Chapter 189:
To Claim a Domain
Rachel snuggled against Jace, completely content and happy. Jace smiled at her peacefully sleeping form. She was adorable, despite being one of the scariest individuals in the world. Right now, she looked harmless.
He thought that he may have gone overboard, but in the aftermath of their union, she had expressed her happiness with everything he had done. She had become even more docile that she was previously. Completely taken with him, she was now satisfied.
The aura around her completely shifted. Though she was still obsessed with him, she had become a lot more comfortable and obedient. Her urges and desires fulfilled, she was able to return to her duties as CEO properly.
She shifted against him, her eyes opening. Their golden hues sparkling as she saw him.
"Morning, Beloved," Rachel purred, nestling against him.
"Good morning, Dove," Jace greeted her with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
She smiled, curling up happily with a little squee. Jace found it hard to believe that such a woman he saw stare down hardened corporate officials just weeks prior. The end of May had arrived, and June would soon be starting.
"Feeling better?" Jace inquired musingly.
Rachel looked up at him with the clearest eyes he's seen from her. Full of devotion and love.
"Mhm..." she nodded against him, "Better than I ever imagined. You weren't wrong...you made me completely satisfied."
"I cherish you, Rach," Jace told her as he sat up from the bed, and though she made disappointed noises, she didn't fight him to stay, "You'll have to learn to share, but I hope now you understand."
Adjusting herself to hug him from behind, she looked up at him with such pure innocence as she nodded.
"I do," Rachel whispered, her eyes never leaving him, "I'm yours. Whatever you tell me to do. You made me feel special. Showed me what it meant to be loved..."
Jace chuckled as she finally broke eye contact, looking away shyly with a blush on her face. She was most likely remembering everything he did to her and for her. How he cared for her and ensured she felt safe the entire time.
"You were really sweet...while still being strict," Rachel mumbled with a smile, "I loved every second of it. It's unfortunate I have to wake up now...thank you for indulging me."
"Of course," he smiled fondly, placing two fingers under her chin, tilting her face up towards him, "However, even if you have to wake up...doesn't mean that you've escaped the dream."
Leaning down, he kissed her affectionately. She sat up to press more into the kiss before both of them reluctantly pulled away.
"You're right," she said with a smiled and sighed contently, "You've ensnared me more than I ever was before."
"Heh, don't worry, I'll take responsibility," Jace caressed her cheek before finally standing from the bed and glancing down at her, "I love you, Rachel. Do me proud."
She blushed at his words, as they were the first time he's ever said that to her. Jace felt his heart beat wildly as he said those words, but he truly meant them. Her eyes seemed to shine as they grew brighter. With a smile that could dazzle the stars, she nodded affirmatively.
"Of course!" she giggled, "I love you too!"
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With May passing so quickly as he spent time with Rachel and researching his ability, along with some deep meditation when he had the time, this left his Angels and Briana deprived of his attention for almost an entire month. Jace had been prepared for this, of course. After all, he had thought he'd have been gone for longer, but thanks to Rachel, he had reached an epiphany.
It had been right in front of him the entire time. Even Kiera and Selene had mentioned it many times before. The fact that Paragons don't act on logic. Their abilities begin to defy all conventions. Despite this, Jace had constantly been acting like normal, just in a more powerful way.
Now, he returned to his Angels and Briana with a much clearer mind and perspective on the world. Bracing himself as the first one to rush him was Briana. The moment she was alerted to his presence, she came barreling from another room, her face beaming.
"Jace!" she called with joyous relief, leaping at him with arms wide.
He braced himself, but it wasn't enough as he collapsed back onto the living room couch. He had barely gotten inside the house and into the living room, so he was glad that there was something to catch him. "She must have been cleaning the first floor..." Jace surmised from the cleaning apron and gloves she had tossed aside before jumping at him. Her hair was tied up in a tied bun and she smelled of cleaning solution, but nonetheless he didn't mind.
He returned her embrace as she rubbed her face against his. "She's as full of energy as always..." He mused as he attempted to console her. Patting her back as she aggressively nuzzled him.
"Did you miss me that much?" Jace teased her, chuckling, "I told you I'd be back. I even sent messages to check up on everyone."
"I know, but..." Briana pulled away slightly, crossing her arms with a pout, "Is it so wrong to have missed you actually being around?"
He became slightly self-conscious of the fact she had him pinned, straddling him slightly. Yet, in that moment she looked so adorable that he was distracted from this fact.
"...No, not at all," he told her gently, pulling her back into a hug, "I missed you too."
She smiled into his chest, relaxing into him. That's when he heard more footsteps, following by several familiar faces.
"Looks like we were too slow," Kiera mused, folding her arms with a smile, "Someone beat us to it."
Briana stuck her tongue out at them adorable. Kiera rolled her eyes and laughed, making her way over with Selene and Liana. They looked amazing. Selene in casual business wear. A light beige blouse with black slacks. Kiera in a beautiful light pink summer dress with Liana surprisingly matching her, but in a black summer dress with see-through sleeves.
"Welcome home, love," Liana greeted him, leaning down to kiss him gently.
Briana watched with bright eyes full of awe before suddenly coming to a realization.
"Damn it! I forgot to do that!" Briana sulked and Liana smirked.
"Oh well," she teased, placing two fingers to her lips, "That's what you get for being too excited."
Liana then stuck her tongue out at her and Briana looked to Jace with puppy-dog eyes.
"Alright...come here, all of you," Jace rolled his eyes and sighed with a smile of his own.
He gave each of them a kiss, making them all happy. Liana sat down next to him on the couch as he adjusted Briana and craddled her to him. She happily wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder. He used the arm of the couch to help prop her up a little bit easier.
Selene and Kiera sat across from them and soon his mother joined with Olivia helping her along. The moment his mother entered the room, he attempted to stand, but she simply raised her hand and told him to stay there.
"You have some prior engagements," his mother teased him, looking to Briana in his arms, "Just relax. You just got back. It's good to see you, Son."
"You too, Mom," Jace smiled, "How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been good," she told him as she sat down with Olivia, "Liv's been helping me. Still performing a bit of healing just to make sure everything's good. The girls have been wonderful as well. Though, it's felt a little empty without you here."
"...I'm sorry," Jace said softly, but everyone shook their heads dismissively.
"Don't worry about it, dear," Selene told him with a smile, "You were busy, as I hear it. Speaking of...we're all a little curious."
There was a bit of mischief in the air as Jace instinctively groaned.
"Is Rachel alright?" Liana inquired, smirking, "You spent a lot of time with her, and from what you said, you-"
"Liana!" Jace interrupted, blushing in embarrassment, "Not in front of my mother!"
"Oh please," his mother spoke up amusingly, her eyes glinting with curiosity, "I'm worried about that poor girl too. From what I saw, she was completely pent up."
"Mother!" Jace exclaimed, groaning in horror, "Not you too..."
"What? A mother can't be curious about her son's love life?" she pouted, huffing slightly.
"That's not it..." Jace mumbled, looking away awkwardly, "It's just...weird to discuss it in front of you, but...she's okay. At least, she is now."
Jace sighed, giving in a bit and telling them a little bit of what happened. He didn't give all the details, cause his mother was there, but he did tell them that he helped her through some things that were holding her back. In the future, there were be a partnership between Empyrean and St.Claire, which Selene had already started on.
With Rachel in a better headspace, the talks would go a lot smoother. Though, something in Selene's gaze said he might be a bargaining chip. He quickly shut that down, much to her disappointment as she seemed to want to play with him a bit using the contract. Nonetheless, she agreed to do it well.
He found it adorable, and rewarded her later that night with some much needed attention. Same with the other girls. He also made time to spend with his mother, taking her for a walk in the gardens and enjoying the fresh air. Olivia, of course, joined them as she was his mother as well.
Overall, Jace had a nice reunion with everyone after almost a month, but then came the difficult part. Telling about why he had left. It wasn't just to meet Rachel.
He gathered them together, everyone. This included Gabriel and Gloria, as he felt like they were a part of his life too as friends of both Briana and Selene. Everyone who lived in that house was there, with the exception of Balek who he had called over a couple days later when he had this meeting.
They sat before him, Balek with his mother and Olivia. Selene, Liana, and Kiera together on once couch with Briana, Gloria, and Gabriel on another. He sat in his own chair, calming his nerves. Nearby, he felt Nadine, but couldn't see her. She was still resting, but he knew she could hear him.
"What I'm about to say isn't easy," Jace started off, taking a deep breath, "It's something I didn't know about until recently, and I didn't want to bring it up until I knew for sure."
Everyone listened intently as he took time to gather his thoughts.
"When I became a Paragon, I was able to do things I never could before," He explained, holding out his hand to flourish a bit of electrical magic across his hand, "Magic came easier to me. I became one with the storm inside of me. A master of it and the elements, but that wasn't the only thing. My unique ability also evolved."
Taking a break to let it sink in, Jace looked to each of them. They were watching him with curiosity and concern. They could tell that something important was going to be said.
"I didn't know what this ability was called, but recently I came to discover it," Jace informed them, "Ghost Vision. Spirit Veil. Two different terms, I prefer the latter, but...I'd call myself a Spiritualist. One who communes and works with spirits.
"As you know, this allowed me to do things I couldn't before. Where once I could only see ghosts, usually only Nadine, I could not summon them. Even command them in a sense. Anchoring them to this world to allow them physicality."
They nodded along, understanding so far.
"Right, well..." Jace took a deep breath, letting out a heavy sigh, "I thought I could do this indefinitely. It was natural, after all. I only had to anchor Nadine or anyone else. It was second nature. All it took was a little concentration and mana. I could do whatever I needed, right?"
"Yeah..." Balek agreed, though he seemed to be growing concerned, "Was this not the case?"
"Yeah," Jace nodded, clasping his hands together and staring at them a bit dejectedly, "What I thought I was doing, I thought I could do indefinitely...until both I and Nadine sensed something. She was fading. With each anchoring, it was getting harder. We didn't notice at first, but once we did we understood what was happening."
"Son, what are you saying?" Balek's voice was a bit panicked, "Is Nadine okay?"
His mother placed a comforting hand on his arm. He smiled at her in appreciation, hugging her from the side gently. Jace's mother looked concerned as well, but she nodded to Jace to keep going. Her expression told him she knew there was more to it.
"She is...for now," Jace answered him and he let out a sigh of relief, "As I said, she is okay for now. What we deduced is that she was growing weaker. With each anchoring, her hold to the mortal plane was slipping. As if she was being pulled by some unknown force that I had to fight every time I anchored her."
There was dead silence as this sunk in for everyone. Jace a lot of pressure suddenly from his own anxiety in how they would take this, but as he looked around, all he saw were looks of sympathy. His heart felt relieved as he was reminded of how kind they all were.
Even Gabriel looked on with warm understanding, and as he smiled at her thankfully, she looked away quickly as if to refuse she had ever had such an expression. Gloria rolled her eyes and chuckled, hugging her to her from behind.
"The reason I left was to find answers," Jace told everyone, "I realized that while I was simply using my ability, I didn't fully understand it. I thought that innate abilities you just know, but I realized that wasn't the case."
Selene and Kiera looked at each other, seeming a bit guilty.
"Before either of you say anything," Jace called their attention softly, "I'm not upset at either of you, and I know you could have helped me if I asked. I wanted you two to rest, and besides...it's not your fault. You taught me a lot and I thank you for that."
"I appreciate that, but we should have known," Selene frowned slightly, "We practiced all your other skills because those were the most concerning, but we-"
"Exactly," Jace interrupted firmly, but gently, "You helped me with what was most dangerous to me. None of us could have expected what happened when my innate ability evolved. We guessed and assumed. Even Nadine didn't truly know.
"Jace is right," Liana chimed in, attempting to reassure them, "You two did your best. Don't beat yourselves up over something you didn't know. Be happy that you helped him survive the changes."
That seemed to ease Kiera and Selene's worries, which Jace was glad to see.
"I vowed to find a way to fix what happened," Jace told everyone, "Nadine is fading. I'm telling everyone this because I trust you all. You're a part of my life and deserve to know what's going on. That's why I went to Rachel. Being my number one fan, I was sure she researched into my unique ability."
"That does make sense," Briana nodded in thought, "She knew a lot about you. Though, she did mention missing a few important details, but she didn't really tell me what..."
"Heh, she just made a few mistakes with what lines not to cross with me," Jace told Briana, "It was resolved. There's no bad blood there."
"That's good," Briana smiled widely, "She's a really good person!"
"Heh, yeah...she is," Jace agreed, "Anyways, my hunch was right. She knew about it, but to an extent. That's how I found its name and that it went back to even ancient times, but it wasn't this information that helped me. It was her advice."
"Advice?" Olivia inquired curiously.
"Yes," Jace acknowledged, becoming a bit serious as he leaned forward, "Selene and Kiera had been telling me this for a long time, but it never really registered to me. I just of accepted it, but never gave it much thought. Paragons defy all logic. They become practically gods amongst men."
"Right, our powers are different from that of other Ascended," Kiera agreed with him, "What we could do before, we can do better and beyond what normal logic pertains to. What shackles other Ascended, we are freed from it. We...oh!"
Her eyes went wide with understanding, and soon Selene followed suit. Jace chuckled, nodding at their realization.
"Correct," Jace stated, much to everyone else's confusion, and so he explained, "You see, despite me knowing this. Despite me going above and beyond what I ever could do before...I was still doing things as I always did. As a normal Ascended. Rachel reminded me of that after I told her my dilemma.
"She gave me this advice. Throw out everything I once knew about Ascended and how to use magic. We defy logic. We create it. Well...within our abilities, anyways."
Chuckling, he smiled, and as if to drive home his point, he raised his hand and willed Nadine from her rest. She appeared to him as she normally did, but surprised and looking around.
"...Jace?" Nadine called to him in confusion, "I heard what was going on, but...are you sure?"
"How do you feel?" Jace asked.
He was looking in her direction, and everyone followed his gaze. They couldn't see her right now, but that was okay. They didn't need to.
"I...wait," Nadine flew around the room several times before coming to a stop directly in front of him, "Jace...what is this? I feel...energized. There's no more pull."
"Of course not," Jace stated confidently, "I am a Spiritualist. The domain of the Elements and Dead are mine."
There was power in the last word, as if a realization was made within the universe. There was a low rumble, with Selene and Kiera sharing a look before looking at him proudly.
"You're not longer a fledgling Paragon, love," Selene told him joyfully, "It's different for everyone, but you've just made a claim to a domain."
Jace tilted his head in slight confusion.
"Domain?" he inquired before realizing it and narrowing his eyes at Selene and Kiera, "You two knew about domains, and are just now telling me?"
"To be fair, Hun," Kiera stated in their defense, "We weren't sure when your powers would settle. To attempt a claim prematurely is...painful."
There was a look of mutual understanding between Selene and Kiera, with Jace suddenly not being able to be mad anymore. "Of course...they were forced into it." He took a calming breath and asked them to explain.
A domain was something a fledgling Paragon claimed to become a true Paragon. It was often related to their ability or mana specialties. Once they came to some sort of understanding, or acceptance, there was a possibility of cementing such a claim. Giving them almost complete control over their domain.
If done before the Ascended is ready...it is quite painful and often takes huge repercussions upon the Ascended. This was the case for Kiera, who had arguably gone through the most painful of process. She had a downside of overheating really quickly and secluded systems were a little harder to get to. Her domain, of course, was technology and fire.
Selene had less drawbacks, as though hers was painful, it was endured and accepted fully. She laid claim to the Mind and Reality, along with the Stars. Due to her ability of Re-Write and her affinity to use magic that reflected moonlight and starry skies.
They were proud of him because he didn't experience any pain during his acclimation. Which meant he was entirely in control of his domains. They were his to command. There was only one problem.
"While I have control now..." Jace looked to Nadine with a heavy heart, "It is domain over the dead. Not life."
"That's alright," Nadine told him gently, "As long as I-"
"However," Jace interrupted softly with a smirk, glancing at his Angels, "I have an idea that will require some help. This will work."
Liana was surprised when he looked at her, but as he laid claim to his domains and grew in power, Jace's sensitivity grew. He felt something deep inside of Liana. Something that made sense to him with everything she's done. There was power in her.
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