Selene…
Her eyes fluttered open as she was propped up on a couch in someone else’s home that she wasn’t familiar with.
When she turned her head, she heard Sarah’s voice as she said, “She’s awake! Quick, get her something to drink!”
Rather than hear Terrance’s heavy footsteps, she heard the rapid sound of a child running through the house as they went into the kitchen.
Selene groaned as she tried to sit up on the couch but Sarah tried to stop her.
“Don’t get up! You exhausted yourself fighting that creature and you need rest!” she insisted but Selene frowned and shook her head.
“I’m fine, I’m just tired,” Selene said as she sat up straight on the couch but was suddenly overcome with a terrible headache.
She heard the child run back into the room as they carried a cup of water for her.
“Here you go pretty lady,” the kid said to her.
As Selene turned to look at him, she paused for a moment when she heard his compliment and wasn’t sure how to react.
Sarah chastised him and said, “Richard! Go flirt with other girls your own age you little bugger! And go tell your father to get in here!”
Richard, who looked to be her son, had an embarrassed look on his face as he left the cup of water on the table in front of the couch and ran off.
Sarah shook her head with an amused smile on her face as she turned to face Selene and said, “He’s quite ambitious don’t you think?”
Confused, Selene asked, “What makes you say that?”
Sarah chuckled and elbowed her softly on the arm as she said, “A pretty thing like you, the girlfriend of Marcus Wright? No…? Forget about it. It was just a joke.”
She didn’t really understand what just happened but smiled anyways because her son was sweet to her.
Selene took the glass of water and drank it all down to help with her headache, only realizing how dry her mouth was after she finished.
“That’s better…,” Selene muttered before she asked, “How long was I unconscious for?”
“Only a few hours, but we brought you to our home anyways. Figured you needed the rest. So...what happened-,” Sarah started to ask her before she noticed Terrance had walked into the room.
“I’m surprised to see that you’re still alive,” Terrance said with a frown on his face as he sat next to Sarah.
“I fought with everything I had to make sure I was able to stay alive,” Selene said as she took in a deep breath.
“What happened to you down there?” Terrance asked her.
“Well…I figured that I had to lead it away since it managed to sneak up on us before we could spot it and run away. So...I forced it into the lower stratums and released everything I had until we were both too exhausted to fight,” she explained.
“‘Stratums’ as in plural? How far down did you end up?” Sarah asked her with an excited look on her face.
“I think it was...the seventh stratum…,” Selene said as her voice trailed off when she saw their eyes widen like dinner plates.
“S-Seventh…? I didn’t even know there was a fifth! We’ve only ever managed to reach the fourth stratum before the presence of the two realms became too much to handle. You made it all the way down there and still managed to fight against that thing?”
Selene nodded.
“That being said...I almost died. I was able to resist being so close to Chaos’s presence just fine, even down in the seventh stratum, but the Yaldo-Bhaoth was too powerful and kept restricting my magic, even at a full release,” she said.
“Then how did you make it out?” Terrance asked.
“I...I don’t know how else to explain it. If Ruvick, or maybe Azazel were here, they would be able to answer,” Selene said as she paused for a moment to think.
“Take your time,” Sarah said patiently.
She took in a deep breath as she recounted what had happened down there.
“When I fell down with the Yaldo-Bhaoth, I was nearly the point of exhaustion and trying to figure a way to beat it. I thought...I thought that there was some kind of secret power I had in me and so I tried to combine my swords together,” she said as she looked across the room and noticed both of her blades resting against the wall.
Terrance’s eyes narrowed as he looked at them and asked, “May I have a closer look at them?”
She nodded and he grabbed them both.
He first pulled out the Sunlight Sword and took in a sharp breath as if remembering something unpleasant.
“During the war, Mordran launched an assault on Fort Noll. I was tasked with fighting your mother Artemis and stalling her for as long as possible since she was an important war power on the opposing side. Because of how I used the power of rebirth and Arcanence, it was a favorable match up. However...when Adrianos appeared, his flames were so hot that they burned away all of the Deathroot in my body and reduced me to ashes. He truly was like a god of fire back then…,” he said as he stared at the sword in his hands.
He then turned it over and examined the entry slot in the pommel of the sword where the Moonlight Sword would have been inserted.
“You said something about combining the two swords, yes?”
Selene nodded.
“May I give it a try?”
“Go ahead.”
He then grabbed the moonlight sword and inserted the tip of the blade into the slot, and it went in easily enough. However, as he tried to force it the rest of the way down, he felt the same kind of resistance that she did when she tried it herself.
“That’s so strange… There’s no blockage in the entry slot, and its not like the blade is just measured incorrectly. It should be able to slide right through just fine...and yet, its like there is some kind of force acting on it to keep the two apart,” he observed as he handed her two swords back to her before sitting down.
“If you weren’t able to combine your two swords together to awaken some suppressed power, then how did you make it out?”
“I…I was able to awaken suppressed power, but it wasn’t myself that made it happen,” she said.
“Can you explain further?” he asked.
“When I started to fight the creature in the seventh stratum, time was suddenly stopped around me, but not by me. Someone...something else showed up and forced my power to awaken further.”
“Please describe this person to us,” Terrance said.
“It was a woman. A pale woman with scales on her arms and...and strange snake eyes. She said that she didn’t want me to kill the Chaos Bringer since it was like a child to her, but that she would give me enough strength to fight back and escape. She-”
“Apophis,” a sudden voice said from across the room and the three of them turned their heads to face Azazel as he had suddenly appeared in the living room.
Sarah’s eyes widened as she got up off the couch and knelt before him.
“Lord Azazel! What...what an honor!” she said and Terrance followed her example.
Azazel did not address them and instead fixated on Selene as he said, “That woman you met in the seventh stratum of the Labyrinth…did she have white hair like a hood, gold plates above her chest, a white dress, and eyes like an expanse of stars?”
‘Stars’?
Now that he mentioned it, Selene did see that surrounding her snake like irises were a black void filled with stars.
“Yes, I did. You said her name is Apophis?”
Azazel nodded and he turned his head to address Sarah and Terrance as he said, “No need for the formalities. I overheard Selene call my name and the description she gave. Pardon my intrusion in your home.”
Sarah raised her head and sat back down on the couch as she said, “It is no concern! Please, make yourself welcome.”
Azazel faced Selene once again and said, “The fact that Apophis made her presence known to you in the first place is...shocking. I will need to address this matter to Ruvick as soon as possible. Thank you for the information.”
“B-But I thought you worked alongside Marcus,” Selene pondered curiously.
“Oh, but of course I do. However, I also coordinate with Ruvick due to his involvement in Forrosa. Marcus made his stance perfectly clear that he does not want to be directly involved with Ruvick’s campaign and only provides information. It will be my obligation to inform Marcus about what happened between you and Apophis as well,” he explained as he was ready to make his leave.
Before he could disappear though, Selene said, “Please wait! What...what is Apophis? What would she want with me?”
Azazel paused as he stared at her for a moment as he thought about how to respond and said, “Apophis is a Primordial God and ruler of the Chaos Realm. A being of unimaginable power that may yet be on the same border of strength as our revered God of Wrath. As for what she wants with you...I don’t know. I would strongly advise that you avoid launching any more expeditions into the Labyrinth for the time being until I have determined that it is no longer a cause for concern. Please excuse me.”
With that, he vanished into a cloud of smoke and left the three of them with more questions than answers.
After getting some more rest, Selene and Sarah decided to head into town to blow off some steam to distract themselves from what happened.
Sarah dragged her along into various shops to look at the different products while Selene wondered if this was a waste of time.
What could she ever need all of these different things for? It felt like buying things just to buy things.
Upon noticing just how disinterested Selene was in all the different shops they visited, Sarah frowned and said, “Come on girl! You’re ruining the mood! Have a little fun!”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I never really shop like this. I usually just get what I need and leave. A lot of the things you showed me just felt like a waste of time,” she said bluntly and Sarah seemed irritated.
“I can understand why you feel that way, but come on! Isn’t there any little trinkets you feel fascinated about? Cute shoes? Dresses?”
Sarah then paused as she smiled mischievously and asked, “Maybe lingerie to impress your man during sex?”
Selene’s head spun around at the mention of sex and she took a sudden step back, blushing furiously as she stammered, “W-What? I...we haven’t done anything like that yet!”
Sarah had a disappointed expression on her face as she said, “You haven’t...? What a shame. You have quite a gorgeous man at your side and you still haven’t taken him to bed yet? The two of you are already together, so why are you putting it off?”
Selene didn’t know how to answer that question and just turned away as she said, “It’s...complicated. I...I don’t know.”
Sarah then smiled and said, “Come on. Why don’t we head inside one last shop and you tell me all about it, yeah?”
She then gently grabbed Selene by the wrist and led her into a shop that sold casual dress wear.
“I...I’m not sure about this…,” Selene muttered nervously.
Everything about this shop felt far too feminine and girly than what she was used to, which made her squirm a bit as they passed through.
All around her was rows and shelves with dresses, accessories, handbags, and other various products that only managed to overwhelm her.
She felt so out of place in that shop that she couldn’t sit still as Sarah had them sit on a small waiting couch.
“Come on! Tell me everything that’s bothering you!” Sarah said.
“I could have told you somewhere else. Why bring me to this place? I feel so embarrassed…,” Selene frowned as she looked around.
“Because you are a beautiful woman who I think would look fabulous wearing any one of these dresses. If there are issues with you and Marcus in bed, then maybe if you were a little more feminine, it would solve a few problems,” Sarah explained.
“I...I don’t think that’s really the problem here…,” Selene said quietly.
“Then what is it? Come on! Don’t hide anything from me! I want to help you!”
Selene sighed as she thought about Marcus and his situation, as well as her own.
“Well...lately I’ve been thinking about what we learned about the Labyrinth and how it might be a way for Marcus to return home if he wanted to. When I first met him after he woke up in Lycea, he told me that he had left someone behind but he chose to move on for his little sister’s sake. Back then, I told him that there was no known method to travel between universes despite the fact that he, and several others, ended up here from different universes,” she started.
Sarah nodded as she replied, “Right, right. You said something about this on your first day.”
“Right, well…he already fought and sacrificed so much during the Contest of Champions to prove to himself that he was ready to move on from his old life and start something with me. We’ve only been dating for a little over a month so…we haven’t really thought too much about sex or anything like that. We’ve just been feeling things out. However, if it turns out that I might have found a way for him to go back home...I don’t want to think about if that meant he would leave me to go back to the person he left behind,” Selene said.
Sarah tilted her head back and seemed surprised to hear that as she slowly said, “Oh… it’s that kind of situation…”
“Yes. It’s...difficult for me.”
“Have you told him?” Sarah asked.
“I haven’t had the chance yet. I haven’t seen him since that day since we have both been busy,” Selene said.
“Has Marcus told you about her? About this woman that he left behind in the other world?” Sarah asked.
“No. He almost never brings up his past life, and he never speaks about her. I think...it’s too traumatic for him to think about,” she answered.
“And yet he resolved himself to move on and start something new with you, right?” Sarah asked.
“I...I think so, yes. I want to tell him about this because I don’t want to hide anything from him…, but I...I don’t know how he will react when he learns about it,” she said.
Sarah then suddenly stood up and started pacing around as she thought to herself.
“I see...I see,” she muttered before she stopped in place and smiled.
She then turned to face Selene and said, “Then there is only one way to solve this problem.”
“There is?”
“Yes. If you feel that Marcus has certainly moved on to be with you, then you can feel secure in the fact that he won’t just abandon you if you tell him the truth,” Sarah said, and Selene felt grateful to hear that.
“However!” she shouted suddenly and startled Selene as she continued, “It is always good to have some kind of insurance to make sure that when you tell him, you can feel certain that he wants you and ONLY you.”
“W-What...how do I do that?” Selene asked.
“We just have to doll you up a bit and make him pay closer attention to you to the point he takes you to bed,” Sarah said with a grin and Selene still blushed at the thought.
Selene then looked down at her feet and started fiddling with her fingers.
“Oh come on! Selene! You’re an adult! You faced off against one of the most terrifying creatures I’ve ever seen in my life and came out of it without a scratch! But sex is what has you hesitating?” Sarah laughed.
“Shut up! I don’t even know that much about sex! I’m still a virgin!” Selene complained in a hushed tone with her face red as a beet.
Sarah then had a strange look on her face that showed that she was way too excited to hear such a thing.
“Then allow me to provide you with a proper education!” she said as she pulled Selene off the seat and pushed her towards a section of bras and panties as she listed out what she knew men liked.
The conversation between the two of them went on for over two hours as Sarah went so in depth about what she knew about sex to the point Selene felt like her head was about to explode.
She was burnt out from talking about it, but the longer she stayed in the shop with her, she wondered if maybe one of these dresses would actually catch Marcus’s attention.
Her eyes then fell on a long flowing red dress with white polka dots on it and how it paired well with her hair.
“Oh? Find something you want to try on?” Sarah asked.
“Maybe…,” she said as she looked at it for several minutes.
“Don’t waste any time! Go! Try it on and come out to show me!” Sarah said forcefully as she grabbed the dress, plopped it into Selene’s arms, and lightly pushed her into a dressing room.
When she shut the door of the changing room behind her, she stood inside in silence as she turned around and looked at herself in the mirror.
She then looked down at the dress and figured that it couldn’t hurt to put it on.
Once she had finished talking off her pants, shoes, button up shirt, and bra, she picked up the dress once again and put it up against her chest as she looked herself in the mirror once again.
She was still doubting herself about how she would look in it as she sighed.
Deciding not to waste anymore time, she put on the dress and buttoned up the back as best as she could by herself before adjusting herself.
Her breasts were able to fill out the blouse of the dress just fine without her bra and she wondered if it would have been better to leave it on.
But then she turned around and looked at herself in the mirror and hardly recognized herself.
The last time she remembered wearing anything close to a dress like this was...was when she was still a child. When she was living with her father in Lunaas.
Those days came to a quick end right around the time that Dean had found her in that cave and took her in.
She couldn’t help but think about what her life was like back then as the memories came flooding back to her.
Fourteen years ago…
Dean had wrapped his coat around her naked body and carried her in his arms as she took her out of the cave.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had bathed because when she tried to bathe in the rivers, the water was ice cold.
If she tried to heat up the water, she would accidentally kill the fish inside.
To avoid that, she just wiped herself down with damp hands or burned away the filth as best she could.
But if Dean was going to take care of her...maybe her life would go back to something resembling normal again.
She closed her eyes as she let him carry her away to Lycea.