Chapter 150: Interlude Thirty-Two: Nia - The Dionysus I Knew Was Kind

Nia’s ears twitched as she curled up in bed, groaning and stretching out across her sheet. Smacking her lips, she tasted drool while dully staring up at the glowing bunny stickers she’d put all over her ceiling. Feeling lethargic, her fuzzy brain ticked backward, rusty gears clinking with her gradually quickening thoughts.

"Ugggh... Blegh."

Last she remembered, she was doing some kick-tail things, and there was a pretty black meteor. Then, she got a little sleepy, so she crawled into bed.

"Hugh!" Eyes snapping open, she shot up in bed, messy, white hair whipping left and right as she scanned her personally decorated room in Rachel’s soul. "The bad wizard man! Huh..."

In the silent, dimly lit space, she found a bed beside hers, where a gorgeous, young, bandaged woman lay. "Nike," she noted with a rapid nod, ears falling forward as her foggy mind came into focus. "And there were funny knights and a princess...Was there a princess? No... Not a princess. Booo... Bad story."

Arms flying out, she sank back into her pillow. "Hmm. What am I supposed to do? Let’s see, I was... Major?!"

Nia jumped out of bed and ran to the door in a panic, throwing it open to find the black nothingness that Rachel refused to decorate. To the side of the blinding spotlight overhead was her partner in ears.

"Rachel!" Running to the limp hare, she rolled her over to see a little drool oozing out of her mouth. Giggling and breathing a sigh of relief, she leaned back, supporting herself with her arms. "Don’t panic...everything’s a-okay. Haaa. We’re all okay."

Doing a quick scan of her leader and what was happening outside, Nia frowned. I can’t be a little girl and know what the major needs. Time to grow up!

[Subdue Curse: Active]

Darkness seeped out of Nia’s frame, shrouding her in shadows as the giant hare woman shrunk with the rest of the world. When it cleared, Nia tightened her fist and returned to her anime military school in her black-and-red uniform.

It was as if a vise around her brain and heart had been loosened, thoughts she’d never have as a child taking bloom while she processed what it was like to be freed from the age curse.

[Counter Curse Pool: 99.9%]

[5:59:59 Hours Remaining]

Four-leaf-clover eyes returning to her major, Nia let out a long sigh. "I really am somewhat of a burden as a kid...yet you still humored my antics. Hmm."

Her skirt folded around her thigh as she knelt down to study Rachel’s condition more thoroughly; she was out for the count and would probably remain that way for a while.

Picking the hare up, her narrowed vision drifted around the dark space, sensing a strange power that had flowed through Nike, Rachel, and her a bit ago. It had now dissipated, but the effect was fairly obviously an attempt to enhance the effects of the personification’s ichor, hoping to support them through all their spirit expansions.

She returned Rachel to her room, mentally expanding the bed and nestling her leader into the comforting mattress; everything in the room was infused with Nike’s Ichor, which was likely why she recovered first, along with being more intrinsically tied to the personification.

Summoning a chair at the foot of the two beds, she sank into it and crossed her legs. Her boots bobbed a bit as she leaned against the armrest to determine her next best move. Fist resting against her cheek, she let her gaze wander between the two young women recovering in her care. It was her job to protect both, yet it seemed as if Rachel and Nike were the ones caring for her.

Now returned to her true age, she could see that it was only by Nike’s divine blood that they’d survived the ordeals in the Legend Quest. Both Rachel and she would have been spiritually torn apart by all the Unique Moons and rapid EXP gain. If that weren’t enough, without synchronizing with Rachel’s soul, her leader wouldn’t have been able to share in that restorative energy.

A recording of memories exploded above the beds as Nia used her access to Rachel’s soul to replay everything that had happened. Her major was brilliant, maneuvering as best she could through the unbelievable events she’d been manipulated into. Cerridwen’s prompt to Eostre and Rachel’s misfortune sense had guided them through what should have been certain death, and that was what must have snatched Izanami’s interest.

"Nearly four days," she whispered, watching everything that had happened outside of their spirit in a sped-up fashion. "We’ll be going to some place called Washington, DC, where the leader of the major’s nation is based... Hmm. It’s not for me to debrief the military without knowing where Rach wants to pull them, so it’s best to remain silent on that—"

"Mmgm..."

A heavenly groan made Nia’s ears perk up, and her attention darted to the angelic woman to her left as a quiver ran down Nike’s frame, a pained whimper following. She was waking up—if only for a moment, Nia was sure.

Getting to her feet, she gave a gentle smile as she helped the woman remove the bandages from her head so that her electric-blue eyes could crack open, restored during her slumber.

"How do you feel, Lady Nike?"

"Hmm?" Still looking sickly despite her glorious countenance, the personification’s slim fingers tightened against the sheets covering her naked figure as she oriented herself. "You are...the Soul Item who offered to shelter me... Nia? Mmmgm..."

"I am. You should rest, though," she softly urged. The silver-haired woman’s sudden wince, groan, and uncomfortable shifting of her shoulders brought Nia’s frown to the bed; her kid-self had missed an important step in Nike’s recovery. "Your back... Give me a moment."

Kneeling down and sweeping her braided hair out of the way, she studied the underside of the bed while imagining the place morphing to her desires. Two holes opened up, offering the goddess’ angelic wings room to grow and stretch without being compressed; in addition, she made sure the floor bowed and had cushioning for the appendages to rest on.

"There, how is that?" Nia soothed, rising back to her feet to see the personification pulling a few loose strands of her thick, silvery bangs behind her ear. "Better?"

A weak chuckle shook Nike’s weak figure as she settled back in, closing her brilliant eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Exhausted, drained, and still practically on my deathbed in wait for Thanatos... What happened to Dionysus?"

Nia snorted and showed her the two memories of when Rachel had rescued her and when Izanami had so terrified the lesser god that he’d practically committed suicide trying to get rid of the Hell Lady. "You won’t need to worry about that douchebag any longer."

"I see..." A melancholy sigh passed through the woman’s cracked lips as a golden tear fell down her cheek. "The Dionysus I knew was...kind."