The Neighboring Organizations

Ciemnosc descended upon the front of his bedroom, the door was opened, and the ordinary animals were running amok. However, the animals, both ordinary animals of many sizes and those Creatures that were too small and, unfortunately, were seen before growing up by Leen, Fatima, and Missa, the devils with weakness to cute little things - were also seen playing with ordinary animals and even eating as well as drinking with them.

From the doors, the team came out walking as they looked at the feathered turtle and the pair of figures on top of it. When the feathered turtle landed on the ground, it was unwilling to leave Ciemnosc and whoever that guest was. As it could be seen how the feathered turtle's tiny tail was hung from its butt as it departed.

“I see that you decided to stay, too,” Ciemnosc said as he faced his teammates with Torme by his side, walking towards the doors. Torme was seen as a new kind of beauty for the students, let alone for Gallah, who was just having some treatment this morning and seemed to be ready to show it. On the other hand, Leen and the other girls looked at her with mesmerized eyes.

“Who is she?” Missa asked, walking up to Ciemnosc and ignoring his obvious question. Torme smiled on the other hand, before presenting herself to them and looked at Ciemnosc’s teammates curiously. “My name is Torme, I’m from the Beast Race, and I have invited Mr. Ciemnosc here to my home.”

“Torme? Nice name. Has she been charmed by Little Ciemnosc already?” Leen spoke with a question, perplexing both Ciemnosc and Torme, but Fatima then said as she nodded her head. “It must have been, isn’t she way over the Conflagrate realm? He can even deal with people at that level, huh?”

“Hmm,” Torme narrowed her eyes but seemingly didn’t mind at all being treated as such, right away and as a peak Obsidiafying realm cultivator. She even ‘retorted’ with some words of her own, “Indeed, I can smell you 4 as humans, which is weird considering how you could live together with someone as different as him. Strange.”

“He’s no Beast, trust me.” Leen acted tough, placing what little chest she did have up and out, her hands to the sides of her waist. Torme nodded slowly in return and, with her eyes narrowing in contemplation, she said without any embarrassment. “I can tell you five are all… very knowing of each other’s everything… body and mind.”

“Oh yeah, we are,” Gallah commented, but he was also eclipsed right after by Missa. “Yeah, but he is a virgin, still. Or else, you wouldn’t have been getting here so soon. He still doesn’t know the pleasures of life it can bring.”

Torme: ( 。・o・)

“Is that really so?” Torme looked at Ciemnosc as if she had witnessed the truths of all life and of all truths for that matter. Ciemnosc felt the change in the atmosphere, from how serious it was growing before on the back of the feathered turtle, and directly said as he returned the gaze to the taller Torme. “Miss peak Obsidiafying realm cultivator, please behave according to your status?”

Torme merely shook her head quite a bit nonstop. She looked slightly down at Ciemnosc’s slightly pale face and said, her voice mature and charming somewhat. “Ciemnosc, for a kid like you that has no true understanding of life, you have no power to tell me how to behave. Besides, in our Kingdom, everyone is free to do as they wish. For example, the way that boy looks at me, I could have him played with by a few big, bulky, and brawny bunnies.”

“... Let’s just go eat the afternoon meal, and then we can depart for your home, your Kingdom. Gallag, stop it. Her Spirit Sense can see you do that. I won’t defend you.” Ciemnosc said, entering the bedroom through the doors in a flat tone. Gallah stopped pretending to be looking at the sky, and his hands went to his sides as he followed Ciemnosc to walk in. He tried putting his arm over Ciemnosc’s shoulders but was threatened to be sent flying away, which was when Gallah cleverly retreated.

“Wow, would you really have done that to him?” Leen went up to Torme and asked her, the former’s head raised quite a bit to look at the latter. Torme smiled thinly with her lips. Her dark blue eyes glanced at the curious, admiring girl and said. “I might want to have some fun before, but that’s just life, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.” - “Indeed.” - “Indeeed~.” Fatima and Miss responded, crossing their arms together and nodding. While Leen seemed in a trance, responding to such words as if she was marveled and wanted to grow old to do the same kind of things…

Afterwards, both the humans and beast took to their seats at the dining table and had a very early breakfast. It was still morning, and there were a few hours before the afternoon arrived, but Ciemnosc and Torme were to leave earlier. And the time Torme spent with some humans that weren’t just a formal meeting and like an alien meeting another alien race… was truly good in her heart, making her feel at ease and even contemplating more the cooperation with these humans.

When it was time to leave, Ciemnosc and Torme bid farewell, while Torme’s eyes locked on Gallah for some time when bidding farewell made him sweat and understand… Never try to take advantage of a strong Race, stronger than yourself, and that doesn’t see you as a man… yet?

Whatever the case, Missa and the rest were to remain in the academy while the troops they brought here were already returning the same night back towards the base. This time, when doing so, the troops faced quite some questioning and attempts at ‘being converted’. There were shows of the troops faltering to the words of some supervisors and old teachers that would serve enough for whatever occasion. They were being led not by a boss from Ciemnosc’s team but by one capable spokesperson leading student, which would be enough to silently go back to the base and reunite with the forces there.

When Ciemnosc and Torme left, they did so at early noon and by soaring into the skies with Little Blueblack. They had to, of course, first go through the grand array entrance, but after that, they disappeared in a simple blink. Not a sound was emitted, and not a noise was heard. Only the lightning flash and sudden disappearance of their bodies amidst the sky remained as just an image for the academy to watch.

. . .

Days worth of travel from the Rocaloi Academy. 2 days later.

Swooooosh~!

Ciemnosc was atop a large bat Creature, it had blue as its main color, but some of its feathers twinkled and even changed their colors to a darker blue. It was flying, easily 5,000 meters above the ground, overlooking endless amounts of trees and rather close to some faraway, utterly gigantic mountains.

In front of him was the straightened back of Torme, who along with him, have been silent since leaving the academy. The ability of this bat was truly incredible. It surpassed the limits that a Rychly Transporting Array had but was still ‘possible’ within the limits of the laws, nature, and world he knew of. Though it felt like teleportation, it was more like gliding through the world, its air, and its heights, before eventually coming down and falling at a designated point.

After that was done, even more magically, the bat was capable of flying for a few hours before requiring to have some rest. But afterwards, and without any seemingly side effects, the bat resumed its flight towards the Kingdom of the Beast Race, home of Torme.

… Now, on this day and as the bat began to fall down from so high above the ground, Torme finally looked back at Ciemnosc before setting her gaze below. In the same manner, Ciemnosc looked at the back of her head before saying in a quiet voice. “It’s a good array. It is natural, isn’t it?”

“How do you know of it?” Torme asked back, the wind whistling through their ears as the bat was too young and weak to cover their bodies besides its own passed by nonstop and eerily, but not stopping them from hearing each other’s words in the slightest.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“It’s not common knowledge, or private for that matter.” Said Ciemnosc with his voice as quiet as before, not flat, neutral, or indifferent as he always appears to be. He added after just a second of a pause, his eyes gaining a glint just then. “It is the knowledge that only I have started to know.”

Torme offered no further words, nor did Ciemnosc offer any more. But as they descended more and more, the bat doing so at a stable and even slow pace, Ciemnosc began to see through the array still some thousand meters below them. His Spirit Sense might already be getting within the short range. But his eyes weren’t like before, only capable of seeing through large distances and not analyzing, scanning, or finding truths.

There were many… ‘maggots’. Some looked like globes, others like maggots the size of a whale. A big big whale. Then there was the sea, river, or even gusts of wind that they swam around. It was of a transparent color, yet sometimes it flashed gold, and other times godly. It was different but the same simultaneously. It was somewhat broken, wasted, and even eaten away, perhaps. But all in all, it achieved its purpose of turning everything into a wonderful piece of art in the world.

“The grand array where the academy was built isn’t natural, but it has maintained its strength and energy all this long… No, it’s something else, something other than energy… Though it looks like energy, it is a different kind and… it is much more… than that…” Ciemnosc mumbled, making Torme’s shoulders tremble as she was wide-eyed and facing the ground still with Little Blueblack still nosediving.

“Why did the grand array remain, but this one didn’t? This one is part of nature itself… The grand array was built,” Ciemnosc concluded. Right then, below them, the bat didn’t emit any noise. But Ciemnosc could hear its tremendous joy as its peak began to seemingly form part of that natural array formation. It was an all-rounder, so to speak. Protective, illusory… capable of thought.

“Be careful. The array might harm you somew- what?” Torme had turned around at last, giving Ciemnosc a word without needing to be shocked or amazed first like just now. However, as she did, she witnessed the same thing happen to Ciemnosc as it always happens to her people and the Creatures they bring in or out.

A transparent rainbow without color covered the entirety of the bat’s belly and under its wings. In just a few moments, with a slow speed motion of sorts, the bat’s flight trajectory changed, but it was still flying onto the ground. The bat was reacting as if its mother was taking its teats out and about to give it milk when that was nothing it had ever experienced. But it behaved, all in all, like a baby being embraced by its true mother.

Torme was encompassed by the transparent and colorless rainbow as well. She did not wish to show it but a light moan escaped her lips, then another, and then more. Her eyes had closed before she remembered Ciemnosc and twisted her body backwards, her right hand looking for his chest in order to grab him and extend her Power Energy into his body. That magnificent and beautiful was the touch of nature, at least in this way and to them. To anything and anyone.

But when she looked back, her Spirit Sense was too poor for just being able to even move within her body, let alone to look outside of her body, and extend it outwardly. Her naked eyesight witnessed Ciemnosc becoming a figure of transparent, colorless lights from the rainbow. It wasn’t a touch, nor an embrace as it is often whenever a newborn is touched by mother nature, it was more… like a celebratory return. Full of glory and… resplendency.

The moment Torme saw it, Ciemnosc was already feeling the ecstasy of coming so close to nature. This array formation had a sort of bridge. And in this bridge that was at least several meters thick, separating the inside and outside but also separated from both. All he saw were new things and things that he had never thought of… And that was rich knowledge to behold, even if not yet understanding any of this… it would be later.

Pshit~ womp.

Without any warning, and without any sign, it all ended as the three of them crossed through the barrier. The sensation of the bat changing its direction, of Torme twisting her torso as she moved on her own, and of Ciemnosc floating in an emptiness of nature vanished. All they had was to go back to the positions they had prior to touching the barrier.

Back to sitting behind Torme, her right hand was extended over to his chest in a grasping motion, but stopped. They looked into each other’s eyes as they witnessed it, and in her eyes reflected a darkness that was the owner of it all, even of her own soul.

“...” Torme returned to look at her front, this time at land but not in a nosedive. Little Blueblack had descended enough to glide around and look for the landing zone. It had been just a few days since it had left, but it was already excitedly looking around while carrying its master.

On top of it, Torme leaned her back slightly on the bat’s back, her body meeting Ciemnosc’s front and sharing some of the warmth on each other’s body. If there was any on Ciemnosc’s body, that is. Torme might’ve had a lot of warmness in her body, especially so with her bloodline of a Beast Race, but Ciemnosc was simply… just fresh and cold. Yet, she enjoyed the little freshness and cool that she felt from his clothes as his heartbeat, sounding on her back, somehow gave her a sense of relief… and it was so appeasing.

Screech, aiii!

The bat made noises as its claws and calcars were buried in the dirt. The roots of trees in the immediate surroundings seemed to become at the command of the bat as it proceeded to cry out, just a little gentler and delicately as it ‘greeted’ the earth itself. Once it was done with its antis, Torme came down its back without trouble. The bat was just very long and wide, but its volume was pretty thin and it even looked disheveled, its purplish-blue skin had it have a magnificent appearance nevertheless.

Yet, it had, at least, a bodily strength compared to the old him, and it was just in the Spirit Gathering realm. Creatures were just… magnificent.

“They are a new species discovered more than 10 years ago. They were in the middle of a dried-up swamp. By then, it was just a puddle, muddy and stinking, but their birthplace nonetheless.” Torme said as she saw Ciemnosc lightly step down the strong bat’s back, which had its long neck twisted to face Ciemnosc, there was quietness in its eyes, and that was something new for their kind.

“They are usually… well, they either rape anything they see, eat it, or…” Torme spoke these words slowly, simply admiring their beauty without regard for their savage nature. Yet, she didn’t expect Ciemnosc to fill up the words she was just about to say, which took her extra time to speak due to her admiration for the bat and for it becoming her mount.

“Or take it and treat it as their own, adopt it or them.” Ciemnosc’s voice became calm as he said these words, and he also caressed the bat’s left side of its face. It didn’t have an ugly or old-looking appearance, but it had many wrinkles and a small head compared to its size. And when it felt Ciemnosc’s touch, it blinked its eyes… slowly and tenderly, like a child being cared for by its parent but much different compared to the natural array formation.

“They are very small and deformed in their growth, but they grow pretty fast. And they are all born at the peak of the Spiritual Ligament realm. They are even telepaths among their kind. But when they grow,” Torme came closer and placed her left hand on top of its head, with its blue-black eyes looked at her and then set on Ciemnosc’s face; peacefully.

“They grow as big as one of your armored cars, both in length… width… and thickness.” As Torme spoke each word slowly and with power attached to them, Ciemnosc’s eyes were growing more and more powerful themselves. A glint showed in them, and as the bat saw it, it slowly purred before returning its head to its resting position, its neck no longer twisting so much.

“There’s only one who has managed to become an Obsidiafying realm Creature though, and that is the Queen’s mount and beloved family member. It is also one of our Kingdom’s protectors, along with me and the Queen herself. It is thought that… as they continue to grow, they will take humanoid form without needing to evolve first… If they breakthrough the world’s bottleneck past the Obsiadfying realm.” Torme said, her eyes locked on Ciemnosc before she continued.

“Rest today and night. Tomorrow we will bring you a banquet. It will be… a bit tense, but do not feel offended or pressured to do something you do not wish to do.” Torme’s voice was swift yet worried as well. Ciemnosc returned the look, and as their eyes met again, she inadvertently softened as she added. “We have been observing you, Ciemnosc. With nature, and… thanks to nature.”

“It is not just for cooperation that we wish to speak… and possibly more - with you.” Having said that, Torme turned around and began walking to the huge building up ahead. Ciemnosc had little time to ponder over the layout of the kingdom. But he knew that even as the kingdom was built to be insanely large, it was still much smaller than the entire natural array formation’s radius.

“... Good boy.” Looking at the bat now resting its body against the beloved dirt all its 4 legs were self-buried in or dug in. Ciemnosc spoke softly one last time before turning around and facing a small but lavish abode. It had a sign at its upper front. It read: ‘Guesthouse’. It was made of white wood and delicate coffee-colored wood, the former as the main material and color used and the latter for the supports and some other places of importance.

It was a very simple abode, but it was easily capable of holding a banquet for a few hundred without there being any space cramped or slightly crowded. Ciemnosc couldn’t even fully scan it with his Spirit Sense.

Looking back to the gigantic building Torme walked into, he couldn’t see it directly unless he enhanced his eyes or used his Spirit Sense. But the front also had a sign. And it read: ‘Torme’s Mansion’.

“...” A building that was almost a third the size of the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect’s territory, just how many and how vast are the people of the neighboring organizations to the Rocaloi Academy and are? Respectively.

…