An Announcement On Behalf Of Love

{August 10, 239 2E}

The news arrived like tales of a coming tempest. 

It was the first thing Enverna saw as she woke up the day after her exhibition. As she pushed her silk sheets off her body and rubbed her eyes, the announcement practically glowed in the middle of the room. 

When she saw the floating words, she nearly fainted. 

{Constellation: "The Lover" will be choosing a follower in 17:45:02} 

Enverna couldn't believe it. 

In 17 hours, at midnight, a Constellation would be choosing a new follower. 

She didn't need to step outside to feel the pulse of anticipation that coursed through the city. The air itself seemed charged with the collective excitement and speculation of its residents.

As Enverna walked through the city's brick-laden roads later with a parasol in one hand and her purse in the other, she kept her ears placed firmly on the conversations around her. 

Everyone was talking about the same thing. 

"Who do you think it will be?" An old lady was asking a friend as Enverna passed by. 

"Rumor has it that most of the Constellations have been choosing people from Garriden, so it has to be someone from Telvan, no?" Her friend replied. "Plus, it's The Lover... That degenerate Constellation wouldn't have the gall to choose someone from the Holy City." 

Indeed, although the exact identities of several of the Constellations' Followers were unknown, a few had come out of their own volition and announced themselves to have been chosen. 

There existed 12 different Constellations and 11 had chosen Followers within the last 10 years. 

The Lover was the only one that had not done so... 

Until now. 

"Ugh. Telvan might become even grosser if the books are to be believed." 

That was the general consensus, based on the conversations Enverna had eavesdropped on. 

People were excited to find out who would be chosen, but most people in Garriden seemed to be hoping it wouldn't be someone from their nation. 

[Why is that?] Enverna asked herself before she shook her head and remembered who she was. 

She could just walk up and ask. So, she did just that. 

"Excuse me," Enverna said, putting on a polite front. The two old ladies recoiled a bit, seeing her approach, but calmed down quickly, perhaps due to how young she was. "You mentioned that it could not be someone from Garriden. May I ask why? I'm not too familiar with Constellations." 

"Ah, I apologize, neja," one of them said. "Neja" was an Old Tongue word that meant "daughter", which the older folk of Garriden liked to call young women, including those they weren't related to. "But, I'm pretty sure the local library has a book that talks all about them. You may want to go get it now since I'm sure a lot of people have the same questions as you," she offered with a smile of her own. 

[... Fair enough.] 

"Thank you." 

Enverna walked away, then, intending to do just that. 

---

She returned to her home with the book in hand. The elderly woman had been right. The copy Enverna placed on her desk happened to be the last one the library had. 

The book was titled: "Constellations: All Known Gods". 

In all honesty, Enverna was shocked that a book with such a blasphemous title would be allowed, but she assumed that meant the information found within was just that important for all to understand. 

So, she got to reading. One page at a time, that timer from The Lover's message counted down as hours passed. 

Enverna had always enjoyed reading. Researching a topic was as fun for her as going to a theatre was for others. 

The information she found made it even more worthwhile. 

"Ah..." Enverna thought as she jotted down some notes. "So, it's like that, then?" 

Constellations were sentient entities. It was commonly accepted that they were people from different eras and times who transcended their humanity and became an existence close to a deity, though the more religious among the citizens of Garriden would take issue with that assessment.

Some speculated that some Constellations may have been from other worlds, as their physical descriptions made little sense, but this was just speculation. 

What wasn't speculation was the following: 

There were a dozen Constellations in total. Each one represented some sort of a domain or an idea. The actions of humans within Sylverin strengthened these Constellations. And, when they had accumulated enough power, they could bestow their strength upon someone who they believed was compatible, so they could shape the world as the Constellation saw fit. 

The Hunter, The Champion, The Wizard, The Merchant, The Forger, The Scoundrel, The Tyrant, The Judicator, The Monk, The Demon, The Peaceful, and, of course, The Lover. 

Their strength was not equal, however.

People who had been chosen by Constellations in the past sometimes shared the boosts in power that they'd received, and comparing the results showed that the power of Constellations and their Followers varied greatly. 

The Lover, the Constellation that had suddenly announced she'd be taking on a new Follower, was... Interesting, to say the least. 

She was among the weakest. But, this was something the people of Sylverin were left to assume for one reason: because her blessing was the rarest, as she'd only ever taken on one Player as her Follower, over two hundred years ago. At least, that people knew of. 

Judging by the Player she'd blessed, she was also quite the eccentric Constellation. Her last Follower was a woman who ended up taking on five different husbands, having over fifteen children, and countless lovers. All the while she'd say, with a smile, that it was what her Constellation wanted her to do. 

[Goodness,] Enverna thought as she read that part. [If someone tried to act like that in Garriden, they'd be thrown out in less than a day.] 

Surprisingly, however, that same woman ended up being the person who defeated the Forest Giant. A Fiend that had blocked off communications between Telvan and Garriden. It was largely thanks to her that both nations enjoyed a brief moment of peace in between a couple of their many, many wars. 

[Hm... So, The Lover isn't the kind of Constellation that just chooses people on a whim?] 

Others were. Other Constellations didn't seek to help humanity, either. Some had chosen Players specifically to have them become mass murderers as was the case with The Tyrant long ago, or to have them grow in power in isolation, disconnected from the rest of the world. 

It didn't seem like The Lover was like that, however.

Putting her book down, Enverna lay down on her bed. 

Staring up at the pink ceiling, the obvious question came to her mind. 

[What if she chooses me?] 

But, she disregarded that notion immediately. 

[Well, I'd reject the offer, of course. I have no intention of having 15 children. Or maybe any children, for that matter. If I can help it.] 

She turned, burying the side of her head in her soft pillow. 

[Not like she'd want to choose me, anyway. The book says that Constellations purposefully go after people who are, at least a little bit, like them. I'm not a "lover", though. I've never fallen in love. I've never had a crush. Hell, I've never even had a kiss.] 

"I suppose I won't be escaping mediocrity anytime soon," Enverna murmured. "I wouldn't want to escape it this way, regardless, though." 

---

{Lianna} 

For Lianna, the announcement was nothing terribly special. 

Just another source of interesting articles to scroll past on Tumble. Nothing more. 

The world of Players was, after all, disconnected from her. She had tried to get in, and she'd been unable to. All Lianna cared about now were the royals in her jeans' pockets as she walked through the restaurant she worked at, bringing a group of friends their dinner. 

"Hello again," she greeted them, placing the tray in her hands on the table, and putting their plates in front of them. "Anything else I can get for you?"

"No, thank you."

"Enjoy!" Lianna strutted away from the table, noticing the way a few necks nearly snapped as people's heads followed her through the room. 

Walking to the back, Lianna's phone vibrated. She'd be scolded for checking it while she was on the job, but the potential date she was setting up with a very cute girl she met online was worth the risk. 

Liannabby: we could go on saturday

shiramoonpie: should I bring anyone

shiramoonpie: ?

Liannabby: id be fine with just u~

shiramoonpie: say less

Lianna grinned, slipping her phone back into her pocket as she picked up the next set of plates. 

She paid no mind to the timer, slowly counting down the final 10 minutes remaining before midnight struck. No one in the establishment did. 

Like them, she didn't care. Her life wasn't about heroism or fighting Fiends. That just wasn't her lane, and she was sure of that. 

Or so she thought. 

Fireworks lit up the night sky outside. They covered the restaurant in red, green, and blue as she walked across, making her way to the next table. 

And then, just as the clock struck 12, everything went quiet. 

The fireworks kept going outside, but something popped up in front of Lianna. 

[Huh?] She squinted, looking up at the System message she'd just received. [What is...?] 

She dropped the tray. The glass plates and mugs crashed, shattering on the ground. 

"W-WHOA!? H-Hey, what the fuck!?" Someone sitting at the table next to Lianna yelled. 

Lianna paid him no mind. 

That message read: 

{I have chosen you.} 

{- The Lover}