Kaze opened his eyes when he felt a pair of nails scraping against his chest. He looked at the ceiling in his dark room for a moment before glancing down and frowning.
Kiera gripped his body involuntarily, her face wincing from a nightmare. He took a deep breath, reflecting on the speech and why she was so on edge.
—
"Now that you've bent your knee, you have vowed to protect Immortal Skye with your lives." The emperor began, speaking to the 1,550 ex-Maltian soldiers and officers kneeling before him.
Kane and General Michaels had spoken to them, letting them know Malta planned to take Immortal Skye's families hostage, and Kaze would slaughter them and their families within a fortnight as a result.
Torn between two family-endangering options, the general accepted the offer for citizenship. The soldiers' families would get taken hostage with Immortal Skye's, protecting them.
After explaining the situation, the soldiers understood that helping the emperor was an ultimatum and the safest way to protect their families and accept.
Now, all 1,550 had declared their loyalties.
"You're now Immortals, ex-Maltians." Kaze announced straightly, "However, be warned! I do not tolerate [anyone] who attacks or betrays my people. Ten such people stand before you today!"
Kiera watched the emperor from the balcony behind him, hearing him declare the crimes of the ten people from the campsite. He told a vibrant story of their [betrayal], [distrust], and disturbing actions that [threatened] all Immortals.
He whipped everyone into a frenzy, turning them into a violent mob thirsting for the group's blood.
"Since these fools sought to harm our country, they do not belong here!" Kaze roared, triggering ferocious yelling, "They do not deserve to stand amongst you!
Therefore, starting immediately, all of them will walk outside these walls. Leaving Immortal Skye is the worst punishment in the world, is it not?"
Explosive roars of accent pierced the night.
Kiera's body shook in fear. Hearing that the emperor banished people from Immortal Skye triggered intense fear that he would kick her out of her "home," leaving her alone again.
She broke down and ran away in tears, making Kaze frown. However, what he did was necessary, and he would change his actions for no one.
…
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Kaze stood before her door with an annoyed expression. He tightened into a neutral frown to showcase his sincerity. "Kiera, you're not ever leaving Immortal Skye. I can promise you that."
"You had no problem exiling ten people, so don't claim you don't exile people." Kiera snapped after twenty seconds of silence.
"I do not find pleasure or satisfaction in suffering." He replied after a deep breath, "Therefore, I punish major personal betrayals with death.
That's why I can promise I will never punish you with exile, no matter what transgression you may commit."
The emperor was open because he moved Kiera's room to the bottom floor of the main mansion; thus, no one could hear him.
Her new location increased her feelings of security, preventing issues with their morning training, and showcased his attachment to her.
"You try to make me feel safe by telling me you murder those who betray you instead of kicking them out?" Kiera laughed sharply, "That's eight layers worse!"
"Is it?" Kaze asked dryly, "Would you like me to exile you for a betrayal instead?"
The fiery slang riddler fell silent and began tearing up again. "No."
"Then stop putting on airs and get your pajamas." He ordered calmly, preemptively striking anxiety issues, "You're sleeping with Crux and me tonight."
"Are you serious? Why…." Kiera stopped talking abruptly, feeling panicked, "I mean, okay. I'll get them right now."
—
Kaze gave the woman clutching to him a strange expression, reaching up his hand and stroking her hair. He was wide awake but decided to lay in the darkness to let her hold on longer.
"Today marks the end of civilization on Earth." He whispers soberly, "I should've helped her experience one last day of joy and security before now. So I can at least do this much."
Kiera opened her eyes slightly when she felt his hand wrap around her, hugging her lightly. She felt like he was protecting her from the world itself.
It was an unforgettable feeling she wanted to savor. Unfortunately, when she closed her eyes to enjoy it, she fell victim to its comfort and fell deep into a nightmare-free slumber.
…
"It's time to wake up, love." A hypnotic male voice called out.
"Be gone, sleep robber!" The slang riddler groaned in her sleep, "I don't need this type of negativity in my life."
"As you wish." He chuckled mischievously, sitting up slowly.
"Wooooah! Woah, woah, woah, what the hell!" Kiera screamed, "Earthquake? No, wait! What!?"
The pink-haired woman panicked when her body lifted, and she scrambled to find something to hold onto. She finally stabilized once she wrapped around a small tree trunk to gain balance.
The slang riddler turned around and looked at the strange tree, realizing the base and the upper and trunk didn't match up. So she looked up sharply.
Her face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears when she saw the [tree] was Kaze, and she was one inch away from his lips! Panicked, she gripped him tighter and closed her eyes.
"Do you want a kiss?" Kaze mused charmingly, "I'm happy to oblige you. Otherwise, you may wish to reconsider your position."
Kiera snapped her eyes open to chastise him but realized she had kept their faces together instead of releasing his neck! "D-Don't get this twisted or I'll swiftly administer a nuttercut."
"I'm afraid I don't know what that word means." He replied mockingly, "Does it mean you'll harm me if I don't accept your advance? Or that you'll harm me if I try to make an advance?
Such is the issue with your profoundly incoherent language and the necessity of awkward, explicit verbal consent."
The pink-haired teen's eyes trembled, and she thought to flee, but her body didn't move. It didn't want to.
"I-I…." Kiera whispered with trembling eyes, "Are you into nun chasing or something?"
"I'm [into] any woman that wants to spend time in my company." Kaze replied charmingly.
"So I'm just another woman to you, huh?" She asked bitterly.
"No, you're not." He replied without hesitation, "You're significant."
"That sounds dark." Kiera laughed sharply yet breathlessly.
"That's because it is." Kaze smiled mysteriously.
She dry-swallowed nervously. "So, does that mean that you want to kiss me?"
"It does." He smiled.
"If I do, will you leave me like the other women?" Kiera asked bluntly yet hesitantly.
"I cannot always stay here and will not be here tonight when you'll want me here the most." Kaze warned soberly, "But so long as you live, I will not abandon you."
"Wait! You're not going to be here tonight!?" Kiera cried with a beating heart, "Won't the military attack tonight!?"
"Yes." He replied straightly, "However, after making a demonstration of force, I must go to secure Ergo seeds.
It's a plant containing profound body-cleansing properties that our people need to become strong. They are coming here only once and—"
"Wait up! You're leaving your people defenseless to get seeds to make them strong!?" She cried, "How the hell does that make sense? Don't pretend that's not backward AF!"
"Do not claim I'd abandon my people to express your desire for me to stay." Kaze scoff-laughed, rolling his eyes, "Crux and Evalyn are here.
With elites using Guided Arrow alone, they should be sufficient to defend Immortal Skye.
More importantly, Evalyn must learn to lead and the Immortals how to protect themselves. Otherwise, they will be defenseless when I'm away."
"B-But missiles, Kaze!" Kiera cried, "They can shoot missiles from a distance!"
"That's why we have anti-missile systems and a light barrier I set up." He replied dryly, "Besides, they want me to help them.
They don't have soldiers to waste to kill me without compensation."
The slang riddler's eyes trembled in disbelief. "T-Then take me with you."
"No; I'll be facing the Sky Plane cultivators." Kaze said straightly, "To follow me is to court death.
I can't protect you and fight with the Elemental Qi scarcity on Earth."
Keira took a sharp breath, looking into his eyes. "H-Hold up. You can't—"
"Quiet, foolish mortal!" Crux ordered, releasing her cultivation base and making the pink-haired woman freeze, "If you wish to die, do so quietly!
I'm duty bound to defend fools like you this afternoon; I didn't agree to the morning!"
Kaze closed his eyes with a twitching cheek. "Enough of this foolishness. We must get up, as the Mortal Plane has a date with destruction today."
Kiera's body shook, and she tried to hang onto him, but he gently peeled her off like a wet sticker, leaving her on the bed.
"If I am weak enough to fall at the hands of suppressed Sky Plane cultivators, I deserve to die." He declared brazenly, "If Crux falls to mortals, she deserves to die.
You do not understand yet, but you will one day. Until then, keep your head, stay alive, and wait for me, for I shall return."
The emperor turned to them with a gaze that held absolute confidence. "Now come you two. The Rapture is amongst us, and we haven't the time for such inconsequential woes."
…
Kaze circled the faces of his subjects and new soldiers, suspended twenty feet over the lake at Immortal Skye's center.
Each member sat two feet apart from the other in the lotus position, preparing for the fifth and final influx to begin.
Evalyn sat in the lake's center, floating on an ice mass.
"Today marks the entrance test to your learning journey here." He announced, "It's a simple breathing test lasting 24 hours.
Those who pass the breathing test will get rewarded resources to learn and grow as cultivators.
If you prove yourself incapable of breathing cannot resume learning until you have enough reputation points."
Nervous whispers dominoed around the lake, triggering each person to spread words like a game of telephone. Everyone was on edge.
"In five minutes, the sky will open up yet again, and Qi will flood the Mortal Plane." Kaze warned boldly, "However, unlike before, the rifts will not close for 24 hours.
Today will test your breathing under pressure and threat of force. You must concentrate on breathing with constant distractions and break free during serious threats.
Those who accomplish this goal will multiply in strength and potential overnight. Conversely, those who cannot will suffer.
There are only a few minutes, so close your eyes and prepare yourself!"
Everyone dry-swallowed and closed their eyes hesitantly, not wanting to look away from the sky.
Kaze looked down at Evalyn with a strange glint in his eyes. She sat in the center of the lake, 300 feet in radius, with a determined expression.
Not only was she determined to fight, but she was also determined not to repeat her past mistakes.
Unlike the fourth influx, she would get no aid or healing. If she harmed herself for fast growth, she'd die, and her people would likely die alongside her. The blonde couldn't afford to make mistakes.
The emperor confirmed her determination and flew higher, looking into the training area, and saw Kiera with his Qi vision techniques.
The pink-haired teen was scared and alone in the training cave but safe behind a Soul Qi barrier. He wasn't coddling her; he locked her up because she was a liability. If she fought, she could accidently kill their members or rupture her meridians. She wasn't ready yet.
Kane and General Michaels sat with their soldiers on one side of the lake, practicing the Fertility of Growth technique the emperor gave them.
While he promised them sky techniques, he warned them that using it during the influx would rip apart their meridians and could cause their dantians to rupture. So they refrained.
Jake and Veronica sat together under the half-dome ceiling of the Immortal Skye amphitheater alongside Daniel, Kylie, and Sage. He separated the cabinet members to prevent a surprise attack in the chaos.
All his elites, including Brad, Rein, Lily, Whitney, and Sammy, fanned out around the members. Their job was to breathe more Qi to prevent it from becoming too overbearing.
Evalyn also had that job. He tasked her with consuming as much Qi as possible to relieve the pressure of the acute influx.
Crux didn't need to cultivate as she was a Divine Realm cultivator who was only restricted to the early Heaven Realm due to Qi scarcity. Therefore, Kaze ordered her to walk around, keeping her eye on the soldiers and removing Qi flow dry when necessary.
"It's ironic the people you want to protect most must learn to defend themselves the most." The emperor frowned, "I must remember they're undefended every moment I'm away."
He gazed he had come to know, wondering how they'd fare. He glanced at his professor, Frances Roybock, who went by Fay.
Then he panned his gaze to his new secretary, Marilyn Keller, stylist Addison Chase, dissident Haiden Rompers, Police Chief Carmen Skeer, and her three goons, Wade, Ken, and Pratt.
He glanced at Sarah and Riley, the budding bi-sexuals certified elites due to their cheat dual cultivation technique and publically disclosed relationship.
Lastly, he smiled upon his jester, Larkin Downs, who would prove integral to keeping everyone together.
"I've protected everyone as much as I reasonably can." Kaze whispered, "I've taught them to fight and given them techniques and strength.
They have stronger bodies and leadership skills. Their country has strong walls and law and order. I've built their desire to fight and given them disincentives to leave.
There are soldiers for reserves and Crux and Evalyn out front.
Defending them further will make them unable to protect themselves when a necessary time comes."
He panned everyone's faces once more. "But that doesn't make it easier, does it?"
The sky lit up, capturing his attention and breaking him out of his haze. It developed white spots en masse, increasing in size like burning film.
Those spatial rifts would connect their world to the Skye Plane in only a moment and flood the Mortal Plane with Qi.
While they would benefit, it would spread through the world, ripping human meridians open violently and driving them crazy. Civilians, soldiers, and cultivators would fall victim to Qi's sickness.
He shuddered to think about the hostages. The soldiers instructed them to cultivate a unique technique every day at 9 am, unknowingly preparing them for the Rapture.
Now, those people would become the strongest in the military base at that time. However, the halls would devolve into chaos, and they'd have to defend themselves with select soldiers.
He didn't want to think of how many would die. However, he was confident the unique breathing technique he taught them would bring them immense strength when they needed it most.
Kaze panned his gaze around the world. There was nowhere in sight that was safe; he had to accept that.
He waved his hand, and the ring of cultivators around the lake radiated green light in a chain reaction, moving from a point in both directions until the two green sides met.
All members calmed down, easing their anxiety and putting them into a meditative trance.
After finishing, the emperor flew to the rooftop of the main mansion and sat in the lotus position, looking up.
Massive white holes the size of lakes distorted the sky, physically bending the area as if it were rubber. The time had come.
"And so it begins again." Kaze whispered, "The Rapture is upon us."
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