Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 165: Children of Mana, Part Forty-Eight

With the lingering remnants of battle dissipating, the group rallied to clear out the remaining Fiends that scattered in the aftermath of Jack’s explosive demise.

As for Lianna, though, after all the effort she’d expended, she could barely stand. She fell to her knees.

All around her, the sounds of battle, Fiendish screeches, metal sliding along flesh, and battle cries, continued. As Lianna took slow, steady breaths, they all grew softer, fading into the background.

[It’s not over yet,] Lianna reminded herself. [Whatever that eye thing is, whether it’s Saren or not, he’s still out there. How do we deal with him?]

Suddenly, Lianna heard her name called out.

"Lianna!"

She looked to the left and found Enverna, no spear in hand, jogging up to her.

Her eyes reflected a blend of concern and affection as she got closer.

Lianna, her breaths still labored from the intensity of the fight, felt a flush of warmth rise to her cheeks as Enverna drew nearer.

It wasn’t just the residual heat of battle that colored her face; it was the unspoken tenderness in Enverna’s gaze that prompted a bit of embarrassment.

[I don’t look that bad, do I?] Lianna thought, smiling.

Without a word, Enverna’s arms enveloped Lianna in a gentle embrace.

"You could have told me you were going to do that," Enverna scolded her. Her hug grew just aa bit tighter.

Lianna laughed.

"Jack would have heard me."

"I don’t care," Enverna muttered. Lianna could tell she probably didn’t mean that.

As Enverna backed up a couple of inches, Lianna’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the little pout on her face.

A few drops of Fiend blood slid down Enverna’s cheeks, and yet the girl still looked so adorable.

Then, Enverna moved forward.

Their lips met in a fleeting but firm kiss, a silent exchange of reassurance amidst the tumultuous aftermath of the battle.

Their intimate moment, however, was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of Miss Taylor.

The woman was carrying Caroline on her back, who took one look at Enverna and Lianna and then looked away.

Miss Taylor had an amused, but slightly stern expression.

"I apologize for the interruption, but now’s not the time for that," Miss Taylor’s voice cut through the air.

Her words were a sobering reminder of the urgency of their situation.

"Right, right." Lianna nodded in agreement, her mind refocusing on the task at hand. "We need to head back to Garriden. The fight back there’s probably still going."

"You’re right," Athene stated, the Paladin cleaning her blade of the blood it’d garnered in these past few minutes. Mel, Vayn, Zura, Xi, and Desmond all walked up as well. "They need us back there."

"Can we all make our way back the same way we intended to originally?" Miss Taylor asked.

"Our driver left in the chaos," Mel stated, crossing her arms. "I mean... I can’t blame him, but yeah."

Miss Taylor sighed.

"I’ll take these girls," she lazily gestured Lianna’s way, "back first. Then, I’ll come back for the rest of you."

"Sounds good."

As the group agreed on their plan of action, Miss Taylor led Lianna and Enverna, with Caroline still on her back, to the sear. Unlike that driver, her animal companion had not left.

As they walked over to it, Lianna’s mind buzzed with a mix of relief at their victory here and concern for the city they were returning to.

Miss Taylor placed Caroline on it and then helped Enverna sit down behind her, with Lianna behind her.

Softly, Caroline said:

"I saw you fighting," Lianna barely heard her but then focused to listen to the rest of her words. "You’re very good. All of you."

[All of us?]

The weight of those words wasn’t lost on Lianna.

Apparently, it wasn’t lost on Enverna either, as the woman turned around to gauge Lianna’s reaction.

Lianna just giggled quietly.

[I’ll take that.]

---

The wind whipped around them as Miss Taylor guided the sear through the turbulent skies, her steady hands keeping the creature steady despite the chaos below.

From their vantage point, Lianna, Enverna, and Caroline witnessed the ongoing battle unfolding on the streets of Garriden.

The city was still in absolute chaos. Fiends swarmed the streets, their dark, abominable forms clashing with the determined soldiers and citizens who fought to protect their home.

Buildings smoldered, and cries of anguish mingled with the clash of steel and the crackle of arcane energy.

As they descended towards the heart of the fray, Lianna’s heart pounded in her chest. She and Enverna carefully hopped off the sear’s back.

Caroline did as well.

Miss Taylor’s voice broke through the cacophony.

"Caroline, can you fight?" she asked.

"Yes," the raven-haired woman replied. To Lianna’s eyes, she still looked quite tired, though. "I can."

"In that case, go on ahead. I’ll get the others here as quickly as I can. Everyone," she said, her eyes roaming each of them, "be careful. Their leader may be gone, but a Fiend with no one to control it is still dangerous."

"We will," Lianna replied. "Promise."

"Let’s go," Enverna said, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. "We have work to do."

With that, the girls entered the battle.

Lianna’s bow sang as she released arrows toward the nearest Fiends, managing to hit several and divert their attention.

Her aim wasn’t perfect, as per usual, but it bought crucial time for the soldiers to regroup.

Enverna’s spearwork was swift and lethal, dispatching Fiends with well-aimed thrusts and strikes. Every now and then, if Lianna saw her facing something particularly powerful, she’d use {Lover’s Intuition} and give her a tip or two to help keep her moving.

Although Caroline was fatigued from the recent ordeal, she too swung her sword with determination, cutting down any Fiends that came too close.

Suddenly, Caroline’s steps faltered as weariness overcame her.

She stumbled, her sword clattering against the cobbled ground as she dropped to one knee, chest heaving with exertion.

Seeing Caroline’s struggle, Lianna instinctively walked over to her. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Rushing to her side due to the hectic nature of the area around them, Lianna extended a hand.

That gesture was met with pure shock from Caroline.

Lianna could guess why that was.

To be honest, though, she didn’t really care.

"Come on," Lianna said. "We’re in this together, aren’t we? We need you out here," Lianna replied with a reassuring smile, her green and red eyes looking back at Caroline with no resentment at all.

Caroline’s expression softened slightly at Lianna’s words.

It was incredible. Lianna could see the layers of mistrust and uncertainty slowly peeling back until she finally accepted the offered hand.

With Lianna’s support, Caroline pushed herself upright, muscles protesting but determination burning bright in her eyes.

"Thank you," Caroline murmured sincerely.

It honestly warmed Lianna’s heart hearing that tone of voice spoken by someone like Caroline, aimed at someone like her.

"Alright, let’s get back to it," Lianna said and, just like that, the fight resumed.

From there, Lianna’s arrows continued to find their marks, Enverna’s spear held back waves of enemies, and Caroline fought with a newfound determination.

As the battle raged on, their efforts began to turn the tide.

Fiend after Fiend fell beneath their combined might, the relentless assault of the creatures gradually faltering in the face of their determined defense.

Slowly but surely, the immediate threat was being quelled, leaving only scattered remnants of the once-encroaching horde.

It was then, amidst the ebbing tumult of combat, that Lianna’s keen eyes caught sight of familiar faces rejoining the fray.

Miss Taylor descended upon the city alongside Xi, Desmond, Zura, Vayn, and Mel, all of whom wasted no time in grabbing their weapons and joining the fight as well.

Their combined presence infused the battlefield with renewed vigor.

As though sensing how things were turning out, the Fiends began to retreat.

[What?] Lianna’s eyes narrowed. [They’re trying to escape?]

One by one, the Fiends just left.

As the last of the Fiends retreated, Lianna couldn’t shake a sense of unease mingled with relief.

Sure, they’d won, but...

[Who gave them the order to retreat?]

Yet, for now, the cessation of hostilities brought a collective sigh of relief among the city’s defenders.

"W-We did it," one soldier, his voice laden with disbelief, said.

"WE WON!" Another called out.

Soon, the deafening cheers of victorious soldiers echoed through the air, a chorus of triumph amid the battered cityscape.

Lianna stood amidst her companions, her bow held loosely in hand as she surveyed the aftermath of the battle.

[Agh... I should probably just be glad we won, but I have a bad feeling about this.]

Amidst the respite of the moment, a notification appeared in Lianna’s mind.

{Quest completed!}

{Reward:}

{Love Rush (Instinct)}

Odd feelings aside, this notification cemented the reality of the situation. As she saw it, Lianna’s shoulders sagged. She felt the weight of all her nerves leave her body.

The raid was over.

The city would not fall.