"So, I heard you say you're leaving soon. Where do you plan on going? Are you going to try to meet up with Charlotte?" Yelena asked as they sat down across from each other at a table in her living quarters.
"No, I thought I said that? I'm going back to Palatine to meet up with Emperor Talaro again. However, I plan to kill a few more of the 6th stagers that are stationed around the capital before I do that."
"A few more? Implying that you've killed some of them already?" Yelena raised a skeptical eyebrow. She wasn't well versed in knowing one's exact stage, but she could usually tell how strong someone was instinctively.
This was something that she practiced and trained over the years to make up for her lack of an accurate way to gauge an enemy. Kayn surely felt powerful, but to kill a 6th stage? She couldn't quite think that highly of him yet.
"Yes, a few. Two people that claimed they were elders of the Black Hand Society, some Carnet guy that wielded a spear, a mage, and then some chick who with full coverage armor with a sword and shield." Kayn replied while giving a few details of each to see if she knew any of them.
"…So, Griselda is dead huh? Did she die a good death at least?" Yelena asked as she looked a little forlorn.
"I'm guessing that's the sword and shield user. If so, then we had a long fight, she was a tough opponent, her power was somewhere in the low to mid-tier of the 6th stage. Sounds like you knew her, did you ever fight her then?"
"I guess you could say that. Though, I could never bring myself to kill her." Yelena answered with an affirming nod.
"Why's that? With your power, you could have probably killed her within a few exchanges if it were a one on one."
"Well, we used to fight a lot…above the bed. I just couldn't resolve myself to kill her when I met her on the battlefield these last few years." Yelena answered Kayn's question while sighing.
"Were you also a Carnet soldier once upon a time?" Kayn asked as this was unexpected.
"No, and neither was she until a couple hundred years ago. We had been together for close to 100 years, and then the day we met that fucking bastard from Carnet happened. I saw a weird glint in his eye when he looked at her. I didn't know if it was greed to have her or envy towards me who was holding her hand. But the next thing I knew after going out to explore is that I was single and she was one of his new concubines.
"I tried to ask her why. I tried to ask her what happened. But she just turned a blind eye to everything we built. She felt like a different person. I searched her body from the shadows to see if I could find any slave devices on her, but even when I watched her completely disrobe, I saw nothing.
"Eventually, I had to give up on her and move on. I saw as she slaughtered innocent people during this war, something she would never do before. It was then that I knew the person I loved wasn't there anymore, but I still couldn't bring myself to end her life. So, thank you." Yelena gave Kayn a small bow with her head as she was still seated on a chair.
"I'm sorry that happened to you. Why didn't you ever go after Emperor Carnet then?" Kayn asked as she was definitely one of the most powerful people he knew and even Charlotte acknowledged her strength.
"Are you crazy? That bastard is a monster. Even if both of us are at the peak of the journey and could probably ascend whenever wanted, that doesn't make us equals. As you said, I could have probably killed Griselda in one or two exchanges, but Emperor Carnet could do the same to me." She replied with a seriousness that Kayn rarely saw from her.
"What…? You're kidding right?"
"Unfortunately, no. That man is an absolute monster. Mancea's Emperor is strong, but he would never be able to defeat Carnet. If all of the 6th stagers teamed up on him, maybe? But then Mitas would come in and we would definitely lose. Between the two of them, Carnet is stronger but Mitas is more technical and spell-savvy in battles. He makes up for his lack of power with strategy and his ridiculous undead minions. Honestly, if the two of them fought, I'm not sure who would win."
Kayn was clenching his fists tighter and tighter as Yelena spoke. How was he supposed to kill someone that monstrous? If they were as powerful as Yelena was saying, he would need to reach the bottom of the 6th stage minimum himself, even with all of his advantages.
Granted, the bottom versus the peak is normally a slaughter going the way of the peak expert, but that's the threshold Kayn assumed he needed to reach to be up to the level that Yelena was describing. Kayn released his fists as he sighed, this whole thing might take longer than he wanted, but this was also his best opportunity to get it done.
Charlotte would be able to protect Lara for the time being, so he wasn't worried. His only worry came from when she would form her core. Not everyone would form one, but having two parents that did, it was inevitable she would form her own eventually.
Just forming her core wouldn't alert the people trying to kill the Obsidian Void Dragon Clan to her location, but if she repeatedly used magic without something to control the void aspect of her aura from emanating, they would eventually find her. Fortunately, he should have a few years before her magic was actually traceable.
After all, if they didn't respond to his own core formation, or Clementine's, they shouldn't to Lara's. Kayn could only come to the conclusion that it was because they didn't use the void element specifically nor was it ingrained in their every spell as it would have been if they were pure dragons.
Clementine only had a fire aptitude, so she probably would have been safe until she reached the higher stages when her draconic nature emerged more. Though, every rank up would probably release more of it as Kayn had noticed with his own evolutions.
Kayn could only hope that Lara didn't have a dark aptitude and followed closer to their father's elements since a dark elemental aptitude was required to use the void element. If she couldn't use it, the less her nature as an Obsidian Void Dragon would spread, even if she was casting spells.
Hopefully, she ended up with light and fire aptitudes, then Charlotte would surely mentor her as a healer. As proficient of a killer as Kayn was, he didn't wish that for his sister. Being a healer was fulfilling in a way that he couldn't describe, plus that would help ensure her safety even more.
*Cough* Yelena cleared her throat a little as Kayn seemed to get lost in thought and she still had more to tell him.
"Ah, sorry. I was lost in my own thoughts for a moment there. Thank you for telling me about that Carnet bastard's strength and sharing your story. While I'm sad that it came to it, I'm glad I was able to help bring peace to that part of your life, even if it wasn't my intention."
What Kayn didn't tell her was that he had devoured Griselda's core as he didn't think she would take that well. However, what she brought up next surprised him.
"Speaking of relationships…I believe you need to think about what you'll do once you meet that young elf girl again."
Caught off guard, Kayn could only blink repeatedly in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"That girl, she has tremendous talent with mana, but abysmal potential. In the time I watched her, she worked harder than anyone else. No one really knows this, but the more often you empty your core, the quicker you'll rank up. Charlotte may have let it slip once she saw her determination to reach you, so she worked day and night to get to the next stage.
"Unfortunately, while she could progress through the first few stages quickly and was considered a genius for her age, her potential is, frankly speaking, trash. Why do you think her grandfather never reached the 4th stage even with his age and daily use?
"People aren't born equal. It's the sad truth of this world. Whether you're born into a good family and raised without struggle or you possess no limit to your journey, some people are just more blessed than others. Your girlfriend unfortunately, will probably never reach the 4th stage."
Kayn was shocked by this revelation. No one had ever told him about there being limits to what one could achieve in this world. He assumed it was all based on one's own talent, and since Kinzie reached the 2nd stage before 20, he figured she could reach the peak given enough time.
Kayn shook his head to clear out the negative thoughts, "That doesn't matter. If she loves me as I love her, I don't care if she's stuck in the 3rd stage. I know that means that she'll inevitably die after a few thousand years or so since she's half-elf, but that's a few thousand years we can enjoy."
"That's a naïve way of thinking about it, kid. We both know that you'll ascend one day, are you really going to wait and watch as she dies before you leave this world? That will only stagnate your growth and potentially even hinder your own path" Yelena's sudden shift into lecture mode was different for Kayn, but he continued arguing.
"I think I have a way to take at least a few people with me when I ascend, so what you said isn't a problem." Kayn responded as he thought that maybe he could just stash people inside the Wanderer's Villa while he ascended to a Celestial world.
"Say it's possible, then what? She watches as you reach untouchable heights by herself? You think that will make her happy? No. She will grow older and frailer as you continue to remain as you are today. She'll watch your back with regret and sorrow that she wasn't able to follow you properly. The best thing for her would be to find someone she can truly grow old and create a family with.
"Even if you two have children and your children have children, you'll just end up watching as generation after generation die, then you'll eventually leave them as well."
Kayn was starting to resent Yelena for saying such things and his anger was evident on his face. "You're saying that I should just not love someone until I am to the point where I'm willing to settle down and my own journey is at an end? What's the point of living an endless life if there is no happiness along the way?"
"That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that it would be best for you to find someone who can be your partner throughout your journey. But more importantly, I'm saying that it would be best to give up your own happiness so that Kinzie herself can find happiness in a fulfilling life. If she's stuck watching your back her entire life, she won't be happy.
"Maybe at first and for the first few hundred years it'll be good, but eventually as she sees you getting further and further away, it will begin to wear on her and she will come to resent you. I've seen it before, more than a few times at that."
Kayn sat in silence without responding. If what she was saying about Kinzie never being able to advance through to the 4th stage was correct, she may truly come to resent him after enough time passes. Even if he doesn't care about it, she probably would.
She would feel left behind constantly, and possibly even like they lived in two different worlds. Their communication would probably break down and the love that was binding them together would slowly deteriorate until it snapped.
He knew he didn't need to make a decision right away as it would still take him a couple of years if not more before he went to find his sister and Kinzie, but it would definitely weigh on his mind and heart now.
But before that - "How are you so sure about her potential being limited to the 3rd stage?"
"Let's just say I'm not human and it's a trait of my species. Before you ask, no I will not tell you. Also, if you want me to examine your potential, don't bother. I did that before and I have no intention of doing it again. What I saw almost made me kill you when we first met, but I held back at the last moment."
"…Are you saying that when we first met, your 'test' was actually you stopping yourself from killing me?" Kayn asked with a dumbfounded expression.
"Yes." Yelena replied nonchalantly like it wasn't a big deal to tell him now.
"What the hell did you see that made you consider murdering me without even knowing me?!?" Kayn questioned with a bewildered and accusing expression.
"An all-devouring darkness."