Chapter 55

"What?! No, I refuse," Kahmil said, her hands folded across her chest.

Shai sighed, wishing he didn't need to use force. "Kahmil, I'm not asking you to do this. I'm telling you. Zale and I have thought of whatever consequences it may hold. We've made our choice, and I am making yours for you," he ordered.

Kahmil gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes before snapping out her reply. "Yes, sir. The materials will be prepared promptly. I shall inform the rest of the team, as well as Rahja, who will operate the forge."

She practically ran out of the meeting room, and Shai breathed a heavy sigh. He flopped into a seat and hung his head in his hands. "Am I doing the right thing, Zale? Everyone is trying to stop me, even my own body."

He held out a hand to reveal the tremors that shook him. Zale could only imagine Shai felt the same as he did. He tapped on the table with his right index finger and stared at the door. "I don't think there is really a right or a wrong answer. You've already arranged for a world tier hunter to come. We just need to keep the monsters at bay until she arrives. Try not to think about right or wrong. Just that we do what we must."

Zale pictured Meru waking up to the hollow feeling that Zale was lost to her. Not just in a coma, but he died in some foreign country without so much as a note. It was a bitter pill. Instead of imagining it as the right thing, he accepted it as the only thing there was to do. He blew out a breath groan. "Man, what the hell have I gotten myself into."

"I second the notion," Shai added.

All they had left was to wait.

Three hours passed. Neither one of them left the room, and they filled the agonizingly long time with witty banter and small talk. Neither wanted to discuss the truth at hand until a jarring knock resounded through the room. Though it felt as if it had come from his own chest, Zale knew it was someone at the door. A firm hand. Akil. "Master Shai," the old man said, eyes bloodshot, "Ms. Kahmil has sent word. The preparations are complete."

Shai and Zale exchanged a look, and both rose together. "Thank you, Akil. If you would prefer it, you may remain here. I'm sure someone will inform you of the operation's completion," he reassured while passing through the door.

"Nonsense, Master Shai. This is the moment you've dreamed of since you were but a young lad. I shan't miss it, not for anything under the sun," he proclaimed, a beaming smile touching his grandfatherly features.

Shai threw his arms around the old butler in an embrace that he'd nearly forgotten. "Thank you, Akil. You have been family for longer than I can remember. I hope I've made you proud."

Akil returned the squeeze for a long moment, then pulled Akil away to hold him by the slender shoulders. "I couldn't be more proud of the fine young man you've become. I only wish your father could see you standing tall. I will miss you dearly."

Shai swelled with confidence and a few tears. "Come. Time waits for no man," he said

They marched through the halls to the forge where everyone waited. The room was prepared as Shai had instructed, and then some. Outside the forge waited a first aid station where a doctor had been prepared. With all the healers out, it was the best they could gather. Inside all the cameras and recording devices had been set up. Shai knew it was all or nothing. When he passed, he wanted everything to be recorded for future generations.

Inside the furnace were arranged something approximating a few billion dollars worth of cores, immaculately vibrant in their positions on the container's top shelves. On the bottom were clear mana crystals stacked as high as possible. Zale was captivated. It was unimaginable for someone like himself to ever be so close to those materials. It was enough to set himself up for life twenty times over.

Kahmil breathed a small sigh and continued to pace the room. Rahja, with a flat expression, waited by the consol. "Rahja, are you ready?" Shai asked.

He simply nodded, avoiding eye contact with Zale.

"So, how are we doing this?"

"There's only enough for a single try," Zale grimaced.

He looked at the crucible and rubbed his clean-shaven face. The platform was large enough for a person to lay on it comfortably. "How do you feel about sharing a bed?" Zale cracked with a smile.