Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 10 - Fury

Elaru's grinning face experienced a sudden change - her expression turned serious, even a bit cold. It surprised Kiel that she had a real poker face, it looked so similar to his own. He suddenly felt like he was looking in the mirror. It gave him an uncomfortable feeling.

"Alright. Then I should start taking responsibility by telling you the full truth, right?" She didn't wait for him to answer.

"I admit I omitted and...manipulated certain things. And I'll even explain how it works." She pointed her index finger upwards as if saying 'listen carefully'.

"The best way to trick someone is to cause them to trick themselves. Our minds constantly summarize the information we receive and extrapolate information to fill up the holes with context. So when I say 'I am called Elaru' you process it as 'Her name is Elaru' even though that is not what I said. I could have meant that some people call me Elaru but my name might have been something else. Well, this is just an example, my name really is Elaru.

This trick works best if the person you are trying to fool knows that it is undoubtedly the truth - such as, by you having signed an oath of truth. In such a situation, they won't put as much thought into what you are saying as they would have put otherwise. Because they know the oath prevents lying, they will believe you and not question deeply what you say. So if you want to trick them or manipulate them using the truth, you would do it by hiding information and by forming your statements in a way that the person you are trying to deceive reaches the wrong conclusion by themselves. If they reach a lie on their own, they will treat it as if it was the absolute truth. And after all is said and done, you can always get out of it by telling them it was all a big misunderstanding.

You should make full use of this method in the future if questioned about Aetherneal Bond or anything related to it."

Kiel could feel sweat rolling down the side of his face. This female was much more cunning than he had initially thought.

She locked her eyes with his and said good-naturedly, with a straight face: "Don't be mad. All of this is just a misunderstanding."

The frozen calm of Kiel's face was broken by the sudden widening of his eyes. He stared at her in disbelief. "As if that would actually work?!?! Do you take me for an idiot?!?!" His words came out higher and louder than he intended.

Maybe he would have believed it was a misunderstanding if she didn't explain her strategy a second ago. But since she did, her blatant implementation of the said strategy made all Kiel's attempts of stifling his anger instantly fail. The fury, like bubbling lava, melted through his mask and erupted forwards. The drops of his mana, flowing around the clearing, instantly became agitated and started whirling around chaotically, creating a tempest.

Elaru looked straight into his livid eyes. Neither his fury nor the tempest of mana seemed to bother her. Her face didn't convey a clear message. Was she taunting him, or perhaps gloating about her own superiority? Was she warning him to not underestimate her? To not look down on her because of who she seems to be?

"Of course not. I wouldn't have wanted to become bound to an idiot. I've known about the Aetherneal Bond for years. I have always wanted to do it, but I've never found someone who I'd want to do it with." She dismissed his anger.

Her mind was strong, but not like a steel wall - shielding itself from the tempest and keeping it out - no, her mind was like air - just letting the tempest pass through. She could feel the emotional turmoil in its entirety, but it could not affect her.

"Since it is not something that can be undone, naturally you would want to choose a right mate to do it with. Especially if you actually become stuck to them!" Kiel reasoned, pushing the words forcefully, violently, between his teeth.