Book 5, chapter 2

"Zee! Is that you," Nathan asked, looking startled. 

Zee grinned like an idiot. "Of course it's me! Who else has such lovely hair," Zee asked, running a hand through her hair. 

He gave her a look of incredulity, moving around the table. 

She met him halfway, and he picked her up in a bone-crushing hug.

"It's so good to see you, Nate," Zee said, as she squeezed the life out of him. 

"Since when did you grow up so much," He asked with a grunt at her squeezing. 

"Well, it has been a few years," Zee replied. 

"Only a few? You have been gone for half a decade, mom and dad have been worried sick," Nathan chastised. 

"Well, it's been a wild journey," Zee said.

"I can only imagine. Your friends have been telling me all about your misadventures," Nathan said, setting her down. 

"That reminds me, why are you here at the academy," Zee asked curiously.

"Well, I couldn't let you pass me by," He joked, with a sly grin. "But if I'm being honest, it was mostly Grandpa, he sent me to the academy when he returned. That's also how I met your friends," Nathan replied. 

She laughed. "I suppose I should have expected that. At least Grandpa didn't hand you over to an evil undead bone lord," Zee said, gesturing emphatically. 

"He did, what," Nathan asked, incredulous. 

"Ya, I know right, it was a dick move," Zee said. 

"You are going to need to explain that better," Nathan said.

"I will, but first, I need to greet the others," Zee said. 

He nodded and released her. Allison rose from her chair and strode over. Her stride was refined and graceful, each step making her dress flicker like fire. Her fitted red dress clung to her tall curvy frame, drawing the eye. Her glossy white hair hung down her back, shimmering softly as she turned. 

Allison's blistering aura was contained, but the air seemed to dance with heat waves around her. 

"It's good to see you, Allie," Zee said, smelling lilacs as she pulled the taller woman in for a hug. 

Smiling, Allison pulled away from the hug and her expression fell to Zee's sheathed sword. 

"I hear you have been training under a peak celestial cultivator for the last few years," Allison asked. 

Yukna smacked Allison on the shoulder," Allie, it's too soon. At least wait a few minutes before asking to spar," Yukna chastised. 

Zee smiled at Yukna, who was a stark contrast to Allison. Yukna was short and wiry, with mousy brown hair that was cut just below her ears. She was wearing brown cargo pants, with a button-up black shirt with a few grease stains. 

Her rimmed spectacles hid a set of inquisitive brown eyes filled with an insatiable curiosity. Zee pulled the shorter woman into an embrace, catching a faint scent of oil, and grease. 

"It's so nice to see you," Zee said. 

Next, she gave Greg a firm nod, which he returned in kind. The large, dark-skinned Armenian had never been the hugging sort.

Lastly, her eyes drifted to Malden who was still sitting at the table. 

"What?" He asked, noting her attention.

"Don't what me. Just come over here already," she said. 

"Fine, let's get this over with," he groaned, pushing back the chair as he rose to his feet.

She smiled as he approached, pausing a few feet in front of her. Malden towered over her, with wide shoulders and glossy black fur. He had white tufts atop his fluffy ears and slitted yellow eyes.

"You look like this is an execution, it's just a hug," Zee said.

He put on a fake smile," Is that better," he asked. She hugged him, and he patted her back awkwardly. 

It was like hugging a fluffy blanket. 

Backing away from the uncomfortable prince, she beamed up at him.

"Maldy, what kind of perfume is that, it smells great," Zee asked. 

His ears flicked to one side. "It's my shampoo. And I have a guy who makes it for me," Malden replied.

"You have a guy, just for shampoo," Zee asked, incredulous.

"Not all of us are barbarians," Malden said with a gesture towards practical pants, and shirt. 

"Hey, my clothes are high-quality fabric," Zee replied, running a hand over the worn shirt, that may or may not have a few holes. 

His ears flicked in amusement.

"It probably was high-quality several years ago. It looks like you stole it from a beggar now," Malden teased. 

Nathan had already returned to the table. He patted the chair beside him, "Zee, just ignore Malden, come sit over here," Nathan said. 

Zee did as asked but couldn't help but get in a jab as she passed the prince. 

"I might be a barbarian, but at least I don't have a habit of losing my bed," Zee said.

Malden looked affronted. "That's not my fault. You are the one that keeps destroying them," Malden replied. 

Zee ignored his angry tirade as she rounded the table and took a seat next to Nate.

She was excited, as everyone else sat down as well. They had a lot to catch up on, with food and wine plenty. 

For the rest of the evening, they talked, laughed, and told stories.

The stories were mostly about everyone's time in the academy, but occasionally she told some of her own. It turned out that it had been a hectic couple of years at the academy. 

It was late in the evening by now, and the stars blanketed the sky. Several arrays kept the balcony at a pleasant temperature, while also not ruining the view from the balcony. The city of Lorocos sprawled out for as far as the eye could see, lit up in a variety of bright colors as lanterns lit the streets. 

Occasionally, a dark shadow would pass high overhead, as ships traveled towards the docks In orbit. 

Waving a turkey leg, Malden gestured towards Allison excitedly. "Did you know that Allie came in tenth place in the E grade section of the academy's combat tournament," Malden said.

"No way," Zee replied.

"It's true. She is practically a celebrity now. Ever since your grandpa took her on as a student she has become a monster with her sword," Malden replied.

"Grandpa never mentioned that," Zee said, turning to Allison who looked embarrassed at all the attention. 

"You are making it sound more impressive than it is. Besides, what Maldy failed to mention is that he came in fifth place," Allison said. 

Malden grinned.

"I couldn't let you think you are stronger," Malden replied. 

Zee laughed, smacking Allison on the shoulder.

"So, you two fought," Zee asked.

"His teleport skill is so unfair," Allison grumbled into her wine glass.

Malden smirked," She is just mad because she lost," Malden replied.

Zee glanced over to Greg and Bastion.

"Did you two fight," Zee asked.

"Archery is not well suited to one on one duels," Greg rumbled.

Bastion rolled his eyes. "You made the top one hundred. I think you were just unlucky is all. You just kept getting bad pairings. First off you fought a witch, then an assassin. Both of those fighting styles counter your class," Bastion said.

"So you keep saying," Greg grumbled, taking a swig from a bottle of wine.

"How did you do, Bastion," Zee asked, her glass of wine sloshing as she gestured excitedly.

Bastion cleared his throat, looking away. "Well, you see, I couldn't attend," Bastion replied.

"Why not," Zee asked.

Nathan snickered. "Your boyfriend is a good cook," Nathan laughed. 

"What's that supposed to mean," Zee asked.

Allison leaned partway over the table. 

"Bastion let himself get knocked out early so he could attend a little cooking contest," Allison replied.

Bastion looked affronted. "Little contest? Some of the best chefs on all of Lorocos were there," Bastian retorted defensively. 

Zee burst out laughing. That sounded like something Bastion would do. 

Bastion grinned. "If you think that's funny, get this, Malden got a pet cat," Bastion said.

Zee almost fell off her chair laughing.

"Really, a pet cat? That just perfect," Zee laughed, gasping for breath. 

"It's not mine, it's a stray," Malden replied defencively. 

"He named it fluffy," Nathan said with a playful smirk.

"Just stop! It's to much," Zee pleaded, wiping tears of laughter from eyes.

Laughing felt good. It helped pushed away years of pent of stress. 

Time seemed to fly, and before long, everyone was calling it in for the night.

They might be E grade cultivators with a high tolerance for alcohol, but the stuff they had drank, was brewed with potent spiritual herbs.

To a normal person, one cup would have been enough to make them pass out and they had drank bottles of the stuff.

They went back to Bastions room after the festivities to sleep it off. Clambering into bed, her vision swam.

Bastion collapsed next to her, the bed creaking under his weight. She pulled him close and settled under the blankets.

This was a-lot better then sleeping on the sharp rocks back in the chasms. She closed her eyes and listened to his deep breathing.

Slowly, her mind calmed, and the world river snapped into view. A part of her mind could still feel Bastion against her, and even register her surroundings.

The majority of her focus was on the world river, as she drew it in.

The raging currents around her swirled and rushed into her, flowing through gaps in her aura. Once inside her body, the energy flowed towards her fragment, which had grown substantially. It looked a lot more solid now, making the tiny cracks across its surface look negligible.

In the chasms, she had worked on fortifying her fragment, and preparing for the day when she could form it into a shard.

It was a daunting prospect, but it was the reason she was still alive. Her fragment could be viewed as a representation to her soul. It was also a gateway to her inner world, and the tether that kept, her and Dern connected. 

A dense script covered the obsidian fragment, covering it in a complex network of patterns. It was a ritual diagram, one so complex it made her dizzy to look at.

It was a ritual she had formed in a state of manic dehlerium after stealing a treasure from a middle stage beast king. Just looking at the patterns brought back a host of unpleasant and hazy memories.

Glendale, the bone lord who had 'Trained her' said the ritual should contain her inner world for maybe a decade. Once the ritual ran out of power, she would need to replace it with another.

It couldn't just be a copy either. She was growing her inner world and had been for the last three years. The energy she drew into her body flooded into her fragment, vanishing into its depths.

Following the stream, she was suddenly inside the pocket dimension. The inner world was a lot gloomier then in the past.

It still consisted of several islands floating in a vast expanse of darkness. One the central island was the spire, an obsidian tower that pierced a raging storm. The thunder storm rumbled with unending ferocity. Occasionally there were flashes of blue, silver, and violet amidst the dark storm clouds. Zee had learned a lot in the last two and a half years. 

She looked upon the storm with a new found understanding. The storm was a representation of her power. It was no surprise that the dark clouds which were a vast majority of the storm were her spatial affinity.

The arc's of silver in the clouds represented Dern, while the blue lightning that burned across the sky was her connection to the spiritual affinity.

Occasionally there were flickers of violet, which were muted, and dull. That was her connection to Kur Zul. It was a symbolization of her cultivation.

The storm was nearly complete. And once it was, she would need to incorporate her the concepts of Ebb and Flow, and compression into her inner world. 

According to Glendale, doing so would evolve her soul, and grant a huge boost of power.

Plus, it would also make the transition to D grade a lot smoother. She had tempered her soul for years in the death chasms, and now it was almost time to evolve her soul and receive the benefits. 

Just because she returned home didn't mean she could afford to slack off for to long.

Glendales parting words still rang loudly in her head. War was coming, a war that would make the one back in the Kelvish dominion look like a petty squabble.

A soft nudge dragged her mind from her soul realm, and she opened her eyes.

The room was dark, and Bastion was still in a deep state of foe sleep next to her. She slowly sat up, scanning the room for any sign of danger.

Her spatial ripple skill filled the room, but she had long since learned it could be tricked. A wicked scar traced from her right shoulder, down her back and stopping at her right hip. It was a reminder to never drop her guard. 

"How are things looking Kur Zul," Zee asked.

A section of the roof distorted, as a pale, ghostly apparition phased through the plaster. There was a light nudge and a soft voice filled her mind. 

"It's fairly quiet. I have already placed an array on the walls and door, if anyone tries to enter, we will know," Kur Zul replied. 

"Thank you, I am awake now so if you would like, you can go explore the academy grounds," Zee said.

Excitement flooded into her mind," Of course mistress, I will be going then," Kur Zul replied. 

"Don't get caught snooping," Zee said, projecting her thought.

Her words fell on deaf ears as the ghost was already gone. Or he was just ignoring her.

Zee let out a tired sigh. What had life come to? Zee had gotten the second summon skills as per their agreement.

It was the cost for Kur Zuls assistance back when she fought the bone lord. Turns out, the ghost was incredibly useful to have around. 

The problem was both Kur Zul and Dern liked to go exploring on their own. And that always seemed to cause trouble. 

Bastion's soft snoring filled the room. Zee smiled. She wasn't sure how he was snoring while cultivating but it was kind of cute.

Having found no danger, she lay back down, and pulled him against her.

It had only been a few hours since they went to bed, but a deeper state of meditation eluded her. There were to many doubts and to many concerns rushing through her mind. 

Reuniting with her friends had alleviated some of her concern, but the rest was still there. 

The weight on her shoulders was just to heavy. With sleep eluding her, she slipped from bed, got dressed as quiet as she could and went to the roof. The cool morning air, and the sprawling academy were lovely just before sunrise. 

The sky gradually lightened, and the biting wind was chased away by the suns warmth. She didn't bother turning as the soft thud of boots on roof tiles approached. 

"Sand witch for your thoughts," Bastion asked, sitting next to her on the roof of District Twelve. 

"That depends. What kind of sandwich did you bring," Zee asked.

"Ham and cheese. I know it's a lazy sandwich, but it's better than nothing," He said offering it to her.

She took a bite, and brightened.

"I love you," Zee said, smiling over at him.

"I love you to. So, what's on your mind," he asked.

She exhaled, letting out a deep breath. 

"I have a lot on my plate. There are some things that are weighing on me, like going home to see my parents. And then there are others that I don't know how to solve, and have been forced upon me," Zee said.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and pulled her close. "How about we take things one step at a time. Let's just solve what we can, and make a plan to deal with the problems we can't," Bastion replied easily.

"I don't know if it's that easy," Zee said with a tired laugh.

"Sure it is. How about this. We can go and you can meet up with your parents, then we take it from there," Bastion said. 

"You want to meet my parents," Zee asked.

"I have already met them," He leaned in conspiratorially. "Turns out, the way into your dads good graces is food," Bastion said. 

Zee couldn't help it, she laughed.

"You know what, you are right. It's about time I go home," Zee said.

"We can leave right now if you want," Bastion offered. 

"Not yet, I wanna grab a few things," Zee said.