Damien woke up from the sound of rustling and turned over to see Alexa stealthily attempting to retrieve her wings out from around him and Kastra. With a smile, he grabbed onto her and pulled her close, eliciting a yelp from the caught party.
"Damien, let go. I need to go check on your parents, they-"
"Our parents," he corrected.
She sighed at him.
"They don't know where food is, our cups, plates... anything. It's already eleven in the morning."
Damien's upper body shot up at that, the movement causing Kastra no amount of unease as she rolled down his chest.
"Ah, sorry," he said, dropping back down on top of Alexa's wings so she'd stop rolling.
Kastra looked up at him indignantly as he picked her up and placed her closer to Alexa before opening his mouth to speak.
"How about you two take your time getting ready and I'll go make sure they're doing ok for now."
Alexa paused for a moment but slowly nodded.
Damien thought she looked better this morning. Her eyes were a little red, but she didn't seem like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.
Kastra smiled up at him, also bobbing her head in agreeance.
"Good," he said, smiling back.
With great reluctance, Damien tore his vision away from the two bare women as he moved across the room for the door. With a flick of his left hand, their closet opened up and a grey pair of thin, mana-born pants flew out and melded onto his person. A second later, a white t-shirt followed. Right as his son was no longer showing, he reached for the door with the mana in his right hand and swung it open.
A few more steps brought him into the hallway while he held his breath and covered his body with a quick layer of warm water. He turned left and headed for the stairs that would take him down to the entryway, removing the water before making it disappear and incinerating the grime it had carried off with it. A few quick touches with his mana later his messy hair was in line and his mouth felt cleaner.
He pivoted left again and began a trot down one of the sets of stairs leading to their front door and expansive first room. Once he reached the ground floor, a hard right turn sent him back in the direction he'd been descending, under the upstairs hallway and through another set of doors leading to a new corridor.
'This home is still way too large,' he thought, turning left and heading for the main kitchen.
When he arrived, he poked in his head and was surprised to see no one in it. He turned and made his way back to the hall, aiming for the lounge, but found no one there as well. Once he saw the living room and dining area both vacated, he sent a pulse into the ground to see if he couldn't get at least a general idea for where his family was.
Right as he sent out the pulse, he felt a tapping sensation on his shoulder as a large figure was fed back through his echolocation.
"Looking for-"
"AhhhAAAHH!" he yelled, jumping while his eyelids shot open.
'I HATE my luck!'
"Sorry, master. I forgot you didn't like that," Adrenna casually stated once he'd calmed down.
Turning, he squinted at her.
"You absolutely did not forget that. How long were you-"
"Since you got downstairs," the Brinter said with a smile, showcasing her sharp teeth while blinking her eight eyelids innocently.
Damien rolled his eyes, her appearance seemed less frightening and more endearing lately. He'd gotten used to her unique characteristics and found she was rather beautiful, even while looking like a little bit of an alien. Her pitch-black eyes were still a tad unnerving, but he'd stopped getting nervous around her of late at least. It was good to see that she had a healthy complexion and was no longer looking as unhappy and hopeless as she had when they'd received her.
Looking below her head and collar caused him to sigh, though.
"You don't have to wear that if you don't want to," he stated.
"It fits nicely and is easy to move in. Would you prefer I wear what I showed up in? Torn clothes and no underwear? I've gotten bigger lately, they might not hide me as... thoroughly," Adrenna said, smiling mischievously at him.
"Not at all. I just want you to be comfortable," he said, not taking the bait while resting his hand on her shoulder. "If you're fine looking like a maid, all the better."
Her eyebrows knitted together and she looked away briefly before turning back to him, opening her mouth to continue their banter he assumed.
"Your family is out back relaxing while Petrina was sent home last night. I already made them breakfast and gathered everyone's luggage. We will set out tomorrow morning at ten by the front gate leading out of the city," she said, leading him back towards the kitchen while his hand dropped off her shoulder.
"Tomorrow at the front gate?" he asked, glancing at her confused. "Why wouldn't we set off today? And by we, I'm assuming you mean you'll be coming as well?"
The woman nodded as she brought him through the kitchen to the far side, stopping before the sliding glass door that bordered the backyard.
Damien wondered how he'd missed seeing everyone outside the first time he passed by.
"I have nowhere else I'm allowed to be. And yes, tomorrow. The teleporter to Hathen was destroyed and won't be repaired for another few months, at least. Tomorrow is when the largest group of carriages is planned to depart."
"What?" he asked, stopping in his tracks. "It was destroyed?"
"I'm surprised you didn't hear about it from Oryen," she responded. "From the message they sent, it was an attack by a couple of Nivari extremists. No one is sure how they got so far inland, but they overloaded one of their own mages with mana and his body collapsed in on itself, killing those within a hundred feet of it while completely eradicating the teleportation matrix. If the stone powering it hadn't been so far underground, the incident might have ended with a few blocks of Hathen missing rather than just the square it was located."
Damien stood with his mouth open, shocked. If that was true, somehow, the Nivari had made it all the way inland to attack the city his parents had just moved to. The city had seemed a little lax in its border security when he'd visited, but then again everyone assumed that place was safe from such events so it wasn't necessary. The fact that it had succeeded once though...
"I figured you'd prefer to travel with your family on their trip back to their home. It may be around a two-month-long journey, but we should be able to teleport back before the new school year."
Damien nodded.
"Thanks for the information. I appreciate you set everything up. I hope you aren't offended when I verify the information, though," he finished with a sad smile.
Adrenna shook her head in the negative, once again seeming a little less cheery than she had been when terrorizing him. She grabbed the handle to the sliding door and was just about to open it when he cut in.
"Also, please throw away those tattered clothes if you don't mind. I don't need those giant misunderstandings being added into your outfit rotation. You do look a lot more beautiful these days, and I already have enough to deal with. I don't need black eyes from Alexa for just dealing with you're pranks," he finished with a laugh.
She grinned wide, once again showcasing her teeth as she fought back a laugh. She'd been turning into a bit of a second Gianna lately, but at least she knew there was a line not to cross. The confidence she displayed was mostly only towards him, though. Other men received the same deadpan expression and emotion that he had at first, but he hoped eventually Ranger could win her over.
She shrugged her shoulders and opened the door leading out back, letting him take a step past. When he got into the sun, his smile widened when he saw his small family all sitting around the pool talking.
Emily and Vanessa had their feet in the water while wearing light shorts and bright shirts. Garrett was lounged underneath their small pagoda, sipping on some fruity looking drink while looking like he was on some type of tropical vacation, complete with cargo shorts and a button-down shirt. Damien almost laughed at how ridiculous the scene was compared to what had happened yesterday. Everyone was smiling, wearing new clothes, and even Oryen, who was surprisingly seated next to Garrett, was sipping on the same fruity drink.
"Good morning my sunshine," Emily called from the water as she hopped up and made her way toward him. "How is everyone up there this morning?" she asked, wrapping him in a hug.
"Morning, mom. They're fine," he answered, kissing her on the cheek. "How was breakfast? Sorry we didn't wake up sooner," he continued. "And where did you all get the clothes?"
"Don't be, that woman is an amazing cook," his dad called out, lifting his glass. "And drink preparer. You could do no better for your third wife, I am glad- haha I'm kidding, kidding," Garrett quickly said, a scathing glare from Damien and Vanessa both landing on him.
"Sure you were. Please don't make him anymore," Damien asked Adrenna.
"Make him more, understood," she replied as he swore he saw her wink at Garrett.
'Perhaps she is getting more confident around others and I just haven't noticed,' Damien thought with raised eyebrows.
"Don't be so uptight," Garrett said back, laughing. "As for these fancy and comfortable things, Oryen here took us shopping earlier as an apology."
Damien's eyebrows lifted as he looked at Oryen, Emily making her way back to Vanessa and the pool.
He noticed they both had drinks as well.
"They generously accepted my offer. I had planned to buy them a few outfits but... only one was accepted," the Celestial said, waving.
"I didn't expect to see you here still. From what I heard, Petrina left?"
Oryen shrugged.
"Yeah. I have another few months of handling my lovely wife until going back to the war, but I'll only be able to see Alexa for another... two days or so, it seems. I'll go back when you all leave, if you don't mind," Oryen responded. "Oh, and if you wouldn't mind showing me that spectacular performance again, sooner rather than later-"
"I'll see," Damien said, interrupting the man as nicely as possible. "When we have a bit of time later, I'd be glad to. As far as the teleporter issue goes, why don't we just stay here until it's fixed? It seems safer than a two-month long journey back. The portal might even be back up and running before we get back."
He saw Vanessa nod in the corner of his vision.
"That's what I tried to tell them earlier-"
"You just started working in Hathen, you'll be reprimanded seriously or even fired if you don't try to get back as soon as possible," Emily interrupted. "It will be safe. Plus, I don't want to just sit around here. I don't mind the trip."
"And I need to get back sooner rather than later anyway," Garrett added. "I had planned on helping Fletch with the shop the moment I got back, so I can't very well wait months for the array to be back up. And before you say anything," Garrett continued, interrupting Damien's attempt at persuading them, "it will not be up before we get back. Mages will have to travel there from the Empire to work on it since they can't teleport and it should take a month to work on after they arrive at the very least. We have to get home."
Damien looked at his dad and mom before sighing while holding his hands up, surrendering. They both smiled at him.
"We'll be safe. Come visit us when it's back up and runn-"
"Oh no, we are definitely coming with you," Damien interrupted, rolling his eyes.
"But-"
"No buts!" a high pitched voice interrupted, causing the group to turn and look at the sliding doors leading inside. "Kastra and I will not be parted again!"
'So she finally shows back up,' Damien thought, wondering just where she'd gotten a tiny eyepatch from.
He'd almost forgotten that little Fae had even come with them all. She hadn't been around since the morning they all came through the teleporter, and she definitely didn't come with the eyepatch...
He'd most likely have to apologize to someone for whatever she'd been doing while they'd been here.
Alexa, Kastra, and Marciela walked through the sliding door, dressed in a casual manner. No uniform today, just some cargo shorts and a monochrome t-shirt for the girls while their hair was down.
Damien smiled at the tired expression Alexa sported as he moved toward her. He was glad she'd made it out of bed and her room; he probably wouldn't have left the house for at least a week if the same situation had just occurred in his life.
"Sweety-"
"I'd like to come with too. I want to spend time catching up with everyone. We have barely had any moments to see one another over the past day or so."
After Alexa's statement, everyone else reluctantly nodded.
'Perks of being the sad one. Way to work your advantage,' Damien thought.
"Then, I suppose we can just spend today relaxing since our lovely Adrenna has gotten everything together for us," Garrett said loudly. "How about you teach us how to make these," he continued, standing up and motioning for Oryen to stand as well. "We'll get a round going for the crew."
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A large, round hall with no doors present was filled with several figures, all adorning a dark, silvery skin color with their hair, body structure, and eyes being the only thing setting them apart from one another. All wore white, flowing robes while some had cloaks adorning the different colors or images representing what they ruled over.
They were all currently either seated or floating around a circular bar, facing the group on the other side. In the center of the circle, filling the space in between the sides of the bar, there was a small pond instead of things for merriment that showcased the world which they watched over.
Rai sat in between Ceris and Drevil, Ceris with tan colored eyes and Drevil with a dark green, and was thankful to be more than a few seats away from Senra. Geril tried to keep them from being sat next to one another, taking the bullet for Rai and sitting next to her instead.
Rai despised the way she treated her followers and the world as a whole. A conversation like they were having today would only give them both more chances to argue if they were close. In fact, if everything went right, he wouldn't have to see that woman's face again for a long while.
"You know why I've called you all here, I presume?" Geril started from the other side of the divine pool, causing Rai to break free of his thoughts.
"Because Ventis screwed us?" Senra grumbled out.
Rai scowled, but more than a few murmurs around the table showed most people agreed with the statement.
"Essentially yes," Geril said, nodding slightly. "We have to find a way to do something about it. If everything continues at this pace, we won't be able to call the mother here for another few hundred years, and it has already taken over six hundred longer than our last call. We've been getting better of late, not worse, at sending word for this world earlier and earlier. We need to do something about it."
"What can we do about it!?" Adara roared, her red eyes gleaming with anger. "Last rotation, Charna descended and forsook his responsibilities, attempting to stop the practice, and this rotation Ventis has followed in his footsteps! We lost one source of memories completely while another dove down the drain and is taking steps to intentionally slow our progress. With the introduction of Hellials into the world thanks to Ceris and the destruction of Rai's following, nothing we do is going to slow the war or regain what was lost. Even the Nivari are becoming more active! They're killing each other endlessly down there; we need peace."
Rai glanced toward Adara and smiled at her. It was nice that one of the others still remembered the loss, even if it was hundreds of years ago, and would get mad on his behalf. He couldn't very well stay mad at Ceris himself...
Noticing his look, she nodded to him.
"Yevlue is dead now, I saw to that. And you know I couldn't interfere while he was collaborating with the other for fear that he'd need to die as well. Then, Celestials would have never come into existence," Ceris replied.
"How worth it were they, though," Rai shot in. "It is nice to see their mana grow and their possibilities endless, but-"
"Think of next rotation," Ceris interrupted, causing his brows to knit together as she began defending her latest creation. "Humans die too early. Only the oldest give us the mana and memories the mother requires. One Celestial bloodline alone, hidden in their floating home, would give us tens if not hundreds of times more potent substance than that received from Humans."
The gathering of people murmured their agreement while Rai shrunk back in his seat, upset. They may indeed be useful in the long run, but the by-product had destroyed his people.
His own project.
"In any case," Geril said, interrupting the rapidly expanding side conversations, "we need to get ahold of things. Soon."
'Here it comes,' Rai thought in anticipation of what Geril would propose.
They'd spoken on it many times and had finally settled on this being the option to go with. They had never stated Rai would be the one to descend, planning on using a lesser member of their family, perhaps Alteration, to go down and collect, but there was no doubt to be some backlash from whoever was chosen.
"I would like to propose one of us go collect our foolish brother," Geril finally said.
Immediately, the voices in the room began to protest.
"Abandon everything we've worked for?"
"Our followers would be stripped of their memories, everything would disappear into the wind!"
"Why should any of us have to risk-"
"I'm not saying," Geril interrupted with a yell, "that whoever goes will not be compensated by the others. Naturally, we should swear an oath under the mother to offer a fraction of what we gain from this rotation to whoever goes. If everyone gives a small amount of what we all collect near the end, the affronted party will not be left out to dry completely. Perhaps if they finished in time, they'd even be able to re-establish themselves and get more than the rest of us in what little time will be left."
When he finished speaking, Rai observed everyone's reactions. Some still seemed insulted by the idea, but others were considering it. Those with lesser followings seemed to be more accepting.
"As we all know, Ventis is slowly weakening the longer he spends so wholly on the Human plane. At this point, I'm sure any one of us could gather our foolish brother. Once he is collected and no longer manipulating the world with Charna's late followers, things can finally begin progressing once more."
"And who would look after our new callers? Would they simply die like Ventis's?" Sondra asked, eyes calm as the pond before them all. "None would dare call when the task completed for fear of dying immediately. How would any re-establish themselves?"
Geril shook his head.
"We won't allow them to die. Whomever we send will have their followers cared for by another, similar to how Aery took over for Charna's task. We will decide who will handle them, choosing based on how well suited they are for the task as we did for Aery."
This time, those around began to nod. It was a good plan, maybe a little risky, but still good. So long as the one who went down didn't also defect, which Rai was certain none here would, things couldn't get dangerous. Then, once they returned, they could pick up where they left off.
If the one they sent did choose to go against the flow and they were never able to call the mother though...
Mother forbid the world began expanding out of control of themselves.
"Now," Geril started.
'Yes, get on with it,' Rai thought, tensing his limbs.
"I would like to ask if anyone would willingly choose to-"
"I'll go," Rai said immediately, shooting up from his seat.
"You?!" Senra said loudly, laughing as Rai flipped her off.
He very much liked this way of expressing himself. Their followers had great ideas sometimes.
"Are you sure you won't accidentally-"
"Senra, please," Geril said calmly, quieting her. "Rai, if you leave-"
"Nothing bad will happen," Rai interrupted with a shrug.
"What about the boy?" Geril asked, concern in his voice.
Rai smiled. His brother truly cared for him, one of the few.
"I'll head down once he has communed. It should be soon, in any case," he stated.
"That... Well, it would be a problem if you collected even more from everyone than you already will, being compensated for Ceris's mishap and this-"
"I'll void the earlier plan," Rai said, causing a few people to sit up in surprise.
No doubt they were annoyed that they'd have to give away a portion of their belongings once, but a second time? And to the same person? He'd already seen the room getting more and more unwilling.
"Are you sure?" Geril asked, confused. "Why?"
"I will be fine, brother. I trust myself more than the others to complete this task anyway," Rai explained. "I am in a unique position to handle this. And, when I leave, no one else will have to watch over any followers already created, and no new ones will come calling," he chuckled out.
Geril seemed to consider the proposition while others around the table smiled. Ceris was looking at him with confusion apparent on her face.
'Maybe she'll see me in a different light after this self-sacrifice,' Rai thought to himself, smirking lightly.
"Geril, I don't think-"
"Senra, if Rai would like to handle this we should allow it," Drevil interrupted, smiling.
The man was just eager to not be the one to go, made apparent from the way his green eyes glowed brighter and his smile widened.
'Greedy bastard.'
"I agree," Geril said, finally speaking after another few seconds. "If-"
"Geril! You know it's a bad idea to-"
"Senra! Enough! If he volunteers, it is his choice. Would you go in his place?" Geril asked, the woman backing down into her seat immediately after. "How do you plan to find him?" Geril continued, turning back to Rai.
"That... might take some effort," Rai admitted. "If I can, I'll find one of his abominations and follow it back to him. The boy seems to have gotten himself involved with them in one way or another; it should be simple enough to come across one."
Geril nodded.
"It is a good plan, but how do you expect to be able to keep it in your sights without it sensing you? We can't see them like we can our followers. They don't use our power. What if it gets away from you?" Geril asked.
Rai considered the question. He honestly hadn't given much thought into the matter, only recently deciding it would be novel to go tour the world he hadn't been to in millennia. He assumed finding his brother would be a simple enough task, but if it wasn't...
"All the more reason to use the boy and his Fae," Adara cut in. "If he truly is a target for Ventis's war, you'll come across them sooner rather than later if you stick close to him or even attach yourself to him. In that-"
"Adara," Geril interrupted as Rai's eyebrows rose slightly. "We agreed none of us would give so much they could attach themselves, or more than forty percent in total ever again. After what happened with Charna-"
"He was spread thinnest out of all of us already," Adara shot back. "And overly compassionate. If he hadn't already have given so much of his existence for them to manipulate, a measly five percent wouldn't have caused his mindset to so radically alter. Our followers are meant to help us control the flow of the world and keep some for ourselves when the mother collects, not a necessary piece in the plan. The fool was beyond two-thirds of his mind given. If he hadn't been so greedy or weak-willed-"
"That's enough," Aery yelled, clear eyes rapidly changing as color rippled across them in waves and she slammed her fist down on the bar. "Ventis defected after less than half. If anything, it proves how strong a soul Charna was. He will be reborn when this world is eventually wholly consumed."
"And that is all the more reason Rai should attach himself to the boy," Adara said, continuing her earlier point the moment Aery finished her sentence. "If Charna, one of our four equals before he became a traitor, could handle so much, it goes to show that Rai, who is still one whole being, is not only the strongest and most suited for the job currently, but also in a unique position to place a larger piece of himself within the child. It would also give him access to the Fae, who seem to be able to sense the creatures, without breaking the rules set by the mother."
When she finished, the room remained silent, each of them considering her words.
Rai was excited to try it. In the event any of them gave a single follower with a much larger amount than usual, they could view things through their eyes and direct their bodies to a certain extent when they used the power gifted through the commune. If the sentient fought for control of the body, the Gods would lose and be placed in the back of the follower's mind until the end of the commune, but until they made that happen... Rai would actually be able to influence and speak with him directly.
Unfortunately, in this way, the follower could directly influence them as well. They hadn't noticed it soon enough with Charna and when they realized something was changing in him, it was too late. Then with Ventis this time around, not even having given much of his being to the sentients...
But, if the Human was willing to listen to reason and shared in a similar goal, Rai might be able to almost have two bodies while searching for their brother. His follower would definitely become aware of the existence of the Gods, but it would not break the rules they'd had placed upon them with regards to the Fae. If they went with this plan, let alone allowing the Human to remember everything from the commune, they could speak whenever they wanted.
Rai tried to keep a wide grin from spreading across his face, but his eyes most likely gave him away. He could almost feel the different bolts arcing outward from his pupils.
"I believe something this dangerous must be decided by Rai himself," Geril finally said, breaking the silence, "though it looks like he already has," he finished with a chuckle.
Rai looked to his brother and nodded.
"I would like to. It would all but ensure I succeeded in a timely manner."
Geril nodded in return.
"Very well then. I believe-"
"Geril-" Senra seemed to plead one last time.
Geril turned his head to glare at her, lifting his hand up to demand her silence.
"A vote then," he continued once it was apparent Senra would no longer meet his eyes, turning back to stare at Rai. "Those in favor, hands up."
Rai finally grinned as thirteen hands including his own went up, while Senra remained seated and unmoving. His vacation of little effort was beginning very soon. He didn't mind falling behind Geril in power this time around; he was getting tired of always competing anyway.
"It passes then. Best of luck, brother," Geril said, smiling at him from across the pool.
Rai bowed his head forward slightly and stood up, making his way toward the edge of the room.
"Rai," Geril cut in before he'd left, causing him to turn around while quieting the side conversations that had started up. "It goes without saying that the boy will be erased once the task is complete. Are you absolutely sure you will be fine with that?"
Rai shrugged.
"That's just a matter of course, brother. A necessary loss. Perhaps he'll keep his drive for Lightning after his mind rebuilds itself. If his mind rebuilds itself."
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The room slowly cleared out as Senra and Geril remained, saying their last goodbyes to Ceris.
Finally, Geril sighed and turned to Senra. He'd have to listen to her complaints now.
"He's going to find out eventually, you know?" Geril started, looking at the woman before him. "When the mother collects, we all experience their memories. He will learn one way or another what really happened."
"And what if he defects after the reset because of it?" she asked back immediately.
"He will understand the necessity when the time comes. He will see just how much he was doting on them as he will see our own collaboration. It will be fine," Geril asserted. "He is the most trustworthy one to handle the task."
Senra seemed to pause her next question as he eyed her, waiting for whatever else she could throw his way. He would sit here and debate this all day if he had to.
Rai was the correct man to handle this task.
"I don't think sending him down is a good idea. In the event he does defect next reset, it gives him plenty of time to plan and aim to ruin things. He will get used to the way the world affects him faster than Ventis did. It could cause a huge problem, not to mention if he somehow finds out we were involved while he is down there this instance. You saw how he reacted when his followers were destroyed; he was too invested, like Charna. What happens if he becomes attached to the boy?" Senra asked, finishing her shpeal while Geril sighed.
"He will be fine. That event happened hundreds of years ago already and he has admitted realizing he was too concerned for them. There is no way Ventis could know and inform him and even if he did, Rai wouldn't believe his words so easily. You should trust him a little more," Geril said, standing up from where he was floating, placing his feet on the ground. "I don't care about your personal issues with him, but this concerns us all. No one else here doubted him today except you. Try to have some faith," Geril said, chuckling at his pun as he moved away.
Senra didn't speak again, so Geril considered the conversation over. When he glanced back as he got to the wall, he saw her lean on the bar and stare down into the pool with a complicated expression.