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Cathedral of the Earth Mother, Feynapotter Kingdom.
The moment the ‘Emlyn’ by his side vanished, Utravsky’s heart skipped a beat.
It was the first sign that the reunion he had anticipated for centuries was finally drawing near.
He returned at once, questioning the sanguines stationed in the Church, only to learn that they were preparing the potion for the advancement. Yet, by their request, no one was permitted to approach the basement where the coffin was placed until the concoction was complete.
Utravsky felt the urge to object, but he knew better. However deep his connection was to Emlyn White, to other sanguines he was still an outsider, one without their blood, their heritage, or any claim to stand among them.
His only choice was to wait in the room where members of the Fertility Order had gathered to prepare for the worst.
The faint torchlight wavered on the walls, its glow seemingly inconsequential compared to the moonlight pouring in through the windows.
Utravsky observed the scenery outside with calm blue eyes. The full moon tonight was a good sign. A blessing from Mother Goddess to her favorite sanguine. He placed his hands in front of his mouth, fingers clasped together to pray for Emlyn's success.
It was absurd how the Silver Knight, who once walked through storms of blood and light without a flinch, was now silently trembling like a criminal waiting for judgment. The thought almost made him laugh, yet the sound was killed by the gravity of the situation before it left his throat.
His jaw tightened when a sanguine finally knocked on the door to announce that the finished potion had been delivered to their Duke. Before anyone else in the room could react, Utravsky rushed to follow the sanguine to the basement.
That single action betrayed the composed facade he had worn until now, yet no one tried to stop him or call out a warning.
They all understood urgency of the matter. Every available demigod of the Church of Earth Mother had been summoned here to ensure things would not spiral out of control. A failed advancement at Angel-level would unleash a threat none of them were certain they could contain, even together.
They stopped before the final door in the basement. Despite the countless seals etched across the walls and carved into the door itself, an oppressive force pressed down upon them as soon as they arrived.
The important figures of the sanguines solemnly stood in two straight lines before the entrance. Utravsky and the others quickly took their places among them, some already gripping their weapons and Sealed Artifacts to prepare for the worst.
The centuries of waiting had hardened the giant into an unshakable warrior who had stared down armies and monsters alike, but now his composure was fraying with every passing second. There were many times when he felt he might lose control of himself, only to look down at his hands and realize they were still made of flesh and blood.
Eventually, the oppressive pressure began to ease, and the door creaked open, even if it was just a narrow slit.
“Bring me the mirror," an ethereal female voice floated through the gap. The voice reverberated inside Utravsky's mind, strangely familiar, yet so sweet and melodic that the Silver Knight was certain he had never heard such a sweet sound in his life.
The sanguines outside quickly moved, pushing a full-length mirror they had prepared toward the door.
A pale hand, smooth and white, stretched through the narrow gap to pull it inside. While the door remained slightly ajar, they took the opportunity to bring forward what appeared to be a silk dress. Utravsky remembered clearly that, when Emlyn had gone to sleep in preparation for the ritual, he had worn the usual suit, which likely no longer fit after the changes his body had undergone. The sanguines must have anticipated this and prepared the dress in advance.
Once again, the pale hand emerged to grasp the garment and drew it inside. The door then closed, and their waiting resumed.
By now, the tension on the faces outside had eased. Their weapons were sheathed or sealed, their postures relaxed. Only the giant warrior remained restless, unable to wait for the moment he would finally meet the person within.
After what felt like hours to him, the door finally swung open, fully this time.
Behind it was the most breathtaking woman he had ever seen.
Her hair, black as midnight, flowed over her shoulders and fell in a dark cascade down to her feet. Her skin was pale and luminous, glowing with a soft light that seemed to illuminate the space around her. Every feature was soft, delicate, and perfectly formed.
Even the red silk draped over her seemed as though it was lit from within. Utravsky had seen the same silk delivered by the sanguines when they brought her the mirror, but the fabric had never glowed like this. It was her who made it shine.
The Goddess's beauty left them all speechless. Some lowered their heads, others averted their eyes, and it was only by their high sequences that they did not immediately drop to their knees to kiss the ground in worship. The giant archbishop had to try his best to fight against the overwhelming desire to venerate every inch of the floor she walked upon.
Her crimson eyes swept quickly over every figure in the room, before settling on the tallest among them. An almost imperceptible smile flickered across her lips, filling her eyes with warmth. He could sense her desire to approach him immediately, but she had restrained herself. They both knew that this was not the place, nor the moment, for such gestures.
The silence stretched on unbearably long. Everyone in the room felt themselves choked by the sight of such ethereal beauty. Utravsky eventually had to avert his eyes despite his desire to take in more of the sight of her. He knew the Beauty Goddess was looking at him, but if their eyes met for any longer, he was certain he wouldn't be able to control his impulses.
Satisfied with how they all seemed spellbound in her presence, Emlyn unconsciously lifted her chin a little higher. She coughed lightly to get their attention as her soft voice carrried through the room. “Thanks to your patience and preparation, the ritual has been a success. It will take some time for me to adjust to the changes and return to the outside world, so I ask that you continue your duties in the meantime. If you have something to report, you will have to wait until further notice.”
What she meant was that they could all leave the basement and return to whatever they were doing until she called for them.
With that order from the new Queen, both humans and sanguines quietly retreated toward the stairs, their hearts caught between relief and regret. Relief because they were finally removed from the presence of a being so far above them, and regret for the chance to linger in the radiance of her beauty had already slipped beyond their reach.
Eventually, only the Silver Knight and his Queen remained as the door to the basement clicked shut.
Without another word, she leapt into his arms, her slender arms wrapping around his towering frame. Even with the layers of fabric separating them, he could feel the familiar coolness of the sanguine’s body against his skin. His senses were overwhelmed as her scent filled his nostrils. It was the familiar fragrance of fresh herbs that stirred memories of her older self. Yet beneath that freshness lingered something alluring and intoxicating, a faint sweetness that clouded his mind and made it impossible for him to gather his thoughts.
For a moment, Utravsky was utterly at a loss, unsure how to respond.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t anticipated this moment. He had imagined their reunion countless times during the centuries of waiting, even discussing it with her through the Moon Paper Figurine. Yet now, with her finally in his embrace, all his rehearsed reactions seemed to vanish.
“Father, why won’t you look at me? Not even a ‘welcome back’ after all this time?” She looked up at him, a pout forming on her lips.
When it was only the two of them, she revealed a more childish side that hadn’t changed since their very first meeting. The playful complaint somehow eased the storm in his mind. Despite everything that had happened, the Goddess in front of him was still the same Emlyn he had always loved.
As her arms slipped away from his sides, Utravsky almost reached out instinctively for fear of losing her again. But before he could, she lifted her arms once more and reached up toward him.
The giant finally reacted. His hands found her waist as he lifted her effortlessly, closing the vast gap in their height. She gave a soft sound of surprise before her arms naturally looped around his neck, her body fitting against his as though she had never left.
In his arms, Emlyn’s weight felt no heavier than a feather. He knew he could have held her easily with just one arm, but the thought alone felt irreverent.
With his Goddess so close, the bishop had to be painfully careful about where his eyes rested. He fixed his gaze just over her right shoulder, where a sliver of pale skin peeked through the loosened fabric. It was safer to focus beyond her and study the symbols etched into the wall behind. The intricate patterns depicted the circle of life, others showed showed plants and the harvest and—
His thoughts scattered again the moment a face drifted into his vision. Her crimson eyes gleamed like rubies under the crimson moonlight, brimming with amusement when she caught his attempt at distracting himself. The motion stirred the fabric once more, exposing an even more generous section of her shoulder and cleavage to his eyes.
Utravsky suddenly had the urge to reprimand the sanguines for choosing such a dress for their Queen.
Against the sudden attack, he could only close his eyes. The desperate act to save himself from being completely undone earned him a soft chuckle from her. To his ears, it was nothing short of divine, like the music of the heavens descending just for him.
Even without looking, the giant could feel her cool fingers trace the faint lines on his cheek, the old and new wrinkles at the corners of his lips, as if she were rediscovering the man she had long awaited.
No words passed between them as they stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. Emlyn studied his features in silence, while Utravsky, with his eyes closed, simply let the rest of his senses drink her in.
At last, she let out a soft sigh, a sound so gentle yet so full of weight that it made him feel as though something inside his chest cracked.
“Sorry for making you wait so long.”
Three hundred years was a negligible amount of time for a sanguine Duke. It was normal for them to take naps that stretched for centuries to preserve their life. Yet, for a human who could not sleep to pass the time, that wait was torturous. Even with the Moon Paper Substitute to temporarily replace Emlyn, the bishop’s life wasn’t the same without his sanguine.
The past three hundred years had been spent solely on the preparation of advancement. For Emlyn, it was the preparation for his most important ritual that involved the fate of his whole race, while for Utravsky, it was the preparation for him to accompany his long-living partner. Demigods of the Giant pathway weren’t known for their lifespan, yet he still made the decision to advance to wait for the younger sanguine. Even just a few more centuries would be enough. He would take any years, no, any moments he could get, as long as they were spent in the presence of the one he loved.
All those years of waiting, all the loneliness, the worry, the fear, the battles fought alone, everything they sacrificed had led to this moment.
Suddenly, a warm tear fell onto his cheek.
His pale blue eyes opened, meeting her crimson ones, now glimmering like crystals and brimming with pain.
“Don’t cry.” The bishop whispered, and without another word, he pressed his lips to hers with a tenderness that belied the years of solitude and longing.
When her final advancement succeeded, they both understood that it was only a matter of time before Utravsky reached the end of his demigod lifespan. Her beauty was eternal, while his life was limited, and a large part of it had been dedicated to waiting for her.
Emlyn’s arms curled around the giant’s neck, pulling him closer as their lips moved together in a reunion more profound than words could ever convey. His familiar warmth quickly calmed her heart. The relief brought even more tears, cascading freely as she silently wished for the moment to never end.
Yet, as always, Utravsky was the first to pull away. He didn’t want to put an end to it either, but he had to before their kiss developed into something inappropriate for the confines of the dark basement. The younger sanguine was never known for her ability to restrain herself.
Seeing the dissatisfied pout on her lips, he could only smile as he carried her back up the stairs.