Chapter 12: Radiance (8)

~12.8~

*****

“Good morning!”

As Kye stirred, the first thing she noticed was pink hair nearby. “Alethea?”

“Yes, how are you feeling?”

Kye tried to sit up, but her body ached like no other. “To put it simply... like shit.” Alethea helped her sit up. “What happened after I passed out?”

“Not much. The evacuation was no longer needed, so the citizens were allowed to return to their vacations. Scouts were sent out to make sure there were no other threats on the planet. Not a single rift was open, and not a single other beast was present. It was surprising, but the scouts we used are from Daemonheim and are quite skilled at detecting beasts. It seems things are back to normal. Other than that, we’ve been here in the hotel waiting for you to wake up.”

“You make it sound as if I was out for quite a while.”

“No, not too long. You slept most of the day. It’s pretty late now, though. The others are still awake in the lounge.”

“I see. I’ll consider that a win. Given how much power I used, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you had said three days or more.”

Alethea giggled. “Yes, you certainly burned a lot of power, especially with that last spell. Five thousand fold?”

Kye raised an eyebrow.

“Astraia already gave us a report. You kept most of your attacks relatively sane.”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to be in pain for a week again.”

“So, you were able to do a 5000x burst. That’d kill most mortals and put even us in the hospital for months in most cases. You know better than anyone. How did you get around it?”

“There are some parts of the method that I’d rather keep to myself,” Kye said, “but it took just as much mana to reinforce the bond’s link as it did to execute the burst itself. It’s not something anyone other than a seasoned immortal can do in the first place. But it would still be dangerous for anyone except me. I don’t think even you could pull it off.”

Alethea gave her a half angry smile. “Really now?”

Kye returned an apologetic smile. “Come on, don’t look at me like that. It really was that difficult. It took a lot of buildup, and it can’t be done multiple times in a row. The moment I first sensed the strange mana when we returned from Yokohama Sekai, I started preparing it. If not for the brief period when Eve froze time for the world, I wouldn’t have made it in time. One second of channeling per multiplier. I’m just glad 5000x was enough, and that I didn’t have to waste any of that reinforcement to give everyone that demonstration.”

“Right, that burst you did in the Nexus was a lot for you, but it was still less than 1x for Astraia, so there would’ve been no need for reinforcement since she can draw more than that, anyway.”

“Yeah. Anyway, it took five thousand seconds, and we were only back here for just over an hour and a half, including the time the world was frozen.”

Alethea frowned, thinking about a possibility where she would need such a boost. “What about if you weren’t here and I needed to do that?”

“If either you had to do it, or I couldn’t manage the 5000x burst, either of us would have been okay up until Light Nova. Which, we’d need Allison to deliver a finishing blow where it’s safe for her to do so.” She sighed. “Anyway. That’s why I want to work with the elders to teach them how to properly control aether. Allison alone can kill one of those things, but not without tremendous fallout. I want to eliminate that fallout. I would bet any of our guardians could as well with proper aether control, including Ginchiyo and Alexandra. Those two especially seem motivated. I also wonder about Hatsume. I rarely get the chance to speak with her, but she has the most mana of any founder, and more than even my mother. I think only your mother, aunts, and Allison have more.”

“You think so? I’ve wondered about her, too. She seems rather distant. I think I’ve exchanged less than a minute of conversation with her privately.”

“Same.” Kye chuckled. “Anyway, I want to get out of bed.” She struggled up, her body sore.

Alethea smiled and placed her hand on Kye’s back. “Here.” A warmth filled Kye from her partner’s hand, and her soreness eased. “Better?”

Kye nodded. “Much. Thanks, love.”

Alethea stole a quick kiss as a reward, then helped the blonde to her feet. “Think you’ll be okay on your own?”

“Probably.” Kye glanced around the room, wondering why it was so quiet. “The redheads aren’t here?”

“They’re in the lounge.”

“Liliana, are you there?” Kye assumed Liliana would be listening with a telepathic channel active, and she was.

“Yes, Princess.” Kye sensed a teleport just outside her door.

“You just teleported to my door, correct? Come on in.”

The door opened, and the sisters entered.

“Hey, you two,” Alethea greeted. “You’ve got this, so I’ll go see about food.”

“Something not solid, please,” Kye requested. “Some type of soup.”

Alethea smiled, nodded, and left, leaving the blonde in their capable hands.

“Princess, how are you feeling?” Aliana asked.

“Sore and weak. I can walk, though. Alethea gave me some quick treatment.”

“Should I fetch a doctor?” Liliana asked. “Hannah and Evelyn are both qualified.”

“Not right now. I want to bathe before I see anyone. I’m afraid you two will have to do everything for me as I am right now.”

“That’s no problem, Princess. We are your attendants, and this is but one of our responsibilities.”

Kye smiled. “Have I told you how much I appreciate the both of you?”

“Many times, Princess,” Aliana said. “It is not necessary.”

“But it is. We grew up together as best friends. You are royals that were no less in status than myself a year ago, and yet here you are having to help me bathe. Going by status, you should have your own attendants.”

“That’s quite alright, Princess,” Liliana said.

As Kye began to walk toward the bath, she stumbled somewhat. “Maybe if I reinforce a little...” An aura of mana covered her body, and she tried to take a step, but the mana disappeared as quickly as it appeared and she stumbled. Liliana and Aliana did not let her fall.

“No, Princess. Leave everything to us.”

“Dammit!” Kye was frustrated with needing to be supported by anyone simply to walk. “I think I’m gonna need some time to recuperate.”

“After what you accomplished the other day, nobody will blame you for needing a little help.”

“I know, but it just feels wrong. There’s so much to do.” She sighed. “Lily, send for my mother. Yours, too. I assume they’re both here. And I’ll have Hannah look at me... maybe I should call her before you bathe me. Yeah, go ahead and call Hannah.”

“Not Evelyn?”

Kye averted her eyes. “I don’t think I can look her in the eyes right now.”

“Very well, Princess.”

*****

Revision: 2024-2-23