The Soulmancer’s Ascension

After the dinner, Zephyr sat in the dining room with a pen in his hand. He outlined the brood bases he raided today. The map had numerous spots even though he cleared a total of 10 bases. Unfortunately, all of them were deeper in the forest, opposite of their current destination—the civilization.

“I have to delay my plan of ranking up my soul.” Zephyr rolled the map, which scattered dried leaves on the table. “I’ll buy some light armor from the shop.”

“We can kill animals on our way to the town,” Sherine said with a grin. “I don’t like Arlette.”

The goddess grew up completely from the world while her champion didn’t get much chance to interact with the outside world. Her choice of disliking Arlette stemmed from their preferences for serenity.

Zephyr, on the other hand, despised Arlette for her delusional self.

The two wrapped up the dinner and Zephyr went to help Sherine with the dishes. He was tired as hell yesterday, so he skipped out on helping her. Not today, however.

“Let me handle this,” Sherine insisted as she tried to push him out of the kitchen. “You should rest after fighting all day. You can play games too if you want.”

Sherine threw out a bait to send her champion out of the room. Frankly, he had forgotten about the computer sitting in his computer.

“Does it have internet?”

Sherine gave a light nod. “You can use it for two hours every day.”

Riven had restricted the usage time to stop him from falling down a rabbit hole.

“That’s more than enough.” Zephyr patted her back. “I’ll play tomorrow.”

He stubbornly stayed to help. Sherine sighed and let him have his way. He was a rookie and she a veteran. Sherine channeled her inner demon and quickly cleaned up the dishes before Zephyr could do much.

“...”

Defeated, he returned to his room and hugged the hawk. It no longer shivered, just sleeping calmly.

“Goodnight.”

…

…

…

‘I can’t sleep!’

His room gave him many unforgettable memories but it also became the unshakeable barrier between him and sweet dreams.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Zephyr turned his gaze. Sherine approached him in a loose beige shirt. The shirt served no point as her black bra and panties were exposed. He noticed a thick tail behind her, which seemed to be covered in blue dragon scales.

“You had a tail?”

Sherine glanced back to her tough tail. “I keep it hidden… this little thing doesn’t go well with every dress.”

Fashion took priority over comfort for the half goddess.

“It’s cute though. I’d still advise you to keep it hidden. Your horn can be passed as an accessory, this tail can’t be.”

Sherine smiled at his sneaky compliment. “Come to my room. We’ll sleep together.”

“...”

“You had difficulty sleeping yesterday. A change of room might fix you,” she insisted.

Zephyr got up and grabbed his pillow. “Don’t blame me if my hands go somewhere inappropriate.”

Sherine giggled behind him. “I won’t.”

Sherine’s room was the same as her room in Riven’s palace. The bed had enough space for two to sleep comfortably without making any contact. Zephyr sprawled on the bed, staring at the blank wall.

Sherine’s sweet floral scent was everywhere; it got richer when Sherine lied by his side.

“Have sweet dreams,” Sherine said and placed her hand on his chest. “Zephyr.”

“You too.”

Zephyr glanced at her, who showed no hesitation in sticking with him.

‘Is she into me or what? Or she doesn't show what she’s doing?’

After staying with her for a day, he leaned into the second option due to the incredible innocence she showed at times.

Zephyr observed her demure sleeping face. He enjoyed the relationship they had now. A bit sweet, a bit caring, and a lot more wholesome. For the young man, who never had a sister, this intimate bond was precious and worth protecting.

Suddenly, Sherine’s brows knitted together and her lips quivered.

“M-Mother…”

Zephyr heard her shaking voice through his soulmancy emblem.

“W-Why are you here? Go away!” she shrieked. “Don’t come close. Stay away!”

Zephyr leaned to her side and rubbed her head, stroking the fluffy blue hair. Sherine somewhat calmed down and her mother vanished from her nightmares.

‘That bitch traumatized the poor girl.’

Sherine might be at the peak of this world but her heart was fragile—the fact was proven yet again.

---

The next day, Sherine woke up to the upbeat tune of her alarm. A faint masculine scent drifted around her and cleared the haze over her mind… She was hugging Zephyr or rather she clung to him and her tail coiled around his legs to completely restrict him.  He had an arm around her like he was shielding her from something.

These conditions didn’t stop him from sleeping like a baby.

She squirmed out of his embrace and shut down the alarm clock. Sitting on the bed, she clutched her head. Her heart raced and her breath came quickly. Not just her face, her entire body heated up.

‘What’s happening to me?’

Sherine rushed out of the room and threw herself in the tub full of cold water. A feeling of calm seeped into her mind. She leaned her head back and let loose a sigh of relief.

‘Should I ask dad?’

After a long internal struggle, she decided not to bother her father. She could always ask for his help if these strange sensations returned.

She stayed in the bath for almost thirty minutes then got ready to prepare breakfast for them. They might be in the town by afternoon, and they had collected a lot of bronze and silver coins from the abandoned camps in the caves.

‘I’ll make preparations just in case we don’t arrive on time.’

She could go on without food but her champion needed the best nutrition to remain in his peak condition. Her steps felt lighter when she imagined Zephyr eating her handmade meals with all smiles. Her lips lifted, and she became more enthusiastic.

Zephyr woke up on his own today—her method of help worked.

---

After half an hour, Zephyr sat down on the dining table. Sherine stared at him from across the kitchen while holding a small bowl. The intense gaze made his instincts flare. His senses were far beyond any average due to the divinity coursing through him. And those senses went haywire under Sherine’s unblinking stare.

Something was wrong with her.

“Sherine?”

The bowl slipped and landed on the floor, breaking into pieces. Sherine yelped and quickly got on her knees to gather the bowl’s pieces.

Sherine tossed everything into the trash and gave an awkward smile to Zephyr. “I’m fine. I was thinking about something. Please, don’t worry.”

Her excuse failed to convince him. He couldn’t force the issue after she waved off his concerns.

“Ah, okay. Come join me.”

After a quiet breakfast, the two headed out.

---

At the very end of the Great Forest of Selenai, a tree stood, its root concealed deep within an endless pit. The exotic tree was no shorter than the snow-covered mountains surrounding it.

The tree served as the base of the current goddess of forests.

In one of the rooms carved inside the tree, Arlette observed the black-haired man and blue-haired woman strolling on a floating screen similar to the status windows. A small crown of thorns rested upon her head. The crown connected her to the Guardian Tree of the Ardith, which assisted her in activating ‘Omniscient Nature’ skill.

The goddess wore a serious look unlike her cheerful demeanor when dealing with Zephyr. “Their goals do not clash with ours.”

If the two had shown the slightest hint of assisting the broods, Arlette would’ve notified the Council of the Divine. The gods couldn’t take action against the Brood Queen; they sure as hell could corner a pair of otherworlders. Arlette doubted even the powerful dragon woman by Zephyr’s side would stand a chance against the unified forces of the gods.

‘They’re approaching her town.’

Arlette winced when she thought about the noble lady who once ruled over the forest.

‘Bad guy and dragon lady, please, please, please, help her.’

She put her hands together and prayed even though she was a goddess. Her care for her predecessor exceeded her minor resentment for Zephyr.

Arlette wanted her to be happy.