Chapter 143 - The Prophecy Demands (Patreon)

Oliviala Le’Cruex (The Previous Day)

“Hold on, I want to see it one more time,” Cameron held out his hand, stopping Olive only a minute after they had parted with Jiran, Niya, and Mayalyn.

An explosive rumble split the sky as Jiran’s blue flames erupted behind their friends, sending them rocketing away at a speed nobody their tier should be able to achieve. Cameron whistled appreciatively while shaking his head, no doubt overwhelmed with jealousy. Olive couldn’t help but share some of that sentiment. Not only that, her heart felt like it was cracking in two watching them leave.

We’ll join you next time, for sure. Alas, duty calls. War rages and a direct order from Father is not to be denied.

Olive was pulled from her ruminations as two unfamiliar auras wrapped around them, attempting to pin them in place. She pulled her aura in tight, solidifying its power enough to move her body freely amidst the storm of energy lashing against her. She shared a look with Cameron and both of their hands landed on the hilts of their weapons as they turned to face the approaching trio. Two muscle-bound men flew on either side of a beautiful young woman Olive instantly recognized.

Why is she here?

Olive relaxed her stance, her arms crossing her chest. Cameron followed her lead, appearing both nonchalant and threatening at the same time, despite taking his hand from his hammer.

The girl’s voice was cheerful and mixed perfectly with the mischievous smile she wore, “Princess Oliviala, what a pleasant surprise. Or, it would be if Mother hadn’t told me you would be snooping about my betrothed.”

Excuse me?

“Princess Vironia, you’ve certainly caught me at a disadvantage. I’ve no clue who you’re referring to. Betrothed, you say? Is that all it took to finally convince you to leave the empress's palace? We certainly… missed you at the academy last season.”

“I’m sure you did. Indeed, my betrothed should be here somewhere. Well, nothing is chiseled in stone as of yet. Apparently, he is quite dashing. Oh, and powerful enough to impress Mother, if you can believe it, which is more than enough for me,” She licked her lips, her gaze roving over the small town below them.

Oh dear Mother above, she’s talking about Jiran. She's certainly in for a rude awakening if she ever manages to catch him. I hope I'm around to see that smug little smirk get wiped off her face.

An impish smile spread across Olive’s features as she imagined how hard Jiran would shut her down, if she could even make it past Mayalyn long enough to hold a conversation with him.

How does he create so much trouble? He went on a date for five minutes and this is the result? Now, he’s leaving for days. Emperors’ save us, he’ll probably start another bloody war before I see him again. I swear that boy is cursed. I could really use some help cleaning up the messes he leaves wherever he goes. Hmm, maybe Zhorix would be interested if I can find something to actually motivate him.

Olive’s smile turned overly-pleasant as she responded to Vironia, “Ahh, I understand now. Unfortunately, you just missed him,” She pointed to the receding blue comet that was only barely visible on the dark horizon, “He has an acclimation that allows him to leave the empire. I’m afraid you won’t be seeing him for some time. Good day then, Vironia,” Olive moved to leave, sliding through the higher-tier bodyguards’ auras with an ease that should not be possible for someone lower-tier than them, and they both knew it.

Vironia’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she realized how close she had come, only for her quarry to escape beyond even her mother’s grasp. Her guards wore matching looks of shock as Olive and Cameron resisted their redoubled attempts to hold them inside their tier six auras. Vironia snapped out of her astonishment when she saw she was also losing her only lead. “Wait! Come back here, Oliviala! I can’t return to Mother empty handeeeeeed!”

Jiran of Madra (Present Day)

Mayalyn was snuggled inside his cushion of aura when Jiran was awoken by a banging on the door. A blue-haired tigerwoman stood outside, one arm tightly wrapped around two young cubs struggling fiercely against her grip. Seeing as no one else was waking up, he yawned and climbed to his feet. When he answered the door, the woman’s surprise only lasted a moment before she smiled fondly at him.

“Jiran! I’m so glad you’re still here, I’m Elreyana, Mayalyn’s sister.” He instantly spotted the unmistakable similarities between her and Mathra, who she resembled far more strongly than Mayalyn. “Sorry to impose, I heard she was here and wanted to see her before she ran off again.” The two kids in her grip squirmed as she peered around Jiran’s shoulder to see inside.

“She’s still asleep. I’ll wake her up.”

“Woah, she lets you do that? Our worst fights were always when I woke her up before she was good and ready,” Elreyana laughed as she pushed a basket inside with her foot that had been outside their door. Jiran reached down and picked it up, when he tilted his head at her she shrugged, apparently not knowing who left it either.

Not wanting to be rude, he answered her question, “Now that you mention it, I’ve never actually managed to wake her up before she wanted to.”

“Hold on, let the kids do it. Maybe they’ll have better luck.” Elreyana set the two down with a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes before unleashing them upon their happily snoring aunt. The kids squealed in delight as they pounced on her and then rolled around on Jiran’s squishy bed of aura.

“Ahh! What, who, gaaah!” Mayalyn’s torment was her sister’s joy. The older girl laughed so hard she was bent over double, supporting herself with a hand on her knee. “Elreyana, you fiend!” Mayalyn gently wormed out from under the kids and then leaped to her feet, only to appear behind her sister in a flash of Enhancing-powered movement.

Mayalyn’s fingers lashed out, tickling Elreyana’s sides and sending the unbalanced woman to the ground. Jiran extended his aura, catching them as they fell into a tickle fight that quickly grew incredibly fierce. The kids scampered behind his legs, peeking around him to watch with wide eyes. Their mother was thoroughly being thrashed by Mayalyn amidst hisses, flying hair, and cursing that had Jiran’s brows rising to his hairline.

Is this what she meant by worst fights? I thought that was metaphorical!

Within minutes, Mayalyn emerged victorious. She sat on her sister, pinning her arms to her sides with her legs while poking her and cackling. Mathra had woken up during the commotion and stood beside Jiran with a proud smile, “Beautiful, aren't they? It’s too bad you didn’t come to us a season sooner, you could have had both.”

Jiran sputtered from the completely unexpected comment but quickly got himself under control and responded dryly, “It’s a little too early for bad jokes.”

“They’re a handful together, sure, but you could have handled it,” She winked.

“Mathra! If you keep meddling, you’ll be next,” Mayalyn’s hiss caused the smile creeping across Mathra’s face to vanish.

“Fine, fine, I’ll stop. He’s so fun to tease, you know? Are you three staying for breakfast?” Mathra’s tone turned hopeful as she began pulling fruits and meat from the mysterious gift basket. Niya perked up quickly, still half-awake, her face cracked in a wide yawn as she rubbed ineffectively at her stiff neck.

“We better not,” Jiran shook his head. “We’re on a tight schedule. It probably would have been best to leave last night, but I’m glad we stayed.”

“That’s a shame. At least let us walk you to the platform,” Jiran nodded and Mayalyn climbed off her sister after one more quick jab into her side.

“No fair! When did you get so fast and strong?” Elreyana whined as she rose and began ushering her kids toward the door.

Mayalyn stuck out her tongue, “Unlike someone, my priorities have nothing to do with dresses and boys,” Before he could say a word, she turned to Jiran with a warning look. When she was confident he wouldn’t betray her recent addiction to fine clothing, she victoriously sauntered to her still sleeping father. She gave him a peck on his snoring forehead before she stuffed a single book into her satchel and walked out the front door, her arm thrown across Elreyana’s shoulders as she whispered something conspiratorially into her ear.

The kids and Niya followed behind them, leaving Jiran hesitating and looking at Pepa. He gave Mathra a questioning glance but she only shook her head, “Don’t bother. He may as well be dead. Mayalyn’s a light sleeper compared to him. Oh, before I forget, thank you for those documents from Master Reihnhardt. Mayalyn read them to me after you fell asleep. By the time the soldiers arrive, everyone should know how to conduct themselves so we stay out of trouble. I hope you don’t mind if we rely on you in the future, if there are any issues?”

Jiran walked with her as they left, “Of course not. Until The People are back in your rightful homes in Azurelight, I’ll do what I can to help.”

“That’s very sweet of you, but unnecessary. This change has been hard, but also good for us as a whole. We have come together, united as a community in a way I never knew was possible. We decided, together, that we wished to stay in the empire, for better or worse. Even Viyolla agreed and the Aahmra sent word with his ascent. For the first time in our history, there is more to our lives than our little island, and we will embrace this new world.”

“That's… unexpected. I-I don’t—”

She silenced him with her finger on his lips, “If we ever discover how to use the portal, that might change. But we don’t desire to rely on you to ferry us back and forth. Now, we are here.”

Jiran followed her gaze to find the familiar pedestal standing tall atop its ancient stone platform and his heart began to hammer. Thoughts of the Aahmra and The People’s decision flew from his mind as Mana Omnis tried to perceive the dormant formations hidden within the platform. They were only a touch of mana away from illuminating a gateway that would take them on an entirely new adventure. He clicked his tongue when his sight and enhanced aura failed to penetrate the stone.

Someday, I’ll figure out how you tick. I still don’t even know how teleportation really works. So many things to discover.

Mayalyn had been swinging the kids around and throwing them high in the air while her sister did her best not to panic. When she tasted Jiran’s excitement, she handed the happily squealing child back to his mother before wrapping her in a bonecreaking hug. Mathra was next in line for Mayalyn’s punishment while Elreyana recovered with gasped breaths.

Jiran and Niya approached the platform. Niya ran her fingers across the edge of the smooth surface, her voice full of awe, “What is it? It looks like stone but I’ve never seen anything that makes me feel so… insignificant.”

Jiran was completely unable to resist messing with her, “It’s how we’re going to leave the empire. And if you thought flying with me was a rough ride, you’re in for a treat.” Her eyes snapped to him, her pulse quickening and she gulped nervously.

Mathra released Mayalyn and pulled Jiran into a crushing hug which he gladly returned. She kissed his cheek affectionately before pushing him toward Elreyana. “It was nice to meet you, Elreyana.”

“You too Jiran, and Niya. I hope Mathra didn’t scare you off. Mayalyn really is helpless with boys, if not for you, she’d spend the rest of her years-aahk! Joking, joking.” She threw her arms around her little sister one more time before releasing her to join them on the platform. The kids waved adorably, still too young to say goodbye.

“You two ready?” Jiran asked, his heart racing as the excitement for adventure reached a crescendo.

“Mhm,” Mayalyn nodded vigorously, her eyes shining brightly in the dim cavern.

“N-no, no, not at all! Where are we going? Is it dangerous? How does this thing work? And exactly how much worse is it than your flying?”

“We’re going somewhere called the Forest of Melodies. There are some pretty strange people there who sing instead of talking. The ones I met were only tier three, no clue how strong their leaders are. They seemed friendly, and I helped them out before so hopefully they’re happy to see me again.”

Niya seemed unconvinced as she shook her head, “You’re sure this is the best way to find tier sevens?”

“Probably not, but if I tried to fight the ones in the Imperial Catacombs, there’s a good chance one of the emperors would stop me, or mess with me, or who knows. We could also go after the tier seven Graymin, but that has the same problems while risking running into a bishop and dying. It doesn't cost us much time to check this place out, and if it's a bust, we’ll head for the Graymin and try to stay out of sight.”

While he was talking, Jiran fed his mana into the pedestal, and lines of energy sprang to life across the entire platform. A familiar list populated within his interface and he read through the options.

[Forest of Melodies]

[Jeweled Isles]

[Sanctuary]

Oh yeah, totally forgot to check that place out. Now isn’t the time, though considering how much mana it takes to go there. Okay, if there are tier sevens around the forest, I’ll check out Sanctuary as soon as I restart my timer.

Jiran focused on the Forest of Melodies and the platform drained a single percent of his mana to open a shimmering hole in space. Through it, they could see a pond that lapped lazily at the edge of a wood drenched in the deep darkness of a cloudy night. Lanterns surrounded the pond, their orange light reflected from the violet-and-cyan-shaded vines and trees, giving the area a serene, mystical quality.

“I don’t see anyone, but someone’s clearly been keeping the lights on for us. Shall we?” Mayalyn’s breath caught while Niya bit her lip, her eyes darting across everything visible through the portal. Jiran reached out and grabbed their hands, and then pulled them through behind him.

“Be safe! Love you Maymay!” Mathra called out just before the portal closed behind them.

Jiran’s aura immediately spread out in every direction, his mana primed to be released at the first sign of threat. As the boundaries of his manabody expanded, hundreds of people came into his range. He spun around, moving into a defensive crouch between the girls and the gathered forest people.

As one, the assembled group fell to their knees, their heads touching the soft ground at the edge of the lake. Their arms were stretched straight out toward him, hands clasped in a cupping gesture as if they were holding the pond's water. The leaves and branches growing from their bodies rustled and changed colors in hypnotic, synchronized waves across the entire crowd before some of those leaves wilted and fell to the ground, only to be replaced by fresh buds that grew in their places.

A hauntingly beautiful song swept across the gathering, the mana within it caressed the surface of the water, creating subtle, dancing ripples, “Oh great spirit! We see you and we greet you! You have finally come to save us, to enslave us. The prophecy demands we give you our hands. Yet, we offer you more, our lives, if you would free us from the hives.”

“Uhhhh, what?”