Book 4, chapter 15

As much as Zee hated being injured, it wasn't all bad. A nice soft bed, some time to relax, hang out with her friends, and get some quality rest. It had been three days since leaving the library and she was starting to get most of her mobility back.

She could jog around, though running still hurt something fierce. Not that she needed to run around while she was recovering. Despite her injuries, she was feeling good. Oh, it still hurt, but her fragment looked better than ever, most of the cracks having faded away.

More cracks kept appearing, but the bandages just kept repairing them. It was enough to encourage her to start reading the most recent book Tar gave her.

It was about as thick as her head and would be more effective as a bludgeoning tool than most maces but she persevered.

A gentle breeze rustled her silky red hair, the shaded rooftop pleasant in the afternoon. With Petrie being dead, she saw no reason to keep dying. Thankfully the die she had been using came out easily enough, revealing her blood-red hair in all of its glory.

Sitting atop their in, she had a pretty good view of the city of Verdant, the rooftops lit in the fading light, the calm only broken by the occasional airship flying overhead.

The tranquility of the cloudy sky was shattered as the world river churned, her hair raising on end. Zee's head snapped up, her eyes turning to the sky as a gate spanning several hundred meters formed.

Staring into that portal was like looking through a rip into the void, an unsettling experience by any measure. The portal snapped into place, and a few moments later, a long sleek arrow-like ship burst through the gate.

The ship's aura flared out as it left the event horizon, bathing the city in its suffocating presence. It was as if the people in that ship were presenting themselves for all to see, and daring anyone to attack.

It was a warship, though the make or model was hard to discern given it looked like a mismatch of spare parts slapped together. If not for the terrifying aura the ship exuded, Zee would have thought it was going to fall from the sky at any moment.

The pitch-black vortex slammed shut behind the rickety warship, though that did nothing to lessen the pressure the ship exuded.

"Who the hell is that?" Bastion asked, leaping up onto the roof beside her.

Zee shut her book, stowing it away.

"I don't know, but it looks like their ship was recently salvaged from a scrapyard," Zee said.

"It looks like they were in a fight, do you think they need help?" Bastion asked curiously.

Zee gestured towards three small dots, as they rapidly rose into the sky, flying towards the warship.

"Probably, that rust bucket might fall from the sky any moment now," Zee said.

"Calling our ship a rust bucket is not nice. Sendredie worked hard to repair the ship after the battle against the Farahar," Said a deep male voice behind her.

Zee whirled, and there he was, standing on the roof behind her without any warning. His straw blond hair was cut short, and his grizzled, scarred face was split by a warm smile.

"Grandpa!" Zee shouted, rushing forwards and hugging him fiercely.

Julian laughed, tousling her hair.

"There you are you little troublemaker," Julian said.

"It's great to see you, grandpa, what took you so long?" Zee said excitedly.

"Blaming me? You broke my tracking amulet, it's been a pain in the ass to find you," Julian retorted.

Zee laughed nervously, "Ya, sorry about that. Your pesky medallion wasn't doing what I wanted it to, so I had to break it," Zee said. Julian snorted, holding her at arm's length as he got a good look at her.

"We will get to that later, more importantly, why are you covered in bandages?" Julian asked.

Zee sidestepped the question gesturing up to the sky.

"Don't you need to deal with those people first?" Zee asked, gesturing to the three people hovering near the warship up in the sky.

As they spoke, two of the people peeled off and started heading right toward her rooftop. They must have sensed Julian somehow.

"Looks like they are coming to us," Julian said unhappily.

Zee gave her grandpa a sidelong glance. "If you didn't want them to bother you, why did you make such a spectacle?" Zee asked.

"That wasn't my idea, it's all Sendredie's fault. She demanded we make an impression," Julian said with an exasperated sigh.

"She sounds like a bundle of fun," Zee said.

"I wouldn't go that far, it's more trouble than fun," Julian muttered.

Zee glanced back to Bastion, who looked uncomfortable, realizing she was being rude.

"Ahh, Grandpa. This is my boyfriend's Bastion. Bastion this my grandpa, Julian," Zee said.

Julian's eyebrows shot up, "Boyfriend you say?" Julian asked, giving Bastion another more introspective glance.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Bastion said, on his best behavior.

Zee took a step back, grinning ear to ear. "You might want to talk to those officials over there, I think they are starting to annoyed," Zee said.

It was a human and an allevark, both of them radiating the power of a peak D-grade cultivator, hovering a respectful distance from the rooftop.

"I guess I should go talk to them," Julian said, he pointed a finger at Zee, "You are coming with me,"

"What? Why?" Zee asked.

"Because you have a habit of going missing whenever I lose sight of you," Julian said.

Zee couldn't really argue with that, as he did have a valid point. Noting his sudden discomfort, Zee linked her arm with Bastions. Her grandpa didn't seem to mind, making a gesture toward them. The three of them rose into the air, floating up to meet the two cultivators hovering in wait.

It was a human male, and an Allevark female, both dressed for battle, their armor and weapons oozing power and wealth. Still, neither of them made any threatening moves, bowing in deference toward Julian.

The human male spoke first, bowing mid-air, the gesture deep and courteous.

"Greetings lord, I am Ian, and this is Delta, of the travelers guild. We have been assigned as guardians of this city by the patriarch. May we ask what brings you to our humble city?" Ian asked, his tone respectful.

Her grandfather gave the two a half nod.

"I appreciate the courtesy. I am Julian, head of clan Viotti. I have no mal intent towards your city, I merely wish to rest and resupply here," Julian said, his tone formal.

Ian simply nodded, his surprise only lasting a moment. "if you would like, we can offer some supplies to help repair that ship of yours," Ian said.

Julian cocked his head.

"I don't mean to refute good hospitality, but you do know that we are enemies right?" Julian said bluntly.

Delta shook her head vehemently.

"We have no problems with members of the Lorocan empire. The blood gorgers have abandoned us, leaving us to be conquered by the Terlashar," Delta said, a thin barrier already having formed around them, blocking in sound.

Julian glanced back, looking at Zee for confirmation.

"She is right grandpa. Several planets in the Kelvish dominion are already under attack, and as far as we know, some have already fallen. There is also a blockade near the colic wormhole cluster stopping anyone from escaping the Kelvish dominion," Zee said. For simplicity, she decided not to mention that most of the high nobles were being smuggled out of the dominion by smugglers like Rin and his organization.

Ian glanced over at her, looking startled.

"How did you know that, it's supposed to be a secret," Ian said, unhappily.

Zee rolled her eyes.

"What secret? Don't you remember that attack on the traveler's guild's teleportation hub? The Terlashar killed hundreds of people, everyone's talking about it," Zee said.

The two D-grade cultivators looked like someone had just poured a bucket of salt in their tea. Delta opened her mouth to say something, but Julian seemed to have other ideas.

"I have no patients for games. What is it you want, speak plainly," Julian said calmly.

Ian glanced at Delta, who looked like she had just swallowed a lemon.

"The lord patriarch was hoping to invite you and your friend up there to his palace," Ian said, and it was now she noticed he was holding a communications crystal in one hand.

"Under what pretenses?" Julian asked.

"They are probably hoping you will stick around a while, to deter an invasion," Zee piped in.

Julian nodded in agreement, much to the displeasure of Ian and Delta. They both looked at Zee with annoyance, as if her words had damned them.

Julian snorted, waving a hand dismissively. " Damned politicians, that sounds about right. Lucky for you two we actually need those resources you were talking about. We will stick around until we are finished with repairs. Talk to the lady up there on the ship, she will give you a list of things we need. In the meantime, I will be here," Julian said.

Taking that as a dismissal, the two D-grade cultivators vanished, flying back the way they came, moving so fast they created a sonic boom.

"Well, that was fun," Bastion said.

Julian cracked a half smile. "Not even here for ten minutes and people are already playing politics."

Zee glanced down at the street below, and the passersby gawking up past them, to the warship high in the sky. Zee could even see Allison and Yukna on the street, looking up at them.

"Grandpa, don't you think we should get down from here, we are making quite the spectacle of ourselves," Zee said.

Julian gave the gawkers a once over as if only just now noticing them.

"We probably should, are you staying in that run-down shack I took you from?" Julian asked.

"You can't make fun of my inn when you just arrived in a rust bucket masquerading as a warship," Zee countered.

"Touché," Julian said with a laugh.

"I think I know where you get your odd sense of humor from," Bastion muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zee asked.

Bastion patted her on the arm but said nothing, as they floated back down, landing atop their shaded rooftop.

Zee leaned up and kissed Bastion on the cheek. "Would you excuse us, I want to talk to Grandpa in private," Zee asked.

"Sure thing, I will go talk to the others, and let them know everything is fine," Bastion said, walking across the roof towards the stairs.

Julian waited until he was gone, before leveling a serious look at her. She gave him a hesitant smile, knowing she was in trouble.

"Alright, what's on your mind, Grandpa? You look troubled about something," Zee asked.

Julian looked her over again, his eyes piercing her to her core. "What is that inside of body, and why do I sense two other presences in there?" Julian asked.

"That's a long story," Zee said.

"I have time," Julian replied.

Zee took a deep breath, "Suffice it to say one of them is an Ashary, and the other is a vengeful ghost of some sort that tried to possess me," Zee said.

She didn't bother to hide the truth considering the roof was already being hidden, all sounds and energy blocked in by a near-invisible spatial barrier. Her grandpa wasn't even using a skill, more like extremely fine usage of aura and energy control.

"Did you say an Ashary?" Julian asked.

She nodded, "His name is Dern. He was stripped of his power and banished to the Null, where he met me. In a bid to escape that place, he latched on to me. We have been bonded together since the day I disappeared. The second and more hostile ghost I acquired more recently, in that planar space where you first found me," Zee said.

Julian ran a hand down his face. "Zee, do you even realize who the Ashary are? The Lorocan empire is a small tribe in comparison. We have no boundless realm cultivators so we don't even qualify to become a vassal state of their clan." Julian said.

"Why does that matter? They shouldn't bother me right?" Zee asked.

"Their patriarch is an A-grade cultivator," Julian said worriedly.

She folded her arms. "I don't care who, or how strong they are, the Ashary are assholes. They banished Dern to the Null to die," Zee said.

Julian gave her a disapproving look.

"Zee, the Ashary are an incredibly powerful clan of soul-sucking monsters. If you keep that thing around, either it or its clan will kill you. We need to get rid of it," Julian said.

"Dern is my friend, you will not lay a hand on him," Zee replied her expression resolute.

The response was so cutting that Julian was visibly taken aback. She had always been an incredibly stubborn girl. Once she made up her mind there was no reasoning with her. Even so, he decided to try again.

"If this Dern is still alive, and hasn't killed you yet, he must be using soul-siphoning rituals to sustain himself. If you don't get rid of him soon, you will gain the stigma of taboo, and be an outlaw everywhere you go," Julian said.

Zee didn't look surprised in the slightest, her expression undaunted. "Your parents are going to kill me if I don't remove that Thing from your body," Julian insisted.

Zee straightened her back, her expression resolute. "The truth is Grandpa, you can't get rid of him, he has bonded to my soul," Zee said, softly.

"What? What do you mean?" Julian asked, dumbfounded.

"I mean, if you remove him, I will die. Do you want that grandpa?" Zee snapped, suddenly angry.

Julian's expression soften. "No, of course not, I don't want you to die," Julian said.

"Then stop thinking of ways to kill him, and help me figure out how to save him," Zee said, wiping some moisture from her eyes.

"Save him? What does he need saving from?" Julian asked.

"Remember that ghost who tried to possess me? Well, Dern almost killed himself to stop the formation of my inner world from blowing me up, and at the same time, stopping the possession" Zee explained.

Julian gave her a look, his expression speaking volumes.

"Hold on there, slow down, explain from the start, what do you mean inner world?" Julian asked.

Zee realized just how much they had to catch up on. Atop the shaded roof, shrouded in a spatial barrier, Zee regaled her grandpa on her adventures in the planar space.

A few hours later, Zee sat in a corner, her legs up against her chest, a head-sized tome in her hands. She was currently hiding from everyone, trying to work through her turbulent thoughts.

She wasn't feeling social today and didn't want another lecture from her grandpa. He had been rightfully upset when she told him about her efforts to return Dern to full health.

As you might guess, Julian was not happy that she had been performing soul-siphoning rituals. Zee didn't really appreciate someone questioning her decisions when they hadn't been there. Grandpa finding her was supposed to be a happy occasion.

And yet all it did was make her more stressed out. She knew he was only doing it out of love, but it was still infuriating. So what if she became a heretic? People would hate her for having the stigma of taboo but Zee didn't care.

She had been surviving for years around people who thought of humans as less than dirt. Her grandpa just didn't understand what it was like to have a piece of herself missing. Even more, than that, Zee owed Dern her life.

What was a little taboo in the face of that? The page turned, and her eyes skimmed over the words, her mind racing. She wasn't actually reading, as her turbulent state of mind was a little too chaotic to understand the complex ritual diagrams.

It was times like this that she wanted to go hit something, like a training dummy, or her grandpa. Space in the attic rippled, and a short man with straw brown hair stepped out, seemingly from thin air. He had a long sword at his hip, belted on with a sash that wrapped several times around his waist.

Julian wore a pair of soft brown pants, with a collared black shirt open at the top. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, though his real age was much older.

Zee pretended to ignore him, studying her book. Julian's eyes scanned the attic, curiously eying the ritual diagram that hovered in the air around her.

It was a simple second-tier ritual that helped her hide better, masking her aura, and presence. It was clearly not enough to hide from her grandpa, but she didn't expect it to.

The silence, drew on, as Zee didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. If he wanted another argument, he could go talk to a tree or something. Just when she thought he was going to leave without saying anything, her grandpa spoke.

"I'm sorry that I got mad earlier," Julian said, apologetically.

Zee flipped to the next page, pretending like she hadn't heard him.

Noting her lack of response, Julian continued. "I talked to your friends. I didn't realize just how much you have been through. Second guessing your decisions when I wasn't there is wrong of me to do. You did the best you could given the circumstances," Julian said, taking a seat beside her, leaning against the attic wall.

"So, you are not here to give me another lecture?" Zee asked, with a sidelong glance.

"No, I am not. After listening to your friends, I realized something. You are not a kid anymore, you are an adult who can make her own decisions," Julian said.

Zee graced him with a smile, finally turning to face him. "I am glad to hear you say that. But just because I am an adult, doesn't mean I don't want your advice, on occasion," Zee said.

"Noted. So, what is that you are reading?" Julian asked, changing the subject.

"A book on rituals. I am trying to figure out how to make a ritual to help me stabilize my fragmented inner world," Zee replied.

"Huh.... That sounds pretty advanced." Julian said, thoughtfully.

She nodded," The one I am studying now is a fifth-tier ritual which is a bit too advanced for me. It should be no problem, I will solve it eventually, I am stubborn like that," Zee said.

Julian snorted, "That you are."

The conversation lapsed, leaving the attic quiet once more. This time the silence was a lot more comfortable, much of the tension between them gone.

After a few minutes, Julian broke the silence. "How are your injuries?" Julian asked.

"They are doing a lot better, hardly any pain at all," Zee replied.

"Are you well enough to spar?" Julian asked.

Zee perked up, slamming her book shut. "Why didn't you say that sooner," Zee said.

A few minutes later, they found themselves in a small courtyard, facing off, while Zee's friends stood on the sidelines watching.

Julian drew his sword, and the sun seemed to dim, the sword's presence enough to cause a cold sweat to trickle down her back. The weapons aura was suppressed, and yet she could sense a roiling power raging beneath.

Taking a deep breath, she unsheathed her bastard sword, the blade releasing its own pressure marked with hints of miasma. Her grandpa gave her sword a curious glance, but she only smile, deciding to let him figure that little secret out on his own.

Zee settled into a quick striking stance, which her grandpa mirrored, his sword held above his head in a one-handed grip, ready to strike. As if on cue, they both sprung forwards, their swords slamming together with a loud clang.

Both fighters moved gracefully, their first attack transitioning seamlessly into a second, then a third. It looked like a choreographed dance, though the loud clash of metal and Zee's intense focus did dispel that a bit.

Over the last two years, Zee's skills had come a long way. Her swings were smooth and graceful, yet they lacked the flare and poise they once had. This was no longer a game to her, her every movement designed to maim or kill.

Their swords hummed through the air, moving so fast, and with such rhythm they created a song. Zee finally felt like she understood the reason behind these sword forms now a lot better.

In the past, her grandpa had tried to explain it, but she never truly understood. In the end, real combat experience was the best teacher. No wasted movement, no flare, just ruthless efficiency.

"You have come a long way. It's quite impressive for only two years," Julian commented, effortlessly deflecting an overhead blow, and sidestepping a kick aimed at his knee.

As smooth as silk, Julian then tucked one leg behind hers and tripped her. She rolled with the push, alighting back on her feet in a low crouch.

"I have had lots of practice while fighting for my life. Plus, I have learned a thing or two from my friends," Zee said, tucking a long strand of red hair behind one ear.

"It's good to see that you haven't neglected your foundation. Using your skills as a crutch is a good way to get yourself killed." Julian said.

"How could I forget? You have reminded me like a thousand times," Zee replied.

"And I will keep reminding you so you don't forget," he said.

"Speaking of skills, want to see some of mine? I have one called reality slash, it can cut a small spaceship in half," Zee said excitedly.

Julian's expression lit up. "That sounds pretty cool, I would love to see it," Julian said.

Someone cleared their throat, loudly. "Perhaps you two shouldn't start throwing around your skills. We don't want to get kicked out of our inn, again," Bastion chimed in.

Zee flushed at the not-so-subtle reminder. She glanced around the courtyard with only a three-foot fence separating it from the street, realizing that Bastion was right. Using a finisher skill like reality slash here might cause some collateral damage.

Julian must have realized the same thing as he sheathed his sword.

"He's right, let's save that for some other time," Julian said.

"Uhhh, excuse me," Allison said, hesitantly.

Julian looked over at the suddenly bashful princess curiously.

"What is it?" Julian asked.

"Would you mind sparring with me? Zee has been teaching me for a while, and I was hoping to get a few pointers from the source. If it's not too much trouble," Allison asked, both hesitant and excited.

Julian raised an eyebrow. "So, you have been teaching her our clan secrets?" Julian asked, giving Zee a dirty look.

"Yep, I taught her the clan's cultivation technique as well," Zee replied, not even feeling bad about it in the slightest.

"Please tell me she is the only one?" Julian asked with a groan.

"Nope, I have taught the cultivation technique to all of my friends, well, and Maldy," Zee said with a cheeky smile.

Julian scanned her friends, his brows furrowing. "No wonder their auras lack the corruption I usually expect on these low-grade planets," Julian muttered.

"Don't get to upset Grandpa, my friends will keep the family's cultivation technique a secret," Zee chimed in.

Julian gave her friends a once over, each of them nodding in agreement with Zee's statement.

"They better, or I might pay Sendredie to come hunt them down," Julian threatened. He looked serious, but Zee couldn't be sure if he was. Her friends turned a bit pale, clearly thinking he was serious.

"Who is Sendredie?" Zee asked.

Julian pointed up to the sky, where the warship still hovered, though now it was high in the clouds, barely a dot.

"She is a comrade of mine. She is up there working on repairing the ship. You will probably meet her soon," Julian said, regretfully.

"Is she that scary lady who was fighting with you in the planar space?" Zee asked.

Julian nodded, "Yup that's the one."

Allison shifted nervously, clearly hesitant to interrupt.

Noticing her hesitation Julian said, "Ohh, right, a duel, yes, let's see what my granddaughter has been teaching you,"

Zee went to the sidelines, standing next to Bastion and Yukna, as Allison readied herself. The princess had a style very different from her own, though it did incorporate sword forms and techniques she had picked up from fighting Zee.

The two exchanged blows, her grandpa slowly ramping up the speed and strength of his attacks as he got a feel for Allison's skill.

The princess never landed a single hit, and yet, Julian still looked impressed. Julian tripped the princess, smacked her with the flat of his blade, and hit her on occasion, but he never actually did any real damage.

By the time the match was over, Allison was gasping for breath, her body graced with a few bruises.

The princess sheathed her sword and bowed.

"Thank you for the lesson, it was inciteful," Allison said.

"No problem. You did well, I think you have more talent with the sword than Zee does. If you keep it up you will go far," Julian said.

"Thank you, that means a lot," Allison said.

"If you want to spar again over the next week, let me know, I might be able to help you iron out some of your flaws," Julian said.