Chapter 407: Specific type of charm

Chapter 407: Specific type of charm

The effects of the Mind Meld potion soon wore off, returning Noah and Moxie to their room. They were still alone, which was something of a surprise. Lee must have been out doing something most likely running pest control on the entirety of Arbitages ecosystem.

That was something of a disappointment. Noah had hoped to talk to Lee about the key, but he suspected theyd see her before the next class. Nothing was going to happen with Wizen in the next day or two, so he decided to let it lie.

It was late enough in the day that it was justifiable to avoid trying to do anything else so long as nobody thought about it too hard, so he and Moxie remained in bed to wait out the night. They also very pointedly did not attempt to figure out what they would be doing tomorrow morning.

That seemed like all too much effort, and it could be handled by their future selves.

The night passed and the sun rose once more. Rays of light crawled through their window and warmed the plant bed, pulling both of them out of their sleep like a nagging mother. Noahs nose scrunched and he blinked as he slipped back into the land of the living.

Moxie laid on top of him, her face against his chest. She sent a glare up at the sun. Its morning.

We could pretend it isnt, Noah offered, but they were both already sitting up.

They both took a short while to prepare for the day. It was a little too early to say much else. Reconvening in the center of the room, Noah and Moxie both turned to look out the window again.New novel chapters are published on

You know, we probably should have figured out where we were going to get food yesterday, Moxie said.

Probably.

You might be rubbing off on me.

Probably.

They looked at each other again.

Want to just get some meat pies? Noah offered.

Moxie grinned. Sounds better than sitting around in a restaurant this early in the morning. Wed get so many looks.

You know, I always tend to get a lot of looks.

Thats because everyone still thinks youre a pervert. Its going to take a while for that reputation to fall away, Moxie said, laughing at the peeved expression on Noahs face. Its fine. The people that matter know. Who cares about the rest?

Good point, Noah said with a nod. Lets go get some pies.

***

Admit it. That was cute, Renewal said.

Decras eyed the bowl of chocolate on the table between them. His hand snaked out, but Renewal grabbed the bowl and lifted it before he could reach in. His eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Stop being a brat. Let me at the food.

Its mine. Admit it was cute and you can have some.

Decras rolled his eyes. I will admit that it was cute in the same way that watching two small furry animals can be amusing. Satisfied?

Renewal smirked and lowered the bowl and let Decras take a piece of chocolate from it. Her expression flickered a second later as she properly registered the words that her fellow god had said.

Right. Millenia upon millennia of nothing, only to inch our way up the grand scale and achieve what, exactly?

The lines of souls twinkled beneath them, and Renewals eye traced their golden paths. A near infinite number of mortal souls, all on an endless journey. Most of them would return to the place beyond time over and over again, never to become anything more.

She could see into their past lives and the ones that had come before that. They were laid bare before her, as clear as glass.

A few would achieve minor success. Theyd lived hundreds or thousands of years only to arrive right back here.

Some had been more. Upon occasion, Renewals eye would fall upon someone where she could only see herself. A section of their memories was like a mirror, the power within them once lost but still enough to prevent her from peering deeper.

Gods. Some stronger than her, some weaker. They too rejoined the line when their time came, though it was rare. Anything that could kill a God generally didnt leave enough of them behind to let them come back.

That was the fate of those who went against the laws. A return to the beginning if one was lucky and infinite nothing if they werent. Renewals fists tightened at her sides. Between that and utter boredom, she couldnt tell which was worse.

Are you genuinely considering taking the chance to rejoin that? Decras asked, nodding to the line below them. Fights are one thing. I love them. It gives me something to do to pass the time. Id be more than happy to entertain in that regard.

I dont see the value in fighting for no reason, Renewal said, not pulling her gaze away from the line. I prefer it to have a purpose. To have a way to actually change something. If a fight ends and nothing is different, was there even a point?

Decras didnt respond to that. They both stood in silence. It was hard to tell for exactly how long they did that the passage of time was a shaky thing at best when it functionally didnt even exist in the void around them.

Finally, Decras broke the stillness.

I think you might want to change the image to something else. Theyre holding hands. I dont know why, but it makes me feel like Im seeing something I shouldnt.

Renewal let out a bark of laughter. She snapped her fingers and the image flickered, swapping over to Lee just as the tail of an unfortunate squirrel vanished between her lips. She slipped into the shadows at the base of the tree she stood in, reappearing down the road before zipping off in the direction of the transport cannon.

Better? Renewal asked with a wry smile.

Somehow, yes, Decras replied. He paused for a moment before letting out a low chuckle. Say that girl somehow had our power. What do you think shed do in this situation? Faced with neigh guaranteed death or boredom, which would she

Shed never have paused for long enough to even consider boredom, I think, Renewal said.

They both looked back to Lee. Shed found the students waiting in the shadow of the transport cannon and was sneaking through the darkness toward them, a devious grin on her face.

I suspect you might be correct, Decras said. Maybe there is more to learn from mortals than I believed.

He turned and walked back to his chair, sitting down and crossing his legs. Renewal followed him back and looked up to the screen. Lee wasnt quite as fun to watch as Noah and Moxie were, but she certainly had her charm.

Lee sprung from the shadows, drawing a round of surprised curses and yelps from the students.

Im here! Lee proclaimed. And class today is stretches.

thats it? Todd asked weakly. No sparring, or

Nope. All stretches. You can spar once youre flexible.

A shudder ran down Renewals spine as she pulled an arm across her chest to check just how flexible her own body was something told her the results wouldnt have pleased Lee.

A very specific type of charm.