Reborn From the Cosmos

Arc 8-02

“Your father is a strange man.”

While I’m learning to enjoy a moments of peace, I find myself craving company the moment I return from our daily walks. Following the closest heartbeat, I find Kierra in the dining room, dressed in casual clothes with her long, silver hair pulled back, likely because it would have fallen into her face with her head bowed the way it is. She’s focused on something sitting on the table. Something bloody. Thank the saints for succubi who somehow know how to get the worst stains out of any cloth.

She looks up from whatever it is, eyes glowing with magic. But in the next moment, she lets go of the mana, and that lovely gaze returns, more gold than green in the bright light. Her lips turn up in one of her rarer smiles, excitement without the usual bloodlust.

Everyone has been affected by the presence of her parents. Thankfully, aside from some added tension and a few terse disagreements, it seems to be for the better.

Whenever Morgene or Orum get to reminiscing about the old Kierra, she’s always described with a lot more…energy. I wouldn’t call the present her lazy, never. It’s just that the old her was apparently everywhere, trying to accomplish everything. That overzealousness got her into lots of trouble, which is what the stories centered around. It got her locked away in the Enchanted Forest, leading to our fateful meeting.

Maybe her calmer attitude is natural maturation and that’d be fine. I also have no doubt she’s happy here, with our fledgling clan. But I can’t help but wonder if we’re holding her back. I wonder if she could be doing more, but she doesn’t because she’s worried about leaving us behind.

Kierra isn’t a creature that should be wandering the halls of an estate. She should be out in the world, hunting down the next challenge and grabbing it by the throat. We’re the reason she isn’t, for better or worse.

She waves for me to come closer but I dodge her bloody hands. Chuckling, she kisses me while keeping them behind her back, a quick brush of the lips. “What do you mean strange?”

“He asked me a bunch of stuff that didn’t make sense.”

I wave off her curiosity. “It’s nothing. And you’re busy.”

“This is nothing that cannot wait.”

“While I wouldn’t put it past you to play in blood and guts for fun, this looks like it has intention behind it.”

“It does. Look.”

I lean over the table to get a closer look at the bloody object. It’s meat, I can tell that much, but if there’s anything special about it, it escapes me.

“I prefer to fight with raw power, as it is most satisfying to tear a creature apart with my hands. I was taught to use weapons when I was young, as they were both safer and more efficient. Over the years, I took the tricks of the most interesting prey, but it has never been my, hm, specialty. Watching your little duel with my father has made me curious. Since there is a lack of decent prey around…unless you have changed your mind about warring with the kingdom?”

I quickly shake my head. Please don’t joke about that too loud.

“Then exploring shapeshifting is the best way to go about my own growth.”

“And the meat is supposed to help you do that?”

“One of the few drawbacks of the pure affinity is its mysterious nature. It is good that I can do things without knowing how to do them exactly, but it is impossible to improve a technique you do not understand. I seek understanding, one change at a time.”

“Oh, I get it. So, you do your ridiculous wish-a-change on the meat there and then you do your scan thing to see how your magic changed it. Or you follow along while it’s happening? Somehow?”

“Yes.”

Huh. That’s actually an interesting work around. “What is it?”

“A human kidney.”

Eh? “…do I want to know how you got that?”

“Do you?” she asks, flashing her bloodthirsty smile.

Really, what do I care if she’s snatching organs in the middle of the night? We’ve already leveled a city. Bodily harm hardly compares. Besides, it’s so small, barely the size of a woman’s fist. I doubt the owner is even missing it, if she healed them afterwards.

Sigh.

“Yeah, I do.”

Her smile widens, gaining a familiar edge. “The pet grew it for me.”

“Grew it?”

“She found a corpse, took the organ, and made a fresh copy.”

That’s much better than I was imaging. And I doubt it’s the weirdest errand Kierra’s sent the succubi on. I’d bet anything it’s a whole lot tamer than what Geneva gets up to while spreading her influence.

“But we were talking about your walk.”

“It’s not…” Her eyes tell me she’s not going to let me change the subject again. Is she worried we’re not getting along. “He was saying something about rabbits being worth the world.”

“Ah.” She immediately loses interest, gaze dropping to her fake kidney.

“Guess you know what he’s talking about.”

“Mm. We had a similar…talk.”

“Give me the short version.”

She chuckles. “There is no short version and everyone must reach the end by themselves, or it loses its power. No need to worry, my love. His methods may seem strange but he knows what he is doing.”

“Kii’s right. If there’s one thing no one can argue, it’s Orum’s capabilities.”

We both turn as Morgene enters the room, though our reactions couldn’t be more different; Kierra is amused while I grimace. Telling a guest to make themselves at home is a common courtesy. You don’t expect them to actually throw propriety to the wind and put their boots on the table.

No one extended that courtesy to Morgene but she’s done it anyway. I’d wager she’s the most comfortable in our stolen home.

To my endless concern, she’s also taken a liking to the succubi. That is an alliance that can only breed disaster, but, as she’s capable enough to handle herself, I don’t get involved too deeply. I trust that extending them the ability to command the succubi, with less authority than my clan of course, is enough.

I should have suspected that Morgene would take to the authority readily. Despite knowing the elementals are amoral schemers whose goal in coming to this world is to utterly devour me, I treat them with dignity. The violet elf has no such compunction. She doesn’t cause them pain, as that’s where I draw the line, but she has no problem treating them as the lowliest of servants. Or animals, when she feels like it. Really, the leather collar and rope is just unnecessary.

Of course, a little humiliation means nothing to a succubus. Bell takes being walked with perfect calm, her lizard-like tail slowly wagging behind her. When Morgene stops, the imp settles at her feet like an obedient pup.

“Coo~” {Are you jealous, Master Lou?}

Hardly.

Okay, maybe a little. I wasn’t allowed pets as a girl.

Morgene glances at Kierra’s project but turns away with disinterest. “He lets his soft heart affect his teaching but it’s annoyingly effective. It’s tedious, but it’s good for you.” A perfectly sculpted silver brow rises. “Unless you’d rather I teach it? I can put weeks of his ramblings in one—” Ah. I see where Kierra gets her smiles from. “—succint lesson. One night and it’ll be carved into your very bones.”

“That’s fine. Nothing wrong with slow and steady. Anyway! I’m guessing you’re here for—”

“For you, yes. Did you forget our standing arrangement?”

“Who could forget you?” I sigh as she walks up to me, raising a hand. I glare at it, silently warning her not to try dragging me around by the collar of my shirt, again. The first time caught me off guard, shock keeping me from reacting, but I do have some pride.

Thankfully, she only places it on my shoulder, though her grip is rather tight.

“Actually, I was thinking I’d skip for today.”

The hand retreats. “I see. Why not spend a day wasting your potential and wallowing in this nothingness you’ve created? I suppose it’s a fine day to admire some derelict buildings.”

“Mother,” Kierra mutters without looking up.

“No, I know. Have the pet prepare a lunch and we can find a nice, intact roof to perch on while we watch the weaklings tear themselves apart to reclaim scraps of their lives. It’ll be just like Velan’s ring. You remember that, don’t you Kii? All the children would grab whatever beasties they could and cheer the pests on as the fought to the death in that ring, bleeding for the privilege of dying later rather than sooner—”

“Mother,” Kierra repeats, voice laced with warning. She looks up from her kidney, glowing eyes narrowed.

“What? I thought I was being helpful, giving her fun ideas of how to spend the time she’s wasting.”

“Enough!” I snap, a hand migrating to my head to massage it. “You’ve made your point.” Sigh. Sometimes, I think being reborn is more of a curse than a blessing. “Half a day. No, a quarter. I’m tired.”

I tense, readying myself for an argument, but it doesn’t come. She smiles and I’m reminded where my wife gets her looks.

“Come. If our time is limited, then we should waste any more of it.”