Chapter 187:
Perspective
An important subject is not always something easy to bring up. When you're worried about how it will be received, you agonize over it. Wondering when the right time would be.
How could you tell someone that their loved one was dying...again? How could you tell them that it was because you were forcing them into an unnatural state. "No...let's not do that." Jace admonished himself.
This wasn't something he had completely understood. His powers had evolved, but to what extent? He never properly tested it. He had simply used it.
With everything that had happened, he never really allowed him time to learn. Sure, Kiera and Selene helped him to control his power, but they couldn't tell him much about his strength. Neither of them had an ability like his.
He learned to control his elements. He learned to control his mana flow. What he didn't learn was his ability to see the dead. To control and manipulate them. Hindsight was always a bitch.
He saw how he could help them, but didn't think at what cost. The only one he ever anchored was Nadine. He had held his father's spirit so that Selene could unravel it, but that was different from anchoring.
Who knew that it would eat away at the very essence of the spirit. Whatever forces were at play beyond life pulled at her with every anchoring. This didn't become apparent until recently. Nadine was feeling weak, resting more than normal.
She felt a pull. Like something was dragging her back, and with each anchoring...Jace felt that pull. He felt something fighting him. Whether it be an actual god or some natural force...Jace was prepared to fight it.
This is why, after his birthday celebration and things settled down, Jace took time for himself. He didn't just disappear. He informed everyone that he had to take some time to do a few things. He reassured them that he would tell them in time.
He knew they would have noticed something if he had acted different suddenly and they deserved better than for him to just start acting strangely. They were concerned, of course, but seeing the look in his eyes, they were understanding. His mother especially.
"I know that look," she had told him, "It's the same look you had when you started working to pay my hospital bills."
"I promise, I won't lose myself," Jace had told her, but was more reassuring himself.
"Jace, my son," his mother smiled, cupping his face with her delicate hand, "I'm not worried about that. They may look the same, but there is a difference. They're clear. Just trust in yourself, and trust in those who love you."
"I will, Mother," Jace smiled then, placing his hand over hers.
He kissed her hand with a smile, entrusting her care to Olivia. There was a lot he needed to do. He had to learn more about his ability. He didn't really have any leads, but...he thought of someone who might. The person who claimed to be his number one fan.
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Rachel was surprised to see Jace, but this wasn't a social visit. Not really. She saw the look in his eye when arrived. It was determined.
When he told her that he needed her help, she was more than willing to provide any help she could. He was asking her, after all. Not to mention, she wanted to be of use to him.
"Dove," he called affectionately, sitting across from her in her office, hands clasped before him, "You said you've watched me for years, right?"
"I have, yes," she answered carefully, watching him with a concerned eye, "You said you weren't upset about that..."
"I'm not, Dove, I'm not," Jace smiled reassuringly, "In fact, I'm glad you did because it means you might be able to help me."
Her heart raced, beating quickly as she controlled her happiness. "Aaah~ I hope I can help." She thought to herself, though outwardly was composed as she took a sip of tea from her cup. Jace's visit was important to her. So much so, that even though she had several meetings today and was dressed in a prim and proper dress suit, she completely forgone everything to meet with him.
"If I can, just tell me what you need," Rachel told him with a smile, "I aim to serve you, Jace."
Jace smiled softly, looking down as if in thought.
"I know," he finally said, his tone soft, "You're a good woman, Rachel. I'm glad we got everything sorted from before. I promised you a punishment before, but I wonder...what do you prefer? A punishment or a reward?"
Rachel's thoughts raced as to how to answer him. She loved being punished, but craved being rewarded. Sometimes, they were the same thing. She didn't care so long as he used her.
"I...like everything," she answered honestly, "If I do good...I like being rewarded. If I do bad, I should be punished, right?"
Jace chuckled gently, suddenly standing as he made his way over to her. He stood above her, looking down with sultry eyes. The love that burned inside of them melted her to the very core. "W-What does he want?" She wondered in anticipation.
He reached down to the neck scarf she wore. In deft fashion, the knot was undone and both ends were held in his hand. Pulling it, he forced her to look up at him. Leaning down, she was pushed back into the couch.
Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. She could smell his stormy aroma. She basked in it, taking in a deep breath. His eyes looked into hers, her lip quivering.
"You are a good girl," he whispered to her breathily, "In lieu of your punishment...I will replace it with a reward if you do good, and so you know...my rewards do stack. I'll take very good care of you."
She couldn't speak, for as she tried, all that came out was a squeak. She blushed in embarrassment, and he laughed in hearty amusement. Tightening his hold on the scarf tightened it around her neck. She felt her arousal, legs trembling.
"In your time watching me..." He asked quietly, "You've heard of my ability. To see the dead. It's evolved now...Since you're my number one fan, I'm sure you've researched it, yes?"
Rachel's mind was going blank on everything but his voice. His words, his question bouncing around in her head. She nodded silently.
"Good girl," he praised, much to her delight, "I'm going to need everything you have on it, and you're going to tell me where you got it from."
"I-I can do that," she was finally able to speak, though it came out as a peep.
"You're too adorable," he told her affectionately.
She blushed heavily as he pulled her up by the scarf for a deep kiss that left her breathless. Afterwards, he ensured she was steady and back in a presentable fashion. It was a gentle type of aftercare, something that was subtle yet resonated within her like a song and she danced to its tune.
Immediately afterwards, she practically floated on clouds as she went to get the information Jace required. She didn't quite know why he wanted it, but if he asked, she would give him anything.
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Jace spent time with Rachel, using this time as a way to bond with her and to research about his ability. He knew that she would have something on it. Kiera and Selene had heard about the ability, but they didn't know much else.
He knew that they would have helped search, but he wanted to give them time to themselves right now. To just relax after all the hectic things that they went through. Not only that, but Jace had a hunch that Rachel already had a lead, so why start from scratch?
Thankfully, his hunch was right, and he was grateful for it as being able to see Rachel was a welcome bonus. He discovered a few things. One, his ability was incredibly unique. There weren't many recorded cases, but when it was, it was often dubbed "Ghost Vision".
Jace groaned, as while it was an apt and to the point name, it was a bit lacking. Thankfully, there was a better name. Spirit Veil. Spirit Veil was said to be an ability to allow one to see past the veil of life into un-life. To interact and perceive such things as ghosts and spirits.
Rachel did a lot of research. Jace was impressed. Of course, as comprehensive as her research was, it didn't have as much as he had hoped. If there was, he was sure she would have warned him about the side effects.
What he did learn was that his ability went back many, many years. To the point that it could be considered ancient history. Those who held such a gift were often considered spiritualist and were leaders of communities. Revered for being able to communicate with their people's ancestors.
"So...those stories about communing with spirits aren't complete bullshit," Jace mumbled as he scrolled through the documents, "I should have known better, but how many of them are true?"
Jace thought to stories of people summoning ghost armies in the past. Using their ancestors to reclaim lost land. Rising the dead from the graves. Of course, that sounded more like Necromancers than Spiritualists, which is what Jace came to call the name of what he was.
While his basis was in elemental magic, particularly of the storm variety, his ability to see the dead had perplexed him. He wondered why he had only ever been able to really see Nadine. Sometimes he could see others, but it was rare. They had to have a strong emotional attachment.
Maybe if he had not been so busy working, he would have been able to figure it out before, but he had the time now. He just hoped there would be an answer in all of this. As he thought deeply, he felt the slender fingers of Rachel run themselves along his shoulders.
"You've been at it for hours," she spoke with concern, "I hope you don't mind me interrupting."
Jace relaxed back in the chair he had been sitting in, resting his head against her over the top of the chair. She jumped slightly with a squeak, only to relax a moment later with a gentle smile as she looked down at him. He returned the smile up at her, placing a hand over hers on his shoulder.
"No, I don't mind," he reassured her, "I honestly needed a break."
Her hands began working on his shoulders rather sensually, but turned into a relaxing massage. He didn't know how she learned such a thing, but her fingers found every single knot and worked them into submission. She seemed to take pleasure in it, as with every groan Jace made in contentment, she became more invigorated.
"Did you do research on this too?" Jace mused, teasing her.
"I may have," Rachel replied back with a light laugh, "You work hard. I noticed while watching you how sore your body gets...so if I were to ever meet you, I wanted to be able to provide some relief. Is it working?"
"Yes, very," he replied, opening his eyes and gazing up at her, "Thank you."
"My pleasure," she replied with a smile and a blush.
Reaching up, Jace grabbed her by the hand and guided her around the chair. He was currently in a small office with her private floor of Empyrean. It was her home. No one was allowed access without permission.
It was a small room with a sitting area with several chairs, a desk against one wall, and a bookshelf against the other. There were a few planters in the corners with ferns, but otherwise it was an unfurnished, simple room.
Rachel followed his guidance, walking around to appear in front of him. Without a single word, Rachel followed Jace's command. Just a little bit of pressure on her hand to pull her down and she understood as she immediately went to her knees.
Smiling, he gestured with a finger, motioning her to come closer. She pressed herself up against his legs and the chair. He could feel her body, soft and supple. Her warmth against him felt comforting as he cupped his hand on her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
He stared lovingly down into her eyes.
"You helped me," he told her, "It's not everything I needed, but it's a start. More than I ever knew myself."
"So...I did good?" she asked, looking up at him with sparkling eyes.
"Yes, you did very good," he praised, her face turning red as she smiled, "I always used my ability based off of feel. That's how it is for innate abilities, but...this one seems to be a bit more delicate."
"Is...everything okay?" Rachel hesitated when she asked this, seeming unsure if she should.
"It's alright, you can ask," Jace assured her, much to her relief, "I know how my ability works, or at least...I thought I did. There's something missing that I haven't been able to quite grasp..."
Jace began to explain to her his dilemma, all while petting her. She practically purred, leaning her body against him as she listened intently. It was strange, having such a powerful woman kneel like this before him, but she enjoyed it and he oddly did as well. He cared for her.
Despite his life slowing down, he still did things so fast. At least, his heart did. He wanted nothing more than to give into a baser desire, and he was sure Rachel would like that as well, but as he sat there and explained everything to here, a connection of trust formed between them that made Jace want to cherish these moments.
"Thank you for telling me," Rachel told him softly, a look of sympathy in her gaze, "I understand why you asked me about your ability then."
"Mhm," Jace tilted his head slightly, a serene expression on his face, "I figured, as my number one fan, you'd have looked into everything about me."
He brushed her hair behind her ear as he spoke. She blushed with a small smile of her own.
"Heh, you figured right," She blushed, pressing her face firmly against his hand, "I wanted to know everything about you. I still do. If I can offer some advice?"
"I'd love that," Jace answered her, "The knowledge and wisdom you must have is invaluable. To part that on me...I'd be quite thankful."
Rachel's blush deepened from his praise. He chuckled, seeing how happy she was. He liked making others happy. Especially those he cared about. It brought him much serotonin.
"And I'd love to share it with you," Rachel told them.
Helping her to her feet, Jace pulled her into his lap. She blushed as he cradled her against him, her legs over the arm of the chair. He held her closer, cuddling as she began her advice.
In her time, she had come to learn much about Ascended. Ascended Abilities were used innately. Something that just came natural to them. Many didn't give this much thought. After all, they just did it.
Since a lot of these abilities were quite basic, not much was known about the more unique gifts. There were very few Paragons in the world, and so the evolution of abilities wasn't well known. For Rachel, her immortality turned into little god-like abilities, such as her Clairvoyance.
She also had slight omnipotence. Within what she called her "domain" she was all powerful. The only counter to her was Selene, who could unravel her. This was terrifying to Jace, but more in that he didn't want anything to happen to Rachel, as much as he loved Selene. He'd have to talk to her about it one day.
For now, Rachel wasn't worried about that. She wasn't Jace's enemy, so Selene would have no reason to do anything. With her reassuring Jace, she continued her explanation.
Because these abilities were considered "natural" and their evolutions unknown, many didn't understand their limits, if there were any. So, the advice she gave him was simple. Logic doesn't apply to unique abilities, and most likely normal abilities once you reach Paragon levels.
He knew this, of course, as they defied a lot of typical Ascended limits, but the way she said it made him begin to think and that's when he realized something. Something that enlightened him. He was still thinking about it normally.
He was still thinking in terms of reality. In terms of what he knew. This limited his scope. Reality was what he made it. He felt like such a fool upon this realization.
"Dove..." He called her affectionately, "What you just gave me was truly invaluable. I was looking at this completely wrong."
Rachel smiled happily, nestling herself against him.
"I'm glad it was useful," she mumbled gladly, suddenly becoming a little shy, "Does that mean I get a reward?"
"Oh?" Jace mused, raising an eyebrow, "Do you have something in mind?"
"...Maybe," Rachel curled up in his arms, laying her head against him as if she was listening to his heartbeat, "I want to be selfish. Just for a while. Bri already agreed. I know we're both new, but...I saw you first."
She practically pouted, which was adorable. Though, there was something he had to address.
"Dove, it's not good to be jealous," Jace tilted her chin up to face him, raising an eyebrow with a stern look, "You're not going to be jealous, are you?"
"N-No..." her tone was unconvincing as she attempted to avoid eye contact, "I just...have waited for so long and-"
Squeezing her cheeks with one hand on her chin, he forced her to become quiet. Her lips puckered together, and though he was being rough, he did so with a gentle firmness.
"Look at me," Jace commanded with authority.
Turning her gaze to him, she seemed to tremble, whimpering slightly. There was a pleading in her eyes. He saw her desperation. He felt a part of himself weaken at just how much she wanted him. Who was he to truly deny her?
"You've been a good girl so far," Jace applauded her with a cool gaze, "I've come to adore you in this short time. So, it's only right that I make you understand just who you belong to."
She shivered at his words, squirming. Her eyes sparkling happily.
"However, I won't tolerate jealousy," he warned her sternly, "You're all mine and I am all of yours. So, for being so good, I'm going to reward you. I'll let you be selfish, but I'll satisfy you so much that you'll never get jealous again."
Rachel quivered, her eyes becoming unfocused in pure joy. Jace kissed her then, a deep, passionate kiss that melted her against him. She was putty in his hands, and he would make sure to reshape her into something wonderous.
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