The moment the divine lady showed herself, Lucas and Leon rushed over with ecstasy, particularly Lucas. Years had gone by since he'd last seen his wife, and he'd believed that he would never see her again. But, as fate would have it, they were reunited just as Amon had promised.
Lucas pushed Leon gently aside and rushed into his wife's arms, tears spilling down his face. Years of tension, of unspoken exhaustion and buried strain, surged through his body, tightening every muscle until his embrace became almost desperate.
Yet Aluria accepted it all without hesitation. With a tender smile, she wrapped her arms around him, meeting his fervour with warmth, an embrace filled not with burden, but with bliss and unshakable joy.
Unlike her previous divine self, Aluria's voice became tender… human. The shackles of Thalassa no longer bound her, and she reverted to her mortal self.
"Aluria… I thought I would never see you again!"
"I know… We're lucky…"
The woman with hair as cerulean as the ocean continued to relish in Lucas's embrace. They had been separated for far too long, and when they'd last seen each other, they believed it was their last. Not only that…
Aluria pried herself free from Lucas's restraint and reached for her beloved son, who was standing at a blur beside her. They'd been separated for more than a decade, and the last time she saw him… he was still a young child who could barely fend for himself.
But now… he was a young hero. One that had gained the power to save her.
Cusping onto his white, supple cheeks, Aluria's rosy lips cracked into a sly smile.
"You've become… beautiful. I never thought I would have given birth to a daughter."
Aluria reached behind Leon's nape and dragged his heavy head down to her neck. Leon was easily a full head taller than his mother, so it was quite an unnatural position, but the young man didn't mind it. It felt like… no, he was literally brought into his mother's embrace. There was no child in the world who would deny that feeling.
"You've grown so much… I missed you so much!!!"
Tears blurred Aluria's vision as sobs racked her fragile frame. The weight of ten long years apart from her child crashed down on her all at once, too overwhelming to contain.
Every day of that endless separation had been a torment.
She would wake and wonder: was Leon eating well? Had he grown taller, stronger? Was he lonely without her?
Even when forced into unnatural slumber, never knowing if she would open her eyes again, her final waking thought was always of him, her beloved son, torn from her arms.
And now, after all the years of longing and despair, he was here, warm and genuine against her chest. Her heart trembled as she tightened her embrace, vowing silently that she would never, ever let him go again.
"Mom, I'm glad you're safe…"
"Me too… I missed you…"
Aluria couldn't bear to let go of her precious child, and neither could Leon.
At that moment, the young hero realised what he was truly fighting for… it was for moments . Many needed moments , who were ripped off moments . And Leon's role in this world… is to give just one more person… a moment .
"Mom, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm much better now."
Aluria once again pried herself free from her son's embrace, this time, much more unwillingly. If she could, Aluria would turn the boy into a pendant and wrap him around her neck at all times, to keep him by her side.
"The drowned god sealed me, but I could still hear everything around the lake, even… your conversations."
Although Aluria was weakened, she was still the Priestess of the Lake. Everything within the Veil was under her domain, and she closely monitored Lucas and everything that occurred around him. And that meant she was well aware of his conversation with Amon.
"So you know about Thalassa and our plan to kill it?"
This time, Aluria finally pulled herself free from her family's loving touch. She turned to Amon, who was now descending from the sky like a demigod, and fell to her knees like a pilgrim finally reaching the holy land.
"O' lord and saviour… How can I ever repay you?"
"There's no need for this," Amon waved his arm and brushed off Aluria's reverence. "You're Leon's mother, so it's natural that I help you. Besides, my goal is to kill Thalassa. Saving you is only a happy happenstance."
"Oh, you're so modest."
Aluria's cheeks turned pink as she rose to her feet. Staring at the young man before her, she saw a distinct air of divinity, one that she'd never encountered before. It was hidden deep within his soul, and Amon seemed unaware of it at the moment, but as someone close to the gods, there was no way she was mistaken.
Having someone like him stand by her son's side… There were only infinite benefits. So, even if she had to lick Amon's feet, she would do anything to get on his good side.
"While I would love to enjoy our conversation, I think we have a more pressing matter to attend to."
The once silent lake was beginning to stir. Bubbles were forming throughout the lake as mana was spilling out like the floodgates being opened. Thalassa's seal was now at its weakest state, and it would be free at any moment now.
While its divinity had been severed, it's still a former Titan mount that had soaked up the Ocean's Divinity for thousands of years. Its individual mana was immense, enough to drown the Capital on its own. And it was also a foe that even the Sword Saint would find trouble defeating.
And at any moment… it was going to break free from its restraints.
"You're right… Give me a solution."
Unknowingly, Aluria had subjugated herself to Amon. She had already seen him as a superior being, one that was outside the realms of humanity. So there was no need for her to beat around the bush.
"The Ocean's Divinity that Thalassa has severed… let me consume it."
"I'm the next best candidate. Just like Thalassa, I have been absorbing pieces of the divinity. Over the years, my body and soul had evolved to accept the divinity as well."
"... your soul may not be able to handle the divinity."
"I know that," Aluria nodded without protest. She knew better than anyone else that her soul wasn't ready to accept the Ocean's Divinity. It was still far too underdeveloped. "But, I can release some of it back to the oceans with her help."
The mermaid demigod pointed to Yue, who was standing silently by Amon's side. Not surprised by Aluria's designation, Yue's lips cracked into a distinct smile.
"Heh… How much do you see?"
"Enough to know that you're stronger than everyone else here."
Yue's power of law was something hidden, even to Amon. No, more precisely, she never bothered to explain the depths of her strength to anyone. And yet, Aluria saw through her shroud effortlessly.
[Those eyes of yours… They're special, aren't they?]
Sensing that Aluria might turn hostile at any moment, Yue mentally sent her a message, no… a warning.
[That's right, my lady… I can see the people's spirits… And if I dare comment… the path you're walking is… dangerous.]
[I know that… but, the path that you're treading on now… It's mighty thin.]
Yue's ruby eyes gleamed with malice. If need be, she would erase Aluria at that very moment. Even Aluria, the mermaid demigod and the woman who had seen Thalassa the most, trembled at Yue's distinct mana source.
[Please forgive my overreach… If you wish, you may shackle me. But please, I need your help to absorb the drowned God's divinity.] Newest update provıded by novel·fire.net
[Hmph, I'm not talking about that! Whether you take control over the Ocean's Divinity means nothing to me!]
Aluria was confused, and rightfully so. Yue's concern had never been with something as trivial as the Ocean's Divinity. It was something far more critical. Something that was near and dear to her soul.
[I saw how you tried to appeal to my husband! You dare call him 'my lord' and blush in his direction?! Do you have a death wish?!]
The divine woman's mind went blank. Yue wasn't bothered in the slightest that Aluria would gain the power of the oceans or that Thalassa might awaken and drown the world. Yue's concern was… that Aluria was seducing Amon?
[You do know that I have a husband?]
[Hmph, Amon is a billion times better than your raggard husband. And look at you! Perhaps you're looking for some fresh, young meat to eat? Let me tell you, he's mine! I reserved his first time!]
At that moment, Aluria had a disturbing thought…
What on earth had she awakened into?
The two youngsters who hid divine powers within them… was it safe to leave the world in their hands? But alas, Aluria knew better than to fight against this monster.
[I swear to you, I have no such intentions. If you'd like, I can swear an oath of servitude to you. Also… if you're interested, I have some ways to enhance your man's libido and a surefire way to make him entirely devoted to you, so that he'll never look elsewhere.]
[Dear sister! Shall we begin the contract? All I need to do is help you absorb the Ocean's Divinity, right?]
Stunned by how shockingly easy it was to gain Yue's approval, Aluria froze for a full second, her lips trembling incredulously.
'Seriously… can we really leave the world to them?'
More than ever before, Aluria sincerely hoped that her son would outgrow these monsters and turn into the promised saviour of the world.