Chương 135: Chapter 128 - Blessing of Love

Chelsea"Hey Chels, are you in here?" Adriane called into the dining room as she rounded the corner. She stopped in the entryway and stared at her daughter. Chelsea sat at the dining table with a plate in front of her, trying her best to give a charming smile. She knew it wasn't working. There was still blood at the corner of her mouth, and the remains of Fiona's placenta sat on the plate in front of her.

"You didn't even let that thing cool off did you?"

"In my defense, placenta is my new favorite food ever. Umbilical cord, not so much," Chelsea replied. Adriane closed her eyes for a moment, took one careful breath, and chose not to look at the plate again.

"Right. I came to discuss your class evolution. I hope you don't mind me not looking at you while we talk." She sat down at the table and deliberately faced the other way.

"No offense taken. So what about it?" Chelsea asked. She took another bite while Adriane focused on the far wall.

"Should we wait to discuss this with Freya around?" Adriane asked.

"She's upstairs checking up on Amber. She can hear us."

"Alright. Have you gotten the full version of the title from the mythical items that called to you?" Chelsea furrowed her brows while chewing. The Agony and The Torment had been sitting in the back of her mind for so long now that she almost forgot how scary they sounded.

"I don't think so let me check." She scrolled through her titles while continuing to chew. Adriane's shoulders stiffened at the sound, but she held her position and didn't turn around.

"Mm mmm," Chelsea said, shaking her head.

"Nope. Still just 'Called by The Agony and The Torment.'" She dropped her voice into a spooky tone for the last part. Adriane gave a quiet sigh, though whether it was from the title or the chewing was hard to tell.

"That's intriguing. The next step of class is what qualifies you for being invited to take the S-rank assessment for the guild. For most S-rankers, me included, we get the next tier from completing calls. That's how I have the class of Silver Sword." Chelsea swallowed and set her fork down for a moment. She watched it change from an ornately jeweled tool to a standard silver fork.

"That… makes sense. But that's not how all S-rankers get their next class?" she asked.

"No. Though not all of those who have hit the next step are in the guild so it's not a foolproof measure."

"So if it's not related to my call what could my class upgrade be? Freya said I don't get a choice aside from deciding to upgrade it or not." Adriane sat back in her chair and breathed out a sigh.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I've only met two of the other four current S-rankers on the continent and from what I understand they've all been calls. There are others out there I'm sure." Chelsea looked up at the dining room entryway.

"Freya, come join us." Freya entered a few moments later and stopped almost exactly where Adriane had stopped.

"Oh gods, Chels. Really?" she sighed with a disgusted face.

"I love you?" Chelsea said, as cute as she could.

"Uh huh," Freya replied. She entered and chose a seat that faced away from Chelsea, matching Adriane's strategy with no hesitation.

"How's Amber?" Chelsea asked.

"Adorable and healthy," Freya answered.

"Really, that was just in Fiona like thirty minutes ago." Freya laughed as she sat with her back to Chelsea. Chelsea knew perfectly well that Freya could still see her if she wanted to, which made the whole performance so much funnier. She took another bite just for Freya.

"What your mother is saying is correct about the class. It is pretty unknown past the subclass level. I know of a few but they are one-offs and as far as I know are still alive. I'm sure there are one or two I'm not thinking of." Chelsea leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. The prompt had been sitting there ever since the locket sank into her, quiet and patient. Evolve Class? Y/N. It sounded simple, but nothing about her life had ever stayed simple after a prompt appeared.

"Should I just accept it? The curiosity is getting to me," Chelsea asked. Freya and Adriane looked at each other. Both shrugged.

"It's up to you," Adriane said.

"Though, if you do accept it, it may kill your call. So maybe get as much out of it as you can first."

"Oh yeah. I didn't think of that. Though my call says it will only deactivate when I get the actual title for the weapon. Also, will I lose all of my abilities if I evolve?"

"Typically, no. It's an evolution so those abilities should be usable in the new class," Freya answered. Chelsea looked down at her hands. She flexed her fingers once, thinking through everything tied to being a Valkyr. Havoc had become part of how people saw her, but it had also become part of how she saw herself. She had not chosen it at first. Freya had. The system had. She had just picked the lesser of three evils.

"I should probably also talk to my berserkers, Deciept, Suffering, and… umm… Passion before I evolve. Explain the situation." Her eyes drifted over to her mother and she noticed the change. Adriane's jaw tightened. Adriane still hated Passion and hated that Chelsea and Passion were on friendly terms again. Chelsea understood it. She also knew Adriane would have preferred never to hear Passion's name again. Freya's voice remained even.

"That would be the kind thing to do. Instead of just springing it on them."

"I won't be a valkyr anymore. What if I evolve into something shitty? Or something like that god arbitrator thing?"

"God arbitrator?" Adriane asked.

"One of my other two options instead of Valkyr," Chelsea explained.

"Ah," Adriane said.

"Arbiter of Cataclysm," Freya finally corrected.

"Yes. That." Chelsea put the rest of her meal into her bag of other organs before stowing it away. Adriane heard the wet shift of it and pressed her lips together, choosing with visible effort not to shudder.

"If you do end up as something like that we will deal with it," Freya explained. Chelsea let out a frustrated groan and leaned back in her chair. The class prompt was still waiting. It had been exciting at first. Now that the immediate rush was fading, every possible consequence had started lining up in her head.

"I feel like I should be up there with Amber but I don't want to overstep with Fiona and Dewey."

"Same here," Freya sighed. Adriane turned her head enough to look at Freya. Her disgust over Chelsea's meal faded beneath curiosity.

"Why do you want to be with the baby?" Chelsea answered before Freya could.

"Old battle goddess over here eats babies when she's bored." Freya laughed at the obvious diversion, which she clearly appreciated.

"Pretty sure baby eating is entirely demon territory. Note the afterbirth smeared all over your face."

"The delicious delicious afterbirth," Chelsea said, licking her lips.

"How old will she need to be before you can do that soul thing you did with me?" Adriane shifted in her seat.

"Soul thing?" Adriane asked.

"Inside of my domain back in Valhalla, I have a little trick to speak to someone's soul. I did it with Chels to see what she looked like in her previous life." Adriane's eyes lit up at once.

"Could I…" Chelsea let out an uncomfortable laugh and looked down at the table.

"I'd rather not. Always hated my body growing up. I'd rather you know me how I am now."

"But you will when we take Amber. I'd say let your mother join," Freya argued for her.

"I can take in as many people as I want. I could do it with little Amber now but it's the trip there. I can teleport us all there which is perfectly safe but people believe newborns shouldn't teleport."

"Ah!" Chelsea said.

"Well she was just born. Let's give Dewey and Fiona a week or so before we bring it up." Freya nodded, though Chelsea could tell she wanted to go now. Amber was upstairs, wrapped in a blanket, held by people who had no idea how much history had just entered their family.

"And your class?" Freya asked. Chelsea looked away from both of them. The last time she had changed classes, everything around her had changed. She had gone from Chelsea Wixx, the strange demon girl trying to survive, to a Valkyr of Havoc. It had given her Freya and her beloved berserker family. It had also taken her away from home before she knew how much home meant to her.

"The last time I changed my class, a group of women came and made me move halfway across… hell, I still have no idea where Valhalla is on a map. I'd like to spend a little time with Amber before I evolve it. Just in case."

"You're going to spoil them, Chels," Her mom said, annoyed as they walked down the street.

"And I am totally fine with that," Chelsea replied. Given the amount of money she had spent that morning, Adriane felt like Chelsea should be much more stressed out. Freya walked on Chelsea's other side, quiet but amused. She kept digging into her pouch, gathering some sweet cream on her finger tips and feeding it to Looty in her little unslotted bag. The mimic larvae was happy to take the offering. Licking her fingers clean. Looty was… strange. Chelsea had watched the progress of her other mimics and they grew.

Many of them were already growing teeth. None were aggressive or tried to bite but they looked like they would. They were all gentle little loves. But Looty. The little girl hadn't grown at all. She still was all tongue and gums. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Chelsea wished there was some sort of vet she could take her to to make sure there wasn't something wrong with her. She worried about her more than she let anyone else know. Well, Freya knew.

But that was because she was nosey. Finally, they approached their destination. The orphanage looked different from the last time Chelsea had visited. The whole building had been demolished and rebuilt from the ground up. There was a small garden in the front and each window had a window box for flowers which were growing but had yet to bloom yet. The trio approached the new door, and Chelsea knocked three times.

"I feel so bad. I haven't visited in months." The door unlatched, and a face Chelsea didn't recognize looked out. The woman was young, maybe early to mid twenties, and she wore the same church outfit Chelsea had seen on the orphanage caretakers. Her hand stayed on the edge of the door, keeping it mostly closed while she looked over Chelsea, Adriane, and Freya with open caution.

"May I help you?" she asked, eyeing them warily. Chelsea curtsied politely.

"Good afternoon Miss. We have come by to visit the children and bring them treats." The woman's expression did not soften.

"You're a demon and you want to visit orphans? Why?"

"Because I love them?" Chelsea asked.

"Just ask Miss Harlo. I used to visit all the time until I moved away." The caretaker's face changed at once. The suspicion remained, but something more existed there.

"Miss… I'm sorry, Miss Harlo passed away a few months ago." Chelsea's hands dropped. Tears came to her eyes instantly.

"She…" She turned to Freya and pushed her face into her. Freya's arms came around her without hesitation, one hand settling at the back of Chelsea's head. Chelsea gripped the front of Freya's dress and tried to breathe, but the sound that left her was small and broken.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Adriane asked. Chelsea began sobbing quietly into Freya's stomach while Freya stroked her hair. The woman in the doorway looked perplexed by what was happening in front of her. The demon she had been guarding children from was crying over the previous caretaker, and the two women beside her were acting less like handlers and more like family.

"She passed away in her sleep. It was just her time." She glanced back into the orphanage, then returned her attention to the women outside.

"Who are you all exactly? Was she close with Miss Harlo?" Adriane looked at Chelsea and sighed.

"You'll have to excuse my daughter. She doesn't quite understand how she appears to other people. My name is Adriane Wixx and this is Chelsea Wixx and her fiancee…" She hesitated for a moment.

"Freta. Not a Wixx quite yet."

"Ch-Chelsea Wixx is a demon!?" she all but yelled.

"She is," Adriane said, starting to sound annoyed.

"And you're Adriane Wixx? As in the Adriane Wixx?" Before Adriane could answer, a child's voice rang from inside.

"Miss Chelsea!?" Chelsea pulled back from Freya enough to look toward the sound. More movement followed from somewhere behind the caretaker, quick feet and rising excitement. Chelsea turned to the new woman with tears rolling down her face.

"Thank you so much for being suspicious of us. If you want, I can just drop off what I brought for the children."

"N-no please, come right in," she stammered. They entered, and Chelsea was immediately attacked by the children. Little arms wrapped around her waist, her legs, and whatever part of her they could reach. A few of the younger ones squeezed into the gaps between the older children, trying to get close enough to touch her dress or grab her hand. Chelsea laughed through the last of her tears and lowered herself enough to hug as many of them as she could without knocking anyone over.

The caretaker started to chide the children, but Adriane stopped her with a small lift of her hand.

"Chelsea can handle it." The caretaker closed her mouth and watched. Chelsea did not just greet them. She remembered them. She touched their heads, noticed who had grown, who had lost teeth, and who still hung near the back until she reached out for them. The children crowded around her, pulling her toward the main room with the treats she had brought forgotten in her hands.

"We don't get many visitors," the caretaker said to the two people holding back and watching Chelsea interact with the kids.

"Does no one come by looking to adopt?" Adriane asked.

"Since I took over here there has been one family and they were only looking for an infant. We didn't have any so they moved on to another orphanage."

"I didn't realize it was that bad," Adriane said.

"Oh no. Please don't get the wrong idea. Your family's donation and rebuilding of this building has truly changed these children's lives." She looked over at the white demon girl, who had been pulled into some game with the children. Two of them ran around the outside of a circle while the others sat on the floor, laughing and shouting over one another. Chelsea had no idea what the rules were, but that did not seem to matter to anyone involved. Freya let out a breath of laughter, watching her interact.

The sound drew the caretaker's attention away from Chelsea and the children..

"You know she's the talk of the church, right?" the caretaker asked.

"The church capital is all abuzz about the Wixx daughter. The woman who bought all of the orphanage buildings in four kingdoms and is fixing them all up." Freya laughed again, softer this time.

"Actually. We visited Belonjo this morning. She was having the contracts drafted to purchase all of the buildings there too."

"In Belonjo!?" The woman's eyes widened.

"But… the buildings are so expensive there." Across the room, Chelsea had finally remembered the packages in her hands. She knelt on the floor and began pulling out the sweets they had bought from the confectionery shop before arriving. The children gathered closer at once, their game forgotten the moment sugared treats appeared.

"Chelsea noticed the same thing," Freya said.

"She also noticed because of that, there were a lot less orphanages." The caretaker turned back toward Chelsea, her face slowly losing the last of its suspicion. Chelsea was smiling now, holding up one finger as she made the children wait their turn instead of mobbing the boxes. It was not working perfectly, but the children were trying, and Chelsea praised every one of them who managed to stand still long enough to receive a treat.

"The church only gives so much to the orphanages after they open them. I am so glad she is doing such amazing work. How many were there out of curiosity?"

"Seven," Freya replied.

"Oh gods." The woman clasped her hands and gave a silent prayer. Her lips moved briefly, and her shoulders lowered with the weight of what that number meant. When she looked up again, there was real concern in her eyes.

"The overcrowding in those has to be horrific."

"Chelsea thought the same," Freya replied, gazing lovingly at her little demon with a smile.

"That's why she's buying fourteen more buildings to expand them." This was new. Chelsea looked around, trying to figure out where had been dragged this time. She stood in a beautiful, perfectly manicured garden under warm light. Raised flower boxes filled the space in careful rows, each one planted with a single kind of flower in a single color. Nothing grew out of place. No petals had fallen onto the paths. Even the air smelled gentle.

"Chelsea? Is it really you?" a melodic voice asked.

"Depends who's asking?" Chelsea asked, turning in a circle to look for the form of whoever's domain she was in. The voice did not answer right away. A silhouette slowly formed between a box of white daisies and yellow marigolds. Chelsea watched the shape sharpen, and before it finished, she tilted her head.

"A fairy god?"

"Allow me to introduce myself." The woman fully formed. Her wings were more vibrant than any of the fairies Chelsea had ever interacted with, bright and delicate enough that Chelsea's eyes went straight to them before she could stop herself. Aside from those, she looked like a stunningly beautiful woman wearing a plain sundress, standing in her garden as if Chelsea had simply arrived for tea.

"My name is Sophiana. The goddess of love." Chelsea's eyes opened wide. She ran over and threw her arms around the goddess. The sudden movement startled Sophiana, who made a quick grunting squeak before her hands lifted uncertainly.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Chelsea said, overly excited. She pulled away and found a newly happy goddess smiling back at her.

"Freya is a dear friend. It makes me so happy to see that she has found someone to love." Chelsea smiled. Her hands went to the place where the locket had vanished into her chest, even though there was nothing there to touch now.

"I do love her so much. Thank you for making her my locket." Chelsea's eyes drifted back to Sophiana's wings. They were hard not to stare at. The colors shifted faintly when Sophiana moved, and Chelsea had to make herself focus on the conversation instead of studying them.

"Do you hear those prayers all day everyday? They made me cry. It was so beautiful." Sophiana's face twisted.

"Hold on, you heard them?"

"Yes? They were the voices of children thanking me or some random person who anonymously helped them." Chelsea smiled and let out a light breath, still warmed by the memory. The voices had been brief, broken, and impossibly sweet. She had not realized how much love had been moving through the world around her.

"Freya," Sophiana started as she stared suspiciously at Chelsea.

"Has Freya done anything to you? Outside of the obvious blessing and title." Chelsea curtsied.

"I do understand you are the love goddess but I don't feel comfortable talking about our personal intimate time." Sophiana burst out laughing. The sound filled the garden, bright enough that a few nearby flowers opened wider.

"You really aren't what I expected." She gestured for them to walk through the gardens.

"Oh? Wondering what could win over the heart of the big bad scary battle goddess?"

"Yes! Exactly. Not only that but what kind of person is a demon, and generates so much love for me. Not to mention being a Valkyr." Chelsea let out a laugh as they walked. The garden path curved between the raised boxes, and Chelsea glanced into each one as they passed. Sophiana's domain was obscenely pretty. It made Chelsea feel as if she should keep her hands folded and avoid stepping too close to anything.

"The demon thing was Magalesa's fault. I was summoned. Originally I was human but was turned into a demon."

"And you're a summoned champion!?" she exclaimed.

"Bah that's enough about me. Thank you for the blessing as well. Sorry, it was a bit of a hectic day and I haven't gotten to look it over. I can't pull up my stats here. Any chance you'd mind telling me what it does?" Chelsea shrugged.

"I'll be honest, I loved seeing Freya react to me, reacting to hers. She thinks so little of her blessing when it's honestly close to as powerful as Bodarex's."

"Really? Hers gives the plus one to numbers in titles if I'm not mistaken?"

"It does! It's insane."

"How is that insane? I'm confused. It's actually very basic and one of the easier styles of blessing to design."

"Really? You too? Its simplicity is its strength. Take for example my valkyr title. Her blessing gives me four times instead of three times attribute points like strength and constitution. That is a massive increase. If I naturally have one thousand strength then it takes the title from granting an additional one thousand to thirteen hundred." Sophiana remained quiet for a few moments. Chelsea decided to fill the quiet.

"Are you and Bodarex close? Like friends?"

"Eww absolutely not." Chelsea let out a laugh.

"Everyone seems to have that reaction. Well then you'll find it interesting to know I figured out how to glitch out his blessing. It gives four extra title slots. If I assign four titles then switch to Freya's, the titles don't go away. I get to use 5 titles while getting all of the benefits of Freya's. Neat huh?" Sophiana stopped walking with her eyes wide.

"You…" Chelsea stopped too and turned back with her sweet smile.

"I don't get you. But at the same time I want to understand you. Freya did good."

"My blessing is a bit self indulgent." She smiled largely, "and Chelsea Wixx indulgent too."

"Oh? Do tell," Chelsea said, stepping in closer. Her eyes were locked on the shimmering wings. They were close enough now that she could see the faint movement through them each time Sophiana shifted. Chelsea kept her hands at her sides, trying very hard not to touch.

"Increases how fast you level based on how many people love you," Sophiana bragged.

"For you, that's a lot." Chelsea's face fell, and she gave the goddess direct eye contact.

"Oh," she said, slightly disappointed.

"What? Why is that just an oh? I've never seen a better candidate for it."

"I umm." Chelsea sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I'm stuck at level one," she said with a shrug. Sophiana's bright confidence faltered.

"I…but…Freya…what?"

"I know!" Chelsea said.

"Messed up, right?"

"That makes no sense. How?" the goddess asked. Chelsea gave a quick explanation. Sophiana listened with her wings held very still.. Sophiana shrugged.

"Well, the blessing is worthless, but it does grant a title. That should serve you better. It grants skill lvls based on, like the blessing, how many people love you. Heavy diminishing returns though."

"Oh? Which skills?"

"Oh, all of them," she replied. Chelsea was the one to stop this time.

"All!?"

"Yes but like I said, don't get too excited, the requirements start to get out of hand." Chelsea stared at her for a moment..

"Sophiana. Can I give you another hug?"

"Uh yeah! I'm always up for hugs." Chelsea hugged the tiny woman. She avoided Sophiana's wings as she did. She wanted to touch them badly enough that it took real effort not to, but she wasn't going to do it without permission. She had been staring at them constantly and hoped Sophiana would take the hint eventually. When they ended the embrace, Chelsea caught Sophiana's hands.

"I know I've said it a few times but I don't feel like I can express my gratitude enough. Really. For everything. If… if you're not opposed to it, I would love for us to be friends. I know it's weird for a mortal to a…"

"Yes! Oh yes please. I don't umm… it gets lonely here. I have my prayers but Freya was the first god or mortal I'd spoken to in…" Sophiana lifted her shoulders.

"Years? Maybe a couple of decades?"

"Oh Sophiana, I'm so sorry!" Chelsea said. Chelsea wrapped her up in another hug.

"You pull me in here anytime you're feeling lonely. Or whenever you want. You don't have to wait til you're lonely. We are friends now. Anytime I'm asleep, feel free to grab me." Sophiana held onto her. For a few breaths, she didn't say anything. The goddess of love stood in her perfect garden, surrounded by flowers and prayers, and clung to Chelsea as if the offer had reached somewhere nothing else had in a long time.

"I get it now," Sophiana said quietly. She started laughing.

"This is incredible." She pulled away from the demon to look into her eyes.

"How the hell did you do that!?" Chelsea stared at her in confusion.

"Do what?"

"Made the goddess of love… love you. Wait, no not like Freya love but like want to get closer to you. I haven't actually felt this. This is… whoa." She looked breathless.

"You don't feel like this for Freya?" Chelsea asked. She quickly shook her head no.

"Nothing even close. You make me feel acknowledged. Like you see me. You see what I did for you. You talk to me as a friend and not as someone wanting something from me."

"Already got more than I could ever hope from you," Chelsea laughed.

"I don't know if you can do it too but Magalesa, one time sent me a message to go to sleep. Feel free to send me one of those."

"A message to go to sleep?" Sophiana looked confused.

"Yeah it popped up like if a skill levels up. Except it said something along the lines of 'go to sleep.'""Oh! I have no clue how to do that. Never sent one before. I will just wait for you to go to sleep. Are you sure you don't mind? Isn't that you and Freya time?"

"Actually, no. We have a no invading dreams policy," Chelsea laughed.

"We are together all day. I am honestly scared of being with her at night too. Don't want her getting sick of me."

"That's pretty smart." Chelsea glanced around the garden again, trying to decide if she had time for one more question before Sophiana sent her back. She did not want to waste the chance.

"Hey, Sophy, quick subject change. Any idea what my class evolution is? I got a notification for it after I put on the locket." Sophiana smiled widely.

"You are going to love it. From what I can tell. It's so very you." Chelsea opened her eyes. The bedroom ceiling came into focus above her, and the warm quiet of Sophiana's domain was gone. She lay still for a moment, processing the abrupt return to her own body.

"Wow. Rude," she mumbled.

"What's that?" Freya asked. Chelsea stretched, still annoyed enough to pout.

"I met Sophiana," she replied.

"She seems to know what I will evolve into but kicked me out of her domain after saying it's so very me."