Chapter 649: Pieces Falling Together
It was surreal: Kai was so used to ending battles half-dead and covered in gri that feeling this good seed wrong. But as much as he had drained himself, consuming the Abhorroid had restored him in multiple ways. He'd definitely been covered in monster entrails, but as his armor disappeared, it seed to shed all of that, leaving him clean. The Beggar King's Robes reliably sat around his waist, so he was even clothed.
He tried to regain his balance by looking toward the city, but that almost made it worse. Over the battle he had seen it from the heights of his giant form, as well as frequently from the air. The landscape around it had been entirely reshaped by the battle, plus so of the walls had collapsed. Even if he had saved the city, it left him just as disoriented.
Then Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena appeared beside him, and his world reordered itself. Ironically, they were the ones who were a bit battered this ti, both had clearly been slamd into various surfaces, and so of their clothes had taken a beating. They still looked better than they ever had as far as he was concerned.
"Is anything exploding?" Kai asked. He'd expected his voice to be monster-deep, but it was surprisingly quiet in the aftermath. "Is sobody dead or dying that I should worry about?"
"It's over, Kai," Omilaena said with a smile. "You can relax."
Zae Zin Nim nodded. "Yes, we were victorious."
"Good." Kai stopped holding back and lunged at them, grabbing his wives and pulling them tightly against him. His hands instinctively transford into claws, but only possessively: he never wanted to let them go again.
"Tighter," Zae Zin Nim murmured. "We won't break."
"You know what?" Omilaena slipped her arms around both of them as they relaxed together. "With all these new breakthroughs, we can justify an extraordinary amount of dual cultivation. There's no reason to do anything else for at least a week, I think."
Kai growled his approval. The restoration of his battered mind and soul left him feeling human enough for intimacy again, or perhaps the breakthrough had awakened different hungers. They were all one and the sa, of course, as he'd always known.
"Did you get taller again?" Zae Zin Nim asked suddenly. "This is becoming a bad habit."
"I'm not sure, I-"
"You did it!" Inafay appeared out of nowhere, shooting toward them at great speed and tackling the group. Kai was too steady for her to knock them over, so she spun around them before coming in for a hug. "Holy shit, I can't believe we... wait, am I interrupting?"
"This is the ti for celebration." Zae Zin Nim pulled back enough to give Inafay a more sisterly hug. "Orotaisin is well?"
"He's fine, I just flew ahead when I saw you. I know we lost a few people, and we'll have to mourn for them later, but right now I just can't believe we made it. It's... really over. Hey, Lofgan! Co show Kai your new trick!"
Orotaisin and Lofgan joined them, eager to tell about their battles in the Elental Nations. Soon after, Juray and Raghi arrived via teleportation, setting off a new round of hugs. As even more people crowded onto the devastated plain, Kai accepted that he wasn't going to get private ti with his wives any ti soon.
And, a few very frustrated parts of himself aside, he was fine with that. Just being surrounded by so many friends was exactly what he needed. He realized that this was what he had always imagined when he was a young man, dreaming of putting his life against the incursions.
There was sothing inside the emptiness within him - not happiness or anything so abstract, it was small and pokey. Kai sorted through his essence and then tasted tal in his mouth. He reached in and pulled out what proved to be Omilaena's earring, which she had shot into the Abhorroid.
"Oh, I should return this to you." Kai handed it to her and Omilaena took it delicately with the very tips of her fingernails.
"Thanks," she said, "but I think I'm going to disinfect it first."
Zae Zin Nim laughed first, which set off a rush of laughter in sheer relief that they were alive. Kai could never have imagined the path that he took to get here, but as he looked over the group, he found himself laughing too. His teeth were a little too sharp, but it didn't matter.
.
..
.
Of course the aftermath wasn't solely celebrations. So who had lost friends or family could justify them as a sacrifice in defense of the continent, but others mourned, or raged, or slipped away and said nothing.
And the rebuilding... Kai didn't want to think about how long it would take to restore all of the cities. Everywhere the invaders had touched needed a lot of work, and the cities that had been flattened might never be rebuilt. The Frontier wall, as the last incursion had proved, would never be the sa. Gunjin and the other perennially serious adults were already thinking about what they could do for the next one.
For now, his own emotions were only silent and somber as he attended the funeral of Bonto of Birtaegal. That was what they had written on his grave, which was set in the middle of Yulthens alongside all the others who had given their lives defending the city during the invasion. There were more graves than he wanted to think about... but they had given Bonto a larger than average tombstone, and he saw many Krysali setting crystals of rembrance in front of it.
All of his students had reunited, drawing together in the wake of Bonto's death. He was the only one of them who had died, though he saw several new scars and Mariyay appeared to have replaced a severed arm with a chanical one. Kai realized that they had their own story, separating from his, and he could leave the continent to them.
Not just yet, of course. Kai shifted back from the crowds, respecting the silence, until he reached the entrance. Krainuun stood there, head bowed slightly, while Gunjin leaned against the stone arch with his arms crossed. They hadn't been speaking, but they both looked to him when he arrived.
"What happens to Krysal after this?" Kai asked.
"For once, it will not be my problem." Krainuun released a long breath. "We are continuing with the plan, so Krysal will decide its own future. There are still so who are angry over the past, but recent history has... had an effect."
"I still think it's a mistake," Gunjin said, "but each nation can decide their own business. Just so long as they keep supporting the Frontier defenses."
"I do not think that will be a problem, given what everyone has survived."
"What about the wall?" Kai asked. "Is the phased construction working at all?"
Gunjin scowled at the floor. "So of the Earth Union elites can form phased bricks, but it takes a long ti, especially given how much we have to rebuild. And the bigger problem... they're still not as strong as the original wall. Whoever built it was at least a whole additional phase beyond anything we can create."
There was nothing that could be said about that, because it only returned to the mystery of the first incursion. It seed unquestionable that the abyss at the center of the continent was no longer just a random fact of life, a flaw that made Deadwaste a bad place to live. Soone had known it was there and built a wall specifically to suppress whatever it was.
And, if the invaders had been telling the truth, they were surrounded by a body of water called the Deadlake. Kai wasn't sure whether it had been created to deal with the abyss, or whether the abyss had been what killed an ocean-sized lake, and he had no idea which of those scared him more.
"The elites can manage in the future," Gunjin said. "We took so losses, but we got replacents sooner than expected. I expect over the next years we'll be getting a lot more."
"Do we count from the end of the incursion?" Krainuun asked. "Or did the final monster reset the counter?"
"We have absolutely no idea, but we'd better plan for the worst." Gunjin turned to Kai, staring up at him with a strange gaze. "A lot of our strategy will depend on what you do, of course. Both in the intervening years and when the event itself arrives."
Kai could only shake his head. "We're still deciding what's next for us. It's hard to say... my life changed completely over the past seven years, so I can't guess where I'll be in another seven."
There was nothing they could really say to that. After they remained at the funeral for a while longer, they began to slip away: Gunjin to his endless watch, Krainuun to his office to plan for his retirent, and at last Kai on his own. He didn't have to go far before Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim appeared beside him, mirroring his somberness... but only for a while.
"Are you done?" Omilaena asked. "Can we get to our extrely important training now?"
"I think that's the last ceremony," Kai said, "and even I'm sick of talking about the future. Focusing on the present sounds good... let's go ho."
"And where is ho, for us?" Zae Zin Nim asked.
"Wherever we want it to be."
Chapter 650: Grand Tour
An enjoyably long amount of ti later, Kai relaxed in a chair on top of the peak of Monskon City. He hadn't gone back solely to relish his victory, honestly, it was just a comfortable and familiar place. They had bought the best bedroom in the Hunters Guild and used it thoroughly, and now Kai's entire body was relaxed, just looking over the city.
When he heard soone beside him he glanced over lazily, and was surprised to see it was old man Aglahai. Definitely a less inviting sight than his wives, but Kai was too relaxed to be bothered, so he just waved the man to sit beside him.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
"You know," Aglahai said wryly, "I think I can take credit for all of this. If I hadn't taught you to eat monsters all those years ago, none of this would have happened."
"You're definitely the real hero." Kai chuckled as he thought back to those tis. "But truly, you showed a little kindness when few others did. Thank you."
"Eh, that's just how it works here. We help one another."
"What's next for you? Seed like you'd given up on life before, but you seem almost younger now."
"Tell my knees that." Aglahai rubbed them and groaned. "No, I'm definitely feeling my age now that the fighting's over. There's more life left in than I thought, but soon enough I'll have more aches and pains than I have places. You have to go eventually, you know?"
"Not necessarily." Kai was thinking about immortality, particularly since it was Zae Zin Nim's newest obsession in the wake of victory. He forgot that such things were beyond the average person, so he didn't expect the old man to chuckle strangely.
"Not sure I can advise you in that," Aglahai said. "But I think sothing I said before still applies. You have to settle down, or stay hungry. Right now it seems like you're doing a bit of both."
"You know, you're right." Kai clapped the old man on the shoulder and levered himself to his feet. "There's sothing I need to do."
They had been discussing what to do next, and of course people across the world were rolling out the red carpet for their trio. There were a dozen different lives of ease and comfort that they could have chosen. But, even in this relaxed state, Kai knew that wasn't the path they would choose.
After all, the invaders had proved that they couldn't ignore the wider world. The Deadlake was supposed to be impassible, and the invaders had only managed it with outside help, but he couldn't ignore the impossibly vast outer world, filled with gods, monsters, and other things he couldn't imagine.
Kai stepped through one of the portals and teleported to the far north, back to the Elental Nations. The ship of the invaders still sat on the rocks, with various elites examining it to learn more about phased materials. When Kai walked up they all turned to face him.
"I need you to do sothing for us," Kai said. "Build this back into a ship."
.
..
.
Afterward Kai spoke to his wives about it, but there was no argunt. Zae Zin Nim had her eyes fixed on the true cultivation of the outside world and obtaining a deeper sort of immortality. Omilaena still had her theories, and a hunger to learn more that matched his own. Still, speaking to them solidified the decision, and he began looking toward the future with farewells in mind.
Not that there was any need to rush, with so much to do. They had ti to have dinner with Inafay and Orotaisin, Juray and Raghi, and new couples he wouldn't have expected. One of their trips took them down to the Southern Reach, where Razz was making alliances with the dryads and appeared to have possibly asked his love out on a date.
While he was there, Kai had another surreal experience: by random chance he finally t the dryad he had seen so long ago in the Hunter Trials. He felt like it should have been a more significant experience, since that had been so close to the beginning of everything, but aside from reminiscing about the Hunter Trials they had nothing to talk about.
eting with Tusquo and Quinta was the most interesting, because the place of Irun on the continent had changed so much. Birtaegal, which had always lood over them, was now in a distinctly weakened position, especially given how many of their rcenaries had sided with the invaders.
But most importantly, Irun's weakness had been based on the weakening of the Final tal, and the acquisition of the outsider tals had aggressively reversed that. So of their elders and elites had taken Omilaena's soul-burning option, making them among the strongest people on the continent. Tusquo and Quinta were taking a slower path, refining their own tal to a phased form, and Kai was willing to bet that they'd surpass those elites in ti.
Eventually, however, Kai and his wives had to leave Deadwaste. So they boarded the Clanless and set off into the ocean one last ti to retrace the steps of the journey that had brought them together.
.
..
.
Getting back to Rosemount was nice, even if it had to be a whirlwind tour. Omilaena had actually picked out a number of spots dedicated to dual cultivation that she wanted to break in, but sadly she had to acknowledge that they wouldn't really get much benefit from them, not with their current strength.
They got feted in the Coiled Empire, but didn't spend long there, as a subtle snub. The Empress had tried to participate in the clean-up operation of the invaders who had escaped, and played up the resources she had given Omilaena, but the propaganda didn't work so well. Especially since the Windlord and the elven council were on better terms now, agreeing on new treaties and mining the mountain where the Colossus had lain. That was politics for soone else to figure out.
The best part was getting to relax with Ceryyn and Yonto, who were a delight, then they headed to the Commonwealth to visit a few old haunts. Kai took another bite at the First Crest, and despite all his developnt, he couldn't chip it. A nice reminder that there was a hierarchy to the world that extended into the untold mists.
For her part, Omilaena was just glad to spend more ti with Troulon again. He seed content with his new place in life, including the limited role he had played in the chaos. It was nice to know that things could work out, sotis.
But before she left, Omilaena saw Gorutiel drop from a nearby roof.
"You headed out?" he asked.
"Cloudspire next," she told him. "But if you're thinking of causing trouble here, rember, we'll be back."
"Oh, the next ti might go differently." Gorutiel cracked his fists and grinned. "I'm starting to get the hang of this phased power."
Omilaena made a show of looking his soul up and down, then smirked. It was very gratifying to see a demon shift back nervously, but she didn't want to leave it at that. No, the truth was that they were heading out, so she wanted to leave an impression.
"Sothing to think about," Omilaena said quietly. "How long did it take you to finish the remaining invaders in Rosemount? Two, three months? If you're thinking of going to Deadwaste... just rember that they killed all of them in one day."
Judging from Gorutiel's expression, he would rember.
.
..
.
By now, Zae Zin Nim's reputation had grown so fearso that there was no need for subterfuge. Everyone knew that the Brightwind Sect's matriarch ca and went at random, and after she had killed Yangix in a dramatic battle in the Southern Rivers, no one would dare to challenge her.
She was grateful for this, because she didn't want to think about politics. All she wanted to do on Cloudspire was enjoy the continent with her spouses a little longer, such as returning to the waterfalls around the central mountains and taking a truly private retreat.
Unfortunately, they couldn't completely ignore such obligations, and she had learned the necessity of such bonds. First they had needed to defeat the remaining mbers of the Yangix Sect, of course. Then Omilaena had spent much of her ti with the Pureflower Sect, using everything that she had learned to give them new paths to power. They were all very impressed, feeling more than repaid, but in fact Zae Zin Nim knew that these were just idle experints her wife was trying to pass the ti.
They also spent so pleasant days in the Southern Rivers, making sure that everyone was okay. Cragrila had made her way back to Deadwaste, apparently, and Wan Fei had recovered. He was even stronger than before, after surviving the invaders, and would be a stable leader for the region. Zae Zin Nim was less confident about Hul Ping, but at least he seed to be enjoying himself in the new courts.
What concerned her now, however, was her husband, who had taken to roaming throughout the Brightwind lands. Of course he would be fine, but he was making her cultivators extrely nervous. She suspected that they could sense how his cultivation hungered.
Wanting to surprise him, Zae Zin Nim kept herself hidden in the clouds, admiring from a distance. Before she could reunite, however, she saw a streak of red clothing shoot from the side toward her husband.
"You!" It was the Redstorm scion, who she hadn't thought about in months. "This is the revenge I promised! I have obtained Sky Soul, and you will rue the day you-"
Kai looked at him and the man stopped. Zae Zin Nim couldn't be sure if Kai was using Void Gaze or not, because they had co so far that Sky Soul was obsolete. She could never have imagined such a thing, before this all began.
"I forgot about this vendetta," Kai said, wrapping a clawed hand around the man's neck. "I'll go with your expertise here, do you think it would be better to finish it?"
So he had noticed her. Zae Zin Nim floated down to join him, barely looking at the Redstorm scion hanging in his grip. It seed cleaner to just kill him, but settling scores like that was increasingly tireso to her.
"The best revenge," Zae Zin Nim said slowly, "is not gaining the strength to kill your enemies, it is gaining so much strength that they beco irrelevant."
"Then it's your lucky day." Kai let go and the Redstorm scion fled in terror.
So much could change, with unbelievable powers from the outside world entirely changing the balance. It was remotely possible that she would one day regret this act of rcy, that it could sohow co back to bite her.
But she didn't really believe it.
.
..
.
On their way back, Kai and his wives stopped at Darkmist Island one more ti. It was definitely an enjoyable experience, but it was also another reminder that they had grown far beyond the sources of power available to them. The only way they really grew stronger anymore was from one another.
He didn't think the others were motivated by a second honeymoon, though. Omilaena seed mainly interested in looting various tools from her shop, while Zae Zin Nim left written instructions about the house's use, making very clear that everyone was to stay out of the bedroom. They were going to leave use of the island to the Frontier elites, along with the Clanless, and it might be so ti before they returned.
Then they were back to Deadwaste, and though Kai felt as though he'd been saying farewell for months, the final goodbyes proved even longer. When they arrived to the beach where their new ship - forged from the outsider vessel and the strongest materials their world had to offer - lay, the dock was filled with everyone they were leaving behind.
There were no debates, not at this late stage. Kai had never exchanged so many embraces, nods, handshakes, and bows in his life. It felt like there were endless plans, endless promises for future reunions, and endless final words.
When he finally boarded the ship, however, he was alone. He slowly walked to the front, where Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena stood by the prow, staring out into the ocean. Kai stepped up beside them and took a deep breath of the ocean air. It was a bright day, the sun shining down over everyone on the shore as he looked back one last ti.
Then they set out into the unknown.
Interludes Oga
A man all in gray sat within the cosmos. He should have been pondering deeper mysteries, yet he had no choice but to focus his attention on lesser things. Everything in existence had beco so tedious... but in one galaxy, on the abnormal world of Detriton, within a dying lake, there was a single unknown that troubled him.
He rarely bothered with such mundane things as expressions or emotions, but as he considered, the man frowned. The barrier of fate, woven by the limit-achieving forces of existence such that even one of them could not pierce it, made it very hard to see within. It had been a year or two, surely things should have resolved by now.
But if anything, the barrier was spreading. That was another troubling developnt, if a trivial one.
"Tralala!" A man in multi-colored robes appeared behind him, spinning in a circle. "It is I, Koleiman the Magnificent!"
"Do you have nothing better to do?" the man in gray asked.
"I am currently doing a million things, 97% of them completely useless, but even the 3% that are useful are less important than congratulating you on your master stroke! Sending such weak creatures under the barrier of fate... I could never dream of such a dreary solution."
The man in gray shifted slightly, his lips twisting just a little further downward.
"I can only presu that you intended to exterminate the anomaly." Koleiman the Magnificent swept off his hat in mock grief and shook his head. "A new flower in the universe, plucked for no reason other than that it offended you. I suppose you win this round."
"You weren't involved," the man in gray said. "I'm sure of it."
"Of course not, but I can still congratulate you. So I suppose the result is just to be expected. It would have been very embarrassing if you played against no one and still lost, wouldn't it?"
At last the man in gray identified the fraction of Koleiman the Magnificent that was tornting him and erased it. His realm was gray once again, allowing him to peer within the cosmos. Though it was difficult to see through the distortion of fate, it did seem as though there was no trace of the monster hybrid within the region called the Deadlake.
So it was back to the old tedium of life. Sa as it had ever been.
.
..
.
A fisherman limped along the shore of a lethal ocean, looking for mussels, when he spotted sothing. It looked like a bit of flotsam or jetsam, sothing thrown up by the poor fools who tried to sail the Deadlake. Not so unusual, but this ti it was three young folks on the shore.
The man was a burly one, though less powerful than you'd expect, for so much muscle. He seed to have braced his body to defend two won, who were beginning to stir. Sothing was a bit off about the man, but the fisherman didn't particularly care about such things. The world was a confusing enough place without giving folks a hard ti over nothing.
"You alive there, son?"
The young man groaned and pushed himself up, expelling such an enormous amount of water from his lungs that it was a miracle he hadn't drowned. For that matter, the water of the Deadlake usually drained everything that touched it, so he was doubly lucky not to be dead. Nothing could survive out there - the Deadlake had that na for a reason, after all. Yet it seed like all three had lived, though it had been a close thing, judging from how desperately the man checked his allies.
"Let's get you up and warm," the fisherman said, putting a hand on the young man's shoulder. "We have a good stew right now, and we don't mind sparing so. You hungry, son?"
"Yeah," Kai said. "I could eat."
User Comments
0 comments from readers