26 Chapter 26: Lightning

"Is it me or is the air more humid now?" Leiji asks Zhang Binghua after having walked down a bit. The small ball of gathered Lightning elements in their palm still lighting the path. Something about this place seems wrong, even though it didn't feel that way earlier. It's only then that they turn around and squint at her.

The woman with hair tied into small braids smiles at her, hands on Zhang Binghua's shoulders. Zhang Binghua herself nods jerkily and stares.

Now, Leiji isn't the best person around if someone wants a translation of what another's eyes say. No, that would be someone more enpathetic, like Tian Lanbing, but they are pretty sure that stare means, 'HELP ME!!'

Whispering, in the back of their mind and Leiji unsheathes their sword before swinging the heavy weight down on the Spirit. Something snaps. The Spirit never stops smiling unnervingly even as it fades away. Zhang Binghua gasps and catches her breath, but the first thing out of her mouth is a, "Wow, I didn't expect the tiny one to be able to use that thing so well."

"If I didn't know how to use it then I wouldn't bring it around," Leiji pouts, mock-offended.

"You learn something new everyday," Zhang Binghua mutters before raising her voice, "but where did you learn how to deal with Spirits?"

"Is that really something we have to do right now?" Leiji finishes summoning the ball of electricity again, having dispelled it to take their broadsword. The air feels a little charged now. Zhang Binghua hesitates but sighs and replies, "No. I was just curious."

The hall ends with open doors and the both of them not wanting to go in.

Leiji says, frowning, "When we get back, the report shpuld include that no one should be allowed in here without at least two elders. If the place is still standing by the time we get out."

Of course, the two still go in. Leiji may not like this place, but it isn't like everything was hopeless.

Lightning would never allow any fatal or permanent harm to get to them. Not to mention that it is very likely that Lu Leiji was also once here. Don't get Leiji wrong, that man is still a jerk, but he's invested in keeping the body he current is in alive and well. Being crippled is not an option.

As expected, the ground starts shaking again, but this time, Zhang Binghua only grabs them instead of making them duck. Leiji wonders, in the back of their mind, of asking.

Because they aren't an idiot. Leiji can be ignorant and insensitive sometimes but when it comes down to it, they aren't inobservant.

Zhang Xuanhe had lied about something.

They might not have known it at the time, but the more time they get to read him and his tells, it becomes obvious that he had. Now that they think about it, his entire personality should have told them that he was lying.

"Your brother says that there are rumors about the Sect Leader having a private spy group, anything to say anout it?" Mostly because someone like Zhang Xuanhe would never believe in rumors until he sees it with his own two eyes. Zhang Binghua furrows her bros and simply tells Leiji, "Well, my brother is an idiot."

Now that is an in character thing for Zhang Binghua to say.

("I'm starting to feel bad for you," Lightning says drily, sharp gaze on a moping Lu Leiji, "Pity isn't even in my current registered feelings and I'm starting to feel bad for you. That's how pitiful you are currently."

"I know!" He snaps at her. "It's unfair! How do you keep winning?!"

Lightning rolls her eyes. "Maybe you should stop issuing the bets in the first place. Or you can try betting on something that you know you can win."

Lu Leiji glares at her and brings up one of the last mostly harmless memories he had.)

Zhang Binghua doesn't seem to be in a rush even though the group was separated. Leiji wonders and realizes that it probably has something to do with the Life-something-s that they all had on their person. Did she have the mother-stone or something similar? Is that what it's called?

And suddenly Leiji is in the air...in the air?

Immediately, they react and grab onto whatever is left of the floor that had given in. A shout of 'Leiji!' and Zhang Binghua is pulling them up.

Suddenly, they're falling again and—

—and someone is screaming. It's dark and they can't feel anything and Leiji wants to get away from this place right not please? Someone, anyone please I don't want to be alone anymore—

The ground is hard and unforgiving and everything hurts. Leiji may or may not have gotten a concussion and there is screaming—in their head and echoing through the bonds in worry. Everything still hurts and where are they again? 'Close your eyes,' Leiji faintly hears. So they do, because it sounds familiar and the familiar won't hurt.

Lightning opens this body's eyes, asking right after.

"Do you enjoy tormenting humans this much?"

"Truly yours would have dies from boredom had he not learnt to." The flickering figure of...something drawls out, "I didn't expect someone like you to tolerate someone else controlling, however. It simply isn't in your type's nature...I think."

She hums, getting up and being careful not to aggravate any injuries. "How does being a mere remnant of a will feel?"

Silence, Lightning searches her consciousness and flicks several metaphorical switches. After that is done, they search her current body and look for the few pressure points that alleviates pain for Leiji. Then, the body turns to where the flickering figure sits. What the thing had said was true; Lightning does not like not being in control.

Her creator says it would be 'cruel'. Lightning had deferred to her with the knowledge that 'moral' matters should be left to her jurisdiction.

After that last time where they all panicked and tried to take over the body trying to help, Lightning had been ordered to only take over when the threat level is at one that Lu Leiji couldn't handle and Zapfino is simply too much. Consequently, Lightning had also agreed to switching panic off.

This thing would be too much for that idiot Lu Leiji.

Unfortunately, Lightning muses, this thing is a thousand years too early to try and challenge her. The thing finally shakes out of its stupir and stupidly, like an idiot, says, "Not for a long while."

It seems to grin, "Won't you fulfill the dying wishes of yours truly?"

The thing is appealing to Lightning's conscience and pity. Calculating odds that the thing is sincere, calculatuons have returned with the result: desperation. Cataloguing appeal, loading adequately worded responses, results have been narrowed down to five, excluding variants. Choice B has been selected, appeal has been acknowledged and thereby archived for later use of study.

She tells the thing, "No."

"...you aren't a deity from this World are you?" The thing stops the useless facade and asks her directly. It has turned serious, intended outcome has come, starting new calculations...

"It is offensive that you though of me as one." Lightning says, then, "I ask you, what do you want?"

Silence, again. Lu Leiji is shocked and murmuring about how this thing wasn't here when he had come to this place at that time. New information has been gathered. New information has been considered and fit into the constructed timeline. New information has been put into consideration and added to calculations. Earlier archived appeal has been retrieved, calculations have been concluded.

The thing hesitates, but eventually tells Lightning, "I've long forgotten many things, but may I ask of you three favors?"

Lightning blinks and doesn't answer.

"...yea', I probably shoulda' expected that." The thing sighs, slipping into an off and probably ancient accent. "Look, I don't give a f*ck about the deity realm or whatever sh*t you call it now. Just, don't destroy this World, please."

"Naturally," Lightning says to that. Because it's true. No matter how horrible the inhabitants are, this current World is useful enough not to be destroyed. Other than that, is it weren't for 'sentiment' then Lightning would have been enough ti simply get rid of it, she just needed to get Leiji and whoever that child wants out of it.

No one likes having trash floating around in their territory.

There seems to have been a mistake in translation, because the thing relaxes. Lightning does not intend to fix that mistake.

"Second favor, you see that sword over there? Yeah, please take it. I remember it being important." She does not need to look at it to know that it would cause many, many problems for Leiji. At the same time, those problems will help that child.

"The third one...ah, I'm embarrassed all of a sudden." The thing shifts and shiffles, actually seeming embarrassed. Lightning does not believe it one bit.

As expected, it says the following without any shame, "Take care of my Mao Mao."

New information has been gathered. New information has been archived for later study. Loading possible responses, results have been narrowed down to five wihtout variants. Choice A has been chosen.

Lightning deadpans, "What in the world is a Mao Mao?"

"My pet!" The thing exclaims. "The little dear greeted all of you at the entrance! How could you not know what it is?"

"I was unaware that it was a pet and had a name." Lightning drily replies, thinking back to that chimera. It had the main body of a lion, a feline, so although calling it 'Mao Mao' is a stretch...it's probably an ancient people thing. That, or an idiot thing. Lu Leiji, the idiot of the century, is so horribly bad at naming thing that Lightning sometimes wants to hurl something at his head.

That something is usually Leiji. Just to see if intelligence can spread.

For several moments, it was silent. Then, the thing starts again, "So I don't think there's anything I forgot, you can do whatever or something."

Lightning moves the body, very aware of how to avoud inflicting unnecessary pain on Leiji, and takes the broadsword simply lying there in a sheath. The fact that Leiji specializes in broadswords is a complete and convenient coincidence, honestly.

The thing is slowly fading. Lightning looks up the only exit this place has and wonders how it will affect Leiji if she were to simply go up there without any external help. Such a thing is incongruent with Leiji's current level and therefore not recommended. Her creator would not like her messing with the child's lofe.

"By the way, this temple is goin' to collapse once I disappear!"

Estimated height from ground to exit is fifty point zero-six meters; gravity in this world is eleven point five meters every second squared—

"Leiji!" Someone shouts. Lightning looks up at the human—Zhang Binghua—whownas practically rushing to the floor on a sword and simply lays down, positioning herself how Leiji had landed—they had to teach that child about landings soon, even though they should already know about these things.

Clearly a lack of practical experience is the problem. Lightning reaches into her consciousness and flicks several metaphorical 'switches' again. She squints at Zhang Binghua and generally tries her best to act like Leiji.

'There seems to have been a misunderstanding somewhere, Justice had said, looking for the entire world to see so completely exhausted of everyone's bull. Day had simply smiled and stuffed a piece of chocolate in her wife's face. There definitely had not been a misunderstanding.

Positivity, upon seeing the two of them, immediately scurries away to hide behind someone—likely Weather because those two get along swimmingly. Justice sighs, half-worried and half-angry.

If Destruction shows his face around her at this time...

Ah, well, they just needed Positivity to calm down before talking like actual adults. It isn't that hard! At most it will take a few days.

It isn't everyday that someone and their spouse find the same person attractive.'