Chapter 384 - Precious Memento

"I will do my best to end the curse so that my father can be free to woo my mother and we can all go home…"

If Alinea had reservations about her tasks before, they were all gone right at this very moment. All that was left was a look of determination – a fire within her. What she had just spoken was her promise – one given by her as a demigod, the daughter of Perun, the King of Heaven.

Perun looked at his daughter's resolute expression and smiled. "Then father would do his best to aid you," he said.

He then raised his hand with his index finger pointing at midair. He drew a seal and a dimensional space appeared. It rippled like a drop of water falling into a full basin. He then reached out and his hand passed within it, vanishing within the invisible space as he extracted something from it. When he finally retrieved his hand, he was holding a small bejeweled ċhėst. It was the same box he had brought from Ritz before coming here – the one he took especially when he found out that he would be meeting his daughter soon.

"Here, little one,"Perun said as he handed the ċhėst to his child.

Alinea took it with both hands, her face wondering what was inside. Slender ivory fingers opened the clasps and when it opened her eyes widened. Inside was a bangle bracelet with five different colored stones. The jewelry was not at all conspicuous. It was something she could wear daily.  

"This…" she murmured as she placed the box down and picked up the bangle.

At first glance, the jewelry looked like an ordinary accessory. But upon touching it, sunlight glistened on the five precious stones engraved on it, and she froze. A sense of nostalgia ȧssailed her, feeling her with warmth, longing, and wishes.

"This…"

Alinea's nose soured, turning red as moisture filled her eyes. She was so startled as she looked at the bracelet with longing and she trembled.

Seeing her state, Perun took the bracelet from her hand and put it on her wrist. Alinea didn't protest but watch silently as her father placed the jewel on her person. This time, her tears flowed like clear brooks down her cheeks.

"You… You brought them back to me," she whispered as she admired the bracelet on her arm, her eyes boring on the precious stones in it.

She lifted her other hand and touched the stones lovingly; her finger lingered on each one as if in greeting. These stones were her friends – Midas, Horgall, Lucius, Rubic, and Sven. It seemed her father had condensed their souls into the gemstone engraved in their weapons and fashioned them to an accessory she could wear as their remembrance. Alinea smiled in spite of her tears.

"Midas, the aquamarine…"

The stone cooled anger and created a calm, centered, relaxed but alert state with balanced energy. It was a perfect gem for her paladin friend who was yielding and yet resilient.

"Horgall, the carnelian…"

The stone represented action. Just like her Viking warrior friend, it symbolized power of will, with the physical energy and drive to back it up.

"Lucius, the onyx…"

This gem was taken from Lucius's necklace. She once asked what the stone meant, and he had told her that it directed energy towards goals by helping one to stay on course. He said it's his lucky charm for his arrows to find their targets.

"Rubic, the ruby…"

Last but not the least…

"Sven, the jade…"

Just like the stone, Sven carried the energy of the earth and nature. He was the provider, a wholesome, nurturing energy that uplifted and soothed their hearts. Her gentle giant friend, Sven – her savior. She wouldn't forget how he used his energy until the very last drop to keep her alive back in the Devil's Cavern.

She ċȧrėssed the stones one more time before lifting her gaze filled with gratitude to look at her father. "Thank you."

She couldn't find any other words to express the gratitude. She leaned over and fell into her father's ready arms for an embrace. Just as she did when she thought that she had lost everything, she emptied her heart, releasing all the regrets she had about her friends and only letting the good memories stay within her.

This was how she thought she would immortalize them.

"Wear this always, my little one. Your friends will always be with you to protect you from now on," Perun murmured against her hair as she wept against his ċhėst.

"I will…"

She would never part with them again. Together until the end – this was their group's motto. She and the others had indeed reached the end together – but she continued to exist leaving them behind. But now, with this memento from them, she could finally keep her promise.

"You said you need to go to school. I don't want you to look like a swollen fish," he teased and she laughed, remembering the old nickname her father used when she threw tantrums as a child.

Puffer fish.

"Then this daughter will dutifully go to school now," she told him with a grin.

"Your graduation from school is in four days," Perun commented.

"Yes."

In four days, she would be graduating senior high school. After that, she would be going back to Ged with the others to fulfill her task. She was supposed to enter university with her friends, but her task to finish the curse was more important than that. If she did not end things with Czernobog, she wouldn't even have a future.

As if reading her mind, Perun smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. Kresnik and Aki told me about your dream," he said as he looked at somewhere far away. "Tell your friends to pray to Perun about stopping time to wait for your return."

Huh?

Alinea's eyes widened. "You will stop time for me?"

"I will. So work hard little one…"