Nyxara
"What is going on? What just happened? Are you okay, Zen? You are blushing even harder now. Are you about to faint?" I had all the questions, and they seemed to only be bringing Zen closer to fainting. Lima took charge by producing from her pocket a glass of water. She handed the cup over to Zen while she fanned her.
"Mistress, Ms. Zen would be the first omega you have interacted with personally. She is also young, so it is not a surprise that she on occasion will slip in releasing her aura and scent. The conversation about the 2nd master must have affected her, and thus her control slipped."
Zen's head nodded in agreement, but it seemed her voice was not ready to return yet. She avoided both my eyes and the two alphas, retreating inward while her face flushed deeper. "So then why did Rakesh stop the cart, and the two of them step away?" Zen glanced at me curiously in question. I could only guess what she was asking. "No, I don't remember whatever you are asking me." Zen's eyes widened, then when Lima started to answer my question, Zen held up a hand indicating she wanted to answer.
"They stepped away because as an omega, my uncontrolled aura and scent could affect them. They are respectfully keeping their distance so their instincts don't take over and compel them to assist me since I was likely sending out a distress signal because of my embarrassment." My own eyes widened now at the aspect that omegas can affect Alphas just like Alphas can affect omegas and s.
"So our instincts have even this primal aspect to them. Fascinating. Why am I as a beta not so affected? Would another omega be affected the same way?" I took out my phone and typed down some notes on these new observations to add to my notebook later.
"Betas typically aren't affected by an omega's aura and scent unless they are just extra sensitive, which means they are very scent compatible or the omega is their fated Velari. Omega scents and auras don't affect other omegas in the same way they do the other two designations. Omegas resonate with each other if they are compatible to craft essence together. The other designations can resonate with others of their designation in a similar way, but between Omegas, it goes deeper."
"No one who knows the reason will talk about it, but I personally think it has something to do with how, except for demons, no mating circle has more than one omega in it. It's rare for demons, but it does still happen."
I just typed everything I heard, including any side thoughts that popped up, into my notes. I wasn't expecting a random designation interactions lesson, but life will also teach us what we need to know; we just have to pay attention and grab the opportunity when it comes. With that thought, I see that talking seemed to have calmed Zen down, and now her scent was barely discernible.
Raising an eyebrow, I asked if she was good now. She gave me a thumbs up. I waved at the two alphas to return. When they got back into the cart, they didn't make any comments, just started the cart back up, and off we went to our first destination of the tour. The indoor training facility.
Rakesh
The moment we crossed the threshold, the air shifted—denser, charged with restrained power. Malcolm and Nyota must be tearing up one of the training rooms again for the essence to be bleeding out up here. I tapped a few instructions on my watch to one of the crews to repair the room once they were done and to write an invoice for the damages for my records.
When I looked up, Lady Nyxara was reading my text upside down. When did she get so close to me? I barely kept the surprise off my face as I took a step back. She shouldn't have been able to get that close to me without me noticing. I examined her to check if she had some sort of stealth artifact. When my gaze landed on her boots, I staring.
"Where did you get your boots, Lady Nyxara?" The boots were masterpieces that are conceptually impossible for an Ember tier ascendant to effectively utilize, and yet she is doing so. Her steps are soundless, while reinforced with various subtle protective enchantments. But each enchantment is perfectly done to work seamlessly with each other. The best part? Their true brilliance lies in their upgradability.
The artificer can unlock the next level of the enchantment when she is able to handle the power of them and allow it to siphon essence from her. By this point, I was kneeling down analyzing the boots, muttering excitedly to myself.
I knew when my lover pulled me up, I had gotten caught up in my musings. "You back from wonderland now, love?" I gave her a nod as I straightened my uniform. "Good. I do understand why you geeked out. When CC Nyota asked for help wrapping them, I drooled over those beauties.
I knew you wouldn't understand unless you saw them yourself, so I figured you would notice the lady wearing them at some point." She winked at me gleefully. She was pretty ecstatic getting to surprise me like this. I, however, felt embarrassed. No doubt any respect the two ladies had for me has probably been destroyed after I got caught up like that.
June finally realizes I'm not in a good mood. She reaches out to me, but I just grab her hand, then turn to the ladies to face their disappointment in me. Neither looks disappointed; at most, they just look amused. Still feeling tense, I give them a humble bow. "I apologize for my behavior just now. The beauty of your boots simply amazed me."
I feel Lady Nyxara's hand on my shoulder, pushing me to stand up. "It's fine, Rakesh. Your enthusiasm made me realize my boots were even more awesome than I already thought they were. I think I heard you muttering something about them being upgradable. I didn't know they could be improved. I do know my parents had been discussing how to mass-produce lesser versions for the fighters, though."
It took everything in me to not reach out and shake the girl. "So they are completed artifacts. I will have to speak with the Crown Consort about getting myself a pair." I barely held my excitement back this time. The lady just giggled with Ms. Salgrave as they walked through the rows of equipment, asking Mrs. June questions about various machines.
This gave me enough time to pull myself completely together. While June showed them around and I followed behind, I noticed Lady Nyxara occasionally tilting her head to the side, the way one does when listening for music too soft for human ears. Her aura trembled faintly in response—untrained still, but sensitive. Good. Sensitivity meant her instincts were sharpening.
"Each room here," I listened to June speak to the ladies in that tone that can settle even the newest trainees, "adapts to a person's essence tier. These are solitary meditation chambers. Air pressure, temperature, even the ambient essence threshold—everything shifts automatically to a level just beyond whoever enters can withstand. These chambers are where you go when you're ready to push yourself toward the next tier—or through a difficult breakthrough."
Nyxara's eyes followed the faint shimmer of sigils running overhead. When she spoke, it was quiet, almost reverent. "Beautiful."
I watched her a moment longer before replying. She wasn't just looking; she was assessing and analyzing, even if she doesn't understand what she sees. She's already taking notes, so when the theory clicks, she'll know exactly what it should look like if she does it right. She truly is like a different person. I understand now what Master Aspen meant.
"It's meant to be," I said softly.
Her head turned at the sound of my voice, and for a breath, I saw the Patriarch's precision, the Crown Consort's creativity, and the Matriarch's ambition woven into one expression—wonder edged with control. The sight struck deeper than I expected.
Yes. She was still learning, still fragile, but she was not the cub I worried about before the incident. She has evolved into someone whose presence resonates intuitively with the essence of the enclave. The wards sing differently in her presence, faintly brighter, like a house remembering it is a home because someone needs it to be.
And though I kept my expression composed, pride warmed my chest like a slow ember. She is home, and she is strong.