The Last Dainv

Rachel paused. What did grandma mean what if they are Dainv? She hadn't actually thought about it that far as she had expected hard pushback from grandma and Gerard combined. And if they did, that would've confirmed that Gale and Erin were Dainv themselves.

Esther set down her teacup. "Has it occurred to you that Dainvs might not be friendly to each other?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's a reason why the Collapse happened, Rachel." Esther stared right into her eyes. "Dainvs gathering in one place has never ended well."

"Then tell me!" Rachel slammed her palms on the desk. "How did the Collapse happen? Why won't anyone explain it to me?"

"There's no point in talking about the Collapse if what we have to do now is simply survive against its aftermath."

"But if you told me, at least I'd be more willing to listen to your orders!" Rachel shouted. "At least I'd know what not to do. How to not gather attention on myself!"

Esther paused for a moment. But as Rachel was about to open her lips, she spoke up first. "In the book you've already read, it specifically states the dangers of Dainvs gathering together."

Again, Rachel wanted to speak more, but Esther held up her hand and continued. "Are you willing to ask Gale directly and risk your relationship with him just to confirm whether he's a Dainv or not?"

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked. "Why would that be a risk?"

Esther crossed her arms. "Let's say Gale is human. An irregular one, yes, but still human. And he finds out that you're not human. That you're something else entirely. Something that will live for thousands of years while he ages and dies."

Rachel's chest tightened. Again, it was this topic.

"Wouldn't he just see you as a monster?" Esther asked softly. "Would he not grow sad knowing that he won't die with you? That you'll watch him grow old while you remain unchanged? That one day, you'll have to bury him and continue living?"

Rachel couldn't find the words. Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Grandma was right. She was always right. Humans did have a lot of books and movies about them growing old and dying together. To steal the experience of that from Gale, wouldn't that also be hurtful to him?

"And what if he is?" Rachel said weakly.

"And risk lighting a beacon to the watching stars?" Esther's voice turned stern.

A tear slipped down Rachel's cheek. What else was she supposed to do then? Stay in this goddamned stasis of their current relationship? It's a loop of never ending middle ground between being a friend and commitment. It was so stupid to tell that bank teller that he was more than a friend. That was just hopeful thinking.

Rachel sat back down and looked at the plate on the desk in front of her. The half eaten slice of cake just sat there. It didn't look very appetizing, but Gale would say to eat to make the feelings feel better.

Esther rose from her chair. Walking around the desk slowly, she reached her, not saying anything. Simply, she pulled her granddaughter into a hug.

Rachel's shoulders dropped, burying her face in her grandma's embrace. They were still family after all. Grandma's always been there for her, for better or for worse.

"I know how you feel," Esther whispered. "But this is the reality of being Dainv."

"So I just have to ignore my feelings?" Rachel's voice was muffled against her grandmother.

"You don't have to ignore anything." Esther stroked her hair gently. "Look at what you're doing now. You're spending time with the boy you like. You're making memories. You're living."

"But..."

"One day, when another Dainv comes by and takes you home to where our kind truly belongs, there will be another opportunity." Esther pulled back slightly to look at Rachel's face below her.

Rachel winced at the thought. "But it hurts. Just thinking about leaving Gale hurts."

"I know." Esther wiped the tear from Rachel's cheek with her thumb. "But it will hurt more when you watch him fade into dust while you continue to live on."

Rachel nodded slowly. She didn't trust herself to speak. Just thinking about holding his hand, old and wrinkled, scared her. The thought of him disappearing forever.

Gently pushing herself away from grandma, Rachel stood up straight. She blinked a couple of times to get rid of the remaining tears. Then, she reached over and picked up the entire cake from the desk.

"I'll be in my room," Rachel said.

Esther's lips curved into a small smile. "Take your time."

Gerard also smiled as Rachel walked past him toward the door. Neither of them tried to stop her. Neither of them said anything about the cake.

The door closed behind her with a soft click.

Rachel walked through the hallway. The maids she passed gave her curious looks but knew better than to comment on the young lady carrying an entire triple chocolate cayenne pepper cake through the estate.

The first time she cried to grandma was when she was just 12 years old. The day her mom and dad didn't come back for a week. And then the week after. Which turned into months that turned into years.

And then there was that boy in middle school who called her weird for having red hair. Not the normal red hair like the ginger kids had. Actual red hair. They all told her she was different for more than her hair. They blamed her for not ever bringing her parents, not even her guardians like Gerard or grandma.

Rachel begged grandma to stay home and not go to school for months, but she'd always say, 'No, it's for your own good.' And it was. She did get closer to Isla more and more during those times of hardships too.

After she came back from the Eclipsed, the emotions got worse. It felt like she was always unstable.

Every year, she'd think she was over Gale's sacrifice. That she had accepted reality.

But time and time again, memories would relapse. She'd be reminded of the forest beasts, and in that instant, she'd just tear up and couldn't stop herself, even when she was in a university class. At any point in time, no matter where and when, whenever a thought passed by about the Eclipsed, she'd break down there and then.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

And whenever she was at home, grandma would always be there whenever she did. No matter what time or how busy she was, she'd come and hold her.

Maybe grandma was right about this too. That it was better to keep her distance. To enjoy the time she had with Gale without expecting anything more.

But...

Rachel stopped walking. Beside her was the elevator down to the sub levels.

She still wanted to know. Even if it hurt. Even if the answer changed everything. She needed to know if Gale was a Dainv.

And if Grandma wouldn't tell her, she would find out herself.

The closest source of information right now was Erin. And Erin was in Sub Level 28, watching over Lily like the creepy floating bluey she was.

After setting the plate at the nearest table stand, Rachel pressed the elevator button.

*

Ann Family estate. Sub Level 28. Rachel arrived in front of unit 28-62, pushing open the door without knocking.

Inside, Erin floated horizontally just in front of the hospital bed, her magic circle still trained on Lily's body. Lily herself was sitting up, with her hospital bed inclined up so that she could sit instead of lie down.

Lily looked up from her book. "Oh, hey Rachel. What's up?"

Just as she was about to reply, Rachel's eyes went immediately to the book cover. A pink cover with an image of a knife below the title 'A Court of Wings and Ruins' in yellow letters.

"How did you even get that book?" Rachel asked.

"Aunt Leah gave me the first one while you guys were gone." Lily held up the book. "I finished the first two already, so now I'm on the third."

Rachel's right eye twitched. Those books were supposed to be hidden and no longer in the bookshelves in her room. They were supposed to be in the closet. The whole series!

Lily shrugged innocently. "She said something about wanting to share the 'good stuff' with someone who would appreciate it."

Note to self, put the spicy books in a more secret place so that Aunt Leah wouldn't find them. Right now, they were already supposed to be very hidden under a mountain of clothes and inside a chest. But that wasn't why she was here.

"Anyways." Rachel turned to face Erin. "I need you, floating bluey."

"What for?" Lily asked.

"Stuff."

Erin didn't move from her horizontal floating position. Her magic circle continued rotating slowly in front of Lily. "Woman of fire, state your reasons, otherwise, be gone from this observation and research room."

"Just come!"

"The woman of fire may not command me."

Rachel suddenly reached up and grabbed Erin by the ankle, dragging her away from the hospital bed and Lily.

"H-Hey!" Lily called out as Rachel dragged the floating bluey toward the door.

Erin's body remained as neutral as ever as she was pulled along. Though her expression showed no changes. "Woman of fire, you are incurring debt as this tirade continues. The research of the subject is now delayed by 40 seconds and counting."

"I don't care." Rachel pulled her into the hallway and closed the door behind them with her foot.

Arriving at the empty hallway, it was not just the two of them and the hum of air conditioning and the fluorescent lights above.

Rachel released Erin's ankle, and she adjusted her floating to meet her, still horizontally.

"State your business," Erin said.

Instead of answering, first, Rachel moved the horizontally positioned Erin into a more humane position of upright, face to face. Stupid floating bluey...

Then finally, after taking a deep breath and crossing her arms while looking at Erin's expressionless eyes, Rachel asked, "What are you?"

"I am Grand Researcher Grand General Erin Weber, owner of the Weber Conglomerate," Erin said. "However, you may address me simply as Erin as gratitude for bringing me release from the pod in the tomb."

"Yeah, but how old are you exactly exactly?" Rachel asked.

"This line of questioning is irrelevant," Erin said. "This interrogation serves no purpose."

Right. This floating bluey is transactional in nature, as seen in the interrogation room in Sterling. In that case, she has one thing up her sleeve.

"I'll give you a jar of the Ann family fire if you answer my questions."

That was a bet. Witch Moura valued it. However, it was entirely a bet on whether Erin would bite.

"Very well. Ask away, make haste," Erin said.

"Conjure up an orb of ice," Rachel commanded.

Erin raised her palm. Ice crystallized instantly above her hand, forming a perfect transparent sphere of ice.

Rachel stared at the instant formation. For that one instance, she felt the distinct thickness of energy she used and the flow of ice that was formed. It was distinctly...

"That's essence," Rachel said. "You used essence, not ether."

"That is incorrect," Erin said, dismissing the ice sphere into melting water that flowed through her fingers. "The ether density was amplified to an extreme state to instantly conjure the sphere of ice. It is not what you call 'essence.'"

"That's a lie."

"I merely state facts. Your belief is irrelevant."

"How were you able to live for so long in that pod? The whole planet was designed to drain ether. You should have died centuries ago."

"I also do not know the answer to that question."

"That's bullshit!" Rachel shouted. "Didn't you say you were part of the team that designed the whole tomb? You should know exactly how it works!"

Erin didn't respond. And the floating bluey not responding was enough of an answer to Rachel. It was enough to go to the next line of questioning.

"Are you..." Rachel whispered. "A Dainv?"

"I am not a Dainv," Erin simply said.

Rachel's heart skipped a beat. What? That was not part of the script. She was certain that Erin would be a Dainv, but then why was she denying it? Erin always stated facts. There was no way she'd lie.

"I am simply a... transcendent."

"A what?"

"A transcendent," Erin said.

"Like the Caffeine Transcendent?"

"Precisely."

"Then why do you care so much about Gale?"

"He reminds me of my son."

Rachel winced at the answer. Of all the answers that she expected, that wasn't one of them. The worst one would've been if this ancient thing in front of her had something for Gale, but that was absolutely not the case.

"Is he still alive?" she asked.

"No," Erin said. "He is gone."

"How?"

"Old age."

Right... it was always old age when it comes to beings that live too long. It was the same for her. Erin probably watched her son grow old and turn to dust, just like what grandma said.

"Can transcendent beings live forever?" Rachel asked softly.

"No," Erin said. "Transcendents have a limited lifespan. However, we live far longer than the average human. Millenias, in most cases."

"Then how did you survive in the pod for so long?"

"The pod put me in a state of suspension," Erin said. "It rapidly decreased my aging during my time inside. That is how I survived for as long as I did."

"And now?"

"I have started aging again. The process resumed the moment I was removed from the pod."

If Erin wasn't a Dainv, she was still probably from a star faring race. The books in the library told stories of them and even had a list of them, ranking them based on military prowess, which somehow updated every year.

"Do you know of the Dainvs?" Rachel asked.

"I know of them," Erin nodded. "In the stars, the chances of encountering a Dainv are close to null. They are few in number and scattered across the universe."

"So you've never met one?"

"I have."

"Who?!"

Erin's blank eyes stared directly into Rachel's. "Is it not obvious? I have now met three. You. Lady Esther. And Gerard."

"Then what about Gale? Is he one too?" Rachel asked, shoulders drooping.

"Gale Hathie is an aberration. His rate of growth, the nature of his energy pool, and his instinctual command of the voidal resource do not conform to any known cosmic entities. However, without a full genetic analysis, any definitive classification would be speculative and therefore scientifically unsound. The data is insufficient for a conclusive determination."

"What?!" Rachel asked, dumbfounded at what she had just heard. It sounded like she didn't even get an answer. "Then how do you know my family are Dainvs?"

"Lady Esther has identified me as a member of a star-faring race and, as such, introduced her designation on the day I arrived at the estate for recovery."

"Fine!" Rachel turned around and stomped down the hallway again. No one wanted to answer her questions directly. Maybe Kyle and Clyde were right. Living in an Aurian family was truly suffocating.

"Woman of fire. Have you forgotten your end of the deal?" Erin asked from afar.

"You'll get it by end of day!" Rachel shouted and then grumbled, "stupid floating bluey."

"The woman of fire's insults do not faze me," Erin said as she floated back into Lily's room.

Putting herself horizontally back into her original position, she conjured up a magic circle that bloomed with billions of patterns, allowing her to see the microcosm of what was happening within the subject. She saw the current war being waged inside the pathways of the human subject.

The fascinating thing was that the blessing, as the subject called it, was actually originally part of the corruption, now converted to her own control.

More research must be conducted on the quiet woman's body. Her ether could possibly be used as a way to create a vaccine for those afflicted by the corruption.

Grand Researcher Erin, how did it go? Lady Esther telepathically rang in Erin's head.

Your granddaughter carries the fire of Aurumn. Her fire burns bright, and so do yours. Erin thought to Lady Esther. As illogical as your methods are, I will not question them.

Thank you, Grand Researcher Erin. It seems I now owe you. Lady Esther said.

I have yet to pay mine off. You may reduce my debt as you see fit. Erin replied.