CHAPTER 16: ELEA’S PROBLEMS, P4
~16.4~
*****
“I have absolute trust in Princess.” She answered calmly and confidently, but Luma was skeptical. Liliana noticed. “If I may speak frankly?”
“Go ahead.”
Liliana nodded and put away her NeuraPhone screen. “Lady Luma, what you said in her defense... while I did not react outwardly, I did inwardly. To hear someone declare their loyalty so sincerely was... both happy and difficult to hear.”
“Difficult?”
“We’ve been together since we were very young, not even a year old. She has been our charge ever since and we are her guardians. We didn’t question it until after she revealed what she is to us. Aliana and I have grown attached to her, admittedly to an unhealthy degree. We’ll do anything for her.”
“What has she done to garner such loyalty from a pair of mortals that have lived less than two decades?” In all her time, one such as Liliana and her sister were a rare sight for Luma. She made friends and had loving families in many of her past lives, but she was somewhat taken aback by Liliana’s words.
“She refused us as her attendants and guards. She was so adamant about not subjecting us to that.” Liliana smiled as she recalled her memories. “She tried to tell us it would be the most dangerous job in the world in a few decades, that she was afraid she would not be able to protect us when the time came. She told us in private what she is and then we questioned everything. We did not accept her refusal. The care in her eyes was so genuine that we vowed that day we would become attendants that would never need her protection, and Princess promised to help us grow.”
“She mentioned that your officially measured output is 30B.”
Liliana nodded. “Yes. It’s actually slightly below that, so she rounds up.”
“Would you mind telling me your actual output?”
The white-haired girl glanced at the sleeping Kye and then back at Luma. “Has Princess told you her own?”
“She showed me an output of just over 10T, and then ten-folded it with compression during a sparring match.”
Liliana was taken aback. “You can read mana that accurately?”
“10,270B, to be precise.”
“Amazing,” Liliana said. “Lady Luma, you are among the ninety-nine, yes? That was mentioned during the conversation earlier.”
“That’s right.”
“What were you to Princess in Athas? From before any transmigrations.”
Luma’s eyes narrowed, but she answered. “In the earliest days, I was her classmate. Throughout the bulk of our history, I was her personal guard knight, much like how you are now.”
“Then perhaps you remember me as well.”
The black-haired girl raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
“My sister and I were secretaries for the royal family of Athas.” Luma’s eyes widened as Liliana continued. “We were there in Athas long ago. At first, I had no memory of it, but I have slowly regained memories of my past lives throughout this life. I remember everything now. I know what Princess is. I know how important she is to the existence of Elysium. And I know how hard she worked to maintain Elysium in the past, including the satellites.”
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“You clearly are from the old days if you know of the satellites.”
Liliana nodded and looked over at Kye again. “A few years ago, we came close to her memory seal breaking. Lady Iris’s name was mentioned briefly, and she recognized it.”
Luma nodded solemnly. “Iris and Eli were close.” She smiled lightly. “I think I know who you were. I knew you, too. You even had the same name, though no surname.”
“Yes. And in this life, Eve has granted us her blessing.”
“Truly?” Luma jumped up. “You are one of us?”
“That day, Lady Astarte, Lady Astraia, my sister, and I were all blessed. I am the fifty-seventh. My sister is the fifty-eighth. And Astarte and Astraia are the fifty-third and fifty-fourth.”
“That is good news! The ninety-nine are that much closer to being ninety-nine.”
Liliana nodded. “Anyway. You asked about my output. I can output 9.4T. My sister can as well.”
Luma smirked. “That’s very impressive. Eli can do 10.2 and you two can do 9.4? For two decades, that’s so much progress. Perhaps because you had each other the whole time. You sparred a lot, yes?” Liliana nodded. “If I had a sparring partner, perhaps I would have had more growth in my first few decades.”
Liliana smiled. “We are with her at all times, and she is much more strict with us. Her gravity magic assisted training method is quite effective, and we use it to a much greater degree than anyone else, aside from Princess herself. We were able to match her efficiency and have even outpaced her at times. When Aliana and I stepped into the Void earlier, it was actually quite difficult to remain standing properly. The gravity in there is noticeably stronger than here or back home, but neither of us would turn off the magic for a mere inconvenience.”
“How do you manage it?”
“Princess has taught us to constantly emit a flow of aether to counter the effects of the training magic. It requires constant attention. Every action must be accounted for and the flow of aether adjusted accordingly, even when standing up from a seated position. If I make a mistake, I could crush the chair beneath me under my increased weight or even fall through the floor. That’s with too little. If I mess up with too much, I could take a step and fling myself into the ceiling. This method has also been very effective at learning to control aether. It’s so much more difficult to manipulate than mana, yet it is so much more lucrative. And Radiance even more so.” Liliana’s eye glowed gold as she formed a small ball of light aspected fire and toyed around with it.
Luma smiled and glanced over at the sleeping Kye. “I’m happy she has friends like you.”
*****
Aliana worked quickly to adjust the locations of the doors. Layla found out about the door before she moved it from the courtyard and she was promptly questioned by the Barrett siblings. Aliana insisted that she could say nothing until they met with Kye, so Alethea took over and shooed her back to her work.
“Yeah, so we only have theories right now about the requirements to enter. Rei couldn’t go in, but others could.”
“But, long story short, Kye can come and go as she pleases?”
“Should. She was able to cross between the Void and Realm 7 with no issues, so there’s nothing stopping her from coming back here whenever she wants. She’s just being stubborn and refusing to leave that planet without fixing some things she has major issues with.”
Layla sighed. “Could she not simply stay here and only go over there to solve those issues? She doesn’t need to stay there twenty-four seven.”
“I agree.” Alethea wanted Kye to return to Arslade and commute to Realm 7 and planned to try convincing her as soon as possible. As Alethea thought about Kye, her face reddened. “It’s not the same without her.”
James grinned and patted Alethea on the back. “Someone’s a little lovesick!”
“Shut up! So what if I am?” She threw a right at his face, slow enough for him to dodge. “You try going a few billion years without your lover, reunite, and see how desperate you get when they suddenly disappear!”
“Easy there, I’m not trying to belittle you, Thea, I’m just-”
“Don’t shorten my name!”
Layla and Allison giggled as they watched the exchange between Alethea and James.
“Alethea, I love how worked up you get over Kye,” Layla said with a smile. “Please continue to take good care of her!”
“See, James! That’s how you compliment a lady on her obsessions.” Alethea threw another jab at him. Though he dodged the one to his head, he took the one to his gut and fell over. “Serves you right!”
While Layla laughed at James, Allison regained her serious face. “Will you still meditate?” She was referring to Alethea’s attempts to learn Elysia’s Radiance.
She held a hand to her chest and looked down. “Yes. Just in case the Void ever ceases to be an option, I want to find out how to cross the boundary on my own. I refuse to be separated again.”
Allison smiled. “Well said.”
*****
Revision: 2024-5-27