The Inner Odyssey

A few minutes earlier…

Celeste immersed herself in the fine meal.

The feast provided by the Zephyr Clan truly was delicious.

The best part about it, though… were the various duplicates of each dish, prepared in a different way to accommodate the variety of people's tastes. Celeste was very grateful for that - she did not wish to go anywhere near the spicy dishes.

Although the hosts were unlikely to serve only just that, it was still comforting to know she had other, more inviting options to choose from.

Celeste absolutely abhorred spice.

…Al was weird in that regard.

She didn't know how he could withstand the fiery heat.

Alistair too, in fact.

Alden must have gotten his love for spice from the Guildmaster.

'What is wrong with them?'

She chuckled to herself.

The Chosen of the Divine Sovereign internally shook her head with mirth, ignoring the subtle pang that was still present whenever she thought about her former love. It had gotten better, such that it wasn't as strong as before, but it still lurked in the background, waiting to strike.

Celeste sighed blissfully as she combined an aromatic spoonful of soup with a succulent piece of lightly salted, herby goat meat. She chewed slowly, savouring the combination, before washing down the morsel gracefully with a drink.

Celeste basked in the stunning flavour, before she shifted her attention to another dish.

Immediately after, she slipped an oyster into her mouth, her jade-green eyes sparkling at the steamed bivalve mollusk. It was salty, briny, and brought visions of a calm, peaceful ocean to her mind.

Completely unlike the Haunted Archipelago.

A soft smile appeared on her lips.

Ever since she had first laid eyes upon the chaotic vista of the Haunted Archipelago - the towering waves, the ever-present storm, the haunting songs of evocative sirens distorted by the Barrier - a strange desire had formed inside Celeste.

One day, far into the future, she hoped to build a home beside a peaceful shore.

She imagined the sound of the undulating waves would be akin to a soft murmur, or a gentle sigh, not at all like the frenzied, restless ocean currently present within Arkanis.

The young woman sighed.

In this land of broken dreams, it was unlikely she would ever get to see such a tranquil sight.

One could hope, though.

Subtly discarding her train of thought, Celeste unconsciously recalled the clash between the Sunbrawlers against the Silent Slaughter Guild… and how there was a good chance her parents could have died, if not for Alistair's Sponsor also descending.

She tried not to send the dining dignitaries a dark look - that would only make the situation worse.

It was bad enough that they had voted against the Sunbrawlers purely out of spite.

A briefly troubled look flashed across Celeste's pastel features.

She bit her lip.

Why?

Because she felt partly responsible for how things had gone down.

After all, if Alden had not jumped to her defense, he could have cultivated a better relationship with the Masters.

'What's done is done.'

Celeste resolved herself to try and improve Alden's reputation as a means of repaying him.

How she would go about that, though… she did not yet know.

In any case, the way the Asterons descended reminded Celeste of her encounter with the Keeper, and the remarkable discovery that the [Augur of Judgment] was their Sponsor.

A couple of days later, Celeste still didn't know what to make of the revelation.

She did not regret meeting with the Keeper - it was how Julian's fate had been decided, and how she had learned of the depth of his atrocious schemes.

However, she was still troubled.

Why did the [Augur of Judgment] greet her warmly?

As far as Celeste knew, she had no previous affiliation with the nebulous being.

Apart from… the mysterious flower she had consumed.

Which posed another question, actually.

Why did the otherworldly being wish for her to "Overflow with life"?

Why did they want to increase her reserves of life energy?

It made sense how the flower had appeared there - the [Augur of Judgment] had most likely instructed the Keeper to place the magical bloom inside the brush -, but it did not make sense why.

…What was the Asteron's goal?

Frustrated, Celeste took another sip of the aromatic soup to distract herself from her spiraling thoughts. She continued to eat, enjoying herself, until one of her Senior Sisters spoke, breaking Celeste out of her daze:

"So, what's the deal with you and the Keeper's Apprentice?"

Nellie asked, her tone conspiratorial.

Her eyes twinkled with mirth.

"We're family."

Celeste forced out a smile, hiding her discomfort.

She resisted the urge to glance in Al's direction.

"Oh? Just family?"

Her Senior Sister raised an eyebrow, the edges of her lips curling into a smirk.

Celeste felt heat flood her cheeks - against her will!

"Look! She's blushing!"

The three older Disciples of Light chuckled.

That was when Celeste sighed, and revealed one of the reasons why she decided to become a Disciple of Light. Her Senior Sisters immediately changed their tune, apologising for their lack of tact.

They were very empathetic to her plight, which warmed Celeste's still healing heart.

"What a fool. Who in their right mind would break up with someone like you?"

Nellie clicked her tongue.

"It's a shame. You really seem like you suit each other."

A slightly wistful look appeared on Kiara's face.

Deciding not to pry into the latter's circumstances, Celeste was just about to change the topic, when a flood of messengers burst into the room. She frowned, wondering what all the commotion was all about.

Soon, a deep scowl lined her beautiful features.

Why?

Because the Crimson Apostles had carried out another chilling attack.

…This time, using the Tournament as a distraction.

Celeste saw Zaruk and the leader of House Galeheart jump to their feet, grim expressions sullying their countenances. In the next moment, the two Masters disappeared. A blur of motion was all that she sensed as the men doubtless hurried to assess the damage the Crimson Apostles had caused.

And while Celeste briefly entertained the idea that the two older men played a part in the attack - she didn't trust them, especially Zaruk - she hoped that the number of casualties wasn't that high.

Unfortunately, for her…

That was not the case.