"He does," Kyran admitted with a wry smile. He recalled how The Emperor managed to corner him and nearly hit the bucket when the latter destroyed a dead plane.
While this was on his mind, he felt a soft tug at his right sleeve. He turned and saw Cyneah looking at him in concern.
Cyneah, despite her lack of sight, was heightenedly sensitive to others' emotions. A mere sound, a slight change in tone, could provide her with a window into their soul, allowing her to deduce their feelings almost accurately.
In Kyran's case, Cyneah heard the underlying frustration and unease when he answered Diara. He only spoke two words that did not say much about what he experienced, but she felt the weight of what he went through after meeting The Emperor.
Cyneah felt pain from imagining the hardship Kryan experienced to escape The Emperor's pursuit. Kyran might have even been on the verge of death before fleeing to the Higher Realm.
Kyran's expression softened, and he placed a hand over Cyneah's to comfort her. As much as it frustrated him to have her worry about him, he also felt fortunate. The same applied to everyone who showed concern over his well-being. Nonetheless, knowing that he still caused a lot of people to worry about him made him realize his powerlessness.
This feeling urged him to improve his strength until they no longer had to worry about him.
"I'm alright," Kyran assured Cyneah.
Their exchange was short, but it was enough to make Thorn nearly pop a vein. He was not jealous per se because he was not romantically interested in Cyneah. He was only overcome with an inexplicable sense of wanting to protect her against bad guys because of her fragile and innocent looks.
So rather than saying that Thorn was jealous, he was more annoyed— in a protective big brother kind— to see a guy, who had the looks that could humble and own any woman he desired, show affection toward Cyneah.
Frankly, Cyneah and Kyran were not overly sweet with each other, but the huge contrast in Kyran's attitude and expression when talking to Cyneah made Thorn's stomach churn.
Ladon had a different take on Kyran's attitude since he was not hung up on the latter's relationship with Cyneah. What Ladon noticed was Kyran's dismal attitude over his encounter with The Emperor.
It should be noted that even if The Emperor's strength was greatly restrained in the Lower Realm, he could still cause irreparable damage there. Apart from that, it would be impossible for anyone to escape The Emperor's pursuit, not to mention unscathed.
But Kyran managed to pull it off.
How?
Moreover, how did Kyran end up in the Higher Realm?
Everyone in the Higher Realm knew that the only way for someone in the Lower Realm to get there was through the Land of Desolation— a place considered a mage's graveyard.
Thus far, there had only been one record of one surviving the journey there. But that mage came from the Higher Realm, to which he ended up in the Lower Realm, not vice versa.
Ladon looked at him with a bitter smile and said, "It's not that we are not interested. But understanding and unleashing the full potential of a treasure you guys made is a huge pain. So far, our research has yet to completely unravel what the treasures our predecessors found from their time here could do."
"So you say, but," Diara pointed her chin toward Aki before continuing, "You managed to awaken one of the Dragon Series Automata."
"Aki is only borrowing that body," Kyran corrected Diara's claim.
"Borrowed?" she exclaimed in shock, as if the mere thought of having a different core with a sentient enter the Dragon Series Automata was blasphemous.
Kyran ignored her.
On the other hand, Ladon and Thorn looked at Aki in confusion.
"Aki?" they asked at the same time.
"My real name is Aki," Aki responded with a smile. "Ias is only a pseudo."
Diara snorted after hearing his response. She mockingly said, "Speaking as if you are a true living being and possessing a name. Just tell us what Aki is short for. Don't pretend to be real and— accckkk!"
Kyran electrocuted her again. He did not look at her, but when he spoke to her, his voice was laced with thick, killing intent, "If you have nothing good to say. Don't speak."
Diara's knees wobbled as she tried to regain her balance. She initially wanted to scoff at Kyran for caring too much about an automaton when they were only objects that could be disposed of at any time. But the killing intent she sensed from him was something she could not ignore. She knew she would turn into nothingness if she continued talking like she did.
Ladon and Thorn also fell silent. They were starting to grasp Kyran's character better and found it very similar to the Dragon Emperor.
They were not saying that their overall character was the same per se. Instead, their sense of protecting their people was very similar.
Although Aki was only an automaton, Kyran treated him as one of his own. Thus, he would treat and protect him like the rest.
The other Ancients were silent. They shared Diara's view but did not voice their thoughts after realizing that Aki was Kyran's creation.
"Master, it is fine," Aki said, trying to lighten the sudden heavy atmosphere. "I understand that not everybody views us automatons like you do."
"I get that," Kyran replied, taking a deep breath to dispel the foul mood that was about to fill him. "Still, I won't tolerate anyone who will deny your existence."
"Thank you, master."
"...Pardon me for speaking so suddenly, master," Auto-one spoke after remaining silent for some time. "But I sense trouble ahead."