"Make way, make way, the time to be one is nigh!
Make haste, make haste, King Daneel awaits us all!
From valleys we come
From villages we hail
From towns we march forth
From cities we set foot…
On the path to be one!
From Lanthanor come the brave…"
After giving her impassionate speech, Xuan had been left exhausted.
She had sat down among the clouds and begun to meditate in order to stabilize the breakthrough that she had just achieved once again.
As power was now her priority, she had chosen to spend a bit more time than needed in order to completely understand her own body, and everything that she had at her disposal, right now.
After finishing her sudden bout of meditation, she woke up to find Eloise with a display trinket in front of her.
On it, a large group of people could be seen singing a catchy tune to the music of drums and trumpets while marching from settlement to settlement in some part of the continent.
When she woke up, Eloise had been happily singing along with a smile. The lyrics were all about Angaria, and it was definitely a song that Xuan had not heard before- it extolled the virtues of all Angarians, no matter from where they come, and there were repeated mentions of 'becoming one'.
That last part didn't surprise Xuan as she had been present in the meeting before, but how could a song be ready so quickly?
"Ah ahem."
It seemed that Eloise had become completely engrossed in the activity along with the crowd, as she hadn't been able to sense that Xuan had moved.
Hence, she made a sound, following which the uncrowned Queen of Lanthanor jumped and turned around while blushing.
"How is the song ready already?". She asked, intending to give her friend a route of the embarrassment.
Catching ahold of the lifeline, Eloise smiled and pretended as if she hadn't been caught in the act of acting like a 12-year old.
"You're new to being around Daneel, aren't you? He needed only a minute. Maybe he had been thinking about it before, too? I have no idea…he did say that the song had been made using ancient laws of music which makes it so catchy that it'll stick in anyone's mind even if they don't want it to. I think he's right…"
As Eloise's voice trailed off, Xuan found, to her shock, that the song had indeed gotten stuck in her mind, too.
"Make way, make way…"
As she inadvertently began to him the tune, Eloise burst out laughing and said, "Yes, he was right! Heaven knows where he learned about those laws…anyway, it's time we set off. You said that you had a plan. A Peak Warrior and an Eminent Champion set off to kill one of the strongest Heroes in the continent…it sounds like the beginning a joke. Unless…you have a method to even the odds."
Seeing Eloise bring up the purpose of their arrival above the Goddess's Sanctum Sect, Xuan looked down again.
A difficult expression came on her face, and it seemed like she was struggling with a decision.
After a few moments, she looked like she was still undecided, but seeing that Eloise was still waiting, she chose to give a reply, first.
"I do have a method, but I'm trying to decide whether it's the best option. Either way, we have some time, as I'm waiting for my mo-…I mean, the leader of the Goddess's Sanctum to return from her daily training trip over the Endless Sea. I had a question before, by the way. Tell me the reason behind the expression on your face when I called myself 'Goddess Xuan'."
When Eloise heard the last part, her lips compressed into a thin line, as she hadn't thought that her thoughts had spilled over onto her face.
Seeing this, Xuan smiled and said, "Eloise, I owe you a lot. We were close before my…'absence', yes, let's call it that. I know that you can tell that I've changed…but I still remember all that time you spent with me when I was healing. I still remember all the things you talked- about how you didn't know how to tell me that both of us had finally gotten a place in the King's heart, about how you were thankful that I was the reason behind him accepting his feelings, and about how I was the best sister you could wish her, if I was ready to accept you as the same."
Seeing Eloise gasp, Xuan knew that it was because of all of her innermost thoughts being said out loud by someone other than herself.
Such was the peculiarity with pouring out one's personal thoughts to those that they had to be told to, but in a situation where it was in doubt whether they were listening. The one doing so would feel their heart becoming lighter, but later, panic would still make its way to their mind.
Normal people would have stammered or lost their composure, but this was Eloise, who had been through so much in such a short time. All she needed was a second, and after that, she took in a deep breath and spoke.
"Yes, Xuan. Way back when we lectured him, itself, I had the small inkling that things might turn out this way. However, then, I was just too focused on him at least changing so that everything I felt would not go unanswered. Now that the time is upon us, I will be the first to say that I have no problem with how it is right now. We know the kind of man he is- he would never speak something about the arrangement, out loud, but we should be clear on it. Daneel is…like a bottomless ocean in which you wish to spend your life, exploring layer after layer, even if it means that you might drown and never find a way out. If anyone else had the same capabilities, I daresay that they would have formed a large harem by now. Instead, somehow, our King was raised in a normal family, where his mother taught him about the importance of loving someone to the fullest. He became someone who gives value to finding out and spending time with an individual before deciding what he feels about them, and in our case, both of us have succeeded in having our feelings reciprocated. Look how I'm blabbering…my point is this: there is no one else…"
Suddenly, interrupting Eloise, Xuan rushed forward and swept her up in a hug.
This startled Eloise, but as Xuan stepped back, that shock turned into pure happiness.
"…no one else whom you would rather call 'sister'. I know, and I feel the same. Why do you think I asked that you come along? Well, I do need some help, but others could have sufficed, too…I asked for you because I wanted us to talk."
A radiant smile was present on Eloise's smile as she heard this, and it became apparent that she was glad that there was no trouble.
In fact, Xuan could clearly tell the thoughts going on inside her head.
It was only after this much effort and time that they had finally managed to bring a change in the King. Now, if there was even a sign of trouble, wouldn't he bolt?
True, his personality would not allow that, but still, he would definitely be adversely affected, and that was something that they really didn't need at this time.
Xuan nodded on seeing Eloise's happiness, and ordinarily, if her life wasn't in shambles at the moment, she would have shown the same joy, too.
Alas, all the moments she had spent while thinking that she was genuinely being loved kept flashing in her mind, and all she could manage was a smile.
Turning around, she looked down to see that the landscape they were on had changed.
The evening was quickly approaching, and at some point during their conversation, the crack in the ground within which the Goddess's Sanctum Sect was present had lit up with the glow of candles.
Noticing this, Xuan quickly said, "It's time! Stay close."
Hearing the urgency in her voice, Eloise hurried to her side, and a moment later, both of them vanished.
The two women appeared again in what looked like an abandoned room.
It was a lavish one, with a large hall, three bedrooms, and even an outdoor bath, but at the moment, it was covered with dust.
There were formations that were automatically supposed to keep the place tidy, but it seemed that they hadn't had their Energy resources refilled in months.
A nostalgic feeling hit Xuan as she saw the quarters that she had used to stay in before her isolated training, and the prophecy that had changed everything.
Although it had been only a few months ago, it felt as if a lifetime had passed since she had last been here.
Seeing Eloise looking around with curiosity, she said, "This is where I grew up. I needed to use the moment when the defenses of the Sect are down to allow in the head so that I could sneak us in here. As for why I can do so…it is because we are the only two 'Goddesses' in the sect, at the moment, and it is easier to create a rule that those with this Path are allowed. First, back to my question: what was the meaning behind your expression?"
This made Eloise glance in direction, but this time, the answer did come to light.
"I just…didn't know what 'Goddess' meant. You already know that Daneel chose the term 'Godking', but that was because the plan is going for relates to the act of 'worshipping to God'. In your case, I know that that is what your sect is called, and I also saw him call you the same, but that seemed more like a nickname. So…yes. Names are powerful things…and I was just curious regarding whether it is fully applicable in this case. I had no intention of being rude, or…"
"Are you saying that I don't deserve the name? Are you calling me a deluded, arrogant fool for calling myself so?"
Eloise's face went blank as she heard this…but it was only until a moment later, when Xuan broke out into a smile.
"I'm just joking. 'Goddess' is the name of a Path, Eloise. It is the supreme Path of our sect. I wish I could tell you more, but the oaths I have taken forbid it. However, I get where you are coming from, and I feel the same- compared to the name that he has earned, mine means nothing. I believe that it is important to accept weakness, when it is present, if one really wishes to reach the true peak. From here on, until I deserve it, too, I shall not use it unless I am referring to my Path, Now- onto the plan. You've helped me make my decision."
Eloise felt no small relief as she heard this, and as she heard Xuan's last sentence, her ears perked up.
"Oh, then tell me! If it involves planning, I'll help. I'm proud to say that I've learned quite a lot from Daneel in that aspect."
The response Xuan gave…made Xuan stare with wide-open eyes.
"Planning is what Daneel and you do. I just like busting in the door and setting things on fire. Let's go- that's exactly what we'll be doing."