TurtleMe
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Chapter 350: Colleagues
🕑 Added 2021-09-10 16:02:50 +0000 UTCCAERA DENOIR
I kept my face impassive, my tone leveled, and my posture straight as I strode into his class. After all, I was to be seen by others as merely a colleague, nothing more.
So why in the Vritra’s grace did I blurt out his name, announcing the fact that we know each other already?
Around me, the students broke out into shocked whispers as they tried to determine the relationship between us. My mind was already whirling with what my next words should be to hopefully quench any potential rumors that might spread from this room. Grey wasn’t a fan of attention, and I preferred not to start off on the wrong foot once again.
I attempted to make my way through the wave of pampered teens when a fierce young woman with short-cropped golden hair stepped into my path.
She gave me a practiced curtsy before speaking just loudly enough for her classmates to hear. “Lady Caera of Highblood Denoir, my mother and father asked that I pass along their well wishes to you and your blood should we meet in school.”
“You must be the youngest of Highblood Frost,” I affirmed.
“Enola,” the blond said proudly. “I’ve been a fan of yours since your earlier ascensions were made public. I strive to one day become an ascender as distinguished as yourself, Lady Caera.”
I gave her a nod. “Then you would do well taking notes in this class.”
The Frost girl, along with the students around her, frowned in confusion and offense as I walked past. The girl to Enola’s right, who stuck to her in a servile way that marked her as being of the Redcliff blood, gave me a quick bow before escorting her master out of the room.
The whispers grew louder as the students now tried to deduce what my last words meant, but my attention was on the golden-eyed professor standing with his arms crossed in the training ring.
Grey was silent, his face unreadable even as we locked eyes.
I feared that he already knew what had brought me to this school. But worse than that, I feared he didn’t know but naturally assumed.
“I apologize for my classmates’ rudeness,” a voice rang, pulling me from my thoughts.
The speaker, a lean young man with ebony skin and piercing eyes, shouldered past a couple of the others and held out his hand. “I am Valen of Highblood Ramseyer. We’ve never had the pleasure, but—”
“I have business with your professor,” I interrupted, ignoring his outstretched hand while sweeping a cold gaze through the crowd of students. “And as he mentioned…class is over.”
The Ramseyer heir’s jaw clenched as he recoiled his hand before strutting out. The whispers and murmurs only grew as the rest of the class followed suit. Only the last student to leave was wordless, his thin frame hunched forward as he struggled to climb the stairs, his gaze glued to his shoes.
I straightened my blouse as I began descending toward him. Now that it was only the two of us, my mind began racing, trying to come up with the next words to break this tension.
Letting out a sigh, I stopped halfway down the stairs and settled for the words, “It’s nice to see you again.”
Again, I was met with silence, the only change in his expression being a raised brow of suspicion.
I held up my hands in a placating gesture while also showing him my ring. “I merely came to say ‘hi’ and to catch up with a friend.”
“And here I was worried you were stalking me,” he answered, unwavering in his impacivity.
I nodded seriously. “Oh yes. Because I’ve yearned for your grumpy, vaguely-threatening presence.”
The smallest twitch disturbed the corner of his lips. “I’m not grumpy.”
I let out a scoff as I sat down in the nearest seat. “Right…”
Turning his back on me, Grey began to fiddle with the controls of the training platform. Kayden’s classroom had something similar, so I should have guessed what was about to happen, but—
A sharp jolt of pain shot up through my rear end and into my back, causing me to yelp and jump out of the seat.
Grey stifled a laugh, finally dropping his cool demeanor as I glared down at him. “Too bad Regis is sleeping,” he said. “He’d have loved that.”
I rubbed at the spot where the pain-inducing rune had shocked me. “So childish…”
He had the good grace to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck—but still smiling like an idiot. “I was just wrapping up here. Want to go for a walk? We should talk about what happened.”
“No,” I snapped.
Then, I let out a sigh. “Yes, I suppose.”
After he locked up his office and haphazardly put away a few training implements, we left the building, walking slowly in the general direction of Windcrest Hall, where we were both staying.
“So…” I started after a minute of awkward silence. “Professor Grey, hm?”
“Yeah. It seemed…”
“Prudent?” I finished for him.
He gave me a stiff nod.
“It was a smart move,” I affirmed with a slight smile. “What you did to those mercenaries in the Relictombs…well, it’s an open secret that was you, but after your trial, the High Hall had no interest in pursuing you, and the Granbehls left their Relictombs estate and returned to Vechor, where they’ve been pretty quiet.”
Grey’s pace stuttered and his brows furrowed. “You’re awfully well informed.”
“Yes, well, I have my resources,” I said, watching a group of students jog past.
The constant activity and bustle of the campus had always been both exciting and, in a way, exhausting for me. I’d had private tutors growing up, and when Sevren, Lauden, and I were socialized, it was for the sake of formal dinner parties at our—or some other highblood’s—estate. It was only much later, when I was a teenager, that I was allowed to attend the academy, and even then only for two seasons. Although many of the students here were from highbloods, my Vritra blood had assured me I would always be treated as a crystalline statue rather than an actual person.
Even in the Relictombs, I had always been protected by the Haedrig disguise and the presence of my guards, Taegan and Arian. The academy was different, especially because my adoptive blood along with my own accomplishments brought a fair amount of undesired attention.
“Lady Caera,” a crisp voice announced from behind us. Grey and I both stopped and turned, and I saw Grey’s face flatten into an impassive mask from the corner of my eye.
The speaker was a mage with overly-styled hair and a showy robe. I didn’t recognize him.
“Lady Caera,” he repeated with a bow. His eyes stayed on mine, never so much as acknowledging Grey’s presence. “An honor to finally meet you. I am Janusz of Blood Graeme, professor of—”
“Excuse me,” I said in a polite tone that still managed to convey my dismissal. “I’m afraid you’ve interrupted my conversation with Professor Grey. Perhaps we can speak later, at a more appropriate time.”
With a curt nod, I turned away from the man, who looked as if I had slapped him.
I turned toward Grey, curious to see his reaction, but the heartless ascender had already left me.
Jerk, I thought with a frown before catching up to him.
I found myself sneaking glances at Grey, taking in his sharp profile as we walked together in silence. “I apologize if any rumors spread because you were seen with me.”
“I didn’t realize being in your mere presence would evoke so much attention,” Grey said, his tone carrying just a hint of teasing humor. “Forgive me for being unaware of how much of an honor it is.”
“You are forgiven,” I replied sagely before letting out a soft chuckle.
“Maybe having some drama between us will keep these highbloods distracted from me.” The corner of Grey’s lips curved up ever-so-slightly as he gazed idly ahead.
I scoffed. “You act as if the only thing we value is interesting gossip.”
“Isn’t it?” Grey returned.
I shook my head. “I’ll have to introduce you to Professor Aphelion. You two should be fast friends given your mutual loathing of the noble class.”
“We’ve already met,” Grey stated, before he turned his gaze to me. “But I’d like to know more about him.”
“Kayden of Highblood Aphelion was a distinguished mage,” I answered as we passed between the Chapel and the Relictomb portal. The portal frame was humming with energy, indicating someone had just used it. “A regalia on his third rune, foremost son of his house, and in line to be the next highlord before he was wounded in the war.”
“He was in the war?”
Grey had fallen back to concealing his emotions behind an expressionless face. He might as well have been wearing a mask.
“He was,” I said, uncertain why this would surprise him, or even if he was surprised. “The rumor is…” I caught myself and let the words trail off. “Actually, it’s not really my place to say. But it is common knowledge that he was captured and tortured by the Dicathians.”
Grey frowned and seemed to focus far into the distance. I couldn’t help but wonder what memory had surfaced. Had he lost people in the war?
“Have I misspoken?” I asked.
“No. I’m just…thinking about the war,” he said.
I stopped short, biting my lip as I thought about what Grey had said.
Suddenly, everything made sense. His insistence on doing things alone and avoiding others, the way he seemed to step back from himself whenever Dicathen or the war was mentioned, how he never spoke about his life prior to the Relictombs…
“You were in the war, weren’t you?”
Grey froze before turning in my direction, his usually-apathetic eyes now frigid and sharp. “What makes you think that?”
I hesitated. It seemed plain as day, now that I’d made the connection, but it was also my mentor’s interest in him. But I wasn’t sure if I could—or should—confirm that Scythe Seris was my mentor just yet.
“Nevermind,” he said with a single sharp shake of his head. “It doesn’t matter. Yes, I was, but I’d prefer not to talk about it.”
“I’m sorry. Of course,” I said.
Grey wouldn’t be the only soldier that had been scarred from this war. When he refused the Denoirs’ invitation, I had attributed it to his frustrating individuality, but now I could see how he intensely avoided any of the political nets woven into Alacryan society. I didn’t push the topic further, despite the fierce curiosity I had for this mysterious ascender and his past.
Still, I couldn’t help but linger on thoughts of the war as we walked on in silence. The war itself was a regular topic of conversation among the named and highbloods, but I’d never imagined myself fighting against Dicathen much less thought about how that might have changed me.
I had never yearned for the kind of glory war brings. I had no interest in killing those who had never harmed me, regardless of where they were born or to who they swore allegiance.
And because of Scythe Seris’s teachings, I knew that the High Sovereign's expansion to Dicathen was self-serving at best, and that it didn’t benefit the people of Alacrya, nobility or otherwise. I couldn’t imagine being forced to fight for a cause I didn’t support.
If my life had been different, though, if Scythe Seris hadn’t hidden the knowledge of my blood’s manifestation, I very well could have been trained for slaughter and unleashed upon the Dicathians.
What then? Would I have returned like Grey, quiet, cold, and often unreadable? Or would I have become more like Kayden, withdrawing into a malaise and acting as if nothing in the world mattered at all anymore?
I forced myself to focus on the canopy of trees and the singing birds around me, pushing any further thoughts of the war away. There was no benefit in thinking about all of this now.
When we finally reached Windcrest Hall, I followed Grey into his room. As he held the door open for me and I saw the inside, I couldn’t help but laugh.
He scanned the room, frowning. “What?”
“Sorry, it’s just exactly how I imagined it. Entirely barren of personal belongings or homely comforts. It looks like you’re ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”
Grey regarded me with a raised brow. “That’s kind of rude. What does your room look like then? Did you bring your entire collection of stuffed dolls with you?”
I gaped at him, then narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms defensively. “I’ll have you know I only brought one, and it would be an insult to call him a mere ‘stuffed doll’ considering how ferocious he looks.”
His icy facade cracked momentarily, letting through a brief but bright smile that reminded me of our time in the Relictombs. Things were always easier minus the distractions of “normal” life.
Helping myself to a seat at the Sovereigns Quarrel board, I read the inscription and ran my fingers along one of the red stone pieces. “I like the Hercross red and gray,” I said absentmindedly. “It’s more striking than the plain black and white pieces I have.”
Without preamble, Grey withdrew a couple of items from his dimensional storage. “It’s about time I returned these.”
He held out my brother’s white-bladed dagger, handle first. The Denoir medallion dangled from it, catching the light as it spun slowly.
I had resisted the urge to follow Grey’s location using the medallion after he was released from the High Hall. Even when my parents and mentor insisted I spy for them, I hadn’t activated the tracking function. I wanted to earn the man’s trust, and stalking him with magic seemed like a poor way to do it.
Still, there was a certain comfort in knowing that I could find him if I really needed to. The thought of giving up that capability made me uneasy.
“Keep them,” I said, my voice shaking slightly. “Sevren would be glad to know his dagger continues to find use in the Relictombs.”
“And you don’t want to sacrifice your power to track me down if necessary,” he added. The words weren’t cruel or angry, just matter-of-fact.
“That’s not what I—”
“I already lost your brother’s cloak,” he interrupted. “If this dagger is all you have to remember him by, then you should keep it. As for the medallion, I won’t be needing Highblood Denoir’s protection.”
My throat constricted as I thought of Sevren. Lenora and Corbett had decided he must be dead and chose to move on even before I received confirmation from Grey, but I had always held out hope. Seeing Grey with that dagger and the teal cloak Sevren favored had dashed that hope, but failed to provide any real closure.
“You’re right,” I said after taking a steadying breath. “Thank you.”
The brushed silver handle was cool to the touch. I pressed my fingers into the grooves, but they were too large for me. Tugging the sheath up to examine the blade, my breath caught in my throat. Inscribed at the base of the blade was a symbol: a hexagon with three parallel lines carved inside it.
“What is it?” Grey asked, studying my expression carefully as he took the seat across from me.
“Nothing, it’s just that…” Sliding the sheath back into place, I stored the dagger and medallion both in my new dimension ring. “Before, in the room of mirrors, while I was still…”
“Haedrig?” Grey asked when I hesitated.
“Yes. I told you I’d studied aether, a little.” Grey nodded as he leaned forward in his chair. “It was mostly Sevren who studied aether. That’s what the insignia is: an ancient rune meaning aether. Three marks for time, space, and life, and the hexagon as a symbol of connection, binding, and building. He used it like a sort of…signature, I suppose. Something he started as a child, marking things with the symbol for aether to give them ‘power.’ It just kind of stuck with him.”
“I see.” Grey’s attention lingered on the ring where the dagger was now stored. “I didn’t realize. I hadn’t seen that particular rune before.”
I twisted the ring around my finger as the animated conversations with Sevren regarding magic and the Relictombs came back to me. “He thought there was more to the Relictombs than what the Sovereigns told us. That by ascending, we could learn how to do what they did…manipulate the fabric of reality through aether.”
Grey began to fiddle with the game board, moving a center shield forward. “Is that what you think?”
I wasn’t sure if he wanted to play or was just fidgeting, but I countered by taking a caster along the right edge to threaten any piece that broke away from the line. “Well, I met you in the Relictombs, and you can wield aether, so…”
Grey was impassive as he moved a second shield to support the first.
I tucked a lock of blue hair behind my ear as I sent another caster along the left of the board to force his sentry down the middle.
The key to true victory in Sovereigns Quarrel was to secure a path through the board. This required forethought, but also creativity. It was a slow and cautious game. Alternatively, by focusing on the destruction of the enemy Sentry alone, it was possible to end the game quickly, but often left both players dissatisfied.
“We both know your being here is no coincidence,” Grey said as he made his next move.
“No,” I admitted, weighing my move—and my words—carefully. “It is not.”
Deciding bold action was required, I moved a striker into the center of the field. “When you didn’t throw yourself at my adoptive parents’ feet after the trial, they arranged for me to assist Professor Aphelion in order to spy on you and…win you over, if I can. My mentor”—I held Scythe Seris’s name back, hesitant to reveal that connection yet—“asked me to keep an eye on you as well, separately.”
Grey’s focus never left the game board. He didn’t flinch, frown, or blink. We exchanged a handful of moves before he spoke again.
“I guess I’m pretty popular.”
I pouted my lips and stared at him angrily. “You are an aberration that no one seems to know what to do with, and through my own recklessness, I have been shackled with the responsibility of keeping track of you.”
Grey blinked in surprise, to which I responded with a genuine laugh. “I only jest...at least partially. I think forcing me to become an assistant to Professor Aphelion was also my parents' way of punishing me for sneaking out.”
The mysterious ascender scratched uncomfortably at his wheat-blond hair, and his eyes lost focus for an instant.
“Oh, so you choose right now to wake up,” he said tartly.
I quirked a brow at him, not following until a moment later when the small, fiery puppy form of Regis leapt out of his side and landed on the ground with a stumble.
“Again?” I asked as he spun around, his fiery little tail wagging. “Is your master abusing you?”
The puppy plopped onto its rear and stared up at Grey, his muzzle scrunched up condescendingly. “My current state was due to his gross negligence, yes.”
Smirking, I bent down to pat him on the head. “I’m sorry. You’re much more grand when you’re full size.”
Regis’s furry chest puffed out. “I know, right?”
I turned back to Grey, who was staring at the shadow wolf pup in that way he had when they were communicating mentally. “It’s rude to exclude guests from the conversation, you know?”
Grey grimaced and scratched the back of his neck. “I was just catching him up. He’s been out for a while.”
I waited for Grey to say something else, to pick back up our previous conversation—ask me questions, tell me to leave, anything—but he stayed silent. Tiring of the game, I decided a true victory wasn’t in the cards for the day. Using a caster I had allowed to become isolated near his hold, I killed a stranded shield and stopped a few spaces from his sentry.
“Do you plan on going through with what the Denoirs and this mysterious Scythe mentor have asked?” he said finally, shifting his sentry forward a space.
I felt the blood rush to my face. This is exactly what I had worried about most: that, even after everything we’d been through in the Relictombs together, he still wouldn’t trust me.
“If you think that I would spy on you even after informing you that I have been sent to spy on you, then one of us does not deserve to be molding young Alacryan minds, although I can’t be sure if that someone is you or me.”
“Then why are you really here?” he asked, his steady gaze pinning me to my chair.
The question shouldn’t have caught me off guard, but I still struggled to form an answer.
The truth was that I couldn’t shake the feeling that Grey was somehow the key to unlocking the secrets of the Relictombs. He was an enigma, a person unlike any I had ever met before, and I couldn’t help being drawn to him. Sitting across from him now, feeling the weight of his attention crushing me, I knew it was foolish to call my feelings for him romantic. It was a fascination, and one that I knew would be dangerous for both of us.
I wanted to see what he would accomplish. Not to bask in the reflected glory of his achievements, but to be a part of whatever change he wrought on the world, to have the power to make my voice heard.
Taking my caster piece, I made my final move.
“Because I trust you, Grey. There aren’t many people in this life I can say that about, but I trust you, and I’m still hoping to earn your trust for myself.”
He met my eye then. For a moment, his mask fell away. I saw surprise and doubt in the lines of his brow, appreciation in the curl of his lips, wonder and fear in his eyes…His face carried a world of conflicted emotions, just for that heartbeat, and when the mask went back up on the beat following, I understood.
No one could bear the weight of all those contradictory feelings all the time, and so he buried them.
“Good,” he said firmly, his eyes on the game board instead of me. “Because people worthy of trust are rare, and I would like to be able to trust you too.”
As if we’d been speaking of nothing more pressing than the weather, Grey grabbed a striker piece and slid it across the board, through a gap in my defenses I hadn’t noticed, and clicked it against my sentry. The piece toppled to the table with a clatter.
I gaped at the board. While Grey had beaten me on a fluke when we’d played in the Relictombs, it was only because I’d been greedy, too focused on the true win. This time he had set and baited the trap, then waited for me to fall into it.
Grey leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “We’ll keep letting the Denoirs think you’re doing what they want. Send a report, tell them whatever you like.”
I dragged my gaze away from the board, where I was caught up retracing the last several moves. “What? Are you sure?”
The golden-eyed ascender only nodded. “The surest way to lose a war is to a traitorous messenger.”
Regis shook his little head at his master. “He says such scary things with so little emotions…”
“Well, now that we’ve all caught up and have agreed to trust each other…” Grey leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, a fiery gleam in his honey-gold eyes. “How would you like to help me steal a dead relic?”
A/N: FOR DISCORD USERS, PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS THIS IN CHANNEL #NOVEL-TALK AND KEEP TO PATREON-ONLY CHANNELS UNTIL THE CHAPTER IS RELEASED ON TAPAS TO PREVENT SPOILERS. THANK YOU. <3
Comments
Immanoel
Quick proof read, paragraph 7. Enola is mentioned to be blond, however, blond is for males while blonde would be for females
Jennie (Eirine)
That Professor Graeme just keeps striking out, doesn't he? Pompous arse.
Hydra6807
I want CaeraXArt so I hope this "fascination" evolves into love!! ♥️♥️
Tim M.
Furthermore he was a sword fighter for the longest time. He is fighting fist style only,as you said, because of the weapon limitations. Therefore it would be the perfect power up without going full Deus ex machina. I mean gray has all he needs. He just needs to be able to use it.
LiveMe
lmao for a sec, just for a sec, i thought caera realized where art is from. would have been rushed tho if it happened now. another great chapter!
She is getting there, takes time
This entire comment section is going through the 5 stages of grief over caera not being romantically interested in art
Jennie (Eirine)
Gah! I was hoping Windsom would leak that Art was alive! Darn it!
Who else thinks that one of these dead relics will give him new knowledge about the aether manipulation he’s been practicing, by channeling aether into a claw shape. Giving him the missing information to master the technique as well as possible being able to turn the aether into a physical weapon like the djinn he fought. Since he is giving away his only weapon that can handle his aether it seems like a fitting time to get a new one
Axel Karlsson
If there Will be a reverse-xyrus invasion, Arthur will either miss the whole thing…. again or that is when he and Ellie will meet each other Maybe a Caera vs Ellie moment?
Ezekiel2517
Had to laugh at this one, cheers mate
Naive rich girl coerced by bad boy and his illegal pet into a night of felonious activities...... Its a tale as old as time!
LOL I got the opposite from this I thought this was turtleme telling us she most likely won't end up with Arthur. She says herself she dosent like him in that way
Bernardo De Cabrio
I think it's very likely that Arthur already knows its Seris. Back in the Relictombs Caera already revealed that her mentor -a scythe- is female. And we know who all the Scythes are: Kadell, Dragoth, Kiros (who Uto was the retainer of and wasn't mentioned any futher), Nico and Seris. With Seris being the only female scythe he should have already guessed it by now.
Breamson 𒉭
Tess >
yesss, too obvious. I made the prediction of caera x art as soon as her char was introduced/fleshed out a little bit. turtleme's way of saying hey look at this perfect girl who complements art in every way. Let's hope this continues, god's I love a good mary sue power couple, give caera more buffs my man
Would love to see a poll to check what proportion of us prefer Caera to Tess because at least from comments it looks like everyone agrees Caera is best girl xD
Aymeric Bergeron-Perreault
She's ’’Fascinated’’ by him. That's a lot.
LMAO, I think your over thinking it though, in these types of stories the main girl usually stays the main girl so while I say this with a heavy heart, I believe that Tess is the only one in Art's heart.
Caleb Mandrake
Yeah, she is certainly a well-developed character with her own intriguing back story separate from the MC. It stands up, like Regis, offers something different to contrast away from Arthur/Grey that both challenges and supports him. Cannot wait for the heist
What if since Art can’t get rid of his feeling for Tess and gets feeling for Caera he just stays with both so now he got a girl in each continent
Dopesy
Fascination hmmm…. If you think about it, fascination is the beginning of love
Wow caera really looking Deep into what Arthur means for the world, so cool! Thanks for the chapter turtle!!!
Ezra
I like how she wants him to trust her, but will probably report everything he tells her directly to Seris anyway. It’d be interesting if this turns into an ongoing moral dilemma for her as she decides where to put her allegiances. Also, I hope he figures out Seris is Caera’s mentor. I feel like it’s not a big leap seeing this Scythe is holding back rather than coming after him or telling Agrona, like which Scythe has been mysterious about their plans & let him live? Seris. I really want him to drop a “How’s Seris doing?” to Caera before she decides to tell him, and watch her gears turn.
Can’t next Friday come already?
My guess is they are going to go back to their original world or something aint no way grey with his aether controling ass staying as arthur
Absolutely, I feel more natural/real their relationship... But I highly doubt Turtle will deviate from TessxArthur romance cliché
Carth
Absolutely love the chapter and the interactions between these two. Caera might say that it’s a fascination rather than a romance but she was most definitely fangirling over him while talking to Seris, also really hoping feelings manifest because she’s a far better girl for our homeboy Arthur
27 ooze
i love caera so much. she is superior to tess in every way.
Can't wait for what's to come. T_____T
Aya Ryuo
its a little upsetting that her feeling towards him are not romantic i was hoping for a fight between her and tess but still love the development
Poltak
While Caera and Arthur don't think of each other romantically (yet), I'm still rooting for them lol! I hope Arthur can eventually move on from the cliche first love or the ending up with the girl you grew up with, and instead have a relationship based on mutual respect and realize that Caera was the one that stuck with him throughout his trials in this foreign continent!
Cant wait for the next chapter,, lets get turtle to 4K subscribers!!!!!!!
Jesse Gibson
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I NEED MORE! I’m dying of curiosity!! Man I love this story, I can’t get enough 😭 I just want to binge
Aivean
Waiting a whole week for a single chapter after you've swallowed the entire series in a few days is such an agony. But still, I feel like the content is getting better and better. Thank you, Turtle!
otaku344
Love the chapter
Ezekiel2517
I don’t think so, Arthur only tortured Stefan from Blood Vale. Kayden would have recognized his torturer even though Art as Grey does look somewhat different.
Polyester Bandit
I have a feeling that Indrath will send Aldir to kill Arthur and while they are fighting Arthur slowly convinces Aldir to join him.
Polyester Bandit
I think it would be cooler if he could morph into like a half dragon human hybrid like those in one piece … that would be cool
Polyester Bandit
I liked it …. I REALLY like it!!
carson
Part of me is kind of wondering if Grey was the one to torture Aphelion as Arthur, since he was kind of like Torture-Master General out in the field. But then again from what we saw of his methods, if he had been the one to torture him, Aphelion likely wouldn't have survived.
Tim
"Wait...Grey...you don't JUST STEAL the Declaration of Independence!"
This is random but something that just occurred to me is that every indrath clan member can polymorph into a dragon at will since they’re well-yknow, dragons. Wonder if arthur will be able to pull off a dragon polymorph technique that he maybe learns from someone? Dragon and aether arts powers sounds like a cool combination
Especially that they're now supposed to trust each other. I wouldn't be surprised if when she eventually tells him or he finds out, their relationship is going to become more tense than it would otherwise have been... I just hope Art doesn't cut her off, love their dynamic
Home gurl is in denial. She can call it whatever she wants, as the great Shakespeare once said, "a rose by any other name is just as sweet".
I'm liking the non-romantic relationship between Caera and Arthur/Grey. I'm wondering if an asura is going to show up in the near future? I can't wait to see Arthur/Grey meet Tessia and or Nico again and that whole situation unravel. Thank you turtleme for making my week better with this story.
I am extremely happy that their relationship did not end up as a romance. that would be stale and predictable. aside from that caera described her feelings towards arthur in a way that perfectly defines her character, goals, and the way she was inserted into the story. The role she has and is going to play in the story would be sourly corrupted by crappy romantics. Also, it is great to see influential female characters not falling in love with the main character. Main characters can have opposite sex FRIENDS / allies.
I don't know what to think about Tess anymore... Whatever the truth is, and even if Tess is somehow still in there and can be "saved"... Nico is probably all over her, according to him they loved each other right? It's only a matter of time they become a couple, don't you think? Or did I misunderstand something?
Bernardo De Cabrio
The bad part is that I can't entirely deny the thought of him leaving, since we don't know for sure how and if he really got killed in his last life.
Breamson 𒉭
I‘m pretty sure with the first one Rinia actually meant it in general. I don’t think it would apply to this situation, because I think she said that he shouldn‘t get into old habits, like he would’ve after his father died or like he would’ve after Sylvie died.
Breamson 𒉭
I mean she literally said that it’s not romantic……
ariel lima
Man I like Caera so much, I hope she and Art get together. Unfortunately Art will probably die/leave this world in the end.
Jason
Man that tension between Grey and Caera though. Hmm sexual tension perhaps? I was tense the whole time reading this. Another great chapter Turtle, just keep doing your thing and don’t rush for anyone. Just tell the story you want to tell.
This chapter just makes sense. In the multiple lives grey has lived he hasn’t had the ability to accept his emotions. In one life he had to kill a dear friend of his. In another he had to deal with the death of so many people he thinks he could have saved. And in the most recent “life” he has to learn to admit that the enemy is also human. So the emotions caera saw were indeed conflicting. This chapter just makes sense
Tophat Jones
That last bit has "I'm going to steal the Declaration of Independence" vibes.
Bernardo De Cabrio
Wasn't there a prophecy from Elder Rinia that said that Arthur shouldn't suppress his emotions? Was that prophecy already fullfilled when his father died? Also now that I think about it, the other prophecy about "Do not fear the soldier with a king. Fear the soldier who has nothing left.", was it already fullfilled? When Caera mentioned how he always suppresses all these emotions, these thoughts kind of showed up in the back of my mind again.
DGmG
the first thing regis said after waking up is probably: "oh sorry to interrupt your lovely date" xD
Can thy just yano kiss already like bruh thy a perfect power couple ahhhhhh but thts not how it’s gonna be Ik 🥲
Breamson 𒉭
I mean both already committed crimes together which are punishable by death, so that’s just another one added to the list
She better have romantic feelings for him😤
Breamson 𒉭
I just wann say I love you TurtleMe. That chapter was great as always and it made me hyped for the next one. I would’ve just wished, that when she asked him about the war, Arthur would’ve said something like „I lost a lot in this war, and I‘m not only going to take it back, but make the people pay, who are responsible for this.“ that would’ve been epic. And if I understand it the right way, then Caera isn’t „in love“ with Arthur, which makes me happy. Although even if she was, I wouldn’t think Arthur would develop romantic feelings for her
Nice!!! <3
Steal a dead relic with caera? What? How about starting with something smaller first? like coffe/lunch, instead of crime punishable by death lmaooo
dang i still dont know, so does she like him or not
Jon Chefitz
pog
Jon Chefitz
I absolutely loved this chapter, I think the Caera perspective was great here. Also it was nice to see Arthur be a little happy and you know show emotions. Additionally, I loved the slight hint by turtleme that Caera isn't after Arthur romantically, which I know could change but I hope it doesn't cause Tessia is best girl. Nevertheless thanks so much for the chapter turtle and I can't wait for next week!
Evankhell
Can't wait for their return to the Relictombs. Arthur needs a partner in crime. I do think Caera is making a mistake by not telling Arthur her mentor is Scythe Seris. Of course, as a reader we know everything, but Seris gave Caera a clue by saying "he owes me one anyway" and that should've been enough to know at the very least Seris and Arthur(Grey) already know each other. I think she'll tell him in their next Relictombs raid.
woo!
Ah yes nothing says love like being partners in crime or committing crimes punishable by death together. Wow so this is what true love is like fascinating! Hopefully we don’t get a different POV next week I’m expecting it though we still haven’t heard back from Cecilia/Nico and there’s the Asura’s POV of them trying to contact Arthur. Only time will tell :)!
GIVE. ME. MORE.
Jim Payne
Fantastic chapter, it’s nice to see Grey let out his playful side occasionally.
Keaton
Keep up the good work turtle 🙌🙌
I can never get enough of this story. Friday's are the best
Uuuf I got an adrenaline rush from this.
this chapter was amazing glad we get more caera povs i always love seeing what people think is going on with grey when he’s probably just arguing with regis
Ezekiel2517
Love the mental play, feeling out each other's intentions while Grey ultimately/simultaneously strikes out for his end goal. Glad the team is back together and hopeful that Caera is not just a piece to be used.
Caera pov pog
Jason
Third? Fourth?
Aya Ryuo
love these
Friendly consumer
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