Rethi has basically been vibrating on his horse the entire day. Knowing that his 'Master' was a Demigod seemed to inflate his excitement and self-worth a thousand-fold. It was hilarious to see, though I think Alena had begun to believe that I'd drugged him with something. She had been giving him herbs and plants to eat for hours now. He would always idly eat them without a word, seemingly too focused on the fact that I was now a fledgling Demigod.
Apparently, according to Rethi anyway, Demigods were beings created by a God having a mortal lover. It did happen on occasion supposedly. Usually with someone who was not a priest, but a mortal that was entirely devoted. They had their legends, but they were old and any Demigods that once existed had either died in the first Champion War or gone into hiding. I had mentioned the fact that they could have died of old age, but Rethi just shrugged. It seemed that a Demigod dying of old age wasn't really all that likely.
If a Demigod had abilities anything like what I have, they probably didn't age much, if at all. That's if they actually existed in the way that Rethi said they did—which was doubtful in and of itself
The day was pretty long, constantly feeling the need to monitor my soul. It was like receiving a transplanted hand and having to relearn the back of it. A strange thing, something so foreign, yet so truthfully yours. Just looking at the soul was enchanting in its own way, where my old soul I was able to visualise conceptually, generally as the metal that flowed out of my hand, but now when I closed my eyes and introspected, I was able to properly see my own soul.
It was like seeing an organ on a table and examining it. It was weird, but also enthralling to examine. It was manipulatable as well now, I was able to temporarily change its form, changing the flow of the divine energy that courses through and around it. How that would help me in future was totally over my head, but I could do it.
Sighing, I called a break for the last time today. The horses needed a good break or else they would slowly deteriorate until we effectively killed them with exhaustion, though they have been valiant companions throughout the journey.
Rethi had ended up naming his Darksteel, an obvious allusion to the steed's dark coat, intermixed with a silvery colour as well. Apparently dark steel was a mythical metal used generally for weapon making.
Alena had taken the liberty of naming my horse, mostly because it was really her horse now. I don't think I'd ever find that much use for a horse, unless I could find a special one, maybe a monster or divine horse. That'd be fun.
Anyway, the horse had been named Lily, the mare seemed pretty chuffed with the name.
As the two teenagers diligently took care of their companions, just at Mayer had enforced back before we had been sent on our little journey. It didn't take long for Alena to bustle on over towards me with a cross look on her face, leaving Rethi behind to absentmindedly pet his horse.
"What did you do to him!" She whisper-yelled. I was surprised at her restraint, honestly.
"Nothing like you're thinking. I don't even know why you'd think that I'd drug him with anything." I said, eyebrow raised and quickly sitting down on the ground cross legged. She did the same, staring right at me the entire time, trying to assert dominance.
"Then why does he look like he ate a kilogram of sugar?"
"Ah, well. In short, he got a promotion." She looked at me dumbfounded.
"What do you mean he got a promotion?" Incredulity leaking into her voice. I sighed.
"I'm going to be moving up in the world, and I'm going to need help. I'm going to make him my right-hand man." She looked flabbergasted.
"Right-hand– But he's just a kid!" She exclaimed, stumbling over her own words. I shrugged at her nonchalantly.
"Are you a kid?" I asked her. She hesitated.
"Yes?" Her eyebrows furrowed, unable to pick where I'm going with this.
"Well, it certainly isn't stopping you from doing everything that Rethi is currently doing," I laughed, her face losing a bit of its harshness, "besides, Rethi is possibly the most competent fourteen, almost fifteen year old I've ever met. Honestly, he could probably fight with the best of them. He was hand trained by Mayer. If I didn't have all sorts of wacky powers, he'd crush me ten out of ten times." I let that info sink into her for a few moments. I didn't even need to look into her eyes, I could see the struggle on her face, fighting between love and protection, and pride in someone she loves. I smiled at her gently.
"You still seriously underestimate just how powerful he really is." I get up from my spot on the ground and walk over to Rethi, coming close to Lily and giving her a good rub with my strength, something she thoroughly enjoyed. Me and Alena fight for her affection and she gets all the benefits.
"Oh Rethi." I said, rousing the boy from his stupor.
"Ah! Yes, how can I serve you, Master Maximilian." He said, his voice far more official than even the last time he had spoken to me around Alena, I just rolled my eyes.
"You've been out of it all day, and Alena has been feeding you herbs to reverse poisons. I understand that it's exciting for you to know that I'm a Demigod," the boy's face lit up again in excitement, "but, you need to act a little more human for me. I had to fib to your girlfriend so that she doesn't simply learn that I'm a Demigod." Rethi nodded furiously, trying his best to return to what looked slightly less out of it, but then his face scrunched in confusion, my last words finally processing though his excitement addled brain.
"What did you lie to her about?" He was suddenly very concerned, I just laughed.
"Nothing important. By the way, you've got a promotion. Congratulations on being my right-hand man." I stick out my hand, a goofy grin on my face. It took a moment before it registers, and then another second or two before a massive goofy grin spread on his face. He grabbed my hand and shook it as hard as he could.
"It'll be a pleasure." He said, his eyes alight with a whole new excitement. I laughed and yelled out to Alena that we were going to get back on the road. She nodded from afar and in minutes we were up and running again.
Alena seemed even more concerned about Rethi now, paradoxically. The entire time they were riding they were having a secretive conversation. Further and further into the day Rethi got frustrated multiple times, the whispering getting a little louder at points, the offending party always looking over to me to see if I had noticed.
Of course I noticed.
Soon enough It came to the part of the road that those that passed through these areas were talking about being dangerous, potentially where the forest wolves came out to play.
"Alright guys, enough secretive chatting, we are at the spot Mayer talked about. Let's backtrack for a while and set up for the night." The other two were momentarily shocked at being called out like that, then they quickly realised their surroundings, looking deep into the woods as if eyes would stare back.
Following me, we took it back a kilometre or two, and then moving out further into the fields than we had before, giving us more open space so we couldn't be surprised by something coming near us as easily.
The camp was set up routinely, everything in its proper place and order, and as night fell, I created a safe campfire that wasn't going to burn down the fields of grass and out tents during the night. The warmth of the fire was different tonight than it was the nights previous. Warmer, more fulfilling, the road rations were easting tasted better even. The novelty of eating was something I indulged in at least once a day, merely because the sensation was nice, rather than any actual benefit. But now, with me being a Hearth Demigod, a Blessed of the Hearth, whatever you wanted to call me, I felt a far stronger connection to the act of eating around a fire, like it was far more integral to me being now.
But even while the fire was warmer, I could feel a cold wind of discontent flowing over it. I extended my domain of safety and it soothed the discontent but did not stop it from existing. I gave it a few moments, then looked up, directly at Alena.
"Would you like to talk about anything?" I said, my tone neutral and warm. She was shocked by my initiation of the conversation, something that I hadn't bothered to do with her for a while.
"What do you mean?" She asked suspiciously. Rethi looked at me oddly as well.
"You are spending a lot of time talking about topics that are obviously sensitive with Rethi. I have a feeling that those topics involve me, and Rethi's involvement with me." I stated calmly and clearly. Her face grew red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
"Of course I am!" She shouted.
"And why are you doing that?" I said, unperturbed entirely by her shouting.
"Because you are obviously taking advantage of him! He's only a kid! You can't just make him your right-hand man and call it good!" I looked to Rethi who deflated. He was clearly hurt by her words and how she disregarded his opinion and choice. However, I simply nodded towards her without any specific emotion on my face.
"I see. How do you believe that I am taking advantage of him?" She looked confused at my lack of fighting back but she allowed her anger to keep rolling.
"You force him to fight, to train to fight. You trained him to be this monstrous, brutal thing when he picks up a sword. You want to turn him into a sword slave!" Those words rang out over the fields like a gunshot. I, personally, was effectively unperturbed I had known her opinion of me for a long while.
However, for Rethi, this was something that he had never encountered before. Because I believe, as I looked at his heartbroken face, that he didn't know that the issue they were having was never really about me, it was about him and her relationship with who he wants to be.
I simply nodded at her words.
"I understand that you see it that wa–" I began to speak but my sentence was cut short by Alena.
"How could you possibly understand, you are a slaver–" I fixed her with a look that stopped her dead in her tracks. Not one of aggression, but extreme disappointment. I know, from simply looking into her eyes, that the expression was both not one that she expected, and one that hurt far more that one of anger.
"I understand that you are very passionate about this specific topic and that you love Rethi very much, but I will not accept anyone being talked over in this space. I let you speak, now I would like to speak. Is this understood?" My voice was flat and authoritative, nothing if not neutral. After a moment both Rethi and Alena nodded. I let the domain of safety I held within billow out, the strange and esoteric power covering the ground we sat on, calming those within and sharpening our minds while it eased our anxiety.
"Alena, I understand that you see Rethi's change as something negative, and I feel as if you are unsure if the boy you once knew as Rethi exists anymore," Rethi's eyes went wide, turning to look at his girlfriend in befuddlement as Alena simply looked down at the ground, "Alena, it is important to note, that the time in which you knew Rethi most, was when he had nothing and was entirely destitute with no reasonable way forwards. I gave him a chance at rising above what he once was, and he took it with both hands and pulled. He has done a miraculous job, becoming stronger in personality, body, and mind. He is nothing like the destitute, starved little boy that I asked to show me around town."
There was silence around the campfire. Alena was looking down at the ground and Rethi was looking at her, tears welling up in his eyes at the hurt. I could see little droplets falling to the ground underneath Alena's bowed head. I could feel that each word harmonised with what she felt, and that she was scared and worried and hopelessly in love. I smiled at her bowed form.
"But Alena. There are few things that haven't changed in Rethi. One is his drive to always do better, to reach for higher peaks," Rethi's cheeks reddened despite himself, "his devotion to his mother, despite her pushing him away," Alena let out a little sob, "his wild theories and obsession over long lost legends," that gained a snort out of both of them, even I laughed, "and finally, his love for you."
Alena looked up at me, her face red and warped into one of intense sadness, tears streaming from her eyes. And as our eyes met I understood. I fully understood the problem. I smiled gently to her as she spoke.
"I know! I know all that… But he's going to leave me behind. And then I have to worry if he's going to ever come back home to me, if he will come back scarred from some war he ran headlong into, or if he'll ascend into the history books, left to some place I can never find him." The sobs were heart wrenching, the window into her emotions. No, into her soul. Rethi was crying in earnest now, his eyes overflowing, and his arms extended, desperately seeking the body of she who he loves, but finding himself unable to wrap his arms around her, unable to truly dispute her words and telling her it's all going to be okay, and that he would never leave her. But he knew he'd be lying, and it hurt more than anything.
I simply smiled at the two young lovers, lost in their emotions.
"Whoever said that he would leave without you by his side?"