As they rode home, Sora stayed optimistic and enjoyed his time with Brie. Despite his anger at the council for what he felt was a punishment for his group, he wanted Brie to enjoy being his Council partner. It's a position that almost never becomes available.
Although humans had the shortest lifespan, Brie would have to be an heir of the Smith family or chosen by the Smith family as an heir. That wasn't going to happen. Jackson was the oldest of three brothers and already had two children of his own, a male and a female, with his wife.
"You looked so beautiful and handled yourself so well. It's a shame Dorian and the others couldn't hear you speak more, especially about all the adventures we've been on. You've grown so much since we first met. We all have."
"Thanks." Brie said. Unfortunately, she failed to hide her sadness.
"Listen, I'm really sorry things went the way they did and I'm really sorry no one stood up for us. I thought if anyone, Dorian would, but what was with that voice in our heads? I know you heard it too." Sora said calmly.
Brie's sadness finally turned to curiosity as she perked up in the back seat of the car. She looked him deep in the eyes and laid her head on his lap.
"That was definitely strange. Who or what do you think that was? I only saw Selene, Elizabeth and Camilla, and I know none of them have telepathic abilities. I haven't heard of anyone who uses or has telepathic abilities. That's something said only the gods and goddesses possess. Not even the King himself can speak or hear others telepathically," she spoke softly, while staring into Sora's eyes.
"Yeah, that was strange. Also, I've been trying to figure out how the King gets the location letter, your clothing and other items to houses, undetected. My entire security system is supposed to detect anything SSS ranked and below… Yet they end up magically in my house? It's kind of creeping me out. Maybe Jubelle has a theory or something?" Sora returned her kind gaze.
"Well, what are we going to do for the next three weeks? I guess we could go meet my parents." Brie suggested.
"I'd like that, but isn't that answer obvious? We're going to find the Monolith," Sora said with a giant grin.
Brie sat up and smiled. "Do you think we can handle it?"
"Hey system, can you slow my car down? I don't want this car ride to be less than 10 minutes. Can we make it last a bit longer?"
[Reducing the car's speed to 100 MPH. You will arrive in approximately 30 minutes.]
Sora gently grabbed Brie's face and pulled her close. They started kissing slowly and eventually started making out. They both didn't know exactly what they were doing, but they were able to figure it out just fine.
As they pulled into the garage, Sora finally disengaged from Brie but never broke eye contact.
"Are you sure you haven't been with other women before Sora? I swear, how are you naturally perfect at everything?" Brie said with a smile.
"I promise, I will never lie to you. It just must be a gift from my mom or something," Sora laughed.
****
They walked in holding hands. Levi, Sasha and Jubelle rushed them into their first-floor meeting area, which they designed once Jubelle joined the party, to discuss their next dungeon plans.
"Well, go on. Tell us what happened then? How was Brie's first Council meeting?" Jubelle asked.
"She did an amazing job! But, but bad news. We have exactly one option. We clear the Monolith. The King made Brie and me pay 5 Ultravites to each member of the council and forbade us from taking a job off the quest board for 3 weeks." Sora said.
"That's some bullshit." Sasha said. "Other than the dungeon we found online, how many times have we run into another party? Maybe 2? How many dungeons have we cleared now? Over 50?"
"Relax Sasha, I see the King's point. Azazel and the demons were pissed off about dungeons being cleared with their demons in them. What else was The King to do?" Levi said.
"Well, actually, there isn't any bylaw among any of the races, nor the Council, that states any person or party has a limit to the number of dungeons they can take. We could always petition…"
Sora politely cut Jubelle off. "It's ok, let's go over your notes on the Monolith. What do you think the most likely plot point you have marked is the actual location, and would all of you be willing to move, tonight?"
"This one," Jubelle said as he pointed to a circle marked 4, just three miles inside the demon territory, but further south. "There aren't any lairs near here, but I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't reinforcements guarding it or in it."
"Sasha, Brie, Levi, what do you think?"
"I think we go and kick this dungeon's ass and find out what giant secret the demons are hiding." Brie said enthusiastically.
"Yup, what she said." Sasha grinned.
"I bet whatever is on the boss floor… the demons would be furious to lose, so I say let's stock up, rest up, and move at dusk!" Levi said.
The party agreed, and they all informed Sora which armor sets and weapons they preferred in his dimensional void. The best part about this space was the versatility it provided.
Sora could carry a limitless supply of potions, food, armor, weapons, blood bags, vials of his blood. Anything that could benefit the party. They could be stuck in a dungeon for over a year with Sora's system and dimensional void without any problems. They could even have a magical tent.
No one questioned Brie following Sora into his master bedroom as they all went to get some rest before their big night of adventure.
****
When they arrived in Sora's room, Brie covered her mouth with her hands. Her entire walk-in closet's contents, as well as the rest of her personal belongings, make-up, etc., were all placed in a freshly built walk-in closet, neatly labeled.
"Sora… you should have asked me first."
Unable to read her expression, Sora panicked. "I'm so sorry! I didn't want to insinuate anything sexual or force you to move into my room. I just wanted you with me. I figured it'd be easier for both of us, especially if we have to do the council stuff together, to just share a room?"
"We have a meeting once a month," Brie said.
"Ok, I'm sorry, I'll place it in my dimensional void righ…." Brie cut him off with a kiss.
"It's ok, I would have said yes. You're so easy to mess with, it's fun!" Brie exclaimed.
Sora changed while Brie took a shower. She got dressed in her pajamas and walked into her new room.
She noticed Sora sleeping.
"Well, I guess that's why you don't anger a half-god. I'm so lucky to have him."
Brie tried to sneak into bed without waking Sora.
"Oh, hey, sorry I fell asleep," Sora whispered.
"Go back to sleep, we need our rest, this dungeon might take days, weeks, who knows. Let's just enjoy this afternoon nap together, ok?" Brie said as she kissed him.
Sora smiled and held her tightly. They drifted into sleep.
****
While sleeping, Sora saw visions of war. Countless bodies from each side lay dead across a bloodied and scorched battlefield.
"King Sora! The demons are trying to flank from the left! What should we do?"
Sora sent a command and called for someone and within minutes, everyone saw a giant ball of fire rip through thousands of werewolves and demons, burning them to pieces.
"Great call, my King! I can't believe you've recruited a …"
Sora's dream quickly changed. They were in Sora's mansion, Brie tightly holding Sora's hand while wearing a Queen's crown. They were sitting around a table in his main strategy room, discussing something. He recognized Sasha, Levi, Jubelle and Brie, but the other three people were blurred figures and indistinguishable.
As his dream moved along, he saw his mother hugging him. "Sora, don't stray from your path… Don't lose your soulmate. Without her, you will destroy the world. I love you."
He abruptly woke up, sweating profusely and gasping for air.
"Sora, are you ok? ARE YOU OK? PLEASE WAKE UP!" Brie screamed.
"I'm awake, I'm sorry!" Sora cried as he coughed. "What kind of dream was that?"
"I don't know, we were sound asleep and you started screaming in your sleep. Then I couldn't feel your heartbeat or hear you breathing. You scared the hell out of me!" Brie cried. Tears fell from her eyes.
"It was just a dream…" Sora said.
"Just a dream? People don't stop breathing during a dream!" Brie exclaimed.
"System, did I lose my pulse?"
[No. You experienced the effects of a goddess sending you a message during your dreams. During this experience, your pulse and breathing are very faint. To the rest of the world, you appear dead.]
"Is there any way you can warn me if this will happen again?"
[Unfortunately, I cannot. But don't worry. You are completely safe when this happens. I'd advise you not to tell this to anyone.]
Sora hugged Brie tightly. "I'm sorry I scared you. I really am. I saw my mom in my dream! She's so beautiful. She even said you're beautiful." Sora said.
"Stop. LYING." Brie smacked Sora upside the head. "You promised me you'd always tell me the truth!
"I'm not. Why would I lie? I really did see my mom!"
"She really said that about me?" she asked.
"I love you, Brie. I don't care if you love me or not. I just need you to know that I love you and I promise I'll do everything I can to not hurt you. If you ever don't want to be with me, just please, be honest and tell me."
Brie remained in Sora's arms, speechless.
'What does love mean? Do I love him? There are so many things I don't know right now.'
"Sora, I adore, care for, and cherish you deeply. I'm sorry if that's not the answer you wanted to hear."
"Why are you sorry? Of course I'm happy to hear that! Now, let's grab the others. I believe we have a dungeon to find!" Sora said cheerfully. He gave her a kiss, and they walked out of his room, into the living room.
"Alright, everyone ready?"
"Yup, locked and loaded. Let's follow the whiz kid to the Monolith!" Levi boasted.