ã€ŠFeralHeartã€‹


 1 Chapter 1

    The bubbles floated up with my exhalation into the snorkel and burst near my ear, breaking the silence of the underwater environment.

    The noon sunlight broke through the impediment of the water, broken up by the rippling surface into wavy lines of light that illuminated my body, naked except for a loin cloth.

    I took in another deep breath through the snorkel and concentrated my mind on the exercises.

    Thunderclap Samsara Palms.

    The signature technique of my clan, developed and perfected over the five hundred years of its history.

    The lead weights on my waist and ankles kept me underwater, preventing me from floating up.

    Settling my feet solidly on the bottom of the indoor pool, I squatted slightly and exploded into motion.

    Back straight, muscles tense, I lashed out with my right palm in an arcing manner, aiming at an imaginary opponent diagonally from top right to bottom left.

    My palm was cupped in a manner that pushed the maximum amount of liquid in its path forward.

    At the end of its path, I laid my palm along the line of my forearm and withdrew it back to the starting position along the path of the least water resistance.

    I repeated the motion slowly, correcting any flaws I might have picked up in my form and integrating my breathing pattern into the movement.

    Inhale, strike, exhale, withdraw...

    Moving on to the other five movements; using my right arm, horizontally from right to left, from bottom right to top left, using the left arm for a diagonal strike from top left to bottom right, horizontally from left to right and finally from bottom left to top right, I drilled them repeatedly, slowing down to check for flaws.

    Satisfied that I was doing them correctly, I sped up the movements.

    The water around me became turbid as my arms began to blur. The streams slowly became an orderly vortex as I continued to repeat the moves.

    One set per second¡­

    Two sets per second¡­

    Three sets per second¡­

    When it got to the rate of ten sets a second, my palms were moving so fast that they displaced the water faster than it could fill in the gap, leaving a vacuum in their path.

    The surrounding water rushed in to fill the gap, creating an explosive rumble in the process.

    The thunderclap.

    That''s where the technique got its name from.

    When practiced to the level of fifty-five sets per second and above, the speed of the strikes broke through the sonic barrier and could cause sonic booms in the air.

    The sound accompanying the strikes was directed towards the opponent and penetrated their body to cause internal injury.

    As a pure beginner without the advantage of a Barrier to protect my body from the backlash of moving at extreme speeds and as a Hominum without the sturdiness provided by the beast bloodline, it was a miracle I had managed to keep up with my Bestia peers and reach this level of proficiency.

    Although a lot of that was due to the expensive medicines my father lavished on me to strengthen my body and the healing of my mother to ensure that I didn''t leave behind any latent injuries after my hellish training regimen.

    My muscles burned with exertion as I demanded more and more from them and sped up my attacks.

    Eleven sets per second¡­

    My chest burned from the lack of air as I was unable to pace my breathing with the strikes.

    Twelve sets per second¡­

    The speed of my strikes surpassed my current cognition capacity and I ran them on muscle memory and instinct as the lactic acid continued to build up.

    Thirteen sets per second¡­

    My brain grew fuzzy from the lack of oxygen as my arms drew upon it all to fuel the crazed speed at which they were moving. Suddenly, pushed too far beyond its limits, my left bicep cramped, deviating the direction of my strike.

    The disorderly stream interfered with the vortex set up around me and caused it to collapse inwards, slamming into me with the speed and force of several of my own strikes, forcing the air out of my lungs in a burst of bubbles.

    I stood my ground with my arms crossed in front of me and weathered the beating until the raging water settled.

    I slowly stood up straight from my protective crouch and breathed deeply through the snorkel as I closed my eyes and let the warm sunlight ripple on my face through the water.

    *snap*

    A sharp pain ran up from my shoulder and my eyes snapped open as I turned my gaze towards my trainer.

    I could see a distorted image of him through the water.

    He was six-feet-tall with a swimmer''s body with wide shoulders and a slim waist with wiry muscles that spoke of great power concealed within their bundles.

    Having perfectly awakened his Royal Bengal tiger bloodline, minor bestial traits had seeped into his features.

    His dark orange hair was kept cropped close to his skull with dark stripes running through it. There was a Íõ marking on his forehead and his eyes were a brilliant gold without any sclera. His ears were rounded with soft fur filling them.

    His orange and black striped tail lashed out in impatience as he overlooked me from the side of the pool.

    He also happened to be my father, the head of the Felidae clan.

    Flicking his finger at me again, a tiny bullet of compressed wind howled through the air, pierced the water and snapped against my other shoulder. His immaculate control of wind, his bloodline talent.

    A thin thread of wind formed, linking his mouth with my ear and his growl reverberated within my ear: "Again."

    So, I ran through my forms again and again until he was finally satisfied and I was utterly exhausted and could barely raise my hands.

    Dragging my weights along, I ponderously dragged my body out of the water, discarded the snorkel and collapsed by the poolside, my chest rising and falling with my deep breaths.

    A shadow covered the sun and I looked up to the golden eyes of my father.

    A stoic man, his square jawed, emotionless visage gave nothing away as we locked gazes. Then an appreciative light filled his eyes and he squeezed out the word, "Good" from his mouth and turned around to walk away.

    A warmth filled my chest. Father''s praise was a very rare thing and I appreciated every instance of it.

    Groaning as I dragged my protesting body up to my feet and divested myself of the weights, depositing them in a designated box by the poolside, I made my way to the infirmary.

 2 Chapter 2

    I weaved my way through the crowd of sweaty, semi-clad warriors and bustling nurses and doctors. Those of the branch families who recognized me gave way and bowed respectfully while the odd member of the main family threw hostile and contemptuous looks my way.

    All as it should be.

    I finally reached my mother. A petite woman with jet black short hair and feline ears. Her bloodline talent was healing and her blood relationship was very honoured, dating back to the sacred cats of Bubastis.

    She looked up from where she was healing the twisted ankle of female clan member and gave me a warm smile, running her eyes on the myriad bruises I had accumulated. Soft white rays of light illuminated the swollen area around the girl''s foot and the inflammation subsided at a speed observable by the naked eye.

    Within minutes, it was back to its original state.

    The girl got up and tested her weight on her foot. Detecting no trouble, she thanked mother and curtsied to me¡­ although it looked quite funny as she had to do it with an imaginary skirt in her exercise attire, which was barely more than underwear.

    I nodded my acknowledgement and she moved away.

    Mother healed my wounds while asking about my progress before sending me away with a kiss on my forehead. She was too busy now to talk. All the medical personnel were.

    I walked into the male section of the hot spring connected with the infirmary, scrubbing off the sweat with some soap and rinsing off the suds with water before stepping into the steaming pool.

    I let out an involuntary sigh as the warm water relaxed my knotted muscles, letting the built up lactic acid dissipate.

    There were several others in similar states of lethargic bliss in various positions in the hot spring. They were mostly from the branch family and nodded at me whenever their gazes met mine.

    Suddenly there was a commotion at the entrance and I lazily turned around to see what was going on.

    It was Bruno and his lackeys. He was my cousin, making him my main competitor for the position of heir. That and due to another reason, our relationship was just like fire and water.

    Just seeing the surly ass stomping into the bath, I knew that the moment he saw me, my peaceful soak would be interrupted.

    His bloodline was that of a Siberian White tiger. Those majestic creatures held the title of being the heaviest members of the Felidae family and as such, Bruno''s strength was no small matter.

    He might not be the fastest or the most agile but I had seen him smash a stone larger than me with his two-handed war-hammer.

    His icy blue eyes met my crimson pupils and sparks seem to fly. He ran a hand through his white hair that had dark stripes in it and stalked towards the bank of the hot spring opposite to me, settling into the water facing me accompanied by his lackeys.

    My eyes narrowed and my muscles tightened as I felt the bloodlust radiating off them. It was as if an ominous beast was facing me and my body reacted in a manner that readied me for fight or flight.

    My goal in the hot spring was to relax all my overworked muscles and rid them of their accumulation of lactic acid, preventing later cramping and muscular pain. But if they continued to take turns to lock me with their bloodlust, my muscles would automatically tighten, preventing me from achieving my goal.

    I sighed¡­ I could fight them but I was outnumbered and exhausted after my training. Also, it would be seen as a demerit to react to such childish provocation. As the future heir I was expected to show greater poise than that.

    I got up from the water and left the bathhouse, followed by the sound of their jeers.

    Even though I felt like punching the living daylights out of that brat, I actually understood why he resented me so.

    Sighing again and shaking my head at the memory of the beginning of our grudges, I walked into the adjoining dressing room and picked out one of the standard clan uniforms hanging there that fit me.

    On my way out, I paused in front of a full-length mirror and inspected myself.

    At five feet ten inches, I was just a bit shorter than father and had a body type similar to his. It was to be expected as I had inherited his love of the water and had spent hundreds of hours over the years, swimming in the various bodies of water in our locality.

    Broad backed and narrow waisted, I had inherited my mother''s oval face and sleek hair, although my locks were crimson, matching my pupils.

    My parents named me Mars after the crimson comet that passed over Ea on the day I was born. Mars had an orbital period of eighty-eight years and the next time I saw my namesake, I''d be an old man.

    I made my way to the library after a quick trip to the pantry to fill my rumbling stomach, pausing for a bit to have my identity verified by the librarian.

    Books were extremely rare and valuable commodities and the librarian was one of the strongest members of our clan¡­ although he was getting on in years now and his martial prowess was sure to have declined from his heyday when he was known as the Duke of Blood.

    I sat down on a stool, leaning my back against the wall by a small table that had been set aside for my reading, what with the frequency of my visits.

    I loved reading about astronomy due to my namesake and the behaviour of animals in the wild due to my pet theory that observing animals can help in predicting the personalities of those who carry their bloodlines.

    I flipped open the book I had been reading to the bookmarked page.

    It was an old tome that detailed the history of the post-war period. After the Demon Lord''s spell took effect and the Bestia were born as the only sentient race in Ea, non-sentient beings driven by their instincts called animals appeared.

    Their bodies were similar to the original beasts but they had none of their intelligence or their magical talents. But their formidable mortal bodies and keen survival instincts meant that they prospered in the wild lands that had been the former den of the beasts.

    The book I was reading talked about the habits of the Royal Bengal tiger, a majestic creature that lived in the extensive mangroves of the south-eastern part of the continent. It spent a lot of its time in the waters, hunting for fish.

    They were also formidable predators of the land, jointly holding the title of the king of beasts with lions. Hence the term royal in their name.

    Glancing up from the book, I noticed that the sunlight streaming through the window had caught a red tinge. A maid stood silently nearby. Seeing me awake from my immersed condition, she informed me that father and mother would not be able to join me for dinner and that I didn''t need to wait for them.

    I thanked her and walked to the pantry again, filling my empty stomach with a plate of the generic nutrition meal they served. It was mother''s creation¡­ a supremely bland mix of all the necessary nutrients tailored to suit the high energy demands of warriors. Head nutritionist of the clan she might be, but mother was no cook.

    Finishing my meal, I walked down the corridors of the keep as the servants bustled about, lighting the smokeless torches in the sconces. They each carried two pouches. One had fire stones and the other had ignition powder. Pouring equal amounts of both into the torches caused them to react and emit a steady white flame, illuminating their surroundings.

 3 Chapter 3

    On my queen-sized bed, Deimos and Phobos sat leaning against the headboard, with a game of cards spread out between them.

    Seeing me come in, they both looked up and Deimos leapt up delightedly from the bed, discarding her hand of cards and ran up to me and grabbed onto my arm and started pulling me to the bed after locking the door behind us.

    "Hey! I was going to win on my next turn, come back and lose like a good sport." Phobos said indignantly in her husky voice.

    She was a tall, slender girl with pitch black flowing long hair and bright yellow irises set in eyes with naturally pigmented shadows lining them, setting them off in her perfectly symmetrical face. Her ears resembled those of a panther, the source of her bloodline, with soft white fur covering their insides.

    Deimos poked her head out from behind me and stuck out her tongue.

    "Master''s more important now, ya? We can always play later¡­ and the cards are now mixed up so you can''t say that I would have surely lost." she said in her sweet girly voice.

    She was a petite girl, barely five feet four inches tall and had white hair that she kept shoulder-length and swept to one side. The most distinctive feature of her face was the tear shaped markings below her eyes that she got from her bloodline origin, the cheetah. Her ears too were similar to those sleek beasts.

    The markings and her huge green eyes made her look like a vulnerable little girl and she was extremely shy with strangers. But with those she trusted and was familiar with, she revealed her hyperactive side, a laughing and giggling bundle of cheer.

    Phobos huffed, "Shameless!"

    Suddenly a frown marred Deimos'' pretty face as she squeezed my biceps with her fingers. "Master, you should cool down properly after your exercise, ya. All your muscles are knotted up. If you go to sleep like this it''ll really hurt the next day. Scold him, Phi-Phi."

    Phobos'' eyes flashed, "It was Bruno again, wasn''t it?"

    "Shhh," Deimos hissed, "That bastard¡­ see if I don''t show him his place tomorrow." I could feel her hackles on her arms rising and tickling my skin where she was embracing my arm. Any mention of Bruno would always elicit the same reaction from her.

    I used my free right hand to scratch the back of her ear and soothe her. "Don''t worry¡­ leave it to me. The year end competitions are coming and I''ll beat the living daylights out of him on the competition stage and not a moment before. If I lose to my impulsion, I''ll make a really bad impression on the elders."

    I relaxed. She might look vulnerable and innocent but she is the strongest among my generation of juniors in the clan. If she really put her mind to it, at her speed, I wouldn''t even be able to touch her. If she beat up Bruno in my stead, I would forever be saddled with the title of a pimp.

    Sadly, with what my heritage as a pure-born Hominum and future occupation as a Tamer entailed, I was being called that anyway.

    Phobos gathered up the scattered cards on the bed and with a flick of her hand, shuffled them into a neat deck and put it on the bed side table. She patted the empty bed and said, "Come, Husband, take of your shirt and lie down here. I''ll massage the knots out of your muscles."

    Deimos pouted, "No fair, Phi-Phi. I''ll help too. Lie down ya, Master."

    She helped me undress and tossed my shirt onto a chair as I lay down face first onto the bed with my chin propped up on the pillow.

    Phobos'' voice grew stern, "Demi! Fold it neatly and put it where it belongs."

    Deimos shrank her neck resentfully and ran to fold the shirt neatly and put it in the bin in the corner that held discarded laundry.

    I chuckled, "You''re just like her elder sister. If I didn''t know that you are the daughter of the third elder and she the granddaughter of the first, I would have thought you were related by blood."

    Phobos smiled as she dug the balls of her thumbs into the stiff muscles of my back, loosening them and eliciting a comfortable moan from me. "Why, thank you dear. I love to think of her as my little sister as I make love to her. The feeling of violating a taboo makes everything so much more exciting." Her smile turned a bit feral.

    I kept forgetting that Phobos and Deimos were in a relationship before I joined in and took their virginity, turning it into a triangle of sorts.

    I felt a pair of dainty hands join in the massage and start working on my calves and I knew that Deimos had returned from her little errand.

    I swear that Phobos'' hands are some sort of magical instrument with how they manage to elicit so much pleasure with the smallest of movements.

    What Deimos lacked in technique, she made up in enthusiasm, working out the knots in my calf and slowly reaching the base of my foot where she dug her thumbs into the middle of the flesh, sending a tingle up my leg, through my spine and right to my brain.

    I felt my blood rushing to my penis, bringing it to life.

    I shivered with pleasure as Phobos'' deft fingers worked on the nape of my neck and kneaded out the stiffness and tension, sending jolts of electricity throughout my nervous system, bringing my member to full mast.

    Feeling the constraining discomfort of lying face down, I flipped myself around, startling Deimos who was working on my other foot now. Both of the girls'' eyes fell on the conspicuous bulge in my pants and Deimos gave a delighted chuckle and with one smooth motion, divested me of the last piece of clothing, revealing me in all my naked glory.

    Deimos'' eyes gain a predatory cast as she stalked towards the engorged organ on all fours in a sinuous and sultry manner. Her white tail slipped out of her loose night gown and lashed about, hiking up her thin garment and exposing her firm behind.

    A sudden influx of pleasure from my palm drew my attention to Phobos who had my palm in her lap and was pressing her slender fingers into the pads of muscle between two fingers at their base. She seemed to have found some pressure point because the levels of pleasure otherwise are just absurd.

    Her figure was back-lit by the torch, revealing the beautiful curve of her body line through her translucent night gown.

    My crimson eyes locked onto her yellow ones that were glittering in the soft red radiance of the muslin covered torch. The lust in them sparked mine and I freed my palm from her grasp and grabbed onto her wrist.

    Sitting up, I pulled her into my embrace and locked my lips with hers. The heady fragrance of her pheromones filled up my lungs with each breath, driving my arousal to higher realms as I explored her mouth with my tongue, chasing down hers.

    Suddenly I felt soft, smooth skin rubbing against my penis. I shivered as exquisite hands massaged my balls and a rough tongue moistened by saliva licked my glans.

    In my excitement, I nearly forgot Deimos.

    In that moment of my stagnation, Phobos took over the offensive and pushed her tongue into my mouth. Like Deimos and almost all other members of the Felidae family, her tongue too was rough, designed to lick the meat off the bones of her prey. She scoured every inch of my mouth and teeth, sending jolts of pleasure into my skull as she licked my palate. Her hands twined my hair at the back of my head as she pressed her mouth into mine.

    Not to be overshadowed, Deimos continued to knead my balls gently and included my member into her small mouth, every warm and moist breath sending a tingle up my spine. She bobbed her head up and down in slow, long strokes, taking me deep into her throat with each movement.

    Her throat convulsed around my glans whenever she took me in deep and her tongue went to work on it whenever she drew her head back, carrying me onto an ascending spiral of pleasure.

    Unable to endure, I hugged Phobos tightly and moaned into her mouth as I released my lust deep into Deimos'' throat.

    Deimos swallowed the white liquid as it came out of me and her throat convulsed over my penis, increasing the pleasure and further prolonging the ejaculation.

    Finally, unable to endure the amount, she choked on it a bit and hurriedly drew out the penis from her mouth.

    A string of saliva and cum remained connecting her lips to my urethra. It shone a silvery red in the light of the room.

    Phobos drew back from our kiss, her pale white skin flushed red from arousal.

    During our embrace, I felt something hard covering her ample chest. Feeling curious about why she was wearing a hard bra, when she was preoccupied by the aftershocks of our kiss, in one smooth stroke I divested her of her thin nightgown, revealing her body in her undergarments¡­

    Except that there were no undergarments. Just a white coloured hardened material which I recognized as chocolate. Freed from its constraints, her black tail lashed about displaying her embarrassment as I stared at her dumbfounded.

    Looking downwards, even her vaginal area was coated with white chocolate.

    Chocolate was the ultimate of luxuries. The cocoa tree grew only in the lush soils of the equatorial area in the central part of the continent.

    Transportation across such vast distances was extremely expensive to the point where the price turned time for every trade point along the pre-determined route.

    Thus, in my area, which was near the south eastern part of the continent, the price of chocolate was sky high.

    Looking at my surprised face, Deimos licked her lips, swallowed the last bit of cum and chuckled. "Master, tomorrow is your name-day and we wanted to surprise you with a gift so Phi-Phi and I pooled our money together to buy two bowls of chocolate. One dark and one white," she discarded her thin shift and tossed it away, revealing that she too had underwear painted on her with the foodstuff, just in dark chocolate. "Like it ya?"

 4 Chapter 4

    I trailed kisses down her ear to her chin and then down her neck, pausing over her jugular to lay a soft bite.

    Her feral instincts rebelled at being held in such a vulnerable position. Shivering with excitement, she arched her back as she grasped me tightly, her nails digging into the muscles of my back.

    With my free hand, I lightly raked my nails down her spine, making her mewl piteously and curve her flexible body even further. Her tail wrapped around my arm, keeping me from moving it further.

    Getting up, I settle into a half-kneeling position with my knees on the bed. My grip on her hair causes her to rise along with me, her petite frame unable to reach the bed with her knees, she has to support herself precariously using her hands on my shoulder and the muscles of her calves.

    Closing my eyes, I decide to only use my sense of smell and taste to perceive her. I trail my tongue down her collarbone onto her chest, leaving a silvery line of saliva on her soft skin.

    Suddenly a bitter-sweet taste explodes on the tip of my tongue and I know I have reached my goal. Inhaling deeply, I take in the intoxicating scent of her pheromones mixed with chocolate.

    My penis twitches with arousal.

    Impatient, I roughly bite down on her left breast, cracking the layer of chocolate on her. The chocolate is hard on the outside and semi-solid from the heat of her aroused body on the inside.

    A large chunk of the confectionery peels off, revealing the fair skin beneath, flushed red with her lust and the light of the room.

    Including the chocolate into my mouth, I chew on it to melt it and the flavour permeates my mouth. Crushing her body into my chest, wrap my arms around her as I bring my lips down onto hers.

    She kisses me fervently, her eyes dazed with lust and her breath loud with her excitement. We pass the mixture of chocolate and our saliva from one mouth to another as we wrestle with our tongues.

    Immersed in the sensation, I can only tell the passage of time from how the taste of chocolate slowly goes pale, replaced by the uniquely sweet flavour of her saliva.

    Suddenly, I feel something warm and sticky envelope my erect member. I gasp at the sudden stimulation and draw back from the kiss, both of us gasping for breath.

    While I was busy playing tonsil hockey with Deimos, Phobos had busied herself with peeling off the chocolate from her immaculately shaved pubis and re-melting it on a crucible I keep in the room for concocting my body strengthening potions.

    The warm and sticky sensation was her using a wide brush to paint the chocolate onto my penis.

    Not to be outdone, Deimos too gets down on all fours and starts to lick my penis. The two girls use their heads to service me while tussling with each other''s tongue.

    Soon, my penis is sparkling clean with a glistening coat of saliva as the two girls devolve into a bout of kissing as they try to ingest the maximum amount of the confectionery from the other''s mouth and I am suddenly left out of the action.

    Appreciating the show, I move behind Phobos and embrace her from the rear, snaking my right arm around her to reach for her uncovered pubis and grabbing Deimos'' hair with my left, linking us all together.

    When my fingers touch her slit, they come away glistening with her lust. She has apparently had enough of foreplay.

    Without hesitation, I spread her apart with my fingers and insert myself deep into her with one slow and long stroke. She purrs with pleasure and the vibrations cover her entire body, converging on her loins, nearly making me lose control and cum instantly.

    Her tail lashes against my stomach as her vibrations subside.

    I pull on Deimos'' hair gently to separate them. I am going to thrust and if they are still entangled, their teeth might injure the other''s mouth.

    Understanding, Deimos bends down and wraps her arms around Phobos'' waist, bringing her tongue to her clit.

    Entangling both her hands into Deimos'' hair, Phobos arches back with pleasure as the rough tongue scrapes against the sensitive nub of flesh.

    Wrapping my right arm around her waist from the back, I use my left to grasp her chin and twist it towards me, locking our lips as I begin to piston. Slowly at first then with increasing vigour.

    Breaking free of my grip, she leans back against my chest and buries her head into the crook of my shoulder, deeply inhaling my scent as she lets loose with increasingly loud moans.

    Her husky voice penetrates my eardrums and blows away my reason as her flexible and tight insides convulse rhythmically around my penis.

    Clenching my buttocks to prevent myself from cumming, I grab one of her chocolate covered breasts with my free hand, shattering its coat of milk chocolate that scatters all over Deimos, covering her back and hair in a layer of delicious frost.

    Phobos'' breasts are quite large, spilling out of the seams of my hand as I knead them while pounding into her.

    Stimulated on three of her erogenous zones simultaneously, Phobos cannot hold back her orgasm and with a husky caterwaul, she reaches release, blowing a tide right into Deimos'' expectant mouth.

    Deimos sits up, wiping the liquid lust off her face with the back of her fist and then licking it off while Phobos collapses onto me breathing hard with my penis still hard inside her.

    In this moment, Deimos looks just like a house cat cleaning herself.

 5 Chapter 5

    Leveraging the solidified confectionery with my nails, I pulled them off her, revealing her beautifully shaped chest and leaving me with two chocolate moulds of her bust.

    I''d had enough of chocolate for the night. For now, I just wanted to fuck the girls'' brains out.

    Noticing the blazing desire in my gaze, Deimos smiled toothily and reached down and broke off the dark chocolate covering on her pubis, revealing her dripping genitals to me. Discarding the pieces to the side, our bodies intertwined as both of us were unable to wait any longer.

    I buried my face in her soft and ample bosom and took in the unique scent of her femininity. Licking the remnant chocolate off her breasts, I moved my tongue in a converging spiral from the base of her mound to her erect pink nipple while I kneaded her other breast with my hand.

    Moaning cutely with pleasure, she laced her fingers through my hair and pressed my head to her chest.

    I bit down gently on her nipple, sucked it and flicked it with my tongue, making her shiver and arch her spine.

    Moving from one breast to another, I thoroughly teased her until the protests of my throbbing penis made me move on to the meat of the matter.

    Leaning back suddenly and lying down on the bed, I pulled the unprepared Deimos on top of me by my grip on her breasts, causing her to straddle me with my erection pushing against her flat and soft stomach.

    Burying my head in the valley of her chest, I held her down to me with one palm on the small of her back while I snaked the other arm over to her tail and twined it around my wrist and gripped it tightly.

    Pulling her behind up by her tail, I guided her slit over my raring penis, eliciting a lustful groan from her. Unlike Phobos who preferred to be treated with care, Deimos loved being treated rough.

    Filling my lungs with her scent, I slammed down my fist holding her tail and drove her down onto my erection, penetrating deep into her insides and touching the entrance to her womb.

    She was like a raft on the rapids of lust, her tail was the rudder and I her boatman guiding her through the eddies of arousal until both of us reached the brink of the huge waterfall named climax and plunged over the edge.

    My semen flooded her womb and both of us collapsed exhausted and breathing heavily, her vagina still convulsing around me from the aftershocks of her orgasm.

    Letting go of her tail, I straightened out on the bed, relaxing as she lay on top of me with her soft mounds squashed against my firm pectorals and her face buried into the crook of my neck, tickling me with her rhythmic expirations.

    Now that we were resting, she carefully picked out the pieces of milk chocolate that were entangled in Deimos'' lush hair and spread over her back.

    She noticed that some of the chocolate had melted where it had been pressed between my palm and Deimos'' skin where I had been holding her down to me by the small of her back.

    Laying the bowl aside, she licked it off my palm and her back, making both of us shiver whenever her rough tongue scraped against a sensitive part.

    Finishing up, she shot me a seductive smile and walked over to the icebox with the bowl, swaying her hips sultrily.

    Depositing the bowl in the freezer to preserve the expensive chocolate, she walked into the attached bathroom of our room, beckoning to us to join her with a finger as she passed through the door.

    I looked down and met a pair of luminous green eyes that were still filled with desire.

    Grinning, I couldn''t help but pat her buttocks lightly, starting off waves on her lush posterior and eliciting a startled yelp.

    Both of us got up from the bed and I withdrew from her insides. She clamped her legs tightly to prevent spillage and walked wobblingly towards the washroom along with me.

    Laughing at the ridiculous sight caused her to shoot me a resentful pout which turned into an expression of pleasant surprise as I swept her off her feet into a princess carry and walked into the bathroom.

    Deimos giggled and linked her arms around my neck as she rubbed her face into my chest.

    "Master, master, masteeer¡­ I love you, I love you soo much!"

    Both of my girls were usually silent during sex, only speaking their mind through moans and grunts as they devolved into a primal state overwhelmed by their instincts. It was post-coitus that they spoke these precious words that melted my heart.

    I hugged Deimos a little tighter.

    As I stepped into the bathroom, I found Phobos had tied up her hair into a loose bun and was preparing the towels, soaps and oils necessary for our bath.

    Our bathroom was small with only a showerhead, a stone stool, racks for depositing towels, a drain port to one corner and a mirror and a washbasin in another.

    The shower and washbasin linked directly to the hot spring, providing a perpetual supply of warm water. There were two communal lavatories one for the males and one for females on each floor of our clan estate so a chamber pot wasn''t included in ours.

    I set Deimos down and she immediately went over to the shower to wash off her vagina which was leaking my cum. Sometimes, scooping some up to lick it off her finger.

    That was another difference between the two girls. Deimos liked swallowing my semen while Phobos never could get into the habit. She said that she didn''t mind the taste, but the feeling of it going down her throat didn''t sit well with her. It resulted in her passing on the semen to Deimos mouth-to-mouth whenever I came inside her during oral sex.

    I embraced Phobos from behind and kissed the nape of her neck and she purred before working out of my grasp and pulling me by my hand to join Deimos under the shower.

    The three of us rinsed the sweat and remnant chocolate off our bodies and let the warmth of the water seep into our skin along with its faint volcanic scent.

    Turning off the water, Phobos sat on the stool while I knelt behind her. Uncoiling her long hair, I gently rubbed the paste of baking soda and water that she had prepared into her scalp with the tips of my fingers while Deimos lathered all three of our bodies with a mild soap.

    Turning on the shower again, we washed off the soap while I rinsed the baking soda out of Phobos'' hair. Turning off the water, I rubbed in the vinegar she had set aside into her scalp similarly, causing it to froth and bubble with the remnant soda and dislodge any dirt that might have been present.

    Turning on the shower again, I rinsed out her hair, leaving it shiny and smooth.

    Phobos'' midnight black hair had quite thin strands giving it a soft and satiny feel while Deimos had lush and thick hair that was quite robust. The available soaps were too strong for Phobos so she came up with her current hair care regimen while Deimos was quite unconcerned and just used the regular soap to wash her and my hair.

    In my mind, I compared Phobos'' tresses to silk, gorgeous but care-intensive while Deimos'' lustrous locks were akin to cotton, robust and able to stand rough treatment but extremely comfortable to wear.

    While Deimos loved it when I or Phobos grabbed her hair, I still have the scars to remind me not to try that with Phobos. Her hair is like her life to her and she turns hostile if a stranger even touches it.

    Last year in the yearly clan competition that determined the resource distribution for the juniors, a girl had tried to grab her hair during their fight¡­ It took mother a lot of effort to fix her up.

    The very fact that she allows me to rinse her hair shows that she has admitted me into her heart and that there are no boundaries between us.

    A situation totally unlike our relationship two years ago.

    At that time, the two of them had entered my room for the first time and were tensed up like tigers guarding against another predator that had encroached their territory.

    We were brought together by duty, not love.

    Our first night was horrible with them baring their teeth at me threateningly as I unemotionally deflowered them. Painfully, as they weren''t aroused at all.

    I left them sobbing in each other''s arms as they sought solace from the warmth of the other''s body. I toured the entire clan that night, with the white sheet with the two bloodstains, indicating that I had laid claim to them both, another humiliation for them.

    It was required of me by clan custom and I was helpless.

    Since then we have come a long way.

    Sensing my unusual state of mind, Phobos turned around and wrapped me in an embrace under the shower of water. Deimos too jumped onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck making me hastily hold her thighs, lest she fall. She rested her chin on my right shoulder and rubbed her cheek against mine comfortingly.

    Phobos'' bright yellow eyes seemed to pierce deep into me, laying my psyche bare to her.

 6 Chapter 6

    Phobos said, "Husband, you are too lenient with Bruno."

    "Ya, Master, you let the bastard off too easy!" chimed in Deimos, indignantly.

    Phobos leant in and kissed Deimos startling her. When she recovered and put out her tongue, Phobos sharply bit down on it, causing her to shriek and cover her mouth with both of her hands with tears in her eyes. I had to scramble to support her thighs to prevent her from falling off my back.

    "What did I tell you about bad language? Hmm?" scolded Phobos.

    "Thu nwot ewje ith." mumbled Deimos through her hands.

    Phobos nodded, satisfied and ruffled her hair before turning her eyes back to me.

    "Husband, the more you behave in this forgiving manner, the more they think that you are weak. They will escalate the situation unceasingly without the fear of retaliation."

    I sighed. "Look, I plan to thoroughly defeat him in the year-end tournament and recover my prestige."

    I squeezed Deimos'' thigh. "I love Deimos and I won''t give her up at any cost but he is my cousin and I have the suspicion of seizing his wife. After all, she was once engaged to be married to him. I can understand his grudge against me¡­ if these petty actions can solve the hate in his heart¡­ then why not? I won''t make concessions to him for any truly important matter though, so you can feel relieved."

    Deimos tightened her embrace and said, "Masteer, I would rather die than marry that bas¡­" shrinking her neck at Phobos'' glare, she caught herself, "idiot."

    Phobos said, "Dear, you needn''t blame yourself for that. He and his father brought it upon themselves when they aimed at your position of the foremost contender for the position of heir.

    "They spread propaganda throughout the clan about how you were weak and wouldn''t be able to handle the responsibilities of Clan Head because of your heritage. They called you a coward who would always hide behind the skirts of women.

    "Not only did they want Bruno to displace you, but your uncle also wanted to seize the position of Clan Head as you are your father''s only child and your mother can''t conceive anymore.

    "I feel what your father did to retaliate was perfectly justified. Let alone¡­ it was we who proposed it to your father."

    "Huh? Why is this the first I''m hearing of this?" I asked, truly surprised at the revelation.

    Deimos piped up from where she had her cheek pressed up against mine, pressing her chest into my back causing her stiff nipples to rub on my skin, giving me goose bumps.

    "Master, you''re so silly, ya. How else could I stay together with Phi-Phi?"

    "Thus, after the awakening, we need to be contracted to a male partner who can absorb our portion of the divinity through intercourse, strengthening him and bringing us back to sanity at the same time."

    Deimos said, "So, you get it now, don''t you, Master? Since Bestia men can only support one Contract, we would have been separated if we were to marry one. Our only choice was to marry someone with a pure Hominum lineage like you since they can bear the load of up to six contracts.

    "It''s not like they would let us marry any Hominum, ya. Not with our pedigree. It had to be someone of equal or higher status, again, like you, Master."

    Phobos clarified further, "So, dear, from the very moment I fell in love with Demi, you were the ideal candidate in my mind for marriage. I believe Demi feels the same way. Her grandfather never asked her opinion when he decided to show his support for your uncle''s bid to the throne by betrothing her to Bruno.

    "He thought it would be extra humiliating to have you use your Contract magic to seal the alliance of your greatest rival with the granddaughter of the Elder with the greatest influence in the council. It was his way to strike at your father''s prestige."

    Deimos hugged me tighter, "When I knew about what Grandpa had done, I was so sad and furious. I ran crying to Phi-Phi and she took me to meet your father. He was so scary, ya. All stoic and grim. After we poured out everything to him, he just sat there glaring at us¡­ if not for Phi-Phi, I would have just up and run."

    Phobos took over, "Then he just said, ''Today onwards, both of you are my daughters,'' and then he walked out of his office and called a Clan meeting. You know what happened next."

    I was stunned at the series of revelations. I asked the question that bothered me most: "Then¡­ then why were you so resistant on our first night?"

    Phobos rolled her eyes and Deimos answered, "You''re so silly, ya. Just imagine a guy just walking in on you and Phi-Phi and sticking his cock into both of your asses."

    Both Phobos and I shuddered at the imagery and she grabbed onto Deimos'' ear and twisted while scolding, "Don''t make up such disgusting situations with me in it!"

    "Ai ya ya. Stop! You''ll twist my ear off. I''m sowwy. Stop!"

    Phobos finally let her off with a huff and she rubbed her ear with a teary pout.

    "Anyway¡­ husband, you must understand that both of us liked girls at that point and even though we had prepared ourselves for it mentally, there was no way we could adapt our preferences in the short time in which we were suddenly asked to give you our virginity."

    "Master, you don''t have to feel guilty about that, ya. It''s all good now and we love you just like we love each other. It''s what we wanted¡­ it just took some time to adapt to you, is all."

 7 Chapter 7

    Suddenly Deimos shook her head rapidly, causing droplets of water to fly everywhere from her sopping, short hair.

    Exclaiming in annoyance, Phobos tried to flick her on the forehead only for her to dodge out of the way with a challenging giggle and hide behind my back.

    Unable to get hold of the agile girl, Phobos glared at her as she poked her head out over my shoulder. They engaged in a staring contest for a moment before devolving into a fit of giggles as I watched on in bemusement.

    Exiting the washroom, Deimos ran over to where she had discarded her shift onto the floor and slipped it on.

    Phobos walked over to the bed at a more sedate pace and inspected her crumpled nightwear and found it stained with chocolate.

    Sighing, she folded it up and deposited it in the bin before joining me at the closet to select another shift. I wore my pyjamas and held the neck of her shift open so she could easily slip into it without disturbing the towel wrapped on her head.

    As she went to bed, I walked over to the smokeless torch and removed the muslin cover from it. The white light hurt my eyes after the dim red radiance.

    Setting the cover onto it to smother the flame, I plunged the room into darkness only lit by the dim starlight that seeped through the window.

    When I reached the bed, I was greeted by two pairs of glowing eyes, one green, one yellow. The Felidae Clan had an eye structure similar to cats, giving them enhanced night vision and their eyes'' characteristic shine at night.

    We generally took turns sleeping in the middle as it was the most coveted position. Fortunately, today was my turn and I drifted off surrounded by their soft, warm bodies and lulled by the cadence of their breathing.

    ---

    ---

    Sol rose above the horizon, sending the first of his rays through the gap in the blinds in our bedroom and onto my sleeping face.

    My brow furrowed as it interrupted my slumber and dragged me out of my dreamland.

    Blinking owlishly against the brightness, my bleary vision slowly cleared.

    To my right, Phobos was still sleeping, a few strands of her having worked loose from her towelette and framing her symmetrical face and peaceful expression.

    I slowly worked my hand loose from underneath her with my free arm, careful not to wake her¡­

    Wait! Free arm? Wasn''t Deimos pillowing her head on it? Could it be that the lazy little girl had finally broken free of her excessive fondness for sleeping late?

    I turned around¡­

    And froze as my gaze met the emerald eyes of an apex predator.

    I swallowed a little saliva to moisten my dry mouth.

    The movement made her growl, a guttural rumble that made me feel like my soul would dissociate from my body.

    Feral transformation could occur at any point in time after puberty and before full maturity. Due to the variance in bloodlines, that translated differently for different bloodline clans.

    The females of my clan generally reached puberty at around the age of fifteen and awakened at around eighteen years of age. A female from the clan who hadn''t awakened by the age of twenty-two wasn''t expected to do so for the rest of her life.

    I drew courage from the fact that in the first few hours of Feral transformation, the subject retained a small portion of their consciousness due to it fighting a losing battle against the activated Divinity fragment of Vita.

    It was the only reason both Phobos and I were alive instead of becoming her morning snack.

    Knowing that any further delay would exacerbate the situation, I sat up slowly in a non-threatening manner with my palms facing towards her to show I had no weapons while I kicked Phobos''s leg under the sheet to wake her.

    My sudden movement startled Deimos and she backed up a bit warily, teeth bared threateningly and I finally got a glance of her full Feral form.

    A pristine white cheetah with dark brown spots and glowing, emerald eyes.

    I could pick out the familiar markings on her forehead that had carried over from her Bestia form. As we stared at each other, I could almost feel the struggle within her. Deimos loved us and wouldn''t harm a hair on our heads while Vita just wanted to watch the world burn.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Phobos getting up, then stiffening halfway when she realized the situation. Using my toe under the blanket, I wrote on her calf: ''Get help! Quick!''

    After a moment''s hesitation, the reply came: ''Be careful.''

    My sensation to her presence slowly reduced as she clad herself in the shadows around her. Light bent away from her form as she invoked the Tier 1 bloodline magic: Shadow Stealth.

    Thankfully, Deimos was still locked in her internal struggle and her attention was drawn to me. Otherwise, with her enhanced senses in her Feral form, there was no way she wouldn''t notice a big live person just vanish.

    Close beads of sweat covered Phobos'' forehead as she strained herself to use the Tier 2 magic: Shadow Walk prematurely while she was still a Tier 1 mage. Her darkened figure slowly sank into the shadows, seemingly integrating into them.

    A shadow near the room''s door started to bulge upwards as her figure materialized from it.

    I had to somehow keep Deimos distracted or she would notice her trying to leave. It is a predator''s instinct to attack any prey which shows its back. I didn''t want to take any chances as to whether Deimos would be able to fight off Vita''s will and her predatory instincts at the same time.

    So, I did the only thing that popped up in my overly stressed mind; I embraced her, linking my arms around her neck.

    Her resulting growl vibrated through my body. It was pitched higher than before and I could feel her muscles bunch and relax as she fought the impulsion to gut me with her claws or sink her fangs into my neck.

    *click*

    The sound of the door latch opening was especially loud in the tense atmosphere of the room and in my embrace, I felt the trend of Deimos'' musculature and predicted her movement.

    Just as she snarled and jumped towards Phobos, I swung myself onto her back and passed both of my arms beneath her forelegs and joined my palms behind her head, locking her in a full nelson.

    Her pounce interrupted and her forelegs locked, she slammed into the ground face first and a soft white radiance appeared at the point of contact. It was her Barrier, Vita''s divine power given form. Physical trauma was invalid to her until her barrier could be exhausted of its energy.

    Exhausting the Barrier was the most popular method to subdue Ferals as they would fall unconscious and revert to their Bestia forms when they were out of divine power.

    As I strenuously held down the fiercely struggling feline, I yelled over her caterwauling at Phobos who seemed like she wanted to rush back: "Go. Now! Get help!"

 8 Chapter 8

    Cheetahs were light cats, focused more on speed than strength. Seeing that she had no time to let divine power remould and strengthen her body, Deimos, currently was just as strong physically, as she was in her Bestia form, which is to say about as strong as me.

    If she used magic¡­ that was a whole different matter. Ferals had their magic amplified by the influence of divine power. A Tier 1 magic from a Feral would carry the might of a Tier 2.

    As Deimos was a borderline Tier 2 mage in that she could use the Tier 2 magic: Blade Edge Hurricane with infrequent success rates. If she used that on me¡­ I didn''t fancy my chances against a pseudo-Tier 3.

    Thankfully, Deimos'' consciousness was suppressing magic usage. So, I just had to hold on till father came.

    Snarling ferociously, she bucked hard, nearly throwing off my grip on her. I clenched my teeth and insisted, my biceps bulging under the strain as the force nearly dislocated my arms.

    My hands were growing sweaty from the wire walk between life and death and I could feel my grip slipping. This way I wouldn''t be able to insist till father''s arrival.

    Resolving myself, I gave up on holding her down, locking my legs around her midsection instead. Now all I had to do was hold on till help arrived.

    With an angry wail, Deimos turned into a blur and slammed into a wall back first, crushing me against the mortar and stone, causing fissures to spread at the point of impact. All the air was knocked out of my lungs by the jarring impact.

    Damn it. I was na?ve and underestimated the intelligence of a Feral. Just because it ran on instincts didn''t mean it was retarded.

    She took some distance and ran up and smashed me against the wall again, nearly dislodging my grip.

    The third time, I felt my rib cracking and I coughed up blood.

    Before she could slam me again, I spat my bloody spittle into her eyes, blinding her.

    Thoroughly wild with rage, she lost all reason and started dashing about the room, crashing into anything that got in her path.

    The Barrier protected her but I felt like one of the sandbags I usually practiced against or like a thoroughly tenderized piece of meat.

    Maybe that was what she was doing, tenderizing me for her meal.

    I tried to distract myself from the pain with my gallows humour and it worked in that I still kept my grip on her. Until¡­

    *crack*

    My world turned white as my right arm slammed into the corner of the bed and snapped, hanging limply.

    Seizing the chance and feeling my grip loosen, Deimos sank her teeth into the forearm of my broken arm, jarring the fracture and gouging out a large chunk of flesh.

    Finally, unable to hold on anymore, I slipped off her back.

    As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I could see her face looming over me with her fangs bared.

    So, this was where it all ended¡­

    Sorry Phobos¡­ I couldn''t follow your last injunction¡­

    Deimos¡­ I hope you won''t blame yourself too much¡­ it''s not your fault¡­

    Ahhh¡­ it''s my name-day today, isn''t it?

    After yesterday''s gift¡­ I can die with no regrets¡­

    Suddenly, the air in the room stagnated and there was one more person in the room.

    I could see my father''s golden eyes glitter within his face which was hidden in shade as he stood behind Deimos.

    I didn''t even see him move and Deimos'' head was smashed into the ground by his fist.

    The ground fissured as her barrier lit up with a blinding brightness, indicative of the strength of the strike.

    Without pause, he chained his fist into an elbow strike to her head, driving her deeper into the shattered ground and lighting up her barrier again.

    With a final shoulder drop with all his body weight behind it, the barrier shattered with a sound like breaking glass.

    Father''s infamous three hit combo: The Nutcracker.

    How appropriate.

    He shot a look at my mangled arm and at the unconscious Deimos, who was slowly morphing back to her Bestia form and walked out of the room.

    Always the cold shoulder from him¡­ like he feared I would turn soft if he showed me any affection.

    He-he¡­ I can see your clenched fist, you know¡­

    And mother''s probably on the way¡­ there''s no injury she can''t fix.

    Forcefully clinging onto consciousness and dragging myself to Deimos'' naked form, I dip the finger of my left hand into the blood from the open wound on my right arm.

    Using it as ink, I shakily painted the contract rune on the back of her left hand. The rune meant speed in the old language.

    Deimos¡­ you had to bite my dominant hand, didn''t you?

    My left-hand writing is poor you know?

    It''s not a stick-on¡­ it''s permanent. Permanent, you hear?

    A burning pain that felt as spiritual as it did physical originated on the spot on my left hand corresponding to the runic tattoo on Deimos. It cut through the fog of delirium that was covering my thoughts and I saw the crimson rune etch itself onto my skin.

    In the last moments of my lucidity, I saw mother rushing into the room, her face a rictus of concern, followed by a hysterical Phobos.

    Don''t make that face girl¡­ I''m peachy¡­

    I just¡­ need¡­ to¡­

 9 Chapter 9

    She turned around and walked to Demi who was standing at the washroom mirror, obsessively brushing her teeth with a neem branch.

    Embracing her from the back, she held onto her hand, stopping her from continuing to torture herself.

    Prying away the small branch from her hand, she found that it came away bloody. She discarded it in a bin by the side.

    The petite girl had brushed her teeth so hard, she had caused her gums to bleed.

    Demi turned around and hugged her tightly, sobbing loudly into her chest.

    "Phi-Phi. I¡­ I ate Master."

    Her piteous tone was heart-breaking.

    Although¡­ the way she put it made her smile involuntarily. Typical Demi, trust her to bring joy to the grimmest of situations.

    She sighed and gently caressed her hair, letting her pour her frustrations out.

    One didn''t lose their memory when one reverted from their Feral state. She could imagine what Demi was going through, having the taste of Husband''s blood and flesh firmly embedded in her mind.

    Phobos had seen the state of his arm. If she had done that to someone she loved, the guilt would eat away at her too.

    She looked up at her form reflected in the mirror.

    Her yellow eyes were bloodshot and her hair in a disarray¡­ something intolerable to her just a few hours ago, but which seemed of little concern now.

    There were a lot of expectations for the behaviour of women in this world.

    While a man would be deemed successful if he was strong enough, regardless of his manner or disposition, a woman just had to be perfect.

    From a very tender age, females were drilled in a very spartan manner to instil a strong sense of discipline into them to shape and strengthen their willpower.

    It was all so that they would have a fighting chance against Vita''s divine will upon their awakening.

    Growing up, she had been regaled with anecdotes about the parents who abused their daughter and were eaten by her when she turned Feral.

    She had been taught not to be like the loving parents who had thoroughly spoiled their daughter, weakening her will. Even though she loved them, she was helpless, imprisoned in her own body and forced to watch as her parents were ripped apart by her own two claws.

    When she was finally subdued, the memories tormented her till she took her own life.

    Another family, out of the multitude decimated by Vita''s vengeful curse.

    The harsh traditions and restrictions on women was society''s adaptation to living with ticking time-bombs.

    Despite the bubbly personality which she showed only to Husband and her, Demi was actually a very shy person. When interacting with others of the clan, she hid it behind an icy mask of indifference.

    In the training halls, she was the epitome of what a woman in this age was supposed to represent. Strong willed and disciplined.

    She was held up as the example to follow in the class for the other girls, which alienated her further.

    It was only in the privacy of their room that she could let loose.

    If even the girl reputed to be the best among her peers had barely managed to prevent herself from taking her lover''s life in the Feral state, then how terrifying was Vita''s will?

    Would she be able to resist if the transformation came upon her at this very moment?

    Could she trust herself to sleep beside the now incapacitated Husband with the proverbial Damocles'' sword of her awakening hanging over their heads?

    Demi'' wracking sobs stilled as she slowly regained her composure.

    A tough little warrior, she was and Phobos loved her to bits.

    She never wanted to see her this sad again¡­

    She never wanted to be this sad again.

    Her eyes took on a determined cast as she decided upon her course of action.

    Washing their faces to remove the traces of their breakdowns, Demi clumsily tried to fix her hair but only managed to tangle it further.

    Phobos sighed. She already missed the feeling Husband''s rough but deft fingers as they raked over her scalp during their bathing sessions.

    With the state he was in, it would be some time before they bathed together again.

    Exiting the bathroom, they were met with the sight of Husband''s mother sitting by his bedside with palms spread over his hand.

    Droplets of sweat ran down her forehead and dripped down the tip of her nose as the soft radiance from her palms shone upon his wounds, knitting them together at a rate visible to the naked eye.

    After some time, she paused her treatment and collapsed back into her seat exhausted. She had rushed over in her nightwear and it was now soaked with sweat.

    Phobos immediately hurried to the icebox to bring over a jug of cool lemonade and a tray of ice.

    Husband''s mother, Epione, shot her a grateful look before chugging some down and laying an ice cube on her forehead to cool herself off.

    "H-how is he?" asked Demi timidly.

    Epione''s gaze grew soft as she turned to her.

    "Come child, show me your marking."

    Walking over to her timidly, Demi exposed the back of her left hand. The word for speed in the old language was etched into her skin in a deep red.

    In the hectic sequence of events, Demi''s successful contract to Husband had slipped her mind.

    Epione burst out laughing when she saw the seal. "That''s one ugly ass marking. All that time practicing calligraphy and that''s the best he can do. Ha-ha. Serves you right child for nearly biting my son''s arm off."

    Demi seemed to shrink into herself and tears sprang up into her eyes.

    "I''m sorry."

    *sob*

    Epione put a finger under her chin and raised her face to meet her eyes. She said extremely seriously, "Child, as long as that marking of yours is as dark as it is, you needn''t answer to anyone. Not even me¡­ because it shows how much you mean to each other. If you ever doubt in yourself, just take a look at your mark. It will tell you that there is someone waiting for you in this world."

    She took off her medical glove and exposed her own marking: A beautifully crafted piece of ornate calligraphy that spelt out the word ''heal'' in the old language.

    She placed their markings side-by-side. Both of them shining a deep crimson in the sunlight streaming into the room.

 10 Chapter 10

    Deimos shot a look at the sleeping figure of Mars and stuttered, "B-but¡­ what about¡­"

    "Oh? Him? Don''t worry your pretty little head over him. He''s a big boy, he''ll be just fine¡­ and besides, the sedative I gave him will keep him under for some time yet."

    When she passed by Phobos, she grabbed her hand too and pulled her along.

    The trio walked down the corridor and reached her shared bedroom with Mars'' father.

    Unlocking the door, Epione invited the three of them into her boudoir where she set about changing out of her sweaty clothes.

    She came back in a fresh night gown carrying a plain looking iron box and a tray with some snacks and three glasses of iced lemonade. Setting down the box and the tray on the bed and sitting cross-legged beside it, she invited the two of them over to join her.

    When the three of them were seated on the bed in a rough triangle, she leant in conspiratorially and asked, "Want to know how I met your father-in-law?"

    Phobos and Deimos looked at each other then back at her and nodded.

    "Well, since I have the lovely excuse of my son''s illness to skip work and both of you have been given the day off due to the circumstances, I may as well tell you our story."

    She turned to Deimos. "I think it will put you at ease."

    "Just like you, ours was an arranged marriage with me being stuck into your father''s room right after I cut my first scarlet dragon.

    "We got along well enough and despite his stoic fa?ade, he was a bomb in bed so, yes I quite satisfied with the oaf. That is until he started exercising his martial arts and training like crazy, neglecting me.

    "You see, with my rare mutation of light system magic that gave me healing powers, I was a bit of the spoiled clan princess and I wasn''t held to the same standards as the other girls. I was more playful and didn''t like training all that much.

    "I knew that there was pressure on him to perform in order to maintain his position of the heir for the position of Clan Head but he was too excessive, sometimes coming back to our room too exhausted to even satisfy me sexually.

    "So, we started falling out little by little. Thankfully, before things could get really messy, I turned Feral.

    "I might have a gift for healing, but that only means that I know just where to cut. I was strong but he was stronger. All his training wasn''t just for show. He handled me all by himself despite me slashing his stomach open."

    She took a sip of the lemonade and continued with a wistful expression on her face.

    "Believe you me, the Tamer was utterly shocked when he opened the door in the middle of the night, just to have him collapse after pushing the box into his hand."

    Her eyes glittered at the memory.

    "I almost lost him that day. If I hadn''t regained consciousness then and immediately started treating him, he might have died.

    "Do you know what was in that box? Money. Money, he had been saving to have the Tamer tattoo the best mark on me that he could. A Tamer isn''t just a notary official for marriages¡­ he is also an artist. Each contract marking is a work of art that will follow a relationship throughout its duration. The mark designs of many kings and queens have been transcribed onto paper and sold as artwork for sky high prices. So, hiring a Tamer''s best services is expensive.

    "The fool had been forgoing his resources and saving the money by substituting the expensive medication with extra training. That was why he was always busy at that time. When I saw that box full of cash, my brains went blank.

    "Then I had the Tamer start with the marking as I continued his treatment. I was determined that even if he were to die that night, he would die my husband. Fortunately, he lived and I could bring Mars into the world so he could meet you two lovely ladies. He still has that scar."

    She turned to Deimos.

    "Both father and son are thorough fools, aren''t they? More concerned about the contract rather than bleeding out due to their wounds."

    She reached out with her hands and held on to both Deimos and Phobos'' hands.

    "I''m entrusting him to you both. Keep him safe for me. Yeah?"

    The both of them could only nod.

    Deimos was still a bit nervous. She asked, "M-master nearly died¡­ will he forgive me?"

    "Master, huh? Of course, he will. It''s his good fortune to have a cute girl like you call him that."

    She smiled and clapped her hands. "Anyway¡­ want to hear another story? This is about after I learnt that I was incapable of giving birth after I had Mars. Husband''s brother was attacking him politically using the angle that Hominum were combat weak and hence not suitable to succeed him as the Clan Head.

    "Imagine how happy they were when they learnt that I couldn''t conceive anymore."

    She smiled and ran a tongue over her canines. Deimos and Phobos shuddered. Sometimes, Epione could be really scary.

    She shook her head self-depreciatingly, "I thought I was holding him back and even told him such. Your father-in-law, he isn''t good with words. He just kept telling me that it wasn''t my fault¡­ so, of course I''ll think it is. It got to the point that our marking started to fade.

    "You know that the stronger the bond, the deeper the marking and the more you dislike the partner, the more it fades. If you absolutely hate him, it will vanish. It was my insecurity that made it fade but in my muddled state I started to think he was starting to hate me."

    She sighed with a fond smile.

    "Guess what he did." She opened up the box and brought out three yellowing pieces of paper.

    The first piece of paper had rough line drawings of a cat in various poses.

    The second piece had more detailed renditions of the same cat in various states.

    The third piece had a beautiful sketch of the face of the cat in great detail.

    "I loved art from a young age¡­ so right after our engagement had been decided, he took up drawing. Whenever he got time he would practice sketching my Feral form."

    It was then that Phobos and Deimos realized that the cat in the picture was Epione''s Feral form.

    "After eight whole years from the age of sixteen to twenty-two, he had finally perfected his craft to the point that he could show it to me.

    "He planned for the last sketch to be my birthday present¡­ but I just had to go and doubt him, didn''t I? Well, after that, I showed him just how thankful I could be. In fact, I was so thankful that the people in the neighbouring rooms had difficulty sleeping that night."

    She winked at the two girls and they blushed. She took another sip of the lemonade before continuing.

    "According to protocol, both of you girls should be staying with your parents till you awaken."

    Turning to Deimos, she said, "In your case, since your parents passed away during military service and your grandfather severed his ties to you after you were betrothed to Mars, you should be staying with us in our capacity as the parents of your spouse.

    "We would have been easily able to handle you, even as a Feral¡­ but we think that the bonds you form by going through the awakening together are priceless. Our son is already at a disadvantage in military might due to his lineage making him incapable of elemental magic and having to depend purely on martial technique. We can''t have him disadvantaged by a weak bond as well. So, you can blame us for it, if it makes you feel better.

    "If you are still feeling guilty, then just apologize by giving my boy the best night of his life. You both have just been contracted and whenever you have intercourse after this, Vita''s Divine Will will flow into him through the contract, both freeing you of its influence and improving his physique¡­ in this case, helping him heal.

    "With the boost from that, regular healing sessions and some potions, he''ll be back to his feet within a fortnight."

    She stood up from the bed and shooed them away.

    "Run along now dears. Dusk is almost upon us and he''ll be waking soon. I''m sure you''d like to be there to greet him. I have to prepare to greet your father-in-law. He must be exhausted from dealing with the council. Your awakening and further contract has surely given those loquacious old fogies enough to talk about."

    ---

    ---

    As the two girls walked down the corridor, Phobos suddenly stopped and said, "I won''t be joining you tonight¡­ It''s an important milestone for you and I''ll just be in the way¡­ So, I''ll be in the cells."

    Deimos nodded absentmindedly as her attention was too focused on her coming meeting with Mars to notice the oddity in Phobos'' tone of speech and the content of her words.

    It wasn''t like they''d never had sex in pairs before.

 11 Chapter 11

    Time held no meaning for me here, space was but a word.

    My five senses told me nothing.

    Yet, I knew that I was.

    I existed¡­

    ¡­ because I thought.

    My thoughts were like a wayward breeze blowing through the Void.

    I thought¡­

    ¡­ but I had nothing to think of.

    So, I searched, the gusts formed of my ponderance converged into a gale that swept across the infinity that was the nothingness and I found it, a word that meant speed in the old language.

    How did I know it was from the old language?

    I wondered.

    I knew because I remembered.

    My memories were a river of stars suspended in the firmament¡­

    ¡­ each star a record of an experience in my life.

    As I pored over the memories of my life, some made me laugh, some made me cry¡­

    ¡­ and some ignited the white-hot flame of anger.

    I thought, remembered and emoted¡­

    ¡­ I planned for my future.

    I set my resolve.

    Suddenly, I could feel my physical self again. Something warm and wet was wrapped around my flaccid penis, eliciting a reaction.

    The warm and moist entity continued its tender ministrations on my now erect member while slender fingers gently massaged my balls.

    Starbursts of pleasure lit up the Void with their brilliant light¡­

    Except, the ''Void'' wasn''t empty anymore.

    Mountains and plains, rivers and seas, volcanoes and geysers and a breeze that blew through it all under the stars.

    It was all painted white by the light, making it seem unreal.

    Suddenly, the warm and moist sensation faded only to be replaced by something dry trying to painfully force my penis into itself.

    Pain gave the world definition as shadows came to be, contrasting the light.

    And I knew what I saw was my own inner world¡­

    ¡­ my mindscape.

    *sob*

    A familiar sobbing sound jolted me out of my meditative state and my eyes snapped open.

    I saw a naked Deimos straddling me, her shoulders shaking with her sobs as hot tears splattered down onto the bandages on my chest from her downturned face.

    I sat up gingerly, wincing as my newly set arm and rib bones protested the movement even though they were splinted tightly.

    I patted her head comfortingly with my working left hand and she responded by carefully wrapping her arms around my neck and burying her face into my neck, mindful of my injuries.

    Her wracking sobs shook my body as I caressed her hair comfortingly.

    The silly girl had tried to wake me up with sex as she often did¡­ but she was emotionally fraught and hadn''t been aroused enough for penetration to be pleasant for either of us.

    In her vulnerable state, even this small failure had set off the waterworks.

    "Shh, baby, don''t cry. I''m fine. Mother will fix me right up and I''ll be up and about soon. Hmm?"

    "Masteer. I was so scaared. I had no control and¡­ and I just bit into you and I could taste everything a-and I was too busy suppressing the magic and then I screamed at my body to stop¡­ it just wouldn''t stoop. Aanh haaanh!" she began crying even louder, devolving into full blown wailing.

    I felt flustered. I had no idea how to handle her in this state.

    I grabbed her hair, pulled back her head and stopped up her mouth with mine forcefully, shocking her into silence.

    As I explored her mouth with my tongue, I could feel that her gums were scratched and inflamed from excessive brushing. My mind trembled. Poor girl.

    Breaking away, a trail of silvery saliva connected our lips as I looked into her watery green eyes.

    "Where''s Phobos? Let''s talk this through together, yeah? Remember the time when I rough-handled her hair during sex and she didn''t talk to me for a week? You just came and put your foot down, pulling our ears and making us sit down and talk it out¡­ it''s because there''s three of us that our relationship functions, yeah?

    "I''ll tell you what¡­ why don''t the two of you put on a show for me? It''s been a long time since you''ve had some fun with just you girls, right? So, have at it and when I''m aroused and you''re wet, we''ll try again. What do you say? Hmm?"

    Throughout my speech her eyes had been growing brighter and brighter and by the end, I could feel her juices moistening my shirt where she straddled my hips.

    I laughed out loud and patted her buttocks. "That''s my little slut. Wet already."

    She gave me a watery smile. It was like the sun shining through the clouds after a rainstorm.

    Suddenly, her eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Phi-Phi said she''d be in the cells!"

    Both of us looked into the other''s eyes. It looked like we weren''t the only ones affected by the incident.

    I cracked into a smile, "Then we''ll have to go and get her, won''t we? How else will I get my show?"

    With a happy peal of laughter, she bounced off me and hurriedly dressed herself and helped me pull up my pants.

    Supporting me by the arm, she brought us towards the cells.

    Suddenly, the world spun around me as my legs were swept away from underneath me.

    For a moment I felt weightless before tightening my arm around her neck for support.

    "Master, you''re too slow, ya."

    A breeze blew against my hair and to my great mortification, I realized that she was running down the hallways with me in a princess carry.

    "Put me down!" I squawked.

    "Nope. Ha-ha."

    I could only pray that nobody noticed us¡­

    Who was I kidding¡­ by the end of the day, I''d probably have an addition to my long list of derogatory nicknames:

    Mars Felidae: Princess Charming, the Rider of Women.

    ---

    ---

    Once upon a time in a Bestia tribe a boy was born.

    He was named Adam and he was the son of the Chief with his wife.

    The Chief was lascivious and had a number of maids he kept at his beck and call to sate his lust.

    When he was just born and his mother unconscious from the ordeal:

    The first midwife exclaimed, "He has no tail."

    The second midwife pointed out, "His ears aren''t like ours."

    The third midwife yelled excitedly, "He has no teeth!"

    The first midwife interjected, "Idiot! Which new-born has teeth?"

    The exclaimed together, "Hominum!"

    The Chief spat out disgusted, "Useless!"

    So, they switched him with his son with one of his maids.

    The maid bullied him for being the cause of her having to part with her child.

    The Chief bullied him for being a useless son.

    His own mother unknowingly bullied him for being a symbol of her husband''s infidelity.

    The child who had replaced him, grew up bullying him because he was instigated by the sight of his elders doing so.

    Adam was a sad little boy.

    He wasn''t even blessed with any of the bloodline gifts the other Bestia children awakened.

    One day while foraging in the forest near his tribe, he was chased down by a pack of wolves and forced to take shelter in a remote cavern.

    In it he found some vestiges of a civilization long past and a book that instructed him in its language.

    After two days of prowling around the cavern, waiting for him to exit, the wolves grew bored and left in search of easier prey.

    Adam made his way back to the tribe and stumbled upon a remote shelter.

    Hungry and tired, he decided to spend the night there.

    Pushing open the door, he was greeted by a rank stench.

    What he saw there, left him stunned.

    Six naked women were locked in cages amidst the squalor.

    Scars crisscrossed their bodies and signs of sexual abuse were clearly visible.

    When he entered, they looked up at him with apathetic eyes.

    He knew then, that there were beings more unfortunate than him in the world.

    Over the next year, he spent a lot of time bringing them food and water, blankets to keep them warm and keeping them company to stave off their insanity.

    He learnt that they were born with extremely strong bloodlines and correspondingly strengthened magical gifts.

    Unfortunately, the gift came with a curse that turned them into mindless monsters.

    If they were beaten thoroughly into submission, they reverted to their Bestia form for the duration of three days until their Feral nature reasserted itself.

    The Chief had thus ordered them locked away and used as brood mares to birth strong sons with great magical gifts for the tribe while the daughters born were slaughtered.

    Adam also learnt their names:

    Evelyn the fire kissed.

    Naeneve the wind blessed.

    Everly the beloved of water.

    Evette of the earth.

    Genevieve the shadow mistress.

    Maeve the light bringer.

    He had learnt the old language from the book he had obtained from the cavern and it had struck a chord with something instinctive within him.

    Combined with his desire to free them and the growing cordiality between them, he decided to act upon the urgings.

    He wrote the names of their gifts upon their skin with his blood and the first contractual bond the world had seen post-apocalypse was formed.

    Assisted by the bond, the women were able to break out of their confinement.

    Wallowing in wine and women, the Chief had left his magic uncultivated and easily lost his life at the hands of the vengeful women.

    After that night of fire and destruction, the tribe was Adam''s to rule and he set about reforming it in accordance with his ideals.

    He realised that all Hominum had a unique talent beyond the six elements. They could contract any Feral and help them stabilize in their Bestia form while obtaining a portion of their power to help strengthen their body as well as access to one sixth of their magical prowess.

    He also found that Hominum could use this contract to join a Bestia couple together.

    While a Hominum could withstand six contracts, a Bestia could only bear one.

    Thus, he formulated his ten commandments:

    Thou shalt not kill.

    Thou shalt not steal.

    Thou shalt not commit adultery.

    Thou shalt marry one wife. (Bestia)

    Thou shalt marry six wives. (Hominum)

    Thine marriage shalt be validated by a covenant.

    Thou shalt not bear false witness.

    Thou shalt train as a Tamer. (Hominum)

    Thou shalt not turn away a willing couple. (Hominum)

    Thou shalt pay a Tamer for their services with a month of thine earnings.

    Disillusioned by the concept of tribal segregation and the ongoing witch hunt against women with strong bloodlines, he set about building his empire with the help of his six consorts and an army of Bestia soldiers empowered by their bonds with their spouses, which had been created by the Hominum in his employ.

    Soon, he had conquered a large portion of the continent and freed innumerable suffering women, tamed countless Ferals and overseen a multitude of marriages.

    He ascended the throne with the reign title, Emperor Regiis I and established the Regiis Empire.

    He taught all comers without discrimination and his disciples numbered in the thousands. They spread his ideas and his commandments all over the continent and some even imitated him to form their own empires while others set up their ideal governance systems like republics and confederacies.

    It was a prosperous time when hundred schools of thought contended together to develop the continent.

    Till today, the Regiis Empire is the largest and most prestigious organization in the Continent bar none.

    ---

    ---

    Phobos closed the book she was reading and turned it over to view its title: The Tale of Adam and his Six Eves by Tamriel Hawthorne, Bard extraordinaire.

    The author was a bit pompous but the best works in the historical fiction genre were credited under his name.

    The book spoke of the rise of the Regiis Empire that they were currently in and gave an insight into the social conditions at that time.

    The social position of women in society, specially those with strong bloodlines, had been drastically promoted with the advent of Tamers.

    If before they were objects of a witch hunt, now, they were highly sought-after marriage candidates as the contract allowed for sharing their power.

    She sighed and put down the book and looked around at her bare, cell-like surroundings, a throwback to the pre-Tamer era.

    Women who were likely to turn Feral and weren''t confident in maintaining control could choose, or be forced, to live in such isolated cells so that even if they awakened, they wouldn''t hurt anyone.

    It was considered a great shame to have to be put in one as it was indicative of poor willpower.

    She would have much preferred to stay with her parents but they were out of station, serving their time in the army and hearing Epione narrate the tale of their love, she didn''t want to intrude upon them.

    She curled up on the hard bed and sighed again. She was used to the warmth of having two bodies to cuddle with. The sudden solitude was jarring.

    It was her turn to be in the middle too.

    She buried her face in the pillow.

    She wondered how Deimos was doing with Mars and suddenly felt jealous of her. If only she had awakened too¡­

    Her bitter musings were interrupted when Deimos suddenly came barging into the room with a thoroughly mortified and blushing Mars in her arms.

    Laughing, she set him down on the bed and pounced on the open-mouthed Phobos.

    Phobos had expected the night to be cold and lonesome¡­

    It wasn''t¡­

 12 Prologue

    Unable to control his creator''s power, Ignis dwindled away as he lost his heat to the Heavens. To protect himself and preserve his strength, he withdrew into himself, letting his outer parts cool and petrify.

    Thus, Terra, the Goddess of Earth, came to be. She floated in the vast void of the Heavens, basking in the warmth of her Grandfather and warmed from the inside by her Father. Yet, she was uncomfortable. Her Grandfather was too strong, the side facing him burnt while the side facing away froze.

    So, she began to turn and Dies and Noctis, the Deific twins representing day and night were brought into existence. Dies fell in love with his sister on first sight. Uncomfortable, Noctis ran from him. Thus, began their perpetual chase.

    Millenia passed until a meteor from the depths of the void came crashing into Terra. The impact tore a grievous wound into her and the meteor merged into a whole with a part of Terra and formed a ball that orbited her. Luna, the Goddess of the Moon, was born.

    The impact had knocked Terra askew and set her on an orbit around Sol. Thus, Vivaldi, the God of the four seasons was birthed.

    Traumatized by the pain from the meteor and unwilling to suffer again, Terra released all the gases trapped within her and formed a protective veil around herself. Thus, Aer, the God of the Atmosphere, was born.

    Soon, the water in Aer condensed into clouds and it began to rain. For millennia, the torrential downpour moistened the wounds on Terra, filling them with water. Thus, Inber, the Goddess of Rain and Cloud, and Oceanus, the God of Oceans, were born.

    Collectively, the Gods called their physical manifestation Ea. The years flowed like water until one day, a rainstorm raged on a volcanic eruption and the four elements came together to form a bolt of lightning. Thus, Vita, the Goddess of Life and Lightning, and Mortem, the God of Death and Thunder, was born.

    For nine days and nine nights, Ea withstood a baptism of thunder and lightning. When it ended, the first shoot, Arbor, grew out of the earth and the first fish, Piscis, traversed the oceans.

    For the next nine years, Vita and Mortem travelled the world creating all manner of creatures. During their travels, they fell in love, marrying. Enamoured by the feeling, they divided their creations by gender and fragmented themselves, attaching themselves to their creatures so they could feel it again and again over the millennia.

    Thus, females gained the power to create life and males the power to deal death.

    Aer lay claim to the floating islands formed due to the impact of the meteor and settled the Pluma, the first winged humans there.

    Terra chose the only continent and settled the Aes, the first Earth elementals, in the tunnels below its surface.

    Oceanus settled the Mer, the first merfolk, in the waters that covered half the world.

    Ignis created the Incendo, the first fire elementals to dwell in the volcanoes all over the world.

    Sol, Inber and several other newly born Deities chose to bless the Hominum with their aspects and scattered them all over the world.

    Soon, the Humans propelled by the blessings of the Pantheon, developed swiftly and violently and came into conflict with the Beasts. Thus, Bellum, the God of War was born.

    Amused, the Pantheon sent oracles to their most fervent followers, directing the war against the beasts, who retreated in defeat again and again.

    Having merged into an organic whole with the Beasts, Vita and Mortem, had no awareness of the events of the outside. Feeling the pain of losing more and more of themselves to Humans, they awoke.

    Enraged by how sentient creatures were being toyed with by the Gods, they blessed the strongest race within the Beasts, the Daemons.

    Led by the Daemons, the Beasts counterattacked their oppressors. The war went on for a hundred years before outnumbered and outmatched, the Daemon Lord fell at the hands of the representatives of the Gods known as the Heroes.

    Thus, the war ended but not with the victory of the Humans.

    In his last moments, the Daemon Lord drew upon the power of Life and Death and cast a spell that merged the humans and the beasts into a race of beast-men, the Bestia.

    Mortem''s consciousness was permanently erased and Vita forced into a deep slumber as a consequence.

    Deeply saddened by the death of his children, Sol forced the Pantheon to sign a treaty of non-interference, barring them from meddling with the mortal world ever again.

    Devoid of a clear enemy and changed beyond recognition by the spell, the Bestia fell to infighting. Thus, followed a decade of Chaos, before they settled into a tribal lifestyle, segregating themselves by the bloodlines of the beasts they carried.

    Many years have passed and innumerable Bestia empires have risen and fallen. Now a crisis covers the world. After long years of deep sleep to recover from her wounds, Vita is stirring again.

    All over the world, female Bestia are reverting to their more bestial forms, losing their reason in the process. They are driven by Vita''s rage and bloodlust at having lost her Husband, nothing but mindless creatures hellbent on destruction.

    The only hope in these dark times are recessive Hominum males. Devoid of Mortem''s taint and wielding the ancient contract magic, they can purify the Ferals of Vita''s influence, returning them to their Bestia forms in exchange for being bound to their soul.

 13 Chapter 1

    A month of back-breaking toil lay in store for them, yet none complained as after that, a month of festivities beckoned. The labour would just make the revelry that much sweeter.

    As they worked, singing their rustic songs to alleviate their weariness, gossip could be heard, interspersed among the sonorous cadence, about which young warrior would win the martial competition this year.

    The mainland, even after long years of empirical rule was still primarily based upon respect for martial prowess and so it was no surprise that the most anticipated event in the month-long harvest festival was the public martial arts competition.

    Divided into many brackets by age and specialization, it was a channel right to the top of the social hierarchy for the warm-blooded youths that wanted more from their lives than tilling fields and herding cattle.

    Although, the upper echelon was dominated by the members of the nobility, in this particular case, the Felidae clan, due to the disparity in resources, every year, heroes would inevitably emerge from the masses who shattered the glass ceiling by dint of their talent.

    They would then be invited to enter the ranks of nobility as an auxiliary member of the clan. Prime material for a rags-to-riches story.

    The anticipation for this year''s competition was especially intense as it was the quadrennial version of the martial competition, held jointly among the four Marquises that governed the south eastern province.

    It was rumoured that the Duke himself would come to audit the competition and there was a small chance that he would recruit a few talented youths for his personal Knight company. It was this rumour that had caused an unprecedented enthusiasm towards martial practice and incurable idlers had turned into training maniacs, all for the faint chance of changing their destiny.

    While the aspiring participants busied themselves, the more logistics focused portion of the populace, which was most of them, indulged in discussion about the winners of past competitions and their chances against the competing champions from the territories of the other Marquises.

    For them, the competition was but a sport and the participants, especially the members of the nobility were celebrities to support.

    It wasn''t infrequent for fans of different martial warriors and mages to become red in the face from arguing vocally about the merits and demerits of their chosen champions.

    Steven, a lanky, raven haired boy with dark shadows around his black eyes, marking him as a possessor of the panther bloodline, sat in the crook of a sturdy branch upon a tree that grew at the edge of the training field. He was leaning against the trunk with his interlaced fingers supporting the back of his head while he chewed leisurely upon a blade of grass. One of his legs was bent upon the branch with the sole flat upon it while the other hung freely in the air, swinging in time with the gentle summer breeze that blew upon the tree.

    He spat out the blade of grass, watching it spin rapidly as it fluttered down to the ground, blown leaning by the breeze and yelled at a red-haired boy who was currently bending a longbow at an archery target placed at the far end of the field, "Yo, Gerard. Did you hear what happened yesterday?"

    Gerard grunted noncommittally without letting up his focus on the target.

    Inhaling deeply, he ripple-fired three arrows, nocking, drawing, twisting and releasing in one organic movement.

    The three arrows shot out from the bow, catching fire as his mana ignited them, leaving fiery trails behind in the dry summer air. Spinning rapidly, the tips and tails twisted in opposing directions, taking the arrows in a slight curve that balanced out into a straight line.

    The differential strengths on the three arrows caused them to simultaneously hit the target, embedding themselves into the hard wood at the three vertexes of an equilateral triangle.

    The fiery mana exploded out on impact in a spiral, carving a burnt furrow into the wood before the three spirals met exactly in the centroid of the triangle, causing a large explosion that shattered the target into burning pieces of charcoal.

    "Yes!" Gerard exclaimed jubilantly, throwing up his hands into the air, still holding his bow. "I finally managed to pull off the triple burst-shot."

    He turned around to walk towards the tree Steven was on to take shelter from the harsh noon sun under its shade.

    Laying down his quiver and bow at the base of the trunk, he greedily gulped down the chilled sugar water placed in a bucket of ice there. Using a towel to dry his sweat, he sank down against the trunk with a comfortable sigh.

    Steven curled his lip in disdain as he sat up, dangling his second leg down from the branch and supporting his chin on his palms and resting his two elbows on his thighs as he looked down at the archer with the hot leopard bloodline. "I don''t get why you waste your time on these trick shots. Even if they have strong destructive powers, you won''t hit any moving target with how slow they are."

    Gerard shrugged as he rubbed an ice cube on his face to cool down, his green eyes contrasting with his curly red hair that lay plastered over his forehead with sweat, nearly covering up the spotted markings representative of his bloodline.

    "I plan to join the army after my coming-of-age ceremony next month. My pops says that anti-fort skills are in demand right now, what with the recent invasions of our borders from the Tokugawa Shogunate. The higher ups plan to counter-attack by occupying a few of their garrisons as a warning. They''ll need to demolish their defensive walls if they don''t want to siege them. That''s where I come in with my destructive skill. Compared to the newbies with the anti-personnel skill sets who''ll be advanced as cannon fodder, we get to be protected by the main force as we just bombard them from the back lines. A cushy job if ever there was one in the army."

    Steven shrugged as he leant back, swinging down as he used his knees to hang upside-down from the branch with his arms crossed on his chest and said, "To each his own¡­ anyway, did you hear the rumour about the first Princess awakening as a Feral and mauling the Prince, that too on his eighteenth name-day, delaying his coming of age ceremony."

    Gerard nodded as he took another swig from the canteen of sugar-water. "It''s unbelievable¡­ how lucky can the guy get? An awakening at seventeen? That level of talent is similar to the women from the imperial clan. Not only that, the timing is so convenient too, happening just before the yearly contest."

    Steven let his hands flop down as he nodded his head in a disbelieving manner. "Yeah, man. Last year he defeated Boss by the skin of his teeth because Boss'' magic was still too preliminary to play a role in the fight, so he got by with his pure martial arts. Well, considering the amount of resources his parents pour into strengthening his body and seeing how he has private lessons from his father in the highest martial art in the clan; the fact that he had such a hard time against Boss who is a year younger shows how unworthy he is of his position as the heir."

    He turned to look at the figure who was brandishing a war-hammer in the corner of the field.

    The hammer howled in the air as it blurred in Bruno''s hands, causing his form to twist in Steven''s sight as the currents of air wrapped around him, carving furrows into the sun hardened ground.

    The hammer head glowed blue as his icy mana poured into it, lowering the temperature of his surroundings and coating the furrows with a layer of frost. The sweat on Bruno''s shirtless figure coagulated into crystals of ice that shattered into icy powder under his vigorous movement and got sucked into the swirling air currents, wrapping him in a sparkling corona.

    With a primal grunt, he gathered all the momentum of the hammer and slammed it down onto the ground in a two-handed overhead smash. A large section of the ground subsided as frost rapidly spread out from the point of impact, riming the newly formed crater in a layer of ice.

    Reclaiming his vision Steven turned back to Gerard who had been watching too.

    "This year, there was no suspense about who would win since Boss had perfected his grasp of Tier 1 variation water magic. But now, with the addition of the contract''s body strengthening and its ability to share some of the partner''s magical prowess, things just got a lot more uncertain."

    Gerard nodded then shook his head. "Young Master Bruno will still win. The amplification of magic to any martial art is too strong for the meagre portion Prince Mars will get from his contract to help¡­ Or, that''s what I would have said, if Young Master Bruno''s weakness in terms of speed wasn''t exactly Prince Mars'' strong point. With Princess Deimos'' gift of wind approaching Tier 2, he will get even faster. Things can swing either way now."

    A leaf fell off from the tree and floated down from Steven''s side. Two daggers suddenly appeared out of the shadows in the palms of Steven''s hands and he expertly twirled them around, his hands blurring, before making them vanish again. The leaf continued to float down until it suddenly dispersed into tiny pieces half-way to the ground.

    Gerard''s eyes brightened, "Did you touch the threshold of Tier 2?"

    Steven complained, "Where? How can it be that easy? I just managed to modify the Tier 2 Shadow Walk skill by limiting its area of effect to only my palms and using it to summon my daggers. The resources needed to break through are tremendous if I don''t want to spend time doing it manually. I''m not the second Princess with the backing of the Third Elder, the clan Head and the Prime Healer behind me."

    Gerard shrugged and asked, "Speaking of Princess Phobos, aren''t you from the same branch of the clan as her? Won''t your father tan your hide for hanging out with us ''divisive elements'' like he did the last time he found out?"

    "My father is my father¡­ I am me. I choose who I associate with and his rants aren''t going to change my mind. Besides, when did you ever see the Prince give us the time of the day? He''s either training martial arts with his father, studying calligraphy with his tutor or rutting like a cat in heat with the Princesses in his bedroom. What am I supposed to do? Pine away for him like a lovelorn maiden, waiting for him to graciously bestow a glance upon me? Nah. I''m better off with you guys."

    Gerard cracked into a smile as he reached up to ruffle his hair as he still hung upside-down. "Good to hear, partner."

    Steven flipped down from the branch, landing on his feet and raising a dust cloud on the dry ground that caused Gerard to sputter and cough. "Heh. Gotcha."

 14 Chapter 2

    Lionel was a tall, muscular boy with dark brown skin and black hair, indicative of his lineage as a Puma bloodline holder. He had a small, circular bronze shield strapped onto one arm while in his other hand, he held a bronze short-sword.

    The only piece of clothing on him was a leather gladiatorial skirt and metal studded boots, revealing his capable body under the glare of the summer sun. A multitude of scars covered him, the healed flesh, stark against his dark skin. They were mementoes from his days as a pit slave in the gladiatorial ring in the barbarian country of Sparta.

    Lionel had been rescued from his slavery by the First Elder, Deimos'' grandfather, when he had gone there on a diplomatic mission. He had brought back the savage boy and ordered him to be the protector of the waif of a boy now facing off against him on the training field.

    Messi, Deimos'' cousin and the grandson of the First Elder was a petite boy. Standing at five feet four inches tall, he was a dwarf compared to Lionel and with his golden hair and cerulean eyes ringed by the tear shaped markings common to all with the bloodlines of the cheetah, his looks would inspire the maternal instincts of most women. Even those too young for motherhood.

    Next to Mars, he was the most sought-after male in the clan by the ladies.

    He might have been small, but that didn''t make him any less dangerous. His speed among the juniors was only second to Deimos. Combined with the insane grin that plastered itself upon his face whenever he fought, he had been nicknamed Speed Demon.

    Although, several of his detractors had tried to link that to premature ejaculation, glowing recommendations from his extremely vocal fianc¨¦, Fifa, had soon put a stop to that.

    Growing impatient, Messi was the first to break the deadlock. Grinning widely, he skipped lightly on the tips of his toes, using his control over the wind to almost cancel his weight and reduce air resistance.

    Falling into a pugilistic stance, his hands blurred as he punched out at Lionel in a rapid barrage. The air at the ends of his fists warped into air bullets and shot forward at blinding speeds. Tier 1 wind magic: Air Bullets.

    With a low roar, a yellow brilliance erupted from Lionel''s body and a layer of stone formed on him, wrapping him a sturdy, yet flexible armour. Tier 1 earth magic: Stoneskin.

    Tanking the barrage of blows with his shield and his body, he charged towards Messi. Each of his steps seemed to sew him to the earth giving one a misconception that a mountain was bearing down on them. His walking positions were ingenious, taking into account the faster boy''s speed and slowly driving him into a corner.

    Messi grew increasingly irritable as the more experienced warrior drew unceasingly closer to him through his maelstrom of magic. His mana was finite and he was burning through it a lot faster than Lionel and if the status quo was maintained, he would soon be eliminated.

    Clenching his teeth, his blue eyes blazed with an internal light as his mana grew agitated within him. Streams of air circled around him with increasing intensity until it looked like he was clad in a hurricane.

    Steven and Gerard, who were looking on grew open-mouthed in surprise. Tier 2 wind magic: Blade Edge Hurricane.

    Realizing the danger, Lionel immediately abandoned his attrition tactics. If that hit him, his Tier 1 defences would collapse like a thin sheet of paper in a gale.

    He stamped hard on the ground and with a yellow glow, a blunt spike shot out of the ground, propelling him forward at blinding speeds. Each footstep gave birth to a new spike, accelerating him further.

    Steven and Gerard were rendered speechless. Tier 2 earth magic: Stone spike. Lionel had modified it so that instead of attacking his enemies he could use it for movement boosts. Not only did this ingenious usage reduce the cast time, it also relaxed the consumption, allowing him to use it even though, strictly speaking he was still in Tier 1. It was similar to Steven''s modification of Shadow Walk and Gerard''s triple burst-shot in that it allowed them to display a might commensurate to Tier 2 mages ahead of time. This much was to be expected. After all, they were the cream of the crop.

    Steven shook his head. "Messi''s going to get his ass handed to him. I don''t know how he broke through to Tier 2 but he''s too unfamiliar with the magic. He won''t have time to cast it."

    Gerard narrowed his eyes, "He hasn''t broken through to Tier 2."

    Steven turned to him in surprise, "Huh?"

    A sudden burst of sound and a shrill screech of metal distorting caused him to whip his head around. What he saw made him dumbfounded. Lionel was lying a few metres away from a panting Messi, having drawn a deep furrow in the ground.

    His shield and sword lay scattered beside him, distorted beyond recognition while his Stoneskin was slowly flaking away, revealing a few light wounds from the wind blades that had hit him.

    "Messi was manipulating the wind around him to resemble Blade Edge Hurricane. It was a bluff. Finally, like us, he too has developed an attenuated version of the Tier 2 spell and it was this move which caught Lionel off guard, eliminating him," analysed Gerard as he stood up, patting the dust off his pants as he walked towards the two boys.

    Steven hurriedly caught up to him and asked, "Wait! How did you see through him beforehand? His performance put theatre actors to shame."

    Gerard shrugged, "He''s good but he stopped smiling like a maniac when he started preparing the sham. To everyone else, it might seem that he was getting serious¡­ but to those who know him well¡­"

    Steven was suddenly enlightened and he patted a fist into his palm. "Aha! Old Lio was too negligent. He should have known that the lunatic wouldn''t stop grinning even if someone were to stick a blade into his gut."

    When they reached the duo, Messi had already helped the large boy up and was supporting him by his arm around his shoulder.

    Although, it made them look comical as Lionel had to be hunched over. After a few staggering steps, the sturdy warrior''s gait grew steadier and soon, he could walk without support.

    Gerard handed the sugar water to the both of them while Steven brought the dented shield and sword along. Thankfully, they were practice weapons and all that repair involved was melting and recasting them.

    The four of them returned to the shade of the tree and Lionel and Messi collapsed against the tree trunk, exhausted. Chugging the chilled sugar water, they got back a bit of their energy.

    "I heard some of what you were talking about," said Messi as he cupped some ice in his hands and generated a cool breeze with the last of his mana, blowing it over all four of them.

    Gerard looked up from where he was inspecting Lionel''s wounds and gave him a thumbs-up before commenting, "You''ve reached the pinnacle of Tier 1 with your perfect control. You managed to channel the violent wind from your last attack entirely towards the weapons, leaving Old Lio mostly unharmed. Will you try breaking through to Tier 2 before the competitions?"

    Messi nodded. "Yeah. Grandpa is looking for an Aeolian Crystal for me. You know how scarce they are in these parts. If I have it, I can directly consolidate my realm before the competition. I can break through without it but that''ll do more harm than good as I won''t be able to control the Tier 2 mana as well as I could with it."

    Steven chimed in, "I''m jealous of the girls. All they need to do is awaken as a Feral and *bam* their breakthrough becomes so much more stable and simple."

    Messi narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. My dearest cousin will mostly break through in a few days. That is, if she manages to keep herself out of her injured Prince''s bed for long enough to meditate. She always was eccentric, what with having no parents to monitor her. First, her same-sex relationship with Phobos and now," he shook his head incredulously, "She''s getting more and more ridiculous after she broke ties with grandfather. Can you believe what she did yesterday? She carried the pimp to the cells and spent the night accompanying Phobos who had locked herself up there."

    He clenched his teeth, "No respect for tradition in her. She''s a stain on our Cheetah lineage. Even Fifa, who''s normally tolerant, complained to me about it today morning."

    Steven burst out laughing causing Messi to frown and Gerard to raise his eyes while the ever-stoic Lionel ignored him.

    "What''s so funny?" asked Gerard.

    Restraining himself with great difficulty, Steven chuckled as he said, "Man, I feel sorry for Fifa. You''re so clueless. I was ''practicing'' my Shadow Stealth near the female baths this morning when I heard her gushing in that overly loud voice of hers about how great the love between the Prince and the Princesses was."

    He looked at Messi in a taunting manner, "If I remember correctly, her exact words were, ''He trusts her even when she doesn''t trust herself.'' The rest of the girls looked like they wanted to tie themselves up with a ribbon and present themselves to him as his eighteenth name-day present. Rather than ''complaining'' Fifa was trying to give you a hint to follow his example. And you took her at face-value. Ha-ha. Blockhead."

    Messi''s face turned liver coloured as he tried to suppress his awkwardness. Suddenly, he thought of something and he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Steven.

    Sensing the bloodlust, Steven stiffened as he realized that he had said too much. With a nervous chuckle, he started backing away.

    "I found something strange in your story. Tell me if I''m wrong but you were peeking on the female baths while Fifa was still in there despite promising me you wouldn''t do that again." Messi said as he cracked his knuckles as he advanced upon the him.

    "Ha-ha. Misunderstanding, misunderstanding¡­ I''m a gentleman of my word. Ha-ha." said Steven nervously.

    Suddenly, his tone enforced, "I might be a bit horny cause unlike you lucky guys, my father decided to defer my engagement till after this year''s tournament so I could marry someone from a different clan by impressing them with my performance in the competition."

    He grew more indignant and animated as he spoke. He pointed at Lionel as he said, "Hell, even mister tall, dark and silent has a fianc¨¦." Lionel shot him a glance through his lids at the mention of his name before continuing to ignore him.

    "You guys might not be like the Prince, staying together even before the awakening, but you guys at least get to have sex regularly. Me? I''m still pure because my father feels it''ll raise my sale price more in the eyes of the potential suitors." He pointed at his left buttock. "See this, it''s larger than the other one and has been since my father caught me trying to sneak into the brothel. Boss is the only other person in this group who is like me. That too, not by choice." He was nearly in tears. "Brother, have mercy on this unfortunate soul."

    Messi''s face was unemotional as he asked yet again as he advanced, "So did you or did you not see my beloved naked?"

    Steven''s eyes shifted around before he clenched his teeth and took to his heels. Messi grinned madly and gave chase.

    Steven''s gait was strange and treacherous. Each time he moved, he left several afterimages, each seeming to move towards a different direction. Using Shadow Stealth, he confused falsehood with reality and any one of the images could be his true body. The afterimage with the strongest presence wasn''t necessarily him while the one with the weakest presence might be his true self.

    High-ranking shadow style step martial arts: Ghost Step.

    Even his rhythm and centre of mass migration was strange, almost hypnotic as it caused Messi to nearly stumble due to dizziness.

    If he had his mana, Messi would have snagged him instantaneously without giving him an opportunity to play his tricks but without mana, even though he was faster, he didn''t exceed Steven by too much.

    Gerard spectated with great interest and Lionel simply shook his head at their tomfoolery. Suddenly, a deep voice rang out in the yard.

    "Come, let''s end training here for today and wash up."

    Steven and Messi stopped their chase as Bruno walked towards them, shouldering his war-hammer, each step leaving shallow footprints on the hardened ground from the incredible weight of the weapon.

    He turned to Steven, "I heard your words about me just now."

    Steven scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "He-he. Don''t mind it, Boss."

    Bruno raised his hand to stop his words as he shook his head. His eyes were tranquil as he spoke.

    "Don''t worry. My heart isn''t made of glass. I am not so weak that I won''t be able to recover from this setback. It was my father who arranged the marriage and I hadn''t even spoken more than a few words with Deimos, so it''s not like I had any emotional attachment to her."

    His icy blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

    "But, Mars laid his hands on what was mine¡­ just as his father once took what should have been my father''s."

    He laid his palm upon the tree and with cracking noises, its bark splintered as the sap in it froze. Soon the entire tree, including its leaves stiffened, crackling in the gentle summer breeze.

    Fisting his hand, he dug his claws into the trunk and the entire tree shattered in a cloud of fragmented ice and splinters.

    He stalked away from the training field towards the baths.

    "This year, I''ll be taking it all back."

    The four boys in the field swallowed their saliva as they looked into each other''s eyes, finding their shock mirrored there. Snapping out of their reverie, they hastily collected their equipment and ran to follow behind Bruno.

 15 Chapter 3

    Situated in the central part of Felidae territory, close to their estate, it was frequented by the members of the clan due to its tranquil atmosphere.

    Today, the cool gust reached the bank of the lake and ruffled the hair of a young couple who were stationed there, hand in hand.

    Deimos tucked her dishevelled hair back behind her ear before reaching up to adjust Mars'' crimson locks. His right hand was still in a splint and she was unwilling to release his left hand from her grasp for even a second.

    It had been two days since her awakening and his injury was healing fast with the combination of his mother''s healing sessions and intercourse with her. His body was even growing stronger from the back coupling of Vita''s divine power he received through their bond.

    Her eyes met his, the crimson irises seeming to catch flame in the carmine hue of the rising sun.

    She couldn''t help but be a little infatuated by the cordiality in his line of sight. Flustered, she released his hand and turned her back to him.

    Kicking off her shoes, she lightly skipped on top of the thick wooden stakes that fenced off the boundary of the lake. The lake was cordoned off into three parts.

    The part they were at was reserved for the members of the clan and their guests, a private stretch of lakefront. It was empty today, allowing them to enjoy this world of two people.

    In the central portion of the lake, extensive fishery was carried out as Boris Lake was the largest body of freshwater in the vicinity.

    The opposite banks were open to the public for their morning walk and recreation.

    The regularly placed thick wooden stakes, made of logs cut from trees and truncated to waist height, were connected to each other by sturdy ropes. They were intended to prevent children from straying into the waters and the flattened tops of the logs provided seating.

    Deimos skipped lightly from stake to stake, currents of air lightening her and making her seem to glide in the interim of leaps.

    The dawn radiance illuminated her summer frock, outlining her lithe and petite figure against the sunlight. Its crimson hue, making her blush indistinguishable.

    Mars followed behind her, almost jogging to keep up as his eyes appreciated her celestial form.

    Midway between jumps, twirling around to face him, she came to a stop on the next pillar. Bending forward with her hands clasped behind her back, she brought her face near his, her eyes taking in the sight of him.

    His eyes drifted to the deep gully revealed by her posture in her neckline. She smiled with self-satisfaction at his reaction and when he looked up and caught her expression, he couldn''t help but feel a bit awkward.

    She mumbled around it, "Master, you don''t need to feel awkward when you look at my body. Rather, I''m really happy that you find me attractive. The day you stop giving me these reactions, I''ll know I''ve lost my charm. That would be sad, ya?"

    Her hot breath blew into his ear along with her words, making them seem much more sensual than they should have been and she noticed the budding bulge in his pants.

    Without waiting for his response, she drew back and skipped away, her clear laughter reverberating in the crisp dawn air.

    Suddenly, with a blast of wind, she jumped much higher than all previous times and deftly divested herself of her beige summer frock, her bellyband and her loincloth, tossing them in his direction.

    While he snagged the articles of clothing from the air, clearing his line of sight, she had already landed on the next pillar. Except, she was in her Feral form.

    The gentle breeze ruffled her short, white fur, speckled with dark brown as she narrowed her vibrant green eyes at the water surface.

    As soon as the ripples from the gust subsided, returning the surface of the water to tranquillity, her form blurred.

    Mars jogged up to the fence with her clothes in his arm and looked out upon the lake.

    Circular ripples spread from where her paws touched the water as she darted over its surface, the wind sustaining her and amplifying her speed.

    Striking out with her forepaw, water splashed as she batted a large fish out of the water and her jaws snapped shut on it, all without even slowing down.

    Curving her path on the water, she traversed a large circle on the surface of the lake as she turned back towards the shore with the struggling fish in her mouth.

    Her form was an epitome of grace and agility as she leapt ashore, pouncing onto Mars who had been watching her, mesmerized, knocking him flat on his back. The clothes in his hand scattering by his side.

    Red eyes locked with Feral green as boy and beast stared at each other.

    Her eyes morphed, as did her face and body as she returned to her Bestia form, straddling him, naked as the day she was born. The still struggling fish clamped tightly in her mouth.

    She held the tail of the creature which was making a last-ditch effort at survival, withdrew it from her mouth and slammed its head on a nearby stone.

    It flopped once, twice and then, lay still.

    Throughout the process, she kept her gaze locked with his. Leaning forwards, her white hair curtained down around his face as her breasts pressed against his chest.

    The light of dawn shone from behind her, through her white tresses, wrapping her pretty face in a sanguine halo. The blood from where her fangs had punctured the fish dyed her lips red. She leisurely stuck out her pink tongue, licking it off, the sight causing his blood to flow to his loins.

    Cupping his face with both her hands and staring deep into his eyes, she said, "Master, the Wind is just like one''s thoughts: unfettered, free. Like a recalcitrant child, it can''t be forced, or it will throw a tantrum. If I tell you not to think of a flying pink elephant, that''s just what you will think of."

    The tip of her nose touched his and they could feel the the other''s breath, hot with arousal.

    "Like thoughts, the wind needs to be guided. You need to be its friend not its master. Then it will lend you all its power. The very same power that can turn the mountains in its way to deserts and raise the sturdiest of trees by their roots. You need to relax, ya?"

    Led into synchronized breathing by the lilting cadence of her voice and the swirling lights he could see in the depths of her eyes, Mars grew tranquil under her. Muscles he had kept tightened without even knowing, relaxed and started protesting their strain by flooding his brain with a tingling pain.

    The pain was a comforting one, indicative of his body beginning its journey towards recovery.

    The light in her eyes seemed to grow even brighter and he couldn''t look away from her mesmerizing gaze when she sat up slowly, maintaining eye contact. "Master, the wind is free and for it to accept you as its friend, your innermost feelings must be free too. When you want to skip on the fence, you should. When you want to catch a fish, you should."

    With deft hands, she freed his erect member from his pants and with a comfortable moan, let it slide into her moist entrance.

    "And when you want to make love," hiking up his shirt and supporting herself by her palms on his chest, she moved her waist in a figure of eight, rubbing her genitals along his abs, leaving a trail of moisture on his skin, "you should."

    She saw her own eyes reflected in his and the growing brilliance in their depths and she knew what it meant. Moaning with reckless abandon, she relinquished all rational thought and immersed herself in the pleasure of the moment as she looked into his eyes and swayed her hips, moaning as her erect clitoris rubbed against his skin, sending shivers up her spine.

    From her words and tone, Mars understood what she wanted to convey.

    Despite his bravado, he hadn''t been confident in overthrowing Bruno in the upcoming competition. After all, trying to overcome the disparity of lacking magic by pure body tempering and martial arts was an extremely difficult prospect, especially since Bruno''s body had a much stronger foundation compared to his, what with his Siberian Tiger bloodline.

    But after Deimos'' unexpected early awakening, he had found hope. Hope for a boost in strength that would tip the scales in his favour.

    Sitting up by purely relying on his abs, careful to avoid his splinted arm, he wrapped her hair around his left wrist and pressed his forehead to hers. Staring into her eyes, he got onto his knees and then stood up with his member still buried deep within her, touching the entrance to her womb.

    Her vaginal walls convulsed around him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

    Walking towards the fence, each step eliciting a sensuous moan from her and a comfortable grunt from him as his engorged member dug deeper into her. Setting her buttocks on the flat surface of a stake, he pounded into her with wild passion.

    A wind picked up around them as Deimos'' eyes glowed an arcane blue, even as the both of them drowned their worries in the depths of their lust.

    Her mana began to evolve.

    The wind howled, growing from gust to gale, reflecting the rise of their excitement and her growing strength.

    The marking on the back of his left hand itched as a connection formed between them and a warm breeze seemed to blow into his mind from her, growing in power and speed until it reflected the storm around them.

    Streams of dust from all around were sucked into the swirling winds as were thin tendrils of water from the lake, turning the miniature hurricane dark, blocking the red sunlight out from where the two of them consummated their relationship in the calm eye of the storm.

    With a primal roar and a sensual yowl, they reached their climax simultaneously, the hurricane exploding outwards in a shower of wind blades that utterly disintegrated several of the wooden stakes and scored deep furrows into the ground in a wide radius.

    Tier 2 wind magic: Blade Edge Hurricane.

    Deimos had broken through.

    Bright blue wind mana blew within Mars'' mindscape.

 16 Chapter 4

    As long as they were engaged in this craft, they were treated with great respect and privilege. But, if they wanted to exceed their station and hold an administrative post, then, the empire requested greatly strengthened individual battle efficiency.

    As the heir to the position of clan Head, Mars too needed to undergo this evaluation since the post was simultaneously representative of the position of a Marquis of the empire.

    He had to prove his strength and the members of his harem weren''t allowed to help him in his battles.

    He knew very well that if he lost the qualifications of the position of heir, his father too would be deposed by his uncle and their future days would be far from comfortable as the most dangerous and thankless of tasks would be theirs to perform.

    He carried the pressure of his family''s future happiness on his shoulders. Thus, his anxious pursuit of strength.

    His extreme hope for the wind to listen to his command had proven counter-productive and blocked him from making a connection through their bond.

    With her talks of freedom, Deimos wanted him to relax, laying bare her intentions to follow him in sickness or health. He didn''t have to work so hard and bear so much pressure. She had already cut ties with her grandfather over his restriction of her freedom to love Phobos, she would do it again for him in a heartbeat.

    If the clan fettered her she would snap her ties with them, if the empire fettered her, she would leave its borders. She was free, she was unfettered and she would follow him, come fair weather or foul.

    He understood what she meant but he interpreted it differently. To him, the wind was the knife of time that whittled down the mountainous obstacles obstructing the path to his family''s happiness. Why wallow in degeneration and let his family uproot themselves, even if they were willing?

    While he had their support, nothing was beyond his reach.

    Gasping for breath, the both of them came down from their high, sweaty and flushed red with exertion.

    She wrinkled her brows in discomfort at the void feeling when he pulled out of her. Flushed with her recently successful breakthrough and still aroused from the aftershocks of her climax, she shot him an inviting look till something fell on her nose.

    Startled, she wiped the offending substance off with her finger. It was mud.

    The water and dirt sucked up by the hurricane was now coming down as a muddy drizzle.

    Mars too took to his heels after her, holding up his pants with his functional left hand.

    Rushing out of the range of the downpour, the both of them burst into a fit of laughter as their mirth bubbled over.

    Throwing over her frock, sans her underwear, Deimos leapt into the bosom of Mars who had just finished fastening his trousers and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, purring with contentment.

    "Masteeer¡­ I broke through! I love you! I love you! I loove you!"

    He hugged her tightly to his chest with his single arm and rested his chin on the top of her head.

    He felt unprecedentedly tranquil as he watched the sky shed its dawning blush and reveal its cerulean hue. He wished that time could be framed in this moment forever.

    Suddenly, Deimos jerked up with a startled yelp, slamming her head into his chin. Hissing at the pain, he clutched his jaw as she crouched down holding her head, whimpering.

    "What!?" he hissed.

    She looked up with teary eyes and pointed towards where they had been copulating.

    "My fish." she said piteously.

    The corners of Mars'' eyes twitched.

    He couldn''t help but pinch her cheek in exasperation. "You damned glutton."

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Bruno pushed past the gate of his dwelling on his return from the training field, only to be greeted by a desolate silence. A situation that had become all too common after his father''s failure to dethrone his brother.

    It had been one defeat too many for the man and he had lost his enterprising spirit, growing sullen and more withdrawn.

    His mother had tried her best to support him through his funk but it had taken a toll on their marriage, both of them having to resort to wearing gloves to conceal their fading markings.

    Bruno laid down his Warhammer and other training equipment in his room and walked into his meditation room, sealing the door shut behind him.

    Turning on the smokeless torch, he gave the room a once-over. His eyes were attracted to the jade box lying on the stone platform he usually meditated on.

    His heart thumped as he guessed its contents. Forcefully repressing his excitement, he strode towards the box and picked it up. It seemed heavy in his hand with the weight of his anticipation.

    Uncovering the ornate lid with shivering hands, he gazed upon its contents. A transparent crystal with streams of icy energy flowing through it.

    As soon as it was exposed to the air, the crystal shone with a soft radiance and the temperature of the surroundings dropped fiercely.

    Wrapping his hand in his icy mana, he picked the crystal up and studied it from all sides. Unlike the ice rocks used in refrigerators, glacial crystals were the very core of the mines both minerals were obtained from.

    More accurately, crystals like glacial crystals, aeolian crystals or fluvial crystals were found in areas of high concentration of the elements. For example, fluvial crystals could be found in riverbeds while their mutated cousins, glacial crystals could be found in extremely cold, icebound areas.

    Around such crystals, ordinary rocks often took on some of their properties. Case in point, ice rocks, which were commonly used refrigerants.

    The crystals had the special property of being able to assist during breakthroughs from one Tier to the other and stabilize the realm. As such, they were highly sought after and due to their rarity, they were extremely expensive.

    After a year of despondence, Bruno''s father had recovered, shifting to the other extreme. He had turned into a workaholic, taking the toughest and most dangerous of missions to earn the most in the shortest time so he could afford the resources needed to accelerate Bruno''s progress.

    Growing tired of defending a spatial boudoir, his mother too had begun joining him on his missions and the life on a knife''s edge had rekindled their passions and their marriage had recovered¡­

    ¡­ at the cost of their time with their son.

    Bruno clenched his teeth and his claws dug into the meat of his palm. His father had taken to avoiding him like the plague. He felt too ashamed to face his son upon whom he had placed his expectations after his defeat.

    After all which father wanted to look incompetent in front of his son. Thus, whenever he worked himself to the bone to procure some resource for Bruno, he would leave it in his meditation room, instead of giving it to him face to face.

    His icy blue eyes glinted with determination.

    He had already bathed at the hot spring and eaten from the cafeteria so he simply sat down cross legged to contemplate his mindscape after uncovering the four troughs at the corners of the room.

    The ice stones in them rapidly sucked in the heat of the room, causing the temperature to drop to below zero.

    Bruno touched the glacial crystal to his forehead and wrapped it with his frigid mana. Slowly, the crystal turned ethereal and sank into his forehead, appearing in his mindscape.

    His mindscape was a spherical world of ice and snow with bluish-white mana suffusing it completely, indicative of his being at the pinnacle of the first Tier.

    The glacial crystal, which had appeared in the centre of the spherical world, morphed into a statue of himself sitting cross legged.

    With every inspiration and expiration of the statue, the extant mana was purified and compressed until it reached a critical point as the statue slowly dissolved into the mana.

    The boundary of the mindscape shattered with a sound like shattering glass and reformed, smaller, but sturdier than before while streams of Tier 2 mana with double the density of Tier 1 flowed in it.

    Bruno''s eyes shot open and a profound glow seemed to suffuse them. With rapid convulsions of his muscles, the layer of ice that had accumulated on him during his advancement shattered and he set out from his seat.

    With a wave of his hand, a illusory blue light shone from him. Wherever it illuminated, the moisture in the air froze, coating the place in a layer of ice.

    Tier 2 frost style magic: Ice Beam.

 17 Chapter 5

    Phobos quickly walked over and began to massage her shoulders while I flexed my arm and ran it through the range of its motions.

    Exhaling comfortably, mother praised her: "You''ve got magical hands, child." Turning to me, she said, "And you should be fine with the ordinary range of motion on that arm. Don''t even think of training with it till I give you the okay." she sighed, "Seriously, I''ve had enough muscle heads making my life difficult."

    "Trouble at work?" I asked as I walked over to the recessed workstation in our room where I brewed my body-strengthening potions and on rare occasions, cooked. After all, today I had a fish to fry.

    Mother groaned comfortably as Phobos dug the ball of her thumb into a knot in her shoulder muscles. "Yeah¡­ right there¡­ *sigh* You won''t believe how many idiots there are who feel that the existence of the medical cell means that they have a free pass to over-train themselves in preparation for the competition."

    She snorted contemptuously, "They don''t realize that healing needs energy from their own body and unlike me or the most experienced of the staff, the personnel in charge of training injuries aren''t skilled enough to draw the energy specifically from their reserves of fat. They end up doing more harm than good by drawing the energy from the adjoining muscles, shaving off days of their training results."

    She clenched her teeth resentfully. "Thankfully, I caught on to what was going on before too much harm was done and gave them all a tongue lashing. The muscle-heads and the incompetents both. Then I had to wipe their buttocks for them by healing all of them personally since I was the only one capable of doing it without repercussions. Hopefully, they will learn some prudence."

    She sank deeper into the couch as Phobos began working on the back of her neck. "Ahhh¡­ I''m exhausted!"

    Phobos asked her, "Is that why you didn''t treat Husband in one go and broke up the process into multiple sessions?"

    "Intelligent! Yes. I could have healed him fully in one session, but that would need more energy than I could glean only from his fat reserves. It would have set him back by a lot more than ten days of missed training and given the upcoming competition, I decided to tackle his injury piecemeal instead."

    Phobos'' fingers moved to her scalp and Mother''s ears twitched as she narrowed her eyes in comfort, a sure sign of her enjoyment. She continued, "A-anyway¡­ you''ll be learning to harness mana from your bond to Deimos, so, I don''t think the time off will be any less productive."

    Mother suddenly sat up, her eyes wide as Phobos too gasped in surprise. "What!" both of them exclaimed with one voice.

    "Demi advanced!?" "You tapped into her mana!?"

    "How? Is she okay?" "What does your mindscape look like, child?"

    I held up my hand to stop the interrogation from the two excited women. "Whoa! Hold up! I can only answer one question at a time."

    They looked at each other and Phobos asked her questions first. "So, Husband, how did it happen and how could you forget to inform us of something this important?"

    I scratched my nose with a finger awkwardly as I put down the kitchen knife from my still tender right arm.

    "Well¡­ you see, I was feeling a lot of pressure to perform lately and I tried to force the bond¡­ locking myself out in the process. Deimos, she noticed and took me on a stroll by the lake in the morning to relax me and¡­ A-anyway, it worked!" I finished awkwardly.

    Phobos'' eyes narrowed in suspicion as she looked at me, making me feel transparent. I averted my eyes in embarrassment. Suddenly, she burst out laughing, "Knowing Demi, I can guess what happened. But seriously, outdoors Husband?"

    Mother''s eyes widened in realization and she too began chuckling. "Really. Kids these days. So bold!"

    "This is why I didn''t want to tell you." I mumbled sullenly.

    Mother got back her composure first and said, "So, that''s why Deimos that girl was acting so evasive and ran out to ''train''. She must have been shy about what she did during her Break-through Blues."

    "Break-through Blues?" I asked.

    "Describe your mindscape to me first. I''ll get to it afterwards."

    I closed my eyes and centred myself as I concentrated inwards. A six-coloured sphere with light blue being the dominant hue appeared in my mind and as I reached out for it, my consciousness was drawn into it.

    Suddenly, I was an ethereal, formless mass of ectoplasm, floating in a brand-new world.

    I took in the sight of my mindscape. There were mountains, rivers, seas and volcanoes illuminated by a yellow orb of light that hung on the zenith of the domed sky. The shadows cast by the light seemed darker than what should be possible and in the centre of it all was a vortex of the blue mana I had obtained from my bond with Deimos.

    Withdrawing from my meditative state, I described it to Mother and she grew pensive before gathering her train of thoughts and speaking: "What I will speak of now was passed down to me by my mother on the day of my coming of age and her words have followed me throughout my life.

 18 Chapter 6

    I rolled my eyes, muttering, "Gluttons, all of them." under my breath as I went back to work with my ear trained towards her.

    Mother''s ears twitched, "Just you wait, young man. Your father''s joining us for dinner and I''m sure he''ll double your training when he hears of your disrespect towards your elders¡­"

    "Mother!" I whined. "Do you want me to die from exhaustion? And continue please ¡­ you''ve left me hanging."

    "Ahem. As I was saying; someone''s elemental gift is very influential on their personalities. For example, Deimos, with her affinity to the wind element is quite free spirited and flighty in her thoughts. Yet, she is sometimes shy like a summer breeze.

    "Basically, one''s personality closes up towards one''s associated element, taking on aspects of their traits. Different elements affect different parts of one''s psyche."

    I took up the knife in my right hand and holding the fish steady with my left, I cut off its head and tail. Sliding the tip of the blade just above its spine, I ran it along the length of the fish, slicing it into two halves.

    Flicking my wrist, I deboned the fish with the tip of my knife, causing the fishbones to fall accurately into a bowl I had kept by the side. Sometimes, my newly mended hand spasmed and the bones fell on the counter and I had to put them into the bowl manually.

    As I continued, the spasms grew fewer as I adapted to the new state of my arm.

    "The gift of wind is closely tied with the thoughts of its owner, making their thoughts unshackled and their attention spans short. They are the dreamers of our nation and most innovations come from their hands.

    "While those with the gift of the earth are resolute. Once their decision is made, nothing short of severe injury will make them draw back. They are the backbones of our army.

    "The flame-touched are highly emotional. The fire of their enthusiasm driving them to perform feats of both great benevolence and great evil. They are the impetus behind our nation''s continued progress."

    Setting aside the separated head and tail, I scored some lines into the two pieces of the fish before washing them in the sink. Once the blood had run out and the water running off had turned transparent from red, I laid them back on the cutting board, scaly side up.

    Scraping off the scales with my knife, I made sure to be careful not to injure the skin.

    "Those with the previous three gifts are easier to categorize in terms of what kind of personality to expect. The other three elements on the other hand are a bit difficult to classify.

    "Those with the gift of water are shaped by their experiences into what they are as their memory is what is associated with their element. You should expect them to ruminate over any of their plans multiple times before they take action. They never make the same mistake twice.

    "Shadow elementalists are quite misunderstood since their element is closely linked to the physical sensation of pain. People expect them to be sadists, masochists or cowards who flee from the slightest discomfort and sadly, in some cases, they are right. But, for the majority, mind triumphs over matter, their predilection towards pain only manifesting in a slightly more violent fighting style and some quirk of their personalities."

    I nodded as I recalled Phobos and her fixation towards her hair and the fate of those who annoyed her.

    Shuddering at the image, I sliced two tomatoes thickly. Layering the bottom of a large bowl with the slices, I put the fillets into it side by side. Pouring water into the bowl till the fish was covered, I squeezed in the juice of a lemon and some salt and let it stand while I went to work on the vegetables.

    "The ones blessed with light as their element are more attuned to corporeal pleasure. That may manifest in as many ways as there are people. In my case, due to my variation light element, I developed a love for healing others, finding pleasure in relieving their pain.

    "Come to think of it, Bruno, that boy has a variation element too. As an ice elementalist, you would expect him to be cool and indifferent, instead of the hot-headedness he shows. Right?"

    I grunted my assent as I finished dicing the last of the bell peppers, finishing the preparation of the constituents of the salad.

    Placing a wire mesh on top of the large bowl I had the fillets soaking in, I extracted them, placed them over the mesh and lidded the setup with a domed cover. I put the bowl on top of a stove fuelled with fire stones and let the fillets steam as I turned around and listened as Mother continued.

    "The thing about one''s element affecting one''s psyche becomes more pronounced the higher you make your way up the tiers as your conjunction with your element increases. Take Deimos'' break-through for example. Didn''t you feel the normally reserved girl was acting a bit too bold when she, if I got it right, convinced you to make out with her in public?"

    ''Deimos you sure ran away at a convenient time.'' The corners of my eyes twitched as I helplessly nodded. I didn''t want to have to rehash the details of my sex life with my Mother!

    She chuckled, "Well, that was probably due to her imminent break-through exacerbating her unrestrained personality trait. That is what we call the break-through blues. She is likely curled up somewhere in mortification now.

    "Actually, any natural break-through involves further conjunction with one''s element and hence, a shift in personality. So, just by knowing someone''s element, you can make an educated guess about what they might be like.

    "Any male Bestia you meet in the competition, who are at the second tier though, you should forget about these empirical rules. They probably broke-through with the aid of crystals and as such, weren''t affected by their elements. While this might be good for them socially as they can be more unpredictable, it permanently reduces their potential by making them lose a chance to increase their elemental affinity."

    A whistle from the steamer caught my attention and I took it off the stove and removed the steamed fillets from the mesh, placing them on the salad bed I had already prepared. The grid pattern on the fillets from the mesh facing upwards to make it look better.

    The tomato slices in the lemon juice had already been thoroughly boiled during the steaming and most of the water had evaporated. Using a ladle, I mashed the slices into the remaining juice, turning it into a sour tomato sauce which I used to garnish the salad.

    Picking up the finished dish with one of the fillets, I walked over to Mother and Phobos who were eagerly anticipating it on the couch and placed it on the table in front of them while I drew up a stool to sit on.

    Without further ado, the both of them dug in with the help of the cutlery I had brought along. For a long moment, there was silence in the room except for the clatter of knife against fork until finally, their knives hit against the bottom of the plate and they had to stop.

    "Boy, I raised you right." said Mother as she wiped her mouth.

    "Husband, you''ve finally achieved perfection in the culinary arts. I have nothing more to teach you my young apprentice." said Phobos with mock solemnity. She wrapped her arms around mother and buried her face into her shoulder. "Mother! The little boy who couldn''t crack an egg has grown up and surpassed his teacher. I feel like crying."

    I rolled my eyes at her theatrics as Mother chuckled. Shooting me a sidelong glance from her shoulder, Phobos spat her tongue at me, making me smile.

    "Anyway. As I was saying: not all people follow this kind of convention. Take you, or any other Hominum for example. Your mindscapes form upon your first contract and have all six elements. Unlike your Bestia partners, a Hominum mindscape is incapable of producing its own mana and depends on their link with their partner to activate their own production. The mana produced is exactly the same as the partner and their affinity and personality are affected by them too. Only to a much lesser extent. One-sixth to be exact."

    I was pondering over her words when a slight sound from the window facing the lawn distracted me. Turning around, my lips twitched as I saw a red-faced Deimos sheepishly crawling over the sill as she refused to make eye contact.

    From her subtle glances at the kitchen counter, I could infer what had drawn her here despite her mortification. It looked like I had fished a big cat with a steamed fish.

    The sound of Father simultaneously entering from the main door let me know that we were in for a family dinner after a long time.

    I couldn''t help but smile brightly, reaffirming my determination to protect this familial warmth.

    I was Mars Felidae. Son of Epione and Veer Felidae, Husband of Phobos and Deimos.

    In this competition¡­

 19 Chapter 7

    She floated in the nothingness as she manipulated her mana to wash out the boundary walls of the mindscape, strengthening it, working steadily towards tier 2.

    Her metaphysical hands were inserted into a patch of the deepest of blacks. As she worked, the darkness stirred, resolving into millions of ants composed of a portion of the abyss.

    The insects crawled up her arm, slowly overspreading her body. Maintaining composure, she continued with her cultivation.

    As if incensed by her motion, the ants went into a frenzy and sank their mandibles into her ethereal flesh.

    Pain exploded into her psyche. A horrendous burning pain that seared through her soul. Clenching her teeth, she barely managed to keep herself from screaming and persevered in manipulating her now extremely active mana to wash out her mindscape''s walls.

    Finally, unable to insist, her consciousness fled back to her body and in reality, she came to with a gasp.

    Waves of agony inundated her, originating from her gloved hands. An agony so intense, that she had to curl up in a foetal position around her hands, clenching her teeth to hold in her voice.

    Gingerly, she took off the bulky straw gloves and tossed them away, shivering with repressed screams as the motion irritated the fire ants trapped inside the gloves and they bit into her inflamed flesh.

    Crawling over to a bucket of water, kept chilled with ice stones, she dunked her hands into it, groaning with relief as the cold counteracted the fiery toxins from the ant bites.

    Soon, along with the water reaching a lukewarm state, the toxin in her hands was discharged and her taut body relaxed.

    Dry-heaving from the sudden variations in her body, she spat only stomach acids. Having known this would happen, she had started her meditation on an empty stomach.

    Shakily, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand, wincing as the contact irritated her still inflamed skin.

    Her vision went to the innocuous looking straw gloves lying on the carriage floor. They were bulky pieces of equipment, woven out of dried irongrass in a double layer with the inside containing five of the most fearsome creatures in the continent.

    Fire ants, one of the last remnants of the Beast race.

    When Vita and Mortem had made their decision to fuse with the Beast race, they had done so with the intention of reliving the process of falling in love through the perspective of other sentient beings.

    As such, organisms with hive-minds like bees and ants and other colonial creatures that didn''t allow for emotions in their society were passed over in their merge.

    Retaining their magical powers and devoid of natural competitors, the remnant beasts'' populations grew explosively as they fed upon the mundane animals and expanded their territories systematically under the tight control of their hive mind.

    Till this day, several parts of the continent have been declared restricted areas due to them being overrun by such remnant Beasts.

    The worst of which is the Kalahari Swarm; a mobile restricted area formed of a giant swarm of magical locusts that leave nothing but a barren desert in the wake of their passing.

    Fire ants are one of these remnant Beasts. Differentiated from their mundane counterparts by their size, reaching up to the length of a section of an average adult''s index finger, and their fiery venom, they are apex predators.

    Truly, ants which could bite an elephant to death.

    Phobos was using them to accelerate her cultivation by smearing honey on her hands and wearing the gloves.

    The ants would bite her through the mesh, injecting their venom and inflicting tremendous pain which, due to her shadow affinity would activate her mana, making attacking the bottleneck to tier 2 easier.

    She had opted for this brutal method as it was the only way she could think of to break-through within the week.

    Mars had resumed his training with renewed vigour after his injury had healed. By integrating wind mana into his martial arts and by dint of his body, strengthened by the bond with Deimos, he was nigh invincible within Tier 1.

    But Phobos had received news from her father, who had been keeping tabs on Bruno''s parents, that they had completed an extremely difficult assignment recently and given their observer the slip near Sun city.

    The observer hadn''t been able to trace them, but he had found out that a glacial crystal had been purchased from the auction house there by a cloaked couple.

    Bruno, in all probability, was now in Tier 2.

    Technically, they could cry foul and press charges of embezzlement on Bruno''s parents but all they had to do was avoid coming back to the clan for the month and Bruno would have already finished with the tournament.

    Tier 2 was a qualitative leap. While Tier 1 magic applied to one''s own body, Tier 2 spells could affect targets at a range. For example, the most basic Tier 1 wind magic: Haste, increased one''s speed by reducing air drag while at higher levels of Tier 1 one could use Air Bullets to attack at range with minimal efficiency.

    It was the tier 2 magic: Blade Edge Hurricane which truly gave long-range capabilities.

    Invincible in Tier 1 or not, if Mars faced Bruno as he was now, he would lose and Bruno would be declared heir while his parents could come to power and sweep the embezzlement case under the rug.

    In short, the time for complaints and bureaucracy had passed and only suppression with martial might was an acceptable solution.

    The only method was for her to awaken as a Feral. Although, that wasn''t in her hands, it was well known that a breakthrough to Tier 2 was closely followed by Feralization for girls with strong bloodlines.

    Thus, she had thrown herself into her meditative training with heart and soul without informing Mars, Deimos or her parents-in-law as she didn''t want their morale to flag.

    After the month of harvest was over, the preliminary rounds of the competition had started and within a week, a hundred talented youths had been screened from their territory.

    Now, they were on their way to the capital of the South-Eastern province along with the selected youths as representatives of the Felidae clan and its head, Marquis Veer Felidae.

    They had been travelling along the roads by horse carriages for almost a week and time was growing tight.

    Mars would need at least a fortnight to familiarize himself with shadow mana, so if she didn''t break through soon, all her efforts, all her pain would be for naught.

    She was spending more and more time locked up in the carriage recently, cultivating¡­ or more accurately torturing herself and it was taking a toll on her mental and physical health.

    There were bags under her eyes, making her natural eye shadows more prominent while she had grown thinner with her cheekbones showing through more conspicuously. Even her prized hair was frazzled.

    A knock at the door to her carriage was followed by the worried voice of Deimos.

    "Phi-Phi? Are you alright, ya? If you''re feeling better, then come eat with us at the campfire. The fresh air will do you good."

    Phobos gingerly picked up the gloves and put them into a steel box with air vents, locking them in securely before reorganizing her appearance as best as she could.

 20 Chapter 8

    Apparently, the results were underwhelming because Demi''s brow wrinkled with concern when she laid her eyes upon her.

    Phobos saw her nose twitch. The floral fragrance she had rubbed into her wrists seemingly weren''t enough to conceal the stench of her vomit.

    She needed a bath but none were forthcoming on the road. The next city was yet another day away and for the purpose of hurrying along, the carriage train wouldn''t be stopping there for more than the few hours required to restock their supplies.

    Hardly enough time for the relaxing soak she wanted.

    As she followed Demi towards the campfire where Husband and his parents were waiting for them, her sensitive ears picked up the gossip in the rest of the camp while she passed by.

    "Oi. Ain''t that the First Princess? I ''eard that she locked ''erself up in the cells ''cause the Second Princess awakened at seventeen and even at eighteen, she has yet to awaken."

    "Oh¡­ yeah¡­ I was there when the Second Princess came running with the injured Prince in her arms and they spent the whole night with her, convincing her to return to her room."

    "I dunno why they bothered¡­ I''ve ''eard that ''er talent is mediocre and it''ll be good if she manages to awaken at the age of nineteen."

    "Shh! Keep yer voice down! Be careful that she doesn''t hear ye. She''s known to be vindictive¡­ what with how she maltreated her opponent in last year''s competition."

    "I dunno ''bout last year, but she won''t be mixing any positive outcome if even a few days of travel makes ''er sick. Pampered is what she is¡­ why, I ''eard from some good sources that the Prince only married ''er ''cause she enticed the Second Princess ''fore they married."

    "True that¡­ there be a lot of talented girls in the clan for him to choose¡­ take that girl Fifa for instance¡­ downright stunner is what she is¡­ talented too."

    "Yeah¡­ ''eard she''s slated to awaken any time now¡­ and man those things on ''er chest¡­ she''s wasted on that midget cousin of the Second Princess. She''d look mighty fine with the Prince¡­ at least he wouldn''t ''ave to tiptoe to give ''er a kiss. Ha-ha."

    The gossip turned towards puerile speculation on the figures of the various women in the clan and Phobos clenched her teeth as a blue vein throbbed on her forehead.

    She wanted nothing more at that moment than to walk up to the vulgar boors and rip out their tongues.

    She had spread the excuse that the travel had caused her health to deteriorate so that none would find it questionable that she spent so much of her day cooped up in her carriage. That didn''t give the plebeians the right to insinuate that she was weak behind her back.

    Good, she might not be talented in magic like Demi and her martial skills were better than average at the best of times. Compared to Husband''s skill in martial arts, hers was pitiful.

    Yet, she had kept up with the geniuses that surrounded her, hadn''t she? Her will and perseverance were unquestionable.

    Uninformed louts that they were, they were questioning her very efforts. maybe the world would be a better place if they all just died!

    Sensing her agitation and having picked up on the gossip with her equally sensitive ears, Demi squeezed her hand comfortingly, making her wince as pressure was applied on her still raw skin.

    Misinterpreting her flinching as the signs of her depression due to the comments, Demi pulled her out of sight behind a tree and hugged her tightly, muttering, "Don''t feel bad ya, Phi-Phi. They don''t mean it."

    Deeply inhaling the comforting scent of the petite girl in her bosom, she hugged her back, pushing her overly dark thoughts to the back of her mind.

    Shaking her head to clear it, she introspected. She must be cracking under the pressure if a few thoughtless words could evoke her killing intent.

    Withdrawing reluctantly from the hug, she smiled at Demi and said, "Don''t worry Demi. It will take a lot more than words to keep this girl down."

    This time around, her smile was genuine.

    Grinning widely, Demi pulled her along by her hand towards the campfire around which the family was gathered and she had to struggle to prevent the pain from showing on her face.

    As they walked into the firelit clearing, a glint on Demi''s left bicep drew her attention.

    It was her Heavenly Silksnail.

    She watched as Demi released her arm and skipped to the empty seat on Husband''s left. She patted the space to her left, "Come on Phi-Phi, sit here."

    Epione, who was on Husband''s right said, "I''m sorry dear, there''s no cure for motion sickness, though it certainly is my first time seeing a case so severe. You''ll just have to tough it out until your body gets used to it."

    She nodded in acquiescence as she took her seat. Husband leaned over Demi and spoke to her, "Eat up, even if you don''t feel like it. Maybe you''ll be able to keep it down this time and anyway we''re quite close to the capital¡­ it''ll be just a few more days and we''ll be done with the journey."

    Turning his head towards the command tent of the temporary camp, he said, "We were waiting for Father to be done with his work but he sent a message that he won''t be able to join us today and that we should start off without him. So since you''re here, let''s begin, shall we?"

    She smiled at him and replied affirmatively and they began their dinner. She participated in the small-talk absent-mindedly as her thoughts still dwelt on the Heavenly silkworm on Demi''s arm.

    The silksnail like the fire ants was another one of the remnant beasts. Although in this case, instead of natural disasters, it had become a part of daily life.

    As its name suggested, it was a snail that secreted silk. It was a symbiote that latched onto a host and fed off the mana they provided. In the process, they would wrap the host in a tunic of ephemeral silk.

    The silk was quite sturdy, providing a good amount of physical protection and doubling as a means to absorb the mana emanating from the host.

    When one wanted to remove their clothing, all they had to do was feed the silksnail mana directly and it would retract its silk, surrounding itself in a cocoon as it detached from its host.

    Over the next few hours, the cocoon would be compressed and merge with its own shell, making it sturdier. Then it could be reattached to a host. Once its shell grew to a critical density, it would stop growing further and any further mana would be used to create silk to bolster its cocoon and hence, the tunic it wrapped its host with would continuously strengthen till it almost resembled a set of light armour.

    Beyond a point, it would create a new individual by splitting off a part of its soft fleshy body and wrapping it with the silk from its cocoon.

    In the era of Beasts, they had been regularly used to substitute clothing as the Beasts were widely divergent in physical form.

    Vita and Mortem had passed over them due to their asexual method of propagation and hence, they survived the apocalypse, finding new hosts in the emergent Bestia.

    As the silksnail tunics could morph their form according to the body of the host, they were necessary items for women who had awakened as regular clothing would be shredded during the transformation to their Feral form, leaving them naked when they transformed back.

    As such, a tradition had formed for the husband of an awakened woman to gift her a Heavenly Silksnail. The one on Demi''s arm was an offshoot of the one worn by Epione. It was a beautiful specimen. Not only was the tunic it formed in possession of a strong defensive capability, it had inherited an affinity to light due to its long association with Epione''s mana, causing each thread to glow with a soft internal radiance.

    Over its lifetime, Epione''s silksnail had only produced that one offspring and it would take several years yet for another to be born.

    As such, Demi and she had already decided that the first one to awaken would get it. Indeed, she had happily watched on as Husband had foregone his gift in his coming of age ceremony to beg the silksnail from his mother.

    Yet, now as she looked at it, a spike of jealousy ran through her. The ugly emotion making the food in her mouth taste bitter.

    A sudden spike of pain from her hands distracted her. They had finally begun to swell from the effects of the residual venom and even the soft fabric of her most expensive gloves irritated the tender skin. It was a reminder of her inferiority. While she had to resort to desperate measures, fighting tooth and nail to stay at their level, they made it seem easy.

    Maybe, those gossips were right and the only reason she was in this relationship was because she had enticed the unsuspecting Demi into a lesbian relationship when she was too young to know what love was.

    In the last few days Husband had barely visited her, busy as he was with the training to control his wind mana and integrate it into his martial arts. Due to the limitations of the carriages, they had been sleeping separately too, with him and Demi sleeping together in a larger one, since regular intercourse was required to stabilize her Feral form post-awakening.

    Although, much of the reason she was sleeping separately was due to her fake sickness and their belief that she needed her rest, she couldn''t help but feel left out.

    She wondered whether her desperate efforts were but an exercise in futility, doomed to remain unknown and unappreciated.

    Her thoughts kept going down depressing pathways and she grew sullen, participating in the conversation less and less. Setting her cutlery down, she noticed that somewhere down the line, the Shadow Stealth magic she had been maintaining on her hands to detract attention from their inflamed appearance had expired.

    Reapplying the magic, she begged indisposition and took her leave amidst the concerned inquiries of the others, fending off their offers to accompany her by pointing out that it was a short walk to her carriage and that she could manage.

    As she walked towards her carriage, the birthplace of her misery during the last few days, she felt an immense, ancient hatred bubble up within herself.

    Unbeknownst to her, beneath her gloves, the welts on her hand were healing at a rapid pace and being replaced by jet black fur.

    Under the moonlight, her shadow seemed to stretch and morph¡­

 21 Chapter 9

    Pushing the it open, her eyes took time to adjust to the darkness of the compartment lighted only by the meagre moonlight streaming through the gaps of the shuttered windows.

    A broad back mapped into her view, leaning over her trunk. And when its owner turned around at the noise of her entry, red eyes met her yellow ones.

    Phobos took an involuntary step back at the undisguised fury contained in the eyes of her Husband.

    His voice, when he spoke was quivering with repressed rage. "What the hell were you thinking!? Do you even know that what you are doing here has been outlawed!?"

    He took another step towards her, the box with her straw gloves in his hand. "Really, woman. Do you think no shadow mage has tried such a convenient method before? Those without bloodlines dense enough for awakening had tried self-harm and successfully awakened. Yet, the technique is illegal. Do you know why!?"

    He tossed the box away and grabbed her by her shoulders, his vice-grip painful on her flesh. Clanking against the wall, the box settled on the floor, only to be covered by a blanket as the contents of the room began to swirl as the wind responded to his anger.

    "It''s because it drastically increases the chance of the person succumbing to Vita''s destructive will. You can''t expect someone to torture themselves and not accumulate negative emotion. It is that emotion that feeds Vita''s will and allows it to bend theirs to her cause."

    He shook her harshly, "In your irresponsible quest for power, you risked endangering the entire camp. What would you do if you were brought back from your Feral state with memories of having devoured several of the competition participants here? Hmm!?"

    Phobos'' hair whipped around in the errant winds from his uncontrolled mana as she slowly looked up to meet his gaze. in the depths of her glowing yellow eyes, an abyssal darkness began to take shape.

    Her nails morphed to claws that tore the thin fabric of her gloves and glinted in the moonlight. She tilted her head, silently appraising his angry face before her gaze stopped on his exposed jugular.

    He got to know that she had been torturing herself in the confines of her room for almost a week and the first thing he did was berate her for endangering the participants.

    The very same participants who had been taunting her behind her back.

    It would be so easy to reach out with her claws to his neck when he was unprepared and¡­

    KILL HIM.

    After that, maybe she should kill those vulgar gossipmongers¡­

    Her claws that were slowly drawing closer to his neck, paused as guilt for her deception arose within her.

    Taking advantage of her momentary stiffness, he embraced her tightly as he said, "Why did you ever think that you would have to go it alone?"

    His sturdy arms squeezed her tighter, "Fire ant venom¡­ as an alchemist, I know how horrifying it is. Painful enough that it can destroy even the strongest of wills and yet, weak enough that the nerves don''t go numb from excessive stimulation, keeping the victim in a perpetual state of extreme agony. How could you even think that I wouldn''t help you achieve something for which you were willing to undergo that for a week."

    His voice grew sorrowful as the wind around him died down, leaving a messy room.

    "Did you wonder why I couldn''t come visit you recently? I was studying with Master, poring over his collection of ancient tomes for a method to get you to awaken without having to become a Feral. I''ve been searching for a way ever since you went and locked yourself in the cells for fear that you would turn Feral and hurt us."

    He buried his face into the side of her neck, mumbling into her hair, "Recently, I found a record of a young Hominum and his shadow-gifted beau who liked to engage in various sexual plays involving the inversion of pain and pleasure.

    "After one particularly wild night with whips and candles, the girl woke to find herself capable of free transformation between her Bestia and Feral forms without any memory of ever turning Feral. Somehow, the lashes he had left on her back had become their contract marking.

    "It was the only successful recording of an awakening without Feralization I found and since it contained an instance of illegal stimulation of an un-awakened shadow-gifted, the knowledge too was sealed, preventing ambitious fools like you from experimenting on themselves and endangering everyone around them."

    The darkness in her eyes wavered as his words made her aware that as she had been trying hard for his sake, he too had been making persistent efforts for hers. She embraced him back with all her strength and the world grew blurry as a week''s worth of pain and sorrow found a drain port in her tears.

    Feeling her body shudder with her sobs and his shirt grow wet from her tears, he exclaimed, "Fool! If only you trusted us enough to tell us, you wouldn''t have had to suffer so."

    From behind his back, she brought her gloved palm under the dim streams of moonlight illuminating the room.

    Through her blurred vision, she could make out her fingers shrinking and widening as her thumb began to migrate upwards as her hand morphed into a paw.

    An irrational hatred suddenly welled up from within her, seeking to crush the blooming light of affection in her heart. In her mind, her own voice ordered her:

    KILL HIM.

    He is the cause of your pain. It was for him that you suffered¡­ So, KILL HIM.

    Wallowing in the depths of pain and depression as she had, for the past week, she might not have been able to recognize Vita''s influence, but here, in Husband''s warm embrace, enveloped by his affection, she could clearly make out the thoughts which weren''t her own.

    Forcefully depressing the voice, her speech was hoarse with her tears as she managed to croak out. "Are you sure that story isn''t an excuse to get me to agree to your sexual fetishes?"

    He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through her, warming her very being. "As Mother says: ''If you can joke around, you are probably fine.''"

    Breaking free of her control, the voice came back with renewed vigour. Changing tacks, it persuaded:

    You''ve always resented his presence haven''t you? It was always just Demi and you before he started taking up her time and now, she spends more time with him than you. How long till you are forgotten entirely?

    KILL HIM and you can say it was all an accident. KILL HIM and Demi will be yours again.

    She shuddered. While she had once entertained such thoughts, she did so no longer. Husband, Demi, they weren''t weights to be balanced against each other in her balance of emotions, they were a part of her.

    Thoughts of killing any one of them could only come from a vengeful Goddess.

    She knew now why Demi, even with her intense desire for freedom, was unable to unravel the shackles of Vita''s Divine will.

    After all, how do you break free of something when you don''t even know where you end and it begins?

    She gently pushed Husband away with her newly morphed paws, extricating herself from his embrace and walking slowly backwards until she had left the carriage and stood under the moonlight.

    His eyes widened as he noticed the changes in her body.

    She looked at him and spoke with a soft smile, "It seems we''ll never have the chance to test that out."

    Her voice grew deeper, taking on a rumbling undertone as her vocal cords began to morph. "Husband, Vita calls and due to my foolishness, she calls quite loudly. I will try to influence her to attack only from your left. So, my love, try not to die."

    Her knees reversed with a crack and her body expanded, shattering her clothes as she fell forwards onto her paws. Jet black fur sprouted all over her body, a panther shaped patch of darkness under the silvery light of the moon.

    Right before her nose widened and elongated into a snout and she lost control of her vocal faculties, she managed to say, "Live, and I''ll let you try the play in the story you told me. It''ll be your reward. So, my love, live!"

 22 Chapter 10

    Striding out of the door, I faced my opponent, her form almost indistinguishable in the shadows cast by the carriage, except for her pair of luminous yellow eyes.

    In the depths of her soulful orbs, I found thick cordiality, suppressed by the vicious feelings of the ancient existence that we knew as the Goddess of life.

    As our gazes met, the air seemed to stagnate and the very world stood still as if in anticipation of our contest.

    One moment, she was a picture of stillness, the next she was in motion.

    Zigzagging from shadow to shadow, she was but a phantom in my eyes as the shadows seemed to welcome her as one of their own.

    Tier 1 shadow magic: Shadow Stealth.

    Unlike Deimos, who had managed to sever Vita''s connection to her mana pool and prevent her from utilizing magic, Phobos'' self-torture had let the Goddess sink her insidious fangs too deep.

    I tensed, falling into the beginning stance of the Thunderclap Samsara Palms with my right leg drawn behind as I placed my weight on my left foot. My right palm faced forward with their fingers pointing upwards on my outstretched arm while my left palm was by my waist with the fingers pointing down and the palm facing outwards.

    My opponent might be stronger this time around, but I too had made great strides in my martial prowess. It was time to put myself to the test.

    Right before she entered my range, she opened her mouth and roared.

    Instead of sound, formless ripples of darkness spread out, dimming the moonlight and deepening the shadows.

    Shadow Stealth level 2: The Call of the Dark.

    Not only did it affect vision, it dampened all sound in its range, making it nigh impossible to spot the elusive feline.

    Thankfully, sight and sound weren''t the only senses at my disposal. Moving rapidly through the stances of my martial art, the air around me rapidly coalesced into a vortex as my hands blurred. It formed a protective sphere of wind, aided by the coat of wind mana on my palms.

    Now, if anything intruded into the range of the sphere, I would be able to detect it immediately.

    For a moment, there was no sound except for the howling of the wind as I continued to maintain my technique.

    I wasn''t worried. This state of affairs was quite favourable to me. While it was true that I had only a third of Phobos'' mana, my technique being a blend of martial arts and magic drew upon both my physical strength and mana, hence reducing the mana consumption.

    A battle of attrition was favourable for me.

    Just as I was about to relax, a huge sense of crisis covered me, originating from my left. My subconscious tendency to guard my left side due to Phobos'' last words was the only thing that saved my life as she exploded out of my shadow, in a blur of mobile darkness.

    Tier 2 shadow magic: Shadow Walk.

    My preparation allowed me to shift the trajectory of my palm, slamming it from below into her jaw, shutting it in a glow of white as her barrier counteracted the force.

    Yet, the strike shifted her motion path upwards and she sailed over my head, swiping her paw at me as she passed by.

    I was sent flying as my own barrier which I had gained after my contract with Deimos, lit up a blinding white from the force of the blow.

    Rolling on the ground to bleed off the momentum, I narrowly dodged another one of Phobos'' strikes as she followed closely after me.

    Panthers were the assassins of the forests. Using their dark coat to blend into the shadows, they ambushed their unsuspecting prey before taking them out in a single strike.

    They were heavy cats, yes, but they weren''t as heavy or muscled as the Siberian Tiger. They were fast, but a cheetah would leave them in the dust in an all-out sprint.

    What they excelled at was explosive force. They could transition from rest to motion in an instant and bring the entirety of their strength to bear in one fatal strike.

    Even the glancing blow I had taken from her had wiped out a third of my mana when it was blocked by my barrier.

    Leaping to my feet, I applied Tier 1 wind magic: Haste to myself, reducing the wind resistance and lightening my weight.

    Nimbly manoeuvring between the trees, I put some space between us as my mind worked furiously, searching for a path to victory.

    In the end, I found only one.

    My mana was running dangerously low and even a single strike from her would signal my end. Thus, I had no choice but to stake everything on a single throw of the die.

    Retaking my stance in a clearing, bathed in the silver moonlight, I closed my eyes, entrusting my life in Phobos'' hands.

    Totally giving up my defence of my right side, I focused all my senses towards my left as I concentrated my remaining mana into my palms.

    I entered an elusive condition under the threat of death, my mind merging with the air around me. It felt like even with my eyes closed, I could see.

    No, it was more than that, I could see, touch, hear and feel everything in contact with the air.

    The wind was my eye, my nose, my tongue, my skin.

    A shift in the air currents to my left¡­

    I exploded into motion, my mana infused palms coming together in a blur, briefly shattering the sonic barrier¡­

    Like a Sudden Thunderclap.

    Phobos, who had just emerged from my shadow took the full brunt of the sound wave to her face, the vibrations bypassing her barrier and dizzying her.

    Without delay, I hammered my joined fists down on her head, slamming her to the ground before chaining it into an elbow strike followed by a shoulder drop.

    What kind of son would I be if I didn''t finish her off with¡­

    The Nutcracker.

    With the sound of shattering glass, her barrier expired and she lost consciousness.

    Exhausted, I collapsed onto the ground beside her as I watched her slowly morph back to her Bestia form.

    Exhaling the last of the compressed air in my lungs in a white jet of steam, my taut muscles finally relaxed and I began to drift in and out of consciousness from the mana exhaustion.

    Dragging my body to her supine form, I pulled off my shirt and covered her with it.

    Biting my finger to draw blood, I wrote down the sigils for shadow in the old language onto her right hand with great difficulty as my vision kept swimming.

    With a stinging pain, I felt the contract magic take hold, binding us together.

    Satisfied that I had done a better job than with Deimos'' mark, I gave in to the sweet release of a dreamless slumber.

 23 Chapter 11

    Candles, an obsolete means of lighting after the advent of fire and light stones, were surprisingly popular at the provincial capital.

    The servant I had asked, though mildly surprised by my age, gave me a smile encompassing the understanding between like minded men and soon proceeded to return with the empty pouch which had contained my month''s allowance and a box filled with an assortment of candles.

    It looked like a lot of the nobles resorted to wax-play for their nightly satisfaction.

    So, here I was, preparing for a night of experimentation with Phobos while Deimos, the poor dear, had to be dragged around by Father and Mother all over the palace, socializing with the noble scions that would be in attendance from all over the province.

    She had actually wanted to stay back with us but Mother had put her foot down, saying that it would be good for her social awkwardness to interact with others without the two of us guarding her like jealous mother hens.

    Also, at least one of the three of us had to be present at the welcoming banquet for the sake of politeness no matter how injured we were. Otherwise we wouldn''t be showing the Duke, the host, sufficient deference.

    As the rapists and clan exterminators of Huaxia would put it: We wouldn''t be giving them enough Face.

    Phobos and I had gotten off the hook due to her recent awakening and me being her partner.

    Snuffing out the torch after the last candle was lit, I let the room sink into a decadent ambiance and waited for Phobos to exit the bath.

    The camp had gone into a tizzy after Phobos had recovered from her mana exhaustion and carried my unconscious form through it to Mother''s tent.

    Instead of stopping to rest the horses midway between the next city and the provincial capital as we had planned, the carriage train ran day and night and reached the Capital a whole day prior to the schedule so Phobos could consummate our first union post her awakening on a proper bed and not a rickety carriage.

    While the rest of the exhausted camp got the day off to rest and relax, I was worked to the bone, running all over the capital, pulling strings to get my hands on another Heavenly Silksnail for Phobos'' awakening present¡­ and the candles, let''s not forget the candles.

    My vision fell on the inconspicuous wooden box sitting beside the larger box of candles on the dressing table. It had been quite difficult to find a specimen from the sericulture farms in the area with a shadow affinity, especially at such a short notice.

    Now that I had mana, I could finally put all my training in the esoteric arts of contract magic to use on individuals other than myself. This tournament being a gathering of talents at the marriageable age as it was, there would be no dearth of demand for the services of me and my fellow tamers.

    All extraneous thoughts fled my mind as the latch to the washroom door clicked, indicating that Phobos was finished with her ablutions.

    I had seen her fully-clad, half-clad, barely-clad and unclad countless times before, but for some reason, today as the flickering candlelight glinted off the droplets of moisture slowly streaming down her wet hair, down her temple, cheek, chin, neck, and finally disappearing into the profound gully of her chest, my heart couldn''t help but beat faster.

    Wrapped loosely as she was in her bath towel, she stood on the cusp of maturity, yet burnt brightly with the enthusiasm of youth. The contradictory, yet complementary impressions travelled from my eyes, to my brain and then straight to my loins.

    I was aroused¡­ and I had permission to do whatever I wanted with the woman, my beloved, who stood within reach, emanating a wordless invitation.

    So, without delay I strode over to her and pressed her against the wall with my chest while caging her within my arms.

    I saw my form reflected in her eyes and in them I saw the hunger in my gaze, just as she saw her own arousal pictured in mine.

    Wordlessly she dropped her towel and I stopped her lips up with mine.

    Our shadows were intertwining giants that tangled their tongues on the opposite wall of the room.

    Drawing back, a thin thread of shadow bridged their lips, the connection elongating and thinning till it snapped.

    For a moment the shadow-giants paused to appreciate the other before merging together into an indistinguishable whole.

    ¡­

    A trail of my discarded clothes, some torn from the urgency of their removal, led to the bed where with a primal roar, I released my lust into the depths of Phobos'' womb for the second time this night.

    Red welts covered her pale skin and an impression of my fingers marked her breast, while shallow furrows that bled lightly marked my back, speaking of the violence of our coupling.

    Our eyes met as sweat glistened on our toned bodies and the undiminished fire in them was all the prompting we needed.

    I slowly resumed pistoning within her as she lay on her back on the bed, slowly bringing her to the peaks of her arousal as I reached out over her head towards the headboard and carefully brought the conical candle placed there in a glass holder.

    Unscented, uncoloured and further infused with mineral oils to reduce the melting point, the wax would only leave a slightly uncomfortable warmth on the skin without the danger of burns.

    A special blend for beginners. Thanking the thoughtful servant in my mind, I dripped a bit of the molten wax in between her shivering breasts just as she arched her back in climax.

    The room was warm with the heat from the numerous candles and the frenzy of our love-making and we dared not open the windows for ventilation for fear of our vocal expressions of lust attracting an audience.

    Thus, dizzied by hypoxia and feeling uncomfortably warm from the sweltering room, the warmth of the wax was the tipping point where her muddled brain perceived pain as pleasure.

    The pleasure overrode the pain, the pain qualified the pleasure, amplifying it¡­

    And with her sensual scream, roiling waves of darkness emanated from her, snuffing out all the candles in the room except the one in my hand.

    There within the confines of darkness illuminated by only one flickering candle, the two of us were the closest we had ever been and as I continued painting on the canvas of her skin with the molten wax, the bond grew stronger still.

    Till, finally, I completed a replica of the marking on our right hands and with the last drop of wax, the darkness invaded the last bastion of light, destroying our separateness.

    We were truly one.

    Phobos Felidae, Tier 2 Mage, Wife of Mars Felidae.

    Mars Felidae, Dual-contracted Tamer, Husband of Phobos and Deimos Felidae.

 24 Chapter 1

    She piled food onto her plate and dug in, hoping against hope that no one would be oblivious enough to interrupt her meal.

    Dressed as she was in a tunic made of dark blue lace that had only one long sleeve that covered her right hand while her Heavenly Silksnail was attached like a bracelet to her left, weaving its body-hugging garment like a one-sleeved turtle-neck undershirt, she was stunning.

    The soft glow of the undershirt shone through the lace, highlighting its patterns, especially at the diamond shaped cut-out at the chest which was covered with translucent gauze.

    As it stood, her upper garment seemed a balanced byplay between dark and light while her knee-length dark-blue lace skirt did a good job of highlighting her toned calves above her crystal-studded dark-blue shoes.

    A thin white silk ribbon clinched her waist in the place of a belt, tied into a bow on one side with the free ends dangling down her skirt.

    Thus, it was no wonder that she had been hounded by the unmarried noble scions of her generation almost constantly and Mother-in-law had let it happen, happily throwing her to the dogs.

    Well, in this case, it would be more appropriate to say, the bears, the monkeys, the dolphins and the foxes.

    Taking advantage of the brief reprieve that the meal gave her, she turned her gaze to the breathtakingly beautiful woman that was their host for the night.

    Duchess Hotaru Vulpine, leader of the south-western province and one of the only two females among the eight Dukes of the Regiis empire.

    Wearing a low cut plain white sleeveless dress, clinched at the waist by a golden cord, the simplicity of the garments highlighted her natural beauty, making her seem even more divine.

    Six beige tails tipped with white fur wrapped around her body like furry accessories speaking of her kitsune lineage and her white-tipped beige ears peeked out of her waterfall of long white hair.

    As she mingled among the four Marquises of the province and their spouses, including Father and Mother-in-law, her every smile or frown seemed to sway the mood of the people.

    Though Father-in-law seemed as stoic as ever and Mother-in-law looked excessively smug at the fact.

    Truly a temptress. Although, the beautifully crafted contract marking on her forehead shone a dark red, speaking of her fidelity to her beloved.

    Deimos couldn''t help but feel admiration. It took great resolve to place the contract mark in a place so prominent. A statement that one was confident that their love would never fade.

    In the Regiis empire, females could take up administrative posts and if they did, their partner would be deemed their consort and banned from holding any government position to prevent nepotism.

    Similarly, for the wives of men in power. The only exception was when the consort was conferred a post higher than his beau and the couple could choose to give up the lower post.

    Thus, despite his high social station, the affable man had no political power.

    Comparing the contract marking on his brow to the one on her own hand, she couldn''t help but frown as she recalled the veiled ridicule directed towards her by the female portion of her peers.

    Deimos was originally a beautiful young woman and after her awakening, her charm had increased a great deal as the divine power of Vita remoulded her body, making it more perfect. Combined with her wardrobe choices, she was the focal point of the eligible bachelors on the prowl for mates.

    In her social awkwardness, she hadn''t caught on to the intentions of the groups of men who seemed to spontaneously appear wherever she went and began boasting about their own achievements and martial prowess.

    Until, unable to repress his curiosity towards her, one of them had worked up the courage to approach her directly.

    Her contract marking had saved her then, declaring her taken for all to see.

    The boys had retreated, disappointed, for in the Regiis empire, one of the greatest taboos was pestering someone''s wife. As per the commandments set by the first emperor, it could result in grave penalties for both parties involved.

    The girls had taken their place. Jealous of her awakening so early and for her hogging the limelight for so long, they had made their disdain of the artistic talent possessed by the crafter of her mark clearly known.

    Her awkward attempts to defend Master had led to another wave of ridicule of his skills when they learnt that her beloved had been the one to personally mark her.

    Some of the more independent and ambitious girls had gone so far as to call her a submissive to men for marrying a Tamer, for not only did she have to share her beloved, a Hominum''s wives were forbidden from holding administrative posts due to the political confusion that might cause.

    She sighed, tucking into her food with increased gusto. At least there was one part of Regiis aristocratic etiquette she liked, the one that deemed it impolite to interrupt another''s meal.

    After all, no matter how humanoid they might be, the Bestia carried the bloodlines of the Beasts and no Beast liked an interrupted meal.

    She was so jealous of Phi-Phi right now. She got to skip this ordeal and try out new things with Master on the bed while she had to be socially tortured.

    Thinking of what the two of them might be up to in the privacy of their room made the blood rush to her cheeks, dyeing them a charming pink.

    "Oi! Girl, you seem just my type!"

    A rude male voice jarred her out of her sexual fantasies and she wrinkled her nose at the stench of alcohol that drifted to her along with the sound of those words.

    Pretending to smooth out the wrinkles of the dress on her shoulder with her left hand, making her marking clearly visible, she turned around to face the approaching boor.

    He was quite tall and slim, with a handsome face marred by his inebriated expression. His bushy grey tail and furred grey ears spoke of his lupine lineage. The jade pendant hanging at his waist made his status vivid.

    A member of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries from the neighbouring nation of Huaxia.

    She stood up, as he approached and gave him a polite curtsy as he stopped uncomfortably close to her.

    His vision seemed to be two torches as they ran all over her body with naked lust, giving rise to goosebumps wherever they passed.

    His gaze stopped at the diamond shaped cut-out on her chest and she felt naked under his gaze despite the layer of gauze and her Silksnail tunic.

    "Good, good¡­ big breasts and a young face¡­ just right for my preferences¡­ he didn''t lie to me." He muttered, almost causing her to vomit from the thick stench of alcohol.

    She was dumbfounded. Everyone here was an elite and had the sense to abstain from alcohol until they were in the privacy of their rooms to prevent social gaffes. She had heard that the so called ''cultivators'' of Huaxia were an uncultured and arrogant bunch. It seemed that the rumours were true.

    Nodding as if satisfied with some piece of merchandise, he said, "Feel honoured. This Young Master has taken a liking to you. I want you in my room at the end of the night¡­ Just ask the servants for directions to the room of Young Master Lupin and they will let you know."

    Deimos'' pupils turned into slits as her anger nearly made her Feralize that instant and gut the lecherous fool.

    Forcefully depressing her spunk, she stated icily, "Young Master, please be self-possessed. This one is spoken for."

    He tilted his head in a confused manner, "How does that matter?" the scary thing was that his confusion seemed genuine.

    By now, the confusion had attracted several onlookers and her cheeks burnt with shame as she heard their whispered discussions. She wanted nothing more than to punch the fool and run away but she forcefully depressed her impulsions and sought calm.

    She was an orphan and even her Grandpa had disowned her. Master''s parents were like her own and she was extremely grateful to them for giving her shelter and the freedom to live her life on her own terms. Inwardly, she had always blamed herself for the exacerbation of the conflict between Father-in-law and his brother and didn''t want to add on any more trouble to him by offending some aristocratic faction.

    Stepping even closer and further invading her comfort zone, he swayed drunkenly as he reached out to grab her hand.

    Driven beyond the limits of forbearance, she backhanded him across the face and the man staggered back from the force of the blow, stumbling on his own foot and landing on the ground on his backside, clutching his cheek with his eyes almost popping out from surprise.

    "Y-you hit me?" there was a question in his statement as if he was struggling to believe what had transpired.

    "You hit me?

    "You hit me!?

    "You hit me!"

    His eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at her, his finger shivering from his emotions as he spoke the same words thrice, changing his emphasis as he finally came to accept that he, the Young Master of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries had been slapped publicly by a woman.

    Lurching to his feet, clutching his hair in one hand he advanced on her belligerently, making her step back at the sheer madness in his gaze.

    "Do you even know who I am? Huh!?" he screamed as his mana ran out of his body in a berserk manner, vibrating in the air and catching flame.

    Tier 1 flame magic: Ember.

    "My father is the Sun Wolf, the third of his name and the leader of ten thousand wolves." He spoke, pride dripping off every word. "I give you one chance. Strip now and kowtow to me otherwise¡­"

    "Enough!"

    The air seemed to stagnate in the entire room as a large figure appeared behind him.

    She watched a large hand descend upon him from behind and grab his head in a vice-grip, making him swallow whatever he planned to do to her otherwise into the pit of his stomach.

    His Embers were more like smouldering ashes as they were snuffed out by the wind mana of the owner of that palm.

    Raising him by his head till his feet were dangling almost six inches above the ground, the large figure turned him towards itself.

    Young Master Lupin shivered involuntarily as he locked gazes with a pair of golden eyes. His intoxication fled as he sobered from the fear engendered by the vision that seemed to belong to that of an ominous beast which had locked on to his prey.

    "Apologize."

    The tone of command in that deep baritone was unmistakable and Young Master Lupin almost complied subconsciously before his pride built up over nearly nineteen years of indoctrination and living in an environment where everyone bent to his wishes came into play.

    Mustering all his courage, he grabbed on to the man''s wrist to steady himself before saying, "Marquis Felidae, do you want to meddle in matters between juniors? I hope you can give my father, the Sun Wolf, Face and we can forget about this."

    Without paying attention to him, Father-in-law turned him towards her, making him hang helplessly like a toy in his grasp.

    "Apologize to my daughter."

    A warm current of emotion flowed in Deimos'' mind at those words as she looked at the horrible lecher who now faced public humiliation and she almost wanted to thank him for making Father-in-law acknowledge her as his daughter for the first time.

    She was just about to intercede on his behalf when the incorrigible idiot spoke first, "Her? Daughter? Your son''s wife?" He squinted at her mark. "Oh¡­ so that''s how it is¡­ if I were to apologize, I would do it to your son at the very least¡­ not to a woman. Otherwise how would I have the Face to stand before my peers?"

    She swallowed her words. The misogynistic prick deserved every bit of humiliation visited upon him.

    "Apologize! This is the Regiis empire, not your homeland. You blasphemed my son''s wife. I am well within the law if I claimed your life."

    Even Father-in-law, no, Father seemed impatient with the infuriating man as his grip tightened, making him clutch his hand and flail about in pain as he futilely tried to pry off the iron fingers.

    His eyes bloodshot, he seemed to struggle within himself for a moment before his expression took on the colour of renouncing.

    Deimos was stunned as she suddenly felt something wet and slimy land on her face. Touching her face, her hand came away wet and stinking of alcohol. Her brain buzzed and went blank as she realized that she had been spat on.

    "Hahaha." Young master Lupin laughed dementedly. "I don''t believe that you will kill me. I am the son of the Sun Wolf¡­ you have no choice but to give him Face. Me, apologize to a woman? Hah! In your dreams. I dare you to kill me. I dare¡­"

    *crunch**squelch*

    Deimos looked up from her stunned state where she had been staring at her soiled hand as flecks of warm fluid spattered over her.

    Her jaw fell open as she took in the mangled head of the corpse of Young Master Lupin at her feet.

    Father walked towards the buffet table in the deafening silence and the onlookers parted before him automatically.

    Picking up a hand towel from the table, he walked back to her and gently wiped her hands and face, cleaning them. If one were to ignore the blood and brain fluid dripping off his hand, one could only find the touching scene of a doting father and his daughter.

    Finishing up, he wiped his own hand and discarded the towel, accurately covering the shattered head of the deceased man.

    The white towel bloomed a sanguine red as it soaked up the blood.

    Turning to Duchess Vulpine, Father gave her a slight bow, saying, "The atmosphere here is a bit too bloody and I fear my family and won''t be able to keep their food down. I request for us to be excused."

    The Duchess covered her mouth with a tail and chuckled, the sound of the laughter resounding like tinkling bells in the morbid silence of the room, easing the atmosphere.

    "Weak stomachs? Hah! Sure. Go on¡­ I won''t be keeping you here, but I won''t hold any of the Sun Wolf''s letters of challenge for you either. Now that you''ve gone and offed his only son, he might challenge you in a Mortem''s Duel."

    Father nodded in a calm manner, drawing the worried Deimos and followed by Mother as he strode out of the banquet hall.

    "Tell him I will be waiting and if he tries assassination, he better ensure my death before starting on my family, for if they die and I live, his clan won''t have a day of peace or a night of sleep till I breathe my last."

 25 Chapter 2

    It had been a fun party for the most part and he had especially enjoyed interacting with so many girls his age. The ones in the clan always seemed to give him a wide berth for some reason.

    But, now, with Boss gone back to his room to train, Messi and Lionel off somewhere conveying the regards of the First Elder to some dignitary or the other who he had befriended in his long life, and Gerard more interested in the food than the company¡­

    Yes, he was bored.

    Talking was fine and all but the girls were like lotuses on a still pond, the more vigorously you swam towards them, the faster the waves from your approach pushed them away. One mention of making deeper contact, maybe an appointment to tour the local markets together, and they would become evasive in their wordplay.

    Oh, he was an aristocrat too and had thus had polite speech drilled into his noggin since his childhood. But keeping up with the silver tongues of the female populace here was impossible.

    A few minutes of conversation would leave him feeling grateful for having his proposal of a date rejected by them.

    After all, nobody here wanted to commit to any intimacy before the results of the competition was out.

    What if the handsome devil flashing his charming grin at you turned out to be a martial dunce who couldn''t figure out the right end of a sword.

    As a warm-blooded male who wasn''t getting any action between the sheets while all his friends were set up with engagements, he thought that he was justified in expecting something more substantial than just words.

    Well, except Boss, but he wasn''t sure if Boss didn''t enjoy the training more than he would intercourse.

    Now, it had reached a point where the girls started moving away whenever they saw him approach. Just like back in the clan.

    Was it his face? Shouldn''t be. He had checked in the mirror often enough and though he might be a little bit shy of the pretty-boy Messi or the regal Prince, he was pretty sure he was a looker.

    The girls back home said his smile was creepy. The smile he had diligently practised in the mirror to be the epitome of roguish charm.

    They had no taste.

    So, there he was, isolated and left with no choice but to stuff his face and people watch.

    The Regiis empire''s aristocrats were one big happy family. Years of intermarriage and an uncertainty of which lineage would birth the next Emperor were driving forces behind the amicability maintained between the various factions.

    Why? The Great-Grandfather of the current clan Head of the Felidae clan had served as the Emperor once upon a time.

    Theoretically, even a commoner could become the Emperor in his lifetime, just very unlikely in practise.

    Speaking of other nations¡­ Steven picked out another figure among the bustling crowd, who seemed isolated and incompatible with the atmosphere.

    Using Shadow Stealth to dull his presence slightly, a reflex born of his experiences while peeping at the female baths, he gave the man a once over.

    A bushy grey tail and furry wolf ears spoke of his bloodline relation to wolves. Wolves? There weren''t any prominent clans with lupine bloodlines in the south-eastern province. Where did he come from?

    When he noticed the jade pendant at his waist, he realized who the man was. A cultivator from the neighbouring kingdom of Huaxia.

    For there to be cultivators here meant that the situation at the border with the Tokugawa Shogunate was deteriorating fast.

    After a millennium of self-contained and self-sufficient development, the war machine of the Shogunate had finally begun to rotate with the death of its previous ruler.

    The new Shogun was a man who wanted to leave his name in history and had taken the Reign Title of ''Heaven''s Chosen Son'', revealing the depths of his ambition.

    He had issued a manifesto that they were the legitimate rulers of the Continent and as such they should occupy the position of the holy land where the first empire was birthed.

    They were in the process of mobilizing troops to invade the Regiis empire.

    Gerard''s father griped enough about the coming war that even he was well-informed enough to connect the dots between cultivator presence at the annual competition and the war.

    Despite there being historical bad blood between the Shogunate and Huaxia due to the former having occupied the latter for nearly half a century before the internal rebellions had become too much to suppress, there were sure to be a few cultivators who fought alongside the Shogunate.

    The Regiis empire was probably trying to balance the scales with cultivator mercenaries.

    After all, there was no cultivator that couldn''t be bought with elemental stones. If they were refusing you, you just weren''t using enough.

    Huaxia, was less of a nation than a loose agglomeration of Sects that governed the land under their control like feudal lords. The country''s internal policy could basically be summed up as a nation wide turf war where Sects squabbled among themselves for the tiniest bit of resources.

    The strong ruled and the weak served. The destiny of a person was decided at birth by the density of his or her bloodlines and commoners were like cattle to be exploited at the whims of those in power.

    The lower stratum of society produced while the upper class continually consumed resources in their endless quest for strength and martial prowess.

    Eternal conflict was their way of life.

    Steven weaved his way through the crowd and approached the man who was sitting at the bar in the corner and nursing his drink.

    He nearly faltered at the strong smell of alcohol as he approached. The man had somehow bullied the servant into bringing him higher proof alcohol rather than the gentle wines that had been provided by the host.

    Now he knew why the people weren''t approaching the man. Ensuring that no one was watching, he used Shadow Stealth on his face to lightly blur his features. Combined with the man''s state of inebriation, it should be enough to keep him from recognizing him afterwards.

    Bracing himself against the odour, he approached him with a friendly smile plastered on his face.

    "Hello, friend from afar, why do you drown your sorrows in drink this fine evening? Can it be that our host has been inconsiderate somewhere?"

    The man shot him a sidelong glance before drawling out, "Your people are strange, your customs are strange and your wines are weaker than water. This Young Master only seeks familiarity in what he knows best¡­ strong wines and buxom women¡­ although, here, the latter seem to be too frail to touch, protected by endless customs and etiquettes."

    He sighed and returned to his drink. Steven took up the seat beside him and poured himself a glass of mild wine, more like grape juice than any alcoholic beverage.

    "Young Master, you seem to imply that women in your homeland are different?"

    "Different. Naturally, they are different. Women are meant to serve their man, supporting him and relieving his needs. I have no idea how your abomination of a society came to be¡­ letting a woman lead a province. Insane¡­ all of you are really insane."

    Steven wanted to criticize him that it was his society that was the abomination but he stiffly swallowed the interjection down.

    He had to hastily cast a limited version of The Call of the Dark to dampen the sound and lock it within an area around them as the man continued, drinking faster, his face flushing red, growing louder and more animated as he spoke.

    "Women back home know their place. Why take so much trouble to play word games with them. Their purpose is to serve us and bear our children. Reading, writing, the more you teach them, the more they expect. You people must be treating them like gods if they don''t attack you right after going Feral."

    He shook his head condescendingly, "Give them nothing and they will be content with their lot. Such a simple truth made so difficult to understand by all this gender equality nonsense."

    Steven''s eyes twitched. Their values were totally different. Though, he did wonder how the cultivators managed to keep their contract mark dark and still be profligate. Probably a combination of indoctrination of the women and a lopsided treatment between the wife and the concubines.

    He always did have fantasies of having a harem like a Hominum but the cultivator''s version seemed a bit too dystopian for his tastes.

    Taking a sip of his beverage to calm himself, he looked around the hall and his eyes fell on the Second Princess holding sway over her audience of nearly ten girls in the opposite side of the room.

    The ice princess seemed to have turned social butterfly for the night as she browbeat her company into submission with a frosty expression. He didn''t know what the topic was but seeing her refer to her marking gave him the general idea.

    Only the topic of the Prince could get her to say more than a few words.

    Suddenly, he felt really jealous of the Prince for living his dream. While he was here speaking to an uncultured boor, he was locked in his room with the newly awakened First Princess doing everyone knows what while his other wife was defending his honour in the ballroom.

    It was unfair. So, taking a look at the drunk cultivator, he decided to play a prank on the Second Princess.

    Turning around to the man who was now staring blankly at the ceiling while taking occasional sips from his glass, he said, "Young Master''s perception is like a torch. Our customs indeed give too much leeway to women. But let us leave such gloomy topics¡­ what kind of women do you prefer?"

    The man''s apathetic eyes lit up. "Ha-ha. That is a topic to my tastes. You may call me Young Master Lupin. My preferences? Why, buxom women of course. Nothing beats the allure of a large chest. Those who claim to like their women with smaller assets might as well say that they like men."

    Good, now another push. Steven said, "What about girls a little to the younger side of the spectrum?"

    Young Master Lupin frowned, "They cry and scream too much and then there''s the blood. Not my type¡­ though a lot of people like that sort of thing."

    Steven''s eyes nearly bulged out of his socket. He had just asked to lead his line of thought. He didn''t expect that he had been talking to a paedophile. He started having second thoughts. Was it really alright to unleash this thing on the Second Princess?

    Remembering the situation of the Prince with a flower in each hand, he forcefully depressed his disgust and continued, "No, no Young Master. You misunderstand. What I meant was¡­ what if a girl had a younger face coupled with the stature of a seductress? Wouldn''t the innocence coupled with the immorality turn you on?"

    "That¡­ that would actually work. Huh. You my friend have great taste. Ha-ha." Laughing heartily, he slapped Steven''s back repeatedly, nearly causing his fake smile to slip.

    He suddenly turned morose. "But, friend, those women will always be reserved by the old fogies in ''closed-door meditation'' who claim to want to reach immortality, but in truth, live out the last days of their life abandoning themselves to hedonism."

    Smirking inwardly, Steven rotated his chair so he was facing the direction where the Second Princess had settled down to have her meal.

    He didn''t even have to say another word as the man grew enamoured at the very first glance, walking up to her swaying unsteadily, causing those in his way to recoil from the strong stench of high-proof alcohol.

    Reapplying his Shadow Stealth and wiping his sweat from the strain of maintaining The Call of the Dark for so long while still at the first Tier, he made his way to a good vantage point to view the drama.

    He grabbed a plate of fish strips as he passed the buffet table, settling down with his back against a pillar as he admired the view while snacking on the strips. He idly wondered what the Delphinidae, the Marquis family with the bloodlines of dolphins, thought of seafood.

    Everything went just as expected at first with the Princess slapping the inebriated fool. Then things started going awry as he burst out with magic in the crowded hall.

    Even on the opposite side of the hall, Steven shivered as he felt the air stagnate, influenced by the Clan Head''s anger.

    When Young Master Lupin''s head was crushed like a melon, he dropped his plate as a deep chill ran up his spine.

    Only one thought remained in his mind as he turned Shadow Stealth on to full power and made a beeline towards the exit.

    If the Clan Head knew of his involvement, it would be his head next.

    Out in the adjoining garden, he slowly adjusted his rapid breathing as the cool evening air blew on his forehead, evaporating the close beads of cold sweat that had seeped out.

    It was fine. Nobody had noticed him talking to the Young Master. He had been careful to blur his face the entire time so even if they had noticed, they wouldn''t be able to identify him accurately.

    He was safe. His head was safe.

    He breathed out a sigh of relief and relaxed¡­

    ¡­ only to stiffen as he felt the sharp point of a dagger press against his back.

    A soft melodious voice spoke into his ear, making him shiver at the warm, moist breath and the lilting cadence.

    "Should I thank you for getting my foolish little brother killed, I wonder?"

    Steven wanted to cry.

    ''Mama, Papa, it seems your son has dug himself into a pit too deep to escape.

    It was quite a short life but he loved you very much.

 26 Chapter 3

    His silvery white wolf ears and tail even made him look old before his time.

    Average height, average musculature, average facial features, in a crowd, it would be very difficult to pick him out¡­ if not for his eyes.

    His brilliant white irises seemed to burn against the abyssal darkness of his sclera and his capillaries radiated out, giving them a reddish corona.

    Even in the brightly lit office in the command building, their radiance seemed to contest against the light of the smokeless torches that were placed in sconces at the corners of the room.

    Just as he made a few corrections on the current paper, set it aside and reached out for another, a knock resounded at the door of his office.

    "Come in." His voice too was average. In fact, it was strangely neutral making it very difficult to make out his gender solely from his voice, let alone his emotions.

    The one who entered was his closest confidants and most competent subordinate, Xie, a stocky man with brown hair, ears and tail. The colour wasn''t natural. Once when asked the reason for the dye, he had replied, "It''s the same shade as dried blood. Makes me look cleaner."

    A competent, ruthless man who had never looked as flustered as he did today.

    The tidings he brought weren''t likely to be pleasant.

    Immediately upon entering, he kowtowed and repeatedly slammed his forehead against the ground as he spoke, "Lord, this one is guilty of the most heinous crime. This ones'' supervision of the Young Master was lacking and this one wasn''t able to prevent his death at the hands of Marquis Felidae. This one wishes to atone for his crimes with his life."

    The Sun Wolf''s eyes blazed to life and the fire stones in the torches seemed to resonate with his mood, shooting gouts of incandescent flame upwards, causing the temperature in the room to promote rapidly. Xie didn''t even dare to look up, continuing to knock his head against the ground with increased vigour, leaving bloodstains on the fissuring floor.

    After a long moment which seemed to stretch into eternity, the temperature reduced back to normal levels as the flaming torches reverted to their steady glow. The Sun Wolf''s command rang out in the room.

    "Get up. Your head is harder than the floor."

    Xie got up apprehensively and shot a glance at his Lord. His expression was the same as ever, complete apathy, without the trace of sorrow or anger. It was like the boy whose demise the tidings of death spoke of, wasn''t his son. Only the scorch marks above the torches spoke of his momentary loss of composure.

    Xie didn''t dare to delay, describing the circumstances leading to the Sun Wolf''s son''s death with as much accuracy as he had managed to piece together from his personal experience and the accounts of the nobles who had been close enough to overhear the conversation between him and the Marquis.

    At the end of the recounting, the Sun Wolf sighed and the flames in the room flickered along with his mood. "Always a troublemaker. Too infatuated with wine and women to have any bright prospects. And now, he has no prospects at all. Bring him in¡­ I''ll send him off."

    Xie hurried out of the door, returning soon with a trolley with the enshrouded corpse of the Young Master.

    Walking up to the body, the Sun Wolf gently raised the shroud and gazed upon the remains of his son.

    Even though his facial expression didn''t change, his irises burnt a brighter white while his sclera darkened further. His eyes were like two embers in the depths of hell.

    Xie stepped back as a frightening pressure began rolling off him. He stuttered, "L-lord, should this one send a letter of challenge to the Marquis?"

    "A letter?" His voice was merely a whisper as he replaced the cover over his son''s mangled head and bent down to hug the body to his chest in a bridal carry.

    Walking out of the office onto the adjoining balcony, he looked up at the night sky.

    It was a cloudy, moonless night, the darkness unbroken except for the twinkle of a few stars through the gaps of the dense clouds. Spring was ending and Summer was on its way, bringing with it the monsoon.

    It portended rain¡­ maybe the world cried at his son''s passing?

    But, the Sun Wolf didn''t need the sympathy of the world. The only rain that would appease him would be that of the blood of his son''s slayer.

    He raised his head and howled, the resonant tone bouncing off the walls of the barracks, awakening his kin. Soon, roused by the call of their Lord, one by one the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries currently in the barracks joined in, filling the air with their eerie wails.

    The air around him vibrated as his mana rushed out of his body, covering his surroundings, coating them with a pale heatless flame.

    The enshrouded corpse caught fire, levitating slowly from his arms, floating upwards as the flames grew brighter and burnt hotter.

    By the time it had cleared the top of the buildings, the entire corpse was on fire, looking like a blazing white fireball, no, a miniature sun.

    Birds chirped and men stirred in their beds as that night, the sun rose early.

    Instead of the horizon, it rose from the military barracks. A blazing white sun that rose higher and higher, growing all the while, giving the people on the ground the misconception that it remained the same size.

    It lit the province in a morbidly pale brilliance and made the undersides of the storm clouds shine a muted silver.

    When it finally touched the clouds, it ruptured, setting the entire sky on fire.

    Amplified by their wind mages, the entire capital heard the mournful refrain of the wolves before the first rains of the year came pouring down, dousing fire and sound alike.

    Yet, if one were to look up at the sky, they would find one area in the gloom where the stars shone through. The same place where the sun had met the sky.

    Emblazoned in the cloud layer was the word:

 27 Chapter 4

    Walking up to his desk, he pulled out a stack of clean parchment and his writing implements. Taking a seat, he began grinding the inkstone against the slab with a small splash of water to produce ink as he asked, "Was she involved?"

    Understanding who he was referring to, Xie quickly assured him, "No, my Lord. I was with the Young Lady the entire time. She didn''t interact with anyone for the entire duration of the event, preferring to observe instead."

    Something like relief flashed past on the Sun Wolf''s face, "Then where is she now?"

    Cold sweat seeped out from Xie''s forehead, "L-lord, I-I do not know. I was occupied with processing the Young Master''s death and collecting information. She gave me the slip then. It''s not her first time, I-I''m sure she''ll be back."

    The Sun Wolf looked up from his desk sharply. When Xie''s eyes met his, he felt a stabbing pain radiate from them, making him avert his eyes.

    "I ask you to look after my son. He dies. I ask you to monitor my daughter and she flees from under your nose. Tell me, Xie. What use are your eyes?"

    "Lord, I-I¡­"

    "Silence!"

    Suddenly, Xie found himself unable to speak, his tongue a numb mass of muscle in his mouth. A memory rose unbidden from the depths of his mind. That of his Lord ordering one of his incompetent subordinates to kill himself.

    He remembered the awe and fear he felt when he watched the recalcitrant hardcase turn into a docile sheep, willingly plunging his claws into his own chest.

    When he had extracted his hand, it had held his still beating heart.

    The Sun Wolf was the leader of the pack and his word was law. For he was the Alpha.

    Now that he was in the same position, all he felt was fear.

    "Look at me!"

    He didn''t want to, he really didn''t, but his body was no longer his to control.

    *sizzle**pop*

    He screamed wordlessly, still bound by the Sun Wolf''s words as the fluid in his eyes boiled under the Alpha''s incandescent gaze.

    "At ease!"

    Xie collapsed to the ground, whimpering as he clutched his ruined eyes and rolled on the ground in agony.

    For a long time, the only sounds in the room were his muted whines and the scratching of a quill against parchment.

    Xie, after all, was a hardened veteran. After a quarter, he stood shakily, breathing raggedly. "I *gasp* won''t disappoint you again, Lord."

    The Sun Wolf shot him a glance as he signed the letter with a flourish.

    Sealing the letter into an envelope with a blob of sealing wax and his personal seal, he stood and walked over to the blinded man.

    "Lord, your honour is our life. We are willing to accompany you to war together."

    The Sun Wolf waved him away. "No need. The other Marquises are sure to meddle if we become a threat to their military power so close to the war with the Shogunate. Besides, if I don''t rip the arm he used to crush my son''s head off personally, I''ll never be able to rest easy."

    Locating him by sound and smell, Xie turned to him and gave him a formal, albeit, shaky salute before walking out.

    Just before he crossed the threshold, he was stopped by his Lord''s call:

    "Oh¡­ although it truly won''t be wise to have the Marquis'' children assassinated before I kill him¡­ I want the waiter who served my son alcohol and his entire family dead¡­ painfully."

    "Yes, my Lord." Xie saluted again before striding out.

    He planned to perform his duty perfectly this time. The Lord''s punishment had even given him some ideas for the upcoming task.

    His face split into a crooked grin. With his hollow eye sockets, he looked particularly ghastly under the flickering light of the torches in the hallway.

    By the end of the day, some people would rue the day they were born.

    They didn''t call him the Rusty Butcher for nothing.

    ¡­

    The dawn sunlight filtered through the trees in the backyard of the Duchess'' Keep. The dew and the remnant rainwater from the nightly shower breaking the rays up into vibrant rainbows that made the foliage shine with a multicolour brilliance.

    Yet, this scene of natural beauty went unnoticed by the ten youths assembled there in various cliques and poses.

    A sombre atmosphere covered them as they pondered over the events of the night before.

    Unable to stand the depressing silence, Gerard clapped his hands loudly to draw the attention of the rest.

    "What happened, happened, right? Anyway, nothing we can do about it now, can we? So, why don''t you guys, like, focus on the upcoming tournament? I bet you don''t even know the rules."

    "Yeah¡­ but how come you do?" asked Fifa who was leaning against a tree cross legged with Messi on her lap.

    She was an amazon of a woman and at six feet tall, she outstripped most men in the clan. Her blonde hair and blue eyes and forehead covered with the distinctive markings of the Hot Leopard bloodline made her a very striking woman. Specially with her growth in certain areas being so explosive.

    One would expect her to look odd hugging a full-grown man like a plush toy while sitting in such an uninhibited manner but with Messi''s height, somehow the couple took on a weird sort of aesthetic.

    "Well, cousin, not all of us were too busy to stay till the final speech from the Duchess explaining this time''s format."

    "Yeah. Where were you in the end, Stevie? We searched the entire hall for you at the end but you were gone. Don''t tell me you managed to trick some girl into a late-night date?" interrupted Fiona a slender brunette with the bloodline of a Lynx, Gerard''s fianc¨¦.

    Steven chuckled nervously, "How could that be? I just felt a little nauseous from all the head crunching going on¡­ Ha-ha."

    He stopped speaking when he noticed that everyone was looking at him weirdly.

    "What?" he asked, bewildered.

    Fiona pointed behind him and he turned around to see that Mars was comforting Deimos, whose face looked a little blue.

    Suddenly, feeling extremely guilty, he tried to say something to alleviate the situation. "Yeah¡­ look, it wasn''t your fault¡­ that guy had it coming, yeah?"

    Deimos gave him a small nod and a grateful smile before burying her face into Mars'' shoulder while Phobos rubbed her back.

    He felt even more horrible about himself.

    Gerard cleared his throat to regain their attention. "Ahem. Well, the rules. There are three main competitions. Firstly, we obviously have the martial competition."

    Fiona butted in, "Then there''s the healing competition for all of us who have the gift of light. While you meatheads beat each other up, we will be responsible for the recuperation of your injury and helping you restore mana and eliminate fatigue between consecutive matches. There''ll be senior medical personnel grading us."

    "Finally, there''ll be the calligraphy and painting competition for the Hominum and the hobbyists¡­ but that has no qualifiers and is open to all." said Gerard.

    He continued, "As for the qualifiers, you all know that the Marquis clans and the Duchess'' household has a ten-member quota and so, we didn''t have to participate in the local tourney. So, along with the hundred local tournament qualifiers, each of the five factions have a hundred and ten participants."

    Fifa shook her head, "Too little time. Trimming five fifty to a mere fifty in the ten days left till the finals? Too difficult if a conventional tournament format is used."

    Gerard nodded in agreement, "That''s why they are making the fifty members who entered through the quota defend one of fifty arenas each. The organizers have designated us as arena masters. The rest of the five hundred participants will be distributed into batches of ten and sent over to the arenas."

    Bruno interjected, "I''m guessing we have to defend our arena''s one opponent a day."

    "Yes. Exactly. That''s not all. We must solve our opponents in the shortest time possible. At the end of the qualifiers, they will rank the fifty on the basis of their times."

    Mars asked, "Ranks? How do they help?"

    Fiona took over, "Well, the ones ranked lower can challenge the higher ranked ones during the main tournament, but, you can only challenge twice. Each time you can challenge someone a maximum of ten ranks above you. So, someone at fifty can only reach thirty and so on."

    "What if we were to lose?" asked Steven.

    "Impossible." Bruno stated. "Not with their limited resources."

    "Wrong. There are several Earl scions who have been trained with great emphasis in order to somehow create an upset and try to displace one of the Marquis clans. In some cases, even the elders have forgone their own resources to train the juniors." Mars pointed out. "You know how important this tournament is."

    Bruno''s expression darkened, "I don''t need you telling me that."

    All of a sudden, the atmosphere was at daggers drawn.

    Messi broke the awkwardness by stating, "All of us have the duty to do the best so we can get a much better resource distribution for the next four years. We must repay the clan for investing so heavily in us. So, Bruno, man, don''t take people lightly."

    Bruno''s expression grew pensive, then he nodded before settling back to listen to Gerard.

    "So, as I was saying, if someone beats you, they become the new arena master and your previous time records are added to him while you still get to keep your records and they become your basis for ranking in the top five hundred. Though, now, they check how long you''ve lasted."

    Phobos said, "The first matches begin tomorrow. I hope to see all of us in the finals."

    Messi sneered, "I''ll be there and cousin, you better get your head screwed on right. I don''t want to hear excuses about why you messed up and weren''t able to even qualify."

    Deimos shot him a confused glance at the sudden, uncharacteristic encouragement before giving him a grateful smile.

    Messi huffed and turned away while Fifa delightedly ruffled his hair for his attempt at a reconciliation.

    "For Felidae!" yelled Gerard enthusiastically and all of them joined in the cheer, even the stoic Lionel who hadn''t spoken a single word yet.

    Off to one side, Steven watched as the most prominent members of his generation drew closer under the pressure of foreign aggression and felt isolated.

    He dared not reach out, for shackles of deception bound him and bars of falsehood separated him from them.

    Yesterday night, he had truly met a girl like Fiona guessed.

    But the meeting was far from the romantic one envisioned by her.

    He touched the slight clot of blood on his back where the knife had dug into him strongly enough to break skin.

 28 Chapter 5

    The training ground was quite small, barely a hundred metres on each side with the limits clearly cordoned off with a thick white rope.

    Since the fights were timed, it wouldn''t do to make the arena too expansive or the fast ones like the wind mages and the elusive ones like the shadow gifted would just drag out the time.

    Thankfully, I had a huge advantage in such a format, having both shadow and wind mana due to my dual contracts.

    With my resource-enhanced body and the overlay of the physical enhancement from the portions of Vita''s divine power I had absorbed from Phobos and Deimos, I was confident of eking out a high rank in this competition format.

    Unless, I met someone ridiculous.

    The sound of a gong informed me that my first opponent had arrived. Breathing deeply, causing the air around me to rarefy as the coating of wind mana in my lungs compressed it to provide a large reservoir of oxygen for the forthcoming fight, I opened my eyes and stood.

    My opponent was a five-foot seven-inch boy with rounded ears and ochre scales covering his neck and joints.

    For a moment I was taken aback by the scales since Bestia with reptilian characteristics were rare in these parts before I remembered hearing of the prominent Earl family with Pangolin bloodlines that were subordinate to Marquis Ursa.

    As I was sizing up my opponent, he too was evaluating me. He obviously found me lacking for his lips curved up in a derisive sneer as he formally announced his challenge:

    "I, Marcus Pholidota, the firstborn of Argus Pholidota, Earl of Manis District, hereby present my challenge!"

    "And I, Mars Felidae, the firstborn of Veer Felidae, Marquis of the East of the South-Eastern Province, accept."

    We bowed to the other before taking our stances across from each other as the referee, a member of the Duchess'' retinue, took her place by the ringside, where seats for the informers of the various aristocrats and the spectators were arranged.

    As the scion of the Felidae clan, which was currently in the news due to our conflict with the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries, the seats were quite crowded.

    I was quite surprised to see Marcus taking an aggressive stance instead of the defensive stance those gifted with the element of Earth usually preferred.

    My curiosity piqued, I decided to probe his intentions before the match began. "Why do you choose to attack? Is it not in your favour to drag the time with defensive measures?"

    I narrowed my eyes, "We''ll see."

    "Begin!"

    With the referee''s injunction, both of us shot forwards, rushing to narrow the gap between us.

    His skin shone with a golden lustre as earth mana coated him, solidifying into a scaly coat of rock armour.

    Tier 1 earth style magic: Stoneskin.

    Stoneskin was the best defensive magic in the entire list of known spells and their variations. One would think that after one developed one''s own Barrier, post Marriage, it would become obsolete. One would be wrong.

    The Barrier was inextricably tied to the mana pool and each use drew upon the user''s reserves. Stoneskin, on the other hand basically had a one-time cost and only needed more mana to repair the armour, making it extremely efficient.

    This was a problem, especially for me, since, even with both my contracts, I only had a mana pool equivalent to two-thirds of a Tier 1 mage and any participant coming my way would be at least at the peak of Tier 1.

    If they were more mana efficient than me to boot¡­ I would only have one road to walk, a swift solution.

    Thankfully, whether from a strategic standpoint or from the format of the competition, this strategy was the best one anyway and my opponent today seemed to underestimate me enough to make employing it laughably easy.

    Marcus'' eyes widened as my form blurred and vanished from his field of vision.

    Tier 1 wind magic: Haste.

    Tier 1 shadow magic: Shadow Stealth.

    Intermediate class step martial arts: Ghost Step.

    I didn''t even give him a chance to respond as my twin natured mana surged out of me, reducing the wind resistance, lightening my body and bending light away from me, making me incredibly fast and hard to spot.

    My body rocked strangely, splitting after-images and shifting from one direction to another, making it seem as though several of my doppelgangers were assaulting Marcus together.

    He clearly hadn''t expected for me to be able to utilize magic due to my lineage and was caught off guard. I was unforgiving.

    Thunderclap Samsara Palms: Infinite Barrage.

    I and subsequently my after-images wantonly pummelled him from all sides, leaving him flustered as to which side to guard, surrounded as he was by my network of palm-shades.

    Despairing of seeing through my skills, he hunkered down, rolling into a ball of scaly rock just like his bestial counterpart would in the wild.

    Even though each of my blows were fast and heavy with my enhanced physique''s power behind it, they only managed to crack his armour and with a surge of his golden earth mana the fissures healed.

    This way, it would devolve into a battle of attrition, which I would lose.

    "Oh, no you don''t." This situation called for something much more drastic¡­

    Like a Sudden Thunderclap.

    My palms broke the sonic barrier for a brief moment and the shockwave from the impact was directed completely at the curled-up Marcus.

    With a resounding crack, the Stoneskin armour split in two as his body went flying, landing a full metre away and leaving a deep furrow on the ground before coming to a stop.

    I spat out the foul air in my lungs in a jet of white steam and inhaled deeply again, watching Marcus warily, for in the last moment before my blow had landed, I had felt his mana surge.

    That density and quality was far beyond what was possible for someone at Tier 1.

    My opponent was a Tier 2 mage.

    Marcus slowly stood, leisurely patting his body, causing the dirt and the remnants of his Stoneskin armour to fall off. He spat out a gobbet of blood due to his internal organs being injured by the penetrating soundwaves from my last strike.

    He turned towards me and bared his teeth in a bloody grin. The smile didn''t reach his eyes.

    *clap**clap**clap*

    He slowly clapped his hands as he advanced. "I underestimated you Magister Mars. Your lineage blinded me to your prowess¡­ and the resources you might be privy to. Two Tier 2 marital companions¡­ I must say, I''m jealous. If you met anyone in Tier 1, you would win easily, but¡­"

    His mana surged, forming a golden corona around him.

 29 Chapter 6

    I attacked furiously, eschewing the use of mana in favour of purely physical attacks to leverage the superiority of my body and my martial arts.

    Yet, without the addition of wind and shadow mana, I wasn''t at an overwhelming advantage anymore.

    Marcus was no slouch and despite my strength, skill and speed, he managed to land a hit for every twenty of mine.

    That might sound underwhelming, but it was tilting the balance in his favour.

    After another intense altercation, I skipped backwards out of his reach, both of us sweating profusely from the exertion.

    I looked down at my palms and they were covered with a thick coat of rock, a result of the activation of the Tier 1 magic: Stoneskin, with Tier 2 mana, causing it to evolve to the level 2 version: Petrifaction.

    Instead of coating just the user with greatly strengthened rocky armour, Petrifaction actually coated whatever came in contact with the armour in a layer of stone, hindering their mobility.

    Thus, a purely defensive spell turned into one which combined both offense and defence in one.

    I smashed my hands together and their lithic coats shattered and fell off after a few hard raps.

    Looking down at my waist, I found another patch of stone from when he had managed to tap me there. A few more blows and it too fell off.

    I turned to look at the referee and saw her turning the hourglass on its end for the first time. I clenched my teeth. This way, I would lose even if I won.

    Somewhere down the line, it had turned into a battle of attrition as I was too fast for him and his defence too strong for me.

    A battle I had fallen leeward in after he had started applying Petrifaction on his armour.

    My mind worked furiously as I tried to come up with a countermeasure.

    Growing impatient with the dragging battle, Marcus stamped on the ground, sending a surge of golden earth mana into it.

    Sensing danger, I leapt away, narrowly avoiding the pitiful fate of being impaled by the sharp spikes of rock that burst out where I had been standing.

    Tier 2 earth magic: Stone spikes.

    I had barely landed when I had to hastily dodge as the ground under me fell away into a spiked pit.

    Using Haste, my form turned into a blur as I retreated out of the range of the wide area spell, almost toeing the border of the arena.

    Stone spike was a nightmare in a limited area, converting the entirety of the user''s surroundings into a hair-trigger minefield.

    Marcus stepped forwards with steady strides, pumping mana into the ground with each step. Soon, I was trapped between his zone and the edge of the arena with nowhere left to dodge.

    To save mana, he had even deactivated his Stoneskin.

    I clenched my teeth, I was in a dilemma, either I stepped into his personal minefield, wrestling a slim chance of victory by trying to outrun his traps, or I lost by ring-out.

    I firmed my will. I couldn''t lose here¡­ there was too much at stake.

    Tier 1 wind magic: Haste.

    Tier 1 shadow magic: Shadow Stealth.

    Intermediate class step martial arts: Ghost Step.

    I was swift like the wind and as elusive as the shadows. My path was as erratic as that of a ghost.

    I was one, yet I was many as every movement split several phantoms that seemed to branch out in different directions.

    The earth exploded under me, a spike impaling me through the heart amidst the shocked gasps of the audience, only for me to dissipate.

    It was but a shadow.

    With a primal yell, Marcus slammed his fists into the ground, causing the entirety of his surroundings to explode outwards in a forest of spikes.

    The audience burst into cheers, confident that nothing could survive within the range of the attack.

    Panting and sweating profusely from the exertion, he raised his fists up in a posture of victory, soaking up the adulation of the crowd, only to stiffen and collapse bonelessly as I stepped quietly out of his shadow.

    Tier 2 shadow magic: Shadow Walk.

    I wiped the blood that was pouring out of my ears, nose and the corners of my eyes, a consequence of using higher tier magic at my level.

    The crowd grew silent for a moment before bursting out in even louder cheers at the sudden reversal.

    They had come for entertainment and this match had certainly fulfilled their expectations.

    I looked at my fallen opponent as the referee announced my victory.

    True to the high resilience of those blessed by the earth, he slowly sat up, kneeling motionless on the ground, staring with deadened eyes at his hands, disbelieving of his defeat.

    It was a huge blow to him and his clan.

    Terran crystals were much more common than the other five types of elemental crystals on the Continent due to the profusion of expansive landmasses and the trade channel with the dwellers of the Underground. Yet, they were still exceedingly rare.

    The area under Marquis Ursa''s jurisdiction, though barren and unsuited for farming, had a profusion of earth stone mines. Earth stones, basically rocks hardened by the influence of the Terran crystals were premium building materials for the city walls and aristocratic fortifications.

    This close to the war, their prices had soared.

    The Pholidota clan were in charge of several earth stone mines and for Marcus to have reached Tier 2 meant that his clansmen had decided to use a crystal on him, thereby turning a mine defunct.

    If he had won, that wouldn''t be such a problem as the reshuffling of resources would mean that the clan earned a lot more than it lost.

    But now, to maintain the stipulated supply of earth stones to the Marquis, the clan would have to dig into its own reserves if it didn''t want to confess to embezzling public property.

    The clan had gambled and lost.

    Yet, in the duration of the qualifiers, they wouldn''t be the only ones to be revealed to have made such a choice.

    I could only hope that no more of these aberrations would come my way due to poor luck of the draw.

    As I passed by him, Marcus looked up with dulled eyes and said, "Win. You are my last hope," before climbing laboriously to his feet and walking out of the arena with a hunched back, waving away the medics who approached him.

    They wouldn''t be of any use. His wounds were spiritual¡­ their healing light wouldn''t reach that deep.

    I watched him leave with a complicated expression on my face. There was no free meal in the world. It was a brutal place where person clashed against person, competing for the most meagre of resources.

    Marcus wished me victory for based on my final ranking, he as my defeated would get additional marks added to his score, thereby elevating his rank amongst the first five hundred and mitigating his and his clan''s losses.

    It reminded me of a verse I had chanced upon in my extensive forays into the literary sections of the clan library.

    Victors upon mountains of corpses,

    Venerated by mournful sounds.

    Icy bones rife with curses,

 30 Chapter 7

    Her Heavenly Silksnail, fashioned into a black leotard, did little to hide her toned arms and legs much to the enjoyment of the spectators who were enthusiastically cheering her on from the edge of the arena.

    It was the third day of the competition and she and Demi had made a name for themselves, what with having awakened so young and for their attire, or the lack thereof.

    Both of them were helpless. For their first matches, they had chosen to go fully garbed in light leather armour as they hadn''t expected to face anyone capable of forcing them into using their Feral forms.

    Sure enough, they had both trumped their Tier 1 opponents with ease, only to return to their lodgings to find Husband injured from his match with a Tier 2 earth mage.

    It was a wake-up-call for them and the next match they had shown up in only their Heavenly Silksnail clothing to ensure ease of transformation to their feral forms.

    An unwanted side-effect of this was a sharp spike of their male fanbase.

    Mages were like celebrities for the masses and having two beautiful female mages in the flower of their youth fighting in scanty apparel was the height of fan-service.

    So, some raucous cheers from them was expected.

    Poor Demi had been profoundly uncomfortable at the influx of attention from strangers which had resulted in her opponent being reduced to an extremely pitiful state by an extra strong Blade Edge Hurricane.

    He didn''t even last a minute in the ring.

    She had returned to the lodgings distressed, wanting to wear her armour again. It had taken Phobos all her loquacity to convince her that her next opponent might just be a wild card and the ability to freely switch between forms might be crucial.

    An advice she was glad she herself had followed, for her opponent today was a Tier 2 fire mage.

    The nobles had really gone out of their way for this competition and the monsters and freaks were crawling out of the woodworks.

    Several of the arena masters had already been replaced by their challengers including Fiona from the Felidae camp.

    Well, she might have lost on purpose to participate in the competition for healers due to her light elemental affinity and overall distaste for violence.

    Another large fireball howling at her made her bend flexibly to let it pass by her, warming her with its passing.

    Fire mages were really annoying as they were motion artilleries. Take some range from them and they let loose with extreme firepower, dealing out damage as fast as the intensity of their mindscape wall allowed.

    That was why Husband was so seriously injured by using a Tier 2 spell while still in Tier 1. The walls of his mindscape cracked from the dual pressure of having to compress Tier 1 mana to the density of Tier 2 and withstand the backlash.

    Her opponent today had apparently taken some elixir or the other to strengthen his mindscape for even at Tier 2, it was impossible for someone to pull of an uninterrupted barrage of flame bullets as he had.

    Yet she couldn''t approach as the evolved version of the Tier 1 fire magic; Ember: Flame Barrier remained poised to scorch her brows off.

    The worst thing was that her barrier didn''t protect against flames, or any non-physical attack for that matter.

    She had wanted to hold back one trick for the finals but it seemed that her opponent didn''t want to give her that opportunity.

    The only way she could win was outlasting him but that would be too risky and like putting the cart before the horse.

    She sighed. Call of the Dark.

    The world seemed to lose colour centred around her and all sound stilled.

    The fireballs aimed at her diminished as they approached, petering out a few inches from her under the impact of the waves of darkness emanating from her.

    Extracting the two folding fans she had tied to her waist with a string, she snapped them open as she took a dancer''s posture.

    There were psychedelic patterns printed on the fans in black on a white background. Even when they were still, it seemed as if the patterns were moving due to an optical illusion.

    When she moved, the darkness seemed to dance along with her and light bent to her will.

    Her opponent sensing the danger redoubled his efforts, putting together cracks on his mindscape wall to increase his output.

    Yet, she seemed to dance in and out of the shadows and every shot went wide. Her elegant form and circular motions mapped into his eyes and her fans were mesmerising as they left trails of shadow as they arced in the air.

    He staggered as a strong sense of nausea assaulted him, the psychedelic patterns on the fan finally playing their role.

    He had to squeeze his eyes shut to prevent himself from throwing up his breakfast.

    The hair on the nape of his neck stood on end as a greatly strengthened sense of crisis covered him.

    Tier 2 flame magic: Heatwave.

    A gigantic wave of flame radiated out with him as the centre and Phobos who had nearly reached him with the sharp metallic edge of her fan had to retreat back into his shadow, reappearing at the edge of the arena, out of reach of the wide area spell.

    When the flames subsided, they revealed the unconscious form of the mage.

    He had passed out from mana exhaustion.

    Phobos sighed in relief. If even that didn''t get him, she would have been forced into her Feral form.

    The form, while powerful, guzzled mana like there was no tomorrow.

    She would basically have to stake everything on one throw of the die, something her steady nature rebelled against.

    As she left the arena, followed by the tumultuous cheers from her fans, she hoped that no more of these drug-hopped super-soldiers would bar her way to the finals.

 31 Chapter 8

    So, they had already finished with their matches for the day.

    Heading into the living room of the suite, she laid down her pack and walked towards the attached washroom to bathe away her exhaustion. Only to find the door locked and suggestive sounds emanating from behind it.

    Oh. So that''s where they were.

    Her lips curled upwards in a wry smile and she shook her head before turning around and heading to the kitchen.

    Washing her hands at the basin, she set about filling a saucepan with water and setting it to boil while she brought out two whole lemons from the refrigerator, sliced them in half with a kitchen knife and deseeded them.

    The sound of the water coming to boil attracted her attention and she turned off the flame.

    Grating the lemons, rind included, into the boiling water, she added a few spoonsful of sugar and a pinch of salt.

    When the water turned lukewarm, she strained it into three glasses and covered two of them and took a sip from the one left over.

    Her sip coincided with a particularly loud moan that penetrated the barrier of the washroom door.

    Her mouth puckered.

    It was sour.

    She was lounging on the sofa in the living room, taking sips of her beverage when the two of them came traipsing into the room in bath-towels, looking extremely satisfied.

    Demi, in particular, was glowing with happiness and Husband''s dispirited look from his injured mindscape was gone.

    Phobos shot them a sidelong glance before ignoring them in favour of her beverage.

    Bastards. Couldn''t they wait a bit for her to come back? Hmph!

    Demi''s eyes lit up when she saw her and she rushed up to her from behind the sofa and threw her arms around her neck, almost making her spill the drink in her hand.

    "Phi-Phi! You''re finally back!" she exclaimed delightedly. "Must have been a hard fight, ya? Otherwise, it wouldn''t take so long. I got an easy opponent. A girl with wind mana who nearly wet herself when I pounced on her in my Feral form. None of her spells worked on me because of my better control of the wind.

    "Even Master had it easy with a fire mage who thought himself safe behind his Ember until Master clocked him right on his chin. I think all the playing around with candles has made him immune to heat or something¡­"

    Phobos found it very difficult to stay cross at the sweet girl under the barrage of her good-natured chatter.

    It surely couldn''t be her fault that they started without her. It must have been Husband, that horny bastard.

    Husband plucked her half-finished beverage out of her hand before downing it in a few gulps.

    Oh. Who was she kidding? Demi was the most lustful of them all, almost frightening in her enthusiasm and curiosity when the right buttons were pressed.

    The excitement of the fight had probably aroused her. That, and the fact that regular intercourse was a part of preventing a relapse into a mindless Feral state and it was also helpful for healing the last of the fissures in Husband''s mindscape that magic couldn''t reach.

    She sighed. She was exhausted and wanted a warm bath to unwind. She wanted to feel the soothing feel of Husband''s rough fingers on her scalp and Demi''s dainty hands on her body as they bathed together.

    It looked like that wouldn''t happen today. She held Demi''s hands that were thrown around her neck and pouted at Husband. "You know, I prepared two glasses for you two on the kitchen counter. You didn''t need to snatch mine."

    A mischievous light flashed in Husband''s eyes as he shared a glance with Demi and suddenly, Phobos felt weightless as she was held in his arms and her eyes were covered by Demi''s palms. Flailing about at the suddenness of the movement, she threw her arms around his neck for support.

    "Hey!" he smiled. "How can a normal beverage taste as good as one that has passed your lips?"

    "Put me down. Where are you taking me?" she asked while blushing from his comment. He really had a silver tongue, the devil.

    The sound of a door being kicked open reached her ears before the scent of roses tickled her nose.

    Then, she felt weightless again. Before she could orient herself, with a loud splash she was underwater.

    Coming up sputtering, she was extremely indignant at the prank and was about to give the two of them a tongue-lashing before the sight of her surroundings stopped her words.

    The leftover scented candles from their maiden foray into wax-play had been arranged in the washroom, while rose petals covered the surface of the bath water in the tub.

    It was then that she noticed that despite being in their bath-robes, the two of them had dry hair, meaning that they had waited for her after all.

    She shivered as Demi''s rough tongue licked her neck. "Someone in the audience threw me a huge bouquet of roses when I won, ya. Master was pouting when he saw it¡­ so, we put it to good use."

    The water level in the bath rose as Husband disrobed and entered behind her. His large hands travelled over her body as he set about divesting her of her bedraggled garments.

    Demi''s tongue left a trail if saliva as it passed from her neck to chin to her lips, pushing them apart and invading her mouth, twining their tongues together.

    When she drew back, arousal was clear in her eyes as they held her gaze. "Hey, Phi-Phi, we waited."

 32 Chapter 9

    In particular he watched the deepest shadow cast where the largest branch met the trunk by the canopy under the silvery moonlight.

    He sighed and turned away from the window. It seemed that she wouldn''t be coming tonight too.

    The woman was an enigma. Her motives were nebulous and the coercion to collect information on the clan Head to ease her father''s win that he expected, never came.

    Instead, the night of the banquet and the two nights afterwards, all she had made him do was engage her in a chat.

    The topics ranged from his clan''s customs to the social conditions in the Regiis empire. Sometimes, they segued into personal questions on his situation.

    Her knowledge of his involvement in her brother''s death was like a naked sword hanging atop his head and her fickle attitude towards her brother''s murderer further added to his anxiety.

    He wasn''t sleeping well at night, the natural shadows beneath his eyes were failing to hide his dark circles and his performance in the competition was sliding.

    Her nightly visits were small consolation that she still required something off him and as long as that was the case, she wouldn''t expose him.

    And now she hadn''t come visiting for two nights straight. He felt like tearing his hair.

    A light tap at the window had him spinning around and rushing to it.

    When he laid his eyes upon the branch, he found the figure that dominated his recent nightmares perched upon it, poised to throw another nut she had picked from the tree at the window.

    Seeing him appear at the window, she leaned back against the trunk and popped the nut into her mouth.

    His eyes couldn''t help but travel to her blood red lips as they admitted the fruit into her mouth.

    Seeing them quirk upwards, his eyes snapped to hers, which were filled with a teasing expression.

    Coming back to his senses, his anxiety at her absence the last night found expression in the form of anger.

    "Where were you last night!?"

    The infuriating woman quirked her eyebrows before covering her mouth with the long sleeve of her cheongsam and chuckling.

    Her laughter was like the sound of tinkling bells as it reverberated in the silence of the nignt.

    "Why?" she asked. "Did you miss elder sister?"

    Sensuously hooking a finger into her collar, she slowly pulled it downwards.

    Red faced, he knew not whether from anger or embarrassment, he hastily turned away.

    Long legs peeked out of the slit in her midnight black velvet cheongsam and her waist-length dark hair was thrown over one shoulder, exposing one of her black furry wolf-ears and her alabaster nape.

    The finishing touch to the masterpiece was her soulful dark eyes and blood red lips. She, in Steven''s opinion was the epitome of beauty and if he had grown acquainted with her under different circumstances, he wouldn''t hesitate to hit upon her.

    As it was, his anxiety tempered his lust and held his raging hormones in check. Yet, his heartbeat couldn''t help but accelerate a little.

    "Don''t be shy little man. Elder sister doesn''t mind if you take a peek." came her melodious voice, tinged with amusement.

    Struggling for a moment, he turned towards her and his line of sight was immediately attracted to the patch of skin showing through her distended collar.

    When the contract marking mapped into his view, he knew why she hadn''t come the night before. He knew that it had nothing to do with him and was relieved that his secret was safe for a night longer.

    He knew, but he couldn''t help but feel a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach knowing that she was married. But he was slightly happy that the marking was quite light, almost pink against her pale skin.

    He was just happy that his tormentor had an unhappy marriage, yeah, that must be it.

    "Elder sister has awakened to her feral form for a couple of years now." Letting go of her collar, she concealed the marking as well as her skin before leaning back against the trunk. "If she doesn''t get subdued, you call it ''taming'' if I am not mistaken, if she doesn''t get tamed at regular intervals, you''d have a shade wolf running around in your provincial capital, injuring people. Maybe the first person to be attacked would be some naughty boy who had caused her brother''s death?"

    She chuckled again at her little joke and he felt an irrational irritation at her words. The pent-up emotions in him bubbled to the surface and he snapped.

    "Stop it! Just, just get it over with already. Or is this how you plan to make me suffer!? Keep me on edge until I collapse from the strain? What do you want from me? Information about the clan head so your father can win? Luring out his son so you can take him hostage? Just tell me what you want in exchange for your silence and I-I''ll do it¡­"

    By the end of his spiel, he was panting from the effort required to squeeze out the treacherous words and make the decision to betray his clan for selfish motives. His parents too would suffer if he was exposed¡­ he was doing it for his family¡­ or that''s what he told himself to console his rebelling conscience.

    "Fu. Fufufu. You really are an incurable scum, aren''t you? What if elder sister told you that all she wanted to do was chat?"

    "You!" Steven shivered with rage as he pointed at her, red faced. "You''re still jesting with me even after I made such a tough decision!? You know what? Go ahead¡­ Tell everyone. It''s just your word against mine. I''ll see who they believe. You or me."

    Her voice and demeanour turned frosty, "Silence! Tough decision? No. No, it was the easiest decision for selfish scum like you to make. Betraying your clan for personal benefit? You''d do that in a heartbeat. As for the credibility of my words¡­ Has anxiety given you amnesia. Do you not remember that the wife of your clan head is a Tier 4 healer? Basically, a walking polygraph. One touch and she would know of the minutest details of your body. Good luck lying while she monitors your vitals!"

    He stepped back from the window taken aback from the vehemence of her verbal onslaught. Her words a hammer rapping against his heart. He was scum, wasn''t he? B-but he didn''t want to die! The memory of the clan head shattering Young Master Lupin''s head reappeared in his mind.

    Except this time, it was his head being crushed in the man''s grasp.

    A chill ran down his spine and he leaned against the window sill with his clenched fists as his body shook with sobs.

    Hot tears splashed on the back of his fists as the fear and the accumulated tension of days found a drain port.

    He heard her sigh softly. Through his blurred vision, he saw his shadow cast on the sill under the silver moonlight start to burn.

    It was as if the shadow itself was composed of dark flames. From it, a pale hand rose, wiping away one of his tears with a bent finger before retreating.

    He looked up and saw her looking at the droplet on her finger with a strange expression before her red tongue darted out and licked it off.

    Savouring the taste, she said, "Your little trick is good, but it could be better. Consider my direction a reward for serving as my conversation partner for these days."

    Her gaze filled with complex emotions touched with his bloodshot eyes before she turned away. Her shadow burnt with dark flames as she stepped into and through it, leaving without a trace.

    Only her parting words floated on the wind.

 33 Chapter 10

    It made no effort to get back up, remaining curled up in a foetal position, shivering as a layer of frost covered it.

    Medics rushed from the stands, swiftly carrying him away and a fire mage who was on standby, cast Ember upon it, causing its shivering to slowly subside as it sank into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

    In the arena, Bruno let his war hammer rest on the ground, causing it to dehisce from the weight.

    His ears twitched as he made out the words of the spectators as they broke into animated discussion of the match.

    "Hey¡­ it''s the fourth time in a row isn''t it?"

    "Yeah, he''s been winning all his matches within a minute."

    "That''s how it should be, right? All his opponents yet were Tier 1 while he''s in Tier 2. He just hasn''t faced a challenge yet."

    "I heard that he wasn''t even the heir candidate in his clan¡­ then how monstrous must the Felidae heir be?"

    "The Felidae heir? Heard he was a Hominum."

    "What!? A Hominum stronger than a Tier 2 Bestia? Is this the second coming of the First Emperor?"

    Bruno growled in frustration, scowling as he dragged his hammer behind him as he sulkily stalked out of the arena. The hammer left a deep furrow behind him.

    Why was it that Mars always stole the spotlight from him? Why did a conversation about his victory derail into one about him?

    He growled again deeply, scaring away the fans who had crowded around his preparation room''s entrance to congratulate him on his victory.

    Slamming the door shut behind him, he threw his hammer at the mirror on the wall, causing it to shatter and the hammerhead to get embedded deep into the mortar.

    Clenching his teeth and fists in frustration, he swore to himself that he would show them.

    Come the finals, he would show them all.

    ¡­

    Gerard smiled wryly as he did his best to dodge the onslaught of his opponent.

    It was the fifth day and his luck had finally run out.

    After triumphing over his four Tier 1 opponents, one time by the skin of his teeth, he had finally met a Tier 2 mage.

    A Tier 2 water mage. A female Tier 2 water mage who had yet to reveal her Feral form.

    Yeah¡­ he had no chance at victory. The best he could hope for was dragging time.

    "Come on, hubby! You can do it!"

    That was the reason for his wry smile. Fiona had been ''luckily'' assigned to the healing squad stationed at his arena and made it her mission to cheer him. He could hear her enthusiastic shouting even over the clamour of the spectators and amidst the heat of battle.

    Oh well, he could lose, but in front of his girl he couldn''t lose in too ugly a manner, now, could he?

    His arrow streaked through the air, leaving a trail of fire as it approached her, only to be blocked and extinguished by her protective coat of water.

    Tier 1 water magic: Water veil.

    Usually used to help the mage breathe underwater, against fire mages, it became one of the strongest defences, thornier by far than Stoneskin.

    Snorting disdainfully, the short haired tomboy brunette flicked her wrists and the whips of water in her hand morphed into two streams and entered the mouths of the bottle gourds strapped to her waist.

    Shrugging off the third and largest bottle gourd from her back, she set it upon the ground and uncorked it.

    Waving her hands over it, she pulled out a greenish stream of fluid from it which she set spinning about her in concentric rings until there were nine rings and the gourd was empty.

    Tier 2 water magic: Fluid manipulation.

    Taking advantage of the stillness of his opponent and the momentary reprieve, Gerard took up his archery stance.

    Inhaling deeply, he ripple-fired three arrows, nocking, drawing, twisting and releasing in one organic movement.

    The three arrows shot out from the bow, catching fire as his mana ignited them, leaving fiery trails behind in the dry summer air. Spinning rapidly, the tips and tails twisted in opposing directions, taking the arrows in a slight curve that balanced out into a straight line.

    The differential strengths on the three arrows caused them to simultaneously hit the fluid rings at the three vertexes of an equilateral triangle.

    Triple Burst shot.

    The fiery mana exploded out on impact in a spiral, before the three spirals met exactly in the centroid of the triangle, causing a large explosion that made the rings splatter all over the girl.

    Wherever the fluid touched the ground, it caused smoking craters to form as it corroded the earth.

    Gerard''s eyes widened in fear as he watched the area which was covered by noxious steam. She was using some sort of corrosive potion. What a witch. Wasn''t this a bit too much for a mere competition?

    A small figure shot out of the steam, drawing a trail of vapor behind it.

    The malpractice of the Triple Burst shot manifested as Gerard''s muscles refused to respond to his mind''s frantic commands so soon after exhausting their entire potential.

    The figure slammed into his chest shooting him out of the bounds of the arena.

    Landing on the sandy ground, he screamed in agony, writhing as the vaporous potion ate away at the flesh of his chest where the figure had contacted him.

    Grabbing fistfuls of sand, he rubbed it into his wound, hoping to slow the corrosion.

    Suddenly, warm rays covered him and his pain reduced as firm hands restrained him from struggling and exacerbating his wounds.

    Fiona''s teary face mapped into his view and he regained a modicum of calm. Struggling up to a half-seated position, he looked back to the arena just in time to see an otter slowly morph back into the form of his opponent, except, she was now only clad in a Prussian blue Heavenly Silksnail garment fashioned in the shape of a leotard.

    The rest of her clothing lay as smoking pieces in the spot where she had been standing.

    Their eyes met across the distance and she acknowledged him with a nod before turning around to soak in the adulation of the audience.

    He sighed and sank back onto the stretcher upon which he had been placed.

    He watched the clouds in the sky as he was rushed into the medical tent accompanied by a senior medic while Fiona ran towards his opponent to ask if the potion required some specific antidote.

    He hoped she would be civil in her words.

    Forcing a Tier 2 to turn Feral¡­ yeah¡­ he had done quite well for himself.

    The rest was up to the others.

    For now, he¡­ just wanted¡­

 34 Chapter 11

    An astounding number considering that the Duchess'' champions with their superior training and resource allocation had only managed to retain seven seats and the next successful Marquis house, the Primate clan, had only retained five.

    Come the end of the competition, there would be a great reshuffling of the resources and standings among the clans. Such was Regiis empire policy.

    A meritocratic monarchy where aristocrats were made, not born.

    Truly speaking, there was a large dollop of luck involved in the Felidae clan''s success. Steven and Lionel had both somehow avoided meeting a Tier 2 opponent in all nine of their matches. Thus, they had survived while the equally talented Gerard, Messi and Fifa had been eliminated by their encounters with Tier 2 mages.

    Lionel''s experience in the Gladiatorial pits had given him disproportional battle experience compared to his peers and with his stoic and careful nature, he had crushed his opposition one premeditated step at a time.

    He had even earned a fan following and a moniker: The Wall, for blocking the paths of many an ambitious talent.

    Steven on the other hand had relied upon his extremely high affinity with shadow, which gave him greater control over his mana compared to his peers, allowing him to make use of Shadow Walk partially, even while at Tier 1.

    His irate opponents had saddled him with the unflattering epithet of ''the Backstabber'' for dispatching all of them via sneak attacks with his dual knives.

    They didn''t know how appropriate their spiteful nickname really was.

    He sighed as he waited for his final obstacle between the finals to appear while he mused on the circumstances.

    Today was the last day of the qualifiers, it was similarly the final day before the clash between the clan head and the sun wolf.

    Tomorrow at dawn, the two famed warriors would meet to decide their respective destinies. Tomorrow, only one would leave the battlefield alive.

    A feminine form flashed in his mind. Tomorrow, whatever the outcome, it would be the last time his path would cross with hers.

    The sound of the referee ringing the gong alerted him to the entrance of his opponent into the arena.

    He was a large man in full plate armour, burnished to shine brightly under the morning sun. He wielded a long sword singlehandedly while in another he held a large triangular shield.

    His golden curls and blue eyes seemed to glitter under the sunlight and the majestic antlers on his head marked him as a member of the Cervidae clan which was under the jurisdiction of Marquis Primate.

    A Paladin.

    While most light mages opted for the medical profession, some, more battle-focused individuals turned their gifts to war.

    Armed with the heaviest of armours and a wide array of restorative spells, they were practically untiring, undying war machines.

    There was a saying, "The battle is fought among armies. The Paladins are just there to disturb the lines."

    In a battlefield, it was too cost intensive to focus on the Paladins to take them out, so the modus operandi was to let them wreak havoc to their heart''s content while the two armies decided the victory and defeat and whichever army won would then turn around to exterminate the opposition''s Paladins.

    Which gave rise to another saying: "All of them return, or none at all."

    It was an extremely bloodthirsty branch of military services and its members enjoyed a diametrically opposite reputation to their vaunted medical counterparts.

    Steven, though no poet, found beauty in it. Destruction and construction, the two sides of the same coin. Together they created a balance.

    Well, he had found beauty in it till now. Right now, knowing that he would have to face one of the infamous ''Butchers of the Battlefield'', he couldn''t bring himself to be appreciative of their kind anymore.

    The both of them took their stances across from each other, waiting for the battle to commence.

    A slight breeze blew through the arena ruffling the Paladin''s golden curls and Steven''s jet-black hair.

    The audience waited with bated breath as the referee brought down his mallet on the gong.

    "Begin!"

    Drawing his twin daggers, Steven channeled his mana into them, throwing them at his shadow.

    Incomplete Tier 2 shadow magic: Shadow Connection.

    Only someone who had been dropped on his head as a baby would even think of engaging a Paladin in a battle of attrition. So, he started off with his signature spell hopeful it would catch the moving fortress off guard.

    Tier 1 light magic: Flash.

    No such luck, the Paladin immediately began glowing with a blinding brilliance washing away the shadows in his vicinity.

    The mana reinforced shadow Steven had linked to his own was the only one that merely desalinated under the illumination, sticking out like a sore thumb.

    The Paladin immediately spun around, bringing his shield to bear to block the attack.

    Clenching his teeth, Steven cancelled the magic, recalling his daggers into the shadows of his palms, gripping them in a reversed grip.

    It seemed that his opponent had extensive data on his technique and had prepared countermeasures.

    Well, that was to be expected after nine days of flaunting it publicly.

    Stepping on an erratic course, he rushed towards the armoured glowstick. Getting up close and personal with a Paladin wasn''t the brightest of ideas but it was the only path left to victory.

    He would just have to hope that the cumbersome armour would slow the man enough for him to exploit his openings.

    Ghost step.

    His form grew illusory as Shadow stealth and a disjointed arrhythmic gait combined to make him seem like a phantom in broad daylight.

    The Paladin was as steady as a mountain as he squatted low, anchoring himself to the ground by digging the pointed end of his shield into the earth.

    The radiant halo surrounding him grew even more dazzling as he poured his mana into it without restraint before rapidly cycling it in and out of his mindscape causing the light to flicker.

    Tier 1 light magic: Strobe.

    Steven''s footsteps faltered as his technique broke under the rapidly flickering light. Even protected by a film of shadow mana, his eyes watered as they struggled to adapt to the rapidly alternating darkness and light.

    Screams of dismay resounded in the audience as they were blinded by the undifferentiated attack.

    The moment of stagnation was enough for the Battlefield Butcher as he exploded forwards, the earth tremoring under the weight of his armour-clad body.

    Swinging his sword one-handed from bottom to top, he didn''t hesitate to bisect Steven from crotch to shoulder.

    Blood spattered on his face and scattered from his sword in an arc as the two halves of Steven''s body dropped to the ground.

    A pool of blood slowly spread from the bisected remains of the Felidae contender.

    His pristine armour dyed red with the blood of the fallen¡­ a familiar feeling for him, he turned around towards the referee, seeking validation for his win as horrified shrieks covered the arena from the audience who were just now regaining their sights.

    The referee seemed conflicted as the qualifiers were supposed to be spars, to be stopped before the injuries could become life-threatening.

    Yet, here he was with a murder case on his hands. It was clearly deliberate¡­ so should he disqualify the boy? But that would just make the Felidae contender''s death meaningless while allowing him to be promoted would just encourage more such incidents and make the finals unsafe.

    The Paladin waited for his decision unemotionally.

    He was his clan''s tool. A weapon created for this very competition, to help them break out of their current social stratum and reach for the proverbial blue skies.

    So, what if a mere child had to be fed into the meat grinder known as the battlefield?

    So, what if his innocence was sacrificed on the altar of their ambition?

    Only victory mattered. So, they had trained him.

    They had trained him a bit too well.

    There were no spars on the battlefield. Only life and death. So, only when he felt his sword paring flesh and bone and the warmth of his opponent''s blood on his cheeks did he rest.

    One victory, one death.

    Maybe one day the death would be his.

    Till then, he would fight.

    The referee finally reached a decision and raised his head to announce it, opening his mouth only to stagnate, slack-jawed, as his eyes focused on something behind the Paladin.

    A thick sense of crisis covered the Paladin and his pupils contracted fiercely.

    The peculiarly small feedback from his sword as he cut through the opponent''s bones, the strangely small amount of blood adhering to his blade, the incongruously large amount of blood spattering on his face and body. These thoughts passed through his mind in an instant.

    Reflexes trained through a life of waking the wire-rope of death saved him from having his head hewn off as he leapt forward into a roll before springing to his feet and spinning around.

    The sight of the opponent he had marked as dead barely managing to stand there, pale with blood loss as he clutched two daggers dripping with his blood made even his battle-hardened heart vibrate.

    He touched his neck which was gushing out blood with every beat of his heart.

    His jugulars had been sheared.

    His palms glowed with a soft radiance and the wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

    Tier 2 light magic: Heal.

    He had met all sorts of strange and unusual techniques in the battlefield. But it was the first time he saw someone coming back from the dead.

    His eyes narrowed as he flared with magical light and took his stance. If once wasn''t enough, then twice.

    If twice wasn''t enough then he would kill him as many times as necessary.

    For victory wasn''t yet his.

    "Enough!"

    Suddenly, the referee was there in between the two of them.

    "Edward Cervidae, for your attempted murder during a sparring match, you are disqualified! The winner is Steven Felidae!"

    Edward narrowed his eyes at the referee, taking his measure. Shaking his head, he turned around and walked away amidst the spirited discussion of the audience.

    He wasn''t ready to kill a Tier 3 mage¡­ yet.

    Watching the cold-blooded monster walk away, Steven finally let himself relax and the combined effect of exhaustion, blood-loss and adrenaline caused him to sway on his feet before collapsing into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

    ¡­

    It was a dark, moonless night.

    Steven lay on the hospital bed wide awake.

    Despite the severity of his injuries, it had only taken the healers a few hours to restore him to health. After all, the most talented healers from all over the province were agglomerated here.

    After the news of his injury and the process of his battle had been disseminated, everyone had come to visit him, full of praises for his progress.

    They had brought good news. Lionel had met a Tier 1 opponent and continued his win-streak, successfully reaching the finals. Making the final number of Felidae clan participants in the finals an even half-dozen.

    He had felt the stirrings of pride at their praise, yet, when they had begun to discuss the coming battle between the clan head and the sun wolf, he had felt an invisible barrier slam shut between him and them.

    He felt disconnected from them by the burden of his sin.

    The figure of a female flashed in his mind.

    It was her advice which had allowed him to develop his technique.

    The one which had saved his life and clinched him victory.

    And it was her praise, her commendation, that he craved the most.

    Struggling to his feet, fighting against the bone-deep weariness that came from his body using up its energy reserves during the healing, he sneaked out of the hospital ward.

    Making his way towards his apartment, the pavement felt cold beneath his bare feet and the night wind chilled him through his loose hospital gown.

    Yet, he clenched his teeth and persevered, keeping to the shadows to avoid discovery.

    Stumbling on an uneven flagstone he went careening towards the ground, only to be stopped by something soft before he could hit it.

    A melodious voice spoke in his ear, tickling him with the warm and moist breath.

    "Silly boy. Don''t run about while injured. Are you worried that elder sister won''t be able to find you if you aren''t by the tree? You forget. You didn''t have to tell me where you lived the first time."

    He deeply inhaled her scent, memorizing it and the feel of her body, and contrary to his expectations she let him.

    They stood there in an alley, wrapped in shadow and silence for an instant that stretched into an eternity before she swept him up onto her back. Ignoring his protests, she leapt from wall to wall until she was running on the rooftops.

    Finally reaching his apartment, she Shadow walked into it and set him down on the bed before unlatching the window and throwing it wide.

    Taking a seat on the sill, illuminated from behind by the dim starlight, her abyssal black eyes touched with his.

    "I spectated your match today. It opened my eyes." She rested her back against one side of the window, raising one leg onto the window sill. Turning sideways to look out at the starlit courtyard, she said, "No society that can breed a monster such as your opponent is perfect. The Regiis empire, like Huaxia, has its own share of darkness. Only, in our nation, it is open for all to see while in yours, the filth is covered by a veneer of perfection."

    Steven couldn''t take his eyes off her silhouette as he leaned against his bed board, letting her words flow over him.

    She was his blackmailer. She was the daughter of the enemy clan''s head. And, lastly, she was a married woman.

    Reason dictated that she was the worst possible target for his affections. Yet, his heart was set. He had fallen in love with her.

    Maybe it wasn''t that complicated¡­ the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on had conversed with him regularly and his hormonal teenage body had made his decision for him.

    Yet, the fact remained¡­ after tomorrow, their fate was at an end.

    As he listened to her speak, he couldn''t help but hope that time would freeze in that instant.

    "¡­ trained amidst the battlefield. I could sense the malignant influences entwined with his mana. He has the blood of many on his hands. Hey! Are you listening!?"

    "Ahh? Oh, yes. A-anyway¡­ did you notice my technique? I used what you showed me to improve it¡­ without it, I would have died."

    "Hmm. Shadow walk applied only within your body to split yourself into two spatially separated, yet connected halves. Just like I demonstrated by sending only my hand through the shadow to the window while I was still on the tree. But that shouldn''t be everything¡­"

    Her eyes brightened as she figured it out. "Right! Shadow stealth and Call of the Dark to suppress life signs and fake death while you actually let the sword cut some parts of you to allow the blood to flow, lulling him into a sense of security before you sneak attacked him."

    She turned to him, appreciation in her eyes. "The sense of timing, mana control, calmness and pain tolerance required to pull it off¡­ Colour me impressed."

    Steven felt a warmth suffuse his chest at her praise. Thinking of their imminent parting, a thick unwillingness sprang up within him.

    "Listen carefully." Her tone suddenly turned serious, snapping his attention to her. "I am going to tell you a story."

 35 Chapter 12

    "She was a kind soul, who had never stepped a foot outside the settlement. Happily married to her friend from childhood who made enough from his carpentry to provide for them both, her only aspiration was to birth him a child and live the rest of her days managing her small family. She was a perfect woman living a perfect life.

    "If she had a fault, it would be that she was beautiful. Too beautiful. And beauty without strength is the seed of tragedy.

    "One day, while she was hanging up the laundry to dry in the courtyard, a man dressed in extremely expensive clothing accompanied by a retinue of four bodyguards drove up to the gate in a carriage.

    "When he laid his eyes upon her, she was covered with gooseflesh at the naked lust in his gaze. sensing their evil intentions, her husband came out to meet them, only to be run through by the man''s sword.

    "The following hours were a blur of pain and anguish in her mind but she recalled being raped repeatedly over the corpse of her husband.

    "When the sun finally rose the next day, the man just got up and left without a second word, leaving her life in shambles.

    "The last thing she remembered before she passed out was the baker''s good-for-nothing son''s lascivious vision as it roved over her naked and battered body before he turned back to the man, plying him with flattery, as they departed on his carriage.

    "When she awoke at noon, she dragged her aching body up and began packing her bags as fast as she could. Only one thing remained in her mind: she had to leave before the baker''s son came back and tried to take advantage of her.

    "She left the settlement that had been her world until then, one woman alone against the brutal world. But before she left, she took a knife to her face. For beauty without strength was a disaster in the making, she knew that now."

    Steven''s heart trembled as he imagined her state of mind. Widowed, raped, abandoned and targeted. What level of despair was required for a woman, specially a beautiful woman to mutilate her face? He didn''t know and couldn''t imagine.

    She continued, "She travelled from village to village, sometimes on foot, sometimes hitching a ride on a carriage. She earned her keep, cooking, cleaning and laundering others'' clothes. All the while, travelling further and further away from the site of her trauma.

    "Her scarred face, rough hands and unkempt hair kept the men away and time slowly began to heal her shattered heart. Until one morning he woke up nauseous.

    "The fact that she not only decided to bring me into the world, but also treated me as her most precious possession only makes me love her more.

    "The only indication of her inner turmoil was my name: Hei Lian, meaning black lotus. Just like a lotus blooms on mud and filth, I was born of her darkest memory. I was her mental repose. A symbol for her that something positive had come of her suffering.

    "She was filled with a morbid fear that I would somehow attract the attention of her tormentor. So, it came to be that for the most of my childhood, I grew up cosseted within the confines of our cottage at the outskirts of the village where we stayed, moving from village to village every few months."

    She paused briefly and when she resumed her story, her voice was heavy with sorrow. "She was right in her fears for it was because of me that we were exposed.

    "The curious child that I was, I detested the restrictions placed upon me and one day catching a loophole in her supervision I rushed to the village to play.

    "I was merely twelve, yet, I had inherited my mother''s beauty and in a backwater village, where had the men ever laid eyes upon anything remotely close?"

    Her gaze turned sharp. "It wasn''t long before the delinquents drew me to a secluded area. I had no idea what they wanted from me but their looks engendered an instinctive fear in me, so, I screamed at them to leave me alone.

    "And they did. Their eyes turning vacant as they mindlessly walked away. Amused by their obedience and ignorant of what it meant, I treated them as my toys, ordering them about, enjoying my dominion over them.

    "That was how my distraught mother found me, playing house with my thralls. When I excitedly invited her to join in, she walked up to me and slapped me across the face.

    She caressed her cheek nostalgically. "I was shocked. It was the first time she had ever raised her hand against me."

    "Mother dragged me back to our house and that very night we packed our bags and fled the village before my actions could be discovered. Over the next five years, mother was even more discreet, bordering on paranoid, as we hopped from village to village.

    "If not for the strict border patrols and discrimination against those with the wolf bloodlines in the neighbouring areas, she would have tried to leave the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries.

    "The rebellious teenager that I was, one day as she was packing her bags, I put my foot down and refused to move until she explained why.

    "And she did.

    "She told me of my heritage. Over the years, the most explosive news that had spread among the masses was the rise of the new Alpha. Father''s portrait had been disseminated among the masses and from it, mother had learnt of his identity.

    "She told me what I was. A female Alpha. In a society dominated by men, I was an aberration. With the inborn ability to command those with the bloodline of the wolf, my kind were slated to be killed on discovery. Or preferably, burnt on the stake as witches.

    "As an Alpha, those with wolfen bloodlines would find it very hard to ignore my words unless they were at the fourth realm of cultivation or higher. The stronger I was, the stronger the suppression on their minds.

    "My display back in the village would have made it clear for any experienced eye that I was an Alpha and a report would have been sent to my father. A stray Alpha in his territory would be a clear challenge to his authority and he would respond swiftly and violently.

    "Over the years whenever I had asked about my father, mother had always indoctrinated me on how horrible he was and I didn''t find it hard to believe that he would have me burnt at the stake without hesitation.

    "Thus, I too grew paranoid of being discovered and followed mother''s lead in leaving as few traces as possible as we moved our abode frequently.

    "Yet, soon, we were faced with another problem. My imminent awakening. My magical talent was extremely strong, what with my affinity to hellfire, a combination of shadow and fire affinities. It was a given that I would turn Feral. Thus, if I wanted to preserve my sanity, I would need to get married.

    "But, who would marry a female Alpha and risk getting burned at the stake alongside them? Thus, we decided that I would enthral a man of my choosing and order him into marrying me.

    Her eyes hardened, "Thus, it came to be that we mother and daughter fell into the invisible snare laid out by the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries to detect the presence of young female Alphas in their territory.

    "The Tamer who mother contacted, betrayed our whereabouts to the sect headquarters and one day when I came back from collecting herbs in the nearby woods, I saw a train of carriages at our door.

    "I sneaked around the back and peered through the window. A regal woman was standing over the lifeless form of my mother."

    Hei Lian closed her eyes and took a deep breath to stabilize herself as a tear slid down her cheek, glistening in the starlight.

    Steven felt his heart clench in sympathy. When she opened her eyes, they were apathetic and she continued in a hoarse voice, "My affinity to Hellfire means emotional suffering empowers me. In that moment, I turned Feral and broke into Tier 2.

    "I don''t remember much of what happened then because it was a blur of rage and blood, but I remember someone in the woman''s guard taking me down.

    "When I awoke, I was shackled hand and foot inside a cell, naked as the day I was born. Rather than a cage, it was a solid metallic room with only a door and no windows.

    "At regular intervals, a plate of food connected to a rope would be passed into the cell through the flap on the door and after an hour, it would be withdrawn. Similarly, for the chamber pot. Baths involved hosing down with a jet of water followed by a stream of warm air. And when I turned Feral, my shackles would shock me into unconsciousness.

    "Oh, I tried escaping. The shackles and the floor were covered with heterogenous mana that made it impossible to shadow walk through them. Thus, I languished there without even a window to judge the diurnal cycle. I knew not how long I stayed in that cell but after a time, a voice began to ask me whether I was willing to submit.

    "I didn''t know who it was that spoke but I knew they were the ones responsible for my mother''s death and I would rather die than surrender to their whims. And something fundamental inside me baulked at the concept of submission¡­ it claimed that I should be the one in charge.

    "So, my frozen life continued. I ate because I was too stubborn to die, I slept because my body demanded it and I screamed insults at my captors for it was my only entertainment.

    "Every so often, the mechanical male voice would ask me whether I wished to surrender. It was the only break in the monotony of my life. And I began to enjoy new invective filled replies to its invariable question.

    "I began counting my days by it."

    Steven stared at her wide eyed in surprise. He would never have guessed that she had such a storied past. She turned her gaze outside the window where the starlight was slowly desalinating as the sky grew lighter.

    "It took me ten years by my count to finally submit. One day, I just ran out of invectives and after remaining frozen for a long time with my mouth open, I finally broke down, begging for them to release me, promising them whatever they wanted.

    "The door opened and two men came in, one was a thoroughly average looking man with an extremely unusual pair of eyes, while the other was the Tamer that had betrayed us.

    "The man had the Tamer join us via his contract magic and thus we were bonded together. Over the duration of the next six months, he kept visiting my cell regularly, training my obedience and strengthening our bond.

    "He promised me that when the bond turned a dark red, he would let me leave the cell. At that time, I would have licked his feet if he had asked for it. He was my only pillar in the stilled time of the cell and I was at the brink of collapse."

    Pausing for a moment, she turned around to fix him with her gaze. "I entered the cells at the age of seventeen, I came out at the age of twenty."

    Steven''s brows furrowed in confusion. Noticing it, she smiled mirthlessly.

    "It was all a clever trick. By adjusting the frequency of my meals with appetite enhancing drugs and varying the intervals between the questions, they gave me a false impression that ten years had passed when only two and a half had in reality.

    "The following six months were to build the strength of our bond and readjust my body and mind back to normal speeds."

    Her eyes were like the abyss. "Time is a fearful strength. It can corrode all. Even the firmest of wills.

    "It was only later that I learnt that my contractor was my father."

    "What!?" Steven exclaimed incredulously.

    She shook her head, smirking self-depreciatingly, "Really, you live in paradise. For cultivators, strength is paramount. No method is considered too despicable for us. Really, a father marrying his daughter is nothing, specially since he had me sterilized on the day of our marriage. At least he doesn''t want me to bear his children."

    Steven sputtered, "B-but what about Young Master Lupin''s mother? What about his actual wife."

    Her smile widened into a feral grin. "Why? Dead, of course. She became a heart''s demon, so she was excepted. You don''t understand. In Huaxia, there are forever more women than men at the high levels of cultivation as the men are continuously fighting over resources, while the women are kept at home.

    "What would happen if you found a woman whose elemental affinity complemented your own perfectly? Would you let your current bond to your wife get in the way of greater strength? As a cultivator, you wouldn''t. Your wife would be labelled a heart''s demon and severing your emotions to her and killing her would be part of your cultivation."

    She got down from the window sill and began pacing in the room.

    "Do you know why my father is called the Sun Wolf? It is because he was born of the union of a red wolf and a moon wolf bloodline holder. Their disparate gifts of light and fire merged into the solar wolf bloodline that runs through his veins. You have no idea how rare this is, do you? One in ten-thousand would be close to the actual statistics.

    "And for me to be born of his single union with my mother... a female hellfire wielder with the bloodline trait of an Alpha. It was like I was born to be his boost."

    She grew more excited as she spoke, her voice rising in pitch and volume until at the end, it was a shrill shriek. Steven recoiled from the madness that had bubbled up from the depths of her eyes.

    Suddenly, she grew calm, "But he underestimated the resilience of the Alpha trait." She turned her gaze to him.

    Her eyes were emotionless. The first rays of dawn shone behind her, giving her a sanguine corona.

    Slowly, in a titillating manner, she shrugged off her dress until she was fully exposed to him, her alabaster skin dyed red under the light of the rising sun.

    Snapping her fingers, chains of shadow sprang up from the bed and bound Steven, spreading his arms and legs apart, tying down his neck.

    Exhausted as he was from his injury and a night without sleep, his struggles were futile as he helplessly watched her approach him.

    Her eyes were like portals to the netherworld as she muttered under her breath, "It''s time I excepted my heart''s demon too."

    Steven protested feebly, "Hey! Wait! No need for the chains¡­ I-I can coordinate."

    Her gaze turned cruel. Stepping forward in a log stride that did interesting things to her chest, she slapped him right across his face before pinching his chin and tilting his head back until his eyes met hers. "Oh? You would like that, wouldn''t you? You disgusting pervert! You talk to me and yet your eyes are forever fixed on my chest. You know who you remind me of in my story? Hmm?"

    "Wu wu wu!"

    She tilted her head till her ear was close to his lips. "What was that? Your puny brain can''t figure it out? It''s the baker''s good-for-nothing son who sold off my mother to father due to jealousy and so he could partake of his leftovers. Doesn''t it just sound so familiar? Isn''t that what you did to your clan mate? Directing my foolish little half-brother towards her!?"

    Her nails dug into his cheeks, drawing blood.

    "But, I must thank you. If not for your meddling, I would never get this opportunity. Father had already noticed the weakening bond and if not for the sudden Duel with your clan head, I was scheduled for another round of ''training''."

    She released his face with a painful jerk as her nails morphed into claws and she slashed through his flimsy hospital gown leaving him naked.

    "W-why? Why!? Why are you suddenly behaving like this? Like you''re completely different! If you were so disgusted by me, then why the daily conversations? Why the magical advice? Why tell me the story of your life? Why were you so nice to me when you hated me all along? I-I fell mph!"

    She slammed her palm onto his mouth stifling his voice.

    "You fell in love with me, right?"

    His eyes widened and he struggled to speak with renewed vigour, "Wu wu wu!"

    Rolling her eyes, she slammed her knee into his crotch, causing him to go cross-eyed and convulse. With a scrunched face she removed her palm which had traces of his saliva. Wiping it off on the bed with disgust, she snapped her fingers again and further shadow chains sprang out of the bed, gagging him.

    "Well, basically, it was fun." She shrugged, "I told you, my trait makes me enjoy dominating others. While I can use it on those with wolf bloodlines with but a word, even without it, if I can control the actions of others, the trait not only feeds back an intense satisfaction, it also grows stronger.

    "With you it was so easy. A few words here, a few attentive nods there, a flash of cleavage and you were panting like a dog in heat. Oh, let''s not forget¡­ ''Elder sister is so impressed.'' Ugh! I wanted to throw up."

    She slowly began to move her knee up and down, grinning cruelly as she felt him grow erect.

    "I was right about you. You are a pervert through and through. I mean, who enjoys a knee to the balls enough to get erect?"

    Pinching his nipple, she twisted it hard, making him groan through his gag.

    "As for the story of my life¡­ well, it was for me as much as it was for you¡­ speaking of it to someone helped me work through some of the layers of his mental conditioning. It didn''t hurt that it made you sympathise with me even more.

    "It made your betrayed expression even sweeter."

    Suddenly, she clutched the marking on the side of her neck and hugged herself as she shivered.

    When she looked up, there was a maniacal glint in her eyes.

    "He''s using it." She whispered.

    "He''s using it!" she shouted.

    Straddling him, she plunged his erect penis into her wet depths. Unable to withstand the sudden shift from pain to pleasure, Steven groaned as he reached his orgasm, shooting his lust deep into her womb.

    Felling the sudden influx of warmth, she snapped out of her frenzy with an incredulous "Already?"

    Steven felt his ego shrink while contrarily his penis grew harder.

    Her look turned into one of pure despising before she shook her head and began to move her hips in a complicated pattern, treating his member as a masturbatory tool, only looking out for her own pleasure.

    Yet, her tight, warm, wet elastic folds, her energetic movements and her bouncing breasts easily brought Steven to the brink of another climax.

    This time though, he clenched his teeth, squeezed his ass and tried to endure desperately for his fragile ego could not take another blow.

    Hei Lian knew her body and she was clear about what she wanted. Using his engorged member to scratch her pleasure points, she rapidly worked herself further and further towards climax.

    With feral growl, her insides convulsed as she collapsed in a sweaty heap on top of his body. Her orgasm pushed him over the edge and with a stifled grunt, he too shot his second load into her depths.

    The contract marking flashed a bright red before it dissipated leaving clean unblemished skin behind.

    Laughter bubbled up from within her, and she started chuckling at first before it escalated into full blown laughter before she was forced to stop by a hard case of hiccups.

    She sat up, supporting herself up with her hands on his chest.

    Her eyes were brilliant as she savoured the feeling of freedom and the taste of vengeance.

    Her father was dead.

    The Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries had no Alpha.

    Maybe, it was time for a female Alpha to rule them all.

    Looking down at the boy who had made it all possible, she suddenly felt that he was quite cute.

    Now that her contractor was dead, she would need a replacement if she didn''t want to turn Feral.

    Maybe, she should take him with her when she went to conquer her homeland.

    She smiled cruelly.

    He seemed to be worth training.

 36 Chapter 1

    Every pebble, every grain of sand was soaked with the blood of martyrs as they fought to protect their stronghold against the insect tides.

    Their corpses stacked high, a barrier against the interminable sea of voracious insects, providing refuge for the ones they loved.

    He stood slowly, feeling the wind softly caress his hair and skin, greeting him like an old friend.

    Today, he too was the only wall between his family and harm.

    Doubt, worry, fear¡­ he exhaled them with every breath.

    Inhaling the void in their stead.

    Consideration for victory and loss was the last to go as he snapped his earthly tethers.

    Entered the void.

    Emptied and became one with the wind.

    ¡­

    The Sun Wolf sat cross-legged in meditation in the Field of the Fallen, awaiting the arrival of the dawn.

    His mana seeped out of his pores, suffusing the surroundings learning of what they had to tell.

    He felt the residual mana from the soldiers who had fought and died so many years ago.

    He sensed their anger, worry, disgust and fear, so much fear¡­

    He felt their courage, that let them stand their ground.

    As the first rays of the sun dyed the plains red, he opened his eyes.

    The world around him lost colour as the crimson radiance warped and converged towards his orbs of black and white.

    His mana vibrated, setting his surroundings aflame.

    Tier 3 fire magic: Flame Domain.

    ¡­

    At the edge of the Field of the Fallen, standing upon the provincial capital''s city wall, the Duchess stood side by side with her husband, watching the sun peek above the horizon.

    Her six tails swayed asynchronously, smoking as they burnt with a pale flame.

    The smoke wound around the wall, wrapping the packed audiences to the Mortem''s Duel in an ethereal haze.

    As the fragrant incense smoke entered their lungs, they felt the world sharpen and come into focus and when they turned to the Field again, the two opposing figures became clear in their sight.

    They watched the Marquis slowly float into the skies.

    They watched the world around the Sun Wolf burn.

    ¡­

    The world shrank as he rose, his opponent a mere flaming dot so far beneath him.

    He looked upwards, spreading his arms, listening as the winds sang to him of calm skies and clear weather.

    He inhaled deeply, voiding his surroundings of air.

    Strong winds howled as the surrounding air took its place, bringing the distant clouds along with them.

    When he opened his mouth, a deep bellow emanated from the depths of his being.

    He sang to the winds of thunderstorms and rain and they sang along with him.

    Tier 4 wind magic: Storm Call.

    ¡­

    The rising sun chased away the darkness, the storm clouds brought it back.

    As the first drops of rain sizzled on his domain, the Sun Wolf unemotionally turned his monochrome gaze upwards to the tiny figure that floated in the sky.

    Soon, the torrential downpour isolated his line of sight, leaving him as an isolated flaming island amidst curtains of rain.

    His domain shrank until only a few metres of his surroundings were covered.

    He crossed his hands behind his back, unflustered, his pristine white tang suit fluttering only slightly in the howling winds.

    When only a metre around him remained within his domain, his eyes glowed with an arcane brilliance.

    The guttering orange flames turned an incandescent white.

    The domain morphed into the shape of a flaming white wolf.

    Tier 4 magic: Bloodline Manifestation.

    Throwing its head back, it howled its silent challenge at the sky.

    Formless ripples originated from its mouth spreading outwards, wherever it visited, the rain turned into steam.

    The clouds in the sky desalinated under the impact of the arcane howl, letting in the light of the dawning sun.

    ¡­

    The wind around the Marquis sped up into a dusky grey tornado that morphed into the shape of the symbol his bloodline.

    The stormy tiger roared, enraged at the encroachment of its territory and the two arcane sounds clashed against each other, dividing the world into two.

    Half the world belonged to sun and flame, half to wind and rain.

    His golden eyes glowed blue at the edges as he inhaled deeply and spat.

    Tier 1 wind magic: Air bullets.

    The curtain of rain was rent as hundreds, then thousands of compressed packets of air howled towards the Sun wolf.

    The Sun Wolf''s eyes glowed white as he raked his vision over the approaching barrage, igniting them midway, making flowers of flame blossom in the sky.

    Those that he missed slammed into the ground explosively, adding deep craters in the already bumpy earth.

    Raising his arms towards the sky as if in supplication, his flame wolf followed his lead as it turned to the sun.

    The world grew dark as all the light was siphoned off to empower his flames.

    The wolf opened its mouth and the light gathered within its maw, forming a blinding white orb of compressed energy.

    The earth around it softened, glowing orange from the infernal heat.

    The Marquis narrowed his eyes as he watched his opponent gather his energy.

    The contract marking on his arm glowed a dark red as he drew upon it.

    The stripes on the forehead of the storm tiger behind him glowed red then white as light mana poured into them.

    The light spread along its body, illuminating the rest of its striations.

    The flame wolf stretched its neck and swallowed the incandescent orb.

    Its body swelled explosively as it struggled to contain the energy and with a primal howl, it shot the blinding white beam at its opponent.

    The tiger roared and met its challenge, bounding down from the cloud layer before swiping at the beam of light.

    Their collision generated shockwaves that parted the clouds and shattered the ground.

    Its markings glowed brighter and brighter as it counterbalanced the attack.

    Yet, it was slowly pushed back until with an unwilling wail, it exploded into a disorderly gale that howled back to the Marquis and reformed into a smaller, more dispirited version of the beast.

    With its explosion, it had countered the attack and the flaming wolf too seemed much the worse for the wear, its flames much dimmer than before.

 37 Chapter 2

    At the forefront of them, their matriarch, Epione Felidae stood, grasping her hand bearing her shining mark with the other in a white-knuckled grip. Her eyes glowed white as she projected the scene of the battle upon a screen formed of her light mana.

    Mars Felidae stood beside his mother, with one arm across her shoulder, enclasping her in a one-armed hug while Deimos embraced her from the other side, comforting her with their presence.

    He could feel her shiver in his grasp as she desperately tried to prevent herself from rushing up to the battlefield to assist her husband.

    Her sharp canines drew blood as they pressed down upon her lower lip, the wound unnoticed in her avid concern.

    Phobos walked up to his free side, gently prying open his clenched fist, placing her hand in his, forcing him to relax, lest he hurt her.

    He took a breath he hadn''t noticed he''d been holding and gave her a grateful look, drawing her into his embrace.

    He turned to the light screen that showed a temporary lull in the battle¡­

    ¡­ and prayed.

    For that was all he could do.

    ¡­

    High above them, just beneath the cloud layer, Marquis Felidae was the first to break their silent confrontation.

    With a shocking roar, the storm tiger leapt towards him, slowly merging with his body. It was as if he had thrown on the pelt of a tiger formed out of dusky winds.

    Veins popped out as his muscles bulged with the strain of having to contain such a vast amount of energy and at places, his skin split from the pressure.

    Tier 4 ultimate magic: Bloodline Integration.

    His contract mark shone with a gentle radiance, clothing him in a healing halo, repairing his wounds as soon as they appeared.

    After all, after the age of sixteen, the Tempest of the Mangroves had never fought alone.

    If earlier he had become one with the wind, now, he was the storm.

    Thunderclap Samsara Palms.

    Each strike inspired a gale that met with the one following it, growing, swirling, until a huge vortex formed with him as the centre.

    The storm clouds were sucked into the vortex, turning it black.

    Cloud rubbed against cloud and in the swirling mass of darkness, the first spark was born.

    Then another, and another, until they joined together into huge serpents of lightning that hissed and spat as they arced from one end of the vortex to another like caged beasts, filling the air with the stench of ozone.

    They were bolts of destruction waiting to be unleashed and the Marquis their master.

    His strikes grew faster and faster until it looked like he had not two arms, but six.

    Like a sudden thunderclap.

    The vacuum formed in the wake of his palms provided a path of least resistance for the sizzling bolts and as if they had received the direction of their master, they coursed along the path streaking towards their intended target: the Sun Wolf.

    The sounds of the thunderclaps merged into one uninterrupted rumble as the bolts merged together into a thick column of lightning that connected the two opponents with a jagged curve.

    ¡­

    The Sun Wolf was beset by a sense of crisis as the Marquis began his attack. The dark swirling storm vortex, those errant flashes of lightning, they all set off alarm bells in his mind.

    So, he had to resort to something which he had been heretofore reluctant to use.

    His mark.

    His wolf turned into a stream of white fire, gathering upon his palm while beneath his tang suit, the mark at the base of his neck glowed red, then black as dark flames emerged from it, travelling down his arm to his other palm.

    The size and intensity of the flames were disparate, with the black a mere spark before an inferno.

    His right arm crackled as it burnt from the excessive heat, yet his face showed no emotion as the very same flames which burnt him healed him again.

    He was the Sun Wolf and just like the sun burnt itself to give light, yet remained undiminished, he too couldn''t be harmed by his own flames.

    Taking a low stance, his palms moved in gentle circular movements, leaving trails of flame behind.

    Together white and black came together to paint an all-encompassing fiery yin-yang symbol where his palms were the eyes of the two parts.

    A black eye in white, a white eye in the black.

    The black flames devoured the white, growing stronger till, at their extreme, they turned back to white and devoured the black.

    The cycle continued.

    There was balance.

    It was Huaxia''s most vaunted martial art, Tai Chi.

    Both opponents had finished their preparations at the same time and as the huge bolt of lightning streaked towards him, trailing off thin tendrils on the way, the Sun Wolf took a defensive stance, enveloped by his flaming barrier of black and white.

    The hit was silent.

    The lightning being rapidly absorbed by the jet-black Hellfire, causing it to overspread the protective dome.

    The eyes of the Sun Wolf glowed even brighter as he leveraged the full force of his mana.

    Yin-yang reversal.

    Moving his arms in a circular arc, the black flames fed the white which fed the black, growing continually, devouring the lightning as their nourishment.

    Realizing the situation, the Marquis immediately withdrew his offensive, manipulating the currents of wind that surrounded him to make the lightning flow around his body like an armour of energy.

    Swinging both arms in opposing arcs the flames surrounding the sun wolf converged into a swirling ball of black and white.

    The very space around it seemed to vibrate at the density of the compressed energy and for the very first time during the battle, a trace of concern flashed across the Marquis'' expression.

    For, not only did that ball contain the energy of the Sun wolf, it contained part of his own.

    The concern broke his mental state and the wind couldn''t keep him aloft anymore, causing him to slowly descend towards the ground, still clad in his lightning armour.

    He had only one chance, one opportunity to end it and that was when the sun wolf fired.

    It was a competition between wind and lightning and fire and light. If he managed to dodge, he won.

    If he didn''t, he died.

    But, there was a problem. As soon as he touched the ground, the coat of lightning would dissipate. He just had to hope that the difficulty of controlling such a huge amount of energy would force the sun wolf to attack while he was still in the air.

    If not, it would be his loss.

    Even as he was halfway to the ground, suddenly the expression on the face of the Sun Wolf morphed to an extremely ugly one as the black flames in the orb suddenly weakened, destabilizing the balance of energies, making it extremely volatile.

    "That bitch!" with a primal scream of hatred and rage, he was forced to prematurely deploy his technique.

    Yin-Yang Artillery.

    ¡­

    Breaking free of his embrace, Mars'' mother transformed into her feral form before streaking towards the battlefield in a blinding blaze of light.

    Deimos immediately followed suit, transforming into a cheetah and Mars and Phobos leapt upon her back. Then they were gone in a swirl of wind as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop, making her way to the walls.

    The rest of the Felidae clansmen exchanged dismayed looks before following as best as they could.

    Just as they reached the crowded wall, they came upon the scene of a six tailed fox staring down a beautiful white cat which was snarling with its hackles raised.

    The Duchess'' six tails were fanned out in all directions, cutting off her path and she was growing increasingly irate, her brilliance ramping up with every passing second.

    The spectators who were shone upon by her brilliance suddenly felt encumbered by malaises. They felt weak, nauseous or their body began to heat up with a fever, for healing was closely related with disease and once enraged, plague and pestilence would follow in a high-level healer''s wake.

    The Duchess'' eyes flashed with an anger upon seeing her subjects harmed and she burnt with a transparent flame that emanated thin tendrils of fragrant smoke. Wherever they visited, the ones affected by the curse light convalesced, hurriedly taking their distance as they grew apprehensive of the two confronting women.

    "Are you insane! The penalty for interfering with a Mortem''s Duel is death for you and your immediate family. It''s part of the international code followed by every nation on the continent. You would have no place to hide and we would be duty bound to hunt you down! Think, woman!"

    The ability to speak even in her feral form marked the Duchess'' kitsune lineage as one of the honoured Daemonic bloodlines. Her words seemed to pour a trough of cold water over the agitated cat and she deflated.

    "Mother!" Mars leapt off Deimos'' back and rushed to her, scooping up her shivering form into his arms and she burrowed her head into his embrace.

    He felt his shirt grow wet from her tears of frustration and his heart clenched. He turned to the Duchess and thanked her in a soft voice before striding past her to stand on the wall to watch the final outcome.

    Phobos and Deimos took his two sides.

    In the battlefield, it was a tactical standoff with the Sun Wolf aiming to wait until the Marquis lost his coat of lightning upon contact with the ground, or grew impatient enough to commence his attack, making his victory nearly assured.

    The Marquis on the other hand tried to delay his descent as much as possible to force him to attack so he could dodge and counterattack with his lightning enhanced speed.

    Suddenly, when he was halfway to the ground, the orb of energy suddenly destabilized and the Sun Wolf was forced to attack.

    The world turned black and the only thing remaining was a thick white beam of light and an incandescent blue streak of lightning.

    As soon as it came, it faded, only leaving an afterimage burnt into the spectators'' eyes followed by a thunderous rumble denoting the shockwave from the attack.

    Blinking away the after-images, he turned to the battlefield.

    A gust of wind cleared away the cloud of dust, revealing a huge smoking crater.

    In its midst, two figures stood back to back.

    The taller more muscular one with the features of a tiger, was missing his right arm where it had just disintegrated from his shoulder downwards.

    His left hand held a still beating heart.

    ¡­

    The sun wolf swayed on his feet and coughed up blood. Raising a shaky hand, he touched the hole in his chest before leaning back against his opponent''s broad shoulders.

    "So¡­ I died."

    "Yes."

    "I¡­ *cough* ¡­ vowed to take the arm that killed my son¡­ I did it. *cough*cough*"

    "Yes."

    "Let my clan go¡­"

    "Fine. As long as they don''t harm me or mine."

    The Sun Wolf sighed as he slid down his back and dropped face upwards on the ground. Lying there, feeling his sight go dark, and life drain away, he had only one thought on his mind. ''Should have listened to the Elders and strangled her when I met her. But¡­ she was so beautiful¡­ just like¡­ her mother.''

    The last sight that greeted his eyes was a streak of light slamming into the Marquis, morphing into a woman and showering him with tearful kisses.

    He felt jealous¡­ he knew now, why he lost. He wasn''t fighting one person, he was fighting two.

    Feeling the rapidly fading mark on the base of his neck, he corrected himself before the eternal darkness claimed him.

 38 Chapter 3

    As I walked towards him with a bowl of potion held in my hands, I couldn''t help but study the stern visage that had shaped my childhood. Today, under the glow of the sunlight, the hard lines of his face seemed to become soft, serene.

    When I placed the bowl on the table by his bedside, he turned to me and smiled. My heart clenched. The very smile I had tried my hardest to elicit from him during our training sessions together, today filled me with dread.

    "What are you smiling for, you oaf!? Is it my corpse you see walking? It is but an arm. I''ll have you whole in a jiffy," scolded Mother as she walked up with another container filled with medical instruments and assorted vials filled with preserved biological materials and mana-rich minerals.

    "You think that just because you lost an arm, everything''s over? I''ll trouble you not to lump me in with those ordinary healers who can only regenerate lost limbs, yet leave them at the stage of an ordinary man''s. All those years of effort strengthening it and infusing it with mana gone in an instant."

    She set the box down with a thump, making me wince for the fragile vials inside.

    "There''s a reason I''m the Chief healer. Your muscle-memory might be gone for good but given enough resources, I can at least restore it to its previous intensity. A year of intense exercise and you''ll be back up to speed." She reached out and pinched his cheeks, distorting his face into weird expressions. "So, don''t give me that gormless smile. It doesn''t suit you."

    Father grabbed her hands, single-handedly and brought it to his lips, causing Mother to shoot me a flustered look and blush, swiftly withdrawing her hands back to her lap.

    He chuckled softly, "Worry not, dear. I''m made of sterner stuff."

    I breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, father''s injury was a serious blow for an ordinary warrior, making them lose the entirety of the effort they had poured in to the lost limb during their training. But with my mother''s variant of the Gift of light that incorporated the alchemical properties of water mages, she could siphon off the mana inherent in mana rich substances and imbue them in the new arm she generated for him.

    In my anxiety for him, it had slipped my mind. Though, the amount of resources required would be quite astronomical, but we had some savings and with the help of the clan, we would be able to barely scrape by with a loan.

    If it was for father, going a few months without resources was nothing. I smiled as I went about setting up the medical apparatus.

    We were currently in the most secure ward of the capital''s hospital; thus, we were quite startled when the door to the ward was pushed open.

    Mother''s expression turned frosty when she saw the Duchess leaning against the doorframe. "What are you doing here, interrupting my Husband''s treatment?"

    Covering her mouth with a tail, she narrowed her slanting eyes and chuckled, "Ara-ara. Don''t be like that, sister." Walking over with a sinuous gait, she wrapped her arms and four of her tails around my mother from behind, despite her struggles. Placing her chin on her head, she addressed father, "I''m not the only one who came."

    Following the direction one of her free tails was pointing at, I turned my gaze to the open door.

    A gigantic shadow appeared on the wall of the corridor beyond it, growing as its owner approached.

    A large hairy hand clasped the doorframe and a seven-foot-tall giant squeezed into the room, crouching to avoid hitting his head.

    My first impression of the man was ''huge'', the second was ''hairy''. He had a shaggy beard and hair that looked like it had fought a war with a comb and won. The backs of his hands and arms were covered with hair while a thick patch of it on his barrel-chest peeked out of his shirt which was casually unbuttoned to the third button.

    My third impression of him was ''loud''. A booming laugh rang out as the hirsute man entered the room, his presence making the room seem small.

    "Ha-ha. Big bro Veer. You have one such day. Its always been us lying on the stretcher while you''ve overlooked us. How''s it feel to be on the other side for once."

    His eyes brightened when he laid his eyes on me, closing the gap between us in a single stride, he reached out for me. My instinctive dodge was an exercise in futility as his arm seemed to cut off all routes of escape, speaking of his extreme attainments in the martial arts.

    He crushed me to his side with an arm around my neck and ruffled my hair with his other hand. "Ha-ha. Is this your son? A strapping young lad. Didn''t see him during the banquet or I''d introduce him to my good-for-nothing son. He''s just come back from the military and would love to have a junior to brainwash. Ha-ha."

    I gave up my futile struggles and resigned myself to the fate of being manhandled by this man whom I recognized as the Marquis of the North, Theodore Ursa.

    "Ya know? Me and your pa go way back. He used to be my Commander when we both served in the army and I his Lieutenant."

    Waving his free hand animatedly, he looked to the distance as he tightened his grip on me, making me look the same way.

    "There we were, facing a horde of the Northern savages and as all young fellows are, I was as green as they come. They were charging at us, a tide of flesh and steel and I was too stupid to know the fear I felt for what it truly was. Ran out of the lines and charged them, I did. Stupidest thing I''ve ever done or will ever do.

    "In war, an individual is merely a cog in the machine. Throw a cog at the opposite machine, not only will it bounce off without even scratching the opposition, it''ll leave a gaping hole in your own. When I finally came off my bloodlust and fear fuelled high, I was deep in the enemy lines."

    I couldn''t help but be drawn into his tale, his enthusiastic arm waving, painting a picture of blood, steel and despair in my mind.

    "They were all around me and my pride, my defence and strength, but a drop against their sea. I was prepared to die there, that day. Vowed I''d take as many of the bastards with me as I could. The only regret I had was that I hadn''t done my Marge''s belly in a big way before coming. Knowing her, she''d come charging right after me without the restraint of a child to keep her back in the camp."

    He paused to wet his lips with his tongue. He was a fine storyteller and even Mother and the Duchess listened, enthralled.

    "Then your Pa came through for me. He was one of the very few Tier 3 wind mages who could fly. I don''t know what his balls are made of, but they''re harder than steel. Maintaining the void in the middle of a battlefield is just about impossible but he made it seem easy as he rained blades of wind all around me, covering my retreat.

    "I owe your pa a life, boy. I''ve come to pay a bit of that debt back."

    He turned to the door, "Oi Donald! Marcel! How long are you chaps going to lurk outside?"

    I turned to the entrance to see two men enter. No one else in the room seemed surprised to see them so I concluded that they had already detected them.

    "Pipe down, Teddy, we can hear fine," said the blue haired man while adjusting his square-rimmed glasses as he walked in with a hand in his pocket.

    "We didn''t want to interrupt y-your touching s-story, so we waited o-outside," stammered the other. Other than his arms, which were longer than normal, and a long tail which he had wrapped around his waist like a belt, he looked quite similar to a Hominum, albeit with the area between his nose and upper lip raised slightly.

    He had a large case slung over his back which he placed on the ground after he came in.

    I recognized them as Marquis Delphinidae, the leader of the South and Marquis Primate, the leader of the West of the south-eastern province.

    In this moment, the five people with the most authority in the province were gathered in the room.

    Marquis Ursa turned to father and said, "When we saw you giving that ponce his due, we knew that things would escalate. Sure enough, it ended up in a Mortem''s Duel. The Sun Wolf paid for his over-confidence with his life," he pointed at father''s missing arm, "but, you didn''t get off without a scratch either."

    The Duchess took over, "We might have been helpless to aid you in your Duel," she poked Mother''s cheek with the tip of her tail, "and we might have even obstructed some of you for your own good, but that doesn''t mean, we won''t help when we aren''t shackled by the mandate of law."

    "W-we know of your wife''s ability to help your recovery along. We also k-know what is needed for such a procedure," said Marquis Primate as he knelt on the ground and opened the clasps on the wooden box.

    It opened, revealing a crystalline shoot of bamboo that practically glowed with the density of the mana enclosed within.

    He continued, "This is a crystal bamboo shoot that grew in an area under my jurisdiction by absorbing the energy of a nearby fluvial crystal. I-it is packed with water mana and hence, easily lends itself to alchemical processes."

    Marquis Delphinidae adjusted his glasses, causing them to glint under the sun, "Of course, without me, you would have a hard time with the extraction. And Teddy here has been generous enough to foot the bill."

    Marquis Ursa finally let me go before thumping my back hard enough to light up my Barrier. "Ha-ha. Don''t worry Big Bro, you''ll be up and about in no time."

    Mother suddenly broke into the conversation, "Who has made the first move?"

    The Duchess'' lips twitched, "Don''t be so cynical, sister. We are all Regiis nationals here¡­ why would anyone hit a person when he is encumbered by misfortune?"

    She withered under Mother''s stare and pouted as she muttered, "A coalition of Earls, actually. Led by the Lutrinae, the otter bloodline clan. They want to reshuffle the political structure of the province. They''re aiming for my seat while the others are trying to depose the current group of Marquises."

    She turned to father with seriousness in her eyes, "Their champions have performed extremely well in the qualifiers and have around four members in the finals each. With your injury after your Duel and the withdrawal of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries from our war efforts, they have petitioned for the Felidae clan''s disqualification and your removal from the post of the Eastern Marquis."

    She turned to Mother, "If your Husband can convalesce a bit faster, we can counter their petition with one of our own. So, if you feel hesitant to accept our aid, just consider it a transaction. It is as much for our benefit as yours."

    Father, who had been listening silently all this time, suddenly burst out into muted chuckles, shocking everyone who knew of his legendary stoicism. Recovering from his fit of uncharacteristic jocundity, he cleared his throat and spoke with a smile.

    "Ah. I''m sorry. Just felt that their procedures are a bit short-sighted. Vying for supremacy internally when a war threatens the borders," he shook his head ruefully, before his eyes hardened and his mirth drained away as if it had never existed. "I feel shame at being their companion."

    With a tingle of static, the hairs of everyone in the room stood on end as a vast aura emerged from Father''s supine form. Dusky currents of wind gathered at his empty shoulder, forming into the shape of his missing appendage. Thin tendrils of lightning suffused the mana construct like nerves and rivulets of light mana drawn from his contract composed his veins.

    When he clenched his fist, the world seemed to stagnate.

    "Mana M-materialization!? Elemental Transformation!? Y-you''ve broken through to Tier 5!?" stuttered Marquis Primate, this time, more due to shock than his speech defect.

    "Well, if you noted the Sun Wolf''s eyes, you would know that he had already stepped on the threshold of Tier 5. Winning a Duel against him and losing my arm was my turning point. So, thank you for the sentiment, but I won''t be needing your gift."

    The Duchess was delighted as she clapped her hands. "As expected of the Tempest of the Mangroves. Congratulations on your advancement!"

    She looked around at the others and said, "I think everyone will agree to give you the bamboo as a gift for this happy occasion." She raised her hand to stop his protest, "You''ll be joining the war efforts at the border while we enjoy the peace bought by your blood, sweat and tears. It is only fitting that we contribute too."

    Marquis Ursa bellowed enthusiastically, "Yeah, Big bro, take it or I''ll be offended. Anyway, I''ll try hard to advance too and join you sooner. Just pay me back by taking good care of me when I get there."

    "Fine." sighed Father, letting his elemental arm dissipate, accepting the gift reluctantly.

    The two other Marquises joined in the congratulations.

    Only Mother and I were conflicted.

    We were happy for Father but apprehensive about his joining the war.

    In the Regiis Empire, without some extenuating circumstances, all nobles had a duty to serve in the army after their twentieth name-day.

    They were to serve until they became parents. Then, to prevent war orphans, they were sent back to the interior and assigned administrative roles so they could enjoy the warmth of their family.

    But, if they broke through to the fifth Tier, they were duty bound to serve in the Army again. As a form of compensation, their clans and families would receive certain privileges.

    Meaning, the political status of the Felidae clan and my position as the heir to it''s leadership was set in stone.

    Yet, the only thing in my mind was Father''s smiling face this morning.

    He knew, yet he kept silent.

    He watched us, enjoying our concern for him, reluctant to sour the moment with the news of his imminent parting.

    He smiled for it was his last few moments of peace¡­

 39 Chapter 4

    Father was going to join the army and mother would follow in his footsteps.

    As for me, I had yet to decide my future course of action. As a Hominum, I was exempt from the mandatory military conscription, but, if I so chose, I could follow father there.

    Or, I could prepare to take over the position of Clan Head by staying back in the clan.

    There was another course I could take. I could imitate the travelling Bards like Tamriel Hawthorne and travel the lands, subduing Ferals and reuniting them with their families.

    But, more than my uncertain future, I was concerned about the safety of my parents at the border battlefield. Things were peaceful now, but the tensions were running high between us and the Shogunate. No one could predict when war would erupt.

    The setting sun cast a ruddy tint on the piece of parchment in front of me. A drop of ink which had gathered at the tip of my brush wobbled and fell on the sheet, dripping down due to the slight slant of the table upon which it was placed.

    Under the sanguine sunlight, it brought to mind the image of clotted blood.

    Inspiration flashed and I touched brush to parchment, the words flowing out onto the thick sheet in elegant lettering.

    ¡­

    Amongst blade and bone,

    We fight,

    ......We bleed,

    ............We die.

    Waiting for us at home,

    They pray,

    .......They fret,

    ..............They cry.

    ¡­

    Phobos scattered some adsorbent sand upon the freshly gleaming letters and with a swirl of wind mana, I blew it off, revealing the completed work.

    It would be my entry to the Calligraphy and Painting competition.

    I set down my brush and relaxed my posture as I carefully rolled up the parchment and tied it with a string, sealing it shut with my wax seal.

    Phobos squeezed my shoulder comfortingly. "Don''t worry, Husband. Father-in-law will be just fine. The war has yet to begin and my parents at the border fort write to me regularly of their boredom."

    I placed my hand over hers and gave her a reassuring smile. Gently tracing the contract marking on the back of her hand with a finger, my mood took a turn for the better. What would happen, would happen. As long I had her and Deimos by my side, it would be nothing I couldn''t overcome.

    A knock at the door interrupted the romantic mood and I frowned slightly before getting up to open it while Phobos tidied up my writing implements.

    Gerard burst into the room as soon as I had unlatched the door with Fiona in tow.

    I studied their faces. They looked quite worried and stressed from the situation. it seemed that the matter was quite serious.

    I stood aside from the doorway, inviting them to enter. Speaking calmly, as I had seen my father do while he addressed distraught subordinates, I inquired the details of the situation.

    Steadied by my calm fa?ade and attentive questions, they narrated their experience when they had gone to visit Steven in his sickbed.

    When they had asked to meet him, the hospital staff had informed them that Steven had sneaked out in the middle of the night one day ago and never returned.

    They had tried to communicate with father but due to his recuperation, post-duel, they hadn''t been able to get in touch.

    I shared a glance with Phobos who had finished with the tidying up and had come over to listen to their story.

    "Come on. I''ll come with you to the hospital to investigate. Father and Mother are busy now and I don''t want to disturb them. Since he sneaked out on his own, the chances of it being an abduction are pretty low. With Deimos'' shadow affinity, she''ll be able to track his mana signature if it''s less than a day old. If we don''t find any clues by the end of tonight, I''ll pass the news to father."

    Gerard nodded and the four of us made our way to the hospital. Once there, Gerard brought us to the night watchman who had seen Steven last.

    The guard was quite enthusiastic in his tale.

    "Ah''ve seen that lad alright. Pastiest pair of buttocks Ah''ve ever seen. There Ah was, bored out of mah mind, keepin'' mah eyes peeled for suspicious stuff and he goes streakin'' across the alley, his hospital gown flapping all ''round. Burnt mah eyes is what he did.

    "One second Ah saw him, the next, he was gone. Thought Ah''d dreamt it all up. Then the higher ups be askin'' around for a lad like him the next day, so I realized ah wasn''t just seeing things."

    The corners of my lips twitched. If it wasn''t for the seriousness of the situation, I''d feel like laughing my head off.

    We went to the entrance of the alley that the guard had indicated and Phobos cast her senses around. According to the guard''s description, he had suddenly disappeared at the edge of the alley, probably a result of Shadow Stealth. So, if we wanted to track his mana signature, the best place to start would be there.

    It was already dusk by this time and officials were going about lighting the streetlamps by the side of the road.

    After a few minutes, Phobos started walking towards a direction along the left fork of the alley, keeping to the shadows cast by the streetlamps.

    She would walk a few steps, pause, sense and walk again as she tracked his residual mana from using Shadow Stealth. I admired her sensitivity to the element.

    Despite my own affinity to the shadows, I couldn''t even sense a trail more than a few hours old, let alone one that had aged for more than a day.

    She suddenly stopped in her tracks at the junction between two alleys and said, "The trail goes cold here. It just abruptly ends."

    I walked over to where she was standing and looked around, searching for any mundane clues that could solve the mystery.

    Suddenly, Gerard who had been silent all along in order not to disturb Phobos, spoke up. Pointing at a rooftop, he said, "I can feel that the fire mana density in that direction is a bit higher."

    I leapt up on the roof and cast around with my own senses, coming up empty. Phobos, Fiona and Gerard joined me and Phobos'' eyes brightened up as she caught the trail again.

    "He used Shadow Walk to get here. No wonder his trail ended abruptly," she said.

    Fiona scrunched her brows. "Using cross-tier magic while injured¡­ What is that idiot thinking!?"

    Gerard stepped forward with a serious look on his face. "Wait! I think there is something strange about this shadow element. It seems to be inextricably tied with the fire mana in the area. I''ve never seen anything like this. Even for those fire mages who have married a shadow mage, the mana is separate and they can use one or the other¡­ not both together. Not like this."

    A term suddenly flashed in my mind from my extensive reading and I blurted it out, "Hellfire."

    Noticing them turning to me in confusion, I explained the concept of mutated elements and the secondary element formed of the fusion of fire and shadow. Being familiar with Bruno''s ice element, which was a mix of water and fire, it didn''t take them long to get onboard with my explanation.

    Phobos turned to Fiona, asking, "Do you know of anyone with such a special element?"

    Fiona as the socialite in our band of four, massaged her forehead as she parsed through the list of her acquaintances. "No one," she finally replied, "No one has such a characteristic element among our peers, or else, I''d have heard. Why, Bruno''s name has spread all over the society due to the novelty of his element."

    I shrugged. "Ok. Forget it. Let''s see where the trail leads. Since he came out on his own, we needn''t fear an abduction. Maybe he met a new friend here?"

    Gerard looked sceptical. "A new friend? Meeting him in the middle of the night and getting so engaged that he misses the clan head''s battle?"

    I shrugged again. "Why don''t we just find out?"

    Phobos began to track again and this time, it was more difficult to follow as the mysterious person was apparently carrying Steven and hopping from roof to roof.

    When we finally arrived at the end of the trail, we were surprised to note that we had arrived at Steven''s assigned room in the Felidae apartment complex.

    Leaping from the tree outside his window and through the open shutters, we ended up in his room and took a look around. What we saw made all four of us turn silent.

    Finally, Fiona opened her mouth with great difficulty, "The bastard."

    Gerard smiled wryly, "I knew his father was regulating his life too strictly¡­ but this." He sighed and shook his head.

    Phobos calmly analysed the situation. "If he is smart enough, he''ll be back within two years. That way, he''ll be able to meet the decree for military conscription at twenty years of age. Or, if he manages to get whoever this mysterious woman is pregnant, he can take on an administrative post due to his noble lineage."

    "If he doesn''t," she shrugged helplessly, "his noble status is forfeit and he''ll have to apply for it again with a lot of caveats involved."

    The corners of my eyes twitched. "How are you people so calm, considering that he has just eloped with an unknown woman!?" I exclaimed as I waved my hand at the large writing on the wall over the dishevelled sheets of the bed which clearly indicated intercourse.

    It read, "Yo, pops¡­ found my one true love. I''m going far away. Don''t search for me. I''ll be back." With my experienced vision, I was quite positive that it was Steven''s handwriting¡­ which made me feel quite helpless.

    The irresponsible bastard had ditched his clan right before the finals even when he had secured a seat there.

    Gerard just shook his head at my question while Fiona answered in a resigned manner. "It''s just like something he would do¡­ you won''t understand. Specially you."

    Phobos chimed in. "Husband, he was from my lineage¡­ I''ve some idea of his personality. This¡­ this is something he would likely do so, I don''t think there is any complication involved except why he had to elope instead of just asking for her hand in marriage, whoever she was."

    Fiona said, "Oh, it was probably due to her commoner status. Since it wasn''t a noble, she was probably someone who wasn''t likely to awaken. You know, they''d just be able to live together without a proper marriage. His father would never agree."

    I shook my head. "I''ll have you know that anyone with a hybrid element is at least talented enough to awaken. I don''t think that''s the reason."

    Suddenly Phobos cried out in alarm and we all turned towards her in battle postures, only relaxing when we found nothing there.

    "What is it?" I asked as I reined in my thumping heart.

    Shock was evident in her voice as she spoke, "The mana density. I always felt something was off about the mana so I analysed it deeper. The girl, no woman, with the gift of Hellfire is at the peak of Tier 2!"

    "What!?" we all exclaimed together.

    Fiona covered her mouth. "An older woman? A divorcee?"

    Gerard was quite agitated, "I hope the bloody fool isn''t doing something illegal."

 40 Chapter 5

    Both of us were on the roof of the Felidae apartments, watching the capital''s populace bustle about their day to day lives, our feet dangling over the edge of the roof.

    I picked out the form of a news-painter revising the daily bulletin board.

    Paper was an expensive commodity and as such, newspapers and fliers weren''t cost effective as media for information dissemination. Thus, in every village, town or city centre, there was a large shale board that was known as the bulletin board.

    Every morning, the board''s contents would be revised with the current news, and any official announcements would be put up there. Due to the work of revising the board being undertaken by hired artists who often added illustrations beside the articles they wrote, they were known as news-painters.

    The particular one I was watching, flipped open his box of coloured chalks and began to draw as he referred to a piece of parchment by his side. Very soon, with deft strokes, Steven''s face had been added to the bounty list. We were paying quite a handsome amount for information on him.

    Father opened his mouth, "Old Ben will be quite morose."

    The Old Ben in his words was Steven''s father. I nodded. "Steven should have at least tried to talk to someone."

    Father blew out a stream of smoke. "Give the boy some time away from the luxuries of an aristocratic life, he''ll be back sooner rather than later. Old Ben always was too hard on his child. Although, I''m really not one to talk."

    I turned to him. He was rather strange today. I had never seen him smoke before, or be this verbose.

    Extinguishing his pipe with a burst of mana, he continued, "Ursa told you of how I saved him in the battlefield. He doesn''t know the weight of the life I carry on my shoulders since he joined after the incident. Robert was the Commander before me and much like I did for Ursa, when I lost my mind in the heat of battle, he saved me."

    Pouring the ashes out of the bowl of his pipe into his palm, he blew on them, scattering them to the winds. "But, he wasn''t as lucky as I, dying of his wounds. These tobacco leaves are his last relic."

    He leaned back against the railing, "I was never really cut out to be a leader. My actions were dictated by my heart much too often for that. I remember you once telling me of your theory that Bestia behave much like the beasts their bloodlines originate from. I think you have it right.

    He sighed in self-depreciation. "Actually, if not for the privileges you and your mother would get, I wouldn''t have wanted the position in the first place. Struggling over the accursed thing drove a wedge between me and your uncle. The little brother who preferred my arms to mother or father''s as a baby, grew up into a sour man watching for any failure on my part like a hawk. I am not a good brother."

    When I made to speak, he waved at me to keep silent as he continued.

    "I''ve always lived by the creed: ''It''s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.'' It has served me better than I could ever hope, establishing me as a strong, silent man who is worthy of respect."

    He chuckled wryly, "At least it earned me your respect."

    He sighed, "No matter how hard the training, you always did your best. After you were done, exhausted, battered and bruised you would always look at me with those shining eyes, seeking praise. And I? I would continue to pretend at being tough. Standing there silently so you''d work harder next time. But what was all of it for?"

    He grasped my shoulder with his single hand and looked into my eyes.

    "When I look back at how I''ve raised you, I blush with shame. You''ve grown into a splendid young man, yet you have no friends your age and your childhood was devoid of the amusement that is the right of every child. I put so much pressure on you to push you down the path of the clan heir that my criticism of Old Ben is just like the pot calling the kettle black. I am not a good father.

    "But I am a good husband and I am a splendid warrior. They are the cornerstones of my pride.

    "I am sad about our parting but the battlefield is actually where I''ve always belonged. The thrill of the battle, a life on the knife''s edge; it is what I seek. If deskwork was duty, war is what I''d call my true calling. The ability to sate my bloodlust and to paint it in a gilded coat of honour and glory at the same time, I couldn''t be happier.

    "To fall at the hands of a powerful foe is my dream."

    Letting go of my shoulder and reaching within his coat, he pulled out a sealed scroll, flicked the wax seal off with his thumb and handed it to me.

    Unfurling it, I read the contents, my eyes widening with surprise. It was a contract with the Crimson Coyotes a rival mercenary clan of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries. They had been steadily suppressed by them back in their homeland of Huaxia, specially after the Sun Wolf had come to power.

    They had to cede a lot of their territory to the Wolves and had accumulated a lot of resentment. Father had used this fact to wrangle an agreement with them to take over the vacancy left by the Wolves'' departure if he managed to win the Duel.

    He had even managed to undercut the prices.

    Not only would the Regiis empire not lose any military strength, they would also gain financially. Additionally, back in Huaxia, the Coyotes would begin their retaliatory attack on the Wolves, leaving them too busy to think of revenge on our clan, specially while the deterrent of Father''s presence existed.

    "In my early days as the head, I''d lash out against whatever displeased me, spending months on damage control afterwards. Thankfully, I had a good head for numbers and managed the clan finances well enough to keep us quite a bit above the red line. It kept the elders from kicking me out.

    "Over the years, I''ve gotten quite adept at damage control. I never leave my business unfinished. Give that to the Duchess. She''ll know what to do."

    I suddenly realized the oddity of his words. "Why do I have to give it to the Duchess? Why not you?"

    He didn''t answer as he shaded his eyes and looked upwards towards the horizon.

    "It''s time."

    I followed his line of sight and a tiny dot mapped into my view, which steadily grew larger as it approached. Soon, the entire capital was in a tumult as the people began to point at the rapidly approaching flying object in the sky.

    "Is it a bird?"

    "Is it Marquis Felidae?"

    "No! It''s an Army Dirigible!"

    It was a large flying ship held up by a pair of oblong blimps. The jets of flame that heated the air within the blimps were clearly visible even during the day while the sails were taut from the artificially generated wind from aeolian stones and wind mages.

    Mother stepped out from behind the parapet from where she had been listening in to our speech, with a large travel bag in one hand. Wiping away her tears, she set down the bag and embraced me tightly, snapping me out of my stunned state.

    "Y-you''re leaving now?" My voice cracked as I spoke as I struggled with my upwelling emotions.

    She held me at an arm''s length with both her hands on my shoulders, looking me up and down as if to burn my image into her memory. Her eyes were slightly red as she spoke, "Your father called up the nearest command post with the news of his advancement to Tier 5 and they sent their airship as fast as they could.

    "You can live your own life now. Make your own choices. Do what you want to do, meet the people you want to meet. You don''t need us anymore."

    My heart trembled. It would be the first time in my life apart from my parents. I almost opened my mouth to stop them from leaving when Mother let go of my shoulder. But, I stopped myself in time. I didn''t want to make it any harder on them.

    Father stepped up and wrapped his arm around her waist and she buried her face into his shoulder. Giving me one last look, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

    The air around him stilled and slowly, the both of them rose slowly, a current of wind curling their luggage up along with them.

    When they were on the same level as the airship, a hatch at its side opened, and they entered.

    I watched as the dirigible grew smaller in my line of sight until I couldn''t see it anymore.

    Turning around, I walked back to the door of the roof with the scroll of contract clenched in one hand.

    I rubbed my eyes with my forearm.

 41 Chapter 6

    Right now, they were a plain white, indistinguishable from an ordinary rectangle of piece-board. They were my keys to a higher final position in the tournament. They were the goals of all of my opponents.

    Setting them down beside me, I looked up, running my gaze upon the rest of the gathering.

    Marquis Ursa had personally gone into action to build the temporary venue for the competition. Bearing a great resemblance to the coliseums of Sparta, circular stands surrounded the fifty of us, rising higher with each row of seats to provide an unimpeded view to the audience.

    Seated at the row nearest to us were news-painters from all over the province laden with parchments, easels and painting supplies. Their duty was to record today''s proceedings in the form of art and then disseminate them in their respective areas by copying them over to the bulletin boards in their specific hometowns and villages.

    The so-called press seats.

    Contrasting with their first-row seats, the important personages were all seated in the very last row which had been elevated quite a bit above the final row reserved for the commoners. The high magical prowess of anyone who had managed to make it high enough socially to be seated there was enough to have one or two means to enhance their vision and hearing.

    The location was immaterial to them, rather the prestige associated with the seats and the subtle nuances involved in who was to be seated beside whom, painted a clear picture of the social standings of the dignitaries present.

    There in the middle of the web was the Duchess herself with the Marquises arrayed around her. At another node was a woman in a high-necked navy-blue skirt. Her chestnut hair was tied up in a high coif, exposing her slender nape and well-defined jawline.

    Her prominent cheekbones and strong nose gave her an unorthodox beauty, further enhanced by the severe expression she constantly wore.

    Disciplinarian versus the seductress; she was in sharp opposition to the Duchess. Countess Lutrinae, the head of the household of the clan with the bloodline of otters.

    By her side, were the houses who had made a bid for power this year. Some would fail and fade. Some would win and rise.

    Drawing my line of sight back to my level, I noticed several of my competitors posturing for the painters, clearly ecstatic at the chance to have their faces publicized all over the province. The few who had risen from the masses were especially enthusiastic in this respect.

    Desire was what drove all living things. What we didn''t have was invaluable in our minds, what we did, of little value.

    I breathed out gently as I rested my chin on my hand. Now that my goal for participating in this tournament was all but ensured, what did I fight for?

    The clamour of the packed audience suffused the atmosphere and cloudless blue skies stretched above our head, the sun a blazing white orb hanging directly above us as if to bear witness to the clash of youth against youth.

    Dressed in full formal-wear that made me sweat even looking at it, Marquis Delphinidae strode onto the stage, his spectacles gleaming white under the sun.

    Adjusting their position with a finger on the bridge, he cleared his voice, the discordant sound ringing throughout the arena, stilling the noise of the gathering.

    "Welcome to the annual Martial Tournament. To start off, a hearty round of applause for the talented men and women who occupy the fifty seats in your midst. They worked extremely hard to reach this stage and deserve every accolade you can heap them with."

    He paused to clap softly with his gloved hands and the audience followed suit, the thunderous rumble igniting my spirit and making my blood boil.

    Why did I need a reason to perform my best? I was here. That was all that mattered.

    Maybe the cushions of the seat occupied by the one in the first position were softer than mine? Turning my gaze to where Deimos sat upon the prime seat, fidgeting uncomfortably at all the attention, I shook my head.

    Well, the second seat would do just as well.

    Marquis Delphinidae raised his hand for silence and the crowd gave it to him. "Ladies and Gentlemen, fifty of the most talented warriors are present on this stage today. What we have gathered here to witness is which of them deserves to be seated ahead of the others."

    Pointing at Deimos, he spoke, "For now, it is Deimos Felidae, for her splendid performance in the qualifiers in dispatching all her opponents in the least amount of cumulative time. By the end of this day, it can be anyone of them. But for that we need to establish some rules to judge them by."

    Drawing out a card similar to the ones we held out of his pocket, he turned around in a circle, displaying it to all present. "This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a card made from the bark of the Magewood tree. Pouring mana into it¡­" he inserted his mana into the card and it glowed a brilliant shade of blue, "causes it to take on the colour corresponding to one''s mana affinity."

    Flicking his wrist, making the card disappear via sleight of hand, he continued, "Two such cards are held by every competitor. Two cards, two opportunities. Two opportunities to challenge anyone within ten seats of their position. If they win, they swap seats with their defeated. If they lose, they stay put in their positions."

    Spreading his hands out in an all-encompassing gesture, he smirked as he said, "Now, we are all intelligent people here. It must be evident that for those already in the first ten, one card should suffice, while for the one already at the top, the cards are superficial since there is no one to challenge."

    His glasses glinted in the sun, "That is why the cards have another use. They are shields. By discarding one, you can choose to decline a battle with, say, someone with an elemental advantage over you. Even if you haven''t studied up on your competition already, the glow of the card as they challenge you will be enough indication. Also, to prevent the case of someone being tired out by constant challenges, we have set a limit of three challenges allowed per person. Thus, to maintain your position, you theoretically only need to win once, while to advance, you might have to fight up to five times."

    Turning to fix each of us with his gaze in turn, he said, "Finally, this tournament is not only about your proficiency in the feat of arms. Diplomacy and your social skills too will be tested. In fact, they will be tested right now, for you have the next half-hour to interact amongst yourselves. Your goal? To accumulate as many cards as possible."

    He smiled as he invited all of us onto the floor of the stage. "So, all you ladies, it''s time to put your charm to the test. Boys, see if you can''t sweet-talk a girl or two into giving you their cards. It''s an hour which has historically been shown to be the birthplace of most of the marriages of the highest echelons of nobility. So, keep it in mind that any card you receive might just come with a heart attached."

 42 Chapter 7

    Looking around, I picked out another awkward figure among the mingling contestants. Lionel looked equally lost in a social situation, not surprising as he had spent all his life either in the gladiatorial pits or playing second fiddle to Messi.

    Speaking of the pits, I saw him clutching his right shoulder with his left hand, the knuckles white from the applied pressure.

    It suddenly dawned upon me that his reticence might have a cause other than social ineptitude. He might be having flashbacks to his days as a pit slave, what with the coliseum inspired stage.

    I rebuked myself internally for forgetting to bring it up with Marquis Ursa when he had come around to solicit suggestions on the architecture of the stadium.

    Feeling guilty, I immediately made my way to him when Phobos and Deimos had joined me after getting rid of the entanglement of the contestants who had tried to strike up a conversation.

    Deimos, as the temporary leader in the rankings, garnered quite a bit of attention and Phobos had to rescue her from the crowd.

    Lionel was startled out of his reverie by our approach, his muscles tense, a throwback to his time in the pits where being alert at all times was what often decided who would cross the thin line separating life from death.

    Slowly extending my hand to him in a non-threatening manner, I held his shoulder firmly. I felt him finally relax, the tension in his muscles draining away.

    Exhaling the last of the tension and stiffness, he spoke gratefully, "Thanks."

    The four of us weaved our way through the groups of people towards Bruno. From the corner of my eye, I watched Lionel.

    At six feet tall, he outstripped me and after dealing with his mental block, he had relaxed greatly, his gait the confident prowl of a hunter. His years surviving in the pits had left wounds on him, both mental and physical, but they had scarred over, the new flesh and psyche much more tenacious than before.

    He might be theoretically weaker than my first opponent in the qualifiers, but I wasn''t confident of besting him when it came down to a real battle. His battle-experience far outstripped mine.

    The fact that he had been fortunate enough not to meet a Tier 2 opponent didn''t really mean that he was a soft target as most of the gambling houses were betting.

    It just meant that his first opponent would lose badly due to underestimating him. Of this, I was confident.

    Especially, after what had happened last night.

    I turned my gaze to the stands. There sitting in the place reserved for the Felidae contingent, at their head sat a father and daughter pair.

    Catching my gaze, the Fifth Elder gave me a nod of encouragement while the normally lethargic Ororo, waved to Lionel enthusiastically.

    He waved back awkwardly and I smiled.

    Lionel, the Fifth Elder and Ororo, all shared the bloodline of the beast known as the Puma. It had another name: Cougar. Women in their lineage matured late and were notorious for being attracted to younger men.

    When the First Elder had brought the sixteen-year-old Lionel back from the pits of Sparta, Ororo had instantly taken a shine to her formerly enslaved clansman. He had been a bundle of nerves and insecurities, his imagination painting ever more fearful images of what his new masters wanted from him the more kindness that was showered on him. His body, trained within the jaws of death, responded to his paranoia, the only way it knew how¡­ violence.

    When everyone was at a loss on how to erase his mental scars, Ororo stood, snorted disdainfully, marched up to him and proceeded to beat him thoroughly into the ground.

    She might have been spoilt rotten by her doting father and quite lax in her exercises but, she was already eighteen then and at the peak of the first Tier. She was lazy, not stupid and Lionel, for all his battle experience was still a mundane boy, yet to awaken his magic.

    After that, he had followed behind her buttocks like a duckling behind his mother and at some point in time, they had fallen in love.

    The blessing of the Earth was closely tied with one''s willpower and that was something the leisure-loving princess Ororo seriously lacked. Thus, even when the time came for Lionel to leave for the competition, she had yet to awaken at the age of twenty.

    Yesterday night, the first thing the Fifth Elder had done after catching up to the capital hurriedly from the Felidae estates was pay me a visit, requesting me to join his daughter to Lionel in holy matrimony.

    Apparently, the guilt at having provided no help to Lionel in the competition had caused Ororo to set a firm resolve to concentrate on her training and the spike in willpower coupled with her late-maturing genes finally kicking in had catapulted her into Tier 2 and she had subsequently turned Feral.

    Thankfully, her father had been there to supervise her and had subdued her. They had already been hurrying along towards the capital when they met the messenger sent by Father to the clan about his advancement.

    I wasn''t na?ve enough to believe that my skills were why he had invited me to draw the contract for his favoured daughter. It was clearly an attempt to win my favour after it became clear which way the political winds blew. He was jumping ships.

    I sighed at the memory. Really, clan politics sucked out my soul. I questioned myself once again whether I really wanted to be the Head.

    Oh well, in this case I wasn''t complaining. Even though the results of the Calligraphy and Painting competition ranked me at thirty-three, just behind the most prominent news-painters and Tamers in the province, it wasn''t enough to get me a high-level commission for my services as a Tamer.

    Thus, I was glad to accept the Fifth Elder''s favour if it meant I could create my first ever contract for someone other than myself.

    Contracts had a lot of limitations on who could be the contractor and who the contracted. There was a lot of technical complexity involved in the process such as mana frequencies and mana resonance. But, to put it simply, the Tamer had to have a mana density very close to or higher than the ones he was joining in a contract.

    While the rules were a bit relaxed when it came to any contract involving myself, it was extremely challenging to perform the ceremony for Lionel and Ororo who were at the peak of Tier 1 and initial Tier 2 respectively while I was at merely two-thirds of the mana density of Tier 1 peak.

    But, I was proud to recall that the final result was the best piece of art I had ever created. The design meshing perfectly with Lionel''s slave brand, inverting its very significance. Together the contract tattoo read ''endure'' and ''free'' in the old language, a perfect summary of his life and characterizing his element.

    After his contract, he too had broken through Tier 2 and boosted by the contract and aided by his battle-experience, he was going to be the greatest wild-card in the competition today.

    We finally made our way to Bruno''s side where he was awkwardly loitering at the edge of the gathering.

    Seeing us approach, he straightened up, throwing his chest out in a subconscious display of bravado. My lips twitched as I tried to hide my amusement. But the amusement soon faded when I noticed the same vacant look in his eyes that I had seen in the mirror. It was the look of one who had lost his goal. With father''s advancement, all his efforts were futile. I suddenly felt bad for him.

    There were negative reports about his surly behaviour after his battles at the arena during the qualifiers and that coupled with his domineering attitude and inexperience in interacting with anyone other than his lackeys, everyone gave him a wide berth.

    What with Lionel''s stoicism, Deimos'' crippling shyness and my dearth of interaction with my peers, the Felidae contingent was a merry band of misfits.

    Only, Phobos seemed well adjusted and comfortable in a social atmosphere, although, most of that came from her not giving a whoop about what anyone thought about her.

    I sighed. Well, at least we could decide a plan of action among ourselves. Thoughts about our purposes in life could come later.

    "Ahem." Clearing my throat to mitigate the stiff atmosphere, I spoke, "After Steven''s last moment disappearing act, there are five of us in the finals. Since, one of the Duchess'' representatives lost in the final day of the qualifiers, that places us just one seat behind them," I waved my hand at where the primate clan team was gathered, "and on par with the Primate clan. The Ursa clan has four representatives while the Delphinidae have the least representatives at three."

    Phobos chimed in, while tying her hair back into a ponytail and tucking it in within the collar of her heavenly Silksnail tunic to keep it from getting in the way during a fight: "The Lutrinae clan have managed to field five of their participants in the finals. Their clique of five Earls has managed three each and in one case, four, for a total of sixteen participants. That, along with the Lutrinae contingent makes up twenty-one seats. The remaining six seats are filled with unaffiliated Earl representatives, in one case, the representative of a Baron and even one un-attached commoner."

    She pointed at a chestnut-haired boy who seemed to be profoundly out-of-sorts in polite company. Fumbling with words whenever any of the girls exchanged pleasantries with him or the boys came up to congratulate him upon his success.

    Even though they had been disdainful of his bid to grab the press'' attention, the contestants didn''t snub him for to make it here with limited resources, he was surely extremely talented or had experienced some fortuitous encounter.

    By the end of the tournament, he would be invited to join one of the aristocratic families as a branch member and a marriage would possibly bestowed upon him to tie him up to the clan.

    Apart from Phobos and Deimos, I noticed two other girls only wearing their Heavenly Silksnail. A clear indication of their Tier 2 status. Due to Vita''s Divine power, crystals didn''t work on females; thus, any girl in Tier 2 was either extremely talented or like Phobos, had done something foolish to have awakened so young.

    One of them was in the Duchess Vulpine''s contingent while the other was part of the Lutrinae team. The men they stood beside were most likely their husbands and in a situation similar to Lionel.

    I saw the Lutrinae team walk up to and encircle the commoner and after a few moments of discussion, one of them went off to the edge of the stage to talk to the organizers while the Tier 2 girl walked up to us.

    She directly addressed me when she reached us, "I believe you are the son of the erstwhile Marquis. I''ve been told that you are capable of performing the duties of a Tamer. Would you be interested in performing your duties right now?"

    She turned sideways, giving me a clear sight of their team where the only other female in their team was talking to the commoner and he was looking pleasantly surprised.

    My eyes widened as I comprehended the situation. The Lutrinae were really pulling out all the stops. They wanted to marry the commoner immediately to the girl, thereby adding him to their team. She had probably suppressed her realm using some technique and was momentarily ready for her breakthrough and therefore Feralization.

    If she met some tough opponent in the qualifiers, she could advance and then beat him or her. If she didn''t, like what ended up happening, she could choose to marry any unaffiliated commoner that might have made it to the finals thereby bolstering their team.

    The way the finals worked was that at the end, the factions would be ranked by the number of participants they had managed to field in there. The factions with the same number of participants would be further ranked by their cumulative ranks. The faction with the lowest sum of ranks was ranked ahead.

    With this move, the Lutrinae had six participants, on par with the Vulpine team. Thus, they would have a shot at becoming the Ducal clan.

    Their request placed me in an awkward position. My professional ethics demanded that I fulfil their commission, yet, I was closer to Duchess Vulpine than Countess Lutrinae. Helping them went against my personal relations.

    Suddenly, Bruno who had been silent all along spoke up gruffly. "Why should we help our competitors? What''s in it for us?"

    The girl narrowed her eyes at him. He stared back undaunted. A tiger flinching from an otter? What a joke!

    Finally, she relented and turned to me with a fake smile. "Of course, we shall pay for your services. How does a card sound? I think that is what you need the most now."

    I considered it for a moment before nodding. Rather than being paid post-tournament with coin and resources, I''d much prefer a card, which could translate to more resources for our clan. Father''s promotion meant that we got to keep our title of a Marquis clan, but the resource distribution among the four Marquises was still decided by the tourney.

    The Lutrinae didn''t care about that since by inducting the commoner into their team, they would automatically rise above our bracket.

    So, they couldn''t be bothered if we won in our grouping. This way it was a win-win situation as I avoided offending the Duchess as it was a decision for the good of the team and not a personal one and also, I could avoid publicly shirking what, by Regiis law, was my duty while the Lutrinae got what they wanted.

    In my mind, I raised a thumb to Bruno''s brash personality.

 43 Chapter 8

    My eyes widened. So, she was the one who had eliminated Gerard. Before I could reply appropriately, Bruno broke into the conversation gruffly, "You must have been foolish enough to stand still while he shot at you. It''s a wonder you got this far."

    I saw her jaw clench and a vein beat upon her forehead. I resisted the urge to cover my face with my palm. Bruno was really crabby today.

    We spent the rest of the short walk in silence before we arrive at where they were gathered.

    The member who had gone to talk with the authorities had returned with a bag of supplies required for drawing the contract.

    I took it from him swiftly familiarizing myself with the implements while splitting my attention to study my subjects for today.

    Normally, I would spend a lot of time familiarizing myself with their personalities and personal details in order to customize the marking to fit both of them.

    A contract was a mark that followed the relationship throughout its lifetime and as such, it was extremely important that it somehow represented the participants of the contract.

    Given my limited time and information, I could throw all that out of the window. I would have to resort to a technique every self-respecting artist hated but used quite often: patchwork.

    I trawled through the archives of my mind, recalling every recorded contract mark I had read about in my master''s extensive collection of books.

    Picking out the ones related to water and wind, for those were their elements, and accounting for their circumstances, I swiftly composed the mark in my mind.

    When I was done, I nodded at them and they got ready.

    The girl was quite tall and slender with shoulder-length chestnut-brown hair with a black lock of hair hanging in front of her face. She blew the lock out of her face and closed her eyes, agitating her mana to wash out her mindscape walls.

    The moisture in the air condensed around her circling her in converging spirals till her entire body was covered in a film of water.

    The sudden break-through had attracted everyone''s attention and they were discussing this sudden development in hushed voices.

    The Lutrinae members and the commoner were poised to act as they waited for her to turn Feral.

    Soon, along with the veil of water, a soft white radiance covered her as her Barrier took shape and she slowly began to shrink, her features morphing into that of an otter''s.

    With a flash of blue mana, it was over as the Barrier broke with the sound of shattering glass.

    I wasted no time in getting to work. Having inquired beforehand that they wanted the mark on the backs of their hands, I asked the commoner, David, to channel his mana into his hand.

    Pricking the tip of his index finger with a sterilized needle, I collected the mana infused blood in a vial before getting to work on the girl''s hand.

    By this time the girl had already morphed back into her Bestia form, her Heavenly Silksnail protecting her modesty.

    I couldn''t help but admire their level of preparation once again.

    Instructing David to pour his mana into me in a steady stream by placing his palms against my back, I began painting the mark on the back of her hand with the blood as the ink.

    Concentrating my mind to the utmost, I focused on the frequency of vibration of David''s mana. It helped that he was a wind mage and I had wind mana in my mindscape.

    Every individual has their own frequency of mana vibration based on their personality and nature.

    The reason only Hominum are able to create contracts is that they do not personally possess mana and thus, they have the ability to alter the frequency of vibration of any external mana source.

    The contract is basically a means to cause the mana of two individuals to resonate at the same frequency. The closer their relationship, the stronger their bond.

    As I felt David''s mana flow through me and I attuned myself to its vibration, I got an insight into his personality.

    He was surprisingly cold and calculative in nature in contrast with his na?ve behaviour. I guess someone who had crawled up to this height with his background had their own forte.

    Instead of the elation and pride I expected, I found caution against the Lutrinae. Putting the clues together I guessed that he had probably obtained some fortuitous encounter.

    Tales of commoners rising to glory after stumbling across a ruin from the age before the apocalypse or an expert''s corpse wasn''t unheard of. Tales of them dying young when brought to noble attention weren''t infrequent either.

    He was right to be cautious¡­ but in this instance it was a bit superfluous as any benefit they might unearth out of him was meagre compared with the benefit the Lutrinae could glean from a term as the Ducal clan.

    And they were marrying him to one of their young Tier 2 women. He wasn''t being shafted in any way. In fact, he was reaching the sky in a single bound.

    Lucky bastard.

    The fact that Tamers could read their subject''s personalities and surface emotions during a contract was a closely guarded secret. I had been only informed of it by my master after he had repeatedly tested my loyalty.

    Even my parents had been kept ignorant. My master had told me dark tales of the revelation of this information giving rise to the enslavement of Tamers for their potential for espionage.

    In fact, the closest example I could think of was the Tamer information net set up in the Heavenly Wolf Mercenary territory to weed out budding Alpha''s from their territory.

    Thankfully, those in the know found it in their best interests to limit the information to lower everyone''s guard against their spies.

    Thus, the Lutrinae team effectively gave me the chance to spy on the psyche of two of their members.

    Connecting his mana to the half-finished contract mark, I drew upon the girl''s mana. She had just awakened from her stupor after being knocked out by her team and was quite groggy.

    From her mana, I sensed acceptance and a strong sense of duty. It appeared she was the ''the clan has raised me so I shall dedicate my all to the clan'' type.

    Using my mana as a medium to link their mana vibrations and cause them to resonate, I added the final radical to the word ''contract'' in the old language.

    The radical gave a spin to the generic word which made it have the dual meaning of link and transaction. For, in the end that was all this farce of a marriage was.

    What? I had a thing against love less marriages. This was but a small token of my disaffection.

    The mark settled into her skin and a corresponding one formed on David''s hand. It was a surprisingly dark shade of pink.

    It seemed that the girl had been mentally conditioning herself to accept the marriage and David was calculative enough to weight a relationship in terms of the benefit it could bring him.

    Well, it wasn''t like many famous couples had started off in a marriage of convenience.

    Wishing the newly-weds the best, I along with the Felidae team took our leave.

    Leaving the Lutrinae contingent, I fiddled with the card they had handed me. Reaching a spot relatively devoid of people, Phobos set up a sound isolation with her Call of the Dark as we set about deciding the optimum distribution of cards to ensure the best performance.

    Tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear, Phobos spoke up, "This system of cards and duels is basically a test of our resource management skills, just as getting the cards was a test of our social ones."

    I nodded, "The best distribution of cards among the contestants from the same faction so that the overall rank of the faction is the lowest isn''t as simple as it might appear. There is a lot of psychological gambling involved as to which contestants might be inclined to block you with their cards, making challenging them a waste of a card."

    Deimos said, "Well, we won''t know which member has how many cards, ya. So, we will have no idea which of them plan to just defend their position. Some might have three cards on them to just block all challenges."

    Lionel finally added his voice to the conversation. "I believe that Lady Deimos¡­"

    "Just call me by name, ya." Interrupted Deimos. Shooting a dubious look at Bruno, she said, "We''re all friends here."

    Lionel''s expression was a bit softer as he began again, "I believe La¡­ Deimos, should get by with the two cards she has and accept at least one challenge. The cards she has should be sufficient to reject the challenge of the one ranked at eleven and her second challenger¡­ even if she loses the third challenge, she will only be set back by fewer than ten ranks."

    He paused to turn to Phobos, "The same applies to you, as you are ranked ninth. Challenging someone is an inefficient use of cards for anyone ranked within the top ten as they won''t be able to use it to the full potential, thereby jumping ten ranks."

    Pointing at Bruno, me and himself, he said, "Challenging is better suited for us since we are ranked lower."

    I agreed, "Yeah. I think that we should give the extra card to Lionel since he is ranked at thirty-three and his marriage and advancement yesterday means that he will be able to trick others who judge him by outdated information into accepting his challenge."

    Deimos said worriedly, "But, you''ll get challenged a lot¡­ shouldn''t you take the extra card to block the challenges, after all, you earned it."

    Bruno snorted derisively, "Hmph! Cowards all of you. The cards are for challenging others, not to hide behind, shivering in fear. Where is your pride as a Felidae?"

    Phobos frowned as she rebuked him sharply, "I said that this is a test of our resource management skills. You seem to have forgotten that mana is one of the resources you have to manage. I dare you to tell me that you can fight one opponent after another without exhausting yourself.

    "The reason we have the cards is to sacrifice them in the stead of our mana and so we can choose our battles. A maximum of three challenges allowed to a contestant and two cards means that to defend our seat we have to fight only once and that one fight will be at our top condition."

    I spoke placatingly, "Yeah. No need to get all riled up. Look, none of us are really tacticians here. Compared to the water mages, we are totally outclassed. Whatever we thought of, they did too. They probably have memorised the character profiles of everyone here and have already drawn up tables to predict the probabilities with which we will accept or reject challenges.

    "I think we should just stick to one fundamental plan and just go with it instead of arrogantly thinking we can outsmart everyone else. Bruno, you are ranked at fourteen, so I think that the best you can do is to actually defend your position."

    He narrowed his eyes at the implied instruction but didn''t affirm or deny it. I shrugged. That was the best I would get out of him.

    I turned to Lionel and handed him the extra card. "Well, big guy, it''s up to us to rise in rankings. I will try to get into the top twenty. I am ranked twenty-second so I can do it if I win once. You on the other hand have to try and win twice."

    He nodded. "The first time, I will be underestimated, so I have confidence in winning with minimal mana expenditure. The second time won''t be that easy since my details will be out, but, I will do my best."

    I punched his shoulder lightly. "We''re counting on you."

    All of us hid our cards and Phobos withdrew her Call of the Dark, the mana loss a small price to pay for the tactical superiority the technique provided.

    The half-hour was nearly up and I noticed several of the teams still huddled up within their own privacy barriers. The Lutrinae team was quite conspicuous with their community Water Veil encasing them like a dome of water.

    I even spotted some competitors nonchalantly trying to spy on the conversations of the various teams with their magical techniques. I could practically see a dog-eared wind mage''s ears twitching as he tried to look uninterested in the ongoing discussion of a team which was huddled near him.

    "Excuse me, do you have some time to talk in private?"

    I was surprised by the sudden female voice that addressed me and I turned around to see who it was. Golden brown short hair and a ring of golden scales around her neck reminded me of my first opponent in the qualifiers.

    Taking a closer look at her face and comparing it to his, I concluded that she might be some relative of his.

    Taking my leave from my curious team, I followed her to a secluded spot some distance away and waited for her to speak. Was she going to berate me for beating her brother or swear vengeance in the tournament?

    Without even a word, she just grabbed my hand and put a card into it, closing my fingers over it forcefully. I was dumbfounded for a moment before I gathered my wits and spoke, "I am really happy about your feelings but¡­"

    "Idiot!" she interrupted me with a blush. "Who wants to marry you! I am doing this for cousin Marcus. Since you beat him, if you perform well, he benefits indirectly. Also, I am ranked fifty. I only made it here because one of your members went missing and they had to call up one of the top five-hundred. Since there is no one below me to challenge me, I don''t need cards as much. That''s the only reason why I gave it to you. Idiot narcissist. Hmph!"

    She turned on her heel and marched away leaving me standing there with the card still clutched in my hand.

    Awkward! I chuckled self-depreciatingly and rubbed the back of my head with my hand before turning around to re-join my team. Yeah¡­ maybe, I was getting too full of myself. I put the card into my pocket.

    When I returned, Lionel and Bruno had already left for their seats and only Phobos and Deimos were left.

    Deimos in an uncharacteristically bold move linked arms with me ignoring the glare of the public eye while Phobos too captured my other arm.

    "Master, its fine you know¡­ to tell us, ya." Deimos said.

    Phobos chimed in, "We always knew the day would come."

    I felt a deep sense of crisis. "W-what?"

    Deimos'' hand darted into my pocket and brought out the card. She brought it to her nose and sniffed once. "It has her scent."

    I wanted to obloquy, ''Are you a dog!?''

    Phobos tightened her grip on my hand, "We always knew there would be four others joining us. So, Husband¡­" she turned her yellow eyes up to mine, "She seemed like a nice girl¡­ when are you planning to introduce us?"

    My eyes twitched. What was I supposed to say? She gave me a card because I beat up her cousin brother? Whatever way you looked at it, it looked like an excuse.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the golden-haired pangolin-blood snickering behind her hand as she watched us.

    It was deliberate, wasn''t it!?

 44 Chapter 9

    "I won''t fight."

    "You are a water mage and I an earth mage. We have no elemental superiority over each other. I am at the bottom of the rankings. What if you meet a shadow mage later on? Don''t you want to save a card?"

    "Don''t want to."

    "Aargh!"

    I rubbed my aching waist as I derived pleasure from the little prankster''s misfortune. After being thoroughly interrogated by Phobos and Deimos, I had only managed to gain a temporary reprieve due to the gong indicating the end of the half-hour social period ringing.

    The main culprit behind the red welts on my waist had then been called upon to kick off the tournament proceedings with the first challenge of the day as she was first from the bottom.

    The Pholidota girl had immediately chosen to direct her card at a slovenly blue-haired male from the Delphinidae clan who had been slouching on the seat ranked forty.

    It was apparently a miscalculation on her part as the boy had yawned and flicked his own card, glowing with blue mana, at her nullifying her request leading to her outburst.

    Currently, she looked like she just wanted to walk up to him and lay into him with the large mace in her hand, to hell with the rules.

    Marquis Delphinidae looked quite embarrassed to have such an unambitious contestant in his team. Clearing his throat, he spoke, "Ahem. Miss, why don''t you challenge again? I''m sure he must have his own game plan." Beneath his breath he muttered, "Or, more likely, just being lazy as always," as he adjusted his glasses.

    She showed an embarrassed expression. "I-I don''t have another card."

    "Oh," said the Marquis, "Ohh!"

    The audience began whooping and Marquis Delphinidae smiled at her. "Well, congratulations then. You might have just won something more valuable than a victory in martial arts this tournament."

    She flushed red as she hurriedly denied, "It''s not like thaat!"

    The Marquis merely chuckled, sending her back to her seat and announcing, "We have our first confirmed rank of the day! Emily Pholidota; Rank fifty! A round of applause please."

    Amidst the thunderous applause, she got rid of her sullen embarrassment and waved to the crowd with a smile.

    When her gaze met mine, she mouthed, "You better win. Or else!"

    Well, I certainly had no intention to find out what her ''else'' implied. I intended to win.

    ¡­

    Sol had made a quarter of his way to the horizon from the top of our heads by the time it was finally Lionel''s turn to take the stage.

    The preceding challenges had been lack-lustre to say the least. Everyone was concerned about conserving their resources and it had mostly been people flaunting their cards.

    Boring!

    No wonder the audience enthusiasm resembled a plant that had wilted under the sun. Marquis Delphinidae, as the host of the tournament had the duty of making it more interesting for the audience but he seemed to have underestimated the ''intelligence'' of the current batch of participants.

    Yet, he was helpless as shown by the embarrassed expression on his face as each subsequent challenger was stuck with a card to his or her face, or performed in a farcical spar.

    The one fight that did occur in earnest was between two Tier 1 Earth mages. Watching two stone clad warriors chipping away at each other''s defences was just as, if not more insipid than the card-fighting that came before.

    I even saw number forty drooling as he snoozed in his chair and I was sorely tempted to follow his lead. He had been challenged twice and had declined both times, successfully preserving his seat without any opposition. Left with no cards to challenge anyone, he had just made himself comfortable in his chair.

    Actually, this state of affairs was to be expected. Hot-blooded the youth may be but we were the elites and as such could take the broader picture into account. Personal glory paled in front of clan benefit and whatever ensured that was what we aspired to do.

    Also, the distribution of mages over the rankings after the qualifiers had all the Tier 1 mages bunched in the bottom twenty-five with the wind and shadow mages with their speed and one-hit-kill strikes occupying the preceding ranks while the more tactical water mages followed them and finally, the earth and fire mages with skewed defence and attack statistics occupied the bottommost ranks due to how slow they were to eliminate their opponents in the qualifiers.

    The same trend was repeated in the top twenty-five ranks which were occupied by the Tier 2 mages.

    In fact, Lionel and I were glaring exceptions in that he as an earth mage had managed to leverage his experience to quickly beat his opponents and I with my greatly strengthened body and synergistic dual elements had clawed our way up the rankings.

    Lionel stood from his seat, walked up to the middle of the stage and brought out a card.

    Having already used one to block a challenge, he had only two of them left. The card glowed golden as he pointed with it to the boy in the seat to my left.

    "Well, bro, it looks like your clan bro wants a piece of me." said the overfamiliar wind mage who was ranked twenty-three.

    He was actually a large part of why I hadn''t fallen asleep during the snooze-fest of a tournament. The hyperactive guy had latched on to me as a conversation partner and chattered on continuously throughout the duration of the contest to alleviate his own boredom.

    From his nattering, I had gleaned that the reason he was ranked so low despite his innate superiority as a Tier 2 wind mage was that he had been unfortunate enough to meet another Tier 2 wind adept in the qualifiers and it had devolved into a high-speed chase throughout the limited space of the arena.

    It was a case very similar to my bad match-up with Marcus and his extraordinary defence and we had hit it off quite well based on this common ground.

    ''I''m sorry bro, you''re in for a nasty surprise.'' I muttered in my heart.

    He strode up confidently to the stage and began mouthing off. "I commend your courage in challenging me while you are still in Tier 1, but, unfortunately, such courage is indistinguishable from stupidity. Save yourself the embarrassment and me the mana and just forfeit."

    I covered my face with my hand. ''Bro, don''t dig your own grave.''

    Lionel just narrowed his eyes and silently took a battle-stance, holding up his gladiatorial short-sword and shield, indicating his resolve.

    Bro just sighed and took his own stance while shaking his head.

    "Begin!" said Marquis Delphinidae and Lionel moved.

    Tier 1 earth magic: Stone skin.

    Tier 2 earth magic: Earth spikes.

    Bro''s eyes widened in shock at the astonishing momentum of his charge. Instead of using Earth spikes as an area of effect magic, Lionel used it for movement, each step causing a spike to rise underneath his foot and propelling him forward, neutralizing the only failing of most earth mages: their sluggishness.

    The control required for this was phenomenal and along with Steven''s personal brand of shadow manipulation, this generation of Felidae juniors was filled with stellar talents.

    If my Ghost step was all about the mutability of my movement path, Lionel''s movement was the epitome of straight-line speed.

    Tier 1 wind magic: Haste.

    Bro immediately dodged to the side, hoping to leverage his flexibility to avoid his charge and then attack his flank.

    Na?ve.

    Just as he was about to pass by him, the spike below Lionel''s foot propelled him sideways and his movement path bent in a right-angle.

    All the air in Bro''s lungs emptied as Lionel''s shoulder slammed into his solar plexus. He rag dolled in the air for a short moment before slamming onto the ground and sliding to a stop, leaving a metre-long trail in the dirt.

    Coughing out blood, he clambered to his knees as fast as he could only to see the large form of Lionel bearing down on him.

    With a primal scream, his eyes glowed white as his hair whipped around as the wind rose to his defence.

    Tier 2 wind magic: Blade edge Hurricane.

    Bro was no slouch and instead of a wasteful un-differentiated attack, his Blade edge hurricane was focused in front of him in a cone of death.

    Lionel glowed golden as with every step his form grew larger as a new layer of rock covered him.

    Stone skin evolved version: Giant of the Earth.

    The field shivered as, propelled by the spikes of earth, the three-metre tall stone giant dashed towards the kneeling wind mage.

    Blue veins popped out on Bro''s forehead and the glow in his eyes grew ever brighter as he directed the wind blades with both hands.

    The stone giant shrunk the closer it got to him as the blades of wind chipped more and more of the layers off it.

    Until, when he had reached within a metre of Bro, Lionel was only protected by his Barrier.

    Tanking two blades that caused his Barrier to light up a brilliant white, he crossed the final metre in one stride and let loose with a devastating uppercut.

    Bro''s body drew an arc in the sky before landing outside the arena with a dull thump.

    He was still.

    Thunderous applause broke out as the audience finally dared to blink lest they missed a moment of the fight.

    "A brilliant show of unconventional tactics by Lionel Felidae. He earns the right to sit on the twenty-third seat. Congratulations." announced the Marquis.

    I watched the medics rush to Bro''s unconscious form as a ten-minute break was declared to treat his injury. I had noticed several teeth scattering from his mouth from the last punch. It wouldn''t be pretty.

    As Lionel walked up to take his seat beside me, I welcomed him with open arms and gave him a short hug, patting his back.

    His stiff expression loosened slightly.

    I said, "Man, while I appreciate your swift and efficient win¡­ was the last strike really necessary?"

    "The only way to guarantee a win is if your opponent can''t move anymore," he said in a monotone.

    I looked into his eyes and found them a bit unfocused.

    I squeezed his shoulder. "Relax, big guy, you aren''t in the pits anymore."

    He shuddered as his eyes snapped back into focus and his hand subconsciously reached for his contract mark. He muttered, "I''m not, aren''t I?"

    Letting out a long breath he relaxed as he sat back in the chair beside me. "Thanks. The environment brought back memories."

    "It''s fine, and actually, it''s no real problem. The Marquis is overseeing the match. Any fatal attack will be blocked by him with his Water Veil. Don''t lose just because you feel like you are being too cruel to your opponent. Just remember that you''re one of us now. You''re Lionel Felidae. Not Lionel, the slave. You''re free."

    He shot me a grateful look and bumped his fist with my outstretched one.

 45 Chapter 10

    Though, his missing front teeth caused his lips to cave inwards, distorting his otherwise handsome face. Well, nothing a follow-up session with a healer couldn''t fix.

    When he came back to the stage, he gave Lionel a nod of acknowledgement before walking up to the centre.

    Despite his injuries, his mana hadn''t been depleted much and he had two cards remaining. As Lionel had displaced him, it was now his turn to challenge someone else.

    With the conclusion of the exciting fight between the two of them, the tinder of audience enthusiasm had been lit and it was burning brightly demonstrated by the volume of their cheers.

    Skipping over the Tier 2 mages as his status wasn''t optimal, bro decided to challenge the Tier 1 wind mage ranked twenty-sixth, only to get a card to his face.

    Using his final card, he intertwined for a long time before challenging the twenty-fourth seat; a Tier 2 Fire mage in the hope of his accepting the challenge.

    Hoping to pick a bargain due to his injury and depleted mana reserves, the fire mage agreed and a frigid battle ensued with bro emerging as the victor.

    I shook my head. It was a foolish move for the fire mage to face a Tier 2 mage in lieu of a Tier 1. It wasn''t just about the quantity of mana, it involved the sharp rise in the lethality of even Tier 1 magic when utilized with Tier 2 mana fuelling them. He had miscalculated.

    The fire mage used his two cards to challenge the Tier 1 mages ranked twenty-six and twenty-seven one after the other only to get declined with a card.

    He resentfully occupied Lionel''s erstwhile position at the thirty-third seat.

    This intense series of exchanges had fed the flames of audience enthusiasm and the atmosphere was at an all-time peak.

    It was in this situation that I received my first challenge.

    The thirty-second seat stepped out confidently and pointed straight at me with his card shining red with his fire mana.

    A shining blue paper plane left my hand, flying straight and true aided by my wind mana and slammed into his card, causing both to explode in a shower of sparks that scattered on his face.

    There was a moment of silence as he stood there dumbfounded, his curly hair smouldering from the sparks, before he turned red with rage and pointed at me with a shivering finger while the audience went into hysterics.

    Soaking in the adulation of the crowd, I settled back into my seat with an emotionless face while internally, I was pumping my fist. I wanted to do that the moment I saw the cards. What artist can bear to see paper that can light up in multiple colours and not go: origami?

    Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Phobos rolling her eyes while Deimos covered her mouth and giggled.

    The fire mage shot me a miffed glare before challenging the one ranked at twenty-six. The helpless boy who had run out of cards was forced to accept and an evenly matched fight ensued with twenty-six preserving his seat.

    Having faced all three of the challenges he needed to, he could finally relax.

    Apparently, thirty-two wasn''t enough as an example as even thirty-one felt I was the rose among a bush of Tier 2 nettles and confidently extended her blue water-mana laden card at me.

    Only to swiftly withdraw it behind her back as soon as I reached for my card in my pocket.

    I smirked. Not that easy, girl.

    A jet-black origami crane leapt out of her shadow from her back and crashed into her card causing both of them to disintegrate much to the audience''s delight.

    She pouted at me with a look like she wanted to eat me¡­ in more ways than one. I prayed for her future husband. He would be one exhausted man.

    After she was done with her challenges, I pulled out my third and final card, blatantly putting it on display as a deterrent towards challenging me.

    My use of the modified version of Shadow Walk had pulled the wool over the eyes of the competitors and they had re-evaluated me as a Tier 2 threat.

    Thank you, Steven, wherever you are.

    Thus, instead of challenging me, they turned their attention and cards towards Bro. The poor exhausted guy gave me a betrayed look before stomping up to his Tier 1 opponent who was bursting with energy.

    He tried. He really did, but it just wasn''t enough.

    As I watched him take seat thirty with slumped shoulders, I could only apologise mentally. It was me or him. I preferred it to be him.

    ¡­

    Finally, it was Lionel''s turn again.

    He took centre stage and extended his challenge to the thirteenth seat.

    It was the Tier 2 Lutrinae girl. Actually, I had very little hope for his successful advancement since anyone he challenged might potentially decline him with a card now that his prowess as a pseudo-Tier 2 was out.

    There was only one slim chance.

    The Lutrinae had given us a card. I had also noted that the girl in their team whose marriage I had presided over had, like Lionel, challenged twice, meaning that she had a minimum of three cards.

    The cards had to come from somewhere and if I was right, the ''somewhere'' was the higher-ranked members of their contingent. They were hoping that they wouldn''t be challenged as much.

    I mentally pumped my fist as my speculation ran true as with a grimace she accepted the challenge.

    She probably only had one card and was saving it for stronger opponents or for a challenge.

    If she knew that Lionel''s erstwhile display was a result of his holding back to the level of someone who was at the peak of Tier 1 but had a contract with a Tier 2 woman and that he himself was at the level of Tier 2, she might re-think that decision.

    As they faced off against one another, she didn''t bother playing around and directly uncorked her three bottle-gourds.

    The two at her waist let out a clear fluid which climbed up her arms and formed into two whips of water while the largest gourd on her back let out a violently green acidic potion that circled around her in streams like poisonous serpents poised to bite.

    Lionel strapped his shield to his back and sheathed his short-sword behind his waist, freeing his hands for better control over the earth.

    His Barrier could block wind blades as they were purely physical but the acid''s corrosion was not block able by the barrier. Thus, he had no choice but to attack as relying only on Stone skin for defence against Tier 2 Fluid Manipulation was a tad risky.

    She said, "Let us limit ourselves to only one third of our mana as we wouldn''t want to mutually exhaust the other only for someone else to pick up a bargain. Agreed?"

    "Agreed." He nodded.

    At the Marquis'' signal, the two of them moved.

    Slamming his joined fists to the ground, the earth wriggled as his golden mana poured into it. Tens of pillars of stone burst out of the heaving land and shot towards his opponent.

    Her eyes widened as she realized that she had been tricked. This scale wasn''t possible for a pseudo-Tier 2, the mana backlash needed to be withstood required much thicker mindscape walls.

    Clenching her teeth, she wove the liquid around her in a Water Veil and moved fluidly through the maze of earthen pillars and stone spikes that was slowly hemming her in.

    She was a sight to behold as she contorted into impossible shapes, slipping through the narrowest gaps, her acid burning through the stone when it got too close.

    Her whips were like parts of her body as she used them to hook around the pillars and swing through and above them turning her motion path three-dimensional.

    Lionel''s face was devoid of emotion as he continued to attack, each pillar expertly positioned to limit her motion.

    Till finally, she was thoroughly caged in by rocky pillars.

    With a grunt, his veins popped as he strained his magic pushing the pillars closer together as if to crush her.

    Her eyes glowed blue and swinging herself at the walls of her cage, it seemed like she wanted to slam against it.

    At the last moment, with a blinding white radiance, she turned feral, shrinking in the process.

    The otter surrounded by a coat of noxious green mist blurred as it passed through the narrowest of gaps in the impromptu prison, corroding the gap wider in its passing.

    It seemed that Lionel who was in the midst of his spell wouldn''t be able to dodge the corrosive projectile in time.

    Yet, he suddenly grinned, baring his teeth.

    The earth beneath him heaved, shooting up into a tall pillar, raising him high above the projectile''s trajectory.

    The otter slammed into the pillar, causing it to fissure and corrode with its impact point as the centre.

    Sensing great crisis, it immediately tried to escape.

    It was too late.

    Lionel''s foot clad in several layers of heavy stone slammed into her from above, planting her into the ground, causing it to spiderweb into fissures from the point of impact.

    The otter spat blood from the internal injury from the vibrations that penetrated its barrier.

    Drawing his sword, Lionel placed the edge at the otter''s neck.

    She morphed back to her Bestia form and choked out from beneath the weight of the stone.

    "I surrender."

    The crowd went wild.

    "Lionel!" "Lionel!" "Lionel!"

    They chanted his name and I smiled. Really, it was the big guy''s big day.

    I saw him turn to the stands and I followed his gaze to Ororo whose tears wouldn''t stop.

    Yeah. My heart beat faster. I would have to work hard to one-up him.

    He set a really high target.

    The dishevelled girl stumbled to the ringside for medical help before returning to the ring to continue her challenge since she was now at twenty-third.

    Bruno at fourteen was a hard-counter for her water with his ice so she had only one choice: seat fifteen.

    He was a fire mage from the Duchess'' contingent and the logical thing for him to do would be to block her with a card. But, he accepted.

    Actually, I think she just wanted to waste one of his cards. She too was stunned when he actually accepted her challenge.

    He was elementally disadvantaged. Though his condition was much better than hers, it was too risky a move and I couldn''t make head or tails of it.

    The fight was extremely frigid. Mostly, because the fire mage used tactics that would lead to mutual injuries quite often.

    His firepower was extremely high and even with her Water Veil, she suffered from the aftershocks of his fiery explosions. He was taking advantage of her newly healed internal injuries.

    In the end he won but at the cost of nearly having the entire skin of one arm corroded by acid.

    When he returned to his seat after the treatment, he blatantly put his two cards up for display.

    It was then that I understood what he was getting at. Now that he had been challenged once, he could just block twice.

    The psychological pressure on anyone wanting to challenge him would be too much as the most likely outcome would be them wasting their card.

    If he played it right, he could end up with two unused cards by the time his turn came around.

    That way he could challenge twice. Specially since the Lutrinae were short of cards, he might even challenge successfully and defeat or deplete some of the mana of their members at a higher rank so the other members of his team could beat them.

    It was all a gamble to further their gap with the Lutrinae as they were the only ones who could challenge them for the Ducal post.

    Really, the Vulpine team were all as sly as the foxes that were the originators of their bloodline.

    I focused my mind and cut out all extraneous thought as I walked up to the stage, passing by the dejected girl who was walking off it towards the twenty-third seat.

 46 Chapter 11

    Dressed in a traditional black hakama and carrying a katana at his waist, he was the picture of a traditional Shogunate swordsman.

    A member of the Duchess'' team, he was the shadow mage ranked twelve.

    If I had to select one of the six elements against which I stood the best chance, it would be the shadow element without a doubt.

    Assassination is a game of speed and all shadow mages are inborn assassins equipped with the tools of the trade: stealth and mobility.

    The shadow mana running through my mindscape made me immune to much of the trickery that shadow mages relied upon to set up their targets for that one swift strike.

    All that left was their speed against mine.

    The wind mana and my superhuman reflexes due my body tempering made me fearless.

    I studied his stance. Left leg stretched back, right leg to the front with the knee bent. One hand holding the scabbard of his katana to his waist and the other on its hilt, ready to draw.

    It was the form for the sword art famed for its speed.

    Iaido: The Art of the Draw.

    The curved katana facilitated his motion while drawing the sword from its sheath. And draw he would, at blistering speeds that would exceed the limits of his body.

    Once that sword was out of its sheath, it would either draw my blood or he would lose. He would have no control over it.

    My muscles coiled and wriggled under my shirt, storing energy for the explosive burst of power I demanded of them.

    At my high degree of concentration, my thoughts grew fewer and fewer till, I reached a state that I had reached only once before, when I had fought Phobos'' feral form.

    My mind merged with the air around me. It felt like even with my eyes closed, I could see.

    No, it was more than that, I could see, touch, hear and feel everything in contact with the air.

    The wind was my eye, my nose, my tongue, my skin.

    Father had said that it was the Oneness, one step prior to the Void. For this fight, it would have to suffice.

    As Sol made his daily journey from horizon to horizon, the shadows lengthened. The moment his shadow touched mine, we moved.

    He drew his sword. The sound silenced by the shadows. The sword seemed to divide into three, one slashing down upon my head from top to bottom, one slashing at my neck from the side and the last slashing upwards from our melded shadows.

    The wind informed me of the impossible. All three were real. All of them existed.

    A truly shocking technique. Yet my mind was devoid of awe, for I was faster.

    The tiny difference was enough.

    A trickle of blood ran down his nose and he collapsed to the floor, the soundwave from my palm having jarred his brain, knocking him unconscious.

    His katana clanged to the ground and in the pin drop silence, the sound echoed far.

    Out of respect for a closely matched opponent, I helped him sheath his sword and carried his unconscious form to the bleachers where the medical personnel took over.

    Accompanied by the cheers of the crowd, I reached the twelfth seat and claimed it as mine.

    "In an interesting turn of events we have three of the Felidae sitting side by side. Bruno at fourteen, Lionel at thirteen and Mars at twelve. Will they manage to stay together till the end or will they be separated by a twist of fate? Watch on to find out!"

    I rolled my eyes at Marquis Delphinidae''s theatrics. Our situation was a bit unusual, I admit, but that was no reason to make us the target of public attention.

    Though, there was one thing that was facilitated by this turn of events. The three of us could now share cards. Bruno had two left while Lionel and I had none. I could be challenged once more while Lionel could be challenged twice.

    My previous match hadn''t consumed much mana and I was ready to fight again, as was Bruno. Lionel was the only one who needed protection from challenges.

    Thus, we had him display both of Bruno''s cards in front of himself to ward off potential challengers.

    My rejection of my previous two challenges at the cost of cards, along with my lineage, had caused my opponent to underestimate me. Rather, he had underestimated my level of fleshly cultivation. As a Hominum, even with the feedback from two bonds, my body intensity should only have equalled a Bestia''s. Even taking my wind and shadow mana into account, my speed should have been slower than his.

    Thus, he had accepted my challenge and suffered for it.

    After regaining his consciousness under the care of the healers, he returned to the stage and fiddled with his two cards. Glancing at the two cards arrayed before Lionel, he shook his head and turned to Bruno and challenged him.

    Before leaving for the fight Bruno locked eyes with me. I knew what he meant to convey. ''Watch me defeat your defeated.'' It was an indirect confrontation between the two of us.

    The match was short and extremely lopsided. Bruno wrapped himself in a thick coat of armour that froze whatever touched it and surrounding him a bluish-white corona came into being. It was his Ice beam.

    Whatever entered that area would be slowed down and frozen. Bruno brought winter to the arena in the heart of summer and denied the ability to approach him safely, my shadowy opponent chose to forfeit in order to save his mana.

    Bruno was rather discontented by the forfeiture of his opponent as it made his victory lack satisfaction. It made him seem surlier than ever when he just stomped off stage without even a word to his opponent.

    All training and no leisure had made Bruno a rude boy. The lack of parents in his life wasn''t doing his emotional development wonders either. He seriously needed someone to look after him. Maybe a wife?

    After that, the matches continued and we, Bruno and I, were the prime targets for challenges since we had no cards to protect us. But, people were hesitant to extend a challenge to us since we were covered by a veil of mystery.

    The ice element was quite unconventional and tactics to counter it hadn''t been taught to the competitors on the stage. So, unlike their set approaches to dealing with the six conventional elements, against Bruno they would have to wing it.

    Surprisingly few people were willing to wing it; so, Bruno remained unchallenged by the time number nineteen took to the stage.

    He turned his attention to Phobos at the ninth seat and tried to speculate how likely she was to accept his challenge. He came up with a blank. He knew that we had an extra card from the public marriage ceremony but in the course of the tournament, both Lionel and I had used three cards which meant that either we had received more cards on the sly or either Phobos or Deimos had only one card.

    Abandoning Phobos, he challenged me. Smart move.

    Just as I was going to get up to accept, I felt something laminar suddenly appear in my pocket. Putting my hand into it, I drew out a jet-black card which was brimming with shadow mana.

    Number Nineteen groaned before turning his attention back to Phobos and challenging her, only to get stuck with another dark card.

    I shared a smile with Phobos. I had nearly forgotten the strategic cheat we had. In our team, we had two shadow mages capable of Shadow walking cards to each other. As long as one of us had cards, all of us did.

    Bruno received another challenge from a fire mage and this time, the fight was more evenly matched with both of them pulling out all the stops to clinch victory. For a time, the arena was filled with fiery explosions and shards of ice until, with a swing of his war hammer, Bruno knocked his opponent unconscious.

    Bruno had exhausted most of his mana in the match and so, we had him put a card in front of himself. My logic was that since Lionel could be challenged twice and he had only one card while currently unfit for battle, not only would challenging him mean that he would surely reject it with a card, it would be like helping the next challenger win an easy victory since Lionel would have no more cards to block with.

    Thus, I believed that no one would challenge him. It was a competition not a socialism drive, helping others would mean hurting yourself.

    I was right and we remained unmolested as everyone began challenging the higher ranks. When number sixteen challenged Phobos, she decided to take him on due to her prior experience dealing with Tier 2 fire mages in the qualifiers.

    So, once again the Heavenly Demon Dance appeared in the world.

    Her dance was beautiful. Her form graceful. Her fans a psychedelic mix of black and white.

    Her dance was deadly. Her movements treacherous. Her fans sharp scythes of death.

    She won, leaving a mesmerised audience behind. I think I fell in love all over again.

    Back in her seat, she pulled out a card from her satchel that had been kept there during the fight and placed it in front of herself.

    The fact that the card in front of Bruno was now missing was ignored by everyone else as they were still ruminating over her performance. Seeking counters for it.

    The only one that came to their mind was fighting blind. But doing that against a shadow mage was like seeking death as call of the Dark could isolate sound.

    Unless someone was several levels higher than his opponent, fighting deaf and blind and winning was the dream of a fool.

    So, she remained unchallenged for the rest of the tournament and when it was her turn, she decided to challenge the Lutrinae team leader who was at rank two only to be blocked with a card.

    Deimos on the other hand simply rejected two consecutive challenges and with the help of Lionel''s unused card, transported to her by me, she blocked the third one, confirming her status as the rank one.

    The world was dyed red as Sol said his goodbyes for the day and slipped below the horizon.

    The final match was over. The tournament had ended.

    It was time for the tally.

    Marquis Delphinidae cleared his throat and began, "Leading the scoreboard with six participants in the finals and a cumulative score of seventy-four, we have team Lutrinae."

    The cheers from their fans were drowned out by the sound of the discussion on a new Ducal clan coming to power and the reshuffling that entailed.

    Raising his hand for silence, the Marquis continued, "The runner-up; team Vulpine, similarly had six contestants in the finals but they only managed to get a cumulative rank of seventy-eight. A close match ladies and gentlemen. Please give them a hand."

    I was confused. If they had won, why was the Countess'' sour expression so contrary to her happy team''s?

    And why was the Duchess so unflustered?

    "But," said the Marquis, his voice cutting through the cheers. "Ladies and Gentlemen, all hope is not lost for them. May I request team Vulpine to take out any unused cards they might have."

    They did. Their team leader handing out one pristine card with barely suppressed hope in his eyes.

    "Five negative points!" Then they were hugging each other screaming with the joy of victory as the Lutrinae contingent just stood there, shell-shocked.

    We were declared third and the Primate team was fourth. After a neck-to-neck result from team Ursa and one of the teams from the Countess'' clique, team Ursa was finally declared fifth.

    So, we finally had the new power structure of the south-eastern province.

    I tuned the rest of the proceedings out. After the rankings were over, we were given leave to disperse. Tomorrow would be the resource distribution ceremony and the Awards function. It would be the time to get the fruits of our labour. Tonight, was a time for rest.

    Feeling the warmth of Phobos and Deimos against my side, my lips curved upwards.

    I could imagine a few things more interesting than sleeping the night away.

 47 Chapter 12

    The recordings of a court scribe give us what is widely accepted as the conversation that originated the tradition of the Grand Sabbath.

    Caesar: "In my observation of the Heavens, I have found that even the Gods must rest, for every fourth year is a day longer than the one that came before and the one which shall come to pass."

    Emperor Adam: "Even the Gods grow weary. Then what of our fellow man?" [21]

    - A Historical Treatise on the Rule of the First Emperor, A. R. Radharaman.

    Every cycle, at the end of the fourth year''s Harvest Festival, a day was set aside for celebrations. It was the Grand Sabbath. A day of feasting, a day of rest.

    It was a day of beginnings and endings. It was a day when the old and the new took turns.

    Men, women and children all over the Empire cleaned their homes till they shone and turned out in their best clothes.

    Impromptu stalls covered the sidewalks festooned with colourful streamers. Fireworks would light up the night sky.

    The provincial capital was covered by a jubilant atmosphere. Yet, there was one room that was in stark contrast with the festivities outside.

    There, well-dressed men and women grew red in the face as they waxed eloquent about their merits and haggled over the smallest patches of land.

    It was another battlefield. Just one of word and coin, rather than magic and brawn.

    My starched collar was suffocating in the sweltering heat and even my mastery of the wind brought little relief as all it did was move the hot and humid air around my body.

    The stone tubs packed with ice stones at the four corners of the room were reduced to ineffective ornaments against the onslaught of the peak summer heat.

    Unfortunately, my current status as the Felidae heir meant that I had to attend the resource distribution meeting and I was thoroughly out of my depth.

    Art and literature were my fields of interest. Mathematics and economics weren''t my strongest suits.

    I was competent enough to follow the complicated formulae used to rank the noble clans based upon their performance in the Martial Tournament but when their previous term''s performance was added into the mix, I was lost.

    Thankfully, I wasn''t alone here. Fifth Elder had come along with me and he was the one doing the negotiating.

    Basically, who got what depended upon two factors. One was their performance in the tournament, the other, was how well they had managed the territory they had been given charge of in the last cycle.

    So, every clan that wanted to advance their social and political station needed to give dual attention to strengthening themselves as well as good governance.

    While it sounded simple enough in theory, the moment I saw the huge map of the province in the centre of the room, I knew things were going to go over my head.

    Every inch of the map had been shaded in different colours with a key by the side that linked the colours to land value. The land value, again, was a result of complex calculations that considered factors as diverse as land fertility, the presence of resource points like mines, all the way to public security.

    A translucent vellum overlay marked the current political boundaries and denoted the placement of towns, cities, districts and states.

    After careful computation, each clan was given a score based upon their performance and they could spend these points to purchase the land around their territory.

    If one did not have enough points, it was quite possible that they could lose their title.

    For example, the Pholidota clan had devalued the land in their dominion to strengthen their contestant in the hopes that they could make up for the negative score in the governance aspect. Yet, my appearance had put them in very real danger of having their nobility revoked.

    If their points went into the negatives, their properties could very well be seized and in one historically significant case, a despotic noble had even been sentenced to death under Regiis law.

    Steven''s absconding, which allowed Emily to enter the finals and my performance reflecting upon my defeated opponents, allowed them to avoid this fate.

    On the other hand, commoners who had performed well in the tournament could either choose to join some noble house and thereby transfer their points or try and strike it out on their own as the progenitor of a new noble house by using the points to buy land.

    I recalled my conversation with the Fifth Elder this morning:

    "What do you plan to do about Bruno and his parents'' violation of the clan regulations?"

    "Well, seeing that his advancement allowed us to perform so well in the tournament, I''d say that Bruno has made up for his faults and that of his parents. We can just have them pay off their dues with missions and just verbally warn them."

    "About the position of the Steward¡­"

    "I have yet to decide my future path. Please leave me some time to think things through. I assure you that I will resolve things within the clan to the best of my abilities, whether I take up the position of Heir or not."

    I sighed as I returned to the present. Everything was a game of profit and loss. Every choice another opportunity to get ahead. We all struggled to crawl upwards. Some did so in steady steps, some gambled, either reaching the Heavens or infiltrating themselves into Hell.

    And some, watched over it all with an aloof gaze. I turned to the man in a coat of black and gold who sat upon a raised chair at the head of the room.

    The Imperial Legate, the representative of the Emperor himself, sent here to oversee the resource distribution ceremony and formally grant the nobility titles for this cycle.

    Feeling my gaze, he turned to me and our eyes met.

    It was like I was falling into a lightless abyss, there was no end to those dark orbs. When he finally looked away after what couldn''t have been more than a moment in reality but felt like days in my mind, I staggered back and supported myself against a pillar, taking breaths in gulps.

    A Tier 5 shadow mage. How terrifying.

    Shaking my head to clear my mind, I saw that the Fifth elder was still busy with the negotiations, so I made my way towards the veranda to get some fresh air.

    Turning the corner, I realised that I wasn''t the only one with that idea.

    Her six tails swaying in the air, the Duchess stood there leaning against the railings, looking out at the bustling streets.

    Joining her at the parapet, I took a deep breath, expunging the stale air of the negotiation hall. Even this far from the street I could pick up the sound of happy talks and laughter.

    I felt myself get infected by the mood, yearning to join them, leaving the trappings of aristocratic society behind.

    What would life be like if I was one of them?

    As soon as the thought came, it vanished. I traced the contract markings at the back of my hands. No matter how onerous noble responsibilities were, I would bear them a hundred times over rather than give up what truly made nobility unique.

    The contracts.

    I could not bear to imagine a life without the absolute trust provided by our markings. Without the required bloodline density to awaken, commoners were resigned to ''marriages'' guaranteed by mere words.

    They vowed to the Gods to forever love and trust the other, yet, within mere years of their joining, they would fall out with each other, invoking a ''divorce''.

    Or, worse still, indulge in infidelity.

    No. A commoner''s life may lack the cares of noble lifestyle, but, it wasn''t for me.

    The touch of a furry tail on my face brought me back to the here and now, and I turned to face the Duchess who was looking at me curiously while the tip of one of her tails poked my cheek.

    "Would the Young Heir care to share his thoughts with this one?"

    I saluted her politely with my palms joined and smiled as I spoke, "Forgive this one for being absentminded and for his failure in politeness. This one wishes to drink three cups to apologize for his neglect of one such as you."

    She covered her mouth with a tail and chuckled, "Stop. Stop from time to time. The overly polite wordings most of the upstarts are so fond of is totally unnecessary with me. In fact, I ran away from there, foisting everything off on Husband because speaking with them was so tiring. So, don''t you start it too."

    I shrugged, "Well, you started it, addressing yourself as ''this one''."

    She put a finger on her chin. "I did, didn''t I? Oh well," she shifted the topic, "What were you thinking so deeply about? Don''t tell me that there''s something that discomfits you in the capital. If so, speak and I shall try to remedy it to the best of my abilities. After all, it''ll be my home again for the next four years."

    "Congratulations on your term''s renewal."

    "The same to you too."

    I turned back to the streets, "Well, I was just wondering how it would be to live as one of the masses," I pointed at my markings, "then I thought what I stood to lose and decided that it wasn''t worth it."

    The Duchess absentmindedly traced her forehead where her own mark shone a dark red and her lips curved up into a smile.

    When she looked back at me, her eyes were bright.

 48 Chapter 13

    I looked back over my shoulder to where the girls were talking about something at the entrance. Trying to think up a way to bring up the topic in an appropriate manner was giving me a headache.

    Deimos kicked off her shoes and ran to the washroom ignoring Phobos'' indignant cries. Phobos huffed irately, adjusting both her and Deimos'' shoes neatly before coming up to the couch and settling down beside me.

    Placing her satchel beside her, she leaned against me. Urged by a sudden impulse, I wrapped my arm around her waist and dragged her into my lap.

    After a surprised squeal, she gave me a smile, resting her ear against my chest while clutching my collar with a hand as she sat across my lap.

    Hooking one of her slender legs through the handle of her satchel, she brought it within her reach and brought it into her lap. Opening it, she took out our rewards for our positions in the Tournament.

    The first ten had been given medals carved out of crystals corresponding to their own elements. Deimos had obtained an Aeolian crystal while Phobos had been awarded an Umbral crystal. It was an extremely practical gift as even though the crystals couldn''t become a direct boost to their powers due to Vita''s divine power running through their veins, they could be exchanged for a substantial amount of resources suited to them with the clan.

    The crystals could be used to seed two new mines of wind and shadow stones. The crystals just had to be placed in some area that was rich in the corresponding strain of mana and they would cause the mana flow in that area to centralize on them, further enriching the density of that particular elemental mana, causing ordinary stones to evolve into elemental stones by absorbing the mana.

    I planned to obtain the materials required for Deimos'' Specialization in exchange for the two crystals.

    When a mage advanced to Tier 2, they had the option to Specialize. There were two directions they could choose to go: power or control. As the terms suggested, a Wind mage Specialized in power would be able to create much stronger gusts for the same amount of mana expended while one that Specialized in control, would be able to thread a needle with their masterfully manipulated streams of wind.

    Of course, there were Generalists that kept their abilities balanced which allowed for more versatility, letting them skip the prohibitively priced procedure required for Specialization. But, you would never see them become anything more than mediocre within their peers.

    If, on the other hand, a Shadow mage Specialized in power, they would be pass in and out of shadows much further from them, but, their movement would become erratic. As, both were really bad handicaps to have for assassins, most shadow mages were Generalists.

    Fire mages on the other hand felt ashamed to call themselves true moving artilleries unless they had Specialized in power.

    Deimos, obviously was going to Specialize in control to emphasize her speed even further. Like me, she too practised the Thunderclap Samsara Palms, but, her version was more focused on agility and hit-and-run tactics to harass the enemy into making a mistake so a finisher could be delivered.

    I felt bad for Phobos for having to give up her reward, though she herself probably didn''t care. I looked down and saw that she had unwrapped my reward, a trophy made out of Mithril.

    As the best mana conductor known to man and possessing extreme toughness, they were the first choice for spiritual weapons. The trophy had enough material for a pair of daggers, or to create the edge of a long-sword.

    I set firm resolve to look up the best blacksmith in the capital and have him or her re-forge her fans with the metal before we returned to the Felidae Estates. Since she had already formed her contract, I could lock the weapon to her mana frequency with my contract magic, making it useless to anyone who stole it unless they forged it again.

    This was another way in which Tamers could earn their living, ''marrying'' weapons to their owners.

    My thoughts drifted to the rest of the rewards handed out. The ones ranked between ten and twenty had been given a Mithril trophy similar to mine. Those ranked between twenty and thirty had obtained a trophy made of Orichalcum.

    Opposite in properties to Mithril, Orichalcum was the best mana insulator known to man and combined with its extreme toughness, it made for the best defensive equipment. Although, the lack of mana permeability meant that it couldn''t be locked to the owner.

    Ranks thirty to forty had been awarded Adamantium trophies. The material possessing the same toughness of Mithril or Orichalcum without the mana-based properties of the two.

    Forty to fifty had Sky Iron trophies. Contrary to its name, the metal was anything but light, in fact, Bruno''s hammer-head had a Sky Iron core. The jet-black material which was obtained from meteorites was extremely dense and even a tiny piece could weigh kilograms.

    Beyond the top fifty finalists, the top five-hundred had also received trophies made of platinum, gold, silver, copper and quartz based on their ranks.

    Deimos walked into the living room from the washroom, wrapped in a towel while she dried her hair with another one. Despite the washroom being large enough to fit all three of us, we generally bathed separately, she was probably arguing with Phobos on who got to have the first turn.

    She flopped down onto the settee opposite to us, which in her current state of undress ended up revealing large swathes of ''scenery''. From her mischievous grin, that might have been entirely intentional.

    When Phobos made to get off my lap, I sighed and pulled her back by my arm around her waist. I had been trying to procrastinate by letting my mind wander off on tangents but the time set by the Duchess neared and I couldn''t delay the conversation anymore.

    Looking down into Phobos'' yellow eyes as she looked up at me curiously, I said, "Today, I received a proposal of marriage."

    Her eyes widened and she sat up in my lap and narrowed her eyes. Deimos who was lounging in the chair too, sat up straight as her ears pricked up attentively.

    Phobos poked my chest with her slender finger and said, "So, Husband, you have finally decided to come clean. It''s that girl, Emily, right? Now are you going to tell us how you went from acquaintances to lovers within days?"

    I protested indignantly, "No, no, no. It''s not her. I told you that she merely gave me the card for her cousin''s sake and for the sake of her clan. She had no intention of marrying me. And, even if she did, I wouldn''t hide anything from the both of you!"

    Phobos suddenly pressed her palms against my cheeks and swooped down to steal my lips, robbing me of words. Her tongue pried open my lips and invaded my mouth, tangling with my tongue.

    When she drew back, resting her forehead against mine and looking into my eyes, a thin line of saliva connected us both.

    "I know," she whispered in her husky voice, "I trust you with my life."

    Deimos wrapped her arms around my neck from behind me and rested her chin on top of my head. "Master, Phi-Phi was just teasing you, ya. Don''t get so hot and bothered."

    I relaxed. Having them doubt me, even for an instant wasn''t pleasant.

    Deimos tilted her head and continued, "But, if it isn''t that pangolin, who is it?"

    Phobos too looked at me curiously, so I told them of my conversation with the Duchess and her proposal of a marital alliance with her daughter.

    "The Duchess'' daughter!?" exclaimed Deimos. "Is she as pretty as her mother? Does she have those same tails? I always wanted to touch them but asking the Duchess was scary¡­ but if she is going marry Master¡­ He-he."

    My eyes twitched. Why did my marriage seem equivalent to buying a plush toy when Deimos spoke of it?

    Thankfully, Phobos was more serious. Releasing my cheeks and getting off my lap to take a seat on the couch beside me, she asked, "Husband, while her pedigree and the political significance are beyond question, have you met her already? Is her temper suitable to co-exist with us harmoniously? Most importantly, have you thought through what contracting her will entail in terms of your mana composition?"

    Intertwining the fingers of one of my hands with Deimos'' I spoke, "Actually, I''m going to meet her at dusk. The Duchess has invited me over to dinner."

    Phobos'' eyes grew a little sharp, "Only you? We aren''t invited?"

    I nodded apologetically, "The Duchess didn''t want her daughter to be seen by too many people in case I decide not to marry her. You know that she has unclear relations to the Shogunate and now that we are on the verge of war, some disadvantageous rumours about her are spreading.

    "One of the agendas of the Shogunate is to gather all the Daemonic bloodlines to create a bloodline based aristocratic system. Their current Shogun even has the bloodline of Nurarihyon and he seeks to recreate the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. Traditionally, the Kitsune, the nine-tailed foxes, are the brides of Nurarihyon.

    "There have been several attempts to abduct her and smuggle her to the Shogunate. Some of the perpetrators have been foolhardy mercenaries who wished to curry favour with the Shogun. But, in the recent year, worryingly, attempts have been made by ninja from the Shogunate."

    Phobos'' eyes widened in shock. "Ninja! Aren''t they the personal espionage unit of the Shogun. If even they are going into action, isn''t marrying her going to put you in a lot of danger?"

    Deimos'' arms tightened around my neck, "Master, forget it, ya. It''s not worth it. Let someone else shoulder the danger. If even the Duchess is at a loss, what can we do?"

    I squeezed her hand, finding it clammy from her cold sweat. I spoke reassuringly, "I brought up these very same concerns with the Duchess. She assured me that no one except she and her husband have actually ever laid eyes upon their daughter. It is the same reason why she didn''t participate in the tournament. The only thing distinctive about her appearance is her two tails, otherwise, she is indistinguishable from other Bestia with the bloodline of foxes."

    Gently prying off Deimos'' hands, I stood up and made my way to the door. "Even if I were to marry her, she would marry me under the alias of another member of the Vulpine clan. As far as anyone will know, the Duchess'' daughter will still be cossetted away within their estate. This way, her safety actually increases."

    Wearing my shoes, I put my hand on the doorknob. Pausing, I said, "Anyway, it won''t hurt to attend the dinner and meet her, now, will it? After all, she is the Duchess and such an intimate alliance with her will be good for the clan no matter how clandestine the relation."

    Phobos and Deimos saw me off with worried looks. "Husband/Master, be careful."

    As I walked towards the Duchess'' keep, I smiled as I shook my head at their unnecessary worries.

 49 Chapter 14

    My doubts were soon cleared when the maid led me into a secluded room which had a pinhole connected to one of the lavish oil paintings in the dining room. Soon, one eye of an artistic depiction of the First emperor was replaced by mine and I had a clear view of the room.

    There I saw the Fire mage who had ranked seventh in the competition. He was chatting animatedly with the Duchess'' husband while she was reclining on a chair, auditing their conversation.

    Sensing my gaze, she looked up and winked at me covertly, caressing one of her ears with her finger. Taking the hint, I laid my ear against the aperture and manipulated the wind to amplify the sounds.

    A few minutes of eavesdropping made the situation clear. Apparently, I wasn''t the only one invited today. My brows furrowed as I took a hit to my self-respect. Although I had been apprehensive about the marriage, I had been under the impression that I was the only one being considered.

    The main reason I had come here despite the inherent risk was because I felt flattered by how highly the Duchess esteemed me in picking me as the exclusive groom for her child. Apparently, that had been wishful thinking.

    Stepping back from the pinhole, I was just about to ask the maid to guide me out when the oddity of my current situation struck me and I hastily closed my half-open mouth and grew pensive.

    If I was but one of many candidates, then why was I allowed to spy on another of my competitors? Would it not make much more sense to just keep us separate, an eminently simple task as both the timing and location of the invitation was proposed by the Duchess.

    Even though I racked my brains, I could not figure out her schemes. It wasn''t until the boy finally took his leave that I was called for. As I followed behind the maidservant, I knew that whatever the case, the worst possible way to react would be to storm out indignantly like I had been about to do.

    Maybe the maidservant had even been tasked to record my reaction, a test of self-control to see whether her daughter was getting a level-headed man or an impetuous brat as her suitor.

    The Duchess beamed at me when I strode into the dining room and saluted them respectfully. "Well done Master Mars, my vision wasn''t faulty after all. To keep your cool in the face of a blatant slight and to try to ravel the hidden intentions behind it, truly impressive."

    Her husband walked up to me and gripped my arm at the wrist and shook it when I responded in kind. Patting my shoulder, he grinned as he spoke, "Well, that makes you even more suitable for our beloved daughter in our eyes. What parent would like a silver-tongued conman as their daughter''s suitor?"

    He continued, "As for the boy who just left, we did agree to a marriage contract with him, but the bride is not our daughter but a member of the clan who recently awakened at the age of nineteen."

    Leading me to the table, he offered me a seat. The Duchess, who had gone to the bar at the end of the room, came back with three glasses of chilled lime juice. I thankfully accepted a glass, glad she had remembered that I was a tee-totaler and didn''t touch alcohol.

    She picked up the thread of conversation from where her husband had left off. "We are quite selfish individuals. As the leaders of our clan, we should put the interests of the many over our personal benefit, but, unfortunately, we aren''t the paragons of leadership our clansmen seem to believe. For the sake of enhancing our daughter''s safety, we have put several innocent girls at risk."

    She waved to the door the young man had just left from. "You are not the only one marrying a Vulpine maiden in the coming days. We have nearly exhausted our clan''s reserves of unmarried women who have shown the possibility of awakening, sending them all over the province in a web of diplomatic marriages while inviting similar reciprocation from the other clans for our men. Your marriage, as just one of many, will be inconspicuous. Our daughter will be safer."

    I felt profound admiration at her political acumen. Not only had she managed to obscure her daughter''s true location, she had done it in a manner which would integrate her clan deeply into the aristocracy of the south-eastern province. If the Shogunate wanted her daughter, they would face the combined wrath of the province as lacking confirmation of her features, any of the maidens being married off could be her.

    The thing about inter-bloodline marriages was that except for extremely rare cases, the child would possess the denser of the two bloodlines carried by their parents. Usually, due to Vita''s divine influence, that would be the mother''s bloodline. So, in a few years, most of the clans in the south-eastern province would have little foxkin running about their courtyards while a veritable zoo would be taking shape in the clan creche of the Vulpines.

    The bond between the clans would be even tighter.

    As for the exceptions, I happened to be one as a pure Hominum male and any of my children would resemble their mother. Even rarer were the hybrids, such as Mules, a combination of the horse and donkey bloodlines, and Ligers, the fruit of the union of a lion and a tiger. Sadly, they, while possessing various characteristics from both parents, were infertile and thus, hybridization was considered a birth deformity and more often than not, the unfortunate children ended up abandoned in orphanages.

    The Duchess took a sip from her more alcoholic drink to wet her throat before continuing, "The only thing you need to be careful of is her second tail. As kitsune, our tails are closely linked to our power. While they amplify our magical abilities, they paint a very conspicuous target. If they ever get exposed, the game is as good as over. I hope that if you do choose to marry our daughter, you will be mindful of this at all times."

    She tilted her head back and drained her glass in one draught. Placing the empty glass down on the table with a sharp clink, she leaned forward as her eyes bored into mine. "So, the most important question. Have you decided? Have you set a firm resolve to claim our daughter as yours?"

    I straightened my spine. After the meticulous preparations of the Duchess, any misgivings I still had were indistinguishable from cowardice. They had chosen me to be the partner of their treasured daughter out of the many excellent youths of the province. Who was I to decline their goodwill.

    I bowed deeply to the both of them, "Please!"

    The Duchess'' husband stepped up to me and raised me by my shoulders, drawing me into a hug. "Good." His voice quivered with emotion. "Our daughter finally has another home to return to."

    "Are you certain?" asked the Duchess. "Once you see her, there is no going back."

    I nodded confidently. "I take my promises very seriously. I shall answer your trust, or die trying."

    She breathed out heavily. "Haah. Looks like the day finally came for our daughter to belong to others."

    Looking at me she smiled warmly and walked out of the room, beckoning for me to follow. As we walked down the labyrinthine corridors of the Keep, I noticed that the floor was sloping downwards. We were heading towards the basement.

    As we walked, she informed me of her daughter''s situation. "Ceres has always been cooped up within the confines of the castle since her birth. For fear of assassins, we kept her isolated from her peers. So, she grew up with only us and books for company. Her words are scarce and her nature reticent. Never having interacted with her peers she is seriously lacking in social skills."

    She turned to me, "Your task will be a difficult one. Bringing her out of her shell and getting her adjusted to society will require the support of someone she can absolutely trust. That person will have to be you."

    When I nodded my assent, she smiled, "Worry not. Our baby is not just a bundle of problems." She puffed up with pride, "You won''t find a child more intelligent than her in all of Regiis. She''s read every book in the library from cover to cover and remembers every word. She has a brilliant mind for strategy, never having lost a game of Kings and Soldiers against her father over the years. I''ll have you know, husband was one of the foremost strategy crafters for the Empire during his term of service."

    We reached the end of the corridor and an ornate wooden door stood in our path. The entrance to the library. With a hand on the handle of the door, the Duchess said, "And her Incense Flame is stronger than mine was at her age. It will be a perfect match for your Wind and Shadow mana. You can combine the three elements to tread down the path of an Illusionist¡­ but you can figure that out on your own."

    She paused momentarily before continuing, "Ceres has already awakened. We have been subduing her whenever she turns Feral. If you choose to enter, you won''t be leaving till the both of you are wed. All required supplies are placed within the room. This is your last chance to back out."

    I was quite taken aback at the sudden information that I had to get married immediately. I had thought that today would just be a day for me to meet her. But once I thought it over, the reason for them springing it upon me so suddenly became clear. It would be an additional assurance of my sincerity if I was irrevocably bound to their daughter¡­

    Ceres¡­ That was her name. I stared fixedly at the mahogany door before nodding decidedly.

    The door swung open and a delicate fragrance wafted out, twining around my body, drifting into my nostrils, giving me the misconception that I had arrived at a field of flowers rather than a hall full of towering shelves chock full of well-preserved parchment and leather-bound tomes.

    My eyes were drawn to the clearing in the maze of bookshelves.

    There, curled up on a couch, wrapped within her twin tails was a fairy descended to earth. Her flowing long hair, in stark contrast to her mother''s pristine white tresses, was a dark reddish-brown, tending to black. Her locks lay across her shoulders, tousled by long hours of reading, setting off her pale complexion from years of indoor living.

    Yet, her lips were a bright shade of red, adding a dash of colour to finish a nature''s masterpiece. Her tails burnt with transparent heatless flames that released tendrils of smoke that wound around the entire library, and twined around her form making her look even more ethereal.

    Startled from her book by the sound of the door opening, she looked up and her gaze met mine through her reading glasses.

    Dark slanting eyes that added definition to her elusive features looked right through me as if I didn''t exist.

    The Duchess and I were silent as she walked up to a cupboard and set out the contract supplies.

    Ceres'' eyes followed me as I walked up to her with the implements.

    Pricking my finger to draw blood, I dipped the specially created brush in the crimson liquid and knelt in front of the girl who would soon be my wife.

    Her eyes finally focused on my face, widening in surprise and I realized, belatedly, that she was extremely near-sighted. It wasn''t that she was ignoring me, she just couldn''t see my face. My height and crimson hair being quite similar to her father, she might have mistaken me for him, explaining her dull reactions.

    Her eyes fell upon my bloodied brush and then travelled back to my face before the light of understanding dawned upon her.

    I saw her fingers clench and relax a few times on her book before she shot a glance at her mother before, finally, nodding at me to proceed.

    Inhaling deeply to focus my mind, I took in the scent of her mana engendered in the smoke that originated from her Incense Flames. The mana in my mindscape grew restless as the smoky mana permeated through its walls, spreading over it, mingling with what was already there.

    In that moment, I got a read on who she really was and her feelings at the moment.

    Surprisingly, I felt no rejection or the resignation to marrying a stranger that I expected. She seemed calm and mildly curious. The smoky mana conveying a confusing mass of emotion that seemed to shift from one to another never really settling down long enough for me to get a read on it.

    Unbidden a few words emerged in my mind¡­

    Smoke within a Dream.

    My hand was still, only my wrist moving, drawing the brush along in smooth arcs as the same words took shape upon the top of her foot in the lettering of the old language.

    As the last stroke tailed off, the top of my right foot stung as the contract marking formed, consummating our bond.

    Ceres haltingly reached out with her slender fingers and gently touched my hair.

    Her voice was so soft that if not for the utter silence of the library, I would have missed it.

 50 Chapter 1

    Thus, began the tradition known as the Swayamvar.

    - Marriage in all its Forms, Margaret M. Mead

    It was nearly noon, almost two hours past the time the Legate had declared for us to assemble at the city square. The harsh summer sun beat down upon the sea of people that had jam-packed the streets of the capital. Despite the low drone of the grumblings of the populace, very few made to leave. After all, it wasn''t every day that one got to hear an Imperial Decree.

    For the umpteenth time this morning, I wiped my sweat with my soggy handkerchief. Unlike the masses who had the option of taking shelter beneath the shade of the impromptu shamianas, we, the top twenty ranked participants of the Tournament had to stand beneath the sweltering sun.

    Looking around, I found one or two of my fellow sufferers who had been swollen with pride but a few minutes ago, basking under the public gaze, now slouching, irritation clear on their faces.

    To distract myself from the heat, I lost myself in the memories of last night. After I had bonded with Ceres, the Duchess had treated me to the promised meal and I had taken my leave, leaving Ceres behind to spend one last night with her parents.

    Returning to our apartment, after I had informed my girls of my decision and the accompanying circumstances, I had thrown myself into the perusal of Mother''s research journal.

    The path of a Mage was a perpetual attempt to better synchronize with their own element. Every successful mage was at least partially a researcher at heart. Exploring heretofore untried pathways of mana utilization was what allowed the mage to improve their affinity most effectively at the higher Tiers.

    When I had returned to my room after seeing off Father and Mother, I had found two leather bound tomes lying upon my bed. They were the crystallization of my parent''s understanding of their elemental gifts.

    The journals of one Tier 5 and one Tier 4 peak mage were things that money couldn''t buy. Father and Mother had left them to me in the hope of assisting me and my wives.

    An intense sense of missing suddenly flooded me. I wondered what they were doing now.

    Deimos and I had already read Father''s journal from cover to cover, several times. His musings on the mental state known as the Void, his experiences in reaching it and his speculative instructions on how it might be attained by any wind mage had been extremely helpful for the both of us.

    It detailed her understanding of the Tier 2 light magic known as Heal and its limitations and its intricacies. Though, the material sounded basic, it was a masterwork of a treatise on the fundamentals.

    According to it, every part of our body was made up of tiny non-sentient creatures known as cells. These creatures were of as many different types as there were bodily constituents. Alone, these creatures could not survive, but, together they formed us.

    Wounds of the flesh were basically caused due to a number of cells being gouged out of our bodies. Thus, the basis of healing was to replenish the lost cells.

    Different cells could divide themselves into two with varying frequencies leading to some wounds being harder to heal naturally than others. But, there was a special type of cell deep within the marrows of our bones that could divide quite frequently and subsequently morph into any kind of cell.

    Mother named them ''stem'' cells, since all kinds of cells stemmed from them.

    The Tier 2 light magic: Heal, basically caused these stem cells to multiply at an accelerated rate and fill the fleshly wounds.

    Yet, there was a limitation. The magic was closely tied to the patient''s subliminal perception of his or her body. For example, if a patient was born with a deformed hand that ended at a stump at his wrist, even if one were to lop off his hand at the elbow and regrow it with magic, the new hand would still end at his wrist.

    This was why it was advised to visit a healer as soon as possible after an injury. It was to reduce the chance of the body recognizing the injured state as the new normal.

    All documented attempts to cause the body to regenerate in a manner different from the patient''s perception of normal had ended in an uncontrolled multiplication of cells resulting in one of the seven incurable diseases in the world of Ea: cancer.

    This was why Ceres, despite having access to the best healers the province could offer hadn''t had her myopia magically corrected.

    For now, the only remedy she could turn to was her glasses.

    Ceres would join our family this evening and I wanted to treat her the best I could. Her isolated childhood resonated with my experience of growing up immersed in my training with very little time for human interaction beyond my immediate family. Restoring full functionality to her eyes was one of the things I had thought up since my meeting with her yesterday.

    Despite the discouraging contents of Mother''s journal, I was heartened by a word she had scrawled into the margin of the last page: ''Egypt''.

    The Egyptian Empire was actually the oldest Empire, formed even before Emperor Adam came to power. Ptolemy was the founder of the old Egyptian regime. Instead of the intermingling of species advocated by the Regiis Empire, the old Egyptian Empire propagated the concept of racial superiority with the ruling class being exclusively composed of feline bloodlines.

    Everyone else within their Empire was a slave. Their famous pyramids that stand erect to this day, were built upon the blood and bone of thousands of hapless souls. They are silent testimony of the grandeur of the old Egyptian regime.

    Yet, their practice of slavery earned the ire of all non-feline clans in their vicinity and they were encumbered with war on multiple fronts, severely weakening them.

    Julius A. Caesar, one of the twelve Apostles of Emperor Adam, made use of this opportunity to attack and occupy Egypt, deposing Queen Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemaic Queens of Egypt. With Egypt as his base, he went on expeditions in all directions, expanding his domain. Thus, the Roman Empire was formed.

    The Egyptian Royal family escaped with their lives and after years of biding their time and building their strength, they successfully rebelled and threw off the shackles of Roman rule during the turmoil of succession after Caesar''s death.

    The leader of the rebellion, Cleopatra''s only son; Caesarion, named after the man his mother claimed was his father, ascended the throne as the first Pharaoh of new Egypt.

    Citing his dubious heritage, he laid claim to the Roman Empire. Thus, began the cold war that has continued to this day between Rome and Egypt.

    The socio-economic embargo between the two nations meant that the Egyptians had their trade route to the North suffocated while the same applied for the Romans with respect to their trade routes to the South.

    An extremely favourable situation for Regiis, since both countries were our western neighbours, making us their only outlet for trade along their eastern borders.

    As such, Regiis and specially my clan, the Felidae had a great relationship with the Egyptians due to our bloodline. In fact, mother could trace her ancestry to the sacred Cult of Bubastis in Egypt.

    It was a Cult dedicated to the Goddess of Healing, Isis, after whose Roman aspect, Epione, she was named. They had a bombastic manifesto that claimed that there was no disease they could not heal. A claim substantiated by their contribution to the eradication of small pox from the face of the Continent.

    They might just have a cure for Ceres'' vision. Maybe, after I was done with handling matters within the clan, a trip to Egypt was in order.

    The sound of fanfare and beating drums jerked me out of my reverie as the Imperial Legate marched onto the central podium of the city square, announced by his personal criers.

    Everyone present took a knee if they were commoners or bowed at different angles if they were nobility. For, to set eyes upon the Legate was to set eyes upon the Emperor himself.

    "Rise!" The magnetic sound of his voice resounded from every shadow, reaching every ear of every man present.

    I straightened up and looked at him. Clad in jet-black military attire decorated with golden embroidery and dazzling epaulettes, he cut a striking figure under the noon sunlight as the rays seemed to shy away from him, clothing him in a dark corona.

    "This Legate presents the Imperial Decree!"

    I stood to attention, concentrating on his forthcoming words, for they were the missive of the Emperor himself.

 51 Chapter 2

    "A cycle ends and a new one comes to pass. The days of celebration and rejoicing have regrettably come to an end. It is time to return to our daily lives of toil and ardour.

    "Yet, it is but a new beginning, a chance to make this cycle pass better than the one that preceded it and to prepare for the ones to come.

    "Dukes and Duchesses of the Empire, it is Our pleasure as the reigning Emperor of Regiis, to usher you into your new positions of responsibility. Strive to make your Provinces prosper, to bring smiles to the faces of your people."

    The Duchess bowed deeply in the direction of the unfurled Decree the Legate was reading from. "This one hears and obeys."

    After she straightened, the Legate continued:

    "Members of the nobility, you are the roots of the great tree that is the Regiis Empire. Grow healthy and strong, draw upon the bounty of the land and share it among your subjects. They are the leaves, innumerable, yet, each one indispensable."

    Everyone else in the square saluted to the scroll and spoke in one voice, "We hear and we obey."

    The Legate spoke, "In Our name, We declare our daughter Venus as the Heir to the Empire. We hope that as dictated by tradition, the foremost youths of Our domain step up to vie for her hand in marriage.

    "For those with the courage to step up to the challenge, the six Elemental Trials lay in wait. Overcome them and earn an audience with Us and Our daughter. Win her heart and We shall bestow the title of Successor to the Throne.

    "In Our name, we declare the Swayamvar for Princess Venus open! May the best man emerge victorious."

    My eyes widened in surprise as my vision involuntarily turned to the Duchess. My action was mirrored by several of the young men among the top twenty rankings. From yesterday''s conversation, I knew them to be the ones who had acquiesced to a marriage contract with the Vulpines.

    Even though the Duchess herself displayed a shocked expression and even the members of the Vulpine clan weren''t exempt from the sweeping range of marriage contracts, knowing what I did, I could infer that this was all part of her plan.

    She had somehow known of the Swayamvar and thinned the competition for me by tying up eligible bachelors with the bonds of marriage.

    Even though she was on my side, a chill ran up my spine. Her deception was too deep. Her plans convoluted and unfathomable.

    I felt a deep diluteness. With a mother-in-law such as her, I could very well end up selling myself into servitude and happily help her count money, ignorant of my plight. A tinge of regret for embroiling myself in this political vortex arose within me.

    My bond was with Ceres, not her mother. Even though the Duchess'' mind games were scary, they were aimed away from and beneficial to me. I needn''t be suspicious of her intentions.

    If she bore me malice, she wouldn''t have wed her daughter to me.

    The Legate''s voice jerked me out of my contemplative reverie. "All men capable of marriage and wishing to participate in the Swayamvar, step forward."

    Straightening my back, I stepped forward. So did seven others.

    The eyes of the Legate narrowed as his eyes swept over us until they stopped upon the figure of the boy who had slouching and grumbling before his arrival.

    With a sweep of his hand, the shadows engulfed him and he was teleported back into the lines of those who weren''t eligible.

    Staggering from the sudden shift in vision, he stabilized himself with great difficulty as he looked at the Legate in shock.

    Before he could open his mouth, the Legate forestalled him, "A mere two hours under the sun was enough to erode your patience and you dare to deem yourself fit to vie for the crown? I have no idea where your self-confidence comes from, nor do I care. You are disqualified."

    The boy flushed red with shame, fidgeting in place, looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him up. Unable to stand the public gaze any longer, he dashed out of the square, pushing his way into the crowd. Soon, his form was swallowed up by the packed audience.

    Snorting coldly, the Legate turned back to us. His gaze fell upon the boy beside me. He was someone I recognized. He was the fire mage I had seen yesterday night when I had visited the Duchess. My eyes widened as the implications what he was trying to do crashed home.

    He was trying to annul his engagement because a better opportunity had presented itself. This was like publicly snubbing the Duchess and a great disrespect towards the maiden who was promised to him.

    I saw him shiver as the Legate''s eyes met his. I remembered the feeling of dropping into a bottomless abyss that I had experienced when I had met the Legate''s eyes. I was sure it was a hundred times worse for him because the Legate was positively furious.

    His own shadow seemed to darken until it looked like a tear in reality. Out of it emerged hundreds of hands composed of eldritch shadow, latching onto him and pulling him into the darkness.

    The Legate grasped the void and his hand sank into a piece of shadow, drawing out the hapless boy by the throat along with it when he pulled it back.

    "Do your bonds mean so little to you in the face of benefit. Or do you think my ears deaf or my eyes devoid of sight? Did you expect the fact that you are engaged to be married to be unknown to me? How dare you have designs on the Princess when you have so little regard for the sacred institution of marriage. By my position as the Imperial Legate, I sentence you to ten years of indentured labour at the central mines forbidden the touch of a woman till you learn to respect them better. So mote it be."

    A surge of his mana caused the boy''s eyes to roll up and he collapsed bonelessly to the ground when the Legate let go. The father of the boy shame-facedly ran out from the stands of nobility and bowed to the Legate in apology before carrying his prone form and with a burst of fire mana at his feet, leaping out of the square.

    He didn''t have the honour to continue staying here. I sighed inwardly. Being ambitious was fine but, one mistake and you could drag your family down alongside you.

    Now, there were only six of us left standing.

    The Legate swept us with his gaze and finding us satisfactory, he spoke again. "Every province is to send six young men up as representatives. Your number perfectly conforms to the requirements, avoiding any further elimination.

    "You shall be given six months to prepare after which the first Trial will commence. Each Trial tests a different aspect necessary for a King. The evaluation you receive in each Trial will be used to determine your suitability for the Throne."

    He took out six tokens of different colours and cupped them in his hands, using his mana to cover them in the darkest of shadows, he invited us forward.

 52 Chapter 3

    Handing this token over to any major military outpost at the end of the six-month preparatory time period would announce my status as one of the participants of the Swayamvar and they would deliver me to the location coded into the pattern on the token.

    There, I would start my first trial: The Trial of Earth.

    The token in my hand was the colour of light clay with the symbol for earth embossed into it. The material it was made out of felt extremely smooth to the touch and conducted mana quite well. Even with my alchemical experience and regular perusal of obscure tomes, I had not the foggiest clue as to what the material might be.

    Another barrier to counterfeiting, I supposed.

    Thinking of military outposts reminded me of Father. It would be a great opportunity to pay him a visit with the excuse of turning in my token. Given the outpost he was serving at was a bit out of the way, but nobody specified that it had to be the closest one to me.

    I''m sure Mother would be thrilled to meet the newest addition to our family. Speaking of Ceres, it was but three hours past noon, she was scheduled to arrive at our apartment when the clock struck five.

    Although Phobos and Deimos had been a little put out by my returning home one contract wealthier, they had soon come around when they heard of the circumstances of the matter. Phobos, while still concerned about being targeted by ninja, had decided to support me in my decision. Deimos, the compassionate girl she was, had immediately grown sympathetic with Ceres'' closeted childhood. Right now, the both of them were preparing the house to receive our new companion.

    Phobos was in charge of the food while Deimos busied herself cleaning and arranging the bedroom. When I had offered to help, they had shot me down citing the need to keep the preparations a surprise even from me.

    So, here I was idling, letting my thoughts wander on the days to come.

    The Swayamvar had caught everyone off guard, except, that is, the Duchess, if my speculation about her plans was correct. The reason being; it was four years too early.

    The methodology followed in order to select the Heir to the throne was quite crude. It wasn''t through some elaborate competition that tested every aspect of an individual, nor was it through popular vote.

    Emperor Adam had apparently left behind a mysterious technique which could only be practised by a woman with the purest bloodline and extreme talent. Successfully learn the technique; congratulations, you are now the Heir to the throne.

    This gave rise to the conception among the public that the technique was some uniquely powerful method and as long as it existed along with a queen capable of harnessing it, nothing could shake the foundation of the Regiis Empire. Which, honestly speaking, went a long way in fulfilling the duty of the Emperor.

    Which was to be a figurehead, a mascot for the Empire.

    The eldest child of the Emperor, Princess Artemis, had failed to learn the technique. His second child, his only son, Prince Apollo was the wrong gender to be allowed to even try. Princess Venus was the last hope for a member of the Emperor''s bloodline to succeed. If even she failed, the opportunity would pass on to the branch families of royalty.

    She had not only succeeded, she had blown everyone''s expectations out of the water by doing so four years earlier than scheduled at the age of fourteen. Right, she was yet a child. I had no idea how Duchess Vulpine had obtained her information, but everyone else had expected that even if the Princess succeeded, she would do so at the age of eighteen when her bloodline was concentrated by her Feralization.

    That was the reason why so many of the noble clans had pulled out all the stops in this iteration of the competition, unhesitatingly devaluing their lands and going into debt to get their contestants up onto the stage of the finals, hoping for a promotion in their rank so that they could use the increased resources to train the next batch of talents in preparation for the following joint Martial Tournament.

    They wanted a chance to have one of their clansmen ascend the throne. For that, they had been willing to gamble.

    The Swayamvar was a four-year long process. Under ordinary circumstances, the Princess and her suitors would all be eighteen when the Swayamvar started and it would end with her marrying her chosen one during the next festival of the Grand Sabbath at the age of twenty-two.

    Now, she would get married at eighteen. These four years for her would probably be filled with all sorts of lessons in order to train her up into the ideal queen. Well, not like that mattered much to me. I was in the game for the chance to travel the land and experience the unique challenges provided by the Swayamvar.

    Every participant of the Swayamvar was allowed six retainers with only three allowed in the beginning for their first three Trials with three more allowed to join after the midway point had been passed.

    This meant that nearly all of the cr¨¨me of the crop of the Empire would be busy travelling the lands and gaining experience during the following cycle. Which was one of the major functions of the Swayamvar, training and excavating talent.

    Many of the high ranking civil, political and military officers of this period had their roots in the previous Swayamvar. Their exemplary performance causing the higher ups to mark them out as candidates worthy of entrusting heavy responsibility.

    Marrying the Princess? I had just married yesterday. I had yet to even consummate my relationship with my wife. Let alone, I had ranked twelfth only within the south-eastern province. To win the Princess'' heart, I would have to triumph over the heroes of all the rest of the provinces as well.

    While I was self-confident, I liked to believe, I wasn''t narcissistic, or stupid. Setting my goals too high seemed to be the behaviour of an overconfident, narcissistic fool. So, despite whatever designs the Duchess might have, I was just going to treat this competition like a four-year long honeymoon.

    The sound of a carriage being drawn up in the courtyard permeated through the entrance, breaking my train of thought. The neighing of horses and the clacking of their iron-studded hooves against the stone of the pavement alerted me to their halt in front of our home.

    It seemed like Ceres had arrived.

    Deimos came running out of the bedroom, hastily untying her apron and fixing her dishevelled hair just as Phobos hurried out of the kitchen. Phobos had some flour stuck on the tip of her nose, otherwise she was immaculate.

    Prompted by a sudden impulse, I leant forward and licked it off her nose, causing her to cry out in surprise and step back blushing. She punched me crossly on my chest but there was no force to the blows. I knew I had made her a bit unhappy with my hasty actions but, looking at her now, it seemed that most of her disaffection had disappeared.

    I think the surprise present of the mithril fans I had planned for her would be able to deal with the rest. I caught Phobos'' hand mid-punch and pulled her into my embrace while spreading my other arm for Deimos.

    She grinned and jumped into the group hug before we separated just as there was a knock on the door.

    The three of us exchanged glances before walking over to the entrance side by side. Opening the door, I saw the same maid who had guided me last night standing outside while behind her stood a gorgeous white and silver palanquin pulled by a beautiful white mare.

    Saluting the three of us, the maid walked back to the palanquin and led Ceres out by the hand.

    The sight of her took my breath away.

    She was wearing a black kimono in plain silk with a milky white obi tied around the waist. Only one of her tails was visible outside, swaying as she tried to balance herself on unwieldy wooden clogs. Her hair was done up in a ceremonial bun and a chain of lilac flowers was pinned into it near her foxy ears.

    For some reason, she wasn''t wearing her glasses and her kohl-lined eyes were wide open as she tried to compensate for her faulty vision, making her already striking eyes even more prominent.

    The lilac paper umbrella she used to keep off the sun tinted the rays that fell upon her and combined with the smoke wreathing around her, she was a sight to behold.

    Hearing Deimos'' suppressed squeal and catching the shine in Phobos'' yellow eyes, it seemed even my girls approved.

 53 Chapter 4

    Deimos was the first to crack and with an excited squeal, she glommed onto the startled girl, rubbing her cheek against hers. "You''re so cute, ya. You have such pretty eyes. People tell me I have huge eyes but yours are like half your face. Master said you don''t see very well, ya? Don''t worry we''ll find a way to fix it as soon as we can. Then you won''t have to hide them behind ugly glasses, ya."

    I walked up to them and chopped Deimos on the back of her head to curb her excitement. She let go of Ceres and looked up at me with teary eyes.

    I sighed helplessly as I rubbed her head and the back of her ears as I apologised in her stead to the still jittery Ceres. "She is my wife, Deimos. She might not seem like it now, but she is really introverted in the company of strangers. It seems finding someone with poorer social skills than hers brought out her inner extrovert."

    "H-hello. Nice to meet you." Ceres said in her soft voice as she bowed to Deimos.

    Turning to Phobos, she bowed to her as well. "Nice to meet you too."

    Giving her a warm smile, Phobos bowed back. "Welcome to the family. I''m Phobos. I hear you are named Ceres? We shall be bond-sisters henceforth. Let us get along."

    Ceres seemed to relax slightly. "Thanks."

    Phobos hinted at Deimos with her eyes and Deimos regretfully drew away from my palm. "Well, we were going to have dinner a bit early today since it is a special night for Master and Ceres," causing her to blush at the implication of her words. It seemed that the books she had read had covered topics related to nightly activities. She wasn''t that innocent.

    "Can I call you Ceres-chan? It somehow seems fitting to address you with Shogunate honorifics¡­ hmm¡­ must be the dress." Recovering from her mutterings, she winked at Ceres. "You, Phi-Phi and master set the table, I''ll bring the food."

    As she went to the kitchen, the three of us busied ourselves with setting the table. Today, we were using fancy plates and ceremonial silver cutlery. It was a brand-new set Deimos had rushed to buy in preparation for Ceres'' arrival.

    Ceres tried to join in but after nearly dropping a plate after fumbling it, she stopped trying, dejected. Curious, Phobos asked, "Where are your glasses?"

    Ceres blushed with embarrassment, "Uuu. Mother took them away before I came. She said something silly about clumsy girls being cute." She bowed her head, "Sorry for being so useless."

    The corners of my mouth twitched. The Duchess was seriously¡­

    We generally ate in silence, specially Deimos who hated interrupting her meal, but today, inspired by Ceres'' presence, she was pretty verbose, regaling her with stories about us while I and Phobos sometimes chimed in, making the meal an extremely lively affair.

    When we came to the final course, Phobos uncovered the dish revealing four rolls of fried flour filled with a stuffing of sweetened semolina soaked in milk. It was a sweet called patishapta, a specialty dish served traditionally during weddings.

    She served one which was set aside specially to me while distributing the rest to herself, Deimos and Ceres.

    When I bit in, instead of sugar, I tasted salt. Looking up in surprise and seeing no change in the expression of Deimos and Ceres, except for pleasant, enjoyable ones, I realized that this was aimed at me.

    Locking gazes with her, I deliberately ate the rest of the salty confectionary as nostalgia assaulted me. The night of our engagement, Phobos had similarly cooked this dish for us and in her nervousness, switched sugar with salt. Then too, I had tried my best to soldier on through the taste without letting it show on my face.

    This was a message from her. No matter how many wives I had, she had come first. With my eyes I tried my best to convey silently that I knew.

    Her eyes softened and she passed me a glass of water before serving me another one she had kept hidden.

    This time, it was sweet.

    After the early dinner, Deimos drew all three of us to the bedroom. Looking down at her feet, Ceres followed bashfully.

    Entering the room, I was stunned as nostalgia struck once again.

    The d¨¦cor was a spitting image of the one in which I had consummated my relationship with Phobos and Deimos on the night of our engagement.

    By the time I had recovered my wits, Deimos had dragged Phobos to the door and was pulling it open to leave.

    When I made to speak, she shushed me and looked at me seriously, "Master, you''ve always felt guilty for being so harsh on us the first time. So, I wanted to give you a chance to remedy your regret. Tonight, is a night for two people. Treat Ceres-chan well, ya?"

    I was moved. She cracked into a smile, "Don''t make that face, ya." She hugged Phobos. "Phi-Phi will be enough for me tonight."

    Before I could stop her, she was gone, locking the door from the outside. I sighed. Truly, the girl was like the wind. I couldn''t help but smile and shake my head.

    The room was silent except for the sound of our breathing, mine, the intensity of bellows at a forge, hers the susurration of wind through leaves.

    We sat side by side on the bed, her shoulder brushing against my arm as the mattress caved under our weight. Through the ephemeral contact, I could feel the tension in her muscles. She was nervous and truly, I was too.

    So, I did the only thing I could: I waited. Like a fisherman awaiting his catch, I let my mind wander, letting time soothe her nerves. I was rewarded by the halting touch of her fingers against mine where both of our hands rested on the bed.

    Responding slowly, I spread my fingers apart, letting her mesh hers with mine. Through them, I could sense the tension slowly draining away from her as she grew more comfortable in my presence, until her shoulder leaned against my arm and her head was resting on my shoulder.

    We sat there, immersed in the pulse of the others'' blood through their body, feeling our rhythms synchronize as the markings on our feet grew warmer upon our skin. The smoky mana divided within our mindscapes grew restless with the desire to become one again. The infinitesimal separation of our clothes was a distance too far.

    We turned, synchronized by our need for closeness, her watery gaze touching mine. Cupping her chin, I raised her face bringing my lips down upon hers. After a panicked widening of her eyes, they fluttered closed as she gave in to the intimacy and responded on her own.

    It was a halting, exploratory touch, her soft lips exploring mine as I held still and let her. Her inexperience was tempered by her bookish knowledge of the lustful arts as she soon grew emboldened by my acceptance and correspondingly more adventurous.

    I felt her tongue slip out and lick my lips, hesitantly at first, then with more vigour, until she pried them apart, inexpertly exploring my mouth.

    I enjoyed every moment of her explorations as she tasted my teeth and ran the tip of her tongue over my gums. At one point, she even tried writing letters on them, making me wonder what kind of literature she had been perusing.

    In the course of our extended kiss, she supported more and more of her weight on me until her chest was pressed against mine while one of her hands clutched my clothing over my shoulder. The other still entwined with my hand.

    Aroused by the softness of her body, I was pushed past the limits of my patience when the little vixen finally tried to pry apart my teeth. I had given her enough time to play. It was my turn.

    Reversing my grip on her hand, I locked it behind her on the small of her back, crushing her body against mine as I grasped the nape of her neck with the other, preventing her escape. She had willingly entered the den of the beast. Now, she would pay the price.

    Her eyes snapped open at the sudden reversal of offensive as my tongue trapped hers within my mouth. I tasted her flavour: smoked cinnamon. A spicy taste that was reflected in the scent of her mana as her incense flame responded to her mood, her lust.

    Invading her mouth, I showed her how it was done, scoring lines on her palate with the tip of my tongue, causing her to shiver with each movement, clutching me ever tighter.

    After a long moment I drew back, leaving her red lips mildly swollen from the rough touch. She gasped for breath during the momentary reprieve as she supported her weight on me. I let go of the nape of her neck and pulled out the pin in her ceremonial bun, letting her silky reddish brown, almost black hair cascade down her back and over my arm. With finesse born of years of practice with Phobos, I entwined my fingers in her hair, careful to cause it no harm.

    Pulling her head back by her hair, I laid my lips upon her neck and for the first time during our intercourse, she moaned. The sound was ethereal, soft, dreamlike. I didn''t like it, I wanted it to be more visceral, more real.

    I wanted the pleasure to drag her out into reality. I was aroused and my member responded to my call.

    Feeling its hardness against her stomach through the impediment of the layers of clothes, she stiffened slightly before relaxing into my grasp. It was all the permission I needed.

    Standing and pulling her up with me, I let go of her hand and swiftly tugged my shirt over my head, throwing it away, baring my torso. Staggering at the sudden movement, Ceres nearly fell back onto the bed before steadying herself by latching onto my arm.

    Stepping close, I grabbed one end of her obi and pulled, tugging the sash off, causing her kimono to fall open.

    There was nothing underneath, except a bellyband and a loincloth. Her mother had been thoughtful. I had no idea whether I would have been able to keep her wedding attire whole if it wasn''t so simple. Soon, she was naked, her porcelain skin on full display as she shyly hid her chest with an arm and obscured her crotch with a palm and her tails.

    There was a red flush of embarrassment clearly visible through her un-sunned skin that began at her cheeks and ran all the way between her moderate breasts.

    Pulling the drawstrings of my pants, I let them drop, releasing my lower half and she took an involuntary step back at the sight of the erect member she had only read and fantasized of through her books. The real thing had matched her expectations and then some.

    Unfortunately for her, stepping back caused the back of her knees to hit the edge of the bed and she fell backwards with a soft squeal, her hands flying apart to brace her fall. Instead of having the intended effect, all it did was reveal her to me, and cause her breasts to bounce as her back hit the soft mattress.

    I leaned over her, pinning her wrists to the bed, preventing her from covering herself as I bent down and stole her lips again.

    Moving down from her lips, I trailed kisses down her cheek, chin, neck, clavicle, and chest till my lips closed over her right nipple, eliciting a moan. I licked her nipple, each caress of my tongue causing it to harden until I was able to lightly bite down upon the nub of flesh.

    That elicited a much stronger response, her moan transforming into a surprised squeal. Good.

    Repeating the process for her other nipple, I moved downwards, trailing kisses down her soft, flat stomach.

    She shuddered and squirmed from the embarrassment and stimulation but my hands were iron hoops around her wrists, shackling her to the bed.

    Her protests grew more vocal as my lips found her lower ones. Then my tongue found her clit and she grew incoherent.

    I kept an eye on her face as I continued my ministrations. Watching her expressions change from mortification to confusion to lustful abandon was extremely arousing for me and my penis was rock hard.

    I felt her body respond, growing hotter as she grew moist, her breathing more and more erratic, resembling a gale through a forest. As her body shivered under the storm of her newly awakened lust, I noticed her eyes squeezing shut.

    Standing up, I stepped forward, lined myself up and entered her in one smooth motion. I felt momentary resistance and then I was through.

    Her eyes flew open in shock as a gasp escaped her and her insides clamped down upon me belatedly. Her wide eyes met mine as her chest heaved and I let go of her wrists, grasping her hands instead.

    She slowly settled down and a single tear trailed down from the corner of her eye as the pain slowly faded. Leaning down to lick off the tear, I felt the salty taste on my tongue before straightening and slowly withdrawing from her.

    She hissed and winced slightly from the pain as I drew out of her. There was only a smidgen of blood, a long cry from the bloody horror that was Deimos'' deflowering.

    Sighing in relief, I smiled at her as I left her and walked over to the headboard, using the prepared white adsorbent cloth there to wipe off the blood and sexual fluids.

    Folding the cloth, I walked up to and invested it into the ornamental brazier on the stand in the corner of the room, the smoke from it mixing into the air, declaring our bond to the world.

    Throwing the window open, I let the smoke escape before extinguishing the smokeless torch and turning back to the darkened room.

    The shadow mana in my mind boiled over, suffusing my eyes, making my view of the room unimpeded. Ceres had raised her upper body, propping herself up on her elbows as she tried and failed to follow my form in the dark with her widened eyes.

    I smiled as I strode up to her and lifted her into a princess carry eliciting a soft squeal before falling into the bed and drawing the light blanket over our naked forms. Spooning her and pressing her back against my chest, I held her to me by an arm around her stomach, my chin resting on top of her head as my other arm pillowed her face.

    Unable to find release, I was still hard but I didn''t want to demand more from her on the first night. I didn''t want to hurt her.

    We lay there in silence for a time, feeling the other''s heartbeat and warmth till her soft voice cut the silence.

    "I-is it over?"

    "Yeah."

    Pushing her backside softly against my erection, she said, "You must be uncomfortable. Umm. I can still go on¡­ you know?"

 54 Chapter 5

    In the absence of the light from the smokeless torch, the only source of illumination was the dim glow of the smouldering ashes on the brazier and the soft moonlight streaming through the window, filtered by the gauzy curtains into silver beams that caught the dust in the air, making them shine like tiny stars against the dark backdrop of the ceiling.

    After what seemed like hours but could have only been minutes, Ceres spoke, her soft voice clear in the silence. "You know¡­ I-I didn''t expect my first time to be like this¡­ for you to be so considerate, so restrained."

    She paused and I remained silent, letting her gather her thoughts and put them into words. "Actually, in all the books I read, the man was always so forceful¡­ he would slam the girl against the wall, caging her in with his arms. Then he would lean down and kiss her¡­ she would protest at first but soon, she would give in, letting him have his way."

    As she spoke, her words flowed smoother, her hesitation waning as she gained confidence. "It was then that the man would pick her up, hugging her like a princess and then throwing her on the bed. Then¡­ then, he would have his way with her despite her protests. It would hurt at first, but then, it would feel good."

    The blankets rustled as she shifted beneath them, turning around to face me. Her large eyes caught a sliver off moonlight, shining in the dark. "What you did, letting me take the initiative, giving me control during the kiss. It was so much better than my fantasies. When you picked me up, my heart skipped a beat because I thought I knew what was coming."

    She reached out with her hand and fumbled on my face till she found my hair with her fingertips. Gently twining my locks around her fingers like the first time we met, she continued. "Once again, you proved my books wrong. But, you know¡­ I-I wouldn''t mind if we went a¡­ bit¡­ further." Towards the end her voice was barely a whisper and even in the darkness, aided by my night vision, I could see her cheeks flush darker with embarrassment.

    I laughed. I couldn''t help it. I mean, what was this cute creature I had married?

    "Uuu. Don''t laugh at me! It took so much courage to say it too." She ineffectually punched my chest in mortification and when that only made me laugh all the harder, she bit my arm.

    My Barrier glowed with a soft radiance as it blocked her teeth, illuminating her red face. Her eyebrows were scrunched together, her eyes closed and her button nose wrinkled as she tried to sink her teeth into me with all her might. In one word, adorable.

    Startled, Ceres'' teeth loosened their hold on my arm and I took the opportunity to throw off the blankets and flip her onto her front. Locking her knees with my legs, I spread them apart and pulled her up to all fours with my arm around her waist.

    Phobos and Deimos didn''t much prefer this position since they couldn''t see my face. But, with Ceres'' sexual fantasies, I believed she would quite enjoy it. And, it gave me access to her two magnificent tails. Deimos wasn''t the only one excited by them.

    Ceres yelped when she felt my hand combing through the fur of her tails and they twitched within my grasp. "W-wait."

    Moving my hand from their tips to their base I grinned. "No."

    She shivered as I ran my finger up the thin line of fur that ran up her spine from the base of her tails, arching her back as she bit her lower lip to stop her voice.

    Now, that wouldn''t do. It wouldn''t do at all.

    Leaning over her back till my chest pressed up against her skin, I used one hand to knead her breasts while the other which had been around her waist made its way down to her crotch.

    I felt her body warming with renewed lust as my fingers stiffened her nipples and moistened her slit. Her defence lines broke when I gently bit down upon her sensitive ear, releasing the floodgates of her arousal.

    "Hyann." With a prolonged moan, her body convulsed from her climax, leaving her breathless and sweaty.

    My member which had been softening from neglect had regained its former glory and I wasted no time in coating it with her fluids and taking her from behind.

    Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt me prying her open, her breath gushing out of her in a gasp. Her two tails moved agitatedly, brushing against my sides, only serving to heighten my arousal.

    Shallowly at first, then deeper with each thrust I thoroughly explored her moist cavern, leaving my mark there. "S-top¡­ slower¡­ ahn¡­"

    Taking a page out of her book, I caught her chin with the hand that wasn''t playing with her clit and turned her face so I could stop up her lips with mine.

    Once my waist was firmly cushioned by the pads of her back, causing ripples to run up the flesh with each impact, I began varying the speed of the strokes, guiding her steadily up the ladder of climax.

    The thing about the Taming ritual was that it was necessary for both partners to orgasm at once. It synchronized their mental states and made it easier for the contract marking to act as a conduit to transfer Vita''s divine power from the female to the male where it would lose its minacity and temper his fleshly body.

    Over the years, I had gained much experience in my explorations with Phobos and Deimos and right as Ceres reached the edge of the cliff, I met her there, took her hand and jumped off together.

    Feeling the warmth of my lust suffusing her insides, Ceres orgasmed the hardest she had in her short life, shuddering and letting out a loud wail.

    So, she could raise her voice if she tried.

    The both of us collapsed breathlessly onto the bed. I felt the mark on my foot grow warm as a familiar energy flowed from her to me. Vita''s divine energy. It wasn''t quite mana, yet it was just as mystical, scattering into tiny grains all over my body, imbuing supernatural strength.

    Over time, within an average of three days, it would diffuse out of my body and into the world, probably in search of some female infant to inhabit, but while it was still within me, it gave me access to my Barrier and greatly strengthened my body.

    It acted like a multiplier to my strength. The more I had, the stronger I would be based on my base parameters.

    Many had tried, but all had failed to unlock the mystery of this divine energy. Some said, within it lay the secret to Godhood.

    Whatever be the case, the only thing I was interested in right now was its ability to alleviate fatigue. Ceres had hardly recovered her breath when I pulled her into my arms, setting her down facing me on my lap.

    She grew startled by my erection pressing up against her stomach. She hadn''t expected the second round to come so soon.

    The moonlight shimmered on her sweaty skin and tousled hair. Her expression, a mix of apprehension and anticipation, lit a fire within me.

    The night was long. But once the silence was broken, it took a long time to return to our nuptial chamber.

 55 Chapter 6

    Yawning widely, I carefully extracted myself from the tangle of limbs and tails I had gotten into with Ceres. Despite the blankets and the time of the year, the nights in the capital got quite cold compared with the maritime climate of the Felidae estates. It was no wonder that Ceres was curled up into a ball. Her nudity and the drying sweat from our intercourse chilling her.

    If she didn''t take a bath soon, she could catch a cold. Specially since her fire mana had very little in terms of heat. Rubbing the sleep and gunk out of my eyes, I shook her by her shoulder.

    Ceres batted away my hand and mumbled, "Nhhh. Go away. Let me sleep." Grabbing hold of the blankets, she tugged on them, curling up tighter and thoroughly disappearing within them.

    I poked the cloth covered lump on my bed a few times but when all that did was elicit a few irate wriggles, I shrugged and gave up. I felt a bit guilty about overdoing it last night so I decided to let her sleep in. She must have been exhausted.

    The rising sun was warming the room and her catching a cold wasn''t that likely. After all, she was a Tier 2 fire mage, whatever the peculiarity of her fire. Still, I latched the window on my way to the bathroom to block the chilly breeze.

    Yawning again, I mechanically completed my morning routine before scrounging through the closet for a set of casual clothes. Donning a faded yet supremely comfortable linen shirt and a random pair of shorts, I went about the room gathering our hastily discarded clothing.

    Chuckling as I found my boxers had somehow made it to the top of the closet, I folded and put the discarded garments into the laundry bag, careful to keep Ceres'' bridal attire separate. I quite enjoyed this process. The crumpled and in some cases torn garments that lay scattered all over a room after a particularly passionate night of lovemaking told their own story, calling up the memories of the night.

    I cherished every moment with my girls and engraving the moments our minds and bodies had blended into my memory was just one of the ways in which I celebrated our bond.

    Thus, it was with a smile on my lips that I set out to greet the new day, only to be met with a hurdle right at the outset.

    Deimos had forgotten to unlock the door.

    She had locked the both of us in last night, a demonstration of her desire to have Ceres experience her first night with me uninterrupted. Yet, true to form, the forgetful little thing hadn''t bothered to unlock it in the night.

    Fumbling around for a bit, I found the latch and unlocked it, letting myself out.

    Making my way to the kitchen, I brought out the utensils and ingredients and soon, a succulent breakfast of ham, cheese and eggs was on its way to completion.

    Hearing the sound of footsteps coming from the living room, I glanced over my shoulder as I flipped the omelette in the pan and brought it over the fire.

    Deimos flopped down onto the sofa, looking half asleep as she yawned and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands.

    "Morning. What''cha making?"

    "Good Morning. Nothing special. Omelettes stuffed with cheese and ham."

    Deimos cocked her head in a puzzled manner. "A little heavy for breakfast, ya?"

    "Well, I worked Ceres hard yesterday. She''ll need the energy when she wakes up. Anyway, where is Phobos. It''s rare that she gets up after you."

    "Phi-Phi said that since there aren''t any pressing matters today, she wanted to be lazy. Last I saw, she was rolling around on the bed."

    I smiled. "She''ll love some room service then." Taking the pan off the fire, I slid the last of the four stuffed omelettes onto a plate before tidying up the stove and counter.

    Deimos came up and began helping. Working together, we managed to tidy the counter up within minutes and we carried the plates to the living room, setting them down upon the table there. I was just about to carry one of the plates to Phobos when the doorbell rang.

    Or rather, tinkled. It was a contraption that consisted of a set of brass chimes connected to a rope tied to the knocker at the entrance of the apartment.

    Surprised by the early house call, I set the plate down, making my way to the door, discarding my apron and hanging it on the back of a chair on the way.

    Wearing their standard ochre uniform with white shoulder pads was a courier. Looking down, I saw that his boots were decorated with two silver wings by their sides, denoting his status as a silver-winged messenger. To hold this post, one had to at least have Tier 3 magical capability.

    The Hermes Courier agency was one of the most widespread organizations in the Empire and even beyond. Their reputation for reliable and fast deliveries were based upon their large well-trained reserves of wind mages who were focused on only one aspect of their element: speed.

    The courier gave me a friendly smile and spoke, "Mars Felidae, I presume?" seeing me nod, he continued, "A very good morning to you. I''ve got something for you with me. If you would verify your identity and put your signature here¡­ there, done. Now, a sample of your blood. A small vial will do. Good. Now¡­"

    After several tedious procedures, the courier left after delivering a small suitcase which had a lock sealed with wax and sealed with the Duchess'' symbol.

    Coming back to the living room, I found that Phobos had joined Deimos on the sofa. Yawning, setting the both of us off into yawns of our own, she smiled at me as she asked, "How was last night, Husband?"

    "Fun." I said with a grin as I set the suitcase addressed to me on my lap and broke the wax seal on it. Using the key that came with it, I unlocked it revealing three more boxes and a letter addressed to Ceres on the inside.

    Curious, Deimos craned her neck over my shoulder while Phobos leaned forward, resting her chin on one palm. The first two boxes contained Ceres'' glasses. A chunky wooden framed one for reading and another ornate silver wire-rimmed one for regular use.

    The reading glasses were well worn with several mild scratches on the rim and the lenses. Ceres had been wearing these when I had met her for the first time. The regular glasses on the other hand was relatively new.

    The final box had Ceres'' name on it and so I left it alone.

    Handing Deimos the case with the regular glasses, I said, "Go call Ceres please. The breakfast is getting cold."

    She nodded and walked to my room while I closed the suitcase, setting it aside.

    Phobos and I sat in a comfortable silence, basking in the other''s presence. She broke the silence first. "I''ve been thinking of visiting my parents. A lot has happened. Deimos broke through and shortly thereafter, I broke through to Tier 2 and officially married you. We did well in the competition, you even added another wife to our family. We should go and pay them a visit. It''s been nearly two months since I saw them last."

    I nodded, "Sure. I was going to suggest a detour to their workplace on the way back to the clan estate. But, I plan to stay here for the month. This way Ceres can keep in touch with her parents easily as she slowly gets used to living with us. I don''t want her getting homesick a week into our marriage. Also, I have some unfinished work here."

    "Unfinished work? Is it your Master''s proposition?" Phobos asked curiously.

    "To some extent¡­ yes. But, I have some projects of my own to handle." She didn''t inquire any further and we lapsed back into a comfortable silence.

    The sound of my bedroom door being pushed open attracted our attention and we turned to see Ceres exiting closely followed by a grinning Deimos.

    The reason for her mirth was apparent. Ceres was wearing one of my shirts, the bottom knotted to keep the garment from slipping off. As for her lower half, she was wearing one of my shorts, clinched at her waist with the help of her obi from the previous day''s attire as a substitute for a belt.

    I slapped my forehead. All her clothes were in her unpacked luggage. Of course, she had nothing to wear.

    She adjusted her glasses, refusing to make eye contact, especially with me as she blushed, probably remembering last night as she walked over to the dining table with much steadier steps now that she could see better.

    The four of us sat around the dining table with Phobos by my side. Sending a prayer of gratitude for the food to whatever gods might be listening, we dug in to the food.

    Ceres was ravenous from her exertions and ate just as fast and heartily as the rest of us.

    After we were done, Phobos and Deimos busied themselves with clearing the dishes as I handed the suitcase to her.

 56 Chapter 7

    The mindscape solidifies, transforming into a crystalline material with extremely high elasticity. Replacing the cerebrospinal fluid both in form and function, the Mind crystal forms surrounding the mage''s brain. It acts as a shock-absorber as well as performing its function as a mana storage element.

    More information about mindscapes and the process of their crystallization can be found in Richard Feynman''s authoritative treatise on the subject: ''Mind, Mana and Mindscapes''. For the purpose of this book, it will suffice to remember that Mind crystals react to thoughts and emotions, especially those of the contracted partner of the mage.

    It is this synchronization upon which long distance communication networks are based.

    - Communication Systems Engineering; Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Tri-Star Telecommunications.

    ...

    When Ceres withdrew the necklace with a Mind crystal fragment enclosed within its locket, my mind went blank from the shock. Extravagant didn''t even begin to describe this granting from the Duchess. If this was supposed to be Ceres'' dowry, I should just sell myself into servitude to the Duchess and be done with it. There was no way I could afford a return gift of commensurate value.

    To put things into perspective, a naturally occurring crystal, say a Terran crystal was formed from solidified earth mana that had accumulated over the span of several years at specific locations that were natural loci for mana condensation.

    A single Terran crystal the size of the Mind crystal embedded in the locket was sufficient to convert their surrounding rocks into Earth stones on a regular basis. These stones were excellent building materials and were in extremely high demand for the construction of highways, city walls and the forts of nobility. Other than their sturdiness, they also provided security and privacy since their inherent earth mana prevented shadow mages from simply Shadow Walking through walls built using them.

    Considering the ongoing preparations for war, the price of the Terran crystal would inflate even further, finally amounting to the yearly salary of a Marquis.

    The Mind crystal could hold mana amounting to five equivalently sized elemental crystals. Not only that, the mana didn''t have to come from crystals but could be manually inserted by anyone with an elemental affinity similar to the late owner of the crystal. Thus, a Mind crystal was like a rechargeable Elemental crystal.

    Their real use was as a spare mindscape for their owner, effectively increasing their mana reserves, as well as in the role of communication devices.

    As a spare mindscape, they not only bolstered their user''s mana capacity, since the spells one could use were basically determined by the toughness of one''s mindscape walls and their ability to withstand the mana backlash that went hand in hand with spell-casting, they could also allow their user to cast spells beyond their Tier without mana backlash.

    Theoretically, as a Mind crystal was at its core a Tier 5 mindscape, any user of a crystal should be able to cast Tier 5 spells. Practically though, the inability to control such vast amounts of mana meant that the user of a crystal would only be able to cast spells one Tier higher than their current capability.

    Yet, despite such stellar qualities, the Mind crystals truly came into their own in the field of telecommunication.

    When one advanced to Tier 5, their contract marking merged with their mindscape into an inalienable whole, connecting the two mindscapes of the spouses.

    At the cost of the mana stored within their Mind crystals, in a historic experiment, two Tier 5 companions were able to communicate their thoughts and even feelings ignoring the separation of the entire Regiis Empire that lay between them.

    All Tier 5 mages were bound by law to contribute their Mind crystals to the Empire upon their passing, so that the crystals could be consecrated in a monument-cum-communication station built in their name. Thus, they would serve the Empire even in death by adding a part of themselves to the Empire''s growing communication network and they would be forever remembered for their contribution.

    Ceres grew very quiet as she held the locket, her eyes tracing the ornate filigree work on the piece of jewellery. Finally, she spoke in a quiet voice, "This is Grandma''s heirloom."

    Gently cradling the locket in both of her hands, she held it to her chest as she continued her tale. "Back in the days, the Shogunate wasn''t as belligerent. Nurarihyon ruled with an iron fist and they were a self-closed society. Their lands were fertile and their forests full of game. When crops grew scarce due to droughts, the seas that surrounded them provided succour and sustenance.

    "Neither did they engage in foreign trade, nor did they allow the culture of their surrounding nations to seep in. Thorough isolationists, the government under Nurarihyon called the exchange of cultures ''cultural invasion'' and closed their borders, cutting off their society from the rest of the world.

    "It was in such a time that Grandma met Grandpa. From Mother''s description, their encounter was a case of battlefield romance. Having been issued similar orders to patrol the sea-routes to keep the pirates off their merchant ships, the both of them had met when their ships were simultaneously attacked by the largest pirate company on the Bay of Kings: The Viking Raiders.

    "Grandma lost her first husband that day as did Grandpa his first wife. Brought together by shared pain and the lone surviving Hominum of their crew, they were married upon the sea in the process of their escape.

    "That was how a Kitsune from the Shogunate came to live in Regiis. That was how Mother was born."

    Opening her mouth, she made to speak, but stopped midway, wincing slightly, clutching the locket tighter to her chest as if in pain. Concerned, I reached out to support her by her shoulder but she recovered swiftly and shot me a reassuring smile before continuing her tale.

    Though I found it odd, as she continued her narration, I found myself engrossed in her tale and the incident slipped my mind.

    "Grandma''s family, one of the six Daimyo households, disowned her for marrying a ''gaijin'', a foreigner. One of the greatest taboos of that time period. Thus, Regiis gained a Tier 3 mage and Grandpa a bride in exchange for our clan being ruthlessly extorted by the Kitsune Daimyo."

    Her voice cracked, jolting me out of my immersion in her story. Realizing that she was unused to such long bouts of conversation, I was just about to stand up to fetch her a glass of water when Phobos handed her one in my stead. She took the seat opposite to us as Deimos sat by her side.

    Sometime during Ceres'' narration, the two of them had returned from their errand of washing dishes and been a silent audience. In my engrossed state, I had failed to notice them. That and as a part of their training, Phobos kept a constant level of Shadow Stealth on herself while Deimos silenced her footsteps with her control of wind to practice finer manipulation of the air currents.

    Wetting her throat, Ceres set the glass down and continued.

    "Grandma always felt guilty about the losses sustained by the clan due to her and to make it up, she took the hardest of missions and the most dangerous of assignments, single-handedly raising our clan from the level of Earls to Marquises by the time she reached Tier 5.

    "Dissatisfied, she trained Mother to take her place while foraying out into the Forbidden Lands in search of some precious material which had been rumoured to have emerged there. She sought a turning point to promote to the Realm of Demigod.

    "Grandpa tried dissuasion and when that failed, he accompanied her into the Forbidden Lands. The two of them went in and after six months, only he returned. He had only a single breath left in him when he entered the border outpost. Yet, even in death, he refused to part with the cloth wrapped package in his bosom."

    She turned the locket within her fingers her lips curving up in a sad smile. "It was the shattered remains of Grandma''s Mind crystal."

    She sighed and slipped the necklace on, letting the locket disappear into her cleavage. She looked up with eyes bright with unshed tears. "This crystal fragment in this locket is one of the few fragments that were too small to serve as effective communication devices and thus, were relegated to use as false-mindscapes."

    Clutching the locket through her clothes, she spoke in a voice laden with emotion, "It is one of the few things extremely dear to Mother. I-I have never seen her p-part from it." In the end, her voice cracked and two lines of tears wet her cheeks. She looked down as her shoulders shook with silent sobs. "I-I miss her."

    Deimos'' eyes were red too as she got up and hugged Ceres to her chest, where she began to cry in earnest. I watched the both of them from where I had stood up to resign space for Deimos by Ceres'' side.

    A few drops of tears escaped Deimos'' eyes before she rubbed them fiercely with the back of her arm, rocking the sobbing girl in her bosom, she rubbed her back while staring off into space with reddened eyes.

    My heart clenched. Deimos had been reminded of her late parents.

    Sometimes, with how cheery she acted, I forgot that she was an orphan.

 57 Chapter 8

    Turning to her, he smiled, thinking that her excitement was from going out on a date with him after so long. She smiled back. Master was so oblivious sometimes, ya.

    Did he seriously think that his sneaky behaviour would hide the truth from his wives? If it wasn''t for her being the first to find out and then taking measures to cover for him, Phobos would have found out too.

    As for Ceres, the girl was like an onion, layer upon layer. For some reason, the girl gave her strange vibes. After the first favourable impression, the more time she spent with the girl, the more the uneasiness grew. It was nothing concrete but, the sharp intuition she possessed for judging people kept telling her that she wasn''t as helpless or sheltered as her act would imply. She wouldn''t be surprised if Ceres already knew.

    For a brief moment, her musings on her Master''s new wife put a damper on her mood but she immediately dismissed the thoughts with a shake of her head.

    Whatever her true persona, as long as the contract on Master''s foot was dark, she didn''t care. If it ever lightened enough for concern. Well, Master would have to make do with two wives again. He-he.

    "Masteer. Where are we going, ya?" she whined petulantly.

    Master always liked it when she behaved childishly. Maybe it was her height? Phi-Phi and Ceres-chan were so tall. If she wanted to stand out, she had to work her own individual charm.

    He chuckled, "Be patient. We''re taking the scenic route there. As they say, the journey is as important as the destination."

    "Well, I say that lunch is more important than the journey or the destination. Let''s go after eating, ya? Please?"

    As if she didn''t know that he had been leading her in a circuitous route around the block, waiting for her to tire out and say those exact words so he could take her to the restaurant here. It was famed for having the best seafood in the capital and he had already booked a room.

    She chuckled inwardly as he guided them towards the restaurant. At first, she had felt sad that the surprise he was planning for her would be ruined, but knowing and pretending not to was really fun too.

    As soon as they entered the restaurant, two members of the staff standing by the sides of the door showered them with confetti made of colourful pieces of cloth. "Congratulations on your First Moon." They said in unison.

    All the diners on the first floor were surprised at the loud sound but when they found out its cause, they spontaneously began clapping and some even cheered for them.

    He patted her hand reassuringly and smiled to the crowd, thanking them before moving on to the second floor towards their private room. It was so embarrassing, but it wasn''t so bad once in a while.

    Once in the privacy of the room, she rounded on him and hugged him tightly, not having to feign her happiness. "Master! You remembered. And here I was getting all mopey ''cause I thought that you''d forgotten all about it."

    He hugged her back. "What kind of Husband would I be if I forgot about the First Moon of my very first wife?"

    The First Moon referred to the day one lunar month post marriage. The moon took forty days to circle once around Ea, making one year nine lunar months long. The year after marriage was known as the Nine Moons and was supposed to be blessed by Luna, the Goddess of the Moon and love. Since a significant portion of the marriages were political in nature, the year was one of adjustment and adaptation to one''s partner.

    It was a time when both parties tried their hardest to make their marks darker. Each month marked a milestone in the marriage and the end of each month was a day for the couple to celebrate their bond and reminisce over their conduct, searching for ways to reach the perfect middle ground.

    Time had flown and it had already been forty days since she had used his arm as a chew toy and today was the day of their First Moon.

    Separating, he planted a chaste kiss on her lips, devoid of the lustful heat that usually accompanied such actions and filled with a loving warmth.

    Taking their seat at the table, she pored over the menu, salivating over the selection, her inner glutton doing somersaults¡­ or, that might have just been her empty stomach.

    After placing the order, the two of them sank into a companionable silence as they sat arm in arm on the wide settee.

    He had her hand in his lap, running his finger over the marking, tracing it with his finger while she studied his face from the side.

    He was really attractive when he was dedicated.

    When she had heard that Master had returned from his meeting with the Duchess a married man, of course she had been displeased, but unlike Phi-Phi, who had been vocal about her dissatisfaction, she had taken refuge behind her ditzy mask and eked out the information about his new wife.

    Learning her circumstances, she had been slightly relieved at the prospect of having a na?ve addition to the family instead of someone haughty or manipulative. Thus, she had done her best to act sympathetic and excited to meet her, defusing the situation and mollifying Phi-Phi''s anger.

    Then Ceres-chan had come along, acting so innocent and helpless that Deimos had immediately melted. The sob-story about her grandparents was the final straw, reminding Deimos of her departed parents. She had almost decided to put her trust in the girl immediately but, the more time she spent in her company, the more uneasy she felt.

    It had been ten days already and she still couldn''t put her finger on the source of the unease.

    The only thing odd she had found was the rate at which Ceres'' bond darkened, soon catching up to hers and Phi-Phi''s mark in intensity despite the disparity in time spent together.

    It could mean that she was either extremely pure, falling head over heels for the first male she had seen outside her father, or, there was more to the girl than met the eye. If so, Ceres-chan was really mean, playing with everyone''s emotions like that.

    She tightened her grip on Master''s hand, causing him to look at her questioningly. Smiling, she grabbed his lapel and pulled him down for a kiss. A deeper one this time.

    Orphaned by war, disowned by her grandfather, this family was the only one she had. She would protect it with her life. From threats without¡­ and within.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    When they exited the restaurant, waved off by the staff, Deimos'' stomach was as tight as a drum and she had a blissful expression on her face that caused her Master''s lips to twitch.

    Moving from the bustling city centre to the quieter outskirts, they reached the walls and upon the production of a document by Mars, they were allowed to pass out into the Valley of the Fallen.

    Making their way through the wild mana, avoiding the particularly violent vortices, they reached a small hillock with an extremely high concentration of wind mana.

    They could hardly hear the sound of their voices over the howling of the winds. If not for their own wind mana counteracting the gusts, their hair would be whipping around wildly.

    Reaching the top, Mars brought his mouth close to her ear, saying, "I managed to get the supplies for your Specialization delivered from the clan from a nearby outpost. Let''s have you advance down the martial path today, shall we?"

    Deimos nodded enthusiastically with an expression of pleasant surprise on her face while inwardly she mused that it was his frequent trips to liaison with the clan members that had alerted her to his preparations for the upcoming First Moons of her and Phi-Phi.

    Restraining all her errant thoughts, she sat cross legged upon the ground amidst the howling winds as she turned her mind inwards.

    Mars carefully took out two Aeolian crystals, one of them Deimos'' prize while the other was taken on lease from the Duchess, costing most of his savings left after spending on Deimos and Phobos'' First Moon gifts.

    Placing them at the nodes of mana condensation, the wind mana density in the area shot up even further.

    Finally, he withdrew a tiny ampoule with a golden liquid. Created from the extracts of several extremely rare herbs that had been influenced by wind mana, with the property of inducing a trance in its user that would cause their mindscape to align with the more precise usage of wind, it was the most difficult potion he had ever concocted.

    The materials were originally rare and due to the demand for them being from both male and female mages, the raw materials alone were worth nearly two elemental crystals.

    Unstopping it, he used his wind mana to guide the volatile contents towards Deimos who inhaled deeply, letting the potion permeate her lungs and through them, her bloodstream.

    ¡­

    In the silence of her mind, Deimos pondered over the meaning of the Void. According to Father''s treatise, rather than an absence of thought, it was the absence of fetters on thought.

    Once one''s thoughts were as unfettered as the wind they were meant to resemble, the wind would respond to the mage''s every call, for their feelings would be the thoughts of the wind and the musings of the wind theirs.

    With the aid of the potion and guided by the meditation method left by him, Deimos closed her eyes and fell asleep.

    In her sleep, she dreamt of her day with Master, touring the shops, walking arm in arm, a sumptuous meal and finally a pleasant surprise in the form of a chance for martial advancement.

    In her dream she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

    In her sleep, she dreamt of her day with Master, touring the shops, walking arm in arm, a sumptuous meal and finally a pleasant surprise in the form of a chance for martial advancement. Yet, this time, the places and the faces were blurred.

    Yet again, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, repeating her day again and again, slowly shrugging off the fetters of memory and emotion, the day growing fuzzier every loop until all that was left was her sitting atop the hillock cross legged, sensing the eddies of wind mana around her.

    She was at the deepest layer of sleep, all that was left was her sense of self.

    Letting even that go, she reached the Void.

    ¡­

    Mars watched wide-eyed as the wild winds around Deimos began to flow in orderly streams building speed and intensity until for a brief instant, they raised her nearly an inch from the ground.

    As soon as the miniature storm came, it retroceded, leaving the silence of the doldrums behind.

    Carefully retrieving the crystals, he walked up to Deimos.

    Her breath was even as even in her seated posture, she slept deeply. Right now, her mindscape was undergoing a transformation. It would be a day until she awoke. Attaching the pouch with the crystals to his belt, he bent down to carry her on his back.

    As he walked back to their dwellings, he marvelled once again at her talent. Reaching the Void in Tier 2, albeit assisted by the potion and two crystals, was no mean feat.

 58 Chapter 9

    The silk was handwoven from the materials obtained from the mulberry fields surrounding Mysore. Named after the foremost centre of sericulture in the continent, the Mysore silk was fine enough that a six-metre square piece of it could be folded into a matchbox and sturdy enough to be worn directly on the body without having to be reinforced with other fabrics.

    In fact, the females of the ruling class in that area often wore just the undyed pieces of cloth, folding them in a special manner to form the traditional attire known as the saree.

    The translucent fabric highlighted the ornate petticoats and blouses they wore underneath and displayed their bare midriffs, a perfect blend of titillation and tradition that ensured that the women had an incentive to maintain their figures.

    Phobos imagined how she would look in one before shaking her head and replacing the fabric back on the rack.

    The fineness of the material came with the drawback of being unable to be dyed. While the golden-yellow natural tone of the fabric was quite pleasant, it didn''t suit her. Light tones didn''t seem to like her very much.

    Walking up to the counter of the store with her few purchases, she waited for the owner and her Husband to return from the back room.

    She couldn''t help but let a smile adorn her lips. Early this morning, he had proposed to take her out on a date. She had been counting the days till her First Moon, eagerly anticipating what he had planned for her.

    Once or twice, losing to her curiosity, she had even tried out her investigative skills on him but regretfully, she had come up with a blank. She kept having the feeling that someone was obstructing her efforts. Probably Demi but she couldn''t find any incriminating evidence of that either.

    Everyone was so sneaky. Even then, she was enjoying her time with Husband immensely. They had started off their day with a trip to the petting zoo.

    Yeah, she knew it was for children but she couldn''t help it. Ever since she was a child, she had always wanted a pet but her responsibilities took up too much of her time. Keeping up with geniuses like Demi and her Husband took hard work and that meant any pet she kept would pine away from lack of attention.

    She never wanted to visit that upon an innocent animal, so, she had never asked for one. Except once¡­ during pillow talk with Mars.

    When he had brought her to the entrance of the petting zoo filled with the adorable little creatures she had to fight down her desire to just kiss him right then and there. After all, there were little kids there.

    The couturier''s shop they were in now was their second destination for the day. Mars had left her with his purse, giving her free rein to choose from the array of fabrics and pre-made garments on display while he had disappeared with the owner into the back room, presumably to receive some order he had placed prior.

    Having heard of Demi''s experience during her First Moon, Phobos couldn''t help but anticipate what Husband would come out of that room with.

    She didn''t have to wait too long as he soon appeared with a wrapped parcel under his arm along with the shop owner whose face was adorned with a beatific smile only businessmen who had recently made a large transaction could pull off without looking sleazy.

    She had tried to be moderate in her spending but like any girl her age, she liked to look good and the dazzling array of haute couture in the shop had her hooked, lined and sinkered. After all, except for a few spare dresses reserved for formal events, all she had ever had the chance to wear was exercise clothing.

    Looks became a bit more important when you had to vie for the attention of your man with two other women, none of whom dropped the wind compared to you.

    After the tally was taken, the bill came to quite a hefty amount making her squirm guiltily. Mars only smiled and paid up without complaint only for the shopkeeper to discount a large portion of the bill.

    Now she was even more curious about the item in the package. For it to make even the money-grubbing merchant loosen his purse, it must have made him quite a profit.

    As they exited the shop after putting the package together with the dresses she had purchased into his backpack, an unpleasant thought struck her. What if Husband hadn''t bought the package for her?

    Once the thought appeared, it could hardly be removed. He had left her with his purse in the shop. What if that was her gift? After all, he still had Ceres to think of and after his extravagant spending on Demi''s Specialization, his pockets must have grown lighter. What with the Duchess'' extravagant dowry for her, Husband''s new wife had to receive a commensurate treatment on her First Moon.

    The more she thought, the more likely it seemed that the package was for Ceres. A sharp pang of envy hit her.

    She sighed as she lagged behind Husband slightly as they made their way away from the commercial centre towards the industrial area. From this angle she could study his face without him noticing.

    The defined jawline, the sculpted nose and the perfect eyebrows, it was the same face that had carved itself into her heart at the moment of her greatest vulnerability.

    Her negative emotions magnified by Vita''s divine will, she had had her fears and insecurities magnified manifold. It was then as she was wallowing in the morass of her suppressed darkness that he had appeared as the only beacon.

    Under the moonlight, as he scolded her for her foolhardiness, informed her that if she had only asked, his support would be hers for the taking, his countenance had been seared into her heart.

    She always had a problem with being possessive in her relations. She had always resented Mars for taking away such a large chunk of Deimos'' attention from her. It was only after the night of their bonding that something fundamental within her emotional makeup began to change.

    It wasn''t until she was left alone with Deimos on the night of his first intercourse with Ceres that she had to face up to her emotions.

    She no longer enjoyed Demi''s touch as much as Husband''s. That night had been a disaster despite Demi''s enthusiasm. It was her lack of initiative that spoiled the mood.

    They had lain on the same bed together, listening to the sounds seeping from the adjacent room, strangers under the sheets.

    It had made her feel so guilty. She was the one who had initiated the relationship between her and Deimos and now, she suddenly couldn''t invest her heart into it anymore. Demi hadn''t spoken to rebuke her but the silence had cut deeper than a thousand words.

    The next morning, it wasn''t that she was unwilling to get up from the bed, to her laziness was anathema. She was just trying her best to alleviate her guilt by making some time for Demi to spend alone with Husband.

    The arrival of Ceres had shaken the basis of their relationship, bringing a lot of unwanted emotions into the light.

    When the three of them had shared a bed, Mars had been the glue holding them together, preventing her from realising the shift in her orientation. Yet, with how unfamiliar they were with Ceres, proposing that they share a bed, especially when she had shown strong heterosexuality was going too far too fast.

    Thus, the nights since her arrival had been spent two to a bed, with Husband in the dark about the utter awkwardness that permeated the room in his absence.

    Deimos for some reason always had her hackles raised around Ceres though she herself found the girl extremely sweet and docile, albeit highly intelligent. She had shown a strong desire to learn and adapt to Husband''s tastes, going so far as to request cooking lessons from her.

    A fast learner, she rarely made the same mistake twice, her clumsiness, clearly a result of her missing glasses. With them on, she wasn''t any worse than the average person, though she fell far short of martial warriors like Deimos who had perfect control of every muscle of their body.

    Her swiftly darkening mark was a sign of the payoffs of her efforts.

    Ceres and Husband did share the love of books and they could often be found discussing some erudite topic or the other.

    Deimos, always having focused on the martial path, more often than not felt left out. Unlike Husband, whose upbringing had left him viewing martial arts as chores forced upon him by duty, Demi truly found beauty in them, in her hands, violence was truly an art.

    It was different from her own Heavenly Demon Dance where the art was explicit. Demi brought out beauty through her efficiency, every step and every movement a force that propelled her opponent towards the edge of the cliff of defeat.

    She truly enjoyed the process of growing stronger and despite Mars love for her, they shared no common ground, except, maybe his love of cooking and her love of consuming his craftsmanship.

    Thus, in her opinion, Demi''s antagonism was a result of jealousy. Given her own recent bout of envy, criticising her would be like the pot calling the kettle black.

    A tap on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie and she noticed Husband peering into her face curiously. He reached out and smoothed out the furrow in her brow with his two thumbs.

    "Why the frown, dear? What bothers you so?"

    Phobos composed herself and gave him her best smile. "Nothing." Looking behind him, she found that they had stopped at the entrance to a blacksmith''s shop. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him towards the door. "Husband, I grow impatient to see why you''ve brought me here. Hurry up."

    Distracted by her eagerness, he brightened up as he took the lead, pushing the unlatched gate aside as they entered the workshop.

    A blast of heat blew out and Phobos had to leverage her mana to protect herself from the blazing temperatures of the forge.

    At the opposite end of the room, working his bellows was the most muscular man she had ever seen. While Marquis Ursa was large, this man was wide and all his width was muscle.

    Biceps the thickness of thighs bulged with corded fibres, sticking out from beneath his skin which glistened with sweat. His veins bulged as he worked the bellows, causing the fire in the forge to flare and the temperatures to soar.

    From the lack of mana turbulence, the entire process was purely mundane.

    After ten minutes of their silent vigil, the man finally stopped, using his tongs to pull out a red-hot piece of metal, dunking it into a quenching vat near at hand.

    The acrid stench of boiling oil reached them as the metal cooled, causing the oil to steam. When he finally pulled it out, looking down the edge of the blade, for that was what it was, searching for imperfections, the superior craftsmanship became apparent.

    Among the two of them, she was the expert on weapons and even from a distance, she could tell how perfectly balanced the blade was. After a few raps on the blade with a small mallet to straighten it out, the man was satisfied with his work and finally had time for them.

    He sized the both of them up before turning to Mars. "They''re for her?" the man asked in his gravelly voice. When Husband nodded, he walked over to a weapon rack and brought out a wooden box.

    Placing it on an anvil, he uncovered the lid, revealing a glimmering set of metallic ribs for paired fans.

    Phobos'' eyes widened as she realized the material they were made of: Mithril. That was why the smith wasn''t using mana as he didn''t want to contaminate the material before it was bound to its first owner.

    The blade he was making was probably an alloy but from the rainbow sheen on the fan ribs, they were pure Mithril. There was only one way Mars could have obtained enough to commission them¡­ by melting his prize from the tournament.

    She was moved. So what if he had bought an expensive gift for Ceres on her First Moon, with this, all could be forgiven. She didn''t want much. As long as her component in his heart was no less that that of his other wives, she could be satisfied.

    So, when he brought out the package and unwrapped it, revealing two semi-circular arcs of cloth woven from Heavenly Silksnail thread in alternating strands of dark and light, which formed the same psychedelic patterns as her fans and attached them to the Mithril ribs, completing the weapons, she was dumbstruck.

    Looking down at the pair of fans in her hands, she couldn''t help the lines of tears that slid down her cheeks even as her lips stretched in one of the widest smiles in her life.

    She was happy.

 59 Chapter 10

    On the terrace of our apartment, I sat cross-legged in meditation, letting the sunlight warm my body.

    The morning breeze caressed my face, blowing my sleep-tousled locks out of my face, bringing the echoes of battle-cries and dying screams across the moat of Time.

    A rare seasonal event known as the Ghost Wind. The natural shifts in mana concentration caused the anomalous concentrations in the battlefield to even out, producing extreme activeness in the area giving rise to various phenomenon and rendering it impassable.

    Ignoring the efforts of the resentment from the past to harass my mind, I sank into the depths of my mindscape. There, shadows reigned. It was as if the sun had driven the night away from the world and it had chosen my mind to take refuge.

    Varying shades of darkness painted a dreary picture in my mental world and at the very core of the shadows was a dark sun. An abyssal ball of nothingness that radiated darkness instead of light. Letting my mind touch its core, I could faintly feel the connection I shared with Phobos.

    The darkness overspread one-sixth of my mental world, the Tier 2 density mana produced within it spreading out across the rest of my mindscape, getting rarefied and dropping to Tier 1 density.

    Similar regions of wind and smoke covered another third of my mind, corresponding to Deimos and Ceres'' bonds.

    Now that I was bonded to three Tier 2 mages, I had mana density equivalent to a Tier 1 peak mage. Unlike other mages who would at this point use their mind to depute their naturally formed mana into a denser state and use that to strengthen their mindscape walls, I just had to bond with my partners and consolidate our connection.

    As a Hominum, I fundamentally lacked a mindscape and as such the mental world I was currently in was actually a reflection of my partners'' mindscapes on my own. I was but a still pond. As long as one stood facing me, I could reflect their visage. Our mutual lack of understanding was like a breeze that blew upon the surface creating ripples that distorted the image. The more we understood the other, the gentler the breeze, the clearer the image, the stronger the bond and the more mana I could use.

    To demonstrate this, the other half of my mental world was in an illusory state; a mirror waiting for something to reflect. I needed to meet three more women and win their hearts for my mind to reach completion.

    Such was the fate of a Hominum. Such was mine.

    Turning my back on the warmth of the rising sun, I went back downstairs into our apartment. It was nearing the end of our month long stay at the Capital. It would soon be time to make the journey back home to sort out the business in the clan before I had to attend my first Trial of the Swayamvar.

    At the foot of the stairs, I found a towel moistened with warm water hung on the banister. Smiling, I wiped my face with it, feeling refreshed and much more awake. It was Deimos'' handiwork; the creased cloth having dripped the water all over the polished wood of the banisters. I crouched and wiped the water off to prevent stains. Just because the house had been given to us didn''t mean it was ours. I didn''t want to leave a poor impression on the following boarders.

    Deimos was flighty in this way. Considerate enough to remember to put the towel there, unmindful of the small details. If it had been Phobos, she would have neatly folded it and kept it on a tray or something. As for Ceres, she was too new to our household to pick up such minute stuff.

    Finishing, I slung the towel over my shoulder and moved towards the living room, a smile on my lips. It was these small gestures that made my day. Others might chase the throne, wealth and power, I only wanted the halcyon days to continue.

    Master looked up from his book when I entered the living room. My smile widened. It was rare that he came to visit after I had presided over my first marriage successfully. He claimed that he had taught me all he had to offer. Nonsense. He was a sea of knowledge and I had but imbibed a lagoon''s worth.

    He was a tall man, lanky with messy hair that hung over his forehead, nearly obscuring one eye. Metallic studs glinted on his eyebrows and lips while a simple circular silver earring adorned his right earlobe.

    Some tattoos peeked out from under his loose lime green shirt: he always did gravitate towards weird colours. If one were to see underneath his clothing, they would find every inch of his skin inked, some tattoos originated from his own hand, some from fellow artists he had met on his journeys.

    It was his way of making friends, swapping inks. He had even allowed me to ink a tiny star on his wrist as a test of whether I was worth teaching. In my nervousness, I''d gotten it crooked.

    Grinning widely at the memory, I greeted him. "Master, what brings you here? Didn''t you say you would be out mixing with the artists gathered here for the tournament. I was just thinking of trying to find you. We are leaving for home in a few days."

    He set his book aside and ran a hand through his messy hair, making it even more disorderly, something I hadn''t thought possible. "Ah well, I was just collaborating on a project with some people I met¡­ just got done with it yesterday so I came over to see how you were doing."

    He waved his hand in the general direction of the guest room. "Didn''t expect you to have expanded the family in the time I was gone. Congratulations."

    I sat down on the couch opposite him and set the moist towel on the table. "Did you meet her yet?" I asked.

    "Yes. Nice girl. Well read too." He picked up the book he had been reading, smacking the spine lightly on his palm. "Didn''t bring a gift so I was trying to finish reading this so I could give it to her."

    Curious, I tried to make out the title, only to find the brown leather cover devoid of identifying marks. Master smiled, and handed the book to me. Opening it to the first page, the words ''The Gods among us'' peered out at me. Thumbing to the table of contents told me that it was a book about the various religions in the world. More of a collection of origin stories that had spread among the populace in various countries.

    Master spoke, "A really interesting work, that one. You know how scarce information on the age before the apocalypse is. Excavations of the ruins only tell us so much and most of the really important centres are at the heart of the Forbidden Zones. This book turns to another source of information. It is an attempt to depute some truth out of the fables that have spread among the people."

    At this moment, Phobos came out of the kitchen with a tray with three steaming cups of tea. Setting it down on the table, she served us both before taking a seat by my side, gently blowing into her cup to cool the tea.

    Master nodded at her in thanks before taking a sip and continuing. "You know how Regiis folklore speaks of Gods for every little thing. There used to be one God of Agriculture but somewhere down the line several more sprang up in charge of individual crops, for prevention of droughts, for better harvests, the list goes on. It is the same for every aspect of life. I wouldn''t be surprised if a cult worshipping the God of spoons sprang up.

    "Polytheism has a lot of takers in this part of the continent. Take the Romans and the Egyptians for example. Their Pantheons are almost as vast as our own. Seeing that Rome was founded by one of the First Emperor''s disciples, it isn''t really that surprising but Egyptian mythology as one of the most ancient religions has a glorious past.

    "But for all that, if the number of Deities is what you are interested in, nothing comes even close to the mythos of the Indus Valley on the other side of the Hindu Kush mountain range. They have a holy mountain that is named after the number of temples dedicated to the various Gods in their religion. They call it Unakoti; literally one less than a koti, ten million in their language. That is the number of Gods they have cooked up since the Apocalypse."

    He paused, taking another sip of his tea. I could feel his enthusiasm on the subject. He had always suffered from wanderlust and if not for his responsibility as my teacher tying him down to our clan, he would not have stuck around in the same place for the four years he had.

    I knew very little of my teacher except that he was extremely talented and loved travel and books. The reclusive man hadn''t spoken of his past to me, yet I believed it was surely a tragic tale. He was a Hominum and a Tamer, yet his Harem wasn''t by his side.

    He had wandered the Empire, selling his art for food, walking the length and breadth of the land on his own two feet, taking in the sights and sounds of the land that had birthed him until he had turned up near the Felidae Estates one day.

    Dishevelled and in clothes that had faded with one too many wash, his eyes were bright as he sold his artwork on a sidewalk. After one of his works had made it to Father''s desk, he had been invited into our home as a teacher for me.

    I don''t know why he had accepted me as his disciple but he had settled down in our clan, his only request, unrestricted access to the clan library. Most of his wages went to the purchase of books too. When he wasn''t exploring the world on his feet he was doing it through the words of others.

    From his words and actions after I had successfully performed my first nuptial contract, I could feel that he was getting ready to hit the road again soon. I felt sad for our parting but the moment I had chosen to participate in the Swayamvar, I knew this day would come. The Swayamvar only allowed three followers of comparable realm or lower in its initial phases and with my three wives, my slots were full.

    The sound of his voice brought my mind back to his words alongside Phobos who was listening with great interest. "But, if you get right down to the core of the matter, there is only one God we truly have evidence of. The people of Indus call her Kali, the Romans refer to her as Juno, we know her as Vita. The Goddess of Life. No one truly knows what caused the apocalypse. We know the Beasts existed from the murals and the records that have escaped the ravages of time. Yet, the true details of the events that led up to disappearance of the Beasts and the appearance of Bestia elude us.

    "Was there truly a Daemon King? Did the Heroes truly exist? Is a spell capable of altering the very fabric of the world? Or are the people of Indus correct in assuming that Shiva, the God of Destruction, wiped out the Beasts and merged his wife Kali into the women of the world to preserve her life after she suffered grievous injury at the hand of their over ambitious King?

    "There are as many tales as there are people. Go to the Deus Theocracy and the Holy Mother will tell you that there is only one true God and that women are her manifestations on this mortal world, able to tap into part of her Divine power.

    "Go to the Caliphate and any Sultan will scoff at her views, maintaining that being born a woman is a pardoned crime and that their transformation into Feral forms is a sign of their curse. That is why they have women cover their faces and bodies with burqas and hijabs there to prevent the spread of the so called ''taint''."

    He leaned back into his seat, downing the remaining lukewarm tea in one gulp. "The world is a splendid place. The clash of opinions, the interpretation of fact in myriad ways is what makes it worth exploring. Every corner is hiding another story to add to the pages of the book of your life."

    "But¡­" he interrupted me as soon as I started to protest. "I''m not leaving right now. I need to prepare too." He set his empty cup down and stood up. Pulling out a tightly furled scroll, he waved it at me. "Right now, I have the Duchess'' library to explore. Thank your wife for me, tell her I like her gift very much. Call me when you are ready to depart. I''ll stay at the Estates until you set out for the Swayamvar."

    He turned around and walked towards the exit. His voice coming from down the hall as he paused with his hand on the doorknob. "I''ll leave when you set out for your first Trial."

    The sound of the door opening. The sound of it closing.

    I looked down at the leather-bound book in my hands.

 60 Chapter 11

    I watched the scenery flash past through the windows of the carriage, the undulating topography of the area around the capital slowly smoothing away as we moved towards the arable plains in the east.

    The farmers were in the process of tilling the fields again, burying the remnants of the crops into the soil after the harvest. The old would serve as nourishment for the new and another cycle would be complete.

    Our carriage, resplendent in all its gildings broke the monotony of their toil and wherever we passed, we caused them to pause, drawing looks of curiosity and awe as they looked up and wiped their sweat.

    Children frolicked in the fields as their parents worked, the harsh sun kept off from their heads by cloth wrappings.

    They dropped their games and ran alongside the road, trying to keep pace with us as long as their short legs could support them.

    The one in the forefront tripped on a root and began to fall. The ones behind him, too slow to react would surely run over him if he did.

    I drew upon my mana hastily but before I could act, a strong breeze blew, propping up the child and halting the following children in their tracks.

    I turned my head to see Deimos hanging half outside the window with an arm outstretched.

    The mother of the child ran up and hugged him while bowing in our direction in thanks. The rest of them were still waving at us when we turned a curve on the road and they vanished from sight.

    Retracting my vision, I grinned at her, ruffling her hair. She tried to bat away my hands causing us to devolve into a tickling match. Her peals of laughter filled the carriage causing Phobos to part the curtains and peek in inquisitively from where she was handling the reins with Ceres by her side.

    Seeing us horsing around, she retracted her head with a smile.

    Yawning, Master sat up from where he had dozed off on the other side of the carriage with a book over his face. Regarding us owlishly he shook his head and muttered something unflattering before parting the curtains and replacing Ceres on the coachman''s seat.

    Master was a grouchy man after a nap. Specially when he had been pulling all-nighters throughout the duration of the journey to finish the books he had borrowed from the Duchess.

    He was under obligation to return them by courier as soon as we reached home. I had tried to read them but had been rebuffed by the dry nature of the archaeological accounts.

    Deimos quietened down as soon as Ceres walked in while bracing herself against the walls of the moving carriage. Taking a seat opposite us, she offered us a small smile. Which turned strained under Deimos'' wary gaze.

    I sighed softly and rubbed my face. For some reason the two of them had developed contradictions between them and none of them could tell me exactly why.

    Ceres mostly avoided Deimos, preferring Phobos'' company over hers or even mine. The rest of the time she spent in her room with her books.

    In sharp contrast Deimos felt caged at home and spent most of her time outside, training or roaming the streets observing the lives of others. People watching had always been a hobby of the observant girl.

    It was probably their widely divergent interests that drove a wedge between them and I could only hope that they would warm up to each other as time passed.

    Before the silence could grow awkward, Ceres spoke in a soft voice. "Umm¡­ How long till the next stop?"

    Thankful for the chance to alleviate the atmosphere, I mentally plotted our position and replied, "We have been travelling from city to city since the capital, taking a route that ensures that we reach the next stop before nightfall so we don''t have to camp out at night. Today is our fifth day on the road so we ought to be reaching Patera in a couple of hours."

    "Isn''t that where sister Phobos'' parents work?"

    "Yeah. Patera is one of the border cities of our territory and they are in charge of supervising the trade and traffic in and out of the region. No inn for us today. We will live with Uncle and Aunt and let me tell you, she was the one who taught Phobos how to cook. One taste of her cooking and everything else will taste bland afterwards. You have been warned."

    Deimos'' eyes shined at the prospect of sampling Aunt''s cooking, her animosity forgotten. Soon the three of us were chatting about inconsequential things. Rather I was the one talking while the two of them interjected once in a while.

    Somewhere down the line, Deimos brought out a pack of cards and after finding out that Ceres was uninformed about the rules of three-way Snap, immediately set about correcting the travesty.

    I had lost my third consecutive match due to their sinister collaboration when the carriage slowly ground to a halt.

    Looking at the two smiling girls, I was speechless. Where was the animosity? The awkwardness? Was ganging up on me in a card game all it took to remedy their relationship?

    Abandoning my losing hand in frustration, eliciting giggles from the two of them, I shook my head, parted the curtains and went out of the carriage.

    ¡­

    As soon as Mars left the carriage, Deimos restrained her smile as did Ceres. Throwing down her cards on the table, she leaned back into her seat and studied the girl across from her.

    Lush brown hair tied in a loose braid, large soulful eyes peeking through her glasses and rosy lips. She was beautiful and despite her lack of exercise and reclusive habits, she cut a lovely figure in her casual attire, a beige summer dress.

    Deimos couldn''t help but compare her own body with hers. Regular exercise had resulted in toned muscles. While not prominent, they clearly defined her curves, giving her a different sort of aesthetic. Her mild tan spoke of her love of the outdoors. They possessed different charms and she had confidence in her looks but she couldn''t help but wonder who Mars liked more.

    "Umm¡­ sister Deimos¡­ you don''t have to pretend to like me in front of him. I don''t like the feeling of tricking Husband like this."

    Deimos bristled, "Don''t presume to teach me. I just didn''t like the look on his face when he saw us not getting along. I really don''t know why I have this strange aversion to you but I will find out. If it is nothing but a delusion of mine, I will apologize but if you mean our family harm, you will find my teeth at your throat." She paused. "Either way, he won''t be able to resolve this for us so he doesn''t need to know that this problem even exists. Agreed?"

    Ceres cocked her head to one side and smiled. "Really, sister? Death threats?" Sighing, she shook her head. "But you have one thing right. Husband doesn''t need to know of your delusions. Agreed. From today, in public, we are the best of friends."

    Deimos snorted, standing up and leaving the carriage in a huff, the curtains swaying in the breeze of her passing.

    After some time, a soft sigh rang out in the lonesome carriage.

 61 Chapter 12

    Dusk had cloaked the land and purples and blues mixed with the shadows in the sky, a precursor to the night. The lights of the city were slowly turning on starting from the walls.

    A mixture of light stones and smokeless torches lit the walls, clothing it in a soft white glow. As if a chain had been initiated, lights came on in the buildings closest to the walls, then radiated inwards as more and more homes and establishments lit their night lamps.

    Soon the city of Patera came alive with lights, resembling a bowl filled with shining gems. It was no wonder it had been given the epithet: treasure bowl of the south-east, both for its famed scenery and its significant location at a bottleneck of the trade channels into the east of the province.

    At the very centre of the depression was an unlighted patch ringed by lights. The Patera lake, now at its minimum size under the influence of the summer weather, it would swell to nearly a fourth of the city''s area during the monsoons.

    Master had gone to the guard room with our documents and proofs of identity while Phobos was tending to the horses. I stretched my stiff body, working out the kinks in my spine from sitting so long in the carriage. With mild popping sounds, my joints unlimbered and I regained access to my full range of motion.

    Leaning against a tree by the roadside, I watched Phobos at work comforting the tired horses.

    The two chestnut beasts nuzzled against her as she rubbed their necks a smile on her lips. The girl really did like animals. After we were done with the Swayamvar, maybe I should look into a low maintenance pet for her.

    The jade hares of Huaxia were an option worth considering.

    Turning my attention away from her to the gates, I saw a company of uniformed men leaving on horseback.

    Their red and gold livery marked them as the members of the internal police.

    Long stretches of lonesome roads lent themselves to banditry well and in the initial stages of the Empire, Emperor Adam had a huge headache on how to still the rampant robbery and make the roads safe for trade.

    His solution had been the internal police forces. They were composed entirely of Tier 2 mages. The sort with bloodline talent low enough that their chances of advancement were slim to none.

    They formed companies of five men and rode from one city to the next on horseback, rested there and made the journey back. Their patrol times were staggered so predicting their appearance on the road was nigh impossible.

    Noting the Felidae insignia on the carriage, the men paused a bit to salute in our general direction before riding off towards the city we had come from. Poor chaps, getting saddled with the night shift.

    This wasn''t the first team of red shirts we had seen. The Earls whose territories we passed through, though unable to reassign the police for our protection, chose to double their wages for the day as well as the number of their shifts.

    It was a sign of goodwill towards the Felidae heir after their informers at the gates had brought our arrival to their notice.

    Also, the inns we patronised all seemed to coincidentally choose that day to have great discounts on flimsy grounds after we politely declined their invitations to dinner.

    Oh well, it did help my shrunken finances a bit. Any further strain on my budget would see me following Master''s footsteps, selling my art for our expenses.

    Until I reached the clan, I was broke. Absolutely stony.

    With a flap of the carriage curtains, Deimos strode out, jumping down from the back. For a moment she too stood entranced by the sight of the glimmering city before joining Phobos by the horses.

    Master''s call for us from the guard station roused us. The merchant caravan in front of us had finally passed the inspection and it was now our turn.

    Phobos guided the carriage to the gates as Deimos and I hopped on again. A brief check and we were through.

    I took in the sights of the bustling city through the carriage windows as we trundled down the main road. The night bazaar rife with activity, the lively restaurants, the busy shopfronts, Patera was one lively mass of activity.

    As we made our way to the interior, we passed by the caravan that had entered before us unloading their goods, barrels of wine, at a tavern. The portly caravan master growing red in the face trying to drive up the prices of his cargo to the skinny innkeeper with dead eyes who was mechanically wiping a glass with a cloth even as he emotionlessly shot the man''s tall claims down.

    This was but one of many instances that caught my eye, establishing my perception of the city as the trade capital of the eastern part of the province.

    The noise and crowds began to tail off as we made our way further in to the city centre, the houses growing more ornate and larger. Then, abruptly, the style of architecture changed. Instead of growing larger and more lavish, the buildings we encountered were wooden constructs raised on stilts.

    Even the road we moved on turned into temporary dirt roads rather than the stone-paved pathways of the inner city, or even the cobblestone highways which we had traversed to reach here.

    It was as if we had entered a village in the midst of a city.

    The reason for this was clearly on view as the stones on the roadside bore mossy traces of their half-yearly submergence.

    When it rained, the Patera lake expanded and covered much of the inner city. In such a place where each inch of land was as valuable as gold, the residents decided to resort to living in houses on stilts. Thus, even if the water level rose during the monsoons, they would be fine, rather, it would seem as if their dwellings were floating on the water.

    Over the years, it had become a novelty of the city and a status symbol to live in these floating homes. As one of the highest-ranking officials in the city, Uncle and Aunt obviously lived near the very centre of the city, close to the banks of the now shrunken lake.

    Stopping the carriage before a large house, Phobos dropped the reins, running up the stairs to a woman silhouetted against the lights of the open door.

    "Mama!" she cried delightedly as she leapt into her bosom. She caught her mid-leap in an unflustered manner, swung her around and set her down before hugging her tightly.

    Grinning, I jumped down from the carriage along with Deimos.

    Letting her go ahead, I turned back to help Ceres down, moving with her to greet my mother-in-law leaving Master in charge of the carriage and horses.

    The houses made full use of the space beneath them by using curtains of rough fabric to cover the stilts when they weren''t submerged, effectively giving them another floor. In this case, the lower part had been transformed into a temporary stable as they had been informed about our arrival in advance through the mail.

    When Ceres and I joined them on the porch, Aunt turned to us with an appraising look in her eye.

    "Don''t just stand there. Come on in." she said as she ushered us into the house.

    Turning her head, she called out to Master. "Leave the cart there and come in. Hubby will deal with it when he comes back."

    Coming in after us, she walked up to me with long strides before giving me a tight hug. Holding me at arm''s length, she rattled off, "Been a few months since I''ve seen you last and look at you, all thin and gangly. That woman hasn''t been feeding you right. *Snort* All that medical knowledge in her head has driven out the concept of taste from her mind. Oh no. Everything is nutrients for her. No wonder you''ve not been eating well. More likely she had you cooking for her.

    "Hmph. Now she''s run off to the army, throwing you down. Worry not, boy. No member of my little girl''s harem will leave my house underfed. I''ll put a pound on you before you leave¡­ or at least try my best."

    She was basically a curvier, more mature version of Phobos. While Phobos had inherited her slim figure from Uncle, Aunt was more¡­ big-boned. Along with her mile-a-minute mouth, it gave her a larger than life presence.

    Turning to Ceres, her eyes shone. Ceres shrank back like a deer in the headlights but before she could move, Aunt shrank the distance between them and gave her a bear hug too. Rubbing her cheek against Ceres'' she spoke, "Who''s this? Another addition to my girl''s harem?" Raising a thumb at Phobos, she mouthed: ''good job''.

    "Mom!" whined Phobos, blushing with embarrassment as she tugged at her mom''s arm to separate her from the stiff Ceres.

    In the process, Aunt''s palm fell on Ceres'' back and suddenly she stiffened.

    When she turned to me, her eyes were dark. I shuddered involuntarily. Aunt was a normally amiable woman. She was my mother''s boudoir honey, having grown up together. Thus, she had been a constant presence in my life ever since my childhood. Specially after my engagement to Phobos had been set.

    In all the time, I had only seen her make that kind of expression once.

    When Uncle had left Phobos alone in the bath to attend to his work when she was seven and she had nearly drowned. Uncle hadn''t walked straight for days.

    She let go of Ceres and walked towards me in great strides. I subconsciously shrank back but she disappeared in a whirl of shadow before something grabbed my arm and I my vision turned dark.

    When my eyesight cleared, a wave of disorientation hit me from being forcefully shadow-walked. Aunt''s fingers dug painfully into my flesh as she steadied me with her grip on my arm.

    "Are you daft, boy!?"

    "Huh?" I replied unintelligently, my mind refusing to catch up to her sudden shift from joviality.

    "Don''t ''huh'' me, young man! When I entrusted my daughter to you, I didn''t do so in the hope that you would put her in the eye of the political vortex between Regiis and the Shogunate. What were you thinking, marrying the Duchess'' daughter!?"

    Gathering my wits, I realised that she must have touched Ceres'' second tail. When we had disguised her, we hadn''t kept physical intimacy in mind. Only someone as blas¨¦ as Aunt would randomly hug people.

    Worthily was she the wife of our clan''s best information agent. It hadn''t taken her more than a moment to connect the dots. To reassure her, I hastily conveyed the Duchess'' words and efforts to keep our marriage a secret.

    "What!?" she exclaimed, looking at me like an alien creature. "You bought her bullshit? Didn''t you even bother to think such an important decision through? Or consult my daughter!?"

    She shook her head, disappointment thick in her voice. "I expected better from you, Mars Felidae."

    Her words cut deep and I felt my heart sink. I felt wronged. "I married Ceres on short notice but¡­ but I am giving it my all, aren''t I? To keep them all happy. Isn''t that enough?"

    She looked at me, disappointment even thicker in her eyes. "Boy, emotion won''t get you far against ninja." She sighed.

    "Just answer me this: Whenever you or she uses magic, won''t her unique smoke element be an announcement of her identity as the Duchess'' daughter? Do you plan to limit yourself to never using her magic? Did you know her beforehand? Is it a marriage of love? No? Why pray did you marry her then!? Explain it to me because I can''t, for the life of me, understand!"

    Her voice rose in pitch and decibel till towards the end, she was nearly screaming. Shadows rippled around us as they locked the sound of our conversation in.

    Her words, her questions were like the rays of the sun shining upon the morning fog. The smoky haze in my mind ablated under the burning hot rays, leaving me aware of the discrepancies in my recent behaviour.

    Why hadn''t I thought of the issue of Ceres'' mana? As a newly acquired power, it would be logical to train in its usage, but whenever I had wanted to train in it, my mind seemed to shift away from it, avoiding it.

    In fact, I had never seen Ceres train her magic either. No matter how much of a bookworm she was, in this world that respected strength, no one with even a bit of intelligence would leave their talents uncultivated.

    She had gone an entire month without.

    And before all of this¡­ why had I agreed so readily to a marriage with Ceres? Why hadn''t I taken even a night to ponder such a significant decision?

    My face turned white as I staggered, my heart seeming to sink into the pit of my stomach.

    I felt nauseous.

    When I looked up, Aunt must have seen something from my face because her expression immediately changed to one of concern as touched my cheek.

    Forcing me to face her she spoke forcefully, "Boy, tell me everything the Duchess said or did when you met for the marriage meeting."

    So, I did, haltingly at first, then more rapidly as the hazy memories grew clear under the judgemental vision of introspection.

    The drink she had prepared for me.

    Her words as she led me to Ceres'' chamber.

    The incense smoke within the room.

    And though I didn''t tell Aunt, my hazy impression of Ceres'' mind during our bonding. I had felt then that she was like smoke within a dream.

    The smoke had cleared. I had awoken.

    After I had finished, Aunt was silent for a long time. The warm mid-summer night breeze seemed chilly against my skin. I shuddered.

 62 Chapter 13

    If Dies had ever regretted the absence of stars in the day, then the sight of the pinpricks of light reflected on the glowing lake would make up for his regret.

    Containing large deposits of fluvial crystals, the lake was one of the largest producers of water stones in the empire. The blue glow was due to the water mana in the surroundings concentrating in the region.

    The magnificent sight drew tourists and businesses alike and after the trade tariffs they charged, the lake was the city''s second largest source of income.

    A cloudless night like this one had drawn a large number of people to the lakefront, the sounds of conversation and the happy screams of children filling the night.

    Strolling by the lakeside, with Ceres keeping pace silently by me, I was in no mood to appreciate the beauties of nature. My emotions roiled within me, making me clench and relax my fist as I tried ineffectually to calm myself enough to ask the right questions.

    I didn''t want to raise my voice against her¡­ Who was I kidding? I obviously did, but that wouldn''t resolve the problem, only provide an outlet for my pent-up emotions. Taking deep breaths, I fell into the rhythmic pattern Father had mentioned in his guide to reach the Void.

    While it didn''t let me relinquish my emotions, it muted them enough that I could handle the following conversation rationally.

    "Husband, did you know, I have been waiting for you for the longest time." Ceres'' soft voice punctured the tense silence between us just as I made to speak, causing all my mental preparation to crumble.

    "How should I know!?" I growled out, barely managing to keep my voice down as I came to an abrupt halt.

    She stopped too, turning around to face me. Instead of surprise at my tone, Ceres'' expression was one of calm. Glinting off the lake, the starlight illuminated her expression with fuzzy ripples that added to her air of mystery. The reticent bookworm was gone, replaced by a strange woman who bore my mark.

    Once again, a wave of sadness washed over me. I had been drugged and hypnotized into making a decision that would haunt me all my life. I felt violated. I was angry.

    "Grandmother raised our clan to the status of Marquises. Mother is a Duchess. Then, logically, what should I aspire to in my life?" Her calm voice once again broke my turbulent wave of emotions, making it collapse ineffectually. Without waiting for my answer, she continued, "Royalty!"

    She spoke rapidly and without pause, giving me no chance to interject. "If I were a boy, my path would be clear. I would take my place as one of your competitors in the Swayamvar. But, my gender means that my goal would be to become the Emperor''s consort. Your consort.

    She paused briefly and I pounced upon the opening.

    "Stop! Is this how you have been preparing? Preparing to drug me? Forcing the marriage for your selfish reasons!? How long did you prepare too deceive me? A lifetime!?" I was nearly shouting by the end of my outburst. Thankfully, I had the sense to block the sound with a combination of wind and shadow mana to avoid eavesdroppers.

    Unflustered, she spoke, "Who asked your father to kill wolf boy? Do you think that everyone who married a Vulpine maiden decided to do so within the span of a day? No! The talks had begun from the very beginning of the qualifiers. Mother was supposed to propose our marriage to Marquis Felidae on the night of the banquet. She would have done it too if he hadn''t decided it would be a good idea to pop Young Master Lupin''s head."

    She breathed deeply, her eyes tinged red as she continued speaking rapidly, "Do you think I wanted to get married to you this way? I had imagined so many scenarios for our marriage. Doing it the way it played out wasn''t on my list.

    "But what could we do? Until the outcome of the duel was clear, we couldn''t bring it up and then your Father promoted to Rank 5 and was due to leave. Do you think he would agree to the marriage when he would have to leave you to fend for yourself so soon?

    "Then? Then there was no time. The Tourney happened and the very next day Mother contacted you. We had information about the Swayamvar being held this year, so, our marriage had to be before the Swayamvar was announced to make it final. You obviously couldn''t decide so soon. That''s why we had to use such a bad plan."

    I was taken aback at first by her vehemence before her words sank in. "Huh?" I felt incredulous. How could someone spout such selfish words so righteously. I was thoroughly enraged.

    "Can you hear yourself? Every word out of your mouth takes your ambition as the priority. Sure, for you, with your lofty goals, the way things worked out is for the best. You get a shot at the throne. But did you ever think how I would feel after being drugged and hypnotized into a loveless marriage?"

    She gawked. "Loveless!? What do you mean, loveless?" she pulled off her shoe and brought her foot forward. Pointing at the dark mark she said, "I love you. I always have. I know almost everything that happened to you since your childhood and I always looked forward to our marriage. How else would our mark be so dark?"

    I sneered. "Me? More likely you love your ambition. You think you possess cordiality towards me, but from your words, it is but a delusion. I am a means to an end. For that you would even put my whole family in danger."

    I saw her stagger back at my words, hurt in her eyes. She made to speak but I cut her off. "Do you know that you shot yourself in the foot by marrying me? Did all your information tell you that I have no interest to the throne? And even if I did, I would be seriously handicapped since using your mana or having you cast your spells would bring down the ninja on us. How in the world did you expect us to win?"

    She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand before glaring at me with a reddened gaze. "Believe what you will! I know what I feel and that won''t change even if you come to hate me. As for my mana¡­" she reached into her cleavage and drew out a golden locket. It was the mind crystal pendant.

    "See this? This is the solution to the problem. My mana is a variation of fire elemental mana, so, it shares the same roots with the mana of ordinary fire mages. The mind crystal is basically a spare mindscape filled with my mana. Put a tiny sliver of an Inflammation crystal in it and very soon, it will revert to ordinary fire mana. By casting spells using the locket, I can pass as an ordinary fire mage. As can you because you share the same mana with me."

    She sniffed, a lone tear sliding down her cheek. "What do you think I was doing cooped up in my room for all of these days? Twiddling my thumbs? I was practising to cast seamlessly using the locket."

    Even though my anger had yet to abate, her tears made me subconsciously soften my voice. I had never been good at dealing with crying women. "Well¡­ be that as it may. How long were you planning to keep me in the dark? And what exactly did your Mother cast on me to make the effects last for almost a month?"

    She smiled through her tears. "You''re really amazing, you know that?" Wiping her face with a hand, she continued, "We did nothing so drastic to you. It isn''t actually even possible. The drink and the incense along with Mother''s words planted a suggestion in your mind to not question the discrepancies in our marriage. If you yourself were averse to us, it wouldn''t even last till the next morning. But, you actually reinforced the suggestion subconsciously.

    "Your desire to treat your wives well and extend your full trust to them caused you to plant a self-suggestion. So, whenever you noticed something questionable about our marital circumstances, your mind would gloss over it.

    She looked up at me with glittering eyes. "You know? Every day you didn''t question me, I fell in love with your sincerity a bit more. Mother actually wanted me to tell you so she could apologize personally and resolve the matter as best as possible. I insisted on waiting you out.

    "In the end, it took Aunt pointing it out for you to finally confront the facts."

    I felt quite awkward at being praised for my sincerity, or rather, my gullibility. I could feel some of my anger draining away under her gaze and due to the fact that some of it was my fault after all.

    Her smile dimmed as she looked down at her foot. There, though the mark was still dark at its core, the edges of it had faded.

 63 Chapter 14

    The both of us made our way to one of the larger stones that had had its moss worn away by the numerous behinds of the tourists and took our seat.

    I watched the people on the lakefront going about their lives, relaxing, enjoying themselves. A child ran after another, laughing with joy. A couple posed before an aged artist whose brush moved in broad strokes upon his canvas. A night-guard rested her sore legs as she took a break from her patrol.

    All around the area, light stones were rigged onto bamboo frameworks, casting their harsh white light upon the scene. Easily dismantled, they could be shifted every time the level of the lake rose or fell.

    A lively scene, all to the background of the softly glowing lake.

    The chatter of the people, the mirth of the children, the incessant droning of the cicadas calling for their mates. I seemed cut off from it all. The warmth of the summer night pressed down upon me, making me feel suffocated.

    Suddenly, I was gripped by a strong impulsion to just jump into the lake. It had been a long time since I had last swum and the waters beckoned. I yearned to feel the profound silence of the underwater environment again where the only thing I could hear was the beat of my heart.

    Not the turmoil of my emotions.

    Forcing myself to look away from the lake, I turned to Ceres. She was wiping her glasses with a soft cloth with a look of concentration on her face.

    Her profile caught the first rays of the moon as it climbed from the horizon, washing out the light of the stars with its silvery radiance.

    She was a beautiful girl; talented, intelligent, with a lofty status. The locket meant that the most glaring problem marrying her brought had a solution. She even claimed to love me. All in all, I should be happy to be married to her.

    But I wasn''t. the mother and daughter duo had deeply hurt my heart and I found it difficult to trust any word that came out of their mouths.

    Looking at her, I made my decision.

    Grabbing her hand, I pulled her to her feet and started walking out of the park.

    Surprised, she stumbled a few times before she managed to put her glasses back on one-handed and regained her balance.

    "Husband! Where are we going?"

    "Aunt told the girls that I was taking you on a tour of the lake since it was your first time here. She kept them back saying that she wanted to catch up with them after meeting them after so long. We have a couple of hours left till we are expected back. It will be enough."

    "Enough for what?"

    "You''ll know soon enough. Just follow me."

    The both of us exited the central part of the city. As mages, our speeds were faster than the un-awakened portion of the populace and aided by my Haste spell, we were soon at our destination.

    It was perfect for what I had in mind.

    Pushing past the doors with Ceres in tow, I took in the sight of the main hall nearly devoid of customers, with a scattered few occupying some tables in the corners while the barkeep continued wiping his cutlery with a cloth, doing more harm than good with how greasy it was.

    Even when the two of us entered, the patrons only looked up at us briefly before returning to their drinks. The barkeep didn''t even bother to do that, concentrating on his glass with an uncanny intensity.

    Suddenly, I felt like rethinking my decision to enter this strange establishment but considering what I wanted to do and the bustling nature of the other inns, I clenched my teeth and forged ahead.

    Knocking on the counter with a silver coin, I said, "A room."

    The barkeep paused in his mechanical motions and looked up at the both of us briefly before reaching beneath the counter and taking out a key. Handing it to me, he took my coin and silently went back to polishing his glass.

    I waited for a while before demanding impatiently, "Won''t you show us to the room? And what of my change?"

    He paused and said, "Go up the flight of stairs. The hallway to the right, second door. No change. It''s a silver a night."

    I gawked. A silver was a large sum of money. How could the rent of this ramshackle inn be so high? No wonder there were so few takers. It was a scam. I shook my head. Well, it didn''t matter to me. I had more pressing matters on my mind.

    Drawing Ceres along, I followed the barkeep''s directions and reached the room.

    Unlocking it, we entered and I locked the door behind us.

    The room was well furnished and already lit with a smokeless torch. The bed was neatly made with clean sheets and there was even an attached bathroom. I felt much better about that silver now.

    Turning around, my eyes met Ceres'' inquisitive gaze.

    "Hus¡­ mmph¡­" her words tailed off as I smashed my lips against hers, pressing her into the wall with my body.

    She tried to speak into my mouth but that only gave me the opportunity to push my tongue past her lips and entangle hers.

    Reaching behind her through the gap between her back and the wall, I fumbled for the knot of the laces holding her summer dress together and pulled.

    The dress loosened and slipped off her shoulders, pooling on the floor at her feet. She was left only in her bellyband and underwear. There was a cloth wrapping around her stomach that held her second tail to her body.

    Ceres had tried to push me away at first but she soon leaned into the kiss, shifting the battle of our tongues from her mouth to mine.

    Her hands climbed up my back and entangled my hair pulling me deeper into the kiss, the frame of her glasses dug into the bridge of my nose.

    When we finally broke apart, she was gasping for breath, her glasses askew. Her ample chest was fluctuating with her breaths and there was lust in her eyes.

    The revelation of the forced nature of our marriage had stretched our emotions taut and it was in a room in a shady inn, half-naked that the string snapped.

    We were wild in our passion, attacking the other''s body with a wild abandon. Only through a force of sheer willpower were we able to keep from shredding our clothes.

    Once we were fully unclothed, Ceres pushed me down onto the bed and lowered her head. Her mouth took in my flaccid member and tried to breathe life into it. Her hands caressed my balls.

    I leaned back on the bed, supporting myself with my hands behind my back as I watched her enthusiastic ministrations.

    "Eh? W-hy won''t it get hard?"

    "No¡­ Why? Damn it."

    "Get up. Get up!"

    Her warm tears fell upon my crotch even as her grip grew painful in her desperation to get me erect. She was a beautiful woman. Smooth skin, slim waist, beautifully shaped breasts with rosy nipples. Her tails were beautiful, soft and silky to the touch.

    Her face, even marred by snot and tears was a work of art.

    But, my heart was cold.

    When my mind failed me, I asked my body. It had spoken.

    "Ceres¡­"

    She ignored me, continuing to try to get me hard, wracked with sobs.

    "Ceres!"

    She looked up at me, startled by my loud voice.

    Leaning forwards, I cupped her cheeks, gently wiping her tears away with my thumbs.

 64 Chapter 15

    I wanted to speak but didn''t know what to say.

    As she made her way to the door, I raised my hand as if to stop her but halted midway. The hesitation cost me as she managed to unlatch the door.

    The door slammed shut and I was left alone in the room. Touching my face absentmindedly, my hand came away wet.

    My hand fell powerlessly to the bed and I flopped down on it, staring at the ceiling blankly.

    After a long while, I dragged myself off the bed and set about dressing myself. My movements were overly methodical, my mind trying to distract me from the image of her desolate back by focusing on an immediate task.

    Smoothing out the last crease, I wiped my face with my sleeve and left the room.

    Trudging down the stairs, I concentrated on putting one foot before the other as all sorts of emotions spun around in my mind.

    Sorrow. Worry. Anger.

    Regret.

    The hall was empty when I reached it save for the barkeep.

    Walking up to him, I took a seat on a stool in front of him and placed a coin on the table.

    "Wine." My voice was hoarse.

    He unquestioningly pocketed the coin and set the glass he had been polishing in front of me before filling it with a burgundy liquid from a bottle he drew out from under the counter and uncorked.

    I brought the glass to my lips and tilted my head back, taking a large gulp.

    The strong spirit burnt as it made its way down my throat, making me gasp and cough. It was my first time drinking and I was unprepared for the acrid taste. Some of the drink splashed on my clothes as I went into a coughing fit.

    Recovering, I eyed the rest of the liquor in the glass warily. I had no idea how people could bear to drink the stuff.

    But, I had heard that drink could numb the mind and right now, the last thing I wanted to do was feel.

    So, I forced myself to take another swig, then another.

    A numbing warmth spread from the pit of my stomach, warming my body, causing my face to flush.

    As the potency of the alcohol kicked in, I felt my emotions fade within a comfortable buzz of sensations.

    When I tried to take another swig, I found the glass empty. I don''t know why but the sight of the empty glass made me sad. It reminded me of things gone forever.

    So, I ordered a refill.

    The world swayed around me, the colours grew dim. I tossed back the last of the drink and slammed the glass onto the table.

    Leaning back, I almost fell off the stool due to my disturbed balance. Reaching for my purse, I found it bereft of coins. Only then did I notice the multitude of glasses strewn over the table.

    Did I drink all of that? I was surprised.

    "There you are. We were getting worried about you. Do you even know the ti-me?"

    His voice trailed off as he took in the sight of my inebriated state and the empty glasses on the table.

    His expression grew grim and the shadows on his face darkened to match his emotions.

    His voice was quiet as he spoke, "Where is Ceres?"

    Turning to him tipsily, I replied with great difficulty, my words slurred by drink, "Shesh gawne."

    If his face was a thundercloud, now the silver lining had disappeared.

    Tossing a few coins on the counter, he told the barkeep: "I''ll be taking him."

    Grabbing me by my arm, he pulled me to my feet and dragged me to the exit. I staggered and would have tumbled onto my face if not for him holding me up. The liquor sloshed about in my stomach and made me feel like I would throw up at any time.

    Once outside, he pulled me into the shadows.

    The darkness pressed into me from all sides, thoroughly disorienting me as I was forcefully shadow walked for the second time in the day.

    Suddenly, the shadows retreated and the light hammered into my eyes. Before I could orient myself, I felt myself become weightless before with a loud splash, I fell into the water.

    I cried out in surprise, releasing a long string of bubbles as I sank into the lake. The shock of being thrown into the lake sobered me up somewhat and I struggled to right myself.

    My long hours of swimming kicking in I steadied myself and began to kick powerfully, propelling myself towards the light.

    After quite a while without reaching the surface, it struck my alcohol addled mind that I was swimming in the wrong direction. It was night and the lake glowed from the crystals at its bottom.

    Jackknifing underwater, I switched directions and swam upwards with powerful strokes.

    I sputtered and coughed as my head cleared the water. Paddling to keep myself afloat, I saw Uncle overlooking me as he stood upon his own shadow on the surface of the lake.

    Before I could say anything, he reached down, grabbed my collar and shadow walked.

    We came out of the shadow of one of the light posts by the shore and he let go of me. Staggering from the rough handling, I supported myself by grabbing onto one of the bamboo poles that made up the rigging of the post.

    I bent over and threw up the contents of my stomach the acrid stench of alcohol permeating the air.

    When I finally had nothing left in my stomach after dry heaving several times, I straightened up shakily, wiping my mouth with my sleeve.

    Turning around I faced my Uncle. He spoke, "Do you know that Ceres hasn''t returned home yet? While you were drowning yourself in drink, we were waiting for you, worried. We never thought the two of you wouldn''t be together otherwise we would be worrying even more."

    He continued, "When Phobos'' ma sent the two of you out on a walk, she meant for you to talk out your differences¡­ not quarrel and part ways."

    "I¡­ but¡­"

    He took a step forward and grabbed me by my sopping wet shoulders. "I know¡­ I heard from my wife that the Duchess played a dark hand. And believe you me, we will be asking her some uncomfortable questions¡­ but you married Ceres after all. She is your wife!"

    He shook my shoulders. "There will always be trouble in marriages. I would have liked to believe that if you ever got into a quarrel with Phobos, you would resolve your differences through mature discussion instead of throwing an emotional tantrum." He shook his head and let go of my shoulders.

    Taking a step back, he sighed. "Seeing your performance today¡­ I''m disappointed. Marriage is a sacred institution. While the Duchess wronged you first, what you did today, pushing your wife away¡­ isn''t much better."

    My mind was totally chaotic. The alcohol, the dunking in the lake, the stream of berating¡­ it was too much for me to process. My brain felt like it was filled with starch.

    "But, I¡­"

    Without giving me a chance to speak, Uncle turned his back on me and started walking away. "Don''t speak now when you aren''t in your right mind. Go home. The women are worried about you. I''ll find your wife for you. This is my city and no one and nothing can get by under my nose here."

 65 Chapter 16

    Nurarihyon, Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Lord of the Night Parade of the Hundred Demons, Heaven''s Chosen, and possessor of titles too numerous to count, tilted his head slightly to catch the breeze on his face, his eyes closed in contentment.

    He sat on the ground, leaning against one of the sturdy wooden stilts of the Felidae residence. His shaggy hair covering his forehead and a faded lime-green shirt adorning his body. Whenever the loose collar fluttered in the wind, it offered glimpses of the toned body beneath. Tattoos in various styles and colours overspread his torso, no inch of skin free of ink.

    The sound of approaching footsteps caused him to look up to see a bedraggled boy approaching the home with heavy footsteps, a dispirited expression on his face. It was Mars Felidae, the one he had taken in as his disciple.

    Nura Rihan sighed. The boy was too young after all. And inexperience came with youth. Leaving him to solve such a large problem on his own was asking for trouble. He really couldn''t understand how the minds of Phobos'' parents worked.

    He silently watched Mars trudge past, hesitate at the door for a long moment before finally mustering his courage and entering. All without noticing him just a few metres away. Well, there were very few people who could notice the Lord of the Night when he didn''t want to be found.

    The same could be said about his right hand.

    Turning his head, he stared fixedly at the shadows beneath the house. "Chusei, come out."

    The shadows congealed into a figure which stepped out into the moonlight, revealing a dead eyed man dressed as a barkeep.

    Chusei bowed deeply towards him. "Welcome to Patera, Lord Rihan."

    Rihan waved at him to dispense with the formalities. Picking a blade of grass which had grown tenaciously within the small period of time when the waters didn''t cover the soil, he placed it between his teeth.

    He drawled out, "So¡­ what is the situation?".

    "Hai!" exclaimed Chusei before activating his Call of the Dark. Ripples of darkness covered them both, cutting off the sound as well as obscuring the movement of their lips.

    After some time, the shadows diverged leaving Chusei standing at attention as Rihan chewed upon the stalk of grass as he contemplated.

    Sighing, he turned to Chusei. "Well. It was too much to expect everything to go smoothly. Then¡­ it seems some external impetus is required. Do it."

    For the first time that night, something other than apathy appeared in the man''s eyes: hesitation.

    When he didn''t move for some time, Rihan noticed and looked up at him inquisitively. "What is it?"

    After remaining silent for a moment, Nura Rihan slowly got to his feet, towering over the bowing man. Patting the dust off his pants, he raised Chusei by his shoulder, causing him to straighten up.

    His voice was quiet, yet filled with power as he said, "Turning back? The day the six Daimyos gave me this post and took my wives and children hostage, there was no turning back. The common people all venerate me as the Heaven''s Chosen one. Then what does that make the six of them who raised me to my seat? The heavens?"

    "Hah¡­ hahaha." He laughed softly, the sound causing the hair on the back of Chusei''s neck stand erect at the ice-cold murderous intention concealed within.

    He stopped suddenly, his dark eyes like bottomless abysses. "Lord? A daemonic bloodline with the power to command all other daemons? Such a thing is too incredible to exist and even if it once did, all members of that bloodline must have been exterminated by the six families, their bodies burnt and the ashes scattered over the earth. In their place they placed a Hominum puppet. Married to a woman from each clan, I am but a tool to be called upon for arbitration whenever they reach an impasse in their disputes, a neutral party, a figurehead.

    "Yet this time, they have made an error in their judgement. The day they took my children from my bosom in the name of letting them visit their maternal home, I pledged to the Heavens that I would depose them, return the Shogunate to the way it was meant to function: with one true Lord.

    "I will reign over the hundred demons or die trying."

    Chusei bowed deeply again, "This one shall do all in his power to assist in this noble undertaking. But¡­ is placing so much importance on the boy truly necessary?"

    Rihan closed his eyes and breathed deeply, returning his mood to tranquillity. "He was the only Hominum of the appropriate age and status who had been trained in the martial arts. I had no better choice¡­ but, the Heavens haven''t abandoned me, his natural talent far surpasses my expectations. His disposition is a flaw but a little whetting and experience can remedy that. He is a key in my plan. Go, Chusei¡­ it won''t take Felidae long to find her. We need them to take action before that."

    Chusei clenched his teeth and spoke out one final time. "Lord, but they are our countrymen after all¡­"

    An irritation flashed past in Rihan''s eyes and Chusei''s back was soaked with cold sweat as he suddenly felt like he was being stared at by an ominous beast. After a long moment, Nurarihyon withdrew his gaze and Chusei nearly collapsed in relief.

    "This is the last time I allow you to question me. The country goes by the name of Shogunate. The moment they took the mission knowing full well that their actions went against the Shogun, they ceased to be part of the country. They are nothing more than traitors in my eyes. Their death is deserved. Now go!"

    The Tier 4 shadow mage didn''t dare to delay as he immediately vanished into the shadows, hurrying to fulfil his duty.

 66 Chapter 17

    Bracing myself, I finally stopped procrastinating and pushed the door open and entered.

    Deimos was sitting on the couch on the living room, flipping the pages on a book absentmindedly. It was clear that her heart wasn''t in the book.

    Hearing the sound of the door opening, she swiftly turned around.

    Her eyes lit up in delight when she noticed that it was me before shifting to concern when she took in my state.

    Tossing the book aside, she vaulted over the back of the couch and ran up to me.

    Her nose wrinkled and her brows drew together when she approached close enough to realize the stench of vomit and alcohol that still clung to me.

    Grabbing my hand, she asked, "Master, are you all right, ya? What happened to you?"

    Losing the resolve I had just built while psyching myself up just out of the door, I tried to wave off her concern.

    "It''s nothing¡­ I just fell into the lake. I-I need to take a bath."

    The concern in her eyes grew more intense as her grip on my hand tightened. I had to avert my eyes. I couldn''t face her anymore.

    After a short silence, her grip loosened and she took a step back. Her voice was quiet. "Take a warm bath or you might catch a cold. Then come to the table¡­ there''s food. Phobos made it together with Aunt specially for you."

    I nodded and started walking towards the bathroom when I found my way blocked by Phobos.

    She had her arms crossed and she was looking at me with an intense gaze. I looked down.

    "Husband, really? You leave with Ceres in tow and you return without her. You are bedraggled and stink of alcohol. ''Nothing'' just won''t cut it. Do you take us for fools?"

    She stepped forward and placed a hand on my cheek. "I can see that something is eating at you inside. Tell us."

    When I was still silent, her voice grew soft. "Mars."

    Taken aback by her use of my name, something she hadn''t done for a long time now, I looked up and my red eyes met her yellow ones. In those soulful pupils, I found concern.

    "I never want you to avoid our gazes. Never ours."

    Stepping forward, she hugged me tight, the warmth of her body thawing my frozen heart. I felt a lump form in my throat. My nose stung. My tears that had stopped after I had pushed Ceres away began to flow again.

    Yes. There were still two women who I trusted with my life. Why was I pushing even them away with my lies?

    Looking into those yellow eyes, I knew that even if she drove a knife into my heart, I would still smile for I wouldn''t want to live in a world as cruel as that.

    I felt her turn to Deimos and mouth something following which Deimos ran out of the room.

    She gently pushed me away, guiding me to the couch before sitting down in my lap. I wrapped my arms around her waist and let the familiar feel of her body and her scent calm me down.

    Soon, Deimos returned with a soft towel and a change of clothes.

    Stripping off the wet and soiled clothing, I towelled myself dry before wearing the new clothes. In dry clothes and in the company of my two wives, I felt my turbulent emotions settle.

    I looked up to see them waiting for me on the couch and my back straightened subconsciously. As long as I had them by my side, I could take on the world.

    Walking up to them I sat down opposite to them and took both of their hands in mine, reinforcing our sense of connection.

    I realised now, that there was no point in hiding anything from them, so, I told them everything. From Aunt''s revelation of Ceres'' falsehoods to my arrival back at the doorstep of the house.

    After I was done, there was a prolonged silence only punctuated by the soft sounds of our breathing.

    Finally, Phobos broke the silence by gripping my hand tighter and bowing to me. "I''m sorry."

    Startled, I immediately supported her by her shoulders, preventing her from lowering her head. "For what?"

    "For my Father. He was extremely impolite with you. You are the Heir apparent and my husband. How could he do that to you?"

    "Ahh, no, it''s all right. My behaviour wasn''t really worthy of the Heir today." I said self-depreciatingly.

    "No! Husband, you don''t get it. Nobody understands better than us how much you truly trust us, the depths of your emotion. You were betrayed. You were hurt. You had every right to behave emotionally. Some might call it a flaw but for us, your wives, it is the best part about you."

    Deimos nodded in agreement.

    I felt quite embarrassed by their words and there was a growing warmth in my chest.

    "I knew there was something wrong with Ceres, ya. I just couldn''t figure out what. They really crossed the line," said Deimos with a frown.

    "I say we turn back immediately and return her to her home. If the Duchess has something to say about it, we can just threaten to make it public. Getting so many marriage proposals accepted in such a short time must have involved some trickery.

    "And even if there wasn''t trickery involved, what would the families with Vulpine brides think if the matter of Master being drugged came out?

    "She wouldn''t survive the scandal."

    I was quite shocked that the vicious and shrewd opinion had come from Deimos who acted flighty most of the time. It seemed she really didn''t like Ceres.

    Phobos hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I don''t know how to feel about that actually. Husband has rubbed off on me and I couldn''t bring myself to mistrust someone I thought of as family. In the time we were together, Ceres thoroughly won me over and I was coming to see her as the little sister I never had.

    "This revelation is quite shocking to me as well. While I don''t want to forgive her, I feel she should have a chance to calmly defend herself when everyone''s emotions aren''t running so high.

    "Also, I think it was pretty silly of you to take her to that inn and then let her leave alone. It is probably the main reason why Father was so harsh with you. She has a bounty on her head and the ninja might be keeping tabs on as many of the maidens they possibly can. I hope Father finds her faster."

    My eyes widened as the foolishness of my past actions struck me. While we were in a populated area we were safe as the ninja couldn''t afford to be seen acting against us in a public setting.

    But in my emotional state, I had led her into the secluded area which had the inn and then let her leave alone. I had put her at substantial risk.

    I felt guilty again. I hoped that Uncle would find her quickly. Despite my hurt at her lies, I never wished physical harm upon her.

    Deimos probably felt the same way since she was frowning.

    "By the way, where is Aunt?" I asked. Deimos answered, "She went out to look for you. Now, she is probably helping Uncle search for Ceres."

    Phobos shrugged. "Well, when Father brings her back, we should have a long talk and try to resolve it to the best of our abilities. Now that I think about it, the Duchess probably realized that such a situation would occur.

    "That is why she handed us the mind crystal. The protection it provides by raising Ceres'' magic capability by a Tier is substantial as well as the ability to let you use it.

    "It was probably meant as a sort of compensation for her transgression. You were worrying about how to pay her back. Now, you probably don''t have to."

    Deimos chimed in. "Master, whatever you choose, you will have our full support, ya?"

    Phobos nodded. "For now, you need a hot bath." She wrinkled her nose. "You stink of alcohol. And thanks to you, I do too."

    She shot me a mischievous smile. "Maybe I should have you wash me as a punishment."

    "No fair, Phi-Phi. Don''t leave me out!" cried Deimos piteously before leaping into my bosom and rubbing herself against me. "There, now I''m the same as you two."

    I couldn''t help but burst into laughter. Phobos joined in and soon Deimos did as well. I laughed till my sides hurt and tears came out of my eyes. This time they were happy tears.

    The last vestiges of negative emotion within my heart was washed away by the laughter.

    I stood up and walked towards the door, leaving the two giggling girls behind. "I''ll be outside. If you are done with drawing water for the bath, call me."

    "Sure," said Phobos between chuckles.

    Just as I opened the door to step out, I saw Uncle standing there with a grim look on his face. On his back, l saw Ceres lying limply, her breathing uneven.

    I felt my heart sink.

    Uncle wordlessly pushed past me and entered the house and placed Ceres on the sofa. Phobos, stood up and asked, "What happened?"

    "Me and your mother found her in an alley fighting off a ninja who had come for her. If not for her mind crystal pendant sending out a Tier 3 attack, cracking the Shadow domain of that Tier 3 ninja, I would not have been able to notice until it was too late.

    "The ninja was injured by her attack and I managed to overwhelm him as I am at Tier 3 peak. But he committed suicide as soon as he was captured."

    Phobos asked in concern. "Where''s Mother? Is she hurt?"

    "No. she is dealing with the paperwork after reporting the incident to the City Lord."

    Phobos sighed, relieved.

    Deimos pointed to Ceres, who looked fine externally and even internally but from whose expression it could be seen that she was in pain even in her unconscious state. "What happened to her?"

    Uncle replied, "The backlash from the mind crystal fractured her mindscape. She will have constant headaches and won''t be able to channel mana for over a month by which time it will have repaired itself."

    "Then why not take her to a healer?" asked Deimos. Despite her vehement disapproval of Ceres, she had spent a month with her after all. Seeing her injured and comatose was quite a shock for her.

    I, who had been silently digesting the fact of Ceres'' injury, replied. "If she is taken to a healer, associations will be easily made between the deceased ninja and her injury. It will reveal that even if she is not the Duchess'' daughter, something about her caught the ninja''s attention, causing him to start acting against her. That will bring in more ninja."

    "Good. You are finally thinking with your head," said Uncle in a mocking tone.

    "Father!" said Phobos in a sharp tone. Taken aback by her tone, Uncle looked at her in surprise.

    "Husband might have made some inappropriate choices in his emotional state. For that I am willing to overlook your rough handling of him. But enough is enough. I won''t stand for you mocking the clan Heir and my Husband."

    He was shocked, "I-I¡­ well¡­" Recovering, he sighed.

    "I guess they have it right. After marriage, the daughter''s arm turns outwards," he said with a wry smile.

    Turning to me, he continued, "The thing is¡­ every father wants his daughter''s man to be the best. Every clansman wants the next Heir to be perfect. I think I let my expectations blind me to the fact that you are extremely inexperienced in the way of the world.

    "Now that I think of it, your ability to bounce back so fast is amazing. If Phobos'' ma had left me when I was your age, I would have just curled up in a corner and cried."

    He dipped his head to me slightly. "I apologise. Take care of them. I need to give my version of the statement to the City Lord and help Phobos'' ma with the paperwork."

    Turning around, he moved towards the door. As he passed Phobos, he paused and patted her shoulder. "No longer are you the brat who clambered all over me and pulled my beard. A woman grown, you have learnt to stand up for yourself and your loved ones. I''m proud."

    Walking past her, he made his way to the door. His back was slightly hunched.

    "Father!" she called out.

    He paused at the door.

    "I love you."

    "Hahaha." Exuding a carefree laugh, he departed with a straight back and a jaunty gait. I could understand the sentiment. Those three words from Phobos'' mouth had a demonic charm. They could bring the dead back to life.

    Turning back to Ceres'' prone form and noticing the concerned expressions on Phobos and Deimos'' faces, I realised that come tomorrow, I would still have three wives.

    ¡­

    Chusei walked of the shadows by his Lord''s side.

    He bowed and said, "Lord Rihan, it has been done. I guided the ninja to the girl and then, arranged enough clues for the Felidae couple to find where the girl was, ensuring that there was enough time for her to be forced into using her mind crystal amulet. I also ensured that nobody other than the Felidae couple were present to see her use her smoke."

    Nurarihyon nodded and said, "Well done! Now you need to spread rumours of Edward Felidae being a consummate detective who ferreted out ninja in his territory the moment they stepped foot into it. Shift as much suspicion from Ceres as possible onto him."

    "Hai!" exclaimed Chusei before he bowed again and melded into the shadows.

    Nurarihyon pondered over the future. Given the disposition of the boy and his wives, it was almost guaranteed that he would not part ways with Ceres.

    For his plan to work, they had to be together.

    For now, the first step was a success.

    ...

 67 Prologue

    ¡­

    Trando sat on the barstool beside the boy, nursing his tenth drink for the night. Slamming the newly drained mug onto the table, he laughed raucously, slapping the boy''s shoulder. "Nothing like a mug o'' ale and good company. Boy, ye'' be our lucky star. Right doubled our earnings for the month."

    The boy smiled at the compliment, raising his own mug for a toast. Satisfied, Trando clinked his mug against his and tried to take a swig, only to find it empty. "Oi! Who stole my ale!" Staggering off the stool which barely let his feet touch the ground, raising a shield nearly the size of his short frame.

    The dwarf swayed drunkenly, his helm askew as he threatened the amused patrons of the bar to return his drink or face his wrath.

    It wasn''t his first time having such outbursts and the regulars were familiar with his antics. Trando, the dwarf Paladin was quite famous in the Delver circles.

    Chuckling, the boy tossed a silver to the barkeep, payment for another round for everyone. Their party had received a windfall of wealth and he didn''t mind spreading the cheer.

    ¡­

    Tacking hard towards the right, the boy entered an offshoot of the passage, pressing himself hard against the wall. Holding his breath, shivering from fear and tension, he didn''t dare to peek out of the corner. Only the sight of their shadows, outlined against the illumination from the torches set in the main tunnel spoke of their passing.

    He closed his eyes and prayed.

    And wished he hadn''t as the image of Trando''s disembodied head appeared in his mind. His lifeless grey eyes accusing him even as the creatures sank their teeth into his flesh.

    When the passage grew quiet and the sound of skittering feet distant, the boy finally dared to breathe. Feet shaky from relief, he went out of the offshoot, making his way towards the exit in the direction opposite to his pursuers.

    ¡­

    The setting sun lit Evelyn''s russet hair making it glow the same hue as her flames. Her leather armour was tight against her chest, the tunic beneath unbuttoned to the third button. She was generous that way, giving the men something to think about on lonely nights.

    Yet, none had actually succeeded in wooing the fiery woman. The boy thought he had a chance.

    "P-please go out with m-mph."

    A slender finger against his lip. A whispered apology. The end of puppy love.

    ¡­

    Her dying screams reverberated within his mind as he ran from the horrors, gasping for breath. He had survived thus far by relying on his knowledge of the passages due to his role as the team''s navigator.

    For the tunnels to change more than once a day. The implications were frightening.

    ¡­

    Blonde and blue-eyed, Brian had the warmest of smiles and he was quite free with it, brightening everyone''s day wherever he went. Broad-chested and muscular, he looked as reliable as he was, and in a fight, his fists were worth entrusting your back to.

    Deep down, the boy knew Brian was a large part of why Evelyn had shut him down. Yet, watching him die under the combined assault of several of the creatures had torn his heart.

    Tears of guilt and relief streamed down his cheeks as he finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

    He had reached one of the many undocumented exits of the catacombs. When the creatures had swarmed out of the tunnels into the chamber they were in, Brian was the first to recover from the shock. He had charged headfirst into them to buy time for the rest of them to escape.

    Evelyn had refused to run, raining fire down upon the reanimated skeletons. Trando had joined the fray in a blaze of light.

    The boy was the only one who had run.

    He was the only one who had survived.

    As the dazzling sunlight shone upon his face, he kept telling himself that it was for the best. He needed to inform the guild of the irregularities in the catacombs. It was for the greater good.

    If he repeated the excuse enough, he might even come to believe it.

    As he straddled the separation between darkness and light, the ground blasted out at his feet and a pair of skeletal hands grabbed his ankles.

    Smashing face first into the ground, he tasted blood as he lost a tooth from the impact. His nails dug into the soil, leaving bloody furrows as he was dragged back into the darkness.

    His screams were cut off as the last of his body disappeared into the shadows. With a rumble of stone against stone, the opening caved in, sealing off the catacombs.

 68 Chapter 1

    A mind crystal shard is embedded in a vital point of the subject''s body, usually the heart. The Tamer performing the ceremony is then required to link the subject''s mindscape with the shard, letting the subject''s mana fill the crystal and providing a trigger condition for its detonation.

    The Tamer must be at least at Tier 4 in order to successfully create a Geas, which is at its core an inferior version of the Tier 5 Contract magic.

    - The Book of Bindings, Matthew Freeman, Prime Minister of the Regiis Empire

    Ceres dreamed.

    She dreamed of her childhood at the orphanage. Cossetted away at the heart of the Akaishi Mountains within the territory of the Kitsune Daimyo, the institution that took her in was the only one that served the town they were in and the surrounding villages.

    Life in the mountains was tough and every year new orphans were delivered to the orphanage.

    She was just one of them, brought in when her mother had perished in a landslide caused by one of the frequent earthquakes in the region when she was out picking herbs.

    She had never seen her father as she had apparently been born of a tryst between her mother and a passing traveller who had stopped at the inn she was serving at as a barmaid.

    The days after she had exhausted her tears for her departed mother were the best in her short life.

    Her fellow orphans were extremely welcoming and friendly, supporting her through her grief, while the matron was strict but kind. She fit right in, waiting for the day someone would adopt her.

    Until one day, she fainted during her chores. When she woke to the concerned faces of the matron and the other children, she realised that there was something different about her.

    As she stretched her hand out, it began to smoke, catching the rays of the sun that streamed in through the windows, making it seem ethereal.

    That was the day she learnt that she had the blood of nobility flowing within her veins.

    The matron was extremely excited as this meant that the orphanage would come to the notice of the Daimyo and they would finally receive funding. She could now expand the scale of operations.

    Ceres was quite overwhelmed by her uncharacteristic show of affection and being referred to as her little princess and her lucky star.

    But, she was extremely excited too. The matron had informed the local Tamer and he was supposed to pass the message on. They would come for her soon.

    It narrated the tale of a farm-girl who decided to sacrifice herself to alleviate the droughts that plagued her homeland. Her selflessness moved the Water Daimyo''s son and he answered her prayers by bringing rain to the village and taking her as his bride.

    She tossed and turned in her bed for a long time that night as she let her imagination run wild before finally succumbing to exhaustion.

    She woke to uncomfortable heat. It was as if someone had turned the brazier in her room to full heat. The sultry atmosphere was suffocating.

    Clambering out of her bed, she blearily walked towards the door of her room. She needed to let some fresh air in.

    But, before she could open the door, it was shoved open from the outside.

    There, outlined by the flickering light of the flames that burnt behind him, stood an extremely tall man in black robes. His face obscured by a demonic mask and his eyes that were visible through the eyeholes seemed to glow red as they reflected the light of the flames.

    It was only now when the door was open that the screams reached her ears.

    She stood there, stunned, until the man stretched out a hand for her.

    She screamed.

    And awoke with a throbbing headache. Gasping for breath, she quickly took in her surroundings.

    Wooden walls, low ceiling, window with a view of the lake. She was in the home of Phobos'' parents.

    A sharp jolt of pain ran through her skull as she sat up. She hissed in pain as she held her head. The memories of the previous night trickled back.

    So that was what had happened. Forced to use the amulet without proper preparation, she had ended up cracking her mindscape with the backlash.

    She tuned her head gingerly and took in her appearance in the mirror on the dressing table by the bedside.

    She looked worse for wear. Her skin was pale, her lips chapped and her hair frizzy. There were dark circles around her eyes from her fitful sleep.

    She sighed. Life was harsh.

    The sound of rapidly nearing footsteps interrupted her self-pitying. The door swung open and Mars entered with a tray which had a teapot and a cup.

    "I didn''t have the proper containers so I had to make do with the tea set. I hope that it washes well otherwise Uncle and Aunt will be tasting medicine in their tea for the next few days." He said with a smile.

    Taking a seat at the edge of the bed, he set the tray onto the bed and poured out an emerald green potion into the cup from the teapot before offering it to her.

    "Drink this. It''s good for the pain and will help you heal faster."

    She studied him silently for a moment before taking it from his hand.

    She raised the cup to her lips and took a sip. Her eyes widening as the bitterness she expected didn''t arrive. Instead, a mellow taste suffused her mouth, the bitterness having been masked by the honey that had been added to the medicine.

    Her head snapped up to look at Mars, her eyes widening in surprise. From her knowledge of alchemy, she knew that it was a precise science, every modification a result of countless trials.

    No one would spend so much time on altering the taste of perfectly functional medicine. Except, that is, someone who didn''t want his wives to suffer the tiniest grievance.

    She could easily imagine Mars spending hours over his alchemical cauldron so Phobos or Deimos would never have to taste bitter medicine again.

    She looked down, laying a hand over her heart. An inexplicable feeling rose within her, causing her heart to clench. She could feel its rhythm as it beat. She could easily imagine the crystal shard within pulsing in tandem.

    The Duchess'' words resounded in her mind:

    "Your mission is to marry him, win his trust and support him to the Throne. Succeed and you shall be free, or as free as it is possible to be in this world of ours. Fail, and you shall die."

    When she looked up, her mind was made. She wanted to live.

 69 Chapter 2

    "Don''t move heedlessly! The medicine still needs some time to show its effect," said Mars as he stood up and helped her prop up the pillows and get comfortable.

    "Thanks." she said in a small voice.

    "Don''t mention it. Now, what was it that you wanted to say?"

    Just as Ceres made to speak, the door to the room was pushed open and Phobos entered. Making her way to the bed, she took a seat by Mars'' side.

    Phobos studied her with her piercing yellow eyes for a while before she said, "How are you feeling?"

    "Fine. Just a headache and I''ve already taken the potion for that."

    Phobos nodded. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk to Husband about?"

    Ceres studied the way the two of them sat together. Phobos subconsciously leaning against Mars'' shoulder while his hand circled around her waist and rested on her hip. It wasn''t anything overtly sensual but they just looked so comfortable in the others presence.

    She couldn''t help but feel slightly envious of them. She smiled wryly internally. Really, it was human nature to be insatiably greedy. When she had known her mission, she hadn''t expected love in her marriage.

    Rather, it was more a matter of convenience. She would serve him, cater to him as much as her abilities allowed and win his trust. Then, assist him onto the throne. Her mission would be complete. She would finally be free.

    Yet, she hadn''t expected his unconditional trust of her. After the cold calculation she had been subjected to under the Duchess, it caught her off guard. It had worked like a slow poison corroding her resolve and she had let emotion cloud her judgement.

    Now, she wanted his affection as well but she quickly set a firm resolve. What did it matter if she was loved if she wasn''t alive to experience it.

    Ceres opened her mouth, "Husband¡­"

    "Stop!" Phobos interrupted her. "Call him by his name."

    Ceres stiffened with her mouth half open. It seemed that she had really offended the girl with her deceit.

    "Well then¡­ Mars, why did you step up to participate in the Swayamvar? We played no part in that decision of yours. It was all your doing."

    Mars rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well¡­ why not? The Swayamvar is the most prestigious competition in the Empire and there are only advantages involved in participating. No drawbacks."

    He shrugged. "Whatever I do in the future, the Swayamvar will provide a certificate of my abilities based on my performance in it. Not only that, it will broaden my horizons by letting me travel far and wide, meeting new people and seeing new places.

    "And, even if these advantages weren''t there, the glory and prestige associated with the event is enough to draw me to participate."

    Ceres nodded. "Then, did you never even consider winning? Marrying the Princess? Becoming the next Emperor?"

    Mars frowned slightly at her question, not liking the direction it was leading to but he answered anyway. "First of all, I have self-knowledge. I am under no illusion that I am the best in the Empire. While I am proud of my achievements, I prefer to not let my pride transform into misguided hubris. But, considering your involvement in the matter¡­ I suppose those chances aren''t illusory anymore. I refuse to believe the Duchess'' plans end here."

    When Ceres made to speak, he waved her words away.

    "Be that as it may, I have very little interest to the throne. You do know of my situation, right? I am the heir to my clan and I can take over the seat after the Swayamvar is over. I can choose to join the army. My parents are there and I''m sure they''d be in a good position to pave my way if I so chose. But what truly interests me is emulating the Tamers of yore and travelling the land, subduing the Ferals that are bringing disaster to the people and reuniting them with their families.

    "To put it bluntly, the position of the Emperor is more of a figurehead. He has no territory and his only powers are diplomatic and legislative in nature. He is the face of our nation and during national policy making, he is supposed to get together with the eight Dukes and preside over their meeting. In the case of a tie, the deciding vote is his to cast.

    "Such a life holds little appeal to me. Let alone, the capital is a bigger political vortex than the one at home. Clan politics have sufficed, I have very little desire to experience something more vicious."

    Phobos, who had remained silent suddenly spoke up. "Girl, aren''t you going about this in the wrong way? Two hands are needed to clap. Whatever the process, you are married to Husband after all. Marriage with you was always supposed to be an arranged marriage. A marriage of convenience. There were advantages and disadvantages to marrying you but the Duchess has managed to mitigate most of the demerits, so, we were thinking of giving you another chance.

    "With your deceit, you hurt Husband. You hurt me. In fact, Deimos wanted to send you back home but we wanted to have a talk when our emotions weren''t running so high. Right now, you are making a poor case for yourself. Not only do you not apologize for how you married him, you try to push him towards your own goal."

    Phobos'' eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don''t like being used."

    Ceres screamed with frustration internally. Her cracked mindscape was hindering her pondering. Every thought was like an awl through her mind. Why was it so difficult for them to just accept her words?

    It wasn''t like she could just tell them that she had a Geas put on her and that she would die if she didn''t complete her mission of enthroning Mars. The Geas would kill her if she tried to tell others about it. She knew that unless all of them were of one mind and strongly worked towards victory, they wouldn''t win.

    The help the Duchess could provide was very limited. After all, the competition involved national prestige. If it was so easy to influence, Regiis wouldn''t be the political juggernaut it was.

    She knew that she couldn''t soften her stance now, even if it put her further into disfavour with them. If she accepted their conditions and apologized to them, promising to put Mars'' wishes in a higher priority than winning the Swayamvar¡­ they wouldn''t strive to win.

    She needed to convince them that winning the Swayamvar was their best choice. She needed to bring them onto the same page as her.

 70 Chapter 3

    I had no idea why she was bringing that up now but I nodded my acceptance.

    "Well then, how did you plan to do it?"

    I didn''t know where she was taking this but I humoured her, "The Cult of Bubastis in Egypt is renown for their medical expertise. I presume that they might have a solution to your particular case."

    "And why do you feel that they would be willing to treat me upon your request when they deny so many of similar or even loftier status?"

    "Mother''s bloodline originates from them? So, they would be more likely to give us favoured treatment?" I probed.

    "And that is where you are wrong. I''m guessing that you are in the dark about the fact that they denied your Mother treatment for her infertility after giving birth to you."

    My eyes widened in surprise. "What? Why would they do that? Even if they didn''t wish to pay attention to her bloodline origin, they should have taken her status into account. Offending a Marquis of Regiis for no good reason is surely quite idiotic."

    Ceres shook her head. "It was because of her bloodline that she was turned away."

    She settled back into her pillows and continued, "You might think that the commonality in their bloodline origin would provide convenience to your mother in dealing with the Cult. But the fact is just the opposite.

    "The Cult is very secretive and exclusive. It likes to keep its secrets closely guarded. Now, what do you think would happen if a person with their bloodline runs up to another country to marry and settle down?"

    I was suddenly enlightened. "They would want to recover her."

    "Right. That was their condition for treating her. She would have to leave Regiis and join the Cult, leaving her family behind. As expected, this condition was flatly rejected. After that, relations haven''t been harmonious between the Cult and your parents.

    "That is why she wrote down Egypt as a foot-note in her text."

    While I was surprised at the revelation, I could see where she was trying to take the topic. But Phobos was faster than me.

    "Oh? So, you mean to imply that if Husband becomes the Emperor, then his parents will be raised to the status of Royalty. Then, the Cult would have to cave in to their demands or spark an international incident."

    Ceres nodded. "Exactly."

    I rubbed my nose. "Be that as it may, I don''t believe that my parents have any plans to give me a younger sibling. Even if they could. So, your argument isn''t quite convincing."

    Ceres turned to me. "Don''t you find it strange that your Father promoted to Tier 5 before your Mother did, despite her talent being higher than his?"

    It also wasn''t a matter of diligence as in her position as the Chief Healer of the clan, she was worked to the bone nearly every day.

    Her training was no less intense than Father''s. Yet, there she was still stuck at Tier 4 while he advanced.

    I questioned her, "Does it have something to do with her bloodline and the Cult?"

    "Right." She replied. "The fact of the matter is that promoting from Tier 4 to Tier 5 requires a turning point. In the case of most ordinary bloodlines involving carnivores, a tough fight is generally enough to stimulate their bloodline and trigger the promotion.

    "Case in point, your Father''s abrupt advancement after his Duel." She paused to gather her thoughts and then continued, "But, in many cases, different criterion are to be met for successful promotion.

    "As you would expect, these conditions vary with the bloodline of the subject. Information on Tier 5 is classified so what I know is quite limited but I have read that the condition for some hare bloodlines is to break through the limits of their speed."

    I indicated for her to go on and Ceres continued after wetting her throat from the glass of water on the bedside table. "Here, most of what I am going to say is speculative, as, if Tier 5 information is restricted, Tier 6 is nigh unavailable."

    She shook her head. "In fact, my sources are mainly fables and the mythos of various cultures. Take for example the Huaxia belief in the Divine Beast known as the Dragon. They say that a python after long years of cultivation grows claws and horns, transforming into a flood dragon. The flood dragon in turn has the possibility of cultivating and turning into a true dragon which is a Divine Beast.

    "In my opinion, the flood dragon is basically a python that has cultivated to Tier 5 and is able to use mana manifestation to change their shape, while the true Dragon is what they turn into after promoting to Tier 6.

    "So, your Mother''s case, is quite special. Her bloodline originates from a sacred beast, in other words, a beast whose ancestor had once reached Tier 6, the legendary level of Demigod."

    Piecing together what she had revealed, I realised that she was referring to the fact that the advancement condition for Mother would be even harsher and obscure given how honoured her bloodline was.

    I said, "So, you mean to say that without the help of the Cult, mother won''t be able to promote?"

    She nodded. "The Cult obviously knows the method of promotion required for members of their own bloodline. Your Mother, through her extensive research and novel approach to Healing is trying to recreate what the first ancestor of her clan must have done: calculate the advancement condition. But, that is obviously easier said than done. If luck doesn''t side by her, she has the possibility of never succeeding for her entire life.

    "Also, I''m sure that she would love a chance to visit the Cult''s stores of medical knowledge."

    Phobos and I looked at each other and were silent.

    A chance to be of help to Mother was quite appealing to me and the matter was quite serious. A promotion to Tier 5 meant a leap in the lifespan from a hundred years to almost a hundred and fifty. Let alone, due to her bloodline origin, she had a high success rate and even a small possibility of promoting to Demigod in her lifetime. If I allowed Mother''s cultivation base to stagnate because of this, I would in effect be shortening her lifespan.

    If I didn''t know of this, it would have been fine but now that I did¡­

    I exchanged glances with Phobos. I found resignation in her eyes.

    Turning to Ceres I said, "I have one last question."

    ...

    Author''s note: (cause it was too long to fit just in the box)

    First of all... I have participated in this time''s writing prompts contest.

    [GENE Project: Road to Perfection] is the name of the book. Three chaps are already out... try and give it a read and support it if you like it.

    Secondly,

    If even a little realism turns you off, you are free to stop reading... Mars was sheltered all his life... facing his first crisis he obviously didn''t handle it well... also I don''t and never had planned for Mars'' harem to be a bunch of dolls who live harmoniously.

 71 Chapter 4

    Phobos watched Ceres chew over Mars'' questions as she mentally framed her answers. She ran through the entire conversation with the fox-girl in her mind, suddenly realizing that instead of a talk between family, it had been more like a negotiation between two hostile parties seeking to form an alliance based on benefit.

    Which, in essence, was the current state of affairs.

    Until now, everything the Vulpines had done stemmed from the fact that as a battle-trained Tamer, Mars was in a unique position to assist them in fulfilling their objective of getting a shot at Royalty.

    Marrying Ceres, until now, had been a losing proposition, what with the risks involved with the exposure her identity. The Duchess had employed several means to mitigate those risks and balance the scales. Political marriages for the maidens of Vulpine and the mind crystal locket were all parts of those efforts.

    But that didn''t account for the deceit utilized in the process of the marriage. That was a clear transgression against Mars. It even broke the law of the Empire against the coercion of marriages.

    The problem was, there was no proof and the political fallout of exposing it would be enormous. A Marquis clan heir against a Duchess. The unrest caused would surely alarm the superiors and in such a delicate time with war looming, the conflict would surely be suppressed to private settlements.

    Trying to remedy their relations and making the marriage work was a better option as it preserved the political connection with the Duchess and gave them the moral high ground.

    In the future, the Duchess would have to be more receptive to any ''requests'' they might make.

    Yet, all said and done, marrying Ceres was still a bad decision at worst and neutral at best. Thus, any question about helping her achieve her goal was moot.

    But the girl had yet another card up her sleeve and this time, it was an ace. If her words about Mars'' Mother were true, then winning the Swayamvar just became their common goal instead of just hers. So, what could be seen as her selfish desires until now, transformed into opportune help.

    The scales were suddenly tipped in her favour.

    Having reorganized her mind, Ceres said, "First of all, I have always aspired to the position. You can consider it a personal ambition of mine. Just like some people aim for martial brilliance, aspire to write the most beautiful poem or the most evocative piece of prose, or paint something that will be admired by posterity; my goal is to be coronated as the Empress.

    "The Shogunate has taken to disguising their naval forces as pirates and preying upon our mercantile fleet upon the waters of the Bay of Kings. After sustaining heavy losses, we have started assigning substantial naval guard upon the trade routes. But defence is forever tougher than offense. Not only do we lose a large portion of the profits due to the added costs of the permanent escort, the attacks of the pirates have caught us off guard several times, causing severe casualties in personnel and property.

    "It might be peaceful on the surface, but the war with the Shogunate has already begun. It might not be a war with explicit blood and fire but it is a silent war. A war of gold."

    "What does that have to do with our marriage though?" asked Mars.

    "Everything. Why do you think the Delphinidae clan performed so miserably in the Tournament? As the erstwhile rulers of the southern region of the province, they were hit the hardest by the current turn of events. Most of the merchants who patronized their seaports have withdrawn as the waters have become too bloody.

    "Then? Then without the revenue that came from them, how do you think they managed to pay for the naval upkeep? From their coffers of course¡­ and from ours."

    She shook her head. "While the Lutrinae were busy looking after their own petty profits and hoarding their resources, we along with the Delphinidae were paying for the upkeep of the naval battle lines. But the situation isn''t tenable.

    "We need money and when we proposed that we needed central granting in the previous meeting of the Parliament, the vote was split. The Emperor decided that the situation wasn''t enough to merit the reassignment of revenue from one province to another and risk racking up internal discontent."

    Mars finished her statement for her. "So, you need a new Emperor. One more amenable to your cause." She nodded.

    He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Really¡­ I''m speechless. You people managed to raise my marriage to the level of national politics. I''m not sure whether I should feel flattered or depressed."

    Finally, he chuckled. "Oh well, here''s to a happy cooperation," he said as he stretched out his hand to Ceres.

    Her face fell as she looked at his hand.

    Phobos internally sighed. What had the girl expected after straight up telling them that their marriage was loaded with all sorts of political and personal agendas? Of course, Mars would treat her like a business partner rather than a wife.

    She had to change her attitude and try a lot harder if she wanted the trust he had been willing to unconditionally lavish on her until now. But she could understand Ceres'' disappointment. After experiencing that level of trust, the lack thereof would leave a massive gap in her life.

    Ceres smiled stiffly and reached out to grasp his hand. She squeezed out the words, "Happy cooperation" with great difficulty as they shook hands.

    "Well then, we won''t disturb your rest any further. That potion has a mild soporific effect so you''ll be wanting to sleep soon. Don''t resist it, it''ll be good for your headache. I''ll have lunch sent up to your room, so take care." said Mars with a false smile before turning around and leaving.

    Phobos sighed and got up too. "Concentrate on getting better." For a moment it seemed like Ceres wanted to say something but the only word out of her mouth was, "Thanks." Nodding, Phobos left after Mars.

    When they were out of the room, she questioned him. "Are you going to let her off just like that?"

    He shook his head. "What else can we do now? The situation is currently like a glass of seawater and we are like men without tongues. The major problems have been settled, like the sand at the bottom of the glass while the salt remains, invisible.

    "The water might seem clear to our eyes but unless we taste it, we won''t be able to say whether it is salty. Right now, if we keep on investigating the matter, we''ll just stir it up all over again, bringing the sand up to the top. Our focus will just be stuck on the problems and not the solutions.

    "But, you forget that we are scheduled to visit my parents before the Swayamvar commences. In front of a Tier 4 healer, if there are any falsehoods hidden in her words¡­" he shrugged, "We''ll know."

 72 Chapter 5

    Catching a thermal, it shot upwards, gaining the height required to fulfil its mission. A flock of Manchurian cranes had made their nest in the area by commandeering an Aeolian crystal, and it had been tasked to conduct a tactical strike on the egg that was breeding a crane ruler at the centre of the nest.

    The best-case scenario was that it would be in and out before the cranes guarding the egg even noticed and far enough away by the time they did that it would be too late for pursuit.

    But fate had other plans.

    Just as the thermal tapered off and the airplane began its glide, picking up speed the further it fell, it was spotted by a patrolling crane. It was attuned to the fire element as attested by its blazing red colouration and the very air around it warped from the heat emanated by it.

    With an incensed screech, the furious bird dived towards the accelerating plane.

    Although manoeuvrability was on its side, built for speed, a single hit would spell doom for the fragile construct.

    Barrel rolling through the attack, it dipped its nose and went into a steeper dive to cast off the crane which was in hot pursuit.

    As the saying went, misfortunes never came singly and the airplane''s came in the form of a strong gust of wind from its side, blowing it right into the path of another crane. This time, one that glowed a brilliant yellow indicating its affinity to light.

    The plane shone with a white brilliance, the wind mana around it condensing, allowing it to tack hard away from the crane, barely scratching past it.

    A swipe of its wing in passing knocked the plane askew, sending it into an uncontrolled spiral. Stabilizing with great difficulty, the plane accelerated towards its goal with the two birds in hot pursuit.

    The sounds of the chase alerted the flock and soon, more and more of the creatures began converging to give chase glowing with the multicolour brilliance of their elements.

    Knowing that the possibility of a successful withdrawal was non-existent, the plane committed to a kamikaze attack, pouring all of its energy into gaining speed.

    The egg was in sight, the end of its mission near. At least its demise wouldn''t be in vain.

    A white crane dropped from the skies, slamming into it from the top, sending it tumbling. With an impact that destroyed its frame, it crashed onto the ground. It had failed once again.

    Sweating profusely, I collapsed backwards onto the ground from my seated position. Controlling the paper plane had taken a lot out of me.

    Ten paper cranes of various hues circled her like living creatures under the influence of her manipulation of the wind.

    We were currently in the training topology of the Felidae estates having returned home from the capital just a day prior. We had been given a hero''s welcome, specially Deimos for placing first in the tournament.

    The clan elders had all assembled and formally recognized me as the Heir and congratulated me for Father''s promotion and my successful formation of familial ties with Duchess. If only they knew.

    Festivities had followed and the girls had sneaked off leaving me to deal with all the socializing. Although, Ceres had stayed and set about thoroughly charming everyone present, leaving me with mixed feelings. While I was happy to have part of the spotlight off me, watching her navigate her way through the maze of relations had taken a class to me about my inadequacies.

    All in all, a tiring evening.

    That was why, eager for a change of pace, I had agreed to come explore the training facilities of the clan open exclusively to its core members. An area the both of us now had unlimited access to.

    The topology we were currently in was specially designed for wind mages. Known as ''the Cradle and the Grave'', the fancifully named arrangement of elemental crystals and stones emulated similar arrangements found in nature, producing similar effects.

    Hence the origin of the term topology.

    We were currently in the outskirts of the Wind Cradle, in the area reserved for Tier 2 mages. The precisely calculated positioning of the Aeolian and Radiant crystals agitated the air in the topology, constantly giving birth to random gusts of wind.

    The deeper one went into the topology, the stronger the winds, while the centre resembled a perpetual storm, sufficient for Tier 4 mages to hone their control of the wind in.

    That was what we were trying to do. Hone our control over the wind.

    After her Specialization, Deimos'' authority over her element had shot up dramatically and that meant my capabilities in wind magic improved as well.

    The usual method of practice here involved controlling objects like feathers and resisting the battering of the ebullient winds. But Deimos had come up with a better idea.

    Apparently, she had taken a shine to my gimmick during the Tournament and discovered an untapped potential in the Mana indicator cards used in the finals. She had asked for and been granted the cards left over after the end of the tournament.

    Though the cards were expensive, they weren''t really very useful as even a Tier 1 mage could reasonably accurately predict the element of a sample of mana by their sensation alone. Thus, they were only used as decorative, novelty items.

    Some artists even used paper made from the special bark to paint using their mana.

    Deimos though, had found another use for them. A use which had culminated in the game we had been playing.

    While I controlled a paper plane made from a card, she wielded ten origami cranes. My goal was to breach her defence lines and touch a spot marked by a wind stone and then, to successfully withdraw.

    Hers was to shoot me down before I could do so. Burdened as she was by the greater number of constructs she had to control, the movement of the cranes were quite stiff, yet her talent was enough to ensure my loss time and again.

    As for the story we had in place with the origami cranes turning into a bird from before the apocalypse and the wind stone turning into their egg¡­ Life is always more interesting with a generous dollop of fantasy.

    "Master, you keep making the same mistakes, ya. You can''t force the wind to do your bidding. You need to befriend it." Berated Deimos as she awoke from her meditative trance and the circling cranes fell into her lap.

    Walking up to the fallen paper plane, I picked it up and began smoothing out the tip which had become crumpled upon its latest impact with the ground.

    With a wave of her fingers, a gust of wind blew the plane out of my hands and towards her. On the way, instead of using mana to still the turbulent winds, it took a curving path, leveraging the very same turbulence to accelerate.

    Finally, it landed gently on her lap among the multicoloured cranes.

    I grew silent as I pondered upon the superiority of her method of operating the winds. My gaze landed on the cranes on her lap. Each one had been imbued with a different elemental mana, thereby drastically increasing the challenge she faced in manipulating them. It was her way of familiarizing herself with the other elements and finding ways to cope with mages of other categories.

 73 Chapter 6

    "Some materials on higher Tier contract magic. Ceres felt that I needed to focus on my own field of magic more as I am the only Hominum in the Swayamvar."

    "Oh? She said that now, did she?"

    "Yeah. She apparently stayed up the entire night putting all she remembered about contracts from her reading onto paper. I felt that I should at least give it a read."

    "Hmm. How far along are you in the text?"

    "I just started with it. Her headache only reduced to manageable levels without potions yesterday so, I just got this from her today morning."

    "Mind if I give it a look over. After all, most of the texts she might have read would have Bestia authors and her memory, however formidable is impossible to be perfect. So, this account is at best twice removed from reality. Ignorance, while fearful, is nothing in comparison to wrong knowledge. That can be fatal."

    I was suitably mortified by Master''s words. "I''m sorry, Master! I meant no disrespect to you. I have no complaints about your method of teaching. If you haven''t taught me something, there is inevitably a reason. I should have had this vetted by you even before I started."

    Master waved away my apologies. "Oh no! Not to worry, child. I''m not angry in the least. Curiosity is the impetus for development. Your desire for further knowledge is the way the things should be. In fact, as your Teacher, I have been lax.

    "Seeing that I will be leaving soon, I should at least take some measures to ensure your continued progress in the arts of Taming. Hmm¡­ Let''s do it this way. I will go through what your wife has written for you and revise any errors and while I''m at it, I will append the lessons I have yet to teach you to the notes.

    "That way, you will have a handy way to reference my lessons while on the move."

    I handed Ceres'' notes over to him and bowed. "This disciple will forever carve Master''s benevolence in his mind."

    He smiled and helped me up by my shoulders. "No need to thank me, child. I''m just doing what my duty as your Teacher entails."

    He paused for a moment before continuing, "Actually, if you really want to show your gratitude, you can do so by performing to the best of your capabilities in the Swayamvar."

    He looked me in the eye. "Do you know why we Hominum, though respected for our contract magic, are thoroughly side-lined when it comes to combat?"

    After musing on it for a moment, I replied, "Our innately weaker bodies?"

    He nodded and then shook his head. "While you are partly correct, but if you look at a Tamer with all six contracts and compare the intensity of his fleshly body with that of a Bestia with one contract, there will be little to no difference in the intensities.

    "If not for his formidable individual strength, do you think it would be possible to impose a nearly dictatorial rule on such a vast stretch of land and carve out the Regiis Empire in the heart of the continent, wresting the land away from the control of the Tribes that controlled it?"

    I nodded, fascinated. The texts always mentioned his prowess as an enlightened ruler and a visionary. This was the first time I had heard the term ''dictator'' being used to describe him. The allusions to his formidable individual strength were fresh for me as well.

    Though, this version of events seemed to make more sense than the ones which glorified the man as a charismatic character who won over the hearts of his six wives and his subjects with equal ease.

    Master continued, "Before Contract magic was introduced, the highest level a mage could reach was Tier 5. But afterwards, it was discovered that one could take advantage of the contract and break through the shackles and become a Demigod. The difficulty is enormous and that''s the end.

    "The enticement of advancing their long stagnant strength was a driving force behind all the support the first Emperor received from the Tier 5 mages at that time as well as the rapid spread and acceptance of the ideology that Hominum weren''t mere weaklings to be abandoned but a respectable cornerstone of society.

    "But, after Contract magic became more widespread, although the views on Hominum acknowledged their usefulness to society, their combat capability was brought into question. There is only one reason for it. The peculiarity of our mindscapes."

    He shrugged and spread his hands out in a helpless manner. "Not only does our power fluctuate with the strength of our bonds, we are incapable of the two major magics associated with Tier 4 and Tier 5: Bloodline Manifestation and Bloodline Integration. Even during Tier 3, unless all our wives have the same elemental affinity, we are incapable of generating the Domain that all other Tier 3 mages use as their main forms of offensive and defensive action.

    "That''s why there hasn''t been another Hominum Emperor since Adam. The competitors are usually talented enough to promote to Tier 3 by the time the Swayamvar reaches its final stages thereby disadvantaging the Tamer. Let alone, most of them would have a really hard time finding five appropriate wives by then so that they can reach their full potential."

    He looked at me with full seriousness. "I hope that you, as my student can break this trend and bring honour to all Hominum on the continent."

    He patted Ceres'' notes with the back of his hand.

    "To that end, I''ll add something to this that is an untested theory of mine. I think you will find yourself pleasantly surprised." said Master as he stood up and took his leave.

    ¡­

    As Nurarihyon left the room, his expression grew colder. Flipping through the sheaf of papers, he found what he was looking for. In beautiful cursive lettering, the details of the Tier 4 Contract magic, the Geas, were written on a page.

    His eyes scanned the page swiftly, his lips curving upwards into a smile that didn''t reach his eyes.

    Starting from where his fingers pinched the paper, a pale, smoky flame spread, reducing it to ash.

 74 Chapter 7

    - Nura Rihan on Mars Felidae

    My fingers paddled the void, causing the air to ripple in their wake. The tips spelt out the words for wind and storm in the Old Language.

    Trails of mana shimmered in the air as they formed the floating text.

    The brilliant letters vibrated in the air in a rhythm that echoed in mysterious ways with the world.

    Wind mana from the surroundings coalesced onto them and a breeze followed in its wake.

    The breeze grew into a gust. The gust into a gale.

    Lost in my trance, I didn''t notice my eyes glowing white as my fingers cut jagged lines of mana into the swirling air.

    They spelt the word ''sharp'' and the errant winds swirling around me condensed into invisible blades that scattered all around me.

    Tier 2 wind magic: Blade-Edge Hurricane.

    The blades of wind lost their momentum and unravelled as they met the suppression of the topology as they went further away from me.

    Snapping out of my trance, I whooped as finally, nearly a month of effort showed results.

    Formed from an arrangement of Umbral and Aeolian crystals, the intertwining shadow and wind mana caused the air in the topology''s zone of influence to remain utterly stagnant.

    The Grave of the Winds was a very suitable environment to practice strengthening one''s wind magic as the counterpoint to the Cradle which was more suited for exercising control.

    Grinning widely, I turned to Master who was sitting just out of the range of the topology.

    Instead of the joyous expression I expected for the confirmation of his theory, I only found utter shock in his expression. Well, an understandable reaction. It was a mere conjecture on his part after all.

    Without mana, he had no way to test his theory.

    Once again, I felt sorry for him. Losing his harem must have been painful for him. I wish he would share his story with me. It might just lessen his burden.

    Master recovered from his shock swiftly.

    "That was confirmed much faster than I could ever expect. Can you tell me how you did it?"

    I grinned. It wasn''t everyday that I got to shock my Master. He was nearly as parsimonious with his praise as Father. Earning it always made me feel accomplished.

    "Well, it wasn''t too difficult, really. I just had to get used to the new mode of mana operation. Realising that mana resonance was the way to prevent the mana text from dissipating was the crucial turning point."

    "Hold on. Making the mana resonate with the natural mana frequency should have been the toughest part. How did you manage to do it simultaneously as you wrote?"

    "Then what were you doing for the past month if not training your ability to resonate with natural mana?"

    "Well, manipulating the mana I release from my fingertips into the shapes of the letters takes a lot of control. Over the month, I was only able to achieve it for the wind element. That too because Deimos is Specialized in control, so my mana reflects that. Shadow and Fire still needs a lot of work."

    Master rubbed his forehead. "I keep forgetting that you are merely on the cusp of Tier 2. Having such delicate control is quite difficult for you to achieve."

    "It''s okay. It''s good practice. Anyway, Master, you were right about the Old Language not being merely random scribbles arbitrarily given meaning. They are the language of mana. When I was writing out the words, I could feel them causing the natural mana in the world to respond in specific ways. It was almost like commanding the world to bend to my will. This could revolutionize the way Hominum train."

    Master smiled wryly as he shook his head. "When are things ever easy? Achieving what you did would take the average Hominum years." He pointed to the sheaf of papers bound in leather that contained the revised version of Ceres'' notes along with his lessons in writing. "When I wrote my theories down, I expected you to have to work on it for much longer. I expected it to come in handy during the endgame of the Swayamvar when you would be nearing Tier 3 and in dire need of something that could boost your spellcasting and rival a Domain."

    "The technique of external casting involves using the mana in nature instead of the mana in our mindscape. Due to the requirement for mana resonance, it is exclusively limited to Hominum and can provide a boost to our magic. I came across the technique in a remnant volume of a book from before the War. It seemed to be the primary form of Hominum magic then.

    "The incomplete nature of the work kept me from getting all the details and I am missing a lot of the actual process, thus, as you saw, the might of the magic is limited and the casting is quite slow compared to internal casting. I don''t see it replacing the traditional training for Tamers anytime soon, but I feel that the extra endurance provided by it and the boost for the magic of you and your wives can act a formidable trump card that can net you victory in a pinch."

    He leaned back against the wall he was sitting in front of. "You took me by surprise by completing this so fast. My talent in this aspect is inferior to yours."

    I frowned. "If this was the primary form of magic for Hominum, then Contract magic?"

    "Was merely an auxiliary skill. One for which we have become characterized today." He replied.

    As I left the training halls, I looked down at my hands. The very same hands that had seemed to control the very world for a brief moment.

    I couldn''t get the heady rush out of mind. It felt¡­ right.

    I could easily believe that it had been the main mode of casting for the Hominum of yore. A method lost under the heartless tread of time.

    An ambition began germinating in my mind.

 75 Chapter 8

    Even in the frozen environs, his upper body was bare, revealing corded muscles chiselled with years of diligence and pain.

    His meticulously trimmed hair patterned like a tiger''s fur looked unkempt from the three months of neglect.

    Tufts of white fur covered his chest and the backs of his forearms as well as the tips of his feline ears. His icy blue eyes were covered by his eyelids as he meditated, the lashes laden with rime.

    In fact, a layer of frost covered him entirely, with snow piled high on his head and shoulders. At first glance from his utter stillness, one could easily mistake him for a statue.

    If not for the gentle undulations of his chest, it would be an easy mistake.

    Not far from his meditating figure, a couple stood by, onlooking. The wind and snow that ravaged the peak seemed to flinch from them, leaving a zone of stillness in their surroundings.

    The muscular man in only a waistcoat with nothing underneath and leather breeches was Bruno''s father, Anil Felidae. Like his brother, his hair was a tiger-striped orange and his ears shaped like the beasts his bloodline originated from. Unlike him, his hair was kept long, braided into dreadlocks and held back by a colourful bandana.

    His feline, green eyes remained fixated on his son, a hint of anticipation shining within.

    A voice clear like the tinkling of ice against ice resounded from his side. "We should just go to my homeland. The ''Amur'' are revered there. The return of two of such noble blood will be greeted by week long festivities and the sacrifice of the largest caribou in their herd. I do not understand why you insist on staying."

    The speaker was a petite woman with doll-like features. Her icy blue eyes and porcelain skin were complemented by short white hair with tiger stripes embellishing it. Her thick Slavic accent spoke of her origin in the Northern icefields.

    Vera Felidae, mother of Bruno, wife of Anil Felidae. Her expression was as frosty as her element.

    Anil Felidae chuckled and snaked an arm around his wife''s waist, pulling her close. She relaxed and rested her shoulder against his bicep and leant her head on his shoulder. The perpetual frost in her gaze softening in his embrace.

    "You know why, my love. Despite my disagreement with my brother, I am a man of Regiis and I am titled Felidae. It is my soil and my clan. I will not abandon them."

    Vera turned her head to look up at him. "And what of me?"

    He smiled. His skin, tanned from his travels, crinkled around his eyes. "You, love, are different. You fought, you lost. Hence, you''re mine. You''re of Regiis."

    The Northern Icefields were a land of paucity and survival was but an expectation. When the sixth forbidden land began its centennial migration, they had no choice but to move south or perish.

    They invaded Regiis from the north, burning and plundering from those they considered ''soft from their years of plenty''. Fearsome warriors all, the Northern province of Regiis was almost downcast as the hordes shattered the defence lines uncaring of the blood and broken bodies they left in their wake.

    For in their words. "The strong rule and the weak starve. At least in Regiis the weak have a chance to serve." Said Vera as she nuzzled her face into his neck.

    "We were the invaders. We lost. As I stood in the stocks as a prisoner of war, having watched my father''s head on a spike, I didn''t dare expect to live, much less for the young recruit with the highest merits in his regiment to reject all other rewards and claim me as his wife. I care little for Regiis. Where you go is my home."

    Their eyes met, then their lips as the snow swirled around them, obscuring them from view.

    Long minutes later, the curtain of snow parted, revealing them again. This time, Anil Felidae sat on a snow-covered rock with his wife on his lap as the both of them watched their son meditating, attempting to counterbalance the ill-effects of the use of a Glacial crystal to break through.

    After the end of the Tournament, instead of returning to the clan, Bruno had travelled with his parents on their missions, both in search of means to make up for his flaw and to gain experience in preparation for his upcoming participation in the Swayamvar.

    As one of the few remaining eligible bachelors in the Finalists, he had been chosen to represent the south-eastern province at the competition. He had drawn the token for the Trial of Water.

    "Brother is really like an insurmountable mountain. He even promoted to Tier 5 in a Mortem''s Duel. His back is even more distant than before." Anil Felidae said ruefully as he watched his son.

    His wife looked up at him, confusedly. "This is something I have never been able to understand. If you wanted the position of clan head so badly, why didn''t you just take it? You obviously had the means to defeat your brother, yet you never used it." Her eyes went to his right ear.

    There hanging from his earlobe was a large earring. It consisted of two pearls the size of marbles followed by a large crystal that sparkled in the hues of the rainbow as it broke up the light that passed through it.

    Realizing her gaze, he chuckled. Hugging her tighter, he said. "Why do you think I wanted the position?" He shook his head, causing the earring to sway and sparkle. "No, I much prefer my current life of adventure and travel over brother''s boring job at the desk. I- I just wanted to prove myself to father."

    He clenched his fist. "As the second son, nothing was ever expected from me. I was coddled and treated like a fragile piece of artware. Brother was always the only one entrusted with responsibility. He was the only one father ever expected anything from. Me? I was only expected to live a happy, carefree life. Father loved me. His love was suffocating.

    "It hurt my pride. When even on his deathbed, father shortened his remaining life to extract a part of his mindscape to create a mind crystal amulet for me while he entrusted the clan to brother, I vowed through my tears that I would exceed brother and show Father''s soul in heaven that I wasn''t just the boy to be protected and coddled. I could bear the burden of responsibility too.

    "If I used the symbol of my shame to beat my brother, what significance would my victory have?"

    Vera sighed. "Really, husband, your heart is weak. In the icefields, if we wanted something, we took it. Your misguided pride left your son without his parents for all these years."

    Anil Felidae deflated. "The pressure brother gave me was too much. No matter how hard I worked, he was always a step ahead. Unless I used the amulet, I didn''t stand a chance. So, I evaded my responsibility, pushed my burdens onto my son. I wasn''t a good father and to keep me company, I kept you away from him too. I''m sorry."

    Vera shrugged. "Cubs have to learn to hunt on their own. Our son has grown well enough. The rough edges will be smoothed away by years and experience. In fact, I am grateful to your brother for the setback he faced. A goal he pursued with determination all his life taken away and made impossible due to circumstances out of his control. He will come back from this stronger. He is my son after all."

    "Now that brother has promoted to Tier 5 and even the amulet won''t be of help, I can finally discard my useless pride. The possibility of victory the amulet gave me clouded my vision till now, making me hold on to my obsession, not letting me realize how my family suffered because of me. I won''t make the same mistake again."

    Kissing his wife on her cheek, he set her down from his lap and stood up, walking up to the edge of the ledge he was observing Bruno from.

 76 Chapter 9

    He drew, nocked and fired thrice in quick succession. The three arrows seemed to fly wide and I stepped to the side to dodge the one headed for me.

    The flame haired boy''s lips curved upwards and I felt a strong sense of crisis cover me. Midway the fire mana he had attached to the arrowheads exploded, changing their trajectory and sending them straight towards me.

    Clenching my teeth, I focused on the smoky mana in my mind, channelling it through the locket that hung on my chest, under my clothes.

    The ethereal mana grew agitated and blazing as its nature transformed and I sent it racing down my arm.

    Planting my foot solidly on the ground, I twisted my body to avoid two of the arrows and slammed the back of my hand against the last.

    With a shockwave the mana on the arrowhead exploded and was counterbalanced by the explosion of the mana on the back of my hand. The force of the explosion caused me to slide on the ground, leaving deep furrows on the loose earth.

    Suppressing the numbness in my wrist, the fingers of both my hands blurred as they drew out the symbols of ''fire'' and ''force'' in the air even as I leveraged the mana in my mindscape to activate Tier 1 flame magic: Ember.

    Apart from allowing me to use external mana, thereby reducing the casting costs, external casting provided another channel for spell casting. In short, it allowed me to dual cast.

    It was a huge advantage. Before Tier 3, when a mage developed his Domain by pouring out his mana into his surroundings to create a space where his will held complete sway, mages were restricted to using one spell at a time.

    Spells like Stoneskin were passive spells with a single pre-cast cost. They remained active after casting and the mage could use other spells afterwards giving an impression that they were dual casting. But that was misleading.

    In a tight situation when the mage would like to have both offense and defence by casting Stoneskin and Stone spike simultaneously, he would be forced to make a choice.

    In my case, I wouldn''t.

    My body was wrapped in a fiery glow as Ember activated, giving a boost to any fire spells I would cast later by increasing the concentration of fire mana around me which chained seamlessly into my external cast of Tier 1 flame magic: Flame bullets.

    Or, it should have.

    The spell failed as the mana text fizzled out with a shower of sparks, leaving me at the mercy of Gerard''s arrows.

    The first one hit my shoulder instead of my chest as a result of my hasty attempt to dodge, sending me staggering even as my barrier glowed and absorbed the damage.

    The second slammed square into my side, throwing me off my feet and sending me sliding on the ground. The third embedded itself into the earth by my face.

    I lay back on the ground and watched the quivering tail of the arrow finally come to a stop.

    I sighed. Making external casting battle ready would take some time and effort. A lot of effort.

    A shadow covered my face. Looking up, I saw that it was Gerard blocking the sun as he stood beside me.

    Taking his outstretched hand, I pulled myself up to my feet. Dusting myself off, I grinned at him. "Your archery has improved after you made Tier 2. The army will be delighted to have you."

    He patted my shoulder. "You aren''t too shabby yourself for someone who recently took up fire magic." He frowned, "But, there''s something hampering your casting. It''s like¡­ how to put it¡­ a glitch?"

    "I know. I''m not too familiar with external casting yet. So, I mess up sometimes."

    "No, no, not that. Although I don''t know much about this new-fangled casting style that all the Tamers in the clan are raving about, it isn''t why you failed. After reaching Tier 2, my sensation to fire mana has increased sharply. I felt the mana surge around you and the spell almost formed too. In the last moment, some external factor disturbed the mana and dampened the reaction."

    He grew pensive. "The only time I felt something similar was when I faced off against the girl from Lutrinae in the Tournament and her water mana was interfering with my fire spells."

    "Thanks." I said gratefully. He waved me off. "No. Don''t thank me. I needed the practice to familiarize myself with my new Tier anyway. Also, I haven''t thanked you for presiding over my marriage with Fiona yet."

    "Well, you can ask the chef to make my favourite dishes when you host your farewell banquet." I paused. "And get Deimos some fish."

    The both of us shared a laugh as we parted ways on the training ground. While he went to the bath house to wash up, I decided to return directly to my room.

    Fiona, Gerard''s fianc¨¦e had suddenly turned Feral last night and they had turned to me for their contract. Her Feralization was extremely unexpected as given her bloodline density, she had six months yet before she was scheduled to awaken. In fact, Fifa was the one who was under monitoring for being the next likely candidate for Feralization.

    Thankfully, no one had been injured by her sudden change as she had been in the medical ward, practicing her healing when it happened and there were enough high Tier mages around to suppress her.

    It was a much-needed experience for me. Inhabiting both of their minds as their bond took shape allowed me to experience the affection they felt for the other, the trust they harboured.

    It brought back some of my faith in the institution of marriage. It reminded me of the beauty it carried.

    My gaze went to my shoes. Shoes that covered my mark. My faded mark.

    I hadn''t told Gerard, but the state of my mark was probably why my spells were failing. My steps grew purposeful as I walked towards my room.

 77 Chapter 10

    I watched Ceres happily humming under her breath as she busied herself with preparing tea for the both of us.

    Her tails swayed in rhythm with her humming, there being no need to hide them in the confines of her own room.

    When I had knocked on her door, I had expected ¨C I don''t know what I had expected, but it wasn''t her cheerful smile and energetic welcome.

    Maybe I would have been more comfortable broaching the subject of our faded mark if she had been more confrontational? I don''t know ¨C more uncomfortable in my presence?

    While her mindscape was cracked, there was no danger of her turning Feral, so, I had been avoiding her.

    Her wounded mindscape had recently healed and she had thrown herself into her training with great fervour, rivalling Phobos in her intensity and Deimos in her talent.

    The things she could do with her fire ¨C the things she could do with her smoke.

    It was humbling to watch. Which confused me even more. Was losing a future pillar of the clan worth the trouble the Duchess was taking to enthrone me?

    And even with all her efforts, the results were by no means guaranteed. Who was to say the same hadn''t happened to some other candidate in the other provinces.

    Maybe this sort of secret web of patronage was part of the competition for the throne? That made a lot more sense considering the stakes these patrons had in the identity of the future Emperor.

    Ceres set the steaming cup of tea down in front of me and took a seat across from me, nursing her own cup in her hands.

    Blowing on her cup to cool the tea, she raised her eyebrow at me quizzically.

    The sunlight fell on her hair, lighting them up in a fiery glow. Her face was parted equally by light and shadow, even as the steam rising from her cup shimmered as it passed through the light.

    All my meticulously prepared lines were driven out of my mind by the beauty of the scene and I blurted out, "I want to paint you."

    The smile she gave me engraved itself into my mind.

    As the day wore on, the light streaming into the room shifted with the sun, turning scarlet as it touched the horizon.

    Our soft breathing and the sounds of the brush against the canvas were the only things that broke the tranquillity of the room.

    When it grew too dark to paint any longer, with a swish of Ceres'' tails, the smokeless torches in the room came to life and lit the room in a uniform radiance, snapping me out of my reverie.

    She smelt of smoked spice.

    "Husband, it''s beautiful. Thank you."

    The painting was far from done, needing a few more sessions to reach completion. But, the overall outlook could be seen.

    I had sketched her first before giving the canvas its primary coat of colour starting from her head to her feet. As a result, the lighting had changed as the day had worn on, leaving her face lighted by the rays of the noon sun and her feet coloured by the shadows of dusk.

    It was an interesting composition. One of my best works yet.

    Looking at her smile as she appreciated the painting, I couldn''t hold my thoughts in any longer.

    "Aren''t you bothered by our fading bond?"

    Her smile faded for a moment before it was back in full force.

    "It bothers me. Of course it does¡­ but there is little in my power to influence it. If words were enough to solve the problem, I''d have found them by now. The opportunity for action hasn''t yet arrived. I can only pin my hopes on time."

    She continued, "Your relationship with Phobos and Deimos is extremely strong and the shade of our bond bothers you whenever you compare. Yet, given the duration and nature of our marriage, our progress is quite considerable."

    Pointing at the picture of her, she said, "Just like this painting conveys its meaning despite its incompleteness, our bond, though imperfect, still connects us. That is enough."

    She smiled. "After all, introspection was one of the only things I could do as I convalesced from my wound. If I learnt anything from the experience, it would be to live each day as my last."

    Leaning in, she rested her cheek against mine. "Vita whispers in my ear tonight. Husband, help me stave her off."

    The torches dimmed under her influence and her soft body pressed against mine. Articles of clothing were shed as we made our way to her bed.

    Her body was just as attractive to me as the first time. Her lips were as soft as I remembered. Her skin just as smooth. Her tails just as fluffy.

    If anything, the weight she had lost during her illness lent a delicate cast to her body, making her seem more waifish, engendering pity in me.

    Our union was gentler, more sensual.

    As I left her room, my gaze went to my mark. It was already a bit darker than before. I smiled. Men were such simple creatures.

    Her words reverberated in my mind as I walked down the lonely corridors. "Carpe Diem." An injunction to live in the present and let the future sort itself out.

 78 Chapter 11

    Hurrying in heels presented a problem, specially as it was her first time wearing them, having been coaxed by Ceres into the bejewelled black pair to attend the farewell banquet for Gerard who was leaving to join his father in the army along with Fiona.

    She contemplated kicking them off and carrying them before continuing on as is. After all, she was a martial warrior and balancing herself on heels wasn''t much of an obstacle.

    Much less of an obstacle than finding where Demi had run off to.

    Everything had been going well.

    Ceres had been helping Husband socialize, helping him navigate the complicated web of relations both of blood and benefit that existed in the clan, a web which he had ignored for so many years and she had mastered in months. They seemed to have grown closer when she hadn''t been looking.

    Phobos herself had been catching up with the latest gossip. Unlike Demi and her quasi-recluse of a Husband, she had no problems with socializing and as such had a lot of friends.

    Demi, meanwhile had been stuffing her face and trying to block out conversation. A move made useless by the enthusiasm of the clan members to get to know the strongest youth in the province. The young boys and girls were especially persistent, lacking the tact of their older relatives, thereby, bulldozing through her barriers into her personal space.

    It was good that the girl had grown a lot due to her victory at the Tournament and could now handle herself well.

    In short, everything had been going well.

    Until Demi''s grandfather, the First Elder, had come along and requested a few words with her. Phobos had no idea what words had been exchanged between the two but Demi had fled the room in tears.

    The First Elder had left soon after.

    Reaching their shared bedroom, Phobos pushed the door open. It was empty. She wasn''t there.

    While Mars had gone searching for the girl outside the premises, hoping to find her at her usual haunts, Phobos was in charge of searching within the estates. Ceres was holding the fort down at the banquet.

    Sometimes, she could appreciate the newest addition to Husband''s harem.

    Pausing at the end of a corridor, she rubbed her forehead. Running through a mental list of the places frequented by Demi, she ran through them quickly, trying to guess where she might be when she was down in the dumps.

    She was just about to visit the training rooms when, in a flash of inspiration, she changed her direction.

    Her footsteps took her up staircases and down corridors, subconsciously slowing down as nostalgia washed over her in waves.

    The now neglected wing superposed with the one in her memories and past and present collided in her mind.

    Walking up to Demi''s old room, she saw light shining through the crack of the door. She was there.

    Gently pushing the door open, she entered and locked it behind her.

    Without turning her head, Demi addressed her. "Grandpa said he was going to retire."

    "What!? Why?" Phobos was confused. The First Elder had never been covert about his lust for authority. He hadn''t shown any signs of wanting to retire before. This news was truly a bolt from the blue.

    "He said it was for me." Demi''s voice was thick with repressed emotion. She spun around and faced Phobos, giving her an unimpeded view of her reddened eyes. "The liar!"

    "Does he take me for a fool! The only reason he retired was because as long as he remained in office, Lionel wouldn''t be able to step up to the post of interim clan Heir during Master''s absence. With his friendship with Bruno and his obligation to Master for presiding over his wedding, he is the perfect neutral candidate to fill for their post while the both of them are away on the Swayamvar.

    "As the person who saved Lionel from the pits and one of the major supporters of Bruno''s clique, his retirement is just a compromise to balance the scales.

    "So, what does he do? He tries to milk the situation to reap maximum benefit. He just walks up to me and is brazen enough to claim that he did it for me!"

    She stopped her tirade, her chest heaving in her agitation. Phobos was stunned by her grasp of the situation. Such in depth knowledge of clan politics was expected of Ceres¡­ Demi? Not so much.

    She had little interest in such things, yet she knew so much. This only went to show how much Demi still cared for her grandfather, enough to keep tabs of his situation in detail.

    "Where was this concern of his when he ''sob'' disowned me? Where did it go for all these years when he didn''t talk to me ''sob'' even once? Now that I obtained the first position in the Tournament, now that ''sob'' I''m useful he wants me b-ack?"

    Demi''s voice broke in the end. Crouching down on the ground, she covered her face and began bawling in earnest.

    Hastily stepping forward, Phobos hugged her to her chest and let her vent her grief even as she rubbed her back.

    Phobos didn''t know how to comfort her. Her own parents doted upon her while Husband''s parents, while not as vocal in their support were always there behind her. She had never experienced familial discord. She had never been cold-shouldered by a relative.

    Hesitant, she said, "Well, people are ambitious respectively. There are different things that they want. To your grandfather, his ambition is all." She paused. "To him, even family is just a tool to get ahead."

    She hugged the girl in her arms tighter. "But, you''ll always have us."

    Demi suddenly looked up, her cheeks wet with tears. "And you? What is it that you want?"

    Taken aback by the sudden interrogation, "Huh," she replied unintelligently.

    Growling, Demi tackled her. Caught unprepared, she fell backwards onto the ground with Demi on top of her. Before she could speak to protest, her lips were roughly stopped up.

    "Mmhmm!" Struggling, she pushed against Demi''s shoulders, finally managing to get the girl off.

    "Stop!" she cried out.

    Leaning over her, caging her against the floor with her arms, Demi said, "No! I won''t stop! Tell me Phi-Phi, why have you been avoiding me!?"

    Wiping her tears with the back of an arm, she said, "When you refused to touch me during Master''s first night with Ceres, I thought that it was because you weren''t in the mood as Master was lying with a stranger. I didn''t like that either and although I wanted you to comfort me, seeing your mood, I didn''t insist.

    "But, after that? Why did you always avoid me afterwards? Do you not like me anymore?"

    Phobos felt Demi''s warm tears splattering on her cheeks as Demi''s gaze alternated between her two pupils, trying to find something in them. She noticed the hurt in her emerald eyes.

    Phobos was speechless. She opened her mouth to refute her several times but closed it again as words failed her. It was true. She had been avoiding intimacy with Demi in the recent months due to the shift in her orientation.

    Demi gritted her teeth. "It''s her isn''t it? You changed right after Ceres came. Always giving her so much of your time and attention. Even when she hurt us all so bad, you forgave her so easily. That''s it. Isn''t it? You forgot about me when you found your new joy."

    Her hand clenched on Phobos'' dress. "Even though¡­ even though I set out a dress for you after worrying about it for so long, you wore the one chosen by her!"

    Phobos watched wide-eyed and open-mouthed as Demi lowered her head and her shoulders shook with repressed sobs.

    Then she began laughing. Demi recoiled like a kicked puppy, shrinking away from the laughter. Phobos didn''t let her.

    Grabbing the back of her head, she sat up and kissed her full on the lips, prying her teeth open with her tongue before invading her mouth.

    It was long minutes before they stopped, the both of them gasping for breath as they stared into the other''s eyes as they touched foreheads, Phobos'' hand still holding the back of Demi''s head.

    That laughter hadn''t been meant for Demi, she had been laughing at herself, at her foolishness. Demi had been suffering and she hadn''t noticed, caught up in her own selfish notions of illusory concepts like ''orientation''.

    Now, things became a lot clearer. Demi had been jealous, jealous of the new addition to the family who was hogging so much of their attention. After all, it was the only family she had.

    And she was particularly jealous of how close she was growing to Ceres.

    Mistaking her interactions with the vixen for sexual advances, Demi had grown resentful. That was why she was so antagonistic to the girl. Oh, her sharp intuition had played a part in it of course, allowing her to discern the discrepancy in Ceres'' behaviour. But her jealousy was what had sent her looking in the first place.

    Grinning suddenly, Phobos morphed, shattering her dress as she turned Feral and pinned Demi down. Yelping in surprise, Demi''s eyes widened, before she too morphed and struggled out of her grasp.

    The two cats were streaks of black and white as they chased each other across the room.

    Every corner of the room was packed with the memories of their childhood.

    The threadbare stuffed toy Phobos had sewn for Deimos on her eleventh birthday. The colourful pebbles Deimos had collected for her in return. The painting of them playing together, Deimos reaching down from the branches of a tree to help Phobos up, captured on canvas unknown to them by a clan Tamer.

    Each memory was incomparably precious.

    Thus, each step was trodden with the utmost care as they chased each other down memory lane.

    As Phobos passed the torches, the shadows grew darker as the fires dimmed, throwing more and more of the room into darkness.

    It seemed like the brightly lit portion was Deimos'' domain, the portion in shadows was hers. She was winning.

    Until at last, the final torch guttered out and darkness engulfed the room.

    On the bed on which they had touched each other for the first time, the two girls gasped for breath, naked.

    Phobos hovered over Deimos, her arms caging the shorter girl in as she lay on her back on the bed reversing the position the two of them had so recently been in.

    Green eyes looked up at yellow, both of them shining as they reflected the dim light of the moon streaming in through the window.

    Phobos'' husky voice was heavy with lust as she set a palm flat on Deimos'' toned stomach, slowly moving it up until it was cupping her right breast. "I''m not letting you sleep tonight."

    ***

    Mars clutched his hair in frustration as his search of the lakeside where he had bonded Deimos came up empty. Where could the girl have gone?

    Seeing that there was still no word from Phobos, she probably wasn''t at the Estate. He sighed.

 79 Chapter 12

    She circled the nipple of one breast with the tip, before roughly flicking it upwards with her tongue, kissing it, sucking it and then gently biting it.

    Deimos arched her back and moaned as her fingers dug into the mattress, bunching up the bedsheets as she tried to push herself towards the source of her pleasure.

    First one then the other, Phobos was fair in her treatment of Deimos'' breasts as her experienced tongue made the girl''s toes curl.

    Having had her fill of the two soft mounds, she moved downwards, leaving them glistening with her saliva under the dim moonlight.

    Reaching her goal, she found it moist with arousal. Holding down Deimos'' hip with one hand, she gently blew upon it, causing Deimos to shudder.

    Smirking she waited until Deimos opened her eyes and looked downwards in confusion to see why the sensation she was anticipating had yet to come. Then she licked upwards, finding her most sensitive spot with the tip of her tongue on her upstroke.

    Deimos threw her head back and gasped. Her thighs tightening around Phobos'' head, holding her down.

    Phobos went to work, driving the girl deeper and deeper into the throes of passion before with a shudder and a moan, she reached climax and then stilled, relaxing her death grip on the mattress and loosening her thighs.

    Crawling up her body, Phobos hugged her. They held each other, exploring the other''s body with their hands, punctuated by kisses.

    Without warning, Deimos rolled them over till she was on top.

    Her eyes shone in the dark. It was her turn.

    ***

    Sunlight streamed in through the window and fell on Deimos'' face. Frowning, she scrunched up her face, trying to continue her stay in dreamland, yet her efforts were in vain as the irritating rays finally dragged her out of her sleep.

    Yawning, she sat up and stretched, careful not to wake Phobos who was sleeping by her side.

    Taking a deep breath through her nose, she exhaled the foul air through her mouth. One of the first things children were taught after their magical awakening was how to clean their mouths with mana.

    No morning breath. The perks of being a mage.

    Gently brushing back the errant strands of hair that had covered Phobos'' sleeping face, Deimos bent down and planted a kiss on her forehead.

    It had been a really wild night.

    Sliding off the bed, she padded towards the door naked, noticing the shredded remains of their clothing from last night.

    She couldn''t help but smile. Phi-Phi had really made a statement by ripping that dress, but now that it was morning, procuring clothes would be a new problem.

    She had a scare when she saw Master sitting on the ground beside the door, dozing with his head cradled on his knees.

    The sound of the door opening startled him out of his fitful slumber and he looked up. Sleepy red eyes met surprised green.

    She immediately reached out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him into the room, shutting the door behind her.

    "Master, what were you doing outside?"

    He stretched his spine with an audible pop and exhaled the stale air in his lungs.

    Turning to her, he replied ill-humoredly, "What do you think I was doing? You girls are going to be the death of me. You just ran off in the middle of the banquet and we had to run all over searching for you. I was so worried."

    He reached out and tweaked her nose.

    "How was I supposed to know that while I was frantically running around outside, you and sleeping beauty over there was getting to know each other better?"

    Deimos threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "Don''t be cross ya, Master. We got a little distracted, sorry. Hehe."

    He chuckled and bent down to give her a deep kiss as he pushed her to himself with a palm on the small of her back.

    Separating, he looked into her eyes seriously and asked in a soft voice filled with concern. "All right?"

    She buried her face into the crook of his neck and nodded.

    "Good." He said as he caressed the back of her head. He didn''t ask for any more details and for that she was grateful. Her hug tightened further.

    Awoken by the noise, Phobos got up blearily and yawned widely as she stretched, fully displaying her alluring curves to the two other occupants of the room.

    Covering her yawn with a palm, she mumbled out, "Mornin''" before she suddenly stiffened when her brain drowsy mind finally caught up with the identity of the newest addition to the room.

    "Oh, I''m so sorry! I totally forgot about informing you!"

    He waved her apologies away. "It''s fine as long as the two of you have the problem sorted out. I decided to search the Estate myself after you didn''t contact me for two hours. Saw the light coming out of this room and heard the sounds." He grinned mischievously. "I was waiting for a lull in the proceedings so I could knock, maybe join in? But it never came."

    Phobos blushed furiously and pulled the blanket over herself while Deimos buried her face further into his shoulder, mock biting him in protest for his teasing.

    He looked around the room. "It looks like the two of you were reminiscing about old times." His eyes stopped on the shredded remains of their party dresses and he raised an eyebrow. "And being really impatient about it."

    Freeing himself from Deimos'' hug, he shrugged off his coat and handed it to her with a grin. "Cover up, girl, otherwise I might just decide to spend the rest of the day here."

    Turning around, he walked out of the room. "Stay put. I''ll get you some clothes."

 80 Chapter 13

    Accompanying me as my three official followers were my three beautiful and talented wives. What can I say? I''m a really lucky man.

    Or, at least that was what I had been thinking when I said ''yes'' to the Legate when he asked whether I was interested in participating.

    Now, after reality had taught me a harsh lesson, I was here, with a little less enthusiasm and a lot more duty burdening my shoulders.

    Five months had passed since the Swayamvar had been announced and it was finally time to leave on this grand adventure.

    But, before that it was time for Ceres to meet the parents.

    Getting down from the carriage, I thanked the coachman, who was actually a member of the branch lineage of our clan, and stretched my muscles sore from hours of sitting in a stuffy carriage.

    Turning to the carriage, I saw Deimos and Ceres discussing something together even as Phobos made her way to the command post of the sentry base and reported our identities and purpose.

    Ceres and Deimos had made great strides in their relationship ever since she and Phobos had connived to give me a severe case of blue-balls. Oh, the woes of being a considerate husband.

    I should have just knocked. To hell with any consideration whether I would be interrupting them.

    Anyway, ignorant as I was about what had upset Deimos that badly at Gerard''s farewell banquet and what had happened between her and Phobos to help her recover, I was just glad to see all my wives getting along and smiling.

    Thinking of what was to come today, my mood grew sombre.

    I had kept in contact with father and mother through letters and occasionally through communication crystals. So, they were well aware of my marriage to the Duchess'' daughter. Mother in particular was quite eager to meet the new member of her family.

    Considering the lack of security in the post and the need for a supervisor cum operator to be present during comm crystal conversations, I hadn''t been able to inform them of the dubious circumstances of my marriage with Ceres.

    Today would be a day of unpleasant revelations. I withdrew my foot from my slip-on shoe and studied the mark that bound me to Ceres. It was quite dark. Time was an amazing thing.

    I just hoped the day ended well for all of us.

    Phobos called us over and Ceres, Deimos and I bid goodbye to the coachman one last time, trading his wishes for our success, before walking over to join her.

    Following after a cadet who had been assigned to guide us, we made our way deeper into the military camp.

    Rather, it would be more appropriate to call it a military city.

    It was abuzz with activity with storefronts selling all manner of commodities, from grain to gems.

    I found it quite ridiculous that Phobos even bothered to block my line of sight by nonchalantly positioning herself by my side. With three voracious women to satisfy, I was quite overworked in that aspect, thank you very much.

    Sometimes, the spirit was willing, yet my flesh called for mercy.

    Then again ¨C maybe it wasn''t my line of sight Phobos was blocking. Maybe it was theirs. She was one possessive feline.

    Crossing the outskirts, the crowded, unplanned nature of the constructions gave way to more meticulously planned architecture.

    Right angles dominated the centre of the city. Every street and every house seemingly a copy of the next.

    This was the heart of the military border-post of Firang.

    It was the last city before the dominion of the Regiis empire stopped and the Heavenly Wolf Mercenary Territory of Huaxia began.

    The border in this case was more physical than a mere line on a map as the foothills of the Himalayas cut across the land and cleanly demarcated the respective bounds of the territories.

    The purpose of this city was to monitor the border as well as allow trade across borders.

    Our breath fogged as we made our way down the labyrinthine roads towards where father and mother were staying, at the very centre of the city.

    Summer had long given way to winter and compounded by the high altitude of the city, the temperatures were much lower than I was - turning around, I saw Phobos draw her woollen jacket closer ¨C than we were used to.

    Finally, reaching a house indistinguishable from the rest, the cadet gave us a formal salute and walked away without another word.

    Quite the serious type, that one.

    It was an overcast day. The noon sun was hidden by a cottony layer of cloud, painting the sunlight a dreary grey. I felt depressed.

    I sighed. What would happen would happen and a few more minutes of procrastinating would only chill us further.

    I preferred my drama to be served warm and the cosy orange light streaming from a window spoke of a roaring fireplace.

    Stepping forward, I raised my hand to rap on the door when the door automatically swung inward, revealing the figure of my father standing on the other side with mother by his side.

    "Come in and tell your mother what you have been hiding from her." said my mother as she impatiently tapped her foot on the floor.

    I froze with my arm raised in the position to knock on the door.

    "Don''t look so shocked. I''m your mother. Reading your face was a skill I mastered when you were still in your crib. One look at your face and I could tell whether you had soiled yourself or wanted to be nursed. You think yourself grown enough to hide things from me? You''re sorely mistaken.

 81 Chapter 14

    Her anxiety over which course she should take had kept her awake late into the nights, mulling over her probabilities of success.

    The problem was that she couldn''t be sure of anything. She had no facts to reference her estimates to.

    It was all a blind guess ¨C but, there was hope.

    And as long as success was hopeful, no matter how tiny the possibility, she wanted to give it a try.

    Even as the carriage trundled on and Mars, Phobos and Deimos dosed in their seats, she looked out of the window, taking in the scenery.

    Kicking off her shoes, she traced the marking with the toe of her other foot.

    Over the four months since her revelation of the Duchess'' falsehoods, the mark had grown darker and darker, specially after they had resumed their sexual relationship.

    Her cheeks coloured slightly as those scenes reappeared in her mind, growing hot against the cool breeze that blew in from the carriage window.

    Mars Felidae was quite the accomplished lover.

    That, and the purity of the emotions he directed towards his wives had entrapped her heart. Having grown up within the web of intrigue that was the Vulpine clan and under the tutelage of the master of the web, such innocuous motives were truly dazzling for her.

    She had grown up knowing people whose every word had layer upon layer of meaning and whose actions considered only their benefit.

    Then, right after that, she had been married off to a man who wore his heart upon his sleeve.

    She had fallen in love.

    And why shouldn''t she? Even after he knew that he had been manipulated into the marriage, he had tried to find it within himself to forgive her.

    After their talk at Phobos'' parent''s home, he had declared that their union was only one of benefit. At that time, she had felt a pain in her chest. Living in an environment where there was little to no manipulation and mistrust had been like spring in the eternal winter that had been her life.

    When she had heard his declaration, she had felt that she was being thrust back into that frozen hinterland.

    But, soon enough it had become clear to her that his words had been insincere.

    He still cared for her and wanted to forgive her from the depths of his heart. Their steadily darkening bond was proof.

    If he didn''t care for her, if he truly wanted to squeeze the maximum benefit out of her, he wouldn''t have avoided her like he did. He would have tried to glean as much knowledge and benefit as he could from her.

    Watching him trying to be aloof towards her had been like watching a child play an adult''s game.

    The only word she could ascribe to his attempts was adorable.

    That was why, if there was even a tiny possibility of success, she didn''t want to relinquish it.

    She didn''t want to deceive them anymore.

    The carriage ground to a halt and the three of them jerked awake.

    Yawning, Phobos took out their documents and walked over to the command station of the sentry post they had been stopped at while Mars jumped down from the carriage and went to talk with the coachman.

    This left Deimos alone with her.

    "You shouldn''t worry, ya. Master''s parents are really nice. If what you said is actually true, I don''t think they''ll hold a grudge against you. Well, as long as Master says it''s fine, none of us will disagree¡­ but it''s the principle of the thing."

    Ceres smiled. "Thanks."

    Deimos leaned towards her and whispered conspiratorially. "You''ve really gotten him wrapped around your fingers, ya. He seems to be more worried about the meeting than even you."

    Ceres turned to look at Mars and found him looking at them frowning in contemplation. Catching her gaze, he nodded to her before turning away.

    She felt a warmth in her heart.

    It had been a long time since she had last felt it. Back at the orphanage, whenever the matrons and the children did something nice for her, she had felt the same warmth. Even before that, when her mother was alive, whenever she got her a new toy or made her favourite dish, she felt the same warmth.

    The warmth of family.

    A warmth which had been incinerated in the fires that had turned the orphanage to ash on that fateful day.

    To retaliate against those who had taken the warmth away, to repay the trust of those who had given the warmth back, she had to gamble.

    Phobos called for them and soon, guided by a cadet, they were being led into the heart of the military city of Firang. To Mars'' parents.

    Towards her destiny.

    Watching Mars fidget in front of his parent''s home as he tried to delay the inevitable was sweet. It brought a smile to her lips.

    Other than being a bit dull, the man was the perfect husband. Handsome, loving and a bomb beneath the sheets.

    She still held a grudge against the fool for not being able to figure out that she carried a geas even after she had so clearly written about it in her notes.

    That had been an extremely touch and go situation. The geas was made in such a way that if she thought of violating the terms of the contract with an intent to carry it through, it would detonate.

    Meaning that if she tried to reveal her origin in the Shogunate or the existence of the geas, it would detonate.

    Even writing it on a piece of paper and then ''accidentally'' forgetting it in a conspicuous place would trigger it as the geas was connected to her mindscape and able to judge her intent behind it.

    She had to convince herself that she was writing the notes only to make up for Mars'' deficient knowledge and it had still been a touch and go situation.

    The crack in her mindscape had actually come in handy, disturbing the judgement of the geas enough that she had been able to get away with it.

    In fact, the disturbance in the geas'' judgement had persisted and it was the only reason her plan had any chance of succeeding today.

    She didn''t know whether to thank that dead ninja for forcing her into such a situation.

    Finally, Mars got over his hesitation and went forward to knock on the door.

    But before he could, the door was opened from the inside by his parents and he was berated by his mother, who invited them in.

    Mars'' mother; Epione Felidae, Tier 4 Alchemical Healer. Mars'' father; Veer Felidae, Tier 5 wind mage.

    The two key parts of her plan.

    She took a deep breath to stabilize herself.

    Her geas was special even among geases. It was crated by implanting a mind crystal fragment into her heart and linking it with her thoughts via her mindscape by a Tier 4 Tamer. What made it different was that it was a shadow mage from whom the mind crystal originated. Which made it extremely covert.

    Shadow and light were directly opposing elements. When the light element mage was stronger, they could totally shut down any shadow mage with lower cultivation.

    The opposite applied too. As the crystal was Tier 5, there was no way for Epione Felidae to detect it.

    In fact, even most Tier 5 mages wouldn''t be able to detect it unless they were at the peak or were light mages.

    What she had planned was nearly suicidal. She planned to trigger the geas and hope that Veer Felidae would be able to suppress the explosion and Epione Felidae would be able to heal her afterwards.

    Ordinarily, the geas would have triggered even before she could speak out and at the speed of the explosion, without any sort of warning, the two mages wouldn''t be able to react fast enough to save her.

    But it was precisely the persisting disturbance of the geas'' function resulting from the healed crack in her mindscape that gave her the leeway for one word.

    As soon as all of them entered the room, she stepped up to Mars'' mother and without warning, grabbed her hand and placed it over her heart.

    Under the surprised gazes of everyone in the room, she put out one word.

    "Geas¡­"

    ***

    Hotaru Vulpine, Duchess of the south-eastern province of Regiis was reviewing some documents at her writing desk when a sharp sound of cracking glass resounded in the room.

    Her eyes widening, she dropped her brush and reach within the folds of her winter jacket and drew out a shard of black crystal.

    The crystal was quite strange. It was very difficult to focus one''s attention on it. If anyone tried to look at it, they would feel like their vision was sliding away.

    There, on one facet of the crystal was a deep fissure that hadn''t been there a moment ago.

    The room was deathly silent for a long time before the Duchess'' whispered invective broke the silence.

    "Damn!"

    ...

    ...

 82 Chapter 1

    One moment we were passing through the gate of my parents'' quarters, the next, Ceres had stepped up to mother, grabbed her hand, placed it over her heart and uttered the word "Geas¡­"

    Time seemed to stretch, one moment an eternity as I saw mother''s eyes widen. An inky darkness welled out of her chest and expanded rapidly in a sphere. Mother''s hand on her chest shone white, trying and failing to suppress the spread of the shadow, only managing to slow its march.

    A flash of lightning and father was there.

    He plunged his hand, crackling with electricity right into the darkness and pulled. His hand came away and along with it came the orb of shadow. With an enraged roar, he flung it away and it crashed into the wall of the house. With a silent explosion, the orb expanded rapidly and then it was gone, taking a huge circular chunk of the wall along with it. It was as if someone had come and cut an extremely even circle out of the reinforced earth-stone wall.

    Ceres swayed where she stood, then collapsed backwards. There was a gaping hole in her chest.

    Time snapped back into place and my body unfroze from the shock.

    But before I could move, mother had already caught Ceres'' falling body and laid her down on the ground. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration, her hands shining white as they hovered over the gaping hole in Ceres'' chest, the soft radiance trying to patch the wound.

    "Husband!" she barked out.

    Without a word, father ripped off the full-arm glove he was wearing on his right hand and exposed his mana-arm. It looked the same as his normal arm but as he began to pour his mana into it, it turned transparent, the flesh turning into swirling, highly compressed wind mana with lightning running through it like nerves. The contract marking on his and mother''s shoulders glowed as they drew upon their bond and rivulets of light mana permeated the arm like blood vessels.

    Mother closed her eyes and then opened them, the irises shining with a holy radiance.

    Under their shine, I could see the extent of Ceres'' injury.

    Her heart was gone, along with the majority of her lungs. As she lay in an expanding pool of blood, she was suffocating. Jet black strands of mana permeated the edges of the wound, clearly visible under the illumination of the healing light. They were preventing the wound from sealing. Her body twitched as it ineffectually tried to draw breath but the lack of blood flow was causing her to lose consciousness. Her struggles growing feebler as her skin turned paler.

    But I could see it in the tight cast of her eyes and the deathly pallor of Ceres'' face. She wouldn''t make it.

    The insidious remnants of the shadow mana were hindering her progress, making her divert her attention to eliminate its influence.

    My mind was in chaos. A thousand thoughts fought for supremacy in my mind, and none won, leaving my mind blank as I just watched the life slowly drain out of Ceres.

    Slowly, laboriously, she turned her head towards me. Her eyes were clouded, the pupils lax. Maybe she wasn''t even fully conscious at this point, only the intermittent twitches of her body indicating that she was still alive.

    Yet, that gaze seemed to pierce my very soul.

    A single tear ran down her cheek from the corner of her eye.

    I knew. I knew then that if I let Ceres die in front of me, I would never forgive myself.

    I couldn''t heal her. I didn''t know how.

    I couldn''t drive out the shadow mana. I wasn''t strong enough.

    The only thing in my power was to assist those who could. So, I raised my hand and my finger cut through the air.

    I didn''t have light mana in my mindscape. I couldn''t form mana text like I ordinarily would but I could feel the nearly substantive concentration of light mana in the room as mother unleashed the full extent of her powers. If I controlled external mana by making my own mana resonate with it, why couldn''t I use the external mana itself to form my text.

    The rune for ''light'' took shape, it was extremely ephemeral, wavering on the brink of collapse.

    I focused the entirety of my will on it and slowly but surely it began to stabilize.

    With the sound of cracking glass, a tiny fissure appeared on my mindscape, sending a spike of pain through my mind.

    I reeled back from the sudden pain and the text dissipated.

    Powering through the agony, I focused again. This time, the text formed faster but the crack in my mindscape expanded as well but I couldn''t give a thought to that at the moment.

    As the letter solidified, the density of the light mana in the air suddenly increased.

    Mother''s eyes widened as she felt the amplification of her magic and the rate at which the artificial organs were being formed increased.

    Encouraged, I fought my throbbing headache and drew another rune, then another.

    I lost count of how many I drew as my world devolved into one of pure agony as my mindscape fissured more and more. But the only thing in my mind was that I couldn''t let my wife die in front of me.

    Something warm trickled down my cheeks. Was I crying? It had been a long time since I had last cried from pain. Pain was an old friend one which followed me throughout my childhood as I struggled to build up my body to match my Bestia peers.

    The body tempering potions gave quick effects but they felt like liquid fire as they went down my throat. Every training session ended with scrapes and bruises, sometimes even broken bones. Many times, I wanted to give up. Many times, I wept and wailed.

    Then one day, father took me to Deimos'' training ground. We hid and watched. We watched a girl of only fourteen repeatedly punch a wooden stake to fracture her bones so they would grow back stronger. I didn''t cry after that.

    But the pain of a shattering mindscape was one which wasn''t merely physical. I was also spiritual and I had no defence against that except my will.

    Suddenly, a large hand grabbed my wrist, causing the rune I had been drawing to dissipate.

    Furious that someone would interrupt me at such a crucial time, I turned to the owner of the hand, my eyes ablaze with anger only to meet the gaze of my father.

    "It''s fine now, son. You can stop."

    His gaze was kind.

    In a daze, I turned to where Ceres lay. Mother was panting exhaustedly with Phobos supporting her. In front of them, I could see Ceres, her chest rising and falling in the serene rhythm of sleep. Where there had been a gaping hole, there were now a shining heart and lungs made out of mana. The artificial heart beat regularly, pumping life back into her. The shadows had been pursued and her wound was slowly healing.

    Good. Really good.

    Sagging in relief, I would have fallen to the ground if not for father''s grasp on my wrist. I noticed that his right arm was missing again. The mana probably consumed to heal Ceres.

    I raised my hand to wipe my face. It came away slick and wet. My palm was dyed a bright red. apparently it wasn''t tears but blood. I couldn''t help but smile. So, I hadn''t cried after all.

    With a sound of shattering glass, my mindscape collapsed.

    My world went dark.

 83 Chapter 2

    There was a strong smell of potions in the air. I sniffed, distinguishing the smell of antiseptics and some calming fragrances.

    It appeared that I was in a medical ward somewhere.

    My brain seemed to be made of cotton and I my memory of how I got here seemed fuzzy.

    When I tried to concentrate, a spike of pain shot through my head and I cried out in pain as I clutched my head.

    The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps rang out and soon, the curtains around my bed were drawn and a beautiful girl with jet black hair and yellow eyes appeared in front of me with a concerned look on her face.

    "Husband! Are you all right?"

    I stared at her blankly. I was her husband? Then why didn''t I remember? Her name? What was it?

    A word seemed to be just at the back of my mind, struggling to come to the forefront.

    I blurted out, "Phobos¡­" my voice was quite hoarse and feeble.

    The girl''s eyes lit up. Walking up to me, she held my hands in her own. "Yes. How are you feeling? Does your head hurt? Should I call the medic?"

    I slowly shook my head as the rusty gears of my mind began to turn and slowly but surely, the fog on my mind began to clear and the memories started to return.

    Along with them came a throbbing headache. "Aah¡­" I couldn''t help but clutch my head in pain.

    "Husband!" exclaimed Phobos, concerned. "Just wait. I''ll go get a medic." She got up and ran off to call help.

    Soon, the sound of multiple footsteps approaching rang out.

    As well as the sound of two voices arguing.

    "Ma''am please. You overused your mana. You need to recuperate otherwise you will fall ill. Please rest. I guarantee that I''ll see to it that your son gets the best treatment." Said a male voice.

    "Bah. It''s just some mana exhaustion. Don''t make a fuss. When we fought at the Northern border, I couldn''t remember a day I wasn''t mana exhausted. Don''t tell me what to do. I know my limits. Now, let me see my son."

    The curtains were pushed apart and mother entered, Phobos and a medic in an army uniform with a resigned expression on his face followed.

    Mother sat down on the edge of my bed and cupped my face with both hands and looked into my eyes.

    She looked haggard. Totally exhausted with dark pouches under her eyes. The medic was right in saying that she needed rest.

    She sighed and broke eye contact.

    "Can you remember everything that happened?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.

    I reached up and held one of her palms to my face as I nodded. "It''s a little fuzzy but I can pretty much remember what happened until we entered your apartment¡­ then it is all unclear."

    "At least it''s not the worst-case scenario. Your memory hasn''t been affected too much."

    Her voice grew stern. "Mars! Do you know how reckless you were? I don''t know exactly what technique you used to concentrate the light mana in the end but it caused your mindscape to shatter. You could have died!"

    "Wha¡­!?" My eyes widened in shock.

    Mindscape. Shattered!?

    How could this be? I immediately closed my eyes and tried to inspect my mental world. I found nothing.

    My inner world was empty. No mana, nothing. It was as if I had reverted to my state before my first contract with Deimos.

    No. This was worse. In this world, there was no known means to restore a completely shattered mindscape. Only if the mindscape was partially cracked was there a hope for recovery. Like Ceres'' case.

    Wait! Ceres!

    The memories came flooding back. Ceres walking up to mother and speaking the word ''geas''. The explosion. The hole in her chest. Her sightless gaze. the single tear running down her cheek. Me, drawing the sigil for ''light'' in the air. The cracks in my mindscape. My relief at Ceres'' survival. The shattering of my mindscape.

    "Ceres! How is she now? And father''s arm?"

    Mother shared a look with Phobos who answered. "She is out of the critical phase. Although she hasn''t woken up yet, she is well on the path to recovery."

    Mother took over. "Remember that piece of medicinal bamboo the other Marquises offered your father for his injury? We used some of it on the girl. Her flesh wounds have mostly recovered and with the help of the rest, your father''s arm is also nearly as good as new. He just needs to meditate more for a week to restore it to full strength. But that''s it."

    My stomach growled.

    Mother smiled and smoothed back my hair. "You''ve been out cold for nearly two days. No wonder you''re hungry. Deimos will come soon with something from the cafeteria."

    I nodded.

    All of us were silent for a moment. Just basking in each other''s presence. Until the medic, who had been thoroughly ignored till now couldn''t take it anymore and spoke up.

    "Aren''t you curious about the state of your mindscape? It''s your mindscape, for Gods'' sake. How can you be so calm after losing it?"

    Phobos shot him a sharp look while mother a disdainful one. "Because he is my son." Said mother. "Because he is my Husband." Replied Phobos.

    Noting the confusion on the man''s face, I took pity on him and explained.

    "My family knows of my condition. If there is something that can be done to help me recover, they will cross mountains and seas to achieve it. As I would for them. If nothing can be done, they will still support me through thick or thin.

 84 Chapter 3

    It had already been two days since I had regained consciousness and mother estimated that she would wake up tomorrow.

    The Geas, the accursed word.

    The first thing I had done after I had recovered enough to move around was gather and read as much information on it as possible. Thankfully, the army intelligence cell wasn''t short of such information and with father granting me clearance to view the files, I was soon up to date with the cruel practice.

    Implanting a ticking time bomb into the heart of your own daughter to ensure that she worked to fulfil your agenda? The Duchess was totally crazy.

    I was just waiting for Ceres to wake up and tell us the details of her situation before I filed a lawsuit against her. I''d like to see how her craftiness would hold up at the tribunal.

    I glanced to my right. There, walking beside me at the training grounds in the outskirts of the city was my father.

    Realizing my gaze, he turned to me and gave me a once over. "Just five months apart and you got yourself embroiled in such deep trouble. Getting tricked into marriage. Tsk." He said in a teasing tone.

    I don''t know why ¨C maybe it was the teasing tone he spoke in ¨C I couldn''t help but refute him. "It''s not like you did any better. The Duchess sneaked a spy in right under your nose."

    After the words were out of my mouth, I was mortified. I had never talked back to father. Why did I have to start now? That too with a taunt.

    He was silent for a moment before sighing and looking up at the sky. "Yeah. Maybe us father and son are fools not meant to thrive in this world where mothers treat their daughters as tools for their goals. We are too soft."

    After the incident with Ceres, Phobos and Deimos had filled my parents in with the details of the situation. They knew that someone with a high rank in the clan as well as someone personally close to them was a spy, otherwise the Duchess wouldn''t know such an intimate secret like mother''s state of relations with the Egyptian Cult.

    "I''m sorry." He suddenly said, shocking me.

    "For what?" I asked taken aback.

    He kept his gaze on the clouds as he replied. "For raising you the way I did. It was the way my father raised me and it was the only way I knew how. Now that I think about it, I didn''t much enjoy my childhood. Why did I ever think that you would like yours?

    "Maybe I''m no different than the Duchess and thought of you as a tool to help consolidate my power in the clan? Who knows? Now that I''m here, I don''t want to think about it anymore."

    He turned to me and stared me in the eye. "Maybe the loss of your mindscape is a good thing for you."

    His words were cut off in his astonishment as I hugged him.

    From infancy to maturity, father always kept his distance from me.

    Mother loved to kiss my forehead. Deimos enjoyed hugs immensely. Phobos was always one for kisses. But father was always that cold, stern figure I was afraid to approach.

    I didn''t know why I was so courageous today. Maybe he was right and the five months apart had changed me. Maybe the time apart had changed him.

    He was never this loquacious before. In this hour alone, he had spoken more to me than he used to in a week. Seeing him feel guilty for raising me to be the man I was, made me spontaneously feel like hugging him.

    So, I did.

    Recovering from his surprise, father awkwardly patted my back and we separated.

    I grinned. "I was planning to surprise all of you but seeing how wordy you''ve become due to my injury, I think that would be too cruel."

    Ignoring father''s raised eyebrow, I closed my eyes and let my senses spread out to my surroundings.

    At my high degree of concentration, my thoughts grew fewer and fewer till, I reached a state that I had reached only twice before, when I had fought Phobos'' feral form and when I had fought the shadow swordsman from the Vulpine clan in the Tournament.

    My mind merged with the air around me. It felt like even with my eyes closed, I could see. No, it was more than that, I could see, touch, hear and feel everything in contact with the air. The wind was my eye, my nose, my tongue, my skin.

    In his notes, Father had said that it was the Oneness, one step prior to the Void.

    Somehow, ever since my mindscape had shattered, my sensitivity towards external mana had shot up drastically. Specially towards the elements of wind and light and surprisingly, water.

    My sensitivity towards shadow and fire mana remained at their states before my injury. I couldn''t make any sense of this development. I had too little information.

    But, whatever be the cause, the most important thing was that all magic wasn''t lost to me. External casting was still within my grasp. That meant that even if I couldn''t find a way to repair my mindscape, I could still hold true to the title of a mage.

    When I had set firm resolve to restore external casting to its glorious seat, I hadn''t imagined that one day, it would become my only recourse.

    In my state of Oneness, I didn''t even need to trace the characters into the air with my fingers, the wind mana in the air began to condense into the sigil for ''wind''. Another formed soon after the first and then more followed suit.

    Earlier, I had trouble forming even three runes and chaining them into a spell, but now, without the fetters of my mindscape, I could easily condense seven simultaneously and I knew that it wasn''t even my limit. If I wasn''t being cautious about overstraining myself so soon after my injury, I had little doubt that I could easily handle more than ten.

    The wind began to pick up speed around me, until it was a five-metre-wide vortex with my body as the eye.

    I opened my eyes, lightly stretched out my finger and drew the final rune. One that spelt out ''sharp'' in the old tongue.

    Under father''s shocked gaze, the storm around me turned into countless blades of wind that laid waste to the grass around us.

    When the spell ended, centred on me was a huge circular swathe of clear land with the ground beyond the attack range scarred by the impact of countless blades.

 85 Chapter 4

    It hadn''t. I could feel the tingle of his mana as it permeated my mind, but with nothing to retain it, it passed out just as easily.

    Pushing his hand off my head, I ran a hand through my ruffled hair to set it back in place. "I wasn''t using my own mana to cast. I was using the mana in the environment. It''s a form of magecraft known as external casting."

    "External casting?" he questioned as he frowned. "Explain."

    So, we were back to one-word sentences? Truly, this was the father I was accustomed to. I wasn''t used to him behaving so apologetic and guilty. This aspect of him; calm, collected and commanding, was what I had come to expect throughout my childhood.

    "This is the fruit of Master''s research. He developed it as an auxiliary casting system for Hominum which would allow us to reduce the burden on our comparatively scarce mana and use the naturally available mana from our environment."

    Drawing a few mana lines in the air, I explained, "In his original proposal, the Hominum is supposed to draw these lines with his own personal mana and make it resonate with the ambient mana, thereby achieving the goal of casting a spell. Apparently, the letters of the old language are shaped in a manner that can convey their meaning to the mana in the environment and chaining the appropriate letters will result in a spell."

    Father looked pensive for a moment then spoke. "So, now that you don''t have any mana, you are directly using the ambient mana to both form your runes as well as cast?" When I nodded, he raised his finger and drew a line in the air. The tip glowed a bluish-white and I could feel the ambient mana gather towards him. When it reached the line he had drawn, its frequency changed to match the mana in the line.

    When he let go, it collapsed in a swirl of wind. "Was this what you did to increase the density of light mana while your mother was treating your wife?" he asked.

    "Yes. Father you¡­" Predicting my question, he answered. "Instead of changing the frequency of my mana to match that of the ambient mana, I used my high cultivation in order to force the ambient mana''s frequency to match mine.

    "Actually, sensing ambient mana is quite difficult for us Bestia. Only at the peak of Tier 3 do we get a fuzzy impression. During Tier 4, we can clearly sense it and impose our will on it to a certain extent. It is only when we reach Tier 5 that we gain complete dominion over our element. But as you saw, the effect falls far short compared to your method. Let alone, we are restricted to our element." He paused. "Did your master say where he came by this?"

    "It makes a lot of sense if you consider that the Hominum and the Beasts were equally matched during the war, at least according to the lore. Only contract magic wouldn''t have helped them much. But to gain access to such precious books ¨C your master''s background isn''t very simple. I thought that he was a Tamer who had somehow lost his harem and therefore was wandering destitute, living hand to mouth. His talent was why I asked him to teach you but now, it seems that he is a man with a story. Where is he now? I''d like a word with him."

    I shook my head with a wry smile. "Master left right before I set off for the Swayamvar. He said that the road was calling to him again."

    "A pity," said father regretfully.

    Curious about the implications of this new cultivation direction, I asked. "Father, do you think that all Tamers can be trained in this form of casting? Although Master said that the speed at which they learnt was extremely slow, but that is in the case that they possess a mindscape. When I lost mine, my sensitivity to external mana shot up drastically. So, couldn''t Hominum children be allowed to major in external casting and minor in the art of the contract?"

    Father shook his head. "It is not that simple. Your case is extremely unique. You say that they''d be able to sense ambient mana when they don''t have a mindscape. But, were you able to sense it then? Before they awaken, all Bestia children do not have a mindscape. You don''t hear talk of them being able to sense ambient mana.

    "Only after you contracted with Deimos were you able to use mana as well as sense it. I believe that your contract with your wives is the reason for your sensitivity to mana. And along with a contract¡­"

    "Comes a mindscape." I finished for him.

    Then, my situation was truly unique. If a Hominum wanted to sense mana, he had to form a contract. If he formed a contract, his mindscape would form simultaneously.

    The loss of a mindscape wasn''t a joke. It could result in a person turning into an idiot, falling into a permanent coma, or even death. It wasn''t like you could wake up one fine morning and say ''I feel my mindscape is quite restricting, I want to go nude today.'' Mindscapes weren''t clothes.

    I was lucky enough to survive and experience the joy after the sorrow. But, I still had one doubt.

    "Father, I can sense shadow, fire, and wind mana. If you say that it is because of my contract, I can accept that. But, why can I sense light and water mana? In fact, those two strains are the ones I have the highest induction to. It''s not like I can sense all elements either. Earth mana is off limits to me. Do you know what this means?"

    Father rubbed his forehead. "This¡­"

    "Actually, this is totally unknown territory for me. I''ll try to get the information cell searching for information about the pre-apocalypse culture of the Hominum. There might be some clues in there. You will have to figure this out on your own."

    "Sir!" A panicked shout interrupted our discussion. Turning around, we saw a military cadet rushing towards us, not even hesitating to consume his wind mana wantonly to accelerate himself.

    Skidding too a stop not far away from us, he composed himself as best as he could and gave father a military salute. When he spoke, even though his words were clipped and precise, I could easily notice his fear from the clenching of his hands and the slight quaver in his voice.

    "Sir, Cadet 19 of the Messenger Squadron reporting! The seventh scout outpost has detected abnormal activity in the south-eastern Forbidden Zone. The fifth recon squad has confirmed sightings."

 86 Chapter 5

    Father walked over to the head of the table and took his seat. Despite my general disregard for etiquette, after months with Ceres, I at least knew that taking a seat would be very impolite behaviour in this situation. Not knowing what else to do, I went and simply stationed myself behind father''s chair.

    That didn''t stop the four of them from thoroughly scrutinizing me. I felt like a choice cut of meat being appraised for tenderness and taste. I suppressed my discomfiture as best as I could and smiled at them as politely as I could manage. In turn, I took in their appearances.

    The two males were closer to father''s seat, one on each side, with the two females seated beside them farther down the row. If I were to take a guess, the two males would be Majors and the females their respective Lieutenants; noticing their resemblance in their bestial characteristics, probably their wives as well.

    The man to father''s right was an Ursa. His broad stature and rounded bear-like ears were a dead giveaway for his bloodline. And like most males of his clan, his beard and hair were thick and unruly, covering most of his face.

    The woman to his side was unusually slim for her clan, her red furred ears and russet hair reminding me of the illustrations of red pandas I had seen in a bestiary back in the clan library. I couldn''t feel any sort of mana fluctuation from the man, telling me that his element was probably earth while the woman''s mana was elusive and shadowy in nature.

    Father introduced them to me. "This is Vincent Ursa, Major of the Firang contingent, and," pointing to the woman, "Ava Ursa, his Lieutenant and wife." Indicating the man to his left, he introduced, "And this is Major Del Tauros, commander of the artillery division here and sitting by his side is his lieutenant and wife, Neera."

    Then he pointed at me. "And this is my son, Mars."

    Del Tauros was a large man, though not as large as Vincent, he easily matched father''s stature. His mana gave off a wild aura, telling me that his element was fire. His well-oiled horns curved proudly upwards, gleaming in the light of the room. And his well-oiled moustache was twirled into a matching shape.

    It was with the willpower born of being the husband of three beautiful women that I was able to keep my gaze from straying below the neckline of Neera Tauros. Suffice it to say that her assets did her bovine bloodline proud.

    It seemed that she was the brains and her husband the brawn in their duo.

    It was surprising, really. After my mindscape had shattered, I had been extremely depressed for some time before rallying my spirits with great difficulty. After all, it meant that all the effort I had put into my training since my childhood was rendered meaningless.

    But now that I knew that the loss of mindscape might just have been a blessing in disguise, I was finding new advantages of my current state every passing moment. The ability to sense the elemental fluctuations of a person could give me a vague insight as to what kind of person they were and their current mental state, a weakened version of what happened when I presided over a marriage.

    This sort of empathy was incredibly useful in social situations. Ceres would love to have it at her disposal.

    Ceres. The thought of her still lying unconscious on a hospital bed dampened my excitement. I hoped that she would wake soon and tell us about her situation. What kind of person was she, really?

    Other than that, I could get a rough estimate of their magical strengths. Both of the men and Neera Tauros were at Tier 4 while Ava Ursa seemed to be a peak Tier 3 mage. As a Bestia, there was no good way to appraise an opponent''s level without resorting to invasive means like inspecting their mindscape with one''s own mana, which was as subtle as a sledgehammer to the head.

    Giving the four of them a standard military salute, I said, "Mars Felidae. It''s my honour to meet you."

    I felt Del Tauros'' temper flaring as he snorted loudly, sparks showering out of his broad nose. Ignoring me, he addressed father. "Hmph. Felidae, don''t think you can just do whatever the heck you want because you outrank us. What''s this whelp doing in this meeting hall!?"

    Vincent Ursa''s voice was slow and ponderous as he spoke, every word rumbling out from deep within his chest. "While I don''t want to agree with the boor, this is highly inappropriate. The meeting we are holding is about the Calamity. Letting a civilian audit is a breach of protocol. Whatever his relation to you might be."

    Del Tauros exploded out. "Who''re you calling a boor, you hairy lump!?"

    I was quite surprised by the tone which they took with father. I knew that within the military, rank was stern and a minimum courtesy was required when speaking with a superior. These people were quite lax in their discipline.

    Father''s secretly transmitted sound cleared my doubts. "The both of them were sent here from their respective portions of the province due to their history of insubordination. Ursa from the northern part and Tauros from the western part of the south-eastern province. It''s a kind of test for a new General like me to see whether I have the talent for command. I succeed if I can subdue them and make them work for me."

    Out loud, he addressed them, interrupting the brewing altercation between the two men. "And if he isn''t a civilian but a Lieutenant?"

    "Hah!? Impossible. There isn''t a Lieutenant in the Empire that young." Said Tauros incredulously.

    Father gestured at me, "Your token for the Swayamvar," he sent. I took out the earth token from my pocket and handed it over. He tossed the token over to the half-bull who snatched it out of the air and inspected it by inputting his mana. The token shone a brownish yellow as it converted his fire mana into earth mana, a special characteristic of the material it was made of, proving its authenticity.

    "Anyone in possession of a Trial token can take up the position and responsibility of a Lieutenant temporarily if the commanding officer of the military camp agrees. His followers will be treated as if they were ranked Captains. Any objections if he attends the meeting now?"

 87 Chapter 6

    Major Ursa, shrugged. "We sent messengers to fetch him. He sent them back with ''I''ll go along with whatever you decide.'' What are we supposed to do?"

    Father rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Fine. The Paladins aren''t suitable for this sort of battle anyway. Lieutenant Ava, report."

    "Yes, sir." She responded with a formal salute. Stepping up to the podium at the front of the room, she pointed at a location on the large and detailed regional map that was laminated onto the wall.

    "This, here is the centre of the forbidden zone." She drew an irregular circle centred on the point and as her finger moved, it left a shadowy trail on the map. "And this, is the border of the zone. As you can see, it lies right at the intersection between the borders of three regions: The Regiis empire, The territory of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries, and the Crimson Coyote territory."

    She drew another shadowy curve from the outskirts of our military outpost. "This, is the region where my scouts are active. Any further and the rise in the danger levels wouldn''t be worth the time we would gain whenever the zone shows signs of unrest." She pointed at a spot at the extreme end of the curve and closest to the centre of the zone. "This is where the fifth recon squad confirmed their sightings of the ants."

    Father raised his hand to stop her. "They saw some ants, right? What were the numbers? The composition? What makes them so sure that this is a Calamity and not just a foraging party that has strayed too far from their nest?"

    Ava shook her head. "There were soldier ants, sir. It was no mere foraging squad. Also, the report mentions a Tier 3 Fire Ant and it was winged. It''s a Calamity, alright."

    Del Tauros patted the table none to gently. "I say we don''t take this lightly. Underestimating a Calamity, or leaving things to chance will only turn us into corpses faster. A winged Tier 3 this close to the border means that the legion isn''t too far off." He pounded his fist into his palm. "We should hit the advanced party hard and fast, take them out before their reinforcement arrives."

    "Are you daft!" exclaimed Major Ursa. "You want to take the battle outside our walls? Has your brain gone into those horns of yours? Every sane man knows that in the case of an insect tide the best strategy is shoring up the defences. The advanced party is insignificant compared to the numbers of the ant legion. To wipe them out you would be diverting manpower better spent strengthening the fortifications and preparing for a siege."

    I was a bit out of the loop regarding this conversation.

    But, what I couldn''t follow was their seemingly random inferences from the smallest of details. Yes, defence was always a good strategy. Blitzing the advanced party of the enemy and wiping them out before the main army came was a time-tested classic. But, how were they so sure that there was an advanced party in the first place. They only knew of one squad of soldier ants with a Tier 3 flier.

    How did that translate?

    Basically, such inferences required experience. It was experience only someone who lived beside a forbidden zone could possess. Something I lacked.

    Soon, I felt lost as the conversation proceeded without me. I just sat there, watching Major Ursa and Major Tauros grow increasingly abrasive as they argued over the preferred strategy with father and their two wives interjecting once in a while.

    I felt quite useless as I silently audited without contributing anything. It hurt my pride. I had spent so much time in the library, perusing the bestiaries and preparing for the grand globetrotting adventure I would embark upon someday. And yet, here I was, unable to offer any sort of assistance with that knowledge.

    Suddenly, it hit me. I was a mere four and a half cycles old and I was a civilian. This was the first time I found myself in an army''s command post and I expected my opinion to matter somehow. Why? Just because I had read some books?

    When had I grown so arrogant?

    I might hold the provisional post of Lieutenant due to my token, but that changed nothing about who I actually was. A boy wet behind the ears who had set out on his very first journey outside the confines of his home.

    I realised what father wanted me to learn when he brought me here, to this high-level discussion and gave me a chance to be seated among men and women far above my station in both rank and experience.

    Bookish knowledge was fine, but on the true battlefield, it counted for very little. If I couldn''t keep my mind open and learn from those who had worked in the field, trying to flaunt my erudition instead, I would never succeed.

    Realizing what was expected of me, I let go of my disappointment, taking on the attitude of a student rather than the equal of the men and women at the table. As they explored the various problems associated with the mobilization of the army to defend against the approaching insect tide, I tried my best to link their strategies with what I knew from my books.

    All too soon, the meeting was over and a tentative plan was in place. Only some details needed to be hammered out and some strategies tested on the real battlefield.

    Father and I walked side by side as we made our way back to our quarters in the military camp. He patted my shoulder and said with a smile, "Good. You did much better than I. When my father put me in my first clan meeting, I presented my opinion on most things and got quite discontented when the Elders shot down most of my suggestions."

    He sighed. "I never expected this to happen when you decided to come visit us. First the Geas and now the Calamity. It seems your stay is doomed not to be peaceful." He looked me right in the eye and spoke with great gravity, "This will be your first time on the battlefield. Remember this; here, individual ability doesn''t matter and the only victory is returning alive."

 88 Chapter 7

    She was finally free. She should be happy. No more enforced training. No more mind games. She had been rescued by the same people she had been sent to plot against. She even managed to somehow convince them that she was one of them, for them to take her in. And yet she cried over the smallest things. Yesterday, she spilled some water and just lost it. The day before, she started bawling when she read one of Mars'' sad poems. Right now? She was crying because she cried too much. Most of the time, she didn''t even know why she was crying. She felt totally useless.

    She couldn''t even hide her tears. Someone was always by her side, on all hours of the day. They had moved her back to their apartment when she had woken up, then turned her room into a lounge of sorts, complete with comfy couches and a portable stove for cooking, and on occasion brewing the potions she needed to recover. Whenever any of them had some free time from preparing for the upcoming defence against the Calamity, they would spend it in her room. At least they were nice about it and pretended not to notice when she went all leaky.

    Her rescuers were a scary, warlike bunch. Epione Felidae was a veritable tyrant with an iron fisted grip over the workings of the medical cell of the army. She had taken to issuing orders from Ceres room, ostensibly so she could better respond if and when her newly generated heart and lungs malfunctioned. It gave her a first-row seat to one unfortunate medic trainee quaking in her boots as Epione unleashed her acid tongue on her. When she left, trying her best not to simply make a dash for it, Ceres was sure that if given a choice, the young girl would rather face the Calamity. Alone. And unarmed.

    Her room overlooked the yard and over six hours a day, it would contain the form of Deimos exercising her martial arts and magic. In the three days since her revival, she had counted exactly six ironwood training dummies turned into sawdust under the might of her spell and fist. She remembered her conversation with the girl in the carriage in front of the gates of Patera and gulped. Now that there was no Geas driving her on to outwit and manipulate them, she found them thoroughly intimidating.

    He mixed a herbal tonic for her to drink. He''d made one every day so far. They were pretty nasty tasting, but she hadn''t coughed since yesterday, so it was probably working as well. Her husband was an accomplished alchemist. He was a handsome, accomplished man with authority in his grasp and yet, he still let her call him that. She had cried again.

    After Mars left, she watched Phobos leisurely knitting in a corner of the room, the soft ''tinks'' of needle against needle sounding out a soothing, almost hypnotic melody as she watched balls of wool shrink and cloth form in their stead. She had never noticed it before, busy as she was scheming, but even though at first glance, it looked as if Phobos was simply performing a mundane task, in actuality, she was exercising her mana.

    Every thread was delivered to its location with a precise application of Shadow Walk and throughout the process, she never let her cloak of shadow stealth dissipate, making it harder for Ceres to keep her in sight. Now that she had nothing else to do but think about things, Ceres recalled that Phobos would always seem to appear out of nowhere whenever she needed something from her. Outwardly, it might seem that she was the least assiduous, given how busy Mars was and how hard Deimos trained. But, in fact, she had turned her training into a part of her daily life. Every task another step down the martial path.

    She felt useless sitting around doing nothing, so she got up and to try find some way to help out. Everyone shooed her away and told her to rest, except for Deimos. Ceres thought the fellow orphan understood how frustrated she felt. Just like she had been the first to embrace her after she had told them her story.

    Deimos handed Ceres a knife and some vegetables, and asked her to peel and chop them for dinner. Ceres wiped her tears and settled down, letting her mind focus on peeling and chopping.

    ***

    She sat close to the fire next to Veer Felidae, while they ate their dinner. It was delicious as always, grilled meat, some roasted vegetables, and some soup with grains in it. She cried during her first meal with them. She''d forgotten the feeling of sharing a table with people she didn''t have to keep her guard up against.

    She had felt some of it when she shared a table with Mars, Phobos and Deimos back at the capital, but she had been too preoccupied by the Geas to truly appreciate the feeling. Spices had been liberally used. Surprising, as they were quite rare this close to the border. Unless Phobos was using spices because she was awake? To celebrate? Damn, she was crying again.

    She looked at Veer Felidae to try to figure him out. He was the leader around here. A tall, densely muscled tiger-man, with close-cropped orange hair, and golden eyes that scared the hell out of her. He gave off a very no-nonsense vibe, walking around, straight-backed, tight-laced, and eyes that are always glaring. When he smiled was the scariest. Like you were a meal he found, and he was starving. She had no idea why he saved her. Letting her die would have been the best choice to stave off complications in this time of imminent war. Wasn''t that what all nobles were supposed to do? Put their career first? The Felidae were a strange bunch.

    He wasn''t all bad though. Around meal times, when the food was almost ready, he would appear out of nowhere, with the same taciturn look as always. His tail gave him away though. It lashed around furiously around mealtimes. The same with Deimos. No one pointed it out though. Mars and Phobos, the cooks, smiling as they watched them race to finish their meals and ask for seconds. Even with all her etiquette classes, Ceres never did understand how Veer Felidae managed to look dignified even as he ate so fast.

    "How are you feeling, girl?" He always spoke slowly and quietly to her, like he was scared that a loud enough voice would snap her in half.

    "Much better than yesterday. I haven''t been coughing."

    "Good." Same dialogue every day, same scary smile. He stood up to leave.

    "I haven''t properly thanked you." He turned to her with a quizzical look. "For saving me. Just thank you so much. I don''t know how to ever repay you, and everyone else, for just how much you''ve done for me, but I will, even though I''m so useless. I''ll pay you back, for sacrificing your arm, and for Mars'' shattered mindscape, and helping me so much, with the Geas and..." God dammit, she was going to cauterize her tear ducts.

    He stood around for some time while she cried. After she calmed down a bit, he spoke.

    "Look me in the eyes, girl. Know what I say for truth." She looked up at him timidly.

    "There is no need for thanks or repayment. You became one of us the day you married my son. All we''ve done is rescue one of ours. Righted a grave wrong. All you have to do now, is focus on healing. Rest easy." His smile wasn''t so scary this time.

 89 Chapter 8

    And yet, a girl who could barely walk without her support, whose face paled from the effort of her every step, had chosen to abandon the chance at safety offered to her and volunteered her services at the front-line. Her eyes went to Ceres'' chest.

    The shine of the artificial heart and lungs couldn''t be covered by her clothes, the organs slowly growing back with the mana constructs as the framework. It would take days yet for her to fully heal. Yet, here she was, in the midst of the battlefield. Deimos couldn''t help but admire the grit of the girl. Her sister-wife was really something.

    She felt proud of her and sorrowful for her suffering. As a fellow orphan, it was easy for her to sympathize. At least she hadn''t been spirited away from the ashes of the orphanage that had taken her in, only to be enslaved. Ceres had it much worse.

    Ahead of them, Phi-Phi was conversing with Lieutenant Ava, consulting her for her knowledge of shadow magic. As the official followers of the holder of the Swayamvar token, the three of them had the provisional authority of Captains. Considering their total lack of experience and the importance of the upcoming war, instead of assigning them their own squad, as was the norm, they had been tasked with assisting Lieutenant Ava, who was in charge of the scouting department.

    There were six major departments in the army, traditionally modelled after the main characteristics of the six elements. The alchemy department headed by Lieutenant Neera were responsible for the manufacture of the potions and medicines that were the backbone that supported the army. Her husband, Del Tauros, was responsible for the ranged department comprised of mainly fire mages who were trained in the art of archery or in the operation of the cannons that lined the top of the fortifications.

    Father was directly responsible for commanding the army and the messenger department. Composed mainly of wind mages, it was responsible for maintaining the chain of command and relaying tactical information. They could also be called upon to use their community Haste spells to improve the marching speed of the armies.

    Mother was the Chief healer, wielding the medical department, providing their services wherever needed. Incidentally, the Paladins, the most elite of the soldiers, the juggernauts bathed in the blood of their enemies over the course of their many battles, were traditionally subordinate to the healers. Death subdued by life, an inspiring metaphor.

    In practice, however, the two departments, comprising of the majority of the light mages, were two separate cells. Except, that is, at Firang, where Major Rawle Cervidae''s chronic apathy towards command had resulted in Mother having to take up the mantle in his place.

    After Father, she had the most say at the camp.

    They passed through the deserted streets, the lively town having turned silent within days as the civilians were evacuated in preparation for the upcoming battle. She noticed the barren shop-fronts and the overturned signs that marked the hasty departure of their owners. A flash of colour caught her eye in passing. Tattered streamers swayed in the wind in the red-light district, their dispirited undulation seemingly mourning the departure of the men and women that populated the streets they decorated.

    Her ears twitched as she picked up the soft chatter of female voices as they approached the barracks, the sound ceasing as Lieutenant Ava pushed past the doors. Eight women of various looks, stature and bloodline, attired in military uniform, stood at attention and saluted to the Lieutenant.

    The army at Firang was nearly five thousand strong. Over the years, it had become an established fact that breaking through to the next realm was nearly ten times more difficult than breaking through to the previous one. Thus, a rough estimate would place the population of Tier 2 mages at five hundred and the number of Tier 3 mages at fifty. Five of the department heads were at Tier 4 while father was the only one to have reached Tier 5.

    As Captains, the three of them would traditionally have command over a ten-man squad of Tier 1 mages and be responsible to a Tier 3 Marshal along with seven others. Due to their special circumstances and their inexperience, Lieutenant Ava had been showing them the ropes. Now that war was imminent, she no longer had time to babysit them so she had brought them to the barracks to hand them over to a Marshal with empty slots on her team.

    While the Lieutenant briefed the inordinately tall, middle-aged marshal with drooping dog-ears and sleepy eyes, Deimos walked Ceres over to a seat and gently set her down. Ceres'' sigh of relief was soft, but not soft enough to evade her ears. Noticing that she had noticed, Ceres gave her a wry smile. At least she wasn''t bursting into tears anymore.

    Deimos looked up at a sudden increase in the noise levels to see that the Lieutenant had left and the remaining captains had curiously sphered Phobos while the Marshal was making her way towards her and Ceres.

    Stopping in front of them with her hands on her hips, she gave them a lopsided grin as she towered over Deimos. When she was speaking with the others, Deimos had seen how tall she was, but the experience was entirely different up close. The marshal''s height and muscular figure gave her an extremely imposing presence. "What do we have here? A tiny cat and a sick fox, eh?"

    Her tone was rough and her words abrasive revealing her humble origins. It was quite rare that a commoner had a bloodline dense enough to rise to Tier 3 from the masses. Such people were generally quite self-confident and biased against the nobility due to their relative difficulty in procuring resources. Deimos, tamped down her anger at the riling tone and responded civilly with a salute. "Greetings Marshal, I am Deimos Felidae and she, Ceres Felidae. Reporting for duty."

    The Marshal cocked her head to the side and gave her a once over, taking her sweet time to respond and forcing Deimos to maintain her salute. Cleaning her ear with her little finger, the dark-skinned woman flicked the dirt away and finally drawled out, "I heard¡­ Ye are the wives of the Boss-man''s son. Pretty little thing, ain''t he?"

    Deimos felt her hackles rise. Dropping out of her salute, she replied through gritted teeth: "Yes..." The marshal raised her eyebrows. "Sir." Deimos forced out.

    "Ye know? I was ta be the next one ta get promoted ta Lieutenant. Now, I havta listen ta a Tamer with only three Tier 2 wives." She narrowed her eyes. "Want me ta introduce some of the girls? They might be interested in a Swap."

    This time Deimos couldn''t help but hiss, her nails morphing into claws and her teeth sharpening. She didn''t know what she would have done if Ceres hadn''t grabbed her wrist on time. Lunged at the woman probably.

    Actually, the Marshal hadn''t said anything fundamentally wrong. Women, specially those who were quite close to each other, or those in extremely dangerous professions like delving and the military, would often agree to a Swap with each other. It basically meant that if one of them died in battle and the other''s husband perished, the two survivors would marry so the woman didn''t have to go Feral. It was a quite common social practice, but the way the hateful bitch put it implied that Master would surely die.

    Even as Deimos'' thoughts were clouded by her anger, a calm and soft voice cut through the fog. "I would prefer Sati."

    Deimos turned to look at Ceres in surprise. The girl''s voice was filled with conviction, her expression decisive. Even the Marshal was taken aback. Sati was when a war widow refused to remarry, choosing to turn Feral instead. Vita''s divine will was guided by her hate, that meant it could be guided by hate in turn. Channelling her hatred towards the enemy who had taken her lover''s life, once a woman committed to Sati turned Feral, she would rush into the enemy lines, slaking her thirst for vengeance with their blood till her last breath. If Paladins were the butchers of the battlefield, then a Feral driven by grief was terror incarnate.

    Ceres turned to the Marshal and looked her in the eye. Her artificial lungs lowering the volume of her voice, she spoke. "This life of mine was snatched from death''s door by him. I watched him shatter his mindscape to summon light even as my world grew dark. When he walks, I will too."

    The Marshal was silent for a long time even as Ceres'' words reverberated in Deimos'' mind. Finally, the large woman turned around, her voice carrying over to them even as she walked away.

 90 Chapter 9

    This time, the army just happened to be inhuman.

    The heatwave from the amassed legion of fire ants assaulted me, blowing my hair back. In the region where they had gathered, winter had given way to summer as the temperatures rose drastically from the increased concentrations of fire mana.

    The majority of the ants were quite small, the size of an adult''s thumb from tip to tip. They were like the unawakened masses of the Empire, who made up the majority of the population, but were incapable of accessing their mana due the diluteness of their bloodlines. Yet, their bloodlines made them stronger and in some rare cases, gave them special capabilities like accelerated healing for a commoner with a light attributed bloodline.

    The ants were quite beautiful, their hard, chitinous bodies shining under the sunlight like flaming jewels. They formed a carpet of gems, dyeing the ground a lustrous red as they advanced upon our walls. These were the ants Phobos had used in her bid to break through to Tier 2. They each had the special capability of generating the most debilitatingly painful of toxins. It was perfectly balanced so the pain wouldn''t overload the system, yet reach the maximum pain threshold of their victims. One bite and you would lose most of your battle efficiency, only to be swarmed by the thousands of their brethren that followed.

    Interspersed among the unawakened ants were the Tier 1 beasts, each of them the size of a cat. They were a brighter red than their inferior cousins, their fiery carapaces glinting in the sun. each of them was worth a Tier 1 Bestia mage. In some ways, due to their more durable bodies and instinctive use of magic, they were thornier opponents.

    Leading the regiments of the fire ants were the Tier 2 beasts. Their bright red exteriors were patterned with naturally formed markings that looked like flames. The size of a large dog, they were quite horrifying to behold and their battle prowess was extremely valiant. A Bestia mage of similar level would have great difficulty escaping from a one-on-one encounter alive. Only if they were a water mage would they have some smidgen of a chance to defeat it.

    As for Tier 4 ants, they looked no different from their Tier 3 brethren, and were more dangerous for it. At the current size of the army approaching us, I doubted that there was more than one such ant in the entire group. After all, this was but a mere splinter force of the Calamity.

    I looked up at the sky. From the distance, dark clouds were approaching. These clouds were strange, rapidly morphing their shapes as they approached. When the sunlight glinted off them, they would shine a blood red.

    They were no clouds, they were the aerial forces of the ant legion. Just as numerous as their cousins on the ground, they made the city walls ineffective and tied up a large amount of the attentions of the forces.

    The earth shook and the air buzzed as the legion advanced upon us, the ants marching in perfect lockstep under the influence of their leaders, their mindless discipline putting even the most seasoned of squads to shame.

    In contrast to the legion, our army had more experts on our side, but since none below Tier 1 were employed, we were inferior in the aspect of population. This was the preferred tactic of beast tides. ''Consume, then devour'', it was called. They would tire out a superior force with incessant sacrifice of cannon fodder before moving in for the kill. Their hive-minded society meant that the low Tier soldiers thought nothing of being sent to their deaths and mutiny wasn''t in the realm of possibilities.

    Yet, their greatest advantage was also their greatest weakness. The mindless obedience of the low Tier ant soldiers made their tactical rules mechanical and easily predictable. They weren''t going to be capable of complicated strategical manoeuvres any time soon.

    While the legion aimed to outlast us, we aimed to outwit them.

    I looked around me. The facial expressions on our mages were fierce. For some of them, it was their first war and fear and anxiety were clear on their faces. Some were veterans and though they appeared calm, their clenched fists and tensed demeanours gave them away. No one could face the imminent possibility of death calmly. I felt oddly serene though. After my brush with death, where I had willingly gambled my life to snatch Ceres'' out of the jaws of death, I had come to an understanding. Fear wouldn''t stop me from getting my job done.

    I might have the nominal post of a Lieutenant, but I could see that they expected little of me. The soldiers expected me to stay out of the fighting at best and be a hindrance at worst. After all, I wasn''t even from a military background. They were too disciplined to openly air their complaints, for that I was grateful.

    I might not have any battlefield experience, but I would put forth my best.

    Closing my eyes, I reached out to the world with my senses. The very world seemed to burn in my perception as I noticed the elevated levels of fire mana. Searching in the void left by my mindscape, I found what I was looking for. A hazy red sigil formed out of the words ''smoke within a dream'' in the old language. Reaching out mentally, I touched it and immediately, a sense of connection flooded my being and my perception of fire mana grew even clearer.

    After my mindscape had shattered, I had feared that my contracts would too. In fact, they had begun to fade shortly afterwards, causing me great panic. It had nearly broken me imagining having to see my wives off to other men to prevent them from going Feral. Thankfully, the marks weren''t disappearing but shifting. Shifting to the void previously occupied by my mindscape.

    After these few days of training my new style of casting, I had concluded that my sensitivity to the elements of wind, shadow and fire, in fact, originated from my contract markings. As for water and light, I still had no clue. Thus, depending on how sensitive my wives were to their elements and based on the strength of my bond with them, my powers would increase too.

    Given Ceres'' talent and the strength of our bond after she had regained consciousness, I could perceive the fire mana in the air with great clarity.

 91 Chapter 10

    My current post of Interim Lieutenant meant that I was expected to contribute as much to the war effort as a Tier 4 mage. My status as a Tamer with three wives at Tier 2 meant that not very many people took me seriously. They were justified in their disdain. Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn''t be able to achieve much. The keyword here being ordinary.

    I was as far from being an ordinary Tamer as could be. Not only had I stepped on a path of magic untrodden for aeons, I had an artefact that could provide me the means to reach my goal.

    Ceres'' mind crystal amulet.

    The very thought of who had given her the amulet and how she had been treated as a child made my blood boil but now wasn''t the time for sentiment. The amulet was a tool, a tool that could help repel the Calamity and if I had learnt anything from my extensive readings on the topic of war; it was that every tool available should be used.

    As I drew upon my contract with Ceres and accessed her sensitivity to the fire mana around me, the world around me took on a fiery cast to my senses. The ant legion, composed of fire ants as it was, did a splendid job of making my task easier by concentrating the fire mana for miles around to this area.

    The first rune formed easily, followed by another and then another. Soon, I was surrounded by a fiery mass of mana text, each rune reading the old language word for ''fire''.

    I channelled the runes into the amulet, filling it up with the text instead of pure mana. During my experiments with my power, I had discovered that the crystal could hold the text within it without letting it dissipate for a short period of time and in that time, I didn''t have to branch out my mental effort to maintain the rune. Which meant that I could accumulate runes within the crystal and unleash them all at once in one powerful strike.

    Also, as I lacked a mindscape, I didn''t have to worry myself over the restrictions placed on using the crystal for fear of backlash. I could bring out its full potential. It was my trump card and it would see the light of day for the first time today.

    The elemental affinity of the crystal and the favourable conditions provided by the element of the Calamity meant that for maximum effectiveness, I had to work with fire mana. Thus, I had applied to Major Tauros for a spot by the artillery squad led by him.

    I racked my brains for anything that could help me speed up the process of accumulation for my strike. Inspiration flashed as a few words mother had spoken to me, back before the Tournament that changed my life even began.

    "The flame-touched are highly emotional. The fire of their enthusiasm driving them to perform feats of both great benevolence and great evil¡­"

    I relaxed the self-imposed shackles on my emotions.

    While we now knew that the Duchess wasn''t crazed enough to put a Geas on her own flesh and blood, we did know that she had kidnapped a child from the Shogunate and burnt an orphanage to the ground to erase her tracks. Despite the inimical relationship of the two nations, her actions were nothing short of atrocious. Was that why she was hounded by the ninja? Did some Kitsune noble want Ceres back? What was her motive for wanting me on the throne? We had more questions than answers, but that didn''t change one thing.

    My anger at her treatment of Ceres.

    It burnt white hot in my mind and resonated with the fire mana swirling around me. The runes formed easier, the mana more responsive to my call. The speed at which the amulet filled increased several-fold as my mind seemed to reach out and add our soldiers'' emotions to the mix. Excitement, anticipation, anger and fear, so much fear. After all, despite their training, it was the first time on the field of battle for many of them.

    "Buck up, men! The one who kills the least of these cretins won''t be eating tonight! Show me some spirit!" Major Tauros'' brash voice cut through the tension. "Sir, yes sir!" chorused the artillery squad. I could feel the emotions of the soldiers shift to resolve. Despite his history, the man was a splendid commander and his troops loved him.

    Sensing the fluctuations of mana around me, he shot me a curious glance before dismissing me from his mind. As long as I wasn''t interfering with his squad, he couldn''t be bothered less about what I did.

    As the legion breached the firing range, he yelled, "Ready!"

    The fire mages dropped their waists and widened their stances with their fists by their hips. The way they stood together seemed to faintly form a sort of topography.

    "Set!"

    They synchronously activated Tier 1 flame magic: Ember. The bright red flames shrouding them in a flaming coat. The density of fire mana in the area crazily increased causing my rate of rune formation to shoot up. Flowing from all over their bodies, the Embers concentrated on their right fist.

    "Fire!"

    "Hah!" with a chorused shout, they stepped forward with their right foot in tandem and punched. Tier 1 flame magic: Flame Bullets. My eyes widened as I sensed some of the fire mana being towed by their glowing fists, feeding into the fireballs that shot out, causing them to inflate. The original spell formed several scattered gouts of flame but the fireballs formed by this method were nearly the size of a human head and much hotter to boot.

    Gerard was right about army techniques being optimized for group warfare. But, it wasn''t the time to gawk around in admiration. I had to make my move right about¡­ now!

    With a shout, I stepped forward and slammed my palms onto the ground. Hundreds of runes flowed out of the amulet and down my arms, spreading out on the ground before rising upwards, forming a wall of fiery text.

    Unranked Personal Magic: Wall of Aggravation [Murus Aggravo]

    The fireballs inflated to almost twice their size as they passed through the wall. Leaving fiery trails in their wake, they drew a curve in the air as they dropped upon the ant legion like meteors. The ants might be fire-attributed beasts but that didn''t make them immune to fire, merely resistant to it, just like a fire mage wasn''t immune to the flames he created.

    They left smoking craters in the battle-lines of the ants, filled with charred corpses of the insects. The legion ignored their losses, the remaining ants walking over the corpses of their fallen as they advanced uninterrupted.

 92 Chapter 11

    The All-Mother, in her boundless compassion, hoped not for war. Yet, her children fought. Blood dyed the lands as they squabbled over the differences of their forms, unheeding of their Creator''s tears. Till at last, unwilling to see her children die at each other''s hands, the Mother turned the many into one. Henceforth, the Beasts and the Hominum contested for the dominance of the world no longer, for they had become one and the same. The Bestia.

    Act II, Verse VII:

    Anarchy reigned as society crumbled and the world devolved into chaos. The only ones left untouched were the Forsaken. The All-Mother fell into deep dormancy to recover from her exertions and in her absence and without the beasts to keep them in check, the Forsaken multiplied unimpeded, wresting away large tracts of land. The Forbidden Zones.

    - The Scriptures of the Deus Theocracy.

    ***

    The ants were endless. Morning had given way to noon; noon to the uncertain shadows of dusk; dusk to the moonless night. Thousands of the ants had been turned into charred corpses, the wanton bombardment of the artillery squad easily harvesting their lives. Yet, the legion marched on; fearless, unwearied.

    If, in the daytime, the ants had been like glittering rubies, the promise of death hidden within beauty, at night, they had shed their guise. As far as the eye could see, the land before the city wall was teeming with the glowing red forms of the ants. They looked like embers within a burning brazier. An unstoppable deluge of flame heading straight for the waiting army.

    In the sky, the ''cloud'' of aerial ants had already reached the walls, the cloud glowing a rank red from the flaming beasts. Burning ground and brimstone clouds; a scene straight from hell. Yet, the fearsome legion had been stopped in its tracks. The one below by the wall and the collaborative efforts of the army. The one above by merely two forms.

    Veer Felidae sat cross-legged upon the void with his eyes closed. His open palms faced upwards on his knees. The air around him was still. Too still. Ant after ant crashed from the air as they tried to breach his protection and attack the warring army below. Ants at the higher Tiers bombarded him with their magic, setting the sky aflame. Yet he sat still like a rock, the sea of flame extinguishing before it even reached within ten metres of him.

    One Tier 3 ant, frustrated by the lack of progress, vibrated its wings harder and shot out of the cloud towards him, opening its flaming mandibles wide. If it got close enough it could easily snap the frail mage in half, or so it thought. Very soon, it hit a barrier of stagnant air. No matter how hard it flapped its wings, it couldn''t seem to generate any lift. It began to drop. With an angry shriek, its fire mana exploded out, propelling it like a rocket towards the hateful man.

    The cat lazily opened one eye to look at it and flicked its tail, a pencil thin beam of light shooting from it and through the ant''s forehead, punching through its thick carapace with consummate ease. It was as if it was made of paper rather than chitin hardened by mana till it was tougher than steel. The ant the size of a horse stagnated before it began to crash to the ground, lifeless.

    The cat licked one of its paws and dragged it across its face to smoothen out the fur there. It said, "That''s three you''ve let past in as many hours, meow. You''re losing your touch old man."

    Veer Felidae opened his eyes slightly and looked down at his wife in his lap. Ignoring her jibe, he asked curiously, "How and why are you speaking in that form?"

    Epione Felidae paused her grooming session to look up at him. "If that vixen can speak in her Feral form, meow, I can too. I just had to shift my vocal cords partially back to my Bestia form."

    "Oh. So that was all the yowling that kept me up at night. You were practising."

    Her eyes narrowed and she thoughtfully studied one of her paws, the sharp claws popping out and glinting in the light of the swarm of fire ants. "Husband," she said, "I''m sitting in your lap."

    "Hmm," agreed Veer, absentmindedly, as he tried to estimate the scale of the swarm and how long he would be able to keep up the blockade before having to rest.

    "I have claws, meow." Reminded Epione helpfully. Veer''s mind caught up to her words and he stiffened suddenly, nearly dropping out of his state of Void. Satisfied by his reaction, Epione gave a toothy grin and patted his thigh. "Don''t worry, I like it a bit too much to do that."

    Getting up, she stretched and yawned. "I''m at full capacity again. Let me handle it. You rest up." The corner of Veer''s eye twitched but he slowly withdrew his barrier. Leaping up onto his shoulder, Epione drew upon her mana.

    The swarm buzzed excitedly as it discovered the barrier weakening and surged forward.

    Tier 4 Ultimate Magic: Pestilence.

    Epione''s eyes snapped open, every strand of fur on her body glowing with a sickly pale light. The light radiated outwards as a domain, covering the forerunners of the swarm. Calamity met Pestilence and Calamity gave way as every ant which was shone upon by the light began to develop symptoms of illness. Some grew extremely slow, some developed blotchy patches on their carapaces, some of them had their wings atrophy, causing them to drop out of the sky. Most of the ants below Tier 1 simply perished while those with mana managed to partially resist the light but had to beat a hasty retreat before they too lost their lives.

    "I can keep this up for half an hour, meow," She said, wrapping herself around his neck. "Hurry up and replenish your mana. We can''t have our little boy hog all the glory."

    Veer Felidae glanced down at where the artillery department was taking a break from their constant bombardment of the legion. Looking away, he nodded slightly and closed his eyes in meditation. It would be a long night and a longer fight. But he couldn''t be prouder of what his son had achieved this day.

    Being able to contribute at the level of a Tier 4 Mage at the mere age of nineteen¡­ no matter how he had achieved it¡­ was an awe-inspiring feat. One that was rare even in the entire history of the Regiis Empire whose heroes were as numerous as the stars that adorned the skies.

 93 Chapter 12

    Having created the sun, moon and stars, the All-Mother, exhausted, wished for rest. So, on the seventh day, she slumbered, splitting herself across the lands. In her sleep, she dreamt of creatures to share the world she had created, children to keep her company. When she awoke, she was greeted by her first children, born of her fragments combined with earth and fire. The Elementals.

    Act I, Verse VII:

    The All-Mother felt lonesome. Her first children had alleviated her solitude slightly, yet, they possessed very little in terms of sentience, living solely guided by their instincts. Thus, the All-Mother set about her most ambitious project yet. Shearing parts of herself, she birthed the primordial twins: Aus and Aum.

    Act I, Verse VIII:

    Aus possessed the endless potential to evolve and her ability to create life; Aum, her infinite wisdom. Aus split herself further, scattering across the world. Whatever her fragments consumed, they took the aspect of, evolving into the myriad Beasts that roamed the lands.

    - Scriptures of the Deus Theocracy.

    ***

    A droplet of sweat ran down Phobos'' forehead, down her nose and dripped down from the tip, splashing onto the enchanted stone beneath her feet. Another dripped from her furrowed brow right into her left eye. She blinked, losing control of the spell she had been concentrating on. With a grunt of pain, she staggered back from the backlash, as did several of the others who had been participating in the combined matrix with her.

    "A-cha. That hurts!" exclaimed one of her fellow Tier 2 shadow mages as she clutched her head with both hands. She was a petite girl with black hair cropped short and a cute, chubby face which was currently puffed up in a pout. Phobos couldn''t quite place her bloodline from her bestial characteristics. Some sort of beaver perhaps?

    "I''m sorry," Phobos apologised, trying her best to power past her own throbbing headache. Suddenly, a large shadow covered the girl from behind and a hand dropped heavily on her shoulder, causing her to stagger.

    "Look who''s talkin''¡­ Anya, correct me if I''m wrong but I remember ye givin'' me more headaches in an hour than she''s given me in a day on yer first try with the formations."

    "A-ch-cha-cha. Marshal, stop! It hurts. My shoulder will break! It''ll shatter I tell you. Okay. I''m sorry. I''m sorry, okay. She looked so uptight and serious. I wanted to tease her. Ahh!" With a final squeeze of her shoulder, that generated ominous creaking sounds, Marshal Zoya Canis let go of the girl who nursed her shoulder with a teary pout and speedily ran off.

    "Come with me. Ye need to rest. Push yerself any more and ye''ll just end up making more mistakes and do more harm than good. And I don''t wanna explain a cracked mindscape to those two." She said, jerking her thumb upwards.

    Nodding, she followed behind the dark haired, floppy eared, muscular dog-woman as they made their way down the stairs to the base of the wall where the soldiers rested in their shifts off. Settling down on an empty bench, Zoya patted the empty space beside her and Phobos took her seat.

    "Oi. Get us some chow will ya?" she shouted to the pot-bellied water mage who was busy cooking something in a large pot over a fire-stone stove.

    The rotund cook shot her a glance and yelled back. "What''cha want, Canis? We got crispy fried fire ants, ant hotpot and ant casserole. And I don''t mind whipping up a stew for the lady by yer side, special like. After all, her husband''s been getting me most of my materials."

    "Hah! Eat yer enemies, is it? Makes us sound like the Northern Savages. I like it. Get us the stew then and I want the fries. Make it quick, Rody. I gotta get back fast or my squad''ll mess stuff up topside."

    Rody chuckled and gave his cauldron several more stirs before setting it aside. He then put a smaller cauldron onto the stove and set about preparing the stew.

    While he was doing that, Major Canis leaned back into the seat, her joints popping as she stretched. "Well¡­ I''ve never been one for apologies," she turned to Phobos and bowed to her, "But¡­ sorry fer dissing yer husband. Showed me right up didn''t he." She sighed. "Ye three must''ve been laughing at me behind my back¡­ letting me mouth off without telling me what an anomaly he was. Tamer my ass¡­ ain''t seen a Tamer who can amplify a whole squad worth of spells in one go. That Lieutenant badge¡­ he earned it. More than me, anyway." She seemed to deflate after her spiel, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the wall behind her.

    Phobos smiled and shook her head. "Don''t apologise to me. I''m just as surprised as you. Husband kept his cards close. I thought that he would be worth a Tier 3 mage at most with his unusual casting. I never imagined¡­"

    Her smile faded as she looked out of a window at the wall, lit as brightly as day by the multitude of smokeless torches that were arranged at regular distances on it. Soldiers bustled about, coming and going as they swapped shifts to alternate rest and battle. The army was a smoothly oiled machine that was aimed at efficiently dispatching the enemy.

    Every mage was a cog in the machine, helping it turn. Shadow mages like her were tasked with collaborating in groups of six to cast Shadow Walk on the ants at Tier 2 and above, forcefully teleporting them to special arenas where an earth mage and a wind mage at Tier 2, or a Paladin waited to dispatch them. This way, the commanders of the legion could be picked off without having to wade through the sea of their subordinates.

    The healing department remained on standby to treat the fighter''s wounds.

    The water mages were responsible for defence, their elemental advantage meaning that the collaborative water-curtain spell they could deploy greatly weakened the attacks of the fire ants capable of magic.

    Constant streams of fireballs shot at the wall from the ant legion, seeking to shatter it with sheer firepower; only to fizzle out as they came in contact with the water-curtain. Some, like the ones shot by Tier 3 ants, punched through the curtain only to pound ineffectually on the enchanted earth-stone walls of the city while the curtain recovered rapidly with the input of the mages'' mana.

    Part of the water mages focused on their alchemy, using the corpses of the fire ants and the inherent mana within them to dispose potions beneficial for the soldiers. In fact, the cook, Rody, was a Captain, subordinate to the alchemical department. His task, cooking up tasteful meals with his alchemy that would both boost morale and accelerate mana regeneration.

    The fire mages composed several artillery squads that rotated, taking turns to bombard the legion, clearing large swathes of low-level ants with every salvo. Specially with Husband assisting them.

    Phobos clenched her fist. Even though she had tried hard to train every waking moment, she was still the weakest one among them. While she was stuck collaborating with the shadow mages, making mistakes more often than not, Deimos had risen to prominence for swiftly dispatching several Tier 2 ants in the arena without the need of an earth mage''s assistance.

    Even Ceres, despite her injuries, had made herself useful with her immense talent in mathematics and analysis, taking over the running of the logistics of the alchemical department, freeing a Tier 2 water mage to join the battle.

    She couldn''t help but feel depressed. It seemed like everyone was walking ahead and that soon, she would lose sight of their backs.

 94 Chapter 13

    Aum communed with the elementals, securing their help to build magnificent cities of gem and stone. In the process of his toils, he came to love an elemental of Earth. Begging the Mother for assistance in joining them in bonds of Matrimony, he piqued her curiosity. So, she asked him what he was willing to sacrifice for love.

    In answer, Aum reached into his chest and offered up his beating heart.

    Act I, Verse X:

    Satisfied by his sincerity, the Mother imbued the elemental with his heart, remaking it in his image of the perfect partner. Possessing Aum''s fragment of the Mother, thereby her powers of procreation, Rin was the first female Hominum and her marriage with Aum, the first Contract. Together, they were the progenitors of their race.

    Act II, Verse II:

    Enamoured by Aum and Rin''s relationship and the happiness they shared, the All-Mother bestowed the same favour upon the Beasts, splitting each of them into twain. Male and female. She wished to experience love for herself through the parts of herself reposing within the females. Yet, the Beasts were many and varied, some developed societies too strange for love to blossom. Some, rejected her gift of gender, procreating by themselves. They were known as the Forsaken.

    - Scriptures of the Deus Theocracy.

    ***

    Deimos leapt backwards, avoiding the mandibles of her opponent by a hair''s breadth. The fire ant the size of a large dog let out a keening wail that hurt her sensitive ears and set her hairs on end. The patterns on its carapace shone with a fiery brilliance as it channelled its mana into them.

    Her eyes widened as she sensed the berserk fluctuations of the fire mana radiating off the creature. It wasn''t her first time facing such an attack today but she couldn''t help but be shocked by how little time it took the ants to cast their spells each time.

    Tier 2 fire magic: Heatwave.

    Centred on the ant, a deluge of flame sprang up, billowing outwards, turning the arena into a sea of flame. Clenching her teeth, Deimos let the winds envelop her, activating Tier 1 wind magic: Haste. She lightened herself, letting the impulse from the expanding firestorm carry her away from her opponent, to safety.

    That didn''t stop the heat from singing her hair and scorching her skin, her Heavenly Silksnail garment keeping off the worst of the damage. Clenching her teeth against the pain, she landed in a crouch, skidding to a stop leaving furrows on the ground. Her form stretched and skewed as it morphed into her Feral form.

    The hot drafts from the fire magic ruffled her short white fur, speckled with brown. Narrowing her vibrant green eyes at the ant, she bared her teeth and growled.

    Channelling her mana into her spots, she felt the familiar feeling of the wind wrapping her in its embrace and lightening her. No delay and very little cast time. This was the specialty of the Beasts'' magic. Using the natural traces on their bodies, they would be able to cast their spells near instantaneously. All they had to do was channel their mana into these traces.

    Of course, the method wasn''t perfect. Its drawback being, the spells were extremely fixed in their form. If a Flame Bullet generated by a Beast fired off two small gouts of fire at their opponent at Tier 1, then that was the form it would take even if the Beast advanced to Tier 3. The immutability of the spells meant that their repertoire was limited, leaving them with a rigid fight style that could be exploited by an experienced martial warrior.

    Beasts weren''t capable of chaining and modifying spells unlike Bestia, or Hominum. Despite that, their strong bodies and lack of fear of mana backlash still made them fearsome opponents. In her Feral form, Deimos was able to tap into just such characteristics.

    Comparing strength, she wasn''t the ant''s match by a long shot. But speed? Add faster spell casting to the mix and the overgrown insect stood no chance.

    Deimos burst into motion, darting towards her opponent in a curve. Her muscles rippled under her fur as her body stretched and contracted, each contact of her paws with the ground propelling her to higher speeds. Flowers of fire bloomed behind her as the ant turned to follow her motion, trying to hit her with Flame bullets, only for them to hit the ground behind her.

    Suddenly, she tacked inwards, heading directly for the ant. With another screech the ant blasted fire at her. Due to its haste, the first bullet missed, passing through her side, but the second flew true. Instead of dodging, Deimos retaliated with an Air bullet of her own, the transparent sphere of wind slamming into the fireball and shattering it into a shower of sparks.

    Bursting through the curtain of sparks, Deimos slammed into the ant, sending it tumbling. Before it could recover, she slammed her paw into the joint of one of its feet. With a sickening crack, it bent the wrong way. She leapt out of the way of its gnashing mandibles and circled it again. This time, with its injury, it wasn''t turn fast enough, allowing her to reach the spot behind it. With another lunge and a crack, another of its legs was broken.

    She darted in and out a total of six times, disabling all of the ant''s legs in the process and avoiding its deadly jaws with more and more ease as it lost its mobility.

    Sensing Death creeping up on it, the ant''s body glowed a bright red as it prepared to channel all of its mana into its traces, aiming to drag her with it to the underworld. It was too late. Deimos slammed down with all her weight onto its neck joint, snapping it cleanly. The ant flailed once, twice, before the markings on it grew dim.

    Deimos had won, a latest in a string of victories.

    As she walked out of the arena, she was greeted by cheers and the praises of the soldiers. "Great job." "It didn''t even take her ten minutes." "Whoa. She can fight in her Feral form!? That''s insane. It''s like a totally new body. How much do you have to practice to fight like that in both forms."

    She derived no joy from them. Soloing the ants might seem impressive, but in fact, it was inefficient. The reason an Earth mage collaborated with a wind mage to take on a single ant of the same tier was so that the wind mage could focus on offense and the earth mage on defence. Thereby, taking out the ant swiftly and efficiently.

    The reason she was working alone was that she couldn''t properly coordinate with any of the earth mages. Unlike Phobos, who had so seamlessly merged into the Shadow Prison team, or Master, who had nearly doubled the lethality of the artillery squad by himself. Or even Ceres, who despite her injuries had made herself useful through her fearsome talent in management.

 95 Chapter 14

    Well, you made do with what you had. It wasn''t like she could go fetch her own, abandoning her post. Not with how hectic things were right now at the logistics office. Given how short-staffed they were after most of the regular officers had been shifted to combat assignments, hoping for an extra pair of hands to grind ink for her would be too much.

    Her fingers flicked across the abacus, tallying and computing with every clack of the beads. She wasn''t combat capable yet, so, this was the only way she could help. Thankfully, her years under the Vulpines'' hadn''t been for naught as her arithmetic and management skills far outstripped those twice her age. That was why she had received a field promotion to ¨C

    "Provisional Quartermaster Ceres."

    That. Ceres completed her latest string of calculations and set down her quill, flexing her cramping hands. Turning around in her rotating chair, she faced the source of the voice. A flaxen haired Tier 1 mage, barely over sixteen. From the white stripe on his breast pocket, she could tell that he was from the Messenger department. Noticing the slight ruddiness of his cheek as he shot furtive glances at her, she couldn''t help but chuckle internally. A blushing man was the best boost for any woman''s ego after all. Now, if only she could get her Husband to act that way. Throwing those frivolous thoughts to the back of her mind, she turned serious as she addressed him.

    "Yes? Cadet ¨C"

    "Devon, Ma''am. From the third squad of the messenger department." He replied with a straight back and puffed chest, eager to impress.

    "Then¡­ Devon, what brings you to me?"

    "Ah, yes¡­" he fumbled with the satchel slung over his shoulder, brought out two correspondences and handed them over top her. Taking them, she found that one was from the alchemy department and one from the Artillery department.

    "As for the Artillery department''s request¡­ They are complaining about the side effects of the mana restoring potions. It is true that they are the ones who have to consume the most of the potions and therefore the ones the most affected. We need them in top shape for the defence¡­ but higher quality mana potions will burn more resources¡­ uhhh¡­ Alright, have a portion of the alchemists branch out to make the potions specially for the Artillery department at a higher standard than the rest. Ask the other departments to be sparing with the potions. Have them meditate whenever possible to reduce consumption and restore mana naturally."

    She stopped her instructions and asked the boy who had been furiously jotting them down in shorthand. "Got all that?"

    He wrote some more then stopped. "Yes, Ma''am."

    "Good." She said with a smile that made him blush again and sent him on his way. Once the boy was gone, she rubbed the top of her left foot on the back of her right calf. Her mark was itching again. She gazed out of the window of the office at the top of the wall, a part of which was lit up by a fiery red glow. Husband''s Wall of Aggravation. He was drawing upon their bond.

    Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her bond. She could fuzzily feel his presence on the other side. Reaching up, she touched her chest. She felt nothing. There was a void where her heart had been, the mana constructs that replaced her heart and lungs unable to replicate the sensations of the real organs. That would come with time, as her wounds healed. But she preferred the void, preferred it over the twinges of pain that her Geas would inflict every time her thoughts crossed the line set by her captors. Yet, she felt a bit lost at her inability to have her heart race at the thought of her Husband. For it was his form that filled the hollow of her chest.

    Smiling, she returned to her task. For a while, the only sounds in the room were the clacking of her abacus and the scratch of her quill against parchment. In the background, the war raged on.

    Suddenly, the peace was broken as the door to her office was shoved open roughly and three men burst in. Startled, she looked up to see that they were faces she recognized; highly ranked officers of the army. The one in the lead was the second-in-command of the Messenger corps: Aeryn Corvus, a rare Pluma with the bloodline of ravens in his veins. His jet-black wings covered his back like a magnificent feathered cape and his equally dark hair was tied back, exposing his broad forehead. His beak-like nose and sharp obsidian eyes gave him an imposing look. The two by his side were Marshals from the same department. All three of their gazes upon her were unfriendly.

    Innumerable thoughts welled up within Ceres'' mind as she speculated their purpose in coming. Assassination to abduction, many motives flashed past her mind, but she had neglected two important facts. First, all three were from the messenger department and second, Aeryn Corvus, both due to his bloodline and his penchant for delivering bad news was superstitiously titled: The Harbinger of Doom.

 96 Chapter 15

    Again?

    The Duchess again?

    Why couldn''t the woman just leave her alone? Wasn''t it enough to trap her within the prison of her own body for years? Now, her actions would put her behind bars?

    No! She couldn''t afford to have her freedom curtailed again. This feeling was too precious to let some random twist of fate rob it from her again. She had gambled her life for it. Now that she had it, it would take her life to part her from it.

    Her pupils focused again. There was steel within her eyes. Her mind buzzed as she rapidly considered and rejected plans of action. What did they know? They knew that she was the wife and daughter-in-law of Mars and Veer Felidae, respectively. They knew that she was a Vulpine clansman.

    By dint of Mother-in-law''s efforts, the fact that she was a full-blown Kitsune hadn''t been revealed, otherwise, with her outward status as the Duchess'' daughter, they wouldn''t even give her a warning before locking her up, given how heinous they made whatever the Duchess had done sound. If they knew that she was an illegal immigrant from the Shogunate¡­

    Thankfully, they knew nothing. She still had a chance.

    She shot a sharp look at her three would-be captors before focusing on Marshal Corvus. "Sir, could you tell me on what charges I am to be detained? What has the Duchess done to deserve the title of Traitor and implicate the entirety of her clan?"

    The man snorted coldly. "The information is on a need to know basis, and as a suspect under investigation, you definitely do not need to know. Now stop dallying and come along with us peaceably. Or, we could make you. Your choice."

    Ceres, with great effort, kept her expression unruffled by the naked threat contained within those words.

    "Well, Sir, you''ll find that I am, in fact, someone who does need to know. According to the Anti-Hostage Protocol, when arresting the family member of an officer ranked Marshal or higher, the officer needs to be notified of the arrest and given a chance to plead on their behalf. I''m assuming you do not have the approval of my Husband or my Father-in-Law, given how they are currently holding up the defences. If you had notified them, one of them would be here. As they aren''t, I must revolt against this arrest, nay, abduction attempt. And I will do my utmost to avoid being taken alive."

    A blue vein stuck up on Marshal Corvus'' forehead. "You¡­ you dare imply that I, Aeryn Corvus, might be a Traitor to the Empire. Me? Take you hostage!? Preposterous!" he sputtered out.

    Aeryn Corvus took deep breaths to calm himself while the two other Marshals who had come along with him grew restless at her words. Finally composing himself, he regarded her with narrowed eyes. "Good. What you said is quite correct." He bowed to her slightly, "I apologize for revealing such an ugly performance, but you must understand my desire to apprehend members of the clan involved with such deep treachery."

    "Oh, yes. I''d love to understand. So, why don''t you gentlemen take a seat and inform me about what these transgressions actually are so I can get an inkling of the depth of the treachery I''m being charged with?" Ceres said, waving in the direction of the chair in front of her desk.

    Marshal Corvus nodded and sat down, extending his wings and draping them behind the chair. With how large they were, the raven black feathers at the wingtips touched the ground. Turning to one of his two subordinates, he whispered something to him through the wind. Their conversation was brief and at the end, the man departed, leaving only three people in the office. Ceres, his other aide, and him.

    The aide took another chair but positioned it so he was a half-pace back from Marshal Corvus'' chair.

    "Samuel has gone to inform your Husband. He''ll be back with him after the artillery squad is done with the current salvo." He said. "I feel that''s enough time to get you up to date with what your Matriarch has been up to."

    Clearing his throat, Marshal Corvus began, "The central and southern portions of the South-Eastern Province have fallen under her command."

    "What!?" Ceres exclaimed, her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "How is that even possible!?"

    He sneered. "Why, through a web of political marriages, of course." The way he looked at her sent a chill up her spine as if he was deciding whether or not to just kill her and be done with it. She found it very hard to maintain composure under the effect of the light killing intent.

    "H-how?" she managed to voice out through gritted teeth.

    Marshal Corvus remained silent for a moment that seemed to last an eternity for Ceres before leaning back in his chair and sighing. Ceres let out a breath she had been holding, sweat had soaked her back. "After the resource distribution was over, it just so happened that all the communication towers in these parts fell into the hands of the families with which the Vulpines had marital ties. Coincidence? I think not. Apparently, the Duchess had fed these families some idea about monopolizing the instant communication business, thereby earning a large profit. So, during the distribution, they had chosen their jurisdictions accordingly. Finally, about three days ago, she blockaded communications, declared her secession from the Regiis Empire, and together with her allied families, set about eliminating any clan likely to impede her ambitions. Quite simple and effective. Caught off guard, these unfortunate clans weren''t able to accomplish much before they were swept away by the tides of revolt or captured."

    Ceres mind reeled from this shocking revelation. Secession? What exactly did the Duchess want and how was it related to the Throne, what part had she played in all this? In getting rid of her fetters, had she forced the Duchess'' hand?

    They were questions without answers¡­ but there was something that seemed incongruous about the story.

    "Wait! If she blocked communications, how do you know about the fall of the South and Central Districts so soon?"

 97 Chapter 1

    According to myth, Terra, the Goddess of the Earth created the very first elemental of Earth and her father, Ignis breathed life into the beings of pure Fire.

    These constructs of pure mana are found deep within the earth and nested within the magma chambers of active volcanoes. Their presence causes the increase in the density of their respective element''s mana in their area of residence. This means mana crystals form easily in their vicinity. In fact, over 90% of the supply of Terran crystals and Inflammation crystals come from their lairs; Dungeons, as they are popularly named.

    Elementals multiply by splitting off parts of themselves. Born with Tier 5 prowess, the new-born searches for a suitable perch for itself far from its parent. Being sedentary creatures, they nest for life. Once they find a suitable location (mineral lodes for earth elementals and magma chambers for a fire elemental), they fuse with it, begin to absorb mana and grow. In the process, to defend itself, it embeds parts of itself into the local flora and fauna, converting them into Dungeon beasts. These mutated animals gain magical prowess and some have been known to grow strong enough to rival Tier 4 mages.

    Riches and dangers coexist and there will forever be those willing to risk their life for the hope of a better future. To collect the abundant mana crystals within the dungeons; to slay dungeon beasts and extract their cores; to harvest the magical herbs only found in these unique environments; a new profession came into being. Dungeon delvers, or simply, the Delvers.

    - Of Dungeons and Delvers; Cain E. Sinistra, Chief of the Delvers'' Society

    The atmosphere in the meeting room was grim. The top brass of the Firang contingent had gathered once again. Unlike the previous session, Mother had shown up this time, as had Major Cervidae. Marshal Corvinus, Marshal Canis and a few other Marshals with enough clout were also included in the discussion. As was I. As was Ceres.

    Yes. Suspect. I could feel the slight tremors of Ceres'' body as she leaned her shoulder against mine for comfort. My wife had been marked a suspect and was to be investigated for collusion with the Traitor, Hotaru Vulpine.

    If only they knew. I was sure she would rather die than allow herself to bring any benefit to the Duchess. Hadn''t her detonation of her Geas already proved that? But, sadly, bringing that up would only open a whole new can of worms. I''d left that decision up to Mother and Father. They knew the ins and outs of the military better than I did. If they felt that revealing her origin would keep Ceres out of lockup, then they were probably right.

    I could feel the tension radiating off her and her grip on the hem of my shirt had her knuckles turning white. I squeezed Ceres shoulder. She relaxed slightly.

    Another officer gave Ceres the stink-eye.

    I could understand their resentment. We were already fighting a war with the ant legion; even recalling all the highest ranked officers from the battlefield for a few hours for this meeting had made it extremely strenuous for the remaining soldiers to support the defences against the continuous assault. Now, there was a war on the horizon with the Duchess'' forces, whenever they finished quelling their captured lands and decided to extend their hand towards us, and a member of the clan responsible for it all was in their midst. Tensions were running high and Ceres had provided an apt target for them to vent.

    I understood their antipathy, but I couldn''t condone it. Ceres had spent enough of her life in chains. I would do my utmost to keep her from experiencing incarceration again.

    After everyone was properly settled, Father cleared his throat to draw attention. "Ahem. Well, it seems that we are in a bit of a tight situation. First of all, the ant legion is breathing down our neck. We have absolutely no spare energy to divert our attention and send aid to the forces of south and central. What''s worse is that there is no guarantee that the eastern District will be able to hold out for too long under the assault of a force which is able to subdue two districts in such a short time. The worst thing is that we have absolutely no information on the Traitor''s forces, her motivations or her plans. We are fighting her blind."

    Major Ursa raised his hand.

    "Yes?"

    "I was wondering why the Border Defence Forces aren''t sending reinforcements to the East, South and Central districts¡­ it''s not like Firang is the only Border outpost. We have two more along the Eastern Border. Why don''t they just send aid?" he questioned in his ponderous tone.

    Father smiled wryly. "Because they are under attack as well."

    "What!?" "How''s that possible?" "Who?"

    That bit of explosive information brought about several exclamations and questions. Waiting for the hubbub to die down a bit, Father continued, "As you know, the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries were employed by Regiis to help in the war efforts. After an ¨C unfortunate altercation involving me, we had to switch our employment target to their rivals the Crimson Coyotes¡­ Their employer was Hotaru Vulpine acting on behalf of the Emperor. Now that she has defected¡­"

    Mother finished his sentence for him, "Their loyalties lie with their money."

    Major Tauros snorted, sending sparks flying. "Those damn mongrels. Have they gone mad out of greed? Where do they get the courage to face off against Regiis!? And damn that woman too. Using the Empire''s money to hire people to kill the Empire''s subjects. Despicable!"

    Before he could go on with his rant, Lieutenant Ava asked, "What about reinforcements from the Western and Northern Districts then? We have been tied down by the fire ants, the other forces along the Eastern Border of the province have come into conflict with Vulpine''s hired goons. But what about them? They should be able to act."

    Father glanced at Marshal Corvus questioningly and he explained, "The word from them is that the Tomb of Koschei suddenly flared up and started an Outbreak. They had noticed an increase in the casualties of the Delvers exploring the Catacombs but they never thought to relate missing parties to an impending Outbreak. And this time, the scale is vast. The entirety of the Border Defence forces of the Northern District is currently engaged in containing the threat. The Western District has a very small foreign border. The forces they do have are trying to help, but they are not amounting to much." Marshal Corvus'' wings were too large to let him sit comfortably with them around his back so he had to drape them around himself. Combined with his beak-like nose and sharp gaze, his resemblance to his bloodline source was uncanny. And as always, the news out of the Harbinger''s mouth spoke of Doom.

    "Wait!" Zoya Canis, the Marshal who was in charge of the squad that had my wives spoke up. "Isn''t it too much of a coincidence? All these once in a century and once in a millennium stuff happenin'' right when the vixen needs it ta happen?"

    That sent murmurs of approval through the ranks. One of the other Marshals present, a slant-eyed red-head, whose bloodline I couldn''t quite place, but whose breezy mana marked him as one of the Messenger squad''s members conjectured, "It is a tad too convenient for the Duchess ¨C pardon, Traitor ¨C to have all these ''natural'' disasters happen right when she needs them." He emphasized his point by air-quoting ''natural''. "I believe that she might have set all these events up beforehand. How she managed to manipulate these Disasters, I have no idea, but it couldn''t have been done without external help. The entire budget of the two districts under her command couldn''t have pulled it off. Let alone, she didn''t have access to the full budget, just the resources of a part of the families."

    Lieutenant Neera''s eyes narrowed, "You mean that she collaborated with the Shogunate?"

    The man shrugged, "I don''t know. This is just speculation, but it is highly likely that she has ties to them. They are the most motivated to pull off an operation of this scale, after all."

    Marshal Corvus picked up the thread of conversation. "Being an island nation, the only way they could attack was through their naval superiority. They would have to pay a huge price to beach even one of their ships on our shores. But now, if the fall of the two districts is really their doing and the Traitor their mere puppet, then they already have a foothold from which to wage war on Regiis soil."

    "Damn," Major Ursa cursed softly, "I always thought that having a Kitsune rise that high was a big mistake. Crafty bastards are what they are."

    I felt Ceres'' grip on my shirt tighten. The Major''s statement had hit a bit too close to home for her. My brows furrowed. The way this conversation was going, it would soon shift to Ceres. The fact that it hadn''t yet was a testament to Father''s prestige in the camp. Despite being the elephant in the room, and a suspect, she was being ignored and kept for last. But what had to come, would come. All this avoidance did was delay the inevitable.

    I believed that we had to seize the initiative if we wanted Ceres out of bars.

    I made to speak but someone was faster. A soft voice cut into the conversation, stilling the discussion. "I believe that I have information that can be of assistance." Every gaze in the room stopped on Ceres. Some quite incredulous that she had decided to speak up on her own.

    She pressed on, "While I was with them, I learnt that the mother of Hotaru Vulpine was from the Shogunate. It was a time before the relationship between our nations had begun to deteriorate. An accident at sea led to the marriage between her and the leader of the Vulpine clan at that time. It was the beginning of the Vulpine clan''s meteoric rise to the position of a Ducal clan.

    "But the demise of Hotaru Vulpine''s mother is shrouded in mystery. It is said that she and her husband travelled to the heart of the sixth forbidden zone in search of some treasure that might be able to help her promote to the Realm of Demigod. In the end, she never returned and her husband only lived a few days after he came out of the forbidden zone.

    "He had only a portion of her mind crystal with him, the rest apparently lost within the forbidden zone to dangers unnamed."

    Marshal Corvus narrowed his eyes, "What''s your point?"

    Ceres took a deep breath and continued with greater confidence. "The point is; the current situation might have been in the works for a very long time. As it was brought up recently, the eruption of the Calamity at the exact same time the Tombs of Koschei begin to stir is too much of a coincidence. It reeks of human intervention. I think that both events were triggered by some sort of mechanism and that the disappearance of the Duchess'' mother within the forbidden zone is the crux to understanding exactly what that mechanism was."

    There was a stretch of silence as everyone present processed Ceres'' words. I thought back to the time I had fought with the shadow swordsman in the Tournament. Now that I reviewed the situation, it was quite strange for someone from Regiis to have access to highly advanced martial arts such as Iaido. It was a technique closely guarded by the samurai of the Shogunate. While at first glance the explanation that the Duchess'' mother had brought the technique over when she married into the family was reasonable, when one really thought about it, it fell flat.

    From the records I had read about the Duchess'' mother, she was an orthodox illusion mage. She had never been known to invest in the art of the sword. She couldn''t have been the source of the technique. The only reason the Samurai, an extremely exclusive social class, would allow its techniques to flow outwards would be if they stood to benefit from it. If the Duchess was related to the Shogunate; if she was their chess piece in the war; their first move...

 98 Chapter 2

    "Yes," replied Ceres.

    "But that makes very little sense if you consider that the Sixth forbidden zone borders Regiis, the Heavenly Wolf Mercenary territory as well as the Crimson Coyote territory. If they were really responsible for the Calamity, then why are the Coyotes helping them? Or, rather how do they have enough military force to spare even after allocating troops to combat the ant legion. The legion won''t discriminate between directions after all. If Lishan erupts, it will be like stirring an anthill, the creatures will pour out in a dense tide, blanketing all directions centred on it, searching for the enemy that has disturbed their lair."

    "This¡­" Ceres was at a loss.

    The Lishan Volcano was the core of the Sixth Forbidden Zone. The Volcano housed the Fire Elemental which had been christened Zhurong by the locals after the Huaxian God of Fire and the South. It was an extremely ancient Volcano with an exceptionally large and active magma chamber. A colony of Fire Ants had settled down in its vicinity, utilizing the extremely high density of Fire mana to thrive and propagate. Its eruption every few centuries was the trigger for the Calamity.

    Fire Elementals were born at Tier 5 and after they fused with a volcano, they were effectively immortal, in the sense that until the volcano itself became extinct, it would live on. Such a high starting point and glorious lifespan; they were truly nature''s favoured children. Yet, they still had their drawbacks. Firstly, once they attached to a volcano, they couldn''t move. Secondly, their population was woefully low. How many active volcanoes were there in the world of Ea? A few hundred? A thousand? Compared to the population of Hominum and Bestia, their numbers were positively dwarfed. Also, going a step further was extremely difficult for them. Most of them remained in Tier 5 all their lives, unable to break through to the Realm of Demigod.

    Every time the volcano erupted was an opportunity to break through their Tier''s shackles. The Elemental would accumulate mana over several decades, preparing for that very moment and when the volcano erupted, it would draw support from the extreme turbulence of the flame mana to try and ascend. Opportunity and risk co-existed. While every eruption shaved a substantial number of years off the Elemental''s lifespan, it was a chance to evolve into a higher form of life.

    In the period when the Elemental was dormant, the ant colony would remain quite peaceful, only sending out squads of foragers to seek out prey and resources to feed the colony and support their multiplication. But after the Elemental had accumulated enough mana to attempt its breakthrough to Tier 6, the colony would begin to grow restless until it finally culminated in the Calamity.

    The reason for this was quite simple. After the volcano erupted, there would be a trough period where the density of fire mana would drop sharply. The conditions would not be sufficient to support the swollen population of the ants. Thus, the Calamity was a way for the colony to cull their population and reduce it to manageable levels. Only the most formidable ants would survive and return to the colony, improving the quality of the legion.

    Lt. Neera continued, "While it is quite simple to trigger a volcanic eruption ¨C just dump a ton of Inflammation Crystals into the crater and you are done ¨C controlling the trend of the ant legion is another matter entirely. I agree that the timely appearance of the Calamity is quite damning. Hotaru Vulpine has a clear motive ¨C and if she is being subsidized by the Shogunate ¨C sufficient resources to trigger Lishan, especially since it was nearing its date of eruption anyway. But, the Crimson Coyotes do not have sufficient troops to suppress the Calamity and tie up the Regiis Border Defence Forces simultaneously."

    Major Tauros laid a hand on her shoulder, halting her speech. "You''re missing the point, dear. It doesn''t matter how the Traitor managed to pull it off. The fact is that she did. Now, all we need to think of is how to solve this dilemma. If we don''t act and simply continue defending against the Legion''s assault, we will soon be pincered by the Traitor''s forces after she stabilizes her control over the South and Central Districts and attacks the East. I''m sure that the Southern and Eastern provinces are sending their aid as we speak but we don''t have the time to wait for them. The Outbreak of the Tombs of Koschei means that they will have to quell the Undead tide before they are able to make any headway towards us. That delay is enough for the Traitor to advance upon us, especially if the Shogunate manages to land its troops within this time and bolster her forces. It is a race against time."

    Father nodded. "Right now, our first priority should be halting the Calamity, even temporarily, so that we can free our soldiers. Then we need to rally the troops of the loyal clans within the Eastern district and lead them to resist her advance, delaying the time till reinforcements arrive. It is our only hope."

    Mother frowned. "But how? Halting the Calamity isn''t as simple as triggering it. The only two ways to terminate a Calamity prematurely is by either slaying all the ant Queens within their lair or interrupting the eruption of the volcano." She turned to Lt. Ava. "What were the statistics for the colony?"

    Lt. Ava recalled the appropriate reports for a moment before replying, "As per the most recent survey, there are five ant Queens in the Forbidden Zone. Four of them are perched in Lishan while the fifth and the youngest Queen has splintered off from the main Colony, setting up a separate colony in conjunction with the newly formed Flame Dungeon of the Fire Elemental Gun, which is an offshoot of Zhurong. As for the second plan of coping with the Elemental itself? I wouldn''t even think about it. Zhurong, in its Dungeon, is nearly invincible. It was able to drive off the combined might of two Demigods three-hundred years ago. They wanted to destroy it and wipe out the Sixth Forbidden Zone but had to retreat with serious injuries after engaging it in battle. Every eruption is a chance for Zhurong to ascend. If anyone tries to interrupt it during this time, it will bring its entire might to bear. We stand no chance."

    I sucked a breath in through my teeth. Five ants at Tier 5? Among us, only Father could match off against one of them¡­ did we have any hope of winning?

    Just as the meeting room fell into a depressing silence, the resonant howl of a wolf cut through the heavy atmosphere. The howl was joined in by another and then another until a chorus of wolf-song drowned out the menacing buzz of the ant Legion.

 99 Chapter 3

    Behind the great wolf, the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries stood massed in their battle-lines. Unlike the uniformity of the Regiis army''s attire, each of the mercenaries seemed to have taken it upon themselves to dress as uniquely as possible. Their garb ranged from the faded and tattered smock of a beggar to the silken robes of nobility; from the unprocessed furs of animals to the most complete of chainmail, I even noticed a man with colourful feathers tucked into his hair. War-paint and tattoos abounded. They made for an eclectic and colourful bunch. In other circumstances, I would have enjoyed the novelty of their attire, now, I was in no mood to appreciate it. Their grim stance and the murderous aura they emitted ensured that I was more concerned about father who was engaged in a staring match with the she-wolf.

    Father met her gaze confidently as she took his measure. Her nose wrinkled and her lips drew back in a snarl, revealing her razor-sharp fangs. A low rumbling began in her chest till it burst forth from her lips, the feral sound invoking a primal fear from the depths of my being, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand.

    "You are the one? The one who killed my son?" Her voice was a deep and mellow, tinged with the hint of a growl. It was laced with a power that seemed to vibrate the air.

    Father nodded in acknowledgement. "The Sun Wolf did perish at my hands. He challenged me to a Mortem''s Duel and lost. His life was the price of that failure." The wolf''s snarl grew even more sinister. Father ignored it and continued, "He was a great warrior and it is my honour to have been his last opponent." He stripped the shoulder-length glove that covered his mana-arm and showed it to the wolf, lightning crackling around the greyish swirls of wind that made it up. "He has left his mark upon me. He will not be forgotten."

    I worried for Father''s safety. He had only recently stepped into Tier 5, it was very difficult to say whether he would be able to stand up against the Sun Wolf''s mother who had a lot more time to consolidate and advance her cultivation. Under ordinary circumstances, Father would be able to hold out against her long enough for the Regiis contingent to wipe out the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries and then aid him in his battle against her. But right now, with the ant legion''s uninterrupted assault tying up a large portion of the army, he was on his own.

    At over ten metres in height, the wolf the size of a small house towered over father. Her hackles rose and her snarl intensified. With my sensitivity to light mana, I noticed the element going berserk around her, a clear sign of her agitation.

    The world grew brighter as the sunlight warped. My vision began to blur and fade to white as the wolf began to glow with arcane brilliance, robbing her surroundings of colour. The air stilled and lightning crackled around father as readied himself for combat with a grim expression on his face. The ripples of their confrontation spread outwards and even the ant legion that had been unrelenting in its attack paused as it sensed the pressure of the two Tier 5s.

    There was utter silence as the buzzing swarms of aerial ants retreated and landed among their brethren on the ground, waiting for the conclusion of the clash between the two titans.

    "Grandma! You promised that you wouldn''t be so grumpy!" A childishly petulant voice suddenly cut through the silence that shrouded us. Immediately, there was no trace of the tension that had pervaded the atmosphere. The gigantic she-wolf that had seemed so fierce till now stopped snarling. She sat down upon her haunches and licked her jowls, giving off the distinct impression of a chastised puppy.

    The wolf cancelled the spell which had been warping the light away from the occupants of its back, revealing the figure of a girl and a boy.

    The girl was extraordinarily beautiful. Her skin was pale, as if it had never seen the light of day, yet it was far from sickly. The alabaster shade making her seem like a living sculpture. With her symmetrical features and figure, it was an easy mistake to make. Long legs peeked out of the slit in her midnight black velvet cheongsam and her waist-length dark hair was thrown over one shoulder, exposing one of her black furry wolf-ears and her alabaster nape. The finishing touch to the masterpiece was her soulful dark eyes and blood red lips.

    Father''s lightning petered out as he stared incredulously at the source of the voice, or rather at the boy who was sitting beside her.

    My jaw dropped and my mind blanked. Steven? What was he doing here? No¡­ more importantly, what was he doing riding the Revered Ancestor of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries. The girl beside him had called her grandma. So, she was the daughter of the Sun Wolf? Or one of his brothers¡­ Did he have brothers? And why the hell was his mana signature connected to the girl? He married the Heiress of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries? How? Why?

    My train of thought was disorderly as my mind struggled to reconcile myself with the situation.

    The girl jumped off the back of the wolf and Steven followed her lead, then stood with his head hung low, avoiding everyone''s eyes. Unmindful of the gazes upon her, the girl smiled cheerfully and scanned the crowd. Her eyes lingered upon me for an instance before she winked at me and moved on, confusing me greatly. Did she know me?

    Finally, her line of sight stopped on Deimos who was standing along with Ceres and Phobos in her squad behind Marshal Canis. She waved at her enthusiastically.

    "You''re quite the pretty one, aren''t you? No wonder my foolish little brother found it hard to practice moderation when he saw you while he was hopped up on the spiked alcohol the Duchess had pumped into his system."

 100 Chapter 4

    "Xie, my late father''s retainer was sent to butcher the waiter who had served my foolish little brother his drinks," she said as if it explained everything.

    Mars Felidae and his three wives, sitting across the table from her in a private room of an abandoned restaurant, were understandably confused.

    They had been lumped together so they could talk everything out and clarify the situation while grandma negotiated with Veer and Epione Felidae.

    She felt her little boytoy stiffen beside her. He probably didn''t want his past misdemeanour dug up. Not in front of the main victim of his indiscretions.

    Should she hide his part in the affair from them? Gloss over it?

    She shot a glance at him from the corner of her eye. She caught the entreaty in his eyes as he made a cramped face.

    Idiot. This way, they''d know that he had a part in things even without her mentioning anything.

    She didn''t know why she put up with the stupid cat. Probably because it was so much fun bullying him. His embarrassed expression always managed to improve her mood.

    "Yea¡­ So?" asked Mars tentatively as she took too long to continue her explanation. His eyes kept flicking between her and Steven and he seemed to be hesitating to bring something up.

    Curious. Had he figured out their relationship? It shouldn''t be possible without him seeing their marks. Even if he was a Tamer.

    "After your father offed mine, all of us were busy returning to our homeland as soon as possible. We met him then, as we were fleeing Regiis. I got this tidbit of information from him."

    Hei Lian leaned back into her chair and continued, "The family of the waiter had been moved away before he could lay his hand on them. All records of them had been written off. The only ones with sufficient motive to have the waiter vanish were us, your clan, and the Duchess.

    "As it wasn''t us and no one from your clan except little Steven here knew of his involvement in the matter, it had to be the Duchess. So, you see? She was the one who sparked the confrontation between us. What reason did she have to orchestrate her employee''s disappearance if not to cover her tracks?"

    Steven cringed slightly at the mention of him. When they got some privacy, she''d be whipping him into shape. He needed to grow a spine. Dare to do, dare to acknowledge. Why live life sneakily? The truth would come out sooner or later, he should just man up and own up to his part in the matter.

    Steven sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "It''s not that I didn''t want to write to pops¡­ I couldn''t. He''d come for me; force me to go back home." He turned to her, "I couldn''t leave her at that time. It was the most crucial period for her to be accepted as the next Alpha of the pack."

    Maybe she''d dispense with the whipping¡­ just this once.

    He took a deep breath and looked Deimos in the eye. "Look¡­ the thing is¡­ I kind of was the cause for this whole mess. I found the guy drunk and in a fit of utter idiocy directed him to you."

    Deimos'' expression changed to one of incredulity. Steven sped up his words, almost slurring them together in his haste to get them off his chest without interruption. "I don''t really think that the Duchess aimed at us specifically. Now that we know that she has ties to the Shogunate, it''s easy to guess her goal. She wanted to weaken one of her political opponents with the aid of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries. Probably the Lutrinae. My bumbling just derailed her plans a bit." He waved at the Vulpine wife of Mars¡­ what was her name again? Right, Ceres. "It''s clear that the Duchess wanted the Felidae on her side."

    "It was you!" exclaimed Deimos as Steven paused for breath. She stood abruptly, toppling her chair. Reaching out, she grabbed his lapel and pulled him up across the table. "How could you!?" she snarled as Steven held up his hands in surrender.

    Hei Lian narrowed her eyes. Now, that''s not very nice, she thought. Only she was allowed to make him submit. She clutched his shirt and pulled. His clothes burst into dark flames, making Deimos let go hurriedly and step back. He fell back into his chair and the flames extinguished, leaving his clothes untouched.

    "Aiya¡­ I''m so sorry," she said as she covered her cheeks and turned away mock-bashfully. "My powers do run wild once in a while. Especially, when people don''t give me face." She glanced up at the wary Deimos through her lashes. "What to do, do you say?"

    Mars caught Deimos'' wrist and pulled her down onto the armrest of his chair, circling an arm around her waist to calm her.

    Hei Lian blinked innocently.

    Shooting her a warning glance, he turned to Steven, a hint of steel in his voice, "Then?"

    How interesting. A Tier 2 tamer was warning her. Where did he get his courage? She suddenly felt a strong urge to show him his place. Her bloodline seethed at the challenge. Her lips curved up into a strange smile.

 101 Chapter 5

    The both of them hadn''t been forthcoming with the nature of their relationship, with Hei Lian calling him her ''subordinate''. But, to anyone with half a brain, it was clear as day. They were probably waiting for the confirmation of the elders before acknowledging it publicly.

    The Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries'' Revered Ancestor and the top level of Firang including Father and Mother were still holed up in the meeting room.

    Deimos hadn''t come back with us as she had volunteered to escort the both of them and show them around the camp. Thankfully, Marshal Canis had accompanied them. I didn''t feel quite relieved leaving Deimos alone with the wolf girl. If not for my recent boost in perception, I would never have guessed that she was at Tier 3. She didn''t seem much older than twenty. Her talent was shocking.

    Though the way she looked at me made me quite uncomfortable¡­ like she wanted to lay a beatdown upon me. I wasn''t quite sure I could defeat her in a duel. Currently, I could probably take on a recently promoted Tier 3 mage in a one-on-one and draw the match but if she turned Feral, I was sure she''d wipe the floor with me.

    I had no idea how I had offended her. Rather, I should be the one taking offense at her husband''s idiocy. What had the prick been thinking when he sicced her half-brother on Deimos?

    Well, thanks to that, the Duchess'' plans had been derailed quite a bit. And what grand plans they were. The more I learnt about them and the more information I had, the more I realised the scale of the deception. It was a plan that had decades of effort driving it. Decades of effort and the support of an entire nation.

    Phobos and Ceres came out of the kitchen and took their seats on the couch, one on either side of me. Phobos handed me a glass of warm milk before she settled down with a glass of her own as did Ceres.

    "Why milk?" I asked, wrinkling my nose. I had never been a fan of dairy products.

    "You stayed up the entire night. You are used to your sleep schedule; this sudden disruption might upset your stomach. The milk will settle it."

    "It''s just one night. It won''t really matter." I mumbled under my breath as I eyed the glass dubiously.

    Phobos'' ear twitched. She sat up and glared at me with her hand on her hip. "Look here mister, you''ll drink that right now. Or do you need me to remind you of what happened when you pulled an all-nighter last year?"

    I shrank my neck as I grumbled, "Fine. Fine. I''ll drink it. Sheesh." I took my fist sip, grimacing at the taste.

    That widened my smile. I was glad that she could still laugh even though a restraining order had been placed on her. She wasn''t to leave my sight for the duration of the war. She was still a suspect.

    I felt quite bad for her but it was still better than having her behind bars. She would have to put up with having me hovering about her till she could clear her name. I''d like to think that she wouldn''t mind.

    "Husband," said Ceres quietly, "What are your thoughts on the Duchess'' plans?"

    I held my nose and chugged down the rest of the milk in a few gulps. Setting the glass down, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and washed the taste down with some water from the jug on the table.

    Leaning back into my seat, I rested my head on the backrest so I was looking up at the ceiling. Slowly gathering my thoughts, I connected all the bits and pieces of information I had accumulated about the Duchess'' grand design.

    "Let''s see, as far as I understand it, the train of events went like this:

    "The Duchess'' mother and her father met at sea and got married. It could be by accident or by design. The Shogunate, which had already been planning to invade Regiis thought of using their relation as a breach and offered the Vulpine clan a chance to rise. They took it.

    "The Shogunate had some sort of technique in place to make Forbidden Zones erupt prematurely and that was the core of their plan. As the Duchess'' mother rose in the ranks, she probably worked towards implementing the technique in the Forbidden Zones in and around Regiis.

    "Then the Duchess'' mother sacrificed herself in order to complete the preparatory work. All that was left was to generate favourable conditions for the coup.

    "The Duchess found out about me and decided to train you to help me achieve the Throne. Then she could use my position to facilitate her seepage into the higher echelons of Regiis.

    "During the pre-tournament banquet, she tried to spark contradictions between the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries and one of her political opponents. Steven''s bumbling caused that plan to fail and we got involved instead.

    "If I haven''t guessed wrong, the Crimson Coyotes probably had some deal with the Shogunate already. If her plans went perfectly, not only would she be able to weaken one of her opponents, she would be able to weaken the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries too, helping the Crimson Coyotes take over their territory.

    "Over the four years when I''d be away for the Swayamvar, she would have lined Regiis'' eastern border with enemy forces and with the help of the marriage alliances, gained more allies in the South-Eastern Province.

    "If I became Emperor, she would use me to sink her fangs into Regiis'' political body as far as possible before inciting the Forbidden Zones to erupt as they are doing right now.

    "If not for you breaking free of her shackles, I believe that the South-Eastern Province would fall without a whisper under the tri-pronged attack of the insect-tides and the Shogunate from without and the betrayal of the Duchess from within."

    I looked Ceres in the eye. "You forced her hand, making her pre-pone her plans lest the investigation into her use of a Geas reveal more of her secrets."

    I bowed my head to her. "In place of all the citizens of Regiis, I thank you. I apologize for the unfair treatment you are receiving. You are a hero in my heart."

 102 Chapter 6

    He dreamed of an infinite white plane with ornate gates dotting the landscape. Each gate had the mural of a girl engraved on it. Somehow, he knew that he had a choice to make.

    He walked through the maze of gates, running his fingertips along the ornate engravings. The leaves of a gate felt metallic and cold to the touch, which was amazing considering that it was all a dream. It depicted the back of a woman in full plate armour, her broadsword inserted into the ground in front of her. Facing her, so that only its gaping maw could be seen, was an eldritch monstrosity with row upon row of jagged teeth. The mural was extremely impactful, instilling in its viewer a feeling that he was under the woman''s protection.

    It called to him in a strange way but when he reached his hand out for the gate, he felt a resistance from something within himself. He stepped back from it, confusion writ large on his face.

    Moving on, he paused again before a gate made of wood. He could feel the exquisite grain of the wood as he ran a palm over it. A gnarled tree dominated the foreground of its engraved picture, one of its branches nearly touching the ground under the weight of the huge fruit it bore. The fruit seemed to be suspended merely a few inches above the ground and from its bottom tiny roots had begun to sprout, a few having already reached the ground. The pod itself was transparent, the sight of a woman curled into the foetal position clearly visible through its thin walls.

    Mars paused and walked on to the next gate.

    This one was made of light blue coral, shaped in the form of waves, at the bottom, and transitioning into polished white marble at the top. The image of a girl lazing on a rock, a harp on her lap, as the water kicked up a spray against her perch was engraved on the marble.

    This one held his attention and refused to let go. Whatever it was that was within him began to stir and this time, he could sense clear approval from it.

    The gates parted for him at a light touch, revealing a cosy cave with fluorescent crystals providing a uniform lighting. In one corner of the room was the harp he had seen in the painting while the girl lay in the nude, propped up on one arm, on the large bed in the centre of the room.

    When he entered, the girl rose from the bed and walked towards him. Her motion somehow combined the rolling gait of a sailor fresh on the land and the grace of a noble. He found beauty in the contradiction. Glistening under the dim light, her dark blue hair bounced with every step where it ended at her shoulders. When she reached him, her hands reached for the buttons of his shirt and undid them one at a time.

    His left hand snaked under her arm and behind her back. Tangling his fingers into her silky hair, he cupped the back of her head with his left palm and mashed his mouth into hers while he explored the rest of her with his right. He felt her body heat up as he caressed her shoulder, then her side, getting momentarily surprised when he felt the scales there. Moving further down, his palm stopped on her flat stomach, fingers sinking into the soft flesh.

    They disengaged and she sank down to her knees and started working on the buckle of his belt. Seeing her struggle with the complicated clasp, he helped her undo it and she finished pulling down his brief along with his trousers, releasing his engorged penis. Impatiently, she immediately engulfed it to its root.

    He moaned as he felt the depths of her throat convulse on his glans as her nimble tongue worked on his shaft. She slowly, tantalisingly pulled her head back, letting his member slide out and then equally slowly put it back in. She repeated this, her strokes getting shorter as they became faster, until finally she was working at a furious pace on his glans while her webbed hands took care of his shaft. Reaching the limits of his endurance, he grasped her head with both hands and thrust forward, reaching his release deep within her throat.

    He was quite embarrassed by her reproachful stare, as she coughed when he came to his senses and pulled out of her mouth. Deciding to apologise with his body, he pulled her up to her feet, turned her around and embraced her strongly, her back to his chest. His left hand went to work on her chest, kneading and teasing in rhythm with his right which attacked her clit. He nibbled on her fin like ear as her breathing grew rougher and her body hotter. She leaned further and further into him, her knees weak, supported almost completely by his muscular arms.

    Resting his cheek against hers, feeling the gills opening and closing in time with her breath, he timed himself with an exhale and drove himself deep into her. She came, devoid of breath, all of her tightening at once, like a beached fish, flickering and curving, unified from jaw to tail.

    He waited patiently for her to collapse softly into his arms and the convulsions of her interior to still before mercilessly pounding into her. He timed the soft, long backstrokes and the short, violent thrust in counterpoint to her inhalations and exhalations. He made it so that her breaths were short gasps punctuated by long leisurely exhales, reducing the flow of oxygen to her brain, slowing her thought and sending her deeper into an abyss of pleasure.

    With a short grunt from him and a wordless scream from her, both of them came for the second time that session.

    Somehow, they made it to the bed and tumbled onto it. They lay there, a tangle of limbs, breathing heavily while basking in the afterglow. After sometime, Mars raised himself on an elbow and looked at the girl. She lay there, hair dishevelled, skin flushed from intercourse, and her cerulean eyes bright with contentment and another indecipherable emotion. She stopped up his mouth as he made to speak, her eyes scanning his face. Then abruptly she smiled, blew him a kiss and vanished along with the bed, the room and a piece of his heart.

    ***

    Mars woke with a start.

    Looking around, he found himself in his bed, lying amidst a tangle of bodies and limbs. All three of his wives had reached the limit of Vita''s Divine power they could hold at the same time. It had been a wild night.

    He sank back into the mattress and stared at the ceiling. He had a strong feeling that he was forgetting something. Something very important.

 103 Chapter 7

    He didn''t dare meet the eyes of Veer Felidae. He had been terrifying enough when he had been a Tier 4 mage and the Head of the clan. Now that he had promoted to Tier 5 and become a General, his stoic visage sent chills down Steven''s spine. It took all his willpower to stop his legs from shaking. The image of a head getting crushed kept flashing in his mind. It had been a constant source of nightmares these past few months and now that he stood within arm''s reach of the man, his overactive imagination helpfully substituted Young Master Lupin''s face with his own.

    He felt quite proud of himself for keeping his bowels in check.

    At least Deimos had forgiven him for his misdemeanour. The second princess had never done anything to him that warranted his incitement of the unfortunate wolf-boy to sexually harass her. Even if it hadn''t ended up escalating into a full-blown conflict between clans, replete with a high stakes Mortem''s Duel, he would still have been guilty about it.

    She had been quite magnanimous about the whole incident after blowing up at him once and nearly choking him with his collar. She had even acted as their guide during their tour of the military precincts. Not that they had been shown anything too relevant. Regiis and the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries had hundreds of years of conflict under their belts after all.

    Remembering that incident soured Steven''s mood. After Hei Lian stood up for him by scaring Deimos off with her Hellfire ¨C something that made him very happy even though he knew that she was only asserting her dominance over him ¨C she had spent the rest of the meeting making moon eyes at Mars, even as the Tamer grilled him for information. All it had taken was one glance from him.

    He already had three wives. Three! Couldn''t he keep his sights off the consorts of others? Steven agreed that the guy was a bit handsome¡­ And, he couldn''t have known that they were married¡­

    Deimos had ensured that the both of them were well versed in the achievements of the red-head by waxing eloquent about his exploits throughout the tour. With the confirmation of the heavy-set female Major who had been accompanying them during the tour and the admiration and respect contained in the eyes of the soldiers of the Firang contingent when they saw him, Deimos'' boasts probably weren''t all that exaggerated.

    Fine, he was also talented, but still¡­

    Even if Mars was more handsome and talented than him, Steven was sure that when it came to the depth of his emotions towards Hei Lian, he wouldn''t lose to anyone.

    She had suffered greatly under her father and the experience had twisted her. Others might view her as domineering or arrogant, but Steven always thought that she was just trying to bluff her enemies into staying away, like the vivid creatures that scared their predators off by tricking them into thinking that they were venomous with their colouration.

    He looked up to see Mars speaking with one of his wives, the bespectacled fox-girl. Once again, he was struck by a wave of depression. The prince never ceased to amaze, did he?

    When he had first seen the girl, he had felt sorry for the guy. Knowing about the Duchess'' deception and her plans for gaining allies by marrying off her clansmen, he had been sure that the girl was a traitor to the Empire. He had felt sympathy for the Tamer who would soon realise that his marriage was a cleverly crafted lie.

    It hadn''t taken long for that notion of his to be disillusioned.

    Not only did Mars know of the Duchess'' plans and the nature of his marriage, he had somehow managed to convince the girl to defect to his side with his charisma. She had volunteered up extremely important insider information about the Duchess, thereby, avoiding the fate of imprisonment.

    Steven couldn''t help but feel just a little bit sorry for the Duchess. For all her supposed brilliance, what had the woman been thinking when she had sent a girl into the arms of the womanizer? She had been setting herself up for failure.

    Turning his head slightly to the side, he shot a glance at Hei Lian. In the noon sunshine, her pale skin glowed, adding to her charm. There was a sinking feeling in his gut when he noticed that her eyes were locked onto Mars, glittering with a strange light. Tearing his gaze away, he looked down at his shoes, trying to distract himself by taking stock of the scuff marks on the sturdy leather.

    The one on the tip of the left boot was from the time he had tripped while travelling through the steep mountainous path which allowed them to re-enter the Heavenly Wolf Mercenary territory without getting noticed by the Regiis patrols.

    The one on the instep of the right boot was from when he had kicked a stone into the face of the guard who had tried to block them from entering the cave where the Revered Ancestor of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries, Hei Lian''s grandma, slumbered. That blow had distracted the mage enough for Hei Lian to knock him out.

    After that, the two of them had entered the cave and woken the Feral Tier 5 up. It was a gamble. Thankfully, her will had been strong enough to resist Vita''s Divine Will, even without the help of her departed husband, and they had lived. With her support, Hei Lian had been able to consolidate her position in her clan as the new Alpha, albeit one that had a lot more growing to do.

    Damn! His thoughts kept drifting back to her.

    Raising his head, he looked between Mars and Hei Lian. They did seem a perfectly matched pair. With his experience with women, maybe the Tamer would make her happier, helping her deal with her insecurities. As for him? Well, at least he wouldn''t be the first man contracted by her to be put six-foot under.

 104 Chapter 8

    His golden eyes flashed in the sunlight as he slowly raked his gaze over the audience. Even the unruliest of the wolves remained silent, subdued by his aura of command.

    He addressed the Firang contingent, "What is more, this tribulation wasn''t wrought by Nature but by the hands of a woman, a Traitor to our Empire and a conspirer against your sovereignty. While our brothers bleed against the endless hordes of the ant legion, she takes advantage of our absence and inserts the knife of treason in our backs."

    Arms locked behind him, back straight, he paced the divide between the two armies, turning to the wolves, he said, "Regiis and the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries might have engaged in skirmishes over the years. Which neighbouring nation hasn''t? But do you remember the identity of the people at whose hands you have lost the most of your brothers-at-arms?"

    A ripple ran through the amassed mercenaries as a name appeared in all of their minds. Clenched jaws and tightened fists spoke of their memories of loved ones lost at the hands of their sworn enemy. General Felidae put their thoughts to words. "The Crimson Coyotes."

    His voice grew in power, the air thrumming with his voice. "Those dastardly fellows have joined up with Hotaru Vulpine in a league of deceit. They have violated the one and only code of Mercenaries such as yourself. They have turned their knives towards their employers after taking their gold.

    "They have sacrificed their final smidgen of honour to their greed. They are no longer mercenaries. They are bandits. Nothing more. Nothing less."

    Pausing slightly to let the words sink in, he continued, "As we speak, these bandits, protected from the Calamity by the Traitor''s sorcery, are sharpening their blades, resting and building up their strength. They wait for you to weaken so they can strike a fatal blow when you are exhausted by constant war."

    His voice grew solemn, "If you fall, who will save your women from insult? Who will save your children from their evil clutches?"

    The entire camp burst into a commotion as the last echoes of his words faded. Discussions sprang up among the soldiers as they struggled to come to terms with this explosive news. For many of them, the very thought that reinforcements were on the way had supported their fighting spirit. Now that this hope was disillusioned, their courage avalanched.

    Steven didn''t know how to appraise this move of the General. Revealing the actual situation to the soldiers outright had a huge impact on the morale. Seeing the reactions, it had probably done more harm than good. He couldn''t help but question the decision. Would it not have been better if the warriors had been kept in the dark and the status quo maintained?

    His ear twitched as he picked up Hei Lian''s muttered comment. "Better hear it from the Leader now, than later through rumours."

    It dawned on him then¡­ paper couldn''t cover a fire. The information would find its way into the ears of the soldiers and mercenaries sooner or later through the rumour mill. Rather than have the soldiers lose their morale and their trust in the chain of command due to withheld information, it would be a better move to be open about the circumstances and let them deal with their negativity.

    It wasn''t in the realm of impossibility for them to burst out with great strength, their potential squeezed by adversity.

    General Felidae raised his hand for silence and the hubbub slowly died down to a muted murmur that soon faded into a hopeful silence as everyone listened with rapt attention, waiting for him to present some sort of solution to their predicament.

    "What are we to do, you ask?" he began. "Simple. Something no man has dared to do before. Delve into the heart of the calamity."

    Steven''s eyes widened with shock. The heart of the Calamity!?

    "A contingent of our elite will head into the depths of the Forbidden Zone, find what witchcraft protects the Coyotes from the wrath of the legion and try to adapt it for our use instead. If that is not possible, destroy it.

    "Meanwhile, your Revered Ancestor and I shall collaborate to stave off the assault of the insect tide, winning more time for the squad to act and attracting the attention of the ants. As for the composition of the squad ¨C we shall wait a day for volunteers. In my capacity as the General, I promise you that if anyone loses their life during the mission, I shall ensure that their family wants for nothing.

    "Take your time, think about it. Maybe even sleep over the decision. Then, when you have made up your mind, come to my office to register. The gates will remain open till noon on the morrow. I firmly believe that among us there is an abundance of heroes. Tomorrow night, we shall see a squad of them off with prayers for their success."

    With a clap of his hands, he ordered the gathering to disperse.

    Steven followed Hei Lian absentmindedly, trying to figure out who would volunteer for the mission.

    Strength wasn''t really that important for the mission. No matter how strong you were, once you were caught within the ant legion, they would overwhelm you with numerical superiority. No. The main factor would be stealth. If one was able to hide their presence and avoid the ants, they had a much better chance of succeeding.

    Shadow mages were perfect for the job.

    "I''m going." Said Hei Lian.

    Shocked out of his reverie, Steven exclaimed, "What! No. Why?"

    She turned to him, transfixing his yellow eyes with her obsidian gaze. "They don''t accept me as their Alpha yet. They defer to grandma because of her strength. They rebel against the concept of letting a woman stand above them. Millennia of tradition wars with my authority over them. The women of the clan accept me but the males still balk. Unless I do something worthy of their respect they will not bow their heads. Returning alive from the heart of a Forbidden Zone seems like a worthy enough feat."

    "It''s clearly a suicidal mission. A last ditch effort born of desperation. You worked so hard to get to the point you are now, why not take slow, steady steps to consolidate your authority? Why must you throw your life away on this fool''s errand?" Steven clutched his hair, trying to dissuade her.

    Hei Lian frowned at him. "Why must you be so spiritless. Can''t you study that Tamer clansman of yours. I''m sure that you''ll see him tomorrow night among the squad. If a Tamer merely four-and-a-half cycles old can join in, why can''t I?"

    Steven felt his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach as he looked into her eyes and found the disappointment written there.

    Unable to hold her gaze, he looked down at his feet, tightening his jaws. Him again? Why? Would he always be covered by Mars'' shadow? His fingers bunched up the fabric of his pants. He knew that Hei Lian''s feelings for him were a lot more nebulous than his for her. She had abducted him on a whim. She had thought he was a fun ''toy'' and later, a convenient way to stave off Vita''s Divine will. But now, she was starting to get bored of this bland, boring, scuffed, old toy. A shiny new one had presented itself in her vision. It was no wonder that her attention had strayed.

    Steven ridiculed himself in his mind. She was superior to him in every way. She was way out of his league. He should have known it wouldn''t last.

    He heard her sigh. He shrank into himself further, waiting for the inevitable words of rejection.

    "Oh well¡­ I forgot that unless you go along with me, I''ll turn Feral when the time runs out. Ahhh¡­ what a pain. I guess I can''t go after all. Can''t put your white little ass in danger after all."

    Steven''s head shot up at her words, taking in the sight of her rubbing her forehead with a troubled look on her face.

    She glared at him, "And what have you been moping about since yesterday? That Deimos girl accepted your apology, didn''t she? And it''s not like anyone wanted your head for your thoughtless prank either. They''ve probably forgiven you. So, what''s the problem? Isn''t that what you were worried about?"

    "I-" Steven opened his mouth, then paused awkwardly. He had no idea how to continue. He couldn''t say that he was jealous of her paying attention to Mars, now, could he?

    She sighed again. "You know what? I don''t care. You can keep your secrets." Stepping forward, she grabbed his chin and kissed him full on the mouth. Steven stiffened at the suddenness of the movement. Before he could recover, grinning, she disengaged and withdrew one step. Patting his cheek lightly, she said, "There, that should cheer you up. Deal with your problems on your own. I have to go talk to grandma."

    Steven stood in situ, watching her swagger away. It was only after she had rounded a bend and disappeared from his sight that he recovered his composure. Bringing his fingers to his lips, he lightly touched them. He could still feel the soft warmth of her lips on his, smell her fragrance on his skin. Right then, the sun peeked out from behind a cloud and illuminated the alley that he was in. He couldn''t help but laugh foolishly.

 105 Chapter 9

    While the rest of the mercenaries, back within their territory, staved off the attacks of the ant legion on their end, this squad along with the Revered Ancestor herself would collaborate with the Firang contingent to hold the battle lines here.

    He couldn''t help but admire the political acumen of the Revered Ancestor.

    By bringing a small contingent to aid Regiis, she had managed to draw most of the ant legion''s attention towards Firang, thereby greatly reducing the pressure on the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries guarding their territory. Three hundred soldiers, all above Tier 2 and a Tier 5 cultivator might seem impressive on paper, but when one considered that according to the scouts, after this morning''s display, nearly half of the ant legion marching towards the Heavenly Wolf Mercenary territory had changed course to Firang...

    As a subject of the Empire by birth and member of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries by marriage, he felt quite conflicted seeing his motherland get the raw end of the deal.

    Having experienced the auras of two Tier 5 mages simultaneously erupting within the walls of the military encampment, the heretofore relentless Calamity had finally been daunted. Although their strategy was based upon the sacrifice of their lower Tier brethren to achieve victory, the ants weren''t stupid enough to meaninglessly sacrifice their troops. They knew that even if they attacked now, they would yield no results.

    If earlier, the defences had been like a sandy beach, each wave chipping a bit of it away, now, with the support of another Tier 5, it had become a rock. A rock that had dammed the tides of the fell beasts, stoppering their path to the interior of the Empire. The last bastion preserving the peaceful lives of the citizens from the ravages of war.

    The legion, or at least the Tier 4 commander who had hidden itself within the Tier 3 ants, knew that despite their numerical advantage, they stood no chance. Even if they threw themselves at the wall now, either General Felidae or the Revered Ancestor could take up the duty of defence and simply switch with the other when they ran out of mana.

    That was why, for the first time in days, the air wasn''t buzzing with the wingbeats of thousands of aerial ants and the ground wasn''t trembling under the march of the legion. It was a rare reprieve in the battle as the ants retreated a few kilometres and regrouped. It was also the calm before the storm.

    Even now, their presence loomed over the encampment like a naked blade. Their very presence had changed the weather. Even in mid-winter, even at the high altitude of Firang, the breeze that blew was warm.

    Steven watched the mercenaries bustle about, settling themselves into their new living spaces as fast as possible. While most of them were hardened veterans, unmindful of the spartan living conditions of the military barracks, some were scions of nobility and couldn''t resign themselves to such ordinary dwellings.

    No servants to take care of them? Here they were, graciously lending their aid to Regiis, and this was how they were treated? How preposterous!

    Watching the dandies kick up a fuss put a frown on his face. once again, he was reminded of the cultural differences of Regiis and Huaxia. Nobility in Regiis was earned, not bestowed. A peasant could ascend to the position of nobility, a noble could lose his title. Therefore, the entire social class was covered by an atmosphere of cut throat competition. To stay ahead of others, every minute and every second was to be utilized to its fullest. Competence was demanded of every noble scion. They had very little time away from their training to develop their ego.

    In sharp contrast, Huaxia ascribed to an ossified power structure. Commoners were commoners. Nobles were nobles. Rise channel? Equal opportunity? What was that?

    Even the most talentless shmuck among the Huaxian cultivator nobility could enjoy resources a Regiis scion would have to fight tooth and nail over. They attained too much with too little effort to truly appreciate what they had.

    Their absolute social position meant that they could lord it over anyone below them in the hierarchy. And indeed, the lives of the peasants were in the palm of their hands, to do with as they pleased. Wherever they went, they would be greeted by bent knees and lowered heads.

    In the face of such disparity in status, the peasants had adapted their own mechanism for survival. Flattery and absolute obedience to their superiors. Give them no reason to want your head and it will remain firmly on your shoulders ¨C at least, until the young masters and young misses just decided that beheading you was a fine way to pass their time.

    Steven had spent the final three months at the Heavenly Wolf Mercenary territory as the unofficial consort of their future Alpha. He had experienced the heady rush of superiority of having someone older and stronger kneel to him. Those noble fops grew up in that kind of environment, in echo chambers where all they heard was praise. It didn''t surprise Steven one bit that they had turned out conceited and self-entitled.

    Under the prestige of the Revered Ancestor, they hadn''t been able to protest the decision to leave their huge trains of servants and concubines back home to expedite travel time, but now that they were on Regiis soil and perceptive of their present situation as them doing the Empire a favour, they felt entitled to demand the comforts they were used to.

    One thing confused Steven greatly though. Only the ones at Tier 2 had brought their wives along, the Tier 3 mages had come singly.

    In Huaxia, while women weren''t barred from cultivation, they were considered the guardians of hearth and home. The men were the ones who went to war. While Hei Lian had plans of introducing some changes when she had consolidated her position as the Alpha, she hadn''t had the time or clout to do anything much till the present. As such, the Tier 3''s leaving their wives at home wasn''t something difficult to understand.

    But, it raised the question: How did they prevent the women from turning Feral when they went to war, leaving them behind? Surely, they didn''t lock them up for the entire duration to keep them in check.

    Did they have some sort of method to stave off the Feral transformation without intercourse? That would allow them greater range of motion in their missions. If a husband and wife were able to move separately, it would make their mode of operation more flexible. Was this method some sort of secret inheritance of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries? Or was it known to Regiis as well?

    A worrying thought struck him. If Hei Lian was aware of such a method, did it mean that the day he promoted to Tier 3 would be the day she stopped sharing his bed? A warm breeze ruffled his hair as he absentmindedly stared into the distance. Only his lashing tail spoke of the agitation within.

    Inhaling deeply, he breathed out slowly. Along with the stale air, he exhaled doubt. He came to a decision.

    Before he could think too deeply about the decision and lose his courage, he shadow-walked away from the roof, reappearing out of a shadow cast by the apartment in an alley. Firming his resolve, he made his way to his destination.

    All the way, his sensitive ears picked up the muffled discussions of the soldiers. They spoke of the Calamity, of the turncoat Duchess and of the alliance with the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries. But what they spoke of the most was the heroes who would emerge from amongst them the next night.

    While opinions varied on whether the mission would succeed, with the more pessimistic of the bunch claiming that ''martyr'' would be a better fit for the ''foolish'' men and women who volunteered to march into the depths of the Forbidden Zone, their respect for any and all who stepped up was unquestionable.

    As for their thoughts on allying with the mercenaries¡­ Disdain was in the majority, with hostility and goodwill warring for the second position. The demands of the ''young masters'' certainly hadn''t made it easier for them to put aside hundreds of years of animosity.

    Steven finally stopped his footsteps at the end of the street that led to his destination. General Felidae''s office stood in front of him, the door slightly ajar.

    It hadn''t actually been his office prior to this day. In fact, he never had a separate office, working out of his home or the command centre. But, today, a residential building halfway between the mercenary quarters and the command centre had been converted into his ''office'' for the specific purpose of receiving the volunteer applications. To show his respect to the volunteers, he had decided to accept their applications personally.

    The thought of having to face him nearly made Steven lose his resolve, but the memory of the feel of Hei Lian''s lips on his sewed his feet to the ground, refusing to let him retreat.

 106 Chapter 10

    With my external casting and the mind crystal locket, I could buff a large group of the artillery squad intermittently, thereby greatly improving their efficiency. If I stayed, my presence would be quite valuable in repelling the charges of the ants.

    But, the expedition into the centre of the Forbidden Zone was just as crucial an operation. It had to succeed otherwise, even if we managed to hold out against the legion, we would be at the Duchess'' mercy whenever she was able to extend her reach to us.

    If Ceres was correct and the premature eruption of Zhurong was the handiwork of the Duchess'' mother, the mind crystal amulet might very well be the key to unlocking the mysteries of the mechanism used. Given the attribute of the mind crystal, only Ceres or, due to our bond, I could utilize it. If we did not participate, the sacrifice of the exploration squad might be in vain.

    And, truth be told, I was a bit excited for the adventure inherent in delving into the heart of the Sixth Forbidden Zone in the duration of the Calamity. Exploring the lands had always been my ambition and now, a chance to go where no man ever had before was placed in front of me.

    There was a clack of claws against the window as a white cat unlatched it and leapt into the room. Padding up to me, it jumped atop my head.

    The cat made herself more comfortable, messing my hair up in the process. "You''re planning on volunteering, aren''t you?" she asked. "Yes." "Well then¡­ I''ll just have to come along." Yawning widely and licking her lips, she settled her head down onto her forepaws and shut her eyes.

    "You''re going?" I asked mother, surprised.

    Opening one eye just a crack, she replied, "Not me. My doppelganger, meow. And, of course I''ll be going. Did you expect me to let you go gallivanting off to danger unattended?"

    "Actually, I thought that you wouldn''t allow us to volunteer."

    She sat up and snorted, emoting her disdain in her feline form with perfection no human could ever hope to attain.

    "And what kind of example would that set for the rest of the troops? The General and the Chief of the Healing department coddling their child, who is a Lieutenant himself, moments after their eloquent spiel about honour in sacrifice."

    She shook her head and settled it back down upon her forepaws. "No, that wouldn''t do at all. Their morale would drop to the valley. Not only that, if it was just a matter of you seeking thrill in danger and chasing glory recklessly, I would have stepped in, to hell with their opinions. But this? This is necessary.

    Deimos, who was sitting between my feet with her head in my lap, stiffened at the memory of the incident. One of her hands clutched the fabric of my trousers tightly. I remembered the coppery taste of her mouth when she had kissed me after the incident. She had brushed her teeth hard enough for her gums to bleed. I ran my fingers through her hair and she slowly relaxed.

    "I will never bar you from taking necessary risks. The world is a dangerous place and the only way to thrive rather than just muddle on is to face it head on; overcoming the smaller dangers to grow strong enough to face the graver tribulations."

    Deimos sat up, grudgingly separating from my caress. Turning to mother she asked, "What''s a doppelganger?"

    Mother seemed to struggle between sleep and answering her question for a bit before, with a sigh, she got up and leapt down from my head onto the ground. Padding up to the table in front of us, she leapt onto it and stretched before settling down on her haunches. Looking down on Deimos from her elevated position, she explained, "It''s good that you asked. Since you are Specialized in control like me, creating a doppelganger will be part of your future magus path. Tell me, what is the main difference between a Tier 3 and a Tier 4 mage?"

    Deimos hesitantly replied, "Bloodline manifestation?"

    "Don''t make you''re answers sound like questions. Be more confident. Yes. The difference is the ability to have their bloodlines manifest in reality. Mars, what is a Domain?"

    I stiffened subconsciously at her tone. Mother was a totally different person when she taught. A strict disciplinarian, every session with her was a harrowing experience for her students. Fiona, Gerard''s wife and one of her students had confided in me that she thought that to balance her prodigious gift of healing the body, she had been given the ability to injure minds. Having learnt alchemy at her knee, I couldn''t help but agree. Her acid tongue was infamous.

    Knowing her hate for rambling, I kept my answer short and concise. "The Domain is the projection of one''s mindscape into reality by using one''s mana."

    "What kind of answer is that? If I wanted something so unclear and metaphysical, I''d have let you know. Projection? Mindscape? Write a poem, why don''t you?"

    My eye twitched. Professors being unreasonable during a viva.

    With an annoyed huff, she continued, "Listen close, meow. At Tier 1 you gain the ability to generate mana and use it. All Tier 1 spells are limited by the fact that you can''t extend them out of your own body. Take the Tier 1 wind magic: Haste for instance. It generates a coat of wind around your body, removing all air resistance and lightening your weight. That''s why your speed increases."

    Turning to Deimos, "But were you able to apply Haste on the body of someone other than yourself at Tier 1?" she asked her.

    "Uhh, actually, I could apply Haste on Master, ya." she replied, nervously. "I couldn''t do it with Phi-Phi though."

    Mother paused, surprised before recovering and looking pensive. "Interesting. It seems that since the Tamer has the same mana as their companions, they are treated as part of the body of the mage. Anyway, you get the point. Tier 1 mages can only cast spells that apply to themselves. Only upon reaching Tier 2 do they gain the capability to cast spells that affect distant opponents. Blade Edge Hurricane should be a good example. Also, a Tier 2 mage is able to cast their Tier 1 spells on others." She turned to Deimos. "You''ve been working with the Earth mages to dispatch the ants, haven''t you? You must have seen some of the wind mages casting Haste on their partners to mitigate their shortcoming in the mobility department while the earth mages return the favour by casting Stoneskin on the wind mages to bolster their defence. This ability to cast on others is due to the increased density of Tier 2 mana." Noticing Deimos'' raised hand, she asked, "Yes?"

    "Well, it''s not related to this per se, but the Earth mage I talked to yesterday said that using a balanced strategy was one of the worst ways of earth-wind collaboration. She said that having the earth mage focused on defence while the wind mage attacked was the best use of their superiorities."

    Mother smirked, "Did she tell you how much training and trust is needed for that kind of manoeuvre? How tacit must your coordination be, how deep your trust, for you to put your life completely in the hands of another and survive the experience? Even husbands and wives do not dare to guarantee that they''d be able to pull it off with certitude." Mother''s tooth gleamed as she curled her lip in a smile that made me apprehensive. "Could you give me the name of this girl who had the bright idea of getting my daughter hurt with her irresponsible words."

    Deimos hastily shook her head. "No no. I n-ever asked her name, ya." Mother narrowed her eyes at the blatant lie. "Oh well, if you ever do find an earth mage worthy of your trust, make sure that she is a girl and a pretty one at that. She''d make a great addition to the family, meow."

    Ignoring Deimos'' blush, mother continued. "That''s Tier 2 for you. The ability to cast external spells and buff others. If you noticed, when you advance to Tier 2, you gain the ability to cast two new kinds of spells, or rather, one new spell and an upgrade of your Tier 1 spell. Take Shadow mages for example. At Tier 1, they have the ability to merge with the shadows, effectively going into stealth in a low light situation. At Tier 2, not only do the gain the ability to extend these shadows outwards in an upgrade to the spell known popularly as Call of the Dark, but also become capable of travelling through shadows: Shadow Walk."

    Despite my extensive forays into the library, I didn''t know about these things as no magical knowledge was kept there. The inheritance of magic was strictly by word of mouth. Thinking about it, all the elements followed the pattern. "In the case of Fire mages, their Tier 2 spell, Heatwave should be the upgrade of the Tier 1 spell: Ember but what about Fire Bullets? You can cast that in Tier 1 and it allows for mana to be used externally." I asked.

    "Every element has its superiority. The forte of the element of flame is its offensive power. It is easier for Fire mages to externalize their attacks but have you ever seen one of them try to buff another mage? No? It''s because they are hopelessly inadequate in that department. They are more likely to singe you than amplify your magic when they cast Ember upon you, meow. That''s why you are so popular with the Artillery Squad: Your ability to amplify their attacks."

    Yawning widely, mother continued, "Now, Tier 3 is an entirely new realm and at the same time, it is incomparably familiar. Just like for all advancements, the density of your mana will increase and you will gain the ability to tap into a new aspect of your elements. Let''s continue with the example of the shadow element... Do you have any idea what ability they gain when they advance?"

    While I shook my head, Deimos replied, "Umm, I heard it from Marshal Canis, that shadow mages are able to control the bodies of others at a high enough realm."

    Mother nodded her head appreciatively. The sight of her bobbing her small head in her feline form was kind of adorable but I didn''t dare voice my thoughts. She had a complex about her feral form being so much smaller and less imposing than those of others. The forms usually enlarged in size as the Bestia progressed in their cultivation and changed a bit under the influence of the rushing mana in their bodies. It was speculated that in the Era of the Beasts, the world was populated by gigantic monsters, behemoths of magical might whose size indicated their strength. Unfortunately for mother, her bloodline origin seemed to be special in that it hadn''t grown at all since its first manifestation.

    "Correct," she said, "Shadow and Light are opposing elements, yet, they are extremely similar in their function. Both correspond to the physical body. While light is born of physical pleasure, shadow is born of pain. Where light heals, shadow jacks into the nerves of the body and manipulates. Facing a master of the shadow element, unless you have enough mana to counter their spells, you''ll degenerate into their puppet. It is a fearsome power and isn''t received well. Another reason, along with the instinctive fear of the dark and their propensity for pain, why shadow mages are shunned socially. Some families of light mages are known to be especially hostile to wielders of shadow magic. Thankfully, such knowledge is classified and kept from the public, otherwise the situation might be a lot worse... Phobos will have to face it down the line."

    Mother looked at me meaningfully through her half-lidded eyes and I understood her regard. I met her gaze with a determination. Breaking eye contact, her lips curved upwards and she continued with her explanation. "At Tier 3 a mage essentially gains one spell and a Domain. The Domain is nothing as complicated as ''the projection of one''s mindscape onto reality''. That''s just a fancy way of saying ''saturate your surroundings with your mana''. The mage simply releases their mana while keeping a hold onto it. It displaces the other naturally occurring strains of mana in the surroundings and brings the entire region under their control. It works by attenuating the opponent''s spells while the spells of the caster of the Domain are amplified.

    "In practice, a Domain is actually a fusion of the two Tier 2 spells. Cast Call of the Dark, fill the region of effect with your mana and then use shadow walk to merge into one organic whole with the Domain. That''s the Domain of Darkness for you. Combine that with Tier 3 Shadow magic: Shadow puppetry and you have a region of utter darkness which will take control of the physical bodies of any living being unfortunate enough to fall into it."

    "As for Tier 4, you need to integrate your bloodline into your Domain and shape it into the form of your inner Beast. It is called Bloodline Manifestation."

    Deimos asked, "Then a Doppelganger is¡­"

    "A Bloodline Manifestation that can operate independently. Only those who are Specialized in control can achieve this. It takes immense precision to separate your bloodline and a portion of your mana from yourself and operate it like a separate individual. A Doppelganger is an extremely sophisticated battle puppet. Those who choose the route of Power increase their own strength, merging with their own Bloodline Manifestation at the pinnacle of Tier 4 in a process known as Bloodline Integration." To me, she said, "You have seen your father use it when he was battling the Sun Wolf."

    Addressing Deimos, she continued, "So, while they pursue individual force, we will ultimately seek to multiply our battle prowess through strength in numbers. Our opponents will face not one, but two individuals of similar power."

    A knock at the door interrupted our conversation.

    Yawning, mother put her head back down onto her forepaws and closed her eyes. "The main body is here¡­ She''ll tell you the rest¡­ I need to¡­ sleep."

 107 Chapter 11

    Mother nodded at me gratefully as she took her glass and drained nearly half of it in one go. Setting it down upon the table, she sank back into the sofa and sighed. "That was tiring."

    "Sorry," said Ceres in a small voice as she looked down at her lap.

    Frowning, mother slapped the back of her head lightly. "I meant that restraining myself from chopping those idiots down where they stood was tiring. Never think that I would balk at some tedium when it is for family."

    "Sorry," repeated Ceres. But this time, there was a smile in her tone.

    "What happened?" asked Deimos as she took a seat beside Ceres with the sleeping Doppelganger in her lap.

    Mother sighed again and rubbed her temples. "Nothing much. I just had to parade Ceres about in front of the soldiers to assure them that she wasn''t a part of the Traitors'' camp. Most of them kept their mouth shut about it stemming from their respect for us¡­ but I could see that internally, they were baying for her blood. Especially those with families in South and Central. If I didn''t tell them that she would be a part of the Expedition to the centre of the Sixth Forbidden Zone, I''m sure that someone would have done something very, very stupid."

    Looking up at me, she said, "It''s good that you already decided to go along, otherwise, Ceres would have to go alone."

    "Wait¡­ How do you know that I planned to go?"

    She pointed at the sleeping cat with her thumb. "I share all senses with my Doppelganger and in fact, it was me doing the talking through it. It''s only a puppet and doesn''t really have a sentience of its own. Some primal instincts, sure, but no sentience."

    "Well, how come it was even a question of whether I would go? If Ceres went, didn''t it automatically imply that my wives and I needed to go too? The trip isn''t shorter than the three days that she can insist without turning Feral."

    Mother slapped her forehead. "Oh. I keep forgetting to tell you about it. I must be going senile." Smiling at me, she said, "I never expected to have the Talk with you this soon. You can''t blame me. Ordinarily, I''d only tell you these things when you reached Tier 3 but you are as far from the norm as can be. Anyway¡­ what do you know of the term abstinence?"

    "Well," I replied, "It means refraining from something, be it food, wealth, or most commonly, sex."

    "So¡­ I''m assuming that abstinence isn''t just a word here but the name of a technique to overcome this restriction and a mage has to be at least Tier 3 to use it." I said.

    "Exactly. When I heard from Ceres here that you are able to sense each other when your bonds are in use, I realised that the mutation of your mindscape meant that you''d be able to practise Abstinence sooner than normal."

    She paused to wet her throat, then continued, "Why do you think intercourse is able to transfer Vita''s Divine will from the female to the male?"

    "Umm¡­ isn''t it because your minds and bodies are closest to your partner during climax?" answered Deimos, hesitantly.

    Mother sighed. "Again with the questions for answers. Throw that large chest of yours out and answer loudly, with confidence. Even if you get it wrong, no one will eat you¡­" she shook her head, "Anyway, you''re correct. Orgasm is a crutch through which you are able to sense your partner before your own magical senses grow strong enough to eschew that process."

    "So, sex isn''t necessary if you can sense each other?"

    "Right."

    "Why not tell us then? Why wait till we are at Tier 3?"

    "Simple. Which relationship would be stronger in your opinion? One where the couple slept together regularly, or one where they slept apart? We don''t tell you so that you make more effort to trust and like each other with the mindset that you would have to live the rest of your lives comfortable with the other''s touch. And it does no harm¡­ It''s not like you''d be able to do anything with the information even if you knew."

    I nodded in understanding. If you went to bed with another person regularly, you were bound to develop some sort of positive feeling about him or her. At least you''d have to trust that your partner not to slit your throat in your sleep. And that''d be enough to keep the bond from dissipating.

    "Anyway, Ceres, tell him what you speculated about his mindscape."

    "Okay," said Ceres. Gathering her thoughts, she began, "Remember, you told me that you could sense light and water mana despite not having a contract with women with those elements."

    "Yes?"

    "That isn''t exactly true. You do have a bond with a woman with an affinity to both water and light."

    "Wait¡­" my eyes widened, "Mother!?"

    Ceres nodded.

    My expression must have been really strange because mother began to giggle uncontrollably. Stuffing a biscuit in my open mouth, she snapped my mouth shut with a finger under my chin. "Your father will be so sad when he hears that my love isn''t his in its entirety." She said before devolving into another fit of giggles.

    Mechanically chewing the biscuit in my mouth, I swallowed and washed the crumbs down with some water. "Well," I said, "That seems as likely an explanation as any. But why isn''t this more widely known? I''d expect more people to say something about it if a Tamer inherited affinities from his parents."

    Ceres shook her head. "Your mother''s special. Her bloodline originates from a Sacred Beast. I do not think that an ordinary bloodline can affect the affinity of Hominum sons. People with bloodlines of Sacred Beasts are rare and Hominum born of their union are rarer still. Combined with your peculiar circumstances, I believe that this phenomenon has gone largely unnoticed."

    Reining in her mirth, mother admonished Ceres. "What is all this ''your mother'' business? Drop that ''your'' this instant! I''m your mother and that big oaf is your father. Get used to it."

    "Yes." said Ceres in a small voice as she looked down with shaking shoulders. Deimos rubbed her back as drops of tears adorned the backs of her clenched fists in her lap.

    Tactfully ignoring her outburst to avoid embarrassing her, I continued the conversation with mother. "So, what does this have to do with anything? I have a possible explanation for my affinities now. How does that help?"

    "Oh, trust me, it helps. It helps a lot more than you would even begin to guess. What would you say to a new contract."

    "Huh? With whom?"

    Mother silently pointed towards the cat slumbering peacefully in Deimos'' lap.

    For a long moment, I was silent as I failed to comprehend her meaning. Then, I did.

 108 Chapter 12

    Chuckling internally, she kept her face straight with great difficulty and asked again, "So? What do you think?"

    "I ¨C I mean ¨C but ¨C wha¡­" Mars uttered, devolving into senseless mumbling.

    She had reacted much the same way when Ceres had first mentioned this plan to her. It was much more fun on the other side of the fence. Turning to her side, she found that Ceres had recovered from her emotional outburst and had looked up while wiping her tears with her sleeve. She too turned her way. Their eyes met and they could no longer suppress their mirth.

    "Ahahaha¡­ You should see your faces in the mirror¡­ oh¡­ my sides¡­ haha¡­" she laughed while clutching her sides. Ceres was much quieter about it but she could feel the body of the girl vibrating with suppressed laughter.

    "Oh, so it was a prank¡­ Thank god." The relieved look on his face sent her into another bout of hysterics and this time Ceres joined in.

    Regaining control and wiping her tears, she said, "Oh¡­ I haven''t had a good laugh like that in ages. I feel a decade younger¡­ Anyway, I wasn''t pulling your leg. I truly want you to bond with my Doppelganger." Before Mars could interrupt her, she steamrolled on. "Let me explain. You remember about the problem I have with the Cult of Bubastis, yes?"

    "Yes¡­ They refuse to provide the specific method of promotion to Tier 5 for your bloodline unless you join them. And they refuse to treat you."

    Epione nodded, "Yeah. I know that both you and your father have been very anxious about it and have been trying to find a solution. You want to win the Swayamvar and get me a Royal status. Your father has gotten it into his head that if he promotes to Demigod, then those jerks won''t be able to refuse him. Which is true, but he has started his crazy training again and I''ve had enough of that for one lifetime.

    "So, I went ahead and tried to find a solution of my own instead of sitting around twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the two men in my life to resolve my troubles for me."

    Gesturing to the Doppelganger, she said, "Since my bloodline is the source of all my troubles, I decided to get rid of it."

    Mars seemed to finally understand what she meant by her offer to bond with her Doppelganger. "Won''t that affect your future cultivation?" he asked.

    Tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear, she replied, "Well, I''m not aware of the details but according to your father, the bloodline isn''t necessary for cultivation beyond Tier 5."

    "Can''t he tell you things more clearly?"

    "Isn''t that a bit much¡­" Mars trailed off as he remembered the Duchess'' treachery.

    "No. No. You''re overestimating the binding force of the pledge. A Tier 5 mage is nearly impossible to fetter with any kind of contract. Maybe a Demigod level contract but unless Emperor Adam comes back to life, I don''t think that will happen anytime soon. The pledge was only about the cultivation method for Tier 5." She said.

    "The only copy of the book containing the method is preserved in the Royal Palace. Any newly promoted Tier 5 is allowed to study the book for a week and memorize it. Then they have to take the oath to never divulge the contents of the book through word written or spoken. If they violate the oath, their memories of the contents will be erased by the contract."

    Mars grew pensive. "Well, that means that unless a Tier 5 joins the Army or the Government services, they will have to fumble their way down the martial path in the future."

    "Yes. That''s the incentive Tier 5 mages have to join the Regiis Government. That and the preferential treatment meted out to their direct relatives. Anyway, we are digressing. Severing my connection with my bloodline was one of the first things I had thought to try. I succeeded in shifting my bloodline onto my Doppelganger but I was never able to sever my connection with it."

    "If I form a contract with your Doppelganger, then it will sever your connection to it?" asked Mars.

    "Not exactly¡­ It will shift the connection to you, which for our purpose is the same thing. This is only possible because you already have a connection to me and a high affinity to my mana. Actually, if this works out, you should credit Ceres. She was the one who suggested that you contract my Doppelganger."

    Ceres explained in a soft voice. "I was inspired by the line, ''The Deities chose to bless the Hominum with their aspects and scattered them all over the world,'' in our origin story. I''ve been digging through literature about contract magic and I think I know how the initial Hominum might have cultivated."

    "How?" asked Mars, interested. He was currently fumbling his way down the path of external casting. Any information, or even speculation, about it was immensely valuable to him."

    "I believe that they used their Contract magic to bond with their patron deities, obtaining the affinities and sensitivities to environmental mana of their corresponding element," replied Ceres.

    "What does that have to do with Master contracting mother''s Doppelganger though?" asked Deimos.

    Epione reached out ant picked up the sleeping cat from Deimos'' lap by the scruff of its neck. Dangling it in the air, she poked its cheek, not even managing to get a twitch out of it.

    "This thing is made out of my mana and bloodline. When I am not controlling it directly, it acts upon the instincts present in my bloodline. Since the amount of mana is limited and it will dissipate when that runs out, its foremost instinct is to ''sleep'' to reduce consumption. While sleeping, it absorbs the ambient mana at a very slow rate to replenish its reserves. I can also top up its mana pool to extend the duration of its existence," she said.

    "When it dissipates, my bloodline returns to my body. But if you were to bond with it and supply it with ambient mana¡­"

    "Then you would be free of your bloodline!" exclaimed Mars as he finally comprehended their plan. "But are you sure that losing your bloodline won''t affect you?"

    "To be honest, I haven''t had the time to fully ascertain the risks of this method. Or any sort of potential backlash. What I do know is that when I shift the entirety of my bloodline onto my Doppelganger, I lose the ability to turn Feral. And I''m sure my cultivation will back up a bit. Other than that, I cannot say for sure."

    "Why risk it on such short notice, ya?" asked Deimos, concerned.

    "Despite being a Tier 5 light mage, the Revered Ancestor of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries is a piss-poor healer and without me at the helm of the medical department, the casualties will rise sharply. They aren''t incompetent¡­ but they can''t deal with the cases of mana poisoning with the ease and speed that I can. I can''t leave with you for the Expedition. Yet, I won''t feel at ease without my Doppelganger accompanying you at the very least. So, ready?"

 109 Chapter 13

    The Tier 1 light mage leading the way for her stopped her footsteps at the beginning of a corridor. Turning to her, she addressed Hei Lian without arrogance or servility, "Wait here. I''ll check whether the Chief is free."

    For a brief instant, Hei Lian had the urge to bind the mage in her shadows, render her utterly helpless and revel in her fear. Repressing her urges, she smiled and nodded instead. The woman turned around smartly and walked away, leaving her alone in the hallway.

    Walking up to the window, Hei Lian looked up at the steadily darkening skies. The day was at an end.

    It had been a busy day. She had to shuttle back and forth between the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries and the Regiis contingent to work out the problems they had been facing in settling the mercenaries to both their satisfaction.

    Thankfully, grandma hadn''t brought any cultivators higher than the Dao Domain stage so she had no trouble at all getting the wolves to listen to her. No. The trouble she had was with the Regiis officers.

    Back home, everything was quite simple. The strong ruled and the weak served. The logic was irrefutable, really. When your life could be ended by the one in front of you in an instant, you obeyed.

    She brought her hand up in front of her face. A jet-black flame lit up in the centre of the pallid palm.

    Take that Tier 1 light mage for example. Hei Lian could immobilize her with ease. With the pitiful amount of mana she had in her mindscape, she wouldn''t be able to break free. Then she''d just be a puppet for her to control, a frantic mind trapped in the prison of her flesh. And that was if she wanted to control her. She could just as easily roast her from inside her body. After all, no light could reach within a body and where there was shadow, there would be fire ¨C hellfire.

    Hei Lian didn''t understand. Why wouldn''t you kneel to someone who could do that to you? How did all these weaklings dare to raise their heads and look their betters in the eye.

    She ached to teach them a lesson. A lesson in subordination they would never forget but she was fettered here. Not by chains of iron and steel, nor by a magical bond like the one her father had shackled her with. No. Her fetters were metaphorical but no less solid for all that.

    Clenching her fist, she extinguished the abyssal flame.

    Protocol, they called it here. Rules. Regulations.

    If you give me face, I shall give you face in return. If you don''t, our enmity will be irreconcilable.

    Contrary to what the people of Regiis thought, giving face wasn''t a show of submission. It was a show of respect. One which would be reciprocated. They weren''t animals that would misconstrue every concession as a sign of weakness and reach out for a yard after taking an inch.

    For all her so called cunning, the Duchess was as culturally illiterate as the rest of her countrymen, probably considering herself too exalted to bother studying up on the lifestyle of Huaxia. After all, who needed to know how barbarians thought, right?

    Unfortunately, the Duchess had been lucky. If Veer Felidae had spared young Lupin''s life, he would have given the Sun Wolf face, thereby indebting him. After that, the Sun Wolf would be obligated to pay something or owe him a favour of a value equivalent to the life of his son.

    The image of a tattered, leather-bound book flashed past in Hei Lian''s mind.

    The Duchess had no idea of just how valuable that favour would be, or she wouldn''t have risked giving one of her opponents such an advantage.

    Oh well, it had all worked out the best possible way for her and she had been set free from under the thrall of her father.

    So, yes, Hei Lian understood the need for protocol and regulations. What she didn''t understand was the need for these protocols to curb the powers of the strong and empower the weak.

    The Regiis Empire preached a laughable concept like equality in the eyes of the law when the ones these laws governed weren''t equal. Was the value of the life of a Tier 3 mage the same as the value of the life of a Tier 1 when the former was a hundred times rarer than the latter? If the law was something like ''If a Tier 3 mage kills a hundred Tier 1 mages, they will be sentenced to the death penalty'' Hei Lian could get behind it. As it stood? No.

    But she was on Regiis soil, so it was Regiis law she would be governed by. In life, one was often involuntary. At least, she was no longer her father''s puppet. And it was all thanks to the bumbling of one fool. The thought of her scaredy cat was enough to turn her frown upside down.

    She hoped that Epione Felidae would be able to succeed where grandma had failed. She had wanted to go public with her marital status but had been hesitating until she could be sure that she would be able to bear an Heir. Anyone with half-a-brain could guess that she had to be married to someone otherwise she would have turned Feral by now, and anyone with a full brain could figure out who exactly was her husband. But the longer she postponed her declaration, the more hope she gave the young men of the factions in the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries that they might just get chosen to be her beau and therefore, the next leader of the clan.

    Delaying the declaration had bought her the time she had needed to get the females of the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries on her side. Now, even if she went ahead and made her decision to become the first ever Matriarch of the clan public, they wouldn''t be able to topple her as she had the support of over half the clan, let alone, her grandma.

    She had decided to do it the next day, right before the Expedition set forth.

    Her marriage to Steven would be a symbol of the cooperation between the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries and Regiis due to his connection to the Felidae clan. It would be good for morale.

    She didn''t know why he had been moping around recently, but she was sure that making their marriage official would cheer him right up.

    "Lady Hei Lian, the Chief is in her office, ready to greet you." The sound of the mage''s voice interrupted her ponder.

    Stepping back from the window, she nodded at the mage and walked down the corridor and entered the door at the end.

    After her form had vanished completely, the Tier 1 mage collapsed against the wall breathing hard and clutching her shirt above her heart. It took a long time for her heartbeat to return to normal. When she pushed off the wall, her clothes separated from the mortar with a wet ''schlick''. She decided then and there that she would never again volunteer to attend to the terrifying Heiress of the wolves.

 110 Chapter 14

    Setting a steaming cup of tea in front of her, Epione waved off her concern. "Just some issues with my cultivation. It''s nothing serious, you don''t need to worry about me. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

    Hei Lian took a sip, savouring the scent of the beverage. Having grown up without such luxuries, she wasn''t very well versed in the art of tea, but she had tasted enough varieties of the beverage these past few months to get a general idea of the quality of the brew from a sip. This one was quite precious.

    Setting the cup down, she said, "I hope you meet with success in your cultivation. I''ll not waste your time and get straight to the point. I''m a barren woman." Noticing Epione''s raised eyebrow, she clarified, "My ability to conceive was taken from me. I need your help to get it back."

    Noticing Epione''s wry smile, it was Hei Lian''s turn to raise her eyebrow. "What?"

    "No¡­ It''s just that your reason for coming to me, is something I''ve been struggling with as well." She said. "Yes, I''ve been having issues with conceiving as well and ironically, that makes me quite the expert in this field. If your problem isn''t too exotic, I''m sure I can help you. Although, seeing that even your grandmother had to admit defeat, I am hesitant in guaranteeing anything."

    Hei Lian shook her head. "Grandma is more focused on the offensive aspect of her element, she candidly admits defeat to you in the field of medicine. Let alone, your combination element and bloodline put you head and shoulders above any healer of similar expertise."

    "Why, thank you for the praise¡­ let''s take a look, shall we?"

    Hei Lian nodded and stood up. Taking a step forward, she raised her shirt, baring her midriff. Closing her eyes, Epione touched her stomach with the tips of the fingers of her right hand. Whenever fingertip touched skin, ripples of light proliferated, sinking into Hei Lian''s body, making her frown at the uncomfortable contradiction between Holy light and Hellfire.

    Suddenly, Epione''s fingers grew rigid and her eyes flew open in shock. "How could anyone do¡­ this?" she spat out. Pulling her shirt back down and meeting her eyes, Hei Lian smiled, "Don''t worry, he died." Breathing deeply to calm herself, Epione replied, "Good riddance."

    "Anyway," Epione continued when she had taken her seat, "Though the damage is quite extensive, it isn''t anything I cannot fix. I won''t ask you about how exactly you got those injuries but I''ll need some sketchy details at the very least to draw up the optimal treatment plan but I can basically guarantee a full recovery, so there is that."

    "Not at all. You are currently a soldier in the allied forces and as the Chief of the medical department, it is my duty to see to the full health of my officers. Your issue might be a little personal in nature but that makes it no less important in my eyes."

    Hei Lian shrugged, "Have it your way. I''ll owe you one in my mind, whether you decide to call upon it or not¡­ While we are at it, I have a request to make."

    "Go on."

    "You know that Steven of your clan has been serving as my subordinate for the past few months¡­ and it has come to pass that our relationship has developed into something¡­ more. So, I was thinking that it would be good for morale and unity if we were to be married on the morrow before the Expedition set out." She paused, "I hope that you can take responsibility for him in the stead of his parents."

    Epione nodded her agreement. "I have no problem with that. If I am not wrong, the both of you are already bonded and I am not one to break a couple apart. And, Steven already came by earlier today to solicit my husband''s agreement. We think a marriage between our clans will be the perfect send-off for our Heroes, especially when the newly-weds will travel alongside them. I''ll be helping to treating you after your return, I presume? Enough time to draw up the treatment plan if you give me the information now." She stopped speaking when she noticed the surprise on Hei Lian''s face. "You didn''t¡­ know?"

    Hei Lian smiled brightly. "I was just surprised that he came today. He was supposed to talk to General Felidae tomorrow morning. I was just a bit surprised by his initiative, is all. He must be really eager to marry me."

    Epione chuckled. "That he is. With a bride as stunning as you, which man wouldn''t? I hope you''ll rein him in and keep him from any more foolishness."

    "I will. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get back to my quarter and prepare for tomorrow. I''ll send you the details you wanted by tomorrow morning."

    "Sure. Enjoy your night, it''ll be the last peaceful time you''ll have together in some time." Epione said with a smile.

    Nodding, Hei Lian took her leave. As she walked down the corridor, her smile faded and the shadows around her seemed to darken, shading her eyes. He hadn''t even asked her before deciding to make their marriage official. When had her permission become secondary to the opinion of the Felidae couple? She didn''t like this feeling, she didn''t like it one bit.

 111 Chapter 15

    Even as he paced in his room, even in his agitation, his body remembered the lessons beaten into it. "Boy, no martial art that makes you think with your mind instead of your body is worth the parchment it is written on." His father''s words rang as true in practise as in theory. "The core of Ghost Step is calculated unpredictability." The technique sought to confuse opponents through an unnatural rhythm and gait, yet, the motions were hardly random. If they were, the time it took to ponder his next move would be the time it took for his opponent to catch up to him.

    Ten steps forward, nine steps back.

    He halted abruptly in the middle of his room as the door was kicked open with a bang and his yellow eyes met Hei Lian''s obsidian gaze. They regarded each other in pin-drop silence. Now that the wait was over and the time for confrontation had arrived, Steven felt oddly calm.

    Hei Lian was the first to break the silence. "So," she drawled out, "You didn''t think it necessary to inform me of your decision beforehand." Which decision she was talking about went without question. Taking a deep breath, he replied, "It was for the best." The steadiness of his voice surprised even him.

    Riding the wave of his courage before it broke against the shore of his fear, he continued, "You wanted to go on the Expedition to garner fame. I was holding you back. I got tired of holding you back."

    Narrowing her eyes, she sneered, "Oh? Then why does that entail publicizing our marriage?" he looked her in the eye. "Because I''m your husband whether you acknowledge it or not. Sure, the declaration might help in the cohesion of the alliance, but in the end, the only reason I asked the General to arrange for it was that I wanted the world to know. I wanted our bond out in the open for all to see."

    She sneered, "There, there, husband, you know what to do. Beg for mercy like you always do. Go on. Maybe I''ll be generous and let you off with only a spanking¡­ Go on."

    Giving up his struggles, he locked his gaze onto her distorted face. She flinched at the renouncement and determination in his eyes before growing even more furious. "How dare you look at me like that!? Isn''t this how it always goes? You displease me, I discipline you, and you beg. So, why¡­ won''t¡­ you¡­ beg?" she snarled, punctuating every last word by tightening her grip on his throat.

    His vision darkening at the edges, Steven reached a trembling hand out towards her. Gripping her collar, with the final vestiges of his strength, he yanked at it. With a ping, the first few buttons of her shirt popped off, revealing a large swathe of white. There, in stark contrast with the pale skin was their mark that glowed a dark red.

    Hei Lian''s grip loosened and she staggered back, letting his limp form drop to the floor where he hacked and coughed while clutching his injured throat. Steven laid his forehead against the floor, sucking air in greedily with deep, shuddering breaths, his spittle flecking the floor.

    "How?" she muttered as she stepped back, daunted. "How¡­ is it possible? How can it be so dark?"

    Bringing his breath under control, he slowly struggled to his feet and looked her in the eye. She took another step back under the intensity of his gaze.

    "I¡­ am¡­ not¡­ your father!" he croaked out through his injured throat, advancing upon her. Hei Lian found herself stepping back subconsciously to avoid him. Her back touched up against the wall and when she tried to move sideways, he slammed his palms on either side of her, caging her in.

    Even though she could easily escape with magic, she found herself immobilized by the swirling emotion in the depth of his eyes. "W-what do you mean?" she stammered out.

    "Neither¡­ are you," he continued, ignoring her. "Despite what he was, he was your father and¡­" he grimaced like the words left an extremely bitter taste in his mouth, "Your lover¡­ I can understand why you would feel guilt for his death."

    "W-what the hell are you talking about!? Why would I feel guilt over that animal!?"

    "That diary of his that you keep¡­ I''ve read it."

    Hei Lian grew still, averting her eyes from his. "Where is it?" she asked in a small voice.

    Keeping his eyes on her, he indicated towards the brazier with his chin. Looking up, Hei Lian''s eyes widened as she noticed the smouldering remains of a leather-bound notebook. Now that she knew what to look for, her nose picked up the faint stench of burning leather, the smoke having been carried away by the open window by its side.

    With a keening wail, she leapt towards the brazier, panic in her eyes. Grabbing her around her waist, Steven dug his feet into the ground and pushed against her with the full weight of his body to keep her away from it.

    "St-op living in the past!" he yelled as his muscles strained to hold the hysterical girl away from the fire.

    "Nooo¡­" her voice was a low whine as she frantically struggled against him, all magic forgotten I her angst. Unable to break free, her form shifted and morphed until a jet-black wolf strained against him instead.

    The sudden shift forced him onto his knees and he nearly lost his grip on her. Gritting his teeth, he wrestled with her until he had locked his arms around her neck, his fingers digging into the thick fur of her scruff.

    "The Sun Wolf is dead¡­" he gasped out, "He no longer owns you!"

    With a furious howl that reverberated through his body, the wolf snapped its jaws down upon the crook of his neck. His Barrier shone a soft white to keep off her teeth but they burnt with dark flames, easily piercing through its blockade.

    Steven grunted in pain as blood soaked half his shirt. The ache and the delirium from lost blood stimulated the wildness that slept within him.

    With a feral snarl, he bared his teeth and growled out, "You''re MINE!" and sank his shadow-clad teeth into her neck. Through coincidence, or by instinct, the seal of their teeth overlapped their marks, bathing them in fresh blood.

    Slowly morphing back to her Bestia form, she collapsed limply into his embrace.

    Hei Lian had cried when her mother had died. She had muffled her sobs with her pillow too many times to count during her bondage. For the outside world, it had been three years. For her, it had been a decade of confinement and isolation. Ten years that had dried all her tears. Her father was dead. She had killed the Tamer responsible. The wounds had healed. The scars remained.

    Watching the last symbol of her father turn to ashes, for the first time in years, she wept.

 112 Chapter 1

    Aeryn Corvus wasn''t born with that name. Aeryn Pavone. That was his name at birth. Pavone, not Corvus.

    Children born of the union of parents with disparate bloodlines usually took after one or the other. On rare occasions, the child was a hybrid. The rarest case though, was when the blood of an ancestor awakened within the child and the child had traits of some other beast entirely.

    Aeryn was a raven among peacocks.

    ***

    Whipping his wings, he banked hard to the left into the shadow of a cloud. The shadows wrapped him in their embrace and when the balls of fire tore them to shreds, he was gone.

    He reappeared in a shadow above his pursuer. Tucking in his wings, he dropped like a stone towards the back of the Tier 4 ant.

    Shadows oozed out of his pores, radiating outwards in a sphere of darkness.

    The ant, the only one of its kind that had managed to keep up with his speed in their aerial chase, vibrated its wings in agitation, sending waves of heat radiating outwards as it tried to locate him. Its antennae swung erratically trying to pick up traces of him as it hovered in place, unheeding of the silent sphere of darkness that was descending onto it.

    The sphere began to morph, elongating into a cone of darkness. A beak formed, then two wings tucked close to the body, and finally, a tail. The shadow raven cut through the air faster, the rushing wind becoming unnaturally silent in its wake.

    When the ant noticed, it was too late. Despite its attempts to evade, the raven hit it square on its side, sending it tumbling through the air with a bent wing. Screeching in anger and pain, it pumped mana into its wing, making it glow a bright red. The wing straightened out and with an explosive blast of mana, it stabilized itself in the air. Turning to the face the shadowy raven, it screeched out its challenge.

    Merged with the darkness that made the raven, Aeryn Corvus'' expression grew grim. He had barely dealt any damage to the creature even in this form. He hadn''t expected for the blow to kill it. That just wasn''t possible. He was still at Tier 3, albeit at its peak, and the raven was just him shaping his domain into the form of his bloodline origin. He hadn''t managed to integrate his bloodline into it and reach true Bloodline Manifestation. When he did, he''d be at Tier 4.

    So, the raven was a shadow without substance and expecting it to slay a beast at Tier 4 in a single blow was wishful thinking. Though he had hoped to damage its wing long enough for him to escape. Its near instantaneous recovery had scuppered that plan.

    The information he had was crucial. If the squad tried to delve into the Forbidden Zone without it, their chances of success would dwindle to almost nothing.

    He needed to get back to the camp. It would seem that he would have to rush his breakthrough.

    An achromatic ripple spread out from him, dyeing the blue skies grey.

    It carried his melancholy sigh. "How unfortunate."

    ***

    For a time, it went undetected. He hatched. He ate the shell of his egg. He crawled, he bawled and he sucked his mother''s teat. Things a normal Pluma baby would do. It was only when he began to shed his down and grow his feathers that his bloodline was discovered. The plumage of his similarly aged cousin was a beautiful greenish blue, his feathers were black. His cousin had long tail-feathers; a courtship fan of vivid greens and blues, subtle browns, and transfixing ''eyes''. His were the colour of midnight.

    Beautiful though his plumage was, Aeryn didn''t resent his cousin. At that age, he was too busy rejoicing that unlike his cousin, his wings were built to support flight much more intensive than just a hopping glide to the tops of trees.

    He would fly circles around the courtyard, taunting the land-bound brat, sometimes even to the point of tears. That would teach the little show-off to not spread his tail at the mere hint of rain. Okay, maybe he was a little resentful of all the attention the brat got while all he got were indifference and disdain.

    Still, his toothless smile could thaw the coldest of stares and make the most prejudiced of hearts waver. It was the happiest time of his life.

    ***

    Shadows spread out from him in rings as he flapped his wings to stay aloft and the shadow raven formed out of his domain flapped its wings along with him. It fractured the sunlight like rippling surface seen from under water.

    Letting the mana from his mindscape trickle down into his heart, every beat mixed the source of his magic into his bloodstream. The shadowy form of the raven began to coalesce, its details growing more defined with every passing moment.

    The ant, despite its bestial nature wasn''t silly enough to wait for its opponent to promote his strength. With an enraged howl, it vibrated its wings till they were a blur, shooting through the air towards him.

    Opening its mandibles wide, it spat out incandescent orbs of white flame that preceded it. The raven whipped its wings, rising above the orbs.

    Tier 3 Flame Magic: Explosion.

    The concentrated balls of flame exploded, knocking the raven off balance as it was battered by the complimentary waves of the explosion. Snapping his wings open, he caught the heated air and used it to gain more altitude before angling into a steep glide, eager to put some distance between himself and the ant.

    Flowers of flame bloomed in his wake as the ant pursued, keeping up the relentless bombardment to knock him out of the sky.

    ***

    His mother was a branch member of the family. Not too talented. Not too pretty. Peahens, unlike their male counterparts aren''t known for being eye-catching. Their plumage is as drab as they come.

    She was an unremarkable woman. But she was compassionate to a fault and it was that compassion that earned her the heart of the second-born of the clan head as well as the affection of the common-born youth who later went on to found the Corvus clan. It is obvious who won in that contest for her hand in marriage, but the talent and charisma of the young Corvus had laid a deep shadow in the heart of Aeryn''s father.

    Compared to his elder brother, Aeryn''s father''s talent was abysmal. The man had always wallowed in his inferiority and cursed his destiny. Unfortunately, destiny had played a cruel trick on him in retaliation. Aeryn.

    Investigations were performed and blood was tested when Aeryn''s plumage finally revealed his bloodline. The reports confirmed the sanctity of Aeryn''s mother''s character but it couldn''t prevent the deep-seated antipathy his father held for him, or the discrimination against him by the clan.

    Yet, with the endless affection his mother smothered him with, Aeryn never felt unloved.

    ***

    The shockwaves from the narrowly avoided explosions battered the shadow raven, nearly knocking him out of the sky.

    Tucking his wings close to his body, he dived, picking up speed rapidly. When the whistling of the wind in his ear had turned into a shrill shriek, he spread his wings. The strain nearly ripped his wings out of their sockets but he managed to clench his teeth and hold on, pulling out from the dive and flattening out.

    The intense stimulation of wire-walking between life and death had sped up his heartbeat accelerating the infusion of his mana with every drop of his blood. The raven had congealed thoroughly. The flow of the wind through its feathers, the twitching of its tail as it corrected the direction of its flight; he could sense what it was sensing.

    He could feel it. He was merely a step away from Tier 4.

    ***

    It was his seventh name-day and his mother had baked a cake for him. It had his favourite cashew nuts kneaded into the dough and he was taking great delight in unearthing the nuts and filling his cheeks with them like he had seen a chipmunk do that day in preparation for the coming winter. His mother had looked on in quite amusement as she stroked his hair.

    Their maid had burst into the room with a ghastly expression on her face. "Mistress, the Master¡­ the Master, he''s in trouble!" she had gasped out.

    "What happened!?" his mother had asked, standing up.

    "He¡­ B-baron Corvus¡­ he''s d-ead."

    "Mama?" he had asked while swinging his legs on the chair, noting with displeasure that he wasn''t tall enough to reach the floor with his feet yet.

    Aeryn had always liked Uncle Corvus. The man''s wings were just like his. Also, the man brought him treats and his mother smiled more when he was around. He liked him more than his father who grimaced whenever he saw him. His father always made his mother cry. He didn''t like that one bit.

    His mother hadn''t answered him. She had just flopped down into her chair powerlessly and become silent. Then she stood up and walked into her room.

    She hadn''t come out again.

    Not alive.

    ***

    He felt his blood seethe within his veins as his bloodline awakened. Scattered memories and instincts poured into his mind as he felt himself merge with and become the raven.

    The influx gave him an instinctive ability to control the raven''s body. The memories spoke of spells, so significant that they had become a part of the blood of the ravens.

    ***

    He had run away from home when he was fifteen. Awakening to the shadow element when the rest of the clan was focused on light was the last straw that broke the camel''s back. He had believed that he would be better off on his own, away from a clan that disdained his very existence, that considered him a shameful reminder of his convict father. A man that had let his jealousy guide him down the path of murder.

    Aeryn, just Aeryn. No last name. That was his identity for the next six years as he lived hand to mouth, travelling by cart and boat, running from his past as if daemons were hot on his heels. Every night he woke to nightmares of his mother''s lifeless eyes, staring at him as she hung from the ceiling of her room.

    The sixth year, he heard that a new Emperor had won the Swayamvar and taken the throne.

    Eighty-seventh Emperor of Regiis: Cyn Pavone.

    It seemed that his little cry-baby cousin had grown up.

    ***

    With a raucous cry, the raven vanished in a whirl of shadow and appeared right above the ant. A swipe of its wings sent the monstrous insect tumbling out of the air.

 113 Chapter 2

    After breaking through to Tier 4, Aeryn Corvus'' mana had undergone another qualitative leap. If Tier 1 mana was vapour, Tier 2 akin to clouds, Tier 3 like water, then, Tier 4 mana was slush. The semi-solid origin of his magic had condensed around him into his Domain and taken the shape of a gigantic raven. Merged with his Domain as he was, and empowered by his newfound instincts, he ducked and weaved through the storm of fireballs that the horse-sized ant was shooting his way.

    Unlike his wings which were built for sustained flight, the wings of the ant were pitiful excuses. The four transparent membranous appendages were veined in a pattern that reacted with the surrounding wind when mana was passed through them, keeping the giant insect aloft. Designed more for hovering than flight, they blurred as the ant tried to match the raven''s speed, producing their characteristic whine.

    In sharp contrast, Aeryn''s wings were exquisite creations of nature. Each feather meshed in patterns that aided flight and lightened him as he channelled mana through them. The patterns had carried over to the shadow raven''s wings when he had merged with his Domain. That was why, even before he had advanced to Tier 4, he had been able to keep ahead of the pursuing ant commander.

    He had expected that once he had advanced, he would be able to outpace the pursuit of the ant but unfortunately, that didn''t seem to be the case.

    He had grossly overestimated the boost to his speed that advancement to the higher Tier would bring. He was faster, yes, but not fast enough. Especially not when the ant had taken to burning its mana to propel itself faster in the air. It was like a flaming comet, scorching through the air, leaving fiery contrails behind.

    While advancement had improved the quality of his mana, it hadn''t done anything about his dwindling reserves. The ant had more mana than he did and even with its wasteful spending, he would be the first to drop down in the battle of attrition. That was why, he had decided to engage it in combat before his reserves ran too low for that to be an option.

    The shadow raven cut through the air silently with the ant in hot pursuit. Whipping his wings, he dodged another barrage of flaming bullets, letting them pass beneath him. He snapped his wings open to catch the updraft created by the flames. Flying upside down above the ant, he came down behind the beast, flipping the roles of pursuer and pursued.

    Hovering in mid-air, he whipped his wings hard. Hundreds of feathers made of shadow shot out, hitting the ant, that was in the process of turning around, square on its body.

    Upon contact with its carapace, the feathers splattered onto the ant as though they were made of ink, covering its body with shadowy blotches.

    It was one of the spells that he had learnt from the instinctual memories in his bloodline. The ant screeched in pain as the shadows made a sound like oil on a frying pan as they began corroding its body.

    One feather that had missed its mark, landed on the mountain beneath them. The shadows ate through the weather-beaten rock leaving a hole whose bottom couldn''t be seen.

    The ant glowed an infernal red, then burst into crimson flames that seared the shadows away.

    Encased within the raven, Corvus sighed. Magic really sold at a discount when it came to Beasts above Tier 3. The bodies of the Beasts were their Domains. Their mana was infused into each inch of their flesh and blood, making their resilience and resistance to spells phenomenal. Just like his shadow raven, all the beasts had to do to heal their injuries was to pump their mana into the injured part and it would regenerate. And in the case of light elemental beasts, the efficiency of that healing was so great that unless one managed to kill them in a single strike, they were nearly undying until they ran out of mana.

    Using a spell against a Beast that had managed to completely infuse its body with mana and form its domain was just a competition of mana. The effects of the spell were secondary to the amount of mana contained within. This was quite a disadvantage for him as the last thing he could afford to do now was compete against the ant in mana reserves.

    Taking advantage of the distracted ant, he swooped down on it and grabbed two of its wings in his talons and pulled. Screeching in outrage, the flames on the ant burnt exuberantly, expanding outwards to engulf both of their forms. Clenching his teeth, he ignored the heat and beat his wings powerfully.

    With the sound of ripping parchment, the two membranous wings were torn apart as the both of them tumbled down towards the ground. Spreading his charred wings, he slowed his descent and flattened out while the ant slammed into the mountain beneath, fissuring the hard rock.

    It didn''t take even a minute for the monstrous regeneration of the ant to kick in and it crawled out of the crater limping on four legs and with two tattered wings.

    Aeryn hovered above the crater, watching grimly as the wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

    This way, his defeat was just a matter of time. He had no other choice but to bet it all on a single throw of the die.

    A tiny portal formed in front of him. It was made of lightly swirling shadows, ethereal and incorporeal.

    The raven shrank as he poured more and more of the mana that made it into the portal, trying to solidify it. The aperture grew from the size of a coin to the size of Aeryn''s palm, darkening from the fuzzy shadows of dusk to the absolute darkness of an overcast night. When he had fed the entirety of his mana into the portal, dispelling the raven and revealing his true body, it substantialized.

    Gasping for breath he pushed his hand through the portal and clenched his fist. With a wet ''squelch'' he felt the brain of the ant get crushed.

    With a rending cry, the dying ant lit the entirety of its mana and exploded, dyeing the mountaintop a sanguine red.

    Aeryn only had time for a muttered expletive before the force of the explosion threw him away, slamming him into the rock face.

    The blast triggered an avalanche of rock and soil that ran down the side of the mountain, raising a cloud of dust.

    Aeryn coughed out dusty blood as he struggled up from where he had been thrown. A wing was broken, one of his legs was fractured and he could barely crawl with how exhausted he was from using up the entirety of his mana.

    He looked at the hand he had pushed through the portal.

    From wrist down, only a charred stump remained.

 114 Chapter 3

    At first, everything had gone according to plan. He had wrapped himself in his magic and concealed himself within the shadows of the clouds, mapping the terrain and the distribution of the enemy forces as he went.

    The land beneath him was a rugged mix of mountains, valleys and canyons and the Calamity was like rivers of flame spidering through the terrain. He saw the rills converging with each other near Firang, growing into a river that battered its way towards the contingent. War wasn''t long in coming.

    Tracing the streams back to their source with his eyes, he had seen a pillar of smoke rising up into the sky in the distance ¨C the erupting Zhurong. Hoping for some intel that would pave the way for the Expedition and increase their odds of success, he had forayed deeper into the Forbidden Zone.

    He had seen it then. It wasn''t just one pillar of smoke, there were two thick columns that seemed to hold up the sky, dyeing the swirling clouds above them black. Purple streaks of lightning arced from cloud to earth, the distant rumble of thunder rolled through the lands. Beneath the dark clouds, a red glow covered the two volcanoes. It wasn''t just Zhurong that had erupted, its offshoot Gun had too.

    Fire elementals propagated by splitting parts of themselves off whenever they got too saturated with mana but weren''t ready to impact the realm of Demigod yet. Zhurong had split a part of itself off about a hundred years ago to form the volcano Gun which had become a home to one of the five ant queens that resided in the Sixth Forbidden Zone. The immature flame dungeon was nowhere close to a stage where it would be ready to impact the higher realm. There was no reason for it to erupt at that time.

    Aeryn was sure that this oddity was the reason behind the Calamity sparing the territory of the Crimson Coyotes. Catching a thermal with his wings, he had spiralled upwards, gaining altitude before increasing the amount of mana he was pumping into his Stealth spell. Transitioning into a silent glide towards the two volcanoes, his eyes had scanned the surroundings for any sign of aerial patrols.

    The eruption of both volcanoes at the same time had sparked a conflict been the colony at the southern face of Zhurong and the newly formed splinter colony that had taken up residence in Gun. Aeryn had comprehended the Duchess'' plan at that moment. She had pitted the two colonies against each other so they couldn''t set their soldiers aside to attack the Crimson Coyotes. It made sense now that he thought about it. The nascent Dungeon of Gun was obviously easier to influence than a mature one like Zhurong. Whatever trick she had played, the crux of it lay within that volcano.

    He hadn''t stuck around to spectate any longer. He needed to get back to the base and report on whatever he had seen so the Expedition group could plot their path better and avoid the majority of the Calamity''s forces.

    But unfortunately for him, he had been discovered by the winged Tier 4 ant that had been patrolling the airspace with its subordinates on his way back.

    The problem was that while Shadow magic was great for stealth, muffling sound as well as obscuring his figure when he utilized Call of the Dark, it was of no help in hiding his scent and olfaction was the primary method with which ants perceived their world. It couldn''t be helped though. The dynamic vision of the ants wasn''t poor either and unless a wind mage and a shadow mage collaborated, perfect stealth wasn''t possible.

    The war and chase had followed and now he was stuck within enemy lines, injured and hiding behind a rock with critical information that he needed to pass onto command before the squad set out. And it wouldn''t take the pursuing Tier 3 ants to catch up to him. In his condition, he wouldn''t survive a fight.

    To make matters worse, his realm was showing signs of backing up with his intensive mana usage right after promotion without letting his body acclimatize to the sudden surge of power.

    He sighed and leaned back against the rock.

    After he had run away from home, he had made his way across the entire breadth of the Empire, from the North-Western Province to the South-Eastern Province. It had been an interesting few years. The caravans he hitched a ride with easily identified his noble roots. Sometimes, that got him preferential treatment, a better seat on the carriage, discounts on the passage fees¡­ One time, it got him mugged. He had woken up on the roadside between two cities with a bump on his head and bereft of all possessions. Apparently, his meagre belongings had disappointed his muggers and they had decided to be quite thorough. So, he had found himself in his underwear as bare as a plucked chicken, with the roots of his feathers bleeding where some had been ripped out with all the finesse a crook could manage.

    If not for the ''red shirts'' on patrol finding him, he would have had to walk all the way to the city on foot in his condition. One of them had let him ride on his destrier and galloped all the way to the closest city. There, the guard leader had taken his statement, allowed him to choose some fitting clothes from a charity box and sent him to the police medic who had ensured his wings wouldn''t get infected and assured him of their complete recovery. Then, they had asked him what he planned to do next. He had asked to join the Internal Police Force. After some consideration, they had agreed to accept him on probation. After all, a young, healthy shadow mage with clear noble roots and the corresponding talent was too useful an asset to pass up.

    Aeryn had worked his way up the ranks. The paucity of resources and the lack of teachers had hampered his progress, but compared to the commoners, his talent was placed there. So, it wasn''t long before he reached the threshold of Tier 3 and received a call to join the army. When he finally departed for Firang, the bandits had breathed a sigh of relief. In his tenure, Aeryn had taught them to fear the dark.

    All Tier 3 mages unaffiliated to some noble clan were allowed to take on their own clan name and establish their own clan. Henceforth, Aeryn was Aeryn Corvus. He felt he owed it to the only man who had showed him kindness in his childhood, the man who had made his mother smile, and the man who had lost his life at the hands of his ''father''.

    So, here he was, after years of hard work without the support of any family ¨C a Tier 4 mage. He might not be his cousin, the Emperor of Regiis, but he was satisfied with his achievements. He felt he could look the Pavones in the eye and say, ''I''m fine without you.''

    He had actually been scheduled to be promoted to the post of Lieutenant for the Scouting Department. Then the Ursas had come and Ava Ursa had been assigned that post while he had been transferred to the Messenger department and made directly responsible to the General. While it might seem like a promotion, it robbed his opportunity to become the chief of a Department. And recently, the General''s son had arrived and had immediately been conferred the post of Lieutenant. While his performance was shocking, it didn''t allay the fact that he was a mere civilian unskilled in command and unversed in discipline. There were candidates more deserving.

    Marshal Zoya Canis for instance. He had always admired the grit of the woman. Her promotion to late Tier 3 despite her bloodline not being dense enough to allow her to turn Feral was proof of her tenacity. One of the reasons he had volunteered for the scouting mission was that she was leading the Expedition and he wanted to pave the way for her.

    He looked up at the clear blue sky, his sharp eyes making out several rapidly approaching spots in the distance. The ants were coming. He didn''t have much time.

    Taking out the mind crystal shard he had been granted, he pumped the remainder of his mana into it, establishing a connection with the main crystal node at Firang and touched it to his forehead. It was too small to convey images and impressions, but it was enough to get words across. The squad would have to make do with his verbal descriptions.

    With a hiss of static, the connection stabilized and the voice of the operator rang out in his mind, his sentences clipped and short to preserve mana, "Corvus. Report."

    Aeryn described what he had seen as concisely as he could, stating his circumstances and location. He had little hope for rescue but the mind crystal shard was precious and it needed to be retrieved. After he was done, there was a short silence on the other side, interrupted only by static. He felt his mind fog up as his mana saw the bottom. He wouldn''t be able to hold the connection for long.

    Right before the connection cut off, a gruff, feminine voice came through. "Hold on tight, soldier. We''ll be there."

    Using the last of his strength to bury the crystal under a shallow layer of earth so the ants wouldn''t find it and marking the spot with a scrap of cloth, he sank into unconsciousness.

 115 Chapter 4

    There was a total of eighteen members in our squad, with five of them stemming from the Wolves¡­ six if one counted Steven, which they should seeing that his marital status had been made public. There had been a lot more volunteers of course; there was no dearth of the courageous amongst us¡­ or glory hounds. But only those at Tier 3 had been allowed to participate as well as Steven and Ceres due to their special circumstances. The rest had been given military commendations for their courage and loyalty. Subsequently, Phobos and Deimos had to stay back. A fact they weren''t happy about but which had relieved me greatly. Lt. Corvus'' predicament hadn''t left much time for argument otherwise they''d have protested the decision much more vigorously. A few hasty lines by father to drum up morale and the announcement of Steven''s marriage to Hei Lian by her grandmother as a symbol of the alliance of the two forces and we were off.

    Marshal Canis had set a punishing pace all the way so we could improve the odds of Lt. Corvus'' survival. The information he had provided about the movement of the ant legion had served us well and we had avoided any encounters until now. We were pushing through some of the most difficult terrain in order to cut our travel time as much as we could. Hopefully, we would reach him in time.

    I wished, not for the first time, that Major Ursa had come along. A Tier 4 earth mage''s terrain shaping abilities would come in handy right about now. We''d be able to blitz through these mountains as though they were plains but unfortunately, Tier 4 mages were too conspicuous and in the heart of the Forbidden Zone, remaining undetected was the key to survival.

    Logically speaking, I outranked Marshal Canis and should therefore be the leader but my inexperience meant that she got the job. I had no complaints; I had no wish to get my squad-mates killed due to my incompetence.

    My eyes finally adjusted to the glare of the sun and I could make out the tiny dots that were the forms of the rest of the squad. By my estimate, they were nearly four hundred metres above us and were soon going to reach the top of the precipice and let down the rope for the rest of us. Glancing down, I felt slightly dizzy at how high up the vertical rock wall we were. We wouldn''t survive a fall. Dangerous though it may be, this route was the shortest, and fastest, path to our destination. Unlike the normal sized ants, whose tiny claws and the sticky pads between their claws allowed them to climb up walls effortlessly, the oversized monsters were really poor climbers, restricting their range of motion to the canyons and valleys of the Sixth Forbidden Zone. The mountains were safer ¨C except for attacks from the winged ants, that is.

    Turning to Ceres, I asked, "How are you holding up?"

    Having caught her breath, she replied, "If I knew I''d have to do this much rock climbing, I wouldn''t have focused on my illusion magic that much. My muscles feel like jelly."

    I grinned, "Now, you''re making me feel bad for letting my delicate lady suffer hardships. Actually, you know what? Why don''t you grab onto me? I wanted to test something."

    "You want to carry me up?" she asked. "Will you be fine?"

    "Yup. I''m sure. Hop onto Mars Express."

    I studied her flushed face, sweaty brow and windblown hair as she struggled a bit over burdening me. Finally, she smiled and said, "I''ll trouble you then. As for the fare¡­ you can have me." Heh. She said some really nice things sometimes.

    A few moments of heart-in-the-throat manoeuvring had her securely lashed to my back by a rope circling our waists while she locked her arms and legs around my body. I could feel her chest pressing up against me, the dimensions greatly reduced during the healing process after the Geas had done a number on her. Quite regrettable but feeling the weak beat of her newly formed heart was all the compensation I needed.

    Breathing deeply, I closed my eyes and reached for my bonds. Three sigils became clear in the void of my mind. A hazy purple wreath of smoke for Ceres, a bluish-white gust for Deimos and for Phobos, an orb of darkness. Abstinence had been eminently easy for me. The only reason I hadn''t figured it out earlier was my inertia of thought. I had grown up with the concept that sex was required for the transfer of Vita''s divine power to me as an axiom. I hadn''t thought to challenge it and therefore, I had never thought to try replicating the state using only my imagination.

    My time in the bed with my wives were some of my most poignant memories. It didn''t take me too long to recall the sight of their flushed faces, the sound of their breathy moans, the feel of their skin, their scent¡­ the taste of their lust¡­ And I felt the power flow through my bonds and pour into me, scattering into motes of light that filled my body like tiny asterisms that glittered briefly before turning invisible. My heart beat slowly and powerfully in my chest. Each beat sent a pulse of power through me. I felt strong. Every flex of my muscles seemed to affect the world a lot more than it had before. My fingers cut into the hard rock as if it were mere clay, my Barrier glowing softly to protect my fingers from my own strength.

    Looking up, a golden glow protected my eyes from the glare and amplified my vision. I could make out all the forms scaling the cliff. Each mage used their magic to aid their climb. The Earth mages manipulated the very rock, creating platforms which carried them up the cliff face. The fire mages, like the wind mages leapt from ledge to outcropping, except that every time their foot touched the rock, a directed blast would propel them to their next target. The water mages coated their hands and feet with a sticky concoction with Fluid Manipulation, scaling the cliff like geckos. The only light mage, and Tier 4, mother''s doppelganger, had concealed herself within Ceres'' artificial heart, and was hitching a ride with us.

    My external casting was still immature and I needed a cushion time for the runes to form and interact with the ambient mana before my spells could be cast. Not to mention the times I failed when my runes collapsed due to my inexperience. I dared not risk using my magic to assist our climb. A single failure would mean a drop to our death. Instead, I decided to use my body, sculpted by years of exercise and potion therapy.

    Digging my right hand into the rock up to my elbow, I let go with my other limbs, hanging from the cliff face. Ceres screamed in surprise and clutched me tighter. With a low roar, I pulled myself up as hard as I could with my right arm. With a ripple of force that shattered the rock, I was flying up the cliff vertically. Feeling myself slow, I kicked downward with my left foot, shattering rock and pushing myself further upwards, faster.

    Left hand, right foot, right hand, left foot. I was running on all-fours like a beast, just I was doing it up a vertical wall. Feeling the rush of adrenaline and the wind against my face was exhilarating. I couldn''t help but laugh out loud. Ceres had buried her face into the crook of my neck, quivering with fear as she held onto me with a death grip.

    Soon, I crossed the wind mage ahead of me, then the shadow mage, a shocked water mage, an earth mage¡­ I left them all behind as I rushed up the cliff. In the end, there was only one form left ahead, a girl clad in dark fire. At that time, all I was thinking was to exceed everyone, who it was didn''t matter I just had to beat them to the top and she was just a few metres away from the edge.

    With a ripple of force, I kicked downwards, blurring upwards. Overshooting the edge of the cliff, I flipped in mid-air, landing on the ground on all-fours, bleeding off my momentum by drawing four furrows on the ground as I slid backwards.

    Straightening up, I met the eyes of the surprised Hei Lian who had just cleared the edge of the cliff.

 116 Chapter 5

    "No need," said a cold voice. Turning to the source, I found Hei Lian approaching us. "That rope was for you. No one else needs its assistance. We just didn''t want to hurt your self-respect so we made it seem like we all needed it. It seems you can carry your weight after all¡­" she cast a contemptuous glance at Ceres, "along with the burden." I frowned. What was her problem?

    I opened my mouth to refute her but she whirled around and walked away, nearly slapping my face with the end of her long hair. I suppressed a twinge of irritation with a deep breath. "That was uncalled for¡­ don''t take it to heart." I comforted Ceres. She just gave me a relaxed smile. "I don''t care for the appraisal of others. Husband, if you or my sisters aren''t the ones saying it, words won''t touch me. If I am a burden, I am one you are willing to carry and that makes me happy." I needn''t have worried. She was a girl who had gone against a Geas. Mere words? Hah.

    Turning back to the cliff, I waited for the rest to come up alongside Ceres while I digested the sensibility from my first use of Abstinence. Vita''s divine power was a mysterious energy which had the power to amplify the vitality and strength of the body. In the form of the Barrier, it bolstered the durability and physical defence of any creature that had it. Bestia women were the only ones who could generate this energy and in the average duration of three days, they became so saturated with it that it was able to affect their minds in the form of the dark whispers of Vita''s divine will. According to Master, every Bestia woman had a bit of Vita within her and that piece was what generated the energy. When the energy crossed a threshold, it activated the shard of Vita, allowing her to make a bid for the control of the body, turning the woman Feral. What the men contracted to the woman did was siphon off the divine power regularly, keeping them sane.

    With three sources to draw from, my physical amplification was much greater than a Bestia''s and now that I could use Abstinence, I could top myself up whenever I needed the extra oomph. Actually, due to their bloodline, Bestia were naturally stronger than Hominum, equivalent to the boosted physique of a Tamer with three wives. With the amplification from their single contract, they could rival a Hominum with a full harem. In my case, though, my base was improved to be equal to a Bestia. So, with divine power flowing through me, my strength was a multiple of theirs. Not very useful in a magical fight but good for situations where magic was restricted.

    Marshal Canis was the next to crest the edge of the precipice. To be expected as she was the one with the highest cultivation at the peak of Tier 3. She was followed by a Tier 3 wind mage from Regiis and a fire mage from the mercenary camp. The members of the squad came up one after the other and waited for the rest in two distinct camps with the wolves lining up behind Hei Lian and the soldiers taking their place behind Marshal Canis. Surprisingly, Steven managed to arrive before three other Tier 3 mages. A great performance considering his recent promotion to Tier 2. After all seventeen of the volunteers had assembled, Marshal Canis turned to Ceres.

    "Is the Chief''s Doppelganger still with us?" she asked.

    Ceres nodded and closed her eyes. Her chest glowed dimly and an ethereal cat phased out of her, landing on the ground. Taking a lazy look around, it yawned and leapt up on top of my head, settling down to sleep like a furry cap.

    Marshal Canis saluted it and the rest of the soldiers followed suit, making my eyes twitch. I wondered what they would feel if they knew that the cat had just about as much awareness as the common tabby. Well, what they didn''t know wouldn''t harm them.

    After she was done saluting, she began barking out orders. "Until now, the routes we have taken have kept us away from the ants. The ones on the ground will not come into this rough terrain but the flyers will. We were lucky to have avoided the notice of the ants as we climbed the cliff. They have good dynamic vision but stationary objects are blurs to them. Their hearing is poor. Olfaction is their primary sense. We need to avoid detection by both their physical senses as well as from their mana pings."

    She turned to two of her subordinates, a fire mage and a shadow mage. "Both of you, overlap your domains and cover us. The shadows will block the sight of the ants while the fire will merge with the ambient fire mana and prevent their mana pings from picking up the incongruity of the shadow Domain."

    "Yes Ma''am!" the both of them replied in unison with a salute.

    "No need." Hei Lian drawled out, interrupting her. "I''ve got it covered." A ring of dark fire spread out centred on her feet, rolling over the boots of everyone harmlessly as it expanded, including everyone within its range. The light seemed to dim within the circle and colours desalinated. A shiver ran up my spine, the flames seemed cold.

    If she was irritated, Marshal Canis showed no signs of it. "Fine. How long can you keep it up? When do you need to be relieved?"

    Hei Lian smirked, "Indefinitely."

    "What!?" This time, the marshal couldn''t keep the incredulity out of her voice.

    "I''m burning the ambient fire mana to fuel my Domain. The density of the fire mana is enough for it to sustain itself. I don''t need to be relieved." She replied.

    My eyes widened in surprise and I turned my senses to the ring of hellfire. I could feel the fire mana in the air being drawn into the flames and giving birth to shadowy mana. Not only would the Domain hide us, it would seem like it was a natural trough in the mana density to the mana senses of the ants. And it could run on its own. It was the first time I had seen someone else using ambient mana in their spells except for me and father and even father was less skilled.

 117 Chapter 6

    Ceres raised her hand and the Marshal paused her instructions curiously, "Yes?" Pulling a pouch out of the satchel she had brought along, she opened the drawstring and extracted two sticks of incense before tossing the pouch to the Marshal who asked, "What''s this for?"

    Adjusting her glasses, Ceres replied, "It is a special incense. Light it and it will eliminate all the smells around your body. You don''t need mana for that."

    "What!?" exclaimed the Marshal. "Why didn''t you tell us about this before? Aeryn would have been a lot safer if he had this with him."

    Ceres shook her head, "I remembered seeing this formula in the Vulpine clan library. After studying up on the characteristics of the ants, I decided to see if I could have it made. I only managed to get it ready yesterday night."

    "Why didn''t you hand the formula over to the Alchemy department? We could have made it much faster than you." said one of the two water mages of the Regiis side. "Because," replied Ceres, calmly, "the main component of the incense is my flame." "Your flame?" asked the water mage, confused.

    "The incense flame," sneered Hei Lian, "She''s a kitsune."

    The atmosphere coagulated as everyone struggled to come to terms with the shocking information. Then there was pandemonium among the members from Regiis as some took a step back from us, falling into aggressive stances while others came forward and asked Ceres to clear her name. some even turned around to berate Hei Lian for deliberately sowing dissension among the ranks. As for the cultivators from the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries, they displayed unprecedented unity as they all formed up behind Hei Lian in a battle-ready stance, pointing their weapons at Ceres.

    "SILENCE!" yelled Marshal Canis and the hubbub slowly died down. Every eye was focused on the two of us.

    I sighed internally. If I disliked anything about Ceres, it was this procedure of hers. If she did something wrong, she didn''t apologize the moment she realized it. She waited till a moment when the victim of her misdeeds was in a situation where they couldn''t afford to sour their relationship with her. That way, they were ''forced'' to forgive her. Not that they wouldn''t have under ordinary circumstances¡­ just that they would have taken a lot more convincing. The situation now was the same as when she had delayed revealing the plot behind her marriage to me.

    Marshal Canis turned to us. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

    Ceres took a deep breath. "Look. I¡­"

    "Tell us whether the she-wolf speaks true first!" a mage from the Regiis contingent cut her off. His eyes were red. If I recalled correctly, he had family in Central.

    She sighed. "Yes. But¡­"

    The mage didn''t give her a chance to explain herself, as with a furious scream, he lunged at her, his fist wreathed in flames.

    I was prepared for such an eventuality the moment Ceres had opened her mouth and moved to block him but someone was faster. Awakened by the hostility directed at us, mother''s doppelganger vanished from the top of my head in a streak of light. Before I could blink, she was on top of his. For a brief instant, both cat and man shone in a sickly pale light then his eyes rolled up to the back of his head and he collapsed in an insensate heap. The doppelganger walked off this prone form and leapt onto Ceres'' shoulder, from where she surveyed the rest of the mages, looking down her nose regally.

    Everyone took another step back as they watched the cat with deep wariness. "C-chief?" stuttered Marshal Canis before she stepped up, cleared her throat and spoke with greater confidence. "Chief, do you intend to harbour her?" The Doppelganger stared at her for a bit before disregarding her and leaning down to touch Ceres'' chest with a paw. Then she turned into a stream of light and merged with the mana that made up her artificial flesh.

    They weren''t aware of it, but that wasn''t really mother''s Doppelganger anymore. After I had experimentally tried to bind it to me with my contract magic, I had found that it wasn''t actually possible. The doppelganger had no real will of its own and was only a mana construct and as such, the frequency of its mana was heterogeneous. The contract, based as it was upon the principle of resonating mana frequencies between both parties, would not hold in such a case.

    In the end, after much trial and error and brainstorming, we had decided to bind it indirectly. Mother had merged the cat with Ceres'' artificial flesh, which also originated from her and therefore was quite compatible, and I had linked it to my contract with Ceres. Thus, strictly speaking, the Doppelganger was now Ceres'' guardian and beast companion. It wasn''t fully sentient and its actions were mainly governed by the instincts it had inherited from mother''s bloodline. Due to the bond, it was extremely intimate with Ceres and me and would listen to our requests but it wasn''t a puppet and had developed some measure of self-will. It was like a very dangerous pet. But the essential characteristic of lethargy and being thrifty in its mana expenditure had remained. After dealing with the attacking mage, it had immediately retreated back into Ceres to rest and replenish its mana.

    Everyone fidgeted nervously, torn between a desire to condemn Ceres and a reluctance to go up against a Tier 4 mage to do it. Especially within the territory of the ants where death was a mere pace away.

    "Please," said Ceres, "Let me explain."

    Hei Lian narrowed her eyes at her chest, making her quite uncomfortable. She finally shrugged, "Not like we have a choice."

 118 Chapter 7

    "That was how I ended up at the orphanage where my bloodline first manifested itself. There was talk of celebrations, of grants from the nobility for the discovery of their kin. I went to sleep dreaming of castles and finery. I woke to fire and screams." As she spoke, she tried to gain eye-contact with as much of the audience as she could, trying to convey her sincerity through her look.

    "Masked men brought me to Regiis, leaving the ashes of the orphanage behind. They brought me to the Duchess so I could be trained into her pawn ¨C a tool in her gambit for power. I am as much of a victim of her machinations as everyone else here. Please, believe me." she entreated.

    I studied the expressions of everyone present. Suspicion and disbelief were still incredibly prominent but I noticed some vacillation as Ceres drew them into her tale.

    "Why didn''t you announce this before you came? Why deceive all of us if you had a clear conscience?" asked Marshall Canis.

    Ceres pointed at the soldier who had attacked her. The man had yet to regain consciousness and was being taken care of by the water mage. "Did you not see how he reacted to the mere mention of the word ''kitsune''? At the camp, tensions were running high. A lot of people were worried about their family back in Central and the Southern Districts. Couple that with the looming presence of the ants and it was a powder keg, ready to explode at a moment''s notice. Even when they only knew that I was a member of the Vulpine clan, several soldiers were baying for my blood. Only after I agreed to come on this extremely dangerous mission were they somewhat mollified. What do you think would have happened if my true bloodline was announced? Would they allow me to come and try to prove myself through meritorious service? Or would they act like that soldier there?"

    Everyone turned to the soldier and began to ask themselves those very questions. By the softening of their expressions, I knew what answers they had obtained.

    At this time, the soldier groaned and opened his eyes. He seemed to have heard her words in his stupor. "Y-you lie¡­ Don''t believe her words¡­ she, the Traitor, all jackals from the same lair." He croaked out.

    I stepped up to Ceres'' side and grabbed her hand. Turning to face him, I said, "Look here. Do you take us for fools? My mother is a Tier 4 light mage famed for healing. No lie can pass undetected under her scrutiny. If Ceres was truly a traitor, wouldn''t she have caught on?"

    I shrugged. "We will deal with the legal sanctions afterwards¡­ for now, we want to render as much meritorious service as we can and foil Hotaru Vulpine''s plans. I believe our goals are consistent¡­ so, even if you cannot bring yourself to trust us, we have grounds for cooperation." Turning to the soldier who had attacked Ceres, I bowed deeply. "So, please¡­ I beg of you. Lay aside your hatred and let''s work together to thwart the schemes of the Traitor. That, I feel is the best revenge you can take."

    Beside me, Ceres lowered her head too. I waited anxiously, feeling the sweat accumulating in our gripped palms. I didn''t know how to proceed if they refused to cooperate with us. The way we had handled things really hired hatred after all¡­ Dropping such a bomb on someone when their only logical choice was to tolerate you made them feel really manipulated and people could do some really illogical things, especially when emotions came into play. I remembered how I had nearly lost Ceres because of my impulsiveness as I was feeling deeply hurt and betrayed upon learning of the secret facts behind our marriage.

    I could feel the man breathing hard as he struggled with himself. I kept my eyes on the ground. I knew that his decision would be very important. He had the strongest reason to hate Ceres. If even he agreed to the cooperation¡­ everyone would. Finally, after what seemed like a hundred years but couldn''t have been more than a hundred breaths, he rasped out. "Let''s go save the Lieutenant¡­ we can''t waste any more time."

    I let out the breath I had been holding and straightened up. the man refused to look at us but I could see that he had made his decision. He would trust us one last time. I squeezed Ceres'' hand. We wouldn''t disappoint him.

    Pushing her glasses up, Ceres stepped forward. Reaching into her clothes, she undid the sash that tied her second tail to her body and let it out for everyone to see. They swayed behind her as though they had minds of their own. Transparent flames lit up at their tips, warping the air around them. She said, "Take an incense each. I will light them with my flame. Let the smoke waft around you, they will erase all scents."

    Marshal Canis handed out the incense sticks from the pouch Ceres had given her and they walked up to her and had her light it. Ceres lit one for herself and one for me, then tucked the incense into her epaulette. Following her lead, the rest of us did the same.

    All except Hei Lian. Shrugging off her coat and handing it to Steven, she transformed into her Feral form, a majestic jet-black wolf. She sniffed around in all directions before reverting back and donning her clothes over her Heavenly Silksnail garments and equipping the incense. "Unless the ants have a better sense of smell than a wolf, these things work." She said. "We should pick up the pace if you want that Lieutenant of yours to make it."

 119 Chapter 8

    One of the earth mages in our squad stamped the ground, raising a spire of rock. Kneeling down, he measured the angle its shadow made with the east to get a measure of the time before bringing out a sextant to measure the angle of the sun. Some calculation later, he called out the coordinates of our present location. We were very close to the position reported by Lt. Corvus.

    All of us looked up at the peak of the mountain we were scaling. From where we stood, we could only make out that there had been an avalanche recently as rocks of various sizes had rolled down the side opposite to the face we were at. They had blocked our path up, forcing us to detour. There were several winged ants circling above the peak, seemingly searching for something.

    "It seems that he''s there at the peak." One of our mages said, grimly. "He had mentioned a Tier 4 ant detonating itself in its dying moments. It is the most likely cause of the turbulence in the ambient mana."

    The only wind mage from the Wolves on our squad took out a collapsible brass telescope and trained it at the peak, surveying it. After he was done, he passed the instrument on and we all took a turn getting an idea of the situation for ourselves.

    There were seven Tier 3 ants and several Tier 2 ants flying about above the peak, searching for the Lieutenant. It was a small miracle that they hadn''t found him yet.

    "Why do you think they haven''t located him yet?" asked the water mage. "With their sense of smell and with so many of them working in tandem, they should have found him by now. Not that I''m complaining, but it seems kind of fishy."

    The talk of fish reminded me of dark blue hair, soulful cerulean eyes and skilful webbed hands. I shook my head to clear off the distracting thought. Where had that come from?

    "The self-detonation of the Tier 4 ant probably burned the scents in the region away. That is why they are having such difficulty in locating anything. Aeryn most definitely hid himself away in the most covert position. So, until the mana turbulence settles, they probably won''t be able to detect him. But, to prevent any eventuality, we need to act as soon as possible." replied Marshal Canis.

    "All the ants need to die." Hei Lian opined as she took her turn at the telescope. "If we leak even one, then they could hover above us and reveal our position to all the other ants. We don''t have any fliers among us. We won''t be able to take it down. So, if we move, we have to do it with a plan that will not leave any living witnesses."

    There was silence as everyone contemplated on her offer with a complex look on their faces. I could make a pretty accurate guess as to why they were hesitant. Finally, Marshal Canis broke the silence and asked, "Can you lure the ants separately without attracting the attention of all of them?"

    Ceres replied, noncommittally, "I cannot say. It depends on whether the ants will investigate the scent first and then report back to the others or whether they will gather and investigate together."

    "Oh well," shrugged the Marshal, "There''s no helping it. We''ll have to try it out." She addressed us, "Lieutenant Mars, Ceres, the both of you come with me. We''ll try to tempt one of the Tier 3''s but if all of them gather, we''ll direct them towards the rest of the squad." Addressing the rest of the squad, she said, "And all of you, follow Lady Hei Lian''s lead and set up an ambush for whatever we manage to bring."

    Hei Lian acknowledged her with a nod before barking out orders to the remaining soldiers. For a brief moment I wondered why she was in charge. She had to have less experience in military tactics than the more experienced Tier 3''s in the squad. She was extremely young after all. Then, I threw the thought to the back of my mind. I didn''t have to care about it. All I needed to do was keep Ceres safe as she tempted the ant and the Marshal concealed our whereabouts.

    "Come," said the Marshal and we followed her as she led us through the rocky terrain of the mountain, using it to conceal our forms as we made our way up to the peak. Wrapped in her shadows, we were as invisible as it was possible to be in broad daylight and Ceres'' incense ensured that they couldn''t find us via smell. As for mana pings; the turbulence of the fire mana in the region meant that the pings would return garbled messages.

    I was a bit worried that my external casting wouldn''t work in this environment and I would have to depend purely on my physical strength to protect Ceres and defend myself. But a quickly drawn fire rune clad me in a coat of fire. The Tier 1 fire magic: Ember. It seemed that I wouldn''t have to worry about that happening. In fact, my fire magic was slightly amplified by the increased activity of the element in the region.

    As we drew nearer the summit, the scene of the battle between the Tier 4 ant and Lieutenant Corvus came into view. There were scorch marks all over the ground as well as the scattered, smouldering remains of the ant''s carcass. I spied a charred leg and a mandible lying around nearby. Above our heads, the air buzzed as the ants circled in search of clues.

    "We can''t approach any further without getting detected. Do your thing now," urged the Marshal.

    Nodding, Ceres took out a small glass jar filled with a pungent paste. She beckoned to me with her hand and I leaned my head towards her. Reaching out like lightning, she plucked a hair from my head. Rearing back in surprise, I rubbed my scalp where it tingled as I shot her a reproachful glare.

    Ignoring me, she dipped the strand of hair into the paste like a wick and lit it with her flame. Immediately, the pungent smell of the paste desalinated and a thin stream of white smoke emanated from the transparent flame.

    "What did you do?" I asked curiously.

    "I just amplified the smell of your burning hair with this unguent and concentrated it into the smoke so I could control it. Actually, the true use of this is to forge the scent of someone else so that false trails can be laid and two enemies can be played off against the other." She replied.

    My lips twitched. "Soo¡­ these monsters now have my scent?"

    She nodded at me in all seriousness. "So, Husband, you should start running."

 120 Chapter 9

    Thankfully, my Abstinence enhanced physique was holding up well. I felt as light as a swallow as I bounded down the slope, my improved reflexes allowing me to find the perfect foothold every time on the rough terrain. Coupled with the swirling winds around me that flowed in the patterns of the wind magic Haste, I had very little trouble staying ahead of the ants.

    I was drawing steadily closer to the spot of the ambush. The ants, unable to smell the others due to Ceres'' incense and with the smoking jar hanging at my waist amplifying my scent, had no idea that I was leading them to their doom.

    Marshal Canis had remained hidden in her position behind the ants so even if one of them tried to escape when the trap was sprung, she could deal with it, or if there was more than one, delay them long enough for one the members of our squad to provide support.

    I noticed the pre-determined symbol for the ambush spot before I reached it: three similarly sized stones placed on the vertices of an equilateral triangle. A clearly artificial rock formation.

    Instead of running directly at it, I cut across it on a diagonal, exposing the flank of the swarm of ants to the ambushers. Just as the first ant cleared the symbol, the rocks exploded outwards, slamming into the ants and knocking several of them down from the air.

    Forms wrapped in wind fire and shadow leaped out of the cloud of dust like comets and smacked the rest of the airborne ants down on the ground. Through the billowing dust cloud, I caught a glimpse of one of the Tier 3 Earth mages slamming both of his hands down on the heads of two Tier 2 ants, encasing them with rock at a touch: Tier 2 earth magic: Petrifaction. All three dropped from the air like stones, disappearing into the dust cloud. Explosive sounds and flashes of fire and lightning were the only indications of the fierce fight going on within.

    I stood up, patted off the dust and cricked my neck from side to side. I hadn''t enjoyed being chased down either. It was time for some payback.

    The rocks shattered beneath my feet as, with a blast of wind, I charged at the beast. Runes of wind formed and circled me, growing more numerous with each step. My form blurred as I slammed into the ant, sending it tumbling through the air and onto the ground.

    It drew a furrow on the ground before sliding to a stop. Leaping to its feet immediately, it clacked its mandibles at me in fury and its body blushed red with heat. The air around it warped as the temperature of the surroundings suddenly shot up several degrees.

    Tier 2 flame magic: Heatwave.

    Roiling flames spewed out of its body in all directions, spreading outwards like a deluge of flame. I had no time to dodge, the build-up was too short. I would have to tank it.

    Settling into the familiar stance of the Thunderclap Samsara Palms, channelled the runes into my movements. The wind mana around me responded by following my palms as they cut through the air, forming a swirling vortex of wind around me. Then the flames arrived and the world around me burned.

    I was like a reef within a sea of flame. The fire pressed onto me from all sides, trying to erode my defences. It was like a hungry beast that wished to devour everything in its path. I could feel the barrier of wind around me contract as the ant concentrated its flames onto me. The heightened density of fire mana meant that there was less wind mana in the atmosphere for me to work with. That coupled with my inexperience with my magic and the fact that it was the first time I was truly facing a Tier 3 meant that I was leeward in our contest of strength.

    Deimos'' words at the pier where we had consummated our marriage for the first time reverberated in my mind: "The wind is your friend¡­" I relaxed my control of the runes and they roamed around me in random paths disrupting the orderly eddies created by my martial technique before settling into a new order. I truly felt one with the wind. My palms blurred, creating a vortex that drew in the dust around us.

    There, cut off from the world by a sea of flame and protected from the flames by storm, I had an epiphany. My mind seemed to sharpen as I reached ever closer to the Void. The world slowed in my eyes. I could feel every current of wind and every stream of mana that surrounded me. The fire mana was like a swarm of devils embodying the anger of the ant, hellbent on destroying me. I had a feeling that if I could put myself in a mindset similar to the ant, I would be able to nullify its spell. But if I chose that path, I would lose the calm of my Oneness, and miss this chance to experience the Void. So, I let go of that temptation and sank further into thoughtlessness.

    I watched, rather felt the tiny particles of dust rub against each other, producing sparks of electricity that leapt from particle to particle, weakening and finally petering out. I observed sparks that met other sparks, merged and grew strong. I realized that there was more to the Thunderclap Samsara Palms than I had thought as more sparks merged than were lost. I watched emotionlessly as my barrier of wind shrank under the onslaught of the flames until it dwindled to almost nothing and I could feel the heat against my skin. Then it was gone, leaving me unprotected¡­ except for a coat of electricity that kept the flames away.

    Tier 3 wind magic: Thunder clad.

    The flames couldn''t burn me anymore. In a burst of electricity, I disappeared¡­ and reappeared in front of the ant.

    Like a sudden thunderclap.

    I clapped it on both sides of its head with my palms, sending the reverberations through its brain, giving it the mother of all concussions. The docile coat of lightning around me turned manic and discharged into its body through my palms, lighting it up an electric blue and cooking it from the inside.

    The flames around it diverged. I stepped back. The smoking corpse of the Tier 3 dropped onto the charred ground.

 121 Chapter 10

    It didn''t matter how many times he assured her that he was perfectly fine and that she couldn''t have known that the ambush would let a Tier 3 ant slip through. The fact remained: her plan had nearly gotten him killed.

    If he had really died, Ceres didn''t know what she would have done. She had once declared that she would commit to Sati if he died before her but now that she thought about it, it was such a laughable course of action. It would be nothing as noble as a sacrifice in the name of their bond. It would just be a cowardly way to run from her guilt. Suicide, plain and simple.

    Husband had snatched her life from the gate of death and she was ready to give it back to him. But it was only now that she was realizing that it wasn''t an equivalent trade. Her life just wasn''t valuable enough. Not when her two sisters were anxiously waiting for his safe return.

    She wanted to blame the ones responsible of the ambush. She wanted to scream at them for their incompetence, for letting slip and forcing Husband to face a Tier 3 on his own. She hated that power-hungry she-wolf Hei Lian for placing her pride above the lives of the squad. If she hadn''t been so stubborn about commanding the ambush, if she had listened to the suggestions of the Regiis earth mage who specialized in ambush warfare, Husband wouldn''t have come so close to death. She wanted to just walk up and slap some sense into that hussy but¡­ but¡­ her current status meant that she had to bottle it all up lest the rest of the squad decide to stop giving her a chance to prove herself. She was walking on eggshells and she knew it.

    Already, she had heard quite a few muted conversations about how she was a crafty woman that wasn''t above using her Husband as bait mingled with praises for Mars and his boundless prospects. She wanted to refute their claims, tell them that she was only deploying the most appropriate candidate for the job. Mars was faster than Marshal Canis and due to her precarious status among the squad, if she had asked the Marshal to be the bait instead, she knew that the squad would react much more strongly.

    Her logic told her that she had done nothing wrong and that it wasn''t her fault. Her emotions though, were more inclined to believe the malicious remarks spoken behind her back. Maybe she was a crafty woman. Maybe treachery was in her blood. After all, everything she had done had ended up harming Mars one way or the other.

    A strong hand, calloused from years of hard martial training, grabbed her chin and tilted her head back. Her cinnamon brown eyes met crimson pupils that peered deep into her soul. "Girl," he growled, "If you dare to let their nonsense make you cry, I''ll kiss you here and now till you pass out. That''ll show them."

    She didn''t know how long they remained joined together, only that by the time he let her go, her sight was darkening around the edges from the lack of air. She breathed deeply, supported by his sturdy chest, listening to his heart as she waited for her shaky legs to listen to her again. She thought she heard the cheers of some of the members of the squad. She didn''t care.

    She had told Mars once that no words other that his or his family''s would affect her. She had lied. Hei Lian''s description of her as a burden had hurt but she had pretended otherwise. But now, she was confident. If she were to repeat those words now, they would be the absolute truth.

    .

    Zoya Canis was anxious. She had been from the moment she had heard Aeryn''s weak voice at the mind crystal communication tower. He was her only friend in the entire regiment and he was dying. She had to save him.

    He was an anomaly. While the other nobles avoided her, he was the only one who treated her normally, without any ulterior motive.

    The thing is, while reaching Tier 3 from a commoner background was extremely praiseworthy and rewarded with a noble title, that was only for the males. For females, the ladder to power worked a bit differently. The first turning point was when and whether they turned Feral. If they turned Feral, then they had an opportunity to marry into any noble family who was looking to increase their numbers. Depending on how young they turned Feral, their desirability increased.

    But if a girl didn''t turn Feral, they were mostly doomed to the life of a commoner. Oh, they weren''t barred from joining the Internal Police or the Military or even discriminated against. Nothing like that. It was just that their low bloodline density meant that they would never reach Tier 3 no matter how hard they tried.

    Zoya Canis was an exception. She had teetered on the verge of Tier 3 for two whole years before finding a mana-mutated plant that had helped her overcome the barrier and step into Tier 3. Thus, by Regiis law, she had been awarded the title of nobility and all the benefits that came with it. She had received her promotion as usual. But her lucky promotion had won her the disdain of the other nobles.

    At this point, the usual procedure would be for her to get married and start expanding her clan or to attach to another clan through marriage but her poor bloodline density earned her the rejection of the nobles who were extremely focused on improving the talent of their progeny. That and the fact that without the ability to turn Feral, their marriage would just be a paper contract not a proper magical one. Some commoners had proposed to her but she had rejected them. Not because she was a snob, but because she had seen the naked ambition in their eyes.

    Aeryn had been a breath of fresh air. She hadn''t seen anything untoward in his gaze. He had just wanted her for a friend.

    The man was as odd as she was. He clearly had noble roots. His polished vocabulary and mannerisms gave it away. Yet, he had worked his way up to the top just like an ordinary commoner. Unlike her, he had no dearth of suitors. His reputation might be a bit dark but that only added to his mystery and she personally knew many young girls who really admired him and wouldn''t hesitate if he asked for their hand in marriage if they turned Feral. But he had rejected every proposal with the same reason: he wanted to focus on reaching Tier 4 before he considered marriage. A declaration that might sound arrogant from the lips of a Tier 3 with a commoner lineage but from him, with his noble roots, no one thought it strange.

    Although, her ordinary mindset found a marriage between an eighteen-year-old girl and a forty-year-old man strange, when one considered that a Tier 4 would live for nearly a hundred and fifty years, it became easier to accept.

    After her social disappointments, his willingness to befriend her had moved her. He had encouraged her to focus on her cultivation and not let something like talent get in her way. Both of them had trained together, helping each other along the martial path, reaching the peak of Tier 3 at the same time. She knew that she had reached the end of her road then but he would soon outstrip her and get married. Would he still have time for their light-hearted banter then? The thought had made her sad¡­ but not as much as the thought of losing him permanently.

    She focused her will on her shadows, making them spread and seep into every nook and cranny of the mountain top.

    He had to be alive. He had to.

 122 Chapter 11

    Her heart leapt up to her throat when the mage dragged a prone body out of the hollow. Aeryn was covered with dust. One of his wings was bent at a strange angle and one of his arms had been blown off from the wrist downwards, the end of the extremity a charred mess. Cuts, bruises and burns were liberally sprinkled all over his body; his clothing was in tatters. He was a mess.

    She dropped to her knees beside him and held her palm in front of his nose. For a long moment, she felt nothing. The fear that they had come too late ¨C that they would only be able to retrieve his cold corpse ¨C held her in its grip. Then she felt the warm breeze of his breath against her palm and sagged in relief. He was alive. Thank the gods, he was alive.

    "Captain Ceres!" she yelled. "Medical emergency!"

    The short interval it took the girl to respond seemed like an eternity and she felt her irritation build. Impatiently, she watched the girl trot up to their position with a curiously flushed face, the redhead Lieutenant following close behind. Zoya shook her head, she didn''t care what was up with her as long as the girl got the Chief''s Doppelganger to take a look at Aeryn''s condition.

    The girl''s eyes widened at his poor state and she immediately closed her eyes. Her chest glowed above her heart and the phantom of a cat made of light leapt out of her, solidifying before it landed on the ground. The cat took in its surroundings, wrinkling its snout when its eyes passed over her and Aeryn. Turning back to the girl, it looked at her reproachfully. The girl stared it down and finally, the cat deflated and slunk up to Aeryn, reluctance clear in its gait.

    Something was strange about all this. Why was the Chief''s Doppelganger acting this way? The doubts flashed in Zoya''s mind for an instant before her anxiety about Aeryn''s health drove them out of her mind.

    Padding up to his bent wing, the cat placed its paw upon the spot of the break. Its entire body glowed a dazzling white as it pumped mana into it, making the entire wing glow. With a sickening crack, the wing straightened out as the broken bone aligned itself. Shattered bone knitted over, torn muscles re-grew, lost feathers replaced themselves and the wing was as good as new. The only difference was that the new feathers were a pure white, in contrast with Aeryn''s raven black.

    The cat restrained its radiance looking more ephemeral, as though it could momentarily dissipate. Without even a backward glance at Aeryn''s missing hand, it leapt up, turning into a stream of light that disappeared into the girl''s chest.

    "What ''bout his hand?" asked Zoya as she checked his body for any other serious injuries that might need magical intervention.

    Ceres shook her head. "He is too weak right now to have missing organs regenerated. He was bleeding internally, healing from that was his body''s limit. Pushing the envelope will only harm him. Besides, with his wings functional, the missing hand isn''t any critical injury. Once we return to the camp, mother can have a look at it."

    Zoya closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to regain her composure. These things were obvious but in her chaotic state of mind, she had missed them. That wouldn''t do. As the leader of the mission, she couldn''t afford to lose her cool. A botched decision could mean a dead comrade. When she opened her eyes, she was calm.

    Bending down and shouldering Aeryn, careful to avoid jostling his newly healed wing, she barked out new orders, "Troops! We''re movin'' out. this place is apt to get in trouble. We need to double-time it till we are far away. I don''t want ta be here when a Tier 4 comes lookin''."

    .

    As the squad evacuated the area hastily, I transmitted my voice to Ceres'' ear through a channel of wind wrapped in shadow. It was the first and only multi-disciplinary spell I had managed to grasp ¨C an extremely secure form of sound transmission. Ordinary methods involved either transmitting sound through a conduit of air surrounded by a thin layer of vacuum, or enclosing both parties in a casting of Call of the Dark, effectively preventing sound from leaking outside. Both methods could be intercepted by a sufficiently skilled wind or shadow mage respectively. My method was safe against anything short of a collaboration between a wind and a shadow mage ¨C unlikely, as the tacit coordination required for it was off the charts ¨C or another Tamer with both kinds of affinities.

    "What was that back there?" I asked. "What is going on with you and mother''s Doppelganger?"

    "I-I don''t know," replied Ceres. "I am just as confused about it as you are. I could somehow understand what it wanted and what it was doing¡­ not the exact thoughts but it was like, like flipping through a book fast and getting an idea of the shape of the paragraphs. I got an impression that it didn''t want to treat the Lieutenant because it found his mana repugnant. I somehow managed to convey how important it was that he be treated and it gave in. Then, when it was treating him, I could vaguely tell what state his body was in and how the magic was healing him. Even now that it is sleeping within me, I can tell how much mana it has remaining. It''s almost like a second mindscape. It reminds me too much of the G-geas¡­"

 123 Chapter 12

    Turning back to the centre of the camp, I ran my eyes over the arrangements. The tents had been erected in a tight circle around the smouldering campfire. It was quite easy to pick out the Regiis tents from the ones belonging to the Wolves. While our tents were a nondescript reddish brown that blended with the colour of the soil here, their tents were highly personalized with motifs and patches adorning them, mirroring their eclectic dressing sense. Our only water mage, Teal, if I remembered her name correctly, was busy cooking up our dinner over the fire ¨C a stew prepared from the bodies of the Tier 3 ants we had slain earlier this day. Curious about how water magic was used in the preparation of food, I decided to strike up a conversation with her.

    She looked up from her work at my approach, her eyes the same shade of blue as her name ¨C a captivating teal. Favouring me with a smile, she returned to her task. Instead of distracting her with conversation, I stood by and observed her with my senses opened wide. Whatever unknown mutation had occurred due to our experimentation with contract magic and mother''s Doppelganger, it at least had the positive consequence of improving my affinities to water and light. As I gave full play to these enhanced senses, the world grew more detailed in my eyes, every flow of mana laid bare before me in shimmering eddies of colour.

    Teal''s palms were lit a watery blue as her mana flowed through them and into the large cauldron full of ant legs submerged in water. The water had been conjured from the atmosphere with the combined efforts of her and her husband, a wind mage wo was enamoured enough with her to change his name to Azure just so they could fit better together. He had cycled the air through the camp as she had stripped the moisture from it with her magic ¨C with her on the team, we didn''t need to be worried about a shortage of potable water.

    The water trundled under the dual effect of the campfire and the mana being poured into it. I observed the streams of mana infused water seep into the fire mana laden flesh of the ants, scouring them clean of their magic and infusing it into the broth. I could only admire her proficiency in her craft. "Are you specialized in control?" I asked when she paused to take a breather.

    "Why, yes. How did you guess?" she asked, curiously. "Just an educated guess." I hedged. "I thought that cooking with magic would require a lot of finesse."

    "I know my way around a kitchen and have some experience with alchemy but I''ve never tried combining both the way you cooks do here."

    "Oh? Too bad you don''t have a water mage in your harem. I could do with a scullion to order about in the guise of an apprentice." she joked. "Especially a young looker like you. That''s guaranteed to drive my husband up the wall." she supplemented in a stage whisper.

    "Well, this student is eager to learn the ways of the chef. I shall be in your care." I replied with mock-solemnity, bowing to her.

    "Wait! Didn''t you hear me? You need water mana to work with mana rich ingredients such as this. You can''t process them otherwise¡­" Her words trailed away as I drew the rune for water in the air and the humidity in our surroundings shot up a few notches. I bowed again. "Teacher."

    ***

    Zoya Canis was positively furious but her anger was tamped down beneath the weight of her iron will that had been tempered by her many years of service in the army. She hadn''t wanted to believe that someone in such a high position of responsibility could be so arrogant, so foolish.

    She had trusted her, trusted the heiress of the Wolves with the lives of her subordinates because she had felt that the girl was a capable leader from how the rest of the mercenaries followed her lead unquestioningly. That was a sure sign of their confidence in her leadership, she had thought. But as her subordinate with the most experience in ambush warfare, a grizzled earth mage spoke indignantly of how his opinions had been overruled and even outright neglected by the girl in favour of her own half-baked plans, her expression grew ugly.

    Hei Lian had nearly endangered the entire mission with her domineering attitude. She had no idea why the grizzled mercenaries followed such a greenhorn. She didn''t know but she couldn''t help but break out in cold sweat at the thought of how things could have gone wrong.

    Lt. Mars was a key to the success of the mission. He and his wife''s connection to the Traitor''s mother was what the entire premise of the mission was based off. If he had died, she didn''t know what the girl would do. Actually¡­ she did. Ceres had declared it to her personally. She would have joined her Husband in death. Then how would they complete the mission? If the ant had chosen to take to the air instead of attacking the young Lieutenant, they would have had no means to deal with it. It could have hovered over them, announcing their presence to any nearby ants. They would be as good as dead.

    She shot a glance at the tent that held the unconscious Aeryn and sighed lightly. Her dereliction of duty could hardly be absolved. In her eagerness to search for her friend, she had decided to go ahead with Mars and Ceres when the task could have been as easily delegated to one of the other shadow mages. She could have stayed back to command the ambush then none of this would have happened. She had let emotions rule her on the field of battle.

    Hei Lian was lucky to have come out of the fiasco without the weight of the blood of her comrades on her conscience. They both were.

 124 Chapter 13

    The meeting continued for a while after that ¨C an insipid debate on logistics and scheduling that had nothing to do with him. He let his mind wander for the rest of it, thinking instead, of how he could accomplish his duty with the minimal amount of effort. When Teal had volunteered for the Expedition, he hadn''t tried too hard to dissuade her ¨C changing her mind was too troublesome, and often an exercise in futility. Now, he wished he had. He hadn''t expected the mission to be so tiring.

    ''A stealth mission,'' he had thought, ''how much work can it possibly be?''

    As a wind mage, at the most, he had expected to be called upon to muffle sounds in rotation with the shadow mages, or suppress scents in collaboration with the other users of wind. Instead, he had to climb a sheer precipice, complete a march that should take days within hours, then battle a swarm of Tier 3 ants. If that wasn''t enough, he had nearly exhausted his mana reserves procuring enough potable water for the camp along with Teal. As for the stealth, he hadn''t needed to lift a finger for that. Should he be thankful, he wondered.

    Now, another dollop of work had been piled onto his plate. This protection detail was going to be a pain in the ass, he just knew it. If at such a young age, he had managed to independently take down a Tier 3, his ego would have inflated faster than a dirigible. Keeping the boy from losing his life to senseless heroics was going to be a delicate operation, what with him being outclassed both in status and military rank. ''Still,'' he thought as he exited the tent after the meeting was adjourned, ''the boy is a talent and nurturing him is the duty of us seniors.''

    But for now, he just wanted to taste his wife''s cooking and relax. He would worry about what to do about the boy later. Turning his gaze to the centre of the camp, his thoughts ground to a halt as he saw his would be ward chatting up his wife.

    He took it back. Every word of praise, he took it all back.

    ***

    "¡­ and then he came back with his hair dyed that eye-popping shade of blue and started rambling on about some ditty he had heard about Azure Winds and Teal Waters and how we were the perfect match for each other. I was so embarrassed..."

    "¡­ oh, and at this step, you have to split your mana into two streams and form them into a pair of grinding pans that rotate in opposing directions. You want to rub the mana out of the material, so, the faster the rotation and the higher the density of the mana constructs, the more thorough the extraction will be. Now, you must pay attention to¡­"

    Interspersed within her babble, she threw out commentaries on what she was doing. I paid close attention to these crystallizations of her experience. Father always told me that when you do something for an extended period of time, you start developing tricks to streamline the process. These tricks, developed over a lifetime of dedication are the most valuable things a student can take away from a teacher.

    Focused as I was on the flows of her mana, I didn''t notice a man sneaking up behind me. So, when someone slung his hand over my shoulder, I reflexively caught his arm and threw him over my head. His body slammed onto the dusty ground with a ''whumf'' raising a cloud of dust. When that cleared, I realized, much to my embarrassment that the one on the ground was Teal''s husband, Azure.

    "I''m sorry. You startled me there¡­" I apologized, offering my hand.

    Neglecting it, he drew up his legs and got to his feet with a spring. Patting the dust off his clothes and smoothing back his electric blue hair, he shot his giggling wife a glare before turning to me. "Ahem. I take it that you know me." he said.

    "Of course." I replied with a smile. "Marshal Azure, right?"

    "Well, good. Then, I''ll have you know that your recent rashness in nearly getting yourself killed and endangering the mission has greatly displeased Marshal Canis. So, I''ve been assigned to be your chaperone. I hope that you don''t make my mission harder than it has to be."

    I smiled wryly, "That was an unexpected turn of events." I hoped that they didn''t think of me as some sort of glory hound. "I too hope nothing like that happens again¡­ to any of us."

    He seemed surprised by my quick acceptance of his supervision. Of course, I knew that his experience on the field would bump up my survivability. I''d be a fool to resent Marshal Canis'' good intentions.

    "Oh. Well, that saves me some trouble, I was under the impression that I''d have to do a lot more convincing. Since you are so amenable, why don''t I teach you something and you stop pestering my wife? She needs to cook up a meal for us pronto or we''ll all collapse from our protesting stomachs." His words earned him a smack on the back of his head with a ladle. Teal sure didn''t hold back. The brilliance of his Barrier was nearly blinding.

    "Who was pestering your wife? I''m teaching the boy how to cook."

    "Cook? Why does he need to know how to do that? Doesn''t he have a wife for that? Last I counted he had three." Another solid ''thwack'' to the back of his head was his answer. "Oi! Watch it, woman. My mana is seeing the bottom. Hit me hard enough and you''ll really brain me with that thing."

    "Hmph!" she snorted, "Serves you right. Why can''t a man cook once in a while? Now take him and get out of my sight. And you, report to me the next time we pitch camp. I''ll expect you to have memorized all the steps I showed you by then. Now shoo! I have a camp to feed."

    Marshal Azure drew me to a clearing at the edge of the camp, within the limits of Hei Lian''s spell circle. "Haah." He sighed. "That woman will be the death of me. Anyway, what do you know of the aspects?"

    "You unearth one for every element every time you advance till Tier 3?"

    "Good enough. You seem to be quite adept at using fire. I heard talk of you amplifying the spells of the artillery squad. Mind crystal or not, that''s impressive. And now you managed to beat a fire ant at its own element. I saw the corpse ¨C charred through and through. But I think you''re neglecting the potential of wind by just using it to lighten and accelerate yourself. The fire mages like to say that their element is the best for offense but once you tap into the aspect of lightning, wind has no peer. I comprehended it just recently so I thought I''d help you along while the experience is still fresh in my mind. Be grateful, boy. It''s only because my wife took you on as her first student ever."

    He stopped speaking when he noticed the strange expression I wore on my face. "W-why are you looking at me like that?" he asked. This couple¡­ they talk too much. Raising my hand, I let a tiny spark play in my palm, letting it leap between the tips of my fingers before petering out.

    There was silence.

 125 Chapter 14

    He had described the infighting between the two colonies of ants at the centre of the Forbidden Zone in much greater detail than he had been able to over the mind crystal channel. His familiarity with the terrain and ability to aerially scout ahead for us had offset the delay caused by his need for frequent breaks on account of his freshly healed injuries.

    Time was of the essence. If we reached there too late, the two colonies were liable to reach a ceasefire and retreat back into their respective nests to recuperate from their intense engagement before going for another round. Without any way to predict how long that period of recuperation would last, we had no other choice but to reach there before it could happen. Otherwise, we would have to either infiltrate the lair of the ants when they were all home or wait for them to do battle with the other colony again, leaving their lair void. The former option was clearly suicidal while the latter was risky; if we took too long to fulfill our mission, we might not have a camp to return to.

    I crested a rise and the battle between the two opposing colonies came clearly into view. There was only one word for it: brutal. Corpses lay piled high at the intersection of the two armies and the ants climbed over their fallen to do battle on the hill of their comrades'' bodies. Runnels of their bluish-green blood originated from the corpse pile, steaming as it soaked into the earth. The atmosphere was heavy with fire and death.

    It only took a look for me to realize why Lieutenant Corvus was so sure that the key to the Duchess'' plans lay here. The ants of the colony that had based themselves within the volcano of Gun were clearly different from the ordinary fire ants that opposed them. Instead of a crystalline red carapace, their bodies were encased in an exoskeleton the colour of ash. Their natural runes and the lines where the segments of their bodies met, glowed red from their internal flame, making them look like smouldering pieces of coal given life. Instead of the characteristic clean-burning, orange flames summoned by the regular fire ants, their fire was the blue of a well banked fireplace and emanated copious amounts of smoke that bent to their will under the effect of their mana.

    There was no question about it. The variation of the elemental affinity of the ants of the colony to resemble the incense flame of the kitsune was a clear indication that the goal of our trip lay within the Dungeon of Gun.

    After I had learnt of Lieutenant Corvus'' promotion to Tier 4, I had feared that he would use his cultivation to pressure me into giving up Ceres. Thankfully, the Lieutenant was a man of honour and for the favour he owed us for treating his injuries, he had decided to defer any punitive investigations till after the mission. Which was a relief as I wasn''t sure how mother''s doppelganger would fare against him, especially after the large amount of mana it had expended to heal him. Let alone, the contract ceremony had done something strange to it and it had developed a disturbing measure of independence. Only the Gods knew if it would even follow our instructions anymore.

    One advantage of it, though, was that its presence within Ceres'' mana-flesh had accelerated her rate of recovery. She had recovered from her Geas inflicted wounds almost completely. Her lungs, ribs and sternum had regenerated fully. The only thing remaining was her artificial heart which had become the abode of the doppelganger.

    I felt her gripping my hand tightly and I squeezed back to comfort her. We would soon be facing the scheme of the mother of the woman who had ruined her childhood. A woman who had given her life in the service of her nation, and with it, traded an opportunity to hold an entire district hostage. Ceres had every right to be nervous.

    In fact, I actually admired the Duchess'' mother a lot. Her selfless sacrifice for her nation made her a hero ¨C a martyr. If our standpoints weren''t different, if her actions didn''t threaten the lives of my family, if they didn''t put thousands of innocents at risk, she was the kind of inspirational figure I would have loved to make a subject of my poetry.

    Lieutenant Corvus returned from an aerial sortie and landed next to Marshal Canis and said something to her.

    "Team! Halt!" she barked out. Despite the Lieutenant being the one with the highest cultivation and field experience, she had continued to perform in the capacity of the leader of our squad. "Earth mages! I want you to dig out a cave right here. It must be ten paces across, twenty paces long and a man high. Shadow mages! I want you to deposit all our equipment in the cave. The tents, pots, pans, everything. We will be fighting for our lives soon and we can''t afford to have you encumbered with these things. After they have deposited the baggage, earth mages, seal up the cave. If we succeed, we can come back here to gather everything again. Hei Lian, you and Lieutenant Felidae, come with me. Captain Ceres, you come too."

    I made my way along with Ceres to where she was standing with the Lieutenant as the squad burst into activity. All the way, the shadow mages had doubled as our equipment carriers. Using their Aspect of Space, which they unearthed when they learnt the Tier 2 magic: Shadow Walk, they could store objects in their shadows at the cost of permanently engaging a part of their mana to keep the space open. The volume of the objects they could store was directly proportional to the amount of mana they kept engaged. Thus, if they were to fight while encumbered, they would only be able to use a part of their mana. Of course, in an emergency, they could always collapse their space with the objects still inside to unlock their mana. But that would make the stored objects pop out of any nearby shadows randomly.

 126 Chapter 15

    "I couldn''t contact the base," he said, shaking his head regretfully. "The turbulence in the mana due to the ant legion is too strong. Getting a stable signal from this distance won''t be possible. Not with a crystal this size. If only it was bigger¡­" Breathing out, he straightened up. "Anyway, we are on our own. We don''t know the situation at camp, but it is surely tight. We need to complete our task as soon as possible."

    Marshal Canis took over, "We have identified three possible points of entry that are most likely to lead directly to the core of the Dungeon. Due to the limited time we have on our hands, we need to split up into three parties and tackle each route separately. Each team will have at least one fire mage who will leave mana markings on their route. That way, if one team faces a dead end on their path, they can back-track and enter another one of the routes and meet up with the other team at the fastest speed. The ants won''t find the fire mana markings suspicious, mistaking them for natural variations in the mana density."

    "Wait!" interrupted Hei Lian. "How did you determine the routes from just an aerial survey?"

    Lieutenant Corvus explained, "We have been studying the behaviour of ants for a long time. After all, it would be foolish to not even make an attempt at understanding an enemy that has made their home adjoining our borders. Our researchers made several replicas of the topography of the Sixth Forbidden Zone and migrated several colonies of ordinary, non-magical ants into them. They used sugar water to simulate the attraction the magma has for the fire ants here and studied the structure of the labyrinths the ants built. They found that the resulting Dungeons were more or less the same. My predictions are based on the data from that research. It is the best we can do given our circumstances."

    "What about the composition of the teams?" I asked.

    I wanted to protest but stopped myself after some thought. It made sense from the perspective of increasing the odds of success of the mission. Even if one of our teams got wiped, the other would be able to complete the mission. But with the hostility directed at her by the other members of the team, I didn''t feel relieved letting her out of my sight.

    "Lieutenant Mars, I can understand your worries but both Aeryn and I will be primarily focused on her security as we traverse our route, not to mention the Doppelganger of the Chief. Two Tier 4 mages and one at the peak of Tier 3¡­ if anything, she''ll be safer than you if she travels with us." She persuaded.

    "Good." I said while Ceres objected with, "That won''t do," at the same time. All of us turned to her. "Stealth is of the utmost importance, much more than power, within the Dungeon. If both the shadow mages with the highest cultivation travel with me, it will seriously unbalance the other team. Lieutenant Corvus, please travel with my Husband."

    Marshal Canis and the Lieutenant exchanged glances. "That does make more sense," he said. "No objections from you I hope," he queried me.

    "Are you sure?" I asked Ceres. At her affirmative nod, I sighed and replied, "None."

    Marshal Canis continued, "For these past few days, I''ve noticed that you have developed a good relationship with Marshal Azure and his wife. Teal is even your teacher in name. I think that you won''t have any problem working with them. Aeryn, you, Azure, Teal¡­ and you can decide upon one of our two fire mages and take Marshal Luke, he has the most field experience among us and he is a master in making traps using his earth magic. I''ve heard that you can perform some basic healing¡­" I nodded. "Then that settles it. A pretty well-balanced delver squad, I think. The rest of the squad will be with me."

    Lieutenant Corvus turned to Hei Lian, "Your squad will take the entrance half-way up the mountain on the south-eastern face. That one leads to the tunnels where the worker ants enter and exit. Even if you get into a scuffle, it won''t be too tough to win. But the main threat will be if the noise alerts the soldier ants. Staying undetected is your best bet. With your hellfire, I think that it is the most suitable route for you."

    To Ceres and Marshal Canis, he said, "Your team will have the largest population as well as our strongest healer. So, stamina is your forte. I think that the route that leads to the tunnels through which the soldier ants patrol the entire Dungeon will be the best fit for your team. There will be a significant amount of fighting involved but the level of your opponents will be low as most of them are involved in the war. It will be a battle of attrition. If you feel that you cannot continue, you are to retreat and join up with us."

    Finally turning to me, "As for us, since we have the most balanced team, as well as the team with the most firepower, we will take the most dangerous route, one which passes through the breeding chamber of the ants. The Queen has left to direct the war, leaving the eggs unprotected but that is only relatively. It has the tightest security in the entire Dungeon, but it is also adjacent to the core, where the elemental lives. If we can break through the security it is the shortest route we can take. Any questions?"

    There was a stretch of silence as we digested the information. Ceres raised her hand.

    "Yes?"

    "I have been wondering, but even if we successfully infiltrate the core and deal with the enemy''s method, won''t we all be stuck in the centre of the Dungeon when the ants swarm back to investigate the drastic changes that are bound to happen?" she asked.

    The Lieutenant''s expression grew grim. "The circumstances are extremely dire. This Expedition is, to put it bluntly, a last-ditch effort to salvage our situation. The moment you joined, you did so with full knowledge that we might not return alive."

    He paused. "There is but a spark of hope in the darkness and we are trying to grasp at it. We can only pray that that spark isn''t an inferno that will burn us all."

 127 Chapter 1

    "It''s clear going for a hundred paces before we reach the first fork in the road. I can''t see much past that ¨C not with the volcano rumbling as it is." He said.

    "Fine. Let''s go." Said Lieutenant Corvus as he took the lead into the tunnel.

    He was the one responsible for shielding our presence with his Domain. At Tier 4, unless another Tier 4 crossed our paths, we didn''t need to be worried about being detected. Not with Luke muffling the vibrations of our footsteps and Ceres'' incense absorbing our smells. My connection with her allowed me to use Incense flame too, therefore, I could operate the smoke, albeit to a much lesser extent.

    Intermittent rumbles could be felt through our feet as we walked into the labyrinthine tunnels the ants called home. Both the volcanoes were still erupting as the fire elementals Zhurong and Gun clashed their Cultivation bottlenecks. Whether Zhurong would successfully evolve to Tier 6 was an unknown ¨C it did have several millennia of experience, after all. But Gun, with less than a couple of centuries under its belt was set up for failure. It just didn''t have enough time to accumulate the requisite mana.

    On our way here, we had noted the pillars of smoke rising from the two volcanoes, connecting them to the skies. Ominous clouds had gathered above them, blocking every bit of sunlight from illuminating the mountains. Streaks of lightning connected the swirling vortex above to the jagged obsidian ground below. Thunder rumbled in their wake.

    Along with the red glow of the ebullient lava, it was a picture of the end.

    But, over the few days we had spent reaching here, the pillar of smoke above Gun''s Dungeon had dwindled while Zhurong still burnt strong. Its eruption at an end ¨C Gun would soon slumber to recover from its failure to transcend. We speculated that the conclusion of the confrontation between the two ant colonies would coincide with the moment the elemental quieted. Our window of opportunity was extremely short. We couldn''t enter the magma chamber, the core of the Dungeon, while the volcano was erupting but when it did stop, we would have to race against time to deal with whatever arrangement the enemy had in place and evacuate before the main force of the ant colony could return to their lair.

    Teal and I were relatively idle, with my only responsibility being keeping the incense sticks burning. I hoped that Ceres team was doing well. I was worried that mother''s Doppelganger wouldn''t listen to her and rebel at some crucial moment of the delve. If only we had some more time to test out the idea¡­

    Driving those unproductive thoughts away from my mind, I decided to occupy myself with investigating the Dungeon with my mana senses.

    The familiar feeling of the world growing clearer and gaining definition struck me as the composition of the mana around us revealed itself to me in a kaleidoscope of colours.

    The pitch black of Lieutenant Corvus'' Domain encapsulated us like a pair of shadowy wings. Luke''s golden mana rippled out from his soles whenever his feet touched the ground. Adeline''s marks were like embers glowing within a dying fire. The air around Azure buzzed with his bluish-white mana while the large gourd on Teal''s back practically thrummed with her ultramarine mana ¨C probably filled with the potion she used for her Fluid Manipulation spells.

    Their mana signatures all stood out against the ambient mana of the Dungeon ¨C composed primarily of a smoky blue variation of fire mana. It seemed suspiciously close to the incense flame I was using to keep our smells locked in. This further strengthened my conviction that the Duchess'' mother had messed with the fire elemental here.

    On a whim, I took out the mind crystal shard that had belonged to her. Imposing my will upon the ambient mana through my connection to smoke and fire, I introduced some of it into the crystal. I didn''t know what reaction I had expected, but it surely wasn''t the one I got.

    The crystal seemed to come to life, buzzing within my grasp so hard that I nearly dropped it in surprise. A tremor, much more violent than any which had come before ran through the entirety of the labyrinth, nearly knocking us off our feet.

    Dust and chunks of rocks peppered us as they showered down from the ceilings of the tunnels. For a moment, I was afraid that the tunnels would collapse and that I had doomed us all. But the vibrations stopped as suddenly as they had started, leaving us covered with dust and startled but none the worse for the wear.

    "What the hell was that?" hissed Teal as she picked herself up from the floor and picked out chunks of basalt from her hair.

    "Probably a particularly violent gas explosion within the magma chamber. It seems that the eruption is nearing an end. We need to pick up the pace," replied Luke who had remained unmoved by the quake as though he was nailed to the ground. The dust and rock had miraculously avoided him, leaving him pristine.

    Lieutenant Corvus vibrated the wing with which he had covered his head to shake off the dust. Letting out a grunt of approval, he quickened our march.

 128 Chapter 2

    The atmosphere of the Dungeon gave her the same warm, fuzzy feeling having him near her did. An envelope of warmth that promised protection.

    She savoured the feeling as their team proceeded cautiously down the passageways. These corridors allowed the soldier ants to patrol the entirety of their lair unimpeded and respond at the quickest speed to any disturbance in any part of the Dungeon. It wasn''t long before they met a small squad of ants on patrol. Composed of Tier 2 ants as they were, they didn''t provide much of a challenge to the team. Six Tier 3 mages were a substantially powerful force and they didn''t expect any difficulty in blitzing through the tunnels until they were quite close to the Dungeon core.

    It was only after moving down several layers of the labyrinth, decimating several squads of ants in the process, that she noticed the changes to her mindscape.

    Back in Patera, to stave off the ninja who had attempted to abduct her, she had been forced to use the Mind Crystal to fire off a Tier 3 spell without any preparation. Unable to bear the mana backlash, her mindscape had fissured. If not for the crystal tanking the major portion of the damage, a fissured mindscape wouldn''t be the end of her injuries.

    While the crack in her mindscape had been instrumental in allowing her to loosen the restrictions the Geas placed on her enough to attempt the daredevil stunt she had, it had also come with a drawback. During her stay at the Felidae Estate, the crack had healed. She was able to use her mana freely, without any detention. But no matter what she tried, she wasn''t able to advance her cultivation. As it had healed, her mindscape had ossified, leaving her unable to grow her power. If she couldn''t find a solution, she would forever be stuck at the initial stage of Tier 2.

    That was why she had been researching all sorts of old tomes, hoping to find something useful for a situation like hers. The knowledge she had dug up about external casting and contract magic, leading to her current awkward situation with the Doppelganger, was just a bonus result of her efforts.

    But now, simply staying in the Dungeon, she felt her cultivation miraculously begin to advance again. The deeper the team penetrated into the Dungeon, the more pronounced the effect. Despite her joy at the development, she didn''t forget to inform the Marshal about the change.

    "You say that the longer you stay here, the more your Cultivation advances and the closer you are to the heart of the Dungeon, the faster the gains?" Marshal Canis asked her.

    Ceres nodded her confirmation.

    "Alright then. Tell me if you notice something else. I think that whatever method the enemy used to alter this Dungeon is resonating with your bloodline."

    Just as they were moving on from another swiftly concluded slaughter, the entire Dungeon seemed to vibrate. If not for the Marshal swiftly grabbing onto her arm and steadying her, Ceres would have sprawled onto the ground.

    Right after that incident, the speed at which Ceres'' cultivation was advancing increased to a ridiculous rate. It felt like someone was blowing into her brain to inflate it and making it press up against her skull. Dull throbs of pain, almost debilitating in their intensity, hammered into her head. She instinctively knew that if she didn''t relieve the pressure somehow, it wouldn''t stop at a mere headache. There was very real danger of her mindscape shattering.

    When she informed Marshal Canis, the dog-eared woman immediately asked the other team members if they had noticed anything strange. "The density of the fire mana in here just shot up several notches," the fire mage replied.

    "It seems that the eruption of the volcano is nearing its end," observed their Earth mage, "The elemental is presumably discharging the excess mana it couldn''t use up during its aborted breakthrough."

    "M-marshal," Ceres forced out through gritted teeth, "Can I participate in the following fights?"

    Marshal Canis seemed hesitant. "There are only Tier 3 ants going forward¡­ at your level¡­"

    "If I don''t d-discharge the excess mana, I feel like I''ll explode!" Ceres gasped out.

    "Fine. You provide long range support then. I''m not really familiar with your skillset so I can''t assign you a role¡­ just, try not to get in the others'' way."

    Taking a deep breath, Ceres shrugged off her outer garments, leaving her in only her Heavenly Silksnail clothing. With a thought, she morphed into her Feral form: a russet-red fox with two bushy tails tipped with white. She was quite large for a fox, coming up to Marshal Canis'' hips. The only imperfection on her silky coat was a large white scar on her chest where the Geas had left its trace.

    "Here, let me take care of those," said the Marshal as she stored Ceres'' discarded garments into her shadow.

    Ceres flexed her muscles and stretched her back, trying to acclimatize to the sensation of inhabiting a completely different body. She quite disliked shifting to her Feral form and tried to avoid it as much as possible. That was why, unlike Deimos, she wasn''t an accomplished fighter in both her forms. In fact, shifting to the form would make her already poor close combat skills abysmal. The only reason she had shifted was because maintaining it burnt mana, thereby alleviating some of the pressure on her.

    Just as the team was about to set off again, the clattering of claw against stone resounded as several panicked ants rounded the corner of the passage. Even with the concealment magic active, at such a short distance, it was impossible for the ants to miss them. They immediately stopped short. There were five of them, with two at Tier 3. The sudden quake had probably spooked them and sent them running about randomly, causing them to encounter the team.

    Identifying the auras of the mages, the ants immediately realized that they were outmatched and turned around to escape. After finding an object to vent with great difficulty, Ceres wasn''t willing to let them go. With a sharp cry, she pumped as much mana into the technique as she possibly could.

    Tier 2 Personal Magic: Smoke within a Dream.

    Thick purple smoke gushed out of her mouth, forming a torrent that submerged the fleeing creatures instantaneously.

    Marshal Canis was just about to reprimand her for obscuring the line of sight of her allies and increasing the ants'' chances of escape when she closed her mouth with an audible click.

    The smoke that had flooded the entire corridor parted for Ceres like a crowd for their Empress, revealing the prone forms of the three Tier 2 ants while the two Tier 3 monsters were staggering about woozily.

    A couple of well-placed blows and they joined their sleeping brethren on the floor as cold corpses. Three more strikes and the sleeping ants were dealt with as well.

 129 Chapter 3

    It took a shattered mindscape and considerable luck ¨C whether ill or good, I cannot say ¨C to reunite me with my craft. My words themselves were magic. And they changed the world.

    - Preface to ''A Treatise on Magecraft'' by Mars Felidae

    There were three kinds of mana affinities: elemental, compound and special. The elemental affinity was the most common type, encompassing the six elements of air, water, earth, fire, light, and shadow. In rare cases, a child was born with a combination of two elemental affinities and was said to possess a compound affinity. Ice, a compound of fire and water, was one example of such affinities. Finally, rarest of all, the elemental affinities of some people would mutate into some variant of the original element. These cases were classified under the banner of special affinities.

    No affinity was stronger than any other. A fire mage had the exact same potential for growth as a mage with the special affinity for smoke, also known as the Incense flame. The only difference between them was that due to its rarity, the special affinity would seem more exotic and less would be known about how to counter it.

    In fact, rather than the affinity, what determined the outcome of a fight between two mages of the same level was the degree to which they had comprehended the Aspects of their respective affinities.

    For a mage with an elemental affinity, the Aspects available to them were determined by their element. For a compound affinity, at every stage, the mage had a choice as to the Aspect of which element they wanted to study. In the case of a special affinity, though, it was somewhat different. They had to create their own Aspects.

    That was the reason all Daemonic bloodlines had a reputation for being changeable and treacherous, since there was no way to tell what exactly their abilities were.

    The only time Hotaru Vulpine had ever complimented Ceres was when she had mastered her Aspect of Illusion before she had advanced to Tier 2. "You managed to match my record," she had remarked, "Impressive."

    The Aspect of Illusion allowed Ceres to affect the senses of her opponent by altering the composition of her smoke. Her smoke could alter the way someone perceived scent or taste and it could cause hallucinations when it tampered with vision. To achieve this feat of creating and comprehending her Aspect at such a tender age, she had spent nearly all her time with her nose buried in books. Specifically, musty medical tomes that dealt with the anatomy and physiology of the eyes, nose and the throat as well as treatises on toxins and hallucinogens.

    If there was anything Ceres was thankful to the Duchess for, then it would be her help in perfecting her Aspect. After all, the second Aspect of the Duchess was the Aspect of Poison.

    The Duchess'' most widely known Aspect, though, was the Aspect of Invigoration: her first Aspect. She was famous for buffing soldiers on the battlefield, giving them a temporary boost in power and dulling their sensation of pain so they could fight extremely vigorously for a short period of time before fainting from the drain on their stamina. It was an extremely useful skill in a pinch and had reversed the outcomes of several battles. As for her third Aspect, Ceres had no clue. Neither did the rest of the world.

    Ceres had obtained her inspiration for her second Aspect the moment Mars had inscribed the symbol of their Contract upon her skin. The words ''Smoke within a Dream'' had, ironically, kept her up at night. Those sleepless nights had given birth to the Aspect of Slumber. And this day, it saw use upon the battlefield for the very first time.

    Supported by the near infinite mana that the Dungeon''s environment provided her, she continuously spammed her spell, filling the corridors with the soporific smoke. Under the influence of her will, the purple smoke avoided her team, surged forward and submerged any ant it came across. Unlike her first Aspect, that required an opponent to imbibe her smoke before it took effect, the purple smoke was far more insidious, infecting the mana of the ants instead.

    The only way the ants could get rid of the toxin was if they discarded the infected portion of their mana. Even if Ceres was only at Tier 2, she could use this Aspect to exhaust the mana of a Tier 3 opponent since the amount of mana they had to discard was much greater than the amount she needed to infect them. Now, with the support of the Dungeon, there was no way the ants could resist the deluge of her smoke.

    So, it came to be that the second team, the one which was expected to have the hardest time reaching the core, ended up being the most relaxed among the three groups. They simply strolled down the passages of the Dungeon with Ceres leading the way in her feral form. Her purple smoke billowed around them, filling the corridor ahead and behind them, only leaving a small gap where they were. Whenever the form of a sleeping ant entered within that circle of clarity, one of the seven other mages would dispose of it in a single strike.

 130 Chapter 4

    The three stages were: novice, adept and master. Father had achieved mastery in the Aspect of Wind and adeptness in the Aspect of Lightning while he was still a novice in the Aspect of Sharpness.

    His descriptions of Oneness and the Void and the training methods he had used to reach those states were basically his personal way of comprehending the Aspect of Wind. In his notes, he had confidently acknowledged that his way wasn''t the only way ¨C and in all likelihood, it wasn''t the best way either. But following it would allow Deimos and I to use his achievement as a springboard to reach mastery without having to waste a great deal of time and effort fumbling in the dark.

    Actually, his method was a great deal more useful for me than for Deimos. Deimos had her own mindscape. She had her own mana and therefore her own mana signature. The training method that suited Father would definitely not be a perfect fit for her. It would, of course, be a great help but she would need to modify it to suit herself. As for me? Without a mindscape, the question of suitability didn''t even arise. I could make full use of Father''s notes. That was the reason why I had mastered the Aspect so fast.

    My recent close brush with death had taught me several things. Serendipitously touching the threshold of the Aspect of Lightning while in my state of the Void had given me an inkling of the future direction of my cultivation.

    As the pioneer ¨C or, more appropriately, rediscoverer ¨C of the system of external casting, I had been suffering from a severe lack of information. I had no idea how to proceed with my Cultivation. Without mana, I couldn''t accumulate it to grow my Cultivation. Without a mindscape, I couldn''t focus on crystallizing it into reality. Without the body of a Beast, I could not focus on tempering it. What was I supposed to do? It had been weighing heavily on my mind. Using auxiliary aids like a mind crystal were fine for a time but it wasn''t a permanent solution. Let alone, the cost of that method was prohibitive.

    But now, I finally had a goal to work towards. I had to improve my comprehension of the Aspects.

    Now that I knew what to look for, bits and pieces of information I had neglected before popped into my notice. The foremost evidence was the fact that my contract markings had magically shifted from my skin into my mind, taking up the void left by my shattered mindscape.

    That clued me in to the fact that I was restricted to the six basic elements ¨C at least for now.

    It also told me that the marks weren''t a shortcut to power, or excuses for me to be lazy. They only provided novice level insights into the elemental Aspects, not the same level of insight the girls had. I was dead sure that Deimos had at least an adept level in the Aspect of Wind as well as Sharpness, none of which had carried over to me through the mark. At first, I had speculated that the stronger the girls became, the more my control of the elements would rise. I had even prepared to do my utmost to help them promote. The reason for that was because my control of the Wind was the strongest, followed by Fire and then Shadow. And that was the order of Cultivation height among my wives: Deimos, Ceres and then Phobos.

    But, looking back, the difference was mostly due to my own preferences leaning towards Wind.

    The marks were a beginning ¨C a key with which to unlock the path of Cultivation. Ceres'' speculation that the ancient Hominum cultivated with the aid of the blessings of their patron God seemed quite plausible. If the blessings were anything like my contracts, after the initial boost, the External Caster would have to work to comprehend the Aspects on their own.

    Mother''s compound affinity to water and light had affected me, giving me access to both those elements at the novice level. Studying her notes on healing had allowed me to advance my proficiency in the Aspect of Healing, the second Aspect subordinate to the light element, to the novice stage as well.

    After mastering the wind, I had noticed that the ease with which I could influence wind mana had increased by leaps and bounds. I required much fewer runes in order to achieve the same effect. This greatly raised the speed of my spellcasting. A test Azure and I had conducted together had shown that I could also control a larger number of runes.

    A direct measure of my strength could be obtained from the improvement in my Wind Bullet spell. Earlier, each bullet required two runes to cast. Now I could make do with one. Earlier, creating and controlling ten runes simultaneously was my limit. Now, I could form twenty. In short, the level of my utilization of the wind was at the level of a Tier 3 peak mage. In a region with abundant wind mana, I believed that I could rival a newly promoted Tier 4 mage.

    Of course, in a true fight, relying solely on my Aspect of Wind would only guarantee me victory over an initial stage Tier 3 mage. If I wanted to promote my strength, I needed to gain insights into as many Aspects as I could so that I could take advantage of the inherent superiority of Tamers: versatility.

    I had many ambitious plans for combining elements and even Aspects to form spells the world had never seen before, but for now, I needed to advance in an orderly fashion: learn to walk before I started running.

    ''And even before walking, I need to survive this tour of the Forbidden Zone first,'' I thought as I defeated another ant that had blocked our way by encapsulating it in a bubble of vacuum and suffocating it.

    This batch of ants was the seventh such group that we had met. As the route we had chosen led to the gestation chamber and hatchery of the colony, it was the most well defended. This level of resistance was expected.

    While we took a short break to recuperate after the intense battle, I observed our surroundings. The tunnel was pitch-dark except for the fiery glow of the veins of fire stone running through its volcanic rock walls. The glow glinted off shards of obsidian that jutted out of the walls, lending the passages an unsettling vibe. It made me feel like we were within the belly of a beast and the sharp rocks were jagged teeth poised to shred us to bits.

 131 Chapter 5

    - Wolfsong; a biography of the Dark Sun by Mars Felidae

    Her fire was an inky black. Like all fires it was both good and evil in equal measure. The warmth of a campfire in the heart of winter; the hungry blaze of a forest fire consuming all lives. As her team made their way into the depths of the Dungeon, Hei Lian reconsidered why her fire still burnt.

    When she had first woken to her powers, it had been in captivity. She had been angry and filled with hate. Her disgust at being laid bare for the eyes of her captors had been palpable. Her guilt for being the cause of her mother''s death had eaten away at her. And much to her shame, she had felt fearful for her life.

    To maintain her sanity, she had needed an outlet for that darkness. So, she had fed it all to her flames and they had greedily gobbled it all up, turning her misery into power. She had come out of that cell as the youngest Tier 3 the Sun Wolf had ever heard of. Combining that with her Alpha trait ¨C he had kept her on a tight leash. A justified measure, seeing that the moment he let her out of his sight was the moment his death became doomed.

    Hei Lian walked through the dark corridors of the Dungeon in silence with her Domain active in the form of a ring of dark fire surrounding her. Her four subordinates were arrayed in a protective diamond within the ring while Steven walked by her side, one step behind. The only sound was the echoing of their boots on stone and even that tailed off before the edge of her Domain.

    The tunnel they were traversing was the supply route for the colony. It was used by the worker ants to shift commodities and transport food in and out of the Dungeon. It was the longest and most circuitous route to the core as well as the safest one. With the ongoing war, all foraging parties had been recalled, leaving the worker ants quite idle. Thus, within the two hours for which they had been delving, the group had only met scattered groups of workers transporting food, and sometimes the bodies of the fallen, to other parts of the Dungeon ¨C although, Hei Lian wasn''t sure if those two commodities were any different in the eyes of the ants. Her Domain, along with their wind mage sealing their scents, had been sufficient to avoid detection. An uneventful jaunt.

    Deciding that there was no danger her subordinates couldn''t deal with, Hei Lian let her mind wander slightly. Raising her palm as she walked, she fixed her gaze on it. With but a thought, a tiny black flame appeared at its centre in stark contrast with her pale skin. It remained there, burning sedately as she used her senses to explore it.

    But destiny had different designs and now ¨C as Steven had so boldly demonstrated by burning the diary ¨C she was free. She had been using that book as a reminder, using it to reinforce her memories of that time so she could cultivate faster with the aid of her negative emotions. She never wanted to be in that position again and the only way to guarantee that would be by becoming the strongest. Now that the diary was gone, she could feel the deep-seated hatred she still bore desalinating with every passing day. In direct proportion, her speed of cultivation was dropping.

    Hei Lian didn''t know whether she should be angry at Steven or grateful for his actions. Having stepped back a bit, she realized that her personality was being distorted by her cultivation. The way she was treating Steven was the exact same way her father had treated her. She was trying to control and condition him into the perfect puppet. She was becoming the very thing that she hated.

    But the fact remained. The more she cultivated, the less hatred she had left. And when that was exhausted, her rate of progress would fall to the same level as an ordinary talent. The very thought of being related to the term ''ordinary'' was enough to let the Alpha in her blood seethe. She was torn between two conflicting desires.

    Unable to reach a conclusion, she sighed internally and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. Focusing on the tiny flame, she made it flicker from the middle of her palm to the tip of her index finger, ignoring the intervening distance. For her second Dao, she had chosen the Dao of Space. While she hadn''t mastered it fully yet, she was quite close. In her understanding, all spells were crutches that were used to comprehend a Dao. Once one could cast the spell perfectly, they could be called a novice in the corresponding Dao. Adeptness was demonstrated by the ability to use a spell in unconventional ways ¨C like how Steven used Shadow Walk to store and eject his dagger from the shadows or split himself to avoid an injury. Mastery was the ability to link a Dao with another, lending a spell the characteristics of both Daos.

    The comprehension of a Dao was more influential to a mage''s strength within a realm than their cultivation base. In her opinion, the only superiority Bestia had over Beasts was the ability to cultivate their Aspects. If a mage gave that up in favour of accumulating mana and just spamming rigidly defined spells, then the only thing differentiating them from Beasts would be their weaker bodies and longer cast times for spells. In short, they would be an inferior version. That was why Hei Lian had always focused on cultivating her Daos more than her mana.

    A sudden commotion jolted her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she noticed that a Tier 3 soldier ant had stumbled upon them and launched an attack. The wind mage in their group, Fung, was just about to step up and engage it in battle when she called out and stopped him.

    Narrowing her eyes, she flicked her finger, sending the black ember arcing through the air. Ignoring the tiny flame, the ant opened its mandibles wide and began condensing its mana into a white-hot fireball. Tier 3 flame magic: Explosion.

    "That''s why I didn''t choose the Dao of Explosion," muttered Hei Lian as the black flame touched its carapace and sank into it without any impediment. "Too slow."

    For a while, nothing happened and the ant continued charging its spell. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Steven fidgeting as he prepared to push her out of the blast zone. ''It seems like that little incident has gone to his head,'' she thought idly. ''I''ll need to teach him some obedience. Not too much, though.''

    Just before the ant could spit out its magic, inky-black flames jetted out of its every orifice, instantaneously reducing it to ash. The white-hot orb of magic wobbled unstably in mid-air before collapsing, sending a ripple of fire mana crashing into them. Her Domain flickered, then stabilized under the onslaught.

 132 Chapter 6

    What qualifications do you have? It would whisper insidiously in his mind and he would have no answers for it.

    Just moments ago, she had incinerated a fire ant with a mere flick of her finger and a miniscule amount of mana. It was specially jarring for Steven. He couldn''t help but feel that she was giving him a demonstration of authority. His mind went back to the conversation they had on their way here from the military camp.

    "Focus on your Aspects. They will serve you better than the increased mana you''ll get from the meditation you seem to love so much." she had said.

    He had ignored her advice. The only thing on his mind was narrowing the gap between their cultivation bases. If he focused on his Aspects like she did, he would never be able to catch up. They were like two runners on the same track and she was running faster than him. So, he had chosen to focus on the long jump instead. If he exceeded her in his mana cultivation, he would finally be able to balance their relationship. Or so he thought.

    She had imbued a mere speck of mana with the Aspects of Inflammation as well as Enslavement and inserted it into the Tier 3 ant''s body. There, the Hellfire had ignited the Fire mana suffused throughout the ant''s flesh, burning it from inside out with its own mana. Of course, there was the ingredient of luck involved. Hei Lian''s skillset was the nemesis of the fire ants, what with their fire mana imbued bodies. If the ant wasn''t too focused on condensing its Explosion spell, it would have realized what had happened and purged the affected portion of its mana. By the time it did understand, it was too late and the Hellfire spread throughout its body as though it was a heap of dry leaves, charring it to cinders.

    Despite all that, to Steven, it felt like a slap on his face. Instead of a verbal rebuke, she was reproaching him through her actions. The fact that she didn''t even spare him a glance before striding away afterwards hurt more.

    After Steven had burnt that infernal notebook and she had cried on his shoulder, he had expected some positive change in their relationship. A shifting of power, so to speak. He had been disappointed. The way Hei Lian treated him had remained the same even after the incident. If anything, the sense of distance between them was even greater.

    Now, her interactions with him were formal, stilted. It was as if he was a glass figurine and she, cautious of inadvertently shattering him. Yet, their positions in their relationship were unchanged. She was still the dominant one and her word was law. Only, now, she didn''t try to intentionally humiliate him for her enjoyment. And that, ironically, had reduced their level of intimacy. Steven felt that their relationship now was less of a husband and wife and more of a servant and his master. Even the one time they''d had sex to stave off her Feralization, in their tent when they had set up camp on the way here, had been a mechanical, dispassionate chore. For the first time since meeting Hei Lian, he wasn''t looking forward to having sex with her.

    Their mark, which had survived an abusive relationship, had begun to dim when it gained some semblance of normalcy. Steven didn''t know what exactly that said about his character.

    "Lord, we''ve reached the end of the road." said Fung, breaking Steven out of his contemplation. "This one doesn''t go all the way to the magma chamber but it is pretty close. I think Xing can take us the rest of the way by tunnelling through from here." His tone was respectful and he kept his eyes lowered when he talked to her. Steven didn''t like the wiry wind mage much, or his sharp eyes that seemed to look right through him and find him lacking.

    "Xing?" inquired Hei Lian.

    The short, brawny man stepped up and laid his palm on the wall. Closing his eyes, he went silent. The rest of the team waited patiently for his appraisal. As the only earth mage in the team, if he deemed that the rock layer was too thick to realistically tunnel through, they would have to retrace their steps and join another team. Considering the time they had taken on the way in and factoring in the time required to meet up with the other team who were sure to be at the end of their path¡­ the civil war between the ants would have reached an armistice by then. Splitting the team up had seemed like a sound tactic in theory. But they had underestimated the time needed to traverse these paths. Unless a team failed at the very beginning of their route, there wouldn''t be enough time for a re-run.

    Still, it wasn''t a total failure. It had greatly improved the probability that at least one team would successfully reach the core. Whether or not they would be able to deal with whatever lay in store for them there was a different story altogether.

 133 Chapter 7

    Just as we reached the entrance of the hatchery, we were greeted by a deluge of blue flames. If not for the prior warning from Luke, our veteran earth mage, we''d have been turned into six, very charred corpses. As it was, the shadows around Lieutenant Corvus twisted and warped, forming into the shape of two gigantic wings that wrapped around us protectively. We were a rock amidst the river of flame and it split, flowing around us.

    After an interminable amount of time, the flames gradually subsided, leaving us unharmed ¨C if a bit scorched ¨C and giving us our first glimpse of the hatchery and our assailant. Once again, I was struck by the grotesque beauty of the creatures. The ordinary fire ants had ruby-red crystalline carapaces that grew clearer and harder the further they advanced down their path of cultivation. Under direct sunlight, they glittered like gems, dangerous in their beauty. The ants of the colony affected by the machinations of the Duchess'' mother, looked completely different. Instead of the crystalline carapaces of their cousins, their exoskeletons were a sooty black. Their joints glowed with their internal blue flames, giving them a different, more sinister aesthetic.

    The hatchery was a large, elliptical cavern hollowed out from the same dark volcanic rock as the rest of the Dungeon. Veins of fire stones ran through the walls, lighting the area with a dim red glow. The walls and the ceilings were covered by a transparent blue mucus. Embedded within the jelly-like substance were thousands of tiny eggs that glowed with a dim blue iridescence due to the mana suffusing them. From the information Luke had obtained from his survey of the terrain, there were more than ten such chambers linked by a network of tunnels. But this cavern was the only one connected to the main labyrinth, so if anyone wanted to reach the other chambers, they would have to go through this one - the perfect place to station a guard.

    The ant that had attacked us, judging from its size and intense mana fluctuations, was a Tier 4. When we had chosen this route, we had been prepared to face the blockade of at least one Tier 4 ant at this juncture. The hatchery was simply too important to leave unguarded, no matter how intense the tactical situation of the civil war. Thankfully, there was only one such guard. In the eventuality that there were more, we would have had to beat a hasty retreat.

    "The entrance to the magma chamber is the one directly behind the ant," I informed the other members of my team. They nodded, accepting my words at face value. I had made no secret of my abilities and all the way here I had often warned them of the presence of ants Luke had missed because they were simply staying still and not creating vibrations in the earth for him to sense. They knew to trust me.

    Lieutenant Corvus said, "I''ll engage it. The rest of you rush through the channel. I don''t think they will follow us into the magma chamber. After all, they are only the servants of the elemental. They wouldn''t dare to step foot into its territory."

    "Yes, sir." We all agreed, getting ready to make a dash for it.

    Flaring his mana, the Lieutenant stepped forward, challenging the ant. It let out an enraged screech that bounced off the walls of the cave, echoing down the tunnels.

    "They''re coming," warned Luke, moments before the scuttling sound of hundreds of feet on stone became clearly discernible. Take it from me, enclosed spaces and fire ants make for a terrible combination. They bore down upon us like a wave. Tier 3, Tier 2, Tier 1 and even ants that hadn''t awoken to their magic. Every single ant within earshot of the Tier 4''s screech responded to its call and swarmed towards us, their intent to kill nearly substantial in its intensity.

    With only six of us ¨C five, now that Lieutenant Corvus was engaged in a standoff with the Tier 4 ant ¨C there was no way we could take on that many ants at the same time. The only reason we had enough confidence to survive was our location.

    We were in the hatchery. The ants had to be careful not to shatter the eggs so any sort of long range or highly destructive spells were out. Of course, that applied to us too. If we harmed even a single egg, I''m sure they would let go of all inhibitions and bombard us into oblivion, considering any shattered eggs acceptable collateral to prevent us from doing more harm.

    Before that, they''d only engage us with close combat.

    Unwilling to wait for the swarm to catch up to us, we sprinted towards the other end of the cavern at maximum speed. The Tier 4 moved to block us but froze when a jet-black phantom of a raven appeared behind Lieutenant Corvus and spread its wings, blocking its path.

    Lieutenant Corvus had promoted to Tier 4 just a few days ago. His realm was barely stable while according to my senses, the cultivation of the ant was at least at the middle stage of its Tier. In a straight up contest of strength, the Lieutenant didn''t stand a chance.

    Thankfully, the collision of two Tier 4''s was too destructive. The shockwaves would destroy every single egg in the room. That was why the ant didn''t dare to make a move against us, only aggravating the volume of its calls as it watched us run past helplessly.

 134 Chapter 8

    We had misjudged the location of the magma chamber. The high concentration of fire mana in the walls of the Dungeon so close to the core made it impossible for Luke to get a clear read of the terrain, thinking that the tunnel leading away from the hatchery which had the highest density of mana was the logical conclusion. Unfortunately, the corridor widened into another large cavern ¨C the resting chamber of the Queen.

    Instead of fire stones, glittering fire crystals formed the veins on the crystalline, obsidian walls of the cave. The domed vault of the ceiling was nearly the height of two adult men from the ground at its lowest point. It had to be if it had to house the elephant-sized queen. A similarly scaled tunnel led out of the chamber. It was the one through which the Queen entered or exited the Dungeon. If not for its other end being on the side of the volcano where the colonies were fighting, we could have used it to infiltrate the lair.

    Of course, there was a tunnel leading away from the cavern to the magma chamber, but unfortunately, there were tunnels leading from it to the other hatcheries as well. Hundreds of ants were swarming into the cave from these tunnels in response to the calls of the Tier 4.

    And in this chamber, there were no eggs.

    Diving to the side, I dodged a gout of pale blue fire shot at me by a Tier 3 ant. Misjudging the distance in my haste, my shoulder slammed against the wall of the narrow tunnel. My Barrier lit up brightly, cushioning me from the impact and crushing an obsidian shard jutting out of the rock at the exact point of my impact. If I didn''t have its protection, it would have surely pierced my shoulder. The only reason I hadn''t been overwhelmed by the combined magical offensive of the ants was due the reckless abandon with which I could throw myself out of the way of their attacks without fear of physical injury. But that also meant that my divine power was draining away like water down a sink and I had no way to replenish it.

    Thankfully, I wasn''t fighting on my own. A flash of green passed from the edge of my vision and slammed into the face of the ant. The ant reared back screeching in pain as a white mist rose from the point of contact. Getting back to my feet, I shot a glance backwards at my helper. It was Teal. She had discarded the large bottle gourd she was carrying on her back and its contents ¨C a bright green potion ¨C was circling around her like several pythons, protecting her in their midst. She was using her Fluid Manipulation to direct the streams of liquid, making them lash out at blinding speeds. Each strike was extremely precise, either incapacitating or outright reaping the lives of the ants.

    Blue flames burst out of the wound on the face of the ant, cauterizing it and expelling the residual potion from the strike. When I saw it, my eyes widened in shock¡­ one of its eyes was gone, along with half its face. The sturdy carapace had melted like wax under the effect of the potion, dripping down from the side of its head. Who the hell uses flesh-melting potions for fluid manipulation!? Isn''t it illegal? For a short moment I even felt a bit sorry for the creature before it charged at me again with an enraged screech, its mandibles set to chomp down on me and split me in two. Oh well, it''s either you or me¡­ and I''d prefer it to be me.

    Shrugging off my coat, I threw it at the ant, blocking its line of sight. It spewed out a fireball that burnt it to cinders but I had already sidestepped its charge. Before it could rein in its momentum and turn around, I slammed my fist down on top of its head with the force of Divine power bolstering the strike.

    Its head slammed into the ground, fissuring the rock beneath. I chained the blow into an elbow strike with my weight behind it before finishing it off with a shoulder-drop.

    The Nutcracker.

    There was a sickening crack and the ant twitched its six legs violently in its death throes before finally stilling.

    Letting out a sigh, I had just relaxed slightly when a hand grabbed my collar and yanked me away. I was about to protest the rough-handling when several fireballs slammed into the spot where I had been just moments ago.

    The hand let go of my collar and I staggered to a stop. Turning to my saviour, I muttered, "Thanks." Azure nodded his head without taking his eyes off the battle and replied, "Focus."

    Taking a deep breath to bring my throbbing heart under control, I turned to where the sneak attack had come from. Three Tier 3 ants had focused their attention on us when they noticed that we had killed one of their peers.

    "This way we won''t last," remarked Luke detachedly as he manipulated the earth to create obstacles for the approaching swarm of ants. We had retreated into the tunnel we had entered from, using the narrow terrain to create a natural chokepoint to reduce the number of ants we had to take on at once. Even then, we were being pushed back by the sheer weight of numbers. And our mana was draining rapidly. Our fire mage, Adeline, a petite woman with sun-browned skin and blonde hair cropped close to her skull, was the one worst off. Her spells were nearly ineffective against the fire ants and the only thing she could do was deflect the incoming fireballs for us with ones of her own. She''d already exhausted her mana once and chugged a mana recovery potion, one with an extreme effectiveness and a correspondingly extreme side-effect. Her brown skin was suffused with an unhealthy flush and her eyes were gleaming dangerously. She could pass out at any moment. If not for her efforts, we wouldn''t have lasted this long.

    Behind us, Lieutenant Corvus was still keeping the Tier 4 at bay by threatening the eggs in the hatchery with his shadows but that state of affairs wouldn''t last long as the Tier 4 ant was getting more and more agitated.

 135 Chapter 9

    The density of the mana so close to the core was too high for the mundane, unawakened ants'' survival so they weren''t part of the assault force. Thank the Gods for small mercies.

    The standoff between Lieutenant Corvus and the Tier 4 was getting more and more tenuous by the second. It was stronger than the Lieutenant and it knew it. If not for him threatening the eggs, there was no way it would have stayed still for so long. But the longer we held out against the other ants, the more of them that died at our hands, the greater its impatience and agitation.

    If things went on this way, we''d run out of mana and get overrun by the ants, or the Tier 4 would decide that a few eggs were a worthwhile trade-off for our lives¡­ whichever came first.

    So, when his voice carried over to us through a sound transmission, it was no surprise. He claimed that the spell he would cast would be able to freeze every single ant in the chamber for a few moments and that we should use the gap to rush to the tunnel leading to the magma chamber. As sound a plan as any ¨C except for the fact that it would thrust him into the jaws of death.

    A spell of that scale would exhaust most if not all of his mana leaving him at the mercy of the Tier 4 ant. There was no way he would be able push it back and make his way through the gauntlet of the ant horde to join us at the opposite end of the room in that state. If we went through with this, we''d be sacrificing his life for ours. Taking in the grim expressions of the other members of the squad, I was sure that the fact wasn''t lost on them either.

    ''There has to be another way,'' I thought as I desperately tried to come up with an alternative. ''There has to be something I can do.''

    From the moment we had stepped into the Dungeon, we were in the Domain of the elemental and the closer we got to its resting place, the greater its effect. The high density of the fire mana had driven away the other strains of ambient mana from the atmosphere. While this was a minor inconvenience at most for the other mages, having to use a bit more mana to cast their spells and deal with prolonged cast times, for me, it crippled my ability to use any magic of any element other than fire effectively.

    Yes, I had created a spell to amplify the attacks of the artillery squad but that was a simple stacking of the Tier 2 flame magic: Aggravation leveraging the mind crystal. All I had done in the way of innovation was giving it a fancy name. My understanding of the Aspect of Amplification had nothing to do with it. As for the Aspect of Explosion, I had yet to even touch the threshold for it.

    So, right now, all I could do was use the increased density of fire mana to strengthen my spells to make up for my lack of comprehension. Currently, I was only a moderately powerful fire mage and just like Adeline, I wasn''t very useful.

    I clenched my teeth. ''Think, brain. Think!'' Lieutenant Corvus could be done with his spell-preparation at any moment and when he issued his order, we would have to follow through with it without hesitation or risk making his sacrifice meaningless. ''There has to be something!'' Droplets of sweat beaded my brows. Splitting my attention between keeping the ants at bay and trying to think up a plan to save everyone without resorting to sacrifices was extremely tough, especially with the clock ticking down. Absorbed in my thoughts, I failed to detect the palm-sized Tier 1 ant hanging under the belly of a Tier 2 that I kicked away. It leapt off its ride, latched onto my outstretched leg and bit down as hard as it could. To preserve my divine power, I had been limiting my Barrier to my vitals, leaving my extremities unprotected.

    Its mandibles sank deep into my flesh and injected its venom deep into my muscles. Then¡­ all I could think of was the pain. It was liquid fire burning through my nerves and hammering against my mind. I had experienced bruises and even broken bones over the course of my training. The pain of my mindscape shattering was the most agonizing experience I had ever come across. But this¡­ this was positively soul-crushing. What made it worse was that I had no mana of my own to drive out the mana-based toxin. With a low roar, I slammed my fist down on the ant, crushing it, splattering my trousers and fist with its greenish-yellow blood.

    Sensing an opportunity, the Tier 2 I had kicked away lunged at me with its mandibles stretched wide¡­ only to have its head melted right off by one of Teal''s potion whips. Then, Azure was pulling me out of danger again by my collar. "Kid, don''t be making a habit of getting rescued now. This is the second time in a few minutes¡­"

    With the debilitating pain running through me, I wasn''t in any state to answer. Setting me down by Teal''s side, he re-joined the fight.

    Clenching my teeth, I pulled out the two mandibles that had broken off and gotten embedded in my flesh. Blood laced with glowing blue flecks of the mana-toxin seeped out of the puncture wounds and dribbled down my leg, soaking into my trousers. I tried to draw upon light mana to cast a Heal on myself, only for the spell to fail due to the lack of ambient light mana. We were in the depths of a Dungeon, after all.

 136 Chapter 10

    Inexperienced as I was, I had no idea of how to deal with two girls who were suddenly thrust upon me as my future wives. Especially when Phobos and Deimos kept flinching away from me in the early days of our relationship. I know now what the reason for that was but at that time, I was utterly confused. Thankfully, the scenarios presented within the pages of the book gave me a model upon which to base my behaviour. I believed in their credibility, after all anyone who writes a book on relationships and is confident enough to publish it must be an authority on psychology and social sciences. And they didn''t let me down. I placed my trust in them, complimented them often, did nice things for them and never forgot their birthdays. That was all it took for the girls to warm up to me.

    Why? Just recently, the books had shown their worth by telling me what to do to console Ceres. In them, whenever the female lead was bullied by her step-mother/sister/brother she would be utterly miserable and it would be the job of the male lead to kiss them back to good cheer. What if kissing her publicly was a bit embarrassing, the results spoke for themselves, didn''t they? Her smile afterwards was reward enough for me.

    One of the most common ways for the female lead to meet the male lead in those novels was the ''hero rescues the damsel'' scenario. At the height of her distress, the man would come charging in on his white destrier clad in his most polished set of full-plate and tear through all obstacles to save her. The contrast between her despair and the joy at being emancipated from it would manifest in the form of a strong favourable impression for her saviour. A very believable reaction. There was a reason it was such a popular trope.

    Although, it did get a bit tiring reading about it after the umpteenth time. That was why the authors sometimes tweaked the trope to keep it fresh. One of the variations was a swapping of the gender roles: the strong female lead rescuing the male from danger. While it was fresh, I didn''t particularly empathize with the scenario ¨C until it happened to me.

    With every step she took, her purple smoke billowed out before her and smothered the ants in her way. Silence covered the battlefield like a gradually drawn blanket as she regally stepped over the prone forms of the fallen ants towards me. My magic had been restricted, I had been helpless to stop my comrade from sacrificing his life for ours, in my hubris, I had assumed I was capable of improving our situation but losing concentration, turned into a liability instead¡­ let alone the excruciating pain from the ant toxin battering my senses. At my lowest point, she appeared magically. Nearly transparent blue flames flickered over her cinnamon brown fur and purple smoke twined around her. Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3¡­ once they disappeared within the roiling bank of smoke, they fell silent. I couldn''t take my eyes off her.

    Even the rest of my squad, Lieutenant Corvus as well as the Tier 4 ant had gone utterly silent. In that stillness, she walked up to me and cocked her head to the side to study my state. She had grown. Earlier the top of the head of her Feral form reached my hip but now, it would have reached my shoulder if I was standing. Sprawled on the ground as I was, she had to lower her head to inspect my condition.

    I saw her eyes widen as she noticed the injury on my foot. Bringing her snout close to my leg, she huffed gently. A transparent flame charred my bloody trouser leg to my knee, exposing the puncture wounds. She licked over the wound and I could feel the toxins that were ravaging my nerves halt, then retreat from my body and seep out of my wound under her control. My relief was palpable. I nearly collapsed back onto the rocky ground, barely managing to prop myself up on my arms.

    Ceres nuzzled my face with her snout before saying, "Wait here," lisping slightly due to the unfamiliar feel of her vocal organs in her Feral form.

    Before I could collect my thoughts enough to form a coherent response, she had brushed past me and was walking towards the Tier 4 ant who had finally recovered from its shock at her sudden appearance and the doubtful fate of its subordinates. It was furious. Blue flames jetted out of its every orifice, condensing around it in a flaming armour. One, two, four then sixteen white hot balls of flame formed around its body circling behind it in a ring. The fluctuations I sensed off each orb told me of the ruinous strength condensed within each one.

    Tier 4 ultimate magic: Bloodline Integration.

    Tier 3 flame magic: Explosion.

    Faced with the slaughter of its subordinates with such ease, it had raised its evaluation of Ceres'' threat level several notches. It was going all out.

    Huk huk huk¡­

    Ceres barked out thrice in a strange coughing manner and the ant stagnated for a moment before screeching at her and clacking its mandibles. Ceres nodded her head then the sea of smoke parted under her command revealing the prone forms of hundreds of ants lying on the ground. But unlike what I had assumed, judging by the blue flames that still burnt in their body they weren''t dead, just sleeping.

    The ant seemed to relax slightly but it still didn''t dismiss the ring of explosive orbs. Ceres frowned and hissed at it. At the edges of the room, the smoke cleared to reveal the rest of the members of her party including Marshal Canis. They were poised to take out the sleeping ants.

    Seeing that, the Tier 4 seemed to deflate. It dismissed the spells slowly, so as to minimize the backlash to itself before taking a step back.

    Ceres addressed Lieutenant Corvus, "It won''t stop us anymore if we spare the ants and the eggs."

    He nodded and withdrew his shadow and both of them began backing up to us, keeping a wary eye on the ant.

    Both our teams converged and moved towards the tunnel that led to the magma chamber. The venom had dulled the nerves of my bitten foot and it would take some time for it to recover. If not for my enhanced physique, I could have even been crippled. Much to my embarrassment, Ceres insisted upon carrying me and in such a tense situation, I couldn''t bring myself to argue. As soon as we had passed the halfway mark to the tunnel, Ceres wrapped us up in her smoke again to obscure the senses of the Tier 4 ant and we made a dash for the tunnel.

    Just as we entered the tunnel, an explosion sent us staggering forward and caused large chunks of rock to rain down and block the entrance. The ant had decided to attack us when it was sure we had crossed most of its subordinates. It was willing to sacrifice the minority in order to kill us. Truly, brutal, cold logic. If we hadn''t run when we had, we might have been heavily injured.

 137 Chapter 11

    I often heard muffled references to Ceres and glances were directed her way by members of both teams. They contained admiration, respect and surprise ¨C all positive emotions.

    Judging by the changes in her Feral form, something significant must have happened to her. And that community sleep spell was quite shocking. Unable to repress my curiosity, I leant down and whispered into her ear, "What happened to you?"

    She flicked her ear and leaned her ear away from my mouth with a huff. "Don''t do that," she said, "it tickles."

    Increasing the distance between us and the others slightly, she said, "Husband, put up a privacy barrier, would you."

    I frowned slightly. It seemed like something serious had happened. Although my magic was greatly suppressed here, there was enough wind and shadow mana in the environment to cast a dual layered privacy barrier. Shadow mana was specially sufficient ¨C we were in a dark tunnel after all. After I was done, I asked her, "Are you alright?"

    Ceres nodded in reply. "Worry not, husband, I''m not in any immediate danger. In fact, as you can see, I''m in a much better state than when I came in. Look, I''m nearly at the peak of Tier 2." she said, directing my attention to the semi-solid mana phantom of her fourth tail.

    Kitsune realms were notoriously easy to predict by simple observation of the number of their tails. Every Tier, they gained them tails. Two tails when they broke through to Tier 2, four at the initial stage of Tier 3 and so on until they gained eight tails when they reached Tier 5. The final tail was the hardest to gain and it was rumoured that only a Kitsune Demigod could take the form of a nine-tailed fox. The Duchess, despite her huge impact on the world was only at the early stage of Tier 4 going by her six tails. It was a wonder that she could fight mother, a peak Tier 4, to a standstill at the site of the Mortem''s Duel. She had probably mastered more than one Aspect.

    Recognizing my concern, Ceres quickly launched into her explanation, "From the moment I entered the Dungeon, I felt really comfortable. After some time, I noticed that my cultivation was rising on its own at a very high speed. The more I approached the core, the greater the effect on me. It got to a point where my mindscape was getting dangerously stressed. So, I reverted to my Feral form to burn some mana and reduce the pressure on me. That worked for a bit but soon, that too stopped being enough. So, I took to spamming my spells constantly to drain my mana and keep from exploding. That had the additional effect of strengthening my mindscape."

    "How?" I asked.

    She replied, "It is part of our cultivation. As a Hominum, your mindscape -when you had it ¨C was different from a Bestia''s and depending on the cultivation of your wives, it could change its capacity and strength. But for us, we need to strengthen our mindscape in order to stand the pressure of the denser mana that comes with increased cultivation. The best way to do it is through tempering it by casting spells. You must have noticed that people progress extremely fast after they cast a spell outside their Tier forcibly¡­ It is because if they succeed without any permanent injuries, their mindscape gets strengthened a lot."

    "So," I mused, "your constant casting of your spell both strengthened your mindscape and allowed you to burn mana at a high rate to counterbalance whatever forces had jacked up your mana regeneration rate."

    "Yes."

    "But what is the reason for it?" I thought aloud. Ceres shook her head. "I have no idea but I believe that it has some relation to the strangeness of this Dungeon and the schemes of the enemy. I was hoping you would be able to tell what was going on with your mana senses."

    "I''ll try," I said, "But, before that, let me get off. My leg has recovered. I can walk on my own." Given my strengthened body and resilience, it was a testimony to the virulence of the venom that even after it was withdrawn, it took me nearly two quarters to recover.

    Ceres turned her head to look at me sitting on her back. "Husband, here your magic is suppressed while mine is amplified. Stay there. Let me protect you," she said earnestly.

    "Makes sense," I agreed with a shrug before closing my eyes and tapping into my mana senses. Ceres made for a great ride anyway, her back was so comfortable and her fur was soft. If she didn''t want me to get off, I wasn''t protesting.

    As I shut off my sight, the flows of mana became clear in my mind. Immediately, the cause of Ceres rapid advancement became evident. "Your mana signature is extremely similar to the ambient mana of the Dungeon. Just as a Tier 3 mage emits their mana into their surroundings to form their Domain, your mindscape is treating the ambient mana as your Domain and working in reverse. It is trying to recall ''your'' Domain and that''s what is causing the abnormal flux in your mana." I informed Ceres after repeatedly confirming it.

    "Oh," she said in a worried tone, "if this goes on, I won''t be able to step into the core room. The mana density there will be too high. It will outpace my spending and crack my mindscape."

    Thinking for a bit, I took out the mind crystal locket from my pocket and hung it over her neck, clasping it in place. "Here, I think this will help."

 138 Chapter 12

    The deeper we went, the worse the heat was until it got to the point where every breath scorched our lungs and our sweat evaporated the moment it seeped out of our pores. Finally, the fire mages in our team had to use their Domains to protect us. I chipped in to help as well.

    Ceres filled me on how their team had managed to find us in such a timely manner. When the Tier 4 ant had started calling for reinforcements, its cries had been taken up by any ant within earshot and like a relay, it had quickly spread outwards through the tunnels of the labyrinth. The soldier ants who had been patrolling the Dungeon through their designated tunnels dropped whatever they were doing and rushed to the origin of the call. This was the quick response mechanism of the ants.

    As Ceres'' team was in the soldier ants'' tunnels, they too picked up on the call and noticed the mass migration of the ants towards it. Correctly guessing that it might be because of us attacking the hatcheries, they followed behind the soldiers, hidden from them by Ceres'' smoke until they came upon the scene in the Queen''s chamber. And I had personally experienced what had happened after that.

    If Ceres'' hadn''t been affected by the Dungeon and obtained nearly infinite mana within it, her team would have been much slower to move down their path. They wouldn''t be close enough to rescue us in that case. Let alone, they probably wouldn''t have the means to save us even if they did manage to reach us in time.

    I noticed that Ceres was having a hard time adjusting to the mana density as we were moving towards the core. Even with the mind crystal locket providing a drain port for her excess mana, she was finding it increasingly harder to take a step forward. This resulted in us falling further back from the team.

    Noticing our situation, Marshal Canis called a halt and walked up to us with Lieutenant Corvus by her side. "What seems ta be the problem?" she asked.

    Suppressing a twinge of reluctance, I slid off Ceres back and replied while keeping the fingers of one hand twined in the fur of her neck. "She told you about how her cultivation was increasing, right?" When Marshal Canis nodded, I explained, "It is a reaction of her mindscape to the mana of the Dungeon. She is finding it hard to proceed further."

    "Well?" queried Marshal Canis.

    "She is on the verge of a breakthrough to Tier 3. Before she completes it, she won''t be able to increase the capacity of her mindscape. In other words, she won''t be able to proceed any further without the risk of her mindscape cracking." he replied.

    "Then what are we supposed to do?" I asked, worried.

    He shrugged. "Nothing for it, we''ll have to assist her in her breakthrough. Her presence is key for the success of our mission after all." Marshal Canis nodded and said, "I''ll call the fire mages. They''ll be able to help much more than us. We are ahead of schedule anyway due to Captain Ceres'' contribution. We can spare some time to help her advance. Coming here was apparently a spell of good fortune for her. Helping her grasp it well is the least we can do to reward her for her services."

    "Thanks." said Ceres, moved.

    Lieutenant Corvus shook his head and said seriously, "If you didn''t appeared when you did, I was planning to cast a last resort spell to try and get the rest of our team into the tunnel. It was highly unlikely for me to survive the experience. Let alone, I can''t be sure that they wouldn''t have died anyway. Everyone on my team owes you a life. So, don''t thank us."

    Adeline, the fire mage from our team who had been called up along with her fellow fire mage from the other team by Marshal Canis smiled at Ceres.

    "Yeah. Leave it to us. We''ll make sure that you promote without a hitch. And if we ever get out of this hellhole and make it back home, you can count on me to have your back." she said with a grin.

    I felt proud of my wife. She had shattered the barriers of their prejudice and won their hearts with her actions. Like she had mine. Patting her back in encouragement, I left her in the care of the two fire mages and gave them some space to work.

    The rest of our team had made themselves home on the ground as they rested their bodies weary from battle and meditated to regenerate their mana. Noticing Azure and Teal sitting to one side speaking to each other, I started to make my way towards them. I needed to thank them for having my back during the fight with the ants but Marshal Canis stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

 139 Chapter 13

    The magma was a churning mix of incandescent oranges, reds and yellows. But curiously, the flames that overspread them were the same smoky, pale blue as that of the mutated ants. Billowing white smoke, tinted purple by the combined glow of the magma and the flames, curled upwards, obscuring her sight of the base of the chamber where the elemental was most likely located. The chamber itself was pear shaped, the top opening up into the vent through which the volcano erupted. The aperture Xing had created opened up near the top of the chamber, close to the volcanic vent.

    Using her Hellfire to protect herself and her squad from the scorching waves of heat emanating from the molten rock, Hei Lian tried to locate any possible points of entry the other two squads might have used.

    The walls of the chamber were made up of black basalt with several areas where the stone had been crystallized by the heat and pressure into glittering swathes of obsidian. The continuous wash of high-density mana had converted some of the rock into fire stones and over time, fire stones had turned into Inflammation Crystals. Veins of the glowing red mineral were embedded into the walls, making the entire chamber seem like a gigantic heart.

    The volcano had stopped rumbling in the time Xing had been excavating his way through the rock, indicating that the eruption was at an end. The ants would soon return to their nest. Time was running out.

    "Li," she summoned.

    "Yes, Lord." the only other fire mage in her squad replied respectfully.

    "Come up and help me detect any symbol the others might have left for us."

    Wordlessly, the man with messy dark curls stepped up, stopping one step behind her at the opening. She felt him send out pings of his mana hoping to pick up something ordered, and therefore artificial, from the chaotic mix of smoke and fire that was the core of the Dungeon. Hei Lian too spread her senses, trying to use her mana to cut through the dense fog of the elemental''s mana.

    Nothing. After nearly fifteen minutes of trials, she had to accept that the mana permeating the chamber was too dense. There was nothing she could sense through it.

    The stoic man simply nodded his assent. "Good," she said, "we will meet up with them there if they are on schedule and have already arrived. If not, we''ll wait as long as we can before declaring this mission a failure and evacuating. There''s nothing we can do to an elemental by ourselves ¨C even one weakened after an eruption." Seeing that no objections were raised, not that she expected one, she along with Li stepped back to let the earth mage work his magic.

    Xing laid his palms on the rock, pumping his golden mana into it and making it his own. The hard stone, softened by his mana into putty, bent to his will, morphing into a jutting platform large enough to hold all the members of the squad ¨C if they squeezed together a bit.

    When everyone had crowded onto the platform around him, with another effort of his will, he sent the outcropping of rock sliding down the wall of the chamber, leaving a rectangular furrow in the rock as they descended. The sound of stone grinding against stone was muffled by Hei Lian''s domain, as were the ever-intensifying waves of heat that assaulted them as they neared the magma lake at the base of the chamber.

    Due to the shape of the chamber, the smoke obscured their lines of sight when they were moving down the narrow, top half. The magma lake came fully into view when the platform moved below the half-way mark and the walls began to bulge outwards, keeping the smoke away from them.

    "There!" remarked Fung, pointing towards a spot at the edge of the chamber on the bank of the lake.

    Narrowing her eyes, Hei Lian could make out the hazy forms of three large boulders of equal size placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle through the large amount of smoke that wreathed the area. Clearly a signal from one of the other teams, although, the members themselves were nowhere in sight.

    At her instruction, Xing guided the platform, setting it on a diagonal course towards the artificial rock formation. Stopping a short distance from it, all of them jumped off and the exhausted earth mage let the construct collapse, sitting down on one of the pieces to regain his breath. After he had recovered sufficiently for movement, "Wrap us in your shadows," Hei Lian ordered Steven. The boy was uncharacteristically silent as he obeyed her directive and soon, a thin layer of shade covered them all, diminishing their presence. Bolstering the community stealth spell with her own Domain, Hei Lian led her squad on a straight route to the rock formation.

    From what she knew of elementals, their five senses were dull while their mana sensitivity was quite strong. She was confident in her Hellfire''s ability to block mana scrying ¨C especially if the technique used fire mana. Having sacrificed the ability to comprehend the Dao of Darkness in favour of the Dao of Flames, she had to rely on Steven to increase their degree of stealth. Something unneeded to fool the worker ants she had come across on her route till now¡­ Yet faced with the possibility of detection by the elemental, she was unwilling to take risks. Shooting a wary glance at the centre of the lake where the blue flames burnt the strongest and the smoke was thickest, she sped up her steps.

    When they were just a few paces from the rock formation, the smoke around it parted slightly, revealing the form of Marshal Canis. "It''s good that you made it," she said with a smile, running her eyes over the members of Hei Lian''s squad, checking for injuries or missing personnel and finding none, "In one piece, no less."

    The smoke parted further behind her, revealing the forms of the other volunteers of the Expedition arrayed within. Hei Lian''s eyes widened when they met the gaze of a huge, russet-red fox, lying at the centre of the smoke, with four beige-tipped tails swinging behind it in a lazy counterpoint.

 140 Chapter 14

    The more I observed the magma chamber, the more I got the impression that it resembled a heart. I could feel the fire mana in the atmosphere swirling around in a vortex, converging on the elemental, being absorbed by it and then expelled in a much purer form than before. I had read about this before, the ability of an elemental to convert all other strains of mana into its own element. The records were unsubstantiated and fuzzy. I had classified the information as suspect in my mind, not to be trusted without confirmation. Well, now I could see the process taking place right in front of my eyes.

    Fascinating as the elemental was, we had to think up a plan with reasonable odds of success to locate and destroy whatever arrangement the Duchess'' mother had set up. Of course, the best-case scenario would be if the elemental did not notice us at all as we went about our task. It hadn''t up till now, but if we were correct in our assumption that the woman had tampered with the elemental itself, we couldn''t count on this state of affairs continuing.

    "I propose that we split up into two teams ¨C a velocity profile team and a destruction focused one. The runners can bait the big lump over there and lead it on a merry chase around the chamber while the gunners take a peek at what it''s got hoarded in its nest. If it''s what we are looking for¡­ bam!" suggested Adeline enthusiastically. The short-haired fire mage had recovered her energy during the short break we had for Ceres to adjust to her new Tier. The side effects of the potions she had used during the fight had worn off too and along with her strength, she had recovered her energetic personality.

    A stereotypical fire mage through and through, she preferred the direct approach.

    Marshal Canis sighed again. "We have too little information to base our decisions upon. We keep calling it by vague terms like ''arrangement'' but we have no idea what it actually is or whether it needs to be kept by the elemental in its nest. For all we know, the elemental might be fused with it and we are sending your so-called gunners on a futile mission and endangering the runners for no good reason."

    Lieutenant Corvus placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "You are getting too hung up about the details. Lacking info, every workable plan has the same odds of success as another. All we need to do is take action before the time runs out."

    "But¡­"

    Clapping his hands, he announced, "Fine, listen up people. We''ll go with Adeline''s suggestion. It''s as good as any we''ve been obsessing over for last few minutes. Now, who wants to be a runner and who is up for the gunner role?"

    All the wind mages were automatically designated as runners. Marshal Canis, Steven and another shadow mage from Firang joined the group too due to their inherent superiority in dodging with Shadow Walk. Azure was quite reluctant to separate with Teal, whose water magic, as the antithesis of fire, was important for the gunners. Ceres and I were separated as well. One of us had to be the bait to lure the elemental with our ability to control incense flame. The other would be required for the destruction of whatever arrangement was present. I decided to join the runners due to my current weakened state while Ceres, with her bloodline and near infinite mana pool within the Dungeon, was more suited to deal with the enemy''s arrangement. Whatever wards the arrangement had might even be keyed to the kitsune bloodline.

    Hei Lian suggested that we assign all the earth and fire mages to team gunner to deal with the logistical difficulty of crossing the pool of magma to reach its centre where the elemental rested and it was approved.

    Ceres wanted to lend mother''s Doppelganger to us to increase our survivability with the addition of a Tier 4 Healer but no matter how she tried, she couldn''t get it to exit her body, let alone listen to her. In the end, we had to give up, resolving to look into its disobedience and unnerving sentience at a later date. Inwardly, I was a bit relieved that Ceres would have more insurance for her life. I hoped that the Doppelganger, tied to Ceres as it was, wouldn''t just look on if Ceres was in danger. After all, there was a high chance that the elemental might lose interest in us half-way through and return to its nest and attack the gunners.

    If that happened, they would be trapped in the centre of a magma lake with an angry elemental bearing down upon them. Between deliberately provoking an elemental to give chase and that, I couldn''t decide which role was the riskier one.

    We didn''t waste time and immediately went to work. Under the cover of Marshal Canis'' Domain, we were able to reach the edge of the magma lake undetected. Waves of heat crashed against us, making us feel dizzy and breathless from the strong stench of brimstone combined with the scorching temperatures.

    Marshal Canis barked out her orders, "Azure, you form a team with me and Lieutenant Mars. Fung, right? You pair up with Steven. Keira, you stay with Ennis. Wind mages, you are in charge of protecting the shadow mages from the heat and accelerating their movements with Haste. Shadow mages, conceal your small team when the elemental comes too close and another small team will attack and distract the elemental." She patted me on the back. "Mars here can taunt the elemental and draw its aggression, or curiosity... whatever, most easily. We''ll distract it if any team gets into a tight spot. Shadow mages, use Shadow Walk sparingly, this is a battle of attrition. One we won''t ever win. We are just protracting the time so that the gunners have more time to search the nest."

 141 Chapter 15

    It was understandable when one thought about it. The elemental was like a noob that had never exercised in its entire life suddenly deciding to do a hundred push ups continuously. Of course, it had failed half way through and now, it was dead tired and its cramping muscles were giving it hell. What would such a person do if a bunch of mosquitoes started buzzing around it? Nothing, that''s what.

    To really get it chasing us like we wanted, us "mosquitoes" would have to actually bite it. And I happened to be the stinger.

    Closing my eyes, I expanded my mana senses to the vortex of fire mana permeating the chamber. I was familiar with vortices. After all, I had spent most of my childhood practising underwater, trying to control the flows of the water into a coherent vortex while I was training in my Thunderclap Samsara Palms. I knew how to make vortices¡­ I knew how to break them.

    The elemental was extremely tired, yet it was spending so much mental effort to run the mana vortex, it was safe to assume that it was extremely important for its recovery. Thus, disturbing it was sure to garner its hatred.

    Opening my eyes, "Spread out and go into stealth," I warned before reaching out for the swirling fire mana¡­ and PULLED.

    Fire mana is naturally unruly and prefers to stay in a chaotic form. Ordering it into a vortex requires a lot of precision and effort. What I was doing was like putting a spanner in the works. Immediately, the vortex became turbulent.

    The effects were palpable. There was a deep rumbling from the centre of the lake and the entire surface of the bubbling and churning pool of liquid rock smoothened out as if something had pressed down on it and flattened it out. My tenuous link to the fire mana snapped as a force much stronger seized it and forcibly set it moving in a predetermined path.

    I staggered back from the mental backlash until Azure steadied me with his hands on my shoulder. So, that could still happen. After I had lost my mindscape, I thought that I was immune to any sort of backlash but it seemed that a lost battle for dominance over the same bit of mana could still hurt me.

    "Are you alright?" asked Marshal Canis.

    Wiping away the blood that had leaked from my nose with the back of my hand, I replied, "Fine."

    The shockwave of sound created ripples on the still surface of the magma before it slammed into us. The multi-layered shield of vacuum and compressed air that Azure had speedily set up barely held on, protecting us from the fate of burst eardrums and a massive concussion. Only the gigantic head of the elemental had risen out of the lake and it was looking at us with baleful eyes.

    Its head was shaped like a fox. A fox made of pure blue flames. Its eyes smouldered with a raging white fire and when it opened its mouth to roar, I got a glimpse of its throat that burnt with the same incandescent white flames. The dense white smoke that had covered it had been blown away by its roar and was slowly drifting back.

    When its eyes locked on to us, I felt a primal fear seep deep into my bones. Forcibly suppressing the terror, I forced out the words, "Watch out!" as I felt the mana condense around the elemental''s maw.

    The flames within its gullet flared up and a white-hot jet of flames shot out of its mouth directed at us. The flames rapidly enlarged in our vision, before shadows burst out of Marshal Canis, wrapped us in them and then collapsed in on themselves, teleporting us out of the path of the flames.

    Shadow Walk.

    We reappeared from the shadows of a large boulder, wrapped in the Marshal''s Domain and concealed by her Stealth spell. My eyes widened when I saw the damage created by a casual spell of the elemental. The jet of fire had first touched the magma lake, drawing a slowly healing furrow in it before moving forwards along with the angle of the elemental''s mouth, melting the hard, volcanic rocks of the bank of the lake into lava before it had finally hit the wall of the chamber and punched a glowing hole in it.

    I heard Azure cursing under his breath: "Fuck fuck fuck fuckity fuck."

    My thoughts were the same.

    Thankfully, the part about the elemental having poor senses was true and it couldn''t see through the shadow stealth all three teams had cast. Thinking that it had vaporized the annoying bugs, it huffed in a satisfied manner and began to sink into the magma again.

    Clenching my fists to prevent them from shaking and gulping my nervousness down into the pit of my stomach, I reached out and disturbed the mana vortex again while Marshal Canis dropped our stealth.

    The elemental froze. Then slowly, mechanically, it turned its head towards us in eerie silence. Then with a loud roar, it shot out of the magma, this time revealing its entire upper body. It was a slender, androgynous form with the arms and torso of a human but the head of a fox, all made out of solidified blue flames. The red magma showered off its body as it rose up from the lake and towered over it. Just its upper half was over ten metres tall. It was a colossus.

    It raised both of its hands out of the magma, making a fist. Molten rock showered down from its hands as the elemental raised them above its head. Because of its size, the movement looked slow but it was blazingly fast. Ripples proliferated on the magma, as it brought them slamming down onto the surface of the lake. The ripples grew into a gigantic wave of molten rock that bore down upon us.

 142 Chapter 16

    "No," I interrupted her, my voice falling into the cold, emotionless monotone of the Void. "That will waste too much of your mana. We won''t be able to fulfil our mission. Azure. Let loose your control over your Domain." Over the six months I had been preparing for the Swayamvar, I had turned Oneness into an instinct. As always, the stressful situation was a good motivator and I had found falling into the Void easier than usual. Once my mind was clear of the clutter of emotions, I managed to look at the circumstances from a logical perspective.

    My ability was to control mana in my environment. Why did that have to be natural mana? Why couldn''t be the mana emitted by a mage to form their Domain? My recent tussle for control over the fire mana with the elemental had been just that. Then, if the mage in question was willing, wouldn''t I be able to use their mana as if it were my own?

    Azure''s mastery of the Aspect of Wind was well below my own, barely at the stage of adeptness as he had focused on offense and trained his Aspect of Sharpness instead. If I could use his mana, I could accelerate us much better than he could.

    "What?!" he exclaimed. "Just do it!" I snapped coldly. "Trust me."

    Marshal Canis didn''t bother questioning me and resolutely started condensing mana for a long-range Shadow Walk. I knew it would be difficult for them to believe me but it irritated me nonetheless, almost making me drop out of the Void mindset. "Just. Do. It." I gritted out.

    "Damn it! Damn it all, Felidae. If we die, I''ll haunt your ghost in Hell!" cursed Azure before relinquishing his control over his Domain. Even when I had a mindscape, I had the ability to alter my mana frequency. Not to mention now. A thought and the Domain was mine.

    The three of us lost the final fetters that bound us to the ground and shot upwards into the air and the wave of magma passed below us, the billowing waves of heated air simply pushing us higher.

    "Canis! Stealth!" I commanded and the dazed Marshal snapped out of her shock, hastily using her prepared mana to cloak us instead.

    To the elemental it must have appeared that we had been embezzled by the wave because it snorted a few times, sending plumes of smoke from its snout before starting to sink down into the lake again, satisfied.

    I was having none of that. We needed to get it away from the centre of the lake. We needed it to chase us. For that, we needed to thoroughly offend it.

    Aspect of Wind, Aspect of Amplification.

    Tier 1 personal magic: Vacuum Shots.

    A transparent bubble formed on my fingertip, shooting out at a blistering speed with a thought. It slammed into the weak point of the vortex and collapsed with a ''pop''.

    Just like how the streams of water in the pool collapsed in upon me whenever I made a mistake during my training, the entire mana vortex imploded and slammed into the unsuspecting elemental.

    For the first time in our exchange, we had managed to actually hurt it. The scream that emanated from it was filled with killing intent and it shook the entire cavern, the volcano rumbling in tandem with its fury.

    Turning to us with blazing eyes, the flames on its body burnt hotter and brighter as it waded through the pool of magma as it moved towards us, sending ripples flowing outwards on the surface of the molten rock. As it neared the bank, more and more of its body was revealed until halfway to us, eight flaming tails rose out of the lake, the magma cascading off them in glowing red streams.

    The Duchess'' mother really had modified the elemental thoroughly. Its slender torso gave way to fox legs that were altered to allow it to walk upright. The eight tails behind it waved without any discernible rhythm, helping it balance its gait. Its arms were long, reaching its knees and ending in claws. Its head was that of a fox. Its entire form was made up of brilliant blue flames with the exception of its eyes and the insides of its throat that burnt white.

    Without warning, its tails shot out like lightning. They were like flaming lances poised to impale us and then immolate us.

    In my state of the Void, unencumbered by emotion or distracting thoughts, my laser focus allowed me to manoeuvre the three of us in the air, dodging the tails while retreating backwards at the same time to bait the creature out further.

    Its tails shot out faster and faster until it seemed like I had to navigate a forest of burning spears. Whenever the tails missed us and touched the ground, they would shatter rocks and leave potholes that glowed a dull red from the heat. One touch of the tails and we would die.

    Using my senses to locate the positions of the other two teams, I used sound transmission to order them. "Keira and Ennis, shift to the right and maintain Stealth. Steven, move to the left of the elemental and drop your stealth. Fung, shoot an Air Bullet at it. Canis, Shadow Walk out of the range of its tails and then Stealth us."

    I don''t know why¡­ maybe because I had managed to hurt the thing¡­ they all followed my orders without question.

    Just as the barrage of tails grew too much for me to dodge, Marshal Canis teleported us away from their range. Simultaneously, an air bullet hit the elemental on its face from the left side. It stopped its attacks and turned around in confusion. Seeing Steven and Fung, it roared angrily and sent four tails swiping at them.

    As mentioned before, the elemental didn''t really have much in the way of visual acuity. It saw us as blobs of black and white. What it did sense was the mana signatures. As all our teams were composed of a shadow and a wind mage, it mistook one for the other. To it, it must have appeared as though we had teleported to its left, avoided its attack and in turn, attacked it.

    Steven''s shadows engulfed the two of them as they avoided the swiping tails that left a huge glowing furrow on the ground. They reappeared several metres backwards from the shadow cast by a rock then Fung shouldered Steven and started running away at the maximum speed.

    Roaring angrily, the elemental moved towards them, coming further out of the lake in the process.

    Taking a deep breath, it spewed out a wave of white-hot flames at the two of them, forcing them to Shadow Walk to safety yet again.

    Giving them the command to go into Stealth, I ordered Keira and Ennis to take up the role of the bait and soon we had started to get into a rhythm in which we managed to lead the creature around by its nose by rotating between the teams. With my ability to fly and my mana senses, I was able to get a good grasp of our terrain and conduct the battle. Marshal Canis coordinated with me, providing advice when needed. Azure allowed me to use his Domain.

 143 Chapters 1, 2 and 3

    Her Domain wavered before she lost control of it, the entirety of her mana slipping out of her grasp and flooding away from her like water out of a broken dam. That was the danger of an improperly cast Domain. Even the most mana intensive of Tier 2 magics rarely utilized more than half the mana in a mage''s mindscape. The Domain on the other hand, used all of it. If one''s grasp over mana wasn''t strong enough, then they stood to lose control of their Domain after they had cast it, causing it to dissipate and leaving them devoid of magic.

    As it was her first time trying it out, Ceres'' failure was expected. Under ordinary circumstances, that would mean that she would now be useless for battle until her mana regenerated, but in this case, it was actually helpful.

    Her problem was an excess of mana, being able to dump the contents of her mindscape to make way for the new mana was an advantage.

    But it wasn''t a true solution. She needed to offset the excessive regeneration and maintain her battle-readiness simultaneously ¨C not one or the other. For that, she needed to successfully cast her Domain and block out the intrusive ambient mana.

    Once, twice, three times¡­ she failed an entire six times before finally managing to cast her Domain successfully. Focusing on controlling such a large volume of mana and keeping it from escaping was difficult, to say the least, and she had a throbbing headache to show for her efforts. For each step she took towards the centre of the magma lake, the mana density increased and pressed against her Domain, each of her steps more strenuous than the last.

    To make matters worse, Ceres was finding it tough to concentrate. Mars constantly evading danger by the skin of his teeth wasn''t helping.

    The elemental was extremely swift and violent in its attacks. Each of its tails was a fiery whip of death. One touch from them would result in severe injury at the very least. And even its casual spells were enough to punch through the defences of the runners as though they were made of paper.

    Ceres couldn''t help but worry for Mars'' safety even as she struggled against the increasing mana density.

    ''Why do you resist, girl? Were you not instructed on what to do?''

    Ceres'' ears pricked up and she snapped her head from side to side to find who was talking to her. There was no one there except the members of her team, Lieutenant Corvus sweating profusely as he resisted the increasing pressure of the mana, counterbalancing it with his Domain. The voice she had heard was clearly feminine and it didn''t sound like either Teal or Hei Lian. It sounded ¨C aged.

    The voice in her mind didn''t reply for a short while before saying, ''Why pretend otherwise, child? You carry the blood of the kitsune as well as a shard of my mind hanging on your neck. You must have been sent by my daughter to be my vessel¡­ Cease this senseless struggle against your fate. Let loose your defences. NOW!''

    The final word was like a hammer crashing against her skull, sending Ceres reeling and making her nearly lose control over her Domain. Now there was no doubt as to who she was talking to. The perpetrator of the Calamity had finally revealed herself. Even as she wrestled with her mana to bring it back under her control, she couldn''t help the feelings of shock that upwelled from the depths of her mind. The Duchess'' mother was still alive?! How?!

    Not only was she alive, she had expressed her intention to use her as some sort of ''vessel'' and Ceres had a feeling that it was exactly what it sounded like.

    Ceres tried to warn the others about the old witch, but as soon as she opened her mouth, another spike of pain slammed into her mind and only a pained gasp escaped her. This time, she lost control of her mana. Her Domain dissipated and she collapsed on the ground.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Teal, noticing her poor state.

    "En-e-my¡­" She managed to choke out through the constant barrage of mental attacks that spiked into her mind.

    The Duchess'' mother''s voice resounded in her mind, much louder now that her Domain was gone. ''It seems like that daughter of mine isn''t as meticulous as I had hoped. First, she sends me a Tier 2 weakling and I have to fatten you up to reach the minimum standard for my possession, wasting my scarce resources. And now, I find that she hasn''t even imposed a Geas on you with my mind crystal¡­ Such incompetence.'' Her words trailed away into a mutter, ''It seems I''ll have to educate her again when I get back¡­''

    Then she focused back on Ceres. ''As for you, little one¡­ do not resist. It will only hurt more if you do.''

    Then, Ceres'' world was taken over by pain.

    The mana she had believed to be her own turned on her and suffused her body. In her Feral form, she possessed the body of a Beast and like all Tier 3 Beasts, every inch of her flesh was capable of holding mana, endowing her with great strength and resilience. But now, that mana-attuned flesh became her purgatory as the Witch took control of the magic within it and utterly paralyzed her.

    "Ceres. Ceres! What happened! Talk to us!"

    Teal''s anxious voice seemed so far away, the touch of her hand on her fur so dull, as the Witch''s mana swiftly encroached upon her senses, driving Ceres into the prison of her own mind. Touch, hearing, smell, they all were robbed from her one after the other. The last to go was her sight and then, she was floating in endless darkness, insensate.

    She realized now ¨C too late, much too late ¨C that the moment she had entered the Dungeon she had fallen into the Witch''s trap; a helpless fly trapped within her spiderweb. The more she had struggled, the more the threads had entangled her.

    The warm feelings she had about the Dungeon; her happiness at her promotion to Tier 3¡­ it was all a lie. A falsehood crafted to put her at ease until the spider was ready to draw in the net.

    ''No. I don''t want to die¡­ not now, when I just started living.''

    ***

    Ceres was lost in the darkness. She couldn''t see, smell, hear or feel. Time and space held no meaning for her there in the prison of her mind but she knew that every moment she spent there was a moment the Witch had to take over her body.

    Myriad thoughts collided in her mind and the confluence of numerous streams of information painted a picture of the Witch''s plans. The woman had always meant to return. She had sent off a portion of her mind crystal with her husband. A portion that had found its way back into the Dungeon.

    The Duchess had gone to great lengths to bring Ceres to Regiis. Why did she need a kitsune specifically? She was married to Edward Vulpine. Although rare, it wasn''t unheard of for the father''s bloodline to dominate over the mother''s. Any Vulpine girl could have been passed off as her daughter.

    Now she had the answer.

    Ceres finally understood her purpose. She was always meant to be the sacrificial victim ¨C the vessel the Witch would inhabit upon her rebirth.

    But it seemed that the Duchess wasn''t as filial as the Witch had hoped. Instead of using the Witch''s mind crystal shard as the locus for the Geas, she had used a shadow mage''s mind crystal to bind Ceres and involved her in convoluted plans to support Mars onto the throne.

    Now that she had more context, Ceres realized that if the Witch had inhabited her body with the Geas still in her ¨C a very likely outcome as the shadow crystal was nearly impossible to sense ¨C then she would have fallen under the Duchess'' control.

    It was typical behaviour from the vile woman. Even her own mother was just a piece upon the chessboard of her ambitions.

    Ceres'' impulsive action had really messed up the Duchess'' scheme. Not only had she lost a shot at influencing the throne and had her plans forcefully preponed, she had also lost the chance to control a Tier 5 mage ¨C albeit one that had dropped a level or two from the reactivation. Given that the Geas would fail for a Tier 5 anyway, the lost levels were actually a bonus.

    The Duchess had probably given up on her mother reactivating when Ceres had broken free. Yet, cruel fate had brought Ceres right into the Dungeon. She even had the Witch''s mind crystal dangling from her neck.

    To think that she had once felt self-satisfied for outwitting the Duchess and using her gift against her to foil her plans.

    Desperate, she screamed her thoughts out into the void hoping against hope for some miracle to shatter the dark. The phantom sound echoed within her mindscape for a brief moment before being swallowed up by the darkness.

    Nothing changed.

    The chill of hopelessness crept into her psyche, freezing her thoughts, whispering discouraging words into her mind. Then, just as she was on the verge of collapse, two lights shattered the darkness and brought back hope.

    One was a smoky purple sigil, the proof of her bond to Mars. The other was a petite cat made of solid light.

    Ceres latched onto them like a drowning sailor would a plank adrift at sea. Connecting her mind to the contract marking, she opened the channel wide.

    Mana was sucked out of her like smoke through an opened window and she could slowly feel her sensation returning to her as the Witch''s hold over her weakened. Mars had no mindscape. But taken another way, the entire world was his mindscape. No matter how much mana the witch had, it wasn''t enough to flood the world.

    With an enraged hiss, pale blue fire burned throughout her mindscape, dispelling the last of the darkness and out of the flames rose a perfect duplicate of the elemental that was raging outside. As the Witch had influenced the elemental, the elemental too had influenced her. Her image of herself had changed to mirror the monster she had merged with.

    Swinging her eight fiery tails in agitation, she snarled at Ceres, ''What are you doing, girl?! Did I not tell you to cease your futile resistance! Now stop thi-''

    The rest of what she had to say went unheard as with a feral yowl, the Doppelganger slammed into her side, sending her tumbling across Ceres'' mindscape. The cat didn''t give her time to recover, turning into a stream of light and following close behind.

    Mid-tumble, the flaming eight-tailed fox lashed out, her tails forming a fan of flames as it slammed into the approaching cat, batting it away with greater speed than with which it had approached. The Doppelganger slammed into the wall of the mindscape, sending hairline fissures radiating off from its point of impact.

    Ceres, now present in her mindscape as a phantom copy of herself in her Feral form, grunted in pain from the injury.

    Yet, she didn''t falter and continued channelling the Witch''s mana to Mars, as well as keeping up her efforts to revert from her Feral form ¨C an action that would expel the Witch''s mana from her body.

    Now, the Witch had to split her attention between blocking Ceres'' instructions to her own body and fighting the Doppelganger. All the while, she was weakened by the constant drain on her mana. Not to mention, she had to combat the elemental that hadn''t stopped trying to expel her from its core even as it was fighting the runners.

    Still, the danger covering Ceres hadn''t reduced. Having two such powerful entities use her mindscape as a battlefield put her at grave risk. They could shatter her mindscape if they were a bit too enthusiastic with their magic.

    The Doppelganger pushed off from the mindscape wall, the force of the spring causing the fissures to grow deeper and expand further.

    Its entire body shone with a pale brilliance that concentrated into a thigh-thick beam that shot at the Witch. Ceres'' heart leapt to her throat. If the Witch dodged the attack, it would surely perforate her mindscape and she wouldn''t have long to live.

    But, strangely enough, the Witch didn''t dodge. Instead, she wrapped herself into a ball with her tails surrounding her and met the attack head on. The beam was prolonged, pushing her backwards until she was pressed up against the crystalline wall of the mindscape. The force of the beam embedded her form into the wall, causing more fissures to form.

    ''STOP!'' Ceres yelled at the Doppelganger but it ignored her and kept up the attack.

    Right from the frying pan into the fire. The Doppelganger was totally uncontrolled. She had hoped that it would be a boost in her war against the Witch but now, it seemed that it was a greater danger to her than even the woman who wanted to take over her body. After all, the Witch needed her alive if she wanted to possess her body and any injury she had now, was an injury the woman would have to heal from once she had successfully possessed her body.

    From her tenuous connection to the cat, all Ceres could make out was that it was angry that its lair was being invaded by a foreign entity and wanted to drive it off. Being injured by the Witch had clouded its immature mind with anger. It had gone berserk.

    ***

    Ceres felt anger grip her.

    ''Why?''

    She couldn''t remember the last time her body had purely been her own. First it had been the Geas embedded in her heart. Then the Doppelganger had made her heart its nest without even a hint of listening to her orders in return. Now, it was the Witch that wanted her body ¨C all of it.

    Why couldn''t they just leave her body alone!?

    ''Why!?''

    Ceres eyes bloomed with a silver brilliance as she brought the entire power of her mindscape to bear. Fire responded to emotion. Smoke was a variation of fire. And Ceres was sick and TIRED of random beings lording it over in HER mind!

    Aspect of Illusions. Aspect of Sleep.

    Tier 3 Daemonic Domain: Dreamland.

    The walls of her mindscape burnt with a transparent flame, releasing billowing purple smoke into the mental space, as she forcefully regressed her realm in return for an instant restoration of her depleted mana reserves. The smoke submerged both the Witch and the Doppelganger in a relentless tide, covering their lines of sight. With an eerie howl, Ceres focused the entirety of her mana onto the Doppelganger.

    A Domain was the projection of one''s mana into the world. In essence, it was actually the extension of one''s mindscape. Now that the Witch and the Doppelganger had invaded her mindscape, they had in fact placed themselves voluntarily within her Domain.

    Just, until now, Ceres didn''t have any mana of her own to leverage this aspect of the situation. But now with her crazy act, she did.

    The walls of a mindscape are made out of mana one phase denser than that produced by the mage in their current Tier. For example, a Tier 1 or a Tier 2 mage with gaseous mana and mana clouds filling their mindscape respectively would have a liquid mindscape wall. A Tier 3 or a Tier 4 mage on the other hand, with their liquid mana would have a solid crystal mindscape wall. Finally, a Tier 5 mage would have their entire mindscape transform into their mind crystal.

    Out of the two trespassers into her mindscape, the Doppelganger was the easier target. Not only was its Tier one stage lower than the Tier 5 Witch, it''s mana reserve was similar to water without a source.

    Unlike the Witch who could supplement her mana from the core of the volcano, the Doppelganger was stuck with slowly absorbing ambient light mana to replenish whatever mana it lost. But unfortunately for it, there was very little light mana to be found in the dark depths of the Dungeon.

    By igniting her mindscape wall and sublimating the crystal into gaseous phase mana, Ceres had a near endless supply of mana ¨C at least until her mindscape wall was consumed ¨C while the Doppelganger couldn''t restore its mana due to the shackles of the environment.

    Of course, there was a deeper layer of consideration behind her act beyond mere impulsiveness born of emotion. Her recent promotion to Tier 3 had actually been bestowed by the Witch and achieved by her absorption of the mana in the Dungeon. Therefore, the recently formed layers of her mindscape walls were actually composed of the Witch''s mana. Knowing her, the Witch had surely planted some sort of method during her promotion to better take over her body.

    Rather than leave a hidden danger behind, Ceres would rather ignite the mindscape walls ¨C trading her artificially raised realm for peace of mind and an immediate refill of her mana reserves. As the mana that was born of the ignition of her mindscape wall carried her mental mark, it was much safer.

    Ceres'' crazy, nearly suicidal action of igniting her own mindscape and the sudden appearance of all-encompassing smoke filling up her mental world startled the Witch, making her loosen her hold over Ceres'' body for a short moment.

    That instant was enough.

    Ceres finally managed to shift back, the mana-conductive flesh of her feral form being substituted by the impervious flesh of her Bestia form. The Witch''s mana that had been trying to control her body was forced into her mindscape to join the portion of her mana already there, causing the fiery fox in Ceres'' mind to inflate several-fold and break free of her smoky shackles. With an enraged howl, the Witch immediately charged towards Ceres.

    The corners of the lip of Ceres'' projection in her mindscape curved upwards. Too late. She had achieved her goal. The flaming fox was intercepted by a streak of light that sent it tumbling away. When the two forms separated, the situation became clear. The unruly Doppelganger was facing off against the Witch silently, its eyes vacant. Ceres had successfully introduced it into her Dreamland and gained control over it.

    The Witch narrowed her eyes slightly, then smiled slightly and spoke in an appreciative tone, ''You''re ruthless enough.''

    Ceres simply smiled in reply and directed the Doppelganger with her thought. The cat began to give off light, illuminating her entire mindscape, growing transparent in the process before finally dissipating. The light transformed into a watery coating that covered the walls of her mindscape.

    ''Play here slowly¡­'' she said to the Witch before withdrawing from her mind.

    In the real world, her eyes flew open as she regained consciousness. The worried face of Teal, Adeline and the rest of her team mates mapped into her field of view. Just a little beyond them, Hei Lian was looking on with her arms crossed while Lieutenant Corvus still kept his attention focused on the Elemental.

    "Are you alright?" asked Teal.

    "Fine," she replied. Struggling up to her feet, she addressed everyone, "The Witch is still alive. She just tried to take over my body."

    Lieutenant Corvus turned to her, "The Witch? You mean the Traitor''s mother?"

    "Yes. Her will is probably ambushing in the core crystal of the Elemental. She entered my mindscape to try and possess me. I managed to seal her inside with the help of the Doppelganger. We need to hurry to the core before she manages to break out."

    Even as she finished speaking, her face whitened and a trickle of blood ran down her nose as the Witch''s will impacted against her mindscape wall.

 144 Chapter 4

    It was always the tiny four-limbed ones that harmed it. Always.

    First, it was that couple that had dropped by into its cave several years ago. It had trusted them. It had let them stay in its chamber. It had helped them cultivate. And what had they done in return?

    Betrayed it was what.

    Oh, at first, they were very nice and respectful. And they told the most amusing of tales. They brought with them tidings of the outside world. A world the elemental would never be able to experience, bound as it was to the volcano it had converted into its lair.

    The female four-limbs was especially interesting. Her mana was strange. It was fire, yet it was not. It was what appeared when flames didn''t burn hot enough; when they were starved of sustenance, when air was in short supply. She called it ''smoke''.

    The elemental had been young then; just a little over a century and half old. It was also extremely bored.

    Before the four-limbs had come, it had spent a solitary century consolidating its fusion with its lair. In that period, it had slowly gained sentience as the degree of its fusion increased. After that, the Queen of a colony of the six-limbed ones had requested its shelter and offered their allegiance in return. Curious, it had agreed. The next five decades had been spent observing them, watching them build their nest by tunnelling through the rock.

    It had soon tired of the monotony and the regimented nature of the six-limbs'' lives.

    The Queen stayed in her chamber, cultivated and bred the next batch of eggs within her body. When it came to term, she would spawn the batch.

    Rinse, repeat.

    The workers took the eggs, arranged them in the hatcheries and looked after their needs, caring for them till they hatched. The soldiers patrolled the tunnels of the colony and the hatcheries, keeping watch for intruders.

    Every single day.

    Even their patrol routes never changed.

    And the only six-limbs that did something interesting, the foragers, did so out of the range of the elemental''s observation. It could only speculate about the world beyond based on the variety of corpses and fruits they brought back to the nest.

    So, yes, the elemental was bored out of its mind. After all, it had yet to cultivate the patience of its thousand-year-old progenitor. The arrival of the couple had been a breath of fresh air for it.

    So, when the female had offered to teach the elemental how to harness smoke, insinuating that there might be a way for it to travel to other lands if it mastered the power, the elemental had taken the bait.

    That had been its undoing.

    The four-limbs couple were strong. Each of them was at the same level of cultivation as the Queen of the colony. They were powerful enough to have condensed their cores. The female''s crystal gave off a smoky impression to the elemental''s senses while the male was an orthodox fire mage.

    When the female offered to embed her core into it so that the elemental could comprehend the element of smoke, it had been a bit leery of exposing the most essential part of its being ¨C yet, finally, the temptation of being unbound had won out and it had allowed the male access to its core crystal so that he could place the crystal of his wife in contact with it.

    The couple hadn''t lied about helping it learn how to wield smoke. What they hadn''t mentioned was that the female''s crystal would merge irrevocably with its own, forever altering its composition. They hadn''t told it that her consciousness within the crystal would attempt to wipe out its sentience and occupy its core.

    It had been a close thing. If the elemental''s mind had been even a little bit weaker, its mana even a bit less potent, the six-limbs even a slight bit slower to respond to its calls for help and drive away the male who was attacking it to distract it and help his wife gain ground in their battle of wills, then the couple''s nefarious scheme would have succeeded fully. As it were, the elemental had survived the ordeal, the male had been driven away, mortally wounded, and the female''s will had only managed to occupy half of its core.

    No matter how hard the elemental had tried to drive her out, the will had clung on tenaciously and in the end, it had to accept the sad fact that now, it wasn''t alone in its own mind.

    In the following years, the elemental had been in a constant state of war with the will; both of them cultivating at the maximum speed, fighting over the fire mana present in the volcano to expand their portion of the crystal faster than the other in order to gain an advantage in their mental battle.

    But just recently, an opportunity had arrived for the elemental to finally rid itself of the parasite. In a moment of inexplicable madness, the female had used up all of her mana to induce an eruption in the volcano.

    Although that had weakened the elemental too, but its state was much better than hers. Now, all it wanted to do was to absorb fire mana to recover its energy as fast as possible so that it could launch an attack on the debilitated will of the woman.

    But noo¡­ the four-limbs had to obstruct it. AGAIN!

    They had somehow penetrated to its core while the force of six-limbs (which the woman''s will had enthralled at some point in their struggle when it wasn''t paying attention) had been sent out to fight against one of the colonies that inhabited the lair of its progenitor. Then one of the annoying runts had interrupted its mana vortex and even managed to hurt it.

    It could sense that these runts were weak ¨C much weaker than the couple that had come before. But they were extremely mobile and crafty. No matter how hard it tried, it could NOT hit them.

    Rage was bubbling up from within its core. The more it delayed, the more time the female had to recover. If it took too long, it might never have the chance to destroy her will again.

    When things are taken to their extreme, they turn back.

    The flames on its body that had been flaring hotter and hotter in proportion to its rage, the blue fire tinging with white at the tips, suddenly turned transparent and heatless.

    Tier 4 ultimate magic: Cold Rage.

    Dropping down on all fours and sitting back on its haunches, it raised its head. Its eight tails curved upwards, the tips pointing in front of its gaping maw. The air buzzed and warped as a tiny sphere of white formed at the point the tails pointed at. The brilliant orb began to expand as the elemental poured more and more of its reserves into the spell. The solid rock under its feet fissured and caved under the weight of the concentrated mana, forming an ever-expanding crater that began to melt into lava at its centre from the heat. Even space began to twist slightly around the orb.

    The four-limbs, recognizing the threat, tried to disrupt its casting by attacking it furiously. But it simply ignored them, their magic not even able to reach within ten metres of it before being twisted and broken by the field of force generated by its spell.

    Enough was ENOUGH!

 145 Chapter 5

    It wasn''t that we hadn''t expected that to happen ¨C we were walking on a tightrope, after all. For the elemental to leave the centre of the magma lake and remain focused on us, we had to keep it enraged. Yet, we needed to ensure that its level of irritation wasn''t enough for it to simply flip the table and bomb the whole place with its magic.

    We had been trying to gauge its bottom line and try and skirt around it by ''almost getting caught'' several times but it appeared that we had misjudged. We had pushed the creature too far and now it just wanted to wipe us out without any care about the large amount of mana it would have to expend to do so in its weakened state.

    Aspect of Wind, Aspect of Amplification.

    Vacuum bullets.

    Pushing myself to my limits, I kept up a barrage of magic on the elemental to try and disrupt its spell. It didn''t work. The transparent bullets simply dissipated when they came within ten metres of the creature, destroyed by the fluctuations produced by the forming spell. Despite the enforced calm of the Void, I clenched my teeth. We needed more firepower if we wanted to get past that blockade.

    "What do we do now?" I asked Azure and Marshal Canis who were floating beside me, held up by my control over the wind.

    Azure shook his head. "Nothing I can do can breach its defences. My strongest spell is the Blade Edge Hurricane and I can merge all the blades into one large Scythe of Wind. That packs quite a bit more power than your spells but that is it. It isn''t enough to disturb the thing."

    Marshal Canis confessed wryly, "I might ''ave the highest cultivation among ye fellows but that doesn''t count for much when my best Aspect is Darkness. It was meant for hiding, not attacking ¨C definitely not attacking something like that."

    My mind began to race through the possibilities. How can we increase the power of our attacks? There was the obvious solution of substituting quality with quantity ¨C we could have all three runner teams attack the elemental at once. I rejected the idea immediately. Not even Azure''s strongest attack could breach the elemental''s defences, a large number of scattered attacks would do nothing but reveal the exact positions of all three teams. After all, Azure was the most offense focused mage among us.

    Then I thought of what I had done with the artillery squad back in Firang. Could I amplify and synchronize our magic? I probably¡­ could. With how easily I had taken over Azure''s Domain, I was sure that I might be able to pull it off if I tried.

    "Azure, Marshal¡­ I need you to coordinate with me. I think I can break its cast."

    Azure and Marshal Canis exchanged glances. Marshal Canis asked, "How confident are you?"

    I shook my head. "It''ll be my first time trying it. Just like it was my first time trying to take control of someone else''s Domain."

    Before Marshal Canis could reply, Azure admonished me, "The field of battle isn''t a place to experiment. You have three women bound to your life, waiting for your return. You shouldn''t be so reckless!"

    I hesitated, his words caused my mental state of Void to waver, nearly making us drop out of the air. Hastily stabilizing my mind, I ran through our options once again. The only alternative to my plan was for us to escape into the tunnels separately and leave it up to luck as to who the elemental would target with its spell.

    But I was reasonably confident about pulling it off. I didn''t like the idea of leaving things up to luck and letting someone die when I could prevent it.

    Marshal Canis looked me in the eye. "Would you wager all three of our lives on it?"

    I hesitated a bit, then clenched my teeth and nodded.

    "Good, we''ll trust you, but just in case, let the others scatter to reduce the risk."

    Nodding in agreement, I transmitted the instructions to spread out to the other two teams before flying to a position behind the elemental. With my mana senses, I had discovered that most of the elemental''s mana was condensed in its tails. Just like a kitsune, its tails were its greatest strengths as well as its greatest vulnerability.

    "Azure, shoot your Scythe of Wind at the base of its tails. I''ll coordinate with you."

    It was a challenge to both hold on and let go of the control of Azure''s Domain simultaneously. I had to keep us aloft while Azure was using his mana to fuel his spell. It took a bit of fumbling before I managed to strike a balance. Then the winds began to stir, forming a vortex around us as the magic took hold.

    The swirling winds condensed into countless blades that revolved around us faster and faster.

    Tier 2 wind magic: Blade Edge Hurricane.

    But Azure wasn''t done yet. With a spirited shout, his mana flared violently and compressed the blades of wind together. One by one they merged, growing larger and larger until finally, a single large blade revolved rapidly around us.

    Tier 2 personal magic: Scythe of Wind. Azure''s strongest attack.

    But it still wasn''t enough.

    Aspect of Amplification. Aspect of Wind.

    The scythe turned transparent and then violently shot forward towards the elemental, seemingly flickering through the intervening distance to chop down on the base of its tails.

    Tier 2 personal magic: Vacuum Scythe.

    It was the first time I had merged more than two aspects into a single spell and the results spoke for themselves. The scythe cut through two entire tails before dissipating in a blast of wind that blew the severed appendages away from the elemental. When they landed, they blasted apart like bags filled with burning oil, scattering pale blue fire onto the rocky ground, melting it into lava. But the most dramatic consequence was that the orb of destructive energy the elemental had been condensing became destabilized by the loss of its tails, rupturing loudly.

 146 Chapter 6

    The fire mages were reducing the temperature of the magma, cooling it into rock that the earth mages manipulated into the path under their feet. As they made their way to the centre of the lake, the entire chamber vibrated again from the force of the elemental''s tails smashing against the ground.

    The gunner team had waited, concealed, as the runners had baited the elemental out of its lair by shouting and throwing rocks at it. Enraged, the creature had spewed a pillar of white fire at them with a deafening roar. The might of one of its casual spells was scary. Even with her mastery of fire, Hei Lian didn''t have the confidence to take that blow head on. They had dodged the flames and that had forced the irate elemental to approach them in order to deal with them.

    The gunners had wasted no time in capitalizing on the distraction and had discretely began their construction of the bridge. When the elemental had slammed its fist into the magma, sending a wave of molten rock at the runners, the complementary waves had swept towards them, nearly submerging the bridge.

    The Regiis water mage, what was her name again? Right, Teal, as well as the overgrown fox the Felidae brat had for a wife had nearly jumped off the bridge out of concern for their husbands. Should she feel guilty that she wasn''t as anxious about the well-being of hers? Was it the sign of her trust in him? Somehow, she didn''t think so.

    That was when it had happened. Felidae along with Canis and another Regiis wind mage had risen to the air, letting the wave of magma pass beneath them. They had flown. ''How?!''

    She had been curious about him before. The exaggerated accounts she had heard of his magical prowess from the soldiers of the Firang Contingent had lit her competitive spirit. She had wanted to see for herself how much truth was contained in those words. That was why she had ignored the advice of the Regiis earth mage called Luke, letting a Tier 3 ant slip through the ambush. She needed to know the true capabilities of all her team mates to properly make any plans for the mission. That''s how she had justified her actions to herself.

    That success had made a strong impression on her and now he showed that he could fly. Her interest in his strength was getting more and more abundant. ''Let alone,'' Hei Lian shot a glance at the large russet fox that kept stealing looks at the fight between elemental and mage, its four tails lashing agitatedly behind it, ''even his wife was a freak.''

    As the runners kept the creature busy and away from its nest by separating into three teams and kiting it, Hei Lian and her team had already crossed three-fourths of the way to the centre. The battle was growing in intensity as the elemental grew more and more frustrated. The magma lake grew choppy, waves of the burning rock crashing against their makeshift bridge, breaking away chunks of it.

    "Don''t conserve mana. Pick up the pace." Corvus, the raven-winged Lieutenant from Regiis, commanded. And they did, the fire and earth mages pouring their mana without reservation into the bridge. Glowing magma cooled into red-hot stones that, in turn, cooled into flagstones made up of the same dark rock that made up the cavern walls. Under the guidance of the earth mages, the flagstones were made porous and therefore, capable of floating atop the lake.

    Suddenly, Ceres collapsed onto the ground, twitching.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Teal, noticing her poor state.

    "En-e-my¡­" she choked out.

    "Ceres. Ceres! What happened! Talk to us!" Teal exclaimed anxiously.

    A strong draught of scorching wind ruffled Hei Lian''s hair and blew the stench of fire and brimstone into her face, drawing her attention away from the scene. For a moment the entire cavern seemed to still in anticipation before the suffocating mana pressure of an elemental in its home ground came crashing down on them.

    The entire cavern rumbled, shaking loose stone and dust from the ceiling as the elemental gathered potential for its large-scale spell. Shockwaves spread outwards with it as the centre, the fronts of compressed air crashing into the gunner team. Without wind mages to protect them, Lieutenant Corvus had to bear the brunt, diffusing the impacts with his shadows.

    "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath. "Hurry it up! Faster damn it!" he exclaimed, his only remaining hand clenched into a fist and blue veins sticking up on his neck as he clenched his teeth as he stared keenly at the battlefield.

    Hei Lian''s vision sharpened and colours dulled as she morphed only her eyes into that of her wolf form. With her enhanced sight, she could see that the three teams of runners had split and run off in three separate directions. When the elemental would fire its spell, at least one group would meet with misfortune.

    It had been nothing short of miraculous that they had managed to reach the core of the Dungeon without any losses. The appearance of casualties now wasn''t strange in the least. If anything, it was long overdue. Shaking her head, she turned away.

    Whatever the outcome, she hoped it was that pair of mages from Regiis she hadn''t bothered to get the names of that became the fall guys. The other two options would be¡­ inconvenient.

    "What is he doing?!" exclaimed Teal, causing Hei Lian to turn back to the battlefield.

    Her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed the team consisting of Mars, Azure and Marshal Canis positioning themselves behind the elemental instead of running away. She saw them fermenting a large sickle of wind that chopped off two of the elemental''s tails, causing it to lose control of its spell.

 147 Chapter 7

    Closely associated with the light a thunderous crack shocked their ears and gale force winds battered them one after the other.

    The shockwaves created large disturbances in the magma lake giving rise to waves of molten rock that battered against and then submerged the floating stones that made up the bridge they had painstakingly crafted, cutting off their channel of retreat. If not for the joint efforts of the fire and earth mages, even the portion of the bridge they were standing upon would have been submerged by the magma.

    It was only by holding onto the hand and footholds, promptly moulded onto their rocky raft by the earth mages, that they were able to avoid being flung off to their fiery deaths.

    There had been a large explosion in the runners'' battlefield.

    Ceres'' heart leapt to her throat as she stared directly at the dimming brightness and closely monitored her contract marking. As the spell''s glow faded, it revealed a gaping crater in the ground where rock had melted into lava. Pale blue flames overspread the ruddy rock like spiderwebs as they ignited the Inflammation crystals that had been embedded within. The elemental was nowhere in sight.

    She couldn''t believe that they had managed to defeat it on their own. This wasn''t what the records spoke of. Even for such a young elemental, the strength that it displayed was too weak. There must be some reason behind it and all the clues currently pointed at the Witch.

    She didn''t notice Mars'' team anywhere either, but as her marking was still intact, she could feel relieved that he was alive at the very least. Her expression turned grim. The faster she was done with her task, the faster she could go check on him.

    The turbulence of the magma lake slowly settled ¨C the seething waves calming as fast as they appeared ¨C and the chunk of porous rock they were using as their final bastion finally stopped threatening to buck them off.

    Lieutenant Corvus had turned pale from the constant drain on his reserves from the proximity to the elemental''s Domain and the large chunk of mana he had just expended to protect the team from the complementary waves of the elemental''s spell. "We need to hurry," he said, his tone feeble. "Neither Captain Ceres nor I can last much longer. This way is too slow."

    "And unstable," added Luke, "you saw what happened to the rest of the bridge. Counting on it as a way to escape is asking for trouble."

    As the team racked their minds for a solution, Ceres tried to recall any bit of knowledge from her extensive reading that might apply to the current situation.

    Ceres eyes brightened as she caught on to the fire mage''s train of thought. Then she winced as the Witch assaulted her mind yet again. Her blows were reducing in frequency and power as time passed, her mana exhausting itself without a supplement from the outside as Ceres had used the Doppelganger to seal off her mindscape. It was a battle of attrition between the Witch''s mana and the Doppelganger''s reserves and by Ceres'' calculation, the Witch would win.

    Noticing Ceres'' discomfort, Adeline began explaining her idea without preamble. Under her direction, the earth mages streamlined the shape of the rock under their feet to form a prow, then moulded the rock so that it wrapped around the feet and ankles of two of the three fire mages, locking them in place facing backwards.

    In tandem, both fire mages punched out, shooting two equivalent jets of flame behind them, propelling the makeshift boat towards the centre of the lake. The shape of the boat caused its prow to tilt upwards as it skidded across the lake, approaching their destination much faster than they could by building a bridge. And If they wanted to change direction, all they had to do was vary the intensity of the two jets, giving them much more room for manoeuvre if the elemental gave chase.

    Very soon, they approached the centre of the lake. Thick smoke covered their line of sight as they proceeded further until all they could see was serpentine coils of white twisting at the periphery of the Lieutenant''s Domain. It almost felt like the smoke was alive.

    "Be careful," warned Ceres. "This smoke is confusing our sense of direction. We are just going around in circles within it."

    "But how? We haven''t altered the output of our spells, we should be going in a straight line." Refuted Li, the fire mage from the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries'' camp who had joined Adeline in piloting the raft.

    "The Aspect of Confusion," replied Ceres succinctly. "It''s one of the Witch''s three Aspects as far as I can analyse from her mana signature." The reason Ceres could get so much information from just the Witch''s mana was her close association with it while it was still part of her mindscape. That and the mind crystal amulet¡­

    Holding the glittering crystal at an arm''s length by its chain, Ceres fed a very small amount of mana into it. With a buzz, the amulet began to swing gently before leaning towards one particular direction.

    "That way." Ceres instructed.

    The mind crystal fragment was once a part of the Witch''s mindscape. There existed an impetus for it to join the whole. Activating it with mana, Ceres could use it as a dowsing chain to locate their goal.

    Actually, Ceres loathed the crystal. The Witch had nearly succeeded in fusing it with her heart as the first step to body possession. She had enough of crystals embedded in her heart, thank you very much. She wanted to toss it into the magma but knowing that the Witch probably controlled the volcano, it would just be returning the thing to its rightful owner.

    Using it against the Witch in this manner gave her some measure of satisfaction but this time, she kept her vigilance extremely high. She didn''t want to fall into another one of her traps.

    Very soon, under the guidance of the crystal, they went out of the smoke.

    The sight in front of them shocked them into silence. Crystals. Innumerable inflammation crystals gathered together into what could only be described as a crystal palace glittered with a reddish-orange brilliance, dyeing the surrounding smoke in flaming hues. But at its core a peaceful blue flame burnt around a crystal that seemed to rapidly flicker between two contrasting hues.

    Blink and it was the red of the rising sun. Blink and it was the sapphire of the sky at noon.

    The smoke surrounding the centre of the lake seemed to receive some sort of instruction and began to swirl around the crystal palace. Tendrils of smoke bridged over the clear gap between the vortex and the palace to surround and cover the Dungeon core.

    The sudden change obviously alerted the gunners and they stared at the smoke vigilantly. Finally, the smoke coalesced into a beautiful figure. Slender lips, upturned nose and imperious eyes under voluminous hair tied up in a coif. The woman that appeared from the smoke exuded an authoritarian aura from top to bottom. Eight fuzzy tails swung behind her, serving as a backdrop for her full figure. The figure was extremely vivid. If not for the lack of colour, it could have been mistaken for a live person.

    Her voice, when she spoke, was cold and proud. "Should I commend you for your courage, or should I be amazed at your foolishness for voluntarily knocking on Death''s door, I wonder. For making it here, I deem you worthy of gazing upon my countenance. Miyagi Vulpine, I am called. I would have you name yourselves before I take your life."

    Her answer was a streak of dark fire that blew up her head. Lieutenant Corvus, Ceres, Teal and the rest of the team gawked at the sudden occurrence before turning to Hei Lian incredulously.

    "If you want to kill. Then kill. Why waste so many words?" sneered the wolf-girl as she lowered her finger which she had pointed at the smoky figure.

    The smoke seethed in tandem with the Witch''s fury as her head reformed rapidly. This time, her expression wasn''t as aloof. Anger was clearly writ in her narrowed eyes and the downward curve of her lips.

    She wrinkled her nose in disgust, "A cultivator. I see that they haven''t gotten any more civilized in the decade of my abse ¨C"

    She had to stop speaking to block another blast of dark flame with a shield of smoke.

    Her voice shivered and her eyes seemed like they would spout fire, "You!"

    Hei Lian''s lips curved upwards in a self-satisfied curve. "You can''t kill us, can you?"

    The Witch stared at her with thick killing intent before her expression became extremely icy. Her tone could freeze fire. "You are more valuable alive¡­ for now. Though I am curious as to what gives you the courage to gamble your life on an unsubstantiated guess."

 148 Chapter 8

    Since we were so close to the epicentre of the explosion, the shockwave had affected us as well. We had been thrown clear across the cavern by the force of the blow. Azure, the Marshal and I had been thrown in different directions.

    I had slammed into the wall of the cavern with enough force to be embedded in it. The rock had fissured around my outline and cascaded down on me, burying me. Thankfully, I still had the last of my divine power, using it to block the impact with my Barrier.

    Still, the force travelled through my body and shook up my internal organs. I was reasonably sure that I was bleeding internally.

    As I groaned in pain and tried to claw my way out of the rock, I tried to make sense of the situation. An elemental, even one as young as Gun, shouldn''t be that weak, even right after a volcanic eruption. Maybe it couldn''t stand up to two Demigods at the same time like its progenitor, Zhurong, but the battle-strength of a Tier 5 was a given.

    It hit me then. It wasn''t the true body of the elemental that we were fighting ¨C it was a Doppelganger. The true body of the elemental was the core of the Dungeon. To deal with us, the elemental had split off a part of its mana to form a mana construct. With the limited mana it had, the final spell it was casting probably contained most of its remaining mana, that''s why it seemed so transparent while it was gathering power for its spell. When the spell failed, the remaining mana within it must not have been enough to resist the explosion and maintain the integrity of its structure.

    As I pushed away a few loose rocks and connected the interior of the pile I was buried under to the outside, letting the scorching air flow in, I also wondered about the stream of smoky mana that had suddenly emerged from Ceres'' contract marking into my mind. Had she encountered some sort of trouble? Or was she just trying to alleviate the pressure on her by sharing her burden with me?

    Anyway, now that we had destroyed the elemental''s Doppelganger, I had no idea what its subsequent reaction would be. Maybe it would send out another one, more powerful than the last. It might even set out its main body.

    Whatever be the case, I wouldn''t be of any help stuck under some rocks.

    With a mighty effort, I managed to roll the large boulder that had fallen on top of me and regained my freedom. Breathing in the scorching air tainted with the stench of brimstone, I took in the aftermath of the explosion.

    Suddenly, I noticed a movement at the edge of my vision. Whipping my head around, I noticed that a bunch of flames was beginning to wriggle. Sweeping my gaze across the battlefield, I noticed that all the flames were creeping on the ground towards each other. In front of my eyes, two bunches of flame merged together into a larger, more exuberant flame. Then it moved to merge with another flame until it reached a certain point where it morphed into a small one-tailed fox.

    Soon, there was an army of small foxes covering the entire bank of the lake, filling the air with their high-pitched cries as they searched for us.

    I knew it couldn''t be so easy. I shrank back into the hollow of the rock. It was like fighting the ants all over again. I might be able to beat dozens of them on my own but I''d be overwhelmed by the numbers.

    *kuu*

    A foxy whine from behind me startled me and I whipped my head around to see a small flaming fox staring down at me imperiously from atop the pile of stones. It must have formed out of some flames that were burning on the rock that I didn''t notice.

    There was suddenly a pin-drop silence. I mechanically turned my head back only to see hundreds of pairs of eyes staring emotionlessly at me. Sweat trickled down my forehead and I cautiously tried to move aside. The gazes followed my movements in eerie synchrony giving me a creepy feeling.

    I gulped. "Hello¡­" I tried with a weak smile, "can we be friends?"

    *kuu* The fox behind me yelled again and the entire horde went into motion, plunging into me in a deluge of small flaming blue foxes.

    "Damn!" I cursed as I scrambled away up the pile of rocks, kicking the evil snitching fox away as it tried to tackle me. Descending from the other side of the rock pile, I sprinted for my life with the fox army in hot pursuit.

    ''This is the last time I''ll think foxes are cute. Well, except Ceres, that is.'' I rambled in my mind as I dodged the gouts of flame shot at me by zigzagging. But running like that was slower than the straight-line path the foxes were taking. Even if they weren''t able to hit me, they still achieved their goal by slowing me down with the constant barrage.

    When they were nearly nipping at my heels, I cruel-heartedly let one of the fireballs blast out against my back. Taking advantage of the momentum of the explosion, I spread out from them once again. I had to clench my teeth against the pain. The stench of charred flesh assaulted me.

    A few more hits and I would be cooked through and through.

    Even as I unceasingly changed directions, I kept my eye out for the other members of the team. ''A little help, please.''

    As if in answer to my heartfelt desire, a strong gust of wind slammed into the foxes chasing me, scattering them like so many skittles. Marshal Canis stepped out of the shadow of a rock, grabbed my hand and pulled me into the darkness.

    Suddenly, my field of view changed and we emerged in the middle of the rock formation where we had stayed before launching our attack. The rest of the team was also gathered there.

    Losing sight of their objective (me) the foxes began roaming about everywhere searching for our trail.

    "Those things are thorny. Their senses are connected. If even one finds you, the others will too. The same for if you destroy them. It''ll bring you to their attention." Marshal Canis explained.

    "What do we do then?" I asked.

    "Hide," she replied. "Our job is to delay the time for the other team after all.

    "Good." I agreed as I gingerly moved my arms to test my range of motion, wincing as it stretched the charred skin on my back. Nearly everyone here had some sort of burn injury. These small foxes were much more troublesome than a single large one.

    Suddenly, the sounds of the foxes stilled. Turning to them I saw all of them frozen in place as they looked at centre of the lake. Then, with a vast momentum, they all rushed towards the centre.

    "Oh, for God''s sake!" exclaimed Azure, throwing up his arms in frustration. "Give me a break already!"

    Then he jumped out of the concealment and attacked the backs of the fox army with his Blade Edge Hurricane, clearing a large swathe of them. Exchanging glances with the others, we all followed after him and began to bombard the army in order to shift their attention¡­ or if that wasn''t possible, slow them down and weaken them before they reached the centre of the lake.

 149 Chapter 9

    "You know what I want." replied the Witch. "I want your body. It''s a fair trade for the lives of the rest of the members of your team, wouldn''t you say?"

    Ceres sighed, weariness etched deep in her expression. Really, when would this stop. When would they stop coveting her flesh? And it wasn''t even the good kind of coveting that Mars did under the sheets.

    "If it really was the exchange you say it is. If my death would buy the lives of the rest of my team, I wouldn''t hesitate. But that isn''t the case, is it? The only reason you would need my body is because you are trapped in that Dungeon core over there and you want to get free. Trading my life for your freedom?" she shook her head. "It won''t happen. Let alone, your words are no guarantee."

    Lieutenant Corvus stared the smoky construct in the eye. "We came here knowing the risks. Letting you loose would be a direct failure of our mission. And like Hei Lian said, it doesn''t seem like you can do much to us. If you could, you wouldn''t be negotiating."

    A hint of mockery flashed past in the Witch''s gaze. "Right you are. I''m quite hard up for mana right now. Wasting it killing you isn''t something I want to do. And even if I did, that little girl would bite down on the pill in her mouth, isn''t that so, girl?" She directed her last sentence to Ceres.

    Ceres expression remained unchanged even under everyone''s gaze.

    The Witch continued, "If I am not wrong, that''s a Myriad Toxins Pill. Unless someone has mastered the Aspect of Healing or more preferably the Aspect of Intoxication, it is almost unheard of for them to survive it."

    She sneered, "For the weakest member of your party to have to protect you with the threat of suicide. Have some shame."

    Everyone''s expression changed and they all looked towards her. Ceres frowned. She knew why the Witch had revealed this information. It was the same reason she hadn''t told them.

    "You don''t need to do that. We aren''t ones to use the life of a child as a shield," said Teal. "Yeah, spit it out," said Adeline as she squeezed her shoulder.

    The Witch wanted to rouse the sentiments of her comrades to pressure her into dropping the only leverage she had against her. She took a quick glance at the reactions of the rest of the team. Lieutenant Corvus looked a bit uncomfortable but he didn''t try to persuade her. A pragmatist, he wouldn''t easily be swayed by emotions. ''So, she is the key to solving the arrangement,'' he would be thinking something like that now.

    Then there were the other mages from Regiis. With the exception of Teal and Adeline, they all held a mentality of indifference or ''that''s how it should be''.

    "Hahaha. Good job." she said, slinging an arm around Ceres'' shoulder. Turning to Teal and Adeline, she said, "Are you two daft? It''s common sense to secure your chip before negotiating. She''s just going the extra mile."

    Turning to the Witch she said, "Since you''re fused to the core, we can''t really do anything to you, now can we? There isn''t anything else we can offer you that''ll get you to make those insects of yours turn head and attack the Crimson Coyotes, I suppose?"

    Ignoring her, the smoky apparition still addressed Ceres, "You really won''t reconsider?"

    Ceres shook her head.

    "Then die."

    The figure of the Witch dissipated and the smoke covering the Dungeon core thinned and then disappeared. The crystal that had been flashing between red and blue now settled solely on red.

    All the mages there felt like they were being observed by a giant red eye. They could clearly sense the thick hostility in that gaze.

    Suddenly, the swirling vortex of smoke that had been blocking their view thinned, then cleared, revealing the situation at the banks of the magma lake.

    Their eyes widened in shock when they saw the hundreds of small foxes rushing towards them over the magma as though it was flat land. If one looked down at the situation from above, they would see that a flaming blue tide was covering up the reddish glow of the magma as it converged towards the lake centre.

    Just as all of them took their battle stances, a voice echoed in their ears. "Hey, make some space for us!"

    "Husband?" muttered Ceres as she tried to make out their forms on the bank beyond the fox army.

    "Not there, above you."

    Startled, all of them looked up to see all the runners floating a few metres above the lake, over the onrushing foxes.

    "Hurry! Hovering like this burns mana like there is no tomorrow."

    Lieutenant Corvus was the first to recover. "Earth mages, fire mages, expand this raft. Make it as sturdy and stable as you can. We''re up for a difficult fight and we need every advantage we can get."

    "Sir!"

    With the mages working in tandem, the raft had soon expanded into a platform capable of holding the runners and they descended onto it.

    As soon as Mars'' feet touched the ground, he staggered as Ceres leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly. He winced as the movement aggravated the burn injury on his back but he stayed silent and let her hug him when he noticed her shaking shoulders and the steadily expanding wet patch on his clothes. He gently rubbed her back, letting her release the fear and frustration she had built up after repeatedly getting targeted by beings beyond her ken.

    "Shh¡­" he whispered comfortingly in her ear. "Whatever the outcome, we''ll be together, yeah? But for now, we need to fight. So, be strong, yeah?"

    His words seemed to help as the magnitude of her sobs reduced until they stopped. Then she looked up at him with reddened eyes.

    Locking gazes with her, he gently disentangled himself from her grasp and cupping her face, he tried to wipe away her tears with his thumbs. Unfortunately, there was a lot of dirt on his hands and all he managed to do was smudge that onto her face.

    Awkwardly, he tried to move his hands away but Ceres caught them and put them back on the sides of her face. In a hoarse voice, she asked, "Together till the end?"

 150 Chapter 10

    There was a reason the military didn''t openly battle the ants but only did so when they had the tactical advantage of a defensive wall. They were too coordinated. Inhumanly so. The ants at a lower Tier took orders unquestioningly and followed through with maximum efficiency even if the orders were for them to charge to their deaths. I guess having an entire society that put the needs of the collective above that of the individual had its advantages.

    But what about a situation where the collective was the individual?

    That''s what we were facing when we fought the endless tide of flaming foxes that assaulted us. Not only did they have the advantage of numbers, their coordination was insane. They fought in cells of three to four and they all shared their senses within the cells so they had a panoramic view of our actions and in close quarters, their mana sense was more than enough to offset their poor vision. Just by the physical tells we gave off, they could predict how we would move and pre-emptively avoid the attacks. As for feints? Don''t even think about it.

    The worst thing was that if they managed to penetrate our guard and come close enough, they could choose to detonate themselves. Though the force of the explosions weren''t that strong, but the internal injuries from the shockwaves piled up over time.

    So, if we didn''t want to be overwhelmed, we absolutely couldn''t let them approach ¨C a lesson we learnt within a minute of the first engagement at the cost of several burn injuries and shaken internal organs.

    Thankfully the Regiis wind mages had drilled in cooperative casting and led by Azure, they managed to create a twister that picked up the foxes surrounding us and threw them away, giving us a moment of respite.

    "This isn''t working. We can''t let the little critters close. They keep popping and making us spit blood. We need to engage them in a far-fight." remarked Fung while spitting blood.

    I couldn''t help but sigh internally. Close-combat was all I was currently good for. Me and all the fire mages. The efficiency of fire magic was too damn low. Actually, nothing below an Explosion could take the foxes down. And even then, the hugely mana draining spell only managed to take down three or four. To make matters worse, the foxes had inherited the Elemental''s dominance over flame and the lower Tier fire spells were straight out absorbed by them to supplement their strengths. Only the Tier 3 Explosion was too much to absorb but still they managed to use that characteristic to reduce the damage dealt by it.

    As for me? I couldn''t even cast Explosion. I wasn''t even a Novice in that Aspect.

    To make matters worse, mother''s Doppelganger had been tied down by Miyagi Vulpine''s incarnation in Ceres'' mindscape. We had lost our healer and our wounds were accumulating rapidly.

    She too had Mastered an Aspect ¨C the Aspect of Inflammation.

    My thoughts collided in my mind rapidly as I searched for a method to solve our current predicament. The earth mages were tied up in maintaining our stone platform and with the lithe nature of the foxes, even if they strenuously overcame the elemental repel and controlled the magma of the lake to attack them with Stone spike, the effects weren''t tangible, wasting a large amount of their mana instead. Teal wasn''t very useful in direct battle. Yes, her mana was the antithesis of fire but that was relative. In this environment, it was her mana that was suppressed instead. Yet, she was demonstrating her value by shouldering the load of protecting us from the high temperatures all on her own by enveloping us with her Domain.

    The wind mages and the shadow mages were quite effective in their own way. Their element wasn''t suppressed and they could put their best foot forward. Yet, they alone weren''t sufficient to turn the tide. Ceres might have been able to help with that move she had used in the Queen''s chamber but in her current state, her mindscape and subsequently her mana was sealed. She was currently being protected in our centre, sitting cross-legged and meditating to better confront with the Witch''s incarnation.

    The only breach was Hei Lian.

    "Hey!" I called out.

    "What?" she responded without turning her head.

    "I can help you amplify your magic."

    She turned around and stared fixedly at me frowning. I could feel her considering my offer then as if remembering something (probably my reputation for amplifying fire spells) she nodded.

    "But Hellfire is different. Can you do it?"

    I shook my head. "I''m not going to be the one controlling the flames. You will. I''ll just be in charge of merging the Domains of the other fire mages and adjusting the mana frequency to match yours. You''ll be the one doing the actual casting. Whether it works or not depends on whether you can convert the fire mana to Hellfire and whether you can control that much mana at once."

    Even though I expressed my doubts outwardly, inwardly, I was confident in her ability to pull it off. After all, her Mastery of the Aspect of Inflammation was placed there.

    As she was considering it, the foxes that had been tossed away by the twister charged at us again with a chorus of howls.

    "Hurry up! We don''t have time!" I rushed her.

    Clenching her teeth, she said, "Good!"

    Turning to her subordinate fire mage, she commanded, "Li, coordinate with him."

    Adeline, who had listening in on our conversation didn''t need further prompting, opening up access to her Domain along with the other Regiis fire mages. They must have heard of Azure''s experience with me to agree so rapidly.

    I immediately sat down on the ground in the lotus position with my fists touching as I fell into a trance. This entire trip had been one challenge after another, repeatedly pushing the envelope of my abilities.

    Reaching Mastery of the Wind, internalizing the Void, taking control of a Domain, flying, imbuing Aspects in someone else''s spell and now homogenizing four Domains. I had been forced to exceed my limits time and again. And I had succeeded time and again.

    Why?

    Was I really that special? Was my talent really so extreme? Was external casting really so easy to learn?

    Maybe. Maybe not.

    But one thing was sure. I wanted to live. When Azure reminded me of my wives waiting for me at home. When he told me that I was being reckless, my mental state nearly wavered. But he didn''t understand. It wasn''t because I had forgotten about Phobos and Deimos. It wasn''t because I had forgotten that I carried the weight of their bonds. No. How could I when every time I closed my eyes their contract sigils floated in my mind, illuminating the void of my mind with their gentle brilliance.

    I wasn''t reckless because I had forgotten them. It was because I remembered them every waking hour. I was unwilling to leave my fate to chance. I wanted to do everything in my power to improve my odds of survival.

    The very thought of them being forced to walk into the embrace of others, or worse, following me into the afterlife was enough to squeeze out the last of my potential. I wanted to live¡­ I had to live.

    A tiny flame burnt in my mind, born of an intense will to survive. Fire was emotion. Equivalently, emotion was a flame. The flame was rose red, with flickering tongues of pink at the edges. All my emotions, my enthusiasm for life condensed into an ethereal flame in my mind.

    Enthusiasm Fire.

    All of a sudden, I could feel the emotions of the three fire mages relinquishing control of their Domains to me. Determination, anger, desperation and fear, oh so much fear¡­

    I fed it all to my flame and it grew and grew until it overspread my mind then when I couldn''t contain the emotions anymore, they bubbled over. Ruby flames ignited on my crimson hair and when I opened my eyes, they smouldered with fire the colour of blood.

    Raising my palms, twin jets of red flame shot out at the jet-black wolf that lay in wait. She opened her maw, revealing a bottomless abyss that burnt with black flames and swallowed down all my enthusiasm till I had nothing left to give.

    As the last of the flame left me, I collapsed on the ground limply along with the rest of the fire mages.

    Detachedly, as I lay on my back on the stone platform facing upwards, I watched the white smoke of the volcano spiral up towards the vent.

    Aah¡­ what a bother. Live, die, how does it all matter¡­ The world went on before we were born. It will still go on without us there. Struggling, fighting¡­ how troublesome... Maybe I should just jump in the lake and be done with it. Maybe, it''ll be better to just die.

    I didn''t care when a huge ball of dark fire slowly rose into the air like a dark sun. I didn''t care when it shone with a black light. I didn''t care when all it illuminated burst into black flame. I didn''t care when the flames spread from fox to fox, igniting them like so much dry grass on a prairie, turning blue flames to black.

    I didn''t care. Everything seemed so grey. So criminally boring.

    Apathetically, I noticed the smoke around us swirling as it rushed into the Dungeon core that seemed to flash red less and less often as time went on, glowing a sapphire blue instead.

    Idly, I observed that the aura of Incense Flame was dominating over the traditional flame aura within the crystal as more foxes that were consumed by the black flames that were now raging unchecked over the surface of the entire magma lake.

    Hei Lian had lost control over her spell quite a while ago. Steven was holding her unconscious form, wiping away the blood that was seeping from her nose and ears. Handling the entirety of the mana of four fire mages at once must have been trying. I hoped that she hadn''t cracked her mindscape like I had.

    I felt a twinge of sympathy for her pain, the mild emotion a colourful spark of flame in my dead grey world. The spark slowly expanded, driving back the apathy with the warmth of its enthusiasm.

    Simultaneously, my horror at the realization I had come to grew.

    We had been used.

    The Witch had used us to exhaust the mana of the Elemental. I had been too pre-occupied with the approaching army of foxes to think deeper. Now that I knew where to look, it became clear. Despite the colour of the flames, the foxes were made of untainted fire mana while the smoky mana of the Witch was concentrated in the banks of smoke that surrounded the Dungeon core. She had covered up her conversation with the gunners and then when negotiations had failed, deliberately exposed them to the eyes of the elemental to pit us against each other.

    Unknowingly, we had been supporting our enemy.

    "Stop!" I cried out as I staggered to my feet. But it was too late. It was as though we had dropped a torch into a barrel of oil. The Hellfire was expanding unchecked, and as Hei Lian had been knocked out, uncontrolled.

    A menacing laughter rang out, echoing throughout the entire cavern and the smoke converged once again into the figure of the Witch.

    "You really exceeded my expectations. You have my gratitude for helping me finally subdue this unruly creature." Turning her gaze to the unconscious Hei Lian, joy and greed flashed in her eyes, "Hellfire¡­ who would have thought¡­" she muttered softly.

    Without warning, the Dungeon core turned into a streak of blue lightning and submerged into Hei Lian''s mind.

    Her eyes immediately flew open, her mouth open in a soundless scream. Dark flames spilled out from her eyes, from her ears, from her mouth, from the cracks in her body as her flesh, unable to contain the magnanimous energy of the entire Dungeon, began to split.

    Steven, who was holding her in his arms screamed as the flames transferred to him through their bond, searing him from inside out. Then he went silent as the flames burnt their way out of his throat.

 151 Chapter 11

    **

    **

    *drip*

    The sound of dripping water. A bleak stone room.

    ''Where is this?'' Miyagi Vulpine wondered as she tried to move her hands.

    *clink**clank*

    The clanking of chains.

    ''What is this place? This situation¡­ I''m a prisoner?''

    She slowly sat up, shifting her position several times to get into a reasonably comfortable pose despite the restriction of the chains. She took a look at her surroundings. There was very little of note in the cell (what else could the bare stone room be?) except for the sturdy iron chains that bound her in the centre of the room. Her wrists, her ankles and even her bushy wolf tail was clamped to the ground by heavy metallic manacles.

    And there wasn''t even a shred of cloth protecting her modesty. Rather, Hei Lian''s modesty. It was her memory after all, the Witch was just there for the ride.

    ''This isn''t what I expected,'' she thought.

    When Hei Lian had initially attacked her with Hellfire, she hadn''t paid her much heed. A rude and uncivilized Cultivator with a rare affinity, that was her assessment of the girl. But when Hei Lian had let loose with that final spell, she had been forced to take notice. The sheer potential inherent within those infernal flames¡­

    She had made her decision then and there.

    No matter how suitable Ceres'' body was for her, she couldn''t give up that kind of power. So what if it would be a bit difficult? Her situation was no longer the disadvantageous one it had been.

    Even if she''d had to discard a large portion of the core crystal to weaken the creature enough to do it, she had managed to thoroughly suppress the elemental and gain control over the entire Dungeon core. Now, she was much stronger than she''d been in her prime.

    Even if the process was a bit trickier, she had full confidence in possessing the body of a Tier 3 fire mage. Why, she even had the perfect tools for the job.

    Aspect of Illusions. Aspect of Confusion.

    Every kitsune worth their salt studied the Aspect of Illusions. Their clan library back in the Shogunate was chock full of personal records of generation after generation of the fox yokai who had mastered the Aspect. With that much information on the topic, it was eminently easy for the younger generations of the kitsune to become master illusionists but it was clan custom for the kits to be barred access to the records and made to comprehend it on their own in times of peace.

    It was both a test of the children''s aptitude and a way to enrich their knowledge repositories even further as without guidance, the children often came up with entirely new methods of cultivation. Yet, when war loomed, the doors to the library would be opened wide and the kitsune would grow into powerful mages that could bend the minds and senses of their enemies at a whim.

    With that kind of background, it was no surprise that Miyagi Vulpine was an old hand at using illusions and that combined with her Aspect of Confusion would allow her to trick Hei Lian''s body into believing that she was its actual owner.

    Well, that was the idea, anyway.

    In practice, it was much more complicated than that. The body is infinitely mysterious and the mind even more so. And as affinity was closely linked to the mind, if she wished to gain perfect control over Hellfire, she needed to be extremely careful. With her current power, she could easily brute-force the issue but then, she''d only receive an empty shell devoid of any magical talent. If that was to be the case, she''d have done much better taking over Ceres instead. At least that way, her body and bloodline would have been fully compatible.

    So, she had used her Aspects to dig through Hei Lian''s memories and bring out the most emotionally significant event in her life and live through it, thereby vastly increasing the compatibility of their minds.

    She didn''t have to worry about too much time passing in the real world as time moved faster the deeper one immersed oneself into unconsciousness. At the current depth of her trance-state, a year inside would be but an instant in the real world.

    She hadn''t expected much from such a young girl. The most emotionally-charged memory¡­ She had expected Hei Lian''s first night with her husband, or something similar.

    ''Definitely not this.''

    She tried to channel her mana to disrupt the chains but it disappeared like smoke being sucked out of an open window. ''Mana-absorbing shackles,'' she noted, surprised. ''Whoever imprisoned her, took no chances. And it appears that my mana will be restricted as long as I''m bound in these. I won''t be able to leave this dream till it runs its course.''

    She sighed. She didn''t much enjoy the prospect of being tortured by whoever had imprisoned the girl but there was little she could do about the situation but wait.

    And it was a long wait.

    There was nothing to keep her mind occupied in the barren cell. Even the ventilation had been blocked by a mesh grille and set deep into the wall so she couldn''t see outside through it. No windows and only a single stone door that closed without so much as a gap to let light in. Only a recessed smokeless torch in one corner of the cell cast a dim light into the room, lengthening her shadow till it touched the other corner.

    The worst thing about it was how humiliating it was. The way she was tied combined with her nudity meant that she was completely exposed to the gaze of whoever cared to take a look. In all her life, first as a kitsune noble, then as a woman of high status in the Regiis Empire, she had never been shamed so thoroughly.

    Suppressing her disgust with great difficulty, she kept repeating the mantra that it wasn''t real to herself until she managed to calm down somewhat.

    ''Whoever did this to you, girl, I''ll scour them off the face of this world. I promise you that.''

    Suddenly a stone block was slid out from the bottom of the doorway and a plate of food was pushed in. Whoever was on the other side of the door used a long pole to push the dish within her reach. She only caught a glimpse of the eyes of her warden.

    His sleazy gaze made her skin crawl. Instinctively, she tried to hide herself but all she managed to do was rattle her chains. She heard him chuckling from the other side of the door before sliding the stone block back in.

    The Witch''s eyes seemed like they would momentarily spout fire. Clenching her teeth, she decided there and then. She wouldn''t touch the food. If this was like the previous dreamlands she had explored, it would end with her death. Starving herself to death was a bad way to go but it was better than this¡­ this travesty! Even if she told herself that it was just a dream, the humiliation was very, very real. Even if completing the dream prematurely wouldn''t improve her compatibility with Hei Lian as much as experiencing it all would, it would be enough for the initial possession. There would be a lot of time to search for an alternate solution later.

    Somehow, she had underestimated her situation again. As a living being, she had physiological needs. Despite leaving the food and water untouched, she still needed to visit the washroom but chained in the centre of the room as she was, she was utterly helpless against her own body. Finally, despite her desperate efforts, she soiled herself.

    Looking up at the ceiling with dead eyes, she experienced despair. Even when someone entered the room and splashed her with icy water to clear up her mess, she stubbornly stared up at the ceiling. ''It isn''t real. It''s all a dream,'' she endlessly reassured herself as she denied the existence of the man. But the same sleazy chuckle she had heard the day before shattered her fragile shell of denial like so much glass. Struggling up to a sitting position, she watched the man''s back as he exited the room with hate burning in her eyes.

    The days passed by agonizingly slowly.

    Without food or water, specially water, she wilted, her body becoming thinner and weaker by the day. Yet, every day her captor would deliver the plate full of ever more fragrant food as if tempting her to eat. After a few hours, the cold food would be drawn back out of the hollow in the door with a hooked pole and she would hear the same despicable chuckle as if mocking her efforts to preserve her dignity when he had to clear her mess every day.

    The third day into her captivity, dark whispers resounded in her mind. She knew her feralization was upon her and she welcomed it as a temporary escape from the hellish dream. But when she regained her mind, to her horror, she noticed blood on her lips. Not far from her was the half-devoured carcass of a deer.

    All her efforts to starve herself over the three days reset in an instant by the wolf''s self-preservation instinct. Blunted crossbow arrows lay scattered around her indicating that she had been shot out of her feral form by someone repeatedly shooting at her till her Barrier was exhausted.

    Frustration, humiliation and despair combined into the first tears she had shed in decades.

 152 Chapter 12

    Just like Steven¡­ Affected by Hei Lian''s fire through their bond, the boy had become the first, and till date, the only casualty of the Expedition. But it seemed that might change soon.

    Suddenly, the unruly flames that had been ravaging Hei Lian settled down and became incomparably docile, circling her like obedient dogs around their master. The flames burning out of her eyes extinguished revealing a pair of golden wolf pupils.

    We flinched under that gaze. Indifference. Nihilism. Apathy¡­ To the owner of that pair of eyes, nothing in the world seemed to matter.

    I couldn''t help but wince internally at Hei Lian''s current appearance. The fire had really done a number on her. Her once beautiful porcelain skin now looked more like overbaked pottery with cracks, that burnt internally with black flames, spread all over her inflamed skin. Her waterfall of midnight black hair had been burnt away, laying bare the scorched skin of her scalp. And her clothes had turned to ash, revealing the full extent of the damage.

    As if sensing my gaze, her eyes turned to me, sending shivers up my spine. Involuntarily, I took a step back.

    Hei Lian slowly raised her arms and as if responding to her gesture, streams of fire converged on her from the black flames that were burning all over the magma lake, wrapping her up in a fiery vortex.

    When the flames diverged, they revealed her form clad from head to toe in armour made of solidified dark flame. Black fire cascaded down from her waist, forming into a translucent ankle-length skirt that gave a more feminine cast to her form. Her head was covered in a helm replete with a face-plate, revealing only her glinting amber eyes.

    Mana manifestation. The characteristic power of Tier 5 mages ¨C the ability to convert mana into a solid entity like father''s artificial arm. One more sign that it was probably the Witch inhabiting Hei Lian''s body now.

    Suppressing his nervousness, Lieutenant Corvus boldly stepped forward and asked, "Are you Miyagi Vulpine?"

    Ignoring him, she turned her back to us and moved towards the crystal palace. Reaching the edge of the stone platform, she stepped off without hesitation, walking directly on the molten rock, leaving footprints burning with black flames in her wake.

    ''No,'' I thought. ''Not a chair¡­ a throne.''

    "Miyagi Vulpine is dead¡­"

    Many voices overlapped when she spoke, her words echoing throughout the magma chamber, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "¡­ as is the girl."

    She looked up at the ball of dark fire that was still floating above the magma lake. It was on its last legs, having almost exhausted all the mana that had been pumped into it. Under the force of Hei Lian''s will, it shrank into the size of a marble, slowly floating down to hover docilely above her armoured palm.

    Studying it for a short moment, she clenched her fist, crushing it. "You may call me the Dark Sun."

    ''Hei''yang.'' I savoured the name in my mind. An aggressive name, a name that echoed her father''s but was directly opposed to it. ''But, what does it mean? Who is she?''

    "Then¡­ what would your excellency have us do?" asked Lieutenant Corvus warily.

    "Forget." The word was like a hammer against our minds causing us to collectively stagger but the mages from the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries were affected the most. Their eyes lost their light and they froze in the same place like mindless puppets.

    "Yes, Lord." They intoned mechanically.

    "Rest." They collapsed on the ground like marionettes with broken strings, fast asleep.

    "I do not wish for my presence here to be known. Speak of me and your life is forfeit, along with that of your kin¡­ As a reward for keeping my secret, I will command my ants to ally with the other colony and invade the territory of the Crimson Coyotes¡­ Now, take them and depart."

    It seemed like Lieutenant Corvus wanted to ask a few more questions but looking at the mysterious figure''s indifferent golden eyes, he backed down. It was extremely lucky for her to propose such excellent conditions, in the first place. Even if she didn''t keep her word about the ants, we would still be fortunate to escape with our lives. And if she did, then we would have fulfilled our mission objective and then some.

    She didn''t wait for us to give our agreement. With a gesture of her hand, the magma beneath our platform rose in a wave and carried us to the edge of the lake, unceremoniously dumping us on the bank.

    Now we were doubly sure. There was no way we could take her on in a fight. It wouldn''t be wise to push our luck.

    As we left the magma chamber through the tunnels, I glanced backwards one last time. There, in the middle of a pool of dark fire, sitting on her throne of flames, armoured in darkness was the figure of the princess of the wolves. The Empress of Flames receiving the obeisance of her subjects. Billowing black smoke covered my line of sight as it obscured the centre of the lake, replacing the Witch''s vortex of white.

    Taking back my gaze, I trudged up the tunnel towards the sunlight. So much power in a single hand...

    But still...

    ''Quite lonesome.''

    ***

    The only sounds that disturbed the silence shrouding the chamber after the mages left were the crackling of the flames and the ebullition of the molten rock. The newly christened Dark Sun sat motionless like a statue, fixedly staring at her clenched fist.

    Then, slowly, she relaxed her grip, letting her fist unfurl into a palm. There floating in the middle of the palm was a spark of rose-red flame, edged with pink. Despite the efforts of her dark flames to devour it, it had persisted tenaciously in the heart of her spell. Even now, in her palm, sieged on all sides by Hellfire, it still fought on valiantly.

    The two flames reflected off her golden pupils. One vibrant with enthusiasm for life, one heavy with the desire for vengeance. Both possible motives for survival.

    A thought floated up in her mind. ''Is this what I could have been?''

    She immediately discarded the notion. That wasn''t her path. It had never been. It would never be.

    But still¡­

 153 Chapter 13

    First, Lieutenant Corvus'' proposal to Marshal Canis. It was a bolt from the blue. None of us expected it. Least of all, I suspect, the Lieutenant himself. He seemed quite surprised at the words coming out of his own mouth.

    We had stopped by the concealed bunker to gather the stuff we had deposited there and then hung about, waiting to see if the new owner of the Dungeon would honour her promise. Fortunately, it appeared that she would because soon afterwards, the ants that had been mercilessly slaughtering each other mere moments ago called a truce and the two Queens met in the centre of the battlefield to touch antennae.

    I have no idea what their conversation entailed but soon afterwards, a raging tide of ants was making its way towards the domain of the Coyotes. ''Good, let them suffer the fruits of their evil.''

    After a hard day''s travel from the Dungeon, I was helping Teal with the cooking when it happened. Some of the mages were setting up the tents while the rest were loitering about the campfire, their noses twitching and their tongues watering even as they shot not so covert glances at the bubbling cauldron while keeping up their pretentions of conversation.

    Then all of a sudden, they went silent and Teal and I turned around to see the Lieutenant down on a single knee, his wings awkwardly spread out so that they didn''t brush the ground, holding the Marshal''s right hand in his only remaining hand and staring up into her eyes.

    "Zoya, marry me!" he blurted out before bending down to kiss the back of her hand. Then he refused to raise his head. While others later ascribed it to a demonstration of his resolve by maintaining the kiss till she said ''yes'', personally, I feel he was just hiding his embarrassed face.

    Marshal Canis just stood there staring down at the back of his head shell-shocked for a long, poignant moment. By the time she managed to pick her jaw up from the ground and yell out, "Oh fuck yes!" I think I saw a few more of the Lieutenant''s feathers turn white from the stress.

    We celebrated that night with the best ant hotpot Teal and I could manage to cook up. The new couple were totally inseparable throughout it all. It turned out that the two of them had known each other for years. The Lieutenant had been focusing on his magical prowess, delegating thoughts of marriage till after he reached Tier 4. The Marshal on the other hand had been rejected by all potential suitors due to her commoner background. It had taken this trip on the edge between life and death for the two ''friends'' to realize the true nature of their feelings.

    The second notable event involved Ceres and the residual will of the Witch in her mindscape. Now as ominous as that sounds, it wasn''t. It was actually good news for once.

    The Witch''s incarnation had been trying to escape the prison created by Ceres using the Doppelganger''s mana. While it did succeed in exhausting the cat''s mana and obliterating it, it had dwindled to a fraction of its former self in the process. Since we had been so unceremoniously expelled from the Dungeon and relatively secure, Ceres had immediately settled down to meditate to accelerate her mana regeneration.

    So, by the time the Witch''s incarnation shattered the Doppelganger''s shackles, Ceres was ready and lying in wait with her Dreamland Domain.

    The incarnation had put up a valiant fight, fully resisting Ceres'' Aspect of Illusions with its own and even managing to counterattack, but under Ceres'' overwhelming home ground superiority, it had finally succumbed to the Aspect of Sleep.

    Thus, it came to be that we were in possession of a portion of the Witch''s will ¨C the only portion remaining if we were to go by the words of the Dark Sun. And Ceres even came up with a way to extract information from it.

    After her tour of the Dungeon, her mana signature had subtly drawn closer to that of the Witch''s. It was close enough that she could supply the Witch''s incarnation with mana after deputing it through the mind crystal amulet. This way, there was no danger of the incarnation dissipating while she tried to scry its memories using her Dreamland.

    Naturally, it was an uphill process. The Witch was no slouch and her comprehension of the Aspect of Confusion was nearly a hard counter to Ceres'' skills. Very little headway was made until I mentioned my experience of using Azure''s Domain to unleash wind spells with a higher level of mastery than he himself possessed in that Aspect.

    That inspired her to use the Aspect of Illusions, the common ground between her and the Witch as a breach through which to invade the incarnation''s consciousness.

    It worked¡­ to an extent. After several hours of struggle, she manged to unearth some information regarding the Aspect of Illusions, including the existence of the kitsune''s secret library. Miyagi Vulpine, as a member of the main family had been allowed to browse the records in the library and their contents were slowly being extracted by Ceres.

    It wasn''t exactly what she had hoped for but it was beneficial nonetheless. And Ceres was confident of eventually extracting all the memories from its mind. After all, it was trapped in her mindscape with nowhere to go.

    If she had managed to directly extract compromising data about the Shogunate''s schemes, the merit would have been more than enough to elute any residual suspicion of her loyalty to Regiis. I had already discussed this link with the Lieutenant and the Marshal and they had assured me that they would have our back.

    In other news, the mages from the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries seemed to have been greatly affected by the words of the Dark Sun. It took them several days to recover from their zombie-like status. When they did, they claimed to have forgotten everything that had happened past their entry into the Dungeon. Stranger still, when questioned about their lack of reaction to the absence of Hei Lian and Steven, they looked at us strangely and asked us who these people we spoke of were.

    Any memory they had of her, or anyone closely related to her had been erased from their minds.

    What kind of fell magic was this? It went beyond the category of the spells that we knew. For the lack of a better term, it resembled the promulgation of a Law. It was a stratum of magic I had never encountered before. Thankfully, it only seemed to affect the wolves ¨C "Probably bloodline related," speculated Ceres.

    After a discussion with the rest of the Regiis team, we decided that in the face of such a powerful entity, accepting her demand that we keep her location secret was the wiser course of action.

    We decided to claim that we had infiltrated into the Dungeon''s core chamber and while the elemental was recuperating after its exertions during the volcanic eruption, we had destroyed the arrangement of Miyagi Vulpine. In the process, Steven and Hei Lian had lost their lives and the mages from the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries, their memories due to the Witch''s backlash.

    When Firang was only a day''s march away and we had set up camp for the night, Ceres came in to our shared tent and said, "Husband, I just wrangled some information out of the Witch that I am sure you''ll find useful."

    "What is it?" I asked as I smoothened out the creases on the bedroll and sat down on it cross-legged facing her. Walking over to me, Ceres made herself comfortable in my lap, leaning her back against my chest.

    It required a bit of manoeuvring as her four tails got in the way, but we managed. Wrapping my arms around her from the back, I rested my chin on her left shoulder. Pressing my cheek up against her neck, I savoured her scent.

    She smelt of cinnamon and smoke.

    Giggling, she gently flicked my nose. "Don''t sniff me, it tickles. What are you, a dog?"

    "Woof!" I replied with a smile eliciting her clear laughter. I loved how much more cheerful Ceres had become after leaving the Dungeon. It was like a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders and she could finally let loose a bit.

    "So?" I asked. "What''s that bit of news you came here to give me?"

    Shifting a little to make herself a little more comfortable, "Well," she began as she fiddled with my fingers in her lap, "remember when you told me about how you were worried about the direction of your cultivation?"

    I hummed in agreement. She continued, "I was investigating the memories of the Witch today when I came across the term Grandmaster."

    "Go on." I encouraged, my interest piqued.

    "In the kitsune clan, they classify cultivation more rigorously. They have a system of Tiers and Realms that''s much more elaborate than what is speculated in father-in-law''s notes."

    "Well, it''s to be expected that a clan with such a glorious heritage would have a more systematic take on cultivation than the Felidae clan. The difference in historical background is placed there. So, what''s different about it?" I asked.

    "The Tiers refer to the intensity of one''s mana cultivation ¨C how dense their mana is, how developed their mindscape, that kind of thing. It''s more or less the same as the system used in Regiis. There isn''t really much wiggle room there with how clear cut it all is. No. The main thing is their classification of Realms. You know that there are three Aspects related to each element, right? It''s what the cultivators of Huaxia refer to as Daos. The system of Realms is to quantify someone''s progress in comprehending their Aspect.

    "The first realm is Initiate, or Novice. It means that someone has fully grasped the ability to cast the spell associated with that Aspect. The second realm: Adept, means that the mage has begun using the spell creatively, resulting in some sort of variation. For example, Azure''s Scythe of Wind. The third realm is Mastery. Mages at this stage can apply the mastered aspect to a spell of a different aspect, combining them like what you did during the fight with the elemental.

    "But that''s not all. There are further realms beyond Mastery."

    "Grandmaster¡­" I muttered.

    "Exactly. You told me about how father-in-law used the mental states of the Oneness and the Void to do it, but acknowledged in his notes that it wasn''t the only possible way to reach mastery, maybe not even the best way. Actually, the process of mastering an Aspect is heavily influenced by the thought process of the mage.

    "When I was trying to master my Aspect of illusions, I was thinking of how to influence someone''s physical senses using my smoke. I thought about it too literally and in the end, it came in the form of the ability to alter the alchemical composition of my smoke, making someone hallucinate when they inhale it. But in my search of the Witch''s memories related to the Aspect, I found that over the years other kitsune had used widely different methods to reach the same goal of tricking the enemy''s senses.

    "Some managed to alter the physical properties of the smoke itself so that it turned into a life-like replica of an object, managing to sculpt entire fake sceneries out of smoke. Some focused solely on using the Aspect for espionage and ended up creating the famous Transformation technique giving them the ability to change their appearance with the help of the smoke.

    "There is even a Smoke Clone technique which gives a mage access to an incarnation that is totally indistinguishable from their real body except for the lack of mana and the fact that a strong blow will cause it to dissipate."

    "So, a more accessible Doppelganger." I commented.

    "Yeah. So, mastery is more of your personal take on the Aspect. Depending on your thought process, personality and perspective, it can vary widely. Just like the story of the blind men and the elephant. But Grandmaster is one step beyond that. When you understanding of an Aspect reaches a height where you manage to peek into its very essence, then you are considered a Grandmaster. It''s as though you''ve taken off your blindfold and are finally seeing the elephant for what it truly is."

    The parable Ceres was referring to was one which originated in Indus and trickled its way all parts of the Continent including Regiis due to the universality of its message. In it, a group of four blind men encounter an elephant in a forest. The first man touches its tail. The second man, its side. The third, its trunk. The fourth man, grasps its tusk. Depending on the part they touch, they end up with the conclusion that they had each met a different beast when, in fact, it was the same elephant.

    The moral was that we interpret the same reality differently based on our limited perspective.

    She continued, "The more I delve into the Witch''s mind, the more content of the kitsune library I manage to extract, the deeper is my cognition the Aspect of Illusions. I can feel that if I manage to read through it all and integrate all these ideas and techniques in my own form of Mastery, I can step into the Realm of Grandmaster."

    Shifting around in my lap to face me, she looked me in the eye and said, "Husband, I feel that this is the point of your breakthrough. Your plan to blindly Master every Aspect seems somewhat impractical. I feel focusing on one Aspect will serve you better."

    That got me thinking. It was true that I had found a deficiency in my plan to become a jack-of-all-trades. When I used my mastered Aspect of Wind in isolation, I could only unleash power at the level of a Tier 4 initial stage, and that too only in extremely favourable conditions of high wind mana density. Ordinarily, I''d be on par with a Tier 3 peak mage. Even if I merged other Aspects, say the Aspect of Amplification, I could only hope to bump the power back up to the level of a Tier 4 initial stage mage. And there was always the problem of incompatible Aspects.

    By increasing the number of Aspects I dabbled in, all I was doing was diversifying my options in battle. Yes, it would make me more versatile and flexible but it wouldn''t increase my maximum output. I had already run up against that wall but without the knowledge of the existence of Realms beyond Mastery, even knowing that I was spreading my efforts thin, I still had to try to improve my Realm in as many Aspects as I could. I had been stuck.

    I looked at Ceres. She really was my lucky star. After she had entered my life, I''d had one breakthrough after another. Sitting, as she was, on my lap, our noses were almost touching. I could feel the warmth of her breath on my face.

    Detecting the change in the atmosphere, her breath sped up and a slight flush appeared on her cheeks.

    With a thought, a gust of wind blew out the candle in the corner of the tent, plunging us into darkness.

 154 Chapter 14

    Even the last time I slept with her was when I''d shared it my bed with all three of my wives. Unlike my other two wives, Ceres had been really withdrawn at that time because she was uncomfortable with sleeping with girls. While Phobos and Deimos had taken up most of mine and each other''s attention, Ceres had been neglected. If I recall correctly, she hadn''t even taken off her blouse.

    Nope. This wouldn''t do. It wouldn''t do at all.

    Coiling my arms around her back, I wrapped her in my embrace, trapping her arms in between our chests. Leaning my head down, I stole her lips. Laying her palms flat on my pecs, she responded intensely to my kiss.

    Slowly sliding her palms over my chest, she grasped my shoulders before moving them up behind my neck, finally entangling her fingers in my hair. I returned the favour by keeping her pressed up against me with one hand while with the other, I made a claw and ran my nails up her spine, causing her to shudder and moan into my mouth as her tails lashed agitatedly.

    We separated our lips, leaving a glistening thread of saliva suspended between them.

    Her large eyes seemed to glimmer behind her glasses. Keeping my eyes locked with hers, with one hand I reached up and took off her glasses, folding them and putting them aside. She wouldn''t be needing them tonight.

    I felt her breath hitch in anticipation as my hand moved towards her hakama.

    "Wait." She said softly and I paused my movements, looking at her inquiringly.

    Averting her eyes, she slid out of my grasp and moved to sit down on the bedroll, facing me in seiza. She kept her eyes on her lap as she held her lapels together with her hands.

    "What''s the matter?" I asked, concerned by her behaviour.

    "Umm¡­ well. I just¡­"

    Frowning, I reached out and raised her chin with a finger under it so she had to look me in the eye. "What is it? Tell me."

    "Aah¡­ my chest." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

    My eyes widened. "Oh! I''m so sorry. Your injury! I clear forgot about it. Is it fine? That Doppelganger didn''t do anything weird to you, did it?"

    "Oh no, no, no¡­" she denied hastily, waving her palms. "It''s nothing like that. I''m fine. Much better than before, actually. The Doppelganger healed all my wounds. It made my heart its nest but after it dissipated, the mana residue was enough to fully heal me. There are no complications at all."

    "Uh¡­" I scratched my head in confusion. "Then what''s the problem. You aren''t in the mood?"

    "I am!" she exclaimed before blushing down to her neck in embarrassment. Looking down at her lap, she muttered, "I am."

    "Then?"

    Then she crossed her arms over her chest and looked away with puffed up cheeks. I picked myself up from the bed as I had tumbled backwards at her sudden tirade. My eyes were inevitably drawn to her chest. Now that she mentioned it¡­

    "You can''t look!" she exclaimed and turned her back to me, her four tails fanning out to hide her figure.

    I ran my hand through my hair helplessly with a wry smile on my face. "Yeah. You don''t have to worry about that, girl. I don''t care much for your looks."

    She whipped around at that. "What do you mean you don''t care much for my looks?"

    Immediately realizing the error in my wording, I hastily placated her, "No. I meant that I don''t much care what any of my women look like now. Obviously looks are important. But only for a good first impression. See, the Duchess is one of the most beautiful women I have seen but I wouldn''t touch her with a ten-foot-pole if she stripped and lay down in front of me. in fact, I''d attach a spear-tip to the pole and stab her with it. You, Phobos, Deimos, even if something happened and you lost your beauty, I would still see you the same. So, no need to feel self-conscious about it, yeah?"

    "Really?"

    "Yeah. Really."

    "Then why were you neglecting me that day when all three of us were there with you?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

    I could feel cold sweat beading on my forehead. ''How the fuck am I supposed to answer this question?''

    "Umm¡­ uhh¡­ the thing is." I stumbled over my words.

    Suddenly Ceres burst into a fit of laughter. "Ahahaha¡­ ha. Oh. Your face just now. Haha." she managed to say while clutching her stomach. Straightening up after reining in her mirth, she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

    "Thanks. I won''t care about it anymore," she said warmly.

    Then standing up, she undid the knot in her obi and slipped off her hakama, revealing herself to me in all her naked glory. Even in the darkness of the tent, the sight of her was breath-taking, driving my discontent at being made fun of right out of my mind.

    Her pearlescent skin, so unlike either Phobos'' pale complexion or Deimos'' healthy tan, seemed to glow in the limited light as I admired her figure.

    Her slender legs led to wide hips, leaving a visible gap between her thighs. The outline of her body curved inwards at her waist, moved along the gentle curve of her ribs and ended in narrow shoulders, giving her frame a delicate cast. The change in her chest size meant that her figure now had a boyish charm. Combined with her elfin face, twitching fox ears and large eyes, framed by her four swinging furry tails, this new Ceres made my heartbeat accelerate.

    But¡­ But there was something bothering me. A slight flaw in something perfect.

    "Ceres," I said seriously.

    "Yes?" she asked, straightening up subconsciously at my tone of voice.

    "Do you trust me?"

    Her expression grew firm. "With my life!" she exclaimed.

    "Then¡­ let me cut your hair."

    .

    ¡­

    ¡­ ¡­

 155 Chapter 15

    To be honest, it was my first time giving anyone a haircut. Deimos got hers cut by the clan barber as did I. And as for Phobos, she let her hair grow, only trimming the ends when they split or got worn down. Although Phobos claimed to trust me with her life just like Ceres, she wouldn''t let me within a mile of her hair with a pair of scissors. Did that mean her hair was more important than her life? Probably.

    Ceres'' words to me before she sat down and surrendered her tresses to my ministrations had quite affected me. "The only one I need to look pretty for is you." she had said with a smile. "So, even if you botch it up, your guilt won''t let you find me ugly. So, snip away."

    In the flickering light of the candle, I began my work. Tiny runes of sharpness formed on the index and middle fingers of my right hand, tugging on the wind mana in the air making it coalesce into two transparent blades of wind attached to them. Raising her cinnamon brown hair with my left hand, I made the first cut.

    For a while, silence pervaded the tent, broken only by the sound of the snipping of my wind scissors. More and more of her locks fell away, covering the sheet that covered her. Her ears twitched nervously as my scissors neared but she held still and let me trim the area around them. After a while, I sat back and inspected my handiwork.

    I had given her a pixie cut, shortening her hair at the sides and the back and leaving her bangs intact. It revealed the line of her slim neck and further accentuated her beautiful eyes. Diverging the scissors, I flicked my wrist, a gust of wind arose baseless, curling up the strands of her hair, depositing them in a neat pile in one corner of the room.

    Impatiently unknotting the bedsheet, Ceres shrugged it off and raised her hands to her head, running her hands over it to examine the final result. Twisting around to face me, she looked at me with shining eyes, "Husband, it feels so light and breezy. And it feels so great when I run my hands through it. I love it!"

    Grinning, I reached out and ran my hand through her hair, "You mean this?"

    Her eyes narrowed into seams and her ears and tails twitched with delight as she pushed her head up against my palm. I couldn''t help but chuckle. ''So damn cute.'' I almost expected her to start purring.

    The flickering light of the candle cast our intertwining shadows against the canvas of the tent. The sound of heavy breathing and moans filled the enclosed space, our passion suffusing it with the scent of our lust.

    My clothes lay strewn haphazardly around the tent where Ceres had tossed them in her haste. Both of us wrestled skin to skin for dominance. With my overwhelming superiority, I soon had her pinned down on the bed by both her wrists as I overlooked her from above.

    The droplets of sweat on her body glinted like fiery jewels in the candlelight and her eyes were moist with desire. Gathering her wrists together, I held them down with my left hand as I lowered my head to explore her right breast with my mouth while I massaged the other with my right hand.

    The scent of her femininity filled my nose and the taste of her skin lingered on my tongue as I left glistening trails all over her chest. Even though Ceres claimed that there was nothing there, I could feel the soft pads of flesh beneath her skin.

    Squirmed beneath me with her eyes squeezed shut while biting down on her lower lip, she arched her spine as if to present more of herself to me. I obliged, gently biting down on a nipple. A gasp escaped her lips as her eyes flew open.

    Throwing her legs around my back, she pulled me towards her. "P-lease¡­" she begged.

    Letting go of my hold on her wrists, I began kissing my way down her soft stomach to her lower lips. She shuddered as I licked up the moisture seeping out of her slit and gripped my hair with her freed hands almost painfully.

    Holding her thighs apart with my hands, I continued teasing her pussy with my tongue, alternately licking up her slit and flicking her clit with the tip of my tongue. "Mars¡­" she moaned my name passionately, lighting a fire in my loins. I wanted to take her there and then but before that I wanted her to cum with my tongue.

    Spreading her lower lips apart with my fingers, I plunged my tongue into her pink depths.

    Throwing her head back, she arched her back and gasped out the last of the air in her lungs. Her thighs clamped my head and her grip on my hair grew painful as she pushed my head down towards her crotch as a massive orgasm rippled through her.

    I could feel the muscles in her thighs and stomach repeatedly clenching and relaxing as wave after wave of pleasure assaulted her. Mercilessly, I stimulated her pussy and clit with my tongue, prolonging her sweet torture until finally, she collapsed limply onto the bed, releasing her death grip on my head.

    Leaning back, I wiped her lust off my mouth with the back of my hand. Her whole body was beaded with sweat and her chest rose and fell in time with her breath. Her four tails lay limply on the bed and her eyes were half-closed, her long eyelashes fluttering gently.

    She looked so frail that I almost wanted to let her catch her breath but I was too aroused for that. Abstinence was all well and good but after so long without, my organ was hard as steel and it demanded some action.

    Scooping the limp Ceres into my arms, I stood, placing her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck before positioning myself at her entrance and slowly invading her moist, warm cave. The stimulus brought her mind back from wherever it had flown off to and she embraced me tightly with a surprised cry.

    ''Tight!'' was my only thought as I slowly made my way deeper and deeper into her, supporting her weight with my palms gripping her soft, elastic ass.

    "Ahn, Husband," she moaned breathily into my ear, making me twitch inside her. Pulling back out of her slightly, I pushed back in, driving a little more of myself into her with each thrust until finally, my full length was enveloped in her warm, moist folds.

    As closely pasted to each other as we were, I could feel her heart racing in her chest. A strong beat. A healthy heart.

    Walking up to one wall of the tent, I pushed her back against it, making her hold onto the cloth straps that were attached to it. With a primal grunt, I began moving in earnest, repeatedly driving myself in and out of her to the music of her moans.

    Her moans increased in loudness the closer she got to climax until with a scream, she came again. She clamped down on me, hard, and the orgasmic undulations of her folds drove me over the brink and discharged myself deep inside her.

    Both of us collapsed in a sweaty, tangled heap against the wall of the tent breathing hard.

    Recovering first, Ceres gently caressed my cheek with a palm as she looked deep into my eyes, her feelings clear in those beautiful brown pupils of hers. "My love¡­" she whispered softly, once again stealing my heart.

 156 Chapter 16

    Blinking a few times to clear her vision, she took in her situation. After their nightly exertions, they had fallen asleep with Mars spooning her. Sometime in the night, the heat had grown too much to bear and one of them had kicked the blanket away, resulting in them lying bare on the bed. For a moment Ceres soaked in the sensation of Mars'' strong arm around her waist and the feel of his chest pressing up against her tails.

    She felt his gentle breaths blowing against the back of her head, ruffling her recently shortened hair. It felt ticklish. She wished the moment would last forever.

    Burrowing her face into the pillow again, she tried to return to sleep but the annoying heat of the solitary sunbeam kept her awake. Sighing in resignation, she gently raised Mars'' arm off her waist and wriggled out of his grasp.

    Stretching and yawning, Ceres turned around to find Mars looking up at her with a smile. It seemed that she had awakened him with her movements. Grinning back, she clambered out of the bed and picked her clothes off the floor where she''d discarded them, patted the dust out of them before donning them.

    Fully clothed she turned around to find Mars decent as well -- just lacing up his last boot. Straightening up, he offered her his arm and she took it with a smile. Unfastening the flaps of the tent, they exited together, the ruddy glow of the rising sun dyeing their faces red.

    Taking in a deep breath, Ceres felt freer than she had ever been. Her new hairstyle made her feel so light, so unburdened. She could feel the caress of the fresh morning breeze ruffling their hair with so much more clarity. If she was a wind mage, at that moment, she was sure she would have been able to fly.

    She was finally her own woman. Her grip on Mars'' arm tightened. No. She was his, willingly given.

    "Lieutenant Felidae, Captain Ceres, there is a general call-up."

    Ceres sighed inwardly as the voice of the female wind mage, Keira interrupted their private moment. The world just didn''t seem to want to stand still.

    Adjusting her mentality, she reluctantly separated from Mars and the both of them made their way towards the command tent along with Keira. On the way, they saw the rest of the team already gathering towards it. It looked like something big had happened. Suddenly a thought flashed in her mind. Could it be?

    Turning to Mars, she saw him looking at her with the same realization mirrored in his expression. Immediately, they sped up their pace.

    Mars sat down in the empty position on Lieutenant Corvus'' left while Ceres sat directly opposite them in the seat of least importance. After all, going purely by military rank, she had the least qualifications among the mages gathered in the tent.

    Lieutenant Corvus indicated for them to wait and after a while Adeline entered along with Azure and Teal. Shooting a smile at her they took up their position in the ring, completing it. Without further ado, Corvus, Canis and Ennis, the three remaining shadow mages in the team channelled their mana into the crystal, causing it to gleam darkly and vibrate.

    After a while, a rush of static filled the tent as it connected to its counterpart in Firang. The static soon resolved itself into a feminine voice. "Tower one-one-oh-nine. Identify yourselves."

    "Operative Corvus. Expedition leader Canis." replied Marshal Canis.

    There was a slight pause on the other side. "Situation code?"

    "Blue."

    "Standby." After a much longer pause, Epione Felidae''s voice floated out of the crystal.

    "Casualties?" Her voice was tight with tension.

    "Two. Hei Lian and Steven." replied Marshal Canis.

    There was the sound of a rush of air as Epione breathed out in relief before quickly realizing the inappropriateness of her reaction and catching herself.

    "Ahem. Continue. Situation report."

    As Marshal Canis reported the details of their mission in a short, concise manner, Ceres couldn''t help but feel warm inside. Mars had used Abstinence shortly after leaving the Dungeon. Even though the communication crystal was disturbed by the high density of fire mana, Abstinence was unzoned.

    It was a way of informing everyone back in Firang that he was still alive. But they wouldn''t know how Ceres was doing. Especially since the Doppelganger had dissipated, it had probably returned to Epione''s side. That might have created a misconception that Ceres had died in battle as it was linked to her. Therefore, the worry in Epione''s voice was for her.

    Soon, Marshal Canis was done reporting their situation. She asked, "HQ status?"

    "The offensive of the Crimson Coyotes ended abruptly a few days ago. Scouts report them engaging the forces of the Calamity that suddenly launched an attack on them. The result of your handiwork, I suppose. As it stands, it freed the forces of the border defense further south. They have dispatched a regiment by locomotive that is due to arrive tonight. Right now, we are fighting a defensive war with the Calamity. The two Queens are being held up by the Wolf Ancestor and Husband while the rest of our forces are dealing with the other ants. Without reinforcements, we could have at most held out for another week."

    She paused, the channel devolving into static as there was a change in the mage supplying mana to the crystal on their side. "Test."

    Marshal Canis responded, "Clear."

    "Ok. Your estimated arrival time?"

    "Sunset."

    "Route?"

    "Sixty-seven."

    "No. Use thirty-two. We''ll send an escort. If possible, scout ahead. Corvus?"

    "Can do." Lieutenant Corvus affirmed.

    "HQ. Over."

    Then static filled the tent again before silence returned as the shadow mages stopped supplying the crystal with mana.

    Adeline was the first to break the silence, an enthusiastic grin plastered on her face. "Well boys and girls, it looks like we''ve gone and done it. Saved the entire military camp and hundreds of thousands of the civvies to boot!

 157 Chapter 1

    There were birds, beasts and human skeletons in various stages of incompleteness ¨C millennia of death unearthed to challenge the living. In the face of the undead army that spanned horizons, General Kron''s countenance remained frozen in the same grim mask he always wore ¨C an anchor for the morale of the soldiers under his command. It appeared as though even if the heavens themselves shattered, the General would still face it with that same stoic determination. In the care of such a commander, all they needed to do was follow their orders and victory was sure to come.

    If only they knew that the reason General Kron stood atop the walls in full sight of them wasn''t to raise their morale. He was simply waiting for the stiff breeze to dry his pants. As to why he didn''t use magic¡­ he was an earth mage and water had always been a difficult adversary for earth.

    ''We are going to die,'' observed the pessimistic part of his mind calmly. ''We are going to die miserably,'' agreed the optimistic part.

    ''Why me?'' he questioned himself sometime later. ''It was supposed to be a change of scenery. A temporary swap with that lucky bastard Adelbrandt. I even brought Evie and the baby along. The Tomb was silent, they said. The Tomb was safe, they said. The Tomb was a cushy assignment, they said. Bastards. Liars. They killed us. Me. Evie. The baby... I hope they rot in hell. Why me damn it!?''

    "You''re a brave lad." General Kron stiffened as an aged voice spoke into his ear in mellow tones and a hand gently patted his shoulder. "Now you can stand down. Leave the rest to me."

    General Kron didn''t reply, he simply couldn''t, as the owners of the hand and the voice walked past him. He didn''t move as the frail old man, supported by the arm by a female of extreme beauty, stepped off the edge of the rampart and nonchalantly walked down the vertical wall as though the laws of the world simply didn''t hold true for them. He didn''t move as the two of them reached the bottom of the wall and disappeared into the bone sea.

    Then he shivered from head to toe. If the skeleton army had scared him by virtue of an imminent death, then the touch of the woman and the voice of the man had been a brush with Death incarnate.

    ''W-when did they arrive? W-why didn''t I sense them approach? Who the hell are they! I''m a Tier 5 for the Gods sake. Damn it!''

    To make matters worse his freshly dried pants had been moistened again.

    ''¡­''

    ''I shouldn''t have drunk that last cup of tea¡­''

    His rambling thoughts ground to a screeching halt as the entire world began to tilt.

    As the ground slanted further and further upwards, the skeleton army began to lose their footing and slip down the now inclined plain. The edge of the slab of earth rose higher and higher until it was on par with the General''s eye-level as he stood atop the highest point on the wall.

    His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he noticed the figures of the old man and the woman floating above the slab, rising as it rose. While the woman remained as graceful as always, the old man had shrugged of his shirt, revealing corded muscles that wrapped his wiry frame.

    Blue veins popped out all over his body, his muscles bulging as he squatted in the horse stance while afloat, posing like he was lifting an extremely heavy weight. His face was flushed and his teeth were clenched. His sparse white hair and equally white goatee fluttered in the wind as he strained.

    An absurd notion floated up in General Kron''s mind. ''He''s the one lifting the entire plain.'' As soon as the thought arose, it was shot down by the rational part of his mind. ''Hah! Impossible. There''s no way a single mage can do that. Not even a Tier 5 peak has that kind of power. Only if they are¡­ Tier¡­ 6.''

    ''¡­''

    ''Oh¡­''

    ''¡­''

    ''A freaking Demigod!''

    As General Kron was busy panicking, the gigantic slab of rock tilted further and further until it was nearly vertical, casting a deep shadow upon the entire army stationed on the wall. Except for the rattle of soil and rocks as they cascaded off the massive chunk of earth, there was utter silence.

    Then an extremely loud voice rippled across the battlefield, snapping everyone out of their shock.

    "Koschei, you bastard! Just stay in your fucking grave!"

    Then with a rumble, the mind-bogglingly large slab of earth was simply flipped over. With a crash that rattled all their bones and sent fissures spidering up the wall, the earth slammed into the ground, raising a dense cloud of dust that obscured the entire battlefield.

    Then the strong winds generated by the air displaced by the falling earth ripped apart the cloud of dust and sent it radiating away as a dust-storm.

    General Kron activated his Domain, the stone walls of the rampart bending to his will and shaping themselves around his body, wrapping him up in a shell of stone. The whistling gale slammed into his defences and split, flowing on both sides of him. Sealed away in the darkness of his self-imposed stone prison, the General breathed rapidly, trying to calm down.

    He only had two good traits. The first was his extraordinary magical talent, the second, the fact that he was a born thespian. His talent had given him his cultivation base while his acting had brought him his status. It had allowed him to keep the fact that he was a coward at his core a secret from the entire world. Even from his wife of many years. Fake it till you make it, he always exhorted himself before putting on his mask of stoicism and stepping out to command his soldiers. His mask had never threatened to slip as many times in his entire life as it had in this hour alone.

    Finally, bringing his breathing under control, he diverged his stone shell and took in the altered state of the battlefield.

    Nothing. There was absolutely nothing there. Where the plain had been teeming with the terrifying undead regiment a few short minutes ago, now there was only barren earth.

    The undead had been buried.

 158 Chapter 2

    A young boy stood in front of a grave. It was noon yet dark clouds covered the sky, making it seem like dusk. With a rumble of thunder, the clouds broke. Under the torrential downpour, the small form stood alone in front of the raised mound. The roughly carved inscription on the tombstone read ¨C Maria Koschei. Facing directly up to the heavens, the boy let the rain wash away his tears.

    "Mother, why must people die?"

    His question lingered unanswered in the heavy rain.

    Present ¨C

    Deep within the bowels of the earth, at the very core of the Dungeon, silence reigned supreme. Suddenly, that deathly stillness was cracked by faint vibrations followed closely by a rumble like distant thunder. Then a voice pierced layer upon layer of solid rock and thoroughly shattered it.

    "Koschei, you bastard! Stay in your fucking grave!"

    As the last of the echoes died out, two dark golden suns appeared in the lightless cavern, each the size of a standing man. They were a pair of eyes.

    The colossus looked upwards, its vision seeming to pass through the hindrance of the stone to observe the two beings that had disturbed its rest. As suddenly as they had appeared, the lights extinguished, plunging the cavern in darkness once more.

    The only difference was, its occupant was no longer there.

    General Kron gulped nervously as he recalled the records and lore about the Tomb of Koschei and Edward Koschei himself.

    The man had been one of the most illustrious Generals in the history of the Regiis Empire, approximately five-hundred years ago. His affinity was a rare compound of shadow and earth and he had built his fame upon his most adept technique: The Golem Legion.

    A result of the combination of the Aspect of Earth and the Aspect of Manipulation, he could mould golems out of the earth and then command them with his shadows. In group warfare, as long as his mana sufficed, he could be considered a one-man army. In his time, the borders of Regiis were nigh impregnable.

    But as most such stories go, his too ended in tragedy.

    The invasion of the Northern Barbarians was the toughest challenge General Koschei had to face in his entire military career. To preserve his life and those of his soldiers, he was forced to reveal his trump card: Necromancy.

    Moulding golems out of earth consumed mana and manipulating those heavy constructs was draining as well. The resulting legion was a heavy, ponderous force that was only good as shields for the mages and as mobile bunkers. While immensely useful, Koschei was unsatisfied with the technique.

    Generally, the Tier 3 shadow magic: Manipulation could control very few living beings. The reason his magic allowed him to manipulate so many at once was that his puppets didn''t have their own mana or a will to resist. By using corpses as his puppets, he was maximizing his superiority thoroughly.

    From a military perspective, that battle was a grand success. Noticing the corpses of their own comrades rising from the dead to cope with them had caused the morale of the enemy troops to comprehensively avalanche. Instead of the long drawn out war they had been expecting, it had turned into a thorough rout as the Barbarians fled from the ''King of the Dead''.

    But from the political perspective, it was a deathblow for Koschei, for among the corpses that had been ''revived'' were Regiis soldiers. As it was his first time employing the magic on such a large scale, Koschei simply lacked the finesse required to distinguish between the corpses of friend and foe. This had led to a tide of public opinion against him for desecrating the bodies of their martyrs and he was censured and forced to resign.

    Thus, the King of the Dead returned to his clan, living the rest of his life in seclusion, out of the public eye. Or so it should have been.

    Yet, a hundred years later, the entire city the Koschei clan ruled over along with its one-hundred-thousand strong population sank into the ground one night without any omen or sound, forming the maddeningly intricate, ever-changing underground labyrinth known as the Tomb of Koschei.

    After much investigation, the fact of the matter was unearthed. There had always been an earth Dungeon under the ancestral city of the Koschei but it had been hidden extremely well and kept out of the notice of the Empire. It was the reason for the large number of earth mages in the Koschei clan and why they were so active in recruiting commoner earth mages. Without the need to pay a substantial fraction of the harvested Earth Stones and Lithic Crystals, the clan could pour the resources into training their own talents.

    Koschei as the only Tier 5 mage had consolidated his dominion over his clan and their resources swiftly. After that, he had thrown himself into the improvement of his magic. That is, before his wife passed away from old age. Despite his status as a Tier 5 mage, his wife had only managed to reach Tier 3 due to her poor magical talent.

    After searching far and wide, the clan had managed to procure an alchemical concoction that would allow her to step into Tier 4 but unfortunately, it couldn''t prolong her life like a normal promotion would. Therefore, she left the world before Koschei did. It is rumoured that helplessly watching her grow old and die was what triggered Koschei''s subsequent quest for eternal life.

    The death of his wife and his unwillingness to remarry meant that reaching Tier 6 through ordinary means was impossible for him. Therefore, he needed some other means to prolong his life.

    In the philosophy of the sages of Huaxia and their unrelenting search for immortality, he found a resonance of ideals. It is said that he visited Huaxia several times to consult with them and finally, decided to try an extremely radical method.

    As an elemental was quasi-immortal in nature, Koschei decided to fuse with one to gain that trait himself, resulting in the Dungeon swallowing up the entire city and its occupants and him never being heard from again.

    Until, that is, now.

    General Kron watched slack-jawed as the entire barren plain created by the Demigods began to ripple like a disturbed lake. Then a huge, jet-black skeletal hand slowly pushed out of the centre of the ripples, then another, and another and another. The four skeletal arms laid their palms flat on the ground, sending tremors radiating outwards, and pushed down, causing an obsidian skull to breach the surface of the earth.

    The skull was followed by the shoulders and rib-cage, then the spine. The humongous skeleton straightened up, its dark golden eyes flush with the top of the defense rampart even with only its torso out of the ground. Dark golden threads of Lithic Crystals were veined all throughout its bones, lending it a suffocating noble presence.

    The soil and rock that cascaded off the giant skeleton like water was suddenly arrested mid-air, disintegrating into dust that wrapped around the skeletal body like a robe. Each of its four arms was covered by a dusty sleeve.

    Finally pulling its lower half out of the ground, it allowed the dust robe to materialize around its legs. The four-armed skeleton stood, its head seemingly touching the sky and the shadow of its body blotting out the sun.

    At its full height, its eyes were at the same level as the floating Demigods.

 159 Chapter 3

    I smiled wryly and entered after her, inspecting the hinges for damage. Thankfully, these apartments were made to military specification and sturdiness was prioritized over cost or aesthetics. It looked like we wouldn''t have to bear the reputation of damagers of public property.

    Phobos and Ceres filed in after me. Phobos went over to Deimos while Ceres just collapsed onto a cushioned chair bonelessly. It had been an exhausting few hours for her.

    "Calm down, Demi. It''s all over now." Phobos said placatingly.

    Deimos stopped her pacing and turned to Phobos. "Calm! How can I be calm Phi-Phi? Didn''t you see how they treated Ceres?"

    Phobos'' eyes narrowed but she shook her head. "Of course I did. But that was because they didn''t know the entirety of the matter. They saw her tails and drew premature conclusions. Once they were fully informed of the situation, they stopped aiming at her, didn''t they?"

    "They stopped aiming at her, but they didn''t give her the reward she deserves, ya. They just brushed off all her contributions like they were nothing!" exclaimed Deimos, outraged on Ceres'' behalf.

    Testing the hinge by swinging the door a few times, I shut it, kicked off my boots and entered the room. "It''s not just that," I said, "I feel it was premeditated. By making an issue out of her status, they wanted to dodge her reward. The assisting forces seem to be quite partial to the Swayamvar candidate that arrived along with them. He was probably the one inciting them in secret."

    Ceres lifted her head off the back of the chair she was sprawled on and looked at me in surprise. "Husband, you noticed?"

    The corners of my lips twitched. "Would it kill you not to sound so surprised? I admit, I ''cheated'' a bit by using my senses. With the amount of smugness radiating off that guy, it''s a wonder I can''t sense it all the way here."

    "He-he," Ceres chuckled and laid her head back down on the backrest and closed her eyes. "And here I was thinking that my husband had suddenly become a master schemer and didn''t need me anymore."

    Phobos turned pensive, "I guess he wanted to downplay Husband''s role in all this. He didn''t want him receiving such a huge windfall of merit before the Swayamvar even started."

    "What''s wrong with him?! The entire region is at war and all he can think about is a competition?" Walking up to Ceres, she gently tugged one of her tails that was hanging limply over an armrest. "Why aren''t you more upset, ya? Both of you risked your lives out there while the brat was hiding in the barracks over at their section of the border."

    "Actually," I added as I walked out of the kitchen with a plate of refreshments, "we should thank him for so blatantly singling us out while praising the rest of the members of the Expedition." Setting the tray down on the table, I continued, "This way, anyone who harboured resentment against Ceres will feel ashamed to trouble her further. What actually surprised me was how light the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries'' reaction was to the death of their princess and her husband. I think even our soldiers mourned her and Steven more."

    Phobos swallowed the biscuit she had been eating and wiped the crumbs off her mouth. Taking a seat on my lap, she leaned her back into my chest. "I looked into the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries while you were gone," she said.

    "The thing is, there are mixed opinions about Hei Lian. She is the daughter of the Sun Wolf, but she is also a female Alpha. And that isn''t looked on kindly in their culture. She was even steadily reforming their society to balance gender roles. And that, didn''t make her very popular among the male cultivators. If not for the support of her grandmother, she wouldn''t have been able to keep her position of the heir. The reason she volunteered for the mission was probably to improve her prestige.

    "So, while the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries are lamenting the loss of their only Alpha, they are also relieved that she didn''t come back. She''s quite pitiful."

    The image of a figure in dark armour wreathed in black flames floated up in my mind. Indeed, quite pitiful.

    Laying the back of her head on my shoulder and burying her face into the crook of my neck, "Husband," muttered Phobos, her voiced muffled due to her lips touching my skin. "I missed you."

    Linking my hands around her waist, I kissed the top of her head and took in the floral scent of her hair. There was no way I hadn''t noticed that her dark circles had grown more pronounced and the unhealthy pallor of Deimos'' skin. These two hadn''t been sleeping well. "I missed you too." I said, softly.

    "No fair, Phi-Phi. You''re being sneaky." Deimos complained and two soft and warm mounds enveloped the back of my head as she hugged me from behind. "I missed Master too."

    I couldn''t help but chuckle. Grabbing her hand, I kissed her palm. "And I, you, my sweet thing."

    "So energetic¡­" muttered Ceres sleepily as she curled up in her chair with three tails covering her like a furry blanket while the fourth acted like a pillow.

    "Oi! Sleep on the bed. You''ll hurt yourself sleeping like that." I admonished.

    "Nnn¡­" she mumbled incoherently.

    Sighing, I lifted Phobos off my lap and placed her on the sofa. Working out of Deimos'' embrace, I went over to Ceres and unceremoniously shouldered her.

    "Aaaah!" she shrieked in surprise and struggled in my grasp for a bit before giving up and hanging like a limp rag over my shoulder.

    As I walked towards our bedroom, I paused with my hand on the handle of the door. I was a bit surprised at my own actions. I had met Phobos and Deimos after nearly ten days, our longest separation after our marriage, and the moment I saw Ceres uncomfortable, I instinctively prioritized her, even working out of their embraces to do so.

    This¡­ wasn''t good.

    Turning back towards the two girls, I found them staring at me, Deimos pouting sullenly with puffed cheeks, Phobos with her eyes wide in shock.

    Yikes.

    Thinking fast, I schooled my face into a lopsided grin. "What?" I asked in a teasing manner, "I thought you girls would be a bit more eager to join me in bed." Shrugging, I turned back towards the door, "Apparently, I was wrong and you''d prefer each other on the sofa. Night then."

    Opening it, I stepped into our bedroom. Leaving it open, I walked over to the bed and deposited the lethargic Ceres on it. Just as I finished covering the sleepy girl with the duvet, I heard the sound of rapid footsteps and my two wives burst into the room.

    Phobos stalked towards me, her hips swaying sultrily and her yellow eyes flashing dangerously. "Hey Demi, don''t you think Husband has become a bit too flippant in his time out of our sights?"

    Deimos nodded with a mischievous grin on her face as she circled around from the other side of the bed. "Ceres had a bad effect on Master, ya. Phi-Phi, I think he needs a bit of re-education."

    I felt a tingle up my spine as I saw Phobos'' eyes light up. With a sigh, I resigned myself to my fate. The punishment was deserved for favouring one of my wives over the others, even for a moment.

    I am Mars Felidae, husband of Ceres, Deimos and Phobos Felidae. And I love my wives equally.

 160 Chapter 4

    Epione Felidae, who had her back turned to him at the moment, replied, "It''s quite unclear at the moment. Our information is seriously deficient. Depending on how prepared the Shogunate is and how far they are willing to commit to the offensive, the result can be entirely different."

    Turning around with a splint and a roll of bandages in her arm, her eyes widened as she saw Lieutenant Corvus making complicated movements with his hand to test its range of motion. He looked up at her with respect. "I can''t believe how perfectly it healed. I think it might even be nimbler than my original hand."

    "Nimble my head!" exclaimed Epione causing Corvus to shrink his neck in bewilderment. "How many times must I tell you martial idiots not to abuse your healed appendages before it gets into your thick skulls. I bet you knock your head against iron boards to thicken your skulls! I''m right, aren''t I?"

    Corvus opened his mouth to refute her but she ran roughshod over him.

    "The body is extremely delicate and at the same time extremely adaptable. You lost your hand and made do without it for nearly a week. That''s more than enough time for your body to adapt to the situation. For it, currently, you still have only one hand. I regrew your hand for you but your body actually sees it as a foreign entity. The more you perform your parlour tricks with it, the more your body is likely to reject it.

    "If it doesn''t start rotting on your stump, it might not accept your mana anymore and then what will you do with such a blatant weakness for your enemies to exploit."

    Over the course of her tirade, Lieutenant Corvus had shrunk further and further into himself, until he had almost hidden himself within his quivering wings. Sensing a pause, he immediately seized the opportunity to apologize. "I''m sorry! It won''t happen again."

    "Of course it won''t. I''ll make sure of it!"

    Grabbing his recently healed hand, Epione made true on her words by immobilizing his hand with splints and bandages. Finally satisfied that he couldn''t even twitch it, she let him go with a warning to keep his hand bound for at least three days before visiting her again for a check-up.

    The Lieutenant breathed a sigh of relief only after he had put a few blocks between himself and the medical region. ''Spitfire,'' he appraised the Felidae matriarch in his mind.

    The world shrank and the clouds enlarged in his eyes as the thermals slowly began to tail off. Shadows spilled out of his body, enveloping him and giving him another form. The dark raven exuded a silent cry and dipped into a shallow dive.

    He felt the windstream filling his wings, shaped by his wings and tail into a force that allowed him to traverse the skies. This feeling. Corvus could never have enough of it. He didn''t know how the landlocked members of his race ever managed to live without experiencing the sheer giddy joy that was flight.

    His sharp eyes mapped out the tactical situation as he managed to allot a part of his mind to duty even while enjoying his leisure.

    ''Can I carry Zoya into the air," he wondered. He resolved to at least give it a try. A landlocked life wasn''t a full life in his opinion and he''d do his utmost to ensure that his wife led a substantial life.

    Wife. He tasted the unfamiliar word. He couldn''t help but smile within his Domain as the memory of Zoya accepting his proposal appeared in his mind. Well, they weren''t formally married yet but they would be as soon as he managed to... contact his¡­ parents.

    His good mood dissipated as he remembered his deadbeat dad and his late mother. Was the man still alive in his cell? He didn''t know. And he didn''t care.

    His eyes grew icy. He''d get the marriage validated by one of the Tamers ¨C they served as notary officials for mortal marriages if the parents were absent even if they couldn''t actually bond the couple together. He''d talk to Mars about it later in the day.

    He hesitated a bit. Should he go and seek out his father. If not for the marriage but just for some closure? He shook his head once more. He was a Corvus now. Not a Pavone, and that suited him just fine.

    Still, his mood had been ruined and he couldn''t derive the same euphoric joy from flight that he usually did. Sighing, he decided to descend, only for the wind in his wings to suddenly disappear causing him to stall in the air, then tumble out of the skies in an uncontrolled manner.

    Stabilizing himself with great difficulty, he looked up towards the skies. A giant gap had been blown in the cloud layer, affording him a view of the battle raging above it.

    Apparently one of the two queens laying siege to Firang, the one that could fly, had tried to mount a sneak attack by flying above the cloud layer. Thankfully, General Felidae had been on guard duty and intercepted it leading to the current war that had broken out between the two magical behemoths.

    Wait a moment! Why was there another figure embroiled in the fighting? When had another mage capable of meddling in a fight between Tier 5s joined them? Wasn''t the highest rank of the mages that had arrived as reinforcements only Tier 4.

    He didn''t recall any of the three Majors being a wind mage. Then¡­

    His eyes widened as the sun flashed off characteristic red hair.

 161 Chapter 5

    It happened when father had to leave right after his duel with the Sun Wolf to take up his post in the army. Then again when news of the Calamity arrived right in the middle of our conversation. And now, when we were just opening up to each other seated above the clouds.

    I dodged another jet of fire from the Tier 5 queen ant that had suddenly tried to invade our airspace all on her own while the rest of the ants mobilized comprehensively. Just my luck to be stuck fighting a queen so soon after I''d escaped from another one¡­ At least, this time I had father to back me up.

    The problem was that the cultivation of the queen was higher than his. After all, only half a year had passed since father advanced to Tier 5. That was why even while fighting him, the ant had enough energy to spare to pay attention to me.

    I couldn''t do much to the queen on my own, my magic bouncing harmlessly off her Domain enforced carapace. The best thing for me to do would be to descend to the barracks and fly Lieutenant Neera here so she could use her water mana to restrain its fire.

    Father, Lieutenant Corvus and I were the only three people in the camp that could fly. Flying required either a Pluma heritage and the wings that came along with it or a mastery of the Aspects of either Wind or Gravity. The three Majors that had come to reinforce us didn''t have a wind mage among them and none of the earth mages had reached mastery over Gravity yet.

    Time and again I tried to get away from the battlefield but despite father''s best efforts to shield me, the queen kept forcing me back in her range with her attacks.

    At Tier 5, the queen had substantial wisdom and she could make out that father was protecting me. I was his weakness. By attacking me, the queen forced him to give up his superiority in speed and forced him to meet her attacks head on. Fire being the most offensively focused element, this situation put father at a massive disadvantage.

    Avoiding weakness and enhancing strengths. Even this kind of basic strategy when coupled with the intrepid body of a beast and near instantaneous cast times increased the queen''s threat multiple times.

    Once again, I called upon the winds and shot forward in a bid to escape. Just like it had every time I tried this, the queen tanked father''s attacks with its body and sent several streams of fire at me, caging me in. It didn''t attack me directly since it wanted to imprison me and use me against father.

    The previous times, father had to abort his attacks and break me out of the fiery cage before it could fully form. But this time he ignored it and committed to attacking fully.

    My lips curled upwards as I passed directly under a cloud''s shadow and integrated into it, causing the prison to come up empty.

    I tasted blood in my mouth.

    Swallowing it down, I accelerated myself with wind, hurtling towards the ground.

    How could a mere beast match man in intelligence? We had been laying a trap for it by utilizing its inertia of thought. I had hidden my ability to use multiple elements and repeated the same futile action several times along with father giving it a false idea that we had no more cards left up our sleeves.

    Thus, when we finally acted, we had been able to predict its actions effortlessly.

    I just hoped that father''s attack had injured it enough for him to gain the upper hand in their battle and persevere until I could come back with Lieutenant Neera. As for the attack being enough to defeat it, I didn''t harbour any impractical fantasies. With how tough and resilient beasts ¨C especially high Tier beasts ¨C were, there was no way it would be enough.

    A flash of darkness at the edge of my vision caused me to turn around to see Lieutenant Corvus winging his way towards me from below, probably attracted here by the aerial fight.

    As he passed me on his way to where father was fighting, he transmitted his voice to me, "Go get Lieutenant Tauros quickly. I''ll help your father constrain the ant as far as possible." He didn''t wait for a reply, speeding towards the battle in the clouds.

    Clenching my teeth, I accelerated myself even further by slicing through the air resistance with my magic. The camp swiftly enlarged in my field of view and I had a few moments to get an idea of the tactical situation before I had to arrest my free-fall and pull myself up into a gentle glide towards the alchemy division.

    The ants had launched a large-scale offensive, slamming against the wall like a sea of fire. The soldiers off duty were scrambling to get to their posts as only the ones in the current rotation wouldn''t be enough to hold off the crazy attacks.

    There was a circular gap in the ant regiment as they gave the battle between the Wolf ancestor and the other queen a wide berth. Still, a large number of them kept getting wiped out by the complimentary waves of the fight.

    Blinding light and scorching fire interweaved as the two behemoths battled.

    Unlike a Tier 4 mage who would be overwhelmed by the numerical superiority of the ants, as a Tier 5, the usual tactic of wearing away a superior opponent with a tide of cannon-fodder wouldn''t work. No matter how many Tier 1 And 2 ants attacked Hei Lian''s grandmother, they would just be throwing away their life in vain. That was why the queen had personally engaged her in battle to preventing casualties in the ant legion.

    Seizing the opportunity, the wolf ancestor had deliberately dragged the queen into the middle of its armies, causing collateral damage.

    Bleeding off the speed I''d gained by diving out of the sky, I landed in an open space by the alchemy division at a run. Grabbing a water mage who was hurrying to his station, I inquired Lieutenant Neera''s whereabouts.

    But before he could reply, the Lieutenant herself exited the concoction pavilion and hurried towards me. Ultramarine currents of some potion I''d never seen before revolved around her body in interlocking rings.

    "You''re here to take me up there, right?"

    I nodded.

    "Good. How do I coordinate?"

    "You don''t have to do anything¡­ just don''t resist when I lift you. Oh! And you can''t use your Domain when I''m carrying you, otherwise I''ll lose my hold on you."

    Restraining her mana almost completely within herself, Lieutenant Neera made the currents of potion circling her shrink into a form-fitting ultramarine liquid armour that accentuated her explosive curves.

 162 Chapter 6

    Once they advance to Tier 2, a water mage learns a new magic and Water Veil upgrades to the Tier 2 spell: Fluid Manipulation. Fluid Manipulation allows the mage to control and utilize any liquid that has water in it ¨C potions, acids and even in some cases blood.

    Both these spells are subordinate to the Aspect of Water.

    The new magic they learn is Tier 2 water magic: Ablation which is subordinate to the Aspect of Erosion. It is the spell which makes water mages such great alchemists. It is an auxiliary spell which allows them to strip and extract mana out of any magical substance. This was the spell Teal had been training me in all throughout our trip back from the Dungeon.

    At higher levels of proficiency, the spell could be used directly in an offensive by grinding away at a mage''s Domain or a beast''s body.

    The final Aspect of the element, though was the Aspect of Absorption. And it was this Aspect that made higher Tier water mages so thorny. The initial form the Aspect took was the Tier 3 water spell: Desiccate. Once cast, all the water within the range of the caster''s Domain would be attracted towards them, supplementing their reserves of fluid to manipulate.

    But it was at higher levels of proficiency that the Aspect truly shone through. When one reached the Adept stage, it was no longer water they affected but water mana itself. They could use the ambient water mana to supplement their own consumption. This was especially relevant at sea where the concentration of water mana was very high.

    And once mastered, according to Teal, the water mage could imitate an elemental and absorb every species of mana and convert it into water mana in their mindscape, giving them a pool of mana as vast as the seas themselves to work with.

    I didn''t know much about Lieutenant Neera since our paths hadn''t crossed much before but judging by her status as the Chief Alchemist of the camp, her attainments in the Aspect of Erosion were sure to be high and with how freely she manipulated that mysterious potion, her understanding of the Aspect of Water wasn''t low either.

    As we drew closer to the fight between the ant queen and the combined forces of Lieutenant Corvus and father, I sensed her mana surge as she prepared a spell.

    "You can''t keep me afloat when I release my Domain right?"

    "I can''t."

    "Okay. Fly me above the battle, then drop me and remain ready to catch me the moment I withdraw my Domain."

    Lieutenant Neera kept fermenting her spell her aura rising successively in my senses. "Let me go right about¡­ Now!" she ordered and I released the hold of the winds on her.

    Her braid fluttered in the wind as she dropped towards the battle below. Then centred on her a transparent blue disc proliferated rapidly, covering over five hundred metres on all sides.

    Tier 3 water magic: Desiccate.

    Then the disc collapsed inwards, drawing with it all the clouds that covered the sky within its range. Suddenly, there was a huge circular gap in the cloud layer. Cloud bumped into cloud and merged, growing ever denser until it coalesced into multiple streams of water that surrounded the queen from all sides, trapping it in a spherical, watery prison.

    The moment Lieutenant Neera retracted her Domain, I caught her with my wind, arresting her fall.

    Perspiration drenched her back and forehead as she clenched her teeth and maintained the imprisonment of the ant despite its violent revolt. The surface of the sphere began to deform and bubble as the furious ant set the water boiling.

    "Quick!" she shouted, "I can''t hold this thing much longer. General, prepare your strongest lightning. Corvus, help me hold it still."

    Nodding at her, father withdrew to a distant place, faced the sky and inhaled.

    The clouds that hadn''t been absorbed for the water prison were attracted by him, revolving around him in a darkening vortex. As their speed of revolution grew faster and faster, sparks of bluish-white electricity could be seen jumping from one to the other.

    Tier 4 wind magic: Storm call.

    Sensing danger the ant doubled and redoubled its efforts to escape, flames jetting out from all of its pores, causing the water to vaporize faster, depleting the prison.

    With a shout, strands of shadow shot out of Lieutenant Corvus'' Domain and pricked into the water prison before twining around the writhing ant and immobilizing it. With how pale he suddenly became and his heavy breathing, I could guess how strenuous it was for him.

    I wished I could help them but my proficiency in the Aspects of shadow and water were too low to make any sort of mark and my offensive wasn''t damaging enough to merit an attempt. I could attempt to affect the ant''s fire spells by jacking into it with my ability but for that I needed to synchronize emotions with it. For that I would need to drop out of my state of the Void -which I needed to fly. So, that wasn''t an option either.

    Unfortunately, in this situation, I was but a glorified aircraft. Well, at least I was contributing in my own way.

    Thoroughly enraged and fearful of the deadly atmosphere exuded by father''s spell, the queen unleashed all its power at the prison, causing it to reduce at an alarming rate. This way, it would break free before father managed to condense his spell.

    With a feminine yell, Lieutenant Neera pointed at the water prison and the ultramarine potion that had been cohering on her body in the form of armour flowed across her body, down her arm, and shot at the boiling sphere of water, mixing with it, giving it an ultramarine tint.

    Immediately, the boiling subsided and the water began to grow calm. I even noticed a bit of ice forming on the outermost edges of the water.

    ''What a powerful potion!''

    Turning to Lieutenant Neera, I saw extreme anxiety on her usually composed face. I felt a bit sorry for her. A potion that could affect a Tier 5, even temporarily, would have cost her an arm and a leg. Even if she had refined it herself, just the ingredients themselves were the treasury-emptying kind.

    I hoped she would be reimbursed for her loss.

    Suddenly a thought flashed past in my mind. A little factoid read in a dusty book on a leisurely day. "Lieutenant, won''t the ice hinder the lightning? Isn''t it an insulator?"

    Recovering from her heartache, she composed herself and replied, "No, the potion increases the conductivity instead¡­ that''s why I asked the General to use his lightning. It¡­"

    Before she could finish, the air crackled with electricity and our hairs stood on end as an incandescent thigh-thick beam of lightning hit the water prison head on, robbing us of our sight.

    Then the thunderous rumble crashed against my hastily constructed vacuum barriers inspired by Azure''s usage of air. The wobbly barriers were shredded like wet tissues until an attenuated version of the shockwave hit me and Lieutenant Neera, concussing us and causing our ears to bleed.

    Steadying myself with some difficulty, I blinked my watering eyes till my vision returned.

    There, barely staying aloft was the extremely scorched and dishevelled queen. With two of its four wings damaged, it was wobbling in the air, on the verge of dropping down.

    Sensing its imminent death, it turned around and fled.

    "Chase it!" I heard father''s voice resounding within my ear, shaking my skull and making itself heard despite my ruptured eardrums. "I''ll levitate Lieutenant Tauros, you stall it till I get there! Don''t let it escape!"

    I didn''t need to be told twice.

    This was the crucial moment. Both the Lieutenants had exhausted their entire mana in the previous attack while father was in no shape to give chase, having just attacked with all his might. I was the only one fresh and ready for action.

    Also, with my mastery of the wind I was much faster than the severely injured queen.

    If we managed to kill it here, it would be a great victory. Half the forces of the legion attacking us would lose their morale and flee at the death of their queen. The queen had probably sneaked into our airspace solitarily as a probe. It hadn''t expected to fall into such a dangerous situation. If it escaped, it would grow extremely wary of us and we would never have such a good chance again.

 163 Chapter 7

    Ignoring the tinnitus, I accelerated myself with another burst of wind as I temporarily lost sight of the queen behind a bank of clouds. Even injured heavily as it was, the queen was fast, after all it was a Tier 5 being. If it hadn''t exhausted most of its mana, leaving too little for its intrepid regeneration to kick in, it would have turned around and counterattacked by now.

    Thankfully, wind was the element that lent itself most to speed and I was steadily gaining on it. Once I caught up, all I had to do was keep it engaged until father recovered a little and arrived to deal the finishing blow.

    Punching right through the bank of cloud, I emerged on the other side¡­ just to receive a fireball in the face.

    Shadows spilled out of me and then collapsed inwards, teleporting me away. Reappearing from the shadows of a cloud, I stared at the queen that had been lying in ambush with some lingering fear. That was close.

    Once these beasts reached Tier 5, their intelligence couldn''t be underestimated. The ant had known to swiftly evacuate the battlefield once its life had been threatened. Then it had made a beeline for the concealment of the clouds remaining outside the range of the gap in the cloud layer created by Lieutenant Neera and father''s spells. Now, it demonstrated its predatory cunning by using the clouds to evade my line of sight and laying an ambush to eliminate me, realizing, that unless it dealt with me, at our relative speeds it would never be able to flee.

    The worst thing was that as a Tier 5, when it wanted to restrain its aura, I couldn''t pick up its mana signature despite my advanced senses.

    Fortunately, I had been prepared with a Shadow Walk for just such an occasion. It had saved my life ¨C or at least let me avoid some horrific burn injuries.

    Noticing that I had escaped unscathed, the ant turned to me and clicked its mandibles in agitation. Unlike the land-locked queen that had the build of an elephant, the flying queen was a lot more petite and streamlined.

    There was a grotesque beauty to the creature ¨C something I didn''t have time to appreciate as I realized that it was healing much faster than predicted. The two wings that had been damaged by our combined efforts had already recovered.

    Opening its mandibles, the ant shot a jet of fire at me, forcing me to dodge. Taking the opportunity, it turned around and fled.

    Clenching my teeth, I followed. This kind of chasing war was advantageous to it. It could use the time to spread out with us and stall long enough to recover. Alternatively, it could use the clouds as cover for an ambush.

    I had to engage it in combat if I wanted to maintain my current superiority.

    Aspect of Wind, Aspect of Amplification.

    Straining my mind, I narrowed my perception to a cone in front of me and extended its range to include the ant queen. Reaching out to all the wind mana within the cone, I pulled.

    Tier 4 wind magic: Void.

    The ant stagnated in its flight as a powerful suction erupted from behind it, pulling it back the way it came. Wind and clouds battered it as they were pulled towards the source of that attraction ¨C a dark vortex that had taken shape in front of me.

    This spell was inspired by my observation of the elemental''s mana gathering vortex in the Dungeon and the results showed its effectiveness, dragging the ant back towards me despite its desperate wingbeats. Veins beat upon my temple and the side of my neck as I strenuously maintained the vortex, the effort required increasing as more and more air was sucked into it and I was forced to compress it into the core of the vortex.

    With an angry screech, the ant stopped struggling. Turning around and wreathing its entire body in white-hot flames, it used the suction of the vortex to accelerate and lunged at me. Grinning, I vanished in a swirl of shadow, leaving the unstable vortex behind.

    The condensed mass of air blasted outwards, giving rise to a gale that blew another circular gap in the clouds. Battered by the winds, the queen was sent tumbling away, concussed by the force of the impact.

    Emerging from another shadow, I stamped my foot on the air, compressing it into a dense disc and using it to propel myself towards the ant. Slamming into it from the side, I sent it tumbling yet again.

    Using discs of air to push myself off, I attacked the queen from all sides, keeping it from regaining its balance.

    Tier 2 fire magic: Heatwave.

    A spherical wave of flame burst out of the ant, scorching everything in its path, forcing me to abort my offensive. Crossing my arms in front of myself and wrapping myself up in a barrier of air, I lightened myself, letting the wave of flame push me away without injuring me.

    But it had served the ant''s purpose, giving it time to recover its bearings and spread out from me.

    Shooting an angry glare at me, it turned around and fled again, this time using bursts of fire to accelerate. It wasn''t trying to conserve its mana anymore, focusing wholeheartedly on escape.

    I tried to give chase but an intense bout of dizziness struck me making me sway in the air, almost dropping out of my mental state of the Void.

    I started seeing double, the speed at which I pondered growing extremely slow. I just couldn''t think.

    ''What¡­ is¡­ this?''

    It was all I could do to even stay aloft, let alone give chase. I watched helplessly as the queen went further and further away. This was probably the backlash of straining myself beyond my limits to use that wind spell. It was quite similar to the apathetic state I had fallen into after I had overexerted myself to fuse four fire domains back in the Dungeon.

    The hint of an inspiration flashed past in my mind. I knew somehow that I was onto something extremely important but in my current state, my thoughts refused to move. I felt stupid. Retarded.

    The inspiration was there for a short instant and then¡­ it was gone, leaving me filled with regret. That was the final straw and with a phantom ''crack'', my mental state of the Void shattered and I was falling out of the sky.

    ''Damn¡­ it¡­ all.''

    Black wings flashed at the edge of my vision. Bursting out of the clouds, a man-sized shadow raven dived towards me. Grabbing me in its talons, it flapped its wings hard to keep us both from plummeting to the ground.

    As it steadied us and began gliding to the ground, I caught a glimpse of a streak of violet lightning slamming into a ball of fire up in the sky.

    The last thing I heard before I lost consciousness was the distant rumble of thunder.

 164 Chapter 8

    Sigh. I was getting quite familiar with this place, wasn''t I? Even thinking of changing up the colour scheme. Did I plan to visit here often?

    Well, considering everything, I couldn''t really be blamed for my frequent hospitalization, now could I? I kept running up against foes way out of my league, resulting in situations where I had to overexert myself to just eke out a livelihood.

    The Geas, the Elemental and now, the ant queen. Really, I was just nineteen years old and already meddling in the battles of Tier 5s. Something I was sure I would find incomparably admirable on someone else, but when it involved my own person, I couldn''t help but bemoan my misfortune.

    At least it appeared that father had disposed of the flying queen and with that, our victory against the Calamity was almost ensured. It was just a matter of time before the ants were repulsed back to their nest and we could put this behind us.

    And deal with the Duchess ¨C and the Shogunate behind her.

    It never did end, did it? Staring blankly up at the pristine ceiling, I tried to search for some answer to my frustrations in the grain of the plaster. Nothing. There was no answer. No easy answer anyway. I would just have to buck up and soldier on. Deal with whatever new adversity life tossed my way.

    Aah¡­ I just wanted to roam the world with my wives. Explore every corner of the Continent. Meet new people, observe sights unseen, unearth secrets lost to the march of time¡­ I wanted to live a life without any care beyond what to eat next meal and where to lodge next night.

    I just wanted to be what a Tamer was actually meant to be.

    Like what Master was doing now. Come to think of it. What was he doing now? He had left with grand plans to explore Regiis and beyond. Did he get caught up in the turmoil of the Duchess'' rebellion? I hoped not. He started off a few weeks before I left home for Firang. If he''d chosen to travel by the most conventional means, he should have been out of the range of the unrest or at the very least at the fringes. I could only pray for his safety.

    That thought made me feel stuffy. It was like so many chains twining around me, shackling me in place. I was just so helpless.

    No! It wasn''t that. If I''d been a proper Tier 2 like others my age. If I''d been truly helpless. Then I wouldn''t feel so awkward. Then I could just give up and rely on the elders. Leaving the tough decisions and worrying to them, I could just follow my orders.

    Just like the war with the ant queen, it was father who injured it. It was father who killed it. But if I hadn''t been there to assist, to delay its escape with my life on the line, we wouldn''t have achieved this victory.

    And that was the source of my frustration. I didn''t want to risk my life. I didn''t care for the so-called glory. I would much prefer a long life with my loved ones rather than a shortcut to a gilded grave. No matter how grand the epitaph, it just wasn''t equal in my heart.

    In the end, I just didn''t place the appraisal of strangers on par with the affection of my family. I would have the latter any day.

    The only solution placed before me was to get stronger¡­ and that wasn''t happening anytime soon.

    I''d already squeezed out all of my potential, every single bit. I''d survived each life-threatening situation miraculously, breaking through at critical moments. But that had to stop.

    My ceaseless practice of the Thunderclap Samsara Palms. Father''s notes on the Void. The experience of altering my mana to match others'' during contract ceremonies. The inspiration I''d obtained from the Elemental.

    Every eruption, every comprehension had a firm basis in my education and preparation. The shadow of death had just forced me to condense them into their essence ahead of time. Now, after several epiphanies, I was like a dry well in the heart of summer. Until it rained and I was able to accumulate more knowledge and experience, the next time I was in a critical situation, it might very well be my last.

    Just as I wallowing in my perceived misery, the curtains around my bed were suddenly drawn apart and mother appeared. She was shooting off rapid-fire instructions to another medic mage who was furiously jotting down notes in shorthand.

    "Now go and check up on patient twelve in ward four. I want a report on my desk by tonight."

    "Yes, ma''am." The medic saluted and hurried off. Only then did mother turn to me.

    My heart clutched when I noticed how thin and pale she looked. There were worry lines forming on her forehead from frowning so much. Seeing me awake, some of the tension drained out of her shoulders.

    With a deep sigh, she sank into the chair beside my bed. Reaching out, she lovingly brushed my hair back with her fingers.

    "Really, child. You never stop worrying me."

    I couldn''t help but feel guilty. Noticing, she smiled. Leaning forward, she kissed my forehead before slumping back into her chair exhaustedly.

    "We dealt with the Calamity. The main force of the ant legion has been repulsed. The flying queen died. The land queen was seriously injured. You''d think we''d get some reprieve? Noo. Apparently, it''s too much to ask." she said, frustration clear in her tone.

    "We just received the news ¨C the outbreak of the Tomb of Koschei is related to the Duchess. She somehow helped Koschei sober up and subdue the elemental he is fused with. He took on two Demigods at once and though he was forced to retreat back into his Dungeon by them, they couldn''t dispose of him permanently. Ships carrying the Shogunate''s soldiers have been seen to dock at the ports of the Southern District. It''s official¡­ the Duchess is their traitor in Regiis. We are at war."

    Inclining her head back against the backrest, she looked up at the ceiling and muttered.

    "It''s not your fault you keep nearly dying. We parents are the ones amiss. We failed to protect you. If we were more capable then you wouldn''t have to risk your life again and again and again. Where''s the truth in the child making up for the parent''s incompetence!"

    The wooden armrests of the chair splintered under her grip. I could feel the anger and frustration radiating off her. When she sat up and met my gaze, her eyes were blazing. Determination etched in every line of her face.

    "I''ll impact Tier 5 tomorrow. The trick with the Doppelganger was feasible. Without the support of my bloodline it will be a bit tougher to promote but at the same time, I won''t be shackled by it either. I have prepared long enough. My accumulation is deep. I can''t delay any longer ¨C not when it means you have to pick up my slack."

    "Mother!" I exclaimed, sitting up with a jerk. How could she be this reckless? Promotion to Tier 5 was no joke. Many, many mages had perished impacting this barrier in their cultivation and she wanted to rush it?

    "Mars!" she barked, interrupting my protests. "I''ve decided. If I delay it now, I''ll never gather the courage to attempt it. No amount of preparation will seem sufficient. If not tomorrow, then never. Don''t dissuade me. Please." The last was spoken in the tone of an entreaty.

    Mother had never asked something of me. Never. And the first thing she did request was for a chance to risk her life. What the hell! I stared at her stubbornly, my lip quivering as I tried to come up with some argument to convince her.

    But I could see it in her eyes. If not tomorrow, then her path of magic would end at the peak of Tier 4. Magic was very closely linked to the mental state of a mage. Very often, a failed promotion or a botched spell was the result of the incorrect mental state. Mother had somehow convinced herself that she just had to clash her bottleneck tomorrow and succeed.

    In the end, I couldn''t prevent her. Stop her and block her road to Tier 5? Truncate the potential fifty extra years of her lifespan that she could have gained from her promotion?

    I felt like crying. Damn it! Another thing I was helpless against.

    I was angry. Angry at my spiritless whining from before. What good would complaining do? Knowledge? Experience? If I lacked them then I should just try my damnedest to obtain them!

    Clenching my fists, I fought back my tears and forced myself to smile at her encouragingly.

 165 Chapter 9

    The man leaned back against the door, breathing hard, a puddle forming where he stood as the rainwater dripped off his mackintosh.

    The inn was empty except for him, only a single smokeless torch burning low in one corner of the lobby, casting long, flickering shadows. Lightning flashed outside, shining through the drawn blinds of the windows, dyeing the inn an electric blue for a short instant. Thunder rumbled shortly afterwards. The deep and low reverberations shaking dust off the rafters. The man threw back his hood, revealing a gaunt face and steel-grey eyes that seemed to lack the spark of life.

    With hurried strides, Chusei walked up to the dusty bar and vaulted across the counter. Cobwebs covered the empty alcohol rack behind it indicating the neglect it had suffered. On one side, glasses and goblets lay covered with a thick layer of dust.

    Chusei''s hands twitched, his habit of wiping glasses, which he had picked up during his short stint as the barkeep, playing up. Ignoring the impulsion, he bent down and opened a cabinet attached below the bar counter. Usually it held spare utensils and on the balmy summer nights, a bucket of salted ice. Now, it too was full of cobwebs, the goblets and flutes reduced to ornate pillars for arachnid architecture.

    Plunging his hand into the mess, he felt around at the bottom of the cabinet till he made out a shallow, almost imperceptible, depression. Pressing down on it with his finger, he sent pulses of mana into the wood in a specific pattern. With a clear ''click'' a panel rose up, revealing the false bottom. Chusei took out the contents of the secret compartment: a mind crystal shard.

    One dark with swirling shadows.

    Pumping his mana into the crystal to activate it, he spoke into it. "Lord, they''re here."

    A distorted voice returned from the other side after a substantial lag. "How many?"

    "Two of them. A man and a woman. Both are at Tier 4. The man at the initial stage; the woman at the late stage."

    "Good. Ready the formation. I''ll come in an hour."

    With that the communication cut off. Chusei staggered from the heavy drain on his mana, only keeping himself upright by grabbing the edge of the counter. Shaking his head in a futile attempt at dispelling the dizziness, he forced himself to keep moving.

    Walking past the wine rack, he pushed open the door to the cellar.

    Empty crates lay stacked haphazardly and a few drained barrels of liquor occupied one corner of the broad stone cellar. A thick coat of dust covered everything with a liberal sprinkling of cobwebs. The centre of the room, however, was free of any clutter.

    There, engraved deeply into the stone floor, was a mysterious design.

    Runes. Hundreds of thousands of them intertwined with each other to form the chart. They varied in shape and size ¨C from the huge central rune that could be measured in square metres to tiny runes, several of which could fit on a grain of rice. The only thing common between them in Chusei''s inexpert eye was the fact that each of them affected him, making his shadow mana respond in different ways.

    Cautiously, he went to work as per his Lord''s instructions, activating the runes with his mana in a particular order. Intense dizziness and exhaustion assaulted him making him sway on his feet but he clenched his teeth and insisted, bringing the formation to life. As it absorbed his mana, the formation began to radiate a black halo that grew stronger and stronger the more runes he filled.

    Finally, when the last of them had been activated, turning the formation into a seething mass of shadows, Chusei stepped into its centre holding the mind crystal shard. The shadows, attracted by the consanguineous crystal, formed a vortex of darkness that collapsed inwards leaving nothing except for a perfectly smooth, hemispherical crater in the stone floor.

    Silence shrouded the desolate cellar.

    The stillness was shattered by a crash as a figure emerged from a shadow in one corner of the room; displacing an empty barrel, sending it tumbling. Patting the dust off his lime-green shirt, Nura Rihan, the Lord of the Shogunate, straightened up and cocked his ear in a particular direction. His eyes seemed to pierce all barriers as he locked on to his two targets: A man and a woman floating in the cloud layer, wreathed in blue-violet lightning. The Kirin twins. The cousins of his fourth wife.

    It was a rainy night. A moonless night. A perfect night for murder.

    Another flash of lightning lit up the inn. Following close on its heels, the muffled thrum of thunder filled the empty cellar - devoid of his form.

    /////

    "What are we here for, sister?" asked Kirin Ryuugen of his fraternal twin, Kirin Risa, as he floated above the rainclouds that obscured the sky of Patera. His spiky violet hair crackled with blue sparks of electricity and his bare feet touched the clouds, seemingly supporting his weight on the dark mass of condensation. Crystalline blue deer antlers branched up from his temples and an ox-tail swished behind him. A hint of amethyst fish-scales could be made out from beneath the collar of his shirt.

    His sister''s eyes flashed with purple lightning as she ignored him in favour of concentrating on her spell. Her antlers were a crystalline violet, unbranched and much smaller than her brother''s. Scales were visible on the back of her hands and up her forearm. Her flowing blue hair fanned out behind her, undulating in the moist breeze circling her as she reposed upon a seat shaped of clouds.

    Rain was unnatural at this time of the year in Patera. Midwinter had only ever brought a dry chilly breeze down on the township built in the caldera of a volcano long dead. But this night, clear starry skies had been overcast by growling thunderclouds within the span of a mere quarter and with a peal of thunder, the curtain of rain had descended.

    The torrential rains had caught Patera''s residents off guard, drenching their woolen jackets and sweaters thoroughly, sending them scurrying for cover and warmth, shivering.

    Kirin ¨C mythical Daemons revered as lords of rain and storm.

    Tier 4 ultimate magic: Storm call.

    Risa slumped weakly in her seat on the clouds, breathing hard from her exertions. Concerned, Ryuugen took a step towards her. "Are you all right?"

    Risa raised her hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Focus brother," she scolded breathily, "I can''t sustain this spell for long. It''s time for you to work your magic."

    "But you haven''t told me who I am to search for in this godforsaken place. How am I supposed to find something I have no idea of?" complained the grown man like a petulant child, the lighting on his antlers crackling with greater vigour, mirroring his agitation.

    "The Shogun''s chief aide, Chusei," replied his sister, finally catching her breath and rising to her feet.

    Ryuugen''s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. When he finally responded, "What''s that fish-eyed bastard doing here?!" he exclaimed.

    "Don''t ask me!" his sister snapped at him, irately. "That upstart didn''t deem me worthy of the few minutes of her time it would have taken to explain. Just because she managed to accrue some merit, she forgets herself." she ranted, the spitting image of her twin a moment ago.

    "Ordering me about like some sort of servant! Hmph!"

    Rounding on Ryuugen fiercely, she strode up to him. "Now listen here, brother. You will get that scattered attention of yours under control and you will find that man," she said, poking him on his chest to emphasize each word. "And you will do it soon so we can be done with this task and head back home."

    She gritted her teeth. "I''ll have father tidy that vixen up. See if I don''t. That''ll teach her to strut about with her nose in the clouds."

    Ryuugen held up both his palms in surrender, backing away from her. There was no reasoning with Risa when she was in this kind of mood. The noble blood of the storm-bringers didn''t take being slighted lightly.

    "Fine, fine¡­ I''ll do it. So, calm down, okay. Even if I find him, I won''t be enough to take him on. He was at the middle stage of Tier 4 the last I heard, I''m just at the initial stage. Sister, you need to recover your mana first," he placated.

    Calming down somewhat at his logical statement, Risa harrumphed and crossed her arms under her chest. "And whose fault is that? I keep telling you to stop fiddling with your sensory Aspect. It doesn''t help your battle strength and the time you pour into it is holding back your mana cultivation."

    Ryuugen laughed heartily, the sound superposing with the rumble of thunder. "Isn''t that what you are there for? Our clan''s acknowledged strongest Tier 4 mage and the youngest Tier 4 peak in a century."

    He stopped laughing and looked her in the eye sincerely, "My Aspect ensures that we always get sent out together. I find our enemies, you dispose of them. We are a match made in heaven."

    Despite her best efforts, Risa couldn''t stop the corner of her lip from curving up. Turning her back to him to hide her smile, she sat down and began meditating to speed up the restoration of her mana.

    Meanwhile, Ryuugen closed his eyes and spread out his senses. Tiny sparks flickered across his whole body, discharging into the clouds under his feet and spreading outwards. The lively sparks merged and parted, frolicking like a school of fish in clear waters as they overspread the layer of cloud, coercing the natural lighting into becoming their companion. Then, they travelled downwards along with the raindrops, giving the male Kirin a panoramic sense of every single thing covered by the rain.

    Every building, every road, every tree, every blade of grass ¨C it all mapped into his mind, forming a model in his mindscape.

    Then with a low roar his eyes snapped open, crackling with bright blue electricity.

    Tier 4 personal magic: The Eyes of God.

    Every man, woman, child and mage in Patera simultaneously suffered from goosebumps as they subconsciously felt a hostile vision sweeping over them. The feeling was fleeting, gone before they could properly address it; leaving them confused.

    Every mage, specially every shadow mage, grew extremely alert as a sense of intense crisis covered them for that short moment. Their sharper senses helping them identify the threat much better than the mortals.

    Up in the clouds, Ryuugen swayed on his feet as the backlash of the technique hit him.

    He had narrowed his search priority to shadow mages but that meant nothing when his technique ¨C unfinished and experimental as it was ¨C returned the information of every single person in Patera, nearly overloading his mind.

    Despite the chaotic nature of the data, he had picked up two useful pieces of information.

    First, there was only one Tier 4 shadow mage currently residing in Patera.

    Secondly, that was the Felidae supervisor that was assigned to the city ¨C not Chusei.

    Just as he was about turn around and report his findings to his sister, a soft voice resounded behind him, causing his hairs to stand on end.

 166 Chapter 10

    His outburst alerted Risa and she leapt to her feet. Clothing herself in an armour of violet electricity, she stared keenly at the shadowy figure that had swiftly retreated from the sphere of Ryuugen''s spell''s influence.

    In the moments it took Ryuugen to bringing his racing heart under control and to rein in his lightning, Risa and the shadowy assassin remained locked in a stare-down. Risa''s eyes sparkled with a violet brilliance but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t breach the inky darkness that shrouded the form of the mystery figure.

    Her eyes widened as realization hit her like a blow to the head, her voice becoming somewhat shrill due to her surprise. "That impenetrable darkness¡­ You''re from the Tengu clan!"

    Condensing his lightning into a matching set of blue electric armour, Ryuugen retreated to the side of his sister and glared at his assailant warily. "But¡­ why would the Tengu clan aim at us?" he muttered, puzzled.

    Slowly, the shadows surrounding the figure went pale and diverged, revealing a figure that shocked the Kirin twins even more. "How has Aiko been?" Nurarihyon asked them in a soft voice. Despite his calm countenance, urgency seeped into his tone. "And my son?"

    Taking a deep breath, Risa calmed herself down and straightened up with a sneer. "It looks like we caught a rat with a mousetrap. Did you have enough of playing hooky, Lord Nura?" she taunted as she half-bowed to him mockingly.

    Ryuugen berated the shaggy haired, unkempt man indignantly. "You! How dare you sneak attack me so ignominiously? Aren''t you afraid of the retaliation of the Kirin clan if anything were to happen to me? You have the gall to ask about Aiko when you are the one putting her in the most danger."

    He wrinkled his nose, "And look at you ¨C dressed like a beggar. Even if you are the Shogun just in name, you are trampling the pride of our nation by acting so wilful."

    "Don''t take her name!" exclaimed Nura, his gaze cutting into Ryuugen like a blade. "Pride? Trampling our nation''s pride?! What is there left to trample when its leader is treated like a puppet. Safety? You pretend to care about the safety of my wife and child? You dare! When you are the ones who forced me to beg and grovel to even have the chance to meet them once a year. Tell me brother," he hissed venomously, "Does my child even know who his father is? Answer me!"

    Risa threw a contemptuous glance at Nura. "Do you want to surrender on your own or is there a need for me to begin? If you give up, I might even ask father for some leniency on your behalf. You might even get to see that doll ¨C maybe even that brat of yours." She shot a glance at his foot where he was stepping on a cloud. "After, that is, she has been penalized for leaking clan secret techniques to a bystander."

    Instead of losing his temper, Nura smiled. Straightening up to his full height, he chuckled, "Why the acid tongue, Risa? Didn''t we come this close to getting married before you pushed Aiko into my bed just so you could clamber into your brother''s?"

    "Oi, bastard!" interjected Ryuugen with gritted teeth. "She made her choice between a loveless, political marriage with a puppet and her true love. So what if we were born of the same mother under the same star? I won''t stand for a coward that ran away leaving his wives behind questioning her."

    "No, no. You misunderstand," clarified Nura. "I''m really grateful for that. After all, it allowed me to meet Aiko. If possible, I wouldn''t take your life but unfortunately," he spread out his hands, indicating the mass of dark clouds below them lit occasionally by the glow of lightning. His smile disappeared and his voice turned frigid. "It''s fine weather for murder."

    Ryuugen made to attack him but Risa stretched put her hand to hold him back. Narrowing her eyes, she studied Nura with an appraising gaze. "Am I correct in assuming that you want to kill us? Is that what you mean?"

    Nura didn''t answer, the shadows seeping out of his face and forming a featureless mask answering for him.

    Risa burst out in laughter, the melodious sound ringing out to the background of a rumble of thunder. "Oh," she gasped as she wiped a mirthful tear from the corner of her eye, "your propensity for absurdities hasn''t changed one bit, has it Rihan?"

    Her mirth vanished slowly, her face setting into an emotionless mask. "To think that instead of us using Chusei as bait to fish you, you used him to bait us instead."

    "But..."

    Risa''s mana flared, expanding out of her, charging the air with static.

    "Do you really think that you can take us both on ¨C or even one of us? All your wives have had their cultivation bases sealed at the initial stage of Tier 4. You cannot advance no matter what you try. I''m curious..."

    In a blinding flash of purple lightning, Risa closed the distance between them, her drawn fist clad in crackling electricity.

    "What gives you the courage?!" she yelled as she punched out, her fist a blazing purple meteor in the night sky.

    ////

    Lightning and shadow interweaved in two streaks ¨C one violet, one black ¨C above the cloud layer. The shadow in retreat, the lightning in hot pursuit.

    Nura burst backwards through a bank of cloud, streaks of the fluffy condensation cohering above his shadowy form. Hot on his heels, Risa''s lightning burnt a broad tunnel through the cloud as she gave chase.

    Nura''s face ¨C obscured as it was by the Mask of Absolute Shadow ¨C betrayed no emotion. It was smooth, featureless and darker than black. There weren''t even any apertures for the eyes. That was the price of using the eldritch shadow. The Tengu, corvid lords of Darkness and Death, had to sacrifice their sight for power when they wielded the Absolute Shadow ¨C a darkness no light could hope to dispel.

    Bolt after bolt of violet lightning sank silently into the small, circular shield of darkness protecting Nura with barely a ripple, Risa''s attacks rendered ineffectual with consummate ease. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she flared her mana and gathered her palms together, keeping them a short distance apart even as she raced the Shogun through the clouds.

    Hair-thin tendrils of electricity joined both palms; one, ten, a hundred, thousands until the space between the palms glowed a blinding purple with saturated electricity. With a feminine shout, she slapped both palms together and split them open like a flower ¨C all ten fingers pointing at the man she was chasing.

    Tier 3 personal magic: Blooming Lightning.

    Ten finger-thick beams of electricity crackled through the air, converging on the fleeing form of Nura, blocking all avenues of escape.

    Sensing the crisis, he came to a halt on the clouds, crouching in the horse stance and slamming his fists together. The circular shield of shadow that had been floating around him thinned and expanded into a spherical barrier that wrapped him up fully just in time for all ten beams to slam into it.

    The impact was silent, all ten blazing beams sinking into the shadow barrier and disappearing like they had never existed leaving the area dimmer in the absence of their purple brilliance. Then, with a resounding ''crack'' fissures spread across the shadow barrier and with the sound of shattering glass, it broke, revealing the form of the Shogun panting with his hands on his knees.

    A violet flash and Risa was there.

    Her lightning clad fist slammed into his mask, sending his body flying through several clouds, leaving man-shaped holes in his wake.

    Stabilizing himself with a blast of wind, Nura gasped for breath as his mask shattered, revealing his broken nose and bloodied eye. Falling onto his knees on a cloud, he struggled to stand as the massive concussion Risa had given him disrupted his sense of balance.

    "I must commend your use of the Absolute Shadow. I''m not sure even a legitimate Tengu clansman at the initial stage of Tier 4 would have been able to block me for as long as you did," praised Risa as she walked out of one of the humanoid gaps he had left in the clouds he had been punched through.

    "Now, be a dear and follow us back peacefully."

 167 Chapter 11

    She couldn''t help but feel apprehensive when she thought about how far he had come with only the cultivation of Tier 4 initial stage and how long he had engaged her in battle. He was easily a match of most Tier 4 late stage opponents and any Tier 4 middle stage mage was easy prey for him with his command over the affinities and the secret techniques of the Daimyo clans.

    She clenched her teeth as she noticed the emerald green sparks flying under his feet and supporting his weight on the clouds. ''Aiko really divulged the clan techniques to him¡­'' and going by his use of the signature technique of the Tengu ¨C Abyssal Mask, she wasn''t the only one of his wives to betray their clan.

    ''He''s a threat,'' she concluded, firming her determination to capture and bring him back to the clan for punishment. ''Maybe with this merit, we can finally regain our right to inheritance¡­'' she couldn''t help but hold some hope.

    The Kirin twins were the children of the current head of the Kirin Clan. To rights, they should have been shoe-ins for the position of the Heir but their marital status had gotten in the way.

    There had been a major confusion in the clan about the line of succession as tradition stated that the firstborn was to be the heir ¨C regardless of gender. As twins, each of the siblings had different factions of the elders supporting them, causing a divide in the family. As they grew up, Risa showed dazzling martial talent while Ryuugen''s comprehension of Aspects and his command of statecraft won him many supporters, resulting in a widening of the divide.

    Risa should have been married off to the new Nurarihyon according to her father''s plan in order to resolve this confusion and keep Risa''s battle strength within the clan ¨C all in one stroke of the pen.

    The problem was that the twins were involved in a clandestine relationship. They had secretly sworn themselves to each other. Risa being married off to some stranger wasn''t in their plans. After several twists and turns, the two of them ¨C with the aid of a Kitsune illusionist ¨C managed to manoeuvre their cousin Aiko into becoming the newly christened Shogun''s wife in Risa''s stead.

    It was a scandal that had taken the aristocratic circle by storm for several months before the newest piece of gossip had driven the little tidbit out of their minds.

    While marrying one''s sister wasn''t considered that much of a taboo in the Shogunate nobility, twins were a bit too much for even their liberal society. They were banned from procreating. Without the possibility of a successor, Ryuugen and Risa lost their qualifications for inheriting the position of clan Heir. That honour falling to their younger brother instead.

    "You don''t have to worry Rihan," she sneered down at the kneeling man, "we''ll take good care of your son. After all, he''s the key to us regaining our position of clan Heir."

    She tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, "Isn''t that nice? Your son with Aiko in line to become the next Daimyo of the Land of Lightning... So, cease this futile struggling and come with us. You''ll actually be helping your son more that way than by throwing this silly tantrum and roaming about like a stray cur."

    "Does he know?" asked Nura in a hoarse voice as he kept his head bowed.

    "Know what?"

    "That Aiko is his mother? That I am his father? Does he know who to call his parents?"

    Risa crossed her arms across her chest, "Of course he thinks it''s us. And seeing that we raised him, that is true. If not by blood, we are his parents in spirit. I can swear by my soul that we mean him no harm. I love him as I would my own flesh and blood. Now," she said impatiently, "I''ve given you enough time to consider. What will it be?"

    Nura sighed. Supporting himself with his hands on his knees, he slowly struggled up to his feet, towering over Risa. Alarm bells began to go off in her mind as a strong sense of crisis covered her.

    Reflexively, Risa leapt backwards several times to spread out with him, her feet trailing a line of violet sparks as they rubbed against the clouds before coming to a stop. She stared at Nura on full alert.

    With another sigh, Nura wiped his hand across his face. "Really, you are worthy of your title of the strongest Tier 4. Your instincts are top notch," he commended as he moved his hand away, revealing his unharmed face ¨C the broken nose and bloodied eye melting away into smoke. Even the lines of his face had some subtle changes, rendering him unrecognizable to those unfamiliar with him.

    Risa narrowed her eyes. "The Kitsune Transformation jutsu¡­" she muttered.

    "Right," he nodded. "How else do you think I was able to get away?" Caressing his face, his expression grew gentle, "There''s no way I wouldn''t use Keiko''s gift to its full potential." Turning to Risa, his eyes grew cold. "As for you becoming the mother of my child¡­"

    "You don''t match!"

    The wind picked up his words, making them reverberate through the heavens. A six-coloured brilliance covered him obscuring his form. Red for fire, blue for water, golden for earth, white for light, black for shadow, and green for air. Risa felt the mana of all six elements in the atmosphere rush towards Nura, becoming visible to the naked eye in their density. Her eyes widened in shock. She had never heard of any technique that could utilize ambient mana to this degree.

    With the support of this much mana, he was easily her match in terms of mana capacity alone. Why didn''t she know about this? Clenching her teeth, she stimulated her bloodline. She couldn''t let him gather his potential. It was too dangerous.

    Grabbing her coat and shirt, she tore them off her and threw them away, revealing her Heavenly Silksnail garments beneath clinging to her ample curves. Purple mana spewed out of her covering her form in a haze of lightning. Under the operation of her will, the mana began to coalesce into the shape of her bloodline beast ¨C the Kirin.

    The body of a deer, the scales of a fish, the tail of an ox; all of it made out of translucent purple mana condensed to solid. The short, straight horns that crackled with violet electricity were even crystalline indicating how close she was to Tier 5.

    With a feminine yell, her body morphed and inflated till it merged with the mana construct, turning the lifeless golem into a living, breathing beast. A Kirin, the Lord of Storms. Under the hauling of her influence, chunks of dark clouds broke away from the cloud layer and attached to her four hooves and back, giving her six-metre-tall form a mane and socks of cloud.

    With a neigh that sounded like the crack of thunder, she swung her head, her antlers glowing with a blinding brilliance, sending twin streaks of amethyst lightning shooting at the six-colour cocoon that had formed around the Shogun.

    The streaks intertwined into an arm-thick beam of pure destruction bringing with it a vibrational energy that shredded the clouds they passed close to, leaving a trail of vacancy in the cloud layer.

    This attack was quite close to Risa''s strongest. In her Feral form, all her attacks were amplified by her natural bestial runes and there was very little detention between attacks. This made her a veritable behemoth of destruction. If she didn''t count the extreme drain on her mana, she was confident in going toe-to-toe with a newly promoted Tier 5 for a short while ¨C long enough to escape alive. There was a reason why she was hailed as a once in a century genius.

    The lightning slammed into the cocoon with an explosive rumble, shattering it and blowing a huge gap in the clouds. Risa narrowed her violet eyes as she stared keenly at the point of impact, the premonition of danger making her uneasy.

    The roiling clouds diverged, revealing the results of her blow. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the sight of Nura''s current figure.

    There, floating in the air was a three-metre-tall muscle-bound giant with brilliant golden skin. Its face was covered by a featureless mask of impenetrable darkness. A kimono of pristine white feathers made of pure light clad its form. Six crimson tails swayed behind its back. Crystalline emerald deer-antlers branched up from its head and sapphire dragon-scales covered its outstretched palm that was smoking from blocking the lightning strike.

    There were six Daimyo clans ¨C the Oni Clan that ruled over the Land of Earth, the Tengu that ruled over the Land of Shadow, the Ryu-o Clan that ruled over the Land of Water, the Tennin Clan that ruled over the Land of Light, the Kitsune Clan that ruled over the Land of Fire and finally, the Kirin Clan that ruled over the Land of Lightning. Now, the signature characteristics of all six clans had found their way onto the body of the Shogun. How could Risa not be shocked?

    "H-how?" she stuttered. There were too many impossibilities that had occurred on the body of the present day Nurarihyon, her mind couldn''t process them all. But the foremost question that assaulted her cognition of the world was:

    "How the hell can a man turn Feral?!"

    ////

    It feels horrible lying in a hospital bed with drips pumping you chock full of chemicals. Some weird viral infection they said... didn''t know what exactly it was, they said... needed me quarantined, they said.

    If I touched anything, it needed to be isolated, they said. So for the sake of preserving my laptop, I couldn''t write.

 168 Chapter 12

    He had just promoted to Tier 4. Feeling the crisis of impending war, he had gathered his courage and clashed his bottleneck of many years and succeeded by luck. He had decided to stay silent about it to keep himself out of the limelight and steadily consolidate his realm. But he had the distinct feeling that his efforts had come to naught in the face of the magic that had so recently scryed the entirety of Patera.

    He couldn''t help but complain internally about his misfortune. Not only had his improved cultivation not helped him, it would paint a target on his back. Whoever it was that had used the spell was way out of his league and they had surely detected him. He sighed again as he tried to make sense of the flashes of lightning that lit up sections of the dark clouds that wept upon the parched earth, slowly raising the water level of Patera lake.

    Suddenly, under his flabbergasted gaze, every single raindrop froze in place, covering the world in a crystal tapestry. Then as though time was flowing backwards, each drop flew back up the way it came. The citizens of Patera were treated to the marvellous sight of rain falling up to the skies.

    There was only one thought in Edward''s mind¡­

    ''What in the seven hells did the cat drag in this time?''

    **

    Ryu-o, the dragon kings ¨C when they commanded, the waters obeyed.

    Nurarihyon clenched the smoking palm he had used to block Risa''s attack into a fist. The clouds collapsed, the rain flew upwards, the moisture in the air heeded his call. The draconic overlords of the Land of Water, a place with an abundance of inland water bodies and marshes, had only one skill. Rather, they could only comprehend a single Aspect inborn ¨C the Aspect of Water. But that sufficed, that was more than sufficient for rather than an understanding of the element, they possessed an authority over it. Water was their subject and they, its ruler.

    Tier 2 water magic: Fluid Manipulation.

    A small pond''s worth of water gathered above Nura as a transparent sphere. Raising his palms upwards, he exerted his will upon the sphere. It began revolving rapidly, flattening out into a disc of water.

    In a blue flash of lightning, Ryuugen appeared by Risa''s side. "Sister, run!" he exclaimed as he jumped on her back and pumped his mana into her through their bond. Following his order without hesitation, Risa turned around and dashed away through the now clear sky, turning into a streak of bluish-purple lightning.

    As the twins dashed away, accelerated by Ryuugen''s Aspect of Speed, Risa cursed, "What damn monster is that?! Who can tell me what is going on?!"

    Blood seeped out of Ryuugen''s eyes, constantly being burnt up by the brilliant blue electricity that sparked around his pupils, making his eyes look like they were smoking. He replied, "As far as I can tell, he has the strength of all six elements and has merged the bloodlines of the six royal yokai into one body. And judging by his command over water, he can probably use the specialties of each clan. Not only that, he is using the ambient mana to amplify and fuel his spells, putting him on par with most Tier 5''s. We can''t fight him. All we can do is run away."

    Then he closed his eyes with a pained grimace as the strain of using his Aspect of Detection to pry the details of a superior opponent took its toll.

    Seeing that he had missed with the net, Nura let it go, the water cascading down to join the lake beneath.

    His feathered robe shone with a pristine brilliance and a ring of light took shape above his head. Following soon after, three more concentric rings materialized surrounding it. The rings expanded as they descended until they encircled his middle. Slowly at first, then faster, they began to revolve asynchronously like the rings of a gyroscope with him at the centre. The innermost ring revolved the fastest while the outermost one moved almost sedately.

    Then Nura moved. Though his movement seemed slow and ponderous, in reality, it was blazingly fast, his form drawing a trail of afterimages as he chased after the fleeing twins.

    "How the hell is he so damn fast?!" complained Risa as she pumped more mana into her escape technique. "Aren''t you supposed to be a master in the Aspect of Speed? How is he even keeping up?!" she questioned her brother on her back without turning head.

    Ryuugen gave a forced smile. "It''s not my fault. I might have mastered the Aspect of Speed but he has mastered Time. That''s the signature technique of the Tennin clan ¨C The Rings of Heaven. Depending on the way the rings revolve, the speed of time within them is affected. He has sped up flow of time around himself four times ¨C once per ring. That''s why he is so fast. I can speed us up four times as well but his base speed is just faster than ours, after all, the Tennin clan is known for their speed. The worst thing is that his mana is coming from the environment while ours is coming from within us. This way, we''ll run out of mana before he even catches up to us."

    "What the hell!" complained Risa, "What kind of freak is he?! What do we do now? Even my lightning strike imbued with my Aspect of Vibration barely did anything to him and now he can outlast and overtake us?"

    "Now, now, sister. No need to panic," comforted Ryuugen with a confident smile. "He is not without flaw. That mask of his is his biggest handicap. While he can use the Absolute Shadow to absorb the majority of our attacks while it is active, it renders him blind, deaf and dumb. Even his sense of smell is sealed off. The only way he can track us is through our mana signatures. As a Tamer, while that happens to be his strong point, today he has run up against me. I''m his difficult adversary. Turn that way. I thought something was fishy when he dared to take us both on at once so I set up some safeguards while you were fighting him."

    Risa''s eyes brightened. "Good!" she commended before altering her path towards the direction he had indicated towards.

    Lightning streaked across the starless night sky followed closely by a streak of light. The distance between the two parties drawing closer by the second. Risa grew anxious as the sense of crisis covered her.

    "Anytime now," muttered Ryuugen on her back as he held up one hand with his index and middle fingers pointing out and the rest clenched. Then with a sudden burst of mana, he exclaimed, "Release!"

    Aspect of Sealing: Thunder Seal.

    A dazzling network of blue lightning blasted out without any indication behind the two of them, timed perfectly to trap Nura who had been following close on their heels. The appearance of the lightning was extremely sudden and there was practically no fluctuation of mana. By the time he responded, it was too late and he had fallen into the trap.

    Densely packed threads of electricity covered the monster that the Shogun had become, caging him in without a single slit.

    Atop Risa''s back, Ryuugen panted as he paled from the effort. Stopping her flight, Risa let him get off before shifting back to her Bestial form.

    "What did you do?" she inquired as she studied the floating cocoon of electricity.

    "Hah¡­ I set up a minefield here with more than half my mana. When he entered it, I activated it, trapping him inside," he panted.

    "Mana can be stored outside without dissipating?" asked Risa surprised.

    "With my Aspect of Sealing it can."

    "Now what?"

    "Well, my seal is the antithesis of whatever monster he has become. It cuts off the relation between the inside and the outside so he can''t use ambient mana to amplify himself, or sense us."

    Risa''s eyes brightened. "So, we can beat him now?"

    Ryuugen shook his head wryly, "We can''t. To attack him we need to open a slit in the seal and that''ll give him access to the ambient mana. And even without that, his current form is an anomaly. I can feel him struggling in the seal. Half my mana¡­ and it won''t even take him a quarter to break out at his current rate."

    "So what? We run?" asked Risa.

    "We run," agreed Ryuugen. "But we run smart. Sister, lend me your mana."

    "Fine. Once the reinforcements arrive, I''ll see how long he can hold out," she grumbled before the marking on her waist glowed, matching the mark on Ryuugen''s.

    Her mana flowed into Ryuugen''s mindscape, melding with his own and fuelling his spell.

    Tier 4 ultimate magic: Lightning Clone.

    The mana poured out of him, splitting into eight streams that shaped themselves into the form of Kirins made of violet lightning with a Bestia rider composed of blue electricity. Then all of the mana constructs turned into eight streaks of lightning and fled in separate directions.

    "Since he uses mana to track us, let him chew on that," said Ryuugen with a grin as his whole body became soft and he had to be supported by Risa. "I''ll seal our mana fluctuations," he continued, "take us towards the city. We''ll hide there till help arrives." He formed another hand-sign and two bracelets of blue lightning appeared on both of their wrists.

    Risa felt a transparent shroud covering them both, sealing in the fluctuations of mana caused by them casting their spells. She couldn''t help but look at her brother strangely. Speed, Detection and now the Aspect of Sealing. Why were all his abilities geared towards escape?

    Well, it had helped them this time, she thought as she held up Ryuugen and swiftly made her way to Patera. The damned monster would hopefully neglect the possibility of them turning back to the city and pursue a Doppelganger instead when he broke free.

    She had already sent a distress signal to her father through the flake of mind crystal embedded in her ring. It was too small to transmit details but it could send something like a ping of mana back to the main crystal it had been slivered from. It made for a good performance-to-price distress signal. And she had sent three consecutive pings ¨C the highest form of distress signal possible.

    By her father''s overprotective stance towards his children, she expected the nearest Tier 5 to be transferred at the soonest. Even though the battle-strength Nura had shown was matchless in Tier 4, it still had quite the disparity with a true Tier 5. He might be able to stand off a few moves but, in the end, the victory would surely belong to the Tier 5.

    She couldn''t help but palpitate with excitement. A method for men to turn Feral. If the Kirin clan gained access to this technology and monopolized it, they could outstrip the other five clans in strength. They might even become the true ruling clan in the Shogunate. And the twin''s merit for being instrumental in this motion would be huge.

    She couldn''t help but feel how lucky the Kirin clan was in being the ones to spearhead the Shogunate''s invasion into Regiis and how fortunate they were for being assigned to this task by the vixen. As she neared the city, her lips curved upwards as she envisioned how she would ''thank'' that arrogant woman.

    Suddenly, warm blood splashed on her face, startling her out of her daydreams. Turning her head, her eyes widened as she took in the sight of a large clawed hand coated in the darkest of shadows sticking out from Ryuugen''s chest. The world seemed to slow down to a crawl as she watched the hand withdraw silently, leaving a huge cavity in his chest.

 169 Chapter 13

    A keening wail cut through the silence of the rain-washed night, carrying with it the despair and hysteria of its originator. Without giving a thought to the danger she was in, Risa ignored the presence of their assailant and dropped down to the ground, holding her dying brother in her embrace.

    Falling to her knees in the muddy earth cradling his cooling body, she ineffectually tried to stanch the massive hollow in Ryuugen''s chest. His heart was gone. One of his lungs shredded beyond repair. His body was cooling, the last light in his eyes dwindling away taking Risa''s hope along with it.

    Her contract tingled as it withered away, the slight pain a thousand times more severe in her heart than even the deadliest of wounds. She would have preferred to be flayed alive rather than witness this. Her brother, her twin, her man fading away in her arms and she helpless to resist. Never had she hated herself more. Why did she only focus on battle-prowess? Why were all her Aspects geared towards increasing the destructiveness and lethality of her attacks? What use were they when they couldn''t protect the most important person in her life, when they couldn''t cure his wound.

    Ryuugen tried to speak, the blood filling his throat choking his words. His jaw worked desperately, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as his hand clutched his sister''s arm as a drowning man would a floating plank. From infancy to maturity, it had always been his sister who had solved the problems he was helpless against. When his strategy and diplomacy failed, she had always turned everything around with her fist.

    Now, trapped in the terrifying abyss between life and death, sinking into the bog of eldritch darkness dragged down by countless shadow hands, his subconscious made him seek for her assistance yet again.

    Even if he couldn''t get the words out, his lips made his plea clear.

    "Save me!" Each syllable a whiplash on Risa''s heart.

    Her eyes blurred with tears, she failed to notice the widening of Ryuugen''s eyes, the increased urgency in the motion of his jaw as a huge, grotesque, humanoid chimaera loomed over her, rising from the shadows behind her.

    Tendrils of shadow permeated Ryuugen''s body from the wound, spreading like a fire in a summer prairie until they encroached upon his glazed pupils, robbing him of the last of his sight.

    He died.

    Risa''s hands fell to her sides powerlessly as she stared in abject horror as the body of her brother collapsed inwards like an empty shell, the shadows eating his flesh away. Dark spots appeared on his collapsed skin and corroded it away like several matchsticks held under a sheet of parchment. A sudden gust of wind blew the last of his ashes away, leaving a clothed skeleton in her grasp.

    Hollow sockets stared at her from a bone-white skull. Accusing.

    Her world collapsed around her.

    The entirety of her mana surged like a tsunami rushing towards her mindscape walls to dash them, break them open and blast out into the world in the purest form of destruction. She wanted to detonate herself, taking their killer along with her into the afterlife ¨C or, at least severely injuring him so he wouldn''t be able to escape the grasp of the coming reinforcements.

    Her crackling mana slammed into the walls of her mindscape but instead of shattering them, it flowed back without any results as a golden brilliance protected the walls. The backlash caused her thoughts to fall into turmoil and two streams of blood to flow down her nose.

    "Mana¡­ block¡­" she gritted out through clenched teeth.

    Nura didn''t answer, clenching his fist instead. With a light sound, her head split like a watermelon, scattering blood and brain-fluid everywhere. And just like that, the one hailed as the strongest Tier 4 in a century perished on foreign soil.

    The signature technique of the Oni clan had helped him out in this instance, allowing him to reinforce the walls of her mindscape otherwise he wasn''t sure he would have been able to suppress the full force of her detonating the entirety of her remaining mana.

    He let go of the headless corpse, letting it fall atop the clothed skeleton. Diverging his Abyssal Mask, he stared up at the sky with draconic eyes having vertical pupils that swirled with six colours. With Ryuugen''s death, the sealing technique had lost its anchor and slowly diverged, releasing the smoke contained within. It was his smoke clone.

    If he hadn''t been discrete and swapped his real body with the clone taking advantage of the water net to block Ryuugen''s detection spell, he would have been caught within it and things would have played out very differently. No Tier 4 mage could be underestimated ¨C especially not those who were trained as elites since birth.

    A severe ache ran through his entire body, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. Breathing hard, he cancelled his Feral transformation and his monstrous body shrank back into itself, reforming into an unclad Hominum. Reaching into his shadow, he pulled out a hooded robe and swiftly donned it before making his way away from the scene.

    The Kirin reinforcements were coming soon and he wasn''t in any state to deal with them. His transformation had a time limit and severe consequences. It would take either several months of recuperation or the a few sessions with the best healers to bring him back into top fighting shape.

    But the first step of his plan had finally been set into motion¡­ he looked towards the south, towards his homeland.

    ''Wait for me.''

    Sneaking back into the city, he made his way through the alleys to the abandoned bar he had arrived at, too tired to shadow walk there directly.

    Entering through the backdoor, he went into the basement and drew shadow mana into the mind crystal fragment he had that was linked to Chusei''s. At the same time, he gathered a six-coloured sphere of the ambient mana in his hand containing mana of all the elements.

    Just as he reached his limit, a foreign mana caught onto his signal and dark fire poured out of the crystal. It covered his entire body and he disappeared on the spot as though he had been burnt out of the world.

 170 Chapter 14

    There weren''t many people in attendance, just me, my wives, father and Lieutenant Neera apart from mother herself. Promotion was a deeply private affair and most mages preferred to go through it alone or with their spouses. There was very little anyone could do to interfere once the process started and the outcome was exceedingly binary at the higher Tiers. Either you succeeded and lived or you failed and died.

    The reason for this was that failure was accompanied by the implosion of the mindscape. And unlike my case where it shattered outwards as I was trying to grasp the ambient mana, the shards of the mindscape walls would dig into the mind of the mage, killing him or her outright. It is rumoured that the Oni clan ¨C one of the Daimyo clans of the Shogunate has a technique that can help them reinforce the mindscape walls but it''s not like we can ask them to help us in our current state of imminent war.

    Thus, the litigant usually preferred to go through it alone without the presence of other people to distract them. As to why I was here? Well, I was needed to perform the binding ceremony to strip mother of her bloodline temporarily. And Lieutenant Neera was the one providing the vessel that would hold the Doppelganger.

    Really, the Tauros couple were filthy rich. First that high level potion and now a mind crystal shard ¨C their property is quite flabbergasting. If the information Phobos dug out about her is anything to go by, Neera''s clan is an established alchemical faction and alchemists, it seems, earn a lot. Her father being a Tier 5 potion-smith must have something to do with it too.

    Whatever be the case, with the water natured mind crystal fragment she had lent us, I had a vessel to attach mother''s Doppelganger to. The only demand she had placed was a chance to observe mother''s promotion as well as for us to return the crystal to her after the process. If we failed, the crystal would most likely be damaged beyond repair. If we succeeded, there was still a chance for the crystal to get destroyed. Only a small probability existed where the crystal would mutate into something special during mother''s promotion. Whatever the case, at the very least, she would gain the gratitude of a Tier 5 mage. At the most, she would gain the gratitude of two ¨C along with a unique magical material to experiment upon.

    Though the relations between us and the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries had improved a lot, it wasn''t to the degree that they would sacrifice their benefits to aid us against the following movements of the Shogunate.

    Discarding all distracting thoughts, I sat down on another stone across from her and brought out the mind crystal. It gleamed with a sapphire lustre under the light of the noon sun. The time at which the powers of a light mage peaked.

    Mother opened her eyes and pointed her finger at the crystal. A stream of light connected them and I could feel her mana flowing into it at a rapid rate. The crystal buzzed as the compound affinity of mother''s mana clashed and resonated with it at the same time. This was where I came in.

    Opening my senses fully, I attuned myself to the characteristics of both the crystal and the mana, slowly, steadily drawing them closer together ¨C helping them find a common ground. I was bonding them.

    It was quite similar to my experience with bonding Phobos'' mithril fans with her. Except, in that case, the mithril had no characteristics of its own and her affinity, being unitary, was much simpler to manipulate. Her tier was much lower as well.

    But even if the difficulty of the task had increased exponentially, I too was no longer the same Tier 1 Tamer. Now, I could stand up to a Tier 4 under favourable conditions and as a follower of the same path as the ancient Hominum, my Contract magic was much stronger.

    With a metaphysical ''click'' the two varying frequencies of mana slotted together and fused harmoniously. Letting out the breath I had been holding, I relaxed. Mother continued to pour her mana into the crystal and I noticed a tiny white cat taking shape within its sapphire depths.

    Finally, with a blinding brilliance, the Doppelganger coalesced within the crystal and mother stopped her spell. The tiny cat seemed to be a bit confused about its location as it floated about in the crystal, bumping up against its facets. But thankfully, it couldn''t seem to work loose. After a while, it simply gave up. Curling up, it went to sleep.

    Taking the crystal from me, mother studied it carefully, sensing her connection to the Doppelganger. "Well," she said, "it seems to have done the trick. My connection to it has become exceedingly vague. Even when I hold it in my hand, the most I can feel is a surge in my mana telling me that something related to me is nearby. But that''s something I feel when I am near your father as well. So, it must be the contract."

    I nodded. This was the same thing she had felt when we had transplanted her Doppelganger in Ceres the last time. At least this step had worked without any accidents.

    "Then¡­"

 171 Chapter 15

    ''What is a bloodline exactly?'' she mused as she tried to go over all the information she had available.

    First off, possessing a bloodline gave her certain bestial characteristics. The physical parts of which were clearly evidenced by her possession of feline ears and a tail. Now, the behavioural aspect of it was where things got iffy.

    She had heard Mars claiming that he could identify animalistic traits within the different Bestia corresponding to their bloodline origin. Initially, she had been dismissive of the idea, attributing it to the overactive imagination of a child.

    But over the years, she had subconsciously started paying more attention and she had come to realize that the observation did hold some measure of truth.

    Still, personalities were quite difficult to objectively define and the problem compounded itself in the cases where magic was involved.

    As she had expounded to Mars not so long ago, each of the elements and their corresponding Aspects affected the mage''s personalities during their cultivation. For example, fire mages being generally emotional and excitable while water mages were quite strategic in their actions.

    So, attributing the change in a mage''s personality to their bloodline was something she was quite skeptical about when there was the more widely accepted explanation of magic present.

    That is, until she managed to extract and detach her bloodline from herself for the first time a little more than a week ago.

    It had been like a huge burden had been lifted from her mind. Even though her body had suffered from the extraction, her mind had become extraordinarily clear. She felt positively liberated.

    So, of course she had searched for the reason for the sudden change in her mindset.

    The result had surprised her. It was her bloodline''s fault.

    As a woman, she was very familiar with the concept of insidious whispers in her head. Vita''s deranged mutterings that came upon her every time she went too long without her husband''s touch had familiarized her with identifying which thoughts were her own ¨C a difficult task when the mutterings resembled her own inner voice.

    With all the personality altering magical cultivation going on and the constant threat of evil whispers in their head, the women of the world were extremely diligent in their search for their true selves. A good few hours every day was spent by almost every female mage introspecting upon who exactly they were. Only when they knew who they were perfectly could they ensure that they didn''t stray too far from the beaten path.

    If magic affected the personalities of mages in the initial stage then, later, when their understanding of the Aspects grew more profound, their personalities began to affect how they displayed magic instead. That was why when Ceres had informed them about the system of Realms and Tiers followed in the Shogunate and how the methods of Mastery were different from mage to mage, Epione hadn''t really been surprised. She had had an inkling that it would be that way for a long time as had Veer.

    Much to Epione''s surprise, once she was free of her bloodline, she began to realize that her behaviour thus far hadn''t really conformed to her true personality.

    Epione was a pragmatic woman and she was ¨C to put it bluntly ¨C a control freak. She had always been the spoilt clan princess at her core. Everything had to go her way or no way at all. Anyone who had worked under her in the clan or the military medical division could attest to that¡­ provided their anonymity could be guaranteed of course. Otherwise they wouldn''t dare.

    Healing to her was just a tool to be used to reach whatever goals she might have at that point of time. If that wasn''t the case, she would never have been able to come up with a method to turn her Healing spell into a harbinger of Pestilence.

    Epione''s eyes narrowed and her fingers glowed with a sickly pale light that she directed into the mind crystal aimed towards the sleeping cat. The cat immediately woke up and arched its back, hissing at her. She sneered and intensified her efforts, easily suppressing it causing it to mewl piteously.

    Really, it was just as she had suspected. Her Doppelganger without her consciousness controlling it gained its own measure of sentience. If she wasn''t reading it wrong, then it was the doing of her bloodline.

    Was everyone''s bloodline like this? Or was hers special because it had come from a Sacred beast?

    She favoured the latter possibility more. She''d have heard more about this if it was a common phenomenon for there to exist another nascent consciousness within everyone''s body.

    Letting up on her offensive, she observed the cat that was currently lying exhausted within the crystal appearing decidedly depressed. She couldn''t help but sneer again. It might be acting like the victim now but it was the reason she hadn''t been able to promote to Tier 5.

    The bloodline had given her a special compound affinity and a very high talent. An enviable starting point for any mage. But while it had boosted her onto the path of magic, giving her a running start, it had also become the final hurdle on her road.

    She had no idea how it worked or even what it was but the bloodline had a very specific idea of what Healing magic entailed and it would accept no other view. To enforce this, it had subtly influenced her, giving positive feedback of pleasure whenever she healed someone and engendering an aversion to her use of the Pestilence spell.

    But to someone as stubborn as her, it had turned into a point of contention. Even though she couldn''t exactly detect that it was her bloodline''s doing, she knew something was off and just to spite the feeling, she had poured more effort into researching the Pestilence spell causing the contradiction to intensify.

    That was why out of all her Aspects, the two Aspects she used most often ¨C Healing and Erosion ¨C hadn''t reached Mastery.

    Her Aspect of Light, the one she used the least, had reached Mastery first instead.

    Her affinity was a compound of Light and Water elements. The six Aspects she had to choose from were: Radiance, Healing and Time subordinate to the element of light and Hydration, Erosion and Absorption subordinate to the water element.

    Due to her bloodline, she had to choose both Healing and Erosion giving her the special ability of Alchemical Healing. Ordinary healing was often hindered by the patient''s mana rejecting the healing light mana and a lot of steps had to be taken to circumvent the rejection. Alchemical Healing combined the two Aspects of Healing and Erosion to solve this problem.

    The possessor of this special affinity could easily erode the blockade of the patient''s mana and then heal them. Not only that, they could use mana extracted from magical ingredients to speed up the healing process. This made them the best healers.

    For her final Aspect, Epione had chosen Light.

    Even though she couldn''t be a hundred percent sure, Epione was reasonably confident that the reason she couldn''t promote to Tier 5 lay in her contradiction with her bloodline. Although she had mastered Light and should be able to attack the bottleneck, she couldn''t do it since she hadn''t mastered both Healing and Erosion that were closely linked to her bloodline.

    This belief had been strengthened by her short separation from it and its subsequent return. The contrast between its presence and absence had been like day and night.

    Apart from her sense of helplessness at seeing Mars getting injured again and again under her watch; the uncomfortable sensation of something subtly influencing her thought processes was a major part of why she was so eager to rush her breakthrough.

    Idly she wondered what relation the bloodlines and Vita''s divine will had. They both seemed to affect the same things ¨C resulting in mental influence and bestial transformations.

    Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind of all distracting thoughts and tossed the crystal to a surprised Lieutenant Neera and said, "I won''t be needing that anymore."

    Turning her gaze to the noon sun, her eyes glowing white as her mana protected them from the glare.

    The world around her seemed to darken and lose its colour as the light bent towards her making her presence extremely conspicuous in the clearing.

    What exactly was light to her?

    It was presence, attention, fame ¨C it was what got people to notice things. Without light, nothing would be visible. No one would be able confirm the presence of an object.

    An actor, when he was backstage, had no significance to the play. But when he entered the stage and was shone upon by the limelight ¨C then he was the hero. The focal point of all attention.

    That to her was the true meaning of light.

    The radiance surrounding her grew brighter and brighter until all present had to shut their eyes against the dazzling brilliance. Then as suddenly as it came, it disappeared leaving them blinking the tears out of their eyes.

    When they finally fixed their gaze on the centre of the clearing, they saw Epione standing there without any change in her posture. Yet they found it increasingly difficult to distinguish her form from the surroundings as she blended into the surroundings like a chameleon.

    Just as an actor could play many roles, people in real life were rarely simple. They were all driven by a convoluted network of motives and were impossible to classify as black or white ¨C or even grey. People came in many colours that twined together to give their final shade.

    Epione had learnt to manipulate hers. Now she could use the Aspect to alter the colours of herself or her surroundings and camouflage herself.

    Finally, even that final bit of colour drained out of her and her form turned transparent.

    Once your sense of presence grew to the extreme, then you would become like the Sun. Omnipresent. Because of how conspicuous it was, we took it for granted. Rarely did anyone look up at the sun, ignoring it most of the time. Omnipresence was a kind of invisibility and that was the culmination of her Mastery over light.

    Despite stealth being considered more of a Shadow mage thing, with this spell, Epione was right up there with the best of them.

    Under the glare of the noon sun, letting its rays pass unhindered through her, Epione felt something in her mindscape shift with a subtle clink.

    Then her semi-solid Tier 4 mana began to rapidly crystallize starting at her mindscape walls.

    In the end, despite the sleepless nights spent by her and her loved ones, her breakthrough was exceedingly simple.

    By the time the sun had passed the zenith, she had promoted to Tier 5.

    ////

 172 Chapter 1

    Phobos stared uncomprehendingly at the messenger standing in front of her as she stood at the door of their apartment wearing an apron. "What?"

    Taking off his cap, the mousy haired cadet held it to his chest and bowed deeply towards her. "Your father¡­ he has made the greatest sacrifice for the Empire. I''m sorry for your loss."

    Phobos clutched the door for support. The messenger''s words seemed to come from miles away. "Oh¡­" she managed to say.

    Noticing her distress, the messenger put his cap back on and saluted her. "Requesting permission to depart, Captain."

    "Yeah¡­ sure¡­"

    Casting a worried glance at her, the man ¨C barely more than a boy ¨C took his leave leaving Phobos standing there at the doorway staring at nothing. After a moment, she mechanically closed the door, leant her back against it and slid down to the ground. Hugging her knees, she leant her head back against the sturdy wood and stared up at the ceiling, scrutinizing it for cracks to distract herself from the messenger''s words.

    For a time, silence blanketed the apartment except for the muffled sounds of sizzling oil in the kitchen.

    Phobos had been cooking. A full-course meal to celebrate mother''s promotion to Tier 5.

    Suddenly, with a jolt, she got up from her crouch and hurried to the kitchen. She had left the greens on the stove. It wouldn''t do if they started charring. The stubborn stains were nearly impossible to scrape off the bottom of the pan.

    Taking up the spatula she stirred the vegetables, spreading them apart and flipping them over to evenly distribute the heat. Once the onions were a golden brown, she poured in the sauce and stirred again so everything had an even coating before pouring the water in and letting it boil, stirring all the while.

    Scooping up a bit of the soup, Phobos blew upon the spoonful of steaming liquid before sipping to have a taste.

    "A-re¡­ I was sure I got the salt right¡­" she muttered absentmindedly as she stared at the empty spoon.

    There, distorted by the concave surface, was her reflection staring back at her. Raising her free hand, she touched her cheek. Her fingers came away wet.

    Distractedly, she licked one.

    "Oh¡­ so that''s why."

    She tried to take another spoonful of the soup for another taste but the spoon hit the edge of the pan and sprang out of her hand, plopping into the bubbling broth.

    She stared blankly at the broth for a moment before her face scrunched up and a great, heaving sob forced its way out of her chest.

    That was how Deimos found her as she rushed back to their apartment upon hearing the news ¨Chunched over the bubbling pan; her tears flavouring the broth.

    **

    Epione Felidae was angry.

    Like, right now, she wanted to strangle the cadet who had delivered the news of Phobos'' father''s death to her. And she wanted to strangle the supervisor of the communication tower who had authorized it. Definitely something to be considered very rash if she actually went through with it. But she really couldn''t bring herself to care.

    Judging by the pulsing of the light around her, she was on the brink of eruption.

    Really, what kind of fool though it would be a good idea to inform every family member separately by sending out multiple couriers. And what level of insensitivity was required to feel that sending a young, tactless cadet to inform the main stakeholder of the matter was a good idea?

    She shot a glance at the door of her children''s bedroom. Mars was currently pacing before the door, his brows twisted into a lump, as Deimos and Ceres tried to console the hysterical Phobos within it. She felt her anger leave her at the sight, only to be replaced by a deep disconsolateness.

    For this to happen right after she had promoted successfully¡­ it was like a proverbial slap on her face. Wasn''t preventing the occurrence of just this kind of situation the reason for her to rush her advancement?

    She sighed and got up from the sofa and walked up to her son.

    "You''ll wear a rut in the ground with all that pacing," she said as she halted him with a hand on his shoulder.

    He turned to her with a plaintive expression, "Mother," he entreated.

    Epione''s eyes darted across his features. He''d grown up a lot in just a few months. From a sheltered boy to a man worth entrusting with responsibility. Her eyes took in the creases on his forehead. Reaching up, she smoothened them out with her thumbs.

    He''d grown up too fast. He''d had to.

    Seeing the man he''d become revert to a boy as he asked her for help so desperately tore at her heart. The flame of anger that had been tamped down burnt prosperously yet again in her chest; this time tinged with the colour of hate.

    She hadn''t had much contact with Edward but his wife Grace was like a soul sister to her. They had been boudoir honeys in their teenage years, idling afternoons away immersed in gossip and discussion of the latest book they''d each read.

    Knowing her, she wouldn''t remarry after Edward''s passing.

    She cast a glance at the locked room. The poor girl hadn''t lost one parent. She had lost two.

    Turning back to Mars, she cupped his cheeks and stared him in the eye. "Trust your mother. I''ll see that Grace gets to choose her final battle even if I have to storm the capital to ensure it."

    Seeing him nod, she patted his cheek lightly and let go. Turning on her heels, she marched out of the apartment with hard eyes.

 173 Chapter 2

    The robust old man with salt and pepper hair and a grey handlebar moustache replied calmly, "Yes, yes it was."

    "But it wasn''t them who did it. The highest cultivation was that of a Tier 4 shadow mage. That too one who had promoted recently." The woman continued to interrogate.

    The current leader of the Kirin clan and the father of Risa and Ryuugen shook his head as he kept his gaze fixed on his children''s grave. There was only one. Despite his mixed feelings on the topic, in death, he couldn''t bear to separate them. "It''s the principle of the thing. We are at war. My children died in that city; in enemy territory. It is fitting that the strongest warriors there accompany them to the afterlife. It''s not like I slaughtered wantonly. I harmed none below Tier 3 and I even let that Tier 4''s wife go at his request."

    "But she will be back," accused the woman.

    Ragyo shrugged, "She will. I will grant her the death she desires when she does." Turning away from the grave the Kirin faced the woman with a frown, "Enough of these inane questions. Did the solemn Demigod of the Waves come here to disturb my communion with my children in heaven? Or do you have something important to say?"

    The transcendentally beautiful woman who had supressed Koschei along with her colleague the Floating Earth Demigod frowned slightly at the impolite expression of interrogation but her temperament had always been as calm as the sea before a storm. Angering her took a lot more than that ¨C though the consequences of when it finally happened were proportionally serious.

    "You seem awfully unflustered to have me pay you a visit," she remarked. "Especially after your recent deeds."

    The man shrugged again. "I know of the treaty you signed. Demigods cannot interfere in the war. Only when unbound beings like Koschei start to wreak havoc can you take action otherwise if you started getting involved, the war would escalate to mutual destruction pretty soon."

    The woman frowned.

    The Kirin continued, "I also know that you propositioned for even the Tier 5s to be restricted and the war to be resolved via a tournament between juniors but the proposition was rejected." His tone grew patronizing. "You might have talent but you after all are too young. We are at war, girl. War is not a game. It''s two nations trying to wipe the other one out. Values, culture, history¡­ everything. You think we will sit back and accept the result of some dolled-up squabbling between Tier 1s? Even if we won, would you really surrender the gambling stakes. Would you give up your homeland just because some kid fought and lost?"

    The Demigod of the Waves was silent.

    Suddenly, the woman chuckled bringing Ragyo up short. "They told me you were a warmonger. I just didn''t know the degree of it. The Shogunate only wanted to consolidate this strategic victory. They pulled a fast one over us with great difficulty. They just wanted to rest and recuperate. But you didn''t want that, did you? Your merit wasn''t enough. The Kitsune clan was in the lead with Hotaru Vulpine''s role in orchestrating the entire event. So, you collaborate with your very own Shogun to have your children killed so you can capitalize on that and exacerbate the situation. Putting us at loggerheads. Making war inevitable." Her tone had been growing more and more disgusted until it was practically dripping with loathing. "Ragyo Kirin, there is very little right now stopping me from breaking the treaty and ending you. Give me a reason to let you live."

    A monstrous pressure crashed upon the elder Kirin''s mindscape like high sea waves during a storm.

    Ignoring the pressure, the man rounded on her and interrogated, "What''s this about the Shogun?!"

    Surprised both by his resistance to soul pressure and the look of genuine astonishment on his face, the female Demigod narrowed her eyes and withdrew the soul pressure. "Well, when I checked the location, I could sense the water mana in the area being manipulated by something similar to the Authority the Ryu-o clan has over water. I found characteristics of all the other five Daimyo clans as well. Unless this was all due to some internal strife in your nation ¨C it is the work of your Shogun."

    "Damn," cursed the man softly. It was the first time in their conversation that he had lost his composure.

    "You didn''t know?" asked the woman uncertainly.

    "No. It is impossible. He wouldn''t be able to take on Ryuugen, let alone Risa," he muttered under his breath. "But still¡­ there were reports of seeing the rain rewind to the sky and the heavenly rings."

    Ragyo turned to the woman. "While I do support the upcoming war. I would never harm my children to force the policy through. I fight for broader lands and a better future for my children. What would be the point if I sacrificed them?"

    Taking a deep breath, he bowed to her slightly. "I will prioritize the investigation of the murderer with the new clues you have provided. If your speculation turns out to be true and it is the Shogun''s doing, then I will do my best to stop this war to spite him and cooperate with you to capture him. If it turns out to be some other nation trying to goad us on, I promise to attack them along with Regiis before we decide upon our new borders. And as for those who have died, I will accept a Mortem''s duel from anyone in their family at any time."

    The Demigod of the Waves was taken aback at his sudden change in attitude. "So, you are telling me that after killing so many of our citizens simply for being in the wrong place, you want to sue for peace with the offer of a Mortem''s duel?"

    "Yes," he agreed easily, "Knowing that there is a third party wanting us to go to war, and that he is the murderer of my children, I will obviously destroy his plan."

    The woman didn''t say anything. Turning around, she left silently while in her mind thoughts welled up. Ragyo Kirin like his late daughter was a monster. In Tier 5 there were very few who could call themselves his match. Finding someone in the family of the people he had killed to face him was nearly impossible.

    The man was trying to weaken Regiis by putting himself at risk to take out one of their Tier 5s. As for the Shogun, she still believed that it was a ruse by the Shogunate.

    She sighed. At least she had gotten the man to accept some sort of culpability. If she really couldn''t find a match for him in the duel, she would just have to break the treaty and kill him herself. Then she would have to undertake the sanction of the other Demigods.

 174 Chapter 3

    As she closed the door behind her, the big cat stirred slightly and opened its eyes. They shone like two yellow lamps in the darkness as they fixated upon her.

    The eyes of the daughter and the mother met. The former filled with sorrow tinged with hope; the latter filled with indifference and cruelty. The light of hope in Phobos'' eyes died as she failed to find any trace of recognition in her mother''s gaze.

    Tears streamed down her cheeks and she couldn''t help but give out a choked sob.

    The sound attracted the panther locked away behind the bars and she walked up to the front of the cell until her head was nearly pressing up against the metallic bars.

    In her Feral form, as a Tier 3 beast, Phobos'' mother stood a head and shoulders taller than Phobos. As she brought her large head down to inspect the weeping girl, something flashed past in her eyes. Something akin to recognition. The feline huffed gently, the warm breath blowing upon Phobos'' face, blowing back her hair. Pleasantly surprised, Phobos looked up and mother and daughter regarded each other again.

    "M-other?" she choked out questioningly.

    The panther rumbled deep in her chest in reply.

    Smiling through her tears, Phobos wiped her eyes hastily and tried to approach but was stopped in her tracks by a warning yowl. What little sanity had returned was now struggling fiercely with Vita''s will, trying to prevent it from harming her.

    "Okay. Okay I''ll stay back," said Phobos hastily as she retreated almost to the door, her back pressing up against the stone.

    The struggle in the Feral''s eye reduced until it was calm again.

    "Mother, how¡­ how have you been?"

    The panther huffed in a close approximation of a sigh and raised a paw. There, around the wrist was a band of metal attached to a chain made of the same material. Mana suppressing chains. With a clank, she put her paw down again.

    "Oh¡­" Phobos continued hesitantly, "Uhh¡­ mother¡­ I just wanted to say¡­"

    The panther snorted and Phobos could just imagine her mother rolling her eyes and saying, "Just get on with it." The image made her eyes prickle.

    "I mean, dad..." seeing her mother''s hackles rising, she hurriedly powered through. "Dad wouldn''t have wanted you to follow him!"

    The panther bared her teeth and growled again; a deep rumble that shook the bottom of Phobos'' heart. The hate and anger in that sound was palpable.

    "Mother, please!" pleaded Phobos desperately, "Please don''t leave me too!" Her voice cracked in the end.

    Phobos tried pleading a few more times but it only served to agitate the beast her mother had become. Sobbing hard, she fumbled with the door and rushed out, closing it behind her. Pressing her back to it, she sank to the ground. Hugging her knees, she buried her face into them and cried.

    After a while she felt a small but calloused hand gently rubbing her back. Looking up, her distraught yellow eyes met the sympathetic green of Deimos''. Throwing herself into the younger girl''s embrace she began to wail in earnest, wetting the front of Deimos'' dress with her tears.

    They stayed like that for a long time until Phobos'' wails reduced to sobs, and finally whimpers that died down as she fell asleep in Deimos'' arms. Deimos sighed as she rubbed the girl''s back. Phobos hadn''t slept for more than a few hours the entire way back to their estates from Firang. Her dark circles were even more pronounced and she had lost some weight in the three days it had taken them.

    Slowly, carefully so as not to wake her, Deimos carried her body onto her back and began walking towards the bedroom.

    She should let Phobos get some rest otherwise she would fall ill. Even the enhanced body of a mage had limits.

    Phobos'' mother along with all the other widows from Patera had been brought to the Felidae estates and housed in the cells. Their families had been contacted and most were on the way to retrieve them. Most of them would re-marry. Either some bachelor or a Tamer with a slot free. Then there were others who wanted to follow their husbands into the afterlife. Not many but including Phobos'' mother, there were three.

    They would stay on in the estate, waiting in the cell for an opportunity to arise so that they could unleash their vengeance upon the perpetrator of the violence that had separated them from the love of their lives.

    The head of the Kirin Clan: Ragyo Kirin. Deimos narrowed her eyes as she thought of that name.

    Then she sighed helplessly. It wasn''t in her hands. The matter was far beyond her capabilities. All she could do now was comfort her sister-wife. After all, she knew what it felt like to lose parents.

    She thought of Mars and Ceres who were holed up in the technique pavilion of the clan reading the notes of their predecessors had left on the topic of magic.

    In the Felidae clan, the norm was to cultivate to Tier 3 before they started to test which Aspect available to the mage was most suitable. Then they would allow the mage to access the contents of the pavilion related to that Aspect and after using it, the mage was obligated to leave their experiences there to enrich the collection.

    They hadn''t known about it because the Felidae believed it would distract the young mages from the legitimate path of mana accumulation.

    But since Mars had taken a different direction, he had been granted full access.

    He had holed himself up the moment he had arrived, trying to find a solution to the problem. Ceres was helping him.

    If they could somehow help the women stave of Vita''s curse¡­

    Hope was quite uncertain, after all it was a problem that none had solved in the millennia that had passed since the Apocalypse.

 175 Chapter 4

    Putting the manuscript she had been reading down onto the polished mahogany table she addressed him, pulling her voice down to barely above a whisper, "Husband, did you find anything yet?"

    "No!" he hissed as he tossed the sheaf of parchment in his hand and turned to her from across the table.

    "Five hundred years of history and I can find no mention of anything remotely resembling a solution! Forget a solution, there isn''t a single mention of the Curse of Vita in the entirety of the pavilion. Can you believe it?! For a problem this ubiquitous, you''d expect at least a mention," he ranted as he threw up his hands in frustration - thankfully releasing his grip on his hair in the process.

    "Well," said Ceres as she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose with a finger, "It''s not just the material in here¡­ I haven''t really seen much in the way of concrete data when it comes to Vita ¨C or just Gods in general. It''s all either unfounded speculation or religious mysticism. I don''t think anyone has unravelled that particular mystery yet."

    Slumping into his chair, Mars rubbed his face. "Yeah¡­ I know. I''ve read the books in the library too. The most they have is theoretical discourses on mana and explanations for various natural phenomena. Even if they mention Divine Will or Divine Power, they do so as mere terms without delving further into what they actually are. I had hoped that the technique pavilion would solve some of my doubts." Letting his hands drop to his sides, he leant his head back against the backrest, looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "When the hope is greater the disappointment is too¡­"

    "Buck up, husband," said Ceres as she kicked him lightly under the table. "Gods are the highest mysteries in this world of ours, and I''d expect anything related to them to be equally mysterious. No matter how common their manifestation."

    "I know," he groaned as he sat up and drew another manuscript from the dwindling pile of the unread. "I know, but I can''t help but feel that if I managed to extract mother''s bloodline ¨C in effect stripping her of the danger of Feralization ¨C then there should be more examples of such successful cases. War widows aren''t that uncommon in the history of our clan and I''m definitely not the first one agonizing over the fate of his relative. Someone must have thought of something¡­ It''s just not here." He turned his attention to the words on the manuscript he had opened, muttering under his breath. "If only I could bond her¡­"

    Mars looked up from the manuscript with a jerk. "That''s not what I was suggesting! I know about Abstinence and its limitations. No way our bond would be dark enough even if I contracted Phobos'' ma." He shook his head. "What I was saying was about sealing up her Doppelganger just like I did mother''s. But she''s not specialized¡­ and even if we could have her specialize in control, she would need to advance to Tier 4 peak for her to condense a Doppelganger. If only we had some way to make a less demanding copy of¡­ a¡­ Doppelganger¡­" His words trailed away as his eyes widened in realization. Looking up, his crimson eyes met Ceres'' chestnut ones that were just as wide.

    Swallowing his saliva, the dim flame of hope flickering to life in his eyes, Mars asked, "H-how far are you from understanding the Smoke Clone technique?"

    "Close¡­" replied Ceres. "Very close. It''s the one I started with from the Kitsune archives."

    "Could we modify it to work with shadows?"

    "I-I really can''t say. You tell me. You''re the one who has been studying the shadow elemental techniques¡­ I was studying fire and light."

    "But it''s possible, right?"

    "Probably."

    A wide smile parted Mars'' lips like sunshine through dark clouds after a rainstorm. Ceres'' heart thumped in her chest and she could feel her cheeks warming. That can''t be fair, she complained in her mind. Too lethal.

    "For some reason, though, I''m utter shit at comprehending the shadow techniques," he complained.

    Ceres knew why. He was too bright ¨C not a hint of darkness in him. Even when he had heard of the Kirin clan''s part in the event, he hadn''t thought towards revenge. All his thoughts were directed towards saving Phobos'' mother. Deimos; Ceres had observed how the petite white-haired girl''s eyes twinkled with murderous intention at the very mention of the name. The same for Mars'' parents, but as for the man himself, he focused all of his efforts on mending what had been broken, stitching what had been torn. The shadows would stay away from him.

    But there was someone far more appropriate for the task. Someone far more attuned to darker motives.

    Abruptly, Ceres stood from her chair and rounded the table. Grabbing onto Mars'' hand, she pulled him along as she exited the technique pavilion.

    "Wait, where are we going?" he asked, bewildered.

    "To get sister Phobos."

    "You think it''s a good idea to tell her now when it''s only at the speculative stage? It''d get her hopes up and it''d be really horrible if we failed."

    Ceres shook her head as they strode down the corridors. "She needs a distraction ¨C something to work on to keep her mind from eating her up from the inside. And she is far more talented in the path of shadows than you or I will ever be. It''s best for her to be brought into the loop. If we fail, we try again."

 176 Chapter 5

    Now, as I looked up from my perusal of a manuscript on wind shaping, I found her deeply entrenched; stacks of books towering all around her fortifying her within a world of learning. Shadows writhed and twisted unnaturally around her as they bent to her subconscious attempts to put what she read into action.

    Instead of the morbid despair that had clouded her eyes for these days past, a determined glint shone within those yellow orbs of hers. If an answer lay within the books in this library, I was sure she wouldn''t rest until she had found it.

    Her insomnia hadn''t taken a turn for the better but I preferred that she lose sleep in the pursuit of knowledge than be pursued from her sleep by nightmares.

    Deciding not to disturb her, I shifted in my seat to get comfortable and returned to my reading.

    ~ While shaping a breeze to one''s will ¨C having it move as one pleases ¨C might be the pinnacle of what most mages specialized in control can imagine, I was lucky to stumble upon yet another one of the inexhaustible mysteries contained within the Aspect of Wind.

    It was a dreary day ¨C one of the worst moments of my youth. When we are young, our egos are bright, fragile little balls of glass, ripe for the breaking. And the Tournament and subsequently the Swayamvar is a basket where these marbles are placed and thoroughly shaken. Pride clashes against pride and without competence to back that pride up, it is thoroughly shattered. Now, as I look back upon that experience through the lens of experience, I find myself understanding the purpose.

    By breaking us, they expected us to stand back up stronger. If we failed to do so, we were not worthy of a share of the limited resources. Understanding returns to understanding, but as a young boy on the cusp of manhood I found defeat a bitter pill to swallow ¨C especially when the intentions of the planning committee were so obvious.

    The format of the Tournament and the Swayamvar is never the same a second time, the ones in charge of planning them taking inordinate amounts pride in making each successive iteration more sadistic than the last.

    In my time, the Tournament had each mage facing opponents solely of an element antagonistic to their own. Shadow faced Light, Light faced Earth, and Earth faced Shadow. Fire faced Water, Water faced Wind; and as a Wind mage, I faced the wielders of Flame.

    I wanted to win.

    That night, alone in my accommodations, with the blinds drawn and torches unlit, I stared at a lit candle as it burnt down, trying to understand what it was that made the flickering flame burn. The candle burnt to a stub but the answer never came. Fruitless and frustrated, I swept my arm above the table, knocking a teacup over the stub and stormed off to a night of disturbed sleep.

    Next morning, rubbing my bleary eyes, I tried to lift the cup, only to find it stuck fast to the table. Putting more effort, it came away with a pop and a near inaudible whistle of wind.

    As a Wind mage, how could I miss the change in the air currents, how could I be unfamiliar with the whispers of the wind. For some reason, a void had formed within the upturned cup.

    This discovery ¨C a fateful coincidence ¨C was the beginning of my journey to earn the title: Warlock of the Smothering Gale. ~

    The rest of the tome went on to describe the detailed process of his ¨C my great grandfather''s ¨C attempts to unravel the secrets hidden within that incident. He had found that air wasn''t a single entity but a mixture of gases. While any water mage can tell you that there is moisture in the air and the formation of clouds will prove them right, according to great grandpa, even dry air could be divided into two parts. One part that supported combustion and another, larger part that smothered it.

    By burning candles in sealed containers, getting a feel of the residual air and comparing it to the atmosphere, he managed to gain the ability to wield both sections separately. Realizing that the flammable portion of the air was also the part necessary for life ¨C the part we breathed in but didn''t breathe out, he named the two sections ''living wind'' and ''dying wind'' with there being four times the amount of the latter for a measure of the former.

    His method of mastery resulted from his use of the dying wind in isolation to extinguish flames and lives alike.

    What made things even better for him was that great grandma was a fire mage, giving him a measure of control over fire. So, while his manuscript was mainly dedicated to exercises meant to help a prospective student get a feel for and separate dying wind from the atmosphere, it also contained a section where he detailed his use of the living wind to fuel and amplify his own flames into a much hotter variant ¨C Sapphire Flames ¨C named so for their brilliant blue colour.

    While my insight into the Aspect of Inflammation was lacking, I was an Adept in the Aspect of Amplification and a Master of Wind. And as a Tamer, I was in a unique position to leverage this synergy between wind and fire to the fullest.

    Ceres had speculated that I needed to reach Grandmaster to advance my magical strength but now, I could feel a new path unfolding in front of me, leading me to vistas never seen before.

 177 Chapter 6

    If we were to go by the findings published by the Imperial Academy, then, the entire world was actually made up of mana and these ''auras'' that I could sense were nothing but the various entities slowly sublimating back into their mana states. Based on how slow or fast the sublimation was, the object could last a long time ¨C from millions of years to only a few decades.

    Further, mana came in six forms, corresponding to the six elements and based on the proportion of the elements, they formed different materials. The ability of Tier 5 mages to solidify their mana into physical objects was irrefutable proof for the theory. After seeing how lifelike father''s mana arm could be, I didn''t doubt it one bit.

    Earth mana was particularly stable, causing soil and rocks that were composed primarily of it to last aeons while fire, as the most volatile form of mana, was extremely transient. Another widely accepted notion was the interconversion of forms of mana. The most vivid example of this was the consumption of wood to fuel the flames of a campfire.

    Looking down upon the table, I found dim streaks of white and blue running along the grains. Traces of light and water mana if I was identifying them correctly. But this was but a dead tree. When I had laid my eyes upon the living specimens in the courtyard, I had seen them awash with water and light mana ¨C the former travelling up in channels through the root, the latter coming down from the leaves. Other than that, I couldn''t get a picture of a large portion of the wood, therefore concluding that it was earth mana I was missing out on.

    Given my lack of a contract with a female earth mage, I had absolutely no induction to that strain of mana. Even when I turned my senses on the ground beneath my feet ¨C which should be positively brimming with earth mana, all I got was a blank, except for the dark blob which was my shadow. But given my affinity to all five other mana strains, I could, by elimination, identify the location and concentration of earth mana. It just got a little cumbersome, is all.

    Thus, when timber was burnt, this combined construct of water, light and earth was consumed and quite a bit of it was transformed into fire mana and the light mana contained within was released into the world ¨C resulting in the blazing bonfires we were all familiar with.

    Even our bodies were composed of mana. Again, father''s mana arm was all the proof I needed to trust the veracity of this statement. When he wasn''t channelling his mana through it, it was practically indistinguishable from a regular arm.

    The science of mana was vast and profound and depending on our understanding of it, we could alter the very world. But unfortunately, an individual was limited in his capabilities. By birth, one was limited to a certain element. By choice, they were limited to an Aspect or two and finally, by time, they were limited in how deep they could peer into the mysteries of the world''s workings in a single lifetime.

    Thus, it was only when we stood upon the shoulders of our predecessors, like this knowledge repository here or the vaunted Imperial library, or the clan vaults of the Daimyo''s, that we could hope to go one step further.

    Master? Grandmaster? I shook my head. They were nothing but terms to denote fellow travellers on the path of enlightenment and discovery. One was a few miles ahead of the other is all.

    It was a pity that all these mages hoarded their knowledge and discoveries like gold. If only they could share their understandings with each other, we would have advanced so much. The world would be our playground. Instead, all we use it for is war. I sighed. Well, until I had the ability to do something about it, there was no use bemoaning the state of the universe.

    Absentmindedly, as I pondered over the implications of my new knowledge about the interconnections between the elements ¨C especially fire and wind based on great grandpa''s treatise, I noticed an elderly maid enter the library to light the smokeless torches.

    Without noticing it, the day had already passed by. The last rays of the sun were streaming through the panes of the window, illuminating the library with their russet brilliance. How the time flies.

    As the maid dropped some fire stones into the torch and sprinkled a white, inflammable powder over them to light them, I suddenly caught a jolt of emotion from her. This had been happening to me ever since my return from the Forbidden Zone. I had gained an ability to sense emotions in the presence of fire mana. The impressions I got weren''t very accurate and extremely fleeting but depending on the intensity of the flame, I could get a clearer picture.

    The emotions were like an obsidian crystal placed in utter darkness. Usually, I wouldn''t be able to see it but if I lit a fire, then by the firelight reflected off the facets, I could estimate its shape.

    The emotion I got from the maid was trepidation. She was worried by the constant stream of news flowing in from the west about war. She wasn''t the only one. Everyone I met nowadays had tension written on their faces. It was a harrowing time, this wait.

    When war began, on the contrary, you could set a firm resolve to fight or flee, but being suspended in this uncertain state on the brink of the precipice¡­ It was harrowing.

    "Master! Phi-Phi!" A loud voice startled me out of my reverie and I turned around to see Deimos rapidly approaching us.

    "Shh!" hissed the librarian, a lanky man with a scraggly goatee and unkempt hair. His eyes were bloodshot, indicative of late nights and overzealous reading habits.

    Covering her mouth with her hand, Deimos bowed to him in apology. With a disdainful ''hmph'' that only librarians and teachers can perfect, he turned away, pardoning her infarction.

    Biting her tongue in contrition, Deimos walked up to us in a more sedate, if still hurried pace. Reaching us, she leant down and whispered conspiratorially, "Guess who showed up at the gates."

    "Who?" I asked curiously.

    "The Lutrinae!"

    For a moment, I struggled to join the name to the faces before it hit me, "Aah! It was that team of otters that we contested against in the Tournament¡­ the main rivals for the Duchess'' seat."

    Deimos nodded. "You even notarized a marriage for two of them, ya."

    My first official notarization. How could I forget?

    I frowned. "But, what are they doing here? Weren''t they all in the Southern District? They should have been caught up in the mess¡­ If they are here¡­"

    "Ya. They managed to give the Shogunate the slip. Right now, they are talking to Father and Mother¡­ they must have a lot of intel about the Shogunate forces and the situation there." She pouted, "I wanted to listen in, but they wouldn''t let me."

    Grabbing my arm, she tugged, "But if you come, they''ll allow you in as the heir and I can follow, ya. Come on, hurry up." Turning to Phobos who had looked up from her books she said, "And Phi-Phi, don''t stay holed up here all the time, it''ll do your mind some good to relax. Come with us, ya?"

    Phobos considered for a moment and then shook her head. "Tell me what happened when you come back¡­ also see if Ceres is awake or not. If she is, tell her that I''m waiting for her here, okay?"

    Deimos deflated and grumbled, "Ya, she just woke up. I told her about the Lutrinae but she said she''d rather not go. She''s coming here."

    After telling Phobos about the possible solution to her problem, Ceres had gone to sleep so that she could extract more information about smoke clones from the will of the Witch in her dream. As for why she wouldn''t go to meet the Lutrinae¡­ the poor folks had just had a traumatic experience with one kitsune ¨C they wouldn''t be eager to see another so soon.

    Putting my book back, I stood up and stretched. "Fine. I''ll come with." I said. Turning to Phobos, I exhorted, "Don''t overwork yourself. You and Ceres both." Seeing her nod, I smiled and offered my arm to Deimos. "Shall we?"

 178 Chapter 7

    Now that I thought about it, we had only been away for less than a month but with all that had happened to us, it seemed more like several years. It had been one thing after another and as I had holed myself up in the technique library right after I had returned, I hadn''t had time to greet anyone.

    Mother beckoned for Deimos to sit beside her on the couch facing the Lutrinae and I took my place on the empty spot by father''s right side. Nodding to Lionel who was in the seat beside me and receiving his nod of acknowledgement, I proceeded to study our guests with both my sight and my mana senses.

    As to asking for permission¡­ A man''s gotta take every advantage he can get, right? And what they didn''t know wouldn''t hurt them.

    There were three of the otter-folk who had come visiting. The first was a woman with severe facial features and her grey-streaked brown hair tied up in a tight bun. Her lips were drawn in a thin line, giving her an expression of perpetual displeasure that was the trademark of strict disciplinarians everywhere. Marquess Lutrinae herself.

    Her expression didn''t give much away about her state of mind but her mana was a whole different story, frothing and roiling like water crashing down a waterfall. Something had her extremely agitated ¨C and going by the current state of affairs, it wasn''t difficult to guess what that could be.

    Other than the Marquess, to my surprise, I found another face I was familiar with. The girl whose marriage I had presided over in the Tournament. Catching her eye, I sent her a friendly smile, only for her to avert her eyes and look down into her lap. Spying on her mana, I found it whirling around in her mindscape like a vortex as though trying to sink to its depths. If there was one feeling I had to ascribe to it, depressed would be my choice of word. It seemed that whatever the Lutrinae experienced during their escape hadn''t left them unscathed.

    The last member of the contingent was a broad-shouldered man with a handlebar moustache and a thin scar on his right eyebrow. Given his striking resemblance to the girl and how he seemed to subconsciously angle himself to shield her, I guessed that he might be her father or at least a close relative of hers. Uncle maybe?

    His mana too was agitated, poised like an ocean wave ready to break on a shore. He seemed liable to snap at any moment. There was a story here and with my arrival, Marquess Lutrinae opened her mouth to tell the tale.

    She continued, "It all happened too fast. One moment we were going about our daily lives, scrambling to digest our winnings from the Tournament and reshuffling command of the territories. The next, we were surrounded by turncoats and enemies from all sides. Worse, they knew all about us ¨C our personnel distribution, strengths, adept techniques, everything ¨C while we were kept in the dark." She sighed, finally letting a bit of the emotion I knew was hidden in her mind out, "We didn''t stand a chance."

    "Then¡­ pardon me for my bluntness¡­ how did you manage to escape? Your territory is in the central portion of the Southern District. Getting here must have been difficult," interjected the First Elder.

    I saw the Lutrinae man''s face reddening and his jaws clenching. Both his and the Marquess'' mana went wild. For a moment I was confused by their overreaction before it hit me. They were suspect. There was no telling if they weren''t part of Hotaru Vulpine''s plot. Even if they weren''t willing participants, their family might have been held hostage. By letting them ''escape'' and joining us, the sly woman might be planting informers in our midst.

    No! Not only that. Even if they were innocent, even the fact that they could be suspects meant that we had to be on guard against them. This was an open intrigue to tie up our attention. By intentionally letting a few high-ranking people escape ¨C specially people like the Lutrinae who were known to be antagonistic to the Duchess, she managed to avoid having to deal with them herself while, at the same time putting her opposition, us, in an awkward situation. We couldn''t, in good conscience, imprison or kill them but we couldn''t trust them not to backstab us at some crucial moment either.

    Reducing her own effort and burdening her enemies with their own allies.

    I couldn''t help but draw in a breath of cold air. Seriously sinister. Well, considering that my own mind had leapt to that conclusion so swiftly, did that make me sinister too? Nah, I''ll chalk it up to Ceres constantly bringing up convoluted scenarios and forcing me to guess the intentions of the parties involved. Common sense she called it.

    Taking a deep breath, the Marquess calmed herself and cut right to the heart of the matter. "I didn''t expect your trust when I came here¡­" When the First Elder started to protest that that wasn''t what he had implied, she cut him off with a slashing motion of her hand. "No need to spare my sensibilities, I know that after Vulpine''s treachery, trust is a commodity in extremely short supply and asking you to believe us is asking for too much."

    Meeting each of our gazes in turn, her greyish-blue eyes settling on Mother finally, she said, "I am willing to submit to an interrogation by light and prove the purity of my words."

    The Lutrinae man sat up in his seat, outrage on her behalf clear on his face, "Madame!"

 179 Chapter 8

    She had expected things to go wrong with her plan ¨C as they always did, even for the most meticulously laid ones ¨C but she hadn''t expected for the troubles to come from the same group of people. First it was the girl, Ceres, turning coat within weeks of marrying the red-headed Felidae heir. At that time, it hadn''t seemed very relevant ¨C not with the Geas binding her to the path that had been set for her.

    Hotaru accepted her mistake now. It had been negligent of her to underestimate one of the members of her own noble lineage. The girl had somehow managed to break free of the Geas and done it much, much faster than she could have ever anticipated.

    Thankfully, she had planned ahead for such a contingency even if the probability of occurrence of such an unlikely event was abysmally low. She''d had to pre-pone her plans and rush the takeover of the central and southern districts of the South-Eastern Province but it didn''t hurt the essentials. She wasn''t confident of keeping things secret long enough for her entire plan to play out anyway.

    Getting Mars Felidae on the throne was a long shot and with the number of people who knew about her plans, or at least had an inkling of her treasonous intentions after she had started contacting the noble families she had tied marital bonds with, meant that it was only a matter of time till she was forced to set her contingency plan in motion. Ceres hadn''t particularly upset her overall scheme.

    Though it was annoying to lose her chess-piece and have it reverse to the opposition. And then there was the matter of her mother lying in wait in the heart of the Forbidden Zone. A pity that¡­ she had meant to draw support from her mother''s spirit to promote to Tier 5¡­ Oh well.

    Hotaru Vulpine shook her head. What had happened, had happened. There was no use crying over spilt milk and while she fully intended to deal with Ceres and the Felidae later, the girl and her new family hadn''t seemed that important at the time.

    Flopping onto her cushioned chair behind her desk, her six tails twitching in agitation, the Duchess rubbed her face with her hands. She sighed. How wrong she had been.

    When the information had arrived about the Calamity being staved off by the cooperation between the Firang outpost army and the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries (another miscalculation on her part), she had nearly executed the messenger on the spot for bringing false news.

    If the news of a motley group of mages penetrating deep into the Forbidden Zone and dealing with the source of the Calamity wasn''t absurd enough, then the rumours of Mars Felidae''s magical prowess bordered on the incredible.

    Yes, she had high hopes for him. Yes, she had wanted to support him to the throne¡­ but it wasn''t because the boy himself had any extraordinary quality but for his social station.

    Apparently, he did¡­ another miscalculation of hers. She was making a lot of those these days.

    Fine. A precocious girl and a boy genius. She''d deal with them in time. Though they had created some obstacles for her, it wasn''t anything serious.

    The function of the Calamity ¨C and Koschei ¨C was to distract the main forces of the Regiis Empire so she could consolidate her hold on the Central and South Districts. If she managed to quell the unrest within a very short amount of time and the conditions were ripe, she wouldn''t have minded gnawing a chunk out of the Eastern District as well.

    Unlikely as the Regiis reinforcements would have arrived soon enough ¨C what with the Empire''s Demigods going into action to quell Koschei''s rebellion. It wasn''t a big loss.

    But this time¡­ this time the Felidae had truly put a spanner in the works. Once was a coincidence, twice was suspicious and thrice¡­ thrice was the last straw. If she ignored the family even now, it would be gross negligence on her part.

    How the hell was she to know that the Felidae matriarch would advance a Tier? Anyone¡­ she could have accepted the promotion of any other mage at the peak of Tier 4 to Tier 5. She even had contingency plans for such occasions. But never in her wildest dreams had she even considered that the one to promote would be Epione Felidae.

    How?

    The very fact that she couldn''t promote had been the chip based on which Ceres was supposed to convince Mars, the sluggish Felidae heir, to participate in the Swayamvar. And now, she suddenly promoted to Tier 5 without any rhyme or reason?

    The worst thing was that by the time she gained access to the information, the Lutrinae matriarch with the high-level mages she had bled off intentionally had already reached the Felidae residence.

    She groaned into her hands in frustration. She could easily conceive what would happen now. As a Tier 4 peak mage, only a Tier 5 light mage ¨C that too with high attainments in healing magic ¨C could reliably tell if Marquess Lutrinae was lying or not. If Epione Felidae hadn''t promoted, then all would be fine but now that she had¡­

    How?

    The question could hardly be removed from her mind. What was the most fearful? A strong opponent? No! It was one who you couldn''t fully understand. And the Duchess couldn''t fully understand the Felidae.

    Suddenly, the door to her office was shoved open and an agitated, dark-haired young man burst in. "I told you that you should have uprooted the weeds and left no trouble for the future but you were adamant on letting them go! Now look at what happened!"

    Lifting her face from her hands, the Duchess narrowed her beautiful eyes. Cold fury burnt therein. Standing up, she rounded her desk in one lithe movement and in a beige blur, one of her tails lashed out at blistering speeds.

    A sharp crack resounded through the room as the young man ¨C barely more than a boy ¨C spun in place from the force of the blow and collapsed onto the ground. Holding his inflamed cheek, he turned to her with disbelief in his eyes, a trickle of blood flowing down the corner of his mouth. "You¡­"

    The Duchess didn''t give him a chance to speak as her form blurred, turning into a large six tailed daemon fox that took up a large portion of the room. Another form split out of her like a smoky mirage, solidifying into another fox. The boy shivered, falling silent, as he felt a cold, wet snout touching the back of his neck.

    The three beige foxes with white-tipped tails began to circle around the boy in slow, menacing steps and he could only get up into a crouch and turn his head from one to the other, trying to determine which was the real one.

    The three foxes spoke in eerie unison. "Boy, don''t forget yourself. I was the one who raised you up, I can thrust you down. Without me, you aren''t anything. You sold your wife, your family out just for the sake of your own benefit. Once the truth gets out, what do you think will be your fate?"

    Cold sweat beaded on the boy''s forehead. He was the commoner who had been inducted into the Lutrinae clan. The Duchess had contacted him shortly after the Tournament with an offer¡­

    After thinking it over, he had finally chosen to cut a deal with her. He would become one of her informers within the Lutrinae and in return, once she had taken over the Southern district, she would support him in the clan as one of the puppet leaders.

    The original plan was to let the Lutrinae high level escape and use that fact to hit the morale of the remaining members of the clan, claiming that they had been abandoned. Using the opportunity, the informers would try to win over the remnants.

    It had gone well thus far with him leveraging the sympathy he had garnered from claiming that his even his wife had left him behind to flee alone.

    But now, with the news that the Lutrinae had successfully switched sides, it was only a matter of time till the gig was up. And once the matter was perforated, there wouldn''t be a single place in the world he could take shelter.

    In his anxiety, he had forgotten himself, barging into the Duchess'' temporary residence in the Lutrinae estates but with that blow to his face and the pressure of her circling around him, regarding him like a deceased person, he finally sobered.

    Dropping to his knees, he rubbed his forehead into the ground. "Mercy, Duchess. I was too impetuous. Please show me a way out."

 180 Chapter 9

    Did I tell you that I hate milk? Yeah¡­ I did, didn''t I.

    As I suppressed my frown and emptied the glass of the vile beverage, I looked up at the desolate face of the girl sitting opposite to me. Ness was pretty in her own way. The contours of her face and body smoothed and sculpted by Vita''s Divine Power, giving her the supernatural beauty that was the trademark of every mage Tier 2 and higher. She had brown hair that fell about her face in soft natural curls that I thought suited her much better than the tight, tied back hairstyle she sported during the Tournament. She clearly hadn''t been in a frame of mind to pay her appearance much attention. The way her locks fell about her face untidily and shadowed her eyes, combined with her sorrowful expression and the clear misery my senses were picking up off her had an odd sort of charm.

    I wanted to paint a picture of her.

    Damn. I feel insensitive. And guilty again. Sighing, I put the glass down on the table in front of me with a sharp clack, drawing her attention. She looked up, her brown eyes containing barely concealed hope. Rubbing my face with a palm, I decided to break the bad news to her and be done with. Pulling the thorn with a sharp tug will do the both of us good instead of dragging out the process.

    "Look," I said, "What happened to me isn''t replicable. And the only thing that vanished was the mark on my body¡­ My contracts with my wives are still in effect. They just shifted to my mindscape. And my wives still have their marks¡­ so my circumstances aren''t the ones you are seeking for."

    I bowed to her slightly, "While I feel responsible as the one who presided over your marriage, I really do not have any means of annulling it. Contracts can''t be broken. Not even by the one who made them."

    The light in her eyes dimmed and she looked down into her lap again. "I-I know¡­ It''s just that I saw¡­ and I hoped¡­ Sorry." Her voice was subdued, trailing away into inaudibility. She looked up again, meeting my eyes. "A-and, you don''t have to feel guilty about it¡­ There was no way for you to have known. The mark¡­ it doesn''t always speak the truth."

    Standing up, she curtsied to me and said, "Thank you for being honest with me. I''ll find my w-ay out." Her voice broke at the end.

    She walked out of the room with hurried steps, the door shutting behind her with a sense of finality ¨C the click resounding in the heavy silence she left in her wake.

    Would she thank me then?

    "She probably wouldn''t," I sighed as I raised my hands up, studying the unmarked skin of the back of my palms.

    After mother had acted the role of the polygraph for Marquess Lutrinae, confirming the authenticity of her words, they had set about discussing their future course of action. The Lutrinae who had escaped were understandably worried about their clansmen who they had left back in the clutches of the enemy. The bright side of the matter was that the Demigods had reached a Treaty of non-interference, meaning that this ''war'' wasn''t going to be one of extermination. ****, pillory and mistreatment of captives would, theoretically, be rare occurrences and be punished with court martial. Those who surrendered wouldn''t be harmed.

    Other than the initial casualties, it was going to be a relatively peaceful conflict. If there could be such a thing.

    To bolster the deterrent force against killing captives, Mortem''s Duels had been authorized. Any member of the bereaved family could challenge the ones responsible and they would have to accept.

    Moreover, ransoms had been set by Tier. Any party could emancipate prisoners of war with the corresponding value of commodities ¨C with an oath that the freed prisoner wouldn''t join in the war effort on the other side.

    Somehow, more than a war, it seemed like a game of strategy where we were the pieces and the territory the board on which we played the game. The Shogunate had made their opening move and we seemed to be reeling from the impact, scrambling to recover and launch a counter-attack of our own.

    It was in the middle of this discussion that Ness suddenly spoke up, the desperation clear in her tone. "Your hand¡­ Your contracts... How did you break them?! Help me. Please!"

    That managed to focus all attention on the backs of my hands. The unmarked backs of my hands.

    After an explanation, I learnt about Ness'' husband turning coat and switching to the Traitor''s camp, discarding her like a used shirt.

    The reason her father had brought her along to visit was so she could consult me to see if there was any way to break the bond for despite how heartless her husband was, Ness'' feelings were sincere.

    I sighed again as I dropped my palms onto my knees and stood up.

    We had come into a private room to try if my variation allowed me to do what no other Tamer could.

    Unfortunately, it couldn''t. I tried my best to alter her mana signature and even use external mana to ''jam'' the signal to no avail. It appeared that I wasn''t that special after all.

    My gaze fell on the glass of warm milk mother had a maid send in to soothe her nerves. It lay cooling on the table, untouched.

    The corner of my eye twitched slightly before I grabbed onto it and emptied it in three large gulps. Slamming the glass back onto the table, I stalked out of the room while wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

    I can''t stand wasting food.

    And let that be a small punishment for me. I knew the boy had issues and yet I didn''t warn her, deriving a sense of superiority instead. Though it wasn''t really my place to interject but still¡­

    As I walked down the empty corridors to the training area to work off my agitation, I remembered the sense of duty I had felt in Ness'' mind from my short peek into it during the ceremony.

 181 Chapter 10

    The thing was that the topologies had all been constructed in my great grandfather''s time by a Formation Grandmaster he had befriended. We didn''t have the expertise required to turn the formation on or off at will. Neither did we have the know-how required to train a formation master of our own. Not for the lack of trying though. Every following patriarch tried their best, including father, but any family with knowledge of formations hoarded it like it was their life. And in a way, it was, seeing that they earned huge chunks of their revenue from creating and maintaining the topologies of other clans.

    The training grounds were segregated into sections corresponding to the Tiers and separated into parts that favoured training Specialization ¨C both Force and Control.

    The wind topology for instance had a life gate where the air was continuously turbulent ¨C useful for training how to manipulate projectiles and other floating implements to improve one''s control over the wind. And then there was the dead gate of the topology where the air was extremely viscous and difficult to move. Training in wind spells there was akin to exercising with weights strapped on to your body. A form of resistance training that worked wonders for wind mages specialized in Force.

    I fondly recall the time I spent playing around here with paper planes and origami cranes with Deimos. It all seems a lifetime ago, what with everything going to hell in a hand basket.

    The wind topology was where I spent most of my time in the training ground but today, I had a different destination.

    The fire formation was more unitary in its effect. No fire mage in the history of our clan had ever specialized in anything other than Force.

    Actually, come to think of it, I don''t recall any fire mage that made it big with a specialization in control. The unruly element just doesn''t lend itself to strict regulation, and the emotional nature of the practitioners of flame makes control doubly difficult.

    Signing in at the reception and obtaining my entry token, I placed the token into a groove in the door, pulsing ambient fire mana into it in a particular pattern to unlock it. Shoving the door open, I was assaulted by a gust of heated air that parted my hair with its force.

    Taking a breath that scorched my lungs, I stepped in, the door swinging shut behind me.

    Currently, as dusk had already blended into the quiet darkness of night, the embedded crystals simply sparkled in the dome like a galaxy of flaming stars. That didn''t mean that the topology was only usable in the daytime. The solar flame was just an accessory function of the dome, the main reason for its existence was to lock in the heat produced by the topology like a greenhouse.

    The entire area was partitioned into segments in the form of concentric circles. The innermost section was for Tier 4 mages while the middle one was for Tier 3 mages, separated into four sections by dividers. The outermost segment was for Tier 2 mages with eight partitions. The dividers and walls were made of a dark igneous rock shot through by veins of fire stone and embedded with Inflammation crystals in tasteful locations that manipulated the fire mana in the environment, making it spiral inwards to the centre of the topology.

    It was oddly reminiscent of the interior of the volcanic Dungeon at the centre of the sixth Forbidden Zone.

    I wiggled my toes in the heated sandy floor of the training ground. I had entered barefoot as per the regulations ¨C too many sets of burnt footwear had taught our ancestors a lesson and they had added the provision to the rules ¨C and the heat of the very first level was challenging the limits of my tolerance even with my enhanced body. Sweat beaded my forehead and soaked into my shirt as the air warped by the heat of the sandy floor scorched my lungs.

    With a thought, the ambient fire mana gathered around me and ignited the air adhering to my body and shrouding me in a layer of flame.

    Tier 1 flame magic: Ember.

    Immediately, contrary to logic, the temperatures around me decreased to a tolerable threshold. No longer did I feel like a piece of meat in an oven, just uncomfortably warm.

    The underlying logic of this training ground was simple. The closer we went towards the centre, the more concentrated the fire mana, and therefore the higher the temperature was. Resisting the heat with Ember was actually a test of our insight into the Aspect of Inflammation as well as a measure of our mana reserves.

    The hotter our own flame, the higher the temperature we could withstand, the greater was our understanding of the Aspect ¨C while the depths of our mana pool affected how long we could stay in the training ground.

    For me, though, the second factor was invalid. My mana here was practically infinite. As for the first factor ¨C that was what I was here to train up. Wielding Sapphire fire required me to be an Adept in the Aspect of Inflammation at the very least. As of now, I was barely a Novice.

    And there was something I wanted to test. An inkling of an inspiration I had caught from the repercussion of merging four separate pools of fire mana together back in the volcanic Dungeon.

    Closing my eyes, I latched onto the emotions of guilt and agitation engendered in me by the story of the unfortunate Lutrinae girl and dragged them to the forefront of my mind.

    Reaching out with my mind for the ambient fire mana, I found certain sections of it shying away from my grasp while some parts showed no difference while the remaining sections swarmed to me like bees to honey.

    With my eyes still closed, I took a step forward. Then another and another, falling into a slow ambling gait that carried me from one end of the section straight to the other. Exactly twenty paces across, I observed idly. I stopped when my mana senses informed me about the wall in my way.

    Opening my eyes, I found myself facing the door that led to the Tier 3 section, the ground beneath my feet was blushing a deep red from the heat, the sand replaced by coarser, more heat resistant gravel. Yet to me, it felt no different here than the conditions at the entrance of the room.

    The shroud of flame around my body had changed. Instead of a uniform layer of flame, the fire now coiled around me in serpentine ribbons, flickering, inflating and deflating as though it had a mind of its own.

    Simultaneously, the emotions in my mind were fading bit by bit, like a piece of paper being scorched in a candle-flame. ''Why would I feel guilty?'' I wondered. ''It isn''t like it is my fault that they wanted a shotgun marriage. If anything, it''s her father''s fault for shoving her into that fiery pit.''

    Reaching up, I wiped some sweat away from my forehead. Was it just me or was it getting hotter in here? My breath shortened and my vision began to grow fuzzy as the heat grew oppressive. I could barely keep my feet on the heated ground, shifting my weight from one foot to the other to alleviate the burning sensation.

    I took a step back towards the outer, cooler regions. Then another till I found my back pressing against the door through which I''d entered. Snapping out of my strange state, I found my Ember behaving true to its name with only a few wisps of flame covering me.

    Letting go of my mental state, I reactivated the orthodox spell and the uniform layer of reddish orange flame covered me again, isolating the heat outside and I could breathe relieved.

    Mother''s words from way back when resounding in my mind, "The flame-touched are highly emotional. The fire of their enthusiasm driving them to perform feats of both great benevolence and great evil. They are the impetus behind our nation''s continued progress."

 182 Chapter 11

    The chimes atop the door-frame tinkled, announcing my entry but I found the bedroom empty. Hadn''t they returned? I wondered. But the lit smokeless torches told me otherwise.

    Unbuttoning my sweat-soaked shirt which was sticking to my skin and stepping out of my equally drenched trousers, I folded them up and was about to deposit them into the laundry basket when I noticed Deimos'' clothes scrunched up into a ball and tossed in there. I shook my head in amusement. A leopard can''t change its spots and neither can my spoilt cheetah. Phobos would have her ear for that.

    My smile turned horizontal. Well, she probably wouldn''t even notice with how she was these days. Sighing, I picked up the skirt and folded it properly before depositing it along with my discarded clothes into the basket.

    Grabbing a towel from the stack nearby, I tied it off around my waist before shedding my underpants and dropping them off into the basket as well. Walking over to the bathroom, I deliberately rattled the handle before entering, giving Deimos enough time to protest if she was doing something inconvenient.

    The shower was on, the water cascading down on Deimos as she bathed with her back turned to me. The droplets splashed off her elastic honey brown skin and onto the floor and sparse wisps of steam wound around her form, blurring the edges of her curves.

    She was beautiful. I made to speak... and paused. There were things I wanted to say, promises that I wanted to make. But the words just wouldn''t leave my mouth.

    Instead, untying my towel I hung it up on a hook and walked under to the shower, hugging her from behind and resting my chin on her head. She leant back into my chest and I could feel the taut muscles of her back relaxing as she melted into the embrace. My arms tightened around her waist, hugging her closer as the warm water pattered on me, drenching my hair and running down my body in streams that seemed to carry my exhaustion from my training away.

    Turning her head sideways, she rubbed her cheek into my chest. Her hands covered mine that lay flat on her stomach and our fingers intertwined. We stood there, the two of us, isolated from the world by a curtain of water ¨C she listening to the beat of my heart and I inhaling the scent of her freshly soaped hair mixed with the light sulfurous smell of the hot spring water being channeled to our shower.

    For the first time in days, I was at complete ease.

    I could only nod, my chin conveying the motion to her head.

    The fingers of her left hand clenched into our joined palms, letting me know how agitated she was. "How could he?" she whispered. "Master, how could he?!"

    I shook my head. I didn''t know. I don''t think I ever will. Abandoning one''s other half for the sake of one''s greed? I can''t harden my heart to that extent.

    Turning in my embrace to face me, Deimos wrapped her arms around my neck. Gripping my hair in her fists, she bent my head down and standing on the tip of her toes, she pressed her lips up against mine.

    We kissed. Chastely, softly, without tongue, just her lips against mine. All the while, her large, soulful green eyes reflected my crimson ones. I didn''t know what she was searching for in my eyes but I found myself in hers. Her silver lashes shivered, then as a droplet of water splashed on them, instinctively, she closed her lids, locking a part of me away in her forever.

    We kissed again. This time, with fervour, with lust. I tasted her tongue as she tasted mine, entwining, entangling in a battle more intense than I ever remember.

    Jumping up into my embrace, throwing her legs around my waist and locking them tight. Embracing my neck with her arms, Deimos hugged me tight, as though wishing to rub herself into me, to merge into one organic whole. Any separation was torture.

    My palms slid up her slippery wet back as her soft breasts deformed against my chest, her nipples hard nubs against my pecs. My nails trailed up her spine and she shivered in my grasp and broke our kiss. Her tail wrapped around my wrist.

    Forehead to forehead, we stared at each other, breathing hard, water running down our hair, our eyelashes, our noses, our lips.

    Deimos let loose her legs around my waist, putting her feet on the ground. She stepped back, keeping her eyes on mine, her eyelids shivering slightly as the tip of my erect member slid up her slit.

    Reaching down to position me, she slowly stepped back in and took me inside her. We were one.

    She hugged me, her palms laid flat against my back, her cheek pressed up against my chest, her ear laid flat on my chest.

    We stood in that position, enjoying the contour of the other''s body, engraving it into our minds. Reaching out behind her, I twisted the knob, turning the shower off.

    Sliding my hands down her back, I supported her thighs. Coordinating me, she locked her legs around me yet again, her insides moving pleasurably around my member with the shift. I shuddered as a tingle of electricity ran up my spine.

    I looked down into those green eyes and smiled. Deimos smiled back.

    The moisture slid off our skin with a slight application of water mana, leaving only our hair wet. Supporting her with one arm, I grabbed the towel and exited the bathroom, every step causing me to move inside her. Biting down on her lip, Deimos refused to make a sound.

    The torches guttered and died under my influence, plunging the room into darkness except for the silver moonlight streaming through the window. Deimos eyes glowed in the dark as I sat down cross legged on the bed with her seated in my lap. Throwing the towel over our heads, I rubbed her hair dry, gently unraveling the tangles in her white hair that shone silver under the moonlight. She returned the favour, drying my short russet curls for me.

    We stopped.

    Forehead to forehead, hidden under the cover of the towel, tasting the other''s breath. I rocked slightly, moving gently back and forth inside her, driving us slowly but surely up the stairs to climax.

    Our breaths quickened, our hearts hammered in our chests and shivers ran up our spines.

    We reached the peak together. It wasn''t violent, but a gentle sustained plateau that reverberated in our bodies, minds and hearts for what seemed like an eternity.

    The towel had slipped off at some point of time, revealing us to the glowing moonlight and it illuminated her face as she looked up at me, her eyes half-lidded in satisfaction, and her voice heavy with contentment.

    "Master¡­ never, never leave us, ya?"

 183 Chapter 12

    Revelling in the warmth and softness of her body against mine and the atmosphere of comfortable companionship, my lips curved upwards. Turning my head, I kissed the top of her head and asked, "What about the other two? Won''t they be coming back tonight?"

    Deimos shook her head. "I asked Phi-Phi on the way back here. She had an all-nighter planned and Ceres said that she''d slept enough in the evening."

    I exhaled forcefully, my breath blowing Deimos'' hair. "I''ll talk to her tomorrow¡­ Her body will give out if she keeps this up. Let her burn through her energy today. She''ll sleep tomorrow or I''ll make her."

    "Hmm," mumbled Deimos. She too hadn''t been resting well these days.

    I closed my eyes. "Now sleep."

    That night, I dreamt of a moon the colour of blood and a silver streak of lightning that cracked it into a million pieces.

    ///

    I woke next morning feeling refreshed and full of energy. Even the annoying beam of sunlight that was falling right on my eyes from a slit in the curtains failed to sour my mood. When I tried to extract my shoulder from under Deimos'' head ¨C the entire arm feeling numb due to the poor blood circulation during the night ¨C she stirred in her sleep, frowned and grabbed me tighter.

    Smiling, I tickled lightly beneath her nose and her nose twitched like a rabbit''s before she sneezed, jolting herself out of her sleep. Meeting her bleary gaze filled with resentment, I chuckled lightly before withdrawing my arm, massaging it and wincing when the pins and needles kicked in.

    Moving out from under the blankets, I dressed myself from the wardrobe. Walking up to the window, I threw them wide, letting the cool morning breeze ruffle my hair. Inhaling deeply, I breathed out the foul air in my mouth, having dealt with my morning breath with wind mana. Running my fingers through my bed head to return my hair to a semi-manageable state, I looked out upon the scenery visible from my room.

    My room was situated on the third floor of the manor, facing the open stretch of land that contained Boris lake. The morning breeze brought with it the unique scent of fresh water and the light of the rising sun glinted of the lake making it shimmer with myriad shades of orange and red.

    From behind me, I heard the clattering of the wardrobe as Deimos rummaged through it half-asleep. The girl definitely wasn''t a morning person, being overfond of sleep. These days must have been hard on her.

    "What''ll you do today?" I asked Deimos.

    Resting her elbows on the window sill and cupping her face in her palms, she replied as she looked out upon the scenery. "Train."

    "In what?"

    "In anything other than the Thunder palm¡­ Speed maybe?"

    I raised my eyebrow. "You''re dropping it? After all the effort you put into it?"

    "Doesn''t suit me. Better now than later, after having wasted more time, ya."

    "Why now?"

    "My stint in Firang¡­ and then I saw the archives. Found that I was doing things all wrong¡­ or rather, the wrong things right."

    "You''re better at it than me, at least."

    "Doesn''t matter. I should have specialized in Force to play the full might of it and even if I did, it still wouldn''t suit me."

    I considered her words. "¡­ Speed huh?"

    "A weapon too. Before leaving Firang, I asked Teal to have a set of razor threads made in exchange for the entirety of my contribution points. It''ll be arriving soon. I want to be at least decent in controlling threads before that."

    An image floated up in my mind of Deimos standing in place as a fire ant charged at her. Suddenly, halfway there, its form stagnated and then with edges as smooth as a mirror, its body split up into several parts. Thin, near-transparent threads glinted under the sun as they retracted to her hands. I shuddered at the image. Too cruel.

    "It''s a dangerous weapon. Both to the enemy and yourself. Be careful."

    "Eh. I don''t fancy losing my fingers, ya. I''m not going to use it in battle before I master the Aspect of Wind. That''ll take a while and now''s the best time for it."

    She was right. With the Shogunate having made the first move at the cost of a huge amount of resources and Regiis reeling from it, both of them wouldn''t be eager to escalate the situation. It would take some time for them to rally themselves and organize the next round of battle. Until then, we would have a stretch of peace. The calm before the storm. Now was the best time to build ourselves up, prepare for the future conflict.

    I squeezed her shoulder. "Have at it then. And ask me or father for help if you get stuck anywhere."

    She climbed up on the ledge of the window. Facing me with the sun at her back, giving her a red halo and the wind blowing her skirt, she grinned, "Good. I will." Then she stepped back into the air and dropped out of sight.

    Her words floated to my ear with the breeze. "Go check up on the two bookworms, ya. Or they''ll miss breakfast."

 184 Chapter 13

    But then again, another part of her ¨C the utterly exhausted part ¨C was professing undying affection for its lord and saviour. That part of her just wanted to sleep, and as they rounded a corner and approached their shared bedroom and a rich aroma wafted into her nose setting her stomach rumbling, it decided that it wouldn''t mind some breakfast as well. By the way Ceres'' eyes shone, she held the same opinion.

    Phobos relaxed, letting Mars pull her along by the wrist with one hand while he gripped one of Ceres'' hands with the other.

    Pulling them into the room and kicking the door shut, Mars pushed them gently onto the sofa and indicated towards the sumptuous spread of dishes laid before them on the table.

    "This, ladies, is what you''ll be filling those empty stomachs with. And once you''re done, you are going right to bed. Am I clear?"

    "But ¨C" began Ceres.

    "No buts," he said, cutting her off. "I outrank you both and this is a direct order from your superior officer. You''ll do as you are told, without question. Am. I. Clear?"

    "This isn''t the military," muttered Ceres under her breath as she sniffed disdainfully before picking her fork up anyway. Phobos couldn''t help but smile slightly at Mars'' posturing before picking up her own spoon. "As you command o great Lieutenant," she joked before digging in.

    The taste of the food lived up to what its aroma promised. The omelette was fluffy, dissolving in her mouth and the strips of caramelized bacon had the perfect crunch. The best part was the fish fingers that had been fried to perfection ¨C the accompanying curd and herb dip plying her palate with a most delectable blend of sourness and spice.

    Shooting a glance at Ceres, she found the girl lost in a world of culinary satisfaction with one hand covering her mouth as she struggled against her urge to just eschew all manners and stuff her face. Phobos had no such compunctions as she swept through her plate like a whirlwind, not even leaving a single crumb behind.

    She sank back into her seat, patting her slightly bulging stomach, utterly sated. Through half-lidded eyes, she glanced at Ceres'' remaining fish finger covetously before the exhaustion of these days past finally caught up with her as her spirit relaxed.

    She sank into the blissful embrace of a dreamless sleep.

    ///

    Ceres retracted her mana and the purple smoke that wound around Phobos paled and then vanished as it dispersed.

    Stepping in, Mars raised her limp body up in a princess carry and walked up to the bed, gently laying her down there, covering her up with the duvet and tucking her in. Straightening up, he watched her peaceful expression as she slept, the permanent frown that had marred her face smoothed out by the power of dreamless slumber.

    Reaching down, he tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear before stepping away to let her rest.

    Walking over to Ceres, he sank down into the sofa beside her.

    Polishing off the last of her breakfast, Ceres leaned her body into him resting her head against his shoulder. Wrapping an arm around her, he gently scratched behind her ear and her tails twitched in response.

    "How far along are you?" he asked.

    Ceres shook her head. "We have the form but not the substance. At its heart, the clone technique is a matter of mana manipulation, mana shaping to be more precise." She stretched out a palm and formed a sphere of smoky purple mana in it. The smoke swirled and rolled in hypnotic patterns and Mars found himself feeling sleepy as he stared at it. Tearing his gaze away, he shook his head to rid himself of the effects.

    "Did you promote?" he asked in amazement.

    "My realm promoted in the Aspect of Sleep. I''m an Adept now," replied Ceres, pride tinging her voice.

    "Yeah¡­ what can I say? Congratulations."

    "Hehe. Anyway, mana shaping needs constant attention from the mage." Ceres let the smoky sphere loose and it wobbled a little before falling apart dispersing in all directions. Mars blew out and a breeze carried the soporific smoke out of the window.

    Ceres continued, "But the basic condition of the clone technique is that it needs the clone to have a bit of self-awareness. Enough, at the very least, for it to maintain its own shape. For a smoke clone, the Novice stage is for the mage to remain connected to the mana construct with mana threads and manipulate it like a puppet while maintaining its shape. The Adept stage would be when the puppet can maintain its own shape so the mage only has to manipulate how it moves. The Mastery stage is when the clone has some special instructions embedded in it, like stroll from one end of this bridge to another ¨C or something like that. The path after that is a stretch of flat land where you try and make the instructions more and more complicated with branching logic structures like: if this happens do that; else do that other thing¡­ you get the gist?"

    Mars nodded. "That''s clear enough. Then, I suppose, a Doppelganger is basically one step further where you link your very consciousness to the clone so you don''t need to program such complicated instructions into your puppet."

    Ceres nodded. "Exactly. That''s the problem we are facing. At its basis, a clone is fundamentally different from a Doppelganger. There is no link between the mage and the construct and that link is what we need to transfer Vita''s consciousness from Phobos mother to the clone."

    Mars'' heart sank. This was really bad news¡­ but he soon recalled the stimulated expression on Phobos'' face. She wouldn''t be so positive if this was all they had found. "Then?" he asked.

    Ceres grinned. "Then? Then, sister Phobos found a workaround. She''s really brilliant. I was totally stuck upon the fundamental differences between the clone and the Doppelganger and totally discouraged. I didn''t even think about the fact that smoke and shadow are different elements and that she has different Aspects at her disposal."

    Mars suddenly saw the light and he patted his forehead. "Ah! The Aspect of Manipulation!"

    "Exactly!" exclaimed Ceres, excited at the prospect of creating an entirely new spell ¨C one that might just be able to solve an age-old problem that had plagued all of society since the beginning of the post-apocalyptic era. "Sister Phobos'' mother can create the clone and then connect to it using her Aspect of Manipulation. And there you have it, a budget Doppelganger. One which doesn''t differ in essence with the original technique but can be used an entire Tier lower."

 185 Chapter 14

    Knocking his hand away, Ceres pouted. "I''m not a child."

    "Heh. I didn''t call you one." he teased with a chuckle. Huffing irately, she turned her face away.

    "Fine, fine," he relented, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "I''m sorry, okay."

    Shooting him a glance from the corner of her eye, "That''s one ''fine'' too many," said Ceres. "To compensate, you''ll have to carry me to bed."

    Mars stared at her with his mouth half-open, causing her to blush and avert her eyes.

    "W-what?!" she stuttered.

    His eyes growing gentle, he said, "No. it''s nothing."

    Getting to his feet, he put his right hand behind his back and proffered his left to her with a half-bow. "Madame, it''d be my honour," he said solemnly.

    Not daring to meet his eye but unable to prevent the upward quirk of her lips, Ceres laid her palm in his. Grasping it tight, he pulled her up and in one smooth movement, swept her off her feet. With a gasp, she threw her arms around his neck for support.

    Spinning her around once, Mars carried her to the bed, laying her down on the side opposite to Phobos. Drawing the duvet up, he covered her, grinning all the while.

    Their gazes met and the two of them stood still in a moment that seemed to have been framed in time. Suddenly reaching out, Mars caught her chin and with his thumb wiped her lip. Bringing the finger up to his mouth, he sucked off the bit of cream that had been stuck on the corner of her lip, all the while maintaining eye-contact.

    Then with a roughish smile, he turned sharply and left. His parting words lingering in the breeze behind him. "Sleep well."

    Ceres remained frozen until the sound of the shutting door jolted her out of her stunned state. Blushing all the way down to her neck, she drew the duvet over her head. Her soft mutter could be heard in the silence of the room above the soft sound of Phobos'' regular breaths.

    "Bastard."

    ///

    Having pulled a fast one on Ceres, I was in quite good cheer as I left our room. There might be problems breathing down our necks from all sides but we were making progress and that was enough. If my talent for music wasn''t abysmal ¨C borderline tone-deaf really ¨C I might even have whistled a melody on my way the Training hall.

    I had made encouraging progress yesterday night in the fire topology and I was eager to consolidate my gains. Entering the reception, just as I was about to apply for a pass, a maid approached me and handed me a folded letter.

    My positive mood was ruined. I hoped that it wasn''t something too serious¡­ We had enough on our plate already.

    Reaching my parent''s suite, I raised my hand to knock on the door, but before I could, it swung open on its own and I saw father and mother sitting on the living room sofa waiting for me. Entering, I shut the door and the sounds from outside ceased as a thin film of vacuum sealed the room. My apprehension deepened. Such levels of secrecy¡­

    Taking a seat opposite them I waited for them to speak.

    The two of them looked at each other and mother spoke. "There''s four¡­ five things really. First, and the reason why we called you here privately ¨C we found the spy in our midst."

    My eyes widened. "You mean the one who leaked the information about your connection to the Cult of Bubastis? The high-level mole?"

    Father nodded gravely. "It was mister Kravis. Rather than us finding him, it was him that practically confessed by just vanishing into thin air yesterday ¨C sometime around the afternoon, just as the Lutrinae arrived for an audience."

    I was shocked. "Mister Kravis? The keeper of the library? But he¡­"

    Mother shook her head. "I never expected it to be him. Your grandfather sheltered him when his life was in danger¡­ we don''t know the particulars of the matter... we don''t even know much about him¡­ your grandfather never told us... but after that, mister Kravis stayed in our family all these years. Your father respected him like an uncle and I¡­ I¡­ after my father passed away, I considered him my second f-father."

    Her voice cracked and I realized the source of the uneasy feeling I''d been having since I entered the room. It was her sadness leaking out of her and affecting my senses. Since it isn''t a very polite thing to spy on your parent''s emotions, I''d kept a strict rein on my mana senses in their presence but now that I wasn''t holding back anymore, I could sense how distraught mother was and even father seemed out of sorts behind that poker-face of his.

    Getting up, I rounded the table and gave mother a hug. She hugged me back tightly and I could feel her trembling slightly as if repressing her sobs. Breaking apart, I sat down beside her. Now, from this close, I could see the slight inflammation of her eyes and smudged eyeliner. She had tried to hide it with her magic but the traces had remained. Mother had been crying.

    I tried to come up with some words to comfort her¡­ but I was grasping in the dark. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

    "How did you determine that he''s the spy. He could have left for some other reason."

    Father shook his head. "We started collecting clues the moment we arrived here and the list of suspects was really short¡­ not many knew of your mother''s connection with Egypt. Given a day or two we would have narrowed it down to him."

    I nodded. "Okay. He was the spy¡­ but did he take anything with him? Did he damage any core area of the clan?"

    "No," replied mother, "he just up and ran."

    "But," I continued, "it was the perfect opportunity to wreak some havoc before leaving. If he was truly, wholeheartedly a member of the enemy faction, he wouldn''t have left so easily. So, either he has some sentiment towards the clan, or you, and decided to maintain his bottom line¡­ or, he was coerced by the enemy. Maybe some handle of his fell into their hands. So, don''t write him off as a traitor just yet. I don''t think the two of you would make such a huge mistake in your judgement of someone''s character."

    "Well, yes¡­ that does seem to be possible¡­" acknowledged mother hesitantly. "We were too close to the problem to think of it rationally." She shook her head. "We''ll get to the bottom of the matter. I don''t believe that crotchety old man would be so perfidious!" she exclaimed with clenched jaws.

    I could feel that she was feeling much better about the situation.

 186 Chapter 15

    Hearing that, for a moment I had an odd sense of dissociation of time and place. It was like I was being dragged back into my past. Bruno had been my rival, the one I had to overcome to keep myself and my family safe. Once upon a time he had been the driving force behind most of my actions and my efforts were mostly directed at triumphing over him.

    How long? Just how long had it been? A few months? If I considered that the Tournament was the true beginning of the change in our dynamics, then it had merely taken half-a-year to leave him far behind.

    Now, I found it difficult to think of him in the same light. My rival? That was probably the Duchess now. Ragyo Kirin maybe? No. Not him¡­ that was aiming a bit too high. But, whatever the case, it wasn''t my cousin Bruno. Not anymore. Our circles were different.

    I shook my head to clear my mind of that sense of oddness and focused on mother''s following words.

    "Bruno drew lots for the Water trial of the Swayamvar. As for his team, he had Messi and his wife Fifa with him ¨C along with the Delphinidae heir, Morpheus."

    My eyes widened as I came to the realization that he must have been in the Southern District at the time of the coup. "Is he fine?" I blurted out. No matter how antagonistic our relationship might have been, he was still family and two years my junior¡­ I felt oddly responsible for him.

    "Relax, he''s fine," assured mother. "He had his parents with him and Marquis¡­ no, Count Delphinidae was with them. The combined might of three Tier 4 mages isn''t a joke, especially your uncle. He has an¡­ artefact¡­ that can safeguard his life. Unless they had the misfortune of meeting a Tier 5 mage, I don''t think anything could threaten their safety. And in fact, they managed to fight their way out of the blockade¡­ or rather, the Shogunate forces allowed them to pass as they were deemed too troublesome a foe. Along the way, they rescued several loyal subjects of Regiis. Their merit isn''t small¡­ and I heard that Bruno made quite the name for himself. It''s happy news."

    Hearing that they were safe and had even racked up some merit made me relax. Then my mind started exploring the other facets of the situation. Ceres was really having a ''bad'' influence on me. First off, the involvement of the Delphinidae clan. After their demotion to the level of a Count family, it was quite understandable that they would want to climb back up the ladder of authority and power.

    Bruno, it seemed, was their chosen staircase. Just like the Duchess wanted to support me to the Throne, Count Delphinidae seemed to have favoured my cousin. Well, with Bruno''s compound element and splendid performance in the tournament, I didn''t find his choice difficult to understand.

    Mother continued, "I heard that the task would have been to join the crew of the navy ships that patrol the maritime trade routes. Maybe even hunt down the pirates that infest the waters. Of course, it has been called off now."

    My eyes shone involuntarily at the mention of navy ships and pirates. A pirate hunter. Now that was the stuff adventures were made of. Roaming the seas, upholding justice, punishing evil, saving a maiden in distress and leaving the image of my broad back stamped indelibly in her heart¡­

    Maybe not that last one, but the task fit my image of what I had always aspired to do in my later life perfectly.

    "Anyway," continued mother. "They are now in the Western District, coordinating with the army there to shore up the defences against any further invasion by the Shogunate. They won''t be returning for a while."

    I nodded. "That''s good for all concerned actually. They can take the opportunity to rack up military merit using Bruno''s status as an interim Lieutenant and they''ll be attracting the Shogunate''s attention¡­ consuming their resources and involving their energy. They''ll have less leisure to cope with us."

    Father nodded his approval. "It''s good that you are learning to read between the lines," he commended, gratified.

    He continued, "The third bit relates to your mother and the Egyptian Cult."

    It wasn''t difficult to guess why they would want anything to do with mother.

    "They want your mother to visit them and ''share'' her experience of promoting with them."

    Sure enough.

    Mother sneered. "The conditions they proposed are really attractive. Open access to the library, the best medical attention¡­ an audience with their Holy Mother." She turned to me with an odd look in her eye, "¡­ an audience with their current Saintess for you."

    I was speechless. Wasn''t this a bit too blatant. Where was their self-respect.

    Mother chuckled at my vexed expression. "Not to worry, even if you went there and met her, nothing would come of it¡­ but the fact that they are willing to even give us hope that it might is telling. They really place a great deal of importance on this alternative method of promotion." Her expression grew hard. "Not that I''d accept. Even a bucket of water when your house is on fire is appreciated more than an entire lake''s worth after it is ashes in the wind. When I needed them most, they shut me out and when I obtain something they want, their enthusiasm is like fire. Heh. Really realistic."

    Father narrowed his eyes. "Don''t be so quick to reject them. We could use the healers they promised to send over as a sign of goodwill. We can always snub them later."

    Both mother and I stared at him a bit startled. We didn''t expect those words to come from him. Stared at by the both of us, father coughed lightly to alleviate his embarrassment. "When you stroll by the lake, you get your feet wet," he explained.

    Well, thinking logically, there was no way he''d have survived years of command by being stodgy. Going over the information in my mind, I proposed my doubts.

    "How did they get the information so fast. It has only been a few days. Does the Cult have representatives here? Or informers?"

    Mother nodded. "The Cult spreads its wings really broadly and there are very few nations that will deny a charitable medical centre the permission to set up shop in their lands. And Regiis has a good relationship with Egypt. Each district probably has one of the Cult''s medical centres. It''s mainly for the non-magical populace and the healers there only go up to Tier 2 at the most, but that''s enough for mundane maladies. It''s quite famous."

    Recognition flashed past in my mind, "Wait! Saint Pharmaceuticals is their enterprise? Why don''t I know about this?"

    "Well," replied mother, "outwardly, the charitable hospital is only a public health initiative by Saint Pharma and Saint Pharma itself is a public-private company with majority government stocks, but actually, the Cult is one of the major private stockholders and the charitable hospitals are their initiative. Other than the money, they get a quite comprehensive grass-roots level intelligence network while Saint Pharma profits off their medical expertise."

    She shrugged. "It''s a win-win situation. Anyway, the gist of the matter is that they invited me over to their place but I can''t find any reason to go now¡­ not when we are beset by crisis. And, as your father suggested, I''ll stay in touch with them and try to squeeze the maximum benefit out of them. Let''s see if I can''t get them to have a look at Ceres'' eyes¡­"

    I had promised Ceres that I would try to find a cure for her vision. The current situation seemed hopeful. "Okay, but try not to promise them anything. I''d rather not have them trying to dissect me and see how I tick," I joked.

    Mother smiled. "Well, you won''t have to worry about that happening anytime soon, even if the news of your involvement leaks out. After all, you''ve received a call from the Emperor himself."

    She paused to let the words sink in.

    "You''re going to the Capital."

 187 Chapter 1

    I sighed and explained as I packed a trunk of my own. "Apparently, my performance was too eye-catching and the Emperor has taken an interest in my talent ¨C to see whether it can be replicated. Apart from that, he wants to personally reward me for the merits I racked up in Firang. Well, at least, that''s what it says on the invitation. As to the true motive¡­"

    Ceres who was contemplating on the best way to fit another book in her overflowing trunk, looked up from her efforts and acclaimed, "Good. Husband, you''re wising up. Take anything written or said by an aristocrat at face value and soon you''ll be counting their money for them when they sell you. Rewarding your merit, your talent, they are all secondary objectives ¨C just upholstery for the real reason you''re being summoned. We ¨C the Felidae heir and his three wives ¨C are hostages to keep your parents in check. After all, the higher-ups are putting a lot of power in their hands."

    I nodded in agreement. What Ceres meant by a lot of power was the Imperial Edict that nominated my parents as the Duke and Duchess of a new, autonomous Province that was to include the Eastern District as well as whatever portion of the Crimson Coyote territory we could annex.

    The Coyotes were greatly beleaguered by the battle with the Calamity as well as the opportunistic attacks of their neighbouring sects, including but not exclusive to the Heavenly Wolf Mercenaries. It was the best time to attack them. We had the moral high ground anyway. They attacked us first. The Huaxian sects can''t complain if we return the favour.

    Actually, the newly formed state wouldn''t be a Province anymore¡­ it would be the South-Eastern Kingdom.

    Somehow, by some odd twist of fate, it turned out that Lieutenant Corvus was actually the biological cousin of the Emperor. After his meritorious service brought him to Imperial attention, they ferreted out his background¡­ I don''t know why the Pavone clan would have someone with the corvid bloodline, nor do I have any idea why Sir Aeryn would run away from home¡­ but, the fact of the matter is that after finding out about it, the Emperor crowned him King.

    Now, we were an autonomous state with the Regiis Empire as our suzerain.

    The main reason for this was that with the Shogunate''s takeover of the Central and Southern districts, they had effectively cut us off from the rest of Regiis ¨C either by land or by sea. Well, we could try and circle their blockade by journeying through the mountainous border region in the north but¡­ truly speaking, the efficiency of trade would be abysmal through that rugged route.

    If I didn''t recall incorrectly, the one leading the delegation was General Kron, an indomitable warrior famed for his unflinching bravery even against impossible odds. I heard that his face didn''t even twitch when he faced off against the undead army of Koschei ¨C not even when the Dungeon boss himself awoke to fight against the Regiis Demigods. Another wooden faced general¡­ I was sure that he and father would get along splendidly.

    Deimos, who was bouncing on the lid of her messily packed trunk to try and get it to shut, halted her efforts and turned to Ceres, outrage clear on her face. "What?! How could they?! After all we''ve done¡­"

    Ceres cut her off mid-tirade. "It''s exactly because we have done so much that they are wary of us. In this time of betrayal and turncoats, would you trust a family that seems to turn up in all the right places at all the right times? It''s suspicious to say the least. What if we are planted agents that are trying to use the merit to buy ourselves a position in the top-digit just so we can cause a bigger harm later? Hmm?"

    "But¡­ but they have no proof!" protested Deimos. "If they treat their loyal ministers this way, won''t they lose the will of the people?"

    "Appointing father as the Duke is the reward for his performance in the war against the Calamity. A promotion which no doubt made the rest of the Regiis aristocrats green with envy." I replied. "And on paper the Imperial edict is wholly advantageous to us. Unless someone reads between the lines, all the Emperor is doing is inviting us to the Capital for a meet and greet followed by a ceremony where I will be awarded a medal. In the eyes of the public, nowhere are we being disadvantaged."

    Shutting her neatly organized trunk with a snap, Phobos moved over to Deimos. Pushing her off the unclosable trunk, she let out an exasperated sigh at the sight of the mess within. While taking everything out so she could repack it, "Demi, can you please stop being so slovenly?" she scolded.

    Deimos bit her tongue.

    "Ehehe¡­ I just don''t like packing." she responded flippantly, earning her a withering glare from Phobos.

    Her smile faded under the sustained glare and looking down at her feet contritely, she apologized in a low voice. "Sorry, ya¡­ I shouldn''t have made more work for you."

    Her glare melting away, Phobos sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No¡­ I''m sorry I snapped¡­ it''s just that I was making some progress and this summon interrupted it." Reaching out, she rubbed the shorter girl''s head fondly. "Yeah¡­ I''ve been a bit stressed lately. Maybe the trip to the Capital will do me good¡­ I''ve heard that there''s a very comprehensive technique library at the Imperial Academy. That just might be what I need to break through."

    "It''s partly my fault anyway¡­" said Ceres. "It was the clans that married a Vulpine maiden that rebelled in the Central and South districts¡­" She pointed at herself. "Vulpine maiden," then at her four tails, "four times the tails, four times the suspicion."

    To try and alleviate the atmosphere of doom, gloom and self-recrimination, "Well, you''re not a Vulpine anymore and definitely not a maiden." I quipped. "I can attest to that."

    Three sets of eyes filled with pity turned to me.

    Cheeks burning with embarrassment, "Never mind," I whispered as I turned back to my packing. Rushing, I put the last thing in place before hastily snapping the trunk shut and fleeing the room ignominiously. Three muffled snickers followed me down the hall.

 188 Chapter 2

    Well, I guess a Pluma Demigod would be the true ruler of the sky¡­ and even a Tier 5 wind mage could wreck a dirigible in the absence of a Tier 5 guardian¡­ the same for a Tier 5 flying beast¡­ Okay, so a dirigible wasn''t the true ruler of the sky, but it didn''t have to be to be absolutely awesome.

    I''ll confess, I''m a bit of an aircraft aficionado and any bit of magitech aimed at enabling flight for those of us unfortunate enough to be born wingless or without a mastery over the Aspects of Wind or Gravity is really attractive to me. I have a thick stack of sketches I drew of gliders, biplanes and, of course, dirigibles stuffed in a box somewhere.

    If I hadn''t been so distraught at father''s departure for military service, I would have been gushing over my first view of a dirigible outside of a textbook.

    One of the reasons I was able to master Wind so fast, apart from father''s notes and guidance¡­ and multiple life-threatening encounters¡­ was because mastery would allow flight. It was a great motivator.

    The first time I flew, fighting a giant flaming fox as I was, I wasn''t really in a mood to appreciate the wonders of flight. And even after that, the peculiarity of my form of Wind mastery ¨C the Void ¨C meant that any sense of wonder and excitement I felt while flying was drawn away into the bottomless pit of the Void.

    It sucked all the joy out of flying, literally.

    So, a week aboard a dirigible as a passenger was quite an exciting prospect for me. Especially the largest dirigible in the Regiis fleet ¨C the Cloud Whale.

    ..

    ¡­

    ¡­..

    Okay, they could have done a better job of naming it. I mean, it''s all fine and dandy that it''s large and swims in the sea of clouds¡­ but¡­ but Cloud Whale? Seriously?

    Haah¡­ poor naming aside, the craft was an absolute masterpiece, a marvel of magical engineering that beggared belief. It had one purpose and one purpose only ¨C transporting armies swiftly from one corner of the Empire to another during emergencies. It had enough space to house an entire Battalion ¨C a full thousand battle mages.

    To put that in context and convey how amazing it was, in all of Regiis, there were less than a thousand mages at Tier 4 or above¡­ so, if the Cloud Whale only carried the elite of Regiis, we could migrate the entirety of our high-level national strength in one mobile fortress.

    As I waited near Boris lake for the Cloud Whale to arrive carrying our reinforcements (we had requisitioned the lake as the airship''s landing ground and cordoned off the surrounding area for the delegates to exit and gather) I tried to imagine the scenario.

    ¡­

    The flames of war ignite in one corner of Regiis. Klaxons blare and news travels from communication tower to communication tower like lightning leaping from one thundercloud to another. Dirigibles set out from all military bases, converging at the Capital like a school of fish swimming through the sea of cloud.

    A week has passed.

    A behemoth is awakened, the Cloud Whale sets out carrying the Empire''s elite and it arrives at the battlefield. Fire and brimstone rains down from the skies upon the enemies. Lightning connects heaven and earth without a cloud in sight. Hailstones the size of human heads break bones and shatter morale. Until all that is left of the enemy is kneeling captives quailing under the might of Regiis. The sun finally sets on the final day of the second week since the war began.

    Two weeks¡­ only fourteen days from start to finish.

    ¡­

    I was jolted out of my daydreams by the screams of the crowd that had gathered to witness the arrival of the Cloud Whale. Following their pointing hands, I saw the majestic form of the dirigible''s prow parting the cloud layer as it began its descent towards the surface of the lake.

    The dirigible was in its basis a massive ship supported by two zeppelins, one on either side. The ship, according to the literature I had read, was made from a magical variant of balsa grown in a region with rich earth mana in a special wind topology that made the ordinarily fragile wood hard as steel while retaining its feather-light properties. I had read a book that claimed that the natural grain of the wood itself spelt out ''flight'' in the runic alphabet, drawing in the support of the ambient wind mana to keep itself afloat. The wood was a dark shade of mahogany, seeming almost black as it flew towards us with the sun at its back.

    The zeppelins gleamed silver where the sunlight glinted off them. Made from the skin of specially cultivated sharks ¨C the runic traces on the leather favouring both wind and water ¨C the zeppelins were exceptionally light, flexible and heat resistant at the same time. The last property was extremely important as they had to contain heated air for days, even weeks on end in order to keep the dirigible aloft.

    I could see jets of flame rising up to heat the air in the zeppelins, jetting from the gleaming metallic pipes connected to rooms in the ship where the fire mages took turns. Huge sails billowed out as the wind mages manipulated wind into them to drive the airship forward.

    From a tiny dark dot on the horizon, the Cloud Whale expanded in our sights into all its expansive glory. I kept my eyes locked on it as it approached, drinking in every detail. The audience ooh''d and aah''d as the hulking vessel docked on the surface of the lake with deceptive grace ¨C barely a ripple spreading out on the calm surface of the water.

    As the sailors took down the sails and deflated the zeppelins, the delegation began filing off the ship, walking down a wooden ramp that reached the bank of the lake.

    I wasn''t really paying much attention to them, focused as I was on the Cloud Whale, but suddenly, my passive mana senses picked up an anomaly and I turned towards it.

    It was a woman, a woman of transcendent beauty walking down the ramp. It wasn''t her beauty that attracted my attention though¡­ it was the behaviour of the mana around her. It wasn''t like she was radiating an aura of power like the Tier 5 earth mage in front of her ¨C General Kron, I presumed. No. It was quite the opposite. My mana senses that could spy upon even a Tier 5 couldn''t get a single reading off her. It was as though she was an average person ¨C something clearly impossible. And then there was the ambient water mana.

    It sang. A song of joy at the arrival of their queen.

    I shivered.

    Sensing something, the woman turned my way. Her fathomless blue eyes met mine and my senses were overwhelmed by the illusion of a sea that stretched from horizon to horizon.

    A calm sea that mirrored the firmament in the day and the starry skies at night.

    A violent sea with angry waves that towered up into the air, blotting out the heavens.

    The Demigod of the Waves: Isabella Chromis.

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    Hey ppl, if you haven''t already, check out Dungeon Mage - my other story. It has over 2000 followers currently and is ranked within top 100 of best rated of Royal Road.

 189 Chapter 3

    Then I had accidentally peeped upon a Demigod.

    Just a glance. Just a single glance and the Demigod of the Waves had me inextricably ensnared in this illusion world of hers. There was no escape. I could just hang on for dear life and hope and pray for her to deem the punishment enough.

    I was in her power. Completely and utterly at her mercy. We all were.

    A Demigod, we were taught from a very young age, was a synonym of invincibility. Only another Demigod could hope to stand up against one. Anyone else would be straw tossed against the wind. Or, in this case, a ferryboat in rough seas.

    This wasn''t the first time this had happened to me. Just half-an-year prior, during the Territory Distribution Congress that was held after the Tournament, I had mistakenly bumped gazes with the Imperial Legate ¨C a Tier 5 shadow mage. He had exerted a similar punishment for my disrespect. An illusion where I dropped into a well without a bottom. I was only an ordinary Tamer with two Tier 2 wives then¡­ nothing compared to my current strength. Now, I would be able to break free of the Legate''s illusion, if not with ease, then after a struggle.

    But in front of a Demigod, I might as well have been a mortal with how helpless I was to resist.

    I regretted not taking the Legate''s lesson to heart.

    With all the sincerity I could muster I projected my feelings of repentance towards the sea. I vowed never to use my gifts to spy on my allies¡­ not without their knowledge and express permission.

    As suddenly as the illusory seas had engulfed my consciousness, they retreated, leaving me high and dry.

    I was back in the real world. Not even a moment seemed to have elapsed. The General was in the same position as I had seen him last, as was the woman¡­ as was everything else. Taking back her gaze, she took the next step and as if she had given it permission, time began to flow again. The soldiers and officials filed out neatly, the crowds cheered and waved, the sailors finally managed to collapse the main sail of the Cloud Whale and lash it around the main mast¡­ and I stood there, frozen, with cold sweat soaking my shirt.

    I exhaled a shuddering breath. Fearful.

    General Kron strode confidently up to father and they greeted each other formally. Some ceremonial platitudes later, father invited him to stay over at the Felidae Estates but the General tactfully declined, citing his urgency to visit the military outposts at the border.

    I absentmindedly audited it all, not daring to let out even a wisp of my mana senses lest I offend the Demigod again.

    My mana senses had somehow pierced her camouflage. Well, at least I knew now that not even a Demigod could sneak up on me. If I was targeted by one, I would at least see my death coming.

    A soft, melodious voice came from beside me, making me nearly jump out of my skin, "That''s an interesting skill you have there, boy."

    I didn''t have to turn my head to see that she was now beside me. Okay, correction, I wouldn''t see my death coming even with my mana senses.

    "You''re Mars Felidae, correct?" she inquired. "Ah¡­ you can talk to me freely, nobody else will notice any difference."

    Turning to face her, I bowed crabbedly and replied, "Yes ma''am."

    Gracefully raising her finger, she touched the middle of my forehead lightly. Looking me in the eye, she asked, "Do you mind?"

    She was a tall woman, with a couple of inches on even me. Her dark blue, almost black hair seemed to undulate gently of its own accord like the tides of the ocean. Every action and every movement of hers seemed to follow some rhythm that connected her to the very world. For a brief moment, I wondered what would happen if I said yes before I shook my head. "No. Not at all."

    Favouring me with a smile, she closed her eyes and after a short moment, opened them again, retracting her finger. "Thank you. You let me experience something new today," she said, curtsying to me slightly.

    "Ah¡­ it''s my honour." I bowed back hastily.

    Turning her gaze beyond me, her expression turned contemplative. Following her gaze, I saw she was looking at mother. "Hmm, was that something you did?" she asked.

    I nodded.

    "Mind telling me the details? You can ask me a question in return. I won''t boast but I think I might have some nuggets of equally valuable information tucked away in here," she said, tapping the side of her head with a slender finger. Only now did I notice that her nails were lacquered ¨C the blue of a lagoon on a summer noon.

    I couldn''t believe my luck. An opportunity to pick the brains of a Demigod. I could practically feel the hope for Phobos'' mother''s recovery increasing. "Of course," I agreed enthusiastically. "Though I would prefer if you didn''t disclose where you got the information from to others¡­ if you choose to share it."

    She nodded with a smile. "Good. And what would you ask?"

    "Phobos, my wife''s mother¡­ she was widowed in the war¡­ I, we, wanted to do something for her¡­" I looked at her hopefully.

    Her smile dropped and her eyes grew a bit regretful. "Yeah¡­ another victim of that senseless slaughter¡­" she sighed, "I don''t know of any means to solve Vita''s Curse completely except for promoting to Demigod. At Tier 5, one can resist it''s influence but they''d be stuck in their Feral form. Your wife''s mother was probably at Tier 3 so unless you find a way to promote her by two Tiers, I''m helpless."

    "But," she continued, "seeing the state of your mother, I can guess what you want to do. And, it might even work."

    She paused, considering something for a while before deciding. "Fine. I was supposed to escort the Cloud Whale here on the last leg of its journey as it flew over Shogunate occupied territory. I planned to get off over the Northern District on the trip back after ensuring that the airship was safe and let you fly to the Capital on your own with the crew. But I guess I can make the trip to the Capital with you¡­ a week should be enough to make some headway..."

    "Thank you." I said gratefully.

 190 Chapter 4

    The sun was an incandescent circle of white at the edge of my vision as it made its tireless way to the zenith. Squinting against its glare reflecting off the puffy columns of cumulus clouds that towered up into the cerulean dome of the sky, I watched the wispy strands of cirrus being chased across the sky by the wind ¨C a flock of sheep before wolves. The same wind caught our sails, and with a crack like thunder, stretched it taut, pushing us onwards to our destination. Sunlight glinted off silver shark-skin, throwing the elliptical shadow of one of the zeppelins on the billowing canvas and onto the deck. The crew looked like toy figures from my vantage as they bustled about on the deck checking a lashing here and tightening a knot there.

    We left a trail behind us ¨C a scar in the cloud layer that was slow to heal, providing a view of the land beneath. Everything seemed tiny from so high above. Matchbox houses surrounded patchwork fields and rivers of liquid light shimmered under the mid-morning sun. My field of view widened as the Cloud Whale emerged out of the bank of clouds.

    Winter had set in, golden stretches of wheat transitioning into the light green tint of pea fields. Light brown stretches of raised land sprawled into the plains like the fingers of a giant ¨C converging to the Achkan Plateau that housed the Northern District of the South-Eastern Province. A trail of hills formed the ''wrist'' of this giant, the peaks rising higher as I followed them east with my eyes until they merged with a snow-capped mountain range, that extended from the frigid wastelands of the Far North to Firang in the south, forming the Eastern border of Regiis, the Glacies.

    We were currently flying above hostile territory. Farmlands that had belonged to Regiis just a few days ago, now provided grain for the Empire''s enemies. I wondered what the farmers felt about the current state of affairs. Had they protested the change in leadership by throwing down their trowels and leaving their fields uncultivated? Had they been strong-armed into compliance by the soldiers of the Shogunate? Or, was it just another day at the fields for them ¨C unmindful of the politics that was too far removed from their lives?

    I favoured the last possibility. After all, to a farmer, who was beholden to naught but the weather, new rulers meant little beyond the vague possibility of increased taxes.

    The ground leapt up at me, and as I focused the instrument, grew clearer. I could make out tiny figures clustered around the base of the fire carrying flaming torches. What exactly was going on?

    Pulling myself away from the telescope, I turned to the deck to find most of the crew had gathered to the side of the ship and were leaning over the railing to get a better look. Some had their personal telescopes out while I saw one wind mage using his mana to lens the air in front of him to magnify the image. They seemed as confused as I felt.

    When I brought the telescope back up to my eye, I found that the fire had spread. The torch-bearing mob had radiated outwards, setting the crops on fire as they moved. Reddish orange flames licked against the tender green shoots that had just begun to twine against the wooden supports spread across the field. The fire didn''t burn clean, sending tendrils of thick black smoke up to join the broadening column that rose to the sky.

    The fire expanded outwards as a flaming orange ring, eating away at the crops like a candle-flame would a parchment, leaving blackened ground and ashes in its wake. The mob raised their torches and seemed to cheer as the green gave way to grey. My eye widened as I realized what was going on. The farmers were setting their crops on fire ¨C burning them to the ground so that the Shogunate wouldn''t benefit from them.

    A conflicting mix of shame and pride warred within my chest as I looked on at the figures ¨C so tiny in my vision ¨C celebrating the destruction of their means of livelihood and they grew infinitely large in my mind. I felt shame for doubting them, believing for even a moment that a peasant would be less patriotic than a noble, that a mortal could do less to resist foreign invaders than a mage. I was ashamed that those very same nobles who had received the most from the Empire had betrayed it out of their insatiable greed. And I felt pride, pride that I belonged to the same nation as those men and women on the ground who had risked life and limb to show that the folk of Regiis were a hard bone to chew.

    The peasants were the floor of our society. They were also the foundation. Without their unceasing toil, without the constant supply of grain and cotton that kept us fed and clothed, we mages would never have enough time to focus on our magic. Even if those at the apex of the pyramid had lowered their heads, it didn''t matter as long as the grassroots didn''t agree. Regiis wasn''t so easy to subjugate.

    Tearing my gaze away from the telescope, I saw that my wives had joined the crew on the deck along with the Demigod of the Waves. Isabella''s dark blue hair cascaded down her back, gently undulating in the breeze as she gazed down upon the farmers with a solemn cast to her face. Snapping her feet together, she stood at attention and brought her arm up in a military salute and the rest of the crew followed her lead. Putting down the telescope, so did I.

    We held the salute, paying silent tribute to the unsung heroes on the ground until we had left the burning fields far behind -- the column of smoke a mere thread of black. I could feel the blood boiling in my veins as I thought about what I had just seen, and my fists clenched. Even when I had participated in the resistance against the Calamity, it was mostly for the sake of protecting my family. My national identity didn''t play much of a role. But today, for the very first time, I got an inkling of why wars were fought -- what we were fighting for.

    Lowering her hand and clasping it behind her back, Isabella''s clear voice reverberated across the deck. "I want us at the Capital in three days. Each day the Shogunate occupies our soil is a day too long. Full speed ahead, men. For the Empire!"

 191 Chapter 5

    "Misfortune never comes singly." It was her mother''s favourite phrase; one she had grown up listening to. Today, misfortune had decided to come in pairs.

    She swallowed, feeling the warmth of the wine as it trickled down her throat. Oh, how she longed for a stronger drink ¨C the numbing fires of whiskey or rum. But she couldn''t indulge. A clear mind was her sharpest weapon and she would need her wits about her if she was going to deal with this predicament.

    The first of the two troubles, she had expected. The first of the two troubles, she had prepared for. After all, she found much merit in another one of her mother''s sayings, one she had heard just as often as the first one.

    "Buy candles at dawn," the woman used to say. "And when night comes, you''ll have something to see by."

    So, when the reports of the Cloud Whale passing through her airspace on the way to the Eastern District ¨C no doubt ferrying a large army on par with her own ¨C had arrived, she had listened to them calmly and subsequently ordered a re-fortification of their Eastern border. Every Earth Mage had been conscripted to build a wall that would stretch from the Achkan Plateau in the north to the Bay of Kings in the south. An ambitious project ¨C one that would nearly empty her coffers ¨C but one she could afford to undertake. She hadn''t idled all these years she had been the Duchess.

    Despite the daunting scale of the construction, the task itself became quite a simple one when Earth Mages got involved. Even a Tier 2 Earth Mage could build a dirt wall and with a basic comprehension of the Aspect of Reinforcement, those walls could be compressed to stone.

    Hotaru Vulpine wasn''t worried about dirigibles flying across the wall and negating her efforts. In fact, she welcomed aerial attacks. After all, the Kirin ¨C lords of storm and sky ¨C were on her side. Rather, it should be the Regiis forces who should be worrying about airstrikes. A single Mage was much more manoeuvrable than an airship. If she didn''t suspect that the Cloud Whale was under the protection of a Demigod, she would have asked Ragyo Kirin to shoot it out of the sky on its trip back when it lacked an army to protect itself.

    That was why the second bit of bad news was so discouraging. At a time when every single scrap could tip the scales, the farmers had started burning their crops.

    The weakest point of the Shogunate forces, the proverbial chink in their armour, was their lack of a steady supply of grain. The Kirin army had arrived at Regiis on their warships and those, while superb for naval warfare, weren''t designed to carry heavy loads, let alone large shipments of grain. It would take time for a proper trade route to be charted from the Southern District''s harbour to their island nation across the Bay of Kings . More than six months seeing that all such prospection would have to be paused during the three coldest months of winter as the Midwinter Squalls would render the Bay of Kings non-navigable for cargo ships.

    During these months, with the trade embargo imposed on them by Regiis, the Shogunate army would totally be dependent on the grain stored in and produced by the two Districts under their control. The immolation of crops by farmers had hit them at their sorest spot.

    Thankfully, the movement had just started, and her informers had brought the news to her before things could get out of hand. Another one of her mother''s pearls of wisdom had guided her actions. "What can go wrong, will." Knowing her weakness, she had guarded against just such an eventuality by placing informers amongst the peasants. She also had grain stashed away in secret storehouses across the two Districts. Enough to last a month if she wanted to keep the food prices reasonable even after a winter without harvest. She would have stocked more but with the money she had to save up for the Wall and the added constraint of secrecy, the amount she had now was the limit of her abilities.

    Hotaru Vulpine raised the cup to her lips and drained its contents in one go before placing it down on the window sill with a loud clink. Her eyes were cold enough to freeze winter. These peasant uprisings weren''t natural. They had occurred too soon after her takeover and they were too organized ¨C dozens of farms choosing the same day to burn their crops.

    She could see the shadow of the defecting aristocrats behind these events. While their greed had made it possible to win them over ¨C thereby facilitating her grand accomplishment. Now, they were like millstones around her neck, dragging her down.

    The bastards could smell profit like sharks smelt blood, and just like the predatory fish, once they had locked their prey, they would gather together and viciously rip it to shreds. Before, she had been their only channel to the Shogunate and a promise of great riches to come. But now, after they had revolted and switched camps, she had become their competitor. Her huge merit had become a target of their envy.

    She didn''t doubt that the aristocrats had their own stashes of grain. Maybe not individually, but combined, the grain would be enough to tide them through the inevitable food shortage that would follow a crop failure, at least, long enough for the sea route to the Shogunate to be established. She also didn''t doubt that they would drive the prices of the grain up to absurd levels to squeeze as much profit out of the opportunity as they could. And as the current administrator, if she wanted to keep her post even after the Shogunate had firmed their grasp on the region, she would be the one footing the bill of subsidies or risk a riot when the masses starved.

 192 Chapter 6

    Now, only the two of us sat across a desk from each other in the captain''s cabin without the comforting presence of one of my wives to alleviate my tension. I couldn''t stop my right leg from vibrating as I tried to appear calm under her ultramarine gaze. This was why I''d been camping out on the crow''s nest, skipping out on the discussions she was having with Ceres and Phobos about their project. Even when she had generously offered to coach Deimos in the art of mana control, I couldn''t bring myself to participate. I had been avoiding her because I feared her. Knowing fully well that this fear was totally irrational ¨C there was no reason for her to harm me ¨C I still couldn''t get it out of my mind. And with every nightmare, it was getting worse.

    Isabella Chromis ¨C the youngest Demigod in the history of Regiis. At merely thirty years of age, she was a true prodigy of magic. Despite my leaping progress in the recent past, and my ability to match Tier 3 peak mages at the tender age of nineteen, I wasn''t at all confident of exceeding or even equalling her record. It got harder and harder to progress the higher up the Tiers one went, and, in my case, I had no idea how I was supposed to proceed down my path as it was one none had walked before. Rather, it was one which people had forgotten how to walk. I''d count myself lucky if I managed to match Tier 5 mages when I was forty.

    Little was known about Isabella. Her origin was mystical and none of the prominent aristocratic families of Regiis were titled Chromis. Demigods were the pillars of the Empire and their families were granted permanent residence in the Capital, becoming one of the very few hereditary nobles in Regiis. Isabella''s promotion was especially striking as it wasn''t accompanied by the rise of another family. Unconfirmed rumours pegged her as an orphan and speculation was rife about what might have happened to her absent husband.

    My heart hammered against my chest and close beads of sweat appeared on my forehead as the silence stretched on oppressively. My leg vibrated even harder and I had to clamp down on it, digging my fingers into my thigh, to still it and stop it from knocking against the desk.

    As I focused on it, the sound grew louder and louder until it covered the entirety of my perception. At the edges of my vision, I thought that I could see waves towering up into the sky, waiting to crash down upon me and swallow me whole.

    Crack.

    A sharp sound rang out, startling me out of my fugue. Jerking back instinctively, I toppled my chair and tumbled backwards. My honed reflexes kicked in before I could fall, and catching myself, I flipped backwards and into a battle-ready posture.

    Isabella raised the hand she had used to slap the desk and before I could react, she bowed deeply to me.

    "I apologize for my carelessness. Please forgive me."

    Caught off guard by the sudden apology, I gaped at her for a good while before gathering my wits and hurriedly preventing her.

    "Please don''t bow, milady. Your obeisance isn''t something I can withstand. And I have yet to know what you are apologizing for."

    Straightening up, she looked me in the eye as she asked, "Have you been sleeping well these last few days?"

    My eyes widened slightly as I made the connection. "I''ve been having nightmares, milady. Nightmares that end with me drowning."

    "That¡­ might have been my fault," she admitted sheepishly.

    Despite my nervousness in her presence, I couldn''t help the undertone of discontent that slipped into my voice or the frown that wrinkled my brows.

    "I have apologized for my invasion of your privacy, milady. I will gladly do so again if you are unsatisfied."

    I had already assured her that I wouldn''t spy on my allies with my mana senses again. The continued punishment was indication that she didn''t trust me. I didn''t like her casting aspersions on the credibility of my word.

    Shaking her head hurriedly, she explained, "It isn''t what you think. I don''t doubt your honour. Nor do I mistrust your pledge. It was an accident."

    With a wave of her hand a stream of water congealed out of the air and wrapped around the armrest of the fallen chair and pulled it upright. The stream pulled away and then vapourized, vanishing into the air like it never existed.

    "Sit," she invited. "Sit and let''s talk."

    Accepting her offer, I sank into the chair, marvelling at how the armrest was still dry. Her control over her element was astounding.

    Placing her elbows on the desk and lacing her fingers, Isabella peered at me over her interlaced fingers. "You remember that illusion I trapped you in, right?" she asked.

    When I nodded, she continued, "That wasn''t exactly an illusion. It was my Soul Realm and coming in contact with it had unexpected consequences in your case. The least of which are the nightmares you are suffering from."

    She seemed to hesitate a bit before setting firm resolve. "Look, what I''m going to tell you now involves secrets that concern the Demigod Realm. Technically speaking, telling you would be illegal. I could ask you to trust me and let me cure you on faith¡­ but that really wouldn''t be fair now would it? After all, I am the one at fault. All I ask is that you not tell anyone else."

    I frowned. It seemed that things were much more serious than I thought. "I can take a Vow of Secrecy, milady. Tier 3 contract magic isn''t out of my reach and with you as the guarantor I won''t be able to divulge anything unless I can match your cultivation."

    She waved my suggestion away. "No need. I trust you to keep your word. And performing contract magic in your current state would only aggravate your condition."

    How ominous.

 193 Chapter 7

    Isabella''s query raised a tidal wave of speculation in my mind ¨C my mind leaping from one idea to another like a rabbit chased by a fox.

    Restraining my mind, I answered her honestly. "Nothing definitive."

    She nodded appreciatively. "It''s good that you have an open mind and haven''t let popular perception colour your outlook. Pre-conceived notions are really hard to get rid of."

    "Anyway," she continued. "A soul is nothing but another state of mana. You know how mana changes its state and upgrades in density with each promotion of the mage''s Tier? Gaseous mana at Tier 1, liquid at Tier 2, semi-solid at Tier 3, solid at Tier 4, crystalline at Tier 5¡­ and during the promotion from Tier 5 to 6, the mana undergoes another transformation. The mind crystal shatters and collapses to a tiny point out of which a translucent phantom figure emerges. The figure looks like our true self ¨C that is, the image we have of ourselves in our own mind.

    "The nomenclature of the Tier system is good for localizing the comparative power of a mage¡­ and for logistics. A tier 2 mage is expected to be stronger than a Tier 1 and if I tell you that there are a hundred Tier 1s and ten Tier 2s in the opponent''s army, you can easily get an idea of their collective strength."

    I nodded in agreement. When I had served under Marshal Tauros at the walls of Firang, he had taught me some back of the envelope calculations to judge the relative strengths of two armies. As the mana capacity of a mage was directly proportional to their tier -- Tier 2 mages having twice as much mana as Tier 1s and Tier 3s thrice as much -- we could get a rough estimate of collective strength by summing the number of soldiers in each tier multiplied by the tier number. Then force multipliers like a defensive wall or advantageous terrain would be considered to further refine the estimate.

    "But the naming system leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to describing what the Tiers involve." Isabella continued. "In that respect, I feel that the Huaxian naming system is more comprehensive. Tier 1 is known as the Body Refining stage, Tier 2 is the Qi condensation stage, Tier 3 is the Foundation Building stage and Tier 4 and 5 are the Core Formation stages ¨C Solid Core and Crystal Core respectively. A Tier 6 Demigod, in their system, would be a Nascent Soul practitioner."

    "Yes," I replied. "It was when we penetrated into the heart of the Dungeon of Gun. It was a relatively young elemental ¨C practically a baby by their standards ¨C and it had already been tampered with by Miyagi Vulpine, otherwise, neither Ceres nor I would be here to see you. Even then, we lost the Princess of the Wolves in there. It was an experience to be sure. An unforgettable one."

    "Hmm, and what did you notice about the Elemental''s mana usage? As far as I have inquired, you had that mana sense at that point in time. You must have used it to gauge the Elemental."

    "I did." I acknowledged. "I noticed the Elemental absorbing all the mana around it in a vortex and then turning it into fire mana. It felt like I was seeing a whirlpool of fire¡­ a flaming tornado."

    Isabella''s eyes widened in surprise. "Well! That sense of yours is much stronger than I thought. You can call it mana sense if you want but the more accurate term would be soul sense."

    I couldn''t help but interrupt. "What do you mean mana sense is soul sense. Aren''t Demigods the only ones with souls? How can I have soul sense?!"

    "Haven''t you connected the dots yet? Can''t you see the similarities between a Demigod and the state you are currently in?"

    Raising a palm, Isabella counted off fingers with the index finger of her other hand as she enumerated her points. "You don''t have a mindscape; I lost mine during my promotion. You can sense external mana of the elements you have an affinity with; I can sense water mana in my surroundings. You can manipulate the ambient mana in the range of your sensation, as can I.

    "In fact, the only difference between you and me is the intensity of our soul senses and the lack of a fully manifested soul in your case. You know why I reacted so violently to your spying? It was because I thought that another Demigod was around and peeping on me. For a moment, I nearly had a heart attack thinking that I had led the entire crew of the Cloud Whale into a Shogunate ambush. Count yourself lucky that I didn''t end up accidentally erasing your soul. In that case, you''d turn into a dead man walking ¨C an empty shell, a flesh golem."

    I was utterly shocked. The information contained in her words was too big. I was having trouble processing it all.

    My situation was the same as a Demigod''s?! An attenuated version of a Demigod to be sure but still¡­ A Demigod! The recorded peak of magic! Even Emperor Adam had been a Demigod until the day he died. I was at the same qualitative level as the man who singlehandedly reshaped the sociopolitical structure of the entire Continent?!

    It was a lot to take in.

    Isabella continued, "These nightmares that you are suffering from? They are a result of your soul getting damaged when I dragged you into my soul realm."

    I shook my head to clear my mind. Acceptance could wait, I just needed to pay close attention to every word coming out of her mouth. I had no clue as to how I would proceed in my cultivation, but if I truly was similar in nature to a Demigod, this conversation might just be what I needed to get started. Throwing all the extraneous thoughts to the back of my mind, I asked, "Soul realm? What''s that?"

    "Well, you remember the illusion I cast upon you? That vortex of seawater with waves towering up into the sky all around it? That was my soul realm ¨C an imaginary world I built as the first line of defense for my soul. At the level of Demigod, we fight both with magic and with our souls. Spiritual battles are extremely risky with nearly every encounter ending with at least one of the opposing parties suffering from a severe wound on their soul. The soul realm is like my home game. If I fight someone else''s soul there, my strength will be amplified while the strength of my opponent will be suppressed."

 194 Chapter 8

    I had been wondering why she had agreed to travel with us so easily. Her being interested in Phobos'' research was a bit of a weak excuse. After all, it was a time of war and her time was precious. Spending a week aboard an airship trying to crack a mystery many had tried and failed to solve seemed a bit wilful on her part. But now, her motive was clear.

    She was observing me for repercussions of her technique. After all, I had been invited to the Capital by the Emperor. It wouldn''t do for me to arrive there as a mindless husk. Especially not when the one responsible for escorting me was the one at fault.

    Metaphysics would have us believe that when an ordinary person died, their soul emerged from their body and entered the afterlife ¨C or, if they died with lingering regret or resentment, became a ghost. But according to Isabella, all that was pure nonsense as no one below the level of a Demigod could physically manifest a soul.

    Although, when a Demigod died, there was a very real possibility of their souls lingering on for a short time afterwards.

    "Oh? So, is it possible for you to possess someone''s body?"

    I had asked as a joke, but she had replied very seriously. "Yes, of course. Not only can I possess someone''s body by sending out my soul, if I die and within a short while am able to find an appropriate body to inhabit, I can return to life with a new body."

    Looking at my startled expression, she had chuckled. "But the conditions for finding a compatible body are extremely exacting. Maybe only one or two people in the entirety of Regiis would match the criteria and the probability of meeting one of them right after I die is miniscule."

    Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she had continued, "Let alone, I''d have to find someone without a talent for magic and willing to let me into their body. Otherwise, I''d have to fight off both the original owner of the body as well as the fragment of Vita''s soul that occupies her." She had sighed, "Men have it easy."

    After her detailed explanation, I understood what she meant. The thing we had been calling Divine Will and Divine Power was actually the same thing ¨C Vita''s soul. Apparently, Gods really existed! Vita was living proof of that.

    ¡­ Well, not exactly living in the proper sense of the term. She was more of a resentful ghost that refused to move on. And if there were any Gods other than her, they hadn''t deigned to visit the world since the Apocalypse. Instead of the few hours a Demigod soul could linger, Vita''s soul had been around for thousands of years. That was the disparity between them.

    Just because the most magically talented women also turned Feral, we had made an erroneous association between the two phenomena. Isabella had cleared my doubts about that. In fact, it was backwards. Magical talent was inborn. Vita''s soul fragment came later. A woman with a higher level of talent was more attractive as a vessel and so, as soon as they awakened their magic and their talent became apparent, one of Vita''s soul fragments would swoop in and occupy the body alongside the owner and turn her Feral. Isabella didn''t know why the God didn''t occupy the body once and for all or gather all her soul fragments together but whatever the reason, the soul fragment coexisted with the owner''s own will, influencing her subtly with her crazed whisperings.

    Idly, I had wondered what the Deus Theocracy would think if they hear Isabella calling their Mother Goddess a resentful ghost. Brand her a heretic, I suppose.

    Tamers, I learnt, were special in that we could touch upon the Domain of soul magic from a very young age. The so-called Contract magic we were so proud of was basically that ¨C soul magic. Since a soul was, in its essence, an amalgam of our mana and our will, when we made the mana of two people resonate as we bound them together during marriages, what we were actually doing was linking their souls.

    As the male body was extremely unsuitable for housing Vita''s soul, when it was drawn into their bodies through the bond, the will inherent in it escaped, only leaving a pure form of mana behind. Mana which seemed to be a composite of all six kinds of elemental mana. The so-called Divine Power.

    Divine Power could temporarily boost the physical strength of its wielder and through long periods of exposure, fundamentally improve their constitution. That was why mages of both genders became healthier and more aesthetically pleasing after marriage.

    Another factor which affected Bestia was their bloodlines. The bloodlines were the reason why Bestia had animal characteristics as well as the reason they had their mindscape. The bloodline, depending on its density, granted varying levels of talent. The denser the bloodline, the higher the affinity for the mana of the corresponding element and the easier it was to cultivate and break through to the next Tier.

    The bond also linked the bloodlines of the couple together, resulting in the husband gaining a sixth of the wife''s affinity. Vita once again screwed it up for the women by rejecting the male bloodline. That was why females didn''t gain any affinity from marriage. In the case of a Tamer though, it was a bit different. With every woman he bonded, her mindscape would be reflected on his mind ¨C the picture growing clearer and clearer with their deepening relations until a sixth of it was projected on his psyche.

    Among all Tamers, I was unique. In a stroke of fortune, I had managed to extricate myself from the limits of a mindscape and follow the footsteps of the Ancient Hominum. A path of pure soul cultivation.

    Now, I could understand why mother was feeling that way about her bloodline and why I was able to extract it. A sacred beast was one whose ancestry had a Demigod. It wasn''t a stretch to think that the Demigod would mix its soul within its bloodline and pass it down to its descendants. Mother, as a carrier of its bloodline, had suffered from its attempts at converting her into an ideal vessel. I had been able to extract it because of my soul magic.

    I was curious about why Isabella didn''t have any animalistic traits. Now, I could make an educated guess. She had probably used her own soul to purify her body from the influence of her bloodline as well as Vita''s soul.

    After I had an idea of what souls were and what soul cultivation entailed, Isabella had offered to cure my soul injury. Just when I was going to accept, she confessed that in the process, she would gain unrestricted access to my memories and thoughts. I had requested some time to consider as it was a momentous decision to literally bare my soul to her. She had agreed to wait till we were at the Capital. She wouldn''t be able to delay beyond that as she was extremely busy. I had three days to decide.

 195 Chapter 9 & 10

    As could be expected of an airship designed to house a thousand, the cabins were quite cramped. Since there was no one onboard except for us and the crew, we had been allocated quarters meant for Lieutenants (technically, I was one, so it was only an upgrade for the girls) and they were quite a bit better than the standard ones.

    The morning sunlight streamed in through the circular window, a pane of hardened glass surrounded by a thick metallic rim, that opened out onto the sea of clouds. Motes of dust sparkled in the light as it fell upon the foot of a narrow bed, illuminating the pair of feet peeking out from under the blankets.

    Following the raised contours of the blanket, I turned my gaze towards the head of the bed where the headboard shaded Phobos'' sleeping face. My lips curved upwards. She looked so peaceful. If not for the dark pouches under her eyes, I would never be able to connect her to the grief-stricken girl who had poured all her emotions into a manic pursuit of knowledge.

    Now that she had a clear goal to work towards, she could finally sleep well. It was good. Phobos had always been self-destructive whenever she became anxious. But at other times, she was the reliable one. The person you could count on to take care of the minutiae. If Ceres was the designer, sketching the outline of the plan, then Phobos would be the one colouring the sketch in, filling in all the finer details. Deimos and I? We were the ones who would execute that plan. Deimos on the frontlines, me supporting her.

    Or, that''s what should have been the case if I had kept pace with the girls. Instead, I had been picked up by the gale of Destiny, thoroughly disoriented and plonked back down several curves ahead on the martial path. I couldn''t see the girls. The girls couldn''t see me.

    It made me feel kind of isolated. It forced me to pick up the skills that I had been relying on them for. Made me more independent. I could practically feel myself improving from one day to the next with how the girls, specially Ceres, crammed her knowledge into my skull every chance she got.

    But if I was to be honest, I would prefer it if we could grow together. The girls didn''t put it in words, acting nonchalant about it, but I could feel their anxiety at being left behind. That wasn''t an analogy. I could literally feel their emotions through the bonds. At least that was one advantage of my variation: I was an empath ¨C I wouldn''t have to guess a woman''s thoughts ever again.

    Winter was setting in and our altitude didn''t do us any favours either. The temperatures aboard the Cloud Whale were low even at noon and the nights got positively nippy. With the fire element at my beck and call, I didn''t have to worry about the weather but Phobos did. As a shadow mage, she had little defence against heat or cold.

    Reaching out with my hand, I squeezed her exposed feet. They were cold. The wan winter sunlight was doing its part to drive that chill away, but I could imagine how uncomfortable it must have been in the night with her blankets hiking up. With a bit of fire mana, I warmed my hand before gripping her feet to warm them up.

    Phobos stirred slightly at my touch, but after pulling the blankets tighter around her, she went back to sleep.

    Drawing the blanket over her feet, I leaned back in my seat. Watching Phobos as she slept, I let some of the tension I didn''t even notice was there drain out of my shoulders.

    Resting the back of my head against the chair back, I studied the metallic pipes that ran across the ceiling of the room. When the Cloud Whale was fully staffed, some of the excess heat generated by the fire mages operating the zeppelins would be channelled into these pipes. They would then act like heaters to warm the air of the room. But now, the heaters weren''t working as we were running the ship with a quarter of the crew since some of the fire mages had debarked along with the army at the Felidae Estate.

    Moving my sight away from the ceiling, my gaze landed back on Phobos, then stopped on her hand which was poking out from the edge of the blanket. She had been biting her nails. Some of them were worn nearly to a nub.

    I shot a glance at her messy bed hair. And to think that she had once been so meticulous about her appearance. She had changed in these past six months. We all had.

    Leaning forward with a sigh, I clasped her fingers. Holding them still, I carefully trimmed the rough edges of the bitten nails with a miniature blade of wind ¨C smoothing them out so they would be harder to bite.

    Satisfied with my handiwork, I looked up to find yellow eyes staring back at me, glowing softly in the shade of the headboard. Phobos was awake. She had been watching me.

    The shadows around me surged, drawing me into them and in a whirl of darkness I found myself lying on the bed, under the blankets.

    Phobos straddled me, leaning down so her jet-black hair curtained down around our faces, blocking out the light. Her eyes gleamed in the dark.

    Her palms slid up my chest until she was cupping my face. Staring deep into my eyes, voice husky with desire, "Husband," she whispered, "take me."

    -+-+-+-+-+-

    Raising a hand to clasp the back of Phobos'' neck, I propped myself up on my other elbow and brought my lips up to meet hers. Running her palms up my cheeks and entwining them in my hair, she responded enthusiastically, sucking and gnawing at my lips before licking them with that rough tongue of hers.

    I could feel her breath hot against my face as she grew more excited. Biting down softly on her tongue, I sucked on it, tasting its tip with mine. Impatient, Phobos pushed her tongue past my lips, thoroughly exploring my mouth. Closing my eyes, I let her, reveling in the sensation of her rough tongue tickling my palate.

    My hand that was holding her neck slid down her back, feeling the contours of her body through her diaphanous nightgown. Pushing myself upright, I coiled both my arms around her body, one arm pressing her waist towards me and the other cupping the back of her head through her hair. Her back arched as we maintained our kiss and her soft chest rubbed up against mine.

    Her grip on my hair tightened and relaxed like a cat flexing its claws. A deep-throated purr reverberated through her chest and in my mouth, ratcheting up my excitement.

    Finding my clothes a burden, Phobos raked her fingers down my back, her fingernails morphing into claws and ripping gashes into my coat. Hastily breaking our kiss and letting go of her, I grabbed her hands to stop her from ruining more of my attire. Phobos growled impatiently, struggling in my grasp.

    Glaring into her provocative eyes, I locked both her hands behind her back with a single-handed grip on her wrists. Holding the back of her head with my free hand and entwining my fingers into her hair, I pulled her head back, exposing her throat. Blowing warmly into her ear to make it twitch, I kissed my way down her jaws before raking my teeth down the side of her neck. She shivered in my grasp, her purr growing deeper at being put in this vulnerable position.

    I caught a flash of contentment from our bond. So, that''s how she wanted to play it, huh?

    Although we had experimented with candles once, before the start of the Tournament, and Phobos seemed to have enjoyed herself immensely, I still had my reservations about causing her pain. For, while Deimos was like the younger sister I didn''t have to protect but still wanted to, Phobos was the elder sister I wanted to impress. I respected her and felt leery of treating her rough. That''s why we hadn''t tried anything like that again.

    But now that I could feel what she felt, I realized that she didn''t like the pain exactly¡­ she just wanted me to dominate on the bed. All this time, because of how she behaved when we were under the sheets, I had mistakenly believed that she liked to be in control. She was the one who would always take the initiative. She would hold down my arms with her knees and ride me, teasing me with her alluring figure, not letting me touch. And when she let me touch, she would direct my hands. I had humoured her all this time because I thought that it was what she wanted ¨C acceded to her every request. It was only now that I realized my mistake.

    She had a wildness in her that she wanted tamed. A wildness that pushed her to capitalize on any show of servility. That was why, when she had seen me clipping her nails ¨C taking care of her, serving her ¨C she had pounced on me. She wanted me to take charge and take her with no concern about her pleasure, only thinking about mine. She wanted me to take her, thoroughly.

    Well, if that was what she wanted, that was what she would get.

    Keeping my grasp on her wrists, I roughly turned her around in my lap and pressed down between her shoulder blades, causing her to bend down until her face was pressed into the bed and her perfectly formed behind was sticking up. Getting up on my knees behind her, I hiked up her nightgown, freeing her dark tail to lash about in agitation. Gasping in surprise, she tried to get back up as soon as I took the pressure off her back, but I extended a foot and pressed down on her shoulder, pinning her down.

    Without waiting for her to recover, I roughly pulled her underwear down her thighs, revealing her privates. A string of moisture glinted in the sunlight, indicative of her excitement. Unbuckling my belt and pulling out my stiff member, I invaded her without preamble, drawing a gasp out of her.

    Phobos tail whipped against my chest as I held her wrists with both my hands and thrust hard and rough into her from behind, each stroke driving me deep into her moist warmth and pressing her cheek into the bed. My grunts, her moans and the sound of our flesh slapping against each other filled the room as the scent of our union permeated the atmosphere, driving out the winter chill and replacing it with the vitality of spring.

    Closing my eyes, I focused on my rising excitement, thrusting harder and faster as I felt myself drawing closer and closer to climax. With a sharp intake of air, I slammed my entire length into her and released myself in her depths. The convulsion of her interior and her breathless scream told me that she had reached her high at the same time.

    Breathing heavily, both of us collapsed onto the bed with me on top of her. Burying my face into the crook of her neck from behind, I savoured the scent of her arousal as my member grew flaccid and exited her with a soft pop.

    Recovering slightly, I pushed myself off her and onto my back by her side. I squinted against the dazzling sunlight that fell on my eyes and raised a hand to keep it off. I felt Phobos turning around beside me.

    Draping an arm and a leg on me, she hugged me tightly from the side, placing her head on my shoulder. "That," she breathed out into my ear sultrily, "was amazing."

    Curling my arm around her and placing my palm on her hip, slowly stroking it, I turned my head towards her and kissed the top of her head. "Glad you liked it."

    "Loved it," she said, kissing me back on my neck. "I always wanted you to do that, but you were too polite. Too respectful." She paused. "Except that one time."

    Propping herself up on an elbow, she met my gaze with glittering eyes. "I''m curious though¡­ why so aggressive today?"

    I sighed. "I saw you depressed and wanted to do something to cheer you up. Thought this might do the trick."

    "Riight?" she asked, drawing out the word. Her hand slid down my chest and stomach to grip my soft member, stroking it gently. I could feel my blood flowing south again. "Then husband mine¡­ who was it that taught you your tricks, hmm? Demi? Ceres?" Her grip tightened on my member. "It was Ceres, wasn''t it?"

    I complained internally. Her jealousy was flaring up again. This wouldn''t do. If I gave her even a little leeway, she''d start to buck against her restraints. I would have to be firm with her.

    Raising the hand I had on her hip, I brought it down with a sharp crack, making her yelp in surprise and let go of me. Capitalizing on the opportunity, I rolled her off me and onto her back. Straddling her, I pinned her arms, looking down upon her with the sun at my back.

 196 Chapter 11

    She was in a good mood, she noted. The best in days. No, weeks.

    Reaching out, she turned the knob that regulated the water supply, reducing the shower to a trickle and then to nothing. The Cloud Whale, mimicking the marine behemoths it was named after, gained its supply of freshwater by inhaling the medium in which it swam. Activated by water mages, a formation in the airship absorbed the clouds in its surroundings and condensed them into potable water. A network of pipes spread out from the water storage and supplied the rest of the ship. An additional arrangement using fire stones allowed for the temperature of the water in the washrooms to be regulated. It was all quite luxurious, observed Phobos. She was having a warm shower in the bosom of the sky. And for the last few days, she''d been having the most satisfying intercourse in her life.

    She was living the ''high'' life.

    Taking her towel off the rack, she dried herself off before wrapping her wet hair in it and tying it into a loose turban. It would take a while for it to dry ¨C the inconveniences of long hair. For a short while, she wondered whether she should cut her hair to more manageable lengths. Demi seemed to carry her shoulder-length cut well and Ceres had really gone on an expedition against her tresses. She looked like a boy from a distance ¨C an impression accentuated by her current figure.

    Phobos shook her head, taking her underwear up from the rack and stepping into it. She quite liked her hair and the hour she spent caring for it every day was her personal time. A time for her to relax and think of nothing but the feel of the brush as it stroked through her hair. It was cathartic.

    Slipping her bra on, she reached behind her back to hook it before adjusting her breasts in the cups with her palms. In fact, skipping her regular hair care regimen had probably contributed to the aggravation of her spiral of depression. It was a habit that centred her, let her think of who she was and why she did what she did. A necessary thing to contemplate when Vita''s whispers were but a thought away ¨C a constant presence that didn''t let up any opportunity to amplify negative emotions and twist perspectives to its own unclear ends.

    It would take a couple of hours for the ship to arrive at the capital. Time enough for her to check her packing one last time. And help Demi pack. The slovenly girl had probably been procrastinating; and left to her own devices, would toss everything in haphazardly before wondering why her trunk wasn''t shutting. Ceres¡­ didn''t need her help and Husband hadn''t even fully unpacked in the first place ¨C living out of his travel bag.

    Phobos wondered if she could draw some conclusion about their characters from these little details. Then gave up with a shrug. Psychoanalysis wasn''t her domain, observation was. She''d be better off letting Ceres brood over that kind of thing.

    To be honest, when she managed to stave off her pangs of jealousy, she quite liked Ceres. There was a strong supplementarity between their roles in the tight little family unit they had built. Phobos had always prided herself on her observation skills. She could always look at a picture and pick out the small, seemingly unimportant, details. And Ceres could take those very details and speculate a logical reason for its existence. These days of working together to solve the mystery of Feralization had made it apparent to the both of them that they were a very solid team. Without either of their help, the other wouldn''t have made half the progress that they had.

    Of course, having the Demigod of the Waves mentoring their progress was a huge help. It was lucky that the woman had taken an interest in their project and decided to travel with them to the Capital.

    Although, it was becoming quite clear, with how much time she spent locked up in the same room with Mars, that their project wasn''t the only thing she was interested in.

    Entering her cabin and shutting the door behind her, Phobos lightly slapped her cheeks to drive those thoughts out of her mind. Leaning her back against the door, she sighed. Envy was an ugly emotion¡­ and she had it in spades.

    And Isabella Chromis was a woman who was easy to envy.

    For a moment, she stared blankly at the sunlight streaming in through her window before blinking and smiling wryly. Pushing herself off the door, she took a few steps forward and turned around. There, outlined against the wooden grain of the door, was her silhouette ¨C her shadow. The shadow filled out, gaining another dimension as it stepped out of the door. Eyes, ears, nose, lips, body, clothes, and even the towel wrapped around its head; it was a perfect mirror of her. The only discrepancy was that it was the darkest of blacks ¨C like a figure sculpted out of onyx.

    They stood facing each other, her clone and her. Only a thin thread of shadow connected the two of them along the floor. Phobos reached out with her hand and the clone mirrored the action till the two of their palms touched each other¡­ and Phobos'' palm passed through the clone''s like it was smoke.

    This was the result of their week of research ¨C an intangible mannequin of shadow that mirrored the movements of its master. Phobos cut the stream of mana she was supplying it and the clone collapsed into itself, flattening until all that remained was a mundane shadow, cast upon the door by the sun at her back.

 197 Chapter 12

    In the tribal era, when society existed in discrete pockets of civilization, the major clans in a region would generally set a spot to meet in from year to year to barter commodities and supplement each other''s needs. As most of the smaller tribes were nomadic, these spots weren''t fixed. But the larger tribes, that had occupied an area rich in some sort of resource that was advantageous to them, would set their roots down and begin developing in that area. They would be very dependent on trade to meet all the needs of their people. After all, not everything that they needed could be produced in their little patch of land.

    Thus, often these locations designated for clan meets between the largest tribes in a region would grow into bustling trade centres around which cities would be constructed. These trade cities would be jointly governed by the tribes in question. This was the embryonic form of the cooperative society that later gave rise to the Ancient Empires like the Mesopotamian, Indus and Greek Empires.

    The hereditary nature of the Ancient Empires and the glass ceiling for those not of the Imperial line led to the decline of the Empires till Caesar''s conquest of Greece and subsequently Egypt. After the death of Caesar, his expansive Empire collapsed with the Greek and Egyptian Imperial remnants reclaiming large swathes of former territory. The tripartite war between Greece, Rome and Egypt had ravaged their people and resources until a tentative peace had been achieved.

    A great deal of reforms had been implemented in all three Empires to streamline their governance and improve efficiency. For instance, the Monarchy was still hereditary, but following Regiis'' example, the powers of the Monarch had been greatly attenuated. The precipitation of years had seen all three Empires recover somewhat from their strife-ridden past.

    Yet, they had been overtaken by the youthful dynamism and bias towards meritocracy shown by Regiis.

    The Maharajas of Indus were the only absolute Monarchs left in the Continent. They had Counsellors, sure, but in the end, their word was law. While the other Empires had been embroiled in conflict after conflict, peace and an unbroken line of enlightened rulers had blessed Indus with prosperity.

    Of all the societies, Indus was the least affected by the introduction of Marital Contracts and the rise in the importance of Tamers.

    But, no matter their current state, their long histories and the centralization of wealth that came with a hereditary monarchy meant that their Capital cities were extremely magnificent. Compared to those cities, resplendent in gold and jade, the Capital of Regiis was obviously a bit lacklustre.

    The Capital city of Regiis, to honour Emperor Adam and his six wives had been planned with the theme of elemental balance in mind.

    From the air, the city looked like a massive triangle that had been divided into three triangular sectors with differing themes; each one representing one of the three elements of air, water and light. Each of the sectors was the size of a large city.

    The water sector had an expansive network of canals running through it as a replacement for roads. The wind sector had towering skyscrapers with a network of rope bridges connecting them at all levels forming a three-dimensional maze.

    Mirrors and glass were the dominant features of the light sector, making the entire sector dazzling to behold under the light of the noonday sun.

    Its exact opposite, the shadow sector was connected to the earth sector and fire sector; all three sectors situated entirely underground with only a few scattered buildings aboveground marking the entrances to the intricate network of tunnels that extended throughout the Capital.

    But it was only when I used my mana sight ¨C no, soul sense ¨C that I was able to truly appreciate the magnificence of the city.

    The entire region practically boiled with mana of six colours. The density of mana was off the charts ¨C on par with the rarest of natural topologies. Which wasn''t surprising considering the six interlocking artificial topologies that covered the entire Capital.

    The sectors were arranged so that the elements that opposed each other were placed closest to each other. The water sector was above the fire sector. The light sector was above the shadow sector. The air sector was above the earth sector.

    This kind of counterintuitive arrangement caused a great deal of friction in the mana that made it all flow towards the centre of the city ¨C where the Imperial Palace was situated.

    The Imperial Palace: a triangular estate concentric with the Capital that could easily hold ten Felidae Estates.

    As the surge of mana flowed towards the Palace, it was absorbed by the topology and pumped back out into the respective sectors setting up a mana circulation that was extremely beneficial for cultivation as well as the health of the citizens. As disease was caused by mana imbalance, this kind of circulation meant that even the mortals living here would be free of any sort of disease and plague.

    This topology was truly a work of art; the pinnacle of formation magic. A grand demonstration of our dominance over nature.

    The Cloud Whale approached the outskirts of the wind sector where a landing ground for it had been prepared. As we drew closer and closer, standing at the prow of the ship, I could make out the forms of the pedestrians on the rope bridges bustling about. There were many Pluma using their wings to navigate the three-dimensional maze.

    Many stopped in their tracks at our approach, pointing at us in an excited manner. I could understand their sentiment; the Cloud Whale was a symbol of our national pride after all.

    There was a mind crystal communication tower set up within the Cloud Whale with which we could communicate directly with the communication tower at the Capital; and using that as a springboard, to anywhere in Regiis.

    We had already sent notice ahead that we''d arrive today. So, it wasn''t a surprise that there was already a crowd at the landing ground to welcome us.

    The crew busied themselves adjusting everything for landing. The sails were rolled up and the fire mages slowly reduced the heat of the air in the zeppelins causing us to descend smoothly towards the landing pad ¨C a bed of sand.

    With nary a jerk, the ship docked on the earthen props provided and the bottom of the ship sank into the soft sand until it steadied itself.

    A large wooden ramp was rolled up to the side of the ship and the crew lashed it to iron hoops to fix it in place.

 198 Chapter 13

    All it involved was coating one''s body with soul force and wishing that no one could notice you really hard. All forms of soul magic were more intuitive than their elemental counterparts. For example, all elemental magic started off as rigidly defined spells and only after the mage had spent magnanimous amounts of time and effort understanding the Aspect the spell was based on would they be able to wield it as they wished. But in the case of soul magic, all you had to do was convey your intention to your nascent soul and it would cast the spell for you ¨C like an ingrained instinct.

    Concealed as she was, the eyes of the crew slid over her, their minds failing to register her presence even when she was right in front of their eyes. The only one able to notice her now would be another Demigod¡­ or Mars Felidae.

    A curious case, that one. A tamer that had managed to break out of the shackles of a mindscape and returned to the path of the ancient Hominum. He too was capable of soul magic ¨C albeit much attenuated.

    She shook her head as she remembered how close he had come to dying when he had scryed on her. Thankfully, she had kept her hand, only haunching her mental defences instead of lashing out in a counterattack. If he had met a more irritable Demigod like the Sunlight Soldier, only his ashes would remain¡­ and there would be little his family would be able to do about it.

    It was lucky that she was the first Demigod that he had met.

    Still, contact with her soul realm had damaged him and if left unattended, the wound would eventually drive him insane. The soul was intrinsically tied to the personality and fiddling with it was like altering the very individual. This made soul magic extremely dangerous.

    Isabella looked down at her palm and sighed. She was a young Demigod. In terms of experience in soul magic, she was the least qualified among the seven current generation Demigods of Regiis. Yet, to save Mars, she had to be the one healing his soul as she was the one who had injured it, leaving her mark on it.

    It had been a scary experience, healing him.

    The weight of responsibility one holds when they have someone''s soul at their mercy is heavy like a mountain. In comparison, death is light as a feather. You can kill someone; they will live on in the memories of their loved ones, but if you alter someone''s very soul, even that will be denied them as the new persona that emerges will substitute them in their subsequent life.

    Along with disappointment though, she had felt absolutely flattered by how much trust the boy was placing in her. So, she had done her utmost to heal him without leaving any sort of sequelae. She had succeeded.

    She smiled wryly as she remembered the impression she had obtained from him as she healed him. The reason he had allowed her to heal him wasn''t because he trusted her, no, it was simply because she was the most convenient option.

    If she were to put his thoughts in words, it''d be something along the lines of: ''There''s enough on my plate already, I can''t be bothered with adding another greatly troublesome goal to my schedule.''

    Well, it had been a win-win situation for them both. Mars got the knowledge of Demigod secrets from this encounter while she was able to practice her soul magic on a willing human subject.

    Some Demigods were unscrupulous and practiced their magic on whoever they wished but Isabella couldn''t bring herself to follow their lead. Others practiced on death row criminals, but she found even that distasteful as the one who would emerge after the procedure wouldn''t be the criminal anymore so continuing with the death penalty would be unethical. But setting them free would also be a miscarriage of justice ¨C and dangerous to boot as the effects of the procedure were often very difficult to clarify. They could be unleashing a lunatic into the world.

    In short, finding someone to practice on was a real challenge for someone with as many hang-ups as her. Mars was her first ''patient''. And what an experience it had been. To heal him, she''d had to contact his soul with hers directly for a short while and in that moment, his personality had been laid bare for her. What was more, some of his personality had rubbed off on her.

    Meeting new people affects us¡­ We pick up some of their idiosyncrasies and habits¡­ their world views. Maybe they inspire us to change our entire way of living. To aspire to new ideals. To achieve greater things. When this happens, we say that that person has touched our soul.

    But when soul magic became involved, this was taken to new extremes. It became possible to Impel someone to agree with your way of life, with your ideals, your goals.

    In her enthusiasm to keep Mars'' soul free of taint, Isabella had accidentally let his soul leave a mark on hers. She wasn''t the same woman who had started that procedure. Now, her values were a mishmash of hers and the boy''s.

    She sighed again. His most prominent trait was his devotion towards his family. Family? She didn''t even have one. She was an orphan in this life¡­ and as for the memories of her other life that plagued her dreams... A complicated feeling rose within her. It seemed that she''d have to stop procrastinating and finally deal with them.

    If nothing else, if this incident motivated her to finally resolve her issues, curing him would be worth it.

    Her thoughts were interrupted by a commotion at the side of the ship. Frowning, she walked over to the railing and swept the crowd with her soul sense to get an idea of the situation. Understanding what had happened, she sighed yet again.

 199 Chapter 14

    A strange drama played out in an airfield on the outskirts of the Capital. A young man addressed a crowd of curious onlookers who had gathered to see who it was that had the honour of using the Cloud Whale as their means of transportation and to welcome them to the Capital.

    "Instead of his supposed feats, I am more amazed by his shamelessness at mooching on the efforts of his superiors. He came here to receive a reward for his merits. An audience with the Emperor himself. A Commendation. How can you bear to let such a travesty occur?"

    As I watched the pompous ass in front of me wax eloquent, I wondered what he hoped to achieve by goading me into a duel ¨C for that was where he was heading with this public slander.

    Although I had promised Isabella that I wouldn''t scry my allies, my inexperience with my mana sense made it so that even if I didn''t actively use it, I would receive impressions from the people around me. And I could clearly sense the hostility this guy bedecked in silks and satins bore towards me.

    How the hell had I offended him when I hadn''t even set foot in the Capital before? Really bewildering.

    I could also roughly estimate his magical prowess. The peak of Tier 2 at the most; Tier 2 middle stage more likely. While that was quite remarkable for a guy his age ¨C he looked around eighteen ¨C considering that he had spent his entire life in the cultivation paradise that was the Capital, I was understandably unimpressed. If he did get the duel, he was looking for by creating this public spectacle, it would be an embarrassingly short one.

    There was a joke about the Capital which went: You can''t throw a stone in the Capital without it hitting an aristocrat. Going by how well he was dressed, I didn''t doubt that his family had wealth, power or both.

    I really wanted to avoid getting into a conflict with this ponce. Who knew how his parents would react? If they claimed that I was an elder by dint of my magical prowess and by accepting his challenge, I was bullying the weak, they could take me to court.

    Although, in that case, I could claim that I was just giving him a lesson in politeness. Still, stepping on gilded toes before my boots even touched Capital soil didn''t seem wise. After all, giving lessons to sons of the influential had landed our family in hot water once before. As they say, once bitten, twice shy.

    The boy continued, "And he didn''t just stop there!"

    Oh really? There was more?

    A ripple of discussion ran through the crowd at that. They began to move restlessly. Their attitude turned from ''people watching the fun'' to ''suspicious''. It seemed that this guy had some clout in the Capital.

    My brows furrowed deeply at that. A deep loathing rose up in me at this guy''s twisting of facts to serve his own agenda. The heroic actions of the farmers had been talked into some abominable action of mine. And what was this about farmers dying in the fires? Was this an accident as the fires ran out of control or was it the Shogunate cracking down on them with an iron fist?

    I really hoped that it was the former as I prayed for their souls. If it was the latter, then things were going to turn sour fast.

    Also, did the idiot know that the Demigod had accompanied us the entire way? Of course, he didn''t. Otherwise he wouldn''t dare to indirectly accuse her of the death of Regiis citizens. Even the Emperor couldn''t save him from the wrath of a Demigod.

    Demigods weren''t obligated to report their location to anyone, so it wasn''t a surprise that he wasn''t informed about it.

    "And are we just supposed to ignore the fact that his wife is a kitsune? One of the Daimyo clans? That she is a bearer of the same bloodline as the Duchess turned Traitor that lost us our land? Her daughter?!"

    Now he''s gone and done it.

    Really, this guy wasn''t leaving me an exit, was he? Did I murder his parents, or did I steal his lover? Or was it just my pretty boy face that attracted male hatred naturally? I sighed internally. He had insulted my wife. Troublesome or not, he wasn''t leaving here unscathed.

    Just as I was about to step up and put him in his place, Ceres stepped up before me and said:

    "I believe that public slander merits a ceremonial duel by Regiis law."

    Her voice rang out in the square, silencing the rising murmurs of the crowd. Back straight, tails swinging regally, eyes flashing as she swept the crowd with her gaze; she captured all eyes, commanded all attention.

    "I have fought for the Empire, bled for it, kept its borders safe from the Calamity. I have proved my innocence with merit. I refuse to be taunted for blood I do not carry in my veins. I am no daughter of the Traitor for I am a true daughter of the Empire."

    She turned to the boy. "I challenge you to a duel on grounds of libellous intent. As is my right!"

    She flared her mana, displaying her Tier 2 middle stage cultivation base for all to see.

    Her words rang out into the shocked silence. The boy stared at her with his mouth half-open ¨C interrupted in the middle of spewing out more of his nonsense.

    Fierce! My heartbeat couldn''t help but speed up as pride welled up in me. ''That''s my wife!'' I wanted to yell out.

    But I couldn''t help but worry a little about her. The boy was Tier 2 peak (since he was going to duel my wife, he was no ally of mine ¨C I could be forgiven for a peek). He was also, in all likelihood, the scion of some noble. He had access to libraries more advanced than ours¡­

    Wait. No, he didn''t. Ceres had access to the kitsune library so at most, from the knowledge aspect he''d be on par with her. And Ceres had mastered an Aspect and was an Adept in another¡­

    Really, why was I even worrying? He wouldn''t even know what hit him.

    This was an elegant solution to my dilemma. He couldn''t complain if he got clobbered by someone in his own Tier ¨C not when he was clearly in the wrong.

    The boy recovered his poise quickly and narrowed his eyes at Ceres, then at me. Pointing to me, he said, "I''ll accept her challenge but when she loses, I demand a duel with you."

    He didn''t mention any stakes. He didn''t need to. The consequences if I lost were quite clear. It would mean I was lying about my prowess. And lying to the Emperor was lese majeste ¨C an offense punishable by lifetime incarceration in the mines of the Central Province.

    But did he really want to dig his grave so deep? I could feel the anger radiating off Ceres in waves. Shaming her by disregarding her publicly¡­

    I shrugged. "Fine. I accept."

 200 Chapter 15

    It was a deed of great merit ¨C depriving the enemy of grain. But the merit was contaminated by the blood of innocents. This kind of merit wouldn''t get you punished. It would even bring moderate rewards¡­ but the ill repute that came with it would see you shunned by your cohorts.

    Life is a tapestry; each stranger, acquaintance, friend and family member a thread in the weave. Their motives are the colours they are dyed in. Study them all, understand them and you will find that they intertwine to create a grand design.

    If nothing else, Ceres had to admit that Hotaru Vulpine was creative with her analogies. But there was truth in her words and following them had brought her many advantages. She was grateful for the elder kitsune''s teachings. She would thank her one day ¨C by using these teachings against her. But for now, she would practice with this curious boy who had delivered himself in front of her.

    As she took her position opposite him in the clearing that had been created and cordoned off by the crew of the Cloud Whale and the guards the boy had brought along, she studied him. He had discarded the ornately gold-embroidered robe he had been wearing, revealing a tight-fitting martial attire underneath. He was clearly prepared for a duel. A conclusion reinforced when one of his guards handed him his weapons ¨C a pair of brass knuckles.

    How barbaric. A close combatant then.

    The removal of the outer garment had revealed a ring of golden scales around his neck as well as a stocky golden scaled tail that wrapped half-way round his waist. And now that Ceres took a closer look at his ears, she saw that they were rounded. A member of the Pholidota clan with the blood of pangolins flowing through his veins. Without exception, the Pholidota were all earth mages.

    If she was remembering correctly, then going by the traditions of the clan, golden embroidery signified direct bloodline descendants and with how ornate the embroidery was, this boy was likely the heir of his family. And what a family it was. They were the direct descendants of the Unbounded Demigod. One of the very few holders of hereditary nobility in Regiis.

    Depending on who he represented ¨C either himself or his clan ¨C in this little vendetta of his, this matter could be a small trouble, or it could be a¡­ Nah. It would always be a little scuffle.

    All because Isabella Chromis, Demigod of the Waves had been a passenger on their ship. By accusing Husband, they were also accusing her.

    The movement of the Demigods were extremely secretive as they were the nation''s trump cards. It wouldn''t do to flaunt their locations lest enemy Demigods collaborate to corner them.

    Isabella''s presence on the Cloud Whale had been a secret from even General Kron. He had only been told that the airship would fly over the mountains on the way back, avoiding Shogunate occupied airspace.

    Isabella had deliberately deviated their course, taking them smack-dab over the Central District instead. It had been a calculated bait to lure Shogunate attacks. If they took the bait, the Demigod could justifiably capture the attackers. Self-defence she would call it. No matter the fact that even if all the Shogunate army attacked together, they couldn''t put a scratch on her ¨C only exhaust her and force her to flee with the Cloud Whale safely at the cost of half their lives.

    On the way here, Isabella had revealed herself to the crew because secrecy was no longer necessary.

    Therefore, right now, the entire crew knew that either this boy or his clan was digging themselves into a deep grave. But none of them were kind enough to remind him of his folly. After all, no one likes being plotted against.

    If the Demigod hadn''t been there though, it would be a whole different story. Then, by only blaming Husband, the boy was actually giving the soldiers a way out. After all, nominally, Husband was a Lieutenant. He outranked everyone on the ship. They could claim that they were only following a superior officer''s orders.

    All these little pieces of information flashed in Ceres'' mind and they were analysed, decomposed and recomposed into a clear picture of the current situation. The grand design on the tapestry of life that the Duchess had been talking about.

    She quickly summarized it all ¨C

    First, this boy, either for personal or clan reasons, had intentionally initiated the challenge. If it was a personal thing¡­ then the boy was clearly quite intelligent, factoring in the will of the crew into his plans. But unfortunately, the lack of information had been his downfall ¨C both relating to the presence of the Demigod on their ship and Husband''s true strength.

    Second, if his clan was behind this; inciting his actions, then this was a political statement to father and mother as well as the newly crowned King Corvus. A power-play against the new kid on the block of hereditary nobility. The Capital Clans probably believed that Husband''s merits were bestowed upon him by father and mother to pad his resume.

    Third, the best way to resolve this farce for all parties concerned was if she beat this guy. No, thoroughly trounced him. Not only would it show her strength ¨C give people things to say about her other than the number of her tails and her lineage ¨C it would also make the Pholidota clan owe her a massive favour when the information about the Demigod came out.

    She grinned inwardly as she watched the boy take his stance. The only loser here would be this Pholidota clan heir. She was going to inflict public embarrassment upon him and then later, when the truth got out, she was going to make him thank her for it.

 201 Chapter 16

    There were three types of duels. First, and the one with the direst consequences, was a Mortem''s Duel. Named after the God of Death in Regiis mythology, it was a duel to the death between parties who had deemed their differences irreconcilable. Only when both parties accepted the duel could it take place and it was mandatory to report to the highest authority possible for authorization. It was the duty of said authority to preside over the Mortem''s Duel and prevent interference.

    The second kind of duel, Trial by Combat, was slightly less deadly. It took place when a criminal was judged guilty of crimes deserving capital punishment. They could then request a Trial in the hope of mitigating their sentence. Professional duellists known as Hands of Justice would then be called upon and both parties would fight to defeat.

    The Hands were chosen from battlers that were considered unbeatable in their respective Tiers. So, if the criminal managed to defeat them, they would be demonstrating their value to the Empire. Then, instead of the gallows, they would be headed to the frontlines where they would serve as soldiers without remuneration for the rest of their lives ¨C or at least until they were considered old enough to retire. Any money they would have earned was paid to the victim''s family as compensation. If they lost, they died.

    The final, the least serious and therefore most common, kind of duel was the Ceremonial Duel. Basically, in certain civil cases like public slander and contests over marriage or inheritance, where the determination of guilt was quite fuzzy, the matter was solved with the fist. The Ceremonial Duel, as its name suggests, had a strict procedure. The combatants would take turns, alternating between attack and defence until one of them dropped down or admitted defeat. The one who was challenged would choose who would attack first.

    Only those of the same Tier could engage in a Ceremonial Duel otherwise it would be considered assault and the one with the higher cultivation could be taken to court. That was the reason I had been hesitant to accept his challenge.

    I watched from the side-lines as Ceres and the boy took their positions across from each other. As the challenged party and an Earth mage, the boy understandably chose to start defensively.

    The onlooking crowd had increased as the Duel attracted an audience. Not only was the area around the impromptu human cordon packed with bodies, but there were also several Pluma using their natural advantage to hover above our heads to get a better view.

    From the cheers of the crowd, I picked up that the boy was named Reinhart and he was the scion of the Pholidota family. I could feel a major headache coming. I had guessed that his backstage was hard but him having the Unbounded Demigod as his elder was beyond my expectations. Why was he after us really?

    I just hoped the guy didn''t bear a grudge after losing today. He could make life at the Capital all sorts of difficult for us. Oh well, what would happen would happen.

    Cupping my hands around my mouth, "Go Ceres!" I cheered, adding a bit of volume with wind magic to even out the playing field.

    Shooting a glance my way from the corner of her eye, she turned back to her opponent with a confident smile on her lips. Raising her hand in front of her, she pointed at him. Purple smoke seeped out of her pores and wreathed around her. The smoke caught the noon sunlight, giving her a dreamlike cast. Twining around her outstretched arm, the smoke coalesced into a hazy purple python that shot forward at Reinhart following the direction of her finger.

    Clapping his palms together, with a low shout, Reinhart kneeled and slammed his palms onto the ground. Thick walls of earth rose up all around him, boxing him in before getting compressed into solid stone by his mana. Although I couldn''t directly sense the flow of his mana, I could tell how dense the walls were from how little of the other five elemental mana doped the walls ¨C an indication of extremely dense earth mana driving the other strains out. This guy had high attainments in the Aspect of Reinforcement.

    A sheet of stone grew above the box, sealing it in a completely airtight manner. This was a very effective defense strategy against users of smoke and poison as they would generally require that the mage inhale it for their spells to take effect. An ordinary kitsune would be helpless against it.

    I shook my head inwardly. Ceres was no ordinary kitsune. Using my soul sense, I observed the purple mana that permeated the smoke python slam into the wall before seeping into it and spreading throughout the entirety of it. Tendrils of it gathered towards a point in the centre of the stone box ¨C in all probability the mindscape of the boy ¨C and began to contaminate that too.

    Tier 2 personal magic: Smoke within a Dream.

    This was the magic she had comprehended when she had been travelling through the tunnels of the volcanic Dungeon back in the heart of the Sixth Forbidden Zone. It was the magic that had brought hundreds of fire ants to their knees and allowed her team safe passage through the tunnels.

    It was a spell that used her mastered Aspect of Illusion and adept Aspect of Sleep in tandem to forcibly drag her opponents into the world of dreams where she could immerse them in nightmares that would never end ¨C or, at least last until she exhausted her mana.

    The special characteristic of this attack was that it could infect the opponent through their mana. If she was in Tier 3, she could perpetuate her spell throughout her Domain, forming a Dreamland Domain that would give her control over all who entered it. As Tier 2 though, she could only use it as a spell. A slow, easily dodged spell.

    For a moment, I almost felt sorry for Reinhart. His chosen procedure ¨C that would have shut down most other kitsune ¨C had instead become a prison to trap him in.

 202 Chapter 17

    The Hall of Meetings was where all the central legislative assemblies took place; where old laws were amended, and new laws were promulgated to ensure the Empire kept abreast with the times. The Hall of Justice was subordinate to the judiciary; a supreme court where all disputes unable to be solved at the lower courts were finally arbitrated. The Hall of Fame, as its name suggested, was a place where the subjects of the Empire who had contributed greatly to its advancement ¨C be they martyrs on the battlefield or magical researchers ¨C were commemorated.

    The training ground that Reinhart had entered doubled as a Trial ground ¨C a place where Trials by Combat took place. It was a large rectangular field with no grass cover. Shallow pools of water dotted the field, glistening in the early morning sunlight and training posts and dummies were scattered about. High walls surrounded the field, and on the side from which he had entered, seating arrangements had been prepared for the witnesses for the Trials. One of the duties of the Emperor was to serve as a witness for every Trial for criminals at Tier 3 and above. Some Emperors of Regiis ¨C the more battle-focused ones ¨C had taken it one step further by personally serving as Hands for Tier 4 trials.

    Reinhart took a seat at the very forefront of the stands and turned his gaze to the centre of the field where a girl was seated cross-legged in meditation. Her expansive pair of wings wrapped around her like a cape. Metallic feathers reflected the light of the sun like tiny mirrors, casting scattered highlights on the ground all around her. Sun-kissed reddish-gold curls framed her downturned face as she breathed evenly with her eyes closed. Her sleeveless martial attire stopped short of her navel, revealing her lightly muscled arms and the lines of her visible abs. Skin-tight leggings hugged her thighs, emphasizing their tight contours.

    She held an unsheathed sword in her lap with one palm under its hilt and the other under its tip. If one looked closer, they would notice that the sword was vibrating lightly, releasing a low whine. The metallic feathers of her wings buzzed in tandem with it, amplifying the uncomfortable sound that made the listener feel as though they were being stabbed by a thousand swords.

    A Tier 3 Hand of Justice, one proficient enough to be allowed her own nickname. At only twenty years of age, one of the youngest to have that honour. The First Princess of Regiis: Sword Maiden, Artemis Valkyria.

    With a downward beat of her wings, she took off into a glide that brought her towards the stands. Flaring her wings at the last moment, she shed her momentum, descending a few feet from Reinhart.

    A mischievous glint flashed in her iron-grey eyes as she looked the boy up and down. "How was your nap, little Rai?" she teased with a grin.

    Reinhart smiled back crabbedly. "Eldest sister, can we not talk about that?"

    "But that''s what the entire Capital has been talking about." Reaching forward, she pinched the seated boy''s cheek. "About how our little Rai sleeps like a baby."

    The Pholidota heir batted her hand away indignantly and massaged his smarting cheek. "I''m just one and a half years your junior. I''m not a kid anymore," he complained. "Don''t pinch my cheeks¡­ or call me little."

    "Heh." She chuckled. "You''ll always be little Rai to me. Just accept it." Leaning forward onto the railings in front of his seat, she looked him in the eye and asked more seriously, "Why did you do it? Was it you, or did the old sticks-in-the-mud push you into doing it?"

    Reinhart sighed as he leaned back into his chair. "If father gets to know that I tell you everything, he''ll tan my hide. Your dad and mine are supposed to be political rivals, you know?"

    Reaching forward, Artemis flicked his forehead with a finger. "Shut it, Rai. You know I don''t tell dad a thing you tell me. I just want to ensure that you aren''t being pushed into a pit."

    Rubbing his forehead, the boy gave her the stink eye. "Why must you be so violent? Every time I talk to you, I leave with a red face." Seeing her raising her finger again threateningly, he hastily continued, "Anyway, it was a clan directive. They weren''t feeling very happy about your dad capitalizing on the opportunity to set up another hereditary nobility ¨C especially when the noble in question turned out to be your long-lost uncle. You know that the position of the Emperor is mainly nominal in nature. They see this coronation of a new king as your father abusing his post to seek benefits for the Pavone family." He hesitated a bit, then asked in a low voice. "Is this true? Is his majesty really doing this for his clan?"

    Artemis sighed. "Yes. Uncle Corvus and father never really got along and if you are talking about merit, then the Felidae family far outstrips him. if anything, Mars Felidae should be the one appointed King. Especially if the reports of his prowess are true."

    Reinhart scoffed. "Hah. You really believe that? You know how low-key your Uncle Corvus is. Even when his cousin became Emperor, he didn''t contact him despite how many benefits that might bring. And from the reports, he was present both for the Dungeon exploration and the fight with the ant Queen. It''s more likely that he shifted his merits onto the Felidae boy to hide himself from the spotlight. Unfortunately, he was noticed by your father." He paused. "Well, I admit that he does deserve some praise for that trick with the mind crystal where he amplified the spells of all the fire mages and helped keep the Calamity at bay. But¡­ that isn''t deserving of a Commendation!" He clenched his teeth. "If he didn''t hide behind that abnormal wife of his, I''d have revealed his false face in front of everyone. That vixen''s Aspects and the circumstances of the duel were total counters for my skills."

    Stopping his tirade, he asked hesitantly, "Was his Majesty serious about marrying you to him?"

    Straightening up, Artemis raised her hands above her head and stretched from side to side before bending backwards till her spine popped. "Haah¡­ that''s better. Dad wants to draw the Felidae into our camp. He''s pretty serious about having me marry him... That''s pretty much the reason why your clan sent you to duel him. If he was exposed as a fraud publicly, this marriage would have no way to go through."

    "And you''re fine with that?!" exclaimed Reinhart, shooting to his feet. "But I¡­"

    Artemis interrupted him by clapping a palm on his mouth. "Shh. Let''s not make things awkward, yeah?" she pleaded in a soft voice. "Rhea has been delaying her cultivation for you to avoid turning Feral. Don''t disappoint her regard, hmm?"

    Noticing the stubborn cast of his eyes, she sighed again internally before taking her palm away and turning her back to him. "Anyway, I made Dad concede that I''d only marry him if he could beat me in a duel. We''ll see soon enough if he is all talk when I fight him."

    She started walking away, her words drifting to him with the wind. "I''m the Sword Maiden, Rai," she said. "I''m married to my sword."

    With a hard beat of her glimmering metal wings, she shot up into the sky, raising a ring of dust on the ground. Soon, she was a shining dot in the distance.

    Reclaiming his line of sight, Reinhart walked up to the training post in the centre of the training ground and prodded it with his finger. The top half of the post ¨C an ironwood pillar wrapped in steel wire ¨C suddenly slid sideways along the diagonal cut and clattered onto the ground. Leaning over the face of the cut, the boy could see the fuzzy reflection of his face grinning back at him.

    He didn''t care if she didn''t mean it that way, but to him, Artemis'' final statement had sounded like a promise to wait for him¡­ because the Sword Maiden hadn''t lost a duel in her life.

 203 Chapter 1

    Our escort ¨C a tall, wiry man with inordinately thin eyebrows and heavy glasses ¨C assured us that he''d go through the red tape for us and offered to introduce a guide who would give us a condensed tour of the Capital. Taking him up on his offer, I asked, "Why are you giving us such favoured treatment? I doubt that everyone with an invite gets to skip the bureaucracies."

    Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he replied, "Not everyone is a Vassal of the Empire. It''s the first time in the history of the Empire that this title has existed. We are all trying to figure out what the appropriate behaviour should be."

    "Like goading them into a duel?" I asked with a thin smile.

    "Ahem, I do not claim to understand why Young Lord Reinhart would hold such animosity towards you, but I assure you that it isn''t the norm. We at the Capital are very appreciative of the young and talented like you and your wives."

    Shaking my head, I waved his platitudes away and changed the topic. "Can you tell me what Reinhart meant when he was talking about farmers dying in the fires? When we were flying above the fields, we observed the farmers voluntarily setting their crops on fire. I was quite affected by their sacrifice and would like to know more about this."

    "Just like the Shogunate has informers in Regiis, we too have our spies in the territory occupied by them. Around three days ago, we received news that many fields had been set afire and in some of them, the farmers had perished when the fires ran out of control and lit their houses.

    "At first, we were worried that the Shogunate would crack down hard on the dissenters but contrary to our expectations, the Traitor began comforting the farmers and offering food and shelter to the bereaved. She also issued two pieces of news, publicizing them widely.

    "First, that the farmers who had set the fields on fire had been incited by supporters of Regiis ¨C receiving a large amount of gold as compensation. She urged the farmers who were thinking of following their examples to think twice about taking such drastic steps, as it was they and their children who would starve when the crops failed, while the inciters of the movement sat beside warm fireplaces in front of tables laden with food. She managed to provide quite a bit of solid evidence, so I am inclined to take her words as the truth.

    I sighed. The Duchess was a slippery customer like always. This way she was able to turn the farmers against their brethren. What was supposed to be a noble sacrifice was now tainted by the stench of gold. Now, the farmers would have very little motivation to continue down the same path.

    Worse, if they started making associations between the two pieces of news, they would be reaching all sorts of unfavourable conclusions about Regiis. They could even think that the farmers who had died were people who hadn''t agreed to the burning of the crops and had been ''persuaded'' to not stand in the way. I was sure rumours to this effect were flying about right now.

    Also, now, I finally knew why I had been accused of starting the fires¡­ despite the Duchess'' statement not being explicit, placing those two bits of news side by side made assumptions extremely easy to make.

    Which was a bit unfortunate. If she had claimed outright that we were the ones who had set the fires, Isabella could have accused her of libel and pressured the Shogunate to make concessions. It would give her a valid excuse to work around the Treaty of Demigods.

    Oh well, I didn''t expect less from the vaunted Traitor. Discrete and calculative. My expression turned grim. If the deaths of the farmers could truly be laid at her feet, I would do my utmost to see that justice was served.

    Seeing the escort out, I shut the door of the hotel suite and returned to the living room where Phobos was sitting on the couch filing her toenails. She shot a glance at me when I flopped down into a comfy settee before returning to her task. "So, the old fox is still up to her tricks," she stated.

    "She is." I agreed.

    Leaning back, she raised her foot and wiggled her toes. Satisfied with the shape of the nails, she put her foot down and set the file aside. Wearing her slippers, she turned to me. "Let''s not talk about her. There''s nothing we can do from here and there are a lot of people who want to see her fail ¨C both in Regiis and the Shogunate. She will have her hands full even without us adding to the chaos."

    When I nodded in agreement, she continued. "Did you think of what to do in these three days we have to ourselves?"

    "Well, the escort said that he''ll introduce a guide. We could tour the Capital. I''ve been told that there are a lot of places worth seeing."

    Phobos leaned back in her seat. "That seems like a plan. I thought about what you told me on the ship¡­ I''ve been too wound up these days. Now, whenever I sit down to think, it seems like there''s cotton stuffed in my brains. I need to just relax and not think about magic¡­"

    "What?" I raised my brow suggestively. "What we did wasn''t relaxing enough for you?"

    "Husband!" she exclaimed as she blushed furiously and chucked the nail file at me. "You promised you wouldn''t bring that up outside!"

    Snatching it out of the air, I chuckled. "Cool it, girl. You could take someone''s eye out with this." Nodding my head in acceptance, I said, "Good. We''ll enjoy ourselves to the full for these three days without thinking about magic¡­ a small break does sound nice."

    Tossing the file onto the table, I considered for a moment before asking, "How much money do we have?"

    Suddenly, you could hear a pin drop in the room.

 204 Chapter 2

    Phobos was in her room, arranging it to her tastes since we would be staying here for quite a while. Well, her and Deimos'' room as it was the two of them who had used it yesterday while I had spent the night with Ceres ¨C just hugging each other to sleep. This was a two-bedroom suite and we had yet to work out a proper sleeping arrangement.

    Ceres was taking a bath. It was a peaceful moment.

    A knock at the door interrupted me and I looked up from an article about yesterday''s duel. The article put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the ''impetuous Pholidota heir'' and praised the four-tailed ''daughter of the Empire''. I sighed internally. It seemed that Ceres'' analysis was correct yet again. This was clearly the nobles attempt at a reconciliation. They had probably learnt about Isabella''s presence on the ship.

    Looking down at Deimos, I gently shook my thigh. "Oi. Get off. I need to get the door."

    Growling discontentedly, she buried her face into my lap and muttered. "Na¡­ let Phi-Phi get it."

    I shook my thigh harder. "It''s probably the guide that was supposed to come, you lazy thing. Even if Phobos opens the door, she''ll be bringing him here. Do you want him to see you like this?"

    Deimos'' ear stood upright at that and after a few reluctant twitches, she growled as she pushed herself off my lap and into a sitting position ¨C running her fingers through her hair to fix it with half-closed eyes. "Can''t we just stay in for three days," she grumbled sleepily.

    Rolling my eyes, I was about to stand when Phobos exited her room and hurried towards the door. "I''ll get it," she said.

    Sitting back down, I waited as Deimos woke herself up.

    I heard voices at the doorway before they approached us and Phobos returned with our guide in tow. My eyes widened slightly at the sight of her. She was quite petite ¨C about Deimos'' height ¨C with bob-cut blonde hair with orange highlights. Two pairs of black horns grew out of her temples. The upper pair was larger, curving backwards, following the contours of her head, while the lower pair were little more than stubs that pointed to the sides. Her hair framed a small, heart-shaped face that made her look very young. Cute was the word that popped into my mind.

    Her eyes, that were the warm orange of a hearth, lit up as they landed on Deimos. Approaching her in swift steps that made her long, scarlet-scaled, reptilian tail swing behind her without touching the ground, she stopped in front of her and asked enthusiastically, "Can I hug you?"

    Taking her confused response for agreement, the woman swooped in and embraced her tightly. "You won''t believe how happy I am to meet someone my height! Everyone in my family is a stupid skyscraper and even this sister of yours towers over me. I thought I''d have to spend the next three days with my neck bent backwards."

    Inadvertently, my eyes went to her shoes. They had heels. Quite thick ones. I could sympathize with her. From her perspective, nearly everyone would be a giant.

    Releasing the frozen girl, the woman leant back and caught both her hands in hers. "You must be Deimos Felidae," she said with a bright smile. "Nice to meet you,"

    Recovering her composure, "Nice to meet you too," replied Deimos in a soft voice.

    Despite the experiences of the last few months, Deimos was still a bit subdued around strangers, especially extroverted strangers like this guide of ours.

    Releasing Deimos'' hands and turning her orange gaze to me, she extended her hand, "And you must be the famous Mars Felidae. I''ve heard so much about you."

    Standing up, I took it and air-kissed its back, noticing the reddish-orange scales that covered the back of her hand.

    "I can''t seem to say the same about you." I said politely.

    "Aah!" she slapped her forehead. "I didn''t introduce myself, now did I? I''m Laravel. Laravel Salamandra. I''ll be your guide and liaison for the entire duration of your stay at the Capital¡­ or at least until you don''t need me anymore. My friends call me Lara. You can too. In fact, I insist!"

    Her enthusiasm was quite infectious and I found the corners of my lips rising. To my passive mana senses, she gave off a very warm feeling mixed with brightness. A combination of light and fire mana. Suddenly, my pupils shrank as I made the connection between her elemental affinity, her name and the information about the Capital''s noble families I had crammed into my head ferociously for the last few days.

    "Salamandra? As in¡­"

    Before I could finish my question, she answered it for me. "Yes. That Salamandra. I am related to the Sunlight Soldier¡­ In fact, he''s my grandfather."

    The atmosphere solidified as the four of us stood there in silence. Lara''s bright smile never left her face.

    "If there is something you have to say to us, we would appreciate if you did so now. We would like to have our tour of the Capital unsullied by politics."

    All of us turned to see Ceres emerging from her room while drying her short-hair with a towel. Hanging the towel around the back of her neck, she grabbed the ends and stared at the woman with the blood of the Solar Salamanders flowing through her veins.

    Lara''s smile slipped slightly and her eyes narrowed. "You must be Ceres Felidae. There''s been a lot of talk about you in our clan."

    "Good things I hope?"

    She nodded. "Most of them wanted to thank you for teaching little Reinhart a lesson. He was getting a bit too arrogant lately. That''s the reason I was assigned as your guide. The Salamandra want to stay on good terms with you."

    Ceres raised an eyebrow. "Most of you?"

    "Oh, don''t worry." Lara waved her hand dismissively. "It was only my foolish little sister Rhea who wanted to challenge you to a duel. She has a huge crush on Reinhart, you see?" She sighed. "Though how the fool expects to win with a Tier 1 cultivation base when you can beat Reinhart I will never know." Shaking her head exasperatedly, "She should just stop delaying for the boy and promote already!" she exclaimed.

    Relaxing her posture, Ceres smiled. "I was just lucky in my matchup against him. The circumstances and the rules of the duel gave me an unfair advantage as well. I consider myself a tactician and researcher first and warrior second."

    Lara chuckled. "Don''t let Reinhart hear you saying that."

    Seizing the gap in the conversation, "Take a seat." I invited. "We can chat when we are more comfortable. I''ll go get some refreshments and we can get to planning the tour, hmm?"

 205 Chapter 3

    She pointed at the black fishnet stocking she was wearing on her scarlet tail, bows tied with black silk ribbons lined the spine of the tail. It did look fashionable. It also looked cold.

    She was wearing a black tailcoat over a white shirt. The back of the coat was bifurcated to avoid her tail and on her lower half, she wore a knee-length black skirt, stockings, and flat-bottomed shoes with heels. A white lace stole was thrown over her shoulders, covering her chest and neck.

    Laravel Salamandra, in one word, was loquacious. Give her a topic and she could ramble on and on, chatting a mile a minute with animated gestures. If I didn''t know better, I would have labelled her a wind mage. Flighty, whimsical, and she never seemed to run out of breath.

    We needed to get her back on track if we wanted to go anywhere today.

    Raising her hand like a child in a classroom, "Can we get back on topic please?" pleaded Phobos.

    Lara stopped mid-spiel. "Oh! I''m so sorry," she apologized, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "I got side-tracked again, didn''t I? Bad habit of mine." She put her hands back in her lap and sat up straight. Putting on a serious face, "Please continue," she invited.

    Shaking her head wryly, "We have a bit of a problem. We forgot to bring any money with us," said Phobos.

    "That''s much more common than you would think," said Lara, dismissing her worries with a smile. "In fact, it''s so common for people to arrive at the airport without cash that the central branch of the Imperial Bank of Regiis was set up here."

    Picking up the leather briefcase she had brought with her, she opened it and extracted a folded map of the Capital. Spreading it on the table between us, she circled a point with her finger. "This is the airport." Then another point close to it. "This is the hotel we are in." Finally, she pointed at a spot nearby. "And here we have the bank."

    All of us shared looks before I broke it to her. "We¡­ none of us have accounts at the bank and I don''t have father''s account details either."

    Her face fell. "Oh¡­ creating an account will take a whole day. I could guide you through the process and you''ll have to create an account sooner rather than later anyway. But¡­" She sighed. "It will be a real bore."

    That was disappointing but it seemed necessary. I was just about to agree when she supplemented: "Or¡­ you can use this."

    She rummaged about in her purse and brought out a jet-black card. I knew that it was something extraordinary at first glance because according to my mana senses, there was absolutely nothing there ¨C a void of mana in the world. It was like the material was pushing all the ambient mana away.

    "What is it?" I asked curiously.

    "It''s a VIP credit card issued by the Imperial Bank. See this?" She showed me one side of the card. There was a grid drawn on it with all the numbers from 0 to 9 printed with a silvery inlay. "This is a keypad where you can enter the account number of the recipient." She flipped the card to the other side, revealing a similar keypad, this time with the inlay in gold. "And here you can enter the amount you want to pay. I don''t know exactly how this works but I''ve heard that there''s some mind crystal technology involved so you can use this card all over Regiis. There are only like¡­ a dozen of these cards issued and there is a dedicated operator sitting at the central office in charge of the transactions made via these cards. At all times. So, no matter where or when, you can pay for any service you want as long as the seller has a bank account." She grinned. "And the best thing is that there is no credit limit. Just pay me back later."

    "This card¡­ is it your grandfather''s?" I asked surprised. For the Sunlight Soldier to hand over something like this to her¡­ how important is she to him exactly? And for the Salamandra to send her to us as a liaison¡­ they were being sincere enough.

    "Yup! The old man really dotes upon me," confirmed Lara with a bright smile. "But the problem is that he can get overprotective sometimes. Why? He nearly scared the ghost out of my husband before our marriage." She chuckled. "He was nearly too scared to touch me afterwards."

    "You''re married?" asked Deimos.

    "I am! I''ll take it as a compliment that you think that I''m young enough to not be."

    "Ah, no¡­ I didn''t see a mark and I just thought you''d be the kind to¡­ flaunt¡­ it¡­" began Deimos before her voice trailed away at the end. "Oh."

    I winced. Damn it, girl. You don''t ask a woman why she''s hiding her mark¡­ or even point it out. What a landmine.

    Lara''s eyes widened as she hastily waved her hands. "No, no, no. Don''t misunderstand. We''re really happy in our relationship." She lowered her head slightly and blushed. "I was a bit embarrassed is all. Hehe."

    Reaching up, she pulled down the stole she had covered her chest with, revealing some of her cleavage as her shirt was unbuttoned to the third. There, right on her sternum, was her mark. It was beautifully crafted with the words ''sun'' and ''shadow'' in the old language written in a circle. The radicals of the letters pointed outwards like the rays of the sun. It was a dark red.

    "You''re pregnant." I blurted out.

    Although it was the darkest it could be, the mark seemed like the ink had run while creating it, making it fuzzy. I didn''t believe that someone like her couldn''t afford a skilled Tamer to craft her mark. The blurring was simply an indication that her mana signature had some sort of interference. Rather, there was another mana signature interfering with hers. The blurring was slight, so she wasn''t too far along in her pregnancy.

    Lara nodded shyly.

    Sitting forward in her seat, "Shouldn''t you be resting or something?" asked Deimos concerned.

    Tuning to her, Lara beamed. "No, no. It hasn''t even been a month. I''d grow crazy if I had to sit at home for nearly a year."

    She glowed with happiness. Literally, with an orange glow seeping out of her pores as her mana reacted to her emotions. I guess that''s what it means to have a compound element of light and fire. Your emotions become hard to conceal. Especially when they are so intense.

    I noticed how the attitudes of the girls changed drastically with the revelation of Lara''s impending motherhood. I sighed internally. Really, sending a pregnant woman to contact with two orphans, a girl whose mother could leave her at any moment, and their husband¡­ especially when the woman was someone as inherently charismatic and likeable as Lara...

    Maybe I was reading too much into this, but I had a feeling that it was a deliberate ploy by the Salamandra family. Well, though it was a bit manipulative, it also showed their sincerity as I could feel that her status wasn''t low. Haah, politics. I guess I could give them a chance to prove themselves our allies.

    As I returned from my thoughts, I found that the topic had shifted to the paraphernalia of pregnancy. The curious girls were grilling the overwhelmed Lara for information. I felt kind of awkward¡­ like I shouldn''t be here. I also had a weird feeling; like some important life decision was being made for me.

    "¡­ well, the best time to bear a child would be the peak of Tier 3. At that point, your mana is the densest and can positively influence the child. But, if you wait till Tier 4, things get really troublesome as your bloodline fuses with your mana and can negatively affect the child. Let alone, if you and your husband don''t belong to the same bloodline, after Tier 4, the both of you won''t even be able to conceive due to bloodline repel," said Lara.

    Quite interesting. I didn''t know that there were so many factors that needed to be considered.

    Suddenly, inspiration flashed past in my mind. I tried to grasp it but it slipped away like water through the gaps of a clenched fist. Pursuing it doggedly, I finally caught it. From what I had learnt about bloodlines from Isabella, sacred beasts passed down their souls through their bloodlines to their descendants as a form of inheritance. It helped them understand their Aspects much faster¡­ like they were remembering forgotten knowledge rather than studying anew. If they followed the same path as their ancestor, that is.

    But there was a very small probability that enough of the bloodline and soul fragments would gather in a single individual that it gained semi-sentience. That was what had happened to mother. The bloodline would then actively try to influence their bearers.

    If remaining at Tier 3 peak was the best for a child, then mother must have been delaying her cultivation. Which meant that she had been delaying fusion with her bloodline. And in the meantime, without mana cultivation to keep her occupied, she had been focusing on her Aspects ¨C on her personal spell: Pestilence. A spell that went totally counter to the bloodline.

    Could it be that the bloodline had removed her ability to give birth so that she would stop delaying her promotion and fuse with it, thereby increasing its influence on her?

    Wait! Mother had become barren right after bearing me. What if¡­ what if I hadn''t been born a Hominum but a Bestia instead? What if my bloodline had been extracted to strengthen mother''s, turning me into a Hominum and increasing its ability to affect mother.

    This was all wild speculation but it made sense. I had been wondering why I had an affinity for light and water without contracts with wives of those elements. What if I had been born with the affinities, had them stripped of me and then regained them when I contacted soul cultivation?

    No¡­ even before that! If mother no longer had a bloodline blocking her ability to conceive¡­ My eyes widened.

 206 Chapter 4

    I had never heard him so enthused about anything. I had a distinct impression that he was smiling widely as he spoke¡­ though, I had a difficult time imagining such a scene. After all, it was father we were talking about.

    I felt a bit conflicted when I heard the news. On one hand, I was really excited about having a younger sibling to dote upon and I felt really happy that mother had finally achieved her wish. On the other, I was a bit disconsolate over losing my position as the only child. Now, I''d have to share my parent''s love and affection.

    "Father, I might have figured out why this happened..."

    I went on to explain my theory about mother''s bloodline and the series of events that led to the current situation. Though, I had to be careful to skirt around several facets that might have revealed the knowledge Isabella had imparted to me on souls. Father listened carefully, asking pertinent questions along the way. After I was done, there was a pause as he mulled the information over.

    "That seems as likely a theory as any," he finally said. "We did guess that the removal of your mother''s bloodline might have been the reason for her suddenly regaining her ability to conceive but we couldn''t be sure. It seems that we need to contact lieutenant Neera to retrieve that crystal with the sealed bloodline. It''s apparently quite dangerous if your speculation is true."

    I expressed my agreement. Not only was it dangerous, it was also quite significant to me. I might need it later on.

    "Take care, son. Let us know how you''re adapting to the Capital and call often." With that, father disconnected the call.

    Exiting the communication room, I signed out with the operator and entered the waiting room where Lara and the girls were waiting for me. Noticing their curious looks, I gestured for them to follow me out. There were a few more people who had come to make a call and I didn''t want to discuss anything here.

    Walking out of the tower, I raised my head and enjoyed the warmth of the wan winter sunshine on my face for a moment before turning to Lara and asking, "Is there somewhere we can speak in private?"

    Nodding, she took the lead and began guiding us through the crowded streets.

    Travelling in the Wind Sector was an interesting experience. We moved just as far vertically as we did horizontally. From my reading material on the Capital, I knew that private housing wasn''t allowed in the Wind Sector. Neither was any sort of industrial construction. It was a purely residential and commercial sector. All the buildings were skyscrapers ¨C apartment complexes, hotels, or malls. Rope bridges connected the buildings, swaying gently in the breeze as we made our way across them.

    Finally reaching the restaurant, which was located in the middle floors of a skyscraper that housed a mall in its lower floors and an apartment complex in its upper ones, we pushed the door and entered. Chimes tinkled as the door opened, revealing a cosy establishment with wooden flooring and a cheerfully blazing fireplace in one corner. It was quite busy with several customers having their lunch and smartly dressed waiters moving from table to table.

    The receptionist was a pretty brunette with short doe-horns sticking out of her temples. Her hair was tied in a neat braid and she was wearing a professional looking uniform in dark green fabric that complemented the browns and ochres of the restaurant. Her expression brightened as she saw Lara.

    "Madame! What brings you here today?" she asked. Her eyes turned to us and they widened in understanding. "Oh, you have guests."

    Lara favoured her with a smile. "A private booth for five will do. And send a menu over. We''ll ring the bell when we want to order."

    Nodding, the girl vacated her post and personally escorted us into one of the rooms at the back of the establishment. When she left, shutting the door behind her, all the sounds of the bustling restaurant outside were cut off, leaving us in silence.

    "Madame?" asked Phobos, curiously.

    Lara chuckled. "I said it was a family restaurant. Never said which family it belonged to." She turned to me. "So, what''s the news? Ah¡­ if it''s inconvenient, I can leave for a few minutes."

    "No. It''s nothing that secretive." I couldn''t stop the grin that split my lips. "I''m going to have a younger brother or sister soon."

    As expected, the girls were really enthused, drowning me in questions. While I answered them, I noticed that Lara had a rather strange expression on her face. "Congratulations," she said with an awkward smile. I had the distinct impression that she felt sorry for me but was congratulating me anyway.

    I was confused. What had brought that on?

    Ceres, who was sitting beside me, tapped my arm in a pattern we had agreed upon and I created a thread of wind and connected it to her mouth. Her voice rang out in my ear. "To a noble like her, the birth of a younger sibling isn''t cause for celebration. It just means more competition and further division of the inheritance."

    She paused. "See it from an outsider''s perspective. You were the only child of two Tier 5 mages who had been appointed the Duke and Duchess of the emergent vassal Kingdom. You were basically the heir of a family who held the real power in the Kingdom and now, that position has become suspect."

    I was suddenly enlightened. In Regiis, even among hereditary nobles, the influence of meritocracy was deep. Unlike in other monarchies where the order of birth determined the heir, in the Empire, the most magically talented child inherited that position.

    From an outside perspective, I was a Hominum and the tales of my feats seemed exaggerated and incredible. On the other hand, statistically speaking, the chance of my little brother or sister being a Bestia was overwhelmingly high. As the child of two Tier 5 parents, his or her talent would surely be shocking. My position as the heir to the Dukedom was threatened.

    In the eyes of the nobles, my value had dropped. If they were in my place, they wouldn''t find the news of mother''s pregnancy worthy of celebration. Well, different strokes for different folks, I guess. Although I found their paradigm a bit too materialistic for my tastes, I wouldn''t presume to judge. After all, we had been born and brought up in vastly different environments and I had a feeling that our family was an exception rather than the norm. I remembered the rivalry between father and my uncle¡­ between Bruno and me¡­ Maybe not that much of an exception.

 207 Chapter 5

    Cyn Pavone, Emperor of Regiis, adjusted his silver wire-framed reading glasses as he pored over his schedule for the next few days. His violet eyes scanned the document. One general council meeting, one inauguration ceremony for a new locomotive to the south-east to compensate for the broken trade route, one audience with the emissary of the newly formed vassal state, and banquets ¨C oh so many banquets. At times he felt like every single one of his meals was consumed in a banquet.

    Even after so many years of socializing, the aristocrats of the Capital still seemed to be interested in more. He wondered ¨C was his personality really that charming that they wanted to spend so much time in his presence?

    This wasn''t what he had envisioned himself doing when he had fought tooth and nail for this position during his Swayamvar. Ahh¡­ the naivete of youth, putting on rose-tinted glasses for its possessors since the beginning of time.

    Setting the paper down, he took off his glasses, folded it and set it down on the desk before rubbing the bridge of his nose and running a hand through his violet hair. As he stretched his wings, the feathers shimmered between navy blue and green as the light hit them at different angles. Sometimes, he was thankful for his wings which were smaller than a regular Pluma''s ¨C they made sitting in chairs more comfortable.

    That couldn''t be said for his magnificent tail of feathers though. Passing through a specially made gap in the back of his chair, they spread out behind it in an iridescent mass of green, blue, violet and brown.

    At least the audience with the emissary promised to be interesting. Quite a bit more interesting than he had expected it to be.

    Looking up with a light sigh, he turned his gaze upon the young woman sitting on a couch across the room, reading a document of her own. Her sun-kissed curls cascaded down the sides of her face, framing it as her intense iron-grey eyes scanned across the document. Her metallic wings reflected the light of the smokeless torches, the reflective feathers scattering dots of light across the room. She was dressed in a powder blue turtleneck sweater and white trousers ¨C the pastel colours accentuating her bright hair.

    Flipping the final page of the document, she tossed it onto the table in front of her. The first page of the document bore a full-colour painted portrait of a handsome youth with crimson hair and eyes and a determined set to his jaws. Beside it, on the table, were three more documents, each bearing the picture of a different girl. One with white hair and green eyes, another with black hair and yellow eyes, and the last with cinnamon brown hair and eyes.

    There was a knock at the door.

    "Come in," said Cyn.

    Entering the room, he closed the door behind him and bowed twice. Once to the Emperor and again to the Princess. "Greetings, your majesty¡­ your highness." Then to Cyn, "Fortunately, this one did not fail in his mission. Requesting permission to report."

    "Go ahead," said the Emperor, leaning back in his chair, and Artemis perked up in her seat, paying close attention.

    "Your majesty, the Salamandra clan have made their move. They sent Laravel Salamandra to act as a tour guide for Mars Felidae and his wives."

    Cyn frowned slightly. He had expected some of the nobles to try and win over the Felidae but he hadn''t expected them to move so swiftly. And Laravel Salamandra was extremely favoured by her grandfather¡­ for her to move, it either indicated that the entire clan put a lot of importance on the matter. Or, the Sunlight Soldier had personally taken an interest in them.

    The messenger continued, "Mars Felidae spent the entire day touring the Capital, but first, he visited the communication tower and exchanged with his father. This one was able to intercept the conversation." Reaching into a pouch attached to his side, he brought out a small scroll. Stepping forward, he placed it on the desk in front of the Emperor.

    Unfurling the scroll, Cyn read through the transcript, his eyebrows rising in surprise. Removal of bloodlines, a Bestia turning Hominum in the womb, a possible new heir to the Felidae household¡­ the information contained in the small scroll was really big.

    Rolling it up again, he turned to Artemis and tossed it to her. "Here, read it and tell me what you think."

    Catching the scroll, she too began to read it. There was a short lull of silence as her grey eyes scanned over the parchment. Reaching the end, she looked up and met Cyn''s violet gaze. "While I''m not too keen on a marriage with him, I am very curious about his magic."

    Cyn indicated for the messenger to continue. "Then?"

    "Then they had lunch at a restaurant owned by Lady Salamandra and then visited the Forge of the Iron Bear in the Earth sector ¨C apparently Deimos Felidae had already commissioned a weapon from him prior to arriving here and they wanted to check up on the progress of the commission."

    "The Iron Bear? He''s that really testy blacksmith, isn''t he?" inquired Artemis.

    "Yes, your highness. He was manning the shop and they had an altercation with him¡­ but his wife stepped in and defused the situation. She invited them into the shop and they exited it a while later having reached some agreement."

    Artemis nodded. "His social skills are lacking but, his work is top-notch. The suit of armour he made me was just perfect ¨C especially the runic engraving on it."

    The messenger continued, "They spent the rest of the day in the Water sector, visiting the Arcanum and perusing books in the Library before returning to their accommodations. Lady Salamandra parted ways from them after seeing them home. This one believes that they have plans to visit the Light sector tomorrow in time for the sunrise."

    Cyn nodded. "The Light sector at sunrise. That is a sight to behold for the first time. I''ve become a bit numbed to it but the first time I saw it was truly awe-inspiring. It seems that little Laravel is being a good host." Turning to the messenger, he asked, "Anything else?"

    "No, your majesty."

    "Good work. You can draw back. Monitor them tomorrow as well and report to me after I return from¡­" he cast a glance at his packed schedule, "the dinner banquet in honour of the Lupin heir coming of age¡­ and his engagement to Erin Salamandra."

    A fortunate coincidence, he thought. He''d be able to probe the clan''s intentions for the Felidae boy.

    Acknowledging his instructions, the messenger bowed deeply again to the both of them and withdrew from the room, leaving the two of them alone in the room.

    "Artemis, what do you feel after reading his file?"

    Turning to face him, she replied, "Mars Felidae seems like a good person. Filial, courageous, compassionate¡­ talented, excessively so if these reports are true. Really, I can''t find anything negative about him in there. It''s a bit too perfect to be true." She waved her hand at the reports littering the table. "Basically, all these reports tell me is that the public perception of his character is quite good. They are rather useless."

    "Though," she relented, "there are several interesting things mentioned about his magic. Using the old language to cast magic, external casting, utilizing ambient mana in spells, a shattered mindscape¡­ I wonder why the research division hasn''t abducted him for dissection yet."

    The Emperor chuckled. "They definitely want to. Every member of the Council has received several propositions to that effect. Apparently, it could be a great step forward for magic as a whole."

    Artemis smiled, "Like that new type of beast that was discovered in the Bay of Kings last year?"

    Cyn Pavone shook his head exasperatedly, "Exactly like that. They are a bit prone to sensationalism." He brought the topic back. "And what of his wives?"

    "Nothing of relevance. All I reliably know is their cultivation base and their affinities. Nothing has been mentioned about their Aspects or their proficiency in them. Nothing definite. Only speculation that the Kitsune girl majors in the Aspect of Illusion and minors in the Aspect of Sleep. We only know this because of Reinhart''s duel with her. None of the reports before that mention anything about it."

    She paused, then continued, "This lack of information is, in itself, an issue. It shows that people are willing to risk covering her abilities up for her. She is quite well liked despite her lineage."

    "Be that as it may," Cyn pointed at an opened envelope on his desk. "I''ve received a joint request from the nobles to make your duel with Mars a public event. I was going to press for it to be a private so the marriage could still go through when he lost to you. But now, it seems that Mars isn''t the sole heir of the Felidae anymore¡­ I don''t think it is worth opposing the nobles and getting on your bad side for him."

    "Father!" exclaimed Artemis indignantly, knocking her chair back in her haste as she stood up. "You promised you wouldn''t interfere with my marriage if I won the duel!"

    He shrugged. "Rest assured, I won''t anymore." Then his eyes grew sharp. "But he is a man who has managed to keep three marks dark and even if he isn''t as strong as the reports claim, his contribution to magic and the Empire is still at the forefront of his generation. Marrying him isn''t the kind of travesty you are making it out to be¡­ your mother and I have made it very clear what we think about your current situation. I will ensure that you keep your word if, by some miracle, you lose."

 208 Chapter 6

    Both of them were waiting in a room in the palace, where they had been placed by the same wiry, bespectacled man who had escorted them from the Cloud Whale to their hotel on their first day at the Capital. The man had met up with them when they had reported to the reception with their identification documents and the invite to the audience with the Emperor.

    The palace was a grand construction with pristine white stone walls and expansive lawns. On their way in, they had passed through a beautifully maintained garden with scarlet roses in full bloom. A sweet floral aroma permeated the air. Their escort had explained that it was the Empress who personally oversaw the gardening. It was a hobby of hers.

    Then they had traversed a series of corridors, with ornate tapestries and suits of armour decorating their walls, before they had arrived at this waiting room.

    The room, too, was quite lavish with polished wooden flooring, plush furniture, and beautifully framed paintings on every wall. The large fireplace in one corner blazed cheerfully, driving out the chill of winter. An actual blaze, rather than a fire-stone hearth, that gave an orange cast to the room and created a cozy ambiance.

    "Are you sure you want to be here? I could¨C"

    Ceres laid a palm on Mars'' lips, silencing him. Taking it away, she said, "I''m sure. There are only two ways I can conduct myself to allay the suspicions of the people. Either I step forward and thoroughly involve myself with high-society, gain visibility and over time acceptance. Or, I vanish entirely out of the public''s line of sight and wait to be forgotten."

    She stared him straight in the eye. "I choose the former."

    Mars maintained the gaze for a while, his eyes seeming to see through her and gauge her determination. Then he smiled, "If that''s what you want, then that''s what''ll happen. I''ll help however I can."

    She smiled back, feeling warm inside.

    The three-day tour of the Capital had been hectic but enjoyable. They had tried to cram as many things into their schedule as possible to get a feeling for every sector and the city as a whole. They had watched the sun rising above the Light sector and admired the advanced medical facilities there, traversed the canals of the Water sector on the ornate gondolas that served as public transport, experienced the hustle and bustle of the industrial sector of the Capital: The Fire sector, and cut their teeth upon the perpetual night scene of the Shadow sector ¨C a sector of frivolity where all the entertainment establishments like the casinos and night shops were concentrated.

    All within two days.

    A knock at the door interrupted the moment and they turned in tandem to face it.

    "Come in."

    Hearing Mars'' permission, their escort turned the handle and entered. "Young Lord, Lady, the Council meeting will begin momentarily. You''re invited to make your entrance."

    Nodding, the two of them followed him as he guided them down another corridor to the Council Chamber. As they walked, he quickly went over the courtesies expected of them, ensuring that they didn''t commit a social gaffe at the meeting.

    "Young Lord, you are here in the capacity of the Kingdom''s emissary and you have been authorized by King Corvus to speak in his stead. That puts your status on par with the members of the Council. You needn''t bow to them. Only to the Emperor. A polite greeting will suffice for the rest."

    Turning to Ceres, he said, "As for you, Young Lady, you need to make a full curtsy towards the Emperor and a three-quarters one to the rest of the Council Members."

    Both of them nodded along. The Council Members were the heads of the hereditary noble families as well as the Dukes of the eight ¨C now seven ¨C provinces. They were all Tier 4 mages as the Tier 5s served in the military as Generals.

    Apart from Emperor Adam and Maeve the Lightbringer (his only wife to have reached the level of Demigod), there had been a total of thirty-two Demigods over the course of Regiis history. This only resulted in twelve hereditary noble bloodlines as more than one Demigod often appeared from the same clan. As the hereditary nobles couldn''t hold any lands, their power and influence at a certain point in time was measured by the cultivation base of their mages.

    Currently, there were eight Demigods in Regiis, seven of whom had come from the Clans and the last was Isabella.

    Even if they didn''t have a Demigod in their family now, it was statistically more probable for one to appear from the clans. So, they had a high status and their lack of landed holdings was compensated by the power they wielded in the form of a ballot vote at the Council.

    Reaching the door of the Council Chamber, the guide preceded them and announced them.

    "Emissary of the South-Eastern Kingdom, Mars Felidae and his spouse Ceres Felidae."

    Following him in, one step behind Mars, Ceres quickly scanned the gathering. There were twenty-one chairs arranged around a long rectangular table. One short edge of the table approached the door they had entered from. There was no chair there while the Council members were seated along the longer edges ¨C ten on each side. All the chairs but one was occupied by well-dressed men and women.

    Her eyes immediately fell upon the man sitting on a throne farthest from the door at the head of the table. The throne was only slightly raised ¨C enough to ensure that it was clear who was the leader of the meeting but not so much that it made him seemed too superior.

    The man had violet hair and eyes, two wings that shimmered with bluish-green iridescence and a magnificent tail of feathers which was mostly hidden behind his throne. Cyn Pavone, Emperor of Regiis.

    Behind him and a little to the right, sat a woman with steel wings and sun-kissed golden curls interwoven with oranges and pastel pinks. Her iron grey eyes were locked intensely on Mars. Feeling her vision, the woman turned and their eyes met.

    Those eyes felt like they were trying to pierce into her very core ¨C no, more likely trying to run her through with a sword to see what colour she bled. Uncomfortable, Ceres broke the gaze. She decided that she didn''t like the woman very much. Though, given her unique characteristics it wasn''t hard to identify who she was. Sword Maiden Artemis, First Princess of the Empire.

    Raising the edges of her flowing skirt, she curtsied deeply towards the Emperor in tandem with Mars who put a hand on his chest and bent his waist slightly.

 209 Chapter 7

    Straightening up from my bow at the Emperor''s words, I turned to the empty seat he was gesturing towards. It was the third seat from the throne on the right side of the table. Apparently, the complicated state of our province hadn''t affected the seating arrangements. At least, for now.

    The first four seats approaching the throne on both sides of the table were reserved for the Dukes or their representatives. The rest of the seats were for the twelve Families, putting them one step below the Dukes in the pecking order ¨C a reminder that Regiis was still primarily a meritocracy.

    The erstwhile representative of the South-eastern province had been deposed and detained for obvious reasons while the fate of the northern and western districts was up in the air. The most likely outcome would be the fusion of the northern district with the Eastern province and the western district with the Southern province while the newly formed South-Eastern Kingdom took the place of the dissolved province.

    As Ceres and I made our way towards the empty seat, a servant hurried forward with an ornate chair and set it behind and slightly to the side of it before hurrying back to his position and standing at attention, joining the others by the wall. I noticed a three-stage trolley on standby in one corner of the room with a maid beside it, ready to serve refreshments whenever the need arose.

    Greeting my neighbours politely, I pulled the chair back and took my seat as Ceres made herself comfortable in hers. I could feel all eyes at the table scrutinizing us, taking our measure.

    All the men and women here were extremely accomplished mages. Not to mention the Tier 4 Heads of the Families, even the representatives of the Dukes were Tier 3 mages at the very least. The combined weight of their gazes was profoundly uncomfortable. I felt like an animal at a zoo and all I could do was straighten my spine, throw out my chest and project a confidence I did not feel.

    But there was one gaze that was particularly potent, causing my scalp to tingle as though a thousand needles were pricking it.

    Turning to the throne, I looked beyond it to the winged woman eyeing me with the gaze of a raptor. Her steel feathers glinted under the light and her iron grey eyes contained swords. I couldn''t feel the fluctuations of mana around her (something I could accomplish even with my soul sense restrained), signifying that her affinity was towards the Earth.

    My eyes lingered on her metallic wings for a moment before I turned away. A special affinity then. A version of earth just as the Kitsune''s smoke was a version of flame. She was only the third person I had met with a special affinity after the Duchess and Ceres. Princess Artemis Valkyria, Sword Maiden. Her blood-soaked reputation preceded her.

    The Emperor opened his mouth, "Now that all members are in attendance, We declare this Council session open." He paused. "But before We present the first article in today''s Agenda, We would like to take the opportunity to welcome the newest member in our midst. Mars Felidae is an exemplary mage, pushing the boundaries of magic and carving out a new path where his peers are left blindly following the footsteps of their elders."

    Actually, I followed Master''s advice to develop external casting. Not much different from my peers to be honest. Just luckier in that I survived the shattering of my mindscape.

    "Blessed with a staunch sense of duty, he penetrated the heart of a Forbidden Zone to face the horrors within."

    Oh my. I''ll blush if he keeps this up. Rather than a sense of duty, though, I feel that it was my desire to clear Ceres'' name and build her a place by my side that motivated me.

    "And despite his youth and inexperience, his exemplary courage saw him facing down an injured ant Queen, delaying it till reinforcements could arrive and deal with it. With this heroic act, he paved the way to an unprecedented victory over the Calamity ¨C driving it back with the lowest recorded casualties in all of history."

    Yup. That one was all me.

    "When Our daughter heard of his deeds and accomplishments, she couldn''t bear develop some curiosity towards him, begging Us to let her attend this session." Turning to me, he said, "We have read the reports of your spouse''s contributions to the logistics team during the war against the Calamity. We believe her competent enough to speak in your stead. As a father, We selfishly hope that you will humour Our daughter''s request and take a stroll with her."

    Hah¡­ what?

    All the cogs in my mind came to a jarring halt, leaving me staring blankly at him for a moment before they began to whirr again crazily. In Regiis, when a father asked you to take a stroll with his daughter, it basically meant that he was interested in marrying her off to you. It was a way of forcing a dithering man into either accepting or rejecting a relationship. By proposing it in front of an audience, the social pressure would force him to decide. The ''stroll'' was the only cushion time he would get. Seeing that the Emperor had proposed this in front of the entire Council, the highest legislative body in the Empire, he was dead serious about this.

    No, no, no¡­ I don''t wanna marry crazy executioner lady!

    No wonder she was glaring at me like she wanted to bore more holes in me than in a block of cottage cheese. If her father was pressuring her into the marriage, it was natural for her to resent me.

    And that probe by the aristocrats¡­ it made so much more sense now. Rather than a demonstration of authority towards my parents, what if they actually wanted me to duel and lose against that Reinhart guy. That''d discredit me enough that I wouldn''t be in any state to marry a Princess. They wanted to prevent the Emperor from tying us up onto his political chariot.

    Come to think of it, while Aeryn was King Corvus, first of his name; he too was originally a Pavone. The chains of causality began to grow clear in my mind''s eye as the fog of mystery lifted from them.

    So, what now? Do I agree to the stroll and push the boat along? Or do I refuse and shame the Emperor and the Princess in front of the entire Council?

    Oh, who am I kidding? Like I ever had a choice. I turned to Ceres. She was frowning with narrowed eyes as she regarded the Princess. Noticing my gaze, she turned to me and nodded slightly. I sighed internally. I could only hope that the Princess and I could work something out between us that would let us dodge this bullet out of the blue.

 210 Chapter 8

    "What do you know about me?" asked Princess Artemis as she guided me out of the Hall through a door behind the throne and down branching corridors, navigating the turns with familiarity and confidence.

    There was a¡­ confrontational cast to her gait. The way she held herself -- straight-backed, her metallic wings spread slightly in an exclusion of everyone else from her personal space, and with a hand resting on the pommel of her sword -- it seemed like she was always ready for a fight; nay, spoiling for one. And her eyes... Those steely eyes of hers studied me with a falcon-like intensity as she waited for my reply, filling me with trepidation and making me feel like the wrong words out of my mouth would earn me a sword through my gut.

    Taking a moment to gather my thoughts and compose myself, (What? Talking to a real live Princess, especially one as intimidating as her, was a stressful affair. I could be forgiven for the butterflies in my stomach.) I said, "Nothing, your Highness, beyond what public perception and my first impressions would have me believe."

    "Hmm? And what would that be?"

    "That your Highness is the First Princess of Regiis; that your talent is unapproachable amongst your peers and even among those several years your elder; that countless criminals have been brought to justice under the arc of your sword... That you have never been blighted by defeat¡­ and that you never will.

    "They call you the Sword Maiden, your Highness, not only because you have earned that title through blood and steel, but because even after twenty summers in this world and four after turning Feral, you are yet to be wed. It is said that Vita''s vile whispers are unable to turn the justice in your soul, that you shall remain pure and incorruptible all your life ¨C a sword dangling above the heads of all who would break the law, reminding them to stay on the straight and narrow when their consciences fail to."

    Princess Artemis smiled thinly. "Yes, they do say that, but I strongly doubt that they frame it in as poetic a prose as you." She paused. "And there is truth in what they say, shrouded by layer upon layer of exaggeration and sycophancy though it may be. Yet, that is not all they say...

    Conversation died, slain by her words, and we walked side-by-side in a dreary silence broken only by the sound of our boots against stone, the soft susurration of her metallic feathers rubbing against each other, and my thoughts loud in my head. Reaching the end of the corridor, the Princess stepped forward and pushed the ornate mahogany door set into the wall open, revealing a brightly sunlit garden. Though, to call it a garden wouldn''t be doing it justice. It was a forest. A forest where every tree was different from its neighbour; where every tree was pruned for the best aesthetics, and where every tree was a miniature of their counterparts in nature: A forest of bonsai.

    A dome of clear glass arched over our heads as we stepped into the garden, glinting under the glare of the noon sun. The earthy scent of moist loam mixed with the heady fragrance of flowers and I saw a knee-high cherry blossom in full bloom, its pastel pinks contrasting with the russet reds, browns, and oranges of a deciduous resplendent in its festive autumnal garb. In another part of the garden, sober white flowers hid the green of the leaves of one miniature tree, while beside it, bright red fruits peeked out shyly from between the fronds of another. Colourful butterflies flitted from one tree to another, busying themselves in the industry of life.

    All thoughts of blood and death were driven out of my mind by the magnificence on display and, turning to Artemis, I had to ask: "How?"

    "It''s Mother''s pet project," she said as she swept her eyes over the garden. "Mother uses her magic to guide the trees into their present statures and to keep them frozen in the most splendid moments of their lives. A miracle worked by her mastery over the Aspects of both Healing and Time. If the rose garden outside is something she takes care of for the enjoyment and appreciation of others¡­ then this place is for herself. Her personal sanctum." A soft smile curved her lips. "And I have a key."

    It was the first time I had seen her don an expression other than severity. It suited her. There, with the sunlight setting fire to her hair and shimmering off her wings, flecking the underside of her chin with patches of light, I could understand why she was so popular among the masses¡­ why it was so easy to idolize her.

    "Why bring me here if this place is so important?" I asked.

    Turning to me, she looked me in the eye. "You''re seem like a smart person. You should have already guessed why we are taking this leisurely ''stroll'' right now while the Council convenes without us." Without waiting for an answer, she explained, "To have us negotiate our marriage."

    Facing me fully, she crossed her arms across her chest.

    "Look, I''ll be completely honest with you. This was my Father''s idea. He wants to get close to your parents, and through them and Uncle Corvus, consolidate the Pavone Clan''s status as hereditary nobility. He wants to pave the way for my younger brother, Apollo." Pausing, she inquired, "You do know that I''m adopted right?"

    ''Huh? Really?'' My eyes went to her wings which didn''t match either her father or her mother''s traits. ''Come to think of it, that does make sense. As the firstborn female, she should have been the one handed the Imperial Technique, not her younger sister, no matter how talented she is or how early she turned Feral. Also, her bloodline and her last name: Valkyria not Pavone¡­ If she is adopted then it can all be explained away.''

    Noticing my surprise, Artemis nodded slightly. "Well, you can be forgiven for your ignorance as this isn''t exactly something that is publicized widely. Only the members of the Council are in the know and they don''t make much of an effort to spread the knowledge.

 211 Chapter 9

    Skirting around the edge of the bonsai forest, she led us to a gazebo in one corner of the garden. Instead of benches, there were two swings wrought of darkened metal with plushly cushioned seats facing each other. Taking a seat on one of them, she invited me to sit on the other.

    Adjusting her wings for comfort, she leaned back and pushed off lightly with the tip of her toe, making it swing gently.

    "According to the normal flow, we should be swapping stories right about now. I tell you about myself and you return the favour. Getting to know each other as it were. But the problem is that, to understand my story, you will need some context¡­ a lot of context."

    Leaning her head back against the backrest, she looked up at the domed ceiling of the gazebo. Curious, I followed her line of sight.

    The ceiling, like the rest of the gazebo, was made from polished white marble shot through with light pink veins. There, chiselled into it was a map. A map of the entire world.

    It was in the form of a figure of eight, two circles touching each other at a single point, each depicting one half of the world. I could recognize the Continent immediately ¨C a large mass of land that took up most of one of the circles. Regiis was clearly marked with cross-hatching distinguishing it from its surroundings. To the east of Regiis was the expansive spread of Huaxia while its west was fragmented into the five major Nations ¨C Indus, Egypt and Rome bordering Regiis and the Caliphate and the Deus theocracy beyond. And to the extreme north of the Continent, occupying the perpetually frozen wastelands there, were the Barbarian hordes.

    Lining the southern edge of the Continent was a broad expanse of (relatively) shallow seas: The Bay of Kings.

    Occupying the centre of the Bay was the island nation of the Shogunate, connected to the mainland through maritime trade routes that used several of the scattered islands and archipelagos within it as rest stops. The Bay was also home to the corsairs of the Vikings ¨C the notorious pirates that were a scourge upon all insufficiently protected cargo ships traversing those routes.

    All this was familiar to me, but the second half of the map was something I had never seen before. When I turned my gaze to the Princess with question in my eyes, she explained, "That''s the map of the other half of the world. The Forbidden Continent and the impassable oceans surrounding it.

    "The only reason we even know about its existence is through the words and cargoes brought to us by the Sky Merchants of Mercator ¨C the residents of the allied groups of floating islands that circle our world along its latitudes."

    I had read about Mercator before. It was more of a trade union and a loose coalition of merchants than a proper organization. As per the origin mythos of our world, a massive asteroid had crashed into it in its nascent stage, gouging out a huge chunk of it, combining with it and forming the moon. The resultant depression was filled by water over long years of precipitation, creating the oceans and seas that we see today. It is said that debris of the asteroid remained scattered all over the world, hovering above the earth due to their special nature and forming the chains of floating islands.

    Due to how spread out the islands were, the Sky Merchants formed smaller guilds within themselves based on which clumps of islands they resided on. Mainly Pluma in lineage, they traded with whichever surface-dwellers they passed over, buying cheap and selling high to earn prodigious profits. Within their organization money was status, money was power, money was religion.

    But I hadn''t been aware that the Sky Merchants traded with this so-called Forbidden Continent. The time taken by them to circle Ea was a little irregular but they generally appeared once every ten cycles (forty years) and brought with them large amounts of exotic maritime resources that they had traded from the Marine Empire of Atlantis ¨C the nation of the sea-folk: The Mer. I had assumed that Atlantis was the only thing on the opposite side of the world. Apparently, I was wrong.

    It reminded me once again of my inadequacy. Princess Artemis, adopted or not, had received an Imperial education and even Ceres, the most well-read among us, wouldn''t be able to compare with the broadness of her knowledge.

    "I wanted to show you this. That''s why I brought you here. You need to at least have an idea of it if you are to understand my tale. I don''t particularly support the practice but a lot of information is considered unnecessary for public dissemination. ''They don''t need to know,'' is what the authorities say." Artemis shook her head and sighed. "Thanks to that, you have a lot of holes in your knowledge that I''ll have to fill as we go along. As the wise men say, it is always best to start at the very beginning and work your way up."

    She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts and organizing them before launching into her tale.

    "My roots are Roman. Julius Caesar, before he earned his title by carving his own nation out of the world, was named Julius Aegypius. A Pluma with the blood of eagles flowing through his veins, he was one of the first disciples of Emperor Adam as well as one of his most accomplished Generals during his war against the tribes. Despite his affinity being towards the element of Earth and his landed exploits later in life, it was naval warfare that he first became famous for. He fought off the Vikings, protecting the ships Emperor Adam used to trade with Indus for the equipment and resources he needed to push further inland with his nascent army.

 212 Chapter 10

    Immediately after I said that, I realized that I''d unintentionally fallen into a casual tone of voice and dispensed with the honorifics. I blame my lack of interaction with nobility in formal settings. Thankfully, the Princess didn''t seem to notice as she interjected in surprise: "You have?"

    "It''s my mother''s favourite book," I explained. "We have a translated copy of it in our clan''s library and I have read it from cover to cover several times. It''s one of my favourites too."

    She grew pensive. "Well, it does make sense for a copy to make its way into your library¡­ after all, you aren''t that far from the coast."

    I nodded. "It''s a great book. Historical fiction in the guise of a romance. Both aspects of it are superbly executed, especially the historical part of it. Getting to know how different the world was back in the day is very interesting."

    "Yes," agreed Artemis, "without Tamers and the contracts, the world was an entirely different place. Not only were women with strong bloodlines reviled, feared, mistreated and sometimes even strangled in the cradle, but those who escaped that fate inevitably gave in to Vita''s whispers and turned Feral.

    "Beasts weren''t only restricted to the Forbidden Zone as they are now¡­ and they weren''t only insectoid in nature. The Feral women lived most of their lives as beasts until menopause hit and caused them to be rejected by Vita. They were left as decrepit husks, broken by the memories of a lifetime spent as a rabid animal bent on the destruction of the world... Maybe even memories of killing and consuming humans.

    "It''s amazing how much a single discovery can change the entire world over the span of merely two millennia. Two thousand and nineteen years to be exact."

    I couldn''t agree with her more. Emperor Adam''s story was proof that one man, no matter how humble his birth, could make a difference. It was an inspiration to us all.

    "Anyway," said Artemis, pulling us back on topic. "According to the Saga, a young Julius was appointed by Adam to guard the cargo ships bound to Indus through the Bay of Kings. Along the way, the convoy met with several ships of Viking raiders. They did their best to intercept the pirates in order to prevent the leakage of news about their location but it was a futile effort. The Viking corsairs were the rulers of the seas, sleek and built for speed and boarding combat much unlike the bulky cargo ships.

    She paused, then continued. "Pushed to the brink of destruction, out of desperation the pirates were forced to release their final trump card."

    "Sigr¨²n Valkyria, the Steelweaver." I whispered, caught up in the tale despite having read it several times before.

    Artemis nodded. "Many years ago, the Vikings had found an isolated island during their exploration of the seas. It was a small, barren island with a huge mountain and steep escarpments on all sides. It was occupied only by a race of Pluma with steel wings.

    "The natives lived simple hunter-gatherer lives by subsisting off the fish in the sea and making their homes in hollows in the rocky cliff face. They were also unique in that they didn''t kill their Ferals. Instead they somehow entered into a symbiotic relationship by worshipping them as Goddesses. Surprisingly the Ferals seemed to restrain their destructive urges and protect them instead, becoming their guardian deities."

    With what I knew now about souls, Vita''s will, and bloodlines, this part of the story made more sense. Those more talented, with denser bloodlines, were the ones that turned Feral. Thus, the Ferals would have more of the soul fragments of their Demigod ancestors within them. The Steel Falcon bloodline''s urge to protect its consanguinity must have fought off Vita''s will and prevented the Feral Valkyries from harming their brethren.

    Artemis continued, "When the pirates found the island, they decided, as was their creed, to conquer it and enslave its people. It was an extremely difficult and bloody battle, and when the Feral Falcons entered the battle on the behalf of the natives, it turned into a lopsided slaughter. Until, that is, Freyja, one of the six pirate Kings entered the fray.

    "She single-handedly suppressed the revolt of the natives and forced them to surrender under her might. She named the island Valhalla and the Feral women Valkyries, taking both of them for her own. The island became her paradise and the women became her personal guards."

    In the Viking mythology, there are six Pirate Kings who were and still are worshiped as deities. They were the founders of the seafaring race of raiders and plunderers. It is rumoured that each one was at Tier 5 peak at the very least and one or two had even touched the level of Demigod before they passed away.

    The six kings were the Thunder King ¨C Thor, who is portrayed as unrelentingly pursuing his foes, his mountain-crushing, thunderous hammer Mj?lnir in hand. The Trickster King ¨C Loki, nefarious and armed with a sceptre, he was the one who devised the strategies for the pirates. And finally, the King of Death ¨C Odin. One-eyed, flanked by ravens, and with spear in hand. Seeker of knowledge and the overall leader of the Aesir ¨C a faction of the Vikings.

    Opposing this faction was the Vanir led by the goddess (most likely a man in drag or a very unusual female commoner); Freyja. She was depicted as beautiful, sensual and wearing a feathered cloak. They named her the Queen of War for her militant nature and love for battle. And she was indeed depicted as the ruler of a paradise called Valhalla for the bravest of warriors: the Einherjar. It was said that the souls of these warriors would go there after death and be served the best of food and wine while the Valkyries waited upon them. More likely, the island had been transformed into a resort for the old and retired pirates. A place to spend the last years of their life in comfort ¨C for making it to that age meant that the man was among the best of the best.

    The two final Kings on the side of the Vanir were the King of the Sea ¨C Nj?rdr and the Demonic King of Lust ¨C Freyr. Many of their subordinates were also enshrined as gods in the mythos while the historical war between the two factions is recorded as the Aesir-Vanir War.

    Artemis continued, "Even after Freyja''s passing the Valkyries remained the slaves of her descendants. They were granted to the leaders of the most notorious of Viking fleets. Sigr¨²n was one of the Valkyries and she was the slave of the pirate leader who had attacked Julius'' cargo fleet."

    She paused. "Here the story is unclear as to how they managed to control her but it is said that she fought on behalf of the Vikings. In her Feral form, she was more than a match for the young Julius and he had to beat a hasty retreat. It was all he could do to protect his ships, giving the injured remnants of the pirates a chance to get away.

    "After that, the story is quite simple. The fleet reached Indus, successfully completing the transaction for weapons and equipment. And on their way back, they directly attacked Tortuga, the location of which they had tortured out of a captive pirate. The Vikings were still licking their wounds and with the enhanced weaponry, they easily managed to wipe them out and take over Tortuga. They found a great deal of treasure and commodities there which accelerated Emperor Adam''s war efforts.

    "Other than that, Julius managed to free Sigr¨²n, and after some obligatory drama, healed the scars on her heart and mind with his affection, marrying her soon after landing on Regiis soil. Adam personally notarized their marriage."

    She coughed, and licked her lips. Realizing that her throat was dry, I sketched a ''water'' character in the air and conjured up a small floating sphere of water from the air and moved it towards her. Giving me a grateful look, she cupped her hands and caught the water, sipping it and wetting her throat.

    "Thanks for that. External casting is really handy, isn''t it? Anyway, we went off on a tangent with my telling of the Saga, but I had to ensure that the version you read was accurate. After all, sometimes things get lost in translation."

    "Wait!" I interrupted in surprise, "You can read Nordic?"

 213 Chapter 11

    Leaning back in her seat and holding onto the chains that attached the swing to the ceiling, she swung gently as she continued:

    "After Sigr¨²n recovered enough of her mental health and faculties, she guided Julius to the place where she grew up. It wasn''t Valhalla. That is too important to the Vikings for a mere fleet captain to have any sort of access to. But it was one of the several training camps for young Valkyries scattered all across the Bay.

    "To the Vikings, the Valkyrie were a status symbol as well as a tactical weapon. The original Valhalla was too small to supply the growing demand for them so these camps sprang up: Small islands with a similar rocky topography as the original, enough space for a few bearers of the Steel Falcon bloodline to be immigrated, and eyries for the Feral Valkyries.

    "There the girls with talent were trained, both in combat and in obedience."

    I was suddenly enlightened. "Ah¡­ so that was where the mysterious undefeated special forces of Caesar originated and the reason why they were so loyal to him¡­" I blurted out. "They were the members of the Steel Falcon clan he rescued from that camp, weren''t they?"

    Artemis nodded appreciatively.

    "Correct. The Valkyria clan were a huge boost for Julius in all his future endeavours. They were his cutting edge for the series of conquests in his later life that earned him the title: Caesar."

    "Valkyria? Then¡­ your Highness, you¡­" I began hesitantly, but Artemis cut me off mid-sentence.

    "No need for any honorifics. We were doing fine even without them¡­ and to be honest, my status is much emptier than yours. You aren''t really obligated to address me in so formal a manner. And, yes. I can guess what you want to ask." Pausing briefly, she forged ahead. "Yes. The people Caesar rescued took the title of Valkyria to remind them of their roots. Led by Sigr¨²n, they fought for him in secret. They were his trump card. The reason why he was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat several times in the course of his campaign."

    "Wait," I interjected. "If the Valkyria were that instrumental in his victories, then why aren''t they featured more prominently in historical records?"

    "Caesar had the records wiped. He mostly used the aerial unit as a trump card to suddenly reverse the flow of a battle and seize the initiative. For that, secrecy was half the battle. Even after conquering most of Egypt, he still had plans for further expansion, so he still needed them to be kept secret. Also, the Valkyria were utterly loyal to him so they didn''t really mind staying in the shadows and forgoing the credit they deserved."

    Julius Caesar had set up a senate to govern his Empire. It was composed of those who had contributed the most, be it through military exploits or magical or socio-economic innovations. But this system was flawed as the ones evaluating the merits were the ones in power. Nepotism and corruption ran rife and the power structure had ossified towards the end of his reign, the factions with vested interest in the senate growing powerful enough to faintly start threatening his authority.

    Sensing the unfavourable trend, Caesar had decided to cull the power of the senate by arrogating more power to himself by declaring himself Dictator. He planned to instate a system where the subjects would be able to elect their own rulers. Obviously, that was the reason for his assassination.

    "One score and three times they stabbed him on the Ides of March; and as his body lay cooling on the flagstones of the open street, the senators joined forces to root out and capture every single Valkyria."

    Closing her eyes, Artemis sighed gently. "It was to be expected, really. The Valkyria had the most contributions to the Empire and once that became public, as per the current set of rules, quite a few of the senators would be replaced. That was the first thing Caesar planned to do after he became Dictator, thereby consolidating his power. Enough to push the other, more radical, policies through. Like making the Senatorial system a Democracy. Also, the Valkyria were death loyal to Caesar and extremely strong. If given a chance, they would surely retaliate."

    Opening her eyes, she looked at me and said in a heavy voice, "I won''t tell you about the years of persecution suffered by our clan as the Roman Empire turned upon itself and crumbled from the interior¡­ Suffice it to be said that we didn''t lead pleasant lives as the Senatorial system was slowly warped into the abomination that it has become today in utter violation of Caesar''s vision. A system of hereditary nobility where each senator comes from one of the clans of the original traitors.

    "The senators did an even better job of erasing us out of history than Caesar. After all, they wouldn''t want their shameful past exposed, now would they? Without context, their descendants treated us like exotic slaves without understanding our true significance and slowly but surely, we withered away. Even the name of our clan was forgotten."

    "I am one of the final Valkyria, among the pitiful few left of my clan. The only reason I''m here, instead of languishing in some noble''s bedroom is because during his Swayamvar, when he visited Rome for his Trial of Shadow, father recognized my mother''s bloodline and she convinced him to bring me back to Regiis with him."

    Her iron-grey eyes flashed with steely anger. "My birth mother died in captivity within the year after that. I never got to see her."

    The Trial of Shadow generally dealt with espionage and covert operations. Artemis was around one year old during the previous Swayamvar. For Emperor Pavone to have evaded detection and successfully extradited her was no mean feat. Looking after such a small child was a monumental task in and as of itself.

    My heart couldn''t help but go out to her. She was another orphan. Another victim of this cruel world. As were the Valkyria.

    Anger turned to determination and her eyes glinted like the edge of a naked sword.

    "For too long have the Valkyria suffered. For too long has our destiny been a tragic one. I want to change this destiny. Steel chains of Fate shackle us to the ground. I want to sever these accursed chains. I want us to fly again."

    She looked me right in the eye.

    "For that reason, I need to be strong. Strong enough for my sword to cut the chains that hold my brethren in Rome. Strong enough to enter Valhalla and bring my clansmen out. To cut through all obstacles in my path.

 214 Chapter 12

    We were back at our apartment. Most of the meeting, according to Ceres, had been about the integration of the Northern and Western districts of the dissolved South-eastern Province into the neighbouring provinces, as well as the strategy and logistics for forming the battle-lines surrounding Shogunate-occupied-Regiis.

    It was mid-afternoon now and we had already partaken of lunch at the Palace; a delicious spread of the best cuisine the Capital had to offer. I sank into the chair beside her and she leaned her body against my side. I wrapped an arm around her waist and she cuddled closer, resting her head on my shoulder and pressing her forehead against the side of my neck.

    "You can say that again," I agreed.

    Right after the banquet, Princess Artemis had publicly challenged me to a duel for her hand in marriage. It was to be held next week. The venue was one of the Trial grounds within the Imperial Palace premises ¨C more specifically, one of the underground arenas. It was to limit our mobility as we could both fly. We would also have an audience. Who exactly that would be was unclear, but at least all of the aristocratic families and most of the major associations (merchant, adventurer, academy) would send representatives to watch, in the Emperor''s words, ''a duel between two of the most talented youths in the Empire.''

    There was no one at the apartment when we returned. Phobos was still at the Library while Deimos had left a note on the living room table informing us that she had accepted Lara''s invite to visit the Salamandra household and check out their training grounds.

    Deimos was really enamoured with the half-dragon lady, treating her like a friend, a sister and a mother all rolled into one, and Lara had responded right back. The both of them were thick as thieves.

    I couldn''t help but feel sad at the realization that I would never be able to fill the gap in her heart left by the loss of her parents. To a certain extent, Deimos treated my parents like hers, but it wouldn''t ever be the same. A bit of the void would always remain. I was glad that she had found an older woman to interact with, especially one as open and guileless as Lara.

    This line of thought reminded me of Artemis'' story. The princess was actually suffering from something akin to survivor''s guilt. She had been saved while others like her still suffered. Why should it be her and not them? What had she done to merit such providence? Those questions were what drove her to saddle herself with a grand mission to justify her privileged existence.

    If she was the one who rescued her entire race from their plight, then her being chosen would mean something.

    She turned in my embrace and looked up at me, those liquid cinnamon eyes of hers aglow with affection. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she kissed me gently on my lips before rubbing her face into my chest.

    "Husband," she whined. "Must you marry that odd woman? She glares too much. I feel like I won''t like her."

    Hugging her tight, I placed my chin on top of her head and replied, the position causing each of my words to end with a click of my teeth, "That''s some inflated confidence you have in me. She is a Hand of Justice. She is supposed to be the cream of the crop among Tier 3s and you are automatically writing her off?"

    Giggling, Ceres squirmed out of my embrace and rubbed the top of her head. "Heh. Stop it. It tickles when you do that."

    Her expression growing serious, she looked me in the eye and said, "Husband, you brought me back from the brink of death when a Tier 4 peak healer working together with a Tier 5 mage were at a loss. You barely had the capabilities of a Tier 2 then."

    "Husband," she stated categorically, stressing every word, "in my eyes, you can do anything."

    You know the feeling you get when you look up on a clear, moonless night and see the galaxy arcing across the sky? Or the feeling of standing at the summit of a mountain, or a really high building and looking down at the world stretching out before you? A giddy rush of excitement coupled with an emptiness in the heart. A sense of achievement juxtaposed upon a reminder of your insignificance.

    Ceres words made me feel that way. I was proud that she thought of me so highly and utterly terrified of letting her down.

    With a gentle smile and without another word, she wrapped her arms around my neck again and returned to the previous posture with her face buried into the crook of my neck. I revelled in the silent companionship, in the faint fragrance of spice wafting off her, in the feel of her heart beating against mine, separated by little more than nothing.

    Reluctantly, I broke the silence.

    "Even if I can win, what makes you think that I would even want to? I''m perfectly happy with the number of wives I have. Honestly, I would hate to force the princess into something she so clearly doesn''t want. I could just throw the duel."

    Her warm breath tickling the skin of my neck and her short hair brushing against my chin, Ceres countered with a question of her own, "Could you throw the duel convincingly under the eyes of mages with as much experience at the top brass of Regiis? And if they caught on, wouldn''t it be a huge insult to the Princess that you detest the concept of marrying her enough to violate the honour code of the duel?"

    She shook her head. "No, going easy isn''t an option. You need to fight with all your might. Show them what you can do, open their eyes and drum up prestige¡­ And what better way to do that than winning, and marrying the Princess?"

    "Wait! Hold your horses, girl. Didn''t you just hear me say that the Princess doesn''t want to marry me? If she loses, she''ll have to. She proposed the duel after all."

    "Hmph," snorted Ceres dismissively. "How dare she not want you? The silly goose just doesn''t know what she''s talking about. Take me for example: I came with ulterior motives into the marriage. That''s objectively worse than her situation. And look at me now. It didn''t take even a year for you to make me willing to discard my life for you. You underestimate your charm, husband. She''ll get over it."

 215 Chapter 13

    She forged ahead without giving me a chance to protest, enumerating the points on her fingers:

    "First of all, she is adopted so she doesn''t come with that gaudy but useless title of Emperor. It won''t tie you down like a millstone around your neck all your life.

    "Secondly, didn''t you say that she was an accomplished linguist? There you go. An interpreter in your permanent, unpaid employ. You want to travel the world, right? You need an interpreter for that. And one just delivered herself to your doorstep.

    "Not only that, her status means that she is the perfect Ambassador to send to other nations. Marry her, play your cards right and you can travel the world on Imperial coin. Perfect.

    "Thirdly, connections. The Pavone clan, the Emperor and the Empress¡­ they are just the tip of the iceberg. Don''t forget that the Emperor won the Swayamvar. That means he had a six-person team with him at the end. All six of them should be in very high-ranking posts in civil and military domains. By marrying Madame Perma-glare you get access to all those connections as well as the families behind them.

    "Don''t forget that you are here on behalf of the South-Eastern Kingdom and the Felidae clan. Think of their benefits a bit before sympathizing with a petulant spinster. You can do that after you marry her.

    "Fourth, you need to impress upon the academic circle of the Capital how great your magic actually is. Do you know why the aristocrats are constantly doubting you? It''s because they have tried external casting. All the Tamers employed by the Families and the research institutes have experimented with the technique and found it interesting, but nothing too extraordinary.

    "I probed everyone present during the Council meeting for their attitude towards you and your magic. I found that they were more impressed by that trick you pulled of with the mind crystal and Amplification runes. They have no idea how powerful and versatile external casting is without a mindscape. They have drawn conclusions based on their own fiddling and put you down as a pretender. According to them, external casting just makes a Tamer more mana-efficient than before without affecting the power of their magic. A far cry from what you can do.

    "If you trounce the Princess, widely considered to be the best Tier 3 duellist in the Empire, then you will generate a great deal of interest in your magic. That means that they will approach you for your knowledge. This gives you political capital for negotiation. You can use it to have them allot resources and manpower into helping sister Phobos with her research project."

    Taking a deep breath, she continued, "And one last thing. The specialness of Princess Artemis herself. Do you think that a normal woman with a talent as strong as hers could stay unwed and still avoid turning Feral?"

    Actually, that was something I had taken note of and asked the Princess about. She had revealed that her catchphrase wasn''t just semantics; it was literal. She was actually married to her sword. She had the sword crafted from her own feathers and through some technique, linked her soul to it like a Tamer would link two people. The reason she could avoid turning Feral was because, by meditating daily upon her sword, she could shift Vita''s divine will into it.

    I had been really excited about this as it seemed a possible way to help Phobos'' mother if it could be replicated, but she had tossed a wet blanket over my enthusiasm by saying that she was oathbound to not reveal the technique. But now that I thought about it, even if she didn''t explicitly tell us about the technique, with my soul sense and with a bond to her, I could probably derive something just by repeated observation.

    "She must have a technique that lets her do this," finished Ceres. "If you marry her, we can get our hands on it and it would be a huge help for our research. So husband, marry her. The advantages outweigh the drawbacks, by far."

    Sporting a sour look on her face as if she had chewed a lemon, she muttered under her breath, "I can''t believe I''m trying to convince him to take another wife and split his attention further."

    Bursting out laughing, I grabbed her waist and raised her off me. Standing up and spinning her around, I set her down on the couch. Taking a step back, I knelt on the ground and bowed deeply towards her, my forehead touching her knees. "O Goddess, this lowly one begs thee to bestow thine wisdom upon him."

    Giggling, Ceres leaned down and ruffled my curls with her dainty hand. In a pompous tone of voice, she said, "Rise, worthy mortal. Thine prayers have been heard. To reward thine devotion, this Goddess shall deign to descend to the mortal plane as thine bride. Follow this Goddess'' words in all matters and all will be well."

    I grabbed her hands and rose to a half-kneeling posture. "It shall be as you command."

    Her eyes glinting with mischief, she said, "For your first task, you shall compensate me for dumping me in a tedious meeting for hours while you flirted with another woman. Carry me to the bathroom, bathe me and give me one of those massages sister Deimos always praises¡­ Serve me well and I might reward you for your efforts."

    Standing up with a laugh, I swept her up into my arms and walked towards the bathroom.

 216 Chapter 14

    When I had fallen in, the well was dry and ten metres deep. When I had fallen in, I had broken my legs. Fractured the bones of my hands. Sighing with resignation, I lay down in the muddy water and let it slowly cover me.

    From my perspective as I looked up, the falling raindrops seemed to converge to a point on the underbelly of the clouds. Sometimes, lightning flashed, painting the world white and silver. Thunder pealed. It continued to rain.

    My hearing was the first to go, the water level rising above my ears and leaving me in a world of profound silence. No, the silence wasn''t complete. I could still hear the beat of my heart.

    Thump. Thump. Thump.

    The gutsy organ was still trying its best to keep me alive despite my apathy. It brought a tear to my eye. It brought a tear to my eyes and opened the floodgates. I cried, I wept, I wailed, I cursed. Then, exhausted, I whimpered.

    It rained harder. The murky waters covered my eyes. The ripples on its surface due to the falling raindrops filling my vision with static. My heart beat harder. It rained.

    The waters covered my nose. I held my breath.

    The waters rose and I could feel myself grow weightless as the air in my lungs helped me float. My long hair floated up around my face like a dark halo as I struggled to raise my head out of the water without my limbs.

    My lungs burned. My body ached with the need to take a breath. My mind screamed against the instinct. My body won. Water flooded into my lungs, dowsing the pain, numbing it, filling me with a dull sense of weight. I sank. No longer held up by buoyancy, I drifted slowly down to the depths as a burst of bubbles trailed upwards from my open mouth, carrying my impotent scream upwards into the light.

    The water grew murky. The light dimmed. My back touched the muddy bottom of the well and I thrashed, sending clouds of mud up into the water, darkening it further. The edges of my vision darkened as my consciousness faded.

    Desperate, with the last of my breath, I screamed my plea towards the ever so distant surface of the water. Towards the light.

    "Help me, someone. Please! I don''t want to die."

    The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was a gleaming spot of blue drifting down towards me through the water.

    "Maybe¡­ just maybe, it was here to help."

    +-+-+-+-+-+-+

    Isabella Chromis, the Demigod of the Waves, came awake with a start, shooting upright on her bed and throwing off her blanket. Moistened by cold sweat, the flimsy shift she was wearing stuck to her body, turning translucent and outlining her perfect curves.

    ''That dream again,'' she thought bitterly.

    The surface of the sphere began to boil as it shrank, the water vaporising into the atmosphere. Soon, no evidence remained of her night terror except the worried expression on her face.

    Getting up from the bed, she walked over to the window, drew the curtains and threw the shutters open. The chill winter night breeze blew eagerly into the warm room, blowing the strands of her cascading midnight blue hair.

    As she looked out over the brightly lit cityscape of the Wind Sector at night, she contemplated about her current state.

    Immediately after dropping Mars and his wives off, she had travelled to the nearest Forbidden Zone: The Fourth Forbidden Zone ¨C the Mines of the Central Province. While she was reluctant to practice soul magic on humans, she had no qualms experimenting on the mindless beasts that occupied the mines. She had learnt a lot from curing Mars'' soul and she wanted to immediately consolidate her goals.

    Her practice had been very fruitful. Earlier, without a reference to compare to, she hadn''t been able to understand the difference between human and beast souls. But now, she could and her practice was all the more effective for it. By working on the mistakes, she had made during the operation, she had ensured that she wouldn''t make the same ones again. Although she couldn''t work on some of the aspects that relied on emotion and higher cognitive functions of the subject, she was much better at soul magic than she had been the week before. And that was all that counted.

    But unfortunately, it wasn''t all sunshine and roses. This progress had come at a price. The nightmares, that had plagued her since her childhood and faded with age, had returned with a vengeance.

    She had a pretty good idea as to what had caused them. When she was very young, barely more than twelve, she had fallen into an abandoned well and broken all her limbs in the fishing village she lived in. She had screamed herself hoarse but the well was quite a bit away from the village proper and her calls for help had gone unanswered.

    To make matters worse, a storm had broken right at that time; the peals of thunder and the soughing of the winds drowning out her weakening screams further. There, lying at the bottom of the well, slowly being submerged by the water, she had fully expected to die.

    She hadn''t.

    When she had regained consciousness after being submerged by the water, she had discovered that all her broken bones had healed perfectly and that she could breathe underwater. The rain was particularly heavy and as the water level rose, she was able to rise to the surface and pull herself out of the well.

    She had never mentioned the incident to anyone. She was an orphan and introverted. She cherished her secrets. But after the incident, she had gained the ability to breathe underwater (realizing later that it was nothing more than an application of Tier 1 water magic: Water Veil) and after she awoke to her magic, her progress was swift and violent. Whenever she tried to attempt any magic, she would have an odd sense of familiarity ¨C like she had performed it thousands of times before.

    Also, her nights would be plagued by nightmares. Mostly it was a recalling of the situation in the well. But sometimes, she would dream of another life. A life wholly different from the one she led now. She never could recall these dreams perfectly but the impression she took away from them was of a life of authority and power; the life of someone at the apex of the societal pyramid.

    She knew now that she was the reincarnation of a Demigod. One who had reincarnated imperfectly, leaving her younger self''s soul intact and in charge of the body; only bestowing upon her an instinctive understanding of magic and a phenomenal growth curve.

    After becoming a Demigod, Isabella had tried her best to find out who that mysterious Demigod was. After all, even if unintentionally, he or she had saved her life and bestowed her with such extreme talent. But all her efforts had run upon a wall.

    No water attuned Demigod in Regiis had died in that timeframe and till this day, it was an unsolved mystery. The dreams had faded and she had relegated the matter to the back of her mind.

    But now that the dreams were back and stronger than ever before, maybe she would be able to find some clue from within them.

    Isabella shook her head. That was a matter for later. Drawing the blinds, she turned her back on the window. Walking over to her travel case, she shed her shift and began to get dressed.

    She had just returned from the Central Province and taken up residence in the Capital, using her magic to hide her identity from the hotel reception. It appeared that Mars and his wives had been quite busy in her absence. The entire Capital was abuzz with the news of his upcoming duel with the Princess scheduled for the following day.

    She sighed. ''Stupid politics.''

    ''But,'' she mused, ''there is an opportunity there for him if he can grasp it.''

 217 Chapter 15

    A thin film of compressed water mana covered her, casting a mild blue light upon the walls and revealing the multicoloured flecks of crystals that glittered on them. The mana-film rippled as silent, invisible forces acted upon its surface; like a placid lake disturbed by a strong breeze. The wavering light only illuminated things in a small radius centred on her, leaving the rest of the passage dark.

    Unlike her usual course of action when facing conditions of low visibility, Isabella strongly restrained her soul sense, because if she activated it here, her senses would be overwhelmed by the sheer density and turbulence of the ambient mana. It was this overabundance of active mana that had transformed the rock of the walls into elemental crystals over two millennia of constant washout. And without the film of water mana protecting her, even her enhanced Demigod physique wouldn''t last long within the vortex.

    Reaching the end of the corridor, she found her way blocked by a heavy stone door, glittering with the same rough outgrowths of colourful crystals as the rest of the rock.

    If the Capital was the heart of Regiis and the Imperial Palace was the heart of the Capital, then beyond this door was the very centre of the Palace ¨C the core of the Grand Topology that encompassed the Capital.

    Laying her palm flat on the heavy stone door, Isabella pushed and her mana surged in tandem with her, lending the strength of a crashing wave to her effort. With the deep rumble of stone grating against stone, the multi-tonne slab of rock sank into the wall, and with another grunt of effort, Isabella pushed it far enough to reveal a gap between it and the doorframe. Sliding through the gap quickly, she pushed the stone slab again and shut the door, sealing herself in.

    Turning around, she took stock of the cavern she had entered. It hadn''t changed much ¨C or at all ¨C since the last time she had been here a couple of months ago. Massive stalactites of white, blue and light green crystal hung down from the domed ceiling of the cavern, while corresponding stalagmites of black, red and yellow crystal towered up from the ground. This was the absolute centre of the perpetual mana vortex of the Capital and over the years, the mana had condensed into these interlocking spurs of crystal.

    Isabella weaved her way through this mildly glowing crystal forest; the mana turbulence and the size of the crystals reducing along the way. Until at the very centre the mana stilled entirely, like the wind within the eye of a storm, and the forest gave way to a clearing.

    Even with her soul sense sealed, Isabella felt extremely uncomfortable bathed under that light. She could feel the substantive agglomeration of the soul force within the crystal ¨C Vita''s Divine Will.

    Earlier, Tier 5 peak mages at the end of their natural lifespans used to imitate the Elementals and forcibly absorb a huge amount of mana in order to try and break through to Demigod somehow. This was simply an unrestrained gamble with very low odds of success.

    Less than one in ten thousand survived and even less were successful.

    Then, a little more than two thousand years ago, Emperor Adam had become the first person to reach the level of Demigod through the use of contractual bonds ¨C thus opening a new era of magic where reaching Tier 6 was a hundred times easier than before with a one in a hundred chance of success.

    While this had given Emperor Adam a huge initial advantage in terms of military strength, in the later years of his reign, as the technique of Contracts spread and became widely accepted, the advantage reduced more and more. Also, Demigods were just too destructive. A war between two of them could ruin huge swathes of the environment. Destroying a city was just a day''s work for them.

    Thus, he needed a deterrent, an assurance that even if some nation went crazy and set out its Demigods against Regiis, they would have an answer.

    The answer was this floating sphere. It was a weapon of mass destruction created by siphoning off Vita''s Divine will from the ambient mana and condensing it within this specially created crystal that had exactly equal amounts of all six elements. The entire topology of the Capital was created to aid this process.

    It required the constant attention of two extremely talented women ¨C at least one of them married to a man she could pass the excess Divine Will off to ¨C working in tandem to keep it stable. That was the duty of the Empress and the Empress dowager. That was the secret technique of Regiis. Only the Demigods and the Emperor knew this secret beyond the two women in question.

    As though sensing her approach, the two women raised their hands in perfect synchronization and placed their palms on the surface of the crystal. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, then the light slowly dimmed until it faded to a mild glow within the heart of the crystal.

    Both the Empress and Princess Venus opened their eyes and fixed their gaze upon her in eerie tandem.

    "Isabella," they spoke in one voice, "well met."

    Suddenly, the Empress raised a hand and slapped herself, the sharp crack resounding in the silence of the cavern. She shook her head as though awakening from a dream. "I absolutely hate when that happens," she muttered while rubbing her reddening cheek.

    Princess Venus too seemed to have been thrust out of that strange melded condition by that slap and she rubbed her cheek too ¨C most likely suffering from phantom pains.

    Getting to her feet and smoothening down her skirt, the Empress greeted her with a smile. "Isabella! What brings you here? It''s been too long since we last met."

    The Empress had the bloodline of reindeers in her veins. She had taken after her father, the previous king, who was a member of the prestigious Rangifer family in the Northern Province. The current Head of the clan, the Empress'' cousin, was a Marquis while the previous Head, her uncle, had been the Duke. Her beautiful antlers, that had been polished to a shine, rose up from her layered white and brown hair, revealing her deer ears that were twitching with happiness. Her short tail was concealed beneath her velvet skirt. The Rangifers were famed for not only producing an Emperor from their line, but also for their dual affinities for Wind and Light, forming the Compound affinity of Speed.

    "It''s only been two months, Celine," said Isabella as she walked over to the woman and gave her a hug.

    Patting her back, Empress Celine replied, "Yes. And that is much too long." Releasing the Demigod from the hug, she pulled back while keeping a grip on Isabella''s shoulders. "It''s hard to find sensible people to talk to in the palace. I was counting the days till your return."

    Turning to Venus, she called the young girl over. "Come, greet your teacher."

    Approaching them, the Princess curtsied deeply to Isabella. "Greetings, teacher," she said in a soft voice.

    In Venus'' case, she hadn''t inherited the traits of either her father or her mother. Instead, her grandmother''s blood had skipped a generation and manifested in her. Pure white wolf ears peeked out of her messy white hair, with an underlying tint of pale green, and a bushy white wolf tail swayed behind her back. Her pale green eyes were extremely limpid ¨C like pools of still water in a forest reflecting the overhanging canopy of leaves. She possessed the bloodline of the Wind Wolves, one of the hereditary noble clans.

    This wasn''t strange as the current Lupin Demigod had served as the Emperor in his youth. He was her great grandfather.

    The final winner of a Swayamvar was supposed to be the most talented man in the Empire. It was logical that some of the Emperors would reach the highest Tier of magic. In fact, four of the twelve hereditary families had risen when an Emperor had successfully promoted to Demigod. And another five had originated from the promotion of Empresses as well as the direct descendants of the Emperor. Only three of the families'' progenitors had no direct connection to the throne.

    Beyond meeting up with her friend, Celine, and her pupil, Venus, Isabella had come here with a goal in mind. She came straight to the point. "Venus, when you were younger, you once snuck your sister in here, didn''t you?"

    Without any fluctuation in her expression, the Second Princess replied serenely, "Yes, teacher."

    "Why?"

    "I wanted to show off my new technique. I always idolized sister''s strength." Still in that oddly calm voice, she continued, "I wanted her respect. At that time, I thought showing her I could do something she couldn''t was the way to earn it."

    Isabella shook her head inwardly. Contact with the core crystal was very taxing. Even though her mother carried most of the burden, Venus was too young and inexperienced. She would always end the session drained of all mood. And in this state of enforced placidness, she could talk about embarrassing things without compunction. Only to regret the words later.

    She would have to slowly adapt to the pressure by increasing her cultivation base and by simply building up an immunity to it over time.

    "How much did you tell her?" inquired Isabella.

    "Up to the part concerning the extraction of Vita''s Divine Will," said Venus. "That was all I knew then."

    The Empress butted into the conversation. "If you''re worried about my eldest daughter divulging anything, then please stop. She was made to swear an oath to that effect."

 218 Chapter 16

    It was a thing of visceral beauty, her armour. Sleek and streamlined, it covered each inch of her body seamlessly; the joints sealed shut by an elastic, nearly liquid metal. Made from orichalcum ¨C the hardest, most mana-resistant metal known ¨C it provided protection against both physical and magical threats. An intricate network of mithril ran throughout the interior of the armour like silvery veins, allowing her to conduct mana through it even when her opponent couldn''t.

    The only visible parts of her were her hawk-like grey eyes glowing faintly silver within the depths of her helmet. Artemis had morphed only her eyes into that of her Feral form for the match, expecting to use the increased clarity of her vision to her advantage.

    The armour wasn''t just one thick sheet of metal. It had been crafted from several thin wafers joined together with narrow gaps left between them. The gaps had then been drained of air and vacuum-sealed, resulting in a reduction of the weight of the armour while simultaneously soundproofing it. This was quite an important feature as the most common means mages used to bypass armour during close-combat altercations was by using vibrational attacks like focused shockwaves of sound. It did make her deaf within the armour, but that was a small price to pay. Coupled with orichalcum''s natural mana isolation capabilities preventing shadow mages from piercing through the armour with their Aspect of Space, the only thing she really had to worry about was if someone actually cut through or crushed her armour.

    And there were thousands of tiny runes engraved upon its interior, connected to the mithril mana conduits. They packed a nasty surprise for anyone who thought that defending was all her armour could do.

    She had commissioned it from the Iron Bear in celebration of reaching Tier 3, training with it extensively till it felt like a second skin. And when she had reached the peak of the Tier and begun participating in the Trials of Justice, it had served her well. She had debated not using it for today''s match as it seemed like too much of an unfair advantage, but then decided to use it anyway. After all, she hadn''t won duel after duel against seasoned opponents fighting desperately for their lives by underestimating them.

    She didn''t have to wait long.

    Mars Felidae emerged from the entrance on the opposite end of the Arena, stepping into the spotlight that was focused there. The circle of light moved along with him as he strode forward and took his station opposite her.

    Artemis'' piercing eyes studied him, taking in his straight-back and confident demeanour. She wondered what could possibly be the source of that confidence while also noting that he was unarmed and unarmoured. He returned the favour, studying her in turn. His crimson eyes widened as they trailed over her armour ¨C his mood vacillating ever so slightly before returning to that determined self-poise. Artemis recognized it. It was a battle-calm developed over the course of multiple life or death experiences. It was an essential factor that separated a veteran warrior from a rookie. She was extremely impressed with the boy for possessing it at such a young age. It showed that his merits weren''t just for show.

    With both of the protagonists for the duel gathered, floodlights were lit all around the Arena, illuminating its entire circular extent with a patchy brilliance and leaving enough darkness for a Shadow mage to use. Some of the lights pointed up at the domed ceiling, making the fluorescent moss covering it gleam a neon blue.

    The audience stands, too, were lit by a dimmer, more uniform lighting, revealing the densely packed rows of spectators.

    The front row seats were reserved for the journalists and speed-painters (water mages with a talent for manipulating ink to make photorealistic paintings) as well as for the most important of the spectators: The members of the Council and the Emperor. Even the famously reclusive Empress, who usually avoided such lively occasions, had made an appearance and was sitting beside her husband. Princess Venus too was present with her family, although she had to keep her face veiled as tradition dictated that the bride could not show her face in public until she chose her husband during a Swayamvar.

    The movers and shakers of the Capital had turned out in full strength. Ranging from prominent businessmen and administrators to the representatives of hereditary nobles; none had absented the event. There were even military personnel among the stands, as well as a S-ranked team of Delvers representing the Adventurer union.

    A bored-looking researcher from the Academy lounged in his seat, looking like he''d rather be anywhere else. In contrast, another group from the Academy ¨C a group of female mages from the battle-mage division ¨C occupied an entire section, cheering enthusiastically and holding up a large banner that bore the words: "Victory to the Princess and down with the Philanderer."

    The corner of Mars'' eye twitched at that and he almost dropped out of his mental state of the Void. He had heard that the First Princess was extremely popular among the female section of the youth and that many young women took her as their role-model for her strength and independence. It appeared that her fans weren''t too happy about him trying to alter her marital status.

    At first, he had thought that there wouldn''t be very many people in attendance for the duel but Ceres had set him straight. She had informed him that the stands would be packed, not because the attendees were particularly interested in who won, but because of the banquet that would be held afterwards. It would be the first such gathering of leaders from all walks of society after the Shogunate''s invasion. Many would attend just to gauge the political climate and the attitude of the Council. It was a chance to forge new alliances to better deal with and even profit from the current situation.

    She had made it clear that if he won the duel, then this would be the best possible debut in high-society he could hope for. Of course, the entire Empire would know of his loss by the next day if he didn''t. No pressure.

    It was Mars'' first time with so many gazes fixed upon him, appraising him, judging his worth. He was understandably nervous. Even his stint upon the Firang wall had been different. They were focused on the enemy then, not so exclusively on him. If it wasn''t for the emotion draining aspect of the Void, he would have been suffering from a strong case of stage fright right about now.

    The sight of Artemis'' armour had nearly knocked him out of the Void as well. With that kind of protective shell, his chances of winning had just shrunk drastically.

    It wasn''t that he couldn''t afford armour for himself. No, quite the opposite actually. In the last week he had been swamped by offers of free equipment from various weaponsmiths and merchants, several of whom were in attendance today. With their sharp noses for business, they had smelt the underlying opportunity for advertisement in the duel. Unfortunately, he had to reject them all. He just wasn''t used to wearing armour and trying to adapt to something new a week before a duel was the pinnacle of idiocy. He might as well just forfeit.

    Searching for his wives among the stands and finding them waving at him supportively from the first row, Mars took a deep breath. Connecting with the wind mana in the air, he centred himself, waiting for the announcement for the fight to begin. Armour or no, he would give it his all and leave the results up to providence. As a martial warrior, he owed himself and his opponent that.

    The Emperor''s voice amplified by wind magic rang out throughout the Arena, silencing the clamour of the audience. "We are gathered here today to witness the duel between Our first daughter, Princess Artemis Valkyria, and Our Vassal, Mars Felidae, for her hand in marriage. We shall not introduce them or their prior achievements ¨C their worth will be demonstrated by them upon the stage shortly ¨C but We shall take the liberty to state that these two are among the foremost talents of the younger generation and the future pillars of the Empire. There is much honour in victory, but no dishonour in defeat.

    "Young warriors, display your abilities heartily. Do not worry about injuring each other; for your safety is in capable hands."

    Artemis raised her sword and Mars settled into a low battle-stance.

 219 Chapter 17

    Artemis had a lot of experience fighting wind mages, many of whom were speedsters. Though she was a little surprised by the extreme velocity demonstrated by Mars, her instincts had her responding in the most correct manner reflexively.

    ~ Aspect of Gravity: Circle of Pressure ~

    Her grey eyes flashed silver from within her helm and a field of force proliferated with her as the centre and the ground around her cracked, crushed by its own weight.

    Mars crashed into the region of enhanced gravity, but instead of stopping dead in his tracks and crashing to the ground like she expected, he merely slowed from effective invisibility to a blurry streak. His palm grew large in Artemis'' eyes and before she could react, it smashed into her helmet.

    A blindingly white brilliance exploded from the point of contact as Artemis'' barrier activated, draining her mana to negate the impact.

    Mars'' eyes widened. When he had learnt that she was contracted to her sword, he had thought that she had, at most, found a way to push Vita''s divine will into it and stop herself from going Feral. He hadn''t expected for her to have a functioning Barrier.

    Artemis felt like a mountain had crashed into her chin and though she didn''t feel the impact of the blow, it had been angled upwards and it sent her blasting backwards into the air. Snapping out her wings, she balanced herself. Flipping midair, she landed on her feet and slid backwards, her armoured boots leaving two trails in the dirt.

    With the sound of thunder, Mars slammed another palm into her from the side, disbalancing her and sending her flying again. Before she could regain her balance, he slammed into her again, angling the blow so her feet didn''t touch the ground.

    Her eyes flashing silver, Artemis increased gravitational pressure around her to slow him down, buying herself enough time to lighten herself to weightlessness. Beating down hard with her wings, she shot up into the air, out of the range of his unilateral pummelling.

    Stabilizing herself in the air, she shook her ringing head to clear it. That very first blow to the chin had shaken her brain in her skull, dizzying her and letting him play pinball with her for a while. Quickly checking her mana, she was shocked to find nearly a fifth had been consumed.

    She could hardly believe it. What kind of monstrous strength did he have to cause that much impact damage? Wasn''t a Hominum''s body supposed to be much weaker than a Bestia''s? Then what was this anomaly. She shook her head. Apparently close combat was out of the picture. At his speed and strength, she wouldn''t be able to touch him even though she was confident that a single slash of her sword could bisect him.

    Well, since he was so strong, she wouldn''t be able to beat him with normal methods. Beating her wings, she rose higher into the air until she was close to the ceiling. Floating there weightlessly, she turned her gaze upon the figure of the red-headed boy looking up at her from below.

    He had made no attempt to follow her into the air, knowing that his strength and manoeuvrability in the air would be much lower than hers and that he wouldn''t be able to take advantage of his physique. He was just standing there, looking up at her and waiting for her next move. He most likely wanted to play this reactively, countering or dodging her moves as she made them and waiting for her to run out of mana. After all, not requiring mana was his specialty.

    A mistake.

    She pumped her mana into her wings and they shone a bright silver. She whipped them down.

    ~ Aspect of Sharpness ~ ~ Aspect of Gravity ~ ~ Aspect of Regeneration ~

    ~ Tier 3 personal magic: Rain of the Feather Swords ~

    Her metallic feathers detached from her wings and with each downward whip of her wings, shot down to the ground with their edges shining a sharp silver and accelerated to a blur by the enhanced gravity. It formed a beautiful but deadly sight as thousands of the tiny swords rained down upon the Arena below, covering the entire region without a gap. As her wings thinned out, new feathers grew, replacing the ones lost, letting her maintain her barrage uninterrupted.

    The first of the feathers struck the ground, punching through it like a hot knife through butter, only stopping after penetrating several feet into the ground when all the mana attached to it had been exhausted. Then the sword rain fell in earnest, perforating the ground like a sieve.

    Artemis watched with mounting horror as the boy made no attempt to dodge, simply standing there utterly stunned, and several of the feather swords punched right through his body. Her mind came to a screeching halt and she hastily stopped her attack.

    For a moment frozen in time, there was utter silence, then screams resounded through the audience as they all fell into a tumult.

    This wasn''t supposed to happen! He wasn''t supposed to die here. Artemis admitted that there was some mental inertia from only fighting life or death battles against convicts¡­ but she had only used a killing move because father had said that there were protectors. She had expected them to intervene if things got too dangerous.

    Had she overdone it? Had the protectors slipped up and let the boy die because of how broad her move was and how slow he was to react? Her mind was in turmoil¡­ she didn''t want the blood of an innocent on her hands.

    Wait! Something was off. Why wasn''t the figure toppling over and why wasn''t there any blood?

    Suddenly, her instincts screamed of danger. Every fine hair on her body set upright as a giant sense of crisis covered her from the back. She tried to dodge or turn around.

    But she was too late.

    As the shadow doppelganger on the ground melted away into nothing, Mars dropped down on her from behind. With both his fists clasped, his biceps bulging and veins standing out from the amount of Vita''s divine power he had pumped into his arms, he hammered down on her back, sending her blurring down in a streak of silver and black.

    She hit the ground with a thunderous crack, making it fissure and cave, raising a ring of dust. Mars landed on his feet next to her, crouching to absorb the impact.

    Without giving her any time to recover, he grabbed her ankle and swung her limp form above his head, bringing it slamming down onto the ground. He thrashed her like a farmer would a bunch of wheat. With every swing, he pumped the scant remains of divine power in his body into his arm to increase the power of the swing. He was going to run out soon and if he didn''t manage to knock her unconscious within the limited time-frame, he would lose all his advantage.

    Artemis felt like a ragdoll in the hands of a child throwing a tantrum. Although her barrier was absorbing the impact and her armour was protecting her from physical damage, the sheer whiplash from the thrashing was causing her brain to rattle around in her skull and giving her a concussion. She was dizzy and her mind was struggling to work.

    But above and beyond that, the sheer absurdity of the situation ¨C how humiliating it was for her as the First Princess of Regiis to be manhandled in this manner in front of such a distinguished audience ¨C made her breathless with shame and anger. Enough was enough! She hadn''t even gotten to use her sword!

    With a wrathful scream, she pumped her mana into the channels of her armour and activated the runes. The entire armour began vibrate with an extremely high frequency, releasing a shrill whine that caused Mars to release her and stagger backwards with his hands covering his ears.

    Artemis'' feathers began to resonate with the whine along with her sword, releasing a grating sword cry.

    Mars coughed up blood as the sound bypassed his barrier and attacked his internal organs, making him feel like he was being pricked from the inside by a thousand swords. He began to bleed from his ears and nose, followed by bruises forming all over his body as the capillaries under his skin ruptured.

    ~ Tier 2 wind magic: Void Barrier ~

    Calling upon the wind, he sketched out several runes into the air and the ambient mana around him responded to his call, surrounding him in alternating layers of compressed wind and vacuum, cutting off the infernal sword cry.

    ~ Tier 2 light magic: Heal ~

 220 Chapter 18

    Artemis excelled in close combat. If he managed to overwhelm her in the field she was strongest in, she would treat him very cautiously and only attack from afar, allowing him to engage in a battle of attrition while dodging her attacks as best as he could.

    The first part of his plan had succeeded. He had caught her off guard with his unexpected speed that prevented her from reacting and strength that gave him the ability to resist the increased pressure of her gravity with just his body. Managing to seize the offensive, he had pummelled her relentlessly, wiping out a large chunk of her mana at the cost of his divine power reserves.

    But the good outlook hadn''t lasted long. Breaking out of his barrage, she had flown upwards and scoured the entire Arena with an area of effect attack.

    At this time, the second surprise he had prepared for this match had taken effect.

    In preparation for today, he had mastered the use of the shadow doppelganger created by Phobos. He had used light magic to alter the colours of light the shadow doppelganger absorbed and the ones it reflected, modifying it so it would look exactly like him. It had been a month since his mother had promoted to Tier 5 and given him her notes on her path to mastering the Aspect of Radiance. He was currently an Adept in the Aspect.

    While he couldn''t turn invisible like his mother could, he could make his form fuzzy by bending light around himself. Also, unlike his mother, he wasn''t restricted to the use of the light element. He could also use his shadow magic to cast Stealth upon himself. The combined effect of the two had let him evade the notice of most of the spectators and Artemis after using a quick Shadow Walk to jump into one of the areas of shadow in the Arena, leaving his doppelganger behind in his stead. He had been careful to make the switch right when Artemis was disoriented and had broken out of his first barrage of attacks.

    Then, as the Princess prepared her attack, he had flown silently upwards, weaving through the light and shadow of the Arena and sneaking up behind her. He had covered himself up in a film of vacuum to block off all scent and sound as well as used his shadow and light magic to hide his visual presence even further.

    In her moment of distraction when she believed that she had slipped up and killed him, he had dropped out of the sky from behind her and attacked.

    As someone with a Daemonic bloodline and a special affinity, Artemis could have created her own Aspects but she had chosen, instead, to opt for the most common Aspects that existed and fit into her ideal fight style. This way, she would be standing on the shoulders of giants. With the doors of the Imperial library open to her at all times, it was no wonder that she had progressed so fast in her mastery of her Aspects and grown so strong. If she had created her own Aspect, which no one before her had used, then she would be left fumbling in the dark on her own and wasting a lot of time.

    The Aspect of Sharpness from wind magic, the Aspect of Gravity from earth magic and the Aspect of Regeneration, a variation of the Aspect of Healing focused solely on healing oneself, from light magic... These three formed the core of her fight system and now, they came together to form her Domain.

    With an angered screech, silver mana spewed out of her, leaching the colour out of the world around her and dyeing it a dreary grey. Her feathers detached once again from her wings and this time, instead of shooting at Mars, they circled around her protectively in a tornado of feathery swords. it closely resembled the Tier 2 wind magic: Blade-edge Hurricane.

    As she pumped more and more mana into the Domain, the tornado of blades expanded outwards, forcing Mars to retreat again and again. Soon there would be no space left in the Arena for him to hide and he would have to forfeit or be dismembered by a thousand cuts.

    Well, sighed Mars, it seemed like he was out of tricks. His magic was as strong as a Tier 3 mage''s but the problem was that he had absolutely no counter to a Domain. He cast magic by taking control over the ambient mana but a Domain would push out that mana, replacing it with the mage''s personal mana. He could attempt to jack into the Domain but it would end up as a mental tussle for supremacy over the mana with the mage at a much greater advantage as the mana was theirs in the first place. Not worth it. Besides, in this case, as he had no affinity for earth magic, he wouldn''t even be able to try.

    He sighed again. This was why he had wanted to finish things before she could resort to her Domain. He would have to forfeit the match.

    Suddenly, his ears picked up a female voice. Snapping his head around, he saw Deimos standing up on her seat, cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting at him, using her wind mana to direct and amplify her voice. "Master! Use it!" he heard her say.

    His eyes widened as he realized what she was referring to. But¡­ was it safe to use? His eyes hardened. The Princess had used a killing technique without any compunctions and if not for his doppelganger, he would be under very real threat of dying under her sword rain. If she could do it, then why was he hesitating?

    Setting firm resolve, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air. A huge suction erupted from his mouth and all the air in the arena began to flow towards him in a vortex as he pushed his mastery over the wind to the very limit.

    Within his lungs, he compressed the air again and again until it was extremely dense. Then he breathed out gently. There was something different in the air he breathed out. Somehow, it seemed like it lacked vitality. This dead air gathered around him, wrapping him up in layer after layer of wind barriers. The swirling masses of air obscured his form, making him seem fuzzy to the observers.

    Artemis noticed his actions but she didn''t care. A wind barrier was like tissue in front of her Domain. She just accelerated its expansion.

    As the Domain bore down upon him, Mars spat out a condensed sphere of air from his mouth.

    ~ Tier 1 wind magic: Air Bullet ~

    The bullet tore through the Domain, knocking away a large number of the feathers as it penetrated into it, making its way towards Artemis at its centre. But as soon as it entered the Domain, Mars lost contact with it and without him holding it together, it destabilized and exploded. At the very same time, a tiny spark of white fire at its core blasted out, breaking the shell of vacuum it was encased by.

    ~ Tier 3 fire magic: Explosion ~

    Incandescent blue flames covered Mars'' line of sight, erasing everything like a bucket of paint splashed onto a canvas. His air shields popped like flimsy soap bubbles and a scorching wave of heat washed over him. His last thought before the tidal wave of blue flames submerged him was: "Oops. Maybe that was a bit overkill."

 221 Chapter 19

    Blinking in surprise, I uncurled myself.

    My head throbbing and my mind fuzzy from overstraining my soul, I staggered to my feet. The sword cry from Artemis had dulled my hearing and the blast of the explosion had finally put my eardrums out of their misery. I could hear nothing. Dredging up the last of my strength, I drew upon a little bit of ambient light mana to patch one eardrum to serviceable conditions before turning around.

    The uproar of the audience hit me but I was in no state to pay attention to them as I was shocked at the sight before me.

    The slender figure of a female stood between me and the flames, a beautiful blue curtain of water mana shimmering in front of her, protecting us from the explosion. Her waist-length ultramarine blue hair undulated gently in the breeze of the blast like waves upon a tranquil sea.

    "Nice boys don''t play with explosions," teased Isabella, turning around with a smile, "especially ones they can''t control."

    Beyond her, the deluge of incandescent blue flames seemed to rewind and compress back into a tiny sphere that floated down into the palm of a man who had appeared baseless in the middle of the Arena.

    He was a giant of a man, nearly two and a half metres tall with bulging muscles. Bright orange-red reptilian scales covered his clawed arms and most of his bare chest while the scattered wisps of white hair on his head did nothing to hide his four dark, curving horns. Scales covered his prominent brows instead of hair and in their shadows, two draconic eyes burnt an incandescent yellow. His long reptilian tail whipped behind his back, never touching the ground.

    Closing his fingers around the sphere, the man tightened his fist, casually pinching the compressed explosion out.

    Astarael Salamandra, the Sunlight Soldier, the Demigod of the Radiant Flames, looked up from his palm and fixed his burning eyes on me. When our eyes met, I felt like I was staring directly at the sun. My very soul seemed like it would burn. I averted my gaze, my eyes tearing up and my vision spotty.

    Suddenly, I noticed that my head wasn''t hurting anymore and that my mind was much clearer. Not only that, all my injuries, including my damaged ears, had healed and I could hear everything perfectly again. I remembered, belatedly, that the Sunlight Soldier''s flames were also attuned closely to the light and that he had been a paladin back in his days of military service. He was quite the accomplished healer.

    Blinking the tears out of my eyes, "Thank you," I said as I bowed to him, and then to Isabella, "and thank you for coming to my aid."

    Isabella shrugged nonchalantly. "I was just passing by."

    "And I was pestered by my granddaughter into coming," said the Sunlight Soldier, the undertone of a growling hiss colouring his words.

    Behind him, Artemis, back in her Bestia form, fluttered down onto the ground. Our eyes met. Her eyes were still grey, but they were dull with defeat, no longer containing the sharp glint of silver they had before. Averting her eyes and looking down, she sheathed her sword, standing with her arms hanging limply by her sides.

    "So, senior," asked Isabella, "since we intervened, to whom do we award the victory?"

    As I was standing behind her, I couldn''t see her expression but the Sunlight Soldier looked from her to me and then back again before rasping out, "Well, I suppose it would have to be the boy." His voice echoed throughout the stadium and sparked ripples of discussion among the audience.

    Artemis'' shoulders dropped further and I could see her clenching her fists.

    The explosion I had caused was a result of my experiment with my great grandfather''s technique of Sapphire Flames. I had been trying to distinguish between dead and vital air by breathing a large amount of air into my lungs and waiting for my body to consume the vitality leaving only dead air behind. Then I would study the wind mana fluctuations of the dead air to memorize it. Finally, I would skip the process and directly use my control over ambient mana to separate out the vital and dead components of the air.

    I had succeeded to an extent, though I still needed to breathe the air in and perform the separation with the aid of my lungs.

    Then I had hit upon another roadblock. I couldn''t use fire magic when I was in the mental state of the Void as the flames required emotions to wield them. The fix was simple. I had to drop out of the Void and perform the spell in Oneness. While possible, it was exponentially more difficult and inefficient. In practice, I would botch the attempt nine out of ten times.

    All in all, I had lucked out today by being able to pull the spell off. I managed to separate the vital and the dead air, used the dead air for the air barrier and the vital air for the explosion.

    But still, the epicentre of the explosion had been closer to me than to Artemis and orichalcum was very resistant to heat and her armour was pure orichalcum. If she wrapped herself up in her wings, the most she would suffer would be a few molten feathers, while I would be a charred husk.

    My attack was purely suicidal. I didn''t deserve the win. But when I opened my mouth to protest the decision, Isabella''s clear voice rang in my mind. "Just shut up and accept it."

    I shut my mouth with a click of my teeth. What exactly was going on here?

    After a short pause, the Emperor stood up and addressed the gathering. "The winner of the duel is Mars Felidae. For the meritorious military service rendered by him in the war against the Calamity, We bestow upon him the military rank of Marshal, making him the youngest man to ever rise to this rank in the history of the Empire.

    "And for the feat of besting her in a Trial by Combat, it is with great pleasure that We bestow upon this young hero, Our daughter, Artemis of the House Valkyria. May their bond be eternal!"

    Getting to their feet, the entire gathering echoed his statement in unison, their combined voices vibrating the air. "May their bond be eternal!"

    ....

 222 Bonus: Capital Tour

    [6400 words.]

    Events take place between Vol 15 ch 4 and 5.

    ...

    The Capital was an interesting place. That''s what Deimos thought as the five of them piled into an elevator to the lower Sectors. There were several of these contraptions scattered all over the place along with more mundane staircases to the underground half of the city.

    She hadn''t seen anything like it before. The Capital was a treasure trove of new things in every direction you looked.

    If the novel three-dimensional style of architecture wasn''t enough, the eclectic styles of clothing worn by the people was enough to shock their senses. The Capital was a potpourri of Bestia species and fashions in a constant state of flux. Never in her life had she seen so many Pluma flying in the sky. She even saw one with the leathery wings of a bat. A petite, dark-haired boy with a white cloth tied around his eyes. Despite his blindfold, he never touched a single obstacle while flying around.

    Everyone on the streets seemed busy, everyone seemed to have a destination they had to reach, and everyone seemed pressed for time.

    Deimos quite liked the colourful energy of the bustling city. As someone who had spent most of her life inside the walls of the Felidae Estate, this influx of stimuli was a little overwhelming. She was experiencing culture shock and she wasn''t alone in this matter. Phi-Phi, Ceres and Master were all wide eyed and open-mouthed - their heads spinning like tops as they took it all in.

    They might have experienced the Calamity, but that and this were two entirely different, albeit equally hectic, situations.

    The main draw of the Wind Sector, according to Lara, was the Emporium. As the commercial sector of the capital, it had the largest agglomeration of retail stores selling everything from groceries to apparel to magical appliances.

    The three hours after lunch had been spent there upgrading their clothing to better ''fit in with the atmosphere'' as Lara had put it. Their entirely new sets of clothing and the bags stored in Phobos'' shadow were testament to their shopping spree.

    After they all entered the elevator, Master went forward and pulled the horizontal shutter-style metallic door closed before turning to study the controls. He beckoned for her to approach and when she did, he indicated towards two palm-prints inscribed into one of the wooden walls of the compartment.

    "We need to pour some mana into this impression," he said, pointing at the one which had the word ''descend'' inscribed under it. "It says wind and earth mana are the preferred types. Deimos, you try."

    Picking up on what he was doing, Ceres turned to Lara and asked, "How does this elevator work? We don''t have anything like this back home. It''d save us from taking the stairs." She turned to Deimos and chuckled. "And it''d save sister Deimos here the trouble of leaping out of windows all the time."

    Deimos couldn''t help but feel bashful as she focused her attention on keeping the mana-flow and therefore the descent as smooth as possible. She might have also been trying to hide her blush¡­ but that was definitely secondary. Yes, a smooth ride was her top concern.

    From behind her, she heard Lara reply, "Well, it''s pretty simple in theory. There''s this compartment where the passengers stand, and then there''s a counterweight attached to it with a pulley which weighs the same as the empty compartment. So, whenever it is empty, the elevator is stationary, something helped by the pitons that dig into the walls of the shaft when no one is putting mana into the imprint. But when people enter the elevator and feed it mana, the pitons disengage and the elevator descends under the difference in weight."

    "Why the mana though? And why wind and earth mana specifically?" asked Ceres.

    Before Lara could answer, Master opened his eyes and answered instead. "The mana activates runic enchantments that lighten or increase the weight of the compartment and the counterweight so that the elevator can move down in a gradual manner." He turned to Lara for confirmation. "I suppose the other imprint activates a different set of enchantments that would allow the elevator to ''ascend'' instead. The preference for wind and earth mana is because these two elements are good at increasing or decreasing the weight of objects, therefore inherently compatible with the runes here." He turned to Lara, "Right?"

    Despite Deimos'' lack of interest in social maneuvering, even she could tell that Master was trying to impress Lara and demonstrate his value to his potential allies. And it seemed to be working as intended from the barely concealed amazement in Lara''s voice as she said, "When I read the reports about your capabilities, I saw a mention of some sort of mana sense. I thought it''d be useful for scouting but I never would have guessed how impressive it actually is."

    Shaking her head, she continued, "Your analysis is spot on except for a small discrepancy. Instead of having two separate enchantments, the same enchantment has two nodes ¨C the palm prints ¨C so when you input mana in one or the other, the effect reverses."

    "What would people with different elements do? Being unable to use the elevator unless you are a wind or earth mage seems¡­ inefficient." Ceres interjected.

    "The elevator can also run on Aeolian or Lithic crystals¡­ so, that''s not as much of a problem. Just a minor inconvenience. Element conversion inscriptions are way too costly and would make the elevators impractical to create¡­"

    Lara''s response was cut short as, with a slight bump, the elevator came to a stop. "We''re here," said the cheerful Salamandra with a smile. "If you''re interested in this type of thing, then you''ll really enjoy your visit to the Water sector where we have our Arcanum and public library. It''s the education sector with the Imperial Academy and the Mage Towers present there. For now, let''s focus on the here and now."

    Stepping forward, she pulled the shutter open, revealing the scene outside.

    Glowing amber crystals grew out of the roof of the tunnel that stretched out from the gate of the elevator, giving the it a warm ambiance. As the five of them exited the tunnel, they found themselves in an extremely large cavern of which Deimos could see no end.

    Master and Ceres had described the magma chamber of the Elemental to her but she was sure that this was much, much larger. A fluorescent moss covered the gently domed ceiling of the cavern, glowing a soft white. That along with more of the radiant amber crystals growing from the ceiling in a scattered manner gave the cavern a warm lighting. Broad pillars held up the ceiling, that on a closer look would reveal that they weren''t pillars at all, but residences and shops that also happened to serve as structural support.

    Just like the Wind Sector above it, the entire cavern was filled with a bustling crowd. The noise echoed in the cavern, lending it an even more frenetic atmosphere than the city of skyscrapers they had just left behind.

    Stepping in front of the four of them who were staring dumbfounded at this magnificent scene, Lara turned back to face them and spread her arms. "Welcome to the Earth Sector."

    +-+-+

    "So, what''s this place famous for?" I asked Lara as we pushed our way through the crowded streets of the Earth sector. "You said that each sector had a specialty. The Wind sector is the hub for commerce and the Water sector is the sector for education ¨C then what about Earth?"

    Deftly dodging a Pluma''s wing, she answered, "The artisans of course. Any form of metalwork you might fancy ¨C jewellery, sculptures, weapons¡­ anything. This sector is where all the skilled craftsmen congregate. Woodwork, leatherwork, gemstones¡­ if it can be wrought by hand, then you can probably find it here."

    Suddenly, Deimos spoke up. "We can visit the forges first, ya? I had a contact commission a weapon for me. She contracted a smith here and when she learnt that I was coming to the Capital, she made it so that I''d be able to collect my weapon from him on my own."

    Oh, right. The thing about Deimos commissioning a weapon had slipped my mind. Thankfully she had contacted Teal, otherwise the weapon would have been delivered to the Felidae Estates before being sent back to the Capital to us. An unnecessary expense made more costly by the current state of the trade route between Regiis and the South-eastern Kingdom.

    "Oh? Sure, why not?" agreed Lara. "The smithies are at the border between the Earth sector and the Fire sector. Since most of you were interested in the Arcanum and the Library, I was thinking of taking you through the Earth sector and into the Fire sector where we would take the first elevator up into the Water sector. So, the smithies were on the way."

    I couldn''t help but hold some anticipation towards Deimos'' new weapon. Razor wire was a really unconventional choice and a very, very difficult weapon to master. The amount of control required to wield it without slicing your own head off was mind-boggling. But, correspondingly, the payoffs were immense once it had been mastered. The flexible path of the weapon and its ability to wrap around shields meant that it was incredibly difficult to block. Then, there was the consideration of range. Most conventional weapons catered to one, at most two, ranges. But razor wire was good for close, mid and long-range combat.

    It was a weapon that would be more hindrance than aid in the initial stages but in the late stage, it would pay dividends and raise the battle-strength of its wielder by several scales. It was a great investment for the future for someone as hard-working and talented as Deimos. Without any of those two qualities, it was a weapon that could ruin a mage.

    The temperatures began to rise as we approached the Fire sector. The residential buildings began to grow sparse, replaced actual pillars of dark stone supporting the ceiling. The lighting dimmed as the luminescent moss growing on the ceiling reduced. Instead, a red glow proliferated from the scarlet crystal rising up from the floor giving the entire region a fiery tinge.

    I could see muscular figures in minimal clothing glistening with sweat as they fed metal into massive open smelters out of which glowing orange streams of molten metal poured out. The molten metal was filled into casts and cooled into ingots before being carried away to wherever they were needed. Tanning racks could be seen scattered about with hides in various stages of curing hung upon them. The stench of urine as we passed by one was overwhelming.

    The sound of hammers striking anvils filled the air, emanating from the squat stone-walled forges that filled the area. Attached to each forge was a storefront with all kinds of colourful banners that vied for our attention. As we made our way through the area, we were dazzled by the wide array of weapons on display at the shopfronts. From daggers to war hammers; from bows to shields, from throwing stars to whips ¨C there was no weapon that hadn''t found representation in the displays.

    Turning to Deimos, Lara asked, "Do you have the address of the contracted smith? Or the name of the shop?"

    "Yes. The Forge of the Iron Bear. I was told that it was quite the famous establishment."

    Lara arched an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose you could call it famous but infamous would be the more appropriate term."

    "Why?" I asked. "Is there some issue with the quality of the craftsmanship?"

    "Oh, no. Not at all. In fact, the Iron Bear''s skill is among the best in the Capital and the very best in terms of value for money. Practically a steal. Quality isn''t an issue but customer service is. The man is known for being intractable and rude to his customers. He gives no one face."

    "We''re just going to collect a commissioned weapon and pay him for it. There''s little reason for him to be discourteous towards us." I said.

    Lara shrugged. "Hope so."

    Taking a few turns, we finally reached our destination. The shop had a large white banner with the silhouette of a bear standing on its hind legs and taking a swipe drawn on it in black ink. Judging by the crispness of the strokes, it was the work of a calligraphy master. The words Forge of the Iron Bear were written beside the image in the old language using bold brush strokes.

    A bear of a man was manning the storefront. His dark brown hair was shot through with grey as was his full-face beard. He had the rounded ears typical of his bloodline and a tuft of chest hair peeked out from under the grey apron he wore over his shirtless body. He was wide enough to fit two of me side by side and his hirsute arms were thicker than my thigh. Contrary to his indelicate appearance, he was working on chiselling very fine runes onto a dagger.

    He glared up at us from under his bushy eyebrows as we approached. "What do ye want?" he growled. "Can''t ye see I''m working?"

    ''Then why are you sitting at the shopfront?'' I wanted to criticize. His temperament was as bad as the rumours claimed.

    Mustering her courage, Deimos stepped forward and said, "Umm¡­ I''m here to collect the weapon I commissioned. It''s razor wire made from the hairs collected off fire ants. It''s ready, ya?"

    I could see his eyes widening slightly in recognition before his frown deepened and he snapped, "I ain''t making something like that fer a little girl who doesn''t know her own weight. It''d be a waste of good material."

    +-+-+-+

    Beside me, I could see Deimos'' brows furrowing at the uncalled-for insult. While there was a part of the raw material that had come from the ants killed by other soldiers, most had originated from ones she had fought and bested herself. Unused to collaborating with other mages, she had put her life on the line to battle ants at her own Tier one-on-one. The rest she had traded with the merits she had earned. The higher Tier hairs had come from the ants hunted by my parents and the Queen I had collaborated with father to take down.

    Even if, and that was a massive if, the material was wasted on Deimos¡­ it was her material to waste. The most this man could do was decline the commission; refuse to craft the weapon and tell us to go elsewhere.

    I could see Phobos stepping up to defend her but she was forestalled by Deimos'' quiet voice. "Excuse me, sir, but I doubt that we know each other well enough for you to evaluate me so."

    The ends of the man''s eyebrows nearly disappeared in his hairline as his scowl deepened. "Girl, are you questioning me?!" The world around him seemed to warp and grow heavier as the pressure of a Tier 4 at the peak of his realm bore down on us.

    I couldn''t help but frown. What kind of behaviour was this? Why was he escalating the situation? There was no reason for Deimos'' few words to drive him up the wall. She had been quite polite in her wording¡­ unless, he had some connection to the Pholidota family and this was their doing. I cast a sideways glance at Lara. She seemed just as surprised as I was, staggering back from the onslaught of the man''s aura like the rest of us.

    I couldn''t see the fluctuations of his mana as he was an earth mage but from the increased weight of our bodies, I could guess that he had increased the gravity in his vicinity. But that didn''t mean that I was helpless against him. I couldn''t prevent the bit of anger that rose within me. We were guests here at the Capital, supposed emissaries of the newly formed Kingdom. Instead of paving the way for us and helping us settle down, we were being probed and tested at every turn by the authorities. I set my jaw and stepped forward. If they wanted a demonstration, they would get one.

    Any spell that created a field of force, no matter what its Tier, element or Aspect, required an uninterrupted flow of pure mana into it for it to form and be sustained. My soul expanded its sensation, reaching out to the five strains of mana available to it, it grabbed the mana, and pulled.

    The wind picked up around us, blowing up some dust; the temperature rose slightly, combining with the increased moisture to make the atmosphere sultry; shadows darkened and lights brightened as the ambient mana gathered towards me in a swirling vortex.

    Immediately, the press of the gravity on us weakened drastically as the mana feeding it was polluted by the other elements.

    The Iron Bear turned to me in surprise, his eyes taking on an appraising cast. Suddenly, the pressure on me intensified, doubling and redoubling until my knees shook from the strain of keeping me upright. Veins stuck out on my forehead and neck as I clenched my teeth and settled down into the horse stance to endure.

    ''At least, he has taken his attention off the others,'' I noticed, trying to find a silver lining amidst the dark clouds while intensifying my mana vortex. I had been inspired by the Elemental to develop this particular usage of my skills. Opposite to its ability to collate all strains of mana into a single one for its personal use, I could only pollute the mana of others, diluting it and weakening their Domain or any forcefield they might be using.

    Still, as he kept increasing the density of his mana, I could sense him extruding my vortex by rejecting all foreign mana and regaining control of his spell. This kind of trick was only valid for the first time, when I could catch someone off guard. Once they adapted to the sensation, they would be able to compensate for it. Also, it only worked on mana that was less dense than the vortex I formed. Off the cuff, I could only condense the ambient mana to Tier 3 initial stage density. Any mage above that realm would be able to easily shrug off my influence on their Domain. The Iron Bear had only been using a fraction of his capabilities so I had managed to counter his aura, but now, as he increased the pressure, I was forced to take a step back, the ground cracking under my feet due to my enhanced weight.

    *Thwack*

    "What are you doing you big buffoon?!"

    All of a sudden, the pressure on me disappeared like a bad dream, leaving me panting for breath as I supported myself with my hands on my trembling thighs. Looking up, I saw the Iron Bear who had been so domineering just moments ago, cowering behind a chair too small to hide his huge form as a petite woman with rabbit ears beat him over the head with a rolled-up newspaper.

    "I told you!" she exclaimed, "I told you to be nice to the customers and look at what you''re doing! It hasn''t even been fifteen minutes since I left you here."

    The woman had a head of grey hair with wrinkles to match on her tanned skin that indicated an active youth. The fur on her long ears was dark at the tips while age had lightened them towards the base. They were currently set upright in annoyance as she relentlessly laid into the bear of a man with her weapon of choice.

    The corner of my mouth twitched. Who was the rabbit and who the bear?

    Raising his hands in surrender, the Iron Bear tried to protest. "Marge. Marge! Stop it! I can expl-- Stop it!" Seeing that she showed no signs of pausing her assault, he reached out and grabbed the rolled-up newspaper.

    Tugging on it a few times futilely, the woman let go of it and crossed her arms under her chest with a ''hmph''.

    "You better have a good explanation for assaulting my customers or you aren''t hearing the end of this, you understand?!"

    Getting to his feet and clearing his throat to hide his embarrassment, he muttered in a small voice like a wronged child. "They''re the ones who commissioned the razor wire with the fire ant hairs¡­ I just told the girl that it''d be a waste of good material and they started questioning me. I was just giving ''em a small lesson is all¡­ then the boy began to resist and I became a bit curious and got carried away¡­"

    Sighing, the woman rubbed her face in exasperation. Turning to us, she said apologetically, "Pardon my boorish husband, please. He really doesn''t know how to speak properly." Turning to Deimos she explained, "He didn''t mean to cast aspersions on your capabilities¡­ What he meant was that the material you sent us wasn''t suited for creating razor wire. It''d be a ''waste of good material'' in that way."

    Bowing to us slightly, she indicated towards a room at the back of the shop. "Why don''t you come in and we can talk about this in more detail?"

    +-+-+-+

    The Iron Bear''s wife, Marge, entered the guest room and closed the door behind her. She had driven her husband off into the forge attached to the shop and temporarily closed the shopfront. In her words, "I can''t trust him around people anymore." I was inclined to agree with her.

    But still, I couldn''t help but respect the man a bit. Despite his lack of social skills, he was really staunch when it came to his affection for his wife. The reason I said this was because while he was at the peak of Tier 4, his wife had barely scratched the boundary of Tier 2 middle stage.

    That was the reason why she had aged so much more noticeably than him. I estimated that she was around seventy years old. As the lifespan of a Tier 2 was generally around a hundred, her age couldn''t help but come across from her appearance.

    Mismatched couples such as this, while not unheard of, were quite a rarity as the difference in lifespan meant that one of the members of the couple would be spending the last years of their life alone mourning their spouse. An unenviable situation. Especially for females who would have the extra worry of searching for another husband to keep Vita''s whisperings in check.

    Fortunately, the whispers trailed off after menopause, so, it wasn''t a problem most of the time.

    With a sigh, Marge walked over to a cupboard at the back of the room, took out a wooden box, and walked over to us. She took a seat across a table from the sofa we were seated on and placed the box beside her. "I''m really sorry about my husband," she began. Turning to Deimos, she lowered her head. "You were the unfortunate target of his discontent with his son."

    "Son?" asked Deimos doubtfully.

    "Well¡­ you don''t know?" said Marge, looking surprised. "I thought you''d be familiar with him seeing that you worked under him for a while. And, he was the one who forwarded your commission to us."

    "Ah!" I exclaimed in recognition. "You mean Major Ursa? Vincent Ursa from the Firang contingent? He''s your son?"

    "Yes," she agreed, beaming with pride, then she deflated. "But he and his father don''t really get along. That was probably a large part of why he was so rude to you." She paused a bit, then added: "Beyond his usual, that is."

    That was really no excuse, bringing family problems into work was extremely unprofessional, but Deimos didn''t seem to want to make a big deal of the issue. She said, "It''s fine. There was no real harm done¡­ but could you tell us why the material we provided isn''t good enough?"

    "Ahh¡­ well, first of all, the elements don''t really match up. The fire ant hairs are fire element materials and if we wanted to make razor wire ¨C a wind element weapon ¨C we would need to process them by stripping the fire elemental mana from them. I hope you understand why that would be a monumental waste."

    Deimos nodded and I didn''t find her logic hard to follow either. Most of the value in the hairs came from the fact that they had come from beasts that had permeated them with their mana making them extremely sturdy and mana conductive. While they would retain these properties even if the fire mana in them was stripped as the tiny mana channels within them would be retained, the extent to which they would do so would be greatly reduced.

    They would still be good materials to craft weapons with, but not the exceptional ones they were now.

    Marge continued, "If, instead, we were to turn them into fire element weapons, the effectiveness and efficiency would get a huge boost." She took up the box from beside her, opened it, and proffered it to us. "Here, see for yourself."

    Within the box, ten hair-thin needles were laid side by side, glittering under the light of the room. Each of the needles was the length of my index finger, perfectly straight, and a beautifully transparent red ¨C like threads of scarlet glass.

    All five of us took up a needle and I inspected mine with my soul sense. Immediately, I could see the fine threads of fire mana running through the needle, concentrated at its tip. If I squinted really, really hard and used that technique I had plagiarized off a sailor on the Cloud Whale ¨C the ability to lens air around my eyes to magnify what I was seeing ¨C I could get a fuzzy glimpse of the fine channels running through it.

    Turning to Marge, I asked, "Mind if I pass some fire mana into it?"

    She shook her head with a smile, "Not at all, it''s material you provided and these are only made from the Tier 2 hairs. Also, no rune work has been inscribed on it. So, they aren''t that precious. Do whatever you want but I would suggest that you try pricking your finger with one as it is ¨C without any mana."

    Curious, I did as she said, pricking the tip of my index finger of my left hand with the needle. Immediately, I regretted it as a fiery pain shot up my finger, seeming to sear a path through my arm straight to my mind.

    It was a familiar pain. I had felt it once when I had been bitten by the fire ants Phobos had been using to break the barrier between Tier 1 and 2. Then again when I had bitten by a Tier 2 ant within the Dungeon of Gun. The fiery agony of fire ant venom.

    My left leg twinged in sympathy as my memory of the wound in the Dungeon was dragged to the surface. Clenching my teeth, it was all I could do to prevent myself from crying out. The needle fell out of my grasp and onto the ground as I clutched my hand to my stomach and curled up around it.

    Really, that mind-breaking pain had left its mark on me. It might seem like I had gotten over it, but in that hectic situation, I didn''t have time to properly process it and it had remained locked away in one corner of my mind, waiting for a chance to re-emerge.

    It seemed that fire ant venom was one of my vulnerabilities. Good to know. Thankfully, I hadn''t tried it with mana like I planned and asked first. I don''t know what would have happened otherwise.

    The rest of us were showing similar if much weaker reactions, Ceres, Lara and Phobos dealing with the pain better than Deimos. The first two due to their element resisting the fire toxin and the last due to her prior exposure to the toxin.

    Forcefully wrestling the trauma back into the box it had leapt out from, I brought my breathing under control and uncurled myself swiftly, unwilling to worry anyone else. Yet, I saw Phobos casting worried glances my way. It seemed that my episode hadn''t escaped her notice.

    Thankfully, before she could ask, she was distracted by Marge''s voice. "As you can see, these needles have retained the properties of the beast they came from. If we were to process them and strip the fire mana from them, then it would lose this property. A great depreciation in value."

    She continued to explain with an excited glint in her eye, apparently her enthusiasm for weapon crafting wasn''t less than her husband''s. "Another problem would be joining these short hairs together into a lengthy piece of wire. Instead, flying needles are a much better design choice. The hairs are practically made for crafting needles; very little processing will be needed."

    She turned to Deimos. "Actually, if you were male and were married to a fire mage, a set of needles made out of fire ant hairs would be the perfect weapon. You would be able to manipulate the needles with your wind mana specialized in control and with the fire mana from your spouse, you would be able to affect the flame toxin present in them. It would be a better weapon than even the razor wires you are going for."

    She paused a bit and mused, "Well, not better exactly. If you master the Aspect of Sharpness as well as improve your control, a razor wire can be equally threatening¡­" She shook her head, "Anyway, the point is, this particular material isn''t suitable for what you want."

    +-+-+-+

    "Then¡­ what do you suggest?" I asked Marge. "If this material isn''t suitable, then what would be the best alternative? And could we trade you the fire ant hair for it? Do you have it in stock?"

    The rabbit-eared woman beamed at me. "Smart young man. As a matter of fact, we don''t, but we will soon. There was a successful expedition into the Second Forbidden Zone not too long ago and the adventurer teams will be coming to the Capital within the month. If you can wait, then I can contact our liaison in the adventurer guild. I can guarantee that we''ll get first pick. The razor wire will be on par with the fire needles we can make from your material."

    The Second Forbidden Zone was situated on the dividing line between the Northern province and the North-eastern province of Regiis. It was a rocky wasteland. A frigid rocky wasteland. A place of vast snowfields littered with towering spires of dark rock and riddled with a vast network of underground rock caverns ¨C it was home to a colony of arachnid beasts.

    There were two main varieties of spiders ¨C wind and earth. The wind spiders wove their webs among the tall spires of rock while the earth spiders didn''t weave webs, inhabiting the underground caverns instead. The two varieties were perpetually at war with each other, which was the reason that they didn''t cause much trouble beyond the Forbidden Zone. But, at the same time, if anyone tried to invade the Forbidden Zone, and tap into the rich magical resources formed by the naturally formed Wind and Earth super-topologies, then the two would unite and pursue the foreigners.

    Also, there were many sub-classes of the wind and earth spiders, each of them forming small tribes according to their habits and infighting amongst each other as well. It was the second largest Forbidden Zone in the entirety of Regiis, dwarfed only by the First Forbidden Zone ¨C that too only because the giant swarm of locusts that made up the First Forbidden Zone was migratory and all the regions in its path of migration was considered to fall within the range of the Zone.

    A large section of the income of the Northern and North-eastern provinces came from organizing expeditions into the Forbidden Zone. If there was a successful one recently then the markets would soon be flooded with spider silk. That was definitely going to be a better material than fire ant hair.

    "What species of spider silk would be the most appropriate?" asked Ceres.

    She had read up a lot on Forbidden Zones and the usual tactics used to explore and conquer them in preparation for our expedition into the Sixth Forbidden Zone. She was quite a bit more knowledgeable about this topic than me.

    "I was thinking Cloud-surfer silk would be the best. If we can''t get that¡­ then Scarp-weaver silk is the next best." Noticing that Ceres seemed to recognize the names, she commended, "Well¡­ you''re quite well-informed." Then realization hit her. "Ahh¡­ right. I can guess why. It must have been quite the experience," she said sympathetically.

    "Yes," agreed Ceres, "it was¡­ Anyway, we''ll need a bit of time to consider. Do you mind?"

    "Oh no, not at all. Take all the time you need. But just try to decide within a fortnight¡­ I need time to contact the adventurer''s guild after all."

    Ceres nodded in acknowledgement.

    Seeing that the business part of the meeting was over temporarily, Lara burst into the conversation. She looked like staying silent for so long had physically hurt her. "I saw your husband engraving runes on a knife outside. Does he do both the metal work as well as the runes for the weapons?"

    "He only does some basic rune work. He mainly works the metal. Most of the advanced stuff is done by me. " she said, smiling proudly.

    Lara''s eyes widened in surprise. "I saw one of your weapons in my father''s arsenal. The rune work was really impressive. Don''t you find it difficult with your cultivation base?"

    Marge shrugged. "Tier 2 is more than enough for any sort of engraving. I just have to take more frequent breaks to recover my mana. It takes a bit more time, is all. Blindly chasing a high cultivation without any skill is just silly in my opinion. Which weapon are you talking about? I remember making both a glaive and a bow for your family."

    "Ah. The glaive¡­"

    They went on to discuss runes. It was interesting for a while before they devolved into jargon and I stopped being able to follow. Lara seemed to have quite a bit of expertise in this field. Thankfully, she didn''t continue the conversation for too long, Lara managing to wrangle a promise of another appointment from Marge before we left the store, assuring her that we would let her know of our decision as soon as possible.

    "So, you''re a runic craftsman?" asked Phobos as we made our way towards the Fire sector so we could take an elevator to the Water sector, towards the library.

    Lara adjusted a lock of her fiery hair embarrassedly. "Ah¡­ no, just a hobbyist."

    "Well, you seemed quite serious while you were talking with Marge. I might ask you for help sometime."

    "Sure. Why not? I''ll be with you guys most of the time anyway in the following weeks."

    Before they could continue, Ceres interjected, "Excuse me, could you tell me if any male in our generation from the Lupin family has married a Salamandra¡­ or is slated to."

    The Lupin family was a family of hereditary nobles descended from the Demigod known simply as the Wind Wolf. I could guess why Ceres was asking the question.

    Lara narrowed her eyes slightly at Ceres before relaxing and answering, "Yes. There is. I guess you know that we hereditary nobles are only allowed to marry someone out of our own clan and amongst ourselves. It''s so that the thickness of our blood is maintained and also so it doesn''t get too thick if you get what I mean."

    Not to mention that it would forge closer ties between the families and the Demigods as they would, in effect, be one large extended family. I could understand why they would be miffed at the sudden addition of a hereditary noble family.

    Lara continued, "It''s Erin, my cousin sister, who is marrying the Lupin heir: Ivan. And before you ask, we were searching for a bridal gift and the fire needles sound perfect. I do believe Marge was making a sales pitch by demonstrating them." She shrugged. "Well, she succeeded. If you choose to go for the spider silk, we can help you through our channels. I think we have some Cloud-surfer silk in our storehouse."

    "What''s a Cloud-surfer?" asked Deimos.

    Pushing up her glasses, Ceres answered, "It''s a type of spider found in the Second Forbidden Zone. The webs it spin are naturally lighter than air. The silks clump together in the form of clouds that float in the wind and the spiders live above these clouds. The silks are tougher than steel wire and extremely light and long. They are perfect for razor wire."

    Reaching an elevator, all of us got in and once again Deimos injected her mana into the palm-print and it took us to the surface.

    Turning to Ceres, Lara said, "I know that it''ll be an unfair deal for you guys as the spider silk you will get will be Tier 3 at the most while you have enough Tier 4 and Tier 5 needles to make a full set that will last a mage their life. I''ll tell you what¡­ sell us this favour and we guarantee that we''ll collect the material for you. After all, Tier 2 and 3 wires will last you a long while yet."

 223 Chapter 1

    The sudden question from Isabella caught me off guard as I was led out of the Arena and through the meandering corridors of the Palace by the two Demigods.

    "Well¡­ the Ten Commandments?" I hedged after a pause.

    They had whisked me away right after declaring my victory, leaving my wives ¨C and bride to be ¨C to attend the subsequent banquet in honour of the duel''s victor on their own.

    Isabella shook her head. "That''s too broad an answer. What would you say if I asked you to reply in one word?"

    We had been walking in silence as I pondered over the circumstances of the Duel and worried about the aftermath. How I would get along with Artemis after this was occupying a large part of my mind before Isabella interrupted me with her question.

    I thought about it deeply for a while before it hit me like a bolt out of the blue. "Marriage!" I blurted out.

    She nodded appreciatively. "Exactly. The entire Empire was built and established upon the institution of marriage. We extoll the virtues of love, fidelity, and marital harmony; instilling them in our children from a very tender age. A happy couple makes for stronger mages and that results in a prosperous Empire. To this effect, we put Marriage on a very high pedestal, glorify it and try to make the younger generation enthusiastic about it. But, think for just a moment, what if something cropped up that threatened to subvert this atmosphere?"

    For a moment, I was confused about what she was getting at before I remembered the sight of the female students of the battle-mage division of the Academy holding up that banner reviling me and cheering Artemis on. Then it all became clear.

    "So that''s why you ruled the Duel in my favour!"

    Isabella nodded. "The First Princess has a lot of admirers, especially among the more militant sections of the female youth. They see her strength and then they notice her unmarried status. Impressionable as they are, they often correlate the two and that dampens their enthusiasm for marriage. But they aren''t the Princess. They don''t have a method to stave Vita''s whispers off. They have to marry and that makes them resentful."

    She sighed. "There has been a rise in the number of unhappy marriages in the mere two years since Artemis made her debut as a Hand of Justice. Apparently, an unmarried, powerful woman sends the wrong message."

    I couldn''t bear take a look at her before hastily restraining my gaze. Unfortunately, I wasn''t fast enough and she noticed.

    Averting her eyes embarrassed, she quibbled, "Well¡­ in my case there were special circumstances¡­ and I never met the right person¡­"

    Raising her voice to drown him out, Isabella ignored his comment and continued addressing me. "Anyway! The thing is, Artemis needed to be wed and soon. The Emperor was already looking into pairing her off with someone, but she insisted upon Duelling them and only marrying someone who beat her. Obviously, none of her suitors had succeeded till you arrived¡­ So, congratulations, you''re the lucky man."

    Astarael Salamandra just shook his head with an amused expression and turned back to the front.

    We walked in silence for a bit before I couldn''t contain my curiosity and asked, "Then why not publicize the method she uses? If it is replicable then no woman would have to worry about Vita''s influence upon her anymore and they could marry whenever they felt ready."

    Isabella looked at me like I was an idiot, opening her mouth to say something. But the Sunlight Soldier beat her to the punch. "Boy, always think several times before you speak, or you run the risk of looking like a vapid idiot. Now shut your mouth and think it through. If you don''t have an appropriate answer for us by the time we exit the Palace, I''ll be forced to reconsider taking you with us."

    My heart thumped and my cheeks burned with shame. I couldn''t help but hunch my shoulders a bit. ''It''s not like I asked you to take me wherever it is that you''re taking me!'' I wanted to shout, but I clamped down on the impulse.

    I was just being petulant. They were Demigods. Military, civil, anyway you looked at it, they vastly outranked me and if they ordered me to jump, I better get hopping. Shaking my head to clear my mind, I thought the issue through, looking at it from different angles.

    The steady rhythm of our boots on the stone counted down the time remaining till we reached the exit and my nervousness grew as my thoughts kept running in circles, unable to find the problem in exposing the method of preventing Feralization.

    I admit, the reason I was so eager to have it public was because of my selfishness. I thought it would benefit Phobos'' mother in particular and war widows in general. There would be no urgent question of remarriage looming above the widows like a naked sword and those who didn''t want to remarry wouldn''t have to resort to Sati. And even those who did would have time to properly mourn their husbands before moving on.

    Demigods were people at the apex of magic in this world of ours. Only the most fortunate of people would have a chance to meet them and here I was walking within reach of two. Two Demigods who seemed to want to present me with an opportunity. As the time limit drew ever closer, I could feel the opportunity slipping out of my grasp like fine sand through a clenched fist.

    Forcibly calming myself down, I took a deep breath and exhaled, feeding all my emotions to the Void.

    My eyes grew cold, my posture straight, and my gait unflustered. Freed from the shackles of emotion, thoughts collided rapidly in the Void, sparking inspiration with every impact.

    Opening my mouth, I spoke with confidence. "Revealing the technique to the public would undermine the importance of marriage. As of now, every woman has an impetus to marry: The positive connotations attached to it culturally as well as the negative impact of impending Feralization. A carrot and a stick if you will.

    "This technique, if widely publicized and adopted, will, in essence, remove that stick. Women wouldn''t be as motivated to marry ¨C and what''s worse ¨C even remain faithful. Not only will it weaken the Empire in the long run, it will create great social upheaval in the short term and that''s something we can hardly afford at the current juncture in time."

    "Also," I concluded, "the entire statute of laws would have to be amended in order to accommodate the complications arising from this change."

    Right as I finished speaking, we exited out of the corridor into the imperial rose garden. The noon sun beat down upon us, dispersing the chill of winter and the heady scent of roses filled my nose.

    Turing around, the Sunlight Soldier clapped one of his massive claws on my shoulder, nearly making me stumble. "Well done¡­ couldn''t have put it better myself. But you missed one point."

    My heart sank, shattering the Void, and disappointment flooded into me along with my returning emotions. I''d failed the test and would miss this once in a lifetime opportunity.

 224 Chapter 2

    Curious, I took it up and asked, "What''s this for? And what''s this about the Circle of Demigods?"

    "Just wear it," she urged. "You''ll get all your answers soon."

    Shrugging slightly, I slipped the ring on my right index finger and waited for whatever it was that was supposed to happen. Inwardly, I was quite excited as I had several guesses as to what this might be about and all of them were really good news for me and for Phobos'' research.

    For a moment, nothing happened and just when I was about ask Isabella whether I needed to activate it with mana or not, the ring suddenly dissolved and began to spread rapidly across my skin like the darkest of paints. The darkness spread rapidly up my arm and then my body. I barely had time to react before my head was engulfed by the dark tide.

    I instinctively tried to draw upon the ambient mana with my soul but as soon as my soul sense contacted the film of darkness covering it, it recoiled as though burnt. There was an extremely overbearing presence within it ¨C a presence that that engendered the image of a bottomless abyss in my mind. Made me think of the boundless darkness of the universe beyond the stars.

    The darkness retreated as suddenly as it had arrived and I could see again.

    The scenery had changed. While a moment prior I had been in a sunlit garden full of roses in full bloom, now I was in a dimly lit chamber carved roughly out of dark stone. A quick glance around me told me that there were no entrances or exits to the cavernous chamber. Not even a single window or ventilation grate.

    It was quite expansive and roughly circular in shape and I was currently at the very centre of it. All along the walls, evenly spaced, there were eight objects that caught my attention. Going clockwise, they were: A huge fireplace with a cheerfully burning blaze within it. A large stone tub filled with crystal clear water that had a pale blue internal glow. A broad pillar of rough rock that spanned from floor to ceiling. A full-length mirror with ornate gilt edges that reflected nothing. A sphere of darkness so absolute that it seemed like a hole in the very fabric of reality. A column of swirling wind that glowed a pale shade of green. A pillar of glowing white crystal. And finally, a stone trough full of a dark red liquid that looked suspiciously like blood, before my sight returned to the fireplace.

    There was nothing in the room apart from these oddities and they were the only sources of light, giving the whole place a strange ambiance. The domed ceiling was quite high and when I looked up, I found that it was concealed within thick shadows.

    The woman simply tilted her head slightly and studied me with those creepy eyes of hers that had no pupil or sclera ¨C just an unbroken stretch of darkness. Her waterfall of jet-black hair cascaded down her back, reaching down to the ground where it spread out until it seemed to merge with her shadow. She was clad entirely in black robes that revealed no skin at all except for her face. Even that was blocked off below the eye line by a sheer black veil.

    I logically assumed that this was the Demigod who had brought me here.

    Bringing my rapidly beating heart under control, I dropped out of my battle stance and gave her a formal bow. "It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my Lady. I''m Mars Felidae. Might I be honoured by your name?"

    She studied me silently for a long moment with that utterly unnerving stare of hers. What made my skin crawl was the fact that she wasn''t breathing. At all. Her veil didn''t flutter even slightly.

    All my attention was focused on her, so I was caught totally off guard when a woman wrapped her hands around my neck and pressed her soft body against my back. Phobos'' husky voice whispered in my ear. "Unnatural, isn''t it?"

    All of a sudden, I found that I had lost my dominion over my own body. I couldn''t move a single muscle. Not even my eyes. I was forced to watch, unblinking as the figure of the woman in front of me darkened until it was a simple mass of darkness that lost shape and sank into the shadows on the ground.

    "That''s the best I could achieve when I was at Tier 3," my captor purred seductively in my ear in the voice of my wife. "I was five years your senior then." The woman let go of me and walked around to my front where I could see her. I couldn''t help but shudder with fear because she looked exactly like my wife down to the very last detail. If it wasn''t for her mannerisms and the content of her speech, I would have mistaken her for Phobos.

    "It took me five more years till I managed to refine my clone technique to the level you displayed in today''s duel." She poked my chest with a finger and bit her lip. "If you weren''t so young, this old lady might have snapped you right up."

    "Morgan! Stop teasing the poor boy."

    Isabella''s irate voice rang out from behind me and suddenly, I was free to move. Taking a few hasty steps away from the now pouting Phobos impersonator, I turned around to see the faintly glowing blue water in the stone tub rising out of it and taking the shape of the Demigod of the Waves while, at the same time, the fire in the hearth blazed a warm orange and the flaming form of the Sunlight Soldier stepped out of it.

    Turning my head back, I found the shadowy Demigod had drawn two full-body cloaks out of her shadow-space. Thankfully, while she had kept Phobos'' overall guise, she had altered the eyes to that creepy expanse of darkness, which freaked me out a lot less than seeing a perfect semblance of my wife behaving like a cradle-robber. "You''re no fun," she grumbled as she tossed the robes to the two Demigods. "It''s been so long since I had a newbie to haze." Turning to me, she grinned sadistically, sending a chill up my spine. "Especially one that can''t fight back."

    I took a step backwards with cold sweat beading my forehead. I don''t think I liked her very much. After all, her reputation preceded her.

    Morgan Zibeline, the Demigod of Darkness, One of Many Faces, the Unseen.

 225 Chapter 3

    If she already had the furniture stored away in her shadow, that was impressive in regard to how large her shadow-space was. But, if she had summoned the furniture from the Imperial Palace a large distance away, then it was a mind-boggling display of her mastery over the space magic.

    "Come on, take a seat." Morgan walked over the table, drew a chair and settled comfortably into a chair.

    Isabella and Astarael ¨C or rather, their Doppelgangers ¨C had already condensed their bodies and donned the full-body black robes that had been provided to them. They took seats to Morgan''s left and right respectively while I sat directly across the table from them.

    Leaning back in her chair, Isabella explained, "This place is the Nexus. This is where we Demigods gather to meet. The Circle of Demigods as the name suggests is a society with each of its members at Tier 6."

    "Then why am I here?" I couldn''t help but ask.

    "Because you passed the inspection," replied Astarael, in his deep hissing voice. "Your mindscape shattered, and you are perfectly fine ¨C neither in a vegetative state, nor magically crippled. Your path to Demigod is unimpeded. It is just a matter of time. We just decided to induct you in early."

    "That''s¡­ that''s¡­" It was great news. I was simultaneously stunned and overjoyed. After my conversation with Isabella, I had an inkling that this might be the case, but hearing it said aloud was huge rush.

    "That''s horrible news." Morgan finished my sentence for me with a grin. "It means that you''ll be a top target for assassination. The other nations aren''t idiots. They won''t like the idea of a fledgling Demigod being nurtured in Regiis. They''ll love to nip this threat in the bud."

    Her words were like a trough of cold water dowsing the fires of my enthusiasm. ''Oh¡­ shit.'' My demonstrations of my powers were always in public settings and extremely flashy to boot. In the eyes of the informed, my situation would be clear as day.

    "We are drawing you in to this society so we can protect you. And so that we can toughen you up so you are harder to kill. Hopefully speed up your promotion to an actual Demigod."

    "But," I asked. "How did you affirm that I would definitely be able to reach Demigod?"

    Isabella answered, "It was me. When I found out about your specialty, I contacted the other Demigods through the Nexus and they took an interest in you."

    Was this why the Salamandra clan had been so proactive? It made sense for their sudden change in attitude. Then what about the other clans? Why had they been so antagonistic? And the Pholidota? Was that probe by Reinhart actually initiated by the Unbounded Demigod, their ancestor?

    "We discussed about the steps we should take. We were just going to keep tabs on you and protect you in secret but after today''s performance, your value in our eyes as well as the danger you are in, increased. So, here we are."

    "The others will be sending their Doppelgangers in a while," said Morgan. "Us three were in the Capital at this time so we were the first to arrive. The others will wrap up whatever they are doing before projecting their presence here."

    That made sense. After all, although a Doppelganger could act independently, if one wanted to remotely control it, they would have to focus on it to synchronize with its senses.

    After a bit more discussion, a lot of things became clearer in my mind. Things like how a Demigod cultivated their soul.

    It was as I had guessed. The route to strengthening a soul was through the comprehension of Aspects. Just like Mastery of an Aspect was a necessary condition for promotion to Tier 5. One needed to be a Grandmaster to even think about trying for Demigod.

    The Grandmaster realm was a mystical state of mind where one formed an intuition about the Aspect. Just by looking at something related to the Aspect, they would get an idea as to how to replicate that effect using their magic.

    Progressing through the realms of an Aspect was really no different from learning any mundane skill. Take for example an artist learning how to do figure-sketching for the first time. They either get someone to pose for them or use a reference image to copy from. As they get better and better, their copies become more and more accurate until one day they become indistinguishable from the originals.

    That is Mastery.

    Then they move on to drawing a different person, in a different pose or using a different reference. Male, female, sitting, standing, running, walking, lying down¡­ they keep on drawing different takes on the human body. Slowly but surely, they start noticing some commonalities between the figures. The proportions, how the muscles are laid out, how the skeleton might be aligned¡­ all of these things ¨C the fundamental principles ¨C become clear to them as they do hundreds of figure studies.

    Suddenly, one day they realise that they can now draw any figure they want to with just a glance. They don''t need the references anymore. They can even draw something straight out of their imaginations, and it will come out looking realistic. They have developed an intuition for the human figure.

    That is Grand mastery.

    The way one went about reaching that realm was by Mastering the same Aspect again and again in various ways. Once they reached Grandmaster, it would only take a glance at someone else''s method of mastery before they could recreate it.

    It was an extremely time-consuming endeavour as no one really knew how many types of mastery one needed to achieve before the quantitative change sparked a qualitative change. It was all dependent on the person''s comprehension talent. A talent very different from magical talent which only depended on bloodline density.

    Mastering an Aspect generally took one or two years. Collecting and studying around a hundred Aspects would take a lifetime. It was no wonder that most mages ran out of time before even obtaining the qualifications to attack the Tier 6 bottleneck. It was also why most Tier 5 mages went into secluded meditation. They were trying to race against time and cram as much as possible to achieve Grand mastery before their lifespans ran out.

    This was where the comprehension talent came into play. Someone with better talent would not only need less time to learn one method of mastery, they would also infer the fundamental principles much faster, therefore needing to master fewer methods.

    All the Demigods were gifted in comprehension. Some more than the others. On one end of the spectrum was Isabella, promoting at a mere thirty years of age, while on the other was the Sunlight Soldier who had promoted at the ripe old age of one hundred and forty.

    Then Isabella casually dropped a huge information bomb on me.

    "Oh, I''m a reincarnated Demigod," she confessed. "I''m a big cheat. Somehow, I was lucky enough to retain my original persona while gaining the comprehension of the Aspects from my past life. I didn''t gain any memories of my past life, but my Aspect of Water was already at Grandmaster since the day I Awakened my mana. It was only a matter of cultivating till Tier 5 peak again. Simple mana cultivation. That also gave me a powerful soul which could stave off Vita''s whispers¡­ so I never needed to marry."

    Then again, when I thought about it a little, it made perfect sense. There was no other explanation for how she could blitz through the cultivation stages so fast. If it was all her talent, then it would be a little too exaggerated.

    Comprehension also dictated the rate at which a mage''s strength grew after they became a Demigod. That meant that age really wasn''t an indicator of a Demigod''s power. A newly minted Demigod with high comprehension could easily overtake a veteran who had promoted with one foot in the grave.

    Apparently, the path after Grandmaster was a boundless stretch of flat land. No one, not even Emperor Adam or all the Demigods who came after him, had managed to reach the next realm. The Sages (Demigods) of Huaxia even had a name for this eternal search for truth. They called it the Dao Seeking stage.

    Qi Gathering, Domain Formation, Solid Core, Crystal Core, Nascent Soul (Demigod), Dao Seeking, and once the Dao was found, one would transcend the mortal coil, gain immortality and become a Dao Divinity.

    All of this was pure speculation, of course, but there was the omnipresent disembodied soul that was Vita. So, no one could say that the theory was totally without merit.

    After a while, the conversation shifted to the purpose of the super-topology that encompassed the Capital and the secret technique of the Empress. I was shocked to learn about the weapon of mass destruction sitting at the heart of the Empire. It gave me the chills. I was also surprised to hear about Artemis'' truancy of a part of the technique which let her create her skill.

    When I brought up my concern about people coming after Artemis to steal the technique, I was assured that it wasn''t really a big deal for a Demigod to replicate. It was suspected that, if not at the scale in Regiis, all of the other nations had similar arrangements of their own.

 226 Chapter 4

    Morgan conjured another robe from her shadow space and tossed it to her. Catching it, she donned it, fastening the front before she gained colour and texture, turning into the figure of a Demigod. Layla, the Blood weaver.

    A member of the Yubatus family, she possessed the golden hair and the leathery bat wings that were the characteristics of her clan. Pure white bandages were tied around her eyes, blindfolding her. Her pointed ears twitched towards them as soon as she had appeared, locking onto their location through sound.

    As she approached the table, I noticed that two lines of dark red runic tattoos ran down her face from beneath the bandages covering her eyes like tear tracks, reaching all the way to her chin. Her marriage mark.

    Taking a seat on Isabella''s left, she nodded to all of us politely and spoke in a soft voice that was barely above a whisper, "Greetings."

    "Layla, how have you been?" asked Morgan with a smile as she leaned across Isabella to squeeze her hand.

    "Good." Layla whispered with barely a hint of a smile.

    Just from seeing her now, she seemed a soft-spoken, uncommunicative woman who was a bit shy around people. An impression which was diametrically opposite to public perception of her.

    She was known as the Vampire Queen and the tales of her were legend. If anyone was bored enough to rank the Demigods of Regiis, she would most definitely feature first in terms of the sheer danger she represented.

    Even before she had promoted to Demigod, when she was at the peak of Tier 5 nearly a hundred years ago, she had risen to prominence by Turning an entire horde of the Barbarians who were attacking Regiis during an Exodus into her mindless thralls and sending them back towards their brethren. Her powers engendered fear and unease within friend and foe alike and while the Barbarians reviled her as the Sanguine Dreadgod till this day, even within Regiis she and her family were treated with fearful respect at best and shunned at worst.

    As such, she had long since withdrawn from the public arena and the Yubatus family were quite reclusive in nature, keeping to their estates in the Shadow Sector.

    In possession of a compound affinity of Water and Shadow, she could wield the blood of her opponents as well as enslave them with it as the medium.

    As Isabella brought her up to speed, the various elemental wells at the edges of the room began to shine and the remaining Demigods began to appear one after another.

    Turning to me, he reached across the table to shake my hand. "Keep it up, young man. Marrying a Princess so young. Impressive. Most impressive." Suddenly, his grip on my hand tightened and his eyes glinted behind his narrowed lids. "That makes you my great-grandson in law, doesn''t it?"

    The surroundings faded and suddenly the two of us were the only ones in the world. Fenrir Lupin, the Wind Wolf, still had my hand in his iron grip while all around us a massive storm raged on, the winds howling in a dreadful vortex while lightning flashed, and thunder pealed. Cold sweat beaded my forehead.

    "You''ll treat her well, won''t you?" he asked with a smile.

    I nodded with a stiff smile, "Yes, sir."

    But before he could interrogate and threaten me further, the storm around us suddenly shattered. Letting go of my hand, he rubbed the back of his head and glared at Salamandra. "What was that for?!"

    "Don''t bully the boy." The said the draconic Demigod gruffly. "Using your Soul Realm to scare him was a bit much. He''ll take care of the lass whether you threaten him or not."

    Fenrir rolled his eyes. "Just some good-natured ribbing is all. No need to get so uptight about it." He muttered.

    To me, he said, "Anyway, I had a nice surprise sent to your apartment. I''m sure you''ll like it. Consider a gift on the first meeting and an apology for a moment ago." He smiled warmly. "We''ll be family soon¡­ Doubly related in fact, both in terms of this Circle and through marriage. Don''t be shy to ask me for help anytime."

    He had been the Emperor of Regiis back in his youth and his charisma had won him support the Empire over. An astute economist, he proposed several economic reforms in his term, many of which are still followed today and have enriched Regiis massively.

    Other than his first daughter (Venus and Artemis'' grandmother) who became the next generation''s Empress, the rest of his children established the Lupin family in the Capital who are the owners of one of the largest Chambers of Commerce in the Empire today.

    The mirror without a reflection suddenly flashed with light in a pattern which I recognized as military code followed shortly by the stone and crystal pillars.

    "Well, it looks like they won''t be able to come," said Morgan. "Five is the majority anyway. And with your soul intensity as weak as it is, it is enough for the oath. We can always renew it later when you promote."

    I could feel five very different but tyrannical souls pressing up against mine.

    "Relax and let loose your mind," she instructed. "Now, repeat after me. I swear to never take any action that will harm the Regiis Empire."

    After I repeated the statement, I felt five lines of soul strength wrapping around me like shackles, binding me to my words.

    Again, she said, "I swear to preserve the secrets of promotion to Demigod and the cultivation knowledge related to that realm. I may only reveal it after reaching a consensus with the Council."

    After the words left my mouth, another set of shackles settled on my mind.

    "And¡­ that''s it," said Morgan with a smile. "You are now a full member of the Circle of Demigods."

    ///

    Also, check out the new cover art. I made it. Praise me.

    For the full res image and to see how it evolved step by step, check out my Discord.

 227 Chapter 5

    The entirety of the post-duel banquet had been torture for her. She had been hypersensitive to the gazes of the attendees the entire time. She felt like they were burning hot lances stabbing into her, judging her. Finding her lacking.

    She felt vulnerable without her armour and dressed in a dress with too many frills for her liking. The worst moment had been when the girls from the warrior-division of the academy had turned a cold-shoulder to her.

    Where just a few hours ago, they had looked at her with eyes filled with admiration and worship, now their gazes contained nothing but contempt.

    She had honestly been surprised at just how much it had hurt.

    When they were following her about starstruck like chicks after a mother hen, she had taken them for granted. She had ignored them easily, relegating them to background noise and focusing on getting strong enough to achieve her goals.

    But now that they had turned their backs on her, she felt an intense sense of loss, like she was worth less somehow.

    How cold was the world? How fickle. A glorious hero today, a disregarded loser tomorrow.

    There was a sound of a door being unlocked. She looked up from the dazed state she had been after the banquet and saw that they had reached the apartment. Her soon-to-be sister wives entered the apartment and she followed them in silently.

    Thankfully, the boy wasn''t home yet. No, not boy... not anymore. She''d have to get used to calling him Husband soon. She wasn''t sure she could face him right now.

    She knew that she shouldn''t be blaming him, after all, he had done what any honourable warrior would and given his all. And that had just exceeded her capabilities. His victory was deserved.

    But still¡­ she couldn''t help the animosity towards him that rose up in her heart.

    "Come with me."

    Artemis looked up to see the cinnamon-haired kitsune, Ceres, beckoning for her to follow. She was an enigma, this girl. The origin of her bloodline, the circumstances under which she had gotten married, how she had redeemed herself and won over the support of the contingent at Firang¡­ all of it was shrouded in mystery. None of it was on record in the files she had perused.

    The curiosity she felt about Ceres took the edge off the dull numbness at her core and she followed after her.

    Soon she realized that Ceres had led them to the bedroom of the apartment.

    "What¡­" she began but Ceres cut her off.

    "Shh. Just follow me."

    Artemis felt a sudden apprehension about what was going to happen. An apprehension that was intensified when the door closed behind her with a click that had an air of finality to it.

    "Come on," urged Ceres. "Let''s get you out of that monstrosity of a dress and into something comfortable."

    Artemis suddenly realized that in her haste to get away from the banquet, she had forgotten all about packing something for the night.

    She could have stayed in the castle, then moved after they had been officially wed by the Prime Minister (a Tier 5 Tamer) the next day. But she hadn''t wanted to meet her parents. Both of them had been nagging at her to get married. This wasn''t the first time a duel had been arranged for her. Only this time, the challenge had succeeded.

    Artemis didn''t want to see their smug faces. As such, she had been avoiding them for the entire banquet, and as swamped with people toadying up to them as they were, they hadn''t been able to corner her. That was why she had left with the Felidae girls.

    Ceres pointed at a pair of folded pyjamas that were laid on the bed. Artemis noticed that the design was similar to the one Phobos was wearing. It was probably hers seeing that their heights and overall silhouettes were very similar.

    "Here?" she asked.

    Ceres gave her a flat stare and said in a deadpan voice. "We are all girls here. You must have changed your clothes in female company at some point in time. Or aren''t there any locker rooms for the Hands of Justice?"

    Artemis sighed and gave in. Reaching behind her, she began fiddling with the zipper of her dress. Her wings kept getting in the way and she began to get frustrated. She''d never worn something so fancy and impractical before.

    "Here, let me help." Phobos'' husky voice rang out behind her all of a sudden, startling her a bit at how silent she was when moving. Like a ghost in the darkness.

    With the help of the dark-haired girl, the dress finally came off and pooled on the ground, leaving her only in her underwear. Stepping out of it, she quickly wore the pyjamas and turned around.

    She found Phobos'' yellow eyes locked on her with an odd glint to them. Artemis had an uneasy feeling like sector was prey being sized up by a predator.

    Shaking her head, she dismissed the odd thought. Just because their husband was an anomaly didn''t mean that they were too. She had nothing to fear even if they teamed up against her.

    Grabbing her hand, Phobos pulled her along to the bed and had her sit at the head of the bed. Adjusting the cushions so her wings didn''t accidentally tear them to shreds, she propped herself up into a comfortable position.

    Phobos settled down to her right, Deimos to her left and Ceres in front of her.

    "So, why did you bring me here."

    "To make you feel better about the situation," replied Ceres.

    Artemis chuckled self-deprecatingly, "No need to worry about that. I''ll come to terms with it soon. He was the better warrior. I lost¡­ I''ll keep my promise."

    Deimos shook her head. Reaching out, she squeezed Artemis'' hand. "You won''t need to keep any promises," she said. "Just don''t be mad at him¡­ give him a chance, ya?"

    Artemis wanted to say that she didn''t want to give anyone a chance but looking at Deimos'' sincere face of entreaty, her heart grew soft. She nodded reluctantly. The bright smile Deimos favoured her with made her feel better about that decision.

    "Actually," said Ceres, "Husband told us about your goal. About why you were working so hard to get strong."

    Artemis felt a spike of anger. He knew about her plans. He knew what she wanted to do later in life. She had categorically told him that marriage wasn''t in her calendar. Still he had insisted upon fighting her and tried so desperately to win, even using a nearly suicidal technique at the end that might have killed them both.

    Now she learnt that he had even bragged to his wives about her goals. Did he get a thrill out of crushing her dreams? It must have been such an ego boost to conquer a Princess¡­ Take the Sword Maiden down a peg.

    Her eyes stung. Clenching her jaws, she held back her tears.

    Noticing her change of expression, Ceres quickly added, "Ah, please don''t misunderstand. We aren''t mocking you. What we want to say is that marriage can be a huge boost for you. Especially when your partner is someone like Husband.

    "He is a really wonderful person. Once you get him to accept you as family, he''ll do everything in his power to help you achieve your goals. He''ll lay down his life for you."

    Taking a deep breath, she continued, "You know that there are some rumours about my heritage, right? The truth is actually even more damning. I was married off to Husband as a spy¡­"

    Artemis listened enthralled as Ceres narrated her story. A tragic tale of star-crossed lovers where the villainess finally sacrifices her life to prove the depths of her love for the hero, only for the hero to drag her back from the gate of death by stepping halfway through himself.

    When she finished her tale, they sat in silence for a while, soaking it in before Phobos spoke up:

    "Actually, Demi, you, me¡­ Husband has a history of having to beat his wives into submission before marrying them," she said with a chuckle. "It happened when I turned Feral¡­"

    Phobos, Deimos and Ceres took turns regaling her with stories about the man she had promised to marry. They told funny anecdotes, recounted romantic moments and even went into overly-detailed descriptions of raunchy scenes that set her cheeks on fire and her maiden heart aflutter.

 228 Chapter 6

    Phobos shivered slightly. The winter air had a bite to it and the fire in the hearth had died out without anyone to tend to it. She hadn''t drawn a blanket over herself before sleep had overtaken her and her nightwear was a bit too flimsy to protect her from the chill.

    Her eyes lingered a bit on the tight lines of the winged princess'' body. Her pyjama top had hiked up a bit, revealing the well-defined muscles of her stomach. Artemis'' toned arms and thighs drew her attention as well. Phobos found herself wondering what they would feel like to the touch.

    She shook her head wryly. It was too early in the morning to get all hot and bothered.

    Getting of the bed carefully so as not to wake the others, she cleaned her mouth with mana before Shadow Walking out into the living room. It was a common failing of all shadow mages. The convenient ability to teleport made them reluctant to use their feet to get anywhere. She pinched her stomach in an exploratory manner, letting out a sigh of relief when she found nothing too exaggerated. Mentally admonishing herself for her sloth, Phobos entered the kitchen.

    Bringing out a pan, she set some water to boil before rummaging about in the cabinet for her jar of ground coffee. She had been introduced to the beverage by a fellow bibliophile at the library. The bespectacled girl had seen her spending nearly the entire day there and the two of them had hit it off. Well¡­ in the sense that they shared the same table while silently doing their own thing; saying a word or two when they both paused for a break. The girl had sworn by the bitter beverage, going so far as to refer to sleep as a weak substitute for it.

    Pouring the steaming brew out into a mug, blowing on it a few times to cool it and taking a sip, Phobos had to agree. She wouldn''t have survived these days of late nights and early mornings without it. Half-sitting on the counter, she nursed the mug, letting the warmth seep into her through her palms. It definitely made waking up at morning less of a chore.

    She heard sounds coming from the living room and frowned slightly. It shouldn''t be Deimos as the white-haired girl was a heavy sleeper. Not Ceres either ¨C the foxgirl wasn''t a morning person. Her brow stretched. That only left the newest addition to the family.

    Walking out of the kitchen with her mug in hand, she almost ran into Artemis who was trying to enter.

    "Ah, there you are. I knew you were up and about but I couldn''t locate you. You''re incredibly silent."

    Phobos realized that she had been muffling her presence with magic and shut it off. "Sorry. My bad. I used to keep my Stealth up at all times for training. It has become something of a habit."

    "No, it''s fine. That''s a pretty common training method -- maintaining a spell as long as possible. It''s really helpful for increasing one''s understanding of an Aspect."

    "So, what did you want me for?"

    "Yeah¡­" Artemis tugged at the pyjamas she was wearing. "I''d really appreciate it if you''d lend me a set of clothes. Yours are the only ones that will fit. I want to return to the Palace and sort things out with my father and I don''t want to wear that monstrosity of a dress again."

    Phobos nodded. "Sure. But its still early. Have breakfast before you leave at least."

    Artemis opened her mouth to reject but her stomach betrayed her by choosing the exact time to rumble.

    "Well." Phobos smiled. "That settles it."

    Walking into the living room, she tugged a bell-chain to summon room service before settling into the sofa. Artemis drew up a backless settee and sat down to wait.

    "There''s an arrangement in place for sending up breakfast for four for this room. As Husband hasn''t returned yet, you can have his portion."

    Artemis nodded. "Thanks."

    They sat in silence for a moment with Phobos intermittently sipping her coffee. After a while, she said, "So, did we succeed in changing your mind?"

    Artemis chuckled. "You certainly were persuasive last night." She sighed. "But it was actually something else that convinced me."

    "What?"

    "The teamwork between Mars, you and Ceres. You created that clone technique, Mars used it in the fight against me to great effect, and then during the banquet, Ceres donated the technique to the Academy... It was brilliant how you leveraged the interest generated by the fight and drew in a lot of investments towards researching and improving the technique. Now, instead of only you working on it, you have the best researchers in Regiis giving it their all."

    Artemis sighed again. "It made me think about the advantages of being in a team. Alone, you wouldn''t be able to achieve this, but working together and delegating the different parts of the plan to the appropriate candidates, you worked a miracle.

    "It made me think that maybe, just maybe I was going about things the wrong way."

    +++

    Please read the Author''s note below.

    +++

    I tried rushing my writing but all that came out was a horribly mutated lump of words. Never rushing again.

    So, new release schedule is one chap every alternate day for FeralHeart and one chap every 4 days for Dungeon Mage.

    And as always...

 229 Chapter 7

    Looking down at her mug, she watched the dark liquid within it swirl as wisps of steam rose from it. She pondered over the best way to break it to her that she wasn''t fooling anyone.

    "You know," she finally said, "I get where you''re coming from. Sometimes you have to realize that there are things at stake greater than just yourself."

    Artemis raised a brow at that.

    Phobos looked up. "Don''t get me wrong¡­ I''m not implying that you are some sort of egotist for not wanting to marry. There''s a very real possibility that marriage would have tied you down and prevented you from doing what you want to do. But everything has two sides. Marriage could also get you your staunchest ally."

    She paused. "Remember how I told you that I tried to promote to Tier 2 forcefully?"

    Artemis nodded.

    "Well, that was my idiotic pride getting in the way of my common sense. I knew¡­ knew beyond a shadow of doubt that I wasn''t as talented as Mars or Deimos. Still, I couldn''t bring myself to admit it. Especially not to them. So, I cooped myself up in the carriage and tortured myself¡­ if not for Husband noticing something wrong and checking up on me, I would have caused a huge incident by turning Feral and rampaging in the camp."

    She paused. "We shouldn''t hide our problems from the ones who really care for us. They won''t think any less of us. They''ll just do their best to help us out."

    Casting a glance at Artemis, she found that the Princess'' frown was getting more pronounced. Taking a deep breath, she continued.

    "The thing is¡­ Me, I get jealous very easily. That always made me push myself to meet my unrealistic expectations. I saw Demi progressing so fast in her comprehension of the Aspects, I tied myself in knots about it. I saw Ceres strategizing so cleverly, I begin to feel sour about it. I watched you fight Husband, noticed your strength¡­ and I couldn''t help but envy you."

    She slouched in her chair and stared into her mug again. "It actually took the death of my father and my mother being stuck with one foot in the grave for the blinds to be torn away from my eyes."

    As Phobos poured her story out, she felt something within her resonate with the words.

    "Now, whenever Deimos makes some progress in the martial path, or Ceres comes up with a brilliant plan, I don''t think: ''That should have been me.'' I think: ''Good. We''re one step closer to saving mother.''

    "Basically, what I want to say is that you have to realize that there are always going to be people better than you in this or that field. But¡­ as long as they are your allies, isn''t their specialization also something you can draw upon?

    "Why are you telling me all of this?" asked Artemis with a frown.

    Phobos set aside the empty cup on the table and leaned back into her seat.

    She''d be damned if she let the Princess go about pretending to be someone she was not. That one time with Ceres had been enough drama to last her a lifetime.

    ''Well, if subtlety isn''t working, then I guess I''ll just have to be blunt about it.''

    Fixing her yellow eyes on Artemis, she said, "Because it is clear that you don''t actually believe what you are saying."

    Silence settled down around the two of them like a heavy pall.

    Artemis looked down into her lap with her jaw and fists clenched. Then she looked up fiercely.

    "Of course I am trying to convince myself. I lost to him, so I have to marry him. I''m just accepting the fact and trying to find positives in the situation. What''s so wrong with that?"

    She got to her feet and began pacing around.

    "It''s easy for you to sit there and lecture me about your philosophy. About how your low self-esteem translated to some odd realization that the collective is more important than the individual."

    Spinning around in a flash of silvery wings, she strode up to Phobos and grabbed the backrest of the sofa on both sides of her head, caging her in with her arms and wings.

    "While that might have gained you your Mastery, it''s diametrically opposed to the philosophy I used to reach Mastery in the Aspect of Sharpness. In order to marry your Husband, I have to give up something I spent nearly two years refining.

    "Please pardon me for not being happy about that!"

    Phobos blinked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about? When did I Master an Aspect? And why would you have to give up Mastery to marry?"

    Artemis looked at her equally confused. "You don''t know?"

    "Know what?!" snapped Phobos.

    Letting go of the backrest of the sofa, Artemis stepped back with a deep frown.

    "So, you mean to say that you don''t know that you have reached Mastery in the Aspect of Darkness?"

    Phobos'' eyes widened. Without another word, she immediately activated her Stealth spell and closed her eyes.

    Even as Artemis watched, Phobos'' presence became more and more elusive before vanishing altogether. She became imperceptible. Rather, even when Artemis knew that there was a girl on the sofa, her mind automatically neglected this fact.

    Phobos reappeared as she cut the mana to her Stealth spell. Her eyes glinting with joy, she leapt up from her seat and hugged Artemis tightly.

    "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You don''t know how much this means to me."

    For a moment Artemis was stunned at the sudden turn of events but when she realized what was going on, she sighed.

    Phobos must have been just a hair''s breadth away from the realm of Mastery before the conversation. She experienced an epiphany while talking to her and putting her recent realization to words. This had pushed her into the realm of Mastery.

    Artemis couldn''t help but lament her lot in life. Her Mastery of the Aspect of Sharpness was based upon her remaining undefeated in every battle. Losing to Mars had broken her Mastery permanently. She would have to master the Aspect again.

    Her power had regressed.

    But she had decided to power through that and slowly condition herself into accepting the marriage as there was no way she could get out of it. She planned to fake the emotions till she tricked even herself into believing them.

 230 Chapter 8

    "Really? By whom?"

    "Some up ''n comer called Mars Felidae."

    "¡­Never heard of him."

    "Apparently he''s the son of the Duke of the new Kingdom that popped up not so long ago. It''s all over the newsboards. Olly told me ''bout it. Was gonna check it out myself. Wanna come with?"

    "Sure."

    ¡­

    Similar scenes played out across the Empire as the news of the First Princess'' defeat at the hands of Mars radiated outwards from the Capital. The journalists that had been present for the Duel were the busiest they had ever been, working all through the night, racing to get the news out before their competition.

    It was unknown whether the flames were fanned from behind the scenes, but it was easily the event that got the most media attention after the invasion of Regiis by the Shogunate. Anyway, at a time when the mood of the nation was an all-time low, it wasn''t strange for something like this which demonstrated the infinite potential of the youth of Regiis to be promoted. It was something that could comfort the public and take their mind away from grimmer thoughts.

    A man in a black hooded cloak stood in front of one such billboard in a border town quite close to Firang. It was deep in the night with dark clouds obscuring the moon. He seemed to merge with the darkness around the edges of his silhouette. The excitement of the news had died down and everyone had gone back to their homes to rest, leaving the newsboard unattended.

    Reaching out, the man pulled the poster containing a sketch of Mars charging up his explosion spell in the foreground while Artemis in her Feral form expanded her Domain. Below the drawing were dense lines of text recounting the circumstances and results of the Duel.

    Pulling out a jet-black mind crystal, the man pushed his mana into it. Shadows engulfed him and he vanished from the spot.

    ¡­

    He reappeared in a dimly lit cavern with walls made out of obsidian. The only sources of light were the glowing red veins of inflammation crystals that ran throughout the rock. Here and there jet-black flames burnt silently in clumps. Dark red spheres with black veins running through them were stuck together by slime to the walls and the ceiling of the cavern, glistening in the light.

    The entire place was massive with several placed concealed in the darkest of shadows.

    The man threw back the hood of his robes revealing a sallow face with a scruffy beard. His eyes were dull, as though they belonged to a dead fish ¨C not a man.

    A slight scuffing sound made Chusei whip his head in its direction. There, out of the dark corner emerged an insectoid behemoth. An ant the size of an elephant. Its chitinous armour was the colour of coal while the reddish-orange glow of magma emanated from the gaps at the joints.

    After she was satisfied with her inspection, the queen returned to her corner, her internal glow dimming as she faded back into the darkness.

    Breathing out a sigh of relief, the most loyal follower of the Shogun stepped out of the homing formation he had set up on the ground to guide his long-distance shadow walk and entered the tunnel nearby.

    The tunnel was pretty straight, sloping downwards all the way and he could feel the heat rising as he approached its end ¨C the Magma Chamber.

    The Shogun had been keeping tabs on his young prot¨¦g¨¦ and his treacherous wife through Chusei even after he had supposedly left for his journey.

    Nura Rihan had been setting things in motion for a long time. The Daimyo clans of the Shogunate were forever competing against each other for greater right and authority. Rarely were their opinions consistent. Even in the case of the invasion, there were divided opinions among them.

    The Ryu''o (dragon king) clan and the Tenin (feathered angel) clans had been opposed to the invasion while the Oni and the Tengu clans had been neutral about it. The Kitsune and the Kirin clans were the ones spearheading the movement.

    The ninja attack on Ceres back in Patera had been authorized by the two opposing Daimyo factions to thwart the Duchess'' plans.

    But if it wasn''t for Nura instructing Chusei to subtly guide the ninja to Ceres, they wouldn''t have identified her.

    Cornered, Ceres had been forced to use her mind crystal shard, causing her mindscape to crack therefore loosening the binding of the Geas slightly, giving her wiggle room.

    While he had been with Mars, Nura had been repeatedly thwarting Ceres'' attempts to betray the Duchess despite her Geas. This had made her quite desperate, finally culminating in the events that sparked the premature implementation of the Calamity and the invasion.

    By doing this, Nura wanted to lure the Kirin clan over to foreign land unprepared so he could pick off the ones who had separated him from his wives.

    Though he had been successful in that, killing the Twin Thunders of the Kirin, there had been a lot of unexpected events midway.

    The first was Mars'' mutation that had saved Ceres'' life. She was supposed to be dead in the original plan so he could sneak a spy of his own into the boy''s harem.

    Nura had always coveted the secret technique of Regiis as he felt that it would allow him to take another step forward down the martial path even though his strength was limited by the seals on the cultivation bases of his wives.

    But the boy had somehow saved the girl, survived a shattered mindscape, and come back stronger for it.

    The second accident, was the appearance of an unexpected ally.

    The tunnel Chusei was passing through widened before opening into the magma chamber. There, in the middle of a pool of dark fire, sitting on her throne of flames armoured in darkness was the figure of the fallen princess of the wolves. The Empress of Flames receiving the obeisance of her subjects. Billowing black smoke wreathed around the throne, obscuring her figure, yet incapable of hiding her majesty.

 231 Chapter 9

    After a few minutes, he came across a rock formation that was formed from several large boulders gathered in an incomplete ring. Immediately upon entering through the gap in the rocky circle, he felt the characteristic tingle up his spine that told him he had entered another''s Domain and noticed the difference in the quality of the air.

    Getting down on his knees, he lowered his head. "Lord, I have news."

    The Shogun''s voice bounced off the rocks and reverberated in the air. "Report."

    Taking the newspaper that he had swiped from the town, Chusei held it out.

    As the rolled-up paper floated up from his hands he raised his head slightly and caught a glimpse of his Lord''s current state.

    Nurarihyon looked absolutely terrible. His body was emaciated with his ribs clearly visible and his limbs little more than twigs. His skin had wrinkled like a dried raisin as the muscle and fat under it had withered away. Now it hung loosely off his frame. He looked like he was on the verge of death.

    And he truly was. A slimy substance that covered the entire lower half of his body up to his navel. Jet-black veins spread throughout the slime like a network and attached to his body. The only things keeping him alive were the mana and nutrients that were continuously being pumped into his body through the veins. It was an arrangement very similar to the way the eggs were kept in the hatchery of the fire ants.

    Though his body was broken, his eyes were still bright.

    Nura floated the paper up into the air with wind magic and unfurled it. Holding it in front of his eyes, he began to read. The more he read, the more amazed he was. Reaching the end of the paper, he looked up and sighed.

    The air around him vibrated, replicating the sound of his voice. He was too weak now to even talk without the aid of magic.

    "Really, fate plays cruel jokes upon us all. I was sitting on a treasure mountain without even knowing it. It took a boy with a fresh perspective to unearth the buried gold."

    He turned his gaze to his most loyal retainer and looked him in the eye.

    "Chusei, I''m dying. That old geezer Ragyo¡­ I underestimated him. Even though I hid my traces. Even though I should clearly be incapable of killing the twins according to the information they have¡­ he still linked their deaths to me. Or, at least suspected something and acted on that suspicion."

    "I don''t know how he did it, but he managed to sever my relation to Aiko. And he did it in a manner that harmed only me. When it happened, I felt like a part of me was being ripped out." He let out a ragged breath. "A sixth of my mindscape is gone now, leaving a huge gash that is leaking out my mana and my life¡­"

    He sighed. "At least I can be thankful that the old man isn''t cold-blooded enough to take his ire out on his niece."

    "Lord! There must be something we can do¡­ Maybe we can ask the Dark Sun for help," exclaimed Chusei agitatedly. "She saved you last time and stabilized your condition with this slime."

    Opening his eyes, Nura turned to the distraught man.

    "That was just a stopgap measure, not a true solution. It won''t help me this time around¡­

    "But," he continued before Chusei could protest, "there is still one method I have yet to try. It is entirely theoretical, and I have no idea of its chances of success. It''s a gamble. A gamble with my life on the line¡­

    "So, if I die, I want you to take my body to the homeland and bury me there. If possible, tell my children and my wives about my last moments. After that, go live the rest of your life for yourself. Not for a Lord who can give you nothing."

    "Lord! Please reconsider¡­ There must be another way!"

    "There isn''t. And if there was, I don''t have the time to wait till it becomes available. Now shut up and listen well¡­

    "When they limited the cultivation of my wives, and therefore me, I started seeking for another path to power. After much fumbling, I settled upon bloodlines since that was something I didn''t have as a Hominum.

    "To promote to Tier 4 from Tier 3, one needs to fuse their bloodline with their mana. So, as Tier 4 mages, the mana of my wives contained their bloodlines. And as I could access their mana through our bonds, I was able to experiment with extracting the bloodline out of the mana and using it separately.

    "To an extent, I succeeded. But the bloodlines still belonged to them and I could only use them for a short time before they started harming my body.

    "When I used all six of them, the boost was stronger, but the consequences were correspondingly severe with the six bloodlines turning my body into a warzone in their struggle for supremacy. This would last till I managed to purge them from my body."

    He sighed. "Now, with my mindscape damaged, I can''t purge the bloodlines anymore. I can''t stop my body from withering away. The only thing I could come up with at such short notice was to use the bloodlines themselves to patch the wound in my mindscape. I''ve never tried it out before. I''ll be the very first test subject."

    Pausing, Nura summoned a scroll out of his shadow space and floated it towards Chusei who was still kneeling with his head lowered, fists clenched and shoulders shivering.

    "This is the culmination of my research on magic. If I succeed, well and good, but if I don''t, transmit this to my children. Hopefully they''ll be able to do something better with it than their father."

    As Chusei looked up with reddened eyes, he was startled to see a black armoured hand reaching past him and grabbing the newspaper that was still afloat. He instinctively leapt backwards ant took up a battle-stance only to shiver in fright when he realized who he was baring his fangs at.

    The Dark Sun ignored him and began reading the paper with an emotionless visage.

    Her appearance had changed a lot since that fateful day she had first named herself that. The horrific cracks on her skin had healed, leaving an unblemished complexion that was a papery white. Her luxuriant tresses that had been scorched off by the dark flames had been replaced by a cascade of solid flames that burnt silently behind her like a cape. Her eyes were portals to the deepest abyss as they scanned the news article.

    But, unnoticed by all present, even herself, a tiny spark of rose red flame smouldered at their very depths, flaring hotter as she read onward.

    Having read the article, she looked up, the paper charring outwards from where her fingers touched it. By the time it drifted to the ground, it was naught but ashes.

    "I shall help you," she said, her voice echoing from all around the chamber in three different tones. "But you shall pay a corresponding price."

    They held each other''s gazes for an interminable moment... The Dark Sun and Nurarihyon... a cursed girl and a dying man... while off to the side Chusei sweated bullets.

 232 Chapter 10

    The main problem was that my soul was too weak, and I had to make up for that with time. So, there I was for the last three days and nights, sitting cross legged, meditating to leave an imprint in a crystal sphere wrought out of equal concentrations of all six elements.

    Apparently it would take on the appearance most suited to me over time like it had for the rest of the Demigods ¨C adding a ninth feature to the broad cavern where there had been eight.

    Morgan had returned me to the exact same spot from where she had dragged me into the Nexus. The location of which was a closely guarded secret. All I was told was that it was somewhere close to the Capital.

    Well, at least I was back before it was time for my scheduled award ceremony. That was where I would get married to Artemis and receive the medal promised to me in the letter that summoned us to the Capital.

    I shook my head inwardly as I entered the lobby of our hotel. I had hoped to hash things out with Artemis a bit more before we tied the knot. This sudden call up had thrown a wrench in that plan.

    "Sir! Sir Felidae!"

    Turning to the receptionist, a young man with canine characteristics, I asked, "Yes?"

    "Sir, there''s a package for you. I was told to hand it over only when you arrived."

    "Oh? From whom is it?"

    He shook his head. "I don''t know. The package was unmarked¡­ but it came with a high level of priority indication and the sender left a message. He told me to tell you that it was a gift on first meeting. He said that you''d know what I meant."

    "Ah, yes. I do. I''ll take the delivery."

    It was the package from Fenrir Lupin, my great-grandfather-in-law to be. He did say he''d sent something I''d be pleasantly surprised by.

    The receptionist led me into the backroom and unlocked a safe there before taking out an unmarked parcel. Calling upon the shadow mana in the environment, I opened up a shadow space. My shadow darkened and deformed, turning into a circular portal upon the ground in front of my feet. As the receptionist placed the parcel on top of it, it sank into the darkness like it would into a bog and vanished.

    My shadow returned to its normal shape, if a bit darker from the mana saturating it. "Thank you," I said.

    I smiled and extended my hand. "Thank you and all the best." He grasped my hand and we shook.

    As I climbed the stairs, I mulled over the marked shift in attitude towards me. The last time we had signed in, this guy was as disinterested as could be. Except for checking the girls out a bit he had been mechanical in the execution of his duties. None of the enthusiasm that he had now.

    Even on my way here from the palace gates, I had been recognized several times on the streets and asked for an autograph. Unused to the sudden warmth, I had taken a circuitous route to get here as inconspicuously as I could manage.

    Reaching the door of our apartment, I dithered a bit as I thought of what to say if Artemis was there before heaving a sigh. Let''s get this over with. Pulsing some mana into the doorknob, I unlocked the door and pushed it open.

    Leaving my shoes at the door, I entered the living room and called out, "I''m home!"

    Deimos poked her head out of the kitchen, her eyes lighting up in delight when she saw me. "Master!" she exclaimed as she ran up to me and leapt into my embrace. Throwing her arms around my neck and locking her legs around my waist, she locked lips with me, kissing me deeply. I responded passionately.

    Breaking off the kiss after an interminable amount of time, I found myself reflected in her sparkling green eyes as she leaned back breathing hard. "You were gone so long¡­ we were starting to get impatient," she gasped out.

    Leaning forward, I licked the cream off her upper lip. "So, you got a bit peckish while waiting, eh?" I grinned. It was a clear case of mid-morning munchies. She had been in the middle of raiding the larder when I came. No wonder her lips tasted like whipped cream.

    Reaching out with a finger, she wiped some cream off my face and put it in her mouth. "You''ve got some on your face too," she chuckled.

    Walking up to the sofa, I sat down, positioning her sideways on my lap. Taking out my handkerchief, I wiped my face before wiping hers and tossing the cloth onto the table.

    She rested her head in the crook of my neck and I wrapped my arms around her.

    After a stretch of companionable silence, she asked, "So, what were you doing these days?"

    "Meeting the Demigods of Regiis¡­ Isabella introduced me to them." I wasn''t allowed to say anything about the Circle of Demigods or what I specifically did there due to my oaths. But I could speak about the broad outline of the events.

    "That''s great," said Deimos, sitting up in my lap. "If they help, Phi-Phi''s project will be done in no time."

    I could only smile wryly. I had obviously brought the topic of Phobos'' mother and war widows up. But the unanimous consensus was that the Regiis secret technique couldn''t be spread as the impact on society would be too broad. They had made a concession for me, allowing me to save mother-in-law using the technique, but only if I was confident of camouflaging it as a non-replicable accident.

 233 Chapter 11

    "Oh, that¡­" She looked disappointed. "We already managed to get them working with us."

    Huh? When did that happen?

    As she went on to explain how they had leveraged the banquet to make a sales-pitch, I couldn''t help but be impressed. They hadn''t told me about the plan so I wouldn''t be distracted from my preparations for the duel but factored my victory into their calculations anyway. I felt really flattered that they had so much faith in me.

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    "Anyway," I told Deimos. "It''s not all bad, yes? There''ll be more people willing to fund the research if there are Demigods backing it."

    She nodded, cheering up. Suddenly her eyes brightened as she remembered something. "Right! I nearly forgot¡­ Phi-Phi reached Mastery in the Aspect of Darkness. And it was the Princess who helped her identify it."

    My eyes widened in surprise. "Really?!" I exclaimed joyfully.

    Deimos nodded with a bright smile. "Uh-huh."

    I laughed out loud. Pressing her cheeks between my palms to make her lips pucker up, I kissed her loudly. "That''s great. She''s been working herself to the ground all this time. I knew it was going to pay off sooner or later."

    I suddenly caught on to an oddity in her statement. "Wait! Did you say Princess Artemis was the one who helped her out? When did you girls get so close?"

    Freeing her face from my grasp, Deimos said, "Ya, I was surprised too. Instead of going back to her family, she came with us after the banquet. We ended up chatting late into the night. Next thing I know, I wake up the following morning to hear that Phi-Phi has promoted due to some inspiration she got while talking to her."

    "I thought she''d be more upset about things given how she clearly told me she didn''t want to marry," I muttered doubtfully.

    Deimos shrugged. "She is upset¡­ or at least she was. She''s less upset now." She shook her head. "What I mean to say, is that she''s not too happy about how things turned out, but she''s trying really hard to adapt to the situation. She''s spending as much time as possible with each of us, trying to get to know us. Why, just today she took Ceres to the Palace with her to introduce her to some of the people there. And the day before, she spent the morning training with me and most of the evening at the Academy with Phi-Phi."

    She looked at me disapprovingly. "Master, you should have at least sent a message if you were going to be so late, ya. The award ceremony is tomorrow, you know?"

    Yeah. The meeting with the Demigods could have been timed better. I was going to marry a perfect stranger tomorrow. Though, to be honest, I at least have a rather nice conversation with her under my belt and my wives all seem to like her.

    That''s more than what I could say about my marriage to Ceres¡­ and look at us now.

    I was optimistic. We''d make this work somehow ¨C especially since she was being so proactive.

    "One of the Demigods gave me a gift," I said, changing the topic.

    Deimos'' eyes lit up with curiosity. "What is it? Show me, quick."

    Smiling at her enthusiasm, I summoned the parcel out of my shadow space and onto the sofa beside us. It was extremely light, barely denting the cushions as it settled upon them.

    Getting off my lap, Deimos sat down beside the parcel and began inspecting it from all sides, even rattling it lightly to try and guess its contents. To no avail. Frustrated, she looked up at me with pleading eyes. "We can open it now, ya? Please?"

    I wanted to tell her that it was probably for Artemis, seeing how she was the Wind Wolf''s great-granddaughter, but looking at her expression, I couldn''t bring myself to reject her. "Sure," I said. "Just be neat about it so we can put it back in properly."

    Nodding eagerly, Deimos slid her finger along the seam of the cardboard box, causing it to split apart under the effect of the tiny wind blade she had condensed at her fingertip. Cutting the flaps free, she opened the box, revealing the small wooden chest inside.

    This was secured with a metallic lock that had a key attached to it with sealing wax. Breaking the seal, she unlocked the box, pulled the latch and flipped the lid open.

    Both our eyes widened at the contents.

    There, within the box, glimmering softly under the light of the room was a large spindle of yarn. Not just any old thread, but Cloud-surfer silk thread. Just the material we needed for Deimos'' weapon.

    No longer held down by the lid of the box, the sky-blue reel of thread was actually floating in the air. The appropriateness of the gift was uncanny. It was like he knew what we wanted.

    Now that I think about it, he probably did.

    Lara had planned to ask the Lupin family if they had the thread in their treasury so we could buy it. That was probably how Fenrir Lupin knew that we needed it. Now, he had given it to us as a gift. And from the density of the mana contained within the thread, it had at least been spun by a Tier 4 spider.

    Deimos drew the reel into her lap, running her hand over it in wonder. I could see the ripples in the air as she channelled her mana into the threads. The string glowed softly and unspooled from the reel, creating twists and loops in the air under her control.

    Soon, she was surrounded by fluffy clumps of string that massed together like clouds. They whirled around her, dancing under her control.

    Leaning back in my seat, I simply watched her play with the string like a child with a new toy. Her happiness was infectious, and I found my lips curving upwards into a smile.

    It was moments like these that I lived for. These snapshots of pure joy interspersed between stretches of struggle and competition. It was moments like these that I had vowed to protect.

 234 Chapter 12

    Over five hundred metres tall and having a hundred and one floors, the tower: Regiis 101, housed the bulk of the financial and industrial offices of the nation. In the Capital, if your job involved desk work, you probably worked there.

    When Ceres returned without Artemis and told me where she was, I thought it would be a simple matter of flying up to the roof. But the flight suppressant topology above the eightieth floor ¨C the floor where the bridges connecting the tower to the adjacent buildings ceased because of the disparate altitude ¨C put that idea of mine to rest.

    The elevators were staff only and I ended up trudging up on foot. Climbing over forty flights of stairs is torture on the knees, let me tell you. No matter how strong you are.

    I was stopped at the hundredth floor and my identity verified before I was allowed to pass. The final floor was little more than a room with the staircase passing through it and reaching the door at the end, I pushed past it.

    A strong draft of wind buffeted me as I passed through the door, slamming it shut behind me. Squinting against the wind, I located Artemis'' form.

    The roof was tiny, merely four by four metres square with a metallic architectural spire taking up most of the space. Artemis was sitting in a niche in the middle reaches of the spire with her back resting against it and her metallic wings cradling her form.

    Night had fallen and the only illumination was the silver light of the full moon and the red altitude beacon at the tip of the spire that ensured no low-flying aircraft would accidentally crash into it.

    Falling into the Void and lightening myself, I leapt and let the wind carry me up. Touching down beside her, I took a seat and leaned back against the spire and looked out over the city from this elevated vantage. The Capital was a city that never slept. Even at night, the streets bustled with activity and the buildings glowed with light. people burnt the midnight oil.

    Silence settled over the two of us like a blanket as I waited for her to talk.

    "Tomorrow, huh?" she finally said.

    "Tomorrow," I agreed.

    "Yeah¡­" she sighed and leaned her head back against the steel, the wind blowing her hair across her face. "Things are moving fast aren''t they?" Pulling the hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear, she turned to me. "I mean, we hardly know each other, and we are getting married tomorrow ¨C forming a bond for life."

    "Yes." I nodded. "But you have me at a disadvantage here, you know far more about me than I do about you."

    She chuckled at that. "Your wives ensured that." She turned back to the front. "They had a lot to say about being married to you."

    "Good things, I hope."

    She snorted. "Hah. That''s one way of putting things. I don''t know how you managed it, but you have a right little cult forming around you. And Ceres seems to be vying for the spot of High Priestess."

    I ran a hand through my crimson hair in embarrassment. There wasn''t much I could say to refute that. Ceres was a bit too convinced of my infallibility.

    She turned to me again and tilted her head to the side slightly. "So¡­ Mars. What nefarious plans do you have for me? Am I to be your newest conquest... the newest acolyte of this cult?" she asked, her tone carrying a hint of a challenge. "How are you going to manage it?"

    I smiled and shrugged helplessly.

    "Princess, I''m not the suave smooth-talker you presume me to be. In fact," I indicated between us with my finger, "this chat of ours is the closest I''ve come to trying to woo a woman."

    Drawing up my knees and resting my chin on them, I spoke glumly, "Phobos and Deimos were granted to me nearly as soon as it became legally possible. I knew nothing of my two new fianc¨¦s, least of all that I would suddenly be thrust into a relationship with them." I puffed up my cheeks and blew out. "It turned out fine in the end and now I don''t know what I''d do without either of them. But that first night with them will always remain a regret."

    I closed my eyes. "Then there was Ceres." I buried my face into my knees. "Now you."

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    My muffled voice drifted out. "Sometimes I feel like there is some higher power at work, just throwing girls my way and deriving sadistic pleasure from watching me fumble."

    For a time, the only sound was the soughing of the wind as it split around the spire. Then Artemis laughed. A rich, melodious, full-throated laughter that sounded like wind chimes in a summer afternoon.

    Turning my head sideways to look at her, I couldn''t help but be infected by her mirth and a chuckle escaped me, followed by full blown laughter.

    It took a while but we finally manged to settle down. Clutching her aching stomach and gasping for breath, she said, "That''s the most unlikely thing I''ve ever heard someone ¨C especially a boy ¨C complain about."

    Wiping a tear from the corner of my eye, I leaned back against the spire and looked up at the moon. "Yet, I just did."

    Turning to face her, I was surprised to see her leaning towards me with her face mere inches from mine. Her grey eyes glittered silver in the moonlight as they studied my face. I saw hesitation in them ¨C then resolve.

 235 Chapter 13

    I felt like a mannequin as I was asked to strip off the latest in a long line of outfits and try yet another one. The royal couturier, a shrunken old woman with an aquiline nose and a nit-picky gaze hidden behind thick glasses took a step back and frowned at me. Stepping forward, she pulled out one of the bobbins she had stuck in her grey bun and stuck the pin into my coat, making it fit my frame better.

    "There, that''s better," she finally said, "at least you don''t look like a sweaty soldier anymore."

    I sighed internally, once again regretting showing up for my appointment with her in my exercise attire. She''d been nattering at me about my public image for the past two hours.

    "Now take that off¡­ and mind the pins. Took me long enough to get it to fit you."

    I complied, carefully taking the ornate long coat off. It was apparently called a sherwani ¨C a traditional attire from Indus. This was what the male members of their royalty wore to formal occasions like court meetings and marriages. It was tailored from the finest silk money could buy. It had been dyed a beautiful shade of dark emerald that complimented my crimson hair and the majestic tiger embroidered on it in orange and gold thread accented it further.

    I handed it off to the woman and she immediately went about altering it to fit me.

    Underneath it, I was wearing beige raw silk shirt and pantaloons. And my shoes were also from Indus, traditional footwear called nagra. They had tapering tips that curled upwards and were made from quite stiff leather. Not the most comfortable, or practical, but I had to admit¡­ they did look rather regal.

    My attire obviously had political implications. With war with the Shogunate on the horizon, we didn''t want the other nations around us getting any ideas. Hence, the show of goodwill by having me wear their traditional clothing to the wedding.

    I was sure Artemis would be wearing something similarly politically meaningful. Given her aversion to Rome, probably something Egyptian. As for Huaxia¡­ I had heard something about plans to decorate the venue in accordance to their customs. I guess that would leave our notary official, the Prime Minister, in a toga and wreath. My lips curved upwards at the mental image of the old man in what was essentially a souped up version of a bath towel.

    My musings were interrupted by the seamstress thrusting the newly altered clothes into my hands and demanding that I put them on. I sighed. Society was quite exhausting.

    ¡­

    Bruno crouched, feeling the fresh breeze of the rock golem''s arm sweeping through where his head had been.

    As he made to swing again, spikes of stone jutted up from the ground at his feet and he stepped back hastily to avoid getting impaled.

    Sweeping his hammer in a circle around him, he shattered the spikes. The few that got through broke against his sparkling armour of ice. The impact still put him off balance and he had to duck swiftly to avoid another of the golem''s haymakers.

    Golden mana spilled out of the cracks in its rocky torso, knitting the damage together at a visible rate. More golden mana concentrated on its shoulders and two additional arms grew out of the stone. The now four-armed opponent stepped forward and let loose with a barrage of blows.

    His frigid blue eyes glinting with determination through the visor of his icy helmet, Bruno stood his ground without dodging. The heavy blows slammed into his armour, sending chips of ice flying but he anchored himself to the ground by driving in spikes of ice from the soles of his boots and freezing himself in place.

    Weathering the onslaught, he pumped his mana into his weapon and raising it above his head, brought it slamming down on the golem with a roar.

    The heavy skystone head of the hammer crushed the golem''s head into its torso; his icy mana flooding into the cracks, drawing in the water in the air and freezing it solid. The expanding ice widened the fissures, shattering the stone into small fragments.

    The torso-less golem stood upright for a moment before toppling backward and crashing onto the ground with a bone-jarring thud.

    Breathing hard from the sudden drain on his mana, he reached up and pulled off his helmet. He stood over his fallen foe, supporting himself by leaning on his long-handled hammer.

    ¡­

    Off in the distance, Anil Felidae stood with his wife Vera, watching his son train. He had a bitter expression on his face as he saw the boy driving himself to exhaustion against the endless hordes of rock golems that infested the Central Province mine.

    After the Trial of Water had been so abruptly aborted, they had banded together with several other mages and fought their way out of the Shogunate occupied region, racking up a great deal of military merits along the way.

    Once they had reached the safety of the western district of the South-Eastern Province, they had received much praise for their efforts. Bruno had been awarded full marks for his Trial of Water and he had even reached the middle stage of Tier 2 in the process of escaping.

    Despite the depressive pall hanging over them due to the Shogunate''s invasion, they had been quite pleased at taking the lead in the Swayamvar.

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    Then, the news of the exploits of Mars and his wives had reached their ears, followed by news of his being summoned to the Capital, then his victory in the Duel against the First Princess. And now, he would be marrying her the next day.

    Anil couldn''t imagine what must be going through his son''s mind. Bruno had lost even before the competition truly began.

 236 Chapter 14

    ''If I''m not, then why did I drag myself here, to the wedding of the woman of my dreams to another man.'' He clutched his shirt above his chest, fighting to keep the grimace off his face. ''And if I am, then why does it hurt so much?''

    ''Why?!'' he screamed in his mind. Why did things have to be this way?

    The worst thing was that he couldn''t even blame Mars Felidae. After all, the red-head had done exactly what he dreamed of doing nearly every single night ¨C defeat Artemis and win her hand in marriage.

    He had long since known that she wasn''t interested in tying herself to any man. Other than growing stronger, there was little that interested her, and she looked upon him as a little brother and a friend, nothing more, nothing less. There was none of the attraction he felt towards her.

    Still, that hadn''t stopped him from fantasizing about somehow gaining the power to subdue her and make her his. If he was in Mars'' shoes, he too would go through with the marriage no matter Artemis'' intentions. Sentiment between them could be trained later.

    He had been building castles in the air secure in the knowledge that none in her Tier could defeat her. Then Mars had come along and shattered those walls laid in the brick and mortar of his impractical fantasies. Shattered his dreams.

    And he resented him for it. But he knew there was nothing he could do. At least not open and aboveboard¡­ and he absolutely refused to lower himself to abusing his status to covertly act against him. He still had his pride as the future Heir of one of the Noble Lineages of Regiis.

    Then? Why exactly was he here today? Did he really just want to torture himself with the sight of Artemis walking into the arms of another man?

    Deep down, he actually knew the answer to those questions. He was hoping that she would display signs of unwillingness and look unhappy about the marriage so he could draw meager comfort from the fact that she was at least involuntary in the matter.

    And if, by some minuscule chance, she actually decided to break off the marriage, he wanted to be there to take her side.

    He took a deliberately deep breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to push the negative emotions out along with the foul air. After repeating the exercise a few times, he felt reasonably calm. At least the impulse he had been having of wrecking the podium with his magic was back under his control.

    Though he couldn''t specifically pick them out, he was sure that there was a journalist or two among them, covering the event so it could be publicized across the Empire come tomorrow.

    The sound of fanfare drew all eyes to the gates of the hall.

    The Prime Minister entered through it, wearing an ankle-length white toga with a dark red sash wrapped across his shoulders with the end dangling in front of him cinched to his waist with another strip of red cloth with gold trim. The traditional roman tunic had been modified to have full-length sleeves with red and gold trim at the end.

    The erudite Tamer''s mop of curly hair was pure white with age and his clear blue eyes sparkled with intelligence behind his circular, silver wire-framed glasses. He walked up to the podium and took his place behind it, waiting for the arrival of the nuptial couple.

    He didn''t have to wait long as the herald announced the arrival of the Felidae family soon after.

    Mars entered, followed by his three wives ¨C all of them dressed in traditional Indus garb. He looked dapper in a sherwani and the girls were stunning in sarees that matched the colour of their hair and blouses the colour of their eyes.

    He stepped onto the podium while his wives stayed back, taking their seats in the area reserved for them in the first row.

    "Empress Celine Pavone nee Rangifer," announced the herald. "Princess Venus Pavone, Emperor Cyn Pavone and Princess Artemis Valkyria."

    The orchestral music reached a crescendo as the Imperial family entered, led by the Emperor with Artemis following behind him with her mother and her sister on either side of her. The moment she stepped into the hall; Reinhart couldn''t take his eyes off her.

    Venus and the Empress were dresses identically in the latest of Regiis fashions ¨C long dresses with pleated skirts and full sleeves made of gauze. They both had lace ruffles around their necks and simple crowns made of two wires twined together on their heads. Silver for Venus and gold for her mother. The Empress'' dress was a light summery yellow with golden gauze for the sleeves while Venus'' was the blue of a clear sky with silver gauze for the sleeves and the veil that covered her face below her eyes.

    Artemis, between them, was stunning in a sleeveless, backless midnight-blue dress that shimmered with flecks of silver like a section snipped from a starry night. It was cinched at her waist with strip of cloth with alternating stripes of gold and Prussian blue.

    A piece of golden gauze connected both her wrists looping behind her back as she walked towards the podium with both her hands clasped in front of her. A broad collar (usekh) similarly striped in gold and blue covered the upper half of her chest and her shoulders while her a net of fine golden chains had been laid atop her head with golden tassels hanging down in front of her forehead.

    Her intense grey eyes had been accentuated by the thick kohl lining them, the ends stretched out and curled upwards in typical Egyptian fashion while the upper lids had been dusted with gold.

    Combined with her gleaming metal wings and beautifully toned body, she looked like a goddess straight out of the Egyptian pantheon¡­ She took Reinhart''s breath away. And he wasn''t alone in that regard. Nearly everyone present, male or female was stricken mute by her splendour.

    The Pholidota heir''s eyes never left her form as she reached the podium, separated from her family (who took their seat beside Mars'' wives), stepped up onto the stage and took her place facing Mars.

    Even with an aching heart, Reinhart had to admit that the two of them looked good together, the dark green of Mars'' sherwani complementing the gorgeous blues and golds of Artemis'' dress.

    It was too much. He couldn''t stand it anymore.

    Just as he was about to get up from his seat and leave the hall, a hand rested upon his shoulder and pressed him back into his seat. He whipped around, preparing to lash out against the culprit only to find himself looking into the bottomless brown eyes of his ancestor ¨C the Unbound Demigod. Or, at least, his doppelganger.

    "Sit," said the old man gently, and Reinhart sat, sure somehow that none other than him could see the Demigod or hear his voice.

    "How are you feeling?"

    Reinhart wanted to lie¡­ to dodge the question. He didn''t want to admit his true thoughts for to covet another man''s wife was a great sin. But he found himself speaking the truth anyway, it was as though the concept of a lie had melted away under his ancestor''s warm brown gaze.

    "Wretched¡­ like there''s a knife being twisted in my heart."

    The old man nodded. "That is as it should be. You admired her strength, were smitten by her beauty, and charmed by her personality. You loved a woman and now, she loves another. It is supposed to hurt."

    "She doesn''t love him," hissed Reinhart. "She was forced." He grew agitated, pointing at the couple on the podium to emphasize his point. "It''s silly, stupid really, to have them marry just because he defeated her!"

    The old man listened to him calmly, then indicated towards the podium. "Look."

    Reinhart turned to see that the ceremony had progressed to the final stages.

    "On behalf of the Empire, by the power vested in me, I declare this couple bonded," said the Prime Minister, concluding the ceremonial speech.

    Just as he was about to pick up his implements and start inking the pre-determined design on Artemis'' skin, she stopped him.

    "Wait!"

    Reinhart''s chest swelled with hope, but her following words plunged him into the abyss of despair.

    "I want him to mark me like he did for the rest of his wives." She bowed slightly to the Prime Minister. "I would be very grateful if respected Teacher could humour my request and guide my husband''s hand."

    Reinhart deflated. Leaning powerlessly back into his seat, he chuckled wryly. "Well," she said with a painful smile, "I guess that''s that."

    If he wasn''t clear about whether Artemis was being forced into the marriage or going into it of her own volition, he would be blind or an imbecile. He prided himself on being neither. But just for today, he wished he was.

    Rubbing his face vigorously with his hands, he sat up and turned to the old man. "So," he asked in a hoarse voice. "Why are you here? I don''t suppose it''s to comfort me or ensure I don''t do something to embarrass the clan. Father would have sufficed for that."

    The old man raised an eyebrow at his confrontational tone but didn''t comment on it. The boy deserved a little consideration after just having his heart broken.

    "Actually, that is the reason I''m here." Ignoring Reinhart''s disbelieving stare, he continued, "You underestimate your worth by comparing yourself to someone as blessed by destiny as Mars Felidae. The sequence of events that got him where he is today, and the sheer luck required to survive them¡­" He shook his head. "It''s near impossible to imitate."

    He turned to Reinhart. "But you¡­ You are only the second person after me from the Pholidota clan with the potential of reaching Demigod. The first was your father."

    He looked the boy directly in the eye. "I''m here today to ensure that the events of today don''t derail you from your path. To tell you that your future achievements will be no worse than the best and brightest of Regiis history. To ensure that heartbreak doesn''t break you down, but instead brings you back stronger."

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    "That''s¡­ good. I guess. But right now, it all just seems so¡­ illusory. So far off into the future. I can''t really think about it now."

    The old man scoffed. Placing his hand on top of the boy''s head, he forcefully turned it until he was facing towards a girl in a seat across the room. Noticing his gaze, and unable to sense the presence of the Demigod behind him, the girl immediately averted her eyes. It was Rhea Salamandra with her elder sister Laravel by her side.

    "Just like you are hurting today, you have been hurting another for over a year now."

    The Demigod let go of his head. "She has been holding herself back in Tier 1 so she doesn''t have to marry anyone but you. We didn''t intervene in your matters till now because your crush on the Princess was driving you further and faster down the martial path while her infatuation with you saw her progress rapidly in her Aspects. But now, its threatening to turn into an unhealthy obsession¡­ for both of you."

    He stood up, his tone growing heavy with finality, "Tomorrow, you will be wed to her¡­"

    Before Reinhart could even process that statement, the Demigod was gone, leaving only his final words lingering in the air. "And Felidae will be the one inking your mark."

    ...

    //

 237 Interlude 2 - Epione Felidae pov

    ///

    People expect magic to have all the answers. It doesn''t. While pumping someone full of mana and invoking the Heal spell is nearly always the answer, it can''t solve every medical malaise. A broken bone wrongly set that has healed crooked, an unruly heart refusing to pump blood to a regular beat, a liver struggling to cope with the copious amounts of liquor guzzled by its owner every day. These are but a few of many cases where magic is helpless.

    Magic can accelerate the natural rate of healing, regenerate organs, and relieve fatigue. But all it does, on a closer look, is restore the body to its ''normal''. If this ''normal'' turns out to be a frail and sickly constitution, then that is where the effectiveness of the arcane expires.

    Ageing cannot be reversed, disease is still very much a threat, and organ failure still requires surgical attention. When spells fail, scalpels are what healers turn to.

    I was only sixteen when I first took up the surgical knife. It was sharp. The skin of the cadaver more unzipping than being cut away at its touch, revealing a glistening tapestry of greyish flesh and sinew beneath. Formaldehyde is a powerful appetite stimulant. It was certainly disconcerting to have to deal with sudden cravings for a side of fish while I took a corpse apart, piece by clammy piece, and then sewed it all back together. (Magic, unfortunately, couldn''t suture the dead.)

    And I wasn''t alone. Undergoing training together with me were the newly promoted Tier 2 light mages of our clan. Each of them with pale faces and quivering hands as they waited for the subject of the day to be wheeled in on a gurney, covered with pale blue cloth. At times they would cast pitying glances at me. Who made me have a bloodline that awakened the Heal spell at Tier 1 and a talent that led to an early awakening? All of them had at least five years on me.

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    Nowadays, it was considered a glorious thing to donate one''s body to the noble cause of medicine after one''s soul vacated it. The days of young medical students robbing graves for bodies to dissect were behind us. As were the days when an entirely new word had to be coined for murders by young medicos starved of corpses to dissect.

    We left the faces covered. It helped us pretend that the body in front of us hadn''t been one of us not so long ago. That it too had belonged to someone with a family ¨C people who had cried at the news of their passing. People who would be distraught at the thought of their bodies being dissected by a group of wisecracking twenty-year-olds.

    And indeed, we would often get requests from the sons, daughters, mothers and fathers of the departed, asking for their bodies back.

    I had just peeled back the layers of tissue, exposing the deathly still heart of a mother when the instructor asked me to sew her back up. She might have been willing to donate her body to medicine, but her son hadn''t been able to accept her choice.

    Over time the novelty faded, the sense of drama waned. Our hands no longer shook and the moon-faced, mousy-haired girl who had thrown up her breakfast at the very sight of the corpse on the first day, now worked on the ribs with her hammer and chisel, sending flecks of bone flying as she sought to uncover a cadaver''s lungs.

    As we deconstructed the corpses in front of us into, skin, muscle, organ, and bone ¨C tidy little piles of tissue to be poked and prodded before we put them all back together again ¨C we slowly, but surely started to lose that sense of awe we had towards the human body. The sense of mystery that surrounded its ability to respond to our wills. Its birth, its death.

    Maybe it was in that room that my too young self left her compassion behind. Maybe, it was in that room that I began to treat the body objectively ¨C as but a machine to be maintained. Every disease, just another problem to be solved.

    Then I regained it, watching Veer bleed out from the same kinds of cuts I had so blithely inflicted upon my cadavers. I had turned Feral, my claws sharper than any scalpel, and he had fought me and won. Barely. As the Tamer inked the mark of our bond into my skin in his blood, I poured my mana into him, watching the blood stop its outflow and the wounds knit together. He had placed more priority on confirming our bond than treating his injuries; it was sheer luck that the fool survived.

    Healing and emotion intertwined in my mind yet again.

    The first time I delivered a baby, it was a premature delivery. Born on the cusp of the twenty-seventh week, the little creature was like a chick that had fallen out of its nest and just as unprepared to meet the challenges of surviving in the outside world. Ripped away from the all-providing environment of the womb, with lungs that had yet to fully form, I witnessed her turning purple as she drowned in air. I looked down at my palms that had held her ¨C palms larger than her body ¨C and I could feel myself distancing myself from the situation. Growing detached. Cold.

    It was me who broke the news to her mother. I can still see her face twisted in despair. I can still hear her wail.

    As Healers, we often have to do with Death. Most times, we are its enemies, but at times, we serve as its ambassadors. We escort life into this world, and at times we have to escort it out.

    Maybe my lack of empathy for my patients made me more efficient, more rational in the face of a judgement call, but Death stayed away from me and mine. And despite my acid tongue and atrocious bedside manners, more and more people came to me with their eyes brimming with hope and unshed tears. With each one of them I sent back to their regular lives, healthy, my reputation grew. People travelled from far and wide to receive my care.

    The warm spring of success had just about thawed my frozen heart when he came. The little boy with a throbbing head. He had the sweetest smile I had ever seen and he smiled despite the bolts of lightning his migraine was shooting through his head. Seeing him made me want to have a child of my own despite the image of the palm-sized purple corpse that assaulted me every time I closed my lids.

    My palm glowed with a soft white radiance as I placed it atop his head, my mana seeping into him in a diagnostic net. The wrongness popped out at me immediately. A tumour the size of an almond, at the forefront of his brain, pressing against it, causing him a world of hurt.

    No healer in our clan had ever seen a case like this before, the only record of it lay in a century old memoir of one of our ancestors who had met a beggar in a similar situation. He had, he wrote, excised the growth and the headaches had disappeared. Other than a slight lisp to his speech, the beggar had come out unscathed.

    Since no one else had any experience with this and I was widely recognized to have the steadiest hands, I was the one to perform the surgery.

    My form had never been better, my movements never more fluid. The skin seemed to part under my scalpel of its own accord, the section of the skull came away with extreme ease, I cut through the dura without scratching the delicate organ beneath and the light pink wrinkles of the brain lay exposed to me. The dark red of the tumour in sharp contrast to it. A few precise flicks of my wrist and it was excised, laid aside on a plate beside the operating bed. My mana surged and dura, bone, flesh, and skin all came together without a single scar to remember the operation by. It was magical.

    Watching the boy racing around the ward with that disarming smile on his face, I couldn''t bring myself to remonstrate him. Or restrain the smile of my own that curved my lips.

    I was already at the peak of Tier 3, I decided it was time for us to have a child.

    Twenty-seven months into my pregnancy, I woke up drenched in cold sweat, tormented by nightmares of suffocating children. Only a quick diagnostic spell cast with fumbling hands assured me that my boy was safe and comfortable within me. That he would soon be in my arms. Warm and breathing.

    The year after Mars was born was the happiest in my life. And the happiest in the lives of my proteges. Their acid tongued mistress had suddenly mellowed out. They could hardly believe their fortune. Much to their graduated seniors'' envy.

    Mars was a year and seven months old when the boy came back. Bruno had just been born and Anil and his wife were already starting to stir up trouble. My words had been growing ever sharper and just the other day a botched spell had earned one of my students a tongue-lashing that had left her in tears. When I heard that he had come back to visit, I couldn''t help but smile. If not for him, I might never have overcome my trauma and Mars might never have been born, making my life significantly incomplete.

    But when I finally laid eyes upon him, my smile slipped. The slim boy I had seen was now a pudgy monstrosity with rolls of fat hanging off him. His bright, charming smile substituted by an ugly grimace of bared teeth, his large expressive eyes now looked beady in his swollen face, all sparks of intelligence in them dowsed by the viscid darkness of inexhaustible hunger. Purple bruises covered his mother''s arms as she strained to hold him in her bosom as he struggled furiously, snarling as he strained to break away.

    In that moment I knew, without a shred of doubt, that I was responsible. It wasn''t a boy in that body anymore, but a demon. A demon summoned by an incision a millimetre deeper than necessary in the most delicate, and the most important organ of the body. He had no control over his hunger anymore, nor any of his baser urges.

    I could envision his future. A bundle of uncontrolled violence, gluttony and lust, all wrapped up in a three-hundred-kilogram frame.

    Reaching out, I lightly tapped his forehead with a finger. My fingertip flashed white and his struggles stilled. Calm returned to his eyes for the first time in months. Then they shut, forever.

    His mother sank to her knees. Cradling his still body, she rocked back and forth, wracked with great heaving sobs. I stood there, numb, retreating again to the comfortable confines of detachment, locking my empathy away where it couldn''t hurt me anymore.

    In that moment, I completely comprehended the Aspect of Healing. An interpretation of it, that ironically, ran utterly counter to it. Pestilence.

 238 Chapter 1

    But even as I hobnobbed with those who approached me and stuffed my face with small portions of every delicacy on the buffet tables, half of my mind was still immersed in the moment Artemis and I had sealed our bond.

    There was a book I had come across in the Regiis public library that had called to me more than any other. I had read it cover to cover in the short bursts of free time I had during my week-long training montage before my fight with Artemis.

    It had been an eye-opening experience. The author ¨C the Prime Minister ¨C had talked about his life and experiences as a Tamer. As a man who had reached the highest political post a Hominum could hold in Regiis, his words were quite persuasive. He had spent a large portion of the first half of the book expounding on how he had managed his relationships with his six wives and resolved conflicts when they arose. He had distilled his entire life experience into several rules he had instructed his readers to follow while giving anecdotal evidence from his personal life for his successful application of each one.

    As informative and at times entertaining as that had been, it was the second part of the book which had grabbed my attention and earned him my respect.

    In the second half, he went on to discuss the darker aspects of marriage to multiple women. Not all of his wives were equally talented in the martial path. This had led to them plateauing out at different Tiers. Three of his wives had never managed to exceed Tier 3 while the rest had broken through to Tier 4 and one of them had even reached Tier 5.

    What this meant was that three of his beloveds aged much faster than the others. In the book, he had discussed how he had dealt with the mental burden borne by those three wives and finally, how he had coped with their early passing.

    Before reading the book, this was something I had subconsciously known, but never really thought about.

    The entire book was full of similar crystallizations of his magnanimous experience from having led a full life. It was a crying shame that it wasn''t more popular than it was. There was a stigma attached to being seen reading such books. It was akin to admitting that you weren''t capable enough to manage your relationships.

    For pushing past that stigma and publishing this book, as well as for its contents, I was a great fan of the Prime Minister. Not to mention, he was a wonderfully accomplished artist and one of my idols in the field of calligraphy.

    I had been really excited about getting to see him working on our contract marking. But Artemis had given me a really pleasant surprise. First of all, by the touching gesture of having me mark her like the rest of my wives, showing her willingness to integrate into our little family, and secondly, by giving me the opportunity to complete an artwork under the Prime Minister''s guidance. I had learnt a great deal about his style and technique as I worked on his design, with him holding my hand through each step. The finished bond was undoubtedly the best work I had ever created.

    After it was over, the venerable man had invited me to drop by his residence with Artemis sometime for a chat over a cup of tea. Apparently, he was an accomplished linguist as well, and the person who had taught Artemis what she knew about languages. That was why she had referred to him as Teacher.

    I was looking forward to the visit.

    Glancing around, I noticed Lara talking to Ceres. She had a young girl by her side who resembled her really closely. Probably her sister. What was her name again¡­ right! Rhea. They seemed to be hitting it off well with each other with the girls chatting with animated gestures.

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    Leaving them to it, I scanned the crowd again.

    Phobos seemed to have been abducted by a lanky, bespectacled professor from the Academy who was in the process of having a heated discussion with her. Or, at least, he was getting heated while Phobos was picking at her plateful of fish fillets with her fork while occasionally poking holes in his arguments with an accompanying gesture with said fork.

    I shook my head. Not going to poke my head into that mess.

    Deimos¡­ No need to guess. That glutton resembled her element as she gusted through the tables of food and swept them into her bottomless pit of a stomach like a whirlwind. Watching her eat always made me wonder how she managed to keep her lithe figure. It was unscientific.

    I made my way towards her. She needed to talk with people more. Using food as an excuse to rebuff conversation wasn''t a very healthy practice.

    On my way, I caught sight of my final and newest wife standing with her family. Artemis still looked as stunning as she had the moment she had stepped into the hall and stolen my breath away, the Emperor, the Empress and Venus by her side.

    By not going over to talk to them, I knew I was procrastinating¡­ but I was feeling quite awkward about meeting the in-laws. And, to be honest, my intentions for interrupting Deimos weren''t pure, I wanted to grab her as a shield before I went to have my first real conversation with my bride''s family.

    Just as I reached my little white-haired cheetah, a melodious ting rang out through the venue and all conversation slowly faded away as everyone turned to the source.

    Emperor Cyn Pavone lowered the crystal goblet and the silver spoon he had been ringing it with.

    "Ladies and Gentlemen, We are very thankful for your presence this auspicious afternoon and for the blessings you showered upon the new couple. We shall take up but a bit more of your time to make an announcement before We let you return to your revelry."

    He paused, panning his gaze across the audience to ensure he had their attention.

 239 Chapter 2

    Chin raised, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at her nose, "You''re my rival," she had declared in a haughty manner much to Ceres'' amusement. The young girl seemed to be in high spirits, going so far as to thank them for taking the ''steel-winged hussy'' out of her hair. Now that the ''obstacle'' was out of her way, she was confident that ''her'' Reinhart would notice her soon. Why, just a little while ago, she had caught him checking her out while the wedding was still in progress.

    Ceres found her enthusiasm endearing, though she didn''t really agree with the way Rhea threw herself at the Pholidota heir. Then again, she wasn''t one to talk, having staked her life to earn Mars'' trust and affection. If anything, she was the crazier one.

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    All in attendance quietened down and focused on the Emperor as he rang his goblet for attention. "Ladies and Gentlemen, We are very thankful for your presence this auspicious afternoon and for the blessings you showered upon the new couple¡­" he began with pleasantries before coming to the crux of the matter. "For the first time in history, the contest will be open, to not only Regiis, but the entire world."

    He went on to explain the rationale behind such a decision.

    By occupying Regiis territory, the Shogunate had officially declared war. Normally that would warrant armed retaliation from the Empire, but the unique circumstances meant that the Shogunate had hostages. Two entire districts worth of hostages. Thus, unless Regiis wanted to sacrifice them all in return for the small portion of the Shogunate''s forces that were currently there, war wasn''t an option. Demigods, as always, were also not an option.

    This deadlock was favourable for the Shogunate as all the occupying forces had to do was weather the winter until it became possible for their reinforcements to arrive by way of the Bay of Kings. And that''s what would have happened ¨C the Kirin army and the turncoats hunkering down and trying to consolidate their hold over the captured land.

    Then the farmers had burnt their fields.

    Though the Duchess'' processing had been swift and efficient, the damage had been done. Now they were looking at a famine come the end of winter. This had forced the Shogunate to the negotiation table.

    After that kind of declaration, the Regiis side had realized that there could simply be no meeting of minds. They had started preparing themselves for war.

    A two-pronged approach had been decided upon. From the military standpoint, if they let the Shogunate reinforcements land, then the battle would be lost. Thus, the battlefield had already been determined. It would be a naval war with the Regiis armada facing off against the Kirin army and the Shogunate reinforcements in the Bay of Kings.

    This time, they would disregard any threats the Shogunate made with regard to the hostages. If they did dare to take that kind of heinous action, there would be consequences, the Treaty of Demigods be damned.

    And no one wanted that.

    From the political side, they wanted to unite all the nations of the Continent against the Shogunate. At least in spirit. The method they had decided upon was to open the Swayamvar to the world. By letting the prominent youths of the entire Continent compete for the Regiis Princess'' hand in marriage, they would build a feeling of solidarity. Combined with the geographical separation of the Shogunate from the Continent, it wouldn''t be too difficult to implant a paradigm of ''they'' and ''us'' in the minds of the populace.

    If that tide of negative public opinion could transform into economic sanctions, then all the better. But, at the very least, the youth of the various nations would interact and clash against each other and rivalries and friendships would spring up. Not only would these individuals go on to become the pillars of their respective nations in the future, they were likely the sons and daughters of the current national pillars. And what parents weren''t affected by the standpoints of their children?

    As for the logistics of the event¡­ As of now, there were six candidates from each of the eight Provinces of Regiis, each with their current cap of three followers. A total of nearly two hundred young talents. The numbers would be culled to around a fifth of that, to merely six candidates who would be allowed to choose up to three more followers each (a maximum of six followers), resulting in forty-two promising men and women who would travel to the various nations to compete.

    Each of the teams would travel to all the nations in turn ¨C Rome, Egypt, Deus, the Caliphate, Indus and Huaxia ¨C while the national teams of each of these countries would also visit the others. Only the Barbarian wastelands and (obviously) the Shogunate would be excluded from this grand competition of unprecedented scale.

    This was the tentative plan. The details were currently in the process of being hashed out among the ministries of the various nations. But most of them had responded favourably to the notion.

    Finally, the Emperor concluded his speech with, "For his brilliant performance in the resistance against the Calamity and his strength that far outstrips his peers, We are proud to nominate our son-in-law Mars Felidae as one of the six finalists from Regiis." He turned to Mars who was standing beside Deimos. "Do you accept the challenge of representing the Empire and shouldering the burden of its reputation?"

    Ceres realized that Mars didn''t seem too surprised by the news. It seemed that he had been told to expect this during his meeting with the Demigods.

 240 Chapter 3

    She saw herself reflected behind Artemis who was using a cotton swab dipped in a cleansing solution to remove the heavy makeup around her eyes. Discarding the stained swab, the first princess of Regiis tore off another bit of cotton from the large bunch on the dresser and went to work on the other eye. "Cosmetics are so tedious," she complained. "I can''t imagine doing this every day like some of the other girls and ladies I know."

    Phobos nodded. "Unless it''s for a special occasion, I generally tend to stay away from heavy makeup. Nothing wrong with a touch, though. A little colour on the lips goes a long way." She pursed her lips a little, then broke into a grin. "And it''s fun leaving a mark behind whenever you kiss someone."

    Artemis raised an eyebrow at that before shaking her head and returning to her task.

    They were currently at an apartment in the Capital, two floors of which were under Artemis'' name. It was quite modestly furnished, definitely not as luxurious as the palace, but in the Capital where each inch of land was as precious as gold, it was quite the asset.

    What was more impressive ¨C Artemis had bought it with money she had earned herself. While the salary she earned from her job wasn''t remotely adequate for such an expense, the royalties she received from the translations of Regiis literature she marketed to other nations, were. Actually, she was one of the major stockholders of her teacher, the Prime Minister''s company, Royal Road, that sold translations of original works across the Continent in an attempt to promote mutual understanding of each other''s cultures and paradigms between nations.

    The morning of the wedding, assisted by a moving agency, the whole Felidae family had shifted to this apartment from their hotel room. The apartment had remained unused as Artemis mainly stayed in the palace, but from now on, this would be their home as long as they were in the Capital.

    Teasing out the final braid, Phobos ran her fingers through Artemis'' reddish-gold hair, gently working out the knots in it. Stepping back to inspect her handiwork and nodding in satisfaction, she turned to Artemis in the mirror.

    Discarding the final cotton swab, Artemis blinked the tears caused by the fumes of the cleanser out of her eyes before pushing the stool she''d been sitting on back and standing up. Turning to face Phobos, she said, "Well¡­ I can do this." A soft glow covered her wings for a moment and a ripple passed through them.

    "Touch them now," she invited. "Go ahead."

    Curious, Phobos reached out and ran a hand along the inside of one silvery wing. Instead of the razor-sharp edges she expected, she felt like she was touching the feathers of an ordinary bird. In fact, they felt even better than that, and as her fingers trailed across the wing, she couldn''t believe that it was metal she was touching, not the softest of down.

    "Ah! That tickles!" cried out Artemis with a shudder, taking a step back to get her wing away from Phobos'' questing fingers.

    Phobos looked at her in wonder. "How?" she asked.

    "Actually, this is the original state of my wing," explained Artemis. "But it''s way too sensitive in this state and even a light breeze can send my nerves jangling. That''s really great for detecting minor turbulence in the air but useless in daily life and a liability in a fight. So, I generally keep them flooded with my steel mana. That turns each feather into a tiny steel knife as well as dulls the sensation I have of my wings, turning them into the perfect weapons. I keep a few feathers as they are to let me retain a level of sensitivity to the air currents. The best of both worlds."

    "That''s convenient," commented Phobos, her eyes glinting as she saw the wings in a new light. Her fingers twitched as she forcibly suppressed the desire to touch them again. ''Lucky boy.'' She thought, feeling envious of Mars who would be spending the night with Artemis and her heavenly wings soon.

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    Shaking her head to get those thoughts out of her head, she pointed at Artemis'' clothes and said, "Anyway, let''s get you out of that. After all, we wouldn''t want you ruining your wedding dress, now would we?"

    Nodding in agreement, Artemis began stripping without so much as batting an eyelid. The latches of the dress weren''t too fancy and before Phobos could recover from her surprise, she was already down to her underwear.

    Phobos closed her jaw with an audible click. Hastily stepping forward to help the princess fold the dress, she said, "I thought you''d be a bit more reserved about taking your clothes off in front of me."

    "Why? Should I be?" asked Artemis, shooting her a confused glance. "I''m naked with my female co-workers in the shower rooms after training sessions at the Arena¡­ and I bathe together with Venus and the Imperial Mother whenever possible¡­ there are usually some handmaidens there as well. You''re a woman and my sister by marriage to boot. I thought it wouldn''t be a problem." Her eyes widened in realization. "Wait! Is it some kind of taboo in your family? Did I violate some kind of custom?"

    "Ah, no, no. Nothing like that. We have public baths too. All the girls of the clan go there to wash after training. I just thought that as a princess you might be a bit more exclusive about these kinds of things," said Phobos, inwardly feeling glad that she wasn''t. It would be easier for her to get a glimpse of her fascinating body that way. It was a perfect balance between strength and femininity, with her musculature visible but not overwhelmingly so.

    "You have a really beautiful figure," Phobos complimented as she handed her a towel, feeling regretful about those beautifully sculpted abs getting covered up.

    Knotting the towel above her chest, Artemis took a step forward so they were nearly chest to chest. "I know," she leaned forward and whispered into Phobos'' ear. "Some of my female colleagues told me that¡­ just before inviting me to their beds." Stepping past the frozen panther-girl, she chuckled. "The look in your eyes is exactly like theirs back then."

 241 Chapter 4

    As I walked down the corridor towards Artemis'' bedroom ¨C our nuptial chamber ¨C I set firm resolve to avoid another repeat of what had happened with Phobos and Deimos'' rushed first night. Tonight, I would try to put her at as much ease as I possibly could. Make her first experience as painless as possible.

    Reaching my destination, I was just about to knock when the door to the room swung open with force and a red-faced Phobos rushed out of it. If not for both of our reflexes, we would have crashed into each other. Instead, I managed to hold her shoulders and curb her momentum.

    "Whoa. Slow down, girl. What''s the rush?"

    Looking up at me with burning cheeks, Phobos poked me in my chest with each word to emphasize her point. "Don''t. Go. Easy. On. Her¡­ Give it to her, hard."

    Then she turned on her heel and strode away, leaving an extremely bewildered me behind. Entering the room and closing the door behind me, I heard the sounds of running water coming from the attached bathroom. Artemis was taking a bath.

    Settling down upon the bed to wait, I rubbed the back of my head in confusion. "What the hell?"

    ---

    As the warm water from the shower cascaded down upon her, washing the fatigue of the hectic day away, Artemis wondered why she had lied to Phobos. She was a Princess at the end of the day. Even if her female co-workers had found her attractive (They had¡­ and they hadn''t shied away from letting her know...) they hadn''t had the courage to invite her to their beds.

    Growing up, she had received the same sex education as her peers and developed the same curiosity towards the other gender. But her peculiar circumstances meant that she had a definite dearth of partners to sate that curiosity with. Those who were willing, she didn''t want to involve herself with as they were way too enmeshed in her social circle to have a fling with. And those whom she thought appropriate didn''t dare shoulder the ire of her parents for a single night''s indiscretion.

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    So, she had shrugged and given up. After all, she wasn''t desperate enough to lay hands on her own little sister. Sex was something she had relegated far into the future. Something to be thought about after her world-changing goals had been reached.

    Then why had she suddenly reacted to Phobos in such a sexually charged manner today? Even lying to her and implying that she was quite experienced?

    She sighed and turned off the shower. Stretching her wings out, she vibrated the feathers at a high frequency to shake the water off them before walking over to the rack and picking up the towel.

    If she was being honest with herself, then she knew why. It was because she felt challenged by the younger girl. The way Phobos looked at her with those hungry yellow eyes of hers made her feel like a prey being stalked by a predator. And she didn''t like that feeling one bit. Her bloodline detested it.

    So, she had reacted aggressively, turning the tables on the panther-girl.

    Wiping herself off with the towel, she sighed again. And where exactly had that gotten her? In bed with the girl sometime in the near future, was where.

    Pulling on her underwear and hooking her bra, she donned the rather titillating sleepwear (probably of Phobos'' choosing) that had been laid out for her tonight. A sleeveless, silken shift in a sultry shade of red, whose bottom didn''t even reach halfway down her thighs. Backless to accommodate her wings.

    Walking up to the mirror and wiping the steam off it, she studied her reflection. A face laden with nervousness and anticipation stared right back at her.

    Well, her tryst with Phobos was a matter for tomorrow. A much more pressing issue loomed above her right now. Tonight, was to be her first night with Mars ¨C her husband.

    She wasn''t bonded to her sword anymore. She had felt that connection shatter as another, much stronger one took its place as Mars had inked their marking on her back, between her shoulder blades. Until today she had believed that her bond with her sword was just as binding as the one between a man and a woman. But it was only after experiencing both that she knew herself to be wrong.

    They were incomparable. If one was a mere puddle, then the other was as vast as the oceans themselves. She couldn''t imagine anything that could sunder such a bond without gouging out a huge chunk of the very essence of the individuals it connected.

    At least, not forcefully from the outside.

    From the interior, though, the bond was a fragile thing. Darkening and fading with the ebb and flow of its bearers'' emotions.

    She turned around, her back facing the mirror. Reaching behind her back, she swept her hair to one side, uncovering her freshly marked skin. Turning her head, she caught sight of it with some difficulty.

    Intricate lines came together to form a majestic falcon with its wings spread locked in eternal battle with a fierce tiger. While at the same time, they spelt out the words ''inverse heaven'' in the looping letters of the old language.

    The mark was symbolic of their first meeting on the grounds of the Duel Arena as well as of the unconventional combination of her bloodline and element. She was a Pluma, but her affinity was to the earth ¨C the inverse heaven.

    Mentally she commended Mars'' placement of the mark. This way, she could choose to either hide it or put it on display with a simple change of hairstyle.

    Right now, the mark was a bright shade of red. It wasn''t fading away, but it wasn''t completely dark either. A middle ground. Artemis let her hair fall back into place, covering the mark. That was something to work on.

    "Well, Artemis," she told her reflection. "It''s time to see how well you do in this battlefield."

 242 Chapter 5

    If she had been gorgeous before as she walked down the aisle for our wedding, right now, she was beautiful. Plain and simple.

    Her piercing grey eyes transfixing my own, her stride oozing confidence, she approached me as I sat on the bed, looking every bit as domineering and regal as the First Princess was supposed to be. Maybe that was why I found her so alluring in that moment¡­ because of the contrasting signals sent by her body language and her inner anxiety.

    I think that this was why Phobos had told me not to take it easy on her. Artemis was trying so hard to put up a strong front. If I coddled her and was extremely considerate of her like I planned to be, then she would be forced to take the lead despite her discomfort. It would be much better if I was the one with the initiative.

    I stood up from the bed at her approach and she paused mere inches from me. Both of us were nearly the same height, give or take an inch. Neither of us had to look down upon the other.

    She took another half-step forward and the tips of her toes touched mine. I could feel her warm breath playing on my face as her chest brushed lightly against me. There was nothing separating us, not even air.

    And then she brought us closer. Closing her eyes, she locked our lips. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she intertwined her fingers in my hair, holding me in place as she inexpertly tried to pry my mouth open with her tongue and deepen our kiss.

    I let her flounder ineffectually for a while making her increasingly frustrated before cupping her face in my palms and reversing the offensive. Her eyes flew open with a startled hum as I invaded her mouth with my tongue.

    She lashed out reflexively with her wings. I winced, hoping that my Barrier would be enough to spare me the fate of lacerated skin. But instead of the bladed feathers I was expecting, all I felt was the softest of down. Instead of me, Artemis was the one who shuddered in my grasp and moaned into my mouth.

    My newly forged bond with Artemis, while not as dark or as effective as it could be, gave me a fuzzy sense of the distribution of Earth mana around me as well as a cursory insight into her emotions. Now as I trained the sense on her wings, I realized the difference.

    With nothing to fear from her natural weapons, I wrapped my arms around her. The palm of my left hand rested on the small of her back while I circled my right arm under her wing to trace the mark between her shoulder blades with my fingers.

    Her back arched as I pressed her lower body towards me with my left palm and leaned more fervently into our kiss, running my tongue over her gums and licking her palate. Her grip on my hair grew tighter, almost to the point of pain.

    I broke the kiss. A thin string of saliva connected our lips as I drew back. Letting go of the death grip on my hair, Artemis ran her palms down my neck and over my chest, staring at me, her sharp eyes clouded by lust. Her hair was in disarray, her chest heaving.

    Shooting her a mischievous smile, I stepped away from her. Her backless dress providing no impediment as I undid the string fastening it to her neck along the way.

    With a startled cry, Artemis covered herself with her hands as her dress suddenly fell away from her body and pooled on the ground around her ankles, leaving her in only her underwear.

    I could feel pride and embarrassment warring within her as I slowly unbuttoned my shirt and tossed it away. Would she keep up the pretence and act nonchalant about her near nudity or would she bend down and pick that dress up again?

    It appeared that the sight of my bared torso helped her decide because she let her arms fall to her sides. Stepping forward, she placed a palm on my chest and pushed me until the back of my knees hit the edge of the bed and I sat down on it. Without breaking eye contact, she straddled me and settled down in my lap. Tilting my head back with her grip on my ears, she bent down and kissed me again. Hard.

    She was a fast learner as she proved with her lips and tongue on mine, giving as good as she got in the battlefield of our mouths. Her hands roamed all over my back and chest, the callouses from hours of sword training everyday giving them a gritty sense of reality.

    My hands weren''t idle, sliding over her back as I took in the feel of the powerful muscles moving beneath. Reaching up to her bra, I unhooked it with a smooth flick of my finger. Her soft breasts popped out of their confinement and pressed up against my pecs.

    Her motions with her mouth stagnated as I felt her embarrassment spike.

    Taking advantage of her inattention, I broke our kiss and hugged her tight. Bringing my mouth to her ear, I blew gently into it. She shivered.

    I hadn''t noticed before because of how her ears were always hidden within her voluminous hair, but they were quite elongated with tapered tips and short silver fuzz growing along the top. When I bit down on it gently, she quivered in my grasp.

    "S-stop!" she protested in a weak voice that set fire to my loins.

    I kissed and sucked my way down her neck, until I reached her voluminous breasts. I was surprised to find that her nipples were inverted, hidden away within her pink areolae.

    Artemis averted her eyes when I looked up. "W-what?" she muttered. "Never seen a girl naked before?"

    Leaving aside the fact that I had three wives already, unless she considered herself male, I had a naked girl in my lap right now. But seeing the red flush that was climbing up her neck and cheeks and the almost substantive embarrassment I could feel radiating off her, I decided to let her off, focusing on the soft mounds in front of me.

    Pinching the breast, I went to work teasing the nipple out of its confines with my tongue while massaging the other breast with my free hand. Throwing her head back, Artemis gasped out at the stimulation, hugging my head tightly to her chest. It wasn''t long before the hard nub of flesh peeked out and flicking it with my tongue, I bit down gently, making her curve over my head and moan. Shifting to the other breast, I repeated the procedure, leaving her flushed and gasping with her two rose coloured nipples standing erect on her shapely breasts.

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    When I finally let go of her, she collapsed on my chest breathing hard.

    Pushing her off my lap and onto her back on the bed, I hooked a finger under her panties and tore them off. Leaning down, I kissed her breasts, giving each nipple a playful bite before licking my way down her taut stomach, leaving a silvery trail on her abs.

    Finding my way to her untrimmed golden bush, I buried my face in it, plunging my tongue into her depths while rubbing her clit with my nose. Artemis gasped and clamped down on my head with her thighs. Her hands pressed down on the back of my head, fingers intertwined in my hair. She seemed torn between the desire to pull me away or to press me harder between her thighs.

    I did not relent, mercilessly teasing her clit and lower lips, driving her steadily up the staircase of pleasure. Until finally her toes curled, and she threw her head back with a resonant scream of release. I felt the reverberations of pleasure radiate outwards from her slit to her inner thighs and up to her navel.

    She collapsed weakly on the bed, breathing hard.

    Sitting up and wiping my lips wet from her lust with the back of my hand, I pulled on the drawstrings of my trousers, letting them drop and setting my erection free. Moving forward on my knees, I positioned myself between her legs and slowly stretched the entrance to her warm, moist depths open.

    Experiencing the aftermath of an orgasm as she was, just the insertion pushed her over the brink again and she arched her back in the throes of another orgasm. I settled into a slow rhythm, pushing myself deeper into her with each subsequent thrust, accompanied by the rhythmic music of her moans.

    I leaned down to kiss her and she wrapped her arms and legs around me, even enclosing us within her wings as she held on tightly as I slowly increased my pace. Faster, deeper and harder I went until I was pounding her into the bed, each thrust knocking up against the entrance to her womb. She devolved into an incoherent mess of gasps and moans as each thrust brought her higher and higher¡­

    And then over the edge.

    With a scream that nearly deafened me, she reached a shuddering full body climax that rippled through her from head to toe. As her insides convulsed around my member, I thrust hard, once, twice, thrice then shuddered as I released ropes of thick hot lust deep inside her with a primal grunt.

    Exhausted, I pulled out of her with a wet pop and collapsed beside her breathing hard. Her wing beneath me felt so soft and inviting that when she turned to the side and curled up against me, covering me with the other like a blanket, I immediately found myself feeling drowsy.

    Reaching out to the smokeless torches, I starved them of fire mana, extinguishing them and plunging the room into darkness only alleviated by the soft moonlight streaming through the curtains.

    It had been an exhausting day for both of us.

    Wrapping my arm around the softly snoring girl, I drifted off to sleep.

    ---

 243 Chapter 6

    The events of the previous night flooded back into her mind, jolting her out of her early morning drowsiness and flushing her cheeks. Turning her head slowly to the side, she found herself staring at the sleeping face of her husband. Grey predawn light trickled in through the gaps of the curtains, setting Mars'' scarlet curls on fire. He was frowning slightly at the sudden loss of his feathery blanket, his eyes moving behind his lids, making it seem like he''d wake up at any moment.

    Slowly, stealthily, Artemis returned her single outstretched wing back to its former position across his naked body, suddenly very conscious of her own lack of clothing. Closing her eyes, she pretended to sleep.

    She was too embarrassed to face him right now. So, rather than wake him up, she decided to wait till he awoke on his own and got off her wing.

    She couldn''t believe how comfortably she had slept in his presence. In a strange bed with a strange man¡­ yet, she had still slept like a log. Did that mean that they were just that compatible with each other¡­ or did she actually trust him that much after such a short time together?

    His scent permeated the little alcove created by her wings. Breathing it in, she wondered why that was the case as the skies outside brightened and caught a ruddy tint with the rising of the sun.

    Her wing, the one that was trapped beneath Mars'' body, was numb. She was certain that she would have a horrid case of pins and needles once it was freed. But the wing covering him had retained all sensation. Indeed, without its customary reinforcement with mana, the sensitive feathers made her hyperaware of every contour of his body.

    Her breath grew short as she imagined those muscled arms of his wrapped around her, the memories of the previous night lending a touch of realism to her fantasies. She couldn''t believe how submissive she had been the previous night. How overwhelmed by her lust.

    She had left the bathroom with plans to take charge of their coupling. To show him that she would be their leader in bed. She had failed. Instead, she had gasped and moaned in wanton abandon as he played her like a fiddle with lip, tongue and touch.

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    She felt him stir, gently pushing her wing away and off him as he sat up, freeing the one trapped beneath. She tried to keep her breathing measured and even in a rough camouflage of sleep as he made no further movement for the longest time¡­ probably sitting there, observing her.

    Just when she was goin to give up the pretence and open her eyes, she felt the mattress dip under his weight as he leaned forward. She stiffened as she felt his lips brush lightly against her forehead. Getting off the bed with a light chuckle, he padded off to the washroom, leaving her frozen on the bed with her heart thumping madly in her chest.

    The sound of the bathroom door closing resounded in the silence of the room and jolted Artemis out of her daze. He had seen through her, admittedly shoddy, acting. Why did she ever think that things would play out otherwise? Grabbing a pillow, she clamped it over her face and screamed into it from embarrassment.

    Sitting up with a jerk, she tossed the pillow to the side. Seeing that she had been seen through, there was no point in keeping the charade up any further. She winced as her wing tingled as the sensation rushed back into it.

    With a thought, her silvery mana coursed down from her mindscape and flooded into her wings making them glow faintly silver. The sensitivity reduced along with the increased stiffness and durability as her wings returned to the natural weapons they were.

    Subconsciously, Artemis reached out beside her for her sword out of the force of habit¡­ only to remember that she wouldn''t need to rely on it anymore.

    She might have been privy to a portion of the imperial secret technique, but that didn''t mean avoiding Vita''s insidious whispers was an easy matter. After all, it was the will of a God that we are talking about.

    From the moment she had bound herself to her sword, she had dedicated six hours of her day to meditation.

    Seven hours of sleep, six hours of meditation. Half of every day was lost to her. Coupled with her extensive training regimen¡­ it had left little time for her to interact with her peers. This problem had been compounded by her imperial title, strength and martial talent, all of which had painted an impression of a cold and proud First Princess.

    She had become used to her peers respecting her and looking up to her as an elder sister, but they never dared to get too close¡­ Except Reinhart with that impossible crush of his.

    Getting off the bed and drawing the bedsheet around her like a makeshift toga, she walked up to the window. Drawing the curtains wide and throwing the windows open, she let the orange light of dawn suffuse the room with its warm tint.

    A light morning breeze blew in, ruffling her hair. She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of freedom. A quarter of her day, each day, had been spent staring at a sword. And now, with her bond to Mars replacing her connection with her sword, that time was hers again, to do with as she pleased.

 244 Chapter 7

    Our existence is confirmed by the effects of our actions on others; the legacy we leave behind when we depart the world. It is defined by the opinions of our peers... and the peers of our children. With the expansion of our renown, our presence expands as well. From a speck of dust into a grain of sand. Still tiny, but visible.

    And it is with the growth of our presence that our perspective is elevated. We get to see more of the world, and the more we see, the more people we affect, the greater our presence. An ever-inflating cycle of positive reinforcement.

    -++-

    "This is a horrible idea," said one man at the bar of the Adventurer''s Guild branch close to the Tomb of Koschei. Chugging his ale, he slammed the empty mug down on the table. "Now a foreigner can marry our Princess and become the Emperor? What tommyrot!"

    "It is brilliant!" contended another man with a war-hammer as long as he was tall leaning against the back of his chair. "This gives our boys a shot at showing em that they''re the best goddamn mages of the Continent. That''ll hammer some sense back in the thick skulls of the nations that think the Shogunate''s invasion is a good chance to fish in troubled waters. I see no harm innit. And as for losing the Throne to a foreigner¡­"

    The man scoffed and took a deep swig of his own watered-down brew. He would be going delving with his team soon and it would be bad form to turn up drunk. After all, the catacombs had become much more dangerous with Koschei awake and stirring restlessly. If not for the constant presence of the Unbound Demigod within the walls of the adjoining city, going delving would be tantamount to suicide, rather than just a bit more dangerous than normal.

    "Don''t make us laugh. It is our game they are playing. While our boys fight tooth and nail for every bit of land and resource, the pampered brats of the other nations have it handed to them. They don''t stand a chance."

    He paused for a beat. "And even if they did. Don''t we have the Sword Maiden? There''s no way she''ll let her sister fall into the hands of some man other than her husband." He waggled his brows suggestively. "After all, it''s better to keep it all in the family."

    He devolved into a fit of raunchy, table-thumping laughter at his own joke. The other patrons within hearing distance joined in. it wasn''t long before the other curious patrons had been filled in about the cause of the sudden mirth and the entire bar was rife with jokes at the Felidae heir''s expense.

    Some of them ribald enough to make a courtesan blush with shame.

    The news about the first international Swayamvar in the history of the contest spread like wildfire across the nation, then the entire Continent. It sparked conversation in tavern and dinner table alike. It was on every lip, at the tip of every tongue.

    And as it spread, my understanding of mother''s interpretation of the Aspect of Radiance increased by leaps and bounds.

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    When mother had explained the concept of ''invisibility through ubiquity'' I had understood it¡­ sort of. After all, there were a lot of things we took for granted in our day to day life that we only really noticed when they were absent ¨C potable water for instance. But when she had gone on to say that fame actually amplified her stealth, she lost me. It all seemed rather counterintuitive.

    Now though, it all made sense. As my name and tales of my deeds spread across the land, my proficiency in light magic increased at a pace that left me flabbergasted. It had what, a few days(?) since I had become an Adept in the Aspect of Radiance, and I was already pushing the envelope of Mastery. It almost made me suspect that I''d been taken possession of by a Demigod.

    If not for mother''s prediction of such an effect during the cultivation of her Aspect, I would have seriously considered approaching the Circle for an exorcism.

    And I was coming to realize a very interesting side of mother''s path to Mastery: The more someone knew about me, the stronger would my stealth be. To Phobos, Deimos, or Ceres, I was utterly invisible, while to a perfect stranger who had never heard of me, my invisibility was more like the camouflage of a chameleon ¨C a blending into the background.

    Considering the fact that most of my enemies would have researched me beforehand, this seeming shortcoming was actually an advantage.

    Along with my advances in my understanding of the Aspect, my soul strengthened as well. Though, not by much.

    It was quite a bit harder for me to increase my soul strength by comprehending Aspects than a Bestia of corresponding Tier. This was because of the absence of my mindscape.

    If training one''s soul could be analogized to boiling water, then I was an uncovered saucepan while the Bestia was a pressure cooker. For the same amount of heat the water in the pressure cooker would come to a boil sooner.

    Thus, Bestia only needed Mastery in a single Aspect to break through to Tier 5 while I was only at the peak of Tier 3, bordering on Tier 4, even after having mastered two. The basic requirement for advancing to Demigod was the Realm of Grandmaster in one Aspect. As per my projections, I would only be equivalent to a Tier 5 mage of middling advancement even if I managed to reach Grandmaster.

    I would need to become a Grandmaster of multiple Aspects, maybe even reach that theoretical realm above Grandmaster to advance to a stage equivalent to a Demigod.

    From personal experience, I was starting to get an idea of the magical path followed by the Hominum of yore. They manipulated the energies of nature with their minds. Knowledge, to them, was power, and their patron Gods were the source of their elemental affinities.

    They would spend their entire lives in the pursuit of the deeper truths of nature and society and would be rewarded for their search by magical advancement.

    With my induction into the Circle of Demigods in private and the Imperial family in public, the doors of the Imperial library had been thrown wide for me. There I had found some literature on ancient Huaxian relics that might corroborate my conjectures.

 245 Chapter 8

    Lounging lazily on the living room couch, surrounded by a pile of pillows, mother was waiting to welcome us the moment we got home. My eyes went immediately to her belly. The bulge was clearly visible after nearly half a year of pregnancy. My little brother or sister was well on the way.

    Shaking her head, she teased, "I should have known that the moment I let you out of my sight, you''d return with another girl."

    She turned to the courtyard where Artemis was stretching her wings after hours cooped up within the narrow confines of the carriage we had taken to reach here. There were very few Pluma in these parts and, unlike at the Capital, the transportation hadn''t been made with them in mind. The carriages at the Capital were practically rooms on wheels. Compared to that, the ones here were quite cramped, forcing her to stay with her wings folded tightly for hours on end.

    "And this time, it''s a princess¡­ and not the one we were expecting."

    I could only shrug with a helpless smile. "Things just turned out this way."

    "They always seem to."

    I could hear the slight reproach in her voice. Marriage was a family affair and first Ceres and now Artemis¡­ it was twice now that I had married without soliciting my parent''s opinions. Which was excusable insofar as the fact that the one orchestrating my marriage to Ceres was the Duchess, who had played with the entire nation in her palms, and that I had called my parents through the mind crystal network the moment I had become aware of the situation with Artemis.

    Mother was just miffed about not being able to attend her son''s marriage twice in a row. Half a province away the first time and half the nation away the second.

    "Anyway¡­" Mother shook her head and gestured to the seat across from her. When I sat down, she continued, "That''s not important. What I really want to ask is¡­ how are you two getting along?"

    I knew that question was coming the moment we had set out for home. And I had the answer prepared. Closing my mind, I searched for the mark of my bond to Artemis within the void. Grasping it firmly with my mind and simultaneously reaching out for the light mana in the atmosphere, I spread out my palms and opened my eyes.

    There, floating in between my palms was a hologram of our mark in all its intricate beauty. It displayed the fine artistry of the Prime Minister, my penmanship in bringing it to life, and most importantly, showed off its dark red hue, letting all know that, yes, we were getting along. Quite splendidly, in fact.

    Oh. Me too. I expected it to be an uphill ride all the way. Instead, with how proactive Artemis had been in integrating into our family, it had been really smooth.

    Leaning forward, mother patted my cheek proudly. "As expected of my son. A right heart-stealer. If you keep this up, the girls will have a hard time keeping the ladies off you once you hit your contract limit."

    Without giving me the chance to embarrassedly refute her claim, she turned to the hologram in my palms. "And I see you have been making rapid progress in the Aspect of Radiance to be able to do something like that."

    I released my hold on the light mana and the hologram dissipated into motes of red light. While it was true that my skills had grown at a rapid pace due to my burgeoning fame across the nation, the boost to my comprehension faculties had tapered off as the fickle public began to forget me over the months. Still, the Swayamvar was on every lip, and by association, I too was mentioned from time to time. My proficiency in the Aspect of Radiance was taking steady strides towards Mastery.

    At the peak of my fame, my rate of progress shocked even me. I could understand why someone practising mother''s form of Mastery would be tempted to make the headlines as often as possible. In fact, for someone as publicly visible as the Emperor, this was an extremely appropriate technique.

    I could hear the yearning in mother''s voice. Even though she got mentioned quite often due to her status and position, giving her a no doubt sizable boost to comprehension speed, it couldn''t be compared to my current fame.

    "I''m nowhere close to your level," I declined modestly. "Back when father fought the Sun Wolf, you projected the battle onto a giant screen from nearly half a kilometre away. I''m still ways off from achieving that."

    "It''d be a wonder if you were," chuckled mother.

    Reaching forward, she flicked my forehead. "Don''t try to comfort me, boy. You didn''t have the years I had to perfect my magic." Leaning back into her chair, she caressed her inflated stomach lovingly. "You have the Swayamvar to look forward to¡­ the people of entire nations to impress. Me? I have a daughter to raise. I''ll leave the headlines to you for these years. But once your sister''s old enough," she looked up with a glint in her eye. "You can bet I''ll leave my mark on the world."

    My eyes widened. "A sister?!"

    "Ah!" Mother clicked her tongue regretfully. "I meant for that to be a surprise." She lowered her voice and whispered conspiratorially. "Don''t tell your father. I quite enjoy getting him to beg."

    "I won''t," I promised. "But what of her bloodline?"

    "Your father''s. All of it." Mother smiled fondly. "She''s going to be a right little tigress."

    I couldn''t help but smile too. It felt good seeing mother''s long cherished wish for another child finally get fulfilled.

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 246 Chapter 9

    Large yellow eyes opened in the depths of the shadowy cell glowing like the flames of a candle. They regarded her dispassionately for a moment before recognition flickered across them. The large panther acknowledged her with a low, rumbling growl before lowering its head upon its crossed paws and closing its eyes again.

    Phobos let out a breath she didn''t know she had been holding. It was good. Her mother still recognized her. That meant that she wasn''t too far gone yet.

    They had left for home the moment the research on the shadow clones had yielded results that seemed like that they would work. With every day that passed, Phobos'' anxiety was ratcheted up a notch. Until it was to the stage that she found herself waking up from nightmares of her feral mother''s teeth sinking into her throat drenched in sweat.

    Phobos relaxed. She wasn''t too late after all.

    The credit for that went largely to Epione. She had visited her mother every day in her absence, engaging her in conversation to ensure that she didn''t lose herself under the dual onslaught of isolation and Vita''s vile whispers.

    She wouldn''t thank her. The gratitude of family was silent. A lifetime spent repaying debts that could never be repaid.

    Sitting down cross legged close to the bars, Phobos cast a glance around her mother''s cell. It was a nondescript room with stone walls, no windows and a ventilation shaft that led out of one corner of the ceiling. Her mother was chained to the far wall of the room with mana suppressing shackles while a lattice of metallic bars blocked off the near end of the room, leaving a little space for visitors between it and the door.

    The shackles glinted darkly as they constantly drained her mother of mana and vented it outwards, enshrouding her mother and the far end of the cell in a mass of roiling shadows. They had enough play to them, allowing her mother access to the entire cell including the trough of water placed in one corner. Arrangements had been made in another corner for the occupant of the cell to relieve themselves.

    Phobos closed her eyes with a determined cast to her jaw. Hopefully, today would be the last day her mother would have to spend cooped up in here.

    ¡­

    The constant drain on her mana due to the shackles had made Phobos'' mother extremely lethargic, but the sudden surge of her daughter''s mana made her eyes snap open. Getting up, she bared her teeth and growled warningly, the deep rumble vibrating its way up from the pit of her stomach.

    She padded forward silently; her massive body gliding forward with nary a sound. Only the slight clink of her chains playing out gave any indication that she was on the move. Reaching the end of her tether, she extended one paw out from between the bars, the extended claws glinting in the dim light streaming in through the edges of the door.

    Suddenly, Phobos'' eyes snapped open and instead of their customary yellow, they were dyed a jet-black. "Sorry," she whispered as with a sharp clank, the winch attached to the chains came to life, reeling them in.

    Phobos'' mother yowled in anger as she was jerked backwards and dragged by the chains to the far end of the room. No matter how hard she struggled, without mana, her mundane strength wasn''t enough to snap the tensile metal. The chains didn''t let up, tightening further and further until they were pressing hard enough onto her skin to activate her Barrier with a soft white glow.

    The shackles had already drained her mana to extremely low levels and now, the Barrier grew dimmer and dimmer as the final dregs of her mana were drained out of her along with the last of Vita''s divine power. With a final flicker of white, the Barrier winked out and, without their protection, the chains dug painfully into her skin.

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    The winch immediately deactivated, and the pressure eased up, letting her collapse limply onto the ground. Drained of her mana, she floated at the edge of consciousness as her body slowly morphed back to its Bestia form.

    Suddenly, bright light flooded the entire room as the smokeless torches at the four corners flared to life, casting harsh shadows everywhere.

    Out of the corner of her eyes she saw several shadowy figures approaching her. Blinking her watering eyes against the sudden light, she tried to force herself to resolve their features, but all she could manage to get was the impression that these figures all looked like her daughter¡­ if, that is, her daughter was composed entirely out of shadows.

    As the first of the figures stepped onto her shadow, it sank into it, disappearing without a trace.

    Clarity flooded her mind as the figure appeared in her barren mindscape and blasted apart, flooding it with shadowy mana. As the exhaustion clouding her thoughts retreated like an ebbing tide, she tried to struggle up into a seated posture but gave up when she realized her body wouldn''t cooperate.

    The second figure stepped into her shadow, and through it, her mindscape. It burst apart similarly, like a balloon filled with water, washing her mind with another wave of mana.

    Her muscles feeling like water, she only managed to flop herself onto her back after much effort. Staring up at the ceiling, she gasped for breath, tracing the natural patterns of the stone with her eyes as figure after figure stepped into her mindscape and gave themselves up to scour it clean of Vita''s influence.

    Twin lines of tears streaked down the corners of her eyes and down the sides of her face.

 247 Chapter 10

    The reason Artemis''s bond with me had grown so dark so soon was because there was a secret that only the two of us knew, that we couldn''t share. Not even with Phobos, Deimos, or Ceres¡­ The Imperial technique of Regiis.

    It had been quite the challenge guiding Phobos and the entire research division towards a solution to Phobos'' mother''s problem without them tracing it back to me. All the while, making it look like they had chanced upon it on their own.

    In the end, utterly frustrated by the situation and tired of watching Phobos suffering from increasing bouts of anxiety and sleepless nights, I had tried consulting Artemis. My oaths stated that I couldn''t reveal the technique to those not already in the know. If I even so much as thought about telling Phobos, my jaws would seize up and the words wouldn''t make it past my lips. But, when it came to Artemis, I could speak freely. After all, she already knew the partial contents of the technique.

    I was pretty sure that the Demigods knew about this loophole. And as they hadn''t said anything about it, I took it as them tacitly agreeing to me sharing my troubles with my new wife.

    Artemis was a great help. Her very first words after listening to me explain my dilemma were, "If you can''t share the technique itself, why not create one of your own with it as a reference?"

    That opened up a whole new avenue of possibilities that I had been neglecting due to my preconceived notions about the technique being the only thing that could save mother-in-law. When I thought about it more deeply from a fresh perspective, I began to see the logic in her words.

    A technique could only be perfected through repeated use. The more people who used the technique and the more frequently they used it, the more issues they would come across. And as these issues were resolved, the technique would take steady steps towards perfection.

    This was why any well-established clan''s secret techniques were so effective. They were the culmination of the unceasing effort of generation after generation of mages.

    In sharp contrast, the secret technique of Regiis had only been passed down to a single individual each time in a line that stretched back to Empress Maeve, the Lightbringer. And each subsequent Empress was oath bound not to spread the technique. Thus, it had received very little research and development since its conception.

    Brainstorming with Artemis, between her experience with the technique and my enhanced soul senses, we had quickly settled upon a few likely solutions. I also came up with some tentative plans to covertly suggest our conjectures to Phobos, and through her, to the research division.

    The payoff had been something far beyond our wildest imaginations. A technique that could allow one mage to replenish the mana of another as long as both had the same affinity. While that didn''t sound like a big deal, it really was.

    Due to the differences in personal mana frequencies, as of now, one couldn''t just help someone else restore their mana, even if they both had the same affinity. Only Tamers, due to their innate ability to alter their mana signatures, and one''s spouse could achieve the same.

    There were three components that had made the technique possible. First and foremost, Phobos'' clone technique. Second, her unique method of mastering the Aspect of Darkness. And finally, some inspiration from the imperial technique.

    Observational studies of marriages where both partners had the same elemental affinity had also provided a great point of reference. Someone at the Academy had gotten it into their head to study the phenomenon of same element marriages due to their rarity and the data had unexpectedly come in handy.

    Up till the current moment, Phobos was the only one who could use the technique. She would create a clone, use her Aspect of Darkness based on the concept of ''abandonment of self'' to alter the characteristic frequency of her mana to a neutral standard, then deliver it directly into the mindscape of the mage she was working with. There, it would blast apart and, due to its neutral nature, the mana would easily be absorbed by the other mage.

    It was an invention that threatened to revolutionize all aspects of society, from the way widows were treated to how war was waged. Even the very way one approached the practice of magic.

    Tier 3 mages with their Domains had a huge advantage over anyone below their level. Thus, the current practice was to race to Tier 3 as soon as possible before immersing oneself in the study of one''s Aspects. But, if the technique could be simplified and become more accessible, then the current system of having the lower Tier mages focus solely on mana accumulation would become obsolete.

    Some of the mages could focus on mana accumulation while the others who were confident in their comprehension capabilities could opt to study their Aspects instead. The mages with larger mana capacities could supply the mana required for the mages with higher Aspect comprehension to cast spells. That way, by splitting up the work between two groups of mages and then bringing them back together, one could have the best of both worlds ¨C more efficient spell casting as well as stronger spells.

    It would also change the landscape of marriage. As of now, the mages always tried to marry someone with a different bloodline so that they could gain access to another elemental affinity through their bond. For example, wind mages were the most sought after brides for fire mages while a water mage would be their last choice. It was quite rare for two mages of the same element to tie the knot. But, if the technique became mainstream, the number of same-affinity marriages would definitely rise.

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    And widows, the main impetus behind the creation of the technique, would be the principal beneficiaries if it was successfully created.

    Vita''s Divine will lingered mostly within a mage''s mindscape, intermingled with their mana. It was only when they were under physical attack, that it emerged in the form of a protective Barrier. Also, a strong bond with their husbands would allow them to shift the Divine Power and Will to him, leaving their minds clear of the vengeful Goddess'' influence.

    If a widow exhausted their mana and then their mindscape was replenished using this clean mana, it would be as though they had been purified of Vita''s influence by their husbands.

    Once again, due to the incompatibility of mana signatures, the only ones suitable to transfer mana to them using this technique were their extremely close relatives with the same element. Preferably their children. Only if Phobos made her method of mastery public and a lot of people went through the trouble of devoting years to learning it would this technique find broader application.

 248 Chapter 11

    Dazzling sparks of electricity blasted out from the point of contact, forcing Artemis to narrow her Feralized eyes. The sparks skittered harmlessly across the surface of Mars'' body and grounded themselves into the soft soil beneath his feet. Artemis had to resist the urge to itch between her shoulder blades as her mark tingled, her metallic mana draining through it and into Mars, forming a protective coating around him that redirected the lightning.

    Grabbing onto his father''s wrist with his other hand as well, Mars crouched and with a low shout, threw him over his shoulder.

    Instead of landing hard on his back on the ground and having the breath pounded out of him, the Felidae clan head twisted impossibly midair and balanced himself, landing on his feet in a crouch, his arm still within Mars'' grasp. The ground cratered beneath his feet from the force and a spiderweb of fissures radiated outwards from the point of impact.

    Veer grimaced as his knees creaked in protest. Abstinence made Mars oddly strong. He wasn''t a match. If he let him keep a hold of his arm, the spar would be over soon. Especially since he had agreed to limit himself to Tier 3 peak stage spells ¨C none of which seemed to be working on the red-headed boy.

    Pivoting on his heel, he threw an elbow strike backwards at Mars'' face, forcing him to let go of his wrist with one hand and block the attack. A thunderous sound rippled outward from the point of impact along with another shockwave that blew Artemis''s red-gold curls out behind her and ruffled the feathers of her wings.

    "Amazing!"

    Artemis took her eyes off the spar between father and son and turned to the origin of that whispered exclamation. Sitting on a comfortable seat beside her was Epione Felidae. Deimos stood behind her, haunching a swirling barrier of air that protected her and Mars'' unborn sibling from the wind and the noise of the duel. The barrier made their forms blur and waver like a mirage.

    "I heard tales of his progress¡­ but seeing it with my own eyes is another thing entirely."

    Deimos grinned proudly while Artemis couldn''t help but nod in agreement. Fighting him and seeing him fight from an observer''s perspective were two different experiences. Especially when the opponent was a Tier 5 mage with nearly a decade of battle under his belt.

    Artemis couldn''t help but clench her fist. He had gotten even stronger while her strength had taken a dive. Now, she wasn''t confident of lasting even a few rounds against him. Her crimson-eyed husband was like a sponge, soaking up knowledge and experience at an alarming rate. His uniquely enhanced senses gave him a huge boost in the field of Aspect comprehension and having received unrestricted access to the Imperial library due to his freshly minted princely status, his growth wasn''t measured in months or even weeks¡­ It was measured in days.

    Freeing his arm from Mars'' iron grip with some difficulty, Veer spread out with his son and began to probe his defences with a barrage of cleverly placed air bullets. The tiny super-dense packets of air exploded concussively upon impact with Mars'' Barrier, chipping away at his reserves of Vita''s divine power. Without mana of his own, Mars wouldn''t be able to replenish it, leaving him vulnerable both to physical attacks, as well as without fuel for physical enhancements.

    Slapping his palms together, Mars bent down and slammed them onto the ground. Golden ripples of earth mana spread outwards from them and towering pillars of compressed earth rose up all around him. They weren''t very sturdy, Mars having taken up the study of the Earth element just six months ago, after gaining an affinity to it from marrying Artemis. Two or three air bullets made them crumble, but within the blink of an eye, yet another would take its place. They seemed inexhaustible.

    ~ Tier 2 earth magic: Stone spike ~

    ~ Forest of Stone ~

    Veer frowned slightly, his mental state of the Void vacillated. This way they would get into a mana deadlock. The mana he used came from his internal reserves, Mars'' mana came from the world. While as a Tier 5 mage he could easily drag things out until all the ambient mana was exhausted, that wouldn''t be in the spirit of the spar. A Tier 3 peak mage wouldn''t have that kind of energy reserve.

    He couldn''t help but sigh internally. Really, the boy had a hard counter for most of his skills. While he was much faster, the overwhelming amounts of divine power coursing through Mars'' body gave him supernatural reflexes. And that coupled with his mana sense meant that he was able to keep up with all his movements no matter how fast they were.

    Then there was that metallic mana he had obtained from his new bride. It was the nemesis of any mage specialized in the Aspect of Lightning. All throughout their spar, Mars had used it to negate all of his electrical attacks by channeling them into the ground.

    Well¡­ Veer straightened up and rolled his shoulders. If that was what it took to maintain the dignity of a father, he didn''t mind exposing his trump card.

    He stepped towards Mars with leisurely, unhurried steps, seemingly having given up on winning the spar. Yet every single hair on Mars'' body stood to attention as a strong sense of crisis covered him. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the approaching form of his father.

    "I Specialized in Power," said Veer, his deep voice echoing through the training ground. "But that doesn''t mean that I neglected Control. Just that I''m not as good at it."

    He stepped into the forest of stone and everything within the radius of a metre from him simply disintegrated. Rock turned into dust, then into particles finer still, swirling around him in a dusky brown haze. As he stepped forward unimpeded, he left a perfectly straight trail of fine sand in the soil of the training ground.

    "The range of this move is limited so I can only use it in close combat. Against an opponent such as the Sun Wolf, or that ant Queen it wasn''t very appropriate. But in this situation, against you... Concede. You can''t win."

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    Abandoning his earth spell, Mars leapt backwards several times to take some distance. To his soul sense, his father was no longer shaped like a man but like a twisting, writhing tornado of tiny, invisible blades.

    It was nothing but the ubiquitous Tier 2 spell: Blade Edge Hurricane. But one perfected to such an extent that it had ceased to be recognizable. The power, the finesse, the destructiveness¡­ there was no comparing the two.

    Such was the extent of his father''s control, so sharp were the tiny blades of wind that the air didn''t even ripple around him. Neither did the wind whistle as the region within a metre centred on his father turned into a Domain of utterly silent destruction. Anything entering it, be it material or magic would be sliced into nihility.

    Mars considered his options for a moment before concluding that there was only one way he might have a shot at winning. Hesitating slightly, he tightened his hold over the half-formed mass of concentrated fire mana he had concealed at his former location, directly beneath his father''s current position. Relaxing his posture, he raised both hands in surrender. There was no need to go so far for a mere spar.

    Then again...

    Just as his father stepped out of the effective range of the explosion, Mars lifted the suppression on the spell. With a deafening boom a thick pillar of blue fire connected the floor and ceiling of the training ground, casting Veer''s face in deep shadow, the resultant shockwave making him falter in his steps.

 249 Chapter 12

    Pulling out a small jar from the leather pouch at my waist, I twisted its lid open and shook out some of its contents into the hearth. As the bright green powder was lapped up by the hungry tongues of flame, they too turned the same vibrant shade of green. A subtle fragrance suffused the room. It smelt like smoked spice. Cinnamon to be exact. It smelt like Ceres.

    Screwing the lid back onto the jar, I returned it to the pouch and sat down cross-legged facing the fire, the emerald flames tinting my face. Shutting my eye, I let my body relax and my thoughts wander.

    The silence of the room pressed down upon me like a heavy blanket on a winter morning, warm yet smothering, comfortable yet discomfiting at the same time. It oppressed my mind, smoothing my thoughts and encouraging me to look inwards.

    And inwards I looked, my consciousness sinking into the depths of the void that was my mind. There, shining like lighthouses in the dark were my marks, the four symbols that stood testament to my bonds to my wives. The first one, an untidy scrawl that spelt the word ''speed'' in the old language, composed entirely out of swirling winds. Somehow, the sloppily drawn mark meshed seamlessly with its element, giving the winds a wild and uninhibited cast.

    The second, a mass of formless, ever-shifting shadow that was near indistinguishable from the emptiness of my inner world. Focusing on it was difficult. If I lost sight of it for a moment, it would blend into the background and become almost impossible to pick out again.

    The cheerful crackle of the fire broke the silence. The sweet fragrance of the powdered incense I had scattered into it permeated the room. Mirroring the scented smoke was the hazy purple ring that drifted within the innermost reaches of my mind.

    Simple from a distance, the closer one looked at it, the more of its dizzying details it revealed. It seemed to contain entire worlds. Realms of over-saturated colours and warped landscapes. Worlds straight out of my most vivid dreams.

    And finally, dimmer and more ethereal than the rest, was the most intricate of my marks. It had the cleanest, sharpest lines ¨C rather fitting, seeing that it took the form of a winged sword.

    I directed my senses at, and then through the pinprick of light. With a disorienting lurch, the scene changed and I found myself... rather, a clone of myself, stepping out of the six-coloured column of swirling mana that was my anchor.

    Eight heads swivelled towards me at my arrival and seven gazes took my measure (the blindfolded Queen of the Vampires simply pricking one of her pointed ears up in my direction). It appeared that I was the last one to arrive.

    "Greetings," I said as I dipped my head towards the Demigods gathered around the table, receiving nods of acknowledgement in return. Stepping up, I took my seat on the empty spot between the Sunlight Soldier and the Wind Wolf.

    Unlike last time though, there were no absentees. After all, this wasn''t an impromptu meeting, but one of the biannual meetings scheduled by the Circle. I ran a quick eye over the ones that hadn''t been there for my initiation roughly six months ago.

    The Unbounded Demigod looked nothing like he did in the pictures. First off, he had much less hair. As in, none at all. His bald pate gleamed in the assorted light from the nine soul anchors at the edges of the room and shaded beneath his drooping, white eyebrows were bright golden eyes that flashed with an appraising light as they met mine. The voluminous robe we all wore concealed his body but it couldn''t hide the broadness of his shoulders or his steady posture. Even just sitting there, he exuded a sense of weight and implacability. Like a boulder at the edge of a slope. Hard to set into motion and near impossible to block once it had been set rolling.

    I noted the distinct lack of any Bestial characteristics, except for the ring of golden scales collaring his throat. His ears were like a Hominum''s and he did not have a tail.

    The rules underlying the modification of one''s bloodline heritage, or the rejection thereof, weren''t clear to me. Since I wouldn''t need the knowledge, it had been kept secret to prevent me from biting off more than I could chew. For now, I was to focus solely on strengthening of my soul. But still, I could recognize that he had done something to modify the heritage he was born with.

    Arum Pholidota inclined his head slightly and I returned the courtesy with a deeper bow of my own. "Thank you for overlooking his rashness and agreeing to notarize young Reinhart''s marriage," he said in a deep, calm voice.

    I shook my head. "It was my pleasure. He is a really great guy and I even without my soul sense, I could tell how much his wife yearned for him. I feel privileged to be given the chance to bind them together." I wasn''t just speaking empty platitudes to console his ancestor. Reinhart, from the read on his soul I got during the contract ceremony, was a driven individual with a strong sense of honour.

    Well, he did bear quite a bit of envy towards me and his eyes kept flitting to Artemis a bit too often for propriety at his own marriage¡­ but we all have our flaws. No one is perfect. At least I knew now why he had been the first to jump out against us among the aristocrats.

    Then again, come to think of it, wasn''t I the one in the wrong here? Bruno, my own cousin, bore a grudge against me for all these years because of my marriage to his would-be fianc¨¦e¡­ then what would be the reaction of someone who had his crush stolen away by a perfect stranger? Looking at it from that perspective, Reinhart''s self-control was worthy of commendation.

    Moving on, I turned to the lean, golden haired, blue-eyed man who was leaning back in his chair sloppily with one of his arms slung back over the backrest and one of his legs crossed over the other. The first word that came to mind when I looked at him was: lackadaisical. Despite his set of black robes being the same as everyone else''s, and having reached his hand less than an hour ago, he had somehow managed to get it crumpled. Even his mop of hair was messy, falling about his face in untidy bangs. His eyes twinkled merrily as we locked gazes and a half-smile graced his lips. Even that gave off a lazy vibe, like he couldn''t be bothered to curve his lips the rest of the way up.

    I opened my mouth to greet him but came to a jarring halt midway when I suddenly realized that, for the life of me, I couldn''t recall his name. His smile grew just a tad bit wider.

    I shook my head to clear it. What the hell was I doing staring at an empty chair with my mouth hanging open? That too in front of such a distinguished audience. I could feel the heat creeping up my cheeks. I hope they didn''t notice¡­ Oh, who was I kidding? They were Demigods. They obviously did.

    Forging ahead through my embarrassment at my gaffe, I turned to the seventh and final Demigod of the Circle (I didn''t count as one just yet).

    More famed even than the female Demigod sitting across the table from me, with a heart-shaped face and hair the colour of a rainbow, was her steed ¨C the crystal unicorn. A mutated creature that had resulted from her experiments upon the horses on the vast ranches owned by her family, the Equus clan, in the Western Province. It was the first recorded instance of an animal absorbing mana, forming a mindscape and thereby transforming into a Beast since the apocalypse.

    Before curiosity about her magical achievements could spark a blaze that set the nation, maybe even the Continent on fire, Cynthia Equus mysteriously disappeared from the public gaze. Only to reappear many years later as a Tier 5 peak mage, riding her similarly Tier 5 peak mount to turn the tides of a hopeless battle. Jagged spikes of crystal that pervaded the battlefield at the end of the engagement, fracturing the sunlight into seven colours. And the sight of her wielding a crystal lance on the back of her majestic mount earned her the title enemies of Regiis came to fear her by. The Crystal Jouster.

    When our gazes met, I couldn''t tell the colour of her eyes. They seemed to be multifaceted, gleaming a different hue every time they caught the light at a different angle. Sitting ramrod straight in her chair, she gave me a curt nod of acknowledgement before turning back to the others. She was seemingly impatient to get the ball rolling.

    I swallowed my greetings back into my stomach and leaned back into my chair, waiting for the meeting to commence.

    Suddenly, my eyes were drawn to the soul anchor directly across from me ¨C a gilt-edged mirror that reflected nothing at all. A strong sense of incongruity struck me and as I counted the total number of anchors, my eyes growing wider and wider still.

    The Regiis Empire didn''t have seven Demigods¡­ it had eight.

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    My eyes snapped back to the grinning man lounging on his chair practically radiating laziness.

    "That''s quite the path to mastery you have there. It''s very similar to my own," appraised the man.

 250 Chapter 13

    I narrowed my eyes slightly. My understanding of the Aspect of Radiance and the shadow clone technique was much greater than six months ago. Also, the sensitivity of my soul sense had taken great strides forward. Now that I knew what to look for, and had the means to detect it, I could spot the slight discrepancies between the fake and the original.

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    Morgan''s clone technique wasn''t something as direct as a means to impersonate another. From the slight soul fluctuations that encased her form, it appeared that the technique was interwoven with an illusion. One only a Demigod could cast. I didn''t know what the exact purpose of the illusion was, but if asked to guess, I would say that it made the beholder view her as one of their near and dear ones.

    A great psychological tactic that, forcing your opponents to raise their hands against the ones they had sworn to protect. I for one found her impersonation of Phobos profoundly discomfiting. Especially as the deception was so realistic, accurately copying all her mannerisms as well as the throaty sound of her voice.

    The Wind Wolf was the first to speak. Leaning back in his chair, his long fingers interlaced in front of his chest, "Winter''s over," he said, sweeping his piercing green eyes over the gathering. "And the Bay of Kings will soon be navigable again. We''ll have a war on our hands, in a month. Maybe two if we''re lucky. Isabella and I will be in charge of supervising the war efforts."

    I nodded internally. Wind and water, these were the two most effective elements in a naval battlefield. Seeing that we had no intention of letting more Shogunate troops land on Regiis soil, having the two of them in charge was the best choice.

    The Wind Wolf reached up and adjusted his glasses, making them flash a solid orange as they reflected the fiery light of the Sunlight Soldier''s soul anchor. "While that''s going on, we can''t have any sort of internal unrest adding to the chaos." Turning to the Unbounded Demigod, he asked, "What''s the situation with Koschei, that ornery old thing?"

    "Restless," replied the old man gravely. "The Catacombs have been extremely active since he awoke. Practically seething with the undead. It''s to the point that we have had to restrict the delver teams ranked lower than silver from entering them."

    "I don''t know what advantage the Shogunate promised him, but Koschei seems determined to side with them despite the large amount of mana he loses each time he struggles against the seal we imprisoned him in. I need to be there at all times to monitor him. It wouldn''t do to have him rampaging through the countryside while we are fighting a war, now would it?"

    The atmosphere grew a bit grim. They had already tied up one of our Demigods even before the war began in earnest. And what was worse, they had achieved it without resorting to the deployment of a Demigod of their own.

    While it was true that Demigods couldn''t directly participate in a war without inviting similar escalation of conflict from the opposite side, that didn''t mean that they were useless during a war. Quite the contrary. In most massed conflicts of national scale, one of the most important factors was the weather. A storm at sea, for example, could alter the entire paradigm of a battle. And it was the Demigods who were in charge of the weather.

    Not all Demigods were equal just because they shared the same rank. In fact, the difference between a new Demigod and an established one could be as vast as the difference between a mortal and a mage. The Treaty of Demigods was so successful, not only because it thwarted mutual destruction, but also due to the fact that it was fair. Insofar as the fact that it made allowances for the differences in the relative power of the Demigods of two nations.

    The more powerful nation would have the stronger Demigods, and therefore, the weather would be on their side. The battlefield in their favour. So, the situation where these transcendent beings had to sit around, twiddling their thumbs and watching helplessly as their nation''s armies were defeated, never occurred. It prevented them from refusing to accept the results of a war and petulantly flipping the table after all things were said and done, rendering the war and all lives lost during the fighting of it utterly futile.

    This provision had been added to the Treaty of Demigods over five hundred years ago after exactly such an event between the Grecian and the Roman forces. Rome won the war, but the Greek Demigods had refused to accept the results, threatening violent retaliation if the Romans tried to annex their nation. An international conference had ensued and after the then leader of the Greek Demigods had fought three Roman Demigods to a standstill, the treaty had been amended and another one, one suing for peace between Greece and Rome, had been signed. Otherwise, instead of the seven nations taking up the Continent today, we might have had six.

    "Well," said Morgan, breaking the charged silence. "Then it''s quite fortunate that we managed to get the other nations to take part in the Swayamvar. I seriously doubt they will try to take advantage of us during our conflict with the Shogunate. Not when their best and brightest are visiting our nation to participate in a contest for our Princess'' hand in marriage."

    She smiled confidently. "Not that they would have anyway. After all, with our policy of non-alignment, they can rest assured that we won''t conspire with their neighbours against them. But if the Shogunate were to take our place, they would forever have to sleep on a bed of thorns, wondering when the knife would find its way into their backs."

    While what she said was very logical, there was something that she wasn''t mentioning. The reason for the other nations agreeing to take part in the Swayamvar wasn''t any policy of ours, or if it was, it wasn''t the main reason.

 251 Chapter 14

    The reason Hominum were able to bond with six partners while Bestia were only restricted to one was due to their lack of a bloodline. The bloodline was what gave the mana of each Bestia and Beast a unique character ¨C a mana signature so to speak. Without a bloodline hindering them, Hominum were able to alter their signatures freely as well as affect those of others. They could synchronize the signatures of two individuals and bond them together. Which was basically what contract magic was all about.

    But this was only valid up to Tier 5. Once one promoted to Demigod things became different.

    First off, Demigods had the choice of getting rid of their bloodlines. If they did, then they would be no different from a Hominum in relation to the number of contracts they could sustain. And if they didn''t, their strong souls and lack of a mindscape would mean that they could bond with five others, one slot being taken up by their own bloodline.

    As to why six was the upper limit for the number of contracts: That was the inherent limit of a soul. Just like we had two lungs and four limbs, souls couldn''t support more than six contracts.

    Polygamy was encouraged for male Demigods for the sake of increasing the number of their descendants as their children tended to be more magically gifted. Female Demigods, on the other hand, generally remained with their partners till the end, frequently electing to remain single after their husbands died. They could afford to. After all, Vita''s whispers were no longer a threat.

    Morgan Zibeline was different. She had husbands all over the Continent. Her extremely realistic clone technique allowed her to take on the identities of important personages in each of the six other nations. And the discarding of her bloodline allowed each of her six doppelgangers to marry a man of her choice. Who invariably turned out to be extremely influential himself, after all, you couldn''t go too far astray with a Demigod as your wife¡­ even if you were ignorant of the fact.

    She turned to me. "I hope you are ready. We''ll be kicking things off with the Trial of Water."

    It took me a moment to realize what she was implying, but when I did, my eyes widened.

    She nodded. "Right. I''m talking about the coming war. The nations have selected their representatives for the Swayamvar in these months, as have we. They will be sending a team each to the other nations while one will stay back at home to compete with the guests. I suspect they will be sending their strongest teams to Regiis to participate in the war."

    "Wait¡­ How come they are willing to fight in the war on our behalf?" I asked, confused. Surely getting involved in a war as part of a competition was a bit much, wasn''t it?

    It was the Wind Wolf who answered. "Rather than fight for us, the other nations see it as an opportunity to train their young talents on our coin; with the blood of our soldiers."

    He adjusted his glasses. "Which Demigod hasn''t been through a war, or ten? True accomplishment cannot be achieved by divorcing oneself from reality and cultivating mindlessly. That will only make you a flower in a greenhouse. And without a will firm enough, no matter how strong your magical talent or perception, you will never cross the threshold to Demigodhood."

    "Only one in a hundred succeed." He shook his head. "If you are coddled growing up, you are unlikely to even have the courage to try."

    "It has been too peaceful lately," commented the Sunlight Soldier in his rasping voice. "Nearly a hundred years since anything we could consider more than a skirmish." He leaned back in his seat. "While peace is good, it isn''t conducive to the birth of Demigods. Turmoil is the crucible in which we were forged. Each of us is a veteran."

    "Not me," interrupted Isabella. "Nothing major, at least."

    "Not her," he acceded. "But even she must have experienced war in her previous life to get to where she is."

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    Morgan picked up the thread of the conversation. "If you study the historical records closely, you''ll see an upsurge in the number of Demigods a century after each major war. And these Demigods of new promote are almost definitely the ones who made illustrious exploits in the war."

    "So," she summarized. "Victory in the Swayamvar is actually a secondary concern for the nations at the moment. By sending their talents to participate, they are identifying and training up future Demigods at none of the risk to their national security or cost to their coffers that a war would imply."

    I let that soak in, then frowned.

    "Wait. That doesn''t make sense," I said. "If that''s really the case, then why does the Shogunate still have Demigods? Didn''t they seal themselves off from all external contact over three centuries ago. If war is necessary for the birth of new Demigods and no new ones came about for them, shouldn''t they have no surviving Demigods now? They are an island nation, aren''t they? Who do they fight?"

    "Monsters. Nature itself." The Crystal Jouster replied, speaking for the first time. "They have the highest concentration of Forbidden Zones in the world. Kaiju they call them ¨C gigantic beasts that upwell from the dark depths of the surrounding seas to assail their lands and devour their people." Her expression was grim. "And their entire island is set upon a cross-hatch of fault lines. Disasters, for them, are more common than the seasons. They are a formidable people to have survived them all. You''d do well not to underestimate them."

    "When all of this is over, corpses aren''t something we will lack." She looked me in the eye, her crystalline pupils shattering the incident light into many colours. "Try not to become one of them."

 252 Chapter 1

    Father was going to be coming along with me while mother was going to stay behind onshore due to her condition. Something she wasn''t too happy about.

    The volatile mood of a pregnant woman worried about her family going off to war, combined with her assignment as the head of the medical wing of the Eastern Armada¡­ I just had to pray for the souls of our medics. May they never make a mistake. It might just be their last one.

    The command tent loomed in front of me. An imposing construct of steel and cloth that had been set up as the nucleus around which the war machine would revolve. The loss of the Southern District to the Shogunate meant that the established command infrastructure had been usurped by them, and given the amount of military force congregated here (a military outpost located at the southern coast of the current South-Eastern Kingdom) the facilities weren''t enough. That was why we had this tent; as a stand-in until proper headquarters could be constructed.

    Parting the curtains, I entered the tent and was met by the crowded gazes of its occupants, and as they recognized me, their military salutes.

    "Welcome, Major." They said.

    I reciprocated with a salute of my own.

    "At ease."

    Winning my Duel against Artemis had earned me a promotion from the position of interim Lieutenant to Major and I was still coming to terms with the degree of deference associated with that station. It was weird having men and women much older than me, and with way more experience, standing up to salute me with such admiration and respect in their eyes.

    I turned my gaze to the centre of the tent where the twenty or so members who hadn''t stood up to salute were sitting around a sand table. The leaders of this engagement with the enemy. The ones in charge.

    Walking up to the table, I took my seat at the empty spot reserved for me beside father.

    Apparently, I was the last one to arrive as a petite blue-haired woman sitting in a chair behind General Kron clapped her hands once to draw attention and said, "Since we are all here, let''s get to it."

    She was his secretary, his wife too if I was remembering things right.

    With my newfound sensitivity to Earth mana, I could sense the threads of elemental energy delicately intertwining all throughout the sand, reshaping it into an intricately detailed map of our field of battle. It was a masterful display of magical control. General Kron was a very accomplished Earth mage.

    He pointed to the two sections of coastline hemming in the Shogunate occupied docks.

    "We have two fleets. The Eastern Armada and the Western Armada. The Eastern Armada has its base here, on the coastline of the South-Eastern Kingdom that now includes the Crimson Coyote territory as well as the former Eastern District of the South-Eastern Province. The Western Armada is based on the coast of the former Western District which has now merged with the Southern Province."

    As he explained, he highlighted the relevant features on the map by making them glow gold.

    A large fleet of miniaturized ships formed at the far edge of the sand table and began to make its way across the map towards the Regiis coast through the Bay of Kings.

    "This is the route we have predicted that the Shogunate will take."

    Two smaller fleets set out from the Eastern and Western Armada headquarters, merged together and set out to intercept the Shogunate fleet.

    "And we will be in charge of blocking them."

    Yet another fleet set out from the Shogunate occupied coastline to attack the rear of the Regiis forces.

    "As you can see, we need to guard against the Kirin fleet assaulting us from the rear."

    Two groups of miniature sand ships separated out from the Eastern and Western Armada to deal with these ships.

    "We will branch out a rear guard to deal with them if they appear."

    The walls raised by the Shogunate on the map began to glow gold.

    "If they do decide to commit troops against us, their land defences will suffer. That is an opportunity. An opportunity for us to reclaim what is ours. We have ground troops on standby and depending on how much our naval forces can pressurize the Shogunate, and draw the Kirins out of their lair, the chances of our ground forces succeeding will increase."

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    He swept his gaze across the gathering.

    "So, there are three broad segments in our strategy: engagement with the main fleet of the Shogunate, setting them at enough of a disadvantage that they are forced to call upon reinforcements from the first batch of invaders, and finally, a landed assault when their den is void and their forces stretched thin. Any questions?"

    It was quite the simple strategy. Without any of the dramatic twists and strategic flairs popular culture would have us associate with war. All very practical and workmanlike.

    And indeed, the best plans were those with the least complications. The ones that required the least number of steps and minimal computation. After all, the simpler the plan, the less chances there were of things going awry.

 253 Chapter 2

    "Brother," he whined. "You took a good long time in there. Your little brother might have starved to death!"

    His brother shrugged off his arm expressionlessly and replied with an equally monotone voice, "You needn''t have waited for me."

    Undeterred by the cold reception, the jolly fellow cracked a smile that narrowed his eyes into seams and made his fat cheeks jiggle. "Ah? How can that be? How can we eat without senior brother?" Stepping closer, he locked arms with the boy and began dragging him off impatiently. "Come, come. Junior brother and junior sisters are waiting for you. The food will get cold if we don''t hurry."

    The boy quirked an eyebrow. "You mean they didn''t let you start without me."

    "Haha." The fatty rubbed the back of his head and chuckled embarrassedly, but his grip on his senior brother didn''t loosen and his strides didn''t slow one bit.

    I recognized them. Both were members of the elite team Huaxia had sent to participate in the Swayamvar. The boy was the leader, Shang Qing, and if I recalled correctly, the fatty was Yu Qing. They had one more male member in their team: Tai Qing. These three brothers along with their wives had arrived just one week ago to participate in the ''Trial of Water'' which was what we were euphemistically calling the war with the Shogunate.

    They were disciples of the Heavenly Court ¨C the strongest, most mystical of all Huaxian sects and their de-facto leader.

    Flowing black hair that reached his waist, a vertical crimson mark in the middle of his forehead ¨C the symbol of his successful marriage, and a slim, perfectly proportioned build. Shang Qing''s most distinctive features were his eyes ¨C dark grey with two pupils in each eye. They lent his gaze a supernatural weight. No wonder they called them heavy pupils in Huaxia. Legend had it that only the ones favoured by the Heavens could possess such eyes.

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    Looks, brains, and magical talent, he had them all. The only defect in something perfect was his wooden face and excessively dry tone of voice.

    Shaking my head at their two-man comedic sketch, I began to walk away.

    Taking travel time and convenience into consideration (crossing Shogunate occupied territory would be a hassle), the elite teams of Swayamvar participants from the rest of the nations had joined the Western Armada while the Huaxian team had joined us here at the Eastern Armada. Of course, all of us would meet once again on the Bay of Kings as the two fleets convened before the decisive confrontation with the Shogunate fleet.

    "Hey."

    I halted my footsteps again as Shang Qing called out to me from behind.

    "Yes?" I asked.

    "You were going to have dinner, right?"

    "Yes," I acknowledged.

    "Then you''re invited to have it with us."

    If his delivery of the line wasn''t so monotone, I might have considered it a warm invitation. His interpersonal interactions needed work.

    "Pardon, my wives are waiting for me. Some other time maybe."

    He frowned slightly at my rejection and studied me silently. Just as Yu Qing behind him grew impatient and was about to urge him, his brow stretched.

    "Fine. Some other time then."

    Then without another backward glance, he turned on his heel and strode off, leaving Yu Qing to hurry to catch up after him.

    I knit my brows as I rubbed my forearms. The fine hairs on both of them were standing erect and my skin was dimpled with goosebumps. In the flash that he had turned his gaze on me, I had sensed an extremely strong threat from him.

    Letting out the breath I hadn''t realized I had been holding, I turned and walked away. I needed to be careful. It appeared that I wasn''t the only monster around.

    //

    Beads of blood welled up from the mark on Shang Qing''s forehead, joining together into a bright red rivulet that trickled down the side of his nose. As it reached his lip, his tongue stretched out and licked it off.

    Beside him, Yu Qing asked worriedly, "Brother, why did you suddenly break the seal? You know how much of a burden it places on all of us when you do that."

    Reaching up, Shang Qing wiped the blood off with one of the voluminous sleeves of his robe. He looked down at his sleeve, the bloody red in sharp contrast with the pristine white of the fabric.

    "Because he gave me a very uncomfortable feeling. Like he could see right through me, but was choosing not to. I''ve only had this feeling once before¡­ when I was called up right in front of the Supreme. I had to test if our trump card was still valid against him." His tone became dignified. "It''s no wonder that Supreme wanted him gone. If left alone to grow, he poses way too much of a threat."

    Yu Qing complained, "This mission of ours isn''t easy to do. Not only do we have to get rid of the fellow when he is surrounded by his allies, friends and family without drawing suspicion on ourselves, now we have to do it when he might just be strong enough that nothing but our flashy trump card works against him."

    He rubbed his cheeks in exasperation.