Unable to stop herself, Serena laughed.

“What is it?” Amelia asked.

“I was just thinking that if someone told me six months ago that I would be getting cosy with a human in an Ishaqian hot spring, I would have thought that person mad. Madder than anything in the Six Heavens or Seven Hells.” Serena laughed again. “Madder than Korvus, the Mad Dog.” She turned and reached out, running a hand through Amelia’s hair. “Now look where I am. What a strange world it has become.”

“Strange and wonderful,” Amelia replied with a grin. “If you had told me six months ago that I would be living my best life in another world, I don’t even know what I would have thought. The impossible has become possible, and I wake up every day to an impossibly beautiful demon!”

Thankfully, the residue heat from the steam room and the hot water hid Serena’s blush.

“And,” Amelia continued, “I get to spend my days with such a great group of friends. Tomes and Dagon and Aiden and the entire squad. Speaking of…” Amelia slid closer, saying, “Have you noticed that everyone in the squad is, or rather, isn’t a veteran? As in they’re all fresh from the academy.”

“Considering I recruited each one,” Serena answered, “I have noticed.”

“But… why?” Amelia tilted her head. “Everyone’s wonderful, but for such an important mission, wouldn’t the Empire want to send a more experienced group? I mean, there are a bunch of Lord Guardians, aren’t they? Even without them, surely the Empire could have put together a group of Speakers?”

Serena took a moment to collect her thoughts. She knew exactly why she’d been asked to recruit fresh graduates. That reason was in front of her now. “On the matter of Lord Guardians,” she began, “No Overlord would tolerate a group of them rampaging about their Terra Firma. Lord Guardians are living, walking representations of Imperial control and centralisation. An Overlord would not risk provoking their Greatlords into a vote by allowing it.”

“A vote?” Amelia asked.

“Greatlords can petition the Empress for their Overlord to be removed. Vikram, for example, still has a simple majority, even with the Ainese Greatlords protesting. But his position is at risk if he angers the Manwese or Samino. In theory, the Overlords must put the interests of the Empress—their Overlord—above their own, for the betterment of all of demonkind. In practice, however…” Serena turned her head and looked at Amelia. “They must maintain a balance. If they are seen as being too dismissive of domestic matters, they may face a vote.”

“It’s politics all the way up, isn’t it?” Amelia asked.

“And down.”

“Much easier to just stab everyone in your way, mmm?”

“Shut up, idiot.”

Amelia laughed. “Alright. I can understand why it’s not a group of Lord Guardians, but why aren’t I in a group of Speakers?”

Serena had raised the same concern with Greatlord Oshiro, and the answer he’d given had been a bitter one, even if its cold logic made sense. “Ultimately,” Serena said, “It’s because of you.”

“Me?” Amelia pointed at herself, surprised.

“You, and fear.”

“Fear?”

“The Empire feared losing you. They feared, or rather, still fear, the chance of you running off and joining the human nations and fighting against Cascadia.” Amelia frowned, a touch of confusion on her face. “I was instructed to prioritise recruiting people with whom you got along. People whom you liked. People who liked you, or at least tolerated you. Essentially, the Empire was worried that without enough connections to us, without enough friendships, nothing would stop you from leaving.”

“Even if I had no friends,” Amelia said, “I wouldn’t leave you.”

“Touched,” Serena said, feeling herself smile.

“You’re welcome.”

“It’s not just about the Empire wanting you to have friends. That ties you down socially. They’re aware of our relationship, and they’re permissive of it, but not out of charity. They see our relationship as something that ties you to Cascadia romantically. They’ve made you a Lord-Prospect. That ties you politically, and…” Serena reached out, rubbing Amelia’s shoulder. “They made you a saint.”

“To tie me down religiously.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s not that I wasn’t aware,” Amelia said. “But hearing it put together like that makes it feel a little… controlling.”

“From the Empire’s perspective, from Greatlord Oshiro’s perspective, the logic is sound,” Serena explained. “There is an element of control there, and I won’t pretend to like it, but that desire to control is wrapped up in a terrible amount of desperation and fear. After all…” Serena turned Amelia around and began rubbing her back, making small circles with her thumbs. “You’re powerful, and valuable.”

“I know.”

“And not as naive as others think.”

“I know that, too,” Amelia said. “You know, the next time I see Greatlord Oshiro, I’m going to really, really, annoy him. Serves him right, doesn’t it? Trying to tie me down this way and that. There’s only one person who can tie me up, and that’s y—”

A splash of water cut Serena’s shameless girlfriend off.

“Careful,” Amelia warned, spinning around and grinning, “starting a water fight with me and my magic is a dangerous affair. Remember Suijin?”

“Making threats, are we?” Serena put her hands up in mock surrender. “Let’s try to avoid destroying such a wonderful hammam.”

“A wise choice.”

The conversation hit a natural lull, and the pair of them relaxed in silence, reflecting on their own thoughts. Just as Serena was making a mental note to talk to her Father about installing their own air-infused bath and steam room in their Asamaywa home, Amelia suddenly spoke up.

“I think we should start training Noburu,” she said. When Serena looked at her, she added, “As a mage, I mean. He has potential.”

“Potential?”

“I’m sure of it. Even if he’s starting late, the use of his blessing has forced his aether to get used to moving. Every time he’s stepped into the Shimmer, he’s had his aether pulled from his body. It’s like a forceful and primitive form of cycling.”

“Alright.”

“Alright?” Amelia echoed. “You think it's worth it?”

“Of course,” Serena said. “If he can even learn a basic ward, that’ll ease the burden of protecting him in many situations. Even if he can’t, the experience of teaching him would do you good. You’ll find it difficult to teach someone at his level, compared to how you approach teaching a more experienced mage, such as Officer Ishitani or Officer Aikawa. You could try and introduce him to the basic principles of cycling aether, and we can see what he can come up with while we’re exploring the Red Sands.”

Amelia flashed her a thumbs-up. “Awesome,” she said.

Serena smiled and asked, “Are you ready now?”

“For what?”

“To talk about what happened in the Shimmer?”

“Ah, yes. I suppose. I mean…” Amelia fixed her hair, looking up at the patterned ceiling before looking back at Serena. “It’s more than what happened in the Shimmer. I realised a few things about myself. Important things.”

“Such as?”

“Like I’m a demigod,” Amelia said seriously, without a trace of jest. “And I’m quite a bit more selfish than people think I am. I know, I know, I agreed that I would be willing to follow your orders and harm, or even kill, if the situation called for it, but there’s a dark part of me that is almost eager to fight. I feel like I’ve picked a side, and that side is Cascadia. But it’s not like I don’t like humans, it’s just that—ow!” Amelia’s monologue ended with her rubbing her just-flicked nose.

This idiot.

“What you’re describing is loyalty,” Serena said dryly, “and as much as I appreciate your up-and-coming self-awareness on the matter, wasn’t there something a little bit more important at the start of your speech?”

“Ah, the demigod stuff,” Amelia said, scrunching her nose. “I hoped we could let that slip by.”

“We most certainly can not.”

“Well, look…” Amelia looked down at the bubbling water and gave a great sigh. “I know I joked about it before, but I came to the conclusion that it’s not so much a joke, is it? Just, just listen, okay?” The words on Serena’s tongue were cut short by Amelia’s raised finger. “When Narean took over, and I gave him a good talking to, I used my own power to do that. When I expelled that Word from the Speaker in Kenhoro, that wasn’t normal magic. It was my magic, my aether. And, and…” Amelia reached up, gesturing to the ceiling. “When I made that arcwhale turn around in the Passage, the power that did it was my own aether. My own divine aether. It’s because of my shard, and the power it’s bestowed upon me.

“It’s what allows me to generate my own divine aether, the same pure aether that the gods supply everyone else. And who else do we know that possesses a shard? That’s right.” Amelia nodded to her own question. “A certain Katalin of Driss, otherwise known as…” Amelia’s voice became quiet, and she mouthed the last bit. “The Empress.” Quickly coughing into her hand, she continued, “And she’s considered a demigod. So, logically….” Amelia sat up, the wet bathing towel clinging tight to her body. It would have been lewd if it weren’t for the obscene amount of bubbles covering her. She gestured to herself, saying, “A demigod. That’s what I am. No joke, or jest, or anything else. I know it’s true, as deep and sure as I know how much I love you.”

Amelia, a demigod? There was… a certain logic to it. Serena had known that the Empress’ power originated from a shard for a while now, but to extend that conclusion to Amelia, of all people?

Greatlord Oshiro’s words came to mind, a small tidbit of information on the Third-Word he’d leaked to her before they’d left Asamaywa.

The Third-Word works differently from the rest, he’d said.

Did the Third-Word require the Speaker’s own divine aether to manifest? Did Greatlord Oshiro know that, on some level, Amelia was in the same league as the Empress? Was he warning her? Was he—

“I’m going to start freaking out if you don’t say anything,” Amelia said, wringing her hands together.

“Don't worry, I was just thinking,” Serena replied, reaching out and taking Amelia’s hand into her own. “About something Greatlord Oshiro said. This ability to generate your own divine aether. Do you think that’s the secret to the Third-Word?”

“I don’t know, I don't have a good enough grasp on it yet. I do know it’s why I can use human and demon magic, though.” Amelia went on to explain her theory of how speaking a spell’s name to invoke it was more or less the same as Speaking a Word, the only difference being the quantity of divine aether. “I reckon there’s a tiny, almost imperceptible amount of divine aether used for normal spells,” Amelia said, holding up her thumb and forefinger a fraction apart. “I fulfil that myself, so when I’m casting Aseco magic, I’m really casting… Amelia magic.”

“Amelia magic?” Serena echoed in amusement.

“And there’s one more thing,” Amelia said quickly. “Back on the docks, when the ship put you unconscious, I somehow Spoke silently. I mean, actually silently. I Spoke Aseco in my mind, without any verbal component.”

“That’s not possible,” Serena countered on reflex. “You must have whispered it.”

Amelia shook her head. “I didn’t. Think about it. A spell can be invoked mentally by a skilled enough mage. If we see Words as just very big spells, then it’s the same principle, isn’t it? A skilled enough Speaker can invoke their Word mentally.”

Serena paused before replying. There were legends in the martial world of Speakers in the distant past, who were able to do just that—mental invocation. The problem was that those stories were told with the assumption that mentally invoking Words was a narrative device to indicate the character was chosen by the gods and given a blessing. As far as she knew, it wasn’t really possible. The formation of a Word required simply too much aether to be able to control with only a mental—

But if it was divine aether, Serena thought suddenly. If it were a much purer form of aether than atmospheric aether, then wouldn’t it be possible with Amelia’s level of control? Facing Amelia, she shared her thoughts, receiving an eager nod in return.

“Mmm!” her bubbly girlfriend hummed. “I’ve always felt like the aether inside me becomes cleaner. It’s how I can get so much power out of my spells.” After flexing her bicep briefly, Amelia continued, “And it fits in with the Second-Word, right? The Second-Word is built on the divine aether from a First-Word communion. Speakers need to Speak a First-Word to gain access to the required aether for a Second-Word, but what if I can make it myself? Perhaps I can skip the first step altogether?”

“I suppose you might…” Serena trailed off, thinking of the events of the Passage, quickly coming up with her own theories. “I wonder if part of the ship’s reaction to you is due to your own divine aether being mixed into things. Maybe it’s not just Kanaxai itself. Maybe…” An aetherlight lit up in Serena’s mind, and she said, “All the times you’ve used your divine aether have been in moments where you’ve quickly invoked a large amount of magic. The fight with Narean, the fight in the cafe, the arcwhale… all moments where you’ve had to use a large amount of aether quickly. I wonder if you unintentionally inject your quickly-formed magic with this divine aether, but when you carefully take the time to construct your formations, it uses atmospheric aether, which is why the ship reacts less when you do things slowly.”

“Right…” Amelia nodded. “I’ll have to start paying attention to the aether inside of me. See if I can identify whether I’m pulling it from the surrounding atmosphere or creating it myself.” After Serena nodded her affirmation, Amelia wiggled nervously and said, “So you’re not… disturbed?”

“Disturbed?” Serena tilted her head. “Why would I be?”

“Because. You know…” Amelia pointed to herself and mumbled, “Demigod girlfriend.”

Serena laughed, a full-on belly laugh that would have been inappropriate in different company. Covering her mouth, she asked, “Is that what you’ve been afraid of?”

“Mostly. I just don’t want you to, you know, worship me or anything. Just because I’m a demigod doesn’t mean I’m not Amelia anymore.” Amelia shrugged, looking rather sheepish in a strange, adorable way.

“Even if I grant you all the reasoning and logic you’ve put out, I think demigod is more… it’s more…” Serena chewed her words, trying to find the right way to describe her own understanding. “It’s more of a title. You may be a demigod because of your shard, but that’s different from being a Demigod in the way the Empire understands it. I think that’s why I never made the connection myself.”

“How does the Empire understand it?”

“As the title of a ruler.” Serena tapped her necklace with its upside-down cross. “Ask any Imperial citizen who a demigod is, and they’ll connect it with the Empress. She’s our demigod ruler. A demigod because she refused full ascension, leaving behind godhood and remaining behind to guide Cascadia and the faithful to prosperity. It is a title of religious significance. The only other individual I know who is referred to as a demigod is Tamerlane, the human pope. He guides—foolishly—the human nations under Christdom. And then there’s… You.”

“What do you mean, then there’s me?” Amelia replied, folding her arms and huffing.

“What I mean is…” Serena took a breath. “Welcome to the Known World. Here we have three demigods. One rules most of demonkind, one rules half of humankind, and the last one…” Serena gestured to Amelia, trying to hide her smile, “robs gambling dens on a whim and roleplays rather inappropriately as a maid.”

Amelia splashed her with water.

“So it really doesn’t change anything?”

“No,” Serena replied. “I don’t see why not.”

Amelia grinned. Moving in close, she put her arms around Serena. “You are the best demon a girl could ask for.”

“Hrmph,” Serena grunted, rolling her eyes. “Don’t say unnecessary things.”

Damn right I am, she thought proudly.

“I feel like one of the weights on my mind has lifted,” Amelia said, leaning in and giving Serena a peck on the neck. “Like I can finally relax.” Another peck. A trail of kisses that worked their way up passed Serena’s jaw and soon found her lips.

“What’s gotten into you?” Serena asked between kisses.

“I’m in an amazing bath with an amazing demon. Oh, and I’m horny.”

Serena laughed for perhaps the fifth or sixth time. “Don’t use that word.”

“Why, aren’t you?”

“If I said I was, what would you do?”

“I have just the thing…” Unexpectedly, Amelia broke away, reaching over the bath and into a small bag. “Where is—ah, here we are!” Grinning, she returned holding a small bottle. It was a familiar-looking bottle. It was a very familiar bottle. Clicking her tongue, Serena splashed Amelia.

“Idiot,” she said.

“What did I do?” Amelia asked, blinking innocently.

“You do realise Tomes and Allston saw that? I had the most awkward time with them the other day. All thanks to that blasted bottle! Have you seen what it says on the back of it? The bit about heightening sexual pleasure!?”

“Well, yeah,” Amelia said as if it were the most obvious thing in the Known World. “That’s why I brought it.”

Serena splashed her again. “Idiot.”

“Once you’re done with your tantrum,” Amelia said, grinning and waving the bottle. “Want to try it?”

“How about we try it on you?” Serena emphasised, taking the bottle and spinning Amelia around and positioning her between her legs.

“It’s supposed to be most effective on demons.”

“You’re basically a demon, anyway.”

“Hehe.”

Serena removed the thin fabric from Amelia, letting it fall beneath the water. With her girlfriend’s back to her, she started to massage the shoulders, moving slowly down, following the muscles down towards—

Serena’s hands paused just as she was about to open the bottle.

“Stripes,” she said.

“What was that?”

“You have stripes on your back,” Serena said, blinking to make sure it wasn’t an illusion. “Do humans have stripes?” she asked. It was an empty question, because whether humans had stripes or not, and Serena was pretty sure they didn’t, she knew that Amelia didn’t have them. Or rather, Amelia didn’t used to have them.

“W-what do you mean, I have stripes on my back?”

“I mean, you have stripes on your back. Like a demon. Like mine.”

“Really!?” Amelia yelled. “Really, really!?”

“Yes, really.”

“I can’t see!” Amelia twisted her head, trying to look at her own back. Failing that, she twisted the other way, only to slip and fall back into the water.

“Hang on,” Serena said. She climbed out and grabbed a small mirror, returning and helping the contorting Amelia to finally get a good look.

“Oh wow…” Amelia murmured. “They’re similar to yours…”

A few dozen pinkish stripes followed Amelia’s spine. While they were a little smaller and less emphasised than Serena’s, they were, without a doubt, real.

“You didn’t have them last night on the Vengeance,” Serena said.

“How do you know?”

Because I watched you get undressed, Serena thought.

“Because I saw when you climbed onto the hammock,” Serena said. She shook her head, tapping her horns. “First crimson eyes after Asclepius and now stripes after… what? Entering the Shimmer? What next? Horns after a Third-Word?”

“Oh, I hope so,” Amelia replied, her voice somewhere between elation and nervousness. “I can’t believe it! I actually have stripes! I’m like a tiger! Or a shawa. You know what I mean!” Amelia grinned, her confidence returning. “If I get horns, they’ll be just like yours, I bet.”

“That will be difficult to explain. At least this change is hidden. Who knows? It might not be permanent.”

“It better be permanent. Wait, will they—” Amelia closed her eyes, and a golden light with blue flecks surrounded her. “Are they still there?” she asked, turning her back to Serena.

“They are.”

“Thank God, or the gods. So healing doesn’t get rid of them. Ah… I’m so happy.” Amelia embraced Serena, squeezing her tight. “It just feels right, you know?” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“Honestly…” Serena shook her head, rubbing Amelia’s hair. “You keep surprising me, even now.” As she spoke, a warning aetherlight flashed in her mind, and she remembered what Amelia had said earlier. Gently pushing Amelia away, she said, “Lia, you said talking about your demigod status was one of the weights off your mind.”

“Mmm?”

“Well, what’s the other weight on your mind?”

“Ah…” Amelia raised a finger and scratched her ear, scrunching her nose. “That’ll be the dragons, I suppose.”