Confronted with the reality of her decision, Faith froze montarily. A few seconds ago, she made up her mind, but now the second guessing began, causing a deep sense of confusion and worry to appear instead of her usually bored expression.
Sera didn't comnt or say anything. She just continued staring into Faith's dark eyes with curious concern. This caused Faith to rethink her decision.
She wanted nothing more than to follow Sera, but she distrusted this Hollow person. Faith's conviction about her identity wasn't certain. This feeling of doubt stemd from a lot of minor details she noticed after the rescue.
This woman, devoid of feeling, differed greatly from Sera's past self. She had no compassion, felt no fear, and led her people with a cold, calculated deanor.
But even worse, her treatnt of Bea and at first Vicky simply felt wrong. Faith questioned if this individual was truly Sera or so awful copy made by Harold. These second guesses only worsened when she learned about Scarred Sera's existence.
In Faith's opinion, neither of the two won were the real Sera. They were just two halves separated by Harold's horrible ability. The rational and the emotional part of Sera's mind split in two.
Since neither sufficed as the true Sera, Faith didn't pursue her Heritage… But then, things changed slowly.
The shift was invisible to most. Even Faith, who observed Sera with deep scrutiny on every public occasion, missed the behavioral changes at first.
As weeks passed, Sera's smiles beca brighter. Her show of intimacy with both Bran and Vicky turned much more frequent. Faith couldn't find the reason, but it seed Sera's emotions were returning, or at least she showed more.
Even now, the curiosity and worry in her gaze wasn't sothing she previously demonstrated. However, it was stranger than displaying a wide variety of emotions.
As ti passed and the date of war ca closer, her deanor took changes, reverting to her older self. In war councils, she beca more active. Her plans beca less optimal, but provided the least casualties, both civilian and military.
With these changes, Faith beca doubtful again. Her judgnt may have been faulty, or Sera's soul might not have been as damaged as everyone assud. Faith didn't know or care, she just felt glad her idol, her goddess, changed back to her formal glorious self.
The apology to Bea also caused Faith a lot of confusion. She tried to ask subtle questions from the others, but only Lilith and Adam noticed the changes in Sera.
Faith trusted both fully, so she told them her Heritage, and what she needed to achieve to continue on her evolutionary path. Unlike what she thought, they didn't suggest go straight to Sera, instead they wanted her to wait until she felt certain.
She took their advice to heart, and in the next few weeks, she spent most days with Sera. Either they trained together, or she watched her duel with others. Faith also spent a lot of ti in her shadows, with her permission, of course.
This extended period convinced her it was ti to act. The only issue was now that she needed to explain her situation and ask for Sera's permission to be her shadow.
After taking a few deep breaths, Faith managed to calm herself. Sera still just waited patiently while continuing to look concerned. That small gesture confird Faith's decision, and with a newfound purpose, she began her explanation.
"I know we have spoken little since our arrival a few months ago, but as you probably already saw, I was a similar close follower to you in the past, like Lilith and Adam are now…"
She needed another mont, as anxiety ca over her once more, but soon she wrestled all her turbulent emotions and overthinking brain under control.
"My title is Devout Shadow, but nobody other than truly knows what that entails… I want to ask you sothing… It's nothing small, at least for , but it would benefit both of us, I think… I know the decision not simple, believe I thought about it day and night, but I would appreciate if you agreed…"
After finishing her sentence, Faith continued to stare into Sera's eyes with an anxious, but hopeful, gaze. A few seconds of silence passed, and the atmosphere began turning awkward.
Sera forcefully cleared her throat, then tried to smile kindly as she spoke.
"Faith, I understand you are probably stressed, but before I make any hard decisions, could I perhaps know what I'm agreeing to?"
Faith's dark eyes widened and her pale white cheeks turned bright red with a heavy blush. She felt extrely embarrassed, but took quick hold of her overwhelming emotions.
"Uh… Yes, of course… B-but, it might be easier to show you…"
Instead of trying to explain it, she decided that showing her status window was a much better option than failing miserably while constantly stuttering.
Sera didn't say a word. She just ca to stand next to her and watched with great curiosity as Faith opened her status.
Na: Faith
Title: Devout Shadow
Lord/Lady: -
1st Kill: Forsaken Shadow, Rotten of the 3rd Tier
2nd Kill: Root of Darkness, Horror of the 1st Tier
Shadows Absorbed: 5000/5000
Abilities:
Passive Abilities:
Transformation Ability:
Heritage:
Race Change Status:
Items: -
Faith didn't show any of her abilities, since they served no importance. Her only concern was the Heritage tab, and after opening it, Sera's eyes widened with shock.
Description:
After reviewing the tab, Sera frowned slightly, then faced Faith. This expression wasn't at all sothing Faith had expected, so she imdiately began overthinking everything. She also read through the tab again, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Faith looked at Sera, waiting for the explanation behind her angered state.
"Did you really think I would abide to slavery? I will never agree to servitude from anyone unable to reject my requests, and that is the very essence of this ability!"
Sera's words left a deep impression on Faith. She never thought of serving Sera forever as slavery. For her, it was a privilege. Adam and Lilith even showed signs of jealousy, since neither could offer eternal servitude to their Lady.
For a few seconds, Faith stared at Sera with mouth agape, then, after slowly recovering, she realized that getting Sera's acceptance proved much more difficult than she imagined.
"I understand your concern, but for , this isn't slavery. You don't rember when we t and how I beca an Evolved, so your knowledge isn't perfect for making such an important decision…"
Faith's dark eyes turned teary as she rembered the ti they spent in Havel, all the friends they lost, all the suffering they went through. It was tragedy after tragedy each day, but they hadn't given up, and with Sera leading them, they triumphed over improbable odds!
"You saved , not just physically, but in every sense of the word. I had no sense or purpose, no reason to live for. But you illuminated the path for and others, leading us out of darkness and into the light."
As Faith spoke, Sera's deep frown broke, and she continued listening with sorrow in her eyes. Slowly, Faith went down on one knee before her Lady.
"In that mont, you already gained my eternal servitude, but I couldn't make it official… Now though… Now I have the power to honor our relationship properly, so please… Please accept as your eternal shadow!"
Sera couldn't find the words to describe how she felt. It was a mix of anger, sadness, confusion, hope, and curiosity. With all these combined, she didn't know what to do, so instead of politely refusing Faith, she also explained her point of view.
"I'm glad you still have so much… Uh… Faith in … But I don't think this is a good idea. I know you trust , and I can swear I would never misuse your devotion, but as you know, I'm only part of my soul…"
A small tear ran down Sera's face as she rembered her other half… Scarred Sera…
As ti went by, all her hatred and anger evaporated against Scarred Sera. She wasn't so evil person, but just another victim of Harold's disgusting, twisted personality.
She wasn't soone sent to destroy Hollow Sera. She was her sister, her other half, her emotional side. Scarred Sera was much more susceptible to Harold's influence, since she had no rational thinking.
Sera believed that regardless of the winner, the result of their upcoming struggle would yield identical results: a broken person.
Her two parts reunited. Two distinct minds, barely resembling a person, forever traumatized by years of torture and abuse.
She stayed silent only to take a deep shuddering breath, and soon her golden-green eyes turned back towards Faith's still kneeling posture.
"I can't accept your servitude… I don't know what I will beco after I reunite with my other half. Maybe I turn into a psycho like her, or I stay an emotionless wreck like … Maybe sothing even worse happens, but the result is purely unpredictable!"
"I don't want you to serve an evil person, especially if it's … So please, understand… I appreciate your trust in , but it's not the right ti to make such commitnts!"
As Sera finished her sentence, Faith sighed with lancholy. Looking up at Sera, she played her last trump card, the only possible way to gain acceptance.
"We march to war tomorrow. Our enemies are many, and our assets few. You read the Heritage. To unlock my abilities, I need a Lady… Wouldn't you want soone stronger defending your daughter on the battlefield?"
Sera opened her mouth to protest, but she was still mostly emotional, and a lot more rational than normal people. Her expression changed from uncertain, to annoyed, then angry, and finally, the face Faith had been waiting for… Acknowledgnt…
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