It had been a hectic few days, that was certain. Even at this remote place, he could still see and hear the rampant news going on in the outside world.
He sat at his chair, cushioned and well balanced as per his request. He might not age like other normal people, but he still took ergonomic methods to ensure his longevity.
It’s one thing to live a long time. It’s another thing to live a long time with back pain.
He scanned the several documents, each one floating to his vision for easier reading. He took his time, even when he could just glance at it for a moment and read it instantly. There was just no fun in speed-reading.
He loved to read, and no matter how fast paced his life got, he enjoyed reading the written word, even for reports such as these. That, and there was quite frankly nothing to do today as his schedule was wiped clean.
Truly, being a magnanimous ruler who does everything properly really has nothing to do when things run this smoothly.
However, the reports threatened to disrupt that smooth schedule. As he read, his brows furrowed slightly.
The large countries across the world are always doing something drastic. Politics run rampant as emissaries and armies travel the world to do what they can to take advantage of every little thing that comes their way. One country in particular got his interest.
Apparently, one of their minor communities, a town run by rather famous people according to the king, has actually reported finding a biodome in a remote region of the border, of all things.
Biodomes were rare, certainly. But depending on what kind of biodome, they could either be a boon or a curse. Apparently, the kingdom took it in gladly, even if they already had several biodomes under their control.
He could never really understand why these nations are always trying to one up each other in their resources. That just meant that there was more work to be handled. He only shook his head at that.
But one thing caught his eye. The lords of that town were actually people he recognized. Both lords, at Journeymen level, who left his own country in pursuit of their own goals.
And as far as he knew, none of them had the capabilities of being able to summon a giant barrier surrounding their town. That was the one thing that made him pause and read deeper into it.
“...Huh,” He let out, raising a single brow upwards.
“What is it, Cronus?”
A pleasantly smooth voice called out, noticing his surprise. Cronus looked up to see a dazzling woman dressed in a fur-lined robe. She brought in a metal cart, already filling in a cup with her greatly brewed tea.
The scent was tantalizing, bringing his senses to a mush. His wife knows how to make a mean tea.
“It’s one of the reports, my sweet,” Cronus answered, making one of the reports that was floating so intensely close to him turn around and face his wife. She walked over without hurry, seeing it for herself. “Do you recognize these lords?”
“...How could I not?” His wife hung her head back, raising a brow as though offended by the words. “These two have been a constant headache for you before you eventually kicked them out. Rather, I’m surprised you still care about them.”
“Oh come now,” Cronus smirked. “Certainly, they have been a thorn at my side, but this exile was good for all of us. Besides, they are still part of my children. No matter how old they get, they will never stop being a part of us, no matter how desperately they want to be.”
“True…” His wife tilted her head with a fond smile on her dainty red lips. “But that didn’t answer my question. Why are you interested in them now?”
“I always keep my notes on particularly extraordinary people from our country,” Cronus answered with a shrug. “But have you read the rest? Especially about the barrier?”
That got her interested and read over the report again. She was so shocked at the lord’s names that she didn’t read enough to see what Cronus was truly interested in.
She turned to him, her eyes narrowed. “It couldn’t be… could it? That shouldn’t be possible.”
“If what is written here is true, then it might be possible,” Cronus answered, the delight in his voice gone. “What I really want to know now is how?”
“What do you intend to do?”
“Mmh…” Cronus put away the report, making it land on top of the dozens of parchment stacked on top of one another, all under the sign that they were finished. “Perhaps it’s time for another trip, my love. It’s been a while and I think it’s about time for me to spread out my wings.”
The wife just stared at him, crossing her arms with a stingy frown. “You’re just bored out of your mind, aren’t you?”
“Oh, you know me so well.”
…..
Two days passed after taking over the biodome. Both Mikella and Zeke had been resting as best they could in their base camp, not really having the energy to just move everything back up and go back to the town.
Despite being king, Zeke had to rest under orders by Cloud to recover his extensive damages. Mikella worried that his body would’ve been permanently damaged from the attunement going berserk. Thankfully that wasn’t the case, but Zeke’s recovery took a lot longer and was more painful to go through than Mikella’s own physical pain.
After feeling all that mana from the time Zeke infused his attunement into her spear, which has been long lost at this point–she understood why Zeke was so afraid of his power. It was enough to destroy everything, and once she had it in her hands, she felt like she could rule the world. The fact that Zeke was afraid, rather than succumbing to the power, proved how much he understood the consequences of what this power could bring.
Which brought about why he ended up that way in the first place. Their current prisoner/emissary of Bastion, the heir Zyler, was primarily responsible for that. As of right now, Zyler gladly took precedence in their newly created jail cell for him, mostly inside a new wooden building they made and surrounded by dozens of Zacharia’s retinue. He could’ve made trouble for them, but he instead took it to heart and just stayed there for everyone’s benefits, even after being shackled and chained.
Once Zeke revealed that he offered an enhanced fruit to Zyler, proving why he refused to make any trouble for the people there, that caused some headway with the lords. Zacharia personally took issue with that, but Cloud and Val reassured that it would only make Zyler loyal to them, knowing their full value now that they could make powerful fruits. If they were to make an alliance, this would mean Zyler has to offer up something of equal value which for Eve Glade as Bastion’s materials could prove to be very useful for everyday life.
This finally got Zacharia to settle, proving that this would only make the kingdom benefit as a whole. Though Mikella did notice how Zeke was ready to pale and faint throughout the conversation, proving that Zeke took the decision without really knowing how they would react. But she respected the fact that Zeke took an initiative, even though Zyler was a total asshole.
Sure, he did treat Clara well and didn’t outright kill Zeke and instead saved him–but he was still an asshole.
Throughout the days, the battle of life and death weighed heavy in her mind. There was a lot of crap that went down. Thankfully, Zeke was conscious while he recovered, so the two were granted enough reprieve to talk while Clara slept near them. A little girl having to go through so much death and destruction needed to rest, after all.
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They talked, mostly to vent their frustrations and to be the other’s shoulder to lean on. They talked about what happened at the tower, what happened afterwards, and how they ended up the way they did. About Zeke giving the retinue the enhanced fruits like they were candy which made Mikella question whether Zeke knew just how valuable those fruits are. Still, she laughed while Zeke awkwardly recalled how crazy the soldiers went when they got the fruits.
They talked about the lives they took while they were out surviving, and Zeke apologized so many times for killing people in front of Clara, though he did try to reduce the exposure a little. Mikella knew that Clara won’t be able to have a normal childhood no matter how hard they tried, but she was glad Zeke still took the opportunity to prevent as much of her innocence being lost as possible.
They talked about their comrades’ near death, about Zoan’s appearance and disappearance, about Brucey of all things. About their fight against Zyler, some more than once. And finally about what happened during Zeke’s giant mode.
Zeke looked aghast when he learned how he single-handedly beat the boss and had the Master-tier lord loser on the backend. Then she gawked when he revealed that his attunement tiered up.
“Are you kidding me? Myra and Piker tiered up, even Val tiered up–and now you?! That’s not fair!”
Zeke just shrugged helplessly, only making Mikella more agitated.
They were hanging out in the bed of Zeke’s room, talking to each other side by side while Clara rested promptly on their laps–her legs by Zeke’s lap, and her head by Mikella’s, rubbing her hair with her fingers. They weren’t sure how Clara managed to sleep soundly like that, but neither the two really cared and enjoyed talking nonetheless.
“I remember that,” Zeke admitted. “I remember someone screaming out my name. Before, all I could think about was the giant monster that needed to be killed. After that, I just felt sort of… lost, I think. Then I heard your voice, then it felt like my vision cleared up and I saw the guy that I needed to kill. After that, I heard you needed my help, so… I did. Not sure how, but I did.”
Zeke shrugged, as though the incredible things he did back then was nothing really worth of note. Mikella just shook her head in amusement.
“So if anyone were to scream your name, you would’ve listened?”
That certainly would’ve made things easier, but Zeke shook his head confidently.
“No, everything else was just white noise for me. What broke through was your voice. I knew that no matter what you said, I would trust you.”
He felt so sure of that that it made Mikella feel awkward. Sure, their link proved that much, but now it started to make her feel… somewhat saddened.
Is their link the only reason why they can get along so well? Was it actually forcing them to get along? When those thoughts ran through her head, she ended up saying it out loud.
“Do you think… the link is forcing us to be friends?”
That made her more pissed off than anything else. Not the idea that the link is taking their free will away, but that they had to use some sort of god-like entity to get along. She liked Zeke, and she trusted him.
And thankfully, he shook his head.
“Definitely not. Think about it–You remember Alex, right?”
“That psychopath necromancer? Yeah, unfortunately,” Mikella grimaced just at the hint of the name.
“Well, did he have a partner?” Zeke asked, prompting Mikella to widen her eyes.
“That’s… well, I’m not sure. Maybe he got in the tower by himself?”
“But then, why did we see two skeletons back at the last tower?”
Zeke said with a serious expression. Clearly, he knew bringing that topic up was gonna sound bad, but Mikella recognized what he was trying to say. As her brain churned for answers, she finally realized what he was implicating.
“Two skeletons… so they were partners, then?”
“Right,” Zeke nodded. “And you and I are partners too. Clara’s special, because she has Zoan with her. So why was Alex by himself?”
“Because…”
The more she thought about it, the more her face scrunched up in displeasure. Knowing that little psychopath, she wouldn't be surprised if the first thing he did was kill his partner. Maybe it might’ve been one of those special zombies he had by his side when they faced each other.
“Ugh, okay I get it,” Mikella shook her head from the gross thoughts. “What’s your point?”
“If we’re supposed to like each other by force,” Zeke continued. “Then why did Alex kill his partner?”
Mikella paused. Obviously, if you were to like someone, or at least get along with them–the first thing you would do is try not to hurt them.
Hell, didn’t Mikella try to kill Zeke herself, when she thought he was a creep that kidnapped her sister back at their first tower? She certainly had the capabilities to do it, and she fully planned on doing so. But then she stopped after seeing it was just a misunderstanding.
She knew she could have continued, and no strange will stopped her from doing so. Of course, she didn’t dare bring this up with Zeke, so she nodded.
“So, in conclusion–we like each other because we do! Easy.”
Zeke made a grin that proved that his thinking was flawless. He even had the gall to make a chuckle and prop his glasses up near his face, showing that stupid grin like saying it was all part of his plans or something.
Mikella only rolled her eyes and just lightly pushed his shoulder. She was making sure not to hurt him.
Thankfully, he laughed mirthfully with Mikella joining her. She stared back at Clara, her heart swelling with emotions she can’t explain.
“Zeke… thanks for looking out for Clara,” Mikella smiled, brushing Clara’s hair softly. She knew she didn’t have to, but she wanted to.
“Hey, no need for thanks,” Zeke said, nearly scoffing. “Clara’s my precious little sister too. I’d die if anything happened to her.”
Zeke also patted Clara’s back, right next to the little bat that remained stuck to her back even after she changed clothes for a moment. He slept like a log, not even budging an inch even if Clara tossed and turned in her sleep. Mikella chuckled.
Zeke was becoming more and more like a family to her. And Clara always seemed glad to have him by his side. If she was honest, Mikella was worried that she might not function without him anymore.
And… was that such a bad thing?
…..
Zeke was glad that they could finally rest. The talk felt like the entire turmoil for the biodome was finally over. Throughout that time, they had improved so much that the past few months in Eve Glade were nothing in comparison to the short month in the biodome.
Eventually, sleep took over Zeke, his eyelids drooping. That made Mikella call off the talk, wanting to sleep herself. When Zeke offered to take Clara to her room, Mikella refused, figuring that it was better that she slept here since she was already down and out.
Having no need to argue back, Zeke bid goodnight to her as they slept the night away. Compared to the first night before leaving the tower, he slept like a rock all the way.
…..
He felt… empty when his consciousness returned. It was the feeling like he didn’t eat enough, and now his stomach was bitching at him to eat anything. He tried to ignore it, the pain still lying on him like a sack of potatoes, but soon enough that emptiness disappeared.
Weird. He opened his eyes, seeing that he was in his bare room, sleeping on the mat. He turned to the side, smirking at the little girl still cuddled up to him. She’s been sleeping a lot, and he didn’t want to wake her up. Surprisingly, even though Clara was nearing her side to her back, Brucey remained stuck to her back, almost using Clara like a body pillow. He looked so damn pleased, the warmth of her back and the mat actually making him sound happy as he snored.
Zeke chortled at that. But he trusted Brucey now after everything. After hearing how he actually flew Clara away from the named monsters and trying to go after Zyler of all things when he approached, both Zeke and Mikella automatically welcomed him to the family. With him around, they won’t have to worry about Clara’s safety when they leave her. Then again, hearing how she can fly with Brucey… he put that anxiety-driven thought to the side.
He shifted around, trying to get adjusted to his ailing body. The mana burns throughout his skin were receding slightly, but they were still present. They give a shock of pain everytime they touch anything, similar to a burn and a static shock at the same time. It was annoying, and he had to sit absolutely still to not feel anything.
Still, this all meant that he was still alive. Even while Mikella was damaged as hell like that, she still looked pleased to be back here. As he shifted, he noticed something… off. There was something on the other side.
Was it Mikella? No, that wasn’t possible. The figure was too small to be her. Was it Ana? Again, that was impossible. She was still in the town, waiting for everyone to come home.
And Clara was at his other side. Slowly, he opened his eyes, noticing the obvious bump under the covers. He slowly lifted them up, his heart racing at whatever hellish creature might have sneaked in to sleep at his mat of all places.
What he spotted instead was not some hellish creature, but an angelic being. A small figure, her short hair nearly translucent silver, and a face that was so similar, it shocked him to the core.
He pulled the covers off completely, widening his eyes. It was another Clara–an exact twin of Clara, who was still sleeping beside him, but her hair was completely silver instead of the normal black.
And this twin Clara wasn’t even asleep. Her nearly gray eyes were wide open, staring right at him. She had a frown on her face, as if she wanted to be anywhere but here.
That facial expression was way too damn familiar to be anyone else’s. Zeke hung back in shock, muttering.
“Zoan?”
In response to that, Zoan let out a heavy breath, one filled with complete defeat.
“Just… just kill me now.”