"Excellent!"
Said Emperor Qi Hawk from his golden throne as he admired the Void Eye nestled snugly within the 'Rou Lin Nest'. He extended a hand and gently stroked one of the pearly-white feathers that surrounded that potent orb. It was like greeting an old friend.
"Hm, such comforting energy… Ahaa! This feeling! It's back, FINALLY back!" His lone white eye radiated unbridled joy. And for a moment, he reveled in the possibilities that potent relic would grant.
Lu Jade stood respectfully before the Emperor with his tail coiled neatly. Beside him, lay a battered and bruised Raphael. His breathing was shallow and his massive form twitched occasionally, evidence of the grueling ordeal he'd just endured.
"Excuse me, Emperor Qi Hawk." Lu Jade spoke cautiously, "Now that we have returned your… your eye. Could you please help my Big Brother? His condition is bad."
Qi Hawk was brought back to reality. With a flick of his wrist, the 'Rou Lin Nest', and its precious cargo vanished. It was then, after those distractions of power faded, that he noticed the trembling golden hooves and that almost lifeless face that no longer radiated with arrogance but with a desperation he'd witnessed in lesser creatures who crawled before him.
He focused his senses on Raphael, assessing the damage. "Hmmm. This is… The repercussions of consuming a 'Devil Star Fruit', eh? His cultivation… It has fallen from Nightmare Calamity 7th Layer to the peak of the Calamity Stage. Most troublesome."
"Could you please…? Big Brother… he's…"
Lu Jade's pleas were cut short by Qi Hawk's next action, for even as they spoke, those wounds, they were beginning to fester. This bull wouldn't last an hour!
He extended his right hand towards Raphael, then a milky white light flared into existence from his eye.
"Reality Thwart – Ailment Rejection!"
In an instant, the air around them crackled and the throne room was engulfed in a greyish hue as time itself seemed to bend to Qi Hawk's will.
Within this pocket of altered reality, Raphael's battered form glowed! His twisted limbs snapped back into place with audible pops, bones knitted together, and his torn flesh seamlessly mended, leaving no trace of his previous gruesome state! The entire spectacle took less than a minute.
"Woah! He's healed?" Lu Jade exclaimed. He was astonished.
Raphael opened his blood-red eyes and gazed upon his regenerated hooves and horns with a reverence he hadn't shown.
"I'm… healed?"
"That…that power! What did he do?"
"He might even be more powerful than Lu Ignis."
"Amazing, just amazing!" They looked upon the Emperor as if he were a god.
"HAHAHAHAHA! That's what I do, It's easy! Like plucking a feather from my tail. Or taking a piss!"
Qi Fenwei, who was standing at the side with a disapproving frown, couldn't help herself. She sighed and shook her head. "My Father truly has no restraint. Can't he be a bit more…noble?" she grumbled.
However, her pleas went unheard, or perhaps, they were simply dismissed. Such was the privilege of rulers.
"Now then… Ahem! Emperor. As for those rewards…" Raphael wasted no time. He'd almost died in this Emperor's service, for the dream of becoming stronger, for a new life that didn't reek of servitude!
"Those treasuresss… those promised opportunities, surely…?" Lu Jade also couldn't hold back his expectations now. "Emperor. Those treasures. They are…"
Qi Hawk chuckled and rose from his throne. "I haven't forgotten, don't worry. Patience is a virtue, a virtue that will amplify your essences, hahaha!"
He then stretched out his majestic wings and preened a feather casually before continuing, "Indeed, for your bravery and efficiency in fulfilling your end of the bargain. Both of you, ahaa, will be generously rewarded, as promised!"
SNAP!
He snapped his fingers with a flourish.
And before his awed guests, a large, golden key with a head shaped like an eagle materialized. It was suspended in the air. Its radiance momentarily blinded their eyes.
"Such beauty." Lu Jade was truly awestruck.
"A… key? What is this for?" Raphael had never encountered such a large key before.
Qi Hawk spoke up, "Ah, how easily those tiny minds forget. This, my friends, is the key to the lavish palace I promised. Within those chambers you'll find rare cultivation resources, ancient scrolls, potent medicines to accelerate your growth, and…"
He paused for a moment to savor this reveal, and then as his fingers gestured, those gold Invitation Passes they'd been promised came hovering down.
"Those…?"
"Special Invitation Passess to the Great Divine Tribulation! And they're ours?!"
Lu Jade wanted to shed tears, for this was a blessing that would ensure his freedom from those hateful taunts, from those elders who'd constantly belittled his existence, it was too much.
"Big Brother! This…this is…" He glanced over, but a concern settled within, because the only words that tumbled from his massive friend's jaw were.
"Amazing…"
The lack of enthusiasm was evidence that something was amiss, that perhaps even with this turn of events, he wasn't truly happy. The truth hit him hard.
"Is something wrong Big Brother?"
"Don't worry, little buddy. Everything is alright." Said Raphael with a forced smile.
They then accepted the items offered.
"Ah… RIGHT!" Qi Hawk exclaimed. "I almost forgot the most important piece." Then his gaze shifted onto his daughter who was leaning patiently against a pillar at the side.
"As for those personal instructors… MY daughter Fenwei will assist you."
"WHAT!?"
This echo of disbelief and frustration came from everyone present!
Qi Fenwei straightened.
"FATHER! Are you jesting?! Surely those lowly creatures are more than capable. I have my own cultivation to focus on, and my technique upgrades require months of uninterrupted meditation, not dealing with a smelly bull and a sniveling serpent!"
She spat those hateful sentiments that had Lu Jade and Raphael's hooves clenching with anger.
Qi Hawk cleared his throat menacingly. "Ahem. You are right, Daughter. But my words have been spoken and your duty is clear! Moreover, they have earned my gratitude, they have served me well." He shot her a pointed look. None dared to question.
"Remember who is Emperor."
"Yes…Father." Qi Fenwei acquiesced grudgingly. This conversation was over.
This cut deep for Raphael. His human resentment fueled his next words. "We don't need your help. Not at all. Your feathers reek of a coward who only stabs when backs are turned, or from the sky above! You are… pathetic!"
"Big Brother! Please…"
Lu Jade tried to calm him but his insults had been uttered!
And now, not only were they in peril of angering the Emperor Calamity. A terrifying aura was brewing from the depths beneath Qi Fenwei's wings and the two blades upon her harness glowed menacingly.
She had a quick death in store, one she'd relish inflicting!
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Qi Hawk hissed, effectively silencing all those voices and violent intentions that clouded that throne room with a finality that could make any lowly Calamity piss themselves in fear.
He then turned his milky white orb towards his daughter.
"You are dismissed. ESCORT our esteemed guest to their palace. Right… NOW!"
"Tsk! Fine, but don't come whining to me later Father when your guests run off, ungrateful cowards." Qi Fenwei snarled.
She then whirled around, leaving behind a fading scent of resentment that even her father cringed at.
"Come, you two! Or we stand here till those ants carry you over to your 'palace'."
"Coming…"
They followed.
…
"Faster, Bull! I have places to be."
"Huff… Huff…"
Raphael followed Qi Fenwei through the open skies of Qi Hawk's Marble World - Nestoria. On his horns, a tiny Lu Jade was tightly coiled, eagerly looking ahead and enjoying the smooth ride, unlike their previous journey in Ho Eastern, where their backsides had almost gotten turned into serpent skewers.
"Thisss palace, Big Brother… it must be grand. Those treasuresss. And a personal instructor! I can finally hone my 'Jade Flower Domain' without fear. I'm truly excited."
"Hm… The rewards are in there… Maybe a nice Fire Pool as well? And those medicines…"
They spoke with unbridled enthusiasm as they anticipated the promised rewards. This was truly a day of good fortune. They were alive! They were about to enter a world of immense riches! What could go wrong?
Then they noticed something that instantly crushed their joyful banter, bringing those anxious feelings to the forefront of their thoughts.
"Hm… why has she stopped?"
Ahead, Qi Fenwei hovered gracefully amidst the clear blue sky, but unlike earlier, she wasn't facing a bloodthirsty serpent or a vengeful horde.
"Why have we stopped?" Raphael demanded.
"We're here," she replied. She spread her beautiful wings and portrayed a smug smile that couldn't be seen from beneath that mask of hers. "This is the location. Prepare yourselves!"
Raphael glanced ahead, then towards Lu Jade who also tilted his head in confusion.
"But… there's nothing here but open sky. I thought your father promised us a PALACE?"
"Don't be a fool. Look closely!"
And as if by decree from Qi Fenwei, the very air around them began to tremble. Then a blinding light appeared.
Raphael flinched.
"What's happening?!"
"Be patient and OBSERVE, bull. I'm not here to babysit. My father tasked me with delivering you to this place and nothing more."
Her agitation was palpable. Her wings were ready to whisk her away, far from these fools who'd surely ruin her day with stupid question after stupid question.
She then extended one hand towards the golden bull. "Give me the KEY!"
Raphael nervously presented the artifact.
She snatched it with her talons, then gracefully flew ahead of them before sticking the key into thin air. She then turned it clockwise.
"What… are you… doing?" Lu Jade whimpered softly.
As the golden key turned, the air pulsed with energy. A golden 'Spell Diagram' appeared before them. Intricate runes flowed with mesmerizing patterns as energies increased.
"That is beautiful!"
QI Fenwei seeing their puzzled expressions scoffed. "This, fools, is what we consider efficiency. The key is the palace! It is encoded with special dimensional runes. When activated, the runes interact with layers of reality and manifest physical objects in our world. Elegant! Powerful! I would have taken it as my own reward for those humiliating events from earlier, but my father's orders are clear."
"Haaa. So we are meant to watch a house appear? How entertaining."
"But couldn't we have done so back there?"
"Foolish creatures…" she hissed with frustration, her patience was already thin.
"You have never seen a Palace of this magnitude! Hence… it was created within a compressed dimensional pocket. Should I conjure it within a densely populated area within Nestoria, that space would be crushed!"
Then with a bored voice she explained. "And that's why we are in this vast expanse, far from anything delicate or valuable. Such troublesome fools, I'm dealing with today, I truly, truly pity myself."
Her words were interrupted as that blinding golden glow began taking shape. Before them, a magnificent palace materialized, slowly at first and then with a final 'WHOOSH'!
It was there!
Their new home!
"This… is… amazing!" Lu Jade was stunned.
It was unlike anything he had ever witnessed. Its construction resembled a gigantic octahedron crafted from pure gold. It glimmered beneath warm rays. And at the very center, a massive, golden disk slowly spun with a resonant energy. Its design was breathtakingly simple yet imposing.
"Hmm. It's nice, I guess… but a bit showy. Could have been… I don't know, designed a bit differently?" Raphael's complaint had Qi Fenwei glaring at him but saying nothing.
"Follow me! My time is precious." She wasted no time and flew toward the majestic golden palace.