After our training session with Kaya, Aurora and I spent all of our free ti trying to reach half unity. We failed each and every ti. Either we went too far and achieved full unity, or we didn't go far enough and our union failed altogether.
All or nothing. There was no in-between for us.
This beca a great source of frustration for Aurora and I. So much so that we even questioned the necessity of it all when we could go straight for full unity. It seed pointless.
"For most, achieving half unity is a necessary step towards achieving full unity," Kaya said in a dry tone. "They aren't crazy enough to go all the way on their first try." She paused. "However, to answer your question, half unity has its uses. It's subtler than full unity. You can use Aurora's inherent magic without revealing that you're using spirit magic."
She made a good point, so Aurora and I decided to keep practicing.
Later on, perhaps out of pity for our lack of progress, Kaya taught us Dragon's Roar. As she ntioned, it wasn't difficult to learn. We mastered it right away.
Dragon's Roar wasn't an attack, at least not a physical one. Rather, it was a challenge, a display of dominance, and an intimidation tactic all in one. A dragon's power determined the strength of their Dragon's Roar. The more powerful the dragon, the stronger the roar.
According to Kaya, when dragons fought, they roared at each other first. This was a test. If one Dragon's Roar proved overwhelmingly stronger than the other, then they didn't fight at all. There wasn't any point.
However, if the two Dragon's Roars were equal, or at least close enough, then the dragons fought to see who was superior. Raw strength accounted for a lot, but not everything.
To demonstrate, Kaya let Aurora and I experience her Dragon's Roar. A part of thought that I could resist it through sheer willpower. However, I couldn't have been more wrong.
The mont I heard Kaya's Dragon's Roar, which wasn't even that loud, I fell to my knees in supplication and Aurora prostrated herself. It happened before I realized it. My body acted on its own. Fighting back wasn't even an option.
I found the entire experience humbling.
After that, learning to use Dragon's Roar proved easy. In a way, it was a physical manifestation of a dragon's power. A statent, one that said "This is how strong I am, bow before ".
Aurora was powerful, but still immature, so her Dragon's Roar wasn't nearly as impressive as Kaya's. However, to our surprise, it beca an order of magnitude stronger when we were in full unity. We asked Kaya about it later, after Aurora and I separated.
"It's because of your draconic ancestry, Lord Gabriel," she said. "It's not enough to allow you to use Dragon's Roar yourself, at least not without half or full unity. However, it's enough that you can add your own strength to Aurora's."
Aurora and I grew excited by this, since it ant we could use Dragon's Roar more than we thought. It allowed us to win fights outright against weaker foes. As for stronger foes, it could serve as a distraction.
And so that was how Aurora and I spent our days. We prepared for our upcoming departure as much as possible, but otherwise practiced our spirit magic.
Ti passed and soon it ca ti for us to leave for Mirkvale Forest.
My companions and I stole away from Templeton in the dead of night, like a band of thieves. We hadn't intended to. At first we planned to leave in the morning, like normal people. However, the grand priests left us no choice.
They wanted to send us off with a grand ceremony. To them, the regressors were more than heroes chosen to save the world. The regressors were divine representatives of the gods' will. So the grand priests wanted to treat us with the respect we were due, or so they claid.
A part of wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they truly believed what they said. However, a cynical part of believed that the grand priests also wanted to use this excuse to show off and earn so prestige, while also ingratiating themselves with us.
Each and every single one of my companions rejected this idea, including Priest Jai and Priestess Natille. They found the idea of a grand farewell ceremony just as mortifying as the rest of us did.
Perhaps they would fit in after all.
Mother and Grandmother Sky, who I considered elders or seniors rather than true companions, found our reactions amusing.
Despite our protests, the grand priests insisted on having the ceremony, including Grand Priest Darius. They claid that to do otherwise would incur the gods' displeasure. After so back and forth, they told us that they would hold the ceremony regardless of our protests.
That was when I ca up with the idea to sneak away in the dead of night. My companions didn't need much convincing. In fact, they were rather enthusiastic. Thanks to our inventory rings, we didn't even have to worry about luggage.
So, on the night before we were supposed to depart, my companions and I all snuck away from Grand Priest Darius' residence. However, I left a note for Grand Priest Darius, so he wouldn't worry about us.
We decided to go on foot. The martial artists among us carried the wizards and priests, for the sake of speed. I ended up carrying Priest Jai, which annoyed us both. However, it was either him or Priestess Natille. I didn't want to piss Anna off, so I swallowed my annoyance and picked up Priest Jai.
Ideally, I would've carried Cally. However, she hopped into Leroy's arms without saying a word. From the way he accepted the situation without hesitation, he either knew about this in advance or was more than happy to carry Cally.
By this point, I was pretty sure there was sothing going on between those two. A part of wanted to respect their privacy by not prying. However, my curiosity kept pricking at . I feared I might go crazy if I didn't satisfy it.
As we snuck away, I feared that we would get caught. What if the grand priests left people to keep an eye on us? However, nothing of the sort happened. No one sounded the alarm at all. By the ti we reached the outskirts of Templeton, I let out a sigh of relief.
We reached the Vanguard of Vengeance several hours later. It was well after midnight by this point. However, to our surprise, we found the carrier's crew ready and waiting for us. The Wandering Witch, in her guise as Aleah Jeffers, stood at the bottom of the gangplank with a calm expression on her face.
When I saw her, I felt a murderous rage. However, I kept it in check. As much as I wanted to kill Aleah Jeffers, we had more important things to worry about at the mont.
Our group approached the gangplank leading up to the Vanguard of Vengeance.
"Captain Aleah," I said, giving her a polite smile. "What a pleasant surprise. It appears that you're all ready to go."
"Lord Gabriel," she said, returning my polite smile with one of her own. "I ordered the crew to begin preparations for departure early, just in case. Who knew that my foresight would prove to be so fortuitous?"
My left eye twitched.
"Indeed," I said. "All of us were feeling anxious about our upcoming mission, so we decided to leave early."
"So I see." Aleah Jeffers made a sweeping gesture towards the carrier. "In that case, welco to the Vanguard of Vengeance. All of our preparations are done, so we'll leave as soon as everyone boards."
I nodded, before I gestured for everyone to board the carrier. True to her word, as soon as the last person stepped aboard, the crew pulled up the gangplank. Within monts, the Vanguard of Vengeance lifted off.
Aleah Jeffers returned to the bridge, to oversee the flight. However, before she left, she assigned a crew mber to show us to our quarters. Due to our early departure, we hadn't gotten much sleep. So, as soon as we arrived at our quarters, everyone trudged into their respective cabins to sleep for a few more hours.
This is when Anna and I ran into a bit of a problem. When we tried to enter our shared cabin, my mother and grandmother stopped us.
"What do you think you're doing?" Mother asked, raising an eyebrow at .
I stared at her for a mont, before I realized what the problem was.
"Going to bed?" I asked, feigning confusion.
I hoped that if I pretended the problem didn't exist, it would go away on its own. However, to my dismay, reality refused to conform to my wishes.
Mother crossed her arms and gave a hard look.
"It's inappropriate for an unmarried man and an unmarried woman to share a bed," she said in a firm tone.
"I was wondering about that," Grandmother Sky said. "When I saw the two of them, I thought morality had decayed among the youth."
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
I resisted the urge to sigh.
"Mother, Anna and I are practically married already," I said. "Does it really matter?"
"Of course it does! What if an accident occurs?" Mother snorted. "Or did you not even think of that?"
Accident? What was she talking abo-? Oh!
"Don't worry, Mother-in-law," Anna said in a dry tone. "That won't be a problem. I took precautions."
Mother gave her a pitying look.
"He can really be thoughtless at tis, can't he?"
Anna shrugged.
"True, but he more than makes up for it."
Grandmother Sky rolled her eyes.
"n," she muttered under breath.
I felt aggrieved being ganged up on like this. However, I couldn't say anything because it was my fault. I had been thoughtless.
"Regardless, Anna and I are sharing the sa cabin," I said.
Mother's nostrils flared and she opened her mouth to retort. However, Grandmother Sky put a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, leave them alone, Claire," she said. "They're married in all the ways that matter." She smirked. "Besides, you weren't any better when you were their age. Or do you an to tell that your son was born premature?"
Mother stiffened. She opened and closed her mouth several tis, before she sighed.
"Just be careful," she said, glaring at .
Mother turned and marched into her own cabin. Grandmother Sky gave a wink.
"Thank you," I said. "However, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but weren't you just complaining about decaying morals among the youth?"
"Yes, and? I never claid to be moral or upright."
With that, my great grandmother walked into her own cabin as well. I shook my head, before Anna and I entered our shared cabin together.
"'Precautions?'" I asked as soon as the door closed behind us.
Anna snorted.
"Of course," she said. "One of us needed to think about the consequences. Otherwise I would've gotten pregnant already, given how active we are."
The thought of having a child with Anna both terrified and exhilarated .
"What?" Anna asked, smirking at . "Disappointed?"
It took a mont to sort through my thoughts.
"Yes," I said, surprised by my answer. "Our children would be amazing."
Anna's eyes widened, before a wide smile spread across her face.
"Yes, they would be," she said. "However, we'll have to wait until after we deal with the demonic invasion. I'm not about to bring a child into a world on the verge of destruction."
I nodded. She made a good point. We couldn't afford to think about the future right now, not with the Infernal Lands encroaching upon Lumina.
"So until then, why don't we keep practicing?"
Anna pulled into bed and we spent a very pleasant night together.
The next morning, after everyone ate breakfast, my companions and I held a eting in the war room. The Vanguard of Vengeance was, first and foremost, a military ship. Not only that, it was also designed to be the flag ship of a fleet, with all the necessary facilities. This included the war room, which was supposed to hold high level strategy etings and the like. This suited us just fine, so we commandeered it for our own purposes.
The war room was a rectangular room with tal walls. A long table occupied the center. Glowstones were embedded into the walls in beautiful patterns. Not only that, but a map of the Solarian Empire made up of different colored glowstones took up an entire wall. These glowstones were dull right now, but they could be lit up to highlight specific areas. The colors could also be changed, to show troop movents and so on.
I stood in front of the map while the rest of my companions occupied the long table. Mother and Grandmother sat at the far end, more like observers than actual participants. Kiki, as per usual, stood behind Lord Dominic.
I fiddled with the glowstone map to highlight the entire Mirkvale region.
"Now then," I said. "Since we're on our way to Mirkvale Forest, let us discuss our plan for finding the enemy base."
Cally held up a hand in the air.
"Yes, Cally?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Is the plan to disguise ourselves and search for the enemy base in secret?" she asked in a sowhat mocking tone. "That's what we did the last two tis."
"No, though I did think of that," I said. "However, if we keep using the sa trick over and over again, it won't be long before our enemies catch on."
"So, what is the plan then?" Anna asked, resting her chin on her hand.
I gestured to the Mirkvale region on the map.
"If we went into Mirkvale Forest to blindly search for the enemy base, it might take us weeks or months to find them," I said. "Maybe even years. The place is massive and full of danger. Instead, I plan on asking the local Adventurers Guild for help. They know Mirkvale Forest better than any outsider. If anyone could help us find the enemy base, it would be them."
Priest Jai frowned at .
"You want to openly search for the enemy base?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? If our enemies realize that we're looking for them, what's to stop them from fleeing?"
I smirked.
"If we presented ourselves as a legitimate threat, perhaps. However, if we act like a group of amateurs led by an arrogant and inexperienced House scion, that's a different matter altogether."
"So you do want us to disguise ourselves!" Cally said.
I shook my head.
"Not quite," I said. "While the plan is to deceive our enemies, we will do so as ourselves. Make them think we're a nuisance rather than a problem, even as we search for them."
Anna frowned.
"Are you sure this will work?" she asked. "We foiled their plans twice already. Surely the Order of the Infernal Star is aware of us by now."
I shrugged.
"Maybe they are, maybe they aren't," I said. "It matters little. To everyone else, we still seem like a group of mostly Second Ranked Awakened. We're more powerful than we look, but the enemy doesn't know that. Even if they did, they don't know by how much. Unless they're abject cowards, they won't run. Not right away. They might even take this as an opportunity to attack us." I grinned. "I'm a Sturm, and my family has killed countless demon worshipers over the years. They'll want to co after , if only for bragging rights."
Anna narrowed her eyes at .
"That's your real plan, isn't it?" she asked. "Using yourself as bait."
I nodded.
"That's one of them, yes."
My companions, aside from Priest Jai and Priestess Natille, let out a collective sight of resignation.
"Of course," Cally muttered.
Leroy pinched the bridge of his nose.
"My lord, why do you do this to ?" he asked. "Is there any point in being your bodyguard?"
Anna crossed her arms and glared at .
"Is this normal?" Mother asked, speaking up for the first ti since this eting began. "Gabriel putting himself in harm's way like this?"
"Yes," my companions said at the sa ti.
Mother glared at .
"Does anyone else have any better ideas?" I asked. "Mirkvale Forest is huge. Even with the local Adventurers Guild's help, it would take us ages to find the enemy base. The quickest solution is to bait the enemy into attacking and capturing one of them alive." I gestured to Priestess Natille. "Afterwards, we'll let the lovely and terrifying Priestess Natille use her Holy magic to extract the location of their base from their minds."
Priestess Natille gave an innocent smile. It didn't fool . I experienced the nightmares she could give people.
"Here's an idea," Mother said. "Why don't you co up with a plan that doesn't involve you putting yourself in the most dangerous position?"
Anna shook her head.
"Don't bother," she said. "He'll just pretend to agree, and then throw himself into danger anyway."
"It's best to accept it and do everything we can to minimize the danger," Cally said.
"Trying to hold my lord back will just make things worse," Leroy said.
I looked between the three of them, frowning.
"Stop making seem like a suicidal maniac in front of my mother," I said.
"That's because you are a suicidal maniac!" Cally snapped. "Or at least, you act like one."
I rolled my eyes at her.
"I have a solution," Grandmother Sky said. "Grow more powerful. Right now, most of you are Second Ranked Awakened. However, I sense that you're all on the verge of reaching Third Rank. If you cross that threshold, you'll stand a better chance at defeating your enemies and-" She looked right at . "-protecting Gabriel from himself."
"That won't be a problem for ," I said. "I have sothing that will help reach Third Star."
Anna, Leroy, and Cally all chid in.
"So do I."
" too."
"I have sothing as well."
I looked between the three of them.
"You do? Since when?"
Anna snorted.
"Since before we left Templeton," she said. "We got a lot of resources from the Church of the Sun, including elixirs and rare treasures to help with cultivation. Rember?" She gave a mystified look. "Wait, did you not know this?"
"I've been busy," I said in a defensive tone.
"So have the rest of us, and we still made ti!" Anna shook her head. "At the very least, Kaya should've told you."
Now that she ntioned it, Kaya did want to talk with about the resources we received from the Church of the Sun. However, I had been too focused on achieving half unity with Aurora to care about any of that. After trying several tis, Kaya gave up.
"Regardless," I said, moving the conversation along. "Grandmother Sky is correct. We need to grow stronger. I want each of us to be at least Third Ranked Awakened before we reach Mirkvale Forest. The journey should take at least a week, if not longer, so that should be more than enough ti." I looked around. "Any questions, comnts, or concerns?"
"I have one," Mother said. "What's my role in all this?"
I pulled an invisibility bracelet out of my inventory ring and tossed it to her.
"Having a Fifth Star martial artist around might scare off the enemy, so act on your own for now. Use that bracelet to move around without being seen." I gestured to Lord Dominic. "Our resident artificer can show you how to use it." I looked around. "Anyone else?"
"Is there any way we can convince you not to act as bait?" Cally asked.
"No."
"Then nevermind."
I looked around. No one else had any questions or comnts.
"In that case, let's end this eting. We'll discuss things further once we reach Mirkvale Forest and figure out the local situation."
After the eting ended, almost everyone headed out to deal with their own business. Grandmother Sky, on the other hand, walked up to .
"Ready to consu the spirit core?"
I nodded. It was now or never. Once we reached Mirkvale Forest, I would be too busy.
"In that case, follow . I prepared a chamber for your use."
Already? That was quick. Regardless, this worked out for .
With that, I followed my great grandmother.
It was finally ti for to reach Third Star.
Reviews
All reviews (0)