“What was that? Why did you attack me?
“Was that an illusion?”
“That was Mother’s gift to all her commanders; you have no need to learn of her gift. You won’t be here for long.”
Her jaw muscles were burning, and hunger was still gnawing at her.
She recognized that there was little she could do to escape; Saraya was clearly faster than her. A part of her was inclined towards trying to escape, a thought she dismissed.
This could help me get proper information about what is happening.
“Okay, take me to this mother you speak off.”
“Will “Mother” attack me too?”
“What mother does is up to mother.”
A lit antenna later.
“No, she will not attack you.”
Anaya stopped, and as the bee turned to her, she asked.
“Do I have your word?”
Hesitantly, “What do you mean?”
“Do you promise that she will not hurt me?”
“A man’s word is his bond; without it, he is nothing.”
Saraya took some time to think about the words, pondering in silence. Anaya waited, the silence growing heavy, keeping eye contact as she waited for the response.
“Mother said she would not harm you, so she will not.”
“You have my word.”
The words spoken with a seriousness she did not expect.
Ding!
Verbal contract set
Parameters: No harm shall not come to Anaya from ”Mother” in the presence of Saraya, Commander of the 3rd. Saraya shall make every effort to stop harm from coming to Anaya from “Mother.”
Stake: Saraya stakes his word. Should Saraya fail to meet the parameters stated, Saraya shall no longer be able to communicate.
She saw the screen pop out in front of her, and a smile came to her face. She had not expected that.
The bee, on the other hand, seemed angry, its eyes focused in front of it. It turned emotionless. She couldn’t make out anything from it.
“Your attempt is pointless; I am nothing in the face of mother; mother does what she wants, and I won’t stop it.”
“I am not worthy.”
Her smile disappeared, but she followed the bee nonetheless, the measure of safety better than nothing. It went down the tunnel, the tension draining as she took a step to follow.
She checked her right side, the pain she had experienced coming back to mind. There was no visible damage; the only thing visible was a small burn on her side.
The burn from the sword she had overclocked as she was trying to defend herself.
She saw the wound slowly heal, a spike of panic ramming through her as she saw her flesh heal in real time. Anaya put her sword to check on herself, and to her horror, she saw the tips of her fingers inky black. They looked like they had been dipped in black in
Pure black fingers on her dark gray hand scared her as she panicked even more, wondering what was happening to her.
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A break in her voice betraying her chaotic mind.
“What is happening to me?”
Saraya turned to the annoying girl.
“I said, What is happening to me?
“What did you do to me?”
“Why are my fingers like this?”
“What is happening to my body?”
An annoying barrage of questions followed as she watched the girl start to lose her calm.
Her fingers were in the first stage of accommodation. The black color characteristic of the dark affinity as one was progressing in their cultivation.
Saraya did not trust this girl.
How did she break out his skill?
Where did she come from?
Why were his soldiers called just for her?
How was she already on the path to assimilation?
That only happened when one’s essence purity had reached maturity, cultivation entering the next stage.
Moving closer, Saraya examined the fingers, and anger overcame it.
“Abyss accommodation! You are a spy.” he thought
Saraya was about to make the call for war when he felt mother take over.
He had let a spy in and was leading her straight to the center of their world. To mother.
The idea of him being the reason harm came to his mother was too heavy for him to bear, the shame setting a flame inside him.
He was ready to explode and deliver all of his wrath on the insolent girl.
Was she even a girl?, he asked himself.
He watched the consequences of his incompetence manifest.
The presence of her excellence surging through as her felt mother centered herself in him, calming the rage that was building.
The joy he felt when it occurred to him that mother was using him as a vessel muted, the concern for mother too heavy.
“It is nothing to be concerned about; it will fade with a bit of meditation. Mother will explain everything; she will answer your questions.” mother said to the girl.
The echo of his voice in the tunnel unsettling him. Hearing his voice come out of his mouth with words he had not wanted to say threw him off balance.
He felt mother channel a calming spell, trying to help the little girl. The spell, now weak as it was transmitted through him.
“No need for alarm, just bring her to me,” a thought came through to him as he felt mothers presence fade to the background.
“Yes Mother”
The last embers of mother’s presence were gone as he looked at the girl. The skill that should have worked by now was not effective as he saw the girls panic slowly grow.
How did she keep avoiding skills? he thought.
Reluctantly, he pushed the rage aside, taking a deep breath and putting a metaphorical lid on it.
“Take a deep breath; breathe in slowly.”
“Hold it”
“Breath out slowly.”
“Focus on your breathing.”
He saw the girl respond, slowly trying to control her breath, successfully calming down.
“The wound is healing, so you will be fine.”
“As for the accommodation, it is nothing to stress about; it will disappear in a moment. Once your mana refuels, you will be fine.”
Anaya listened to Saraya, the exercise familiar to her. She checked her mana and saw 0/60.
Her mana having been devoured by her sword.