"Hey, Leila, with Iris’s curse, we can totally spam that forbidden spell, right?" Aurianna asked, her grin wide.
"You an Diamonlia?" Leila raised an eyebrow, and Aurianna nodded eagerly.
"Yes! The spell that uses your body as a sacrifice and wipes out anyone you see as an enemy! That insanely cool spell the Purple Gemaris used!" Aurianna’s voice buzzed with excitent, her hands waving dramatically.
"Wait, what?" Neil choked on his tea, eyes wide as he realized what they were scheming.
"Oh, that’s your goal?" Leila chuckled, leaning back with a sly smile. "Should’ve known."
"Of course!" Aurianna sang, twirling in place. "Chi, chi, chi, lalala! With this immortality, we can master all the forbidden Gemaris spells! No fear, no limits!"
Leila’s eyes glead thoughtfully. "I hadn’t thought that far, but you’re right. With those spells, I could finally win the war."
"And when you win?" Aurianna prompted, leaning closer.
"Resting all day like a lazy bum," Leila declared with a proud grin.
Aurianna grabbed her hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Exactly!"
"She says it with pride," Carol huffed, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.
Aurianna’s expression shifted suddenly, her gaze narrowing at Leila. "If those three guys break your heart, I’ll hop to your world and strangle them myself."
Leila laughed, reaching out to cup Aurianna’s cheeks. "Aww, don’t worry, sister. If they try, I’ll handle it myself." She gave Aurianna’s face a playful rub, earning a pout.
Penma, who had been quietly listening, tilted her head. "Master Leila, since you both travel between worlds from here, couldn’t you visit Aurianna’s world?"
Leila shrugged, her tone calm. "We’ve known that’s possible for a while."
"Then why not?" Penma pressed, confusion knitting her brow. Didn’t they want to be together?
Leila sighed, patting Aurianna’s head gently. "It’s safer this way. The Regals are hunting us. If we’re both on the sa planet, it’s a bigger target, and protecting each other gets ssier. But if it’s just one of us, we can slip away easier. Plus, we’ve each got our own problems to take care of in our worlds."
Aurianna pouted deeper, crossing her arms. "True, but I still wish I could hang out with you in the real world, sister."
"Aww, Aurianna," Leila cooed, pulling her into a quick hug.
Dokgil, ever curious, piped up. "So, does Leila want to mate with those people she likes?"
Leila’s face flushed a deep red, her hands flailing. "Mate? That’s so embarrassing! I didn’t even think of it like that, but I guess we did."
"Aurianna, wipe that horrified look off your face," Leila grumbled, noticing her sister’s exaggerated shock.
She forced a chuckle, scratching her cheek nervously. "Besides, it’s not like it matters. Our race can’t have kids anyway."
Huston blinked, leaning forward. "Wait, then how were you born?"
Neil set his teacup down with a faint smirk. "The Gemaris have to genetically modify their bodies, sacrificing their Gem, life force, and the lives of several planets. It’s a brutal process."
Leila waved it off, her voice tinged with unease. "Doesn’t matter. Our race’s never gonna have a peaceful life anyway."
"True," Aurianna nodded, her tone matching Leila’s.
"But," Neil added, his tone mischievous, "there’s an opposite thod. You could have a child, but they’d have no Gemaris powers."
"Opposite?" Aurianna gasped, head tilting in confusion.
Neil’s smirk grew. "Yup. You could make your partner pregnant—man or woman."
"Seriously?!" Aurianna and Leila gasped in unison, their jaws dropping as they stared at him.
Leila’s grin widened, a glint in her eyes. "A guy getting pregnant? Now that sounds interesting."
"Neil, stop planting dumb ideas in my sister’s head!" Aurianna yelled, pointing accusingly.
Neil raised his hands in surrender, chuckling. "Fine, fine. But it’s true. Though, it’s a bad idea—the child wouldn’t survive a month. Their body couldn’t handle the power. So, I don’t recomnd it. You can, uh, enjoy other activities safely, though."
Shuwi, who’d been silent until now, raised a hand. "Quick question: what is this place?"
Aurianna answered. "It’s a ti domain! Like, one hour in our world could be years here. I don’t really keep track of the exact ratio."
"Really?" Shuwi, Elena, Gareth, Peter, Christopher, Batholem, Juvin, Zeche, and Zorian gasped in unison. Kiana just nodded, unfazed—she’d been briefed when she first arrived.
"That’s incredible!" Christopher exclaid, his wine eyes sparkling. The young man with long, wavy black hair and a lean, muscular build leaned forward, his tan skin shimring with faint scales. His twisted horns peeked through his hair, and his Eastern-style robes rustled as he gestured excitedly.
Aurianna’s expression turned stern. "But you can’t stay too long. It’ll ss with your soul if you overstay. So I guess if you’re still curious I can make you guys stay for a while. But you guys may age so I’ll have to use an anti-aging spell. Max one year."
"True," Carol chid in, puffing out her chest. "This domain was supposed to weaken , but I’m still as strong as ever!"
Leila scoffed. "How arrogant."
"Respect your elders!" Carol barked, glaring at the sisters.
"Peh," Aurianna stuck out her tongue.
"You brats!" Carol wailed, clutching her chest as if wounded. "After all I’ve done for you!"
Juvin raised a hand timidly. "Can we stay here a bit longer, though more like two to three years? If ti is truly different here I could train more!"
"No way," Aurianna shook her head firmly. "Your soul would be crushed."
Zorian’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Wait, how long have you been here?"
Aurianna paused, tapping her chin. "Hmm..."
"I actually don’t keep track anymore, but the last ti I counted, it was around five hundred years," Aurianna blurted out, scratching the back of her head with a sheepish grin.
Zorian’s eyes widened, his brows shooting up. "Five hundred years? Well, that explains why you leveled up so fast."
"It’s still impressive, though," Zeche chid in, staring with his robotic blue eyes. "To beco a Grand Human in five hundred years? Most people that old are either High Humans or Chaos Humans. (I don’t know if I described Zeche.) He’s fair skinned with cha parts, blue eyes and long black hair.
Aurianna’s face lit up, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Chi, chi, chi! And just think how much easier it’d be for us to grow stronger with Iris’ Curse!" she declared, clapping her hands together gleefully.
Batholem, who had been quietly listening from the edge of the group, tilted his head, his gaze flickering toward Neil. The man’s face had tightened at the ntion of the curse, a subtle grimace betraying his discomfort. Batholem’s brow furrowed, "Aurianna, are you sure you’d be alright with that curse? I an like..."
Reviews
All reviews (0)