Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 210: Eternity, Part Eleven

{Mel}

Mel, Athene, Caroline, and Zura continued to handle the chaos at Telvan’s gates.

The battle was intense, but with so many adventurers and soldiers working together, they were slowly managing to repel the Fiends’ siege. Arrows flew, spells crackled, and swords drove through abominable flesh.

"Keep it up!" Athene’s voice echoed through the streets. The woman was exuding the holy aura one would expect out of a Constellation’s chosen follower, directing everyone and keeping the morale high.

Mel launched another lightning bolt, watching as it struck a Fiend, causing it to collapse into a heap of smoldering flesh.

[Okay, time to regenerate some mana for a bit,] she thought, taking a deep breath. [We’re doing well, but... It just feels like these things aren’t going to stop coming.]

She took a moment to catch her breath, glancing at Zura, who was fighting valiantly nearby.

"How’s it going?" Zura shouted over the noise.

"We’re kinda managing!" Mel replied, a small smile on her face.

But then, something changed.

Mel felt it first, a strange energy stirring in the air. It was subtle at first, like a tingling at the edge of her senses. Then, it grew stronger, more insistent. She looked up, eyes scanning the battlefield.

The Fiends were still attacking, but now something was happening to them. Strange tendrils of energy began to siphon off their bodies, rising into the air in eerie, glowing streams.

"Do you see that?" Mel called out to the others.

Athene, slicing through a Fiend with her sword, glanced up. Her eyes widened. "What is that?"

Caroline and Zura also paused, noticing the strange phenomenon.

"This isn’t good," Mel muttered, her mind racing.

The energy continued to rise, gathering above the battlefield. It pulsed and shimmered, growing more intense with each passing moment.

"We need to figure out what’s causing this," Athene said, her voice tense. "It could be another attack."

Mel nodded, feeling a knot of worry tighten in her chest. She reached out with her magic, trying to sense the source of the energy. It felt dark, malevolent, unlike anything she’d encountered before.

Zura stepped closer to Mel, her shield raised defensively. "Any ideas?"

"Not yet," Mel admitted. "But we need to be ready for anything."

---

{Enverna}

Enverna stood between Vy and Lianna, her spear ready.

She recalled all the moments she had shared with Lianna up until now. From when they were first chosen by The Lover to when they found out they’d be living together at the Watchful’s headquarters.

They’d faced so many challenges together. The ruins with Mel, the tournament where the president died, and the defense of Garriden. Through it all, they’d come out on top, their bond stronger than it had been before.

And now, here they were, standing together against Vy. One final test.

But, it wasn’t saving the world that was on Enverna’s mind. It wasn’t the Fiends outside the city, it wasn’t even revenge for the president’s death or the fact that this girl’s Constellation had all but directed Jack to burn her home down and kill her sister.

No, all Enverna wanted to do right now was take care of the woman behind her.

[I’ll protect you, Lianna. I promise.]

Enverna pounced, running up to Vy and swiping at her with her spear.

Vy hopped back, shooting arrows down at Enverna in mid-air.

Each arrow whizzed past, narrowly missing her. Enverna chased after her, attacking all the while. Vy was constantly just out of reach, her movements swift and elusive.

[She’s quite fast. It doesn’t matter.]

Frustration mounted, but Enverna kept pushing forward.

She activated her Instinct, coating the tip of her spear in water. The spear glowed with a bluish hue, as Enverna pressed the attack.

She reached Vy again and thrust at her, only for Vy to toss her bow aside and respond with Xi’s Instinct once again. Now, Enverna was the one at risk of being impaled, having to dodge and lean to avoid having irreparable damage done to her.

Soon, she kicked Vy back and put some space between them, hoping to take a moment to assess the situation.

[As fast as she is... It’ll be pretty hard to get a hit in without being hurt in turn. But...]

Vy taunted her, a sneer on her face.

"You can’t possibly hope to win. Just give up."

’I’ve no plans of doing such a thing, unfortunately," Enverna muttered.

Behind Enverna, Lianna stood, clutching the stump on her left hand. Enverna caught her out of the corner of her eye.

Lianna inhaled sharply and called out:

"Right side!"

[Right. {Lover’s Intuition}. Even without you fighting directly, we can still work together!]

Enverna instantly ran forward, completely accustomed to receiving these instructions from her lover, her spear slicing through the air.

Vy dodged, but the attack had been closer this time.

Enverna’s eyes widened. She smelled blood in the water.

"Now, high left!"

Another shift, another near hit. Enverna could feel herself getting closer, inching towards her target.

Vy continued to taunt, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes now. She was starting to realize that Enverna’s attacks were becoming harder to evade.

"Low, now!"

Enverna thrust her spear low, and Vy jumped back, but not far enough. The spear tip grazed her leg, drawing blood. Vy’s sneer turned into a grimace.

"Left, quick!"

With a swift motion, Enverna brought her spear up and to the left, and this time, it connected.

The water-coated tip sank into Vy’s side. Vy gasped, eyes wide with shock and pain.

"AAAH!" Vy cried out.

Enverna just barely managed to rip her spear out in time to avoid being hit herself.

Vy jumped back, clutching the side of her abdomen.

Enverna got into a fighting stance.

[One, two, three breaths, and I continue the assault. I can finish this here and now. I just need one clean hit.]

Lianna was silent behind her.

If Enverna understood {Lover’s Intuition} correctly, then this likely meant she was being told that the next instruction she had to give Enverna was one she didn’t want to give.

But, Enverna was more than ready to see this through.

"Lianna," she called out without turning. "Just tell me what to do. Go ahead, it’s okay."