Theresa Lu looked up at her father in silent wonder.
His words kept echoing through her head.
To your wedding day.
To your wedding day.
To your wedding day.
Those words were true.
After all this time, more than two years since Alex proposed to her on the beach, she was going to marry him, her partner, her best friend and lover. The thought sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach and made her face flush.
For as long as she could remember, theyâd been with each other, and sheâd loved him her whole life. Today was the day theyâd be joined as husband and wife.
âItâs so strange,â she thought. âI drank an elixir of immortality last year. âMy senses are even sharper. My heart beats stronger. And Iâm never going to dieâŠbut I didnât feel anywhere near as happy as I do today. What a life Iâve lived so far.â
Her father approached her. âWhat are you thinking about?â
She smiled up at him, touching the Twinblade. âOh, just aboutâŠhow we all got here.â
The huntress remembered that moment all those years ago when sheâd walked into Alexâs room and seen that glowing Mark on his shoulder. After heâd told her what had happened, it had taken her less than a heartbeat to know what she wanted to do: to go with him. Sheâd asked him right then if she could come with him to Generasi.
That one request might have been the single most important sentence sheâd ever uttered in her life. It had led them on a tense journey that took them from her familyâs inn, to the walls of Alric, to barely avoiding the priestsâ attention, and making it to the Coille. Theyâd been stalked by a silence spider for the first time, surprised by a meeting with the Chosen, had gone through the Cave of the Traveller, and narrowly managed to kill a hive-queen hidden in there.
At that point, that journey had been the most monumental experience of her life, but it was only the beginning. When theyâd made it to Generasi, sheâd discovered her potential for life enforcement, and started growing as a warrior, as well as in mind, body and spirit.
From there, came the endless trials during the Art of the Wizard in combat, battles against the mana vampire, and even fighting for their lives against Ravener-spawn at Patrizia DePaoloâs ball. Sheâd become close friends with Zhao Shishi, Grimloch, Isolde, the rest of Alexâs cabal, and a number of the Watchers.
Yet, even as Claygon had joined their family and their circle of friends had grown, the huntress and wizard stayed together, remaining partners to each other. Loving together. Fighting together. Growing together.
Theyâd faced monsters early on, like the demon summonerâs armies, then later on, Zonon-In, the hidden church, the runemarked in the north, until eventually, the Ravener itself. Sheâd unlocked the true potential of the Twinblade and had come into her own, discovering herself in ways sheâd never imagined, even when she thought about her future as a young child.
And her lifeâs path had been with Alex at her side.
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She smiled at her father.
âYou know, when I was a little girl, I always thought the Coille was endless,â she told him. âThatâs why I went exploring it so much. Then, one day, I realised that it wasnât endless; that beyond it were fields and towns and other tamed lands.â
âI remember that,â Mr. Lu smiled.
âBut when I first started learning life enforcement, I remember thinking that it was actually my first step into a vast forest that was ready for exploration. In a way, I thought it might be an endless path. An endless forest for me to explore, figuratively, I mean.â
âRight.â Mr. Lu nodded along.
She looked at the mirror, then at her swords, then the laurel wreath and her flowing wedding dress of forest green and leaves of gold.
âBut now, I think I see things a little differently. Life enforcement isnât the endless forest. Itâs a path through it. Life is the endless forest.â Her face lit up. âAnd I get to explore it endlessly with Alex beside me.â
She laughed then, looking back at her father. âLife doesnât get any more wonderful than this, does it?â
Mr. Lu rested a hand on her shoulder. âToday will be a highlight, Theresa, but take it from a man whoâs been very happily married for a very long time.â His eyes twinkled. âThe best is yet to come.â
Pausing for a moment then jumping up, she wrapped her arms around her father. âI love you, dad.â
He hugged her back. âI love you too. Iâm proud of you, and Iâm so, so happy for you.â
âThank you!â She fought back tears. Tears of joy. âWhat a wonderful life I live.â
Alexander Roth checked himself in the mirror for the thousandth time.
He carefully examined his black doublet and hose, looking for even a single loose thread, the slightest stain or the slightest bit of dust or dirt.
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âGot to look perfect,â he said. âAbsolutely have to look absolutely perfect.â He looked at himself in the mirror again, glancing at his long hair. His eyes scanned for any hairs out of place. He found none. âI look perfect, donât I?â
âYou lookâŠlikeâŠa HeroâŠfatherâŠâ Claygon said.
The golem of steel and dungeon core-substance stood by the door, watching his fatherâs inspection with the patience of stone. He watched Alex closely, with feelings of pride, excitement and anticipation pouring through their link.
âDonâtâŠfretâŠyou areâŠgoing to be fineâŠâ the golem said.
âWell, thatâs the thing!â Alex spun around. âI know Iâm going to be fine! Fine is easy! âFineâ is what you bloody well tell someone when youâre feeling bloody miserable, but you donât want to get into a big conversation about it. Fine is what your boss tells you your performance is when theyâre getting ready to show you the door! Fine is easy, Claygon! Theresa doesnât deserve âfineâ, or even âgreatâ! She deserves perfect! Hells, I deserve perfect!â
As Alex gesticulated, the golem laughed.
âThen you areâŠperfectâŠfather. I thinkâŠthe fact thatâŠyou and TheresaâŠare even marrying each otherâŠalready makes the dayâŠperfect for both of you,â Claygon said. âI am not sure how muchâŠsheâs going to pay attentionâŠto every thread of your clothing fatherâŠI thinkâŠsheâs going to care a lot more aboutâŠwhoâs wearing those clothesâŠâ
Alex paused then, looking into Claygonâs steel eyes. âYou know, youâve gotten really damn insightful.â
âIâŠhaveâŠgoodâŠrole modelsâŠâ He patted his father on the back. âI am happyâŠfor youâŠfatherâŠâ
Alex smiled up at the golem, placing a hand on one of Claygonâs forearms. âThank you for that, buddy. Seriously, thank you.â
âYou are welcomeâŠI can feel you areâŠnervous fatherâŠyou are letting your emotionsâŠflow through our linkâŠand I can feel your excitementâŠtooâŠâ
âYeah,â Alex chuckled. âIâm super excited, buddy. I canât remember the last time I was this excited! Funny, I drank a potion of immortality and didnât feel as excited as I do right now. Oh, man, I canât believe how happy Iâm feeling. Nervous too, though. Hope I donât mess up my vowsâŠâ
âYouâŠwill notâŠfatherâŠI know you will notâŠyou are going to haveâŠa great dayâŠâ Claygon said, raising his lower right hand.
âYeeeeeah!â the young archwizard high-fived his golemâs steel hand, barely resisting the urge to clutch his hand from pain.
As the archwizard and golem fed off each otherâs excitement, Alex looked out the window, at the sky.
âI know youâre still watching over us, mom and dad,â he thought, remembering travelling to the after-world and meeting his mother and father with Selina. As time went on, his memories of what the after-world looked like grew vaguer, hazier.
But the image of his mother and fatherâlooking at him and his sister with such towering prideâremained just as clear in his mind, as if heâd just seen them minutes ago. He doubted that memory would ever fade, even if he lived for another five thousand years.
âI hope youâll still keep being proud of Selina and me, mother and father,â he thought. âAnd of Theresa too, since our families are officially joining.â
As the thought passed through his mind, a familiar voice came from the hallway.
âAlex! Are you ready?â Mrs. Lu called. âItâs just about time.â
âOn my way!â Alex turned to Claygon, straightening his clothes again.
âHow do I look?â he asked.
âLikeâŠa HeroâŠâ the golem replied, confidently.
âHaha, Iâll take it!â Alex walked to the double doors of his bedroom in the villa, throwing them open with a single tug and stepped into the hallway, where Mrs. Lu was waiting.
The doors across from his room opened andâŠTheresa walked through the doorway.
Alexâs breath caught.
The softness of her dress. The colours. All perfect.
Her hair.
The wreath of wildflowers ringing her hair.
Her death stalker faceâŠmelted immediately upon seeing him.
She looked him up and down. Slowly. Drinking in every detail. âYou look good, Alex.â The huntress blushed.
âYou look beautiful,â He whispered back, awed.
For a moment, they just silently looked into each otherâs eyes.
Claygon beamed.
Mrs. Lu beamed.
Mr. Lu choked back a sob. âA-alright, you two had better get going.â
âRemember, donâtâŠcome into theâŠtemple until you hearâŠmy signalâŠâClaygon added.
âWeâll remember, Claygon,â Theresa said, not taking her eyes off her fiance.
Slowly and gently, she extended her hand.
Alex took it in his.
âAlright, you all have the new portal downstairs. Wait, portals! Alright, quick. Donât take the one that I set up a while ago: the regular one that takes you to your inn, Mr. and Mrs. Lu. Youâll want to take the new one. Itâll take the rest of you right to the temple.â
âWeâll remember, Alex,â Mrs. Lu said. âNow off you go, scoot!â
Alex nodded. âOkay.â
âMom, dad, Iâll see you soon,â Theresa added.
The huntress and the archwizard looked into each otherâs eyes.
He squeezed her hand.
She squeezed his back.
And they teleported away.
The hall that Alex and Theresa arrived in was a wondrous sight.
The walls, floor and ceiling of stone were bathed in the multihued lights of multiple portals. A honeycomb of portals hovered just below the ceiling, each open to a different sky.
One sky was blue and clear, lit by bright sunlight.
Another was starry, a full moon shone, bathing its cool light through the portal.
Another was filled with fluffy white clouds.
Yet another was open to the far north where multihued lights played through the night sky.
Along both walls of the tunnel, portals were opened to different landscapes from around the world. One opened to a scene of the ocean, schools of colourful fish were nipping at each other, magic held the contents of the portal in check, keeping them from flowing out and into the tunnel.
Another portal opened to a forest of petrified trees, each draped in lichen, bringing greenery to an otherwise grey scene.
Other portals opened onto bright green fields.
Others onto beaches or deserts.
It seemed as though the world itself had been brought to the Cave, its different landscapes there to witness Alex and Theresaâs union.
And these were not the only wonders in the tunnel.
Bright green garland was draped from the walls and a carpet of flower petals were strewn along the floor, representing good fortune, prosperity and fertility.
From towering doors up ahead, hung wreaths of forest plants and wildflowers.
The doors were familiarâŠ
âŠthe same ones that had led directly into the Temple of the Traveller.
Beyond them, Alex and Theresa could hear hushed voices talking.
âLooks like a lot of our guests are already here,â Alex said, keeping his voice low.
âSounds like it,â Theresa whispered. âI hear people coming through the portals inside. I think theyâre almost ready to start.â
âTheyâll be ready for us soon, then,â Alex said. He paused, looking at her closely.
She caught his gaze, and smiled, blushing. âWhat is it?â Her voice was soft.
âAre you ready?â he asked.
Her hand squeezed his. âIâve been ready for a long time. You?â
His hand squeezed hers back. âEven longer.â
Before she could reply, two rich voices lifted in song from inside the temple.
Claygonâs and Birgerâs harmonious tones blended, joining in perfect harmony, singing a song of welcome.
Alex took a deep, steadying breath. âWell, thatâs our cue.â
âIt is,â she said. âI guess we should get married, then?â
âI guess we should.â
Together, Theresa and Alex stepped forward, the doors slowly opening, welcoming them to the temple.