My Servant System

Leone PoV

Glancing back towards the throne room, I watched as Jahi was led away by her Mom, the Marquess, my lips pursed as I felt an indescribable ache pang at my heart as she left.

Recently, being near her and drinking her blood calmed down the various emotions that threatened to flare out of control inside of me, so I had grown accustomed to her being beside me.

Now, with her visibly walking away, I didn't know what to feel...

"Leone?"

Jolting out of my thoughts, I smiled embarrassedly as I looked towards Mother, her crimson eyes filled with concern.

Reaching out, she gently stroked my cheek as she asked "Are you alright dear?", and I became aware of Aunt Igna, Aunt Theresa, and Mom staring down at me as well, all three expressing their concern in different ways.

Aunt Igna's tail swished side to side, while her scarred eyes tightened and her head tilted; she had gotten used to expressing herself with her body instead of her eyes, which were long gone.

Aunt Theresa frowned, her dazzling green eyes slightly wet as she clasped her wooden hands together.

Finally, Mom towered over us, her hair sparking at increased rates as she too tilted her head, a small frown tugging at her thin lips.

Chuckling, I leaned into Mother's hand as I said "I'm fine, really. I missed you all though~!"

Smiling back at me, Aunt Theresa approached and gently pulled me into a hug, the oldest wife of my Mom displaying the same love she gave to all her nieces and nephews.

Although she was covered in hardened bark, Aunt Theresa still managed to convey the warmth and softness that she felt inside, and her cool, rough skin never once felt harsh against my own skin.

Out of all my Aunts, Aunt Theresa was almost like my second Mother; she had raised me in place of Mother and Mom when their attention was needed elsewhere, and she made sure to guide me as well as she could, always lathering me with praise and love whenever she could.

"We all missed you too, Leone... Even Fenryas, in her own ways... The Palace felt just a little colder without you migrating from library to library."

Letting out a small laugh, I blushed as I recalled the numerous times each of my Aunts had caught me 'trespassing' into their personal libraries, 'stealing' books from them to read and study, fueling my unquenchable desire to learn any and everything.

Mom also smirked as she continued to lead us towards the Sanctum, where all of our personal rooms resided; it was a large complex that was made for her and her family, accessible only to those with her blood.

She had desired to create a space that would know only us, and would always be available to us no matter what.

"I don't know if I would call it 'migrating', Tessa. More so... slinking around and squirreling away her books inside her own small library, hoping none of us would notice the missing books."

Pouting, I let out a huff as Mom grinned back at me, her hair returning to its 'dormant' state of pure ashen gray.

"Aye, I still remember when she first started her little... excursions. The tome I had written on all the herbs inside the garden had gone missing, and I nearly burnt one of Yusa's beloved sculptures since I thought she had taken it! All the yelling and threatening between us made you bawl your eyes out, Leone~!"

Snorting, Aunt Igna smirked at me as she reached over and ruffled my hair, making me blush more as I recalled that memory.

Mother let out a sigh, her voice slightly tired as she added "Or when the thesis I had just finished disappeared from my desk; the thesis that you had asked for yourself, love. I had been going crazy for hours before I found Leone huddled away inside her small library, reading over the papers hungrily!"

Aunt Theresa giggled as she gently patted my shoulder, her emerald eyes shining with mirth as she said "It was always a fun day with you around, Leone~! The theories and questions you would ask, the cute way you would hide away with Janus in your arms... Even though you were a meek little girl, you made your presence quite known~!"

Everyone else nodded, before we all stopped as we reached the giant golden door that led to the Sanctum.

Raising her hand, Mom pressed her palm against the golden door and waited, not even flinching as small spikes pricked her fingers.

Listening to the whirring machinery and seeing the runes flare on the door, we waited for the door to slide open, before we all stepped inside.

The giant tree growing in the center of the room was the first thing that I looked at, the juicy peaches dangling from its branches just as delectable as I remember.

Taking a deep breath, Aunt Theresa strode inside and moved towards her 'room', melding into the tree and leaving behind a faint "Wake me up in an hour... it's been rather draining today..."

Mom nodded, her expression both soft and sad as she gently stroked the tree's bark, each of us silent as we stared at the large tree for a few moments.

"No progress then?"

Glancing back, Mom shook her head as she muttered "Nothing... for two and a half millennia... nothing."

Sighing, she stepped away before smiling again, staring at me as said "I missed you dearly, Leone..."

Stepping forwards, I wrapped my arms around her waist as I hugged her, leaning my head against her chest.

Feeling her arms around my back, I nuzzled into her warm body for a few moments before we separated, only to find myself in Mothers embrace next.

Stroking my hair, Mother whispered "It hasn't been the same with you gone, baby...", and I felt my eyes water slightly at her words.

Aunt Igna joined us a moment later, her scaly arms enveloping us as she nodded.

Surrounded by my family, I felt that, for just a moment, the void that had been left behind by Kat's disappearance had been filled somewhat.

Embracing Mother back soothed my weary heart some, and I felt tears slip free from my eyes as I leaned further into her body.

It took a few minutes, but eventually I stopped crying, my emotions stabilizing under their constant warmth.

When I had finally calmed down, Mom led us over towards the dining room, where Mother instantly joined Aunt Igna inside the kitchen to prepare something to eat.

Sitting near Mom, I stared at the wooden table for a few moments before I turned towards her, listening to her questions.

She asked about small things, constantly keeping the subject away from what happened.

We talked about magic, my research, my thoughts on the Gate situation in Tragon...

The way she maneuvered the conversation perfectly away from any sore points was admirable, but I could connect each and every one of her questions back to Kat, which she began to notice.

Sighing, she leaned on her hand as she asked "Her disappearance really burrowed itself into your heart, hasn't it?"

I stiffened at her swift change from avoiding it to talking about it openly, and I gulped as my hand unconsciously reached for the crystal I had made from the ash of the scroll.

It was the last part of her that we had witnessed, and I found comfort in this small crystal; maybe it would lead us to her someday...

Nodding, I stared at the crystal in my hands as I muttered "She... She meant a lot to me, Mom... M-More then I care to admit..."

Reaching over, Mom placed her hand on my head, gently stroking my hair as she sighed once more.

"Listen, I can't say for complete certainty that she'll... overcome everything laid out before her, but believe in her. She is alive, that much I can tell; the bond between her and Jahi Asmodia is still there, albeit frayed. From the little I've seen of her, that Dogkin maid that you all love so dearly is rather... capable. She might not always make the best choices, but she understands the world far better than she lets on.

You know her better then I do though, Leone. You should know that she's strong, capable, and crafty. She'll find her way back to you all soon enough. Now, if I were you, I'd be more worried about maintaining yourself and the relationship between you and the other two; it seemed to be less harmonious than before..."

I nodded, my lips pulled into a tight line as I stared at the crystal for a few more moments.

"That's why Jahi was so adamant about the Crusade; I've watched her once before shackle herself in her own mind, and it wasn't something I was able to help alleviate. I'm... hoping that it doesn't happen again; or that, if it does, she learns to open up more and let Anput and I in..."

Continuing to stroke my head, Mom chuckled softly as she whispered "I'll let you in on a little secret, Leone... The reason Jahi Asmodia came out of her self induced 'cage' was because your mutual lover, Katherine, forced her to open her eyes and focus on the present, not the past. She did so in a rather... unique way."

Leaning back, she gave me a conspiratorial smile as I frowned, her voice still a hushed whisper as she said "Your lover managed to almost kill her Master. She forced the Asmodia heir to revert to something she was comfortable in: violence. If it comes down to it again, 'dissect' your future wife and pick one of her core values and challenge her to that value. Distract her from the past with a part of herself, and she'll be forced to confront it and move on."

Glancing towards the kitchen, Mom smirked as she watched Aunt Igna happily move around the various stoves and ovens, her tail swishing on the ground as she worked.

"That was how I managed to convince Igna to stop looking inwards so often a millennia and a half ago; I forced her to see what was in front of her, and not what had long since faded."

I nodded, my fingers still curled around the crystal.

It was something I had already known; something I had been trying to change all this time, but something I never needed.

After all, Kat was always there to assume the role of our 'guide', happily putting us before herself as she helped each of us through our problems.

Now, she was gone, and as much as that hurt to admit, I needed to accept it.

She was no longer before me, instead she was somewhere far away.

I needed to place my trust in her eventual return, but until then...

Someone needed to step up and become the mature woman of our group, so that we were no longer without guidance and a helping hand.

So... I would step up and fill the spot that she had left vacant, and I would try and keep us together and focused as best I could.

I loved each of them too much to continue to ignore the fact that we were no longer as tightly knit as we were before; sure, we still acted amicable towards one another, but there was no... substance to our actions.

Everything felt hollow or routine, just something we were expected or used to doing.

Hopefully... hopefully I could change that, and reignite the warmth that we were lacking.

The warmth that I had just gotten to experience again today, amongst my family.