Starry Resonance Ch. 05

Yvain set his legs back into their proper position. Nora then handed more control over to him, the starlight he was controlling painting the path of her receding power in a harmonious interchange.

When the force fully left Yvain, with his own taking its place, his body remained suspended just above the black river.

"I'd kiss you right now if I could," Nora's echo said, a giggle following behind her words. Yvain was amused at how the older woman sounded so much like the cheery girls from back home.

"There's nothing left but to circulate the starlight you've accumulated," Nora said.

Yvain understood what she meant. Or it'd be more accurate to say that he could sense it. As sure as he knew he could walk or run, he could navigate this mysterious sea of stars. His starlight spread all around it and the path became clear.

It was still true that one needed to crawl before walking though, no matter how confident one was in being able to run eventually. Every small deviation inside the strange sea of stars was enough to almost send Yvain into the cold depths. And said deviations weren't set only downwards. Any mistake had him falling in all directions, which further pushed the disorientation. What would happen if he fully lost control? A few times he practically did, and Nora had to intervene to set him back on track. But between these moments of disarray whatever his conscious mind couldn't do, his unconscious mind made up for. It was like relearning a forgotten ability.

Yvain stabilized himself with slow certainty until he was smoothly copying the same movements Nora had shown him before. First with slight caution, then with measured steps, and finally he was back to the same speed as when the invisible force was in control. Any uncertainty in his surroundings, the absorption of starlight, and command over his body was completely gone.

"Good, keep going like that," Nora's echo said.

As Yvain completed more and more cycles, the more secure he felt in his movements and the faster he went. He couldn't tell where the revolutions began and ended, but the slight shock that went through his body every time he reached certain points served as a signal for the completion of each loop, just as Nora said they would.

Said shocks were extremely invigorating.

When Yvain first began to train in starlight his body had made a massive jump in strength. It had instantly put him above anyone who hadn't had the opportunity to absorb the power. But the changes he had undergone were nothing compared to what he was experiencing now.

It was as if Yvain's body was not beholden to gravity. He felt so light that he could float away at any moment. Each punch he threw would most likely obliterate the space in front of him. These feelings became further pronounced after each shock surged. And that surge filled him with the need to run head-long into more strength.

The sea of starts turned into a blur as he sped through the river with ease; the hesitance he experienced at first thoroughly gone. He would have satisfied his newfound hunger had Nora's power not returned and pulled him out of the river by force just as easily as it had pushed him in.

Yvain awoke like a fish out of water and took deep breaths as sweat poured out of his every pore.

Nora looked down on him with a worried but tired smile, her thighs serving as cushions for his head while her hand wiped his brow.

She looks even weaker than before, Yvain thought as he panted.

"Is he alright?" Nelimir asked.

Yvain tried to set his friend at ease, but his throat got stuck; only a small wheeze coming out. His head could only move enough for a worried Roesia to show up in his vision. Elly, who was now sitting upright, was calmly looking at him.

Not wanting to show weakness in front of his master, Yvain went to stand but none of his limbs responded to his command.

"You absorbed too much, too fast," Nora said. Instead of a scolding though, Yvain could only hear fierce pride from her, which puzzled him.

He once more tried to talk but failed.

Nora patiently waited for him to speak with smile.

After several attempts, Yvain finally managed to groan out a few words, "But I feel fine."

With his body stretched out on the ground, the statement felt hollow, yet it was true that he had never felt this good before. He was completely awake and energized. He felt much stronger too. Maybe not as strong as when he was in that river, but he had gone up in strength at least a notch.

"That's what happens when you abuse starlight absorption," Nora said. "It's an unfiltered and permanent injection of strength. Yet it's that same lack of filters that poses dangers to your body."

Yvain blew out a breath. "It felt incredible," he said.

Nora nodded, "That feeling is what everyone needs to be cautious of. No matter how powerful you feel, you need to understand your body's limits and train accordingly. Luckily I'm here to stop you guys from going too far. You should be back in control in just a minute or two."

The mention of minutes brought to attention the knowledge of current time back to Yvain and his eyes widened. Nora tilted her head in confusion.

"So little time has passed," he said in wonder.

"That's correct," Nora said with a laugh. "The perception of time is a bit different inside the Galaxia."

The perception of time? Could that create such a difference in feeling? Yvain could swear he had been inside his Galaxia for over an hour. He and Nora at the very least talked for over ten mintues. How much time could he spend, or feel like he was spending, during training as he became stronger?

"Do you want to go next?" Nora asked the sorceress, bringing Yvain out of his thoughts.

"I...think I'll let the others go first," Roesia said and gestured toward Elly and Nelimir.

Elly slapped the smaller girl's back, eliciting a small yelp of pain and a glare.

"You really need to toughen up," Elly said before walking toward Nora and Yvain.

The muscled woman towered above the couple, crossing her arms and pushing her massive breasts up while smirking.

"Do you need your girlfriend to carry you back?" she asked Yvain who was still resting on Nora's lap.

Yvain gave an indignant laugh. He could feel control slowly coming back to him, so he immediately stood to meet his master face to face, but his vision became double. Nora was immediately next to him, helping him keep balance, and he gave her a smile of thanks before straightening himself and meeting his master's gaze head on.

"Nothing wrong with enjoying some physical affection with her," Yvain said.

The still smirking Elly reached out with her arm. Yvain kept his focus on her every move, ready for an attack, but all she did was put her hand on his shoulder. Then she lightly pushed, and he lost all semblance of balance once more.

Yvain was about to roughly hit the ground when Nora caught him.

Well, this is mortifying, Yvain thought.

"Is this how you treat your pupil?" Nora harshly asked Elly as she helped Yvain stand back up. He tried his best to keep a cool composure through the embarrassment.

"I certainly don't give him lap pillows," Elly said and sat down in the same meditative position Yvain had taken before.

"Let's just get this over with," she said.

Nora leered at the tall woman who now had her eyes closed.

Wanting to dispel the dark clouds forming over his lover, Yvain gave her a quick jab on her ribs while sporting a self-mocking grin. Nora jumped and looked at him in surprise before softly laughing.

"Alright, let's get this over with," she said and took position in front of Elly. She then began to give similar instructions to those she had given Yvain when he entered his Galaxia until eventually going quiet.

Yvain left the two women to their work and went to sit next to Nelimir who was unblinkingly looking at the spectacle in front of them.

"You better prepare yourself," Yvain said. "This is nothing like what we've been doing so far."

Nelimir gave a dry laugh and looked at his friend before pointing with his eyes toward the two women sitting in the middle.

"That might be an understatement," he said.

Yvain followed his friend's eyes, "What in the stars?"

Nora's hands, which were over Elly's head, were covered in starlight. It was the same effect Yvain and Elly would create whenever they were about to use 'Nightfall' and needed the aid of what little starlight they had managed to accumulate. Yet Elly's body had gone completely dark.

A void had covered every corner of her; even her hair which was now softly floating as if underwater. Inside that void a few lights blinked in and out of existence. It was eerily similar to the night ether itself but emptier.

"Is that how I looked when I was inside my Galaxia?" Yvain asked.

"I don't know about any Galaxia, but you definitely looked like this too," Nelimir answered.

The leader of Draconian's Tavern was completely transfixed on the spectacle.

Roesia looked far from thrilled though. She was past dreary with slumped shoulders and an angry or sad brow.

"Are you alright?" Yvain asked.

Roesia twitched and she shifted her focus to Yvain.

"I'm fine," she said, hurriedly going back to her deadpan expression.

The sorceress seemed like she wanted to be left alone so Yvain didn't push her any further and looked to the pair in the middle again.

Eventually Nora took her hands away from a still meditating Elly while looking a bit glum.

"Did something happen?" Yvain asked her with some worry. A part of him wanted to see his master suffer the same fate as him so he could get back at her, but that sentiment was quickly snuffed at the possibility of her getting seriously hurt.

Elly was just like him, always on the relentless hunt for a higher peak of strength. He wouldn't be surprised if she rushed head-long into that mysterious river and became intoxicated in its power.

Nora only shook her head and focused on the woman in front of her.

A few seconds passed when the void that was covering Elly began to recede toward her stomach along with its lights. As the shadows gave way, her hair took to gravity once more and her finely sculpted muscles came back into the night light.

Elly opened her eyes with a satisfied smile which Nora didn't return.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Nelimir said.

"Why?" Yvain asked.

"When you were meditating Nora was the one who released you from that strange phenomenon," Nelimir said. "Yet Elly looks no worse for wear and did it all on her own." He added with dishonest awe.

Yvain punched his friend's arm to a laughing grunt of pain and amusement. The both of them already knew that no matter how much Yvain tried to surpass Elly, she always found small ways to remain a step ahead of him. It was frustrating how she was constantly only a hair's breadth away--her figure tempting him with an irresistible challenge. To make matters worse she reveled in the fact.

Elly looked to Yvain with a smug grin. She easily stood and went to take her position next to Roesia.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've done this before," Nora said while looking at Elly with annoyance.

"I get that a lot," Elly said and gave the redhead a wink.

Yvain looked from Elly to Nora with curiosity. He was beginning to feel a slight tension between both women. When they had their battle he thought it was just Elly being her stubborn self. Her leaving in a huff after losing was nothing unexpected and Nora went as far as to praise her. It was the same when he came out of the Galaxia. His master was just being herself and even Nora was probably just worried for him. Yet the redhead now seemed as if she could barely stand the large woman. And that image connected to the others to form a larger and more negative picture.

She showed no care at all when Selt spoke negatively about her and Elly had barely said a word. What was so different? And should he ask?

He knew Nora wouldn't mind him doing so, but his master would probably berate him and say not to meddle. Considering that they were at least keeping harmony it would probably be best to see how things between them developed for the time being.

Nora pointedly ignored Elly and looked to Nelimir, quickly changing her frown to a relaxed smile.

"I assume you'll be next?" she said.

"It's ironic," Nelimir said as he moved to the same spot Elly and Yvain had taken before and sat down. "This is exactly the type of progress we have all been searching for, but now that I've seen a glimpse of how that looks like I feel a bit hesitant."

"You should be," Nora said. "You told me that your goal was to break Empryon's isolation and create ties with other races, correct?"

Nelimir nodded. With the mention of his goals, the laid-back aura he had been sporting so far disappeared as he sat a bit straighter.

"I guess this is as good a time as any," Nora said and covered one of her fingers in a weak starlight aura. She then set it upon the ground and burned into it a list of three words, one on top of the other--Protos, Rauir, and Tairos.

"From weakest to strongest, these are the ranks currently known to us," Nora said. "In simple terms, they signify the amount of starlight one is able to control without destroying themselves."

The first rank was already familiar to Yvain. Nora had mentioned Protos when she used her medicine on his wounds; a simple panacea that almost killed him because he wasn't strong enough to endure it.

Michael had been able to effortlessly hold him down too. And while Yvain didn't know how powerful the older man was, there was no other person who could best him so easily outside of starlight users. In other words, the older man either had the proper method of absorbing starlight, or he was already inside one of the ranks Nora mentioned. What if it was Protos? Was the difference between the lines that big?

The thought filled Yvain with excitement. "How can we reach the Protos rank?" he asked.

Nora knowingly smiled at him.

"We'll discuss that once you have a solid grasp on the absorption of starlight," she said.

Yvain had to fight the urge to protest like an overly eager child. It wasn't easy, but he had already suffered through one master holding back advanced knowledge until he mastered what had been taught. And if he couldn't even absorb starlight without losing himself then there was space for improvement. He'd like to think he had the will to hold himself back inside his Galaxia, but the vestiges of the sweet temptations he experienced in there still curled around his mind.

"Now, how many people do you think have reached the Tairos rank?" Nora asked Nelimir.

The wording of the question itself already offered the answer and the leader of Draconian's Tavern replied immediately.

"Not many," Nelimir said with a sigh.

"Nine to be exact," Nora said and held nine fingers up in the air. "Nine out of billions of starlight users, all vying to surpass the competition and reach the rank of Tairos themselves."

"Are you serious?" Yvain blurted out. He didn't even attempt to keep his composure. He smiled from ear to ear in anticipation as he looked at Nora with unabashed happiness. Being in Empryon was an agonizing existence. The path to strength had been muddled when he surpassed its confines. But not only was that path becoming clear now, there were countless others out there traversing it.

"I am," Nora said. "Once all of you leave Empryon, you'll be entering a world where the only law that matters is who can hit harder, to put it bluntly."

She looked once more to Nelimir.

"If you want to change the state of things in Empryon, you will need to at least reach the Tairos rank," Nora said.

"We better get started then," Nelimir said and closed his eyes with no preamble.

He didn't share Yvain's excitement. Neither did he address the abysmal odds of them reaching the Tairos rank, who the nine powerhouses were, why he needed to be in the Tairos rank to have any say in the fate of Empryon.

The leader of Draconian's Tavern simply chose to take the next step that would bring him closer to his goal and ignored all superfluous thoughts. That attitude was the reason he could so easily accept those of the monster races even though his environment demanded otherwise. It was the reason why his fiancé was not human.

Nelimir could always look past his own pre-conceptions, doubts, and fears.

He might not be a genius warrior or sorcerer, nor was he unkillable. But without him Draconian's Tavern would not exist.

Nora didn't offer any more insights or warnings. She raised her hands and brought out her starlight around their leader's head.

"Concentrate on the starlight I'm going to send through you," she said.

Soon after Nora spoke, Nelimir's body took upon the same black paint that had covered Elly.

Nora repeated the instructions from before, and as time trickled by more and more lights covered him.

"So how did it feel?" Yvain asked Elly.

"What do you mean?" Elly said.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'!? That bizarre river! The Galaxia! I know you, there's no way you could have resisted the power it promised," Yvain said.

Elly threw an easily readable punch at his face which he smoothly blocked.

"Don't get snappy with me calf," Elly said. "Unlike your overeager, immature, and ignorant self, I actually understand what self-control means."

Yvain threw a punch of his own straight at Elly's temple. It was only a playful attack, much like her own, which she easily deflected.

"You're the last person that should be talking about self-control and immaturity," Yvain said, making a point of ignoring the other two descriptions his master had pitched. "I don't think I've seen you not lose yourself to anger in all the time I've known you."

"You've never seen me truly angry," Elly said. "There's a difference between using your emotions as a weapon and letting them use you instead."

Yvain rolled his eyes at the line his master had thrown at him many times before.

"For instance, I wouldn't have let my emotions drive me to kill a complete stranger," Elly said with an accusatory glance. "I wouldn't have heedlessly entered a dungeon, nor would I have brought an outsider who could effortlessly kill all my friends into our headquarters."

Each harsh intonation of Elly's words filled Yvain with guilt. Regardless of the details it was true that they were all now in an extremely dangerous situation because of him.

"I can at least assuage some of your fears and say that Nora will never hurt any of us," Yvain said.

"What makes you so sure?" Elly asked.

That was a question that had been plaguing his thoughts, buried over the same emotions Elly told him to control. What made him so sure Nora would never hurt them?

"I don't know," Yvain said. The admittance didn't help with the guilt at all. He could feel his master's gaze on him, but he couldn't bring himself to look back.

"She's your responsibility. Whatever happens, good or bad, will be on your hands," Elly said. "And being in that river practically felt orgasmic."

Yvain snapped his head toward his master and found her grinning with the innocence and joy of a child. He couldn't help himself from mirroring it.

"Right!? I experienced the consequences of over absorption myself but strike me if I'm not going to try it again," Yvain said.

Elly immediately struck his arm.

"As your master, I'm forbidding you from trying again," she said. "No good ever comes from overindulgence."

Yvain was half-joking when he spoke, yet he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that his master wasn't on board with him.

"But," Elly continued, "as a warrior, I know there will always be times when you'll need to enter a gamble for one reason or the other." The muscular woman contemplated her hands and rubbed thumbs with index fingers before making two fists.