Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 93: Mana Ties, Part Five

{Enverna}

Lianna and Enverna sat side by side in their dorm room, the soft glow of the laptop screen illuminating their faces as they embarked on the proverbial journey of creating their joint Tumble account.

Zura, lay reclined on the edge of the couch with an air of disinterest, occasionally chimed in, giving them quick thumbs-ups or thumbs-downs.

Lianna, having made a note of saying she had quick fingers, handled the typing. She was currently writing their username.

"Watchful Lovers, maybe?"

"Sounds cheesy," Zura said.

"It does get the point across well, though," Enverna added. "Even if it is extremely embarrassing."

The profile picture was a shot of the two standing side by side, after the excursion that saw them save that group of explorers and recover that fiend-controlling artifact that had remained dormant since. Lianna and Enverna had been at the far end of the shot, with Enverna wrapping an arm around Lianna’s waist and Lianna pretending to kiss her cheek.

As she looked at it, Lianna decided "Watchful Lovers" was good enough and promptly nodded to herself.

"It’s done!" Lianna announced, clicking on the "Create Account" button.

"Good, good..." Enverna muttered.

"Our journey to Tumble fame begins!" Lianna leaned a little on Enverna. She didn’t even notice she was doing it, she was simply excited. "What’s the first thing we should post?"

Zura leaned forward, interjecting with a sly grin.

"How about you declare your love for each other like all the sappy couples do, eh?"

The mere thought was enough to make Enverna’s cheeks red.

Lianna laughed, waving a hand.

"We’ll save that for a special occasion. For now, let’s start with something more subtle.

Lianna read the first post aloud, her voice tinged with some dramatic flair.

"Hi everyone!" Lianna walked around the room with Zura and Enverna’s eyes on her and the phone in her hands. "My fiancé and I wanted to bring you all into our own little world and this was what we came up with. We hope you’ll support our adventures! Thank you."

After that, they crafted a second post detailing their recent experiences, the challenges they faced, and their determination to continue developing together.

"Short and sweet," Zura nodded approvingly. "Even if it does sound like some PR person made it for you."

"That just means I have a talent for communication," Lianna shrugged. "And... Send!"

With that, their online presence materialized into something more.

Minutes passed. The post gained traction. People asked if it was really them, to which Lianna responded by posting a quick selfie of herself and Enverna on that couch. That made the post’s traction pick up even faster.

Enverna’s phone rang.

Glancing at the screen, she saw the caller ID displaying the name Layla.

The same lady who’d invited Enverna and Lianna to the gala a couple of months ago.

"Huh..." Enverna answered, putting the call on speaker so Lianna could hear. "Hello?"

"Greetings, Mrs. Alteri. I saw you and Lianna just created a Tumble account."

"You did?"

"The news is already kind of snowballing on the forums. People had been looking for a way to keep up with you two for a while!"

"Really?" Lianna asked quietly.

"Well, we thought it was time to show a bit more of ourselves," Enverna spoke with her usual carefully manufactured arrogance. "What do you want?"

"Well, I wanted to say it’s a great idea. You two have a compelling story, and Tumble can be a fantastic platform to share it. Additionally... I figure this would be a great time to inform you both that the Shields of Saren would love to work with you officially."

"Another tag-along?"

"No," Layla quickly corrected. "An actual joint mission, this time. Between the Shields of Saren and the Watchful."

Lianna’s eyes widened next to Enverna. Even Zura looked a little surprised.

[That’s pretty convenient,] Enverna thought.

Enverna exchanged a surprised look with Lianna. Lianna nodded, letting her know she thought they should agree.

It was pretty much exactly the type of opportunity they were looking for.

[Like Miss Taylor told Lianna, we need to grow our reputation. This is one way to do that.]

"Very well," Enverna replied. "My fiance and I are willing to join in on the fun."

"Wonderful. I’ll send you the details in an email. We hope this will prove to be a wonderful opportunity to showcase what you’re capable of. I will contact you later."

"Bye."

With that, they hung up.

"I guess that’s done," Enverna muttered. "Quite lucky that they called for this just when we were looking for such an opportunity."

"Probably cause it’s an opportunity for them, too," Zura said. Both Lianna and Enverna turned toward her, confused. "What? Really? What do you think the angle is from their side?"

"I dunno," Lianna shrugged.

"Chances are, they’re going to stream it," Zura responded. "They’ll probably market the shit out of all of this and send you on a mission with some of their best rookies. You get to do your thing and they grow their own audience a little. See what I mean?"

Enverna put a hand on her chin.

"That does sound plausible."

"Given how quickly they called you, I’d guess they’d been looking for an excuse and figured they had one. You should probably still take the mission, though," Zura made sure to add. "It’s worth it. But, yeah, they aren’t doing it out of the kindness of their hearts or because they just like you two that much, that’s for damn sure."

At that point, Enverna received a second call.

Enverna’s phone vibrated again, and this time it was her stepfather, Treon. She hesitated for a moment, glancing at Lianna, who sensed the sudden tension in the room.

"Hello, Father," Enverna greeted, her voice steady but tinged with a hint of apprehension.

"Enverna," Treon’s voice sounded rough, and he wasted no time getting to the point. "We heard about... what happened recently. Seems you were at the center of it. Are you alright?"

Enverna exchanged a quick look with Lianna before responding.

"Yes, I’m fine. It’s been a bit chaotic, but we’re managing."

Treon sighed on the other end.

"Look, Enverna, your family has been discussing all of this..."

Enverna stood up and walked out of the room, standing in the hallway as she felt like she was about to hear something she did not like.

"We’ve come to a decision."

"A decision about what?"

"You."

Enverna furrowed her brows.

"What decision?"

"We think it’s best for you to come back to Garriden. This marriage, your presence in Telvan... it’s causing too much trouble. Having you be entangled in these messes is just not what we want, even if you’re gaining some power from it. It’s not the life we envisioned for you."

Enverna’s eyes widened, disbelief coloring her features.

"But father, I can’t just leave. I’ve made a commitment to my Guild. The Lover. Lianna. This is important, I-I can’t just-"

"To hell with them," Treon told her. "What that Constellation wants is irrelevant, and that Guild was only a ever a means to an end. It doesn’t matter anymore. You must leave it all behind."

"But..."

Treon’s tone remained firm.

"Enverna, you have responsibilities to your family. We can’t let you jeopardize your future for a small amount of power. You’re already causing irreparable harm to your social standing here. We can’t just allow this to continue. It’s not just about you, it’s about our family."

Enverna inhaled sharply.

"And, I don’t get a say in this?"

"No," Treon responded. "It’s not just your decision to make. We, your family," he stressed, as though to remind her, "have made up our minds. You will come back home. We’ve arranged for transportation. It’s time."

Enverna’s heart sank, the weight of her family’s expectations pressing down on her. She glanced at Lianna, who had a concerned expression, sensing the gravity of the conversation.

"Enverna, this is for your own good and the good of the family. We’ll discuss it further when you’re back. The arrangements have been made, and you’ll be picked up on the 6th of November. I wish we could get you back here sooner but things are a little dangerous on the road right now. Goodbye."

The line went silent, and Enverna stood there, the phone still pressed to her ear, as the reality of the situation sank in.

Her right hand balled up into a fist.

Enverna slowly lowered the phone, trembling.

"So, that’s just it?" She whispered. "I’m supposed to just lower my head and go along with this?"

Enverna had realized a few things about herself recently. Her tastes in company, the reason why Lianna’s body always seemed to tug at her eyes.

But she’d also realized that leaving this situation was the last thing she wanted to do.

But, her father had made himself clear. Enverna had no choice.

Thus had been the story of her life throughout its entirety. At the end of the day, Enverna was simply a tool. A means to an end.

And that end was simply to make her parents happy.