"You are finally here," Ashera squinted her eyes with a slightly irritated look on her face as she looked at the boy standing several feet away from her. Although his clothes were comically small, he was still a dashing young man. His hair was carelessly left over his shoulder, yet it added to his charm. It was a shame that she didn't get to see those deep blue eyes that she had only caught a glimpse of in Ivor's memories. But she wasn't going to ask him to take the blindfold off because it was a wise decision on the part of the boy to avoid her eyes.
"Pardon my disrespect Mistress Ashera," Mane bowed slightly in apology. He was very much in the wrong here, and it would be foolish to do anything but accept his mistake.
"Pff," Sunflower softly laughed upon seeing Mane's current appearance. His appearance in those clothes when taking the bow, coupled with his serious expression was as sight to behold.
"Sigh," Ashera turned to look at the snickering Sunflower standing next to her. When Sunflower brought Mane in, she walked to her Mistress's side having accomplished what she was asked to do. She stood to Ashera's left whilst Rose was on Ashera's right. As for Daisy she was still on the 5th Floor. That floor was huge and housed many creatures – rare and powerful alike – that Ashera had captured over the years. It was going to take some time to find Silver.
"Behave Sun," Rose chided, and Sunflower cutely stuck out her tongue in protest.
"What shall I even do with you," Ashera smiled bitterly and whispered. Sunflower had never been one for decorum. Added to the fact that Ashera pampered her greatly, she was the most unrestrained amongst the three sisters.
"Come closer," Ashera beckoned Mane. Once she spoke Rose move to the back and brought out a stool. She then placed it a few feet away from Ashera.
Mane nodded his head and kept his cool. Of course he heard Sunflower's snicker. And he knew that it was about his clothes. After all, she hadn't been kind enough to hide her reactions to his clothes on their way here.
Mane walked towards the stool and sat down. Because the entire tower was made of Edict, everything in this place was coated with energy. So Mane's senses were able to pick the outline of everything around and transmit the knowledge of the environment into his brain. And that was how he was able to move around without his sight. As he got used to this, his senses became sharper and it was not taking as long as it should have for him to tell what was around him. His constant use of his senses was tiring, but he could feel his Scholar level slowly but surely improving.
"How is your room?" Ashera asked once Mane was seated. The boy was going to be here for a long time. So it was important that he felt comfortable with the place he would be sleeping in.
"It is good Mistress Ashera. Thank you for your generosity." Mane was swift with his response. Although he would rather not be here, he couldn't say that now, could he?
"Do you keep forgetting that I am a telepath," a lovely voice intruded Mane's mind and reminded him that it was important to not even think about anything that wasn't flattering towards Ashera. Mane smiled bitterly when he heard her voice. He hadn't forgotten that he was in the presence of a Telepath. It was easier to think about something than to not think at all.
"How do you find everything here?" Ashera asked as she took a sip of her tea. She turned her head to Sunflower and nodded at her. And the last of the triplets smiled before moving to the back to retrieve a small table similar to the one Ashera had before her. There was a teakettle and a teacup on the table. Sunflower gently placed the table in front of Mane before proceeding to fill his cup with tea. As the aroma of the tea invaded Mane's nostrils, he finally understood what kind of tea it was.
"This is Spirit Tea?" Mane was stunned. When he first came in he could smell the sweet aroma in the room. But because the energy from the tea was being absorbed by Ashera and Rose, he thought it was just a sweet smelling beverage. He didn't think so now that his body was carelessly bathing in the glow of Edict.
"You are knowledgeable," Ashera was a bit surprised that Mane knew what this was. Many people in this world, including those of the three Great Races, had no idea about this tea. It was a precious resource that was unavailable to most. Of course Mane knew what Spirit Tea was. Maybe in this world it wasn't popular, but in the True Universe it was a different situation. 2nd Master had always raved about how amazing Spirit Tea was. Apparently it was very abundant on her planet. So much so that they exported the precious herb to other planets for income. Mane had seen pictures of it before and knew its effects, so when it was placed before him he knew exactly what it was.
"Thank you," Mane turned to Sunflower and said. The only lady who had seen him naked in this world smiled and replied, "You're welcome," before taking her position next to him. It seemed that she was the one going to be serving him.
"Thank you for your generosity Mistress Ashera," Mane didn't forget who it was that had given him the tea. As his body slowly soaked in the nutritious effects of Spirit Tea, the hole on his chest began to itch and slowly healed up. His broken ribs started to heal even more rapidly. And Mane was confident that in a few hours his injuries would be no more!
"You are very quiet," Ashera turned to face the fairy sitting on Mane's shoulder to communicate with her. Although Ashera could see Hildegarde, neither Rose nor Sunflower could see her. If Sunflower knew that a little fairy had been watching when she was trying to embarrass Mane in the bathtub, Mane didn't know what she would think – or how she would react.
"Are you afraid of me?" Ashera smiled slightly and asked. She would be unnerved if someone was able to do something beyond the laws of this world.
"No Mistress Ashera," Hildegarde shook her head and said. She was scared when Ashera first found her out, but after seeing how Ashera was treating Mane, all that fear had been tossed out the window. There was something else that bothered her though. She had been quiet all this while because she had been trying to get in touch with the Fairy Headquarters. They were only allowed to contact Headquarters whenever there was an unusual activity beyond the abilities of the fairy. Usually she should have been able to reach them. But for some reason she hadn't been able to ever since she reached this tower.
"Then is it because you can't call for help?" Ashera asked, thinking that Hildegarde was trying to contact some reinforcements.
"Who can save us from the hand of a Phenom?" Hildegarde smiled bitterly and said. Her words made Ashera's smile extend even wider, almost covering her entire face.
"I am intrigued about you," Ashera suddenly told Hildegarde.
"Because I am a fairy?" Hildegarde asked.
"No. I have seen fairies before." Ashera shook her head. "You intrigue me because I cannot read your mind," Ashera furrowed her brows and added. She was still smiling, but there was a slight chilliness in that smile that even Mane could feel.
He didn't know what Ashera was saying to Hildegarde. But Hildegarde hadn't hidden her replies. So he knew that the two were engaged in conversation. He could feel Ashera's aura grow a bit hostile so Mane hoped that Hildegarde hadn't done anything to offend the Ascender.
"Never mind," Ashera took her eyes off Hildegarde and took back her hostility as suddenly as it had appeared. Hildegarde breathed a small sigh of relief when she felt the constricting aura that was coagulating around her disappear.
As a precaution every fairy had a lock placed on their minds by the Fairy King himself. So as long as Hildegarde wasn't foolish enough to reply Ashera with her own thoughts and therefore create a crack in that lock, she would be safe. If Ashera found out that she was trying to reach the Fairy Headquarters, she doubted that her link to Mane would be enough to save her.
Although it was strange that Ashera had remained silent for a while, neither Rose nor Sunflower revealed any expressions of confusion. They both assumed that Ashera was speaking to Mane privately. However, whilst Rose had a stoic expression on her face, Sunflower had a slight twinkle in her eye. She wanted to know what her Mistress and Mane were talking about. She would wait for Mane to leave before asking of course.
"Mistress Ashera, if I may ask you something?" Mane requested.
"You may," Ashera took a sip of her tea and gave him the go ahead.
"What do you want from me?" Mane asked the question he was most curious about. He was far weaker than even Ashera's servants. For he couldn't even sense their power levels. All he knew was that they were at likely Nobles. Ashera herself was an Ascender. She was also a Scholar. So there was no way Mane could actually help her with anything. So why had she brought him here? And what did she actually want from me.
Ashera smiled slightly when she heard Mane's question before her voice wormed its way into Mane's head, "You tell me. You are the Supreme, aren't you?"