WINTER'S SWEET EMBRACE

After a quiet thirty minutes of diagnostic spells performed on the miraculously fully recovered Maribelle, the living room’s silence finally broke.

The male medic lowered his clipboard and rubbed his temples with two fingers as he stared at Vincent in utter disbelief.

"So... just to make sure I have recorded this accurately in our official records... You’re telling me that you remembered a fictional fairy tale from your origin world, and concluded that in order to wake your mother from her comatose state... you simply had to kiss her?"

Sitting next to Vincent on the couch, Maribelle was resting her head happily on his shoulder, both her arms wrapped around his arm while a radiant smile lit up her face.

Across from them, Natasha was glaring at Vincent with a face so red it threatened to melt the furniture. Deina, on the other hand, was quietly giggling behind her palm.

"Yes," Vincent confirmed. "And... well, I also poured my own divine power into her through the kiss. I guess that must’ve somehow helped."

"Haaaa... Such a thing shouldn’t be possible. It’s already been tested."

"I don’t know what else to tell you, doc. It worked."

"Isn’t it obvious what happened?" Maribelle chimed in.

"Please, Lady Maribelle, if you possess insight into this phenomenon, do explain for the records."

"It was because of true love," she declared proudly, placing a cheek against Vincent’s arm.

"...E-Excuse me?"

"It was because of the unbreakable mother-son love we have for each other that I was able to break free from the darkness and wake up!"

"That is obviously complete bullshit!" Natasha snapped. "It must’ve been because of his divine power healing you somehow! Or maybe, you just woke up when he kissed you!"

Deina leaned back on the cushions, purring softly. "Aww... is our little redhead Goddess feeling a tiny bit jealous that she didn’t get a sweet little kissy chu-chu from Vinny today~?"

"I-I am NOT feeling jealous! Shut up!"

"You really shouldn’t delay giving Nat her special kisses, Little Bird. Otherwise, her red face is going to explode from frustration~"

"DEINA, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Natasha screamed, leaping off her seat.

Her white wings flared open, and she launched herself through the air after Deina, who instantly transformed into a streak of golden light, darting around the high ceilings of the living room while laughing hysterically.

Ignoring the two Goddesses zooming overhead, the medic turned back to Maribelle and Vincent, clearing his throat.

"Regardless of... that... I believe Lady Natasha’s hypothesis regarding your divine power may hold merit. Lord Vincent, Lady Maribelle, if I may ask a favor?" He pulled two small, crystalline vial tubes from his robes.

"Would you both be willing to pour a small fraction of your divine power into these tubes? I wish to take them to our research facility. If we can isolate the specific frequency of your energy, we might achieve a medical breakthrough that could save countless patients in the future."

"Oh, absolutely! I’m more than happy to help!" Maribelle agreed instantly.

She lifted a finger and pressed it against the top of the first tube, channelling a soft sapphire light into the glass.

Vincent followed suit, pressing his thumb against the second tube and filling it with his golden-blue divine power.

"Thank you," the medic secured the sealed vials into his coat.

Standing up, he bowed deeply to them both. "I congratulate you on this miraculous recovery, Lady Maribelle. We will return in a couple of days with the formal analysis pertaining to your heart. Please take care."

With that, the two medics exited the estate.

Once the front doors closed, the high-energy atmosphere in the room slowly bled away. Maribelle’s smile faded as she noticed the dark shadow covering her son’s face. He was staring blankly at his own lap with his shoulders slouched.

"Vinny...?" she up to gently cup his cheek. "Are you still thinking about... the whole familiar situation?"

"How can I not be, Mama? My entire life... my freedom, my future, my ability to go back to Earth... it’s all in the hands of some complete stranger in another world. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

"No wonder those people in Pristina looked at me with so much pity... no wonder they called me a slave. Because that’s exactly what I am now."

"Oh, baby..." Maribelle’s eyes welled with tears as she pulled him into a tight hug, burying his head against her shoulder.

Up above, the chaotic chase between the crimson and golden Goddesses stopped.

Both Natasha and Deina floated down, their wings folding neatly as they took in Vincent’s crushed posture. The atmosphere became heavy with shared grief. They stepped closer, both reaching out to place comforting hands on his back and shoulders, offering support alongside Maribelle.

"I just... I just have to sit here and pray that the old Way-Guide brings good news whenever he finally gets an audience with Her Majesty. Whenever that is..."

As Maribelle gently stroked his hair gently, she looked over his shoulder and met Natasha’s eyes. A knowing smirk suddenly spread across Maribelle’s lips.

Natasha’s eyes went wide with panic. She frantically shook her head, mouthing the words, ’No! Not right now!’

But Maribelle ignored her silent pleas.

"How about we take your mind off all this bad news with a much better piece of news, baby?"

"M-Mari...!" Natasha stuttered, her voice squeaking higher than normal.

"Honestly... anything to get rid of this dreadful feeling right now. What is it, Mama?"

Maribelle slid away from him and stood up with a triumphant smile. "Actually... it’s Nat who has the news!"

"Nat does?"

The moment his blue eyes locked onto her, Natasha recoiled as if she had been struck by lightning. She bolted back three paces and slapped both hands over her bright red face.

"M-MARI IS LYING! There’s nothing! I have nothing to say!"

Deina got off the couch, stepping away from Vincent. She looked at Natasha with a teasing smirk on her face. "Are you really going to run away right now, Redhead? Right when the perfect chance has presented itself?"

Natasha flared her wings, floating a few inches off the floor as if ready to fly out the window. "I-I’m not ready! The timing is way off!"

"If you don’t do it right now, Natasha... then you’re just a coward." Deina’s playful expression vanished. For all your strength, you’re losing to the one person that should have been your best ally – yourself."

Deina’s voice softened, filled with deep sincerity. "Believe in yourself, Nat."

Natasha froze mid-air.

She stared at Deina, letting the words pierce straight through her panic. Slowly, her wings folded, and she landed back on the floor directly in front of Vincent. She gave Deina a grateful nod.

Deina backed away slightly, her head tilting downward. A faint, self-deprecating smile touched her lips and her golden eyes clouded over as she thought to herself,

’Look at me... giving advice like some wise elder sister. I’m such a hypocrite... and the real coward here.’

Natasha glanced at Maribelle, who also gave her an encouraging nod.

Taking a massive, chest-heaving breath, Natasha steeled her heart. She squeezed her fists tightly, locked her eyes onto Vincent, and screamed at the top of her lungs:

"V-VINCENT!"

Vincent’s battle-trained posture automatically snapped straight. "Y-YES!"

"S-SHUT UP AND JUST LISTEN TO ME, OKAY?!"

’But... I wasn’t even saying anything...’

"W-When you first arrived in this realm five hundred years ago, I thought you were a fucking loser! I thought you were some weak, pathetic mama’s boy who couldn’t do anything for himself and was just taking advantage of Mari’s kindness because she showed you a little affection! Well... a lot of affection, but you know what I mean!

"The point is, back then, I... I didn’t like your stupid guts one bit! So I took it out on you under the guise of ’training’ you! I honestly hoped that if I tortured you enough, your true, ugly colors would show, and you’d give up and leave Mari’s side and the divine realm altogether, never to return!"

"Wow... that’s harsh even for you, Nat." Deina muttered quietly.

"SHUT UP, DEINA! I’M NOT FINISHED!"

She took another shaky breath as her fierce expression began to break.

"That... That was the plan. But it turns out... you weren’t the type of scumbag I thought you were at all. You’re kind. You’re caring. You’re insanely patient. You’re hardworking... and despite how ugly, violent, and rude I was to you... you never took it out on me."

Tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes, spilling over her flushed cheeks. Her voice cracked, but she refused to look away, pouring every drop of her soul into his eyes.

"E-Even... Even when we didn’t speak for fifty whole years... When we finally made up, you never got angry at me for it. You never blamed me. Which in turn... made me realise even more how incredibly stupid I was for saying such terrible things to you.

"You became the closest friend I have beside Mari and Deina. I told you this before, but... everyone in this realm starts avoiding me after they get to know the real me. But you stuck with me. You stayed... And that means more to me than you could ever possibly know!"

Vincent felt a lump form in his throat. His own eyes began to well up as he listened to her raw honesty.

"So today... right here and now, as I pour my heart out to you..." Natasha took a step closer, placing her trembling hands flat over her beating chest, "I want to say... I-I love you, Vincent Winters! I love you so much it fucking hurts!

"You’re the only thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I think about when I go to bed!" Natasha sobbed happily.

"And every time I’m not with you, it drives me crazy! Even if you return to Earth and only come back to me a million years later... I-I will still love you! That’s how much you mean to me! So please...

"I promise to be kinder. I promise to be more patient. I promise to be more caring... I promise to always work on bettering myself for you. So please, Vincent... will you be my lover?"

Behind them, Maribelle was quietly sobbing tears of maternal joy, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Deina stood silently in the corner with a conflicted, bittersweet smile on her face, and tears shimmering in her golden eyes as she watched her best friend lay her soul bare.

Natasha exhaled heavily, panting as she waited in terrifying suspense for his answer.

As Vincent stared at her, a single, tearful laugh escaped his lips, as if he had been holding his breath for just as long as she had.

The suffocating dread in his chest vanished, replaced by an overwhelming warmth.

"Natasha... I–"

Right as the words were about to leave his mouth, Vincent’s body shimmered with translucent light. In that same second, the light imploded, and he vanished into thin air.

SHEEN!

Natasha stared at the empty space where he had just been standing. Her breath got caught in her throat as her confession hung uselessly in the air.

"Little Demi...?"

.

..

...

SHEEN!

Vincent materialised back onto cold, damp stone.

"...love you too... Huh?"

The words echoed quietly, rebounding off the dreary stone walls.

Vincent blinked as the sudden shift in light blinded him for a second. He wasn’t in his mother’s warm estate mansion anymore. The rich scent of star-berry pancakes was gone, replaced by the pungent, metallic stench of fresh blood, rust, and damp mildew.

He was standing inside a dark, stone jail cell beneath heavy iron bars.

"What the...?"

In the corner of the dim cell, chained to the wall by iron shackles, was the silver-headed girl he’d come to recognise as Maelle.

She was half-naked, her uniform clothes torn. Her skin was covered in vicious, swollen red whip marks, deep bruises, and dirt. Both of her legs and one arm were pinned to the wall by said shackles

Most horrifying of all, the skin around her right wrist had been completely torn raw and bloody – she had violently ripped her own flesh trying to drag her hand out of the metal cuff just enough to summon him.

She was barely conscious as her head hung low, gasping for shallow breaths.

Hearing the sudden displacement of air, Maelle painfully lifted her bruised face. Her glazed, trembling eyes locked onto Vincent’s pristine form, his white wings, and his ethereal-blue hair.

Using the last sliver of her strength, she forced her bloody lip open, speaking a command before fading from consciousness.

"Take... me... away..."