Prologue 11 (Part 1) Meeting The Family and Prom Night (1).

Kazu Nini was so calm on the surface you would think she was not just sent away from home.

Her going straight to eat at the table until he came down after taking a shower but still in regular clothes; a t-shirt and jeans, got her surprised.

"You wearing that?"

"Um du-oh, no. Just for now."

The entrance door was facing the stairs that led upstairs and although the dining room was close to the flight, the living room was on the other side of them. His father was watching the Television with the youngest sister while Aiinina Kaliope had gone up.

"So, what are our next moves?"

"Slow down, cowboy." She had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"No, no, I meant like the society."

"Disappointing," she sighed and continued. "The territory will soon be complete; we have put up more recruiting posters and we are about to be in different universities. I think this break might not be too loud but simply a time of bonding and peace."

"We could do events, you know. Like, a section of the next row of houses after the office building can be used for just that."

"Brilliant – all work and no play make Jinja Kaliope a dull boy – we will merge some houses at the end. In fact, we can even build a Ferris wheel on that straight path to the house but that would mean we would push the buildings to the wall and merge them to be a part of it for space." She shrugged. "let's see what happens then."

"You do not look excited. What happened?"

Could Jinja see through her mask? "What do you mean?"

"You just utterly squashed The Kings, Queens and Jesters Society yet you look down. What happened?"

"I am... going through a phase."

"I am supposed to just t-"

"Can you shut up and just ask me about the fight or something?"

He stammered, "i-i di-di"

"Oh, Jinja," she facepalmed. "I beat someone with a better cultivation and you did not ask me how?"

"That is easy," he felt uncomfortable and she could see it. Maybe her telling him to shut up made him feel emasculated. Did she care, though, she did not want to know and feel bad about it. "If someone only works on their cultivation without building their other muscles like - mentally or physically or psychologically - then they will be at a disadvantage if they come across someone who can has those advantages with a lower cultivation."

"Yes, that usually goes for people with a difference level of 1 between Levels. It is even harder for Stages and almost non-existent for Trilogies."

She could see the subtle change of emotions on his body language and his face, but she did not want to stop, not yet.

"You also did not even ask about the dolls."

"That was a surprise, truth be told. I thought you did just glass but seeing mud wielded with such skill, I did not know what to say."

She stared into his eyes then dropped her head, "I should not transfer my frustrations to you and I apologize." She looked back up. "Those boxes I got from Belthion Ijima after he flayed, dismembered and then electrocuted me, were filled with Adaptable Mud."

He relaxed slightly but was still quiet.

"It is able to absorb substances and can get stronger over time. Now, added to the deal was a core of Glass reinforced 12 times. Our Technical Manager then put in the a mechanism that helps it to reflect the doll I place inside."

"That makes it multipurpose."

"Yes, it does." She smiled as warmly as she could. "I like it when you talk."

He paused, then smiled like an idiot.

"I'm serious, I need your voice right now."

He stammered until he found what to say. "Okay, but can you tell me what it is?"

She sighed, "later, not now."

"Cool, so how did you withstand the difference of strength in his attacks?"

She arched her brow in self-confidence. "If I could endure my self-inflicted ordeal with our dragon. Do you think I could not withstand his?"

"You have not explained that, still."

"Mental energy is my basis for cultivation, I had grown it before breaking my limits and I am still working on it. It goes a long way; ignoring pain so that I can stay active and functional even when not logically possible and many others." She placed her foot on his and he shook but he did not move. "The Forms of Enhancement – Quick, Instant, Explosive and may others- have to do with learning to control the output given to parts of the body as well as their instances of release and their speed of reaching the desired area of effect within the body. Even without the cultivation manual that I use, it is possible to hold back and move a lot more things than just Ko-jin."

He blushed at first but he then waited a while before his eyes brightened. "Holding back your nerve signals to cancel pain and holding back your bleeding sounds tough though. I can only imagine how it feels when it comes to you after holding it back. Not to mention your hormones and all that."

"My mental energy helps with multitasking and cushioning the backlashes. So, like I can allow less pain to linger for longer than usual except if I push too hard then it becomes a mess."

"Wow, that is still a lot though."

"Well, I'm the boss. I cannot just say it but I have to believe it until I become it." She looked out the window. "You social people have it easy."

He followed her eyesight. "Um-it is getting late. Are you not going to change?"

"But of course," she dropped her heel on his knee, now. "I plan on having dinner here, and about the Prom, I will dress in the toilet."

He was all red till his parents came to join them on the table.

"Hello there." Kazu Nini turned to regard the father, the designs on his skin were emerald green, pulsing with his heartbeat. "I did not know you had a pretty female friend."

Aiinina Kaliope, in the living room, started laughing hard as she was now with her junior sibling. Jinja Kaliope face had fallen and it was not unnoticed. Kazu Nini had joined his sister as their father spoke again.

"I simply wanted to know. I did not know it would sound that way." His tone and smile were contrary to his words.

He sat up in his chair, "well, the pretty girl is my prom date."

"You have never directly complemented me before," he saw with the corner of his eyes that she was still turned to him. "I might need him to tease you some more."

The man laughed until he sat at the head of the oval table.

"So, where did you two meet?"

Aiinina Kaliope joined them a while later as his other sibling. She also had pulsing designs but they were more of lines than ribbons. A woman joined them later and the stripes on her body where Parakeet Green. Her high cheekbones and plentiful hair were less wild than Kazu Nini as they only spread out after being tied to the back of her head.

"Who is the visitor?"

Aiinina Kaliope answered by pointing and with a shout. "His prom date!"

"Since when did you know pretty girls, son?"

Jinja Kaliope slammed his forehead on the table and everyone laughed.

***

Back at their hideout in the alley ways in a completely unadorned and unfurnished room that had a pillar which their oldest friend was currently besides, Kivon had thrown everything breakable unto the floor and Devon shared his sentiment by punching the wall opposite him, nonstop.

"What do you think about today?"

None of them answered and Jion Crasosh continued. "You almost put all our plans at risk."

"What was going through your mind?" Still silence as if she spoke to herself. "You came too close."

He slammed a fist on the table "I know!!!"

"I know it is hard on you but you must no-"

"Not lose sight on the goals that we have lived so long to achieve." Devon completed her sentence.

Kivon stood straight up, "holding my society would have bettered me for leading. I feel less worthy of our dream."

"How could you think such a thing?" Her wrinkled face squeezed tighter unto itself. "If it was not for your patience across the years, how would the Sprites have a trump card?"

"I still lost."

"The battle, but not the war."

Kivon paced the room and thanked her with a shallow bow before leaving

***

Half an hour went by, the sun slowly climbing down, and they had finished apple pie with boiled eggs, salad and soy sauce with small domes of rice. Her Administration Manager was getting ready upstairs as she had crossed the sitting room to find a door where her too changed.

He came out with a tuxedo suit, a matching trouser, court shoes, a bow tie, his Telewatch and a happy face. Having to wait for his prom date who did not take too long, Kazu Nini stepped out all made up; lip stick mascara, foundation, eye liners and eye shadows. Her golden ear rings held a ruby gemstone the same color with her lips and the sapphire blue body-hugging gown reached her toes. At least, it tried to as it did not affect her silver high heels. Her silver purse hung from her shoulder and she stopped for a second so that her complement became genuine.

"You look good."

"Same here," he stammered, "same to you."

"Awwn."

"Have fun, baby boy."

"Yes, baby boy."

Jinja Kaliope knew that his family was also probably recording or taking pictures so he acted as if he did not know and extended an elbow which she took as he made them both hurry because of his pace. Kazu Nini snickered as they both met the stairs.

Her Prom date called a transportation carriage pulled by a Class 1st Epic Beast Hippopotamus. The creature was sprayed water by the driver who had its reigns attached to its tusks that curved for 2 feet and gave it a menacing appearance.

Kazu Nini half expected it to roar as the seating compartment came around to them. Extending his hand, the Dark Elf opened the door and helped her in.

When she sat down, she turned to him. "I was always questioning myself about that gesture but now that it happened to me, I can only think it boring."

"Okay, next time I wo-"

"Relax, it does not matter. If anything, I am not vexed." She shook her head. "You take me too seriously."

They drove until they reached their destination and were not surprised with the throng of people in different formal attire. Kazu Nini suddenly had this distant impulse to stay in the carriage but Jinja Kaliope had already held out an arm.

Taking it, she stepped down and everything kept her relaxed until she heard a growing applause.

Kazu Nini tried to distract herself from it by staring at the couples taking pictures at the red carpet which led all the way from the entrance and to the hall, but they began chanting - both the people having shots of themselves and the stragglers in their own conversation - turned to regard her before joining in.

"New Universe!"

"New Universe!"

"New Universe!"

Kazu Nini looked upon their excited countenances and replied with a full smile. They shouted louder and the pair of the New Universe got showered in cameras and lights till they entered into the interior of the school. The passage she went through had ribbons, writings, posters, different forms of calligraphy and banners about the Prom in one way or the other. Just like the outside but only way, way more

"Can I join the New Universe? I am a good councilor."

"Are there any members of girls not yet taken in your society, I do not mind help them."

"What was the fight like, how was it, what was going through your mind?"

She made an effort to stare at the ground until she met the hall.

"Can I have a picture?"

"Your contact, please."

The Dark Elf pulled in a student of Fvil HighSchool after sliding out of her embrace and went over to the other side. And as cameras began flashing, more and more people joined. The pair had to find their way out and meet the main event head on.

And just before they reached the hall, she saw one of her own– Zlai Dfon - asking question questions in front of a camera and the Pixie swore under her breath.