Chapter 781 Problematic Premonitions
Izanami had actually woken up once before since she'd been in Tehom.
The reason she didn't get out was simple… she didn't know what to do once she left the room.
She had her memories back now. Knowledge of another life where she was a part of something much different than anything she had ever dreamed would be possible for her.
She saw scenes of herself falling in love with the same man who saved her and brought her here.
Even more embarrassing was how she had called out to him. Begging to be brought to the only real 'home' she ever remembered.
Could you blame her for being embarrassed and wanting to stay in here to herself?
She might have already strung herself up like a piniata if it would have actually been capable of killing her.
But since it wasn't, she didn't. Izanami just slept instead.
It was working well until at least a few minutes ago.
Eris hadn't exactly been squeamish about wiping her body down.
The mildly invasive occurrence had woken the death deity and left her flustered. But she was committed to her comatose act, and thus stayed quiet.
But when Eris was about to leave, she let out an amateur sigh of relief.
Eris was still part dark elf. Of course she heard such a minute noise as that one.
And now, Izanami was sitting up in bed- glaring at the overly cheerful green goddess.
"You woke up! Everyone will be so relieved, you have no idea how worried we've all been."
"…" Izanami stopped glaring at her. She dropped her gaze towards the bedsheets.
"What's wrong? Is there something that you need?" Eris asked worriedly.
"…You all should have left me in that hole to rot." Izanami said quietly.
Eris could only smile. "Now why would we do that? That hovel didn't really look like a comfortable place to lay your head at night. Plus, we know Izanagi isn't quite a bastion of welcoming company."
Izanami didn't argue with any of Eris' points because they were all true.
But that didn't mean that she was overly thrilled about being here either.
"…Ah. I see." Eris spoke softly. "Is it because of him?"
"Of course it is."
Eris smiled bitterly. Unlike her husband and everyone else, she was not oblivious to the way that Izanami felt. As the personification of love, how could she be? Experience tales at empire
"I'm sorry, I must seem ungrateful." Izanami muttered as she lay back down. "He.. and all of you came to free me based only off memories we shared from a previous life. I'm quite touched."
"But?" Eris waited.
Izanami bit her lip. Her stomach was already in knots. "…But nothing. I'm just a little tired still. If you don't mind… I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone I was awake yet."
"May I ask why?" Eris pressed gently.
"I just… don't want the others to know just yet. Can that be enough.. please?" She asked quietly.
Eris went beside her bed and gave her porcelain hand a small squeeze.
"It is more than enough.. but I hope you know that I will still come to you everyday."
"And why would you do that?" Izanami stared at her out of the corner of her eye.
"Because I refuse to let you sit here and wallow in self pity alone. I know exactly how you feel, Izanami. So I will help you come to a decision that you can live with."
"Don't you hate me..?"
"Far from it. Whether you have our last name or not, you are family. And I will not turn my back on any member of our family."
Izanami squeezed her hand back.
Though she didn't say anything, that small act was enough to let Eris know that she was willing to accept her hand.
*Click!*
The door opened and Izanami shut her eyes tightly.
Audrina came into the room accompanied by Lailah, Nyx, and Erebus.
"Are you busy, hon?" Audrina asked- wearing the sweet and sexy voice that she only used whenever she wanted something from them.
"That depends…" Eris raised a brow in suspicion as she covered Izanami with a comforter.
"I just want to play a little game of relationship therapy for a bit and I need your expertise." Audrina cooed.
""What do you mean 'game'?!"" Nyx and Erebus roared.
"Just a turn of phrase, sweet faces, try to keep up." Audrina waived her hand dismissively and turned back to Eris. "So? Will you help?"
"I will not!" Eris blew her a kiss and winked.
"Why?!" Audrina pouted.
"You know why. I'm not good at things like that, and I can't exactly provide the sort of magical cure-all that this situation needs."
""Hey!!""
"Sorry." Eris smiled apologetically.
Even though the dark divorceś had been insulted right to their faces Eris was so precious they couldn't help but forgive her.
Lailah laughed as she came to Eris' side and gave her a small nudge.
"Come on, my love, it'll be fun. She looped me in by saying it'll be like solving a complex equation. How could I resist the chance to solve the impossible?"
""HEY!!""
Lailah was much less likeable than Eris. The dark divorceś were aptly offended.
But Lailah didn't care about their feelings and kept staring at Eris without even looking back.
"Come on, it'll be fun. When is the last time you and I got to work on something together, hm?"
Eris played around with the thought in her mind. It really had to have been at least a decade or so since she and Lailah had really had something with just the two of them.
Perhaps it would be nice to put their heads together for something difficult for a change.
"Alright… I suppose it might be a nice way to spend time together."
Eris also thought it might help the two of them appreciate their own relationship more. She just didn't say it out loud because it sounded too mean.
"That's my girl!" Lailah planted a kiss on the crown of Eris' head; making her blush.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lailah noticed Izanami sleeping peacefully.
"How is sh…" The goddess of knowledge let her words trail off.
"Lailah?" Eris tilted her head.
"Oh shit…"
When Audrina and Eris looked up, they saw a familiar concerning sight.
Lailah's eyes had rolled back into her head; and she was beginning to fall backwards onto the ground.
-
The world was burning.
Even the sunlight was being choked by the clouds of ash billowing up into the sky.
But none of this was more unsettling than the scene beneath it all.
A woman with short white hair, whom she knew all too well, was lying on the ground with a sword sticking out of her chest.
One the likes of which she was certain she had never seen before.
Another woman held her in mourning and insanity.
With one hand she held the blade impaling her, and with the other she raked her nails over her own face.
As their combined blood dyed her white dress a permanent red, three male figures descended around them.
One placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, and her state of delirium promptly subsided.
Now, all that was left was a cold emptiness that Lailah didn't seem to know.
She pulled the sword out of the woman at her feet, and severed her head in front of her entourage.
-
"Lailah…LAILAH!"
"Eh?"
Lailah's eyes finally opened and the first thing that she noticed was Eris and Audrina's faces.
"You scared the shit out of us… It's been ages since your last vision." Eris breathed a sigh of relief.
"No kidding… Wanna fill us in on what that one happened to be about?" Audrina affectionately helped Lailah sit up and fix her hair.
Truthfully, Lailah's head was still swimming. She had a myriad of thoughts thundering through her brain at two million miles an hour.
This wasn't good.
Lailah hated having visions. She hated sharing them even more.
Often times, the steps one takes to avoid a prophecy, is exactly what leads them to it's doorstep.
And she loved her sisters more than anything, but none of them were exactly… coolheaded when it came to their combined wellbeing.
And Abaddon would have an especially negative reaction.
She didn't want to throw the house into a panic. Or even worse, risk alienating a part of her family.
But she also didn't want to lie to the women who were apart of her, and the man whom they all loved more than anything else.
Which meant for now… she had to put off answering for a bit.
"Can you both give me some time..? Just to figure out what it means?" She asked in an extra sweet voice.
Audrina and Eris glanced at each other.
Lailah was usually a straightforward woman.
She gave quick, clear answers to things without really shying away from them.
The fact that she was choosing to clam up and keep things quiet was certainly… a new direction for her.
Either the vision was that bad, or just that vague. Either of them could be true.
But since Lailah clearly didn't want them to panic, they wouldn't panic… for now.
"Well.. sure."
"Just take your time, alright?"
Lailah let out a sigh of relief hugged them both by their necks.
"Umm…"
The girls looked up at Erebus and Nyx who were standing in the corner unsure of what to do.
"Are we still going to do therapy, or is this kinda overshadowing it?" Nyx tilted her head.
Beside her, Erebus raised a brow. "Was that a darkness pun?"
"Maybe."
"It was very cute."
"I don't give a fuck if you think it was cute."
"Why must you be so insufferable?"
"Why do you have to be such a slut!?"
As the sounds of arguing continued, Lailah was suddenly wondering how she had found herself with not one, but two impossible problems in one day.