Retvik hated this office. It was too plain. Even by Rethan standards. Considering that he was standing in front of a powerful Decay Lord, it felt strange that this room was so simple.
“Please, sit down.”
There were two empty stools. Retvik sat on the one closest to the Decay Lord, to not seem rude.
“Do you know why I have summoned you here, Decayling Retvik?”
Retvik took a deep breath, not really sure. “I do not know, Lord Vikalos. Is it because we invited Elksia and Tenuk on board? Or the fact that they have been distracting me from my studies? Or is it the fact that I… admittedly freaked out after seeing that Arkay’s room was… full of corpses.”
Vikalos calmly shook his head. The Decay Lord towered over Retvik, his massive horns looming above.
“No. None of those reasons are why you are here. Admittedly, your little Time Drake and Divine Guardian friends are a little bit… chaotic, but they do give some useful insight as to how the Drakes and Guardians are acting in general. As to Arkay’s room, well… unfortunately, Life Goddess studies do involve a lot of corpses… Only one of your actions in the last couple of days has prompted me to isolate you and speak to you.”
Retvik sighed, feeling a sinking sensation in his gut. “What have I done wrong?”
“Nothing. I am here to… make you aware of something. I do not want to call this a warning, more… a moment of advice. I see that you have taken a liking to Arkay, yes?”
“I have…” Retvik hesitated.
“A romantic liking, yes?”
“Are we that obvious?”
Vikalos grunted. “No. To put it mildly, because of Arkay’s situation, he does not get the same amount of privacy as you do. He very reluctantly admitted to wanting a relationship with you in his last check-in.”
“What does this-”
“Please, sit still and listen. I am not here to tell you that you should not have a relationship with Arkay. You both clearly know each other from your previous, intra-universal lives and you both get on really well. The reason why you are here is standard duty when it comes to relationships with Life Goddesses.”
Retvik frowned. “So it is confirmed that Arkay is a Life Goddess?”
“No. What Arkay actually is… is strictly confidential. But for the moment, he is being treated as a Destiny-Fragmented Life Goddess, a Life Goddess who refuses to go down normal Life Goddess paths. But because he is a Life Goddess, I have to explain something to you. You need to be incredibly careful, because Life Goddesses can, intentionally or non-intentionally, do worrying things to their partners.”
Retvik closed his eyes, sighing as he leaned on the desk. “So you ARE saying I should not have a relationship with Arkay.”
“No. Not all. You can and most likely will have a standard relationship. But Life Goddesses have a habit of binding beings to them. Guardian Divines are specifically created by Life Goddesses to mindlessly serve them, which is why we allowed Tahnahos to remain on this ship. Life Goddesses also have the habit of taking other individuals and also binding them to the Life Goddess and her well-being. Anyone, from mortal to Time Drake to Decay Lord, all the way to Voidborns and Corruption, can find themselves bound to a Life Goddess, incapable of being away from them. Nearly anything can be enslaved by a Life Goddess and forced to serve her until one of them dies.”
“What does this mean for me?”
“For now? Nothing. Arkay respects you. He would never intentionally turn you into his slave. At the same time, you need to clarify with him that you both need regular time apart. Currently, while you are on this ship, you are mostly safe, and all beings on board are quarantined enough for Arkay’s unrefined Life Goddess energies to not affect anyone. But when you eventually move on, which you will, you will have to remain vigilant. Staying with Arkay has a risk that you may become enslaved to him forever. Hopefully, by then, Arkay will have true control over himself, but, I reiterate, you must be vigilant.”
Retvik grunted, then thought for a moment. “Very well. I did not think a relationship would be simple, and I will heed your advice. But I have… one question…”
“What is it, Retvik?”
“Does this also apply to Seimeni?”
Vikalos frowned, straightening himself out. “In a way, yes. Which is part of the reason why I made sure Seimeni stopped seeing you. Like Arkay, most of her Life Goddess powers are contained and quarantined, but yes, the same would apply if you were dating Seimeni. Do you have any more questions?”
“No, ser.”
“Good. You may leave.”
Retvik hesitated, then got up from his chair, heading to the door. “Thank you, ser.”
“Stay safe, Retvik…”