Devina sat down on one of the hotel chairs while leaning backwards as far as it went. Crossing her arms and legs she started to explain why she deliberately chose Dragonspine.
She said she had an old friend here in Dragonspine,
"That person you know very well Vivshi."
Devina sat straight up pointing at my chest.
"That thing inside you, do you know what it is?"
The thing inside me? Does she mean that beautiful sword that got absorbed into my body? I recollected the night everything unfolded, how he froze my legs solid and made me take his sword.
Standing up from her chair, she approached me, the Aeon on her cheek glowing yellow. Before I could utter a question to her, she placed her hand against my chest.
She closed her eyes and the Aeon of Dexterity's roots grew towards my chest, before connecting with my body.
What was she doing? I felt like someone was peeking into my soul, seeing all the details of my life. Devina opened her eyes and told me that the sword had been completely fused into my body.
She turned around and took a step towards her chair, but crashed into something. Standing in her way was a pouty Sekito.
Picking up Devina and shaking her and yelled at her little sister.
"HOW CAN YOU SELL OUT YOUR BIG SIS LIKE THIS?"
Devina squinted her eyes while her body was being shaken around in the air. Her head moved back and forth. Sekito then threw Devina onto the bed and started tickling her.
"OKAY OKAY! STOP!"
Even with the desperate cries for help, Sekito didn't halt. The tickling punishment continued until Devina laid there on the bed, twitching.
"That's what you deserve shithead."
Sekito gave a pouty hmph before storming out of the hotel room, probably to get more alcohol or food. Devina slowly raised herself, sitting straight up before looking at me with messy hair all over the place after her skirmish with Sekito.
"Why are you giving up Sekito? I thought you would never sacrifice her."
Devina stood up and grabbed a bottle of water. She started walking around the room in circles while explaining why she wanted me to complete the mission.
In between sipping her water bottle, she told me how the mission would play out.
"You expect me to follow your strategy after you betrayed me?"
Hearing my remarks, she slumped over onto her chair as if she was dead.
"Look Vivshi, I didn't betray you, there were just a few things I wanted to ensure."
Memories of how I had been alone after I had been resurrected by Aylin. The empty city, void of any life. How I and Aylin spent all that time trying to cope with the loss of the people we cared for.
It took us a hell of a journey to reach here, I was almost killed, and hunted by one of the strongest Aeons.
How could I trust Devina after all of that?
"Why didn't you just teleport me and Aylin with you in the beginning? Along with everyone else?"
"I had a contract with the Silver Saint."
Sitting up from the bed, where Emovi was sitting I walked up towards the window and opened the it. Allowing cold desert wind to blow into the room. The curtains danced with the wind as I looked out, seeing the remains of the giant dragon.
Turning back I saw golden strands flowing in the wind, biting her water bottle with her eyes fixated on me she tilted her head.
I wondered actually why she put me through everything, how everything led to this. If on that day, I had not broken into that building, I would have been an orphan living on the streets like a dog, but instead, I became the Aeon of Freedom. How meeting Aylin led me to understand my mother, my family, and my purpose. How meeting the Aeons changed the course of my life entirely, going from a person with no purpose in life to a man with an obligation to protect his only blood relative.
As I reminisced about everything I glanced at Devina.
"So, what contract did you make?"
Before Devina could answer my question, I heard a squeak under the bed, under the bed emerged an orange cat, that stretched itself. It seemed like it had been awoken by my and Devina's conversation.
"Oslovi?"
The tail flew up straight into the air as it heard my voice pierce the air. The ears twitched as it turned around and saw me. Oslovi immediately leapt onto the bed before leaping at me. I caught it in my arms and gave it a tight squeeze.
It purred deeply as I caressed its back, the tail was waving around like a dog's tail as I was petting, it seemed like Oslovi had missed me a lot. Emovi looked over from a distance and smiled as she saw me hug Oslovi.
I thought Oslovi had stayed at the Fivinidus estate, that it was maybe with Fiviana or Marlowlia, I didn't think it would have gone with Devina and Sekito.
When I think about it, Fiviana and Marlowlia should be okay now, right? After Aylin wished for the complete rewind of the city, everyone should be there. After all of this, I should probably pay them a visit, maybe bring a little souvenir from Dragonspine.
"So to answer your question, I made the contract that I would bring someone who would be worthy enough for him to anoint his power."
"Anoint his power?"
"It means he wanted to pass down his power to someone worthy enough."
So the sword inside me is his power? But it doesn't seem like I can use them. Closing my eyes I tried to imagine the feeling of that silverine aura I awakened during my fight with Fear. Nothing but silence filled the air as I gasped for breath after trying to focus for so long.
"It is no use, you won't be able to use them yet."
"How do you know that?"
"I said earlier, the Silver Saint is an old friend of mine."
What type of connection could Devina actually have with the Mayor of this city? Was he like a discipline of hers?
"In exchange for giving him giving you that power, I gave him freedom."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I shattered the bones of the dragon, the bones that have been serving as a deterrent for criminals and Aeons that would exploit the people of Dragonspine otherwise."
She crossed her legs, putting her hands on top of her knee.
"You must have realized it yourself."
The Silver Saint had been protecting the city for decades, the people love him, but he is burdened by the city. They rely on him too much, and even though he gets appreciation and gratitude for his service, the people do not help themselves and completely rely on him as if he is some god.
"He doesn't want to be their saviour anymore."
"That's correct. Without the Dragon's protection, the people are going to turn to him whenever there is trouble, but he isn't gonna be here in Dragonspine no longer, he is going on a journey, far beyond this land. When they realize their god is no longer with them, they are left with no options but to start defending themselves. The Silver Saint wants them to learn not to completely depend on a single thing to protect them, they gotta learn how to protect themselves."
"Who even is this Silver Saint?"
Devina leaned back in her chair with her legs now completely straight. Staring straight into the ceiling she expelled a loud yawn.
Oslovi leapt onto her lap and laid down, curling itself on her lap.
She sat back up, petting Oslovi.
"He is a very lonely man."