~ Author's Note to Readers~
This chapter may be a little more sexually intense than past chapters, so some people may have trouble with it. I want to clarify that this book will not be R18. At most, it will be content like this or clear implications later on of the deed being done, but not yet.
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[Jack's POV]
She pulsed in visible confusion. ^I'm… sorry, I don't think I can do that. I'm a dream spirit. I don't have that kind of power.^
I gave her a small smile. "I know. You fall under Morpheus' rule, and you deal with dreams. But memories… dreams are the mind's way of sorting memories. Of reliving them so we remember. You know this, as you can view the memories of other people when in their dreams."
Lavender hovered in silence for a moment and said, ^Yes, that is true.^
"And using Glare allows people to see beyond the walls of reality. Although I only use it to see far away, he can allow me to glimpse into other planes or beyond, though it's very difficult," I said.
I then gestured to her. "If you, a spirit from another plane and someone who can navigate memories, examine the door, you can at least see its more recent memories."
^So I can look into the past of objects too?^ she asked, surprised.
"More or less," I said. "You won't get a very clear image, and you can probably only see a short while ago—I would guess a day at most—but you might catch at least an echo. I'll guide you through it."
She pulsed thoughtfully. ^Alright. I can try.^
I extended my hand and said, "Glare."
The eyeball that is Glare opened in the palm of my hand. I chanted a few words, and they floated out from my hand, leaving no residual marking, and went to Lavender.
Lavender coiled around them, and in a shimmer of purple mist, Glare became an eyeball suspended in smoke, twitching slightly.
I took a deep breath, and we began.
Guiding her was trial and error. A lot of it. If she went too fast, her vision became distorted. Too slow, and the image vanished. But with patience, soft corrections, and a fair amount of backtracking, she got the hang of it.
I waited.
A minute later, she got something and pulled back, and offered Glare to me again.
^It was Aaron. He left the note,^ she said calmly as I put Glare back into my palm. ^There was no malice in him, but… he wasn't entirely himself. Something in his presence felt distant. Like, part of him wasn't there.^
I nodded. "And the letter?"
^It's a message to you. He said he'll be at the school for a few days, attending classes like normal, but sleeping elsewhere. He said not to worry.^
I sighed, annoyed. 'Always keeping me one step behind, huh?'
I pulled some paper off my desk and quickly wrote a reply:
*Staying the night in Ark's room. Don't worry. - Jack.*
I walked to the door, opened it, and stuck the letter half on top of the original one,
while acting like I couldn't see Aaron's note completely.
I walked back into my room and started gathering some things.
Lavender hovered by my shoulder. ^Why the second letter? Clearly neither of you is coming back here tonight.^
"Because the shadow inside of Aaron likely suspects I'm a spirit summoner, medium, exorcist, or something similar. That spell hiding his note? It's bait. If I'd reacted to it or moved it in any way, it would've confirmed everything."
I looked at her, my voice quieter. "If it knows I can exorcise it, it might prepare. Defences, traps. Or worse—accelerate what it's doing to Aaron... whatever that is."
Lavender pulsed slowly. ^I understand. I'll be careful when I next check in.^
"Thanks," I said with a tired nod.
I packed a few essentials, stored Glare in my ring, and headed for Ark's room.
-
The whole thing in my room took a while, so when I opened the door, I saw Ark sitting alone, looking a little anxious.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, legs drawn up, arms wrapped tight around them.
His tail was twitching.
"Hey," I said softly.
Ark blinked and looked up, startled. But when he saw me, his face softened and flushed. "H-hi."
I closed the door behind me. "Everything alright?"
He hesitated. "Y-yeah. Just… a little nervous... What took you so long?"
I smiled and said, "One of my spirits needed to talk, so it kept me busy for a bit, but we should be fine for tonight."
He nodded and asked, "Is everything okay?"
I walked over and pulled him into a soft hug. "Everything's fine. I'm not going anywhere. This is our night."
He nodded slowly, not looking at me, his face burning red.
I stepped back and started removing my shirt, as I typically sleep without one.
Ark's eyes widened again as he saw me, and I caught him staring openly this time. His tail flicked once, betraying the emotions swirling just beneath the surface.
I smirked. "Do you like what you see?" I said as I noticed him staring directly at my abs.
He was completely frozen. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
I walked over and waved a hand in front of his face. "Earth to Ark."
He blinked rapidly, face glowing with colour. "Y-you're mean," he mumbled.
I chuckled. "Should I keep the shirt on?"
He nodded—quickly, almost panicked, as he turned away, but I could still see him looking.
Still smiling, I pulled it back on and sat beside him. I reached out and gently took his hand.
He looked down at our fingers before finally glancing at me again. "So… what now?"
I tilted my head. "What are you wondering about?"
He hesitated, biting his lip. "I'm not sure… I just… if you wanted to…"
His face was burning now. The words were there, but he couldn't say them.
I stopped him with a gentle squeeze of his hand. "Ark," I said softly, "I'd like to wait for now, that way we can learn more about each other. But if it's something you want, we can try... But do you want to?"
He paused, then shook his head. "I… I don't really know what I want yet. I love spending time with you and I want to one day, but... this whole thing is a first for me, so I don't really know how this works."
I smiled. "That's fine, and you shouldn't feel like you need to do anything. I am fine waiting until you're ready."
He let out a breath he'd been holding, tail flicking behind him again—more relaxed this time.
"...Um, sorry, this is a weird thing to ask, but… isn't there a law about this kind of thing in some Kingdoms?" he asked quietly. "I think I remember hearing something…"
I tilted my head. "You mean like a law about your age?"
He nodded again, a little embarrassed. "Yeah. About when it's… okay."
I leaned back a little and shrugged. "There is one, but it's not what you're probably thinking. It's called the age of consent, and that's basically when you legally can give consent. It partially exists to protect people from being taken advantage of while they're still too young to fully understand consent."
Ark looked at me in shock, but also asked, "W-what is the age here?"
I smiled. "Sixteen for most people, but it's not a single number for everyone. It's based on race."
He blinked, confused.
Smiling, I explained, "Different species mature at different rates. In the same way, the academies have the age requirements for new students. For humans, beastkin, orcs, lizardmen, and most others, it's sixteen, as you are considered an adult at eighteen rather than sixteen a few years ago."
Ark nodded and asked, "What are some other ages?"
I nodded. "Some races are outliers to the normal ages. Kobolds, for example, they are considered adults at ten, so their age is eight for both applications and... other matters."
Ark's ears perked. "Really? Kobolds grow up that fast?"
I nodded. "Yeah... Kobolds only live to be around forty to fifty if they die of old age. Zek will probably live longer thanks to magic, though, so that's a bonus..."
I paused. "…Though now that I think about it, I don't know how old Zek is."
"How old do you think he is?" he asked.
I nodded. "If I had to guess, maybe twelve? Thirteen? He's got a lot of energy, and looks young, so I would guess around there."
Ark nodded slowly, thoughtful again.
"We got a little off-topic," I said, smiling. "Let's get back to something more comfortable."
He looked at me, then away again. "I'm happy," he admitted softly. "This… this is a lot. I feel overwhelmed sometimes with the academy, and you guys helping me, but I want to keep going. I want to see where this goes."
I smiled and pulled him into a tight hug. "Same here."
We talked for a while after that. Just small things. How he felt about the day. How I felt seeing him happy. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about the carnival, or the way his voice trembled when he tried to say things he wasn't sure about yet. It was soft. Honest.
Eventually, our words slowed, replaced with yawns and quiet smiles.
Ark shifted under the blanket, looking at me with hesitant eyes. "Do you… want to sleep with me?"
I gave him a gentle smile. "Of course."
I turned off the lamp with a flick of my fingers and crossed the room in the dim glow of the moonlight. Ark scooted over as I slid under the covers beside him.
His tail brushed against my leg before it stilled.
He tensed a little. Just enough that I noticed.
I gently pulled the blanket over both of us and wrapped my arms around him.
"Everything's okay," I whispered. "You don't need to think too hard. Just enjoy the moment."
He nodded softly, and I felt the tension melt from his shoulders.
Warmth settled between us as his body relaxed against mine, and the soft rhythm of his breathing slowed.
It didn't take long before I felt sleep creeping in.
And as we lay there, side by side, that is when I knew…
This was right.
This was real.
And for tonight, that was enough.