Ah, I'm Bored
'Ah, I'm bored.'
A few days had passed in the nest. Kar had claimed his spot in the corner, and Prostia climbed up every other day for some meat. It was peaceful enough, but... what could I say.
...there's just nothing to do.
I flopped onto the turaka hide rug and stared at the ceiling before my gaze drifted over to Kar. He was curled up in the corner, tail tucked around him, snoring away. Looked like he had the life.
Bored enough to mess with him, I guess.
I channeled just a tiny bit of mana into my fingertip and blew a puff of wind right at his nostrils. His nose twitched.
Ooh, once more.
This time, I let it brush his snout tip.
"Grrr...?"
Kar half-opened his eyes and glanced my way. I quickly averted my gaze, pretending nothing happened. He stared for a good while before closing his eyes again.
That's when a familiar scent hit my nose—damp and heavy, demonic energy. It was rising from lower down the World Tree.
Oh, this smell.
The leaves rustled, and long black hair appeared first. Then Verat leisurely stepped onto the nest's edge.
"Nox, I'm he—"
He paused mid-step as his foot hit the rim, eyes sweeping the nest with a flicker of curiosity.
"...It's different."
"Yeah. Fixed it up."
Verat stepped inside, looking around. He ran a finger along the woven wood, glanced up at the roof.
"Who did it?"
"The elves."
"...The elves had skills like this?"
"Right? Surprised me too."
Verat settled on the floor under the roof. "Nice."
"Told ya."
In the corner, Kar bristled his scales and shrank even smaller, tucking his tail and half-covering his face with a wing.
Still intimidated by Verat, huh.
I pulled some wyvern meat from my subspace and slapped it on a stone slab. Fire lit, and the fat sizzled, sending up savory smoke.
Sizzle—! Yeah, that's the sound.
I sliced off a piece and slid it toward Verat. He took it and bit in.
"Anything happen while I was gone?"
"Went to the Divine Realm."
Verat froze mid-bite.
"...The Divine Realm?"
"Yeah. This god named Lucas wanted to meet."
"Lucas, God of Space? Why?"
"Asked all sorts about me. How I grew so fast, if someone's backing me."
Verat's eyes narrowed. His fingers hovered over the meat.
"...And?"
"Told him no one, but he didn't buy it."
Was such a pain.
"So what happened?"
"Got annoyed and flared my mana. Then he believed me. Said it was clean."
Verat picked up the meat again but held it without eating.
"...Hell of an introduction."
"Pain in the ass."
By the time the meat was half gone, Verat opened his subspace and pulled out a large basket.
"The promised stuff."
It was filled with Tarsia. Dark red light rippled slowly inside.
So this is Tarsia.
I chomped a bite.
...Whoa.
Warm, thick sweetness flooded my tongue—like something simmered down for ages.
Verat set his meat down and watched me. "How is it?"
"Delicious."
I pulled an Astreia from my subspace and set them side by side.
Wonder what happens if I eat them together.
Tarsia first, then Astreia.
...Ooh.
Cool sweetness poured over the warm one. The flavors didn't mix—they stayed in their lanes.
Reverse it?
Astreia first, then Tarsia.
...This works too.
Like they took turns without clashing. What were these fruits?
They go so well together.
Verat stared quietly.
"...No reaction?"
I met his gaze. "Huh? Why w—" I stopped.
Something thrummed inside me.
...Huh?
Deep in my core, things were colliding. Divine power from Astreia shoving against Tarsia's demonic energy.
My core heated up.
...Oh, this feels off.
Breath caught. My hand drifted to my chest on instinct.
Then, dormant attribute magic stirred inside—wind, lightning, fire, water—squeezing between the clashing forces.
Oh?
The four attributes buffered them, pushing divine and demonic energies apart. The shaking settled as they separated.
With the clash over, my core sucked in the scattered energy. It grew firmer, larger with every bit absorbed.
...Ooh.
My chest felt solid. Body lighter overall. The energies quieted in the expanded core.
Kar twitched in the corner, peeked at me, then shut his eyes again.
What was that?
I tested my mana control. Flow to my fingertips was faster, sharper than before.
Quick. And my body's way lighter.
A few more tests. Definitely smoother.
...Nice.
Another bite of Tarsia, then Astreia. This time, the energies flowed through without bumping.
All good now.
I looked up. Verat sat frozen, meat in hand. His usual relaxed expression had faded. Just staring.
...What's with him.
"Verat."
"...Yeah."
"Tarsia does this too?"
Verat didn't answer. He closed his eyes briefly, exhaled short.
"...No."
"My core got bigger."
"..."
"Mana control's easier too."
Verat set the meat down. Scratched the stone slab's edge with a nail, pulled away. Inhaled deeply, eyes locked on me.
Why's he staring like that.
I'd given him the Tarsia to gauge his reaction. Anything with divine power rejects demonic energy. At divine beast level or above, you could expel or convert it—but below that, mild illness at best, death at worst.
Either response would've hinted at Nox's vessel.
But Nox neither expelled nor converted.
...Not divine beast level?
That'd be dangerous. If he couldn't handle that much demonic energy, I'd have to extract it before it wrecked him.
I gathered demonic energy in my fingertip, reached toward him—then stopped.
Something awakened in Nox's core. As divine power and demonic energy collided, four streams of attribute magic surged from his core, wedging between them.
Not pushing out, not replacing. Holding them up, forcing coexistence in one structure.
Unbelievable. Divine power and demonic energy couldn't coexist by nature. It defied everything I knew.
And the attributes bridged them, making his core stronger, larger. A vessel that grew over decades, centuries—
Three hundred years ago, on my last surface trip, no such being existed. Grown this much in three centuries?
Impossible.
Nox eyed me while munching Tarsia, oblivious to what had just happened inside him.
...What the hell are you.
I'd have to report this. A surface being with potential to rival gods or the Demon King? Had to reach His Majesty.
But looking at that face, still eating Tarsia... I wanted to watch a bit longer.
...Dunno what reporting would do.
His Majesty ignored the surface. One more ducal report wouldn't move him.
But it'd reach his ears eventually, and who knows what decision he'd make later.
Nox grabbed another Tarsia and popped it in.
...I'll hold off reporting for now.
Just observe.
Verat stared at the stone slab for a while before looking away.
"...Your vessel expanded."
"Vessel?"
"A being's capacity. Also called realm. Think of it like that. Normally grows over centuries, millennia."
That's what it was?
Verat picked up a Tarsia and chewed slowly. Swallowed slower than usual.
"But you..."
He trailed off, exhaled shortly.
"...Be careful."
"Of what?"
"The ones above you."
His fingertip scratched the slab's edge again.
"You're not normal. No clue how those above will react. Even I don't."
"Above?"
"The gods. And my side."
...My side?
"...The Demon King?"
Verat bit into a Tarsia.
"I'll bury this for now."
"...Thanks."
He looked up at me. "That's it?"
"Yeah."
"...You're too simple."
"What."
Verat chuckled softly. It could be dangerous—that much I got, even without details.
Come to think of it, Lucas had said something similar.
Eh, it'll work out.
Another bite of Tarsia. No reaction from the core.
...Good for now.
I sliced more meat and slid it over. "Eat up."
Verat took a bite, shook his head lightly while chewing.
We ate in silence for a bit. Sunlight filtering through the roof leaves turned red, shadows stretching across the floor.
"Verat."
"Yeah."
"Can you bring Tarsia often?"
"If you want."
"Bring lots. Goes great with Astreia."
Verat paused mid-bite.
"...Got it."
"Come whenever. Bring a ton."
Verat smiled. A soft snore rose from Kar in the corner.
Prostia hadn't shown today.
Sensed Verat's demonic energy from below and stayed away, probably.
Verat stretched out on the turaka hide. "This place is nice."
"Told ya."
"...Mind if I crash?"
"Do what you want."
Verat gazed at the ceiling. Eyes half-lidded.
My core was quiet. The earlier tremor gone. Body felt lighter than usual. Even sitting still, breaths came deeper.
Oh, so this is what a bigger vessel feels like.
I didn't fully get it, but it wasn't bad. Pretty good, even.
Verat's words from earlier brushed my mind—the bit about higher beings.
...Eh, it'll work out.
Body light, Tarsia sweet, Kar snoring. That was enough.
That's all I need.
Sunlight faded through the leaves, leaving only the jewels' evening glow on the floor.
Kar snored loudly once more. Verat's breaths mingled with it.