Moonlight bathed the outside world as they exited the dungeon. Waves, their caps turning silver in the light, lapped gently against the rocky cliff below. The cool night air whipped by, bringing with it the smell of salt and rotting seaweed.
Edan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his mouth turning up in a smile.
Off to the side, Edan could see the small islet belonging to the Golden Throne Sect. Scribe light shone through the windows of the buildings dotting the island, and reminded Edan of fireflies in the dark.
The bridge from it to the Academy Islet arched low over the water. Lanterns hanging from the wood beams swayed gently, their orange glow making little circles of light in the sea. Hungry shapes moved beneath the water, attracted to the bugs that saw the light for warmth, and flew too close to the waves.
Reema and Sanik huddled with Tali, their whispered conversation stolen by the wind. Edan shuffled closer, the rocks beneath his bare feet wet and slippery.
"...is that what you think is best?" Sanik asked Tali.
The Titan nodded solemnly, her amber eyes bright in the darkness.
"Ok. We can go to Harvey's. He'll hide us." Reema agreed quickly, her eyes darted to Edan, and seeing him so close a small smile eased the exhaustion on her face. "Come here."
Moving to join them, Edan slid between Sanik and Reema, the solid presence of both his parents providing more comfort than he cared to admit.
"What will you do?"
"A…friend…needs to be told my oath is broken. I am unsure what to do after that." Tali answered Sanik.
"Is your oath broken?" Sanik asked slowly, his hand coming up to rock back and forth in a so-so gesture. "Technically you were never given permission to enter, but they also didn't expressly forbid you from entering. Some would say you even made an attempt to reach them for approval."
Tali laughed quietly and shook her head.
"I understood the action would break my oath, so my oath is broken. I leave the hunt for such loopholes and sneak to those of the Infernal Realms."
"This is lovely and all, and I'm totally not confused by any of this…but should we really be standing here talking?" Edan shuffled from foot to foot. The wind had found its way into his baggy clothes and even his higher stats couldn't save him from all the cold.
Agreeing with him, the others began shuffling up the thin path. Overhead the walls of the Academy stood proud. Light spilled from the many windows dotting its towers, its brilliance fighting with the stars in the cloudless night.
Keeping to the shadows as much as possible they reached the bridge and crossed quickly. Edan pulled up his system to check the time. It was only a little after eight but traffic between the Academy and Stratta was almost non-existent. That suited the group fine. Fewer witnesses.
Edan could make out the shadow shapes of vessels moored out at sea as they crossed. The masts blotting out the stars around them. Occasionally a small fishing vessel could be seen moving about, a lantern on a hook or a scribestone near the front providing the sailors with light. It was risky business, night fishing. There was no telling what your light would attract. Though this close to shore they would likely be safe.
The wooden beams of the bridge turned to cobbled stone as they entered the streets of Stratta. Sound and sight fought for dominance as the group moved through the bustling streets. A few people gave their group an odd look, but it was more so for Tali, who attracted attention regardless of where she went, and less so because they looked shifty.
If anything they looked like a group of cultivators back from a hunt. Exhausted, but successful.
I suppose that makes me the catch? Edan thought before smiling. I mean…I am a catch, after all.
They split up when they reached a fork in the road. Tali continued on straight while Sanik and Reema directed Edan towards a familiar street that would lead home. Edan watched the large back of his supposed mentor grow distant.
She'd barely spoken to him since they dungeon. Was she embarrassed her choice of protege had been fooled and needed rescuing?
Putting the thoughts aside for another day, Edan followed his parents.
Lucky Snips had never looked so beautiful to Edan. Its large glass windows showcasing the mannequins within were dark, Reema must have forgotten to turn the lights on before she left. Edan felt a stab of guilt as he realized how much worry he had caused his parents.
Using the front door of the store, the family of three entered. Sanik moved confidently through the dark interior, turning on scribelights and bathing the room in a soft white light. Reema double-checked the closed sign before flipping the lock on the door.
The workshop was likewise cast in deep shadow but they didn't bother with lights here. The trio just moved silently towards the stairs and made their way warily upstairs.
Each wore their exhaustion differently. Reema moved slowly, her form hunched over and her eyes puffy. Sanik dragged his feet, yawning and tugging at the straps to his armor. Edan stumbled over almost every step, his head hanging low.
They stood awkwardly in the living room, no one sure what to say. It had been a long long day and while exhausted, there was so much to say. So much to catch up on. Just none of them knew where to start.
Eventually though Reema broke the silence. She stood on tiptoes and gave Sanik a kiss on the cheek before pointing him towards the bathroom.
"Go get cleaned up, love," she directed softly before turning to Edan. She pulled him close and kissed his forehead. "I hope you don't mind your father taking the lead. If you want to have a seat on the couch I'll make us all a hot drink."
"Coffee for me," Sanik called over his shoulder as he made his way toward the bathroom. "We still have a long night ahead of us and I'll need all the help I can get."
"We can catch up tomorrow." Edan offered. "After we've had some sleep."
"Unfortunately we won't be sleeping here." Reema moved towards the kitchen and Edan followed, his brow furrowed in confusion. "We just came back to grab some clothes for you. Any books you think you might need? Some other odds and ends we have stashed in the workshop. Then we'll have to go see Harvey."
"What!" Edan had just enough energy to be shocked, though it faded quickly and he slumped into a chair. "Why?"
"Tali thinks we should make ourselves scarce at the moment. We didn't have permission to enter the Academy Dungeon to look for you."
"What?" this one was said a lot quieter.
"Someone was guarding the Dungeon and while Tali talked our way past, all he had to do was report it to the Academy Administrators. They'll investigate." Reema explained as she pulled mugs from shelves and grabbed coffee and cocoa tins.
"How would they know where to find you?"
Reema gave him a pointed look.
They could identify Tali super easily and even if they had no clue who Mum and Dad were, all they'd have to do is figure out who would have the motive to break into the dungeon.
"I'm tired," Edan said by way of explanation.
Edan had so many more questions but after a yawn nearly dislocated his jaw he lay his head down on the kitchen counter. It was nice and cold and if he twisted his head at just the right angle it was almost comfortable.
"Sorry honey, but you need to stay awake," Reema said, noticing him out of the corner of her eye.
"Shhhokay," Edan muttered, pulling himself back into a seated position. He slid off the chair and stretched. Something in his back popped and he let out a relieved sigh. "I'll go pack."
His room looked exactly how he had left it. Only slightly dirty. Kicking aside an old shirt Edan made his way to his dresser. The presents from Harvey and Cassie still rested on his nightstand and he tossed them on his bed. Next was his clothes. Anything that smelled clean went into a pile on his bed, the rest was tossed to a corner to deal with later.
Happy with his packing Edan quietly closed his door and settled onto the floor next to his bed. Using his bed frame as back support Edan closed his eyes. For a tempting second sleep beckoned to him. It was tricky avoiding it as he allowed himself to relax.
Drifting through darkness Edan wondered if he actually had fallen asleep before sunlight hit him like a physical blow.
The ground was soft beneath his feet, the blades of grass tickling his toes. Overhead the sun shone with relentless fury and around his little island, clouds drifted slowly.
"Welcome back."
Edan turned and laughed. Kiba was lying down on the slope, his feet crossed and his arms tucked behind his head. A blade of grass stuck out of the corner of his mouth and his eyes were closed.
"Well, don't you look relaxed?"
Kiba cracked one eye open, the pupil a rusty orange, and looked at Edan. "There isn't much else to do around here, kid."
"Can't you…I dunno, sense what's going on outside or something?"
Kiba closed his eyes again and shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable.
"Nope," he said around the grass blade. "It looks like I can only sense what you sense. You do realize your Spirit should be close to a hundred right?"
"Ninty-four," Edan said proudly.
"Then use it, you idiot!"
"Fine! I will!" there was a pause before Edan scratched the back of his head. "Uhhh…how do I use it?"
"How do you not know how to use your spirit? Next, you'll say you don't know how to use your skills!"
"Give me a break, I've had a very stressful day." Edan snapped back, throwing his hands in the air. "Besides, I know how to do it. I mean, I've read how to do it. It's just a little different actually…doing it."
"Kid, I swear! I did not get out of that pool only to be trapped in a prison formed from your ignorance. You will learn to use your spirit sense! I'll teach you myself if I have to."
"Sorry man, I already have a Master...I think." Edan scratched his cheek in thought. "She said she was my Te'Roro Bwaka and she would make me Va of her people, but a lot's happened since then and I'm not sure if she's still interested,"
Kiba sat up, the leaf falling from his mouth as he gaped at Edan. He reminded Edan of a freshly caught fish.
"A Primordial offered to teach you. Personally. And you rejected them?"
"Hey, I have a path related to that," Edan remembered, completely missing Kiba's startled yelp.
"A path relate-wait, did you say Te'Roro Bwaka earlier?" Kiba stood up, dusting nonexistent dirt from his pants. "Kid, did you say Te'Roro Bwaka? Did you actually get recognized by a Titan? Do you-"
"I gotta go," Edan interrupted, waving his hand and cutting Kiba off. "I just came to let you know we escaped the dungeon."
"You-what!-Titan?" Kiba spluttered as Edan waved. "No!Wait!"
"Laters!"
Edan allowed his consciousness to return to his body. A yawn broke loose and he leaned back against his bed for a second. He knew he was toying with Kiba, but Edan couldn't help it. It was just so much fun.
Thinking of Kiba did make Edan wonder. Should he tell his parents?
Realistically there wasn't any reason not to. Kiba hadn't asked him to keep his existence a secret, and it's not like Edan didn't trust his parents with the knowledge, it was just…Edan knew what his parents would do with the knowledge.
They were both protective of him. Incredibly so. And Edan knew how lucky he was to have that in his life, but it also meant he knew how they would react to their son having a god's soul in his SoulScape.
"We need to remove it! Immediately!" Reema would say.
"I dunno, honey, what if this other soul is good company? On second thought, we best remove it. I can't handle the competition." Sanik would joke, but support Reema.
Using his bed for support Edan pulled himself to his feet.
He wouldn't tell them. At least not yet. He had made a promise to Kiba and Edan wanted to be the type of man that kept his promises.
And, Edan admitted, he felt a little sorry for Kiba. God or not, he had been mostly alone for close to two hundred years. The only company Kiba had was the occasional fool that messed with the pool only to die shortly after.