The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 103 - My Guiding Light, Stepping Out - and Towards - Reverberating Emptiness

Chapter 103: Chapter 103 - My Guiding Light, Stepping Out - and Towards - Reverberating Emptiness

Temporary AN: 10 Fast Pass redemption code in AT at bottom.

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Under the blanket of stars gathered overhead, the pair of sweethearts sat in contemplative meditation. Both felt as the potential and promise of a love that could create life itself dug deeper in each other’s hearts. Their backs were placed together and their breathing matched as each pondered the implications of a future with progeny.

One blonde’s mind wandered wildly from her experiences with Onya... picturing tiny hands grasping at her fingers and the sound of a pair of infants babbling. She decided that if they had a decade, she would spend it where she could around that sibling-in-law to learn even more of what to look forward to.

The brunette drew on many more memories than just the nice ones with her sister. She pondered the sort of challenges raising children that surely must be timeless... as well as the potential ease of raising a child in an environment like she had grown in this time.

Meanwhile...

---

The door of their rented cottage clicked shut, muffling the sounds of revelry at the local tavern they’d just retired from. Meyran loosened the collar of his formal attire before uncorking a bottle, pouring them each a final glass of wine. The pop of the cork was a comforting start to their nightly routines.

Zyris sank bonelessly into a plush armchair. Her feet were done with standing, walking, and group dancing! The man handed his wife her drink before settling into the chair opposite her.

"What a day. I can’t remember the last time I attended such a lively wedding afterparty."

Zyris nodded, taking a grateful sip. Using their personal stock as a palette cleanser after imbibing so much inferior stock was a bit of a waste, in some senses, but sharing a glass together before bed had become such a habit. Both of their cheeks were still flushed red due to the amount of their consumption over the hours.

"The ceremony itself was beautiful. Did you see Elua when her groom said those vows? I’ve never seen someone look so..."

She trailed off, drunkenly seeking the appropriate word. With a playful, if wistful, smile on his face... he offered the woman a possibility he’d thought on his own at the time.

"Lucent?"

"Mmm."

Zyris agreed easily. The silver attire in the events always made things plenty radiant, but the young girl had almost visibly lit up - like every additional word was stoking the fires of a forge. They sat in silence while sipping their nightcap, letting the day wash over them.

"You know, I was struck by how excited Nohre and Fusand seemed. For their friend to be married, I mean."

Meyran remembered having to advise the pair to wait to deliver their gifts at a more personal time. The Starbloom was a ceremony that was meant to highlight political affairs, not personal ones. The boy had seemed to understand instantly and - though the girl seemed less accepting of their urging - it was clearly because she wanted to show she cared for her friend.

"Oh yes! Did you see them during the run up to the ceremony? Fusand looked like he was taking mental notes of every detail around him."

The woman’s blurry vision pivoted to the man as he chuckled. To her, the sound was good to hear. The entire night had been good!

"I saw. For Nohre... I caught her wiping away a moved tear when the couple kissed. It was rather sweet."

Another silence fell, thicker with meaning this time. The man’s expression was thoughtful as he swirled the wine in his glass. Zyris watched him with a bit of a complicated feeling, but felt like she had to say something after a while.

"They’re so invested in that young Goltbred’s happiness. Good kids. It’s clear she means a great deal to them... and how many that age do you think would invite those in their situation?"

"Well, Ondua and Yatrel seem to have raised her like themselves. It’s been a long time since we’ve let ourselves be around young people like that. So full of hope and potential."

His wife nodded to his soft words, her unsober gaze growing distant. There were her own children to think about on top of Meyran’s voiced opinions. It was hard for her to tell if it was all the drink or if his attitude was something else - but she decided to be honest and not hide anything away.

"I found myself watching them... almost as much as the bride and groom. The way they interact together. Their enthusiasm for cultivation... it-"

"It reminds you of the past, doesn’t it? Before..."

He trailed off after interrupting her, but the woman understood. The loved ones he lost hadn’t made it to their teen years at all. His pain was different from hers, in that way... and it sometimes hurt her that she was so limited in healing the man who gave her his support to lick her own wound.

"Yes. It does."

She whispered the response and he leaned forward. His face dominated her field of view and his eyes were as intense as the day he asked for her to marry him. Now, she was sure the wine was affecting her... because as her heart raced, she felt like she was the age of the couple that just got married!

"Zyris, I’ve been thinking. With the competition coming up soon - and Elua already asking us to look out for them-"

The fairer half of the Talcres couple finished his thought, a smile on her lips at returning the interruption from before.

"You want to mentor them."

Her husband blinked, surprised, before easing back and sitting upright.

"...Yes. How did you know so easily?"

"Because I’ve been thinking the same thing, Mey. That perhaps we could... offer them some guidance. A different perspective than they might be getting from the time a cultivator younger than them can spare. And..."

She paused while struggling to articulate the strange feeling she’d felt earlier on the train. Ultimately, she shook her head as it wasn’t the most important factor.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve taken on any students. But Fusand’s eagerness to learn... it’s infectious. He could do well in the right environment."

Seeing the subdued excitement on the man - who thought she couldn’t notice it and that he was quite stoic - a strange intensity welled up in the woman’s voice. It felt to her like this was a chance of some sort.

"Nohre, as well. I feel like there’s so much untapped potential. I think... I think we could help them, even a little. And maybe, in that process..."

"Help ourselves?"

Meyran suggested while reaching out to take her hands. Zyris squeezed his fingers, grateful for this understanding. All the while, neither of them knew that the other was thinking of this matter as a way to help the other.

"Exactly."

They sat there together, their half finished wine waiting for their quiet intimacy to pass so that it could serve as a silent toast to new beginnings, rather than the usual end of the day. Their glasses clinked softly before the enthusiastic spouses emptied them out.

"So, where do we start?"

They began to discuss potential training regimens and cultivation tips from their family histories. The weight of the tragic past seemed to lighten for a little while more than usual and - for the first time in a long while - the Talcres pair looked to the future with something a little different than pure work in mind.

---

Long shadows, born from the reflective low angle of the moon, stretched across the wedding venue. Ondua made a night patrol round, knowing after checking with staff that his daughter must still be atop the plateau. His footsteps tapped against the stone and the distant sounds of a night-long party in the town still echoed in the mountain air.

He smiled at that... even as the Crystal Element cultivator swept the area, more out of habit when ’on mission’ than any real concern for danger. The brunette thought back to earlier in the day as a bittersweet ache filled his chest.

Watching Elua’s radiance as she exchanged those vows with Qatrand. His little girl, growing up! It was enough to bring plenty of the salty moisture from the sea into the corner of his eyes - yes, condensation only!

Eventually the feeling allowed him to remember a different celebration, years ago. Not his own wedding... that he had been thinking about with nostalgia for weeks. In a toast to their survival, Anper’s laughter rang out in his memories. Combating the Voidling incursion back to back - those days now felt like a lifetime ago.

Ondua’s brown eyes squinted as movement of a familiar silhouette ducked between columns... clearly trying to avoid detection.

"Anper? Is that you lurking about?"

The Yecine elder stopped before turning around slowly. His face was his usual mask of cool indifference.

"Ondua. I didn’t expect to encounter anyone else patrolling at this hour."

"Nor I, old friend. Though I’m glad for the company."

The Goltbred smiled warmly at him... even as the other man’s lips thinned in the dark at the address. It evened out into a flatter look as the vaunted hero of the last Descent stepped closer to him.

"Today was a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?"

"Indeed. A display of... tradition."

The raven haired man’s tone in response was clipped, ensuring that his desire to remain unbothered came across. The one looking to bond as fathers let his smile falter.

"I must admit, I was surprised by Qatrand’s appearance. The natural blonde suits him, but I know that it is a departure from Yecine custom. I hope the lad isn’t going to be under too much pressure from your family."

Something dark flashed in Anper’s steely eyes during the ensuing silence.