August 2025

  ***

  Ayame sat in her living room, watching TV. Right after Janus scooped her up from the wedding, he hurried to her apartment and put her down on her couch, where she was supposed to wait for Seika to kidnap her and add her to her own household, as per Deogemma tradition.

  Of course, in Ayame’s home there were no supernatural forces at work, so she was convinced that this kidnapping would be a little more boring than the one that awaited Seika in Juno’s mansion, where they took Miori.

  She idly flipped through the channels, stopping on a game show. The contestants sat on a stacked wall of boxes, dyed in their colors and picked random events from a large board with turning panels. All of the panels were flipped around so that the contestants couldn’t see what was on them, and they picked them by giving their coordinates. Right now, one contestant picked B4, and as it was flipped around it showed the words ‘Wings of paper’. The contestant was lucky, as it meant that a gaggle of kids was led into the room and tossed paper planes at the wall of boxes, which bravely withstood that savage attack.

  Mindless entertainment, of course, but she couldn’t help but wonder whether Seika’s path to abducting her was that simple, after all. And then the channel suddenly changed, allowing her to see Seika entering Janus’ white void, right there, on her TV screen…

  ???

  ***

  Seika entered the white space of many doors through the one that Janus created at the wedding and had a look around. The door vanished behind her, leaving her alone in the white nothingness.

  “Welcome, niece!” she heard his voice, and he appeared out of the white fog filling the place, walking up to her. Both of his faces showed a rather self-satisfied grin. Seika raised an eyebrow, meeting his expression with a smirk of her own.

  “Judging by that grin on both your faces, getting to my bride on Earth won’t be as straightforward as I might hope, hm?”

  “Quite so. Fear not, this is not an impossible or dangerous task. After all, these traditions just exist so that everyone can have a little fun during the wedding.”

  Seika nodded.

  “What are my trials, then?”

  Janus smirked again and gestured into the void, where a door appeared. This one looked like it belonged to a school building in Tokyo: the typical roof access door. In fact, Seika remembered this particular one. There was a dent close to the hinges, and a scratch on the handle, in the exact pattern that was on her old school’s rooftop door.

  “A little bit of reminiscence. And the temptation of an easier, sweeter path to the future. I am curious to see what you will do with this opportunity.”

  ***

  October 2008

  ***

  Seika opened the door to the roof, as she had done dozens of times up to this point. Today, however, it was simply out of habit, rather than duty. No incursions have happened this entire week, so she wanted to relax, maybe even make up some new moves she could employ the next time she was out and about.

  She walked up to the rooftop’s chain link fence and looked at the city beyond, taking in the sights while she clutched the little crimson crystal in her pocket in her hand.

  It had only been a few short months since she was abducted by the Shadow and made to create more Shadows from her life force; it was a humiliating, terrifying experience, and since that day she resolved that she wouldn’t leave anyone else to suffer this fate. She would be their hero, just like the purple wizard was hers.

  “Not going out today, miss Magical Girl?” she heard someone talk to her from behind.

  Seika immediately wheeled around to face whoever said person was, throwing up her hands like she was going to take them down with martial arts. Though, in truth, she was simply panicking.

  The person she saw there, right behind her, was a student like herself. One of her classmates, in fact, though Seika never really talked to her before. Ever since the Kawaguchi Incident and the way her former friends treated her, she kept to herself.

  She was called Ayame Takanashi. A bit of an outsider, just like Seika, though in a vastly different way. She wore loose socks, and her uniform was worn in an intentionally sloppy style, with a loose tie and a blazer that was a few sizes too large, so she could hide her hands in the sleeves without effort. She had her brown hair cut short and wore a mischievous smile, and right now, she lifted her arms to imitate Seika’s strange combat stance.

  “Woah! Are you going to attack me? I, too, carry darkness in my heart, but not so much that I’m a monster, you know!”

  Seika raised a brow; while this girl wore kogal fashion, she talked more like an otaku.

  “…who are you? What do you want…? I’ll… I’ll make you forget! With magic! You hear? So, you better don’t talk about me to anyone!” Seika stammered.

  “We don’t have that ability.”

  Shut up!

  “Hmm, really? But the memories of you transforming and flying away are some of my few good memories, miss Magical Girl. It would be a shame if I forgot!” Ayame declared and stepped closer, leaning in until her face almost touched Seika’s and smiling at her innocently. Seika was utterly disarmed.

  “Don’t worry, Seika. Your secret is safe with me. I mean it. I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a long time, now…”

  Seika blinked again, smiling awkwardly her way.

  “Oh? What for?”

  “I think we two would make a good pair. The recluse and the outsider. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we shared a crazy secret that elevates us above the others?”

  Seika stood there, frozen, but then this strange girl, Ayame, held out her hand.

  “Let’s be friends!”

  Seika stared at it for a while. She was reluctant at first, but then, she grabbed it firmly, shaking it.

  ***

  February 2010

  ***

  The two girls became inseparable in short time. They would often use Seika’s powers for harmless mischief, when Seika wasn’t busy with her duties, anyway. They used the power of flight to fly up tall buildings and use the rooftops as hangout spots, or Ayame threw empty beverage cans into the air to let Minerva shoot them with magic projectiles. They also did more mundane activities as friends, like visiting each other’s houses. Seika lived out in Kawaguchi, which would usually be a dealbreaker for this, but since Ayame knew about her secret, she simply strong-armed her into flying her over. On the other hand, Ayame’s grandmother lived in the middle of Tokyo, and the two of them often hung out in Ayame’s room.

  Today was a day during which Ayame accompanied Seika to one of her outings. She stood on the service catwalk of a nearby large billboard, throwing air punches and cheering for her friend as Minerva was busy fighting one of her minor foes: the mischievous little lizard creatures with alligator faces.

  Green bolts of energy were flung through the streets and Minerva had to narrowly dodge some of them, all while they caused beautiful greenery and flowers to sprout everywhere.

  “Come on, Minerva! You can do it!”

  “I know! I’m trying!” Minerva replied, and immediately she was hit in the face by a bolt of green energy; the foliage sprouting from it found no soil to latch onto, but for a second, Minerva was still blinded by all the greenery growing on her face, nonetheless.

  Shrieking laughter followed as the two lizard creatures mocked the Magical Girl for her lapse in judgment. She tore the plants off her face and stormed towards the first lizard in her way, punting it away from her until it hit a nearby wall and slid back down, knocked out cold.

  Wait, there were two of them… where did they…?

  Minerva heard a shout; Ayame was walking backwards, away from another lizard creature. She stumbled and fell as the creature came closer.

  Minerva didn’t hesitate. She rushed towards Ayame, summoning her cane sword to her side; she liked the lizard creatures, usually, but if they were really going to hurt Ayame, she wouldn’t hesitate to…

  Minerva stopped as the lizard let out a squeaking sound that sounded like it was saying ‘boo’, then it pointed at Ayame and laughed at her. Minerva and Ayame were both too stunned to react, so it was up to the creature to turn its head and notice the Magical Girl who stood on the catwalk’s railing, staring daggers at it.

  The next squeak sounded suspiciously like an ‘uh-oh!’, and the one after that like an ’ouch’, before the two reptilian troublemakers were sent back home through a portal of their own making.

  ***

  “Seriously, you should watch me from further away,” Seika complained with a sigh, and Ayame only responded with a wide grin.

  “Oh, come on, if I go any further away, I won’t even get to see all the sparkles and the flutters of your skirt! Making me go away is way too cruel!”

  “Ugh, whatever. Not all my enemies are harmless like the lizards, okay? I really don’t want you to get hurt,” Seika kept complaining, and Ayame winked at her.

  “Aw. You care about me that much?”

  “Of course I do. You’re my only friend, after all.”

  There was something odd in Ayame’s facial expression after hearing those words, but it was gone in a flash.

  “Anyway, I can go home from here myself, Seika. See you tomorrow at school?”

  “Huh? I usually walk you to the front door.”

  “Well, yeah, but today is…”

  “…what is it?”

  “I kinda… started dating Aoki. And I think he’s gonna come by my place today.”

  Seika gave her friend an incredulous stare.

  “You think? It’s not certain he’ll come by?”

  “Well I told him I’ll go on a date with him if he picks me up by my house… and uh…” Ayame looked around the final corner they would have to take before reaching her house.

  “…yeah, he’s waiting there. Please don’t take it personally, Seika, but it would be kind of… awkward if you were there with me?” Ayame folded her hands together and looked at Seika with an apologetic expression, and Seika raised her brow. Sure, she was a little annoyed, but she couldn’t ever say no to her friend when she looked at her so earnestly.

  “…so you’re gonna get another boyfriend, huh? Will we still have time to hang out?”

  “Pff, it’s not going to be that serious, Seika!” Ayame said with a grin, and Seika raised an eyebrow in utter confusion.

  “You know what I’m like. I just want to have some fun dating someone, even if it doesn’t last. And maybe we’ll even have a little bit of…”

  She formed a ring with her thumb and index finger and quickly moved her other index finger back and forth inside said ring.

  “Ugh, you’re so gross, Ayame!” Seika shouted and turned around, while Ayame simply laughed.

  “You’re the only one I’ll ever spend all my time with! This is just some fun.”

  “Sure, sure,” Seika grumbled and walked off, giving Ayame a little wave in goodbye.

  She didn’t know yet what Ayame meant with her words, and even less why she felt such a strange tug in her chest while imagining Ayame with someone else.

  ***

  March 2010

  ***

  It was Seika’s birthday, and the two best friends celebrated it on the roof of a luxury residential building that they were most certainly not allowed on, but the two troublemakers didn’t care. Ayame handed her a little cake and congratulated her on her sixteenth birthday, while making some raunchy comments about how she was slowly becoming a woman. Seika brushed it off, and the two got to talk about their dreams for the future. Ayame mentioned how she was going to try and get into fashion design, inspired by Minerva Crimson’s cute outfit, and, of course, she steered the conversation right back to romance, asking about whether Seika had her eyes on someone.

  Seika’s mind went back to that strange heartache she felt when Ayame left her to go on a date with Aoki, and that night, after trying to figure herself out, she found out that she was developing crushes on other girls. Not innocent little girl-crushes that turn out to be childlike admiration, but fully-fledged romantic and sexual attractions.

  One of these crushes was Ayame, but as Seika wanted to tell her that to her face, she hesitated.

  What if she’s not into girls? She’s only ever been with guys…

  She went with one of their classmates instead, who she found somewhat attractive. To test Ayame’s reaction.

  “Nakamura.”

  The reaction on Ayame’s face was genuine surprise.

  “Eh? You mean Mika?” Ayame asked while leaning closer. “The girl?!”

  Seika felt a wave of discomfort wash over her.

  What if Ayame hates me now? She never seemed to be the type to judge others based on this, but what if…?

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “What? You got a problem with that? I’m into both boys and girls, apparently. But I think I prefer girls a little more,” Seika asked, maybe a little more confrontational than she intended. Ayame’s reaction, however, brought immediate relief for Seika’s racing mind.

  “Oh no! No, that’s wonderful, Seika! I wouldn’t ever hold that against you! I’m thrilled actually!”

  Ayame quickly reassured her, looking like she was panicking. She squirmed around in place as if she tried to think of something to say, then she suddenly looked rather determined as she said her next words.

  “Haha, hey, Seika, since you got a girl in mind and I am looking for my next boyfriend, maybe we can practice kissing with each other? You know, so we don’t embarrass ourselves when it happens for real?”

  At this moment, Seika became lucid. She realized that she had experienced all of this before, and she stood at a crossroads.

  She could act embarrassed and ask Ayame what she was doing, causing her to retract her offer in a panic. Or… she could indulge. She could say yes and lead this fateful moment to a vastly different outcome. The question was… did she want that?

  No. This is not who I was back then. And if I become someone entirely different at that moment, then things would never happen the way they did. I wouldn’t have reciprocated Miori’s feelings. Ayame wouldn’t have grown close to Miori.

  We wouldn’t have found together like this after defeating Lethe, if we had ever defeated that monster in the first place.

  Seika reached out and caressed Ayame’s face, then she looked into the distance. She was sure that Janus was watching somewhere.

  “My experiences shaped who I am, and what Ayame means to me today. I have no desire to change any of that.”

  “A wise choice,” The giant’s voice echoed through the memory, and the vision faded. Instead of the ledge of a tall building, Seika sat on the couch in Ayame’s apartment, with her hand on Ayame’s cheek still.

  “Well… I still wouldn’t have minded if you went and kissed me for practice just now,” her fiancée teased and Seika rolled her eyes, leaning in to give Ayame what she wanted.

  “Don’t ruin this moment of self-reflection with your lust for me, you dummy,” Seika whispered teasingly and Ayame giggled. Seika reached for her belt, where two lengths of rope hung and she grabbed one of them.

  “Now, time to abduct the lady and bring her back,” she said with a wink.

  “Oh my. Maybe I can be convinced to let you use this later,” Ayame said with a little giggle, letting Seika tie her wrists together.

  Age of Bronze, Year 322

  ***

  Seika grinned as she carried the tied-up Ayame through the dimensional door and put her down in the monopteron. The two shared a quick kiss before Seika turned towards Jove and Juno. The former addressed them.

  “Very good. Also, do not be afraid: Miori hasn’t been bored. She kept a watchful eye on your efforts to reach Ayame, and now she eagerly awaits your arrival as well.”

  Seika nodded at Jove’s words, then she looked towards the feast table; most of their guests were still here, engaged in conversation and enjoying the rest of the food and drink. As they noticed that Seika had brought Ayame back, they applauded her. She saw Momo give her a thumbs-up with a wide grin before she went right back to harassing Mana’s cat ears. The poor witch had been pulled on Momo’s lap at this point and no choice but to let the idol pamper her.

  “To the next step: Miori is being held in Juno’s temple in Capitolium,” Jove announced, pointing towards the gigantic temple structure on the horizon.

  “Go there, and abduct your bride. You can bring Ayame to your domicile on the way.”

  ***

  After dropping Ayame off in Minerva’s bedroom, Seika entered the city, where life surprisingly went on normally for the citizens of Capitolium, despite the recent uproar. Still, there were a few people who shot Seika suspicious glances as she passed them in the street.

  Scotus’ rumors did their damage. I wonder what’s going to happen to this place in the future.

  “Father will have to become a slightly stricter ruler if he wants to keep the peace, I’m afraid,” Minerva spoke in a saddened tone.

  “I’m sure he’ll find a way. He is the High King, after all,” Pallas added and Seika nodded to herself as she walked through the plaza, past the market stalls and the people of Capitolium.

  Juno’s palace came into view. It stood right next to Jove’s, sharing a wall between them. Seika was certain that the two buildings at least shared a bedroom or two for the married pair of rulers to enjoy some alone time.

  The entrance was marked by another stylized statue.

  This one portrayed the motherly woman in a chiton, wearing a goatskin cloak like a hood over her helmeted head. She held a spear raised, pointed downwards, with her lowered left arm holding a shield.

  She was beautiful, yet not as excessively as the other statues of Deogemma women Seika had seen during her visit.

  “She is humbler than you’d expect,” Seika commented, taking in the sight in front of her.

  “She’s a loving wife and mother first and foremost,” Minerva replied and Seika nodded. She mentally prepared herself to enter this temple and abduct Miori.

  ***

  Meanwhile, in Minerva’s temple…

  ***

  Medusa entered the bedroom, carrying a large, ornate bowl with her. From what she told Ayame earlier, it was a scrying pool, through which Ayame would get to observe Seika’s trial in Juno’s palace. She was curious what the kidnapping would entail there, as the only thing she knew was that the kidnapping existed to convince the ‘Lares’, whatever they may be, that Miori didn’t go willingly and left them behind. Medusa offered Ayame a smile before she worked on the scrying pool, casting a strange magic which changed the surface of the water and made it emit its own light. First it was a pure white, then it adjusted, and bit by bit Ayame could make out Seika as she entered Juno’s temple with an uncertain look on her face.

  “She doesn’t look too confident.”

  “She is not aware what exactly awaits her, so that’s only natural,” Medusa said with a smile, then she reassured Ayame by putting a hand on her shoulder.

  “Just like yours, this trial is nothing she can’t handle. It is all in good fun.”

  “Now I’m curious what exactly is going to happen, though…” Ayame mused, and at that moment, there was a knock at the door. Juno entered, accompanied by a woman Ayame hadn’t seen before. Her hair glowed in a vibrant grass-green color and billowed behind her as she stepped towards the bed, smiling as she looked Ayame in the eyes. Her dress was woven from hundreds of flowers, spreading a pleasant aroma, and as she stopped in front of Ayame, she plucked a dozen of them and went down on one knee to present them. They were much different from the rest, emitting a golden glow.

  “Mistress… Takanashi? It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance! My name is Flora, and I am an…”

  Her eyes darted to Juno, and the two exchanged a coy smile.

  “…a mistress of Juno’s. My congratulations on your wedding, and please accept this humble gift to mark the occasion!”

  ***

  Seika snuck around the hallway corners, letting her eyes dart from side to side. Mosaics and frescoes dominated these hallways, just as they did in Jove’s palace. Many of the images depicted her by the side of her husband, yet others with their family. She recognized Vulcan, and a young goddess was also depicted, with the parents putting their hands on their children’s shoulders. Another painting depicted Jove with Juno and, oddly enough, a cow. Seika thought that this scene rang a bell in her mind, but she wasn’t here to ponder the meaning of the local history. Another cautious glance over her shoulder told her that she was alone, save for the human-sized statues depicting random people, the so-called Lares.

  “Just keep napping, guys. I’m a friend, see?” she whispered to herself as she snuck past the statues. The answer was the sound of grinding stone, and as Seika looked to the side, she made direct eye contact with a statue that turned its head to face her. Seika immediately jumped away from the staring Lares, taking a defensive stance, but nothing happened. The statue simply kept looking at her with its accusatory stare, and Seika felt like a fool.

  “You haven’t done anything wrong yet, so stop being jumpy!” Minerva chastised her from the back of her mind, and Seika grumbled to herself.

  “So once I do something wrong, I have to worry, yes?”

  “Well, you are here to kidnap the young daughter of the house and have your way with her in your bed…”

  “So, these Lares don’t know the concept of a consensual marriage?”

  “They do, but as Jove told you, their wailing when someone willingly leaves the household they watch over is one of the most annoying sounds in the world. Being betrayed by their charges appears to hurt them a thousand times more than failing in their duty to protect them.”

  Seika kept walking through the long hallways, passing through what appeared to be a large inner courtyard. A single Lares was placed on a small pillar at the center, and this one didn’t even pretend to be a statue. Its head followed Seika’s movements, always keeping its expressionless, grey stone eyes on her.

  “This one looks like it might be trouble…” Seika muttered under her breath and hurried past it. Its gaze kept following her, to the point where its head was turned entirely backwards.

  “She is likely in the children’s house in the garden,” Minerva spoke again and Seika nodded, following through the next hallway until she left it through two marble columns forming a gate.

  “I’ve been asking this in the past, and you never gave a straight answer, but how do you know so much, despite being born on Earth?”

  “I spent centuries watching the world through my father’s eyes before I emerged. And even without that, all Deogemma are born as adults with an amalgamation of parts of their parents’ knowledge.”

  “Not all of it?” Seika asked with some surprise.

  “Mostly what is linked to common knowledge. Private and… intimate memories are withheld. You probably wouldn’t want that daughter of yours to bear witness to her conception, hm?”

  “Ugh…” Seika clenched her eyes shut and turned a few shades redder.

  The garden in front of her was under the open sky, rather than Capitolium’s high ceiling. Marble columns marked the boundaries of the garden, and its center was dominated by a large artificial pond. Hedges and trees were neatly trimmed into man-made shapes; be they cones or cylinders and half a dozen more Lares statues stood vigil along the path. From here, Seika could see the ‘children’s house’ at the far end. It was a villa in its own right, two stories tall, with a marble-columned entryway which supported a large balcony from which someone could overlook the entire garden.

  And, incidentally, it was Miori who stood there, meeting Seika’s eyes with a smile.

  “Have you come to steal me away?” she asked in a teasing tone, and Seika couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Maybe I have! Will you resist?”

  That answer and counter-question caused a loud grinding noise from the statues in the garden as they all turned their heads, staring directly at Seika. Miori and her exchanged a short look and came to a quiet understanding.

  I guess we’ll have to put on a performance, as Nicola would put it.

  Miori grinned, then she turned around and ran into the villa. “No! Stay away from me, you villain!” she shouted, in the least convincing tone ever. Seika could hear more of those grinding noises, and when turning her head, she saw the statues running to attack her.

  They wielded the weapons they held as statues before: bows or spears, just the way they wielded weapons from the armory during the tournament. The familiarity of the sight filled Seika with a little bit more confidence.

  She summoned Pallas to her side as a spear and swung it to catch the first Lares at the hip, launching it to the side.

  “Just to be sure: Juno won’t mind if I break them?”

  “Juno can commission new statues for the Lares to reside in any time she wishes. It’s expected of you to fight your way through.”

  Seika nodded, and then she let loose. Arachne’s cloak appeared, wrapped around her shoulders and she summoned a snake companion, which first flopped a little anticlimactically on the ground before it grew ten sizes larger, turning its hiss into almost a roar. The remaining Lares stopped in their tracks, sizing up their opponent before they surrounded it with surprising readiness.

  Spears were thrust into the summoned animal companion’s flanks, and Seika jumped into the fray to assist, first chopping off a Lares’ head with a summoned blade of stone, then she knocked another over with the haft of her spear. She ended the encounter by pinning the statue to the ground with a summoned icicle, piercing the statue’s torso and immobilizing it.

  Her companion’s head shot forward, and it chomped down on one of the Lares. A slow crunching noise could be heard while the possessed statue was crushed in two, before the snake spat the rest out, obviously disgusted by the taste and crunchiness. It then moved and slapped another Lares away by swinging the tip of its tail around, before the damage to its magical form caught up with it, and the giant snake simply turned into formless magical energy again to be re-absorbed by Seika’s raiment.

  Seika summoned a fireball into her hand, watching as the remaining two Lares changed their target and came for her.

  “Sorry, but I will not leave without my bride!”

  Miori sat on the edge of the bed, wistfully looking towards the balcony. She was supposed to play the helpless bride who was getting abducted by her groom, so she sat still, no matter how much the thought of going out there and fighting side by side with her fiancée tickled her.

  She heard a snake hiss, much louder than it should be, she heard the signature sound of Seika summoning icicles, and she heard the clang of steel meeting steel or even stone, then a loud explosion before everything went quiet. It wasn’t long after that the balcony doors were thrown open from the outside and Seika stepped triumphantly into the room, plucking a rope from her belt.

  “You are being abducted to become my bride! Don’t resist!” she said with a wink at Miori, and she couldn’t help but laugh. She held out her hands with her wrists put together and let Seika tie a rope around them.

  “A wise choice, fair lady! I shall have my fun with you once we reach my domain!” Seika declared theatrically and Miori burst out laughing as her lover’s ridiculousness got to her.

  “You’ve been hanging out with Nicola, haven’t you?”

  “Oh, you can tell?”

  Seika scooped Miori up in a princess carry, and the taller woman blushed a little as she clung closer to her lover.

  “I’m not heavy, am I?”

  “I’m not noticing a thing!” Seika announced with a laugh, and Miori planted a kiss on her cheek. Then Seika turned around, walked outside on the balcony and simply flew down into the garden, to begin their walk out of the mansion.

  ***

  The hallways, naturally, were another battlefield for Seika. Lares jumped off their pedestals and barred her way with weapons drawn. Miori watched as Seika didn’t even let go of her, simply summoning a blade of ice in front of her which cleaved through the hapless statues. Miori looked up at Seika and admired her for a moment after witnessing the utter carnage.

  “She has grown more powerful. She doesn’t need to use her hands or her staff to cast magic anymore, even while she’s not truly merged with Minerva,” Bellona commented from inside Miori’s mind and she nodded. Seika looked at her, with a slightly confused expression before she gave her a confident grin in return.

  “We’ll be out of here in no time! And then it’s right off to the wedding night!” Seika declared as she carried Miori into the inner courtyard.

  This one was eerily quiet, save for the one, single Lares statue in the middle. Its head immediately turned towards the pair, and then, strangely enough, its eyes glowed.

  “…well, I knew that one was going to be trouble,” Seika commented dryly, slowly inching her way towards the exit while the statue’s eyes were glowing.

  “Don’t worry, Miori, we’ll get out of here! And I won’t put you down until we reach my bedroom!”

  Seika walked ahead slowly, while the statue kept staring at her with its menacing gaze. She made it about halfway through the courtyard, then the statue’s eyes glowed a bit brighter. Miori had a bad feeling about that situation, even more so as she felt a rise in magical energies.

  “Seika, it’s…!”

  Beams shot out of the statue’s eyes and Seika managed to erect a barrier, looking at the strange Lares in surprise.

  “What in the world?!” Seika managed to shout, retaliating by summoning icicle projectiles around herself and directing them towards the Lares. They bounced off a magic barrier without doing any damage, then Seika and the statue stared each other down.

  “…I wouldn’t mind if you put me down so you can fight it, Seika…” Miori started, but Seika had a different idea: she ran.

  Miori could only look at her lover with a befuddled expression as the hallway exploded around them from repeated energy shots coming from the Lares’ eyes, with Seika running like the wind.

  The peaceful quiet of the streets in front of Juno’s temple was momentarily interrupted as an explosion ruptured the front gate. Fire spilled out and into the air, with people ducking for cover and looking at the temple in confusion.

  “Was there an attack?”

  “I thought Jove brought things back under control!”

  The intermingling voices making up potential reasons for this disturbance were interrupted as a blue and crimson pair of women flew out of the temple’s front gate and one of them laughed.

  “So long, Lares! The daughter of the house is mine!”

  A stunned silence descended on the street as the witnesses watched the spectacle and how the glowing pair flew away until they reached the residence of Minerva.

  “…oh, a Deogemma wedding.”

  “Right, I think Fama mentioned something about that.”

  “They’re so chaotic… our Lares aren’t that aggressive when we do pretend-kidnappings.”

  A collective sigh of relief went through the street, and in no time, everything went back to normal.

  Seika gently put Miori down on the bed, where Ayame was already waiting with a mischievous look in her eyes. In front of her stood an ornate bowl. A scrying pool, she realized as she saw herself on the water’s surface, showing her every move from a third person perspective.

  “Welcome home, you brutish kidnapper! Are you going to have your way with the poor maidens you dragged here?” Ayame teased while she played with a small bouquet of strange, glowing flowers in her hand, brushing their petals over her lips.

  “Of course. A marriage isn’t complete until it’s ‘consummated’, right?” Seika answered with a chuckle, but her eyes remained fixed on those strange flowers. Seika pointed at them, and Ayame’s eyes followed her gesture.

  “Oh, these? Juno brought her mistress over and explained to me how she conceived Mars,” Ayame explained nonchalantly, and for some reason, this appeared to catch Miori’s attention.

  “Really? Tell me, please!”

  Seika and Ayame were both taken aback by Miori’s insistence, who turned a few shades redder. Still, she kept insisting, adding another quiet “Please.”

  Ayame looked at her a while longer, then she smiled.

  “Alright. Juno hinted towards this, anyway. That you are interested in having… a child with Seika,” Ayame spoke with a gentle voice, reaching out to caress Miori’s cheek, who nodded.

  “Here’s what she told me, then: when Minerva was born, Juno was a little… angry with Jove and fled to Flora, the creator of these flowers, to gain some distance. She wanted to have a ‘child of her own’, to get back at him, just this once, and Flora… well, she used this magic flower. After bathing in its essence, or rubbing its pollen on her fingers, a female Deogemma can have a child with another female Deogemma by sleeping with her.”

  Miori followed Ayame’s words attentively, and her face was now a little redder. She turned towards Seika, sheepishly looking at her as she squirmed, agonizing over the question she wanted to ask, but Seika already knew. She met their beautiful and kind daughter already, though up until recently, she was convinced that they were adopting a strange Deogemma child during their time here, before she knew that all sorts of strange things were possible in this world. And among those strange things, beautiful things could also take place. Seika made her decision. She did so a long time ago, she realized.

  “I consent, Miori. Let’s make a child.”

  ***

  For the next few hours, all of Seika’s worries were blown away. She slept many times with her lovers in the past year but today was like she never experienced before. Being embraced from either side, exchanging sweet kisses and exploring each other’s bodies, it was like the world itself stopped for this blissful moment. There were no dark divinities aiming for her, no deadlines at work, her lost decade stopped to bother her. Only her and her beloved Miori, Ayame, Minerva and Bellona. They were all that mattered as they embraced their union in marriage, body and soul.