Are they dumb, or stupid?
At the same time, outside of the protective formation covering the secret Trillwolf Villa, the hairs of Jody and Sek fluttered in the wind while riding on Sylvester's back through the clouds as they approached the poisonous bog. Jody wore a stern face as he communicated with his sky wolf guardian via telepathy. A huge storm cloud crept forward from far over the horizon. However, this wasn't some usual cloud!
Jody recognized this cloud as identical to the one constantly meandering over Lake Nicaea. However, he had never seen the black rain back home. He intended to go to take a look, but Sylvester refused instantly. Jody might not understand this cloud's threat, but how could Sylvester not?
That wasn't black rain falling in the distance. Those were Fiends, evil creatures born of malevolence, resentment, and the energy from other negative emotions. These fiends were being manifested from resentment curses present within the cloud somehow. Sylvester knew they had to avoid that cloud at all costs. He actually didn't even want to go to Trillwolf Villa, but he knew better than to push the slightly extreme and utterly impulsive Jody into a corner.
Such a thing would never end well.
When Jody tried to contact his mother, he was greeted with the sounds of fierce fighting and his mother's frantic whisper as she said, "Josiah, listen to me! The Frozen Night is under siege! The entire House is already at war! We have been betrayed. The damned white demon has found us. The House's defenses have completely failed!"
"Mom, where are you!?" Jody asked urgently, being sure not to raise his voice too much.
"Don't talk, listen!" His mother commanded impatiently. "This is important. They have Viv and Gyl in the lower district of Saint Anubis. Kamila was with your uncle Saint, but we lost sight of her an hour ago. You must warn Osiris immediately! Jody, find your father and tell him we must follow through with the plan! No better opportunity will arise. He will understand. GO, go now! Stay away from everyone. Do not trust anyone but your own shadow. You can also trust Hughes, Sophie, and Levi. I love you, baby."
Clang. Clang.
"You're about to love me, bitch!"
Beep...
Beep...
"What is this? Am I poisoned? How?"
Jody heard a gruff and disgusting voice in conflict with his mother, his rage nearly spilling out immediately. Then he heard a loud device before hearing the gruff man coughing violently. Staring at the image reflected in the mirror, Jody saw shadowy movement.
"I've dreamed of this mission since the day I received it. Capture the goddess of the frozen mist, Niagara the fair...or is it Mistress Ice, now? What a real treat. I'll let your little mutt watch, of course, before we gut him in front of his father..."
"Jo...dy. Fin..d. Dad..."
"I'll kill you!" roared Jody, with emerald flames dancing in his eyes.
"Hm?" Sylvester's brow twitched when he sensed this reaction. He could feel the nirvana brand he had given Jody all those years ago coming to life, but he also sensed the black flames he inherited from his father at this moment, wondering, "Could it be?"
Smack!
"What was that? Bitch, how dare you call for help!" shouted the man in the mirror before his voice shot in a different direction, "Hey, what the hell is taking that barrier so long? We need to isolate the area!"
The connection was suddenly cut before Jody could hear more.
He wasn't sure if something happened or if his mother had cut it intentionally. He instantly knew his mother was in a state of panic and worried for him. Not only that, but she seemed to be in a harrowing battle against countless foes. How could Jody retreat independently upon knowing his mother was in peril? That his fifth mother and the baby sister he had yet to meet had been captured?
"Can't you, pup, go any faster than this?" demanded Jody.
Sylvester's speed in the air wasn't even a tenth of his speed on the ground. It was like riding in a hot air balloon.
"Do you believe yourself to be light, with such physical strength? Currently, I can only fly using spatial laws. Your realm limits me, I shouldn't push it until we know what we're up against," said Sylvester indifferently. "We don't want to stress ourselves before we even understand the situation."
Jody frowned.
He knew that using more abilities would cause a strain on their soul. He could only wait.
"I have to get stronger as soon as possible," Jody spoke as if no one else was around.
"We have to live past today first," said Xavier via telepathy.
When Jody and company reached the skies above the poisonous bog, a pressure wave swept past them. Jody instructed Sylvester to nose dive rapidly into the purple inky toxic waters with a plop! Afterward, the scene blurred as they floated forward until a magnificent resort land was revealed in Jody's eyes.
"I wonder how we made it through the formation so easily…is it not functioning properly?" mused Jody quietly.
"Lord Trill, you were born here. The formation here cannot truly affect you." Sek Si explained from behind Jody.
"Sek, can you find Ke and my father?" asked Jody as he turned his head back to look at Sek.
Her words failed to convince him, but he didn't have time to care. Even if the formation didn't affect himself, would it not affect Sek, Sylvester, and the natural forces around them?
"Mn." Sek Si nodded her head, then melted into Jody's shadow, and suddenly Jody could no longer sense her presence.
Sek Si could travel through shadows within a certain range of herself. However, she could instantly appear in Jody's shadow from a much more fantastic range. Her Shadow Avatar would grow in strength along with her soul. Jody decided he should try to help her develop a stronger soul. With a flash of mystic symbols, [Pharaoh's Law] manifested and wrapped around Jody's head again.
"Trippy, is there any way for me to pass my Cosmic Vision Scripture to Sek Si?" asked Jody as he quickly changed his clothes.
He felt like he was too bright and easy to target in silver and white. He wanted to wear black. Whenever Jody had tried writing down the Titanic Rage Law or the Cosmic Vision Scripture in the past, he could not do so. It was like he would become a retard the moment he tried, dull and stupid like a vegetable.
"Responding to host query: The host's level of spiritual force is insufficient for this process," responded a bland and emotionless voice that no longer sounded mechanical like a broken toy, "However, this artifact spirit can extract and store your memories. The host can then share memories using [Pharaoh's Law]. How much will be retained depends on the potential of the person in question. Would Host like to store memories with Trippy?"
"Yes, let's do it like this." Nodded Jody. This was precisely what he needed. Even if he couldn't imprint the knowledge directly like his master, Jupiter Titan the T'Zhanè, he could still share the information. He believed Sek could benefit from it to some extent, and eventually, he could pass it to her himself.
"Young master," as Jody finished talking to himself, Sek had already appeared behind him again.
"Ah, Sek. Do not resist. I'm going to pass you something. Study it well, and your shadow avatar should grow swiftly," said Jody casually, startling Sek Si's pretty face, which merely blinked in a daze.
The young master was presenting her with a gift? Now, of all times? This was the first one ever! One that could increase her shadow avatar's strength? What could it be? The uraeus on [Pharaoh's law] suddenly emitted a red glow, which turned into a red laser line as it drilled into Sek Si's glabella.
"Ah.." Sek Si let out a startled little yelp before gently closing her eyes as her lashes trembled.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw a pair of dazzling sapphire blue eyes staring back at her. Pale gold light shined deep in the depths of his eyes, making them seem more imposing. The vertical slits gave the boy's handsome face a wild flavor that made Sek's heart start to race. His gentle smile threw her all the way off as she stared up at him in a daze until his words woke her up.
"It's good then, right? Try to remember as much as you can, but don't worry I'll show you again if I must," said Jody, to which Sek nodded her head quickly like a little chick. This was cute to Jody, as she was more than a bit smaller than him now. "Okay, where's my dad?"
"I left my avatar so I can take us straight there, but your big wolf is too big for me to take," replied Sek sweetly, which gave Jody goosebumps.
Sek's level of charm was far from average, and her words would often sound ambiguous. Jody feared the day this child matured.
"This is no issue. Just take me with you. Sly will come with me," said Jody.
As soon he finished speaking, Jody felt like he fell through the bottom of the world into the vast dark void, and Sylvester landed on his head in puppy form. Jody marveled as he was pulled somewhere at high speed. Three minutes later he heard a burst of loud, boisterous laughter before stepping out from behind his father's back somehow, facing a crowd full of elders and nobles of all ages in a grand ballroom.
Out of nowhere, the crowd saw the young boy, who appeared to be a tall teenage warrior with a little black sky puppy on his head, wearing [Pharaoh's Law] and the Frozen Night division's black armor, casually walk from behind the House Lord as if he was always standing there. Everyone went quiet as they stared, shocked. Where had this handsome prince with beautiful blue bestial eyes come from?
This naturally made Lord Osiris notice Jody's presence, to his momentary shock, but he quickly recovered. Since he knew Sek's ability, Jody's presence wasn't what shocked him. In Lord Osiris' opinion, Jody must have finished his pilgrimage and then used Sek to transport himself to his father's side immediately. What shocked him was the boy's appearance! How much had he grown in the last month?
If he didn't look exactly like the Lord himself, albeit with pointed ears, and walked up wearing [Pharaoh's Law], then Lord Osiris may not have recognized the boy at all
"Hahaha, Welcome, my boy, welcome, welcome. Congratulations on successfully overcoming your trial! You are officially a Sage noble." Lord Osiris laughed boisterously and clapped Jody's shoulder hard three times, but to his shock, his son didn't even budge, only wincing slightly. Lord Osiris may not have used more than 100 BP in that slap, but he was still shocked at his son's toughness. The House Lord's words woke up the crowd as well.
"Ah, is this young man the fabled third young lord? Truly the heroes are born young!"
"I thought the reports said he was a small child...this boy is almost of age."
"Young master Josiah, well met! I am the Honored Elder, Ah Meed Dah Shin. If you ever need a sparring partner, my disciple Victory would happily share guidance with you."
"Young Lord, I am Honored Elder Atah Mavis. My daughter is a fine young wolf, much like yourself. You two should become friends."
"Young Lord Trill, is it true you're only...um...eight this year? You look as old as my two junior disciple brothers, both around the age of 16."
"Do not question the child, he is a Lord Medjay. Are you seeking death?"
"Dad stop, less of this and less of that! We're under siege, my mom's in trouble, and you have to help her!" Jody was instantly pissed off when he saw how relaxed everyone was in here.
Were they dumb, or just stupid? Shit had already hit the fan out there. Hell was raining!