Lily's Tears

"Do you think that he's still going to come? It's almost midnight!" Lam paced anxiously around his sister's bedroom and said. Pacing next to him in a comical fashion was Silver who just seemed to like causing mischief. Lam's eyebrows raised in annoyance upon noticing the monkey walking by his side, trying to imitate his gait.

"Come back here Silver," Lily ordered the stubborn monkey return to her side when she saw that Silver was getting on her brother's last nerve.

"Maybe he's forgotten?" Lam asked. Although Lily didn't necessarily say anything, she was inclined to agree. After all, it was a bit too late. They were all staying at Ancestor Pier's house, and the old man never slept early. He didn't really need sleep actually. He only did it for pleasure, not rest. So they didn't think that Mane whose understanding of Edict was so high wouldn't know that a Phenom didn't need rest. That would mean that Mane couldn't be naïve enough to think that coming here deep in the night was going to be any different from say, coming here at 9pm.

"No I haven't forgotten. I just got wrapped up in my work that's all." A calm voice suddenly encroached on their territory, and both Lily and Lam tensed up temporarily before recognizing the owner of the voice. It was the same voice that had interacted with them earlier today. But at the time it was cold and distant. However, this time the warmth that was characteristic to the friend they knew from the past was back. And both could sense the longing in his tone. He had clearly been waiting for this moment as long as they had, with the expectations that they had.

"I've missed you both," Mane appeared in the middle of the room like a specter before his figure flashed and both Lily and Lam found themselves in his embrace. Logically both should have screamed in caution and called for the guards, but how could they?

Lam returned Mane's embrace as gently as he could. He looked calm, but his slightly shaking hand as he placed it on Mane's back showed that he was anything but that.

"Yeah. We've missed you too." Lam expressed himself freely, something he hadn't been able to do in the past couple of years. In Amalgamation he was the Prince and future of the race. He didn't really have anyone to call a friend, or even a rival. But in front of his old friend, he found that the feelings of dependency and comfort were back. His mind clearly remembered the one who had protected him and blessed him with power – even if it happened more than two years ago.

Lam sighed and slowly extricated himself from Mane's hold. He would have liked to hug his friend just a bit longer. But there was someone who needed the blonde haired boy's attention more in this room. And he was willing to hand over his share of the spoils to her.

"I'm sorry," Mane smiled bitterly as he wrapped both arms around Lily's delicate figure and pressed her deeper into his chest. Her soft sobs were the reason for his apology as there was nothing more to be said really.

"You have only just reunited, yet you already have her shedding tears. You really are something else, aren't you?" Hildegarde, Mane's trusty fairy was as usual not one to shut her mouth. Seated on Mane's shoulder like always, she pouted displeasingly as she spoke.

Mane couldn't be bothered to pay her any heed. Over the past few years he had grown accustomed to her egging, and his skin had grown thicker and thicker. Although she still knew what to say to rile him up, Mane was able to largely ignore her comments when he wanted to without reacting the way she wanted him to. And today was no different.

It took about 10 minutes for Lily to calm down. Once she did, she blushed in shame and rushed into the washroom to clean up, leaving Mane and Lam alone in the room for a while.

"I really bought your act back there," Lam offered Mane a beverage and said. He slowly downed the contents of his as he spoke.

"Even I was impressed with the way you acted," Hildegarde agreed with Lam enthusiastically. "Who knew that your acting skills were just as fine-tuned as your elemental understanding," she added sarcastically. Once again, Mane ignored her. Or she thought he had ignored her until the young schemer patted his shoulder to invite Silver over for a seat. That wouldn't have been a big deal if that shoulder wasn't the one where Hildegarde had taken up residence.

"Hey!" Hildegarde grumbled as the small monkey leaped enthusiastically onto Mane's shoulder. This was usually Sasha's privilege, and Sasha's alone. So Silver was very excited to be on Mane' shoulder. As for the fuming fairy, he couldn't see her. Even if he could, he wouldn't care.

"I had to be convincing," Mane sipped his own beverage and said. He couldn't help but inhale a few times and take in the sweet scent of the great flavor in his hands. Yet there was also a weird familiarity in the drink. However, he couldn't place his hands on it.

"She made it," Lam smiled and said upon seeing Mane's puzzled expression. The beverage in Mane's hand was just a simple orange extract. It didn't have any wielding benefits, and shouldn't have stolen his attention. Yet it had. And when Lam spoke he understood why.

"That explains the feelings of familiarity and longing contained within this one drink," Mane smiled and took a larger gulp. His eyes were filled with warmth and appreciation.

"It's very good," Mane added before finishing everything in a large gulp.

"It is impressive that you were even able to sense that," Lam smiled whilst taking a sip of his own drink. Lily had learned how to create such beverages as a hobby when they came here. She hoped that one day Mane would taste her work and waited eagerly for that day to hear just what he thought of it. She would have been happy to know that he liked it.

"I am not as impressive as you apparently. You are a Nightmare now. Congratulations on getting closer to reaching the peak." Mane chuckled. He was able to tell Lam's level with a single glance and was very surprised when he screened both him and Lily only to discover that they were Heaven Realmers. He knew that they were talented, but he didn't think that two years would have seen them barge into the Heaven Realm from the lowly Profound Realm.

"You are one to talk. You can stand against the Ancestors with no issue. And even Ancestor Origin was not enough to faze you. I don't even know how strong you are now." Lam shrugged with a helpless smile. He thought he had caught up with Mane. Or at least was very close. But the earlier events had twisted his mindset forcefully and reminded him that he still had a long way to go. The fire of improvement and progress which had slowly dimmed when he broke into the Heaven Realm was lit up again upon realizing that the boy whom he sought as his goal was still much stronger. And Lam couldn't help but feel that this was a good thing. For it was only under this kind of pressure that he was going to explode in power.

"If they had truly attacked, I would have been vulnerable. My Spirit is immense and that is why they are weary. However, my actual strength is still within the confines of this world. I'm not a Pseudo Phenom yet." Mane smiled as he explained. His words stunned Lam for a short while.

"But how is that possible?" Lam asked. He had seen Mane press Ivor down with nothing but his presence. And that was why he assumed his friend to be at least a Noble. Besides, Mane's energy signature was very similar to a Noble. So whenever he released his aura, it was the aura of a Noble that was released.

"As I said, that's Spiritual Pressure. The Spirit is a source of our talents and strengths. And mine is unusually strong for my current level. Integrating with my Spirit allows me to display power far beyond my level. But I still cannot handle Ancestors yet. I can restrain them, don't get me wrong. But I cannot harm them and they cannot harm me." Mane explained.

"So it's sort of like a stalemate?" Lam probed.

"Exactly," Mane nodded his head in agreement.

The two then went on to talk about trivial matters as they waited for Lily to return. Soon they were laughing and patting each other on the back as they recounted stories of the past few years. And when Lily returned to see them sitting very close together, so much so that there was almost no space in between them, her brows shot up in surprise. She thought it would take a while for them to get back to the level of familiarity that shared before. She was wrong.

"Over here," Lam called out to his twin when he saw her emerge all cleaned up. He shifted a bit to the side to create some space for Lily. Patting the area next to him, he invited Lily over. It was the part of the couch that would have Lily seated in between both Lam and Mane. Lam dragged her over and placed her there anyway before she could react.

"He liked it you know," was the first thing Lam said when Lily was seated. And when he saw that she was confused, he pointed to the empty cup next to Mane.

"I did," Mane confirmed and Lily's bright smile lit up the room. It was a refreshing smile full of sincerity and care. Mane couldn't help but smile because of how infectious her smile was. All three got to talking. Soon laughs and giggles filled the room as they caught up. The room was sound proof for privacy, so they didn't have to worry about making too much noise. Before they knew it, an hour had passed and they had done nothing else but talk about their experiences. Naturally, Lam brought up the main topic of discussion when he felt that it couldn't wait any longer.

"The traitor: do you have any suspects?" Lam wondered.

"No. Each Ancestor is of a great standing and has vast experience. The said person wouldn't give themselves away so easily." Mane regretfully shook his head.

"So what are you – we – going to do?" Lily asked enthusiastically. She was very eager to work with Mane. She wasn't the only one. Lam was itching for some action and Mane was equally excited to finally work with his peers.

"I have a plan. But we have to be very careful. One wrong move and it could be very troublesome for all of us." Mane stated.

"Got it," both twins agreed immediately. They knew that whatever they were going to do would be risky. That wasn't enough to change their minds though.

"And you have to be ready to treat everyone like a suspect – including your master." Mane added, causing the twins to frown.

"I'm not saying he's guilty. Just don't tell him any of what we are doing. Keep him out of this. But we mustn't discriminate. What we are going to try with the others, we must try with him as well" Mane clarified.

"Okay," Lam sighed helplessly. Lily nodded her head sullenly. She wasn't pleased with it, but it was the smart thing to do.

"Good. Now here's what I am thinking"