2497 Three Years Ago (Part 1) By the way, where's Kami?' Solus checked the pocket watch, noticing that the Constable shift was supposed to be over for a while now. I'm surprised she has yet to come here and drag your ass home! "At the Ernas household: Lith replied. To help with Quylla's marriage preparations?" "No, to beat the crap out of Orion and blow off some steam. Lith replied. "Wait, what?" Solus blurted out in surprise. Ernas Mansion, at the same time. "Gods if I needed this. Kamila said with a relaxed smile on her face. "Thank you for replacing Jirni as my sparring partner, Orion." "The pleasure is all mine. He replied while dodging a kick to his shin followed by an elbow strike. Kamila kept her Voidfeather armor's settings on defense so that the Adamant wouldn't affect the heaviness of her blows nor further boost her physical prowess. She was already using her full might combined with fusion magic. Any more and even with the protection of his armor Orion might have suffered a real wound. "Are you sure this is safe?" Zinya watched the sparring session with bathed breath. "Yes, don't worry? Jirni patted her hands. "My husband limits himself to defensive maneuvers. He won't land a single blow, Usually, I'd be the one with your sister on the mat, but at my age pregnancy is risky and I can't take any chance "I see. Zinya needed sheer willpower to not twist her face in envy. Jirni is ten years older than me, yet she still can have another baby. Gods, why have you forsaken me?" The truth, however, was that Jirni couldn't afford to spar with anyone without them noticing how stronger she had become due to her poor control over Awakening. Orion, instead, could still mask his prowess behind the abyssal gap in combat experience with Kamila. He needed someone who could push him on the ropes even when he used fusion magic to temper his body. He fought while pretending to use the body-enhancing features of his armor while he was actually learning how to adjust his fighting style to the different effects of fusion magic. He was getting used to triggering earth fusion to soften the blows, darkness fusion to limit the pain, and air fusion to be faster. Two elements were his limit so he had to conjure earth fusion only when he was about to get hit. Kamila was the perfect sparring partner. Strong and fast enough to challenge him but also too inexperienced and unfamiliar with his skill level to notice that he was learning from her more than she was learning from him. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮 The match lasted until Orion ran out of energy. Elysia provided Kamila with the equivalent of a weak but constant breathing technique, making it hard for her to get tired. Orion, instead, was mentally exhausted from using magic for a prolonged time and physically sore from the elemental flow. His joints and muscles were still those of a man over forty years old and the strain from the effects of fusion magic made them ache. "Do you really need to do this, Kami?" Zinya asked once Orion had left. "Can't you take a more relaxing hobby? Tm sorry, Zin, but I'm under a lot of stress and this is the only thing that helps. Believe me, I've tried doing other things but they only made me feel worse." Kamila replied while dabbing the sweat from her face with a towel. "What's wrong?" "Things are going better at work. Archon Griffon takes good care of me and my colleagues are starting to respect me as a Constable. As a person, however, I'm still a pariah. On top of that, only the people in my office have softened. "I'm still at square one with all the other departments which makes every field mission a drag. At home, everyone treats me like a cracked crystal vase, just like you Zin." Kamila glared at her sister. "I can't take a step or move a chair that someone offers to help me. It's infuriating!" "I'm sorry, it's just that Elysia is the first of her kind. Who knows what can and can't hurt her?" Zinya replied. "Do you think I don't know that?" Kamila snarled. "I'm afraid all the time and being treated like a dying woman is a constant reminder of my worst fears. Last, but not least, I'm having trouble sleeping at night. "Elysia gives me strength but she also keeps me awake. I'm always so full of energy that if I don't tire myself enough, I spend the night staring at the ceiling. I'm going insane from the stress. "I'm so sorry, Kami. I had no idea you were going through so much. Zinya hugged her sister that started sobbing "Did you tell Lith? "And have him worry too?" Kamila shivered. "There's nothing he can do. Also, Lith's life force has finally gotten better after years of suffering. He deserves a bit of peace. Once she had calmed down enough, Kamila went to take a shower while Zinya waited for her outside, talking about her new life as a Baroness. "It's a lot of work but it's worth it. I can help the people who are in a similar situation to ours when we were trapped in our parents' home. Also, once Zogar is done with the academy his schedule is free and we can spend some time together. Two birds with one stone. "I'm proud of you, Zin. I would go visit our parents in prison and rub their noses in our happiness, if only I gave a single fuck about them." Kamila replied. "That's a cruel thing to say, Kamil." "Why? Would you really waste your free time on them rather than spend it with your family?" She closed the tap and wore a bathrobe before coming out of the steaming shower. "Point taken." Zinya nodded. "Speaking of family, Tezka is finally back. Filia and Frey have cried for hours when he went picking them up from school and they still refuse to let him go anywhere. They are stuck to his fur like ticks. She chuckled. "How is he?" Kamila asked. "If you are asking me if he's stronger, I have no clue. The only thing I know is that he was so moved by the children's welcome that I'm certain to have seen his eyes get teary. But enough talking about me. Are you ready for your homework?" a Zinya took a shiny mass of silverware from her dimensional amulet. "You need to learn which knife and fork go with the different dishes or your Court life will be a nightmare. "I know." Kamila sighed. "Thank you for taking such good care of me Zin. I wish I was a better sister and spent more time with you without forcing you to chase after me all the time." "Don't say that. I'm the older one and I've already gone through Court training so I'm more than happy to help you for once." Zinya stood up, hugging Kamila as soon as the Voidfeather armor wrapped around her. "Three years ago, I was a blind woman resigned to die in the clutches of a violent monster, thinking that was the best life had to offer me. He had taken my children from me and we could meet only on my birthday or when you spent your hard-earned money to bribe the house staff.