“Hello, my heart,” Gregory said as he rolled over to look at the dark corner.
“Oh… that felt good,” Darkness whispered. “Thank you, dear one.”
“Another rank?”
“Of course. I approve of Mindie, as I know you have been wondering.”
“She’s touched all three paths, so I was certain you did.”
“Let me ease your mind on the rest. I approve of all those you know of.”
“Thank you. I know you did, but hearing it makes it easier.”
“I love Yuki’s idea of having the wedding in a few days, too, with your friends and allies around you. This does ease the worry a couple of others have had.”
“About me not really accepting them?”
“Yes. Ah, a moment? Here come your wives.”
Gregory sat up, facing the corner. A few seconds later, Yukiko and Jenn were bookending him on the edge of the bed. He kissed each of them as they got their bearings.
“Another rank? That’s good,” Yukiko smiled. “Hello, dear one. Do you think—?”
“In a moment,” Darkness giggled.
“Oh, that’d be good,” Jenn nodded. “Do you know if—?”
“She is, but not for years to come,” Darkness said. “Has she not admitted it herself to you both?”
“Her wish, yes, but we wanted to know about her past.”
“She was.”
“Another of your cryptic conversations?” Gregory asked wryly.
“Nothing to worry you for years,” Darkness replied, “but right now, we have another person to welcome.”
Mindie appeared on Jenn’s left, sitting on the edge of the bed. She blinked slowly, clearly trying to understand where she was. “Jenn? Greg? Yuki?”
“Mindie, let me introduce you,” Jenn said, putting her arm around Mindie’s waist. “Meet Darkness.”
Mindie looked at the inky corner with pursed lips. “Darkness? The one who…?”
“Hello, healer,” Darkness purred. “I had hoped so much for you to find the courage to approach your heart. Soon, you will be with him again.”
“Are all of them past lives, Darkness?” Yukiko asked.
“All of those you know of who wish to be always beside him are, Yuki. None of them will take the pinnacle of his heart. That is your place. Jenn is the one closest to being your true equal, and she is still a pace behind.”
Yukiko exhaled. “That small fear still persists, it seems…”
Gregory put his arm around Yukiko’s waist. “You’ll always be my heart, Yuki. No matter who comes into our family, you’ll always be my first heart.”
“Should I be here?” Mindie whispered to Jenn.
“You belong here, healer,” Darkness said. “You will also have a piece of his heart, as he will yours. There is no one heart in this family. It is a shared heart between one and all.”
Mindie lowered her head. “I can love all of them?”
“We want you to,” Jenn murmured, kissing Mindie’s cheek, “but it’s up to you.”
Mindie glanced at Gregory and Yukiko, who nodded in agreement. Licking her lips, she kissed Jenn’s cheek. “I’ll try.”
“Excellent,” Darkness said happily. “The wedding is not far off. Mindie, be prepared to share that love with others.”
“I am. I like the others,” Mindie blushed hotly when she said it.
“Not just those you know, dear healer. Others who have not fully come forward, or who have not been found yet that might still join our husband.”
“Oh… how many?” Mindie asked with wide eyes.
“That would be telling,” Darkness giggled. “The tournament for your friends starts when you fight again,” she said, changing the subject. “Aether’s Guard will be showing its newfound strength while you are here, showing yours.”
“Will they win?” Gregory asked.
“That is in flux, as many events are currently in play there. They will do their very best.”
“I was wondering…” Gregory asked slowly, “would you be willing to talk with the others?”
“Meet them in a dream?” Darkness asked.
“We told those on the trip with us who you are. Clover and Ling will explain it to the rest. I think them meeting you would help.”
“Hmm… I am currently meeting with Clover, Ling, and Roshana. Just small talk, letting them know that I am indeed real, and that you do harbor strong feelings for them, my heart. I will do so with the novices after Clover and Ling speak with them.”
“That will help them,” Yukiko smiled. “Thank you, Darkness.”
“Umm… so I really am walking all three paths?” Mindie asked.
“Yes, dear healer. You have been since you started to follow him. All who wish to stand beside him need to be as strong as they can. You will see the benefit when you wake. For now, time is short. Go and sleep.” Mindie vanished as she finished talking.
“We love you, Darkness,” Jenn said, reaching out a hand. “When we can, we’ll show you how much.”
“Thank you, Jenn,” Darkness murmured just before Jenn vanished.
“Thank you for helping me bring more love to our heart, Darkness. We’ll make sure you are showered in it just as much when we can,” Yukiko said.
“That makes my heart soar, Yuki. I yearn for those days,” Darkness sighed, and Yukiko vanished.
“Darkness, thank you for being patient with me.”
“I will always be so with you, dear one. You are my heart, my reason for being. Like Yuki, I want you to be so surrounded by love that you never feel a moment without it. We will make sure those we gather are true to you. I cannot let my heart be hurt.”
“Even by you,” Gregory said sadly, “but I still have to try.”
Happy laughter bubbled up from Darkness as Gregory threw himself at her. The shadows grabbed him, holding him back while sapping his aether, gently guiding him to sleep. “Never give up on me, dear one. One day, I will pull you to me, not keep you away.”
Gregory heard the words before sleep claimed him. He tried to smile, but he vanished before he could.
Darkness banished her namesake from the room. Getting to her feet, she went to the bed, crawled into it, then curled up, pulling the pillow Gregory had briefly used to her. Inhaling deeply, she let the tears of the long years out for a few moments. The wait had been ages, but it was in these last few years that it started to really take its toll on her. She was so close to what she’d yearned for, she wouldn’t risk him again, no matter how much she wanted to hold him. “I love you, my dear Aether…” The words were a whisper that filled the room before the created space vanished from being.
~*~*~
“Good morning,” Yukiko greeted Clover, Ling, Roshana, and Mindie as they entered the tent.
“We grew!” Clover beamed, showing them her medallion with eight rings glowing sunflower yellow. “We also met Darkness.”
“It was… interesting,” Ling said. “Clover and I were in a bedroom together. It was such an opulent place, and the one corner was covered in dark shadows where the voice came from.”
“That was Darkness,” Gregory nodded. “Congratulations on advancing.”
“I saw that same bedroom, but I was by myself,” Roshana said, her own medallion showing five yellow circles. “She’s very kind. It felt like I was speaking to an old friend instead of a new one.”
“Yes!” Clover said excitedly. “I felt that, too.”
“We all did, then,” Ling smiled as she took a seat at the table. “I’m still trying to accept that it was more than just a dream. It felt too right, too welcoming.”
“Darkness is just that way,” Jenn smiled.
“I also grew in rank,” Mindie said as she took her seat, pulling out her medallion. The eight circles were illuminated with orange light. “I… sat with them when they spoke with Darkness.”
The other three stared at Mindie for a moment. Roshana was the first one to say, “You didn’t mention that when we got dressed… just that you spoke with Darkness.”
“She welcomed me as a wife,” Mindie flushed. “I didn’t want you to feel bad.”
Roshana laughed, then hugged Mindie. “Never. You’re special to all of us, Mindie.”
“Yes!” Clover said exuberantly. “We all care for you. We wouldn’t feel bad that you’re further along the path that we all want to walk. It just means we have a better chance. You’ve shown us that we can make it there, too.”
“I agree with them, healer,” Ling smiled. “I worried that maybe I was deluding myself some. Speaking with Darkness helped that, but also made me wonder how a being of such power could be okay with me loving people she obviously cares for. Hearing that she welcomed you so easily makes my heart beat faster. It is possible. Thank you for helping show us the way, and for healing my doubts.”
Mindie flushed, looking down at the table. “I was so worried… about how you’d all hate me for being ahead of you when I’m the newest one to join the group.”
“You’re further advanced in some ways,” Roshana said, covering Mindie’s hand with hers. She suddenly hesitated, glancing at Gregory and his wives. “I should stop what I’ve been doing with you, shouldn’t I?”
“Doing with her?” Yukiko asked with a smirk.
Mindie blushed bright red. “Oh…!”
“We’ve been helping each other study… anatomy,” Roshana giggled. “Just light touches and maybe some kisses. It’s been nothing too serious, but if she’s accepted by Darkness, too—”
“Until she marries, it’s fine,” Jenn chuckled, “if her face doesn’t combust before then.”
Mindie glanced up at them, then back down. “I… I just… learn…”
“It’s fine,” Yukiko giggled. “We have to explore and learn. Greg doesn’t mind, do you, dear one?”
Gregory’s face was just as flushed as Mindie’s, as his mind had been all too happy to give him mental images of Roshana and Mindie together. “N-no… uh… No. It’s fine,” he stammered out.
“Like me and Ling being together, right?” Clover asked.
“Yeah,” Gregory croaked. “It’s fine.”
Ling giggled lightly and pulled Clover back to her seat, as the excitable woman had started to lean forward. “Darkness said we should tell the others about her. I wanted to make sure that you wanted us to do that.”
Jenn nodded. “They should meet her, too, like you did. It will help buoy their spirits while we’re separated.”
“If…” Roshana began slowly. “If Darkness can dream with us… does that mean we can see you even when we’re apart from you?”
“It’s possible,” Yukiko said. “We normally only see her on occasion. She speaks with Gregory every time we grow in power, though. I wouldn’t count on even speaking with her that often, but it is possible that she might bring you to us when we grow.”
“Even that is enough to help ease my worry,” Roshana smiled.
“We should do Magi Squares,” Gregory said, his sentence broken as he tried to get his mind off what it kept trying to show him.
Yukiko giggled, kissing his cheek. “We can make the blanks. Elsa will be here with breakfast before we begin to work on answers.”
The others looked at Gregory, smiles and smirks on their lips as they got out paper to begin their studying for the day. All of them had warmth in their chests at being accepted.
