Moe turns to Lis. “The person who created Aimaxion. Do you know what his level is?”
“As far as I know, he is an Exalted.”
“Level eleven,” Moe whispers. I mouth a thank you.
Lis continues, “He’s been an Exalted for three thousand years now and it seems he has stagnated. To operate a realm of this magnitude, one needs to be in the Primordial range, so my assumption is that there are others supporting him.”
“You seem to know who it is,” I note.
“You will, too.”
Always so ambiguous. I let out a sigh. “Fine. Do it.”
She just looks me in the eyes and says, “Done. To undo it, just say the wordsAbyssaloud nine times, in quick succession.”
“That’s it?” I blink.
“My job is done now. You’re ready for the future.” With that, she stops pacing. “This is our last training session, so make sure to not embarrass me in the future.”
“What? Already?”
She waves a hand in the air. “This is all I can teach you. As long as you put everything in practice, you will be fine.” Then she looks towards Moe, “Why don’t we start on that supper? I’m quite famished.”
“Of course! Let me run to get the food.”
Moe gets up and heads back to our room. The moment she’s out of sight, Lis flashes in front of me, jolting me.
“By the Seven!” I cry out. “What are you doing?”
She takes my hand, pulls my palm open, places a ring inside and closes my fist around it. “You and Moe are not true mates, which will be a disadvantage in the future.”
“True mates? What’s that?”
“You will find out. I can’t tell youeverythingnow, can I?” She rolls her eyes—her signature move at this point. “But I do feel slightly guilty about it, so I am giving you a gift. Fill this with your blood and have Moealwayswear it. This way, it can simulate a mating bond and you will know when she is in danger, and vice versa. It will act as a promise between the two of you.” She pauses. “That’s conditional on the fact that you are ready to shun all and any other females. This might only simulate a bond, but it will hurt you should you ever look at another.”
I immediately shake my head. “No, no. Never. I would never look at another. If there’s one thing I’m sure of in this life, it’s Moe. She’s my one and only.”
“Good. Keep that energy and I might take a better liking of you,” she mentions drily. “One more thing. Moe is mortal, even with the energy from those mythical beasts. To ensure your lives are truly intertwined, you must share blood every single time you are intimate.”
A flush goes up my neck. I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with Lis.
“Fine,” I grumble, though I glance away.
“Moe already knows, but this is my last day here.”
My brows go up in shock. “What? You’re leaving?”
“I have accomplished what I set out to. It is time for me to return home.”
“But… Will we meet again?”
Her lips tremble softly. “Not in this lifetime.” Then she pauses as she glances up at the sky. “Youarean idiot, Nykander. But you’re quite a lovable one. You’ve grown on me. Just make sure you treat Moe right so I don’t have a reason to come meet you earlier.”
“Erhm… You’ve grown on me, too?”
She smiles, perhaps the first genuine smile she’s given me.
“Until we meet again.”
