D.G. - Chapter 264 - PERFECTION

Hold on, the mana inside that ship was emperor tier. I could max out my Growth in no time! Okay, new highest priority is bringing that ship back.

Brimming with motivation, Jiran took to the skies. He raced in the last direction he'd seen Ardon, intending to bid him farewell before leaving. Jiran had no idea if there was a protocol nobles followed when parting, but figured it wouldn't be necessary since being a ‘country bumpkin’ hadn't stopped him from forming good relations with any of the other high rankers he'd met.

Ardon was with two other tier nines. Jiran recognized them from the meeting before, where they sat on either side of the prince. He was only slightly embarrassed he didn't know their names. Ardon's group was famous across the empire, though clearly their fame couldn't compare to Jiran's lack of a formal education. If he did hear their names when he was a kid, that was before gaining enough Intelligence to develop an eidetic memory. 

The trio were ripping apart the undead in a tier nines version of melee—swinging weapons so hard the released air pressure tore the beasts limb from limb. They turned at his arrival, auras stretched wide to hold off the sporadic monsters.  It hadn't been obvious at first, but the disfigured creatures were definitely thinning the further he got from Sanctum. What he was seeing now likely represented their typical population density and the only reason there were so many before was from the mind-controlling burgheist drawing them together. 

Jiran's theory was backed up by a lack of tier ten mana inside the beasts; when he first laid eyes on the undead wastes, the area had been packed with the stuff.

Winged by his two remaining party members, Ardon lifted a hand in a friendly greeting and Jiran lowered his head respectfully. The prince flew closer, hands alighting on Jiran's shoulders, “Jiran of Feylon, do you bear tidings of the Graymin King?”

“No, not yet,”

Ardon's hopefulness evaporated and he worried his lip, “I see. Then… why?”

“I'll need to visit a special location for the divination. I came to say goodbye, and I was wondering if you think the church is going to cause any more problems.”

Ardon huffed, annoyed, “How much do you think you need to handle on your own? You have your tasks, please leave these other concerns to us.” Jiran stared blankly at Ardon, his expression screaming that he was worried entirely because every previous problem had fallen on his shoulders to clean up. Ardon narrowed his eyes, hands squeezing Jiran's shoulders a little too hard, “Has anyone ever told you that you have a nasty personality?”

Jiran snorted, not expecting the question in the least. He nodded, “Quite often, My Prince.”

Ardon chuckled, “Good. So long as you know. Put thoughts of the church from your mind. I will be dealing with them personally. As for your salutations, I assume my precious, darling little sister is going with you?”

Jiran nodded in confirmation and Ardon leaned closer, voice turning dark, “Treat her well, Prince Consort. If I discover you've made her cry, the repercussions will not be enjoyable. Do I make myself clear?”

Jiran could appreciate the love between siblings. He felt a similar sense of protectiveness for Niya. Still, he wasn't about to back down first, “Sorry, I can't make that promise. She enjoys being teased far too much.”

“She does, doesn't she!” Ardon agreed with a hearty laugh. Settling down, he pulled Jiran into a crushing hug, squeezing the air from his lungs. Despite the potentially dangerous force, there was real warmth there. Jiran soaked it up like a dry sponge.

Separating just as abruptly, Ardon turned him around and clapped his back, “Off with you, little brother-to-be. May you thrive.”

Recovering with a cough, Jiran turned back to the trio. Ardon's friends wore wide grins that failed to mask the sadness in their eyes. It was there in the prince as well. The emotional loss of two team members that they must have known for hundreds of years was beyond Jiran's ability to fathom. He smashed a fist to his chest, chin high and voice firm, “Alor! May you thrive!”

Taking pity on them, Jiran withdrew enough mana from Armament to restore each of them to fifty percent. The moisture building in their eyes, and the crispness of their return salutes was more than enough appreciation to make the sacrifice worth it.

Jiran’s return trip to the city was over in a flash even without burning mana into combustible hydrogen. Having used Gaze of Pediamus on each of his friends, finding them was as simple as tapping into the connections left behind after its use. He decided to call them tethers, and was dying to know how many he could have at one time. So far, he had fifteen and cycling through each in rapid succession didn't reveal any issues.

He also decided not to tap into certain individuals very often, as seeing through Niya's eyes revealed a close-up of Cameron right as the boy was detaching from her face. The close call had disgusted shivers racing up Jiran's spine.

That… was way too close! Never checking on those two again unless it's an emergency.

Arriving above their tent in the army's camp, Jiran brusquely knocked on their auras. They tapped his back in confirmation, so he flew off to get Olive and Mayalyn. The girls were exactly where they said they'd be and within a few minutes, the five of them were flying northeast toward the teleportation platform that would bring him back to the Forest of Melodies.

“Feels weird leaving…” Cameron looked back at the receding city and army, voice tinged with melancholy.

“Not for me. Can't get away fast enough,” Niya huffed, impatiently pushing all their auras from behind.

“Says the one who blew up half the city,” Jiran was already grinning before she turned to him with a furious glare.

“One little cathedral is half now?! No way you're pinning that whole mess on me! Far as I'm concerned, everything that happened after is entirely your fault.”

Olive joined the conversation with a snarl, “Serves them right for what they allowed to happen. I nearly lost both my siblings, and if Andross had his way, every last man, woman, and child would have become a slave to that monster. The loss of half a traitorous city was a small price to pay to remove that blight. Now, we can move forward, growing healthy and strong, united.”

“United won't happen until we convince Archbishop Daleese to relinquish command of The 3rd Corps,” Cameron reminded them of their current mission.

Jiran shook his head, voice hard, “If she gives us any trouble, she can join Mathayes in discovering the joys of Mana Venom.”

“Perhaps we should leave that as a last resort?” Olive frowned, lips twisted.

“No promises. I'm not going to give her time to whip her entire army into a frenzy if she's unwilling to cooperate. I can always cleanse her after the situation’s under control. You can diplomacy her to your heart's content when she doesn't have any mana of soldiers to murder you with,” Jiran sounded grumpier than he meant to, unused to feeling so protective of Olive.

He shrugged it off, not minding the emotions swelling in his breast at all. Thanks to Mayalyn and Olive, his life had never been more perfect. Anything threatening them would regret being on the receiving end of his complete and unconditional attention.

The princess had the decency to look at the ground far below, cheeks colored with embarrassment. Niya rolled her eyes, and Cameron stared at Olive like she grew a second head, “You sure gave up quick! How many times… No, I've never seen you give up when you didn't get your way. Mortemer, my dear friend, you just made history!”

“Oh, shut up!” Olive and Jiran snapped in unison, then locked wide eyes on each other before the whole group burst into laughter. The trauma from their shared life and death struggles bled free with each guffaw, deepening their need to let it all out.

Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, Jiran spotted Mayalyn giving him an odd look packed with more than a little mischievousness. When he curled an eyebrow at her, she looked away, hiding a sly grin.

What's she planning? Whatever. I'm just glad she's feeling better.

Mayalyn gave him a healthy dose of side-eye, nose in the air and terrible imitation of Olive on her lips, “Since I have bestowed you with the honor of carrying me, I demand the services of your aura for… training.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Simple. You will gently attempt to touch me, and I will stop you.”

Jiran wasn't even close to being fooled but the game sounded fun so there was no reason to call her out. Her eyes bulged when he started right away, viciously tickling the spot on her side that always had her in stitches. Her whole body convulsed, unable to draw breath and he didn't stop until she gathered her wits enough to fight back with her aura. He eased up until she could barely stop him with all her auric might. After that, the game held an appropriate level of threat for her to take seriously. She fought back desperately, unable to keep up with the complex twists and turns his aura could dish out, resulting in consternation broken by occasional outbursts of hysterical laughter.

Olive came to her rescue, angling close enough their shoulders were millimeters apart, “You spoke with my brother? Did he say anything strange?”

Jiran avoided the question like a seasoned diplomat, “Who do you take me for? I'm not the type to kiss and tell.” When she gaped at him, Jiran called out to Cameron, “Hey, did I tell you about Olive's reaction the last time we—”

Realizing what he was about to spill, she slammed her hands over his mouth, “No! Don't you dare! Fine. I won't ask again. But you must promise to keep your mouth shut, do you hear me, Jiran?!” Her hands weren't nearly large enough to hide his shit-eating grin.

Yeah. This life is perfect.

The rest of their flight was spent in companionable silence interrupted only by Mayalyn. They soon arrived at the plot of land thoroughly destroyed from his brief encounter with two Templari. Jiran briefly considered burying the platform again but decided against it. Not like anyone other than him and Niya could use it until he revealed the secrets of gaining authority.

“Here. You're going to need these,” Jiran handed two full Sanctuary crystals to Niya. “Please don't get too close to the archbishops army before activating those. The Forkara, and hopefully me as well, will be ready to go by the time you're in position.”

“You're not coming with us?” Olive asked, concern coloring her usually crystal-clear voice.

“Nope. I need to take a small detour,” Jiran abruptly smashed through Mayalyn’s desperately struggling aura. He wrapped her up and pulled her in for a tight hug. Her scent overwhelmed his senses in the best way. 

Before he got completely lost, he pushed her to arms length, pinning her with a serious look. His aura firmed around them, creating a moment of privacy. There was something important he needed to get off his chest before it became a problem. “Maymay, I know you like to tease Olive. I do too; she makes it too fun. And, I know you can scent her emotions.”

Mayalyn frowned, a storm of confusion building behind her eyes, “Where are you going with this?”

Jiran leaned closer, cupping her cheek, “You will always be the first to know when someone's feelings have been hurt. However, by that point, the damage has already been done. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that you've been pressuring her from the very beginning. I don't know why you were aiming for the three of us to be together all along. It's not like we fought you very hard on it, and I'm certainly not complaining, nor blaming you in any way. All I'm asking is that you respect the speed she wants-no, the speed she needs to take things. Don't push her too hard, please.”

Mayalyn’s frown deepened and her nostrils flared with indignation, “In what way have I pushed too hard? All of us wanted this, even if you two would have never admitted it! What are you trying to say?! Your words and emotions are not in alignment and I do not care for it!”

Jiran felt the need to pinch the bridge of his nose but held back, refusing to blink. Backing down in any way before the strong-willed girl would only hurt them both and that was the last thing he wanted. “Olive has never even considered what it would be like to be in a relationship before we came along. She can barely walk straight after a kiss. She clearly needs time to adjust. You two are almost opposites when it comes to physical affection. So, don't push too hard.”

After repeating himself, Jiran scooped up her hands in a lightning-quick movement, gingerly holding them to his chest, “After that training, I can tell you're still struggling with something important that I can't help you with. For the first time in your friendship, you need her more than she needs you. I'm worried about both of you.”

Mayalyn's face contorted its way through several expressions before settling on narrow-eyed anger. She thrust out her chest and lifted her chin. He could feel the shaking of her tightly wound muscles. She growled at him, voice low and husky as her lips pulled back to reveal sharp canines, “And what if I say no?”

Jiran was taken aback, not expecting her to be confrontational considering how she often agreed without fuss.

What's happening right now? She looked on the verge of agreeing, then this?

A question she'd asked him some time ago popped into one of his minds and once it was there, he couldn't let it go: ‘Are you prepared to claim us both, and to accept responsibility for everything that entails?’

She's testing me, right? Seeing how I'll respond when I have to choose which of them to protect from the other? Obviously, there's only one right answer.

Jiran grabbed her chin, jerking her head up as he towered over her. His voice held just as much threat as hers had, “If you can't play nice, then I'll bundle you up in my aura and drag you along behind me until you change your mind.”

A shiver swept through her and her eyes instantly constricted to slits. Since he was still holding her chin, her husky purr came out the side of her mouth, “Yes, my Aajiran.” Jiran gaped, then jerked his fingers away from her when she slowly reached up and tried to stick one of them in her mouth.

Wow… she really liked that. Noted.

Jiran forced his gaze away from her, shunting everything he was feeling into one of his minds so the others at least had a chance to think clearly. Turning to Olive, he shifted his aura so Mayalyn wouldn't pounce on his back, “Thank you for taking care of her. Don't forget to take care of yourself, too. And please, wait for me before approaching that army, even if all our forces are through. The voicers will be much less likely to cause trouble if with an army at our back.”

Olive was deeply touched, her mouth opening slightly and the rest of her features falling flat as she stared up at him. It was a truly delicious look, born from the implication that what belonged to him, also belonged to her. She reclaimed her wits with an audible gulp, “You're about to go do something dangerous, aren't you?” Jiran noded resolutely and she sighed wearily, “You'll be back sooner than last time, right?”

“Yes. Hopefully, I'll be back with Dokkuun before you reach Morothin.”

She took a deep breath, then threw her arms around him, “You better not vanish on me again! I… I really didn't enjoy that. It might have been the worst experience of my life, and I've been kidnapped by a murderous, deranged wildling before.”

Jiran hugged her right back and damn her warmth felt good pressed tightly against him. He whispered in her ear, “Leaving you two again so soon is the last thing I planned. This is important though, or I wouldn't go. I promise to be as fast as possible.”

Olive jerked back, her lips tightening in a scowl that couldn't at all detract from her natural beauty, “No. Do not be as fast as possible. Be as careful as possible. I can stand waiting… a little, if I know you're being cautious.”

“I can do that.” Jiran smiled warmly, then released her to point at his temples. He turned his fingers like two keys, “Cautious mode, activate!”

Olive's anxiety exploded into a snorted giggle, “What does that even mean?! You are too cute to be so weird!”

Jiran's smile faltered, “Cute? I think you meant handsome…”

“I meant what I said.”

“Not you too?!”