Before the madness took hold, Kilian predicted that Ayden's group would seek further contact. Therefore, his appearance didn't particularly startle Jezebel. In fact, she wondered why he'd not come sooner.
"Your Imperial Highness? What may I do for you?" Jezebel asked with a polite bow, making Ayden's smile broaden in response.
"If I told you that my girlfriend wants a threesome and I'm looking for partners with experience in the domain, would you believe me? No? Worth a try," Ayden shrugged in false helplessness and in a gust of wind, reappeared before Jezebel.
For a second, as if unconvinced by the male disguise, he peered into her gaze, leaning forward, and making Jezebel consider whether to blow up Arcadia's crown prince, or not.
"You like men, don't you? I can see it in your eyes," Ayden stated and pulled his head back.
"It takes one to know one, Your Imperial Highness," Jezebel replied, for indeed, she could see the same thing in Ayden's amber eyes. Homosexuality was no particularly taboo matter within Arcadia—however, the higher the status, the more frowned upon it was. If not because she'd made a proper assessment of his character, Jezebel wouldn't speak such words to Ayden's face—unless, of course, she planned to kill him.
"Actually, I play for both teams, but you're not my type. Your master is more to my tastes. A pity that I'm spoken for. Now now, let's move on to proper business," unfazed by Jezebel's reply, Ayden turned heels, leading the way to a more appropriate discussion setting.
Kept busy by political intrigues, Ayden didn't have the opportunity to contact Kilian's group sooner. Fortunately, the Blood Seraph and its aftermath snatched the old fogies' attention, giving him a minute to handle this.
According to Tristan, of the two by Kilian's side, this "man" was his closest confidante. That being the case, he could start with him. But little did he know that inwardly, Jezebel sneered at his back.
"Boys these days. Ayden, Ayden, for you who can't even see the strings wrapped around your limbs, how are you qualified to approach Kilian? Poor Niklas must have been quite desperate to resort to such means." Weakened or not, a high-ranking fehl Jezebel remained. Sharper than anyone else's, her eyes could see the inconsistencies in Ayden's appearance and aura. Inconsistencies that led her to examine his DNA. And just like she expected, it was identical to Niklas'. The implications were obvious.
Crossing teleportation circles, the two reached Ayden's private student lounge, which he typically used for informal gatherings. Dropping on a sofa, Ayden motioned for Jezebel to sit, and as she did, carried on.
"I won't beat around the bush. Someone whose will not many on Arcadia can challenge, wants me to put Kilian to the test. Is he with us or against us? That type of thing. But I think it's boring, at best. Arcadia is a dark and tasteless world that kneels to one thing only: Might.
There is no need to coerce submission. Become the incarnation of invincibility, and all will naturally bow. Submissive goons are easy to find, partners, on the other hand, that's more challenging. I want partners," Ayden declared, making Jezebel's eyes narrow at him.
"No need to be surprised. A man's life is finite. Even when I become an Exarch, I won't have more than 500 years of life. Power only makes you free. Partners make you whole. In the future, when I look back on the specter of my life, I want to see the figures of people around whom I could relax. People that understood my heart as much as I understood theirs.
I like Kilian's eyes, and believe that with the right choices, we can form such a bond. So I'm willing to give it a try." As Jezebel digested his words, Ayden tossed a purple-gold card at her.
"In one month, the Imperial Academy will host this year's Sura Hunting Game. Typically it occurs mid-school-year. But because of the civil war, the academy plans to hold it early and send its valuable students away. Black-gold students and above are free to join. But for those below, they either pass a test or join a higher-ranked student's team. With this card, Kilian can join mine."
A yearly event during which the Imperial Academy brought its top students to the Sura Plane to train against, and hunt the suras, the Sura Hunting Game was a long-standing Arcadian tradition.
An ancient race that predated humanity, Suras were fairy-like spirits magi could seal in their Elemental Crystals and use to both increase their dra and the power of certain Disciplines. Interestingly, fehl magi couldn't store suras, but could devour and add varying percentages of their powers to themselves, or offer them to bound daemons for boons and greater might.
To say nothing of other forces, across the millennia following the establishment of the academy, millions of suras had been slaughtered by invading students. Needless to say, a sea of resentment split the two sides.
"You need to be at least a Core Emissary to make use of suras. So I can understand why this might not look very appealing to your master. But it will not only serve as valuable experience, he can also trade captured suras for Imperial Grace. I don't think I need to explain the perks.
Considering his 36 Unlocked Roots, Kilian is probably already a Lesser Emissary. I suspect he just doesn't wish to flaunt the achievement. However, with no attributes, it will take years before he can condense a crystal and become a Core Emissary. Sura Magic might also help in speeding up his growth. I've said all I needed to, the rest is up to you." Without further ado, Ayden waved Jezebel away. But for the first time since their encounter, her lips curled into a smile.
"Compared to Niklas you're a lot more interesting. Who could think that the clone would be so much better than the original? You almost remind me of Kilian," Jezebel remarked. Puzzled by the words, Ayden frowned and released his dra.
The vibe changed immediately, but long before Ayden's dra could cause any commotion, Jezebel's invisible pressure choked all resistance out of him. With leisurely steps, she ambled toward the startled crown prince, and leaned toward him.
"Don't bother, I recovered enough that the likes of you can't resist my grasp. Initially, I planned to devour your soul to speed up my recovery, then use my true form to end the academy's fehl searches. But now, I have something else in mind," Jezebel whispered in Ayden's ear and placed her hand on his forehead.
Lilac light flashed within her hand, and Ayden's eyes glazed over.
"When one day you need to rebel against Niklas, this little gift will help you. But beware, when consorting with fehl powers, everything comes at a cost." The murmur of Jezebel's voice etched itself in Ayden's mind, then vanished as if nothing occurred. To him, they'd just ended their sura talk.
With a polite bow, Jezebel thanked Ayden for the opportunity and walked out. It is only much later, that Ayden would realize his lack of wisdom and understand why so many worlds dubbed Jezebel, the Empress of Mayhem.
Later that day, a new string of student disappearances would culminate in the sighting of a fehl summoner and his rampaging daemoness! The creature's appearance triggered the combined assault of the headmaster and department heads; yet it still managed to slip out of their grasp and vanish from academy ground. Thus, the Blood Seraph case ended.