Imperial Manticore.

—

[1250 - Late Night - Deep within Magpie Forest, Temeria - 23rd Day.]

In this dark moonless night, the sound of pitter-patter of the rain can be heard outside of the magic dome that Triss set up at dusk.

While it can stop the rain from coming in, it did not stop the strong wind that constantly shook their shared tent for tonight.

For it will cause the Chaos energy from the magical pattern that Triss created to deplete faster, due to the many properties that it needs to defend.

And in this late night when everyone is supposed to be sleeping, not only is there the sound of rain but also the sound of high-pitched excitement of a woman, celebrating the magnificent abilities that she has obtained.

Like a child who got her favorite toy after waiting for many long years, wishing it to be given, that's how excited she is. While Triss received the same thing, but even better, she is too preoccupied by Zefron's experience at that time to have any kind of reaction.

Even though she can only see 7 minutes into the future with 1 iteration for a moment, which she can handle all the time, and 2 iterations are already her limit that will make her tired the rest of the day, the implications are immensely useful for her in any kind of action that requires thinking and planning, like researching spells, for example.

Triss knew that if any kind of sorcerer or sorceress experienced these Iteration abilities, they would go mad to the point of doing anything to obtain it, either using necromancy if Zefron died, torture if Zefron didn't cooperate, or even giving females of the entire city to get pregnant by Zefron just to seduce him.

That's why she will do whatever it takes to make him hers and hers alone, even if she needs to get Keira out of Zefron's sight and mind, she will gladly do it.

But not to the point of an irreparable relationship, because she knows that at the end of the day, the man she decided to explore this abnormal extreme love emotion with, which she experiences when meeting any kind of man due to her primary talent's side effect of extreme emotion, is like a living corpse that doesn't know what to do.

He is a broken man who has already lost his goal in life, as the revenge that haunted him has already been fulfilled.

If he were still in his home world, he would still have a goal to move forward, like keeping the entire world from knowing Cauthon's abilities, or meticulously checking if there is anything he missed during the time of purging.

And knowing he is trapped in this world, without much thinking, the man she wanted to love decided to create a new permanent personality to be able to move forward again, even though he never intended to create another permanent personality, as he only uses it when infiltrating the Instita faculties.

That's why, to help his brittle goal of making a transportation business that will crumble any minute due to his baseless motivation, as he clearly doesn't know why he wants to create it or how to do so, she needs every aid, like Keira, to help him recover from his past perspective of seeing the entire world as his enemy.

Thinking thus far, she then asked Zefron with a low voice, who was smiling foolishly at Keira weaving the spell while jumping up and down in their large tent, "Zefron, when will you decide to torture and humiliate me?"

Shaking his head over Keira's enthusiastic attitude, he answered with a giggle and a low voice, "Three or four months after you're satisfied with your first time."

Then, with a nervous and scared voice, Triss asked again in a barely audible tone, "But can you keep this only between us? Can you not humiliate me like your former Puppets?"

Seeing Zefron's eyes looking at her with a slight touch of genuine gentleness, even though the difference is only abysmal to the point of nothing, she hears him laugh and says to her like it's a promise.

"Of course, beautiful Triss. I will not make you act like a pig in public like Clara. Or break your bones, skin you alive, and heal you again like Hazel. Or give you children just to mutilate them one by one in front of your eyes like Violet."

Turning back to see Keira, who is still busy trying many combinations of new spells and not hearing their conversation due to the loud sound of the magic flow, Zefron continues, shaking his head with a chuckle of helplessness at Keira's childish behavior.

"We will do this in private and slowly, little by little, until my bloodlust is no more. Sigh, I am really confused why Instita decided to leave bloodlust still wired in my brain."

Pausing, he then continues with genuine gratitude that he could muster, "But thank you so much for trying your best to help with my new resolution. I will give you the entire world if I see this world as my new home."

Shaking her head and looking at Zefron, who is trying different kinds of expressions like smiling widely, giving eyes filled with love, and attempting a seductive touch of lips, anything that she assumes he is trying to figure out which reaction is appropriate, Triss pulls him back into her embrace and strokes his head like a child. For he is still a child, ever since escaping the Instita faculties.

"Come now, I am sure you can see this world as your new home. And stop with that train of thought, okay? What I want is just your new resolution to become what you really are."

Hearing no replies from the big boy, Triss just continues to stroke his hair. But after a dozen or so seconds, she suddenly feels a ticklish sensation from her right breast. Upon looking down, the big boy is biting all over it.

Giggling over the sensation, she, like last time, tries her gentle hardest to pull the big boy away from sticking to it, with occasional tender screams of, 'stop, stop.'

After playing with each other for about three minutes, suddenly, like being struck by lightning, Triss jerks Zefron's head away and immediately dashes outside the tent, where she sets up the magical pattern of the barrier to activate all full defenses.

"Eh?"

Both of the people left alone in the tent are confused and bewildered over the current situation. While the man is confused about Triss' sudden action, the blonde is bewildered over what she sees in the future.

"What is that? Why did I suddenly die? A lion body, bat wings, and scorpion tails... I-is t-that a M-manticore? Kyahh, help me! Hel-hrgm, rhgmr"

Hearing the word "Manticore," Zefron immediately rushed to Keira and closed her mouth using his hand and activated his Future Fate abilities full-throttle, because he forgot to activate it back on when talking to Triss earlier.

For he knew they were still inexperienced in using Future Fate abilities and didn't know how to influence the iteration to achieve the desired outcome based on what they wanted.

Knowing he still had six minutes before the creature dived down from the night rain sky, seeing their distorted light from the weak illusion barrier of the lantern, he immediately dragged Keira out to help Triss, who was still frantically strengthening the magic barrier, as that was not her specialty, or both of them for that matter.

"Stay calm and follow my command, Keira."

"Put out the lantern and move the tent or anything man-made into the bushes on our right, slowly and telekinetically, do you understand?"

With that, he let go of her hand and dashed toward Triss with light footsteps as much as he could, for he knew that even though Keira was easily flustered, she was still Aretuza's best student and could certainly quickly calm down.

He didn't know how good the Manticore's perception was, but he bet on the information that it was really really high, based on how the creature was able to spot the small light of the lantern in the night rain and through the weak illusion. So, he quickly came up with a plan to concentrate the illusion in the bushes area where their things were located.

Seeing Triss in the distance, becoming more panicked with each passing second as she saw them dying in every 3 iterations that she pushed her mind beyond the limit, 7 minutes into the future with no way out, which would make her very sleepy after using it, Zefron finally approached her and spoke gently.

"Triss... Calm down and listen to me, okay?"

After her erratic hand movements become steady again, as she tries to strengthen the barrier as fast as possible, he continues, "Keep the barrier as it is, but concentrate the properties that block all senses to that bushes over there."

Looking back and nodding after seeing Keira anxiously putting their items behind the bushes that Zefron pointed to, she hears Zefron continue, "Then add properties that make everyone inside the barrier feel muddle-headed, even if it's just a slight tiredness."

Seeing her weaving hand changing course, probably to do what he commanded her to do, he said the last piece of the puzzle that instantly made Triss' shoulders relax, immediately seeing the outcome of the future.

"And let the rain and wind fall down into the entirety of the dome."

—