The spectacle in the sky was met with fright and worry initially, which set Nolan’s teeth on edge. These people had just been through chaos and danger, the sound of fighting in the skies above them was enough to send some people running. It was Grant himself that was the issue to start with. Almost everyone had seen Naea fighting to defend them, so when they saw her light in the sky, they feared the worst. Only when the pair’s infectious laughter fell upon the ears of the onlookers did tensions begin to fall away.

It took a few moments for Nolan to realise that he was perhaps the most on edge. His own stress was so high because he had become the de facto leader of Londimin overnight. Ultimately, his job was simply to keep things moving but the pressure was quickly getting to him. It was a little similar to being a wartime president or a general given control, Nolan supposed, but he wasn’t enjoying it one bit.

The gathering crowds were, though. The titters from Naea and the hearty laughs from Grant were having a palpable effect on people. “They’re looking up,” Nolan breathed. The city had been downcast, the reality of the System pressing down on them in the days after the trial wave. Their leader, who most thought was untouchable, had turned invalid. The loss of life had been minimal, but their community was still small. Every loss was felt fiercely.

So, people had begun to shy away from using the System’s bounties. The System stores were entered with a sense of guilt, rather than accomplishment that these rewards had been earned. As the people of Londimin raised their eyes to the sky, something which had been on the verge of breaking solidified. Nolan had no doubt that the pair’s decision to stay above the open land between the city proper and the airport also made Nolan suspect this wasn’t accidental.

Before his eyes, the crowds gathered. Often the quickest to see an opportunity, the merchants were already busy. With no end to the festivities above in sight, savvy business owners began selling food, furniture and anything else which might accompany the show they were getting. Impromptu restaurants appeared, and Nolan made his way to each, promising them to reimburse their costs if they kept costs low. The city’s treasury could handle any expense if the prize was the soul of its people.

The speed at which a venue quickly came together was staggering. When people could carry a truck’s worth of materials more easily than keys in their pocket, the possibilities were impressive. More than a few companies had turned this process into a fine art, with Aspect wielders managing teams to construct whatever was needed in hours and not months. The Aspects of Earth, Wood and Metal were especially popular. Even Nolan was tempted to save for the Aspect of Metal which would no doubt improve his combat capabilities, too.

Then again-

KRAKA-KRAKOOOOOOM.

Leaves were scattered from their trees as a wave of force blasted out from the dogfighters above. Nolan had not had the chance to watch Grant in action, but he had been side by side with Naea during the trial wave. The idea that anyone could keep up with the speed she delivered death was astounding. Subconsciously, he had begun to think she was the main force of their duo with Grant providing support. Of course, his completion of the Elite dungeon, which could have been done solo if the debriefing was to be believed, should have smashed those doubts.

Instead, it was the sight of Grant becoming a being of pure storm above the city of Londimin which broke something in Nolan. It wasn’t something bad, but a limiter he had placed on his ideas. His wife. He needed to find her. He had given up hope but the sight of Grant and Naea truly lighting up the skies showed him that there was no limit to the possibilities. Maisie was out there, surviving and thriving, he just knew it. Which meant that he had to leave.

Lucy would be happy, Nolan thought with a wry smirk. How would he even go about doing that? Leaving was a nice idea, but looking around himself, the idea of abandoning these people to the wild System was just as horrible as leaving Maisie out there alone. As though they were moths drawn to inflammatory ideas, his daughters appeared. Sarah was beaming like Nolan hadn’t seen in a long time, and he nearly buckled under emotion of it all. Lucy tackled a hug into him which nearly sent them both flying.

Nolan glared at his eldest daughter with good humour. While Nolan was busy losing his mind trying to keep the city a safe place to live, Lucy had been choosing to eschew safety completely. He had already been forced to get over this betrayal of trust and had long come to terms with the fact it made Lucy and Sarah both safer if Lucy could protect herself. Considering her Fortitude attribute was clearly higher than Nolan’s own, he was impressed she had hidden it for so long.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“We’re going to find her, Luce,” Nolan promised. Lucy just shrugged and nodded into his chest before pulling away. Nolan’s heart had broken all over again when he realised that his daughter was trying to do just that on her own. The Aspect of the Wolf which she had saved up for and now ran through her magical veins was a clear step towards it, too. It was Nolan who had given up on her. He forgave Grant for being dramatic as he realised it was exactly that energy that was needed to succeed in this new world.

There were a few sparring rings appearing, where individuals were beginning to test their strength. Those without Aspects were enraptured, while those who had them fought for dominance. Underneath Grant and Naea’s performance, competitiveness was blossoming. Nolan could see most of these structures being made permanent and this area turned into something of a park. That would be nice. He found a place to sit with his girls, got them all some food and drink, and together, hearts slowly filling with hope, they watched the man who saved them all fighting with the fairy that protected them while he did.

—————————————————————

From the whooping and enjoyment which could be heard below, no one had quite worked out how serious Naea and I had become. She had a huge advantage in the air, and I wasn’t willing to give up the attempt. Half of my concentration was simply on staying skywards and mobile. The other half alternated between trying to keep track of the speedy little thing and then landing a hit. So far, an hour or two into the practice, I hadn’t landed a single one.

To begin with, we had been caught up in our own excitement, delighted to be back together and relieved that the other was safe. It did start as the pair of us being playful. It was hard to say which of us had escalated the situation to full-blown combat but we arrived there all the time. I was hesitant, somewhat afraid to use my newly massively raised power. However, it became clear that wouldn’t be enough to even survive against Naea right now.

While I was contrite, Naea on the other hand was delighting in punishing me. Like myself, her own use of Dao had continued to evolve. At this point, she was able to control the flow of combat like the river she had claimed Dao from. Even though I was holding back, it was impressive all the same. My attributes had risen higher than Naea’s at this point, we assumed. She didn’t actually get Attributes in the same way, so we couldn’t know for sure. What I did know was how much I had upset her, again. I could feel her anger in every thought, though she tried to keep them all from me where she could. It was the right choice for her to protect the city, but it rankled on her all the same.

Naea flagged, stumbling in the air as she exhausted her mana reserves. A look passed over her face. She was deciding whether she could stomach stopping the fight at this point. The choice made, her face hardened and our connection went tight as she pulled on it. I smirked at her decision and encouraged Battle Bond to link us further. My mana flowed into Naea, empowering her further. I smiled wider, realising I was currently on the other side of Drain. Normally, it was me getting stronger while my enemy got weaker. However, as my energy flowed over to Naea, her barrier deteriorated and her emotions came through.

You could have been killed. You made that decision for both of us. You left me behind.

As my defence grew in strength, and I pushed Naea harder and harder, the truth of her feelings slipped through the cracks in her shielded mind more and more. She took more energy, and I heard her most heartfelt words. We ignited the sky with our abilities, each burst of mana and Dao carrying with it meaning and sentiment. Naea released furious lightshows of multi-coloured beams, the brilliant lights hiding the shadows growing at the centre of our relationship.

“I’m sorry, little one.” The only message in my Mana Barriers and the Dao I used to fuel them was apology. It was love. Naea would forgive me, because she wasn’t truly angry and I hadn’t done anything wrong. She was just scared. Every frantic, clawing attack shivered with terror’s icy presence. The world below was forgotten as I embraced Naea’s fear and enveloped it with love.

We survived and are both stronger. We did good. You did good.

“Stop leaving me behind!” Naea shouted, her eyes draconic from the heavy amount of my mana she had taken. Her movements were quicker, and she had a shimmer in her form from the Tempest, but the dragon was more prevalent. I wondered if it was making her more angry, but that seemed like a line of thinking which bordered on problematic. Is it your time of the Dao?

Although I had tried not to share, my terrible joke found its way down our connection and Naea froze. Then she snorted, calling me a pig and howling with laughter at the same time. “Time of the Dao?” She repeated, all of the fight gone in an instant. I was still tense, ready to block her if she came at me again. The sun had crossed the whole sky, and begun to set. No wonder I was panting with exertion, as tired now as I had been after multiple mini-boss fights in the Elite dungeon.

“It was an intrusive thought,” I defended.

“Imagine how I feel,” she retorted, “it literally forced its way into my head.” For a quick moment, we just hovered in the air and stared at each other warily. Then, our smiles broke the tension all the more. Naea tackled me and I let myself fall.Tumbling through the air, laughing together, we had said all we needed to. We had shared all that needed to be shared.

And it was time to look to the future.