"Is it finally the ti of my judgnt?" Luminara said with a cool, almost indifferent voice.
However, to Noah's eyes, the divine beast was clearly trembling inside, looking at him with hope and fear knotted together like a braid.
And it wasn't as if he hadn't noticed. The first thing Luminara had done after appearing was look around as if searching for sothing. Only to look disappointed when whatever she was looking for was absent.
It didn't take a genius to guess who she was looking for. And for that, Noah smiled wryly at her question.
"How can I pass judgnt on my own family?" Noah said.
Laeh was observing calmly. Her back was fully leaned against Noah's chest, her arms crossed as she looked neutrally at Luminara.
She had never had a strong impression of Luminara anyway. So the Will of the World was more preoccupied with enjoying her brother's presence than anything else.
That's why she gently took Noah's arms and wrapped them around herself, so that only her srizing eyes could be seen.
She instantly felt a deep sense of comfort, and smiled foolishly because of it.
Noah let her do as she pleased, his focus settling on Luminara.
"Am I your family now?" Luminara retorted sharply. "That's not how you treat family."
She shook her head, "None of you ever truly considered as one. What did I do wrong?" she asked, her body subtly trembling.
"Tell , Noah. What did I do wrong? I was given a task by the one who saved from being erased from existence! I completed my task! I did what I had to do to repay my debt!"
Laeh subtly frowned at the divine beast raising her voice at her brother. She almost acted. Almost. But stopped herself, not wanting to overstep.
"Tsk. she muttered inwardly.
"I know, Luminara." Noah said with a sigh. "I don't bla you, honestly. But you should not bla your daughter, nor my mother, nor my wives for acting the way they did."
"What?" Luminara growled.
"You had a different perspective from all of us." He continued, unbothered by her tone. "You knew my mother's true nature. You knew she was nothing but a fragnt of soone else's soul. So naturally, no matter how much she grew and evolved, it would never change what she fundantally was...not her own self."
Noah paused, seeing Luminara deeply focused on him, her eyes trembling like unsettled water.
"That's why you could so easily hand her over to Mother Maryam. You had seen her creation. You had seen what she was at her core. But we hadn't."
He shrugged. "Do you understand? We knew Selene Weaverheart as Selene Weaverheart. Not as Maryam's vessel, shaped to watch over the soul of her son. So yes, was it so shocking that we all turned against you when you chose to sacrifice the Selene Weaverheart we had all co to love?"
'Oh... so that's what she intended, Lach mused inwardly, playfully biting the hand Noah had draped across half her face.
'Maryam and Selene are the sa yet different. And both love Noah unconditionally. How interesting. Brother is truly loved. Or is this the particular love only a mother carries?'
Now Laeh was curious. She decided she would pay closer attention to the mothers of her world from now on.
Luminara, anwhile, had her head bowed. She had nothing to say, knowing full well the truth in Noah's words.
To her, Selene had perhaps been an extension of her benefactor. To the Vaelgrim, she was Selene Weaverheart.
Nothing more. Nothing else.
That difference in how they each understood Selene's nature had carved the rift between her and the Vaelgrim, especially given that she had never been close to them to begin with.
Wasn't that always how it worked?
Two people seeing the sa thing differently could hardly share a harmonious bond. It was possible. But it demanded a very high degree of awareness and intelligence to truly understand another's perspective their values, their goals, their philosophy - and still disagree with it without hostility.
Not necessarily arguing. Simply letting things be.
After all, a bee does not convince a fly that honey is better than filth. So minds were not ant to be changed.
But soone at Noah's level could at least understand why the fly preferred the filth.
And beyond understanding, Noah cared enough to stitch back the wound that differing perspectives had torn open.
So there he was, nding broken hearts, and in doing so, nding
broken lives.
"Neko misses you."
His words made Luminara snap her head toward him instantly. A flicker of light stirred in the depths of her eyes. Hope was being kindled. Slowly. Steadily.
And the divine beast was begging with her eyes, begging that what she had just heard was not her weary mind playing tricks on her.
Fortunately, it wasn't.
"Neko misses you, Luminara." Noah repeated. "Not only her. My mother Selene has missed you too. You have always been at her side since the mont she ca to be. You protected her, guided her, and were her anchor when things were difficult and the light felt like
darkness."
Noah smiled. "You made a gentle mistake that wasn't truly your fault. But we all make mistakes. I do. And I have been forgiven. So why
wouldn't you be?"
"Would that truly be alright?" Luminara asked, almost timidly.
"Of course."
"Do they want back?"
"Why wouldn't they? They understand your situation. Neko feels
especially bad for the way she acted toward you. I think the two of
you need to talk."
"Oh, no! she must not feel bad." Luminara said imdiately, struggling
to keep the smile and the tears from showing as she lowered her head. "It's all on . I admit it. I will apologise to her. To all of them."
Noah nodded, pleased.
"This ti," he added, "I hope you won't keep your distance from us."
Luminara froze, sothing suddenly surfacing in her mory.
"I... I..." the words seed stuck in her throat. Yet she let them go at
last. "I am still linked to the Progenitor of Divine Beasts. He... he is still looking for . And with the current state of the universe, he will co himself, Noah."
Luminara began to panic. "I need to-!"
"The Eye of the Progenitor." Noah's calm, unhurried voice cut through
her restless words. "Is that what you are?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Interesting." Noah smiled. "Even the eye of a Progenitor can develop its own existence, beco sothing entirely distinct and unique." "It's... it's not that simple. I am one of the rare cases. And I don't even know how I ca to be." Luminara admitted.
"It doesn't matter." Noah said, finally releasing Laeh and rising to his feet. His sister groaned and pouted behind him.
He walked across the crimson cloud until he stood before the
beautiful cat, then crouched down and gathered her into his arms. Luminara shivered instinctively. It was the first ti Noah had ever held her this closely.
Her body slowly relaxed, and she looked up at her son-in-law with sothing closer to serenity.
"The problem lies in your link with the Progenitor. A link deeper than most, for you are literally his eyes. But there is a solution, Luminara." "What solution?" Her voice was trembling. She wasn't sure whether it
was the closeness to Noah or the possibility of being free from the Progenitor. Perhaps both.
But Noah didn't leave her to wonder for long.
"All I need to do is change your very structure, Luminara." He said. "No
longer will you be the eye of the Progenitor. You will be sothing else. Sothing that is mine." Luminara's heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, the world seed drained
of all sound, leaving nothing but the unfairly handso son-in-law in
front of her.
'Oh no...' she thought, recognising this dreadful yet deeply addictive pattern all too well.
And as if aware of her thoughts, Noah smiled, and parted his lips to
speak the words that would stay lodged in Luminara's heart and mind and soul until the end of eternity.
"Tell ," Noah said, drawing her closer, "which part of do you
want to be remade from?" -End of Chapter 514-
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