Chapter 2: The Touch
No man is free who is not a master of himself
Epictetus
"You 3 are miners." Adrian smiled.
"Sorry for the intrusion." Jake apologized, taking his hand off the pummel.
Adrian simply nodded, but his eyes remained fixated on Lira. He took a step forward, but, Jake stepped in his way. "Thank you for your hospitality, but can you please return us?"
Adrian paused "Take them." He said, then the guard at the door stepped forward.
The three followed.
"What's your name?" Adrian asked as Lira stepped through the door.
"Lira." She turned, their eyes met…
It was as though time slowed.
Their hearts raced.
Something was calling them.
Lira snapped out and turned, following the guards, but Adrian continued to watch.
She held her hand over her chest as she walked, feeling the rapid beating of her heart, almost as though it would tear through her chest at any moment.
She was confused.
She didn't understand whatever drew her to him… that connection scared her.
Jake turned to Lira, then faced the door with a frown, however Amy couldn't be bothered by the two, she was engrossed in admiring the architecture of the city- a design that could only have fallen from heaven.
Mana flowed from everywhere, even from the smallest specks of dust. This was the main mystery of the haven, such a peaceful and mana-rich atmosphere should be impossible.
Amy's mind begun to race; 8 months ago, a wave of mana was release into the continent from the far West, from then on more anulian invaded the mainland, the light barrier of the light Corp had proven too weak to handle the onslaught of multiple anulian.
A place with such abundance of mana should be impossible.
The mystery of it all only pushed her to admire more.
"These are your rooms." The guard spoke, drawing everyone's attention back to reality.
"Who was he?" Lira asked the guard, still not able to shrug of that strange feeling she had.
"Lord Adrian?" The guard smiled. "He is the creator of this world, he only just recovered 3 months ago after his fight with the 3 devils."
There was a pause, then Amy's eyes widened. "Three devils?" She muttered, putting two and two together "Are you guys Westerians?" She asked.
"Yes, before Lord Adrian showed us the way, we are now Adrianite." He nodded. "I'll leave you now then." He turned and left.
Lira and Jake didn't understand what got Amy so worked up, they were surprised and understood that Adrian might be a god-level being, but that didn't seem to be the cause of Amy's shock.
"Oh yes, you guys are foreigners… don't worry, he probably isn't a god yet." Amy took a deep breath and looked at her comrades. "8 months ago, that is using Nyoria's time, a nobleman in Westeria led a rebellion against the other nobles of the region, he won, then moved on to challenging the divine court and the three Holy Judges, the triune. The Grand Oracle went missing after fighting him, he himself disappeared after the intervention of the Judges… He along with Martindale, Uthean and a few other counties."
"He fought gods?" Jake and Lira stood there, stunned.
"That's not all, he is also responsible for kidnappings of several influential like Lea Somvot, and others… if reports are correct, the null beasts incursion.
_ _ _
After a while, the three friends were able to digest the magnitude of the knowledge they received.
However, Lira still wasn't able to shake of that feeling; one thing she knew, it wasn't love or any of that bullshit others would think, she had bigger priorities than that… but something deep down buried in her core wanted to reunite with him – the devil.
_Knock_
She quickly rose to the door, Amy and Jake also stood, but to her disappointment, it was merely a guard.
"Lord Adrian has sent for you."
The three moved forward, but the guard outstretched his hand, beckoning at only Lira to follow.
___
As she followed the guard through the hallways, her heart beat quickened.
Even when they passed through the giant grandiose library filled with specters organizing books, and beings almost like gyn but slightly different, she didn't stop to admire.
Finally, they reached a door, and they stopped – She could feel it, something calling her from the other side. Something tugging her to just turn the knob – like nothing could stop her.
"Don't get too close to him, he is the source of all the mana here, you might just get a Mana Caused Incurable Disease." The guard turned to warn her.
"What?" She was pulled out of her trance, but before she could ask questions, the door opened.
Inside, seated around a jade table with so many strange faces were only two familiar faces- Adrian and Chris.
She didn't know, how or when she stepped in, but she was in and the doors were shut.
_BadumBadum_
The force drew stronger, and her heart felt as though it would tear through her chest at any moment.
Her eyes searched the room in anxiety, then pinpointed the only empty seat, then sat.
"Huh." Adrian chuckled slightly- that was Xiao Long's seat.
"Do you feel it to?" He asked her, his pupils spinning wildly as they observed, peering into the depths of her silver eyes.
"If she is here, then the future draws closer." Olga appeared by dust and stood by Adrian.
"How strong willed you are." She whispered into his ears. "Even without my masters presence you still manage to restrain yourself."
"Who is she?" Tobey asked the question on everyone's mind.
"A piece of him… or rather, they are both pieces." Olga replied.
Her words didn't answer their questions, rather it only served to further confuse them.
"I hope this isn't another lover boy story." Zethar snickered.
"And if it is how does that concern you?" Valhalla said.
"This isn't the time and place for both of you to quarrel." Chris said.
"Master is long past that stage." Tobey said. "This is something else entirely."
"Can't you all big men see you are freaking the little girl out?" Herla said looking to Lira with a smile.
"Ignore them." Adrian rose to Lira. "They can be a bit comedic at times." He stretched out his hands for a hand shake. "Olga on the hand is unnecessarily cryptic."
Somehow, amidst all her confusion, she nodded and reciprocated his handshake.
In that moment till their hands met, time slowed.
Then –
_Boom_
As their hands met, a wave of myriad energies blasted from them.
"I warned you to stay clear of him." Olga disappeared into specks of dust as the energies reached her.
A mountain somewhere in Aurelia.
He had just stopped his slaying, implanting his twin swords into the ground and looking to the stars his red hair fluttering in the wind,
There was something new in the sky –
A planet.
One with mass bigger than two gyndalian moons put together.
_Zizzle_
A white portal opened, and out of it came a man.
A celestial halo hanging over his head. Wherever he stepped, plants would grow.
He stared at the beasts which had lost their limbs but weren't bleeding and were too afraid to bellow, then with a smile he turned to him.
"I'm Dan 7.9 of the Great Daneel Wallheart. Nice meeting you 1.1" He said.
"Took you long enough to arrive." Aryan continued staring at the planet in the sky.
"That isn't me." Dan 7.9 shook his head.
"I know." Aryan nodded.
"It's the other 1.1s."
"Fragment bearers would be a better name." Aryan said pulling his swords from the ground and sheathing them.