Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 213

Chapter 213: Meeting the Raeshs

Lysette and Serrena both looked at each other and spit-taked at hearing the comment from the latter’s mother.  Lysette kept as neutral of a face as possible, not daring to say a word to further inflame the ire of the Demigoddess of Ambition, who by this point had gone fully apoplectic.

“Mother!  I promise you, that will never happen.  Not today.  Not tomorrow.  Not next year or decade, and not five hundred years from now!  She’s not even a boy for goodness sake!”

“Serrena, I know you’ve never been interested in that sort of thing before, but you don’t need to be so bashful about it!  Please, come inside before you two let the bugs in.  Do either of you want something to drink?  We don’t have too much, but I think I can heat up some tea if you’re willing to wait for a few minutes.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, forgetting my manners like that.”  Serrena’s mother offered Lysette her hand.  “I’m Serrena’s mother, as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now.  Sara Raesh, and it’s wonderful to finally meet Serrena’s boyfriend.  What’s your name?”

Lysette hesitated for a moment before taking Sara’s hand.  “It’s Lysette.  And as Serrena said, we’re just friends.  Definitely not dating or anything of that sort.”

“Lysette?  Sounds a little feminine for a man’s name, but I’m not one to judge.  Anyway, both of you, come on in.”  Sara squeezed Lysette’s hand tightly, then dragged her inside before she could make sense of what was going on.

Lysette sat on the large sofa in the living area, and Serrena sat down on the opposite side, each of them looking in opposite directions and scrunching up along their respective outer edges while Sara walked into the adjacent dining area.  When she returned a minute later carrying two glasses of ice water, she shook her head and set the glasses down.

“I get the two of you are embarrassed about showing any affection in front of me, but I promise, I’ve been there, and I’ve been just as embarrassing with your father when I was your age.”

“Mom,” Serrena said flatly.  “Lysette and I are not dating.  As I said before, I am not interested in that sort of thing, whether with men, with women, or anyone else.  I understand that you want grandchildren, but they won’t be coming from me.”

“But–”

“With that said, it’s not like you couldn’t wait a couple decades or centuries to have another kid and get grandkids from my future brother or sister or, heck, sibling who doesn’t consider themself my brother or sister.  Well, they’d probably end up being a half-sibling at that point, but I promise I’d still accept them just the same and help them become their best selves, whoever or whatever that may be.”

“A couple centuries?” Sara raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.  A couple centuries.  Or millennia if you really wanted to wait that long.  It’s not like time matters much to us.  None of our lives will end through old age alone, or at all if I have anything to say about it.”

“Serrena.” Sara said, melancholy in her voice.

“That’s right, mother.  I’ve known about Sierra Raesh and our lineage’s descent for over a year now, since shortly after I arrived on campus.  I know that our family is directly descended from Vorcal, and that we each carry that inherited seed of divinity within us.  A seed which, thanks to my favorite dimwit right here, I’ve managed to awaken.”

Sara nodded.  “So you really do know.  I trust you understand why your father and I never told you.”

“I can speculate.  You didn’t want me to get involved in the war of the gods, so you kept quiet about what you knew.  I’ve known there was something you wanted to keep hidden from me for a long time now.  You’ve always been evasive when I asked questions about your side of the family.

“And you had shown this same melancholy when I awakened my talent for Cultivation seven years ago.  From my experiences on campus, most other families came in two varieties.  Those where Cultivation was common and following in the family footsteps was a given.  And those who were the first to awaken the talent, with families eager to support their child and the prospect of a better life for them.  But you were neither.  And now I understand— you knew this day was going to come.”

“I did, Serrena,” Sara said after about half a minute.  “From the moment you conjured your first flame, your father and I knew this day would eventually arrive.  You’re too free-spirited, too eager.  You possess that same fiery passion and ambition that my grandmother carried within her.”

Lysette nodded.  “She is Ambition incarnate.  I am sure that even had the two of us not met, she still would have awakened her divinity sooner or later.”

“So you have not only awakened your divinity, but also your Domain.” Sara said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the information you seek.  Neither I nor your grandmother wanted any part of the Cultivator life.  We both kept our latent divinity sealed and chose a human life and existence.  That’s why your grandmother was able to pass away from old age— she chose that life, mortality and all, and did so of her own volition.

“If you want to know more about our lineage and all that warring god nonsense, you’d have to ask Solanna herself.”

Serrena nodded.  “She’s still alive?”

“As far as I am aware.  She remains in seclusion in the forests north of here, meditating, Cultivating, and living an ascetic life away from gods and humans alike.  I do not know if she will show herself for you, but if you want to learn anything more, you will have to ask her.”

Serrena stood up, but as she did, Sara shook her head.  “You’ve just come to see me for the first time in nearly half a year, and as soon as you do, you go rushing out the door just like that?”

Serrena sat back down.  “I want to stay longer, but I can’t.  I have a lot of people depending on me now.  Not just my friends or the people at the Academy, but also my disciple, my followers, and all of Domaria.”

“I hope you have time enough for a quick hug for your mother before you go.”

Serrena nodded.  The two nodded and Serrena stood up once more.  Sara followed suit and, with tears in her eyes, embraced her slightly-taller daughter as fully as any hug would allow.  They both stood silently in their embrace except for Sara’s occasional sniffles, and only after three minutes did she finally let her daughter go.

“I know you’re an adult now, and I can’t tell you what to do anymore.  But I’d like you to go see your father before you two leave.  Can you promise me that much?”

“I will.  And thank you, Mom.  I know I didn’t choose the path you wanted me to.  But–”

“It’s okay, Serrena.  I told you, I knew this day was going to come.  It just happened a little sooner than I’d expected.  You go do whatever it is you need to do, and whenever you get done or need a break, you come right on back here.  This is your home, and there’ll be a room for you whenever you need.”

Serrena shed a single tear.  She opened her mouth, but no words came out.  The dam broke, and more tears started flowing as she held her mother once more.

“Thank you,” she mumbled into her mother’s shoulder.  “For raising me, for giving me these opportunities, and for everything else too.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that.  That’s my job as your mother.”

Serrena nodded and wiped away her tears before finally turning toward Lysette and the front door.  “I think I need to go now,” she said, still with puffy red eyes.  “For everyone’s sake.”

Sara nodded, not saying a word.  Serrena walked outside, with Lysette following just behind.  But before she got there, Sara stopped her.

“Promise me that you’ll keep looking after her, alright?”

“Serrena doesn’t need my help,” Lysette said.  “She’s far, far stronger than you know.  Both in terms of her willpower as well as her physical might.  But if she ever does enter into a situation she can’t handle on her own, she’ll have me and plenty of others she can turn to for support.”

“I’ll be counting on you.”

Lysette nodded and left the small home behind.  As she caught up to Serrena, the Demigoddess of Ambition shot her an incredulous look.

“I could hear what you two said in there.”

“I stand by every word.  Or do you object to my telling your mother what I did?”

“It was a perfect answer, Lyse.  I couldn’t have asked you to word it any better.  Now let’s go see my father and then see what information we can get from my great-grandmother.”

And so they did.  Serrena led Lysette through yet more alleyways and streets as they made their way into the heart of the central commercial district.  It was loud, bustling with vibrancy, and filled with the smell of saffron and the spiciest peppers and curries Lysette had ever before seen.

After about fifteen minutes of wading through the dense crowds and thwarting a couple of pickpocket attempts from obvious ne’er-do-wells who fancied themselves sly and elusive, the two demigoddesses made their way to a glassblowing furnace along the city’s northern edge.  They entered, Serrena followed by Lysette, and were greeted by a tall, gruff, and heavily scarred, clean-shaven gentleman.

“Well, hello you two, and how can I–”  The man’s gaze turned to Lysette.  “You better not have gotten my daughter pregnant or I promise you, I will make your life a living nightmare.”

“Father!” Serrena screamed.  “Stop embarrassing yourself, this instant!  She’s a friend and she certainly didn’t do anything that could possibly cause that!”

Lysette nodded and raised an eyebrow toward Serrena.  “Is there some reason your parents seem so adamant about us being a couple?”

“Just ignore it.  Ever since I told them I had no interest in relationships when I was fifteen, they just keep pestering me about it, telling me that ‘one day you’ll find the right man’ and similar hogwash.  Apologies that you’re catching grief for it as well.”

Serrena’s father eyed Lysette up and down.  He was about four inches taller than her regular body, but stood squarely at eye level with her avatar.  He stared into her eyes, but Lysette didn’t flinch or stare back, instead eyeing the workshop with idle curiosity.  It was filled with numerous glass panels, both stained and otherwise, alongside dishes, drinking glasses, ornaments and other decorations ranging from handheld size up to centerpieces stretching two to three feet high.

After far too long spent far too close to Serrena’s father, he finally backed up and offered his hand.  “Tom Raesh,” he said.

Lysette Reciprocated.  “Lysette Barenete.”

“An odd name.  So, what are you two here for?”

Serrena answered.  “Mom asked me to stop by and see you before we head off to try to find Solanna.”

“Personally, I’d turn back and call off your expedition before you either waste your time or end up getting yourself hurt.  Or worse.  I’m not going to give you my blessing or anything, and I think you two are a bunch of damned fools getting involved in matters far beyond your capabilities or station.  But I also know my daughter is a headstrong young woman and she’s going to do whatever it is she sets her mind to, whether I say it’s okay or not.

“I know the two of you are adults and so I can’t tell you what you can or can’t do.  All I’m going to say is that you two need to be careful and look after one another.  There’s a difference between being ambitious and reckless, and the latter is a quick path to an early grave.”

Serrena glared at Lysette at that last part.

“So I better see you two both coming back alive and well at the end of whatever it is you two have gotten yourself wrapped up with.  Because,” Tom glared at Lysette,  “if my daughter doesn’t come back home and I learn that you could have done something to save her.  I promise, there is no god in this world that is going to shield you from me.”

Lysette nodded.  “I promise you that I will offer Serrena my support if ever she needs it.  Just as much as I promise that there is no god in this world or the next that is going to stop her on her journey to be the best Serrena that she can possibly aspire to.”

Serrena nodded.  “It’s as my favorite dimwit says.  This is something I have to do, to learn more about this side of myself and my lineage.  I’ll always appreciate you and Mom, but I have to do what I came here to do.  To do what fate has called me to do.”

“Be safe out there, Serrena.  I’m sure your mother already told you this, but you’ll always be our daughter and you’ll always have a place to rest whenever you need.”

“Thank you, Father.  We will succeed.”

Chapter 212: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112440675

Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101896170

Chapter 214: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112440677