Gardenia’s Heart

Even without understanding the reason behind it, Zaylin didn’t dare question her. Following Lily’s instructions to the letter, the elf crouched down and tightly shut her eyes.

Seeing the elven girl press her hands firmly over her pointed ears, Lily wondered if perhaps she had been too harsh in tone.

(Maybe Lily is the bad girl after all~) Nia teased with a soft laugh, watching her wife’s face quickly turn red.

“As long as it’s not essential for our safety, it’s better to keep that part a secret,” Lily muttered in response to her wife’s teasing, hastily covering her flushed face with both hands.

As she tried to control her embarrassment, Lily noticed the pink floating orb spinning a few times around Zaylin.

Raising her index finger to her lips, she gestured for the fairy to stay silent about what it saw. Then she took a deep breath—despite not needing to—and steadied herself.

Seeing her wife ready, Nia opened a portal directly to the balcony, and with a single step, Lily was bathed in moonlight.

“This really is high up...” Lily began, her voice trailing off into the night wind.

Aside from the World Tree itself, the royal castle stood taller than any other structure. Above the canopy of every tree in Lampides, Lily could see the magnificent city from above. The gentle glow of the lights that illuminated the streets and the bridges connecting the trees looked like threads of light joining scattered points. She could clearly make out adults and children running about, even from so far away.

(You like high places, don’t you, Lily?) Nia commented, her tentacles curling warmly around Lily’s body.

“You remembered…” Lily said with a faint smile, taking a little more time to enjoy the view.

(I’d never forget something Lily said she liked.) Nia responded with a confident laugh, as though puffing out her modest chest—even if she wasn’t in her human form.

Feeling her cheeks heat up again, Lily placed both hands over her heart. Having someone who genuinely cared for her filled her with such joy that words often failed her.

After savoring the gentle pulse of her wife’s heart for a moment, Lily finally turned and stepped through the open balcony door.

Though she didn’t have many points of comparison beyond inns and Selene’s mansion, there was no doubt in her mind that this place was luxurious.

Ornate wooden bookshelves, lavish sofas and chairs meticulously arranged, and ivory walls with golden accents. Delicate incense burned softly in golden holders, filling the air with a pleasant mix of floral and herbal aromas. They were just furnishings, but to Lily, it felt like stepping into another world entirely.

“Thank you so much for accepting my selfish request to meet me.”

The lyrical voice stopped Lily in her tracks.

Her eyes scanned the room and quickly settled on the only place the voice could’ve come from.

Centered on the far wall, a luxurious canopy bed stood with three of its four sides shrouded by soft curtains. A faint silhouette could be seen behind the fabric.

“You’re the Sage?” Lily asked, taking a few more steps forward, trying to discern the figure behind the curtains. Even when she tried to sense magic, not the faintest hint of mana escaped the silhouette.

Finally reaching the uncovered side of the bed, Lily’s eyes widened as she got her first clear look at the figure before her.

She wore a delicate, airy dress with floral inspiration. The top, made of two white bands crossing over her breasts in an “X” shape, left her shoulders bare and created a neckline so deep it seemed almost magical that her rosy areolas remained covered. At the center of her abdomen, just above her exposed navel, sat a pale pink flower adorned with golden details, serving as a decorative brooch that held the design together.

The short, flowing white skirt seemed to be made from a comfortable and delicate fabric, lending her the elegant and airy touch of a noble young lady.

Golden hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of light, so long it spread out across the bed. Her green eyes resembled emeralds, but her pupils were shaped like crescent moons.

Her entire presence radiated sensuality, even in her smallest, most casual movements.

Though Lily clearly felt nothing for the woman, she had to admit—even to herself—that she was beautiful. Having known stunning beings like Nia, Lily could confidently say that the girl before her would be considered a rare beauty among her people.

(Lily, she’s wearing mana suppressors on both arms.)

Hearing her wife’s voice, Lily’s eyes dropped to the girl’s wrists. Golden bands traced leafy patterns along her arms, and small wooden rings with glowing carvings were secured around her wrists.

(Is she some kind of prisoner?) Nia asked, but the answer came almost immediately.

“Don’t worry, miss. These are just part of my treatment. I’m not being held prisoner by the palace.”

As the gentle voice finished speaking, both Lily and Nia froze.

“So your name is Lily. It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss,” the girl added, her lips curving into a faint smile.

Proper greetings or the presence of bindings no longer felt like the priority. Placing a hand protectively over her heart, Lily took a step back.

“Wait, you can—!?”

“Hear her? Yes, perfectly.”

The immediate answer made Lily’s eyes widen in shock.

Up until now, only the guardian Nox had been able to hear Nia’s voice as it resonated within Lily’s mind.

At that very moment, as Lily stepped back, all of Nia’s tentacles extended protectively around her, assuming an aggressive stance.

(Should I attack her?)

Nia couldn’t understand how the woman in front of them was hearing her, but sensing her wife’s anxiety, she was fully ready to strike.

“I’m sorry! I don’t talk to new people very often and always mess up what’s considered normal…” the woman said quickly, waving both hands in front of her face as she looked at the purple tentacles. “Zaylin must’ve told you about how elves can hear the voices of fairies, right?”

Raising a hand to the side of her head, the girl pointed to her ears. “High Elves are a variant of the elven race. Our innate ability allows us to hear the voice of all things—including the one residing within you, Lady Lily.”

Watching the girl panic, seemingly desperate to clear up a misunderstanding, the tension in Lily’s expression began to soften. She didn’t seem to be lying.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Lily said firmly.

She stepped closer to the edge of the bed, gesturing for the tentacles to pull back—but remain alert.

The elf let out a long sigh, as though she’d narrowly avoided disaster, and adjusted her posture atop the bed.

“Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am known to my people as the Sage. Princess of Lampides, and the one who foresaw the tragedies that would befall this world—Lophantera Thelira Phaea.”

As she spoke with conviction, her golden hair shifted gently across the bed. Even though she was simply lying there in a bedroom, not even standing, Lily felt the same overwhelming presence she’d experienced while speaking to Abelia.

“Your Highness Lophantera…” Lily began, uncertain if she was addressing her correctly. “Zaylin told me your life is in danger—and that’s why you asked me to come to the city.”

“Please, just call me Thelira. I’m in no position to demand respect after bringing you into the city in such a dishonorable way.”

Waving a hand to dismiss any formalities, Thelira shifted slightly on the bed to move a little closer.

“If it’s not too forward to ask something before answering your questions… may I know the name of the existence within you?”

Her emerald eyes blinked several times, filled with the innocent curiosity of a child.

One of Nia’s tentacles approached Lily’s face, brushing against her gently as if asking for guidance. Nodding in approval, Lily stroked the tentacle to signal that it was okay.

(I’m Gardenia, Lily’s wife.) Nia spoke softly.

“Lady Lily and Lady Gardenia, then? What an honor to meet you both!” Lifting the side of her white skirt, Thelira gave a polite, shallow bow. “Now, to begin answering your doubts… I believe a demonstration will explain things best.”

With a simple motion, Thelira removed the wooden restraints and placed them beside her. Then, she adjusted her posture and lay still.

Neither Lily nor Nia understood what she intended to show at first. But only seconds after removing the restraints, the elf shut her eyes and clenched her teeth in pain.

“What’s happening?” Lily asked, trying to grasp what was unfolding.

As the elf hugged herself and curled up, trembling with discomfort, one of Nia’s gelatinous tentacles reached out and gently touched her head.

(Is something like this even possible?) Nia’s voice sounded shaken, as though witnessing something that defied reason.

Realizing that the girl had understood what she wanted to convey, Thelira reached back for the restraints, fastening them once more around her wrists—cold sweat now dripping down her body.

“Did you understand what’s going on?” Lily asked, watching the tentacle return to her.

For the first time in a long while, it seemed even Nia struggled to find the right words. After a moment of contemplation, the metamorph finally spoke: (Her mana is killing her.)

At those words, Lily couldn’t hide her shock. “Her mana? But… how is that possible?”

Nia didn’t answer right away. She needed a few more seconds to gather her thoughts.

(Just like enchanted weapons respond only to a single mana signature, a person’s body and their mana have a similar bond. In its raw form—before it becomes a spell—a person’s mana will never harm the body it belongs to. That’s why we can surround ourselves with as much of our own mana as we like, and remain unharmed.)

Turning her tentacle toward the High Elf, still breathing heavily, Nia seemed to wrestle with an unsettling mix of emotions.

(Her mana isn’t bound to her body. Though it surrounds and protects her, it doesn’t recognize her. Because it lacks the bond, she feels the full weight of her own mana pressing against her—attacking her like a foreign threat.)

With that, Lily immediately understood why Nia was so disturbed.

Unlike other living beings whose mana isn't the pillar of their existence, Nia had been born from a dense concentration of dark mana.

To witness someone being slowly killed by their own essence—it wasn’t unlike seeing a human being poisoned by the very air they breathed.

“I-I hoped you’d be able to sense something… but I didn’t expect you to grasp the full picture in a single glance,” Thelira said, coughing lightly, though her voice carried a touch of admiration. “Lady Gardenia is absolutely right. My mana… is what’s killing me.”

Tightening the restraints on her wrists, Thelira took a few more deep breaths and ran her fingers through her now-messy golden hair, trying to compose herself.

“With the mana-inhibiting shackles, I can keep the condition in remission. But… it’s not perfect. Whether I drain all my mana or block it from leaving the reservoir with the shackles, one way or another, the burden remains,” Thelira said with difficulty.

“You only have a week to live?” Lily asked, recalling the conversation from the night before.

“So Zaylin told you that as well. Knowing her, she also mentioned how I knew exactly where you’d be in the forest, didn’t she?”

At the sage’s words, Lily’s eyes narrowed.

Something didn’t add up. How could the High Elf know where they’d be… and yet not know their names?

“It seems that if I’m not completely honest, I’ll never earn your trust,” Thelira said, straightening her back and meeting Lily’s gaze with surprising intensity. Her crescent moon-shaped pupils shimmered with golden light. “Would you believe me if I said… I can see the future?”

The golden aura radiating from her eyes immediately drew both girls’ attention.

“Among High Elves, a few are born with the innate ability of precognition. With mine, I see glimpses of the future—flashes of images. And in one of those visions… I saw the two of you entering one of the forest trees and well… engaging in moderately stimulating activities.” The golden glow in her eyes faded away.

“W-Wait, wait—you mean you saw—!?” Lily stammered, her face now as red as a beet.

“N-No need to worry! I can’t hear anything—only see images. And since it was dark, I only saw silhouettes. That’s how I was able to recognize your appearances, but not your names. For example, Lady Gardenia is the young woman with the purple hair, right?”

Though she was describing how she’d witnessed them making love, Thelira’s expression remained mostly calm.

Even without solid proof, Lily knew Nia had never revealed herself to anyone within the forest. Unless Thelira had physically been there, there was no way she could have known such a thing.

(You tried to lay eyes on my wife.) All of Nia’s tentacles returned to a threatening posture, her voice low and growling.

“I-I’m sorry! That was never my intention! I can’t precisely control what I see…”

Her panicked voice made it clear—this wasn’t the first time she had accidentally witnessed an intimate moment.

“It’s fine. Let’s say I believe you… you found us, and asked Zaylin to bring us to you. But why?” Lily’s face still burned, and she gently stroked Nia’s tentacles to calm her anger.

Clearing her throat with a few soft coughs, Thelira once again adjusted her posture.

“My vision only reaches the future of places I’m near. The farther I try to see, the weaker and more random the images become. After thousands of attempts, I finally saw a location that contained an ingredient that might be used to prepare a cure.”

Lily didn’t need to ask. She put the pieces together instantly.

“The Labyrinth…”

If the power to see the future truly existed, then it wasn’t hard to imagine how nationally important it must be. And if this place held something that could save her, it was no wonder only elite elves knew of its existence.

“I found the Labyrinth’s location months ago using my precognition,” Thelira continued. “But even after sending exceptionally capable elven mages on numerous expeditions, we’ve failed to conquer it.”

She raised her hand gently and pointed a slender finger at Lily.

“But I saw you two conquering it.”

There was no resignation in Thelira’s eyes—only fierce determination. The look of someone who had found one last thread of hope to cling to.

“At the rate my condition is progressing, I don’t believe I even have a week left. I don’t seek any of the other artifacts or treasures within the Labyrinth—if I can obtain just that one ingredient, I give you my word: everything else inside will be yours.”

Bowing her head toward them, the elven princess clenched her fists tightly.

As Lily looked down at the noblewoman pleading before her, a storm of conflicting emotions stirred in her chest.

(What should we do, Lily?) Nia’s voice made it clear—she would follow whatever her wife decided.

Now that she had more information about the situation, Lily could finally understand how everything had reached this point.

Even if some things still left her with doubts, whether she was going to the Labyrinth because of the sage or not, having the backing of a royal family member didn’t seem like a problem.

“Alright. I’ll do it—I’ll get that ingredient for you.”

The moment those words left her lips, Thelira raised her head, a surprised look flashing across her face.

“I truly thank you for that.”

Seeing the elf’s expression of gratitude, Lily was just about to ask her to tell them where the Labyrinth was so they could leave immediately, but Thelira’s expression turned serious.

“Before we go any further, there’s something I need to explain,” Thelira said, her voice carrying a grave weight. “Just like we can reshape the mouth of a river by guiding its current, the path the world takes depends on the choices we make now. That’s how the sage of each generation prevents the tragedies that threaten our people.”

“What are you trying to say?” Lily asked.

“The fact that you’re here now… and that you’ll conquer the Labyrinth… did it happen because I interfered and accelerated things? Or would it have happened even if I hadn’t done anything?” Noticing Lily’s deepening confusion, Thelira pointed at herself. “The futures I see are not absolute. Because my power is limited, I don’t know all the exact details that lead to an ideal outcome—or what the correct path truly is. That’s why I need to at least ensure the few elements I have seen are present.”

Lily began to piece together what the sage was trying to say.

After a few seconds of reflection, the realization hit her.

“Wait… you mean something’s missing?”

When she turned her attention back to the elf, she found Thelira staring at her intently.

“Lady Lily, Lady Gardenia, the next few minutes will be a bit hectic, but please—I ask that you remain calm. I’ll take care of it.”

“What do you mean?” Lily tilted her head.

Slowly, a strange buzzing sound reached Lily’s ears.

It started faint—easy to dismiss—but within seconds it grew in intensity, becoming impossible to ignore.

“You may not have realized it,” Thelira said gently, “but the fairies seem to like you very much, Lady Lily.”

Glancing around the room in search of the sound’s source, Lily noticed it was coming from the balcony.

“Zaylin and her fairy delayed the news that a human had been captured from reaching the ears of the nobles. Even though your arrest caught me off guard, I was able to prevent the fairies stationed at the barracks from raising a fuss over your presence—but I didn’t have time to do the same with the palace fairies.”

All at once, hundreds of colorful orbs rushed through the balcony window, swarming toward the silver-haired girl.

“W-What the—!?” Lily cried out, waving her arms in desperation to ward off the sparkling orbs.

Like a radiant rainbow had exploded in the middle of the luxurious room, the fairies twirled and danced playfully around her.

Though they were harmless, the experience was far from pleasant. Lily was already bracing herself to calm Nia in case her wife became agitated—

—but for some reason, Nia wasn’t reacting to the fairies at all. Her attention was focused elsewhere.

With a smooth motion, a purple-haired girl materialized in the air and reached for one of the stardust blades fastened to Lily’s waist.

“…Nia?”

The metamorph stepped in front of her wife, her black dress rippling as she faced the room’s door.

“It’s coming,” Nia said, the dark mana veil around both of them intensifying.

At first, Lily didn’t understand—but she didn’t need long to remember something important she had forgotten until now.

With such chaos erupting in the palace, it was inevitable that person would appear.

"Thelira!" a powerful voice echoed through the halls.

With a single impact, the double doors of the chamber burst open.

Her outfit was dominated by green. White armor covered her arms and legs. A tight-fitting corset, embroidered with golden patterns of leaves and vines, hugged her already defined waist and accentuated her chest. A massive amber axe was gripped in both hands.

Golden hair, tied into a high ponytail, flowed down her back. A flowing green cape matched her emerald eyes. A golden crown encrusted with precious gems completed her immaculate look—one that embodied both the grace of royalty and a burning desire for justice.

Bestowed with the title of a Five-Star Mage, she carried a legacy etched in history.

Among the warriors who once descended into the depths of the world to fight a mortal battle against the Demon King, she was one of the five who emerged victorious.

"Who are you?! What are you doing with my sister?!"

The entire floor of the palace trembled with the impact that followed her words. An explosive shockwave powerful enough to shatter every window thundered through the room.

At the center of the destruction, violet and blue sparks clashed violently. A blade of stardust held firm against the amber axe—each strike of the impasse creating thousands of crackling bursts, so rapid they blended into one continuous roar.

When her attack was blocked, one of the woman's eyebrows arched. With a subtle curl of her lips, Nia tightened her grip on the sword even further.

"Just a wife protecting her beloved... Hero."