Chapter 73 – Display of Pride

Chapter 73 – Display of Pride

As they separate again, Emily and Juliana’s attention is drawn by an awkward cough next to them. They turn to see Tom and Hester staring at them.

“We didn’t even get to say hi,” Tom says with a teasing grin that lasts until his sister clips him round the back of the head.

“Welcome back, I hope the trip was fruitful,” Hester says with a smile as if nothing happened.

Emily grins at their antics.

“It was great! We went deep into The Crystal Waters and I even got to fight a third circle beast.”

Tom, Hester, and Juliana all look at her with eyes wide in shock.

“What do you mean you got to fight a third circle beast? You wanted to?” Juliana asks narrowing her eyes.

“In my defence,” Emily says, raising her hands placatingly. “I didn’t go looking for it. It was already hunting us, I just killed it.”

“You killed it!?” all three of her friends cry, glancing to Ivor behind her for confirmation.

After he nods with a proud smile, Juliana sighs and looks back to Emily.

“Fine, I guess I can’t really blame you if it was hunting you.”

Emily goes to respond and is cut off by the loud screeching of brakes as a train rolls into the station. Everyone gravitates towards the platform’s edge.

“Looks like we’re leaving,” Emily calls over the noise, wrapping an arm around Juliana’s waist and slowly following the crowd.

They join everyone waiting at the train doors, before entering and finding an empty booth for the five of them. After they settle down and the train slides into motion, Juliana leans into Emily with a shy grin.

“I know it’s not as impressive as killing a third circle beast, but... Notice anything different?”

Emily looks at her slightly confusedly for a second before her eyes open wide in shock as she focuses on the unconcealed magical auras around her and picks out Juliana’s.Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

“You reached second circle?!”

Juliana nods proudly.

“Amazing, well done!” Emily says happily, pulling her in for a hug.

Juliana giggles, snuggling into her chest and enjoying the praise.

“Congratulations,” Ivor signs once Juliana sits back up.

They catch up with each other, chatting about the expedition and the lessons they missed, as the train races towards the noble district. When it stops, they follow the crowd out and through the winding gangway towards the Salvia estate.

Arriving at the estate, the doors are wide open, lined by servants guiding the gathered mages into the main hall. They file into the large room, crowding around the stage as Oscar walks up onto it, gesturing for the expedition’s members to join him.

Emily and Ivor leave their friends for now, stepping up onto the raised stage. Emily stands beside Oscar, and Ivor joins the others in lining up behind them. Once everyone is in place, Oscar raises his hand to ask for silence and the noise in the hall quickly dies down.

“First, I would like to say thank you for the warm welcome back,” he starts with a wide smile, receiving a small applause. “I won’t speak for too long. There will be plenty of chances to regale you with the details of our journey after letting you see our discoveries. But first, I would like to give proper thanks where it’s due.”

He turns to Emily and she groans internally, predicting where he’s going.

Can we not skip this? I just want to get paid so I can take a shower and sleep in a real bed.

“I speak on behalf of myself, my family, and I believe the rest of the expedition group.” He pauses and looks at the lined up mages behind him, receiving nods of confirmation from all. “When I say that if it weren’t for Emily here, all of us would be dead. Her calm headedness and ability to take charge and direct us to victory when the situation calls for it is admirable and we’re truly grateful for what you’ve done for us. Thank you!”

He finishes by placing his fist on his heart and bowing his head to her: showing the highest respect a mage of The Covenant can give. All of the group behind them copy him, bowing in thanks to Emily, who looks at them calmly but unsure of what to say. The crowd before them give her a round of applause, the most enthusiastic claps coming from Juliana, Tom, and Hester, then Oscar rises from his bow and saves her from having to say anything.

“Now, on to the fun bit!”

Excited chatter fills the hall as Oscar gestures for the carriers to bring their bags forward. They place the four spatial bags at his feet, as he taps his foot, sending a burst of mana into an inactive array on the floor. Thin lines of blue and green mana light the floor below them as a refreshing breeze rolls over the stage.

“Yes.”

The moment he confirms, Emily moves, walking past and patting him on the shoulder. “Cool, see you around.”

She steps off the front of the stage and quickly slips through the audience, approaching her friends. Ivor, Dante, and Enzo all follow her off the stage, leaving Oscar awkwardly to dismiss the rest of the group.

“Let’s head back, I can’t wait to get some real sleep,” Emily says with an excited grin as she takes Juliana’s hand and starts guiding her group out.

***

They catch a train back to The Dome, stepping into the artificial, mana filled halls once again. Tom and Hester say goodnight at the transportation rooms, and Enzo and Dante bid them farewell once they arrive in the B-grade dorms. Emily and Juliana walk through the familiar hall to their rooms together in silence, enjoying each other’s company.

As they arrive in front of Juliana’s room, they stop, and Juliana buries herself in Emily’s arms again. Emily giggles, running a hand softly through the smaller girl’s hair.

“You know, I do kind of want to sleep,” she says after a few minutes, when Juliana doesn’t appear to make any move to separate.

“Can... Can we stay like this for a bit longer?” Juliana asks in a small voice, not moving her face from where it’s pressed against Emily’s shoulder.

Emily opens her mouth to respond but freezes when she feels Juliana shaking slightly. Each barely perceptible quiver drives a dagger into Emily’s heart, and after a few seconds of intense internal debate, she relents and suggests something she’d been avoiding.

“Hey, Jules?” she asks tentatively. “Do you wanna stay with me tonight?”

“Can I?!” Juliana’s head snaps up, holding Emily’s gaze, her eyes sparkling with excitement, pulling on Emily’s heart strings.

“Sure,” Emily says, raising her hand to stroke Juliana’s cheek. “Just give me some time to shower and get changed.”

“Okay!” Juliana chirps with a smile, leaning in and kissing Emily before releasing her and happily skipping to her room.

Emily sighs, ignoring her confused emotions and opening her door, slipping into the welcoming space beyond. Her room is just as she left it, an orderly mess with piles of metal offcuts, tools that are commonly used together arranged in small collections, and a few unfinished projects sitting on the workbench.

A small smile forms on her face as she relaxes a little in the comfortably familiar place. She takes a deep breath, enjoying the lack of dust in the air, even after being uninhabited for a month.

“You just can’t beat the smell of a workshop,” she mutters to herself, finally moving from the doorway.

She walks over to her workbench, dropping the shadow boa corpse on top and pulling a small rolling seat out from underneath to sit on as she slowly extricates herself from her battered battle gear. With each piece she removes, she feels a little connection break and a fraction of her strength fade. She shivers slightly as she finishes taking off the last of the metal from her body.

I’ve gotten too used to wearing all of this. Now it feels weird to be so... squishy.

Looking away from her exposed skin, Emily stands up and carries her belt over to her desk. She opens the drawer with a complicated lock and drops the pouch containing the Mensacus into it. As it leaves her person and her intelligence returns to normal, she feels as if a small itch in the back of her mind, that she never even noticed, has vanished.

I need to seal that properly tomorrow, I don’t want my room becoming cursed grounds.

She pushes the drawer shut and takes a shower, emptying her mind as she enjoys the warm water pouring over her head. After finishing, Emily dries herself with a quick cast of cleanse and puts on a fresh shirt and underwear before collapsing on her bed. She lies in the soft sheets for a few minutes until she hears Juliana’s three beat knock at the door.

She slips out of bed and lets Juliana in before returning and inviting her to join. Juliana crawls under the covers, snuggling in close and pressing her face into Emily’s neck. Smiling, Emily wraps her arms around her and closes her eyes.

They lie in silence for a few minutes, only hearing the sound of each other’s breath until Juliana speaks.

“I was scared you know,” she whispers weakly. “I didn’t know if you’d be coming back.”

Juliana’s arms tighten around Emily’s waist as her words tighten around her heart, reigniting the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions she managed to suppress earlier.

I’m going to have to leave her at some point. She’s too kind to become a fugitive with me after I’ve killed the Mandragos. That’s going to break her heart. I don’t want to upset her. I really like her. Fuck, I shouldn’t have let myself get close.

The mounting urge to scream builds up, clogging the back of her throat, making breathing harder, and her heart starts to beat faster. Tears form in her eyes as a dizzying mix of love, anger, confusion, sadness, and dread swirls in her heart. Emily starts to notice a quiver in her fingers, and the air fills with static as the mana around them bends to mirror her distress.

You’ll scare her.

The moment this realisation hits her, Emily floods her system with machina on instinct. The cold energy quells her emotions, bringing a sense of calm disconnect as her heart relaxes back into a steady beat. She kisses the top of Juliana’s head, then reaches up a steady hand and starts stroking her hair to reassure her, unable to give promises of security she can’t keep.

Juliana slowly relaxes under Emily’s touch, and her breath soon falls into a steady rhythm as sleep takes her. Emily soon follows, allowing both of her cores to relax and fall asleep together for the first time in a month, and releasing her machina’s hold over her mind.