Dimensional Descent

Aina thought about going to kill those three, it would make her feel more at ease. Plus, there was also the chance that she would be able to take the final step toward earning an Amethyst Token if she did. But, she decided against it.

For one, she didn't want to waste her and Leonel's time. Plus, though she knew Leonel likely wouldn't stop her, he wouldn't be ecstatic about it either. He was always soft when it came to that kind of thing and Aina wasn't fooled by his newfound bravado. Under the surface, he was still very much the same Leonel. If anything, he was only being more open with his true self around her. The core parts of his character had always remained unchanged.

"There's no need to be so eager. Karma has its way of working things out."

Aina shook her head. "You? Believing in Karma? You could come up with a better lie, you know. You just don't want me to kill them."

Leonel smiled, lightly stroking Little Blackstar's head. The little one was doing a bit better now, but Leonel could still feel him wince from time to time. He was too sensitive to Little Blackstar's usual state to miss when he had shifted so far from baseline. Others might have a hard time reading a beast's emotions, but that wasn't the case for Leonel, especially when it came to a beast he was so intimately familiar with.

A small distraction was exactly the kind of thing Leonel needed right now. Usually, such a thing would be almost impossible to find in a place like this, but he happened to have Aina by his side. As much as she had missed his care, Leonel had almost forgotten how much he liked to just… talk with her.

Leonel didn't get to do much talking these days. His most recent intimate conversations were with a thousand year old ghost, and the other was in a drunken state he would rather forget… If Raj ever let him, that is.

In a lot of ways, during their time together, Aina had become his best friend. This was maybe the greatest aspect of their relationship he had been ignoring the fact he missed.

Though they had been cordial over the last few days, and even somewhat close, there had always been a barrier there that neither had crossed, Aina out of respect and Leonel out of… stubbornness?

But, this was why the words of his father were so profound to Leonel.

He remembered that day he was in the Mayan Tomb, a naked girl kneeling over him and threatening to choke what remained of his life out of his body. Back then, he had realized it was his 18th birthday and he sighed in relief… He had sighed in relief because if he died after his 18th birthday, it would no longer be his father's burden, his dad wouldn't have to feel guilt, he would have done his duty in getting Leonel to adulthood.

It had been so long since then but the sentiment still hung over Leonel's head… But his father's words seemed to snap him away.

There wasn't some demarcating line where a father stopped being a father and a son stopped being a son. Leonel's logical brain had tried to make it like that, but it simply wasn't how life worked. To his dad, he was probably the very same baby boy he had been more than two decades ago.

His father's words had sounded sharp and grating, but to Leonel, they were like a pass… His father reminding him that it was alright for him to take his time to grow, that he didn't have to be perfect immediately, that he still had his old man protecting him to his front.

When it came to his father, it was very easy for Leonel to trust.

"Maybe not Karma in the normal sense, but the old ghost has told me a lot of interesting things about Force and how it breathes life into everything around it. It made me think, if Force is the underlying foundation to all that there is, and every action causes a disruption in it, then there might very well be some supernatural balance that keeps everything in check.

"Who knows, maybe Karma is real, then."

Aina blinked. "Old ghost?"

"Ah…" Leonel laughed, he had forgotten that there were now things in his life Aina was completely ignorant to. He was so used to telling her everything and her knowing everything he meant that he hadn't considered an opposing world view.

When Aina was caught up with Wise Star Order and everything related to him, her brows shot up.

Unsurprisingly, she didn't like the idea of Leonel being in a constant death match with an old man so much more seasoned and experienced than him. But, it seemed that there would be no convincing Leonel otherwise so she could only take a step back in this regard.

Aina fell into her thoughts, her mind suddenly feeling as though it was blooming toward something new. The words Leonel had used to explain how Wise Star Order viewed the Dimensional Verse weren't things that she had ever heard before. No… It was more accurate to say that she had known of them, but she had never heard them stated so clearly and firmly.

It made her wonder… Was this how her intuition worked? Did the Force speak to her like it had a life of their own? Is that what was always whispering to her whenever she made a decision about her training? Whenever she chose ingredients for a meal or a pill concoction?

Aina's breathing grew deep and unhurried, her gaze glazing over for several moments.

Seeing this, Leonel smiled but didn't say anything. It seemed that she was having another breakthrough.

Right then, Leonel's gaze suddenly sharpened. He gently placed Little Blackstar on Aina's shoulder before his figure vanished.

In the very next instant, he had appeared dozens of meters away, soaring through the air above the head of a Runed Rapax.

His eyes glowed with a hidden crimson light, a murderous intent erupting from him.