Seiran ran to the landing deck, Niris hot on his heels. There, the ship's medical team took charge of the members of Jabiru's team. Jabiru looked fine apart from his shoulder wound, but the others were exhausted and could barely walk.
-Jabiru! exclaimed the angel as he saw his friend dismount from the oncoming craft.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Holmyr emerge from the angel's shadow and step towards him and Seiran, very cautiously. She was carrying on her back a strange cylindrical object filled with green liquid. Sensing his mother's presence, Seiran hesitantly took a step forward. Holmyr stood still and let him approach. Then she put one knee to the ground and placed the imposing thing she carried on her back. Slowly, she turned it towards the demon, who began to tremble at the sight of what it contained.
Seeing his mother unconscious, floating in the greenish liquid was a blow to him, but at the same time he felt relieved. It was the first time he'd seen his mother since the incident in Yerpena. He'd gone months without hearing from them, not knowing whether she was alive or dead. And now, at last, he could see her, whole and alive, even if unconscious.
He approached and placed a trembling hand on the glass surface. Then he rested his forehead against it. His lips trembled. Niris could feel the emotion at the edge of his lips, threatening to burst out at any moment. He reached out and took his hand. The demon clasped his slender fingers in his gently warm palm. The angel said nothing, and they stayed like that for a while, just long enough for the demon to regain his composure.
Finally, he detached himself from the box and turned to Holmyr.
"Thank you," he said simply.
The sangrin bowed her head deferentially, but didn't straighten up.
-I couldn't save her, I failed in my duty," she said in a voice broken by the remorse gnawing at her.
-Nothing's lost, thanks to you she's in one piece and breathing. That's all that matters. As for the rest, we'll see. You've done your part, now rest.
Holmyr slowly straightened her head, but her empty gaze betrayed her immense regret at not having been able to stop Zorkiel. She was about to reply when an orderly approached her and asked her to follow him for some tests. Reluctantly, the sangrin left the group with Meohle behind and followed the orderly, who almost dragged her behind him.
Jabiru, Niris and Seiran were now alone with Meohle's body in the strange coffin. All around them, preparations were being made to move him to a specialized room for supervision. Although Holmyr had carried it on his back without a hitch, it turned out that the object was particularly heavy.
-I...I know it's not optimal but..." began Jabiru, unsure of how to comfort the demon.
With a piercing glance, Niris told him not to say anything more. Jabiru was very bad at comforting others. It was better for him to keep his mouth shut under these conditions, and Niris made him understand. The angel pursed his lips and scratched the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable.
-It wasn't you or Holmyr who put her in that state," Seiran finally replied, seeming to have regained control of his emotions.
His hand held by the angel was not trembling, and a certain determination gleamed in his gaze fixed on his mother's inert body.
-On the contrary, I'm infinitely grateful to you for putting your life on the line for her. Without you, who knows what would have happened?
Niris pressed the demon's hand into his own. Compassionate with his pain, his gaze was charged with emotion. But Seiran smiled tenderly.
-I don't feel alone anymore, I've got people around me I can count on, and I know I'm not the only one fighting Zorkiel," he said in a soft voice. And now that my mother's here, whatever her condition, I'm a lot less afraid of what might happen to us.
Jabiru sighed.
-Ah, if only Niris could learn from him...
He barely had time to finish his sentence before he was glared at by the prince, who hadn't appreciated his remark.
-You're right, I should let you die the next time something happens to you! riposta l'ange qui avait pris la remarque très à coeur.
-You bet, every time something happens to us, you storm off without warning, even if it's something ridiculous! Jibaru rolled his eyes, pretending to be exasperated, which increased the prince's anger.
Seiran laughed softly as he watched the two angels squabble. He had missed this gentle warmth so much! He couldn't even imagine how he'd lived without it for months without dying inside. He looked tenderly at Niris, who was pretending to kick Jabiru, who was holding him back with her powerful hand resting on his head, laughing. Niris met his gaze and gave him a big smile as Jabiru grabbed him and pretended to wrench him around the neck, laughing as the prince threw his fists in protest against the big muscular forearms holding him back.
Seiran was watching the scene with hilarity when he turned his head to see the person who had just entered. Lou had arrived on the docking deck. Without greeting them, she approached Seiran's mother, her gaze fixed on the glass box that held her. All around them, the crew of the Nymphéa had found a device large enough to carry her, and were beginning to tie ropes around her to hoist her onto it.
The Master of Blades approached and looked down at the strange glass capsule in which Meohle was floating. Impressed by the presence of the master he had never met before, Jabiru released his hold on Niris, who approached his master, intrigued by his strange behavior.
-Master...
He was about to say something when Lou placed his hand on the glass surface. They were all startled when they saw the surface vibrate on contact with his hand and penetrate the liquid glass surrounding the enformed regent. Seiran frowned. He didn't dare interrupt the master, but was deeply concerned by this sudden intrusion into the space that held his ocnfinite mother.
One of the workers tying the ropes shrieked at the sight and fell backwards. His colleagues crowded around him and he quickly got to his feet before turning around, as if to hide what was happening from his view. There was a great deal of tension in the open space, which had been emptied of its occupants by the nurses who had taken charge of all the wounded. They were the last on the scene.
Oblivious to the shock she had caused, Lou continued her inspection. Slowly, she brought her hand close to the demon's body and grasped its wrist. An electric shock ran through the regent's body, and she suddenly opened her eyes.
-Mother!" cried Seiran, who couldn't believe it.
But the demoness didn't react. She was still in a state of unconsciousness despite her wide-open eyes. The master kept his hand closed on Meohle's wrist for a moment, before releasing it and slowly drawing his hand back out. The glass became rigid again, as if nothing had gone through it. Not a scratch, nothing. The surface of the capsule was smooth. It was as if they'd all been dreaming together about what had just happened. In the greenish liquid, the regent had closed her eyes and seemed to be drifting off to sleep again, as calm as the sea in summer.
It was Niris' turn to frown as the demon looked at the master of blades with bewildered eyes. It was the first time he'd seen her in action, but he knew the technique. It was a technique for penetrating objects. An extremely difficult technique that few manipulators could perform, and which was one of his master's specialties. But to be able to perform it, you had to know the composition of the material to be able to penetrate it. But it was impossible for Lou to know the composition of the strange green liquid!
Niris approached his master, who looked very disturbed. Contact with the regent must have brought him something crucial.
-Master, do you know this technique? questioned the prince gently.
-Yes, I know it very well, since I know its inventor," she said gravely.
-Its inventor? You mean he... Wasn't Zorkiel the one who developed it?" urged Seiran, who could hardly wait to get his mother out of this condition.
All around them, the hustle and bustle of attaching the capsule containing Meohle to the transporter had resumed, and the workers continued to carefully secure the ropes around the glass structure.
-I don't know what the connection between them is, but...one thing's for sure: whoever developed this technique lived in my time," she replied, absorbed in her memories. And I can't imagine how Zorkiel could have reproduced it so perfectly.
Her eyes seemed to be looking elsewhere. It was as if she was replaying scenes from a past that only she had experienced.
-Perhaps he had access to documents explaining it? tried to reassure her, Niris sensing the distress in her lost gaze.
But Lou shook her head.
-He couldn't have. He never documented anything because he knew the technique could be misused, so he didn't want to leave any trace. And no one else could have developed it, it's impossible...
She shook her head as she spoke.
-There's no way Zorkiel could have done this without having direct access to the details of the technique...
Without a sound, the workers tipped the glass capsule onto the back of the machine that was to carry it. In the space of a few minutes, it was hoisted without a hitch, and the crew carefully secured the ropes. With an almost discreet roar, the machine finally took off.
The small group watched the manoeuvre without saying a word. They found themselves alone in the large landing hangar, surrounded by emptiness and silence.
-You mean you know what this green liquid is? What's its function? Can you wake up my mother?" urged the demon, whose eyes sparkled with hope.
-Yes, I know, but to be able to wake her up...
The master looked away and sighed. She seemed to be prey to a complex conundrum for which she had no idea of the solution.
-This liquid is an absorbent liquid, in that it absorbs the life of whatever is put inside," she began her explanation.
Seiran's questioning gaze urged her to continue.
-Zorkiel must have intended to possess or occupy your mother's body, or at least use it as a representation. In any case, to do this, he must first empty the body of what animates it: life. Your mother's consciousness was an obstacle to his possession of her body, so he used this plasma to extract consciousness, or life, from your mother's body, while keeping the body alive and intact.
Seiran stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. As complex as the explanation was, and he understood that it wouldn't be easy to bring his mother back to life in such a simple way, knowing how it worked gave him some hope, however slight, of one day finding a solution.
-So...if we remove the liquid from the capsule...he began to think aloud.
-Your mother dies instantly," Lou finished coldly.
The demon swallowed. It was a direct answer, but at least he had the answer to his question.
-To put it simply, this system needs to be connected to a plasma circuit that regenerates it continuously over a long period of time in order to completely extract consciousness from a body," Lou continued. If this isn't done, the consciousness remains stuck in the liquid and the rest stuck in the body. That's why the body falls into a kind of lethargy during the process. As long as there's consciousness left in the person's body and the liquid containing the consciousness that has been absorbed is intact, then it's still possible to reverse the process.
This time she planted her eyes in those of the demon, who couldn't help hoping. Unfortunately, she had to tell the truth, even if it meant destroying the demon's hope that was hanging on her every word.
-I know this technique and how to make it work, but I don't know how to reverse it," she admitted frankly. Whoever perfected it...well...I fell asleep before he finished perfecting the reverse process.
She lowered her eyes and Niris saw a deep pain in her green irises. Again, silence fell.
-But...there was supposed to be a reverse process, wasn't there? insisted Seiran, clinging to the slightest hope.
Lou heaved a deep sigh before straightening her head, her eyes stinging with the salt of bitterness. She looked away so as not to betray herself, but no one made any comment.
-It was planned, yes," she finally replied. Basically, this technique was designed to remove only a part of a person's consciousness, then restore all but that part. It was a very fine technique, requiring a great deal of skill, but could be very dangerous if used for the wrong reasons.
-Who could have developed such a technique? asked Jabiru, who had remained silent until then.
-A madman who thought he could cure idiots and the mentally ill by removing the evil at its root," replied the master of blades.
The memory seemed to be costing him. Niris wanted to put an end to the conversation one way or another, but he couldn't see how to do so without risking hurting someone. So he remained silent, watching his master and his lover face each other, eyes glued to the floor, unable to look at each other.
-But I'm going to do everything I can to find her," Lou finally said, raising his eyes to face the demon's regad. I'm the only one who knows this technique, and if I take up the work of its creator, maybe I'll be able to find the solution. I can't promise you anything, Seiran, but I can try. In any case, the fact that she opened her eyes when I touched her means that there's still some of her consciousness inside her, so nothing's lost.
The demon gave him a grateful smile.
-Thank you, really. I know it's costing you... or at least I can guess," he said empathetically. It means a lot to me, just to know you'll be working on it.
Lou nodded. She seemed to gather her strength to regain her consistency, then turned to Niris.
-We need to take stock of what's going to happen next, so meet me in the break room behind the atrium for a quiet chat.
-I'll be there," he said earnestly.
With that, the master of blades left the room. The three friends found themselves alone in the vastness of the hangar, as if abandoned by the world.
-Well, I'm going to get some rest," Jabiru finally breaks the silence. This mission has worn me out, I need at least a month's rest.
Niris smiled at his joke and wished him a speedy recovery. The angel laid an affectionate hand on the demon's arm, who thanked him with a smile, then took his leave.
Niris turned to the demon, who looked exhausted. This emotional overload had been quite a whipping for him.
-You should rest too, it's been a busy day," suggested the angel who had taken his hand again.
The demon nodded and let himself be dragged along behind him. Once Seiran was back in his cabin, Niris went to the training room. He stayed there for several hours, working mainly on precision energy control, to perfect the knowledge of energy flows he had begun at Selanpe.
Seiran eventually fell asleep. He woke up a few hours later, just as the evening was getting underway and everyone was going about their business or enjoying the evening ahead. Feeling a little haggard, he decided to go for a walk to refresh his mind. After putting on a jacket, he stepped outside and headed for the strolling rail.
He had an idea of where he wanted to go. Not quite awake yet, he slid down to where he wanted to go, but was rudely brought back to reality by a shock that made him drop the railing.
"Your Highness, are you all right?" came a worried voice above him.
He raised his head and found Viknard looking at him with concern.
-I'm sorry I didn't see you," he apologized.
Seiran straightened up and reached for the railing despite the absence of a gavit. He wasn't used to ships in areas without any gravity, so he sometimes let himself be surprised by the movement of people around him when he wasn't paying attention.
-It's all right," he reassured him with an apologetic smile. I was lost in thought, it's my fault.
Once they'd recovered from their collision, the two men looked at each other and smiled. Absurd as it may seem, Viknard was taller than Seiran. He wasn't used to having to raise his head to talk to his interlocutor, and it felt funny. He couldn't help thinking of Niris, who was shorter than him and had to spend all his time with his head up to talk to him. The thought made him smile inwardly. He already missed the little angel, just thinking about him.
-Were you going somewhere? Lipution's voice suddenly brought him back to reality.
-Oh, I was just going out for a breath of fresh air," said Seiran. It's been a hectic day and I slept all afternoon.
-Ah, yes, I heard about your mother," Viknard said empathetically.
The two men resumed their stroll towards the observation platform. Seiran needed a quiet place with a wide view, to which he didn't have access most of the time on the Nymphea. Once there, they stood in front of the large window opening onto the infinity of space.
-I'm sure the Master of Blades will find a way to wake your mother," Viknard tried to reassure him.
-I have no doubt, she's a wonderful person, so powerful and...
He didn't finish his sentence. The turmoil he'd seen in the master's eyes this morning never left him. If someone as powerful as her was destabilized by the technique that had imprisoned his mother, he was under no illusions. Restoring the regent's consciousness would be extremely difficult, especially as it seemed Lou would have to delve into painful memories to do it.
-Indeed," confirmed the Lipution, who turned his gentle smile toward the void of space. His Highness Niris is very lucky to have him as a master.
-Yes, of course," Seiran replied politely.
He didn't want to get involved in this complex subject, which he knew was sensitive for the angel.
-After all, His Highness is exceptional in his own right, and I have no doubt that one day he'll surpass the Master of Blades," added Viknard, turning a curious gaze towards the demon.
-He's certainly not outdone," replied the demon cautiously.
The lupution watched him with an interest that didn't escape Seiran. He looked away to put some distance between them, and decided he shouldn't drag out the conversation.
-You seem very close to His Highness Prince Niris. How did you meet, if you don't mind my asking?
-Ah, no, it's not," Seiran laughed.
He hadn't expected such a direct question from her.
-Mmh...in a rather peculiar context, in Yerpena. But yes, we're pretty close.
He didn't elaborate and turned to Lipution with a polite smile. They hadn't discussed it with Niris yet, but he knew it was best to keep their relationship a secret for the time being.
-I think it's a good thing," Viknard nodded. His Highness seems to trust you. At least he'll have someone to talk to.
Seiran smiled but said nothing.
-You're a good person, Your Highness," Lipution finally said gently.
His words touched the demon in spite of himself. It was the first time someone had been so direct with him and expressed his impression of him in such a positive way. Even though he knew there was interest behind it, he couldn't help being touched.
-I don't know if I'm any help to her, but I hope I can at least...at least help her find some inner peace.
He had lowered his head as he spoke, feeling overwhelmed by emotion. Between his mother whom he hadn't been able to save and didn't know if he could do anything for her, his sister who was in Zorkiel's hands, and Niris who had to face alone the world that distrusted him and Niyarii who was a constant threat, the feeling of uselessness that had invaded him since Zorkiel's takeover partially took over.
-I'm sure he'll find what he's looking for with you, otherwise he wouldn't stay. From what I know, Prince Niris is a cold person who keeps such a distance from others that it's very difficult to get close to him. But when I see him with you, he seems much more open. Freer. And I don't think someone who doesn't bother with formalities, even with people of his own rank, would waste his time with someone he didn't fully trust.
Viknard's succinct but comprehensive analysis had the effect of a whiplash for Seiran. It was the first time he'd heard anyone talk about Niris in this way. It was raw but true, direct but without malice. To him, Niris had always been this adorable angel he cherished, who curled up against him and confided his fears to him, but to others he was this prince, handsome and cold, distant, who looked more like a magnificent statue than a living being. And in this, he had never realized how much Niris confided in him and trusted him when it was right under his nose.
-Thank you...Viknard, he swallowed hard, suddenly overcome by emotion.
The Lipution returned his radiant smile.
-I say this so you understand that you're a warm person who deserves to be cherished and appreciated," he replied. You bring comfort to others, and that's important. Never forget that you need to be comforted too.
The demon smiled slightly. He'd never have thought this shy, introverted-looking Lipution capable of such audacity.
-I'd have liked to chat with you longer, but I've got to get back to the commander, she wants me to help her supervise the night flight," he apologized reluctantly.
-Please," said Seiran, returning the salute. Thank you for keeping me company.
-My pleasure!
Viknard eventually left, taking the walkway railing, and Seiran found herself alone against the black immensity that dominated him. Alone with his thoughts. He let out a deep sigh when he felt someone approach him and wrap their arms around his waist.
He turned and his face lit up when he saw Niris gazing at him with her beautiful green eyes. He took him in his arms and the angel nestled close to him. Gently, he rubbed his cheek against his hair and kissed the top of his head.
-Did you have a good workout?" he asked softly.
-Yes, I've just had a shower," replied the angel. I'm baked.
-It's time to go to bed," murmured the demon, who had laid his cheek on the angel's hair.
He breathed easily. How good he felt! As soon as he hugged the little angel, he felt soothed and all his bad thoughts and anxieties left him. He wouldn't want to be anywhere else but by his side. As if reading his thoughts, Niris raised his head. They gazed into each other's eyes, then Seiran leaned over and placed his lips on those of the angel, who closed her eyes. For a moment, they lay forehead to forehead, savoring the fulfillment that only the two of them could share.
-You should have come sooner if you were already here," Seiran finally said, having seen through the angel's game.
The angel began by burying her head in the demon's chest before answering reluctantly.
-We need to keep a low profile for now, I didn't want him to get the wrong idea about us.
-I wouldn't have minded," the demon grinned. But I know what you mean.
He couldn't help but find the angel's jealous pout adorable for not wanting to admit his guilty feelings, even though he hated the idea of knowing he was torturing himself inside. He rubbed his nose against her cheek, then kissed her in the same spot.
-Let's get some sleep, it's been a big day.
The angel nodded. Seiran took his hand and guided him towards the railing. He promised himself he'd never let anyone make the angel feel miserable. And that never, even if he had to put forced distance between himself and anyone who didn't respect that wish, would he let anyone cast uncertainty over his feelings towards him. As long as he had the certainty of loving him and the desire to cherish him, he would protect him from all those who would selfishly seek to gain access to him against even his own will. Love is selfish, he knew, and could cause as much harm as good. So he would protect his love from the selfishness that gnawed at all individuals living in this intergalaxy, indiscriminately, and with the selfish desire to protect the one he loved and what they had built.