D.G. - Chapter 269 - A REWARD WORTH WAITING FOR

The Unbroken chased Jiran as he flew in the direction of Dokkuun's signal. They weren't moving quickly which was fine. After what he'd put their unformed auras through, he didn't want to send them into the portal anywhere near first. That honor would now belong to the Order of the Phoenix.

Hmm. There was no sign of the Mother Timberling in their soul-space. I'll have to rely on Daughter to find out if another Graymin King is coming.

While considering if he should reach out to her immediately, Jiran gasped. With his recent soul-space expedition still fresh, one of his minds had come up with a brilliant idea.

If Mana Transcendence can copy soulwall, could I use it to make her a new body? I did it once with the help of a skill. Even if I don't have all the required knowledge to pull it off economically, I should have more than enough to brute force it!

Jiran was anxious to start but wanted to give his full focus to the current task, first. After all, if Olive and Mayalyn already found the empire under attack by a tidal wave of Graymin, it wouldn't matter what Daughter had to say.

He picked up speed, arriving at the Forkara staging area. Both portals were open, and through them were familiar, dusky skies. Meanwhile, the suns hung straight above the Valley of Melodies, bathing the land in their combined violet radiance.

Should I get the People too? I'll let Mayalyn decide.

Jiran motioned to the Phoenix members, ”Move out! Do not engage anyone unless you are attacked first!” Their return cheers lacked even the tiniest enthusiasm, bringing a smile to his lips. “The rest will split evenly between the ground and sky portals.”

Orders acknowledged, the phoenix flew through the open-air portal without any actual complaints. Jiran followed them through. So high up, the difference in air pressure and heat was a subtle relief against his exposed cheeks. The desert sands below were already cooled, embracing the chilly onset of night.

There was no sign of enemies for as far as Mana Omnis could see. Jiran's concerns about the Graymin or a Voicer army descending on them at any moment were dispersed when Mayalyn barreled into him from the side. Her aura playfully grappled against his, displaying significantly more strength than their previous game. She giggled as he wrapped her in a hug, caressing her vibrant hair, “You did it!”

“And you are not late. How are we to celebrate such a momentous occasion?” She purred in his ear, soft body practically squirming against his thin aura suit.

Against his will, Jiran's cheeks flushed; it really had been too long, and Mayalyn was not helping. Olive saved him, her voice a silky distraction, “You made it in time. That's good. I'm almost positive we're going to need your… skill.”

“Did something happen? Is that why you took so long to open the portals?”

Olive shook her head sharply, the movement out of place for the usually calm princess, “We decided on a detour to the closest settlements to gather information. Rumors have Archbishop Daleese’s 3rd corps rounding up civilians en masse, preparing for some holy war. My guess is she expected Cardinal Andross to succeed and pushed ahead with her part of the coup without waiting for confirmation.”

Mayalyn interrupted, whispering in his ear, “See how tense she is? This is what happens when I am nice to her.”

Jiran nodded in agreement with both girls, then addressed Olive, “Safe enough bet. How do you want to proceed, Princess Oliviala?”

She recoiled as if tasting lower-tier meat, “Eww! Don't you dare start calling me that!”

“Sorry, just slipped out. Your serious mode is way too convincing.”

Olive could tell right away that he was trying to take the edge off her stress. She both loved and hated how well it was working. She'd been trying to calm herself down all afternoon and failed miserably, yet Jiran pulled it off with a few words. She returned his smile, her chest aching just from looking at him.

Olive breathed deeply, her muscles noticeably relaxing, “I think we should infiltrate their camp and take her out of the equation before she can order any mass executions. One word from her, and even you would be hard-pressed to save everyone.”

“Easy enough,” Jiran scanned the dunes below, not seeing any armies other than the rapidly growing Forkara forces, “How far are they?”

“An hour’s flight.”

Mayalyn grabbed his ear in a death grip, pulling lightly. Her voice was raspy, breath caressing his neck, “Do not dare go running off again. I have waited long enough. The night is young, and their army has already taken the surrounding Imperials. Allowing the darkness to deepen will only make our task easier and—”

Jiran cut her off with a passionate kiss. She molded against him, and the little sounds that escaped her lit a raging fire in Jiran. He pulled away, leaving her panting. He looked at Olive, intending to ask for a few minutes but she was desperately shooing him away with her hands, face red as the ripest fruit.

There was no further need for words. His aura wrapped tightly around Mayalyn, flipping them head-down. They blasted to the ground and into the sands, digging deep for privacy, both consumed by need.

***

Jiran held no qualms about cheating, utilizing mana until Mayalyn was thoroughly satisfied. She had been waiting—mostly impatiently—for weeks. By the time they finished, she was a completely different person. Her hard edge was gone, replaced by an affectionate warmth displayed through her aura with soft touches.

“Thank you, my Aajiran. I needed that,” she sighed deeply, relaxing against his bare chest in the burrow he'd created.

“I can tell,” he chuckled. Feeling the time was right, he brought up the question he'd been dying to ask, “What happened with your aura? What was holding you back?”

Clearly, the issue was no longer worthy of note, her voice as packed with affection as before, “Ahh. I was wondering if you would ask. I merely needed to remember that you and I are not the same person. We each have a role to fulfil. I was confused because of my parents' relationship. We are not them.”

Was that supposed to make sense?

Jiran couldn't help but be swept away by the raw love reflected in her honey-colored eyes, “I'm glad you figured it out. Now that everyone is at the same stage, we can finally move on to the second lesson.”

She released her excitement with a full-body wiggle that elicited a snort from Jiran. Then, his senses were pulled upward. He originally dug them just deep enough that he could keep track of the gathering Forkara and Unbroken. Now that their numbers stopped increasing, it was time to go. Mayalyn sensed his resolve before he said anything and stood to don her suit. She slid into the skin-tight material one limb at a time, preening from his gaze.

Then, they were flying back to the surface, his aura easily parting the compacted soil and sand. The army was arrayed in perfect rows, waiting for the call to action. Jiran found Dokkuun and Olive with their heads together over a map of the desert. Impressively, they had worked out a few rudimentary sounds and hand signals to communicate without a translator.

“Where are Niya and Cameron?” Reminded of their absence, he remembered not spotting them since arriving.

“Oh!” Olive spun around, her eyes wide and panicked. Since his aura had been present the entire time, he managed to thoroughly surprise her. 

Jiran's brows lifted and she looked down, red-faced with equal parts shame and embarrassment. Had she not been actively ignoring her surroundings, he never would have gotten the drop on her.

Mayalyn snickered behind him and Olive cleared her throat into her fist, “They went to visit Shara since we're in the area. Niya claimed we did not require her assistance for such a trivial matter.”

“That's a bit crazy to think about, isn't it?” Jiran mused, “Since when did a tier eight with an army of fanatics at her back become a trivial matter?” Jiran’s easy smile, relaxed posture, and soothing voice did wonders to restore Olive's equanimity.

“Should I not have let them go?” She met his gaze again, this time not looking away.

“No. It's fine. We can handle this without them and it shouldn't always fall on Niya to translate when I'm not around. Here,” Jiran handed her several empty crystals he'd taken from Sanctuary. “Fill these up while we're gone. That should give you enough authority to unlock the introductory interface.”

“Slow down,” Olive shook her head, “‘While we're gone?’”

Jiran arched a brow at Myalayn and she shrugged, “I am content if you wish to go without me. I am not yet used to my strength.”

Jiran nodded, having forgotten that it usually takes longer than a few hours for people to adjust to a sudden doubling in attributes. With that settled, Olive smoothly picked up where they left off, “How am I going to fill all of these? Each can hold more than my current maximum mana and after the changes in my manapool… I really don't want to run dry again.” She shuddered, recalling how empty she felt when her blood contained no mana.

Even before she finished speaking the question, Mana Transcendence was hard at work creating a formation packed with mana for her to draw from. Regardless, her words ignited the burning curiosity in him that had yet to be sated, “The minute this is settled, we're going over your new skills.”

“Okay!” She clasped the formation tight in her hands, leaning toward him. Her eyes contained just as much excitement as his.

There she is. Good. Glad she seems fine. Should I say something anyway? If it were me, I would want to talk about it.

Mayalyn nudged into his side, smiling up at him, “Let us girls worry about such minor details. You have your own tasks to concern yourself with, do you not?”

Olive tilted her head, not fully following Mayalyn’s native language. Jiran blinked at her too, wondering how she managed to so perfectly read one of his minds just from smelling his emotions. Mayalyn cutely flipped a few strands of loose hair over a shoulder, “It was easy. You are my Aajiran.” 

As if that explains everything…

Mayalyn sauntered to Olive's side, hooking her arm, “Come. Jiran will worry if we do no talk about how we did sex until I could no stand straight.” Olive's jaw hit the ground and Jiran's palm crashed into his forehead like a meteor.

Mayalyn cackled at their reactions while pulling the bright pink Olive away. Dokkuun, silently waiting his turn up till this point, looked between them with the saddest expression, “I mourn my lack of understanding. I would give a wing to know what she said to bring forth such a reaction.”

“Expect to be mourning a lifetime, then,” Jiran shook his head, watching the girls go.

Where did she even learn that word? Oh… this isn't their first time talking about it. Wow. Okay, moving on.

Focusing on his friend, Jiran shunted the embarrassment into one of his minds, “I'm not expecting a battle tonight, but I want everyone ready. Their camp is too close by to relax.”

“As you command, Senior Brother Guardian!” Dokkuun snapped a salute, fists crashing into his durable graphene breastplate.

“As for the Phoenix, keep an eye on them. Not one can be trusted until I say so.”

Dokkuun hesitated, wearing a deep frown, “I do not understand. Several among their number belong to the Rising Sky Faction and one even from my clan. The others, I understand. How can you so confidently say none are to be trusted?”

Jiran only hesitated a split second before deciding to tell him, “I have a skill that lets me know how someone truly feels about me. Every member of the Phoenix would stab me in my sleep if they got the chance. I don't know any of their reasons, just how they feel. Until their opinions change, I want them all in one place so they aren't poisoning everyone around them.”

Dokkuun was shocked silent for long seconds, “I… I understand, Senior Brother Guardian. I will ensure they remain segregated during your absence.”

Jiran's hand landed on his shoulder, “Thanks, Dokkuun. I plan to give my group a lesson in aura fundamentals when I'm done with the Voicers. Interested in joining us?”

“What?!” His exclamation was somewhere between a squeak and a chirp. “I would rather die than miss such an opportunity!”

“Good. You've earned more from me than I've given. Thank you for helping save my home the last time we were here. And for being a friend.”

“Stop, before you break this old bird's heart!” Dokkuun wiped at an eye, turning away to hide his shameful display.

Jiran gave Dokkuun's shoulder one last squeeze, then released him. “This shouldn't take long,” with a wave, Jiran lifted himself but paused when Dokkuun yelled after him.

“They are camped that way, Senior Brother Guardian.”

“Right, thanks.” Jiran spun to face the complete opposite direction he was about to fly in. Dokkuun watched as Jiran's clothes morphed into an aura-resistant suit. A layer of light-bending mana shimmered into existence directly atop the cloth. Then, he vanished as if he'd never been.