59 Zephyr Tempest

While Rayna and Krista explored and the twin excitedly brainstormed ideas for their newfound wealth, Kyren reapproached the chatty Maya and Kraken.

"So what are you going to name her?"

"Oh yeah, I didn't even think about that... Guess it still kinda feels weird to have a fairy tail that was meant to scare Merfolk children as a pet," She wanted to desperately ask him how he could've possibly come into contact with and defeated such a creature, but she felt like she would get another vague answer from him so she refrained. She thoughtfully glanced at the fifty-meter tall Kraken and mentally reviewed what she remembered of its lore and origins. It took a few minutes before she settled on something, "Let's go with Zephyr Tempest. Others will call you Tempest but only me and Kyren can call you Ze, okay?"

"Zephyr as in a gentle breeze and Tempest as in a violent storm? Two opposing words in the same name?"

"She might seem like a big and scary hurricane on the outside, but I've quickly noticed that she's surprisingly shy, so I think this name was perfect, even if it's a little long."

"No, it's perfect. I've also observed her true nature from her demeanor."

Maya beamed as the squid's tentacle wrapped around her body and lifted her up slightly, clearly pleased with the name. Other than Kyren, it could now mostly understand what Maya said because of their compatibility rating. They didn't need to communicate with words though, just thoughts and intention would suffice.

"So Maya, I still haven't shown you the surprise," He conjured another book that included all of the materials along with the ones he didn't show to the girls, "This isn't specifically for you, but to help things along with the business. I think you'll like it though..."

Maya was preoccupied with interacting with Tempest so she didn't know of the list at all. She skimmed over just the first page and got confused. He did the same thing to prove it was all real and procured a random item on the list. She was so bewildered and shocked by this massive "surprise" that her legs gave out. Both the Kraken and Kyren caught her before she fell and he couldn't help but chuckle.

She looked at him with a frown and a pout while saying in a demanding voice, "I can't take it anymore! Now you HAVE to tell me about your time away from Irona!!"

"Ha, you'll have to squeeze it out of me first~"

She grinned, "Oh, I can squeeze something out of you alright~" She unsuccessfully lunged for him in "that" area and continued to play a one-sided game of catch, forgetting why she was doing it in the process. The Kraken wanted to join but it was still slightly afraid of Kyren, moreover, it truly was a shy creature at nature.

.....

After Kyren transferred some mana to the tuckered out Maya, Krista arrived back at the aquarium after calming down.

"Did you find Rayna while 'exploring'?" She didn't know this, but he could see everything within his dimension. She didn't wander far at all which amused him.

"N-No, I didn't see her. This place is bigger then I imagined..."

"I see, I'll find her later," He conjured a list of things on a small piece of paper using his dimensional powers and offered the recovering mermaid on the ground a hand, "Here are some things I want you to do after you take a much needed break. Make sure to memorize everything because this paper and the book will disappear as soon as you leave this place, think of them as physical illusions that can only exist here. If you ever need to come back and look the book over, just tell me."

Maya grabbed the sheet, took his hand, and got up, not in the least frustrated by her inability to catch him because she knew it would be impossible. It was fun for her though, especially when he got too cocky, which resulted in what she assumed were close calls. Her childish nature hasn't completely disappeared and he brought it out in her.

Another memory of home popped into her head so she shooed it away and immediately tried to take her mind off of it. She glanced over the contents of the paper and quickly realized his plan and intentions. After stashing the paper away for her to look at later, she remembered a message she was supposed to pass on, "Uncle Darien told me to remind you and Sister Rayna that he completed something you requested two months ago, didn't say what it was."

"Got it, thanks for reminding me. I'll be leaving now, when you both wish to leave, just say it out loud and I (or actually Leo) will send you back to where you first entered. It also seems like Ze will have to stay here until you can find someone skilled in the tamer class."

Leo was able to tell him about tamers and there profound importance on society.

Krista gasped, "Hold up, this behemoth is now Maya's pet!?! You'll need the best tamer in the entire continent for something like that!"

If someone wanted to obtain a pet, even if it was a regular animal like a dog or just a critter, they needed some form of connection whether it was by magic or soul. Individuals with the combat class tamer were the easiest method. Kyren and Rayna are a special case because they substituted this method with a blood-pact, which made them more equals than an owner and pet. The connection between Maya and Tempest would be unstable until they formed a bond, which can potentially result in hostility, defiance, or obstruction the stronger the creature is.

Their have been many educated beliefs as to why creatures require some form of connection or servitude if someone wanted to be with them for an extended period of time, but none have been proven. The most reasonable theory would have to be that mana or magicules gave all entities a certain degree of ambition for power that made any prolonged relationships dangerous, which was far stronger in creatures than sentient beings like humans. And tamers calmed this ambition down among other things. Of course, this was only another unproven theory.

"Do you have any suggestions then?" After Maya remembered this dire fact, she shuddered at the thought of receiving the backlash from a behemoth, even if Kyren was to protect her, the consequences would not be slim.

"I think I know someone reliable and strong enough in the capital... He's kind of eccentric though so you'll have to....."

Kyren didn't need to hear any more and left the two to their conversation. He told the twins the same method of leaving the Spatial Palace before crossing through a [Gate]. When he came out of the hole in space in another part of his dimension, he was met by the the sight of Rayna seeming flustered and mystified as she looked in all directions trying to get her bearings.

"Lost?"

When she heard his voice, she gasped and then sighed in relief as she excitedly came up close to him, "I completely forgot I've always been disastrous with directions."

"Eh, even as a wolf?"

"It was because I was with my pack that I wasn't lost in that forest for eternity! It was..... It was one of the many useless aspects about me that e-everyone continuously pointed out," She was quivering and downcast as she remembered everyone's harassing words and their resulting discrimination because she didn't seem like a "true moon wolf" and more like "a lost cause".

His hand stroked the top of her head in a gentle and heartfelt manner to comfort her. She went into trance and he said in a soft voice right next to her ears, "That just makes you even cuter~ I see no reason why you have to listen to others criticism when you're already perfect in my eyes~"

"P-Per-Perfect!!!" Not once in her life has she ever been called anything close to such a powerful word, nor was she complimented to such a degree and especially on what others thought were her bad traits.

She abruptly hugged him while nuzzling her face into his shoulders, not wanting to let go. He returned her embrace and continued to caress her hair, making her feel warm. For some reason, her heart didn't race like it usually did when he would come close to her or tease her, she felt more tranquil than anything else.

A nostalgic memory of her time before she became the outcast of the pack, as a small pup no different than every other cub, passed over her mind with one scene sticking out. She was one of two cubs who were snuggling into their parents for warmth during a cold and moonless night in between the roots of a tree that served as a temporary shelter for their travels. It was her most beloved memory of when her father, big brother, and mother were all still together before certain conflicts and events occurred.

The two of them stayed like that for an unknown amount of time...

.....

Both Kyren and Rayna entered the dark and barren Hidden Metals. The shop hasn't been used that much due to the swamp of work Darien was taking on for the business and them. They walked into the forging room in the back and discovered a wholesome scene of a dad teaching his daughter his practices.

He had a delighted and proud look on his face as he appraised a small and beautifully done Roman pugio style dagger. The blade was made of some kind of transparent lavender crystal materials that emanated a considerable magical pressure. Streaks of a faint dark amethyst color looking like ink in water spread from the pointed tip and coursed down through it like veins, getting fainter and fainter until it stoped three-fourths of the way. The hilt's cross-guard and pommel looked similar to the quicksilver on Kyren's mask but with decorative engravings. The grip was wrapped in a stunning quality, pitch black leather-like strips in a skillfully portrayed pattern which had a faint draconic presence within. Remarkably immaculate glowing purple-pearlescent tinted silver runes covered the leather grip and lined the center of the blade. The entire item looked like it took an extreme amount of time and effort.

When their presence was known, Serena rushed over and gave them both her usual bear hug but with far more enthusiasm, "Uncle Purple!! Auntie Gold! Come look quick!"

They were abruptly pulled by the hand towards Darien. Once they were close enough, she carefully snatched the small weapon from her father's hands and presented it to them both. She fanatically explained every little detail about it with an intense passion.