“Do not fret, Glint. The aches of farewell is something one must learn to endure, especially if we manage to reach the lofty heights with lives spanning centuries,” Kite said, caressing the little carp as she made worried circles around his head. He had always thought of her as pink, but these days she had at least as many shimmering pearlescent scales as the original shade. And as she could sense his emotions through their bond, Kite also knew that she did not buy his attempts to assuage her concerns.
“Truly, we always knew that mistress Dew would leave after the monster surge. And she has already put her life on hold for so long, so I imagine that she is anxious to get about doing whatever she has planned.”
He sensed a flurry of impressions through their links, and couldn’t help but smile a little in response at the little fish’s insistence. “No, I do not think that I could be of much help. She was very clear in that regard when I asked. And no, I don’t think we should try and follow her anyway. She is leaving via portal, and besides, I respect her too much to go against her express wishes. Glint, I am definitely not even remotely strong enough to challenge her and force her to stay.”
The conversation continued as the pair rode the elevating platform up towards the Seventh peak and the agreed upon meeting spot up at the adventure society campus. The late summer breeze was still pleasant, but Kite knew that it would start to turn chilly soon as it donned the mantle of autumn’s herald.
Kite had done his best to assure himself with his words, but his heart still clenched slightly as he saw his teacher standing in one of the more secluded inner courtyards. Others had gathered as well; Will, Grim, Dragonfly and Serene were all part of the circle of people spending time with some idle talk while waiting for the rest to arrive. Kite had almost reached the gate to the courtyard when branch director Jarvan appeared from a nearby door, his greater speed allowing him to quickly fall into step beside Kite.
“I would have thought that the deputy director would have been present as well?” Kite asked softly, seeing that Jarvan was alone.
“Farewells has never been Rupert’s strong suite. Probably why he followed me and Fantina all the way here,” Jarvan commented. “Besides, I would have imagined that whatever farewells they had meant for each other would best have been said in private. He is quite smitten with our dear ice queen-” he continued, but paused as Dew gave him a meaningful sideways glance from where she stood.
Kite did not press the issue, walking the final distance to join the circle of well-wishers.
“I believe that this is everyone,” Frost among Morning Dew noted. In many ways she looked just like the time when Kite had first met her, silver hair and blue lips complementing her chilly facade. But Kite also thought that the nip of winter was a little subdued when surrounded by the people which she, to his knowledge, had spent the most time around in recent years.
“My departure has in some way been long overdue, but I will admit that I have enjoyed this last year more than the rest of my time in the Autumn lands combined,” she continued, turning to Kite and his friends. “I did not fancy myself a teacher or mentor to anyone, but I will credit myself for a job well done. While Kite has been the one who I have truly mentored, I will still allow myself to feel a bit of pride at having had a hand in the rest of you as well.”
“Teacher, I-” Kite began, but had to pause as he felt himself almost choke a little when the reality of the situation truly started to settle in. Mistress Dew looked as if she was about to interject, but held herself back to let him say his piece. A steadying breath and the touch of a chilling aura upon his helped Kite regain his composure.
As he continued, he cupped his hands and bowed deeply. “Teacher, thank you. To have received your tutelage has left a mark on both me and my path that will never be erased. Even as the seasons change and time passes, I will make sure to honor the time and effort you have spent on me. And know that I have treasured our time together.” The words felt inadequate, but it was what came out in the moment.
In response, mistress Dew’s blue lips quirked slightly upward in a small smile. “Thank you, student. I will treasure your words, your earnestness clear. But I will urge you to continue making what you have learned into your own, as your path is not mine. And remember that I consider whatever karma remaining between us a bond I wish to keep. Whatever other debts we may have had to one another are, in my eyes, severed through experience shared and a most timely intervention made.”
“Can- can you tell us anything? Of what you will do? And where you will go?” The question was one that had been burning within Kite for a long time. He had known of her plans to leave, but she had always been elusive in regards to the details. Sensing her reticence, he had not pried further during their months of training, but now Kite felt that it was time to ask properly.
Dew regarded him for a while, letting her gaze pan over the rest of the silent observers before she spoke. “I suppose that some things might as well be shared, to at least leave a bit of a legacy.” As none of those gathered seemed to want to interrupt, she continued. “While there are details either too personal or irrelevant to share, the first thing I wish to leave with you is my origin. I have always been known as Frost among Morning Dew, but what you may not know is that I also held the role of grand elder within the Fated Severance sect.”
Her words caused a spiritual stir among those gathered, with only Serene and Jarvan keeping their aura entirely controlled. Kite suspected that the former was from her great level of control, while the branch director’s instead stemmed from the fact that he did not seem surprised by the revelation.
“Which should in turn be quite unsurprising,” Kite inwardly chided himself. “There are not enough silver rankers in these parts of the country for him not to have been able to glean a bit of her background.”
“I see that most of you are unfamiliar with the sect, which is unsurprising. It is located well south of Convergence, about halfway between Gilded and the capitol, Heavenward.
And while my rise within the sect is of little consequence for this story, my departure is. It came just after the previous sect leader announced that she would be making her departure and leaving her position to make the final push towards gold rank. This left me and the other grand elder, my betrothed, as the prime contenders for her position. And you can probably imagine what followed; a tale as old as time. Feelings and promises are in the end but words and fickle notions, while the lure of power is great. While I will not be self-deceptive enough to deny that I too felt its lure, my betrothed was the one who acted. And my singular focus on my path became my downfall, as his words and bargains poisoned the minds of everyone that might have supported me.
I found myself without allies, but things didn't end there. Accusations of crimes against the sect were brought to light. Everyone with eyes should have known them to be false, but politics isn’t about what is true, but what you can make look like the truth. My fate was exile, the verdict being passed by the council of elders without me even getting to raise my blade in challenge.”
“But- but why come here then?” Dragonfly asked, unable to hold her curiosity at bay. “Why not stay and find a way to get back at him?”
“Oh, I tried in the beginning. But his ascension to sect leader came not long after, and he apparently still saw me as a threat. It is hard for an adventurer to work within a region where all the local sects are unwilling to cooperate with you, sometimes even being outright hostile. And I gave this warning to Kite once, and I will give it again; do not underestimate the sects closer to the heartlands. While they are in many ways the same in structure and mindset, they make up for it through proper heritage and competence.”
As she explained, mistress Dew made sure to give each of the younger bronze-rankers a proper look, making sure that they had comprehended her words, not continuing her story until she had gotten a nod from each of them.
“I thought many times to leave Hua-Xi and never return; to start fresh. But pride and thirst for vengeance would not let me. The Autumn lands became a compromise, being far away enough that I should be able to continue my climb. And as a certain local branch director made sure that the adventure society showed their appreciation to a silver ranker aiming to make her living there for a while, I remained even if the climb towards the heavens was much slower.”
“That director must have been most impressive in his wisdom and charm,” Jarvan nodded in agreement. Dew just ignored his statement, but did turn to him.
“I would like to thank you as well, director. While the Autumn lands at times felt like a cage and a punishment, your treatment of me made sure that there was purpose and resources enough for me to stay. Many good things did come of that.”
“But now you will return south? For vengeance?” Jarvan asked, his voice indicating that he already knew the answer.
“There is fell karma to be severed,” Dew agreed, her demeanor once more frosty. “One that I still, for all my growth, cannot leave behind. After that… We will see.”
“But teacher… Are you sure? Is it really necessary? Isn’t there another life to find for yourself?” Kite couldn’t help himself, he had to ask. Seeing her don the frosty exterior of the ice queen tore at his heart, as he had also seen many hints of genuine happiness and purpose in his teacher over the years he had known her. While he knew it wasn’t his place, he couldn’t help but feel a bit discarded.
But the mask of frost was still in place as Frost among Morning Dew answered him. “Yes, student. To me, it is. And to us, this is farewell. At least for now, as I hope to see you again. But this has to be done, for my heart and my path. Practice diligently, fight for your path and pray to the gods that you will not find yourself walking down one akin to mine.”
Turning to Grim, Dew nodded. “Grim Snowfall, if you’d please?”
“Of course, mistress. The city lord sends his regards for what you have done for the region,” Grim said, bowing with respect.
As the portal archway rose, Dew turned to look at those gathered once more, holding Kite’s gaze for just a bit longer than the rest. Then she stepped through, her chilly aura disappearing when passing through the portal. As the glass archway started disintegrating, it left a crowd of silent onlookers.
Kite turned to Jarvan, who was the only one who still looked mostly fine with the development, his usual satisfied smile playing over his lips.
“Director, isn’t there anything else we can do?” he asked, feeling powerless. While it had only been in the broadest of strokes, hearing of his teacher’s path only made Kite worry more of what was, in all probability, a very uncertain future.
“Kite, when it comes to your life choices as an essence-user, there are certain things that need to be done. Doubly so when reaching the end of silver rank, but that is not something which you need to concern yourself with at this moment.” Jarvan looked to where the portal had stood, chuckling. “Dew is a resourceful, dangerous woman. And she is anything but stupid. When she makes her move, it will be one that she believes can be successful.”
“But-”
“But I will tell you that I couldn’t very well just do nothing, not after how much easier she has made managing this branch during her stay. Call it karma or just decency. But Dew deserves something as a show of gratitude. So I provided.”
“Then would the great and benevolent director mind telling the rest of us of his great deed?” Kite asked, voice heavy with exasperated sarcasm.
Jarvan regarded Kite for a little while, then smiled and nodded. “I suppose it would not hurt if it gives you some peace of mind, but it might be best if the information did not leave this gathering.
“Of course it will not. Or do you wish for an oath as well?” Kite retorted, but him and the rest nodding in acquiescence did seem to be enough for Jarvan.
“No, your understanding will do,” he said, his confident grin returning as he clearly enjoyed keeping Kite and his friends on the proverbial hook. “I did one last favor for Frost among Morning Dew. I approved a leave of absence.”
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As Kite made his way up towards the townhouse, he couldn’t help but smile and shake his head in resignation at the blue paper kite which proudly flew above it, swaying gently in the wind coming in from the ocean. Kite’s Aegis was apparently still a common symbol in Bastion even after the surge, which the city seemed to have weathered without much trouble, even if news of four silver-ranked tentaclids having wrecked part of the harbor was still spoken of as part of the local gossip.
The house belonging to Peony and her family fortunately looked unscathed, having been far enough from the waterfront to avoid becoming collateral damage, and Kite did not hesitate as he stepped up and knocked the door while flaring his aura to announce himself to the house's occupants.
It took a good minute, but he eventually felt a familiar bronze-ranked aura make its way through the house, excitement clear.
“Kite!”
Peony’s exclamation began even before she had started to slide open the wooden doors, her look of delight at his arrival causing him to grin back in turn.
“Greetings, Peony. It looks like you have weathered the surge in good health.”
“Oh, Kite, it has been great. The surge brought a, pun intended, surge of business to us. Quintessence and material are always the cheapest now, so I have been stocking up-” she began, but then a light seemed to flare to life in her eyes, and Kite couldn’t help but feel like she suddenly looked at him like a piece of treasure having conveniently fallen from the heavens.
“Kite- the surge- you- materials-” Her words became almost incoherent as she dragged him into the house and toward her workshop, Kite letting himself be dragged along.
“Better to have her get it out of her system,” he thought, amused at the crafters unbridled enthusiasm at her realization; Kite facing hordes of monsters meant that his special kind of looting power had been working overtime.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
As they entered Peony’s workspace, Kite couldn’t help but notice the difference.
“You have expanded?” he asked, finding it hard to miss that the room was now almost double the size, with an additional workbench, plenty of storage and more tools.
“Oh?” Peony asked before waving it away. “Yes, we made sure to prepare. Business has been good, but a crafter always needs raw materials. Lots and lots of it. You wouldn’t happen to know where this hardworking craftswoman might find a great pile of enchanted equipment?”
Kite tried keeping his neutral facade, but Peony’s pleading eyes were merciless. “I might have begun filling a dimensional satchel marked ‘For Peony’- ,” he admitted, holding up said dimensional pouch. Peony’s eyes had instantly locked onto it, causing her to almost miss the words that followed. “- but it was filled up, so I had to purchase two more.”
Another two pouches joined the first, Peony blinking in surprise before greed once more overtook her. She all but lunged for them, but was halted in her tracks as Kite also produced a sheet of paper which he held up to her face.
“The surge has also given me plenty of opportunity to revise weaknesses and gaps in my path. Ones that I have several ideas of how to alleviate,” he said with a smirk, bobbing the list in his hands up and down to indicate where said ideas were written down.
To her credit, Peony managed to reel herself in enough to only cast a final, longing look at the bags before instead taking the piece of paper to go over it. As she did, her eyebrows scrunched slightly, expressions of concern transitioning to nods before further morphing to cocking her head to the side in question.
“This…” she began, looking at Kite. “You have been thorough. But Kite, this will be quite the challenge.”
“A challenge worthy of my favorite craftswoman and business partner?” Kite asked, an eyebrow raised.
“Oh yes. Yes indeed. You are not the only one who has worked hard in improving lately. Some of your ideas are concepts I have not tried melding before. But how could I walk my path proudly if I shied back from such a challenge?”
“I had hoped that would be the case,” Kite said, showing further mercy as he plonked the three dimensional pouches down on the nearest workbench. “Want to go through it all and see what we can find? As long as you prioritize my commissions, the rest is yours for the usual rates.”
“Oh Kite, you sure know how to please a woman!” Peony all but squealed in delight, missing Kite’s wince at her choice of words as she had already started digging into the three pouches, bringing out a small arsenal of mostly weapons and armor, but a few other types of equipment present as well.
“I… would have phrased it differently, lest your dear husband might become worried again,” Kite said. “Speaking of husbands, where is Sun? I haven’t felt his aura nearby.”
“Oh, he’s out hunting along with Bloom. There is still plenty of cleanup to do after the surge, and as the young masters and mistresses are starting to return to their life of political intrigue and small trade war, this leaves plenty of the more simple bronze and iron-ranked monsters around which the highborn consider beneath their attention. I have been out alongside Sun a lot, but with all the materials gained recently we realized that we would earn more with me staying to actually craft things.”
“I’m glad to hear that the two of you and Bloom seem to be getting along,” Kite said as he started to help sorting equipment into different piles. “Do you want shields with armor or weapons?”
“Put them with the weapons, please,” Peony said, looking closer at a rapier seemingly made from bone. “And as for Bloom, things have worked out splendidly. Sun had some gripes in the beginning, but he handled it a lot better than when we first met you. This time, I think he had to wrestle a bit with once more getting shown up by someone younger. But it has been good for him.
Bloom can get a little high-strung at times, but as long as you make sure to invite Felicity along at times he becomes the sweetest thing,” she finished, with a giggle. “Ah, young love.”
“Once Sun hits bronze rank, I believe that he can calm down a bit. If he served during the surge, he should be close, no?”
“Oh, he is. Which frustrates him a lot, I think. We took your advice and splurged on the last stones just after you left. But he can show off later, because we need to get to cataloging. Eyes on the prize, Kite. If we are going to get you something along the lines you are hoping for, we need to decide quickly so I can get the materials before the market starts going back to normal.”
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Kite looked down at the book laid out before him on the desk, still trying to take in what he was looking at.
“I… can’t believe you actually found it. Look, Sage. It’s you. Or at least something like you.”
The pages which lay open displayed a sketch of a being which was definitely the same as Sage, albeit with different kinds of symbols making out the ‘body’ of the alien entity. The name ‘Astral Gatherer’ was displayed prominently on the top of the page, with cataloged information covering the spaces left around the illustrations.
Beside Kite, Brook straightened proudly. “It took a bit longer than expected, with the surge and all, but I finally managed to have a few books delivered from another branch. I had a feeling that I might find Sage in one of them. Its kind is really quite fascinating.”
“Still Brook in Blooming, you are a marvel,” Kite said, bowing. “This humble vagabond bows before the resourcefulness of the fair sage.”
While he spoke, the astral gatherer had floated up to look at the book as well.
“Lacking
Artistry
Displeasing”
With those statements, it instead quickly returned to the other book laying open nearby, seemingly drawn in by the calligraphy displayed therein.
“The book does say that individual astral gatherers who remain for long within physical reality tend to find their own favorite subjects and phenomenon, so that does explain its fascination with calligraphy,” Brook said, giggling at the hypnotized familiar.
“What more does it say then?” Kite asked, leaning in to read aloud.
“The astral gatherer is a creature from beyond physical reality, sprung from the realms of the Celestial Book. They act as servitors, continuously cataloging and categorizing different physical realities and all their nuances as well as constantly retrieving samples of a reality’s magic. While rare, some take on familiar bonds to study said realities up close, although this might lead to more idiosyncratic behavior the longer they stay within said physical reality.
While not mainly a being of conflict, the astral gatherers studied as familiars have displayed the ability to use the gathered fragments of magic to different effects, allowing them to help bonded researchers with some manner of support or self-defense. Their subsumed ability is one of the more unique aspects of their kind when in a physical reality, allowing them to nudge budding magical manifestations into being by channeling their bonded essence-user’s mana. It is greatly advised for any researchers utilizing this to assure that proper escort is present, as monsters tend to be the usual result. Theories as to why the creature is able to do this varies, but the most agreed-upon hypothesis is that it allows the astral gather to create more possibilities of study.
The acclaimed scholar Erudite Ruby Bonsai has published several-”
What followed was more specific examples of people having agreed to share some specifics of their astral gatherer familiars, and Kite resolved to give it a thorough read at a later date.
“So, an astral gatherer,” he said, looking at Sage still consumed by calligraphy. Nudge, Brook’s kinetic finch familiar, was kindly using its telekinetic powers to help Sage turn the pages. “It does explain why it is so… weird. I know next to nothing of the astral beyond our world, but I imagine that it is a realm hard to comprehend.”
“Few know much more, especially at our rank,” Brook added. “Astral magic simply isn’t a popular field of study, not with so much still unknown about our own world and its magic. So much potential, so many things to explore,” she finished, with a look of longing at all the books and tomes around them. Kite still had trouble coming to grips with the fact that the library of Bastion’s magic society was considered small.
“Do you have dreams of research of your own?” he asked, looking at his friend and once-lover.
“Oh, no- well, maybe someday, but I still have so far to go. But the head librarian does seem to think that I may have the potential, especially now that I am a full essence-user,” Brook said while she blushed modestly at the question. She looked at the familiars gathered nearby; Sage reading the book assisted by Nudge and Glint doing her utmost to coax Scripture, Brook’s rune heron familiar, into showing more of her colorful runes.
“But if I had to pick something, I would choose to study familiars. They are so wonderful in so many ways, and I can’t help but feel humbled that they choose to remain with me. But my mother spoiling them rotten might help,” she added with a wry smile.
“Well, if the words of this vagabond means anything, then I find it a dream worth pursuing,” Kite said, once more adopting their now oft-used jargon. “Just be careful, too. I have heard that the magic society isn’t without its own troubles and rivalries.”
“The sage will deign to listen to the words of the vagabond, as she knows that she is but a frog in the well compared to his worldly travels,” Brook said while turning her nose up in a show of theatrics.
“It might be so,” Kite agreed, “but this humble one also notes something else; the frog may in fact be dreaming about the skies and what lies beyond.”
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“Do you wish for anything else, young master?”
“No, this is fine. You may leave.”
Relentless Storm Hiding Beautiful Vistas gave a wave of dismissal to the servant, who bowed and left the small stone gazebo where the young master of the Relentless family entertained his guest.
“It would seem that the surge has treated you quite well, Vista,” Kite noted once the servant had left earshot. The aura of the young master was brimming with power, probably several steps closer to silver rank than Kite was at the moment.
“Oh I would be a liar if I did not agree,” the swordsman said with a confident smile. “It was every bit the trial I imagined, Kite, and I will admit that the egoist in me is sad to see it end. “With Kinthara there to occupy potential silver-ranked beasts while I hit my stride, several of the loftier beasts fell to my blades. Now there is only the matter of keeping up the momentum, and I should be able to step into silver rank within the year.”
The leonid woman who still acted as Vista’s bodyguard stood not far away, stoically ignoring their conversation even though Kite could see a slight twitching in her ear as her name was mentioned.
“The Whirlwind Warrior is ambitious indeed. May the heavens quiver as you draw ever closer,” Kite said in praise. “Anything else interesting to tell me about developments here in Bastion?”
“Not unless you are deeply invested in local economic warfare,” Vista sighed. “Things did blessedly calm down during the surge, but now that it is winding down there are plenty of flooded markets to fight over. Father and the elders are constantly wrestling both other prominent families and the up and coming merchants. But at least he has honored his agreement with you so far.”
“It does sound like a reason to mostly be out of the city,” Kite agreed, glad that he had not chosen the path of a merchant for himself.
“But what about you, then? Your return was very welcome, if a bit sooner than expected,” Vista asked, leaning back as he sipped his tea. “Are you here to stay this time?”
“Not quite, I’m afraid. The surge around Gilded was quite eventful, and taught me a lot. For one, I felt that a trip here was needed for Peony to start on some new equipment to shore up my weaknesses,” Kite said, proceeding to tell Vista a bit about how he had spent his first monster surge, along with the conspiring sect students and the strike against the Descending Star sect.
“So, you are the Pathbreaker? I truly should have figured, but the rumors are very vague here so far.” Vista looked both amused and surprised, causing Kite to flush a bit with consternation.
“What? Has that name reached Bastion too?”
“Do not act so surprised! Surely something as significant as the fall of another sect will cause the information to flow, and a bronze-ranker being named is something of which everyone loves to gossip. Were there really thirty of them?”
“Oh sweet heavens,” Kite sighed. “No, they were thirteen.”
“Still, thirteen,” Vista said appreciatively. “Tell me everything! Did you use the techniques we developed together with the Gellers? Were-”
“It… might be easier to just show you,” Kite sighed, producing a recording crystal. This was a copy of the one Serene had used to record the whole process of his grand clash, with the addition of the disciples’ gathering beforehand.
Vista quickly led Kite to a room with a projector, and what Kite had imagined to be a quick visit to consult the young master on other matters became much more lengthy, with the pair being served dinner while still going through the series of bouts Kite had fought through. Unsurprisingly, Vista had a lot of comments about the different clashes, ever interested in anything martial. Some of his opinions were a bit too derisive for Kite’s taste, but Kite had received several good pointers when everything was said and done.
“If you don’t mind me changing the topic,” Kite eventually ventured once the young master seemed to be content with the discussion, “I also came here looking for advice on another matter. Regarding the astral space and the surrounding lands.”
“Ah, I see. A surge is a good time to gather funds, if you still mean to acquire the land,” Vista said knowingly.
“I do, yes. At least once I reach silver rank, heaven’s be willing. But as I have no experience with the amount of funds needed, I thought to share my progress.”
Kite knew that he had a decent amount of money by the standards of a bronze-ranker who did not come from a family of great means, and both the contract of acting as Vista’s entourage, the search for rogue essence-users and the contract to assault the Descending Star sect had all paid handsomely, and that was before even adding the surprise Kite had received when visiting Peony.
As their business partner, Kite knew that he would received a part of the crafter’s earnings while their partnership lasted, and from the hefty sum that they had stashed away for him, they had indeed done well for themselves in his absence, with more to come now that Kite had dropped off even more materials for Peony to work with. But Kite also knew that those from established families such as Vista were on a completely different level when it came to wealth.
Vista took the list Kite offered, going over the funds. He remained silent for a while, looking to be thinking things through.
“So? How far do you think I have to go?” Kite eventually asked as the need to hear the verdict overcame his patience.
“Hmm? Oh, sorry. I was caught up in reflecting on different walks of life and the resources available,” Vista said, handing back the list. “As long as we don’t give the city lady and the government too many reasons to suspect that there might be more to the astral space, you should be well over the funds needed already. But waiting until silver rank is probably best, as the city will no doubt welcome a silver-ranked adventurer making himself a residence in the area. Add our assistance to that, and I foresee no problems.”
While Kite felt relieved, his eyes still thinned as he couldn’t help himself asking; “Wait, was all that time spent thinking just you pondering on how much more money you and your family have than me?”
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As before, the great seed before him easily drank in all the mana offered through Sage’s power. Outwardly, it had not shifted in the slightest where it remained lodged within the pillar of purple sandstone. But Kite could feel the minuscule shift from inside it, confirming that it was still absorbing mana and gradually coming closer to being satiated.
“I wonder what will happen. And what you even are,” he pondered aloud, the inanimate seed unsurprisingly unresponsive.
His decision to take a trip down to Bastion before going off on contracts with Dragonfly, Will and Serene still felt like the right one. A few days spent planning and going through materials left Peony very optimistic about being able to make something along the lines of Kite’s hopes, and it had been nice to see Brook and Vista again too.
Visiting the seed and the astral space had perhaps not been necessary, but Kite still felt that he might as well keep himself busy while Peony worked, and there had been the standard contract available to make a sweep through the astral space anyway.
“There will be quite some time until I’ll take the time off to visit you again, after all,” Kite said to the still unresponsive seed. “But I still can’t help but feel excited at what lies ahead. Even if it requires time, pain, patience and hard work. But I will get back to you, and hopefully I will be ready to see what secrets you hold. Once you are ready to show them to the world, that is.”