Jade stood over her son’s recovery pod. She was glad to see his once broken form whole, and with only a few minimal fractures remaining throughout his body. Only Jade had honestly assumed Arson would have woken up days prior.
Her mind travelled in many different directions. Her knowledge told her that he should be awake because of his strangely heightened regeneration rate. So why he wasn’t awake eluded her, not because she couldn’t think of reasons why he still slept, but because of the tremendous number of reasons that countered anything she could fathom that hindered his overall health.
She’d thought it was the Hive-Soul that linked the descendants of the Ikarus through their bloodline of the Furies. Only to forcibly make all those she assumed to be linked to him and his core rest for an extended period, by trapping them in recovery pods when the chance arose, and while his body's recovery speed had increased, he’d yet to open his eyes.
She’d also felt the presence of the Orphan Mother in her villa consistently in the middle of the night recently, and wondered if the Ancient was a probable reason for Arson’s continued coma. Only to check on the young man, and find no one physically in the room with him, all while still feeling the woman’s presence.
Sparking ancients and their unknown abilities…
Jade felt that the Orphan Mother didn’t want any harm brought to Arson, and couldn’t help but also feel the woman interacting with Arson may also be in an attempt to help his recovery. Which consistently battled against her mind’s want to paint Almarine as a foe, or poison in Arson’s life.
Then there was the curses that she feared Arson may already be living with. One from her own side of the family, and the other from Arson’s father’s side of the family. Both of Arson’s parents had genetic curses from Primordial beings that grew in power while a Cultivator slept.
The curses ate mana within the body, subtly at first, but with more mana available in a core, as well as the cultivator’s inability to naturally suppress the curse while asleep, Arson may be in a perilous situation. As he had multiple cores being formed in his body for the curses to draw from, plus an incredible amount of mana alongside his current coma state to invigorate the strength of the Primordial afflictions within his body.
Jade had half a mind to cut off the immense amounts of mana being pulled into Arson’s pores from the environment being created by the recovery pod, but feared that forcing her son into the equivalent to a mana desert would also negatively affect his recovery.
The message she had thought about sending to Draphen LightLord still sat in her Overlay. Typed and waiting for her command, but she feared how the King of the realm layer would react knowing that their son had not only been found, but was back in her custody.
He won’t make claim… His wife would never let him, Elizabeth. Quit overreacting and send the message. You won’t know if he can help or not unless you follow through and stop hesitating.
She didn’t want to interact with the king for multiple reasons. Not only did she fear the his actions, but she also feared the feelings of incomplete closure for her own relationship with the king of dragons.
She’d honestly been in love with the man, and didn’t know or hadn’t taken the time to analyze her feelings on how they’d parted ways, nor did she immediately want to, but knew she may have no choice. So in the end, she finally decided to send her message.
Elizabeth: Long time no speak, I don’t even know if you will pay any attention to this message, but I just wanted to let you know that I have found him, I found our son. He’s with me, and things have been going rather well, but recently he managed to get himself in a bit of an accident and has been unconscious for days now. Normally, I would just use my own energies to heal him outright, but I recently took a bit of a beating myself from an ancient, long story, but that doesn’t matter right now. If you get this, please let me know if there is anything you may be able to do to help. I’m currently in Maelstrom, which I know is your current seat of power, so if you are capable and free, please contact me as soon as possible.
The glamour she’d covered herself in with the use of incredibly powerful holograms rippled slightly. She’d not been able to heal as fast as she’d presented in front of the Orphan mother. She used the holograms to disguise her beaten and bruised body from Almarine and all those within the dump and junkyard, but the pain still made her hands shake occasionally, causing disruptions in the mana systems formed within her body to make the illusion around her flicker and reveal the truth.
Yet when she received a message from Draphen right away, her mind was pulled from the pain in shock over the king’s urgency to respond, further making her wonder if the king of the realm layer also thought of her as she often thought of him.
Well this should be interesting…
…
Draphen LightLord sat frozen with a spoonful of food in front of his face for a few moments, thinking of how to respond to the message he’d just received. He was both delighted by the words he read, and momentarily petrified as he ate breakfast surrounded by his wife and children.
Well this could be a problem…
“What is wrong, Dad, your food not good or something?” asked Auto. He gazed at his father, the sound of his voice vibrating through the room allowing the king to see more. The king didn’t use his eyes to see and hadn’t since his childhood. When the curse of the dragon emerged from the depths of his soul and blood, his days of using his eyes for anything ended, but he had come to learn how to let his internal power improve his other senses enough that his mind was now capable of a vision that his eyes lacked.
So he didn’t see the color of his son’s hair, or eyes, but the structure of his features were still vivid, shown to Draphen by the subtlest movements of atoms constantly flowing through the air around him.
Though many were unaware of the eternal motion of any and all environments, Draphen could now see because of things such as people breathing, wind, sounds and light bouncing off surfaces, all of which moved cells and atoms through the air, giving him an unrivaled ability to see nearly everything around himself. While the curse of the dragon also allowed him to see anything lit by flames while transformed, the destructive properties of flame didn’t allow him to feel comfortable using such abilities frequently.
“Nothing my son, just received a message that I didn’t expect. The food is fine,” said Draphen, setting down his spoon and looking around as his other children either looked toward him or continued to dine and converse with one another.
“Are you sure, darling? You look as if you just heard the whisper of a ghost in your ear,” asked Queen Archon. The beautiful woman didn’t share the LightLord name, and hadn’t changed her name from her last marriage to King Archon, who’d died battling her current husband.
“Yes, darling, no ghost, just an unexpected confidant from my past reaching out for help with… their child,” Draphen said awkwardly, knowing that giving too much information to his wife, would result in unwanted results in regards to Elizabeth Carter, and their shared son. Regardless of the attempt, his wife still messaged him after his response, knowing the man she sat across from far more than Draphen had ever wanted her to.
Armor: Spill, what is it, Draphen?
Draphen: I need to figure out how to help my friend, and the request honestly has me puzzled. Something is wrong with their child and I do want to help, but I don’t know how I could?
The pair conversed casually through their Overlays, still eating and responding to their children audibly as the six Archon youths interacted with them both. None in the room aware that they interacted. Secondary conversations held in secret a common practice of most Cultivators. Once they’d unlocked access to the System granted to Cultivators from the origin of all, the ability to split ones mind and focus on multiple tasks was necessary to allow a Cultivator to access their Overlay, rather than staring off into the distance while reading, or writing messages especially.
Armor: Who is this person, have I ever met them?
Draphen: No, and I’ve only met their child once, which is why I wonder what they believe that I could do. I am no healer, but I suppose I could bring a healer along with me, I just need time to think before I decide to help or not.
Draphen did his best to speak as much of the truth as possible as his wife’s ability to intuit a lie was uncanny, and he already knew he’d reached the limits of how vague he could be without causing alarm bells to ring through Armor’s mind.
Armor: I see, is there anyway I can help?
Draphen: Not that I know of, but that may change, I will keep you in the loop, and if there Is anything I need your support with I will ask.
“Armor: Understood my king. Does that mean you will be leaving after breakfast?
Draphen: Yes, I think it would be best to get this over with as soon as possible, so that I may return to my duties abroad.
Draphen finished his conversation with his wife as well as his meal. Saying goodbye to his children one by one.
“Autumn, don’t spend all of your time in the gardens today. The landscapers are tired of you creating additional work for them with your projects,” said Draphen.
“Yes sir,” said Autumn his eldest daughter, offering the man a simple lie that both only accepted as truth for his wife’s sake. As both he and Autumn knew where she would be spending the majority of her time that day.
“Auto, remember that the head of the Savage family will be here to inspect your newest drone today, so you need to complete it before tinkering on your armor suit.”
“Noted, pops, it will be done right after breakfast, I promise,” said the young man smiling up at his father after struggling to look away from his newest designs. His eyes back on his tablet before Draphen could even speak to his sister beside him.
“Ash—“
“I know, I know, stay away from the Augustines. You’ve said it every day at breakfast for a fortnight dad,” grumbled Ash in annoyance. Draphen knew his fire starter of a daughter would only listen for a trial period of time, and forced down an eye roll as Ash herself rolled her eyes at her father.
“Aura, your trainers are already waiting for you, and I know that I said I could make it to your fight this evening, but I have an emergency that may take up the majority of my time today, so I swear on the covenant of my royal soul that I will be at the next one,” Said Draphen, and his daughter smiled, nodding and giving him a thumbs up with her mouth stuffed full of food. He’d experience unadulterated pain if he didn’t keep his promise to her, so his daughter was more than mollified by his words and continued to eat, needing the sustenance for her training regime.
“Axis, you’ve used your budget this fortnight. You exceed your allowance again, you are on your own, your mother and I are cutting you off, understood?”
“What, why? There are like three events between now and next fortnight, how do you expect me to—“
“Live without buying more clothing, wear all the other clothes you have bought and yet to experience,” Draphen cut in, rising to his feet as his daughter began to pout, looking toward her mother for support, only for the queen to nod in agreement with Draphen.
“And last but not least, Alexander, stay out of Seneschal’s office,” said Draphen, only for his youngest son to look up from a series of scrolls he’d set on the table beside his food to read, raising a single eyebrow toward the man, and look back toward the documents he read and respond simply.
“No.”
The parents shared a look, and the room went silent. All signs of eating ceased, the only sound left in the room Alexander riffling through paper scrolls that emanated mana infused inks.
“What was that, young man? I believe I must have misheard you,” said Armor.
“You didn’t mishear me, Mother. I said no. Beat me, lock me up, do what you’d like, I won’t be listening to father’s last request,” responded Alexander not looking away from the paper in front of him.
“It was not a request, boy,” said Draphen his tone growing more severe as it deepened with the threat of violence that was more than likely about to ensue.
“I’m not going to repeat myself,” said Alexander. His siblings all rose slowly from their seats, and backed away from the table as their father stepped from his seat and approached Alexander.
“Nor will I,” said the king, pressing a finger to the center of the pile of scrolls in front of his son, setting them ablaze in an instant. The entire stack turning to ash in a mere blink.
Alexander stood abruptly, grabbing his chair by the back and swinging it toward his father. The king didn’t move as his son roared in frustration, the chair the youngest Archon used as a weapon broke harmlessly across his father’s arm.
“Stop, child, I told you that involving yourself with matters of the kingdom you aren’t ready to handle will only lead to your own downfall,” said Draphen, as his son swiped a knife from the table, still staring Draphen in the eyes as he thrusted the knife toward his gut.
“I’m not these weak hearted idiots next to me that will just listen to your every command,” roared Alexander. Draphen lifting his hand to block the knife. The eating utensil bending, before Draphen snatched it from his son’s hand.
“You will not speak of your siblings in that way, boy,” said Draphen, backhanding his son hard enough to send the nine season cycles old child sailing across the room. Draphen wasn’t the type to discipline through beating his children, but his son Alexander and his invulnerable body was becoming more and more receptive to the ways of violence, rather than listening to the words his father used to guide him.
The young boy’s back bounced off one of the dining room’s many lavish painted windows, cracking the intricately design image of a former patriarch. Alexander landed in a crouch before he lifted one hand and extended his middle finger toward the man. Then vanished from sight, not from Draphen’s sight, but from the visible spectrum.
Draphen sighed, as the boy began to throw more chairs, plates, knives, and eventually the entire table built to seat a dozen occupants in his direction. Draphen incinerating everything sent at him with his presence alone. The aura of sunlight infused flames eating away everything it touched at the king’s mere thoughts.
Draphen: Please, dear, send the children on their way, they do not need to see this…
Armor: As you wish, my king.
The queen finally rose and joined her children near the door, gathering them up and slowly pushing them out the door as Draphen and Alexander wreaked havoc throughout the room. The prince roaring his frustrations out at his father as he did everything in his power to crush the man, while the king remained silent and unmoved.
“Come children, let’s go. Let your father handle this. It seems as if he will be here for a while…”