Born in Blood

It seemed as though Kuan hated celebrities just as much as Liam did.

It was just something about their narcissistic, self-loving, overly boasting, self-righteous demeanors that made his skin crawl.

But the two found themselves in a lavish cafeteria with tables shaped like living jellyfish. 

…Probably because they were. 

The café was themed with dim blue colors, and everything on the stupidly long menu was free.

Looking through the wide windows opposite to him, Liam's eyes were met with a breathtaking view of the waters.

It looked less like an ocean and more like a sea of stars, due to how clear the crystal waters had become.

It was floor 139, even though Liam and Kuan definitely didn't travel those many floors by foot.

As Liam thought, the use of dimensional magic was being used here. 

Kuan didn't seem too surprised, though, making Liam think this was something common among Rank 6's.

'I mean… I can teleport already. Can't imagine what these people could do.'

Those seated around Liam and Kuan snuck glances in their direction, but looked away as Liam's gaze met theirs.

'Weirdos.'

Liam looked at Kuan, who was currently sipping down a succulent yellow drink that strangely kept multiplying itself.

It looked like piss.

And seeing Kuan enjoy it gave Liam a strange sense of childish satisfaction.

"So?" Liam said with a little impatience in his voice. "Tell me the big secret reason this meeting was made."

Kuan gave Liam a displeased look, then proceeded to sip up the remainder of his urine, even letting out a sigh of refreshment.

Liam nearly laughed, but his expression didn't change.

Kuan activated the Isolation Barrier once more.

Then, he heaved a long sigh.

"Never thought I'd discuss this with you of all people," Kuan said. "But here we are."

Liam said nothing.

But Kuan had to be the least self-aware person on the planet. 

"I think there's something sketchy going on," Kuan said quietly, even though no one could possibly hear him. 

"Someone is planning something, and I can't put my finger on what it is."

"You think?" Liam said with a slight frown. "You're not even sure?" 

"I am," Kuan said with a mild glare. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many powerhouses, literal enemies, coming together like this."

Kuan narrowed his eyes.

"Echorians would never enter the same room as their sworn enemy, unless it's to kill them."

"And yet, the Queen just decided to swing by? She didn't do this for fun."

"It's probably because of the two new powerhouses."

"A new alliance could be made here."

"A power imbalance that could lead to war..." 

Kuan's face was heavy, and his tone was grim. 

Except… 

Liam really couldn't make himself care. 

"I think you've forgotten who you're talking to," Liam said. "I'm not even a Zenith yet. None of this concerns me."

Well, in one sense, it did. 

However, it was far too early for Liam to get involved in world-scale conflicts. 

He couldn't affect them, so why bother? 

These weren't his waters.

It was better for him to stick to issues pertaining to Rank 4 and Rank 5 Zeniths.

Rank 6 was too far away for the likes of him. 

Even Rank 5 was, but at least he could more or less survive when around them. 

Kuan paused for a second, then sighed. 

"You're not wrong."

A pause.

"But you know you're marked for death, right? Echorian Royalty are a vicious breed of people."

Right.

The promise for revenge.

Liam almost forgot about that.

But he was still breathing, right?

Maybe they had a change of heart?

…As if.

"I'll deal with that when it comes to it," Liam said. "I don't think they'll send the Queen herself to kill me."

Kuan laughed to himself.

"You never know. Regal as you think she is, appearances could be deceiving."

Liam didn't know what Kuan meant. He paused, then arched a brow.

"Don't you rule over the Dual Empires' lands? You know, the one the Queen was allied with?"

Liam grinned.

"The way I see it, your name comes before mine on the kill list." 

Silence.

Kuan gave Liam a cold look.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I can defend myself just fine, boy! Do you think my inaction equals weakness?"

Liam shrugged. 

"It is still inaction."

Silence.

Kuan scoffed. It seemed as though he forced himself to calm down.

Liam was purposely pulling his leg, after all. 

"You remind me of him more and more," Kuan said with a frown, rising to his feet and preparing to leave.

"Why take over the Dual Empire's lands?" Liam asked suddenly. "Was it the Abominations you wanted to study?"

Kuan shook his head. 

"Most of the Abominations slowly died off after the Empress did. Just a few remain now." 

…Shame. 

Liam would have liked to study a wider array of Abominations to understand why they were so… morbidly unique. 

But there were a good number of Fearists that joined the Temple. He could still analyze them, albeit on a weaker scale.

'He probably enslaved one or two Rank 6 Abominations,' Liam thought. 'Lucky dog.'

"But now, it was never about the lands themselves," Kuan said, then paused for one second. 

"It's about where the lands themselves are."

Liam raised his brows slightly. 

"You know nothing, boyo. Nothing at all." 

The talk was over. 

The Isolation Barrier puffed out, and Kuan left without another word. Probably to look for other powerhouses or places of interest.

How rude.

'Politicians,' Liam sneered. 'Just as vile as celebrities.'

Just then, Liam felt a pair of eyes on his figure.

His gaze snapped around… but there was no one there, and the feeling disappeared.

If it was just any other pair of eyes, Liam would have dismissed them.

People snuck glances now and again.

But he could feel something strange behind this pair. Was it killing intent? Or something else?

He didn't know.

Having his powers sealed, even momentarily, frustrated Liam to no end.

It was like having a scratch that you couldn't itch. 

'They're still watching me from somewhere,' Liam thought. 'Where?'

Before he could root out where the gaze came from, a massive form circled the waters in the distance.