Chapter 61 - Extending Trust

“Why are you just standing there?! Cover yourself, you pervert!” Mayalyn hissed to keep her voice low.

“Hey, I’m minding my own business over here. If it bothers you so much, why are you still looking?” Jiran leisurely finished his stretch before activating Light Manipulation.

“Thank you,” She mumbled, her face as scarlet as First Father’s morning glow.

“Speaking of clothes, what’s with your outfit?”

“What do you mean? Is there something wrong with my clothes?” She spoke slowly, her voice laced with suspicion.

“No, they’re great. They remin—are a bit unusual is all. Do all of your people dress like that?”

“No, my Great-Grandfather made these for my Great-Grandmother. I’ve always preferred them over what the others wear,” Her chin rose a touch, the pride in her family's work on full display. “Now, can we please go? Azurelight is far and I do not wish to sleep in the jungle with this flock of betas so riled. It is a miracle more did not follow the first,” Mayalyn didn’t wait for his response before heading through the dense jungle toward the south. She moved between the trees with deft, stealthy steps that gave Jiran the impression she had lots of practice remaining unseen from aerial threats.

“You call those birds betas?”

“That is correct. So long as you are quiet and move slowly, it is easy to avoid them. The alphas live at the tip of Adelphoros and are far more deadly. They rarely come all the way down here, but when they do, it means certain death for anyone caught in the open.”

“What tier are the alphas? Are they the strongest beasts on the island?”

“Yes, they are mostly tier six and some are even tier seven. Thankfully, we have not seen one of those in a generation.”

“If the alphas come down so rarely, why haven’t you culled the beta population? Having so many of them flying around dive-bombing your people must be frustrating,” She squinted her eyes at his strange turn of phrase but answered his question.

“That would be foolish. The alphas feed on the betas. If their population decreased too much, they would find other sources of food.”

Yeah, stupid question.

“Okay, that makes sense, but why not cull the alphas too?”

“We cannot, there are no tier five beasts on Azzara.” She huffed air from her nostrils and stomped her foot into the soft ground to vent what must be a long-seated frustration.

Oh, that sucks. With no way to gain tier five EXP, they’re unable to ascend to tier six. Beating tier six and seven beasts at tier five would be impossible for normal people. That must be really hard for them. Well, probably not too hard since they seem to have a thriving society. Hmm, If the highest tier beasts I’m likely to encounter are only tier four, there’s no reason to keep holding back.

Since Mayalyn seemed lost in her thoughts, they continued in silence for a time before Jiran tried to lighten the mood. “You said you weren’t supposed to be out here, so why did you come?” She jerked back in surprise, not realizing he was so close to her.

“Do not scare me like that!”

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the empty-looking space he occupied before speaking timidly. “I was exploring.”

“Nice! I get that. Right before I came to your island, I went to a place called the Crags of Caldara. It’s a river that stretches further than an ocean but it’s not made of water, it’s made entirely of moving mountains even bigger than, err, Adelphoros.”

Mayalyn stopped so suddenly that he accidentally bumped into her. She didn’t say a word as she slowly turned around like a broken robot to face where she thought he was.

“You’re lying to me. There’s no way such an amazing thing can exist. How can mountains possibly flow like a river?” Her proper way of speaking vanished as her whole body vibrated, the tip of her tail twitching back and forth like an angry cat.

“I’m not lying. I watched for hours. Even though it was so noisy it hurt my ears, I couldn’t pull myself away. It was easily the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.” She jerked back as he once more was not where she expected him to be.

“Would you stop doing that!”

“Is this better?” Jiran released the camouflage on just his head while shooting her a cheeky grin.

“No! That is many times worse than before!” She shook her head in quick, jerky motions.

“Oh, okay,” Jiran’s smile only widened and when several seconds passed without him changing it back, she scowled and stormed away from his chuckling, disembodied head.

A few minutes of silence passed until she could no longer contain herself. “What other wonders have you seen? What is your empire like? What even is an empire? How big is your island? Is it bigger than Azzara? What kind of inventions do your people have? How do you travel there?” Her eyes shone brightly at the last question as her voice softened to a gentle breeze.

“You really like exploring, don’t you?”

“You would as well if you spent your whole life in such a small place. I want to see everything!” Her claws drew little droplets of blood as she clenched her fists.

“Well, the empire is many times larger than what I’ve seen of your island and I feel constrained there as well. I think, when you’re someone who loves to explore, no place is big enough to contain you.”

She drew in a shaky breath while nodding in agreement. “My family does not agree. They never leave Azurelight and do not wish me to either. Are you going to answer my other questions? I want to know about your home, now speak!”

Jiran chuckled while shaking his head in the negative. “Where I’m from, it’s customary to offer someone a drink before you demand so many answers from them.”

“What?! Your people also sip from a cup of vows? I do not like that custom and I will not be giving you any such thing!”

“Suit yourself, What’s a cup of vows?” Jiran responded with a barely-repressed smirk.

“It is exactly as it sounds. You have a very nasty personality, Jiran of Feylon. You are both a tease and a brute.” Jiran burst into laughter as she glared at his floating head.

“Shh! Are you trying to kill us?!” She whispered furiously while cutting her hand through the air.

“No, but I’m done tiptoeing around those stupid buzzards. How far is your town? Azurelight, right? Let's fly there.”

“Flying is suicide, not even uncle would lay claim to the skies. The betas would descend on you in mass if you dared to challenge them.”

“Perfect. I’ll make sure not to kill too many of them,” Jiran jumped high enough to clear the canopy before landing on a platform of aura. He continued to jump until he was dozens of meters in the air.

Showing up to introduce myself without bringing dinner would just be rude. And now that I know my aura is strong enough to contain a real explosion, yeah, it’s time to have some fun… carefully.

“HEY! I’m over here!” He waved his arms in the air while keeping an eye on the mountain’s peak until the nearby flock spotted him. They turned as one, instantly diving in his direction.

She made it sound like this is the only flock in the area. I sure hope they're the same ones from last night.

Jiran was ready for them long before they got close; which he quickly became thankful for as the entire flock of Cardinal Drifters picked up speed after closing to within two hundred meters. Massive blasts of wind from behind their wings propelled them forward, breaking the sound barrier with thunderous shock waves.

The pooled gases beneath his feet, trapped within his aura, exploded. He hurtled higher into the air, leaving the beasts scrambling to adjust their trajectories at the last second—they failed. Jiran’s eyes shone with the light of empowered mana as he unleashed streams of wind and hydrogen upon their furiously beating wings. The drifters were pressed down from above, until a single spark ignited the entire area in a raging flashfire that melted feathers and sensitive eyes.

“SCRAM!” Jiran waved his arm, adding another burst of empowered wind from above.

Cacophonous screeches filled the air in the wake of that rippling inferno as flightless birds of prey were reduced to falling stones. Jiran kept a careful watch on the sky in case any of the distant flocks of betas high on the mountainside chose to interfere. Of the alphas, there was no sign whatsoever. There were only five betas who escaped his initial trap. They soon fell to join their brethren as jets of flame ten meters long shot from each of his hands.

Coatings brimming with infused balls of Big Bang were unleashed one by one on the helpless beasts as they thrashed upon the jungle floor. They tried to resist with blasts of wind and lightning from their hooked beaks but their attacks were too weak to pierce his aura and the Coating covering his body. Jiran almost felt bad for them as shurikens of mana sunk into their heads, the gravitic energy within imploding their skulls into marbles of gray matter.

He descended from the air, blades of Coating pierced hearts one by one just in case they had some manner of regeneration. He held one wary eye to the sky as he worked which turned out to be unnecessary as the beasts were clearly territorial. No other flock would be coming to their rescue. Soon, the cratered mass grave grew still as a serene lake.

Jiran’s body and aura thrummed with unreleased ferocity. He had barely tapped into his mana before the fight was over. After the last few hectic battles, which put him on the brink of death, this slaughter was a letdown that rankled his desire for a good fight. He understood the ratcheting bloodlust for what it was and took a single breath to calm himself. His aura stilled and his muscles settled into a restful state as he began cleaning up his mess.

Best vacation ever.

EXP: + 32

Half an hour later, Mayalyn arrived and was greeted by the sight of a floating head hovering in front of a pile of beasts, drained of blood and ready for transport. She wore a complex expression that Jiran couldn't decipher while waiting for him at the edge of the clearing. He grabbed one of the corpses and hauled it over to her with a smile on his bobbing face. “Lunch?” He asked with a wink.

She took a deep breath and held it, looking like she was about to scream before exhaling explosively with slumped shoulders. “Yes.”

Strength: + .5

Agility: + .5

Endurance: + .5

Durability: + .5

Wisdom: + .5

Intelligence: + .5

Further upgrades delayed due to lack of density

Looks like last night's meal gave me a little growth. Constantly turning all my food into mana is really slowing me down. After all these kills, I probably have a ton of reserved attributes now.

Molding: + 2

Shaping: + 3

Coating: + 2

Big bang: + 2

True Origin of Fire: + 1

True Origin of Wind: + 2

Gas Manipulation: + 5

Light Manipulation: + 1

Her first bites were timid, small, and polite but within seconds she was shoveling meat into her mouth so fast he was worried she might choke. By the time he finished a leg and thigh, she had devoured the rest of the bird that was larger than the two of them combined.

Girl can pack it away. They starve her or something?

When she finished her last bite, she fell back against a tree trunk with a groan and rubbed her distended belly. Seeing her immobile and defenseless, Jiran struck. “You’re definitely going to have a hard time finding someone to bond with when your table manners are that bad.”

Her mouth fell open far enough that he saw little bits of food hanging from her teeth, which only made him laugh harder.

“Shut your face! I cannot believe I was about to thank you. You are a foul, vile boy with no redeeming qualities of any kind.”

Jiran’s laughter trailed off into chuckles as she lifted her nose to the side. He scanned the skies again before scooping the rest of the corpses up with his aura and extending a hand to her that he realized she couldn’t see.

“C’mon. It’s time to go see this Azurelight of yours. Hopefully, they won’t mind if I invite all my friends along to join us for dinner,” Her petulant facade finally cracked into a small smile as she rose to join him.

She dusted her hands on her shorts and squared her shoulders, bracing herself before speaking firmly. “Before we go, there are two things I must know.”

“Sure, ask away, princess.”

“What is a—never mind. How did eating help you heal so quickly? What kind of skill was that?”

“That’s not a skill. It’s a technique called restoration. It’s expensive, though, so I needed to eat to replenish my mana,” She squinted at him and waited for more information. When it never came, she pouted and moved on.

“Second, you said you have only had your aura for a few days, but that is not possible. It is far too large and powerful. Explain this to me.”

How much do I tell her?

Jiran squinted at her, critically examining her features for some clue as to why this question might be so important to her. He was drawn to her large, caramel eyes. They held no trace of duplicity, just honest curiosity.

“As I said, I received my aura through an acclamation. For me, that was only a few days ago. But something happened during my ascent to the third tier and I fell asleep for a year. When I woke up, my aura was as big as it is now.”

“Acclamation? Oh! Your aura was a gift from Madra? Wait, you are only tier three?! Quickly, what is the gift called,” Suddenly, her expression shifted to one that oozed dread.

Huh, look at that, the name changed again. I wonder when that happened.

NAME: Jiran of Feylon

RACE: Human

AGE: 15

WEIGHT: 843.18kg > 892.16kg

STATUS: Introductory User Interface / Active Dual Mind / Awoken Manabody > Unified Manabody / Healthy

TIMER: N/A

TIER: 3

EXP: 42/100

GROWTH: 5.84 %

MANA: 6

CONCENTRATION: 6

STRENGTH: 60 > 65.2

AGILITY: 60 > 65.0

ENDURANCE : 60 > 64.5

DURABILITY: 60 > 65.3

WISDOM: 60 > 65.2

INTELLIGENCE: 60 > 65.5

SKILLS:

Molding - Mana Expansion: 75 > 77

Shaping: 51 > 53 (Subskill Evolution Pending!)

Channeling: 0 > 7

Identify: 0 > 2

TECHNIQUES:

Forcing: 38 > 39

Coating - Adaptive Elemental Aegis: 57 > 59

Revelation: 1

Big Bang: 15

True Origin of Fire: 19 > 21

True Origin of Lightning: 24

True Origin of Ice: 20

True Origin of Water: 10 > 11

True Origin of Wind: 10 > 13

Gas Manipulation: 13 > 20

Acid Manipulation: 1

Metal Manipulation: 6 > 9

Light Manipulation: 12 > 15

Restoration: 20 > 21

Mana Siphon: 23

OTHER:

UNIQUE - Foresight

“Unified Manabody.”

She knelt on the ground, rocking back and forth while holding her head between her hands. “Koroko,” She mumbled the word several times before suddenly snapping her gaze in his direction. The innocent honesty from before was nowhere to be seen; now replaced with a crazed intensity. “You must not tell anyone of your true tier or the gift of your aura. No one, do you understand me?”

“Why not? What does that word mean, Koroko?”

“I… do not wish to say. Please, promise me you will not tell them.”

What is she hiding? Is this for my benefit or hers?

“Please,” She drew the word out, pleading to the point of tears. “Jiran of Feylon, this is very important to me. I will explain everything as soon as I can, I swear it upon Great-Grandfather’s legacy, the Maker, may he rest with love,” She closed her eyes and bowed with reverence to her ancestor; her forehead gently resting on the jungle floor.

With this strong a reaction, I should at least figure out what Koroko means before I talk to anyone else. And it’s not like I planned to go blabbing all my secrets to them anyway.

“Okay, I promise. I may change my mind about that, but if I do, I’ll talk to you first.”

Her shoulders slumped in relief before she rose to her feet. With her arms crossed over her chest, she closed her eyes and whispered a silent prayer before making eye contact with him again. “Then let us go.”

Jiran scooped Mayalyn up in his aura, focusing for several seconds to make a comfortable space for her. After roughly grabbing the pile of beast carcasses, he took to the clear skies. He was concerned all the added weight would be too much for his aura, but after ten minutes of rapid flight, it only lost around one percent of its size.

Mayalyn was terrified at first, scanning the skies frantically as he pulled her along. Eventually, she looked behind her to see the small hill of butchered meat and found the courage to relax. Within seconds, she was laughing as the rushing wind blew her hair into complete disarray. She directed him south to the far side of a much smaller mountain and had him land out of sight of her town in a small clearing.

The manabody is so weird. How can it hold so much weight while being amorphous and remaining… transaerocent… aeropermeable? Is there even a word for that? Whatever.

“If they see us flying, I will never hear the end of it,” She bit her lip while looking between him and the distant town before deflating with a long-winded sigh. “I hope you are as trustworthy as you are good at getting yourself into trouble.”

“Don’t worry, princess. I won’t spill any of your secrets and get you grounded for months on end.”

She opened her mouth wide in a cat-like hiss. “Stop calling me that! And what does grounded mean? Nevermind! I do not wish to know. Wait here, I will go fetch you some clothes so all of Azurelight does not know your true nature,” She ran off through the trees without looking back, but not before Jiran caught the twinkle in her eyes and the tug of her lips rising into a smile.

Yup, best vacation ever for sure.