PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

With another flash of pink, Myrilla disappeared, reappearing back where she had been before speaking to Claire. Desmond watched all this with a somewhat confused expression, only half understanding that the angel was trying to comfort Claire, who still seemed rather unsteady.

On the other hand, Claire, starting to have rather dangerous thoughts, snapped out of her daze as she felt something warm and refreshing cleanse her mood. Looking around her, Claire felt immensely guilty and ashamed. Claire couldn’t believe the kind of dark and obsessive thoughts she was having just now. Now she felt unable to look at the rest of the girls.

“Jealousy is a natural thing; I didn’t think you should feel guilty about it. The fear of losing him, taking your thoughts to dark places, and distorting your jealousy and love is quite normal.” Myrilla spoke, interrupting Claire’s thoughts and drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

As if she didn’t feel the eyes on her, Myrilla continued: “He is mine, only mine. He belongs to me; I won’t give him to anyone else. I don’t want to lose him; I’d rather die or kill than give in. All those thoughts are quite natural, little dark thoughts that come to us sometimes.”

Claire felt like she had sat on needles, embarrassed and humiliated to have her thoughts exposed. If Desmond knew it, it was one thing, but Sasha, Cecilia, and Revna knowing was something else. After all, Claire had some pretty sinister thoughts about them.

“I didn’t think you should be ashamed; all the women here have more or less had the same thoughts.” Added Myrilla as if she read Claire’s mind. Although it was mostly true, Myrilla knew that Cecilia and Sasha didn’t quite match what she said. Still, those girls were quite special, so she omitted such a detail.

As if she had suddenly decided to change the subject, Myrilla cast her eyes on Desmond before speaking again. “In any case, the blame falls on the irresponsible man who decided to keep all of your love.”

Strangely, Desmond wasn’t insulted by what Myrilla said. Desmond already had some feelings of guilt about the way things had turned out, something it only got worse after hearing about Claire’s dark thoughts.

.....

Ignoring Desmond’s thoughts, Myrilla continued. “Love is a beautiful thing, something precious that needs to be treasured, nurtured, and cared for, but it is also a burden and a responsibility. Let me give you some advice, Desmond Astryd. Right now, you already have more love than you can handle; if you’re not careful, you’ll lose what you have.”

“More love than I can handle.” Desmond muttered, repeating Myrilla’s words. Desmond looked around and felt that Myrilla was right. Love was not about gifts, nice words, pampering, and passionate moments. Love was much more complex and heavy than that.

Desmond felt the weight of that love in his agony as he was on the verge of death. And only now that Myrilla pointed it out did Desmond realize that the love of Claire, Sasha, Cecilia, and Revna was so heavy that he threatened to crush him. Where would Desmond find the courage to risk his life, to venture into the unknown, when the weight of that love wouldn’t allow him to take those risks?

Oddly enough, at that moment, Desmond felt what true fear was for the first time in his life. Fear of losing everything and not being strong enough to protect this love. Desmond began to feel suffocated, as if someone had put a whole mountain on his chest.

Claire, Sasha, Revna, Cecilia, and even Kyuru, for these girls, Desmond felt nothing but love or affection. He felt they deserved all the beautiful things in the world, to always be safe behind his back. Yet, did he even possess the ability to do anything in this vast multiverse? Couldn’t a random Dragon or Oscuras come along and vaporize their entire planet taking everything away?

In the end, what Desmond needed was power, power beyond anything he had seen so far. Desmond needed power so defiant and unreasonable that it would make even the four supreme races think twice before crossing paths with him. But was there even a power like that? Desmond doubted it.

Before Desmond’s train of thought could continue down that path, Myrilla’s voice shook him again: “It seems you’re still going down the same direction. Are you too proud, or just don’t know any other way? Do one thing for me, Desmond Astryd, look at each of these women and tell me, will that lonely road you’re thinking of make them happy?”

It was as if Desmond had been jolted by an electric shock. How could he be so stupid and blind? How often had they told him, but he turned a deaf ear? As if they were afraid Desmond would forget it again, Claire, Sasha, Revna, Cecilia, and Kyuru said almost in unison. “The only thing we need to be happy is to be by your side.”

“Pretty simple, isn’t it?” Myrilla added with a mischievous smile.

Desmond took a deep breath, pushed away all those unnecessary thoughts and preconceived notions, and the gleam in his eye filled with resolution. “I guess I’ve been too irresponsible.”

Claire was pulled from the pit of darkness she was descending into. Having witnessed all that had transpired, Claire now found her own path, one that would no doubt be followed by Sasha, Cecilia, and Revna.

Claire didn’t even bother to feel self-contempt for her earlier thoughts. Instead, Claire strengthened her will and expressed her desire. “Desmond, I also want to become strong to survive and protect this happiness together.”

Sasha just nodded in agreement with Claire, her eyes filled with fiery resolution. Cecilia put aside her shame and expressed that same desire. Not wanting to be left out, Revna stepped out of the shadows, standing behind Desmond but looking now at the women of her Master.

“My duty is to protect everything the Master finds precious in his heart. I need to become stronger.” That was all Revna said. The rest of the girls didn’t find it strange that she still called Desmond that way. For some reason, Revna was quite stubborn on the subject despite her already being tacitly accepted into the family.

Desmond was incredibly touched, and that part of him that just wanted to keep them safe, like canaries in a gilded cage, was banished. However, Myrilla poured cold water on the passionate hearts of the group.

“That is a good change that they have there. I like more the love in this place. It’s a pity you girls are so pathetically weak compared to the man you wish to protect.”

There was an awkward silence in the room. They all looked at the strange and nosy angel of love who wouldn’t stop giving her opinion without a care in the world. Unfortunately, the painful truth wasn’t going to change just because she was uncomfortable to listen to.

Desmond wanted to defend the girls, but he was interrupted by Myrilla, who was looking at him seriously. “In all honesty, even you are painfully weak by my standards. Still, you are much stronger than these girls. It’s not just about raw power, as the fire elf and the Starchild are in the same class as you. It’s all about experience, skill, and mindset. On the other hand, you possess all of that and have above-average talent and dexterity, not to mention the two anomalies you carry around.”

Desmond was at a loss for words to argue with Myrilla. However, he was still quite curious about the so-called anomalies he was carrying, so he tried to ask. The angel of love looked at Desmond as if he was the most stupid and pitiful person she had ever seen, and she explained.

“That mark on your wrist may seem like an arcane stigma, but it’s a little different. You’ve tried using it, haven’t you? It feels unstable and confusing, and using it hurts you. It’s to be expected. After all, it doesn’t belong to you. Worse yet, it still belongs to someone.”

Myrilla could only call on her almost infinite patience as a form of almost eternal life and continue explaining when she saw Desmond’s confused expression. “Do you seriously think it’s that easy to merge with a beast soul? When did star-class beings become so arrogant? Beast Souls are unique resources, oddities coveted throughout the cosmos. It’s amazing enough that you achieved your current state of assimilation. I suppose you share a tremendous affinity with the bestial soul you acquired. That thing on your wrist is a byproduct of your failed assimilation with your bestial soul. It’s something like a wound or a scar. I recommend that you try not to use it as much as possible. Otherwise, you will only do yourself more harm than good. It will also slow down the assimilation process of your beast soul even more.”

“Isn’t that a bit overkill for a mount?” Desmond responded, somewhat embarrassed.

Myrilla stared at Desmond in silence for five seconds as if she despised answering such a stupid question. “You have no idea ??the potential of the treasure in your hands. To put it into perspective, just imagine how hard you’ve worked to reach your current strength and how hard it will be for you to catch up with beings like Katya and me. At that point, imagine how difficult it would be to nurture your mount to reach the same stage. You might also say that it is impossible since almost all beasts have very clear boundaries. A beast soul that always remains as powerful as its bearer completely breaks such restrictions, not to mention that a beast soul is far from just a mount.”

Too lazy to explain further, Myrilla just added. “You’ll understand once you finish assimilating your beast soul. Just the power of possession should be enough to clear your doubts.”

Sensing that the angel had no intention of pursuing the subject further, Claire inquired about the other anomaly mentioned by Myrilla. The angel of love only looked at Desmond for a second before replying, “Forget it. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing when the time comes.”

Thereupon, Myrilla left her lazy position on the sofa, her wings filling with a pink glow; she was preparing to leave. For an angel to spend so much time idle was rare enough, even if she was the angel of love. Desmond understood Myrilla’s intentions and knew that the conversation was over. At least, that was always the case with Katya when she did the same.

“Thank you for saving my life and for everything else too.” Desmond voiced sincerely.

Myrilla was about to reply that she only decided to intervene because of Katya’s issue but she stopped herself. Remembering her friend, the archangel of balance, the idea of ??asking for an equal trade crossed her mind. Myrilla remembered that dark place that she once visited without being able to intervene. As well as the fate of a certain person, then, Myrilla had an idea, “If you want to thank me, I have a task for you.”