Jason repressed the rising feeling of hatred easily as he stared back at Lithia, the corpse oddly silent. It was uncharacteristic of her, normally she'd try to poke fun at him while he was unable to move. If this was the extent of Kazon's strength when it came to his aura, then he would be fine once they made it topside. At most, Jason felt mildly irritated, it was nothing compared to the boiling wrath he'd felt when Lithia had pushed him to the point of steaming rage.
She released him with a casual gesture, but maintained the hate aura. When she saw that Jason didn't charge her, she ceased, the irritation fading along with it. He nodded, satisfied with his progress.
"You're done." Lithia told him sullenly, "You'll be fine from now on. Lance is next."
Nolvi turned from the wall, "Grandmother? You sound upset about something."
"I'm not upset." Lithia replied, "I'm just envious."
"Of what?" Jason asked.
Lithia scoffed, "You truly are as thick-headed as they come."
"You being vague doesn't explain anything. You sit there and say you're envious, and when I ask why, you call me thick-headed?" He scoffed back, "You are ridiculous."
"Oh go rot in a hole, you have no idea what the weight of your words are on a young woman's heart." Lithia told him with a glare.
Jason shook his head, "You aren't young."
She put a leathery palm on her face, inhaling sharply through her teeth, "There you go, proving my point yet again."
"If you're done wasting my time, I'll go bring Lance in." Jason told her, turning on his heel.
Lithia snickered, "This should be interesting."
Jason ignored the senile jerky as he stepped out of the chamber, spotting Lance sitting against the cave wall, knees drawn to her chest and head down atop them. The tips of her ears were a bright crimson, making him wonder if she really did have an allergic reaction to something. He'd never seen that happen to her before, it could be dangerous, he'd monitor her and make sure the symptoms didn't worsen.
"Lance." He greeted, moving closer.
She gasped, eyes widening before she once again covered the tips of her ears with her hands. This behavior was strange, it was like she was embarrassed by it, but everybody gets sick- everyone with a normal biology anyhow, it was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact her face was somewhat red as well, she must have a fever of some sort. The only thing to be done about it was to keep her hydrated, he had no medicine with him so the sickness would just have to run its course.
"You need bed rest." He told her, "You look like you have a fever."
Lance shook her head, "It's not a fever."
His brow furrowed, "Then what is it?"
Lance hesitated, "It's not important." She told him firmly, "I am fine, it isn't a fever."
Jason frowned, "Alright, if you insist." He continued, still concerned.
He then knelt beside her, and she froze, staring up at him like terrified deer. Jason's concern rose as her skin reddened further.
"Lance?" He asked, concerned.
Her mouth worked but words failed her. Whatever was happening, it was worsening, she couldn't even bring herself to talk properly.
"I'll get you whatever you need." Jason told her, "But you're sick, you need to rest and drink some water, go lay down-"
She shut her eyes tightly, "I'm not sick!" She shouted, frustrated.
"But then why are you so red?" He asked her, "Something is clearly happening to you."
"You're so dumb!" She exclaimed, her hands shifting to cover her face, leaving her ears uncovered. "How is it possible that I- that you- gah!" She shouted, frustrated, "Just go away, you're making me crazy!"
The tips of her ears were as red as a tomato, not only that, she was agitated, insulting him for no good reason, she had to be sick. She wasn't thinking clearly, he'd need to help her get some rest. Jason then picked her up off the ground, eliciting a squeak from the woman. For some reason, she became aggressive, lightly batting at his chestplate with her hands as he brought her over to the pile of blankets.
"What are you doing!?" She shouted, green eyes wide, "We can't, I'm not ready!"
Jason frowned, "What are you talking about? You need to rest, clearly you're ill."
Lance froze again, right before pulling her entire cloak over her face, "Jason… just put me down. I swear I'm not sick, I'm just horribly embarrassed." She admitted, sounding defeated.
"Embarrassed about what?" He asked, confused.
"None of your business, you oaf, now put me down!" She insisted, scrambling out of his arms.
She landed cleanly on her feet before moving away from him, Jason shaking his head at the display.
"Name-calling isn't required." He told her with a small frown. "I can't help you if you don't tell me why you're so agitated."
"Well that's too bad, I'll not tell you for the rest of eternity." She told him, crossing her arms but not turning to face him.
He sighed, growing somewhat annoyed by this ridiculous behavior, "It is your turn to build a resistance to Lithia's hate. We can't go after Kazon until you do."
"I can't feel anything but humiliated by you manhandling me." She snapped.
"Maybe you shouldn't be embarrassed for no reason." He shook his head, "I've carried you countless times before."
"This is different." She said flatly.
His brow furrowed, "How?" He asked flatly.
"I won't tell you." Lance retorted.
"You're being difficult." Jason shot back, irritated "I don't know what has gotten into you, but this childish behavior isn't productive."
She took a sharp breath before exhaling, repeating this three times before finally turning to face him, ears still red and slightly trembling, "How can you not know that what you said earlier was-" She stumbled, "What I mean to say is, what you said earlier to me, about me being the most beautiful person you'd seen- how can you just say things like that and not be bothered by it?"
Jason stared for a long while before finally he replied, "Because that's how I feel. I'll never be embarrassed by what I say if it's simple reality."
These words caused her face to return to her hands, and he suppressed a groan. Why did this cause such a reaction from her? Maybe he needed to explain himself more clearly on how he viewed her, clear up any confusion.
"You are amazing, brave, competent, besides one of my siblings I couldn't ask for a better companion than you." He told her in a reassuring tone.
She then squatted down before pulling the cloak over her head. Jason threw up his hands in frustration, unsure of how to proceed. All he had done was worsen the situation, telling her the truth has not restored her to normalcy at all. It was too bad that Michael had left… Jason could have really used the boy's insight here, he was good at talking with women. As it was though, he'd need to defuse this situation on his own. What could he say to get Lance back on track? He needed to be careful, direct compliments only made her more reclusive for some reason.
"...Please go build a tolerance to the hate aura." Jason told her, "We can discuss this embarrassment of yours some other time. We still have a mission to accomplish, you sitting there won't get anything done."
"Neither will you showering me with compliments." She muttered.
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, "I thought people were supposed to like compliments. Very well, I won't compliment you any more."
Lance immediately stood up, face and ears still red, "I didn't say that." Lance said quickly, "...You may continue with the niceties, if you wish." She finished, a finger moving to twirl a single lock of her hair.
Jason stared at her, unsure how to proceed. From what he understood, giving her praise would force her into reclusiveness, but now she was saying that he could keep complimenting her if he wanted to? What was going through her head? If only he could read minds, he'd be able to tell what Lance wanted. Maybe there was a spell for that? He'd ask Lithia before they all left, it's just as well, for he wanted to try and add a few more spells to his repertoire anyway.
"Negative." He told Lance, "We need to focus."
"Oh um, of course." She said, sounding dejected.
Now she was agreeing with him, but she sounded upset? If he had hair he would be tearing it out by the fistful. It was as if she had damaged her brain somehow, or he had more likely. She started acting strangely after he'd told her she was beautiful, maybe he could reverse course if he called her ugly? He immediately dismissed the thought, socially inept he may be, but even he knew that was a bad idea. It would be a lie as well, she was beautiful, and he didn't want to lie to her. Then he had an idea.
"I'll give you another compliment once you're done with Lithia." He nodded.
Lance frowned, "So you expect me to bow and scrape like a dog for praise?" She asked, sounding appalled even as her face remained red.
His eyes widened. What had he said that was wrong?
Lance looked into his eyes before letting out a sigh and shaking her head, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you. You're right, we need to focus on the matter at hand." She said, taking a deep breath.
The redness in her face only slightly subsided as she moved past him and into Lithia's chamber. Even as she walked away, he could still see the tips of her ears, bright red. It was good that she'd become reasonable again, though understanding what made her tick was still out of his scope. She wanted compliments yet didn't at the same time? What manner of ridiculous reasoning was that? Hector was right, women really were complicated and strange.
He followed after her, entering the chamber before coming to stand right behind her. Lithia wore an irritatingly amused grin on her face as she stared at Lance, who barely managed to maintain eye-contact.
"Won you over already, hmm?" Lithia asked.
"Just get on with it." Lance replied, crossing her arms.
Just like that, Lance became rigid, paralyzed in place by Lithia's magic. Even the chains themselves remained motionless, only Lance's head able to move.
"It won't take you as long to learn to resist as Jason, I'd give it a few hours at most." Lithia told her, "Are you ready?"
Lance nodded, almost immediately afterward her face twisted up in a snarl, the crimson in her cheeks burning now for a different reason.
"You damn piece of used leather, dirty harlot!" Lance screamed, a vein popping on her temple, "Playing with people like toys, you're sick!"
Lithia clapped her hands together and cackled, rubbing them together with glee, "She's going to be fun, I can tell."
Her spiraling eyes then looked to Jason, before she grinned, turning back to Lance, "It'll be nice to add him to my collection of men once I escape this prison."
"He wouldn't bow low to someone so pathetic!" Lance screamed, straining to reach Lithia. "I won't let you make him a toy for your sick pleasure!"
Jason took a step back instinctively, not out of fear… but something in him urged him away, it was the same feeling he got whenever an enemy grenade landed nearby. He'd not ignore that instinct now.
"Pathetic?" Lithia asked, grinning, "Who falls apart so easily beneath empty praise? You should take a look at yourself before you call me pathetic. Don't you know who I am, I am Lithia, the Spiral-"
"The Spiral Bitch, I know!" Lance shouted, "You make sure to tell us every five seconds, I haven't forgotten."
Lithia's eyes widened, "The gall on this one. You're going to have your hands full one day, little Dragon."
Jason frowned, shaking his head as he approached Nolvi. The girl seemed confused at his approach, but didn't back away. He'd never really taken the time to learn the extent of her capabilities, if he needed to give her orders in the field then he'd need to get an understanding of how her abilities worked. He explained his intentions to the Pillar-Born as Lance raged behind him, lashing Lithia with insults that could give a marine pause.
Nolvi nodded, "I understand where you're coming from. My eyes aren't fueled by Foundation, it is from my mind." She explained, "I can inflict physical damage onto anything I set my eyes on, and once I expand my skills, I will be able to manipulate emotions or even lift things without touching them. Grandmother calls it Psionics, something only the Spiral Queen's have access to, at least to my knowledge." She continued, wincing as Lance threatened to shove her blades up Lithia's colon, "I, uh…" She stumbled, "L-like I was saying, Psionics are from the mind, not from Foundation."
"Is there a limit to this, or can you strike something continuously forever as long as you maintain eye-contact?" He asked.
"No, it's hard to explain, but have you ever tried to learn something so difficult that it made your brain feel hot? It feels like that, and if I push myself I could give myself permanent damage to my faculties… really no different from Burning oneself out with Foundation. I could kill myself if I go beyond my Psionic means as well."
"Are you certain that Psionics can only be inherited, not learned?" Jason asked, "I would like to acquire this ability as well."
She shook her head, "I'm certain, you would need to be descended from Lithia, which is impossible for you, given who your father is. I do not mean offense." She said quickly, spiral eyes going wide.
Jason shook his head, "I took none."
Nolvi gave a sigh of relief, "That's good, but as I was saying, I have my limits. I'm stronger with it than I used to be, I'm certain that I could cut swathes through the Fiend's hordes and barely break a sweat. Don't worry about me being a liability."
"I see." He told her, keeping his expression neutral.
There was an awful ulterior motive to this line of questioning. Nolvi had done nothing to draw his ire, but she was Pillar-Born, and would eventually grow to be a massive threat to this world. The world his fellow Ternans and Lance lived on… he'd need to know what she was capable of, so he'd know how to approach a battle with her.
He would rather it not come to it, but after Kazon was dead, he may have to turn on the Pillar-Born that had accompanied him into the Fiendwood. Killing them would ensure they wouldn't go mad and ascend, keeping Lance and his fellow Outworlders safe. Yet he found himself oddly sickened by the idea of murdering them after they defeated Kazon. Was slaughtering them like animals truly the only way to prevent them from going mad? What if there was another way?
"...Do you know if there's a way to stop yourself from going insane?" Jason asked.
Nolvi frowned, her eyes finding the floor, "I don't know." She said honestly, "Twindil desperately wants to find a way to cure us, but I have my doubts. I would love to live the rest of my life in peace, but the Pillars deemed that would not be my fate."
"It doesn't seem fair." Jason told her.
Nolvi shook her head, "Of course not, nothing in this life is. It never has been or ever will be." She said, her tone bitter, "I'm sorry I just- It is very tiring, having my condition, wondering when the madness will come- I hardly sleep because of it."
Remembering something Hector had said in the past, Jason told her, "Worrying doesn't do anything but make life more difficult. It might be hard, but try to put it out of your mind."
"You're right of course, but it isn't so simple." She sighed, "I envy you, you were born into divinity, whereas it was forced upon me at birth, dooming me to wreak havoc across Ahkoolis until I either die or murder my friends- my family, rather… Speaking of which, it is rather strange to think about, but you and I are also family, though I don't know how close our blood is."
Jason blinked, he hadn't thought about that before. Nolvi and her fellow Pillar-Born, even Tuji, were all members of his extended family, because of his relation to Jyn, the First Dragon. Conflicting feelings rose within him, leaving him unsure as to how to proceed with the conversation. Thankfully, Nolvi took the reins for him.
"If your father is the Banished Child of myth, then he is the First Dragon, the child of Zodd, Saihara, and Draoi. My Third Mother is Dandenlona, daughter of Saihara, meaning that you must be my… second cousin?" She asked, squinting up at him, "I think."
"Would that mean that Kid'ka and Tuji are my first cousins?" Jason asked, genuinely shocked.
"Well, yes. Same with Alistair as he is the son of Draoi." She said, "Strange, isn't it?"
"That's putting it mildly." He replied, "I'm not sure how to proceed with this information." He admitted.
Should he have felt guilty for folding Tuji in half? No, just because they were family, didn't mean that he should have spared him. He had been a threat that needed to be eliminated, Jason would shed no tears for him. This did complicate things though, he'd already been hesitant to kill Twindil and the others, this intel did nothing but hamper his plans.
"Well, I don't think any of us knew that we would be related." Nolvi told him with a small smile, "It certainly hadn't crossed my mind until now, honestly. Oh wait!" She told him, eyes widening, "Kid'ka, Tuji, and Alistair would be your uncles, not your cousins, and I would be your first cousin, not second, same with Elum and Twindil."
"...What if there's a way to remove the divinity from you all, would that save you from going insane?" He asked, wanting to change the subject.
"Remove it?" Nolvi asked, brow furrowing.
"It was implanted into you, could it be taken out with magic? If the divinity isn't there, it can't burn away your mortality." He explained, wincing as Lance threatened to eat Lithia's eyeballs.
"If it were possible, then yes, that would save us." Nolvi replied in between Lance's threats, "But I don't know how such a thing could be done. It would be just as hard as removing our mortality."
Jason paused, racking his mind for intel that could lead to a solution. Removing mortality or divinity, which was more feasible? Getting rid of one would stop the madness, but it wasn't as if he could merely pull those genetics out of them. It seemed as if there was no way to- His eyes widened.
"What if you were to be turned into vampires?" He asked, mind working, "If you weren't mortal anymore, all that would be left is the divinity. You could hypothetically ascend without going insane if there wasn't any mortality left."
Nolvi just stared for a long while, mouth slightly agape, "I do not know." She told him, "I never considered that."
Jason hadn't either… What if the reason Wurmdring's eyes had turned to gold was because he drank some of Jason's blood? His gut suddenly leadened as the implications of that weighed on him. Had Jason inadvertently implanted divinity into Wurmdring? Had he made a Pillar-Born vampire? It was nothing to worry about now, he'd beaten the dwarf, Wurmdring had even disintegrated himself with Foundation. The consequences of Wurmdring drinking his blood would therefore never be seen, and Jason was thankful for that.
"Would Lithia know?" He asked Nolvi.
Nolvi shrugged, "I have no idea. We could ask her if Lance doesn't bite our heads off."
Jason hesitated as he heard Lance's frothing anger. Instinct warned him to stay away for now. Lithia wouldn't keep this up forever, eventually she would release Lance so she could take a break. Until then though, he would be keeping his distance.
"I want to learn more about Umant." Jason told her, "Eventually Lance and I will need to return through the Faewood, if for some reason we end up needing to go there, I need intel."
Nolvi frowned, "Don't go there." She warned him, "As strong as you are, you cannot stand up to Creetan. There is a reason they've managed to thrive so long in the Faewood, not even the Harkhall would dare try to uproot him from his throne."
"We're planning on going up against Kazon." Jason told her, "If we're capable of defeating him, then Creetan shouldn't be a significant threat."
Nolvi shook her head, "You don't understand. Just don't go there, it isn't worth the trouble."
"I'm not planning on it." Jason admitted, "But in case I do need to, I'd like to have an idea of what I would be getting into."
Lance had talked to him about Umant before, a city of humans built inside Watcher territory, guarded by their immortal tyrant Creetan. Elves that are captured by them have their ears clipped and are forced to live the rest of their lives as slaves to the humans within, despite Creetan likely being an elf himself. He truly saw no reason to go there, not unless his mission to save this world required it.
"...I do not wish to speak of it, but since you are family, I will indulge you." Nolvi sighed, taking a deep breath to prepare herself, "Umant is built along the Shot that splits the Fae and Fiend woods. It is surrounded by walls that resemble a rose in bloom, but it is not just decoration, for when night falls, the walls close around the entire city like a rosebud. Me and my friends hadn't even seen the stars until we escaped Umant four years ago. Alistair had always told us what they were like, though seeing them first-hand was astonishing." She said with a small smile, "He didn't grow up in Umant like the rest of us, rather he lived among the Atheyare caravans, the only folk allowed entrance into Umant for trade, though they were never allowed to go too far past the gate. Alistair would stop by for one month out of the year before eventually having to leave again, not coming back until winter was done-"
"Then I'll string you up by your ankles, still alive, a wriggling trophy for all to see!" Lance shouted, cutting her off.
Nolvi gulped, "We had a lot of fun as children, despite some of our inhuman origins. It was Twindil however that received the worst treatment, as she is half-elf."
"Why wasn't she ever clipped?" Jason asked, "Based on what I know, it makes no sense that they didn't make her a slave."
"She was never clipped, because no one wanted anything to do with her. She was ignored by everyone, grown-ups, other children, save for us of course, even the guards turned a blind eye to her existence."
"Strange." Jason noted.
"We think it's because Creetan deemed her not deserving of slavery, since she only bore half-elven blood… but the townsfolk still reviled her for it. Her mother only gave her the bare necessities for survival, and as soon as Twindil was old enough to feed herself, she was abandoned. Not even her own mother wanted to be around her." Nolvi said, brows knitting together into a glare, "But things weren't all bad, shortly after that, she apprenticed under a blacksmith, he treated her like his own daughter, even with her elven blood. Then Kazon slew him and took his soul."
"That's why she hates him." Jason nodded, "I understand now."
"It was like that for all of us." Nolvi continued, "Kazon killed Kid'ka's father, my mother, Alistair's fiance, Elum's younger brother, and stole their souls. That is why we want him dead, we must take revenge and free the souls of our loved ones so they can rest."
"Kazon must have done this in Umant then." Jason said, "Around four years ago, before you escaped."
Nolvi nodded, "That's what prompted us to leave, he told us to seek him out and we obliged. There is a secret network of tunnels just beneath Umant, not carved from work, but by Ahkoolis itself. We knew it led outside, but we were too scared to actually use it for that… we'd just play hide and seek or hide from the adults whenever we were in trouble. They didn't know about it. When we were almost free, some strange gray piece of flesh grafted itself onto Elum's arm, it came out of nowhere, lashing about like it was desperate. He stopped it from grabbing me, but he paid the price for it." She frowned, "After we got out into the Faewood, our divine parentage was revealed to us by an Angel of the Pillars, then we became horribly lost, losing each other one by one as we wandered the Faewood."
"I'm surprised that the Watchers didn't just kill you. Considering where you came from." Jason told her.
"I don't know about them, but when the Watcher's found me, I lied, telling them I was a village girl and had lost my way. A kind elf guided me out of the woods and to the nearest human village, I'm guessing my companions did much the same."
"How did you get lost?" Jason asked, "In a situation like that, I would figure you would stick together."
Nolvi sighed, "We were distraught, forced to leave our homes after our families were taken from us, then told that we would be the ones to bring about the end of Decuma. None of us were thinking clearly, we just started running and… Well, suffice to say it didn't take long before we were lost amongst the twisting trees of the Faewood. We found one another again by chance in Grayshane, each of us preparing to go face Kazon on our own. It was almost like fate."
"I see." He said, "Are there any other dangers about Umant I should know about?"
"Besides Creetan himself? The Rose Palace is home to the Clippers, his military and the ones tasked with slicing elven ears for slavery. They're all tall, though none come close to you, and they are all horribly strong." Nolvi drew her lips to a line, "I saw one pull the head off a slave with his bare hands once; the Clippers are Creetan's mauling tendrils, none defy them and live."
"Numbers?" Jason asked.
"I don't know for certain, but over a thousand I'm sure. I remember seeing a big parade of them once, there were too many for me to count, at least at that age." Nolvi told him, "If you want to free the elves captured there, you won't have an easy time of it. The Watchers have been trying for years with only limited success, and even worse, some end up slaves themselves."
He hadn't considered that. Freeing the captured elf slaves from Creetan would improve his relations with the Harkhall for certain, but should he really only consider doing something like that for social gain? If Hector were still alive, he would have wanted to try to free them… Perhaps Jason could give it a shot? No matter how strong these Clippers were, there was no chance they could stand up to him in full Phalanx armor, the only real threat in Umant had to be Creetan himself, someone who was apparently on par with Kazon himself.
They would cross that bridge if they ever came to it, he decided. The imminent end of the world was more important, freeing the elves could come afterward.
"Then I'll wrap the chains around all your joints and make you dance like a crackling marionette you damn dirty dog-faced dung-licker!" Lance shouted at Lithia.
He had no idea that she was capable of such vitriol, but to be fair, Lithia was quite literally pushing her to the limit of her hate. Nolvi clutched her staff with apprehension, looking between Lance and Lithia with concern clear in her gaze.
"I worry that Lance will push grandmother to her limit as well, if that happens then-"
"She won't harm Lance." Jason cut her off, "What I told her earlier was far worse than what's being thrown at her now."
"I suppose you're right, you were little more than a frothing beast." Nolvi told him.
He frowned, "Frothing beast?"
Nolvi nodded, "You looked like a rabid animal, every vein on your face was bulging and your skin was red as blood. I fear I will see that visage in my nightmares, I haven't been to the Dream in quite some time." Nolvi blinked, putting a hand to her mouth.
Jason frowned, "The Dream?" He asked.
Nolvi fiddled with her staff, looking away, "I don't know if I can tell you."
"Why not?" Jason asked.
"It's complicated, I'm sorry but I don't want to speak on it more." She told him, mustering up the will to be firm.
He stared for a moment before nodding, "Alright then."
Jason was curious, but he wasn't going to force the intel out of her. He could guess that, based on the title, that The Dream was a place. Her saying that she'd see something in her nightmares because she hadn't been to 'The Dream' reinforced this idea. Not only that, it implied that it could only be accessed once she was asleep, and if she wasn't sure that she could tell him, that may mean it was a secret kept among the Pillar-Born. Maybe.
They lapsed into silence as Lance continued to rage, with Jason taking the opportunity to try and cast Invisibility three times and maintain them. The first two came relatively easy, but it was the third casting that still evaded his mastery. It felt like he was trying to grab a ball from the floor while his hands were trapped beneath a tank. Once more he didn't understand why he could maintain multiple different spells, but not a third of the same one.
It infuriated him to no end, and after an hour of failed attempts, he let out a frustrated sigh.
"Still trying for the third?" Nolvi asked him after a moment.
"I am." Jason replied, "But no matter what I do, it keeps slipping away."
"Don't feel too bad, grandmother can only maintain a maximum of five spells of the same type, which in this age is completely unheard of." She explained, trying to sound consoling, "This will be harder to learn than simply adding new spells to your repertoire."
"I don't understand why I can maintain multiple others with ease but still not get a third of a particular one. It's infuriating me." He admitted.
Nolvi seemed to light up, "Have you ever seen an Akan-Dari balloon? Ah, nevermind, I suppose you wouldn't have ever seen-"
"We had balloons on Earth." Jason nodded, "You fill them with helium and they float away."
"You aren't supposed to let them go, you know." Nolvi pointed out, "But imagine that the spells you're casting are filling a balloon, but right now your balloon can only fit two of the same spell, trying to fit in a third will make the balloon pop."
"I think I understand what you're saying." Jason told her, "Thank you, I know what I'll have to do now to make this work."
"What's that?"
"I need to get a bigger balloon." He said simply, "If I get better with Foundation, increase the amount I can draw on, I'll be able to attain that third spell." Jason said, "Lithia told me before that using Foundation was similar to using a muscle, and that it could be trained much the same way. I'll push myself to draw more, but not to the point of Burning myself."
Nolvi smiled, "I think that sounds like a great idea, but as your cousin, I warn you that you may also Singe yourself if you push too hard. It's not as bad as Burning of course, but you'll essentially cripple your ability to draw Foundation, so go easy, please?"
"As my cousin?" Jason asked, quirking a brow.
"That is what we are, I don't want a member of my family hurting themselves." Nolvi said simply.
"You barely know me." Jason said, shaking his head, "Blood relation is irrelevant to how you should feel about someone."
Nolvi frowned, "I don't view it that way. Sure, we didn't grow up with one another, but regardless, you are my family. We can always take the time to learn about one another."
Jason hesitated, unsure how to proceed.
Nolvi sighed, averting her eyes, "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
"It's fine, I'm just not used to your line of reasoning." He said, "So does that mean you would rather not fight Pillar-Born that oppose you?"
"They are my family too, of course I don't." She admitted, "But I won't roll over and die either, I have things I still want to do, plants I want to grow, animals I wish to raise, I won't give my life to them easily."
"I don't know how much time you would have left to do those things." Jason said bluntly.
Nolvi's head hung, shoulders going slack. His eyes widened, damn it all, he had hurt her feelings.
"I am sorry." Jason told her, "I don't have a sense for saying the right thing at times."
"You're right, I don't have a lot of time." Nolvi whispered, "But I still want to do as much as I can before I have to go."
"Remember, there could be a cure out there somewhere." He said, trying to sound reassuring.
Nolvi gave a small laugh, "Now you sound like Twindil." She told him, pausing a long while before saying, "I truly hope there is, I don't want to die." She told him, voice quivering as she turned her head away.
Was she crying? Her shoulders were shaking slightly, and her breathing was uneven. He looked over to Lithia to see her glaring daggers at Jason, the most furious he'd ever seen her.
She quickly mouthed, "Make better." Before turning back to Lance.
Jason didn't want to follow her orders, but he also didn't want Nolvi to cry because of something he said. He put a hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to freeze.
"It's going to be okay." He told her firmly.
She didn't reply for a long while, until finally she turned to him, "You say it with such certainty, it almost makes me want to believe you, cousin."
Her spiraling eyes were glistening with tears, but she smiled anyway. Jason internally cursed at himself… this would make it a lot harder to do what needed to be done. Though, perhaps it wouldn't have to come to that after all. As he had been thinking earlier, maybe there truly was a cure, a way to save Nolvi and all the Pillar-Born. If he could find that, he wouldn't have to neutralize them all. Ironically, vampirism might be the cure to the curse of Godhood, they would still need to ask Lithia about it but he wasn't about to give up on the idea entirely. Who knew, maybe there were other methods as well, ones he didn't have the intel on yet… and perhaps…
Perhaps this time, saving lives wouldn't require taking them.