Starry Resonance Ch. 03

When they separated a mischievous smile was on Nora's lips.

"Apology accepted," she said.

Yvain quickly pushed her arms away and stood, reaching for the lever to the shower. He rinsed his mouth, constantly gagging and spatting as Nora giggled in the background. When he finally felt his mouth was adequately clean, he sat back down with a defeated sigh, leaving the water running so it could wash off the mess they made.

"I guess I deserved that," he said, more relieved than bothered thanks to Nora's continuous laugh. Her wild hair had become limp with water once more and she pushed it out of her eyes, fidgeting in place.

"You're not bothered?" she asked.

"About what?" Yvain said.

"Well..." Nora seemed taken aback by his answer, "I made you swallow your own cum. I thought you'd be angry."

Yvain thought about her words. Should he be angry? All of this was new to him. He guessed that some people wouldn't find it pleasing, but it was the spunk he forced down Nora's throat. Even if he was worried for her well-being, making her choke on it felt like a medal of honor, in a way. He wouldn't seek out the act Nora just did, but if he was caught by surprise the way he just had, he'd mark it up as his lover being unruly, nothing more nothing less. Regardless, he had done much worse to her.

"It's just your own way of expressing yourself, it doesn't break any boundaries," he said with a shrug.

A worried Nora smiled, going back to her joyous self in the blink of an eye. Yvain could almost feel the sense of sheer relief coming out of her. But the smile took a somber note as fast as it arrived just a few seconds later, tears flowing around it. It was as if a dam had abruptly broken apart, releasing a catastrophe.

Nora raised her hand to her mouth and tried to contain choked sobs that forced their way out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said.

Yvain anxiously moved to her side and hugged her.

"What are you crying for? I said I wasn't angry," he said.

Nora just shook her head, trying to calm herself down. Yvain embraced her in quiet agony as her shoulders trembled, not wanting to accidentally make her more upset. He didn't understand what was going on, but he didn't like seeing her like this at all. It felt like whatever was causing her pain was doing the same to him. Only that he didn't know who or what the perpetrator was and could only wait in despondency as she suffered.

"It's not that," Nora finally managed to say. She looked at him and spoke with a tearful voice, "We need to talk."

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Yvain was going to lead Nora to bed after they both quickly cleaned themselves up in uneasy silence, but she preferred for them to stay under the hot running water. Seeing as it had a positive effect on her, he agreed to her request. Now they were both sitting on the floor with Nora resting against his chest.

"I'm... not sure where to begin," Nora said, sounding unsure of herself.

Yvain considered her for a moment. "Just start from the beginning and move forward steadily," he said, "no need to rush, we can be a bit late."

"The beginning huh," Nora said.

Seemingly making up her mind she spoke, "I wasn't born into this world the way you would expect. It would be accurate to say that I fell into it as I am now." She laid her head back against Yvain's shoulder and continued, "I never had a mother or father, brothers or sisters, grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts."

"In other words you're--"

"Yes, I'm a goddess. The goddess of dragons to be exact."

"I was going to say an orphan, but..." Yvain tried to make Nora laugh but all that came out was a lame joke. He couldn't see her reaction, but the silence that followed his words was all he needed to hear. Trying to ignore his embarrassment he focused on looking for her extra body parts which he already knew weren't there.

"You look human," he said.

"It's a change I had to go through out of necessity, but it's not permanent," Nora said quietly.

Yvain was reminded of Roesia and her form changing incidents. Was it something similar? If it was then Nora's attempt had been much more successful. Nonetheless, her being part of the dragon race didn't really bother him. Her being a goddess on the other hand filled him with dread.

The group's knowledge on gods and goddesses was even less than that of the beast races before they made a guild. It was part of what he and his companions learned about when they created Draconian's Tavern, but they were only told of their existence. It was thanks to Nelimir's obsession that they managed to piece together some semblance of understanding. And out of all the information they acquired, there was one glaring fact.

Yvain wrapped his arms tighter around Nora and buried his face in her neck.

"Are you immortal?" he asked.

Her answer didn't come immediately, and when it did, it was barely audible.

"Yes," she said.

There it was. There would come a day when they would have to separate regardless of how good or bad their relationship was. Would she live on to find another man? Would she forget him with enough time? Would her attraction to him die as wrinkles grew on leathery skin? A myriad of questions and worries formed in Yvain's mind. But one thought stood out from the rest, and that was his unwillingness to accept any of it.

"Can I become immortal?" he asked, forcing his voice to remain steady. No matter what he didn't want Nora to know of his fears. He waited for her to speak but no answer came.

Nora's silence began to create a sense of impending doom until she hugged his hands into herself and spoke with a soft voice, "No. It's one of the things all Starchildren have to learn to live with, as well as those close to them." As if knowing what he would ask next, she explained, "It's what our race is called, Starchildren. It's the name all gods and goddesses are given inside their memories when we come into this world."

Yvain made sure to commit the name to memory but something else took precedence. Had she truly learned to live with it? It didn't feel right to ask her such a thing. She certainly sounded calm under the knowledge that their time together was limited. Would she mourn his death?

"Was your ex-husband mortal?" Yvain asked, trying to find a roundabout way to learn of her thoughts on the death of a loved one.

Nora nodded. "We come to this world because we can't feel any type of emotion in ours. Our interests lie in those who have had them since birth. In other words, mortals."

Her answer only gave Yvain more questions. He tried to imagine how such an existence would be like, but it was impossible to do so. It would be like trying to imagine how a man, blind since birth, perceived their surroundings after gaining sight. He wanted to know more about her experiences. He wanted to assuage his own fears and ascertain her emotions for him. But there was no time.

"Then, what's bothering you?" he asked. Did she miss her ex-husband? No matter how much she said that Starchildren had to learn to live with their immortality, he had to be realistic, the death of loved ones couldn't be something one grows used to. And while he was far from experienced in romantic relationships, he at least knew people often said what they themselves wanted to believe. Did she still have lingering feelings for her dead lover? As much as it'd annoy him it was a very real possibility.

So far scalding water had been constantly falling on them. The steam was enough that Yvain had some trouble seeing anything and his skin was already a vivid red, but his full concentration was on Nora. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

"A dragon's desire is unparalleled," she said. "While humans might be considered greedy, it doesn't compare to the avarice of a dragon. It can range from power to social status, ability in a craft, ideals they wish to fulfill," Nora's voice weirdly turned more hostile as she spoke, "anything they desire, they desire it with an almost maniacal fixation. It serves as a double edge sword that can both destroy and create."

This was the type of information Yvain and Nelimir had been after their whole lives. It was unfortunate that at the moment he was far from interested in it. But he still paid full attention, trying to figure out where Nora was taking the conversation.

"Being the goddess of dragons, I was coveted by almost every male and female of my race," she said.

"Wait, I thought your race were the Starchildren?" he asked.

"Correct, but I'm also a dragon," Nora said, but Yvain still couldn't understand. Her brows furrowed in concentration. "You could say that I'm a Starchild in spirit, but a mortal in body. While I'm a goddess, I am also a dragon."

Yvain was about to ask what it meant to be mortal in body―considering she said she was immortal― and what it meant to be a Starchid in spirit but decided to just give a sign of understanding for now and allow her to continue.

"Many tried to court me over the passage of time. But the one who finally managed to win my favor was our emperor." Hearing Nora talk about another man she had felt something for filled Yvain with anger and jealousy, but it was quickly overtaken by a more serious matter. If the emperor was Nora's ex-husband then his death should not have been a small matter. Further still, this meant that she was the empress of the dragon race. What was an empress doing in Empryon by herself?

"He was a leader loved by all. Everything he did was for the sake of his people. As such it didn't take long for me to fall for him." A bubbling discomfort crawled around Nora so Yvain rubbed her back in rapport. She sighed and pushed back into his touch.

"The problem was that I only saw that aspect of him. Yes, he was a man kind to his subjects, but he was also someone that coveted to be above all. Yet, his wife was the goddess of dragons. No matter how much he tried he would never be above me. Even if I didn't care or want power, who I was inherently took control away from him. In his eyes I was a source of endless turmoil. And so, he did everything he could to make me seem smaller than I actually was in public and in private. His closest subjects allowed to treat me as any other commoner."

"Why didn't you stop him?" Yvain asked. Nora wrapped her hand around his forearm and squeezed, indicating that he was pressing too hard. He eased the pressure in slight panic, making her chuckle and turn to give him a quick kiss.

"Remember what I said about the nature of dragons? I'm pretty greedy myself. And as the goddess of dragons one of the things I strive for is the prosperity of my people. No matter what he did to me, he still saw to it that the race prospered. And my own position was a source of strength for everyone. But..." Nora paused. Yvain waited for a moment, but the silence stretched on.

"But?" he asked, making Nora's shoulders jump.

She silently turned around and straddled Yvain, her breasts pressing themselves against his chest.

"But I'm also a mother," Nora said and bore a stare into his eyes, most likely attempting to catch every detail of his reaction.

Keeping an impassive expression proved impossible. Nora was a mother. She had a child with another man. Not just any man, but the emperor of the dragon race. How old was it? Did it become the new emperor or empress? Would he be able to accept it as his own? Would he even have to? Did he want to? What kind of person was it? Would this affect his place in the guild? If he knew one thing for sure is that he couldn't abandon Nora, not since they stood face to face in that dungeon.

"Where's the child?" he asked doubtfully.

Nora pursed her lips and shook her head, her brow scrunching up with ache, "I don't know."

The simple words contained a deeper story. Yvain took her face in his hand, "What happened?"

Nora closed her eyes and held on to his caress, trying to gather herself.

"The one good thing to come out of my marriage was the birth of my daughter. In that moment I wasn't just after the well-being of my race, but of hers. It gave new meaning to my existence. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same for her father. She just became the new tool by which he could torment and keep me in place."

Besides anger, Yvain was becoming more and more disappointed by what he was hearing. Was this what the beast races were like? The perpetual evil advertised in Empryon? He wasn't expecting a paradise, but he also wasn't expecting this. They didn't sound much different from humans.

"That became his mistake and allowing it to happen became mine. Inside my own inner conflict, I allowed him to treat her as he see fit." Nora's voice broke, tears rushing down and mixing with the water. "I would try to comfort her as much I could but mostly turned a blind eye to her plights. The betrayal I saw every day in her little face robbed me of sleep and appetite."

Every doubt and question toward Nora's child was wiped away with the agony Yvain's woman was in. He hugged her, patiently waiting for her to calm down.

Nora eventually pushed back weakly and wiped her eyes with a sniff, "It was the first time he laid a hand on her that I finally took action," she set baleful eyes on a scene Yvain could not see, "I beat him to an inch of his life. I didn't kill him only because of my daughter and my duty to the race. In retrospect I should have done so, damn the consequences."

"She was there right? Killing her father in front of her wouldn't have been the right choice regardless of the circumstances."

Despite her tears Nora smiled and kissed Yvain softly. "You're right. But I should have at least tried to bring her away sooner. I just... I didn't understand the lengths at which that bastard would go."

Yvain looked at her confusedly.

"What I did to him completely crushed his ambitions. It showed him just how powerless he was if I wished it. So I became an enemy." Nora was looking past Yvain, maybe thinking of all the ways the situation could have gone differently. "He couldn't keep me in control anymore, so he once again went for my weak point, this time selling my daughter. The scumbag sold her to a damn slaver from Empryon."

"What!?" Yvain said. He could see that Nora thought he was shocked because her daughter was sold to slavers, which he was. But what really threw him off was the mention of a slaver from Empryon dealing in those of the beast race. It should be impossible. This was something he and Nelimir had investigated a while back. The only conclusion they came to is that everyone hated the 'monsters' to such a degree that even merely having them as slaves would be impossible.

Nora nodded, not realizing what he was thinking. "He personally told me what he had done and like a fool I rushed to her rescue, not giving a second thought as to why he would tell me what he did and where she was heading."

"So, you being in the dungeon..."

"Yes, he only sold our daughter so that he could remove me from our home and eliminate me far away from prying eyes," she said, "that dungeon was supposed to be my grave."

Her presence on Great Divider now made sense. But the weight of her words finally struck Yvain.

The image of a man wearing broken pieces of exquisite armor, choking on his own blood with fury etched on his face, appeared in his mind.

"I killed the emperor," Yvain's eyes were threatening to roll off their sockets. This could very well spell disaster for Empryon.

Nora grabbed the hand that was still holding her and lovingly looked at Yvain, "We killed him." The pride and joy coming from her at that moment was almost enough to make him forget just how much trouble they were in, but just almost.

"This is a lot to take in," Yvain lowered his head. Nora's breasts were in front of him, but he was seeing nothing. His view of her and their current circumstances had completely changed. Remembering the power displayed by both her and the emperor, even while weakened... he now knew for certain that they couldn't leave Empryon. Especially considering that they killed the beloved leader of a race he and the rest knew nothing of.

"How long do we have until they know what happened?" Yvain asked.

Nora made a troubled expression, "They already do."

"Stars help us," hands on face, Yvain tried to rub away the current anxiousness threatening to swallow him.

Nora hugged him close to her and spoke in a soothing tone. "They know that the emperor has died and the last location he was in, but they don't know who did it. As long as we leave here before anyone arrives, we should be fine. And regardless, retribution of any kind won't come easily, so even if they found out about us, we should be alright as long as we don't venture outside the walls."

Nora sounded confident in her deduction, but there was something Yvain was curious about.

"How do they know anyway?" They were the only witnesses to the emperor's death. And while he didn't know how far the dragon race was from Empryon, even if someone did see them, they couldn't have made the journey back so fast.

"Remember the ability he used when you wounded him?"

Yvain nodded, echoes of the emperor's roar still bouncing off his mind.

"It's called 'Imperial Hunger'. Only the emperor can use it and it informs all his close subjects that he has died at the hands of another."

"What a convenient ability," Yvain said with some frustration.

"He's the emperor; it's not that surprising for him to have a safeguard like that."

Not surprising? Yvain couldn't think of anyone in Empryon being able to do that. But then again Nora wasn't from Empryon.

A splitting knock on the door to the bedroom resonated all the way into the ears of the couple inside the bathroom. Just by its booming trait Yvain knew it was Elly, probably frustrated at being made to wait. Yvain motioned for Nora to stand up.

"We have to tell them," he said. He didn't know how the members of Draconian's Tavern would react to the information that they could become the target of an empire, but he couldn't keep them in the dark.

"That's fine, but please don't tell them about... what my ex-husband did," Nora said nervously.

Remembering how Nora was humiliated and abused in her own home filled Yvain with rage once more. He wanted to ask her about the details but was afraid of making her relieve those memories. Some solace could be found in that he made her ex-husband choke on his own blood.

"We only need to let them know what we're up against, and that you're looking for your daughter," Yvain said. "Nelimir might be able to pull some connections to see if we can find any information."

Nora brightened and stole his lips in a deep kiss. Separating, she rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes.

"I hate myself for feeling this happy when my daughter is suffering somewhere unknown to me," she said.

Yvain thought of the child he had tried and failed to protect back at the dungeon. He couldn't say he completely understood what Nora was going through, but he could feel vestiges of the despondency that came from the failure.

"You're not alone anymore. Even if Nelimir and the rest decided not to help, I'll still join you in your search," he said.

Nora smilingly nodded and Yvain's bedroom entrance was pounded even harder. He turned the shower off, "Let's get out of here before Elly breaks my door down."

As they were leaving the bathroom hand in hand, Yvain noticed the ring Nora had discarded. Picking it up, he was about to hand it over, but she pushed his hand back.

"Keep it. Or better yet," Nora pulled out the ring's contents, "throw it away. I don't want to wear it anymore." Yvain nodded and took the wedding band with him. He usually considered himself a practical man. A ring like Nora's could be useful to them, but not this one. He'd chuck this one out of the carriage first chance.