It was the morning after Sthora and Ren ran from the Drakzen, chasing them. They left the cave and looked around just in case before starting their journey back to the village.
"We need to find food before heading to the village." Ren said.
"I agree; we haven't eaten in nearly half a day; we need to replenish ourselves." Sthora said.
"Do you know where we are?" Ren asked.
"Luckily, I do; if we head to the west, we would reach the river near the village in an hour, maybe." Sthora said, pointing west.
"Luckily, there's some fruit nearby the river, so our journey begins..." Ren said.
"More than likely, our people have sent search parties for us." Sthora said.
"God...Lucilia is going to kill me." Ren said, sighing.
"Why would she do that?" Sthora asked.
"Because I keep winding up in danger." Ren said with a small smile.
"What do you mean by that? This isn't the first time?" Sthora asked.
"Well, in the past few months, I've passed out unconscious after being captured during my first battle, I was poisoned by a butler, getting captured by your people on the first day I left her sight, and now I nearly got killed by this planet's Alpha Predator." Ren said, summarizing his near-death experiences.
"Hey Ren?" Sthora said.
"Yes?" Ren replied.
"Maybe you should take a less dangerous job." Sthora said.
"Where's the fun in that?" Ren replied.
"Fun?" Sthora asked.
"Yeah, while yes, it's very dangerous being a soldier, it's what I signed up for. Besides, if I never became a solider, I would have never met Lucilia, Queen Ashastha, or you, Sthora." Ren said with a smile.
Sthora blushed hearing this; she didn't expect to be one of the people he seemed glad to meet.
"Hey Ren?" Sthora said preparing to ask him a question.
"Yeah?" Ren replied.
"Are you going to leave this planet?" Sthora asked.
Sthora didn't want him to leave. Ren was not only the first male she met outside of her late father but also someone who didn't seem to care that she was an alien to him; he was always willing to talk to her and didn't look at her any differently than any of his people.
"Maybe one day, after all, this is technically an assignment, but I don't know when that would be." Ren replied.
Sthora stopped walking, which made Ren stop and ask "What's wrong, Sthora?"
"Ren...do you know about our goddess of love?" Sthora asked.
"Yeah, Ashastha said something about how the goddess gives you guys a blessing and forms a symbol when you meet your fated ones, right?" Ren said.
"Yes, she does, and she was also the goddess that my people prayed to directly." Sthora said.
"Really?" Ren asked.
"Yes, so we have a different kind of experience when we meet our fates ones." Sthora said.
Sthora then took a deep breath, and soon lines on her skin started to glow green, as well as her blue wings turning a green color along with her hair. Sthora opened her eyes, which also glowed green as she looked at Ren, and just like when Ashastha revealed her symbol to Ren, Sthora had the same symbol appear directly on her chest.
"Sthora?" Ren asked.
"Ren...you are my fated one."
"I..." Ren tried to speak before being interrupted by Sthora.
"Please don't say anything; honestly, I don't even know what to say. I barely know you, but I am drawn to your presence. You being around me makes me feel...comfortable and it's honestly a feeling I could get addicted to." Sthora said before realizing just what she said and blushing. She then took another deep breath. "I don't expect you to suddenly become my lover or anything like that, but I also don't want you to leave. I never thought I'd see the day I would ever meet my fated one, and yet here you are, so please just...don't leave."
"Sthora..." Ren tried to think of what to say before...
Sthora stepped up right in front of Ren and put her lips to his, but quickly backed away.
"Her lips were so soft..." Ren thought to himself.
"Just please keep me in your mind at the very least. I know you are with Lucilia and also Queen Ashastha's fated one, but I don't want to be left behind..." Sthora said with her head down.
"Sthora..." Ren walked up and hugged Sthora, who blushed, feeling his warmth. "I don't know what I can and can't promise you. To be honest, I'm still trying to get used to the idea of multiple wives being a possibility for me, but I can promise this: I won't ever forget what you just said to me, and if I do go down this path, I will consider every word you just said to me."
"T-thank you, Ren..." Sthora said, burying her head into Ren's chest.
"Would you two like a minute alone, or?" a voice nearby said.
Ren and Sthora turned their heads, and it was Mae, along with a few of the village guards, staring at the two. Upon seeing Mae, Sthora's hair, eyes, and wings turned back to their normal color of light blue.
"How long have you been there?" Sthora asked panickedly.
"Long enough to know our Princess has some competition, it seems, Ren...good luck when she finds out." Mae teased
"Fuck..." Ren said.
Afterwards, the group went back towards the village, and there were cheers for them being found safe and sound. Sthora blushed every time she looked at Ren and vice versa, which caught the eyes of Queen Ashastha.
"So...you were chosen too, huh, Sthora...well while I'm not against the idea, I will be the one to marry him first." Ashastha thought.
It was almost as if she was telepathic. Lucilia's body shivered shortly after Ashastha thought this and stared daggers at Ashastha. "She's planning something." Lucilia thought to herself.
After everyone talked, a funeral was held for Vedia, whose remains could not be found. They buried an empty casket on the side of a beautiful hill as members of the village sang songs of prayer for her safe passage into the afterlife. Ren clenched his fists in anger, knowing that Vedia died in terror and there was nothing Ren could do for her despite barely knowing each other. The loss had affected him more than he thought.
He imagined what if that was Lucilia, Scarlett, Lily, Serenity, Tyler, Ashastha, or Sthora, and the anger of just his thoughts made him clench his fists even harder.
"I won't allow that to happen." he thought to himself.
*UNS Eternity*
Captain Aurora had gathered all the crew members of the ship for a meeting; every sentinel pilot, engineer, mechanic, and even the janitors were standing at attention.
"Today we were told there was to be a major operation, a first for humanity itself. Six UNS ships will be heading to a different star system for the first time ever, and we have been selected as one of these ships, along with the UNS Kyoto, UNS Annapolis, UNS Manchester, UNS Toronto, and UNS Marseille. Our ships will be entering the star system designated Sirius and trying to establish the first colony; however, we cannot confirm or deny the presence of the Centauri Empire and if they have established territories there as well. So we will be going in blind. To reach this new system, we will be testing out our new warp drives that were made from the scrap from the destroyed Centauri ships we have been able to scavenge. I won't lie to you; this could either go smoothly or it will be absolute hell or anywhere in between, so be prepared for anything and everything. Dismissed!"
Murmurs spread throughout the crowd, especially in one of the groups located near the sentinels.
"Are we really going to do this?" Tyler asked with some sweat on his forehead.
"Traveling to a new star system would be a completely new experience for not just us, but humanity." Lily commented.
"We've never charted this far into the unknown before..." Serenity said while also being worried.
"It's fine; we'll handle it like we always do." Scarlet said with a smile on her face.
The group was still feeling the effects of Ren's disappearance but were trying their best not to show it, even though that was difficult for all of them.
"Hey guys!" a voice yelled from a small distance away.
"Oh, hey Zoe, what's up?" Tyler asked.
"I just wanted to let each of you know that your request is ready." Zoe said. "Come on, let me show you."
The group smiled at each other as they followed Zoe to the Sentinel hanger, where all of their sentinels were standing at the ready.
Not long after Ren's disappearance and his empty sentinel were recovered, it was supposed to be redeployed; however, the sentinel itself sustained too much damage and needed a total repair with brand new parts, and when hearing that, Scarlet had a request for Keira and Zoe.
Each of the group members entered their cockpits and saw what was hanging there.
A piece of metal handing on the side of the cockpit, along with a photo of Ren during their school days.
Scarlet and the others had asked them that when they scrapped Ren's old sentinel that each of them could have a piece, it was a way that they could feel as if he was always with them on the battlefield.
"Thank you, Zoe." Scarlet said with her eyes watering.
"It wasn't a problem; you guys aren't the first pilots to ask for a memento of a lost comrade. I understand." Zoe said with a genuine smile.
Zoe connected with what they were feeling. Her father and older brother had both died in this war, and she also had plenty of mementos from them to make her feel as if they were always with her and her mother.
Scarlet held the piece of metal in her hand and clutched it before smiling and saying "Cmon guys, we need to train if we are about to head into the unknown; let's get some of the others here for a mock battle."
"I'll call Eleonora and see who wants to join in." Tyler said.
"Good, that sounds like a plan."
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