PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

One could imagine how things would have turned out if Desmond hadn’t forbidden Revna from telling the rest of the girls what had happened during the acquisition of his bloodline.

Regarding the bloodline issue, Revna shared with the girls only what Desmond allowed her to. Claire and Sasha seemed quite curious about what Desmond would look like during his transformation. Still, Cecilia was more interested in vampirism which Revna tried to downplay.

Kyuru was the only one who seemed interested in something other than Desmond’s transformation details. To her, her guardian would always be her guardian; her job was to be there for him no matter how much he changed. Besides, Kyuru had more important things to think about. An example would be the intruder who only pretended to have left but was still here, keeping herself hidden from the rest of the girls.

As if she noticed that Kyuru wasn’t buying into her game, Myrilla appeared again, this time looking curiously at the colorful-winged fairy. Ignoring the surprised expression of the rest of the girls, the angel of love spoke directly to the fairy. “How did you know I didn’t leave?”

Kyuru looked at the angel of love with disdain and replied. “It takes you a thousand years to be able to deceive the great Kyuru, the most fabulous fairy in the universe.”

Myrilla was stunned for a second before responding with a posture and phrase as childish and arrogant as the fairy. “Hump, if I wore it, you would be no match for me. After all, I am the most adorable, smart, and always loving angel in the universe.”

The children’s show helped lower the alertness level of the rest of the girls. However, seeing a fairy and an angel having a kindergarten-level argument was still a little strange.

As if she remembered something, Myrilla stopped looking at Kyuru and turned her attention to the rest of the girls before beginning the speech she had prepared. “I can see that all of you are worried about Desmond. You can be sure that he will be fine. I believe he has what it takes to survive this place and still be himself.”

.....

Claire was the first to interfere with the angel’s speech. “What do you mean by that? What kind of place did he go to?”

Strange enough, for a person who acted like a little girl 90% of the time, Myrilla didn’t even react when interrupted. She just looked patiently and motherly tenderly at Claire.

Myrilla stroked Claire’s hair gently and explained. “Desmond went to a place devoid of love, tainted by ancient sins, and beyond salvation. I’m afraid that besides that girl, there’s no one left in that world who doesn’t harbor a devil in their heart. It’s a cruel and twisted place where only someone like Desmond could survive without losing himself, so don’t ask me to take you there.”

Claire clenched her fists but didn’t complain; she knew they had read her intentions and that Myrilla was probably right in saying she shouldn’t go to such a place. Claire knew that she would probably become a burden to Desmond. Enduring helplessness, Claire asked. “Why did you send him to that place?”

Myrilla gestured for Claire and the rest of the girls to sit down, and she responded. “First of all, I didn’t make him go anywhere. I just gave him a way to repay the favor he owed me; he decided to accept the terms and go to that place. As for why Desmond chose to go, I believed it was to make amends to me and someone from that world who was hurt by the original owner of the lineage Desmond acquired.”

It was Sasha’s turn to intervene. “Why should I make amends for the owner of that blood?”

Revna wanted to answer Sasha’s question but kept silent; she didn’t dare go against Desmond’s orders. Revna could swear Myrilla gave her one look before answering Sasha’s question. “I’m afraid that only your beloved knows.”

Being the calmest and the most patient of the group, Cecilia asked a rather astute question. “Desmond’s decisions belong to him alone, as much as we wish otherwise. However, I am curious, why are you here, Myrilla? I don’t presume to know much about your kind, but I know you shouldn’t have plenty of time to waste.”

Myrilla pouted; she was like a little girl who had her surprise ruined by someone else. “Well, it could be considered fate that all of us have come together, so I thought I’d do something for all of you. I know all of you are uncomfortable with your current situation, always depending on Desmond’s protection, so I want to offer you a chance.”

Claire almost jumps out of her seat. “What kind of opportunity?”

Myrilla smiled like a merchant about to swindle a peasant out of money and answered. “An opportunity to become stronger, to stop being just decorations in this beautiful house. I will allow you to have what it takes to continue walking next to the man you love.”

Even a dagger to the heart was less piercing than Myrilla’s words, but no one jumped to judgment. Her words hurt precisely because they were true. No one in the room wasn’t tempted by Myrilla’s offer except for Kyuru.

Unlike the rest of the girls, Kyuru was certain of her connection to Desmond and didn’t need to change herself to feel like she could stay by his side. Kyuru knew her capabilities and limits better than anyone else and was very clear about the role she wanted to play in Desmond’s life. For her, Myrilla’s offer was not attractive at all.

Of course, even though Kyuru wasn’t interested in what the angel offered, that didn’t mean that she despised Myrilla’s help. Kyuru knew that this was just what the other girls needed. However, the faerie also knew a thing or two about Celestials and the way they did things.

“What do you get out of all this?” Kyuru asked as her purple eyes gazed at the angel of love for any sign of anything suspicious.

Kyuru didn’t expect that the Angel of Love’s modus operandi was the opposite of the Angel of Balance she had heard about. Instead of speaking in riddles or giving hints of any kind, Myrilla directly expressed what she wanted. “Well, my requirement is a bit offhand since it’s something I just learned about. To tell the truth, I had planned to help all of you and come up with some excuse for me to do so, but it just happened that there was something you could do for me in the place I planned to send you to. I would like all of you to attend a wedding and make sure that it sees its completion.”

It was no surprise that all the people present looked at the angel of love with shock and confusion, given her strange request. As if she knew more or less what the girls were thinking, Myrilla added. “Don’t see me like that. As I said, I originally just wanted to send you somewhere to train, and I thought it would be a good idea to send them to a world Desmond has previously visited. I didn’t expect that a bunch of evil and selfish people were conspiring against the wedding of the friends’ Desmond made in that world. I would give you more details, but that would defeat part of the purpose of the trip. In any case, as the angel of love, I must interfere uninvited when someone is trying to ruin a wedding. As such, it will be your mission to protect that wedding.”

The angel of love’s capricious thought pattern left the girls speechless, but no one could muster the strength to complain to her. After all, Myrilla wasn’t obligated to help them, it wouldn’t be proper of them to claim her for her good if confused intentions.

Also, the girls would be lying if they said they weren’t interested in visiting a world Desmond had gone to in the past. Especially if they had the chance to meet some of the friends Desmond made there. Of course, some of Claire and the rest of the girls were excited to attend an otherworldly wedding.

Kyuru just shook her head in exasperation and thought. “That angel has them eating out of the palm of her hand.” In the end, Kyuru did nothing to stop what was happening. After her private conversation with Titania, Kyuru had learned a few things about the age to come and what that might mean for the Astryd family.

Truth be told, they were all still too weak. Kyuru refused to go back crying with Titania to live safely under the fairy queen’s protection. So, it was good that the girls had the chance to have their own adventures.

“They really need to stop moping at home while worrying about Desmond. It will be better for them to go out and find the conviction they currently lack. The road Desmond is destined to walk will be a difficult one. They better see if they really have what it takes to stick with him.” Kyuru thought as he remembered one of the things Titania had said. But seeing the girls she shared her day with, Kyuru simply smiled confidently. “Who am I kidding? None are vegetarian; they’ll probably come back much stronger.”

As Kyuru pondered the situation, Myrilla was already issuing orders as if she were a general preparing to go to war. Quickly, the girls prepared for the trip. In addition to the few artifacts and weapons at hand, one could drown an elephant with the number of potions that Sasha carried. Or blow up a football stadium to the sky with the number of alchemy bombs she wore. Sasha tried to avoid the girls’ gazes, pretending she hadn’t been infected with Desmond’s arsonist.

Seeing all the girls ready, Myrilla didn’t even bother to ask Kyuru, who clearly had no intention of going with them. With a smile, Myrilla nodded and began to create a pink portal. “Well girls, it’s time to go on a mission in the name of love, I won’t see you on the other side.”

As Claire and Sasha walked through the portal, Cecilia stopped next to Revna and asked the angel of love a crucial question. “Wait, you still haven’t told us the names of Desmond’s friends that we should help.”

Myrilla just stared there as if she had never expected that question. Quickly, Myrilla pulled herself together and put on an expression as if she knew exactly what she was doing. Yet, her expressions were seen from start to finish by Revna and Cecilia, who looked at her suspiciously.

Seeing the seriousness of Revna and Cecilia, Myrilla did not dare to invent something nonsense. Myrilla clucked in annoyance, went to the portal, and stuck her hand in it for a couple of seconds as if she were fishing for something. Removing her hand from the portal, Myrilla was holding a red thread.

Myrilla stared at the red thread for a couple of seconds as if she was reading something. Without warning, she used her wings to push Cecilia and Revna into the portal. The last thing both girls heard before crossing the portal were two names. “Mei Feilong and Miao Xiauyue.”