CHAPTER 45: CH 45: TESTED OUT - PART 4

The walk back home was quiet.

Kana and Lysera moved side by side, their footsteps tapping lightly against the stone path, but the silence between them was thick and uneasy.

The streets had emptied slightly with the approach of dusk.

Golden sunlight filtered through the narrow gaps between buildings, casting long shadows that swayed with the breeze. The air smelled faintly of roasted grain and early summer blooms.

But none of that registered in Kana’s mind. Her thoughts were tangled — not with fear, but with uncertainty.

About herself.

About what Sergeant Delran’s words might mean. About the strange emotions that had passed over Lysera’s face when she’d seen her cornered.

Finally, after several streets had passed beneath their feet, Lysera broke the silence.

"I’m sorry."

Kana looked at her, surprised.

Lysera didn’t return her gaze. Her eyes were fixed forward, her jaw tense.

"For getting you involved in all this. For not stopping it when I should have. I should’ve been there for you, Kana."

Kana shook her head gently.

"You don’t need to apologize."

"I do."

Kana’s tone softened.

"It’s alright. Really. If this helps you trust me more, even just a little, then I don’t regret it. I’d do anything for your sake, Lysera."

Lysera stopped walking. Her boots scraped against the stones. Kana turned, puzzled, and found her standing still, fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"That’s the problem. I already trust you. And maybe I shouldn’t."

Lysera muttered.

Kana’s eyes widened.

"What?"

Lysera took a deep breath, as if struggling with something she hadn’t wanted to admit — even to herself.

"I don’t know where you came from. I don’t know what you are. And after what happened with your system back there... I should be cautious. You could be a spy, or a weapon. You could be anything. But..."

She hesitated. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"I don’t care."

Kana’s heart fluttered in her chest. She stared at Lysera, stunned.

"I just want you to be safe. I want to protect you. No matter what."

Lysera said quietly.

The breeze tugged at Kana’s clothes. For a moment, she forgot how to speak. A thousand thoughts collided in her mind, but none of them came out. Instead, she smiled — small and genuine.

"You really are strange, Lysera."

"You’re one to talk."

Lysera muttered, turning her head away. A soft red had bloomed on her cheeks.

Kana laughed, and the last of the tension between them began to lift.

Lysera cleared her throat and looked for a distraction.

"Come on. Let me make it up to you. I want to show you something."

"Hm?"

Kana tilted her head.

"Just trust me."

Without waiting for an answer, Lysera grabbed her wrist and tugged her down a quiet side street.

They passed through smaller alleyways and across a wooden bridge spanning a slow-moving canal.

Eventually, the path opened into a small clearing surrounded by flowering trees. And in the center stood a simple but elegant temple.

It wasn’t grand like the one where High Priestess Jenna resided. Its walls were made of stone worn smooth by time, and its roof was modest, the tiles faded by the sun.

But it was clean, peaceful, and surrounded by careful rows of flowerbeds. The scent of incense drifted faintly through the air.

"This is a local temple. I used to come here a lot when I was younger."

Lysera said, leading her toward the steps.

Kana’s eyes were drawn to the statue at the center of the altar. It was carved from pale stone, depicting a serene woman in flowing robes, one hand raised in blessing.

Vines curled gently around the base, lovingly tended.

"She’s beautiful."

Kana whispered.

"She’s our goddess. She watches over the land, the people. Everything."

Lysera said, stepping beside her.

"What’s her name?"

Kana asked, her voice hushed.

Lysera paused.

"We don’t know."

Kana blinked.

"You don’t?"

"Her name isn’t something mortals are allowed to speak. Only the High Priestess or a chosen saintess has the right to call her by it. The rest of us... we just call her ’the Goddess.’"

Kana stepped closer, her eyes locked onto the statue’s face. Something stirred in her chest — not memory, but emotion.

A strange warmth that spread from her chest to her fingertips. The statue wasn’t familiar. She knew she had never seen it before.

And yet, she felt safe.

The goddess’s eyes — gentle and carved with precision — seemed to gaze right into her, not with judgment, but with understanding. Kana’s breath slowed.

Her heartbeat calmed. Even her thoughts, tangled only moments ago, seemed to settle.

She didn’t realize how long she had stood there until a gentle hand touched her shoulder.

Kana turned her head to see Lysera beside her.

"We should go. If we don’t, Irielle’s going to bitch about both of us for skipping dinner....Also, it’s best if we don’t allow her to cook dinner."

Lysera said quietly.

Kana blinked, as if waking from a dream.

"Right."

She cast one last look over her shoulder at the statue. The setting sun framed the figure in a warm glow, casting soft shadows on the altar stones.

"I’ll come back sometime."

She murmured.

Lysera smiled.

"She’ll be here."

The two of them turned and stepped away, the light dimming behind them as they walked back into the evening.

The quiet between them no longer felt uncertain. It felt shared. Peaceful. Like the first page of something new.

_____

As Kana and Lysera disappeared down the shaded path, their laughter slowly fading into the distance, the temple fell silent once more.

Moments later, soft footsteps echoed on the worn stone steps.

A hooded figure approached the altar, her stride quiet but deliberate. She paused at the base of the statue, head bowed, as if waiting for something.

Then, with a smooth motion, she lifted her hands and pushed back her hood.

Long, wavy pink hair spilled out, catching the last rays of the setting sun. Her face, pale and delicate, bore an uncanny resemblance to the serene visage carved into the stone — the same sculpted nose, the same gentle curve of the eyes.

It was as if the statue had stepped down from its pedestal and taken human form.

The girl looked up, meeting the unblinking gaze of the goddess.

"So...do you know what I’m doing here?"

She murmured softly.

Her voice trembled slightly — not from fear, but from a fog that had begun to press in on her thoughts. She took a step closer.

"I know I had a mission. Something I had to complete. No matter what."

She touched her temple, brow furrowing.

"But... what was it again?"

No answer came.

Her mind spun, digging for something, anything — a name, an image, a purpose. But all she found was a strange emptiness. Her memory, once sharp, now felt frayed and distant.

The statue said nothing. Its face remained kind and unmoving.

Still, something about being near it comforted her. As if, even without words, it had heard her.

She closed her eyes for a long moment, then exhaled slowly.

"Maybe next time."

She whispered.

Then, gently, she pulled her hood back over her head and turned away, footsteps soft as she disappeared down the steps into the deepening twilight.