From Real to Realm

Val slowly opened her eyes. Daylight was peering through the curtains already. She didn’t even remember falling asleep last night.

“What time is it?”

The bed next to her was empty, but there was the smell of something cooking wafting through their place.

Val sat up, wincing. “Oh fuck.”

She took a moment to stretch and move around.

“I’ve never felt this sore before.”

It took Val a few more minutes before she was finally up and walking around. The side of her body where she took that major hit from the Ashen King felt the most sore. That didn’t mean she didn’t feel sore elsewhere.

“Babe?”

Val called out to Lynesia as she walked into the hallway. Lynesia was standing at the counter, cooking. When she heard Val, she turned around, only to giggle.

“You look a bit stiff,” she said, hiding her smile.

Val nodded. “No joke. I didn’t think I’d be this sore.”

“It’s probably a good idea to take a few extra days off,” Lynesia suggested. “I doubt the rest of the girls will argue. I’d imagine Amarisse feels as rough as you do right now.”

Val leaned back against the table. “Cain and Braun are probably okay by now.”

Lynesia turned back to cooking. “I’d imagine after being with the guild overnight, they’d be fine by now.”

The air between them went silent for a few moments as they thought about what they’d been through. Val was positive that everyone was okay now. If they were able to save Mina back then, they surely would be able to save the guys as well. That reminded Val of Mina, then of their talk last night before bed.

Val stepped up, wrapping her arms around Lynesia from behind.

Lynesia smiled, leaning into the touch.

“I never answered you completely last night,” Val said, resting her chin on Lynesia’s shoulder.

Lynesia sighed softly. “I thought there might be more to things.”

“Before we were ever officially together, Mina and I kissed. It was a drunken kiss after celebrating with everyone, and it never went beyond that. Nothing has happened since, I swear.” Val paused, clearing her throat and turning Lynesia around. “Maybe part of me wondered if there was something more there, but after thinking about it…”

Lynesia looked up into Val’s eyes, her hazel eyes searching Val’s.

“I should have told you the moment I realized my feelings hadn’t gone away.”

It took a few long seconds before Lynesia finally spoke.

“I’m not mad it happened before us. I’m hurt you didn’t answer me when I asked.”

Val’s heart sank. “You’re right. I panicked. It’s not an excuse. I’m sorry.”

Lynesia reached forward, gently grabbing Val’s hands.

Val looked down. “I had confusing feelings after everything that happened. I almost let them become something bigger without thinking about what it could do to us.” She looked back up into Lynesia’s eyes. “I meant what I said last night. My heart is yours, and I won’t jeopardize what we have for someone else.”

“So you don’t want to add anyone else?” Lynesia asked, tilting her head.

Val shook her head. “No. I want you.”

Lynesia let out a soft chuckle, quickly wiping away a tear. “Good. Because I was worried I wasn’t enough.”

Val immediately pulled her into a hug. “Never, ever think that. You’re more than enough for me. I am so fucking sorry you ever felt that way. I swear, I’ll never do this to you again.” She gently cupped Lynesia’s cheeks, locking gazes. “I’m yours, and you’re mine, forever.”

As soon as Lynesia sniffled, Val pulled her into a tight hug. The two of them stood there in the kitchen for who knew how long. Only when Lynesia seemed to remember she was cooking did she finally pull away.

“Thank you for being honest with me, Val.”

Val nodded. “I should’ve handled it better last night.”

“Yeah, you should have,” she said, stirring something. “But at least you weren’t too hardheaded to realize your mistake.”

Before long, the two of them were sitting down to eat their brunch. The air between them had calmed, but still held some weight of what had been said. Conversation was sparse by the time the dishes were cleared, and they were dressed for the day. The air was steadier between them. Not perfect, but honest.

By the time the sun was high in the air, the two of them were walking back to the guild. Val didn’t know if Mina, Amarisse, or Cera had checked in this morning. She didn’t mean to oversleep to begin with, either.

“Do you think anyone else has checked in?”

Lynesia shrugged her shoulders. “Possibly. We slept a little later than normal.”

“If Amarisse feels as drained as I feel, then she might still be asleep even now.”

“That’s true. Mina and Cera might be okay. Then again, Cera did use a lot of mana.”

Val flexed her fingers. “I haven’t used mana aside from normal, everyday things. I wonder what it feels like to run out.”

Lynesia smirked. “Your body gets sluggish, and you feel exhausted almost instantly.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “It’s not like you’ll pass out on the spot, but a nap sounds amazing when you run out of mana. It’s why we’re so careful not to run out in the middle of the dungeon.”

The guild hall finally came into view after they rounded the corner of a building. Just about every surface still had a layer of snow clinging to it.

“I feel more exhausted just being back,” Val said, yawning.

“I doubt anyone would blame us for taking a few days off for once.”

“I hope not. Especially after hitting the dungeon at least three times a week for months on end.”

They made their way through the main gate, flashing their badges from under their coats. Once inside, they wasted no time getting through the main doors and out of the cold.

“I hate the cold,” Lynesia said, shivering for a second.

Val chuckled. “I like it. All that gear we wear makes me hot.”

The two of them took a moment to hook their jackets onto the hooks on the side. However, by the time they turned back around, Val had clocked multiple people staring at them. It made her feel uneasy. She took Lynesia’s hand and started walking.

“Are we in a rush?” she asked.

Val shook her head. “No, but people were staring again. Makes me uneasy.”

Lynesia raised her eyebrow. “Again?”

“It reminds me of when we barely made it back alive. Back when we got attacked by two soul mimics.”

Lynesia glanced over her shoulder. “You’re right. There’s more than a few watching us.” She turned back around. “Why does it make you feel uneasy?”

Val swallowed. “I don’t know.”

“Ooof!”

Val almost fell over someone who happened to walk in front of her out of nowhere. “Shit, my bad, dude.”

The guy chuckled, kneeling down to pick up some papers. “Not an issue, it’s my fault for not watching where I was going.”

Val knelt down to help pick up papers as well. However, one caught her attention.

The Ashen King

The most recent team to fell the Ashen King was a group of newer adventurers. Stormveil sponsored the attempt. No casualties, but more than a few injuries. Two rem-

The guy quickly took the papers from her hands and added them back to his stack. “Appreciate the help.”

Val stood up, the hair on her neck standing up. “Yeah, no problem. Glad I could help.”

The guy adjusted his glasses, then tilted his head. “You wouldn’t happen to be Valnarei Strouss, would you?”

Lynesia gripped Val’s arm softly.

“Depends who’s asking.”

He chuckled. “White hair, shaved low on one side, defensive.” He leaned to look behind Val at Lynesia. “Brunette in tow as well. Must be you.”

Val narrowed her eyes. “I asked who’s asking.”

He held up his hands. “Relax. I’m with Hollowsteel, another guild chapter.”

“I’ve never heard of you.”

“Not surprising. You’re still new, and we aren’t as famous as Sunthread, Crimson Hollow, or Gilded Mire.”

Lynesia finally spoke up. “You didn’t bump into us by accident, did you?”

He chuckled, adjusting the stack of papers in his hand. “Smart girl.”

“Then why?” Val asked.

“To size you up, essentially,” he said. “Your group took down the Ashen King. On paper, that isn’t special. He’s been killed plenty of times.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” she said, pushing Lynesia behind her.

“Calm down,” he finally said, eyes locking onto hers. “You almost died to two soul mimics early on. Most people would give up after what you saw, especially since you were barely bronze at that point. You didn’t. Now you’ve got an entire party behind you, and you’ve pushed past the first major barrier of the dungeon.” He pulled his glasses off and used his shirt to wipe a smudge. “To put it frankly, given your affinity test, your botched delve, and now this? You’ve got eyes on you. Some are watching to see what you will do, while others are hoping you crash and burn. Only time will tell what happens.”

Val relaxed a bit, finally. “Which side of the aisle are you on?”

He started walking past her, gently patting her shoulder. “I’m just watching the show for now. Keep it up, and maybe you’ll hear from my chapter.” Without another word, he kept walking.

Val and Lynesia stood side by side, watching him walk into the busy lobby.

“I told you I had a bad feeling,” she said, releasing the tension.

Lynesia grabbed her hand. “I couldn’t get a read on him. He seemed so… uncaring, about everything.”

Val nodded. “I don’t know if he’s a recruiter or just someone within their chapter.”

Lynesia pulled on Val’s arm. “Let’s forget about him. We should go and check in on the guys.”

Val nodded and let Lynesia pull her forward, but her mind stayed on the man from Hollowsteel.

The healer from Sunthread had been right.

People were watching now.

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