(Outer Regions- Hidden Location)
(Cliffs of Reynar)
Two figures sat quietly as the sun dipped slowly towards the horizon. Warm orange rays of light illuminated their surroundings.
One could hear the sounds of waves crashing against the shore as both figures sat at the edge of a cliff that was overlooking a vast open sea.
Both figures were elderly women with wrinkles on their faces, but it was clear from their facial features that they were both stunning beauties in their youth.
The taller of the pair was a human woman with scars and callouses on her hand that displayed a lifetime of training with the blade.
She wore a simple white dress and there was an iron ring on the fourth finger of her right hand.
Her companion was a dark elf woman who unlike the typical elf appeared to have aged quite substantially.
She had long black shoulder-length hair and several flowers had been woven into a crown that rested on top of her head.
An identical iron ring was placed on the fourth finger of her right hand, but she also had an expensive ruby ring on her left.
Princess Keya held her lover's hand and watched as the sun continued to travel towards the ends of the horizon.
"Do you think the elders will find out?" Princess Keya teased as she rubbed her fingers on the top of Claire's knuckles.
"Well… they haven't seen you in decades… so probably not. Why didn't you want to tell them?" Claire asked softly as she leaned forward and kissed her wife's cheek.
Even after all these years, her heart would always skip a beat when looking at the beautiful dark elf princess who gave up everything to be by her side.
"They would have probably made me have an heir or divorce you to spend the rest of my lifespan with someone else," Keya admitted as she lazily played with Claire's white hair.
Claire hummed softly and leaned her head against Keya's shoulders as the pair fell into a comfortable silence.
Spending a lifetime in this world had changed her in ways that Sui Li could not fully comprehend.
Claire wasn't sure if she had left this world in a better place but at least the relationship between the Varion Church and the foreign races had eased somewhat.
It was impossible to eliminate racial prejudice in a single lifetime but hopefully over time under the new direction of the church things would turn out for the better.
Saintess Marie… no Pope Marie was someone who was committed to following the teachings of the Lord of Light.
Claire closed her eyes and accessed the mental link that connected the pair. After several decades there was now a strong bond of friendship between the two women.
[I will be leaving today. Thank you for everything.]
She didn't receive a response and knew it was because Marie couldn't handle her emotions properly.
Claire reopened her eyes and tightened her grip on Keya's palm. The dark elf princess stared at her wife and whispered in a loving tone,
"I can feel my time coming to an end."
"Can you hug me one more time?"
Claire wrapped her arms around her wife and held her tightly as her breathing became weaker and weaker.
Using both holy and dark magic had destroyed Keya's vitality and her lifespan had been significantly reduced.
Claire placed her hand on her wife's chest and felt the beating of her heart gradually slow down until it was about to disappear.
"Claire… Claire… I… love…" Princess Keya weakly stammered out a final confession.
"I know darling… I love you too," Claire replied with a gentle smile.
The dark elf princess took one final look at her lover who had accompanied her for a lifetime and then closed her eyes.
Tears ran down the sides of Claire's cheeks as she held the body of her lover and sobbed uncontrollably.
The holy knight of the Varion Church who was once known by names such as 'God's Judgement', 'The Angel of Death' and 'The Blade' was now crying out in heartbreak.
Pope Marie could sense her turbulent emotions through the mental connection and sent out a message.
[Claire… don't do anything stupid!]
This time Claire was the one to ignore Marie's message as she bent her knees and prepared for her final act.
Claire held the body of her wife in her arms and jumped off the cliff into the water below.
There was a cold glint of determination in her gaze since she also did not have much time left.
She landed in the water below with a dull splash and warmly embraced Keya's body as if to make them become one person.
Princess Keya's dark spell on their wedding day that linked the pair ensured that they would both be together in both life and death.
Already Claire could feel the black magic flowing through her body and instead of purifying it, she allowed it to penetrate her mana veins.
Claire's vision slowly turned to darkness as she sank beneath the waves while carrying the body of her lover.
.
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.
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(Outside The Creation World Tree- Unknown Location)
(Private System Spatial Zone)
Sui Li opened her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of a wide-open field that was both familiar and strange.
It took her a moment to realise that she was back in the headquarters of the Time Space Administration.
There were flowers scattered across the field and tall leafy trees stood quietly in the distance. It was a gorgeous place of natural beauty, but Sui Li could not fully appreciate it.
She frowned slightly as something appeared to be missing from her mind. She could vaguely recall a face, but her features were blurred and unrecognisable.
"Okay… I just came back from… a mission… what happened?" Sui Li muttered to herself as she tried to remember the details.
She could clearly recall meeting Claire Blanlyn's soul and striking a deal to use her body but everything after that was a blur.
Clearly if she had returned then… did that mean that she finished the mission?
Did she manage to kill the villainess?
A pillar of bright light erupted from the center of the meadow and Sui Li took a few steps backwards to avoid its harsh glare.
The beam of light slowly disappeared to reveal a golden door with a plain wooden handle attached to its front.
Sui Li recognised the door as the same one that lead her to the mysterious 'system' creature who assigned her the first mission.
She needed answers and it was probably the only person who knew what was going on.