I will strive beyond this cursed bloodline!

"....I'm so sorry, I... I didn't know..." Elizabeth said while drying Rossie and Rena's tears, both girls had started crying once again when Rossaline got to the point in the story where the link had been severed.

Elizabeth hadn't... hadn't noticed at all, not at any moment, she didn't feel any discomfort or anything.

But a look into her Soul showed that indeed the thread that joined her to Rossaline and Rena was gone, Elizabeth could see the faint outline of where it had been cut and the results from it, the end part of the thread was frayed, or well, burned and melted would be a better descriptor.

Her instincts told her that she had tanked the worst of the severing, since she was the one that had started the link between them. Or well, the one that had the most control over it.

Even so, Elizabeth closed her eyes and fueled the recovery of the frayed soul tether, it was easy enough, some mana focused into the connection tether and it returned to pristine conditions half a second later thanks to her focus on it, she knew that it would have taken time and would have been fixed on its own. But she also knew that Rena and Rossie depended on it to recuperate.

"It's fine," Rena said shaking her head and turning to Rossie, "Rossie here helped me too."

"... It's fine." Rossie said from the side smiling at Rena, then turning to Elizabeth she added, "This... this is a heavy burden the one you carry, I don't think I could support two, and yet... I know you do it effortlessly, but still. I thank you for this."

"It's nothing, really." Elizabeth said quickly shaking her head, "Literally doesn't tax me, at all."

It was the truth, Elizabeth felt not the pull at her soul, not the strain from it. And there was strain, she could see it on Rossie's soul, the soul being frayed at the connecting point between her and Rena, and how Rena's soul was hanging by a thread, not quite as much risk as Elizabeth would think, even with almost a year of love and pampering from both her and Rossie, the healing would take time.

"Speaking of, I can take on that burden so you can have an easier time." Elizabeth said materializing the thread once more, the same one that had joined her to Rossie, the same one she had used to link to Rena afterwards.

It would take but a moment, really all it would take was the effort from Elizabeth, since to achieve it the target needed to accept, but there was no reason why Rena or Rossie would refuse, that was impossible.

"I...Wanted to speak about that too." Rena suddenly said while holding Rossie's hand, "I... Want you to cut the connection Rossie."

"I know, now that Eli-Eli is back and we confirmed that she didn't abandon us, of course we will resume our normal connection." Rossie said sighing, Elizabeth could see how the thread was unfolding itself, meticulously and slowly, one strand at the time, with each one the pink haired girl undid Elizabeth could see the relief on the soul.

And Elizabeth was ready, because the opposite was happening to Rena. With each strand that was released, the strain to her Soul increased, even if the red-haired girl didn't show it.

"Eli-Eli, be ready... Three.... Two.... One...." Rossie said and the next instant the connection between Rena and Rossie was severed.

"Always ready," Elizabeth said as she extended the tendril to latch onto the red-haired girl.

"... About that...." Rena said still smiling as if nothing was happening, as her own Soul continued to crack. "I want to talk with you both about it."

"We can talk about it, we can talk about it all night long if you want even!" Elizabeth said as she continued sending her tendril towards the Red-Haired girl's soul. But the connection... Didn't latch.

Unlike how it was before that merely the intent of thinking about it was enough for the connection to be made, now no matter what Elizabeth did, the other half of the connection was not responding to her.

"Rena?" Elizabeth asked, seeing more and more of the soul of Rena to crack, "Why?"

"... I... found out how much I depended on you," Rena said between grunts, "And how much it taxed Rossie to help me, she loved me, and that was the only reason that it worked."

The second half of that was said more normally as Rena started to accelerate her mana to rush through her body, Elizabeth could see the beginning of some of her skills to activate, [Regeneration], [Blood Repository], [Pain Immunity]...

"I also love you!" Elizabeth screamed back, "And like I said, you aren't a burden! At all! I can take you! I could take a thousand more like you if needed!"

"But... It's a burden to me," Rena said calmly, her soul still straining, the cracks on it spreading further along the edges, "I... I am not helping, I am not providing... I am just... Here causing problems."

"But you aren't a problem!" Elizabeth said back, "You help! Your presence also soothes me! And I don't mean the eye candy joke I say from time to time, I mean it!"

"I know Eli," Rena said smiling at her, the cracks on her soul... slowing down? How? "But still, I am depending too much on you, the panic... the pain... the horror... All I experienced when you disappeared... it made me think."

Think?

"It made me realize something," Rena said looking to Rossie, "Rossie risked her own soul to save me, who was at the brink of death... she lost all the healing she had fixed on herself and even so, while showering me with love... she still bit her lips, made her mind and confronted you for me. Did she not?"

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"...I also did it for myself." Rossie said from the side.

"The valkyries said the same, that since the link had been severed now was the perfect time to run away... To find our own happiness, but you didn't." Rena said turning to Rossie, "Because of me..."

"Also because I also love Eli-Eli," Rossie pointed out, "But that is that, what... what are you doing right now Ren-Ren? Is this a last stand? A foolish declaration of independence? We have never seen you as a lesser being between us. You don't need to prove anything."

"But I do." Rena said shaking her head and clutching a fist on her chest, "I do need to prove it, no to you...or to Eli... But to myself."

"To yourself?" Elizabeth asked, "You don't need to prove anything, you are fine as you are! You don't need to do this... I can help you... When I finish taking the last [Gem] I will have enough power to heal you fully! Just... Wait a few weeks at the worst! If not I will take the last gem right now if I must!"

"No Eli, it isn't about that... My soul, my body, my mind... It's nothing as complex and impressive as that, my problem is simpler and mundane." Rena said shaking her head, taking a deep breath she added afterwards, "My problem is... Suzuki Akira... Edward Smith... The bug."

"... Okay, that's it. I am pulling out his Soul back from whatever plane of inexistence he went to just to flay it." Elizabeth said totally calm and normal, she wasn't channeling copious amounts of mana or anything.

"No, not like that." Rena said shaking her head, "The thing is.... I have allowed myself to be haunted by him, because of him I despise all Men, because they remind me of him... of what he did to me."

What he did to her? Oh... Oooooooh....

"It's okay Rena, we will get better, we will work on it!" Elizabeth said still trying to make the connection latch, "But first, please... let me... let me help you!"

"You are helping me..." Rena said shaking her head, "But I need to help myself too... I... I actually went to therapy these last two months."

"You did?" Rossie asked surprised.

"You did?" Elizabeth also said

"Yes, while Rossie was working and relearning magic, while you were trapped... I went to therapy." Rena answered with an additional nod, "I... I am not right, we as couple are not right... Neither Rossy and myself, or You Eli and myself, and of course... us three as a relationship are not right."

"... I mean, we have it working?" Elizabeth said scratching the back of her head, "I know we aren't average or the standard relationship, but we are doing good, right?"

"I think so too, all the examples of lesbian relationships I have seen are way worse or are filled with worse things about them." Rossie said from the side supporting Elizabeth's point.

"I quite literally depended on you Eli to survive, and when that wasn't on the table, I had to parasite Rossie to survive." Rena pointed out, "Because I was not capable of looking at myself like a human being, I was incapable of looking at who I had become and I was unable to see myself as what I was."

"A wonderful woman?" Elizabeth said.

"A great woman who does her best?" Rossie added.

It was quite cute the fact that both Elizabeth and Rossie had such a view of Rena, perhaps that was what Rena really needed? Positive reinforcement.

"A victim," Rena however answered as such, "I was weak, got attacked at my weakest point, and continued being attacked, those that should have defended me weren't there, because of my own weakness."

"That... that isn't fair," Elizabeth pointed out, "There was no way that you could have known what that bug would become, or that he wanted such devious things of you."

"Exactly," Rena said nodding, "I couldn't know what was going to happen, so when the younger and foolish me saw Akira, she saw a shining knight in armor there to protect her, to help her, to love her...or what I thought was love..."

That made Elizabeth's whole self want to burn with [Wrath].

"I was a victim, for the next ten years of my life I was a victim," Rena said shaking her head, "Then when we found you... I lashed out, and from a victim I became an aggressor."

"I don't mind it!" Elizabeth quickly jumped, "It was kind of cute looking back on it now!"

"That isn't the point Elizabeth," Rena said shaking her head, "The point is, that I lashed out because I knew not better, I was broken, and when you finally helped me... I did what I was trained to do."

...Elizabeth couldn't help but wince at that word, trained. Because it was... quite correct, Rena was a trained dog for Akira, not a target of love, barely a target of lust at that point, merely an attack dog.

"And yet... You helped me, and I, on my weaker love-starved self... latched to it, without thinking, without wondering how my actions would affect those around me." Rena sighed, "It's quite common, it seems, in the Magical Girl world, trauma victims with magic powers latch onto those around them to heal."

"That is right," Rossie said nodding, "Part of the reason why the number of lesbian relationships is so high among Magical Girls, they confuse healing with love, comradeship with love... and the high stress situations stimulate the longing and care among them."

"But... So... you... don't love us... Anymore?" Elizabeth said, deflating, the idea had never crossed her mind at all. Rena, not loving them?

Impossible.

"No, I love you." Rena said shaking her head, "But love is a two way street, while I love you both, while I care for you both... I can't allow myself to be only a deadweight, it matters not if its heavy or not for you."

"... But I don't mind..." Elizabeth said once more, looking at the soul tendril around her hands, she was feeling... something she hadn't felt in years now.

Lonely.

Her link to Rena hadn't been restablished, her link to Rossie hadn't been remade either, since she had wanted to focus on Rena... Would Rossie too....?

"I know," Rena said walking to Elizabeth and taking the blonde girl's hands, "I know you feel no burden, I know it is nothing to you. And I know it is quite foolish of me to want to even attempt to become your equal Eli..."

"It's not foolish!" Elizabeth answered, flustered.

"Even so, I want this... at least for now, for a few days if possible..." Rena said closing her eyes and Elizabeth could see the outline of Rena's soul shine through it, as the girl slowly but surely started to mend. "I want to not be a lesser, but an equal. And the first step is this foolish one."

"... Is not foolish." Elizabeth said shaking her head, "But... Promise me that if you start hurting, you will call me out."

It was the least she could ask.

"Always," Rena answered nodding, "So... I am sorry Rossie for not speaking about this with you before."

"It's fine," Rossie said sighing, "I think I understand why you didn't, it is the most utterly foolish thing you could come up with."

"Rossie!" Elizabeth said screaming at Rossie.

"It's the truth, she doesn't need to prove anything, neither to you or me." Rossie said shaking her head, "She may have been a victim of the bug, but that thing is dead, so that matter is solved."

"But... Not everyone is as strong as you or me," Elizabeth said, sighing, "Besides, only Rena knows what she went through."

"... I know it may seem foolish to try to face it like this, what Akira did to me... it was horrible," Rena said shaking, "But pretending it didn't happen will not solve it... That was why I seeked teraphy first.... Other people who went through things similar to me, of course no one else got as bad as me, but finding out that their attackers were living well and these women were fine with it...?"

Rena's mana started to blaze stronger by the second.

"Finding out that part of the process was accepting that justice may not always help you... " Rena smiled quite evilly at that part, "Well... Justice was made, I learned great things, the thing that you Rossie had been telling me, as Eli had. That I mattered, that I needed to take care of myself were important..."

"You will always be important, and your own safety more so." Elizabeth said nodding, "If they taught you that, then they are quite good."

"They also taught me that while my outright disgust of MALES was wrong, setting up boundaries was good..." Rena said shrugging, "Either way, I learned that this too is a process that no magic will solve in one go. So time is needed, even if your girlfriend is a literal [Goddess]."

"They don't know me," Elizabeth said grumpily.

"Even if they did, they would not understand," Rena said shaking her head, "It isn't forever, after we are formally married women I will allow it to reform... You aren't getting free of me Eli."

Well, that was another reason to rush the wedding then.

"I will take your word for it then," Elizabeth said, then turning to Rossie she added, "You want to do the same Rossie? I know you... also had some issues with your Soul."

"... If Ren-Ren can survive without your soul tether, where does that leave me?" Rossie said dismissing the stealthily crafted soul tether she had made within her Soulscape, "Let it be known that Rossaline Singh is not a needy girlfriend."

"Would never think that," Elizabeth said laughing and hugging both girls, "I really missed you both, even if for me it was a day and for you two months, I truly dearly missed you both."

"We know Eli-Eli," Rossie said hugging back Elizabeth.

"And we missed you more," Rena added as she also hugged Elizabeth.

Elizabeth noted how Rena's soul seemed to twitch and want to extend the tether back, but Rena didn't allow it to form itself. Perhaps... perhaps Elizabeth could stealthily make it form itself?

No, Elizabeth needed to respect boundaries too...

Dang it...