NOVEL NEXT Chapter 162: Afterglow
"Uh," Zaeryn stammered, caught completely off guard by her blunt, playful confirmation.
He didn't know how to answer that, because a traitorous part of him, deep down, had found the taboo incredibly, unexpectedly arousing.
Heat rushed to his face, and he quickly looked away from her knowing, mischievous gaze.
He immediately changed the conversation. "So, we," he began, clearing his throat and trying to inject normalcy into his voice, "we should probably… get dressed before someone actually walks in?" He gestured vaguely at the couch and the discarded clothes, eager to shift the focus to anything else.
Aeris watched him scramble for composure, a slow, utterly satisfied smile spreading across her face. She stretched languidly, making no immediate move to cover herself, clearly enjoying his slight panic. "Spoilsport," she murmured, but swung her legs off the couch and began gathering her clothes.
Not long after leaving Aeris and the comfortable aftermath of their encounter, Zaeryn found himself back in the familiar quiet of his room.
The lingering scent of her perfume and their shared intimacy clung to the air, a heady reminder of what had just transpired.
The door hissed shut. He walked to his bed and collapsed down. He needed to see the results.
'System,' he thought, focusing inward, 'Show me the log. Status update.'
The familiar interface materialized behind his closed eyelids, displaying the expected notification.
[SYSTEM LOG]
► NEW BOND FULLY SYNCHRONIZED: AERIS NOCTIS
► CATALYST: FULL INTIMATE CONTACT & DEEP EMOTIONAL BOND
► VITAE ABSORPTION: SUCCESSFUL
► VITAE RESERVES INCREASED: +750 POINTS
► NEW TOTAL: 4950/4500 (CAPACITY INCREASED)
Zaeryn's eyes widened slightly at the substantial increase, even larger than Marceline's, and the further expansion of his core capacity. Aeris's underlying potential, even dormant, was clearly significant. He continued scrolling, anticipating the abilities he might have gained.
[ABILITY MIMICRY SCAN... COMPLETE]
[RESULT: NO ACTIVE, WIELDABLE ABILITIES DETECTED FOR MIMICRY.]
Zaeryn frowned, a flicker of disappointment cutting through his satisfaction. Just like Marceline. He remembered Aeris mentioning she'd retired before even truly starting her Warlady career.
'System, confirm: Aeris Noctis underwent ability neutralization?'
[RESPONSE: CONFIRMED. Cross-referencing Lyceum records indicates Aeris Noctis voluntarily underwent Vitae ability binding protocols upon withdrawal from Warlady active service candidacy.]
[ANALYSIS: Similar to Marceline Noctis, the target possesses an active high-tier Vitae Core (Tier 2 Potential), but specific named abilities were permanently bound. The Eros Engine successfully absorbed raw Vitae energy, enhancing Host reserves and capacity, but no copyable abilities exist.]
He let out a quiet sigh. Another powerful bond, another significant boost to his raw energy, but no new tools for his arsenal. Still, the increased capacity and reserves were valuable in themselves. And the connection with Aeris... that felt like a victory all its own, power gain or not. He smiled faintly, the memory of her warming him more than any Vitae surge could.
'Man, how nice would it be if she still had her abilities. I would be a tier 2 Vitae wielder already,' Zaeryn murmured internally. But he wasn't feeling too bad about it.
He would have a chance with a Tier 2 wielder very soon at the Lyceum. There had to be at least one or two.
'How can I move from Class F to D and all the way to A?' he asked the system.
The system's response was logical and predictable:
[ABILITY PROGRESSION PATHWAYS: CLASS F TO HIGHER CLASSES]
[1. Consistent Practice & Application: Mastery increases through repeated, controlled use.]
[2. Absorption from Higher-Class Practitioners: Bonding with individuals possessing the same ability at a higher class accelerates integration and potential class increase.]
[3. Combat Application under Stress: Pushing abilities in high-stakes situations can trigger breakthroughs (as previously experienced).]
Understanding that practice was key, Zaeryn didn't hesitate to get to it. He pushed himself off the bed and moved to the center of the room, clearing a space on the floor.
Closing his eyes, he focused inward, reaching for the golden energy of Vitae Weaving. Ever since the breakthrough during his training with Mireille earlier that day, accessing and controlling his powers felt significantly more intuitive.
He pictured the simple short-sword construct again, the one he'd instinctively formed against the Vorthak simulations. He impressed a lot of people back, then, but now it was time to impress himself.
Shimmering golden light bloomed between his hands. It flickered much less violently this time, coalescing faster, forming the distinct shape of the blade almost immediately. It felt solid, stable, humming faintly with contained energy.
He held it, turning his wrist, amazed at how much easier it felt now that the ability was Class F and the crushing fear of overexertion was gone. It still required concentration, but it wasn't the ragged, draining effort from before.
A frown settled on his face, as he didn't feel impressed with his own construct.
"Hmm, how many times have I created the sword? About three times now," he murmured, letting the construct dissipate into faint motes of light. "I should try creating something else. With more imagination."
He let the sword dissipate, then focused again, this time picturing the shield construct he'd used against the energy bolt. It formed quicker too, the disc of golden light holding its shape without the violent flickering from his first attempts. He pushed against it mentally; it felt resilient, capable.
He frowned, letting the shield dissipate as well. "Already created this at the academy. Don't I have a better imagination?" he muttered, pacing slightly.
A sword and a shield were useful, basic, but predictable. If he wanted to surprise opponents like Leia, he needed more versatility. He needed something unexpected.
And then, thinking of defense and offense combined, an idea began to form. Not just a static shield, not just a simple blade, but something fluid, adaptable...
Some time passed and he could see that he was making progress as he tried a number of constructs. Simpler shapes, a sphere, a cube, focusing purely on stability and control.
He focused again, picturing not a solid weapon, but a length of pure energy, like a whip, but heavier, more substantial, perhaps tipped with a focused point of light. He pushed the Vitae forward, guiding it, letting it flow into a long, flexible line extending from his fist.
It took more concentration than the sword or shield. The energy wanted to dissipate, to fly apart. He had to actively hold it together, feeding a constant, controlled stream from his core. Slowly, a shimmering, golden energy whip, about two meters long, crackled into existence in his hand. It wasn't perfectly stable, the light wavered slightly, and sparks occasionally flew from its length, but it held its form.
He gave it an experimental flick. The whip moved, responding sluggishly to his command but leaving a bright trail in the air. He tried a faster snap. The tip cracked with a faint zzzt, the sound sharp in the quiet room.
Zaeryn stared at the construct for a moment, then his expression soured, replaced by a frown of pure disappointment.
He let the whip dissipate with an almost contemptuous sigh. "Lame," he muttered to the empty room. "Seriously? A whip? What am I going to do, tickle someone into submission?"
He felt a bit frustrated. A whip felt too delicate, too… indirect. He needed something with impact. Something that felt like an extension of the raw strength he possessed. Something solid. Decisive.
Then it hit him. Not finesse, but force. A hammer. A big, heavy-looking war hammer made of pure Vitae.
He stopped, planting his feet, closing his eyes again. This time, he didn't picture flowing energy; he pictured mass, weight, solid impact.
He drew on his Vitae core, pushing the energy out, trying to condense it, to solidify it into the dense head and sturdy shaft of a hammer.
The energy flared between his hands, much brighter this time, the light almost blinding. It struggled to coalesce, wanting to expand rather than compress.
He gritted his teeth, pouring more focus, more will into the construct, trying to force the light into the shape he envisioned. For a moment, a crude, blocky approximation of a hammer head flickered into existence, heavy and unstable, before the energy overwhelmed his control and the entire construct dissolved violently into a shower of harmless golden sparks.
Zaeryn stumbled back a step, panting slightly. That attempt had taken significantly more energy, more concentration, than the whip, sword, or shield. "Okay," he breathed, a grudging respect mixing with his frustration.
"Maybe not so easy."
Just as he was about to try again, he heard a soft tap on his door. Zaeryn walked over, sliding the door open.
Ysmeine stood in the hallway, a soft, warm smile on her face. She wore an elegant dress, and her smoky green eyes held their usual gentle light. She stepped inside as he moved aside, the door hissing shut behind her.
"What were you doing, darling?" she asked, her voice low and laced with amusement. She noticed the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead and the intense look in his eyes.
"You look like you've been fighting a ghost in here. And what was that loud zzzt sound a moment ago?"
Zaeryn ran a hand through his hair, wiping the sweat. "Just practicing," he admitted, letting out a heavy sigh. "I was trying to forge a Vitae hammer, but my control isn't there yet. It just dissolved on me." He gestured vaguely at the empty space where the sparks had been.
Ysmeine walked over and gently brushed a damp strand of hair from his forehead, her touch cooling against his skin. She looked him over with a familiar, possessive gaze. "A hammer? Why a hammer, Zae? Why not something elegant, like a shimmering blade or a net of pure light?"
He chuckled, taking her hand and pulling her closer. "Because a hammer is solid. Decisive. I like impact, Ysmeine. I want something that feels like an extension of my strength, not my finesse." He leaned in, placing a soft, appreciative kiss on her cheek.
Ysmeine returned the kiss, however she didn't kiss him on the cheek, she made sure her lips met his and they lingered for a moment.
When they pulled away from each other, her eyes danced with mischief. "I had a very interesting Holo-call with Athea this morning."
Zaeryn's eyebrow arched, a slow smile spreading across his face. Usually he hated hearing the name, however, he was expecting this. Yesterday he accidentally met princess Valerie and he could already guess Athea didn't like their encounter.