"You want Elias to fall for you? Hahaha—! Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! That has to be the funniest thing you've ever said in your life, Aponia!"
Kalpas clutched his stomach, laughing loudly behind his mask.
He looked as if he'd just heard the world's greatest joke. His laughter was filled with mockery and disdain, and his words cut sharply into the nun before him.
"You don't deserve Elias, Aponia."
"...Kalpas, that's too cruel."
"Cruel? Hmph! Maybe. But it's the truth."
Kalpas' tone dripped with scorn. Even though his eyes were hidden behind the mask, Aponia could still feel the contempt radiating from him.
"Do you even understand what kind of man Elias is? And what kind of person you are?"
"I know. He's someone with hands capable of changing fate… while I'm the eyes that allow him to glimpse it."
"Ha! You really love flattering yourself, don't you, Aponia? As if Elias would be blind without you. What a joke. Fine then—if you're so clueless, let me spell it out for you."
"I… will listen."
Aponia's hands clenched together. Her heart, calm moments ago, began to race with unease.
Kalpas folded his arms, looking down at her from his taller frame, his voice booming with harsh finality.
"Good. The answer's simple. You and Elias are complete opposites. Elias can do anything—but you, Aponia? You can do nothing."
"...!"
Aponia's eyes widened, her whole body trembling.
"Hah! Judging by that face, you finally get it."
A smirk spread behind Kalpas' mask. Seeing the moth-winged woman's composure shatter was oddly satisfying.
"Think back on everything you've done. Elias always succeeds. No matter the danger, no matter what kind of Herrscher descends, he saves everyone he wants to save."
"But you, Aponia? You fail at everything. You've never once saved anyone with your own hands. If Elias hadn't arrived that day, all the children in your sanatorium would've been dead."
"And you still think you deserve his love? Aponia, take a good look in the mirror. You're hopelessly broken. You're not worthy of him. Understand?"
Kalpas cheered inwardly. He admitted there was a touch of personal bias in his words, but that didn't make them any less true.
(My brother Elias is the best in the world. And you, Aponia? You think you can reach him? Please. You're just a moth dreaming of becoming a phoenix. Wake up, fool—you'll never deserve him!)
"..."
Aponia fell silent.
She wanted to argue. To refute him. But when she opened her mouth… no words came out.
Because deep down, she knew Kalpas was right.
His words were cruel—but they were true.
She liked to think of herself as Elias' eyes, the one who helped him see destiny. But she knew that was just wishful thinking.
She wasn't strong. She wasn't wise. She was merely a prisoner of fate—someone who could see its threads but not change them.
If not for that mysterious white-haired boy who saved her from her despair, she would still be lost, wandering aimlessly in confusion and guilt.
And recently… she had begun to notice something.
Even without her help, Elias could already see parts of the future.
Otherwise, how could he have known the location of the Seventh Honkai Eruption, or predicted the Herrscher's method in the Eighth?
The truth was, Elias didn't really need her at all.
Aponia: (╯︵╰,)
Realizing that truth, the nun couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow. A bitter smile appeared on her face as she thought to herself how foolishly self-indulgent she had been.
(Yes… Kalpas was right. I don't deserve Elias. A woman like me—someone who can't accomplish anything—how could I ever hope to be loved by the savior? How arrogant of me…)
"Kalpas, you're right this time."
Aponia lowered her head and admitted quietly.
"Hmph! Finally seeing some self-awareness. Good. Now get lost and stop bothering me while I drink."
Kalpas decided he wouldn't rest until he was properly drunk tonight.
After all, today had been a great day for him.
He'd earned the children's respect and gratitude, become true brothers with Elias, broken free from his [Discipline]…
And now, he'd even managed to shut Aponia up completely.
Yes, today was definitely his lucky day.
Or so he thought.
What he didn't realize was that life has a way of humbling those who get too cocky.
"..."
Aponia stood still, not moving.
"Huh? Why are you still here? What do you want?"
Kalpas' brows furrowed beneath his mask. Irritation flared—if not for Elias, he'd have already taught her a painful lesson. She'd better cherish her luck.
But Aponia simply closed her eyes and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Kalpas. I usually believe everything Elias does is right. But this time, perhaps he was wrong. The [Discipline] are necessary for you."
In the next instant, her eyes opened again—calm yet gleaming with a strange, chilling light that made even Kalpas shiver.
"Wait—what are you doing?!"
"Kalpas, you're far too agitated today. So, [please], go jump into that river over there and cool off."
"Aponia, you—!!"
"[Please] don't curse, and no fighting. Oh, and settle your bill before you go for a swim. Thank you."
With that, Aponia turned and walked away, leaving Kalpas roaring at the sky in frustration.
And yet, after a few moments of shouting, the furious Flame-Chaser grudgingly paid his bill, then stormed toward the nearby river. A loud splash soon followed.
Kalpas' flames were completely extinguished.
He had gotten too full of himself, thinking freedom from [Discipline] meant freedom to do whatever he pleased. He'd forgotten that Aponia could always impose new ones at will.
Even without that, in terms of pure power—or even grip strength—Kalpas was no match for the great moth-winged nun.
After all, this was the same Aponia who once squeezed Elias' hand hard enough to make him wince.
...
"Ah… I can't believe I did that," Aponia murmured, sighing self-deprecatingly.
She knew full well that her actions toward Kalpas had merely been a way to vent her own emotions.
Even someone as calm and detached as her—a woman of gentle temperament and steady composure—would feel anger after being so thoroughly rejected.
But recalling Kalpas' harsh words, she felt hollow inside. After a brief hesitation, she picked up a bottle of clear liquor from the table and began to drink.
Gulp gulp gulp—!
"Mmm… Not as good as Eden's wine, but still strong. I suppose… it's fine to relax a little tonight."
Aponia said softly, ordering an entire crate of white liquor. She started drinking bottle after bottle.
Though her alcohol tolerance wasn't particularly high, she could drink surprisingly much.
In the past, whenever she joined Elias, Elysia, and Eden for small private gatherings, Aponia was always the last one standing beside the white-haired boy.
Meanwhile, Elias had returned.
After disciplining Rin, he'd received a message from Sakura, saying the mission had been completed ahead of schedule. But when he got home and didn't find his sister, he texted to ask where the two were hanging out.
After finishing his conversation with Rin, Elias opened a portal using the Herrscher of Void's power and sent the girl home.
Distance had never been a problem for him. After seeing Rin off, Elias planned to return and continue eating—but what he saw made him stop in disbelief.
"Huh? Where did Kalpas go? And Aponia… why are you this drunk? I was gone for just a moment—what in the world happened here?"
Elias stared in shock at the nun, who had already emptied several bottles of white liquor and was swaying unsteadily.
"Ah… welcome back, Elias… I'm sorry… I was too presumptuous… I shouldn't have… harbored such thoughts toward you… Ahh, forgive me… my Lord…"
"Uh… I have no idea what you're talking about. Aponia, are you alright?"
"Elias… please… give me a chance… will you?"
Aponia whispered as she collapsed into his arms.
Her violet eyes were hazy, her expression pleading—like a devout believer begging for her god's mercy.
Elias raised an eyebrow, completely lost.
Before he could process what was happening, he felt a tug on his cloak. Turning around, he saw a few of the children from the sanatorium standing there.
"Lord Elias, please accept Mama Aponia! We're begging you!"
"Mama Aponia always messes things up in the end, but she means well and just wants to help people."
"Yeah! She's the best mama ever! She totally deserves someone like you!"
"Uh… hold on—can someone please explain what's going on? And, uh, Aponia, could you behave yourself a little? The kids are watching, okay?"
Elias' face twitched slightly.
He tried to keep the drunken nun from pawing at him while asking the children what had just happened.
And from their innocent little mouths, he finally learned the truth.
He was speechless.
(Kalpas! Look at the mess you've caused!)
Elias smacked his own forehead. What kind of situation was this?! "Not worthy," my ass! A bombshell, goddess-tier beauty like Aponia throwing herself at him—what kind of fool wouldn't want that?!
"Anyway, I'll send you all home first. Leave your Mama Aponia to me—I'll take care of her."
"Thank you, Lord Elias!" xN
The children nodded obediently before stepping through a portal that led back to their quarters—excited but nervous.
In less than ten seconds, all of them were safely sent home.
Then Elias picked up the drunken Aponia and opened another portal—this one leading to the Fire Moth base.
More precisely, to Aponia's counseling room.
After all, Elias remembered it well—it was the same room where the two of them had once spent many passionate nights together.
"Ah, alcohol really is troublesome. I always regret that I can't get drunk myself, but maybe that's actually a blessing."
Muttering to himself, Elias began doing what he'd done for Rin earlier—using his Herrscher powers to clear Aponia's system of alcohol and stabilize her body temperature.
As for why he didn't bring Kalpas back…
(Forget him. A fusion warrior soaking in a river overnight won't die. I'm more worried about the river evaporating from his flames… and I'm definitely not leaving him there because he tried to stop Aponia from confessing to me. Definitely not.)
Elias prided himself on being a loyal friend.
But some things were simply non-negotiable.
"Ugh… Elias? What… what happened to me?"
"Hey, Aponia. Feeling better?"
Elias sat on the sofa in her counseling room, while Aponia—now awake—stared blankly at the familiar ceiling before realizing her head was resting on the boy's lap.
Though she hadn't been drunk for long, she'd drunk quite a lot and had no memory of what she'd done while intoxicated.
However, she did remember everything before she got drunk.
Looking up at the white-haired boy, her mind replayed Kalpas' cruel words, and tears began to gather in her eyes.
"Elias, I…"
But before Aponia could finish speaking—
Elias leaned forward and captured her alluring lips in a kiss.
It was gentle, yet domineering. He didn't let her go for a long time, not until she was left breathless, her chest rising and falling rapidly from lack of air.
"Don't overthink it, Nia. Whether you're 'worthy' of me or not doesn't matter at all. What matters is that you love me… and I love you. That's all we need, isn't it?"
"Elias… please… forgive me."
Aponia's fingers intertwined tightly as she gazed at the white-haired boy before her with tearful devotion, her expression one of confession and remorse—like a sinner before her god.
"Alright, I forgive you."
"...Elias, I haven't even said what for."
"I know. But it doesn't matter. No matter what mistakes you've made, I'll always forgive you. And I bet you're overthinking things again, aren't you?"
Elias smiled softly, lifting his hand to gently caress her delicate face. Then, he took a lock of her pale golden hair between his fingers, twirling it playfully.
His touch was tender—almost reverent. Yet, in that moment, it felt less like a man cherishing his beloved and more like a craftsman admiring a masterpiece that belonged solely to him.
And in truth, that wasn't entirely wrong.
The day Aponia had given him the [Discipline] of absolute obedience—allowing him to command her freely—she had, in a sense, already become his possession.
It was far from a normal relationship. One could call Elias her protector, but another might call him her master—and her, his willing servant.
As her god and her master, Elias had every right to touch her as he pleased. And up until now, Aponia had accepted it—had even found comfort in it.
But this time…
"I'm sorry," she whispered, stopping his hand.
Suppressing her instinctive desire to indulge in his touch, Aponia steadied her breath and continued.
"Elias, I know I'm not qualified. I know I don't deserve it. But right now… this is what I want."
Her delicate hand pressed against his chest, feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her palm. Their eyes met—gold and blue, divine and devout.
"Aponia, you…" Elias murmured softly.
"Please," she said, her voice trembling, "give me a chance… to make you fall in love with me. Can you?"