Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

The Harvest

He stared at hre, two twin pools of gold locked tight in a rictus stare with Adam's iridescent green visor. She ignored the gurgling mass at her feet and gently tapped her spear against the palm of her hand. Shadows pooled around her like a creature of midnight.

"Hmm, I thought I detected a foul smell." he waved a hand in front of his face, "At first I thought it was the sulfur, but now I see it was you and your crock of bullshit."

She frowned grip tightening around the shaft of her spear, "I did not come to speak to you, maggot. I came to speak to my daughter. She looked around expectantly, "She would usually be with you, no?"

"You gave up the right to call her daughter." He made a face at her, "Look at you know, Lanus would be disgusted.

In a moment she was on her feet and her spear was held at the ready, eyes boring into him with intent to kill written all over her face, "Keep his name off of your worm tongue, filth."

Adam circled slowly around the circle in the center of the room where the worms were still madly breaching the surface in search of their revenge, "What, my father in law, or did you forget we are family now."

Her grip tightened even further,, "No."

"You know I have always found it funny how you only follow your own rules and traditions when they suit you. Throw defective children into the volcano to recycle their spirits, you know unless you can't do it and so take one home and treat her like shit for the rest of her life, or leave another one to die on a mountainside. Or how when your battle partner dies in glorious battle it isn't personal and you should not hold a grudge against the ones who did it since they fairly died to a better warrior, you know unless you go bat shit insane and decide to become an egomaniacal despot. Oh and the right to unarmed combat is totally a thing until your daughter does it with someone that you don't like. I could go on but I am sort of running out of breath here."

Kazna lifted her head, "I will not dane to speak with you, worm, now where is my daughter?

"She's not here you slimy beetle." This time it was Lord Celex who spoke standing next to the edge of the pool and ringing out his ponytail. The man did not appear dressed for battle in any way, but Adam knew better, and so did Kazna.

He watched her stiffen.

As far as they understood, kazna was still a mortal. Her body had not died so she had not unlocked the true potential of her own Anima just like Adam, but there was some debate as to weather that was even possible anymore. The void had corrupted her soundly, and given her powers that not even some of the makers had, so it was unknown if her Anima was still in tact at all.

Either way she knew who he was and exactly what he could do. Not only was Celex a Maker, but they were pretty sure he was Deus like the rest of them, and one from the last cohort which mean he would be stronger than average.

Granted they all had some collective theories about Celex seeing as his past was marked mostly in war crimes and mass murder, and his maker name was aparticularly suspect, but Adam had no doubt he was on their side.

She narrowed her eyes, "Ah Emperor Celex, you look well."

He flipped her the bird, "No thanks to you."

She chuckled grimly, "Oh I seem to recall you made it out just fine. What I did was probably even good for you in the long run. Maybe the architect will forgive you for your past, indiscretions...." She trailed off and Celex glanced at Adam. Together they reached out their minds in an attempt to read what she meant, but as they tried the two of them recoiled as they came into contact with a bit of blackness so foul it seemed as if they would be sucked in if they went any further.