Kaida walked out of the bathroom completely dressed with her hair straight and actually taken care of. Her dress, now different, reached her feet, covering her. The indigo-blue color was clearly visible, and she felt refreshed from the cold water.
"Cinder, could you come here?"
Cinder rushed over, looking at Kaida staring up with anticipation.
"Why did you decide to... I guess take a Physical form?" It was a genuine question from her. Her voice was calmer and she looked more relaxed. As if she was giving herself some time to not focus on everything, getting used to a world like this.
"Well, I just felt it'd be better, and I dislike being just something which shows up or talks in your mind. I'll only do that if it's for something important, though. But why do you ask?"
"It just felt weird since I've never seen this happen before, but maybe it's just different, though I'm not against it." She gave a soft smile, deliberately.
Kaida walked with Cinder and Vael to the desk, grabbed the letter, and opened it gently. Although she managed to rip it slightly, she didn't mind. As long as there wasn't a paper cut or something.
'I'd prefer not to speak in formality first, even if custom expects it. I've heard much from Amaris, Akari, Ryuken, and Vairo as well. I'm told you've met my children—and from all accounts, you've been genuinely helpful, even if a touch blunt.
So I'll ask plainly: if, in the future, perhaps in the year 835, you might be willing to lend me your aid. By then, you may have reached Core Formation, or Astral Formation. It is not a demand—only a hope that you will have grown to such strength, and that you might choose to stand beside me when the time comes.'
Vera Zarathushtra, Empress of the Northern Hemisphere
"...Wow, she is different from other leaders I've heard of and known; she's probably a lovely mother. But... What does Northern Hemisphere mean?"
"It means she controls the entire Northern Hemisphere, Ma'am."
She turned, sighing. "Thank you for the input." No sarcasm in her words, "But I'm not sure if she means that as in if that's the name of her Empire or if she means it literally."
"She means it literally; her Empire is named the Zarathushtra Empire."
Kaida folded the paper, putting it into the drawer as she looked at Vael and lifted the creature up. "Your realm is the same as mine, so I'll gauge my cultivation level off you. Is that fine?"
Vael looked unbothered, flapping their wings softly and gripping her finger softly to keep balance.
"I'll take that as a yes." She would shake her finger a little to signal for Vael to get off, and the bird flew back to the stick it drove into the wall.
Kaida's mind eased. Even with the corruption spreading, she wasn't too worried — she just needed to cultivate, and she already understood the basics.
From what she's seen, to progress, you needed to fight, and pills didn't just cause cultivation to jump unless it was after a hard fight.
"Also, Ma'am, fighting inside Nature alone would be your best fit-"
Vael left the room, flying off, only to return a few minutes later with a paper.
"What is it?" She looked confused, taking the paper softly from Vael's hand. Kaida's body relaxed, more curious than cautious. She wasn't as paranoid or as jumpy. She didn't even use her Qi to check the paper, trusting Vael and whoever gave it.
Opening it, she quickly scanned the paper and closed it.
"A Mission to go in with other people... At least Akari and Amaris are there and not Fyodor," she sighed. But she didn't seem to mind it as much because of those two.
She stretched, her joints popping lightly. Cinder turned in surprise as Kaida opened one eye and looked over. "Don't worry. It's just some bubbles between my bones, no damage done."
Cinder was still worried, but listened; she trusted her. Of course, she noticed this and gave a soft smile. After finishing her stretches, she left her home again, not needing food. She looked back, seeing Vael still breaking into the home, possibly for his house. Which she didn't mind at this point.
"I'll be going. Stay here and take care of Vael. I trust you, Cinder."
"...Okay, Ma'am." Cinder gave a soft smile, trying to mimic Kaida, who gave a soft smile back to Cinder.
She felt more relieved; her mind wasn't restless, and she was growing more accustomed to this world, especially with how inviting the people were. Of course, she wasn't going to get rid of her paranoia. It was too vital for a world she wasn't fully integrated into.
She shook her head while walking. She asked for one final thing for Cinder. "How long do you think it'll take for me to reach Core Formation?"
["I'm pretty sure it'll take about fifty to sixty years in this world's time. But that's for you; normally, it takes hundreds, both with and without help. You're only going faster because you can handle the tribulation and absorb it. From the looks of it, the Sect Elders like Veliona help to reduce death."]
Kaida found it better not to risk death, which may cause tensions to rise within the Sect and the Empire as well. She moved at full speed, already breaking the sound barrier six times over. She muffled her ears to make sure she didn't get hurt.
The ground felt smoother, like Ice, making her move even faster. In a moment, she filled her tendons and bones, releasing the potential energy, and sent herself flying forward even quicker, landing at the center of the Sect's entrance area. Though she looked down, she heard the ground crack. Seeing the tile somewhat damaged, she felt a little embarrassed for going too overboard.
Kaida bent down, grabbing the tile and coating the cracked area with Qi as she moved back all the tile's debris she could to reattach it. Standing up straight, she noticed a shadow behind her. Turning, she looked and saw a tall man.
"...Did you break that?"
Kaida blinked. "Yeah. My fault. I was fixing it." Though her voice was deadpan, he could see she just wasn't expressing her emotion like a crack in a mask.
"Don't let recklessness make enemies at home. Keep your strength controlled, and make sure not to repeat this." The man softly rubbed her head. She wanted to protest, but she didn't feel like it would make a difference. "He's 5 realms above me... Not trying. Anything." She knew snapping would be downright idiotic.
Once he was gone, Kaida looked at her ruined hair, but she wouldn't mind; it was just her hair. She'd fix it once she was back from the mission with Akari and Amaris.
"Whoa, you look like a mess." Akari stood right next to her. Her body released an aura that caused a calm sensation.
"Kaida, are you alright?" Amaris stood, not nervous, just worried.
"Yeah, some guy just rubbed my hair, I don't know." She moved her hand to straighten her hair as much as she could. I noticed three guys also walking up. "Are we working with them?"
Akari nodded. "That was probably Reinhard, an Elder, and yes, we are, you're a part of my group, and also friends of Vairo."
Kaida turned, noticing them in light blue with maroon accents and some purple details. All three wore the clothing provided by the Sect, but they had short hair.
It was a notable difference between Lucien's long hair, which reached his waist, and the three, whose hair only reached the neck.
"I see. Well, I must ask, what's he doing now? Also, Hi Amaris. How have you been doing?" Kaida felt a lot more talkative, considering she could trust Amaris and Akari.
"Vairo? He's fine, he's gotten a lot stronger since he started to take tribulation on his own, and it allowed him to grow faster, albeit with risks, though." Akari spoke with ease. Surprised to see Rhea sounding less paranoid and more like a person.
"I've been fine by the way, Kaida!" Amaris was relieved that she hadn't forgotten her while talking to Akari.
"Should we get going? I'm pretty sure we shouldn't stall."
Akari gave a soft smile. "I mean. Yeah, we were just going to investigate a temple which was near Zarathushtra anyway. But I've heard the barrier there's been broken, so we don't need to worry about nausea; someone already got it, so it's unfortunate for them."
Once the guys walked up, Akari introduced them as Ren, Wilhelm, and Shirou. Shirou had black hair with red accents.
Ren had darker blue and lighter blue, probably dyed. Wilhelm had white hair, naturally, probably from albinism.
"Nice to meet you." Kaida's voice felt deadpan, though nicer. She didn't want to seem like she was against meeting them.
After they finished introducing themselves, she found Shirou to be the best person to be around. Although he was loud, he was blunt and didn't hide his actual intentions, unlike the other two, whom she could easily tell were not from the Sect, especially from their mannerisms and the fact that their inner bodies seemed to have some sort of magic seal on their brains. Not to make them dumber, it was just there.
"...Definitely someone from the Underworld." She looked suspiciously at them. She wouldn't trust those two.
Finally, leaving all six of them, she ran at full speed alongside them, enhancing her own legs to keep up with Akari, who was holding back so they didn't get lost.
Kaida made sure she caused no damage to the ground. The others were sloppier, but she expected that. Her face didn't feel serious, just blank with a hint of emotion. As Kaida ran, she noticed the scenery was familiar, which made her wonder if she'd been here before.
She noticed the birds' flight pattern was different; usually, they'd fly over the hilly area, but this time, they changed to go around it, almost as if there was something that blocked their path or made it a lot more dangerous. Along with that, a fast, unforgettable stench — sweet yet foul, like sulfur and rotten eggs, Kaida instinctively moved her hand to cover her nose. She noticed the others covering their noses too.
It also had a somewhat musty, ammonia-like smell, reminiscent of bacteria. It was without a doubt a dead body. Kaida went towards it while the others stopped. She stood far enough away that she wouldn't be caught in some trap.
Looking at it, she could see some creature devouring the body. She found it unexpected. Tracks on the soil resembled claws, forming a dragging pattern. She heard grass shifting, and in the dim light, caught the glint of scales. She lingered for a moment, memorizing the drag marks and the way the soil had sunk beneath the body, before pulling back to rejoin the others.
As she drew closer, she saw it was a Komodo Dragon. She didn't walk closer; she wouldn't interrupt its feasting, but she saw the body was human.
"Akari, Amaris, Shirou, and the others, it's a human body. Rotting, I think this is the right place unless this person died from something else." She lowered her hand, wrapping Qi around her nose to dull her sense of smell, so the stench no longer distracted her.
Akari and the rest walked over, as they could see the temple. Kaida walked with them at a steady pace, scanning for clues and already strategizing how to respond if something went wrong.
"You should set up a barrier, just in case," Kaida said evenly. "Not proximity-based — key it to intent. That way it won't trip on us, only on hostility."
"Intent? I've never heard of barriers tuned like that. How would it even work?" Akari replied; she didn't know what Rhea was thinking of.
Kaida opened her mouth, ready to explain how intent could be woven into the barrier's framework. The air thickened, clinging to her skin like damp cloth. The miasma pulsed—wild, erratic, too alive.
"Something's here. And it isn't here to help."