

“Then, am I allowed to be selfish right now?” she asked again. “I want something from you.”

“Of course, anything.”

Illumca stood up and spoke. “I want to have you.”

Connie froze from the sudden request. But she was no virgin, mind-wise, and she saw the pleading in her eyes.

She then put her glass down and slid her robe down.

“Then…you shall have me.”

Spoiler

The next morning, Connie was woken up by the sunlight coming from the mouth of the cave.

She drew herself up and gently got out from under her robe that she used to cover their exhausted bodies.

Normally, she would have no problem making love. What she did not expect however, was that Illumca had - midway through their session - ate the same type of Pills that Ethel sold to the brothels. Turning her insatiable.

It seemed that she had been waiting for a long time for a chance to use it.

Connie drank a sip of the leftover wine in her glass – cold from the weather - and glanced at the two red spots on the cloth and felt a bit happy about that. But as she turned her back, she winced, felt under her belly, and understood after hundreds of years, of the reason why her late wife walked so awkwardly the next morning after their first night. It was something that a man would not understand unless one experienced it firsthand.

Instead of numbing it with Pills, she chose to let the precious pain linger.

She watched the Dark Elf’s peaceful sleeping face and pondered, fleetingly, of a life away from the blood and the sword.

But then she discarded those thoughts.

She had tried that once. And it blew up in her face spectacularly.

Therefore, she only needed to follow her own path.

"To protect my beloved, I shall stand above worldly trouble.

With sword and poison in hand, turning the heavenly gates to rubble."

Gold and Silver in Black and White