32 - The Potential of Absolutes - Ocien (2)

 

“What are we going to do with Miquela?” – I asked.

“Why do you say that?” – answered her confused.

“I see how she looks at you.” – I said bluntly.

A little uncomfortable, Reina adjusted herself in my arms.

“I think I know what you're talking about.” – she murmured, avoiding my eyes.

With a deep breath she took courage to have this conversation.

“I didn't know at first, but the time we were apart, I didn't…” – she began dragging on.

“What do you want to do?” – I interrupted her trying to spare her the difficulty.

“We'll talk to her later, I don't think she did anything on purpose.” – she decided, gathering confidence.

Her ultimate intentions are clear, Reina was ready to reject her.

I agreed not to expand on the subject.

“How is your cultivation?” – I asked, remembering mine.

“4 Stars.” – she replied, resuming a little animation.

She had benefited more than I from the association, but it was still surprising.

“I think you'd better buy the basic technique kits and start studying them as soon as possible.” – I suggested.

Reina hurriedly sat on the bed to access the system more carefully.

After purchasing the complete breathing techniques she lay on my shoulder again. We stayed there with our eyes closed, in a kind of meditation, at the same time, we enjoyed each other's company.

“Will you accompany me to the hospital?” – she asked, finally waking up completely.

It was already mid-afternoon, we had stayed at home for days without even eating.

“Let's take a shower, go to a restaurant, eat something and then we'll go to the hospital to find her.” – I proposed while turning over on the mattress to face her.

Reina agreed immediately, got up to prepare the bath while I went to my room to get clothes and soon joined her.

We flirted in the bathtub, enjoyed our time together and soon we were entwined again.

If it weren't for these reserves of aura and mana, we would be two people dying of hunger right now.

The chosen restaurant was just a few blocks from our house. Without wasting time we ordered a feast and devoured everything in record time. Smelling the food, the hunger that seemed to not exist appeared in full force and soon the plates were empty.

We ate and drank enough to feed ten people, but neither she nor I looked stuffed.

I felt my Aura and Mana acting differently again. All the food quickly turned into energy within our bodies.

Although it didn't make much difference to our cultivation, it seemed like a quick way to recover our mana and aura reserves.

Now I understood how Reina had lost so much weight even without skipping a meal. While my technique facilitated my physical gains, the effect ended when I reached a respectable standard. Her technique is directly linked to her physique, as this should require more to be maintained.

“You should eat more normally, I don't want you to have health problems from not eating enough.” – I said in a serious tone.

Reina was immediately embarrassed.

“I was going through a bad period, I promise not to ignore my needs from now on.” – she promised.

We left the restaurant with Reina holding my arm and headed towards the hospital.

The distance from our house to the restaurant was short, so I didn't have time to observe the atmosphere around us. Now covering a greater distance I started to notice the looks and murmurs.

I was a little uncomfortable.

I had tried to hide for months, but Onda made me reveal myself directly and consequently Reina did the same.

“The Reaper and the Iron Staff.” – I heard an astonished voice.

I looked at Reina in an attempt to find out if she knew something that I was unaware of.

Seeing my inquisitive look, Reina let out a laugh.

“These are the nicknames we got.” – she said with a smile.

The fact that we got nicknames surprised me.

“We became famous after the wave receded because of us. Miquela said that the 4th Circle beast that commanded the wave awakened spiritual intelligence.” – she began to explain.

That was the first time I heard of something like that.

“If it is as smart as it seems, it probably ordered the retreat because she thought it would be very difficult to win without the pressure of the 1st and 2nd Circle Beasts on the city.” – she concluded.

She had spent a good part of the wave watching the battle progress from the walls, while I only thought about fighting the entire time. So it was easier for her to make this type of deduction than me.

“Even though 3rd Circle ones could cause great damage, without the pressure, the city's experts would be free to hunt them down.” – I added.

Aden was the largest city in the County, but that's exactly why the contingent of 3rd Circle experts was almost nil. Here was the final stepping stone to reaching the County. The city leaders were all 4th Circle and it was as easy for them to deal with 3rd Circle beasts.

It may seem like the difference between Stars is small, but the biggest change is in the quality of Aura and Mana. In addition to the basic attributes, the quality of Aura and Mana influence much more.

Beasts have energy cores, this core does not differentiate between energy types. The beasts' bodies are nourished by the core and their attacks come from the same core.

“I think I'll need to keep the theme going when I change weapons, otherwise my new nickname will quickly become meaningless.” – I said remembering my nickname.

Reina laughed, clearly making fun of me, which made me want to squeeze her even tighter.

“I don’t suffer from this problem.” – she said, completing the mockery.

With the rings we no longer had to worry about encrusting our weapons with Mana Stones. They can be more efficient in Light and Darkness, the Mana Stones of the Rings were enough to enhance our other magics.

Reina, having been an employee at the hospital, we didn't have to wait and we soon entered. We went straight to Miquela's office, and I let Reina take the lead.

She knocked on the door three times.

After a few seconds the door opened.

Miquela directed a confused look in our direction and motioned for us to enter.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a small change in how Reina behaved.

At first I just thought she was uncomfortable with the situation, but I soon realized there was something more.

It wasn't just Miquela who had developed feelings.

As Miquela looked at me, even though she tried to hide it, beyond the confusion I could see resentment. As for Reina, she directed something close to disappointment.

Reina, in turn, looked like she was about to apologize, even though that wasn't the intention of the conversation we came to have.

“So you came and said goodbye.” – concluded Miquela.

I took Reina's hand and looked at Miquela.

“It doesn't have to be a goodbye.” – I said, confusing the two.