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Ahh, there's nothing like some well-needed self-cleaning. The bathroom here was practically a spa. The tub had jets that turned it into a jacuzzi, and it also contained sulfur sediments to help with relaxing. After soaking in the tub, I stepped into a class-cased shower that sensed my biometrics through the floor. The water immediately turned on to the perfect pressure and temperature for my skin. After washing, I simply needed to say "dry" for warm air to blow from vents in the floor and shower head. In just 30 seconds I was completely dry. My hair remained a little damp but that's fine.
After that experience, I planned to talk to Mom and Dad about upgrading our shower system back home.
When I looked in the long mirror over the sink, I stared at my grey streak of hair. Although it irked me at first, I think it was starting to suit me. It added character, so I decided I liked it. I just didn't need any more.
After throwing on some clean clothes I stepped out of the bathroom. Then while walking through the bedroom, I sensed someone else had arrived.
It must be the person Tymon wanted to introduce us to, I thought to myself.
I tied my hair in a loose ponytail as I headed toward the room door. When I exited the room I saw Tymon, Trik, and the new person I sensed each standing in the living.
When I looked at Trik I noticed he seemed a little tense. He must've found something in the house that bothered him and was trying to hold it in. How does a SAS have OCD, I don't know.
As I approached them, I took a good look at Tymon's friend.
I was amazed at how beautiful she was. Like Tymon, her beauty seemed inhuman. If not for the low energy I was sensing from her and Trik not jumping to tell me otherwise, I would assume she was a Primordial too.
There wasn't a single flaw about her; she even smelled perfect. Her demeanor was a bit timid, but there was also something fierce about her like the wrong move would set her off. I liked her already.
"Hi! You must be Tymon's friend. I'm Alissia," I said as I extended a hand to her.
"Yeah, we've been friends for a couple of years now. I'm Za'Fia," she said as she shook my hand.
Alissia noticed a ring on Za'Fia's hand glowing red. At a closer look, it had many tiny crystals embedded around the ring with one large diamond-shaped crystal in the middle.
"Wow, those are pure rupture prisms!" I exclaimed. "That ring must've cost a fortune; you must be really rich."
"My parents died in an accident a long time ago and I inherited a large trust fund," Za'Fia replied wistfully. "But I'm happy I could purchase the ring since it helped me become friends with Tymon. If I focus, the crystals ward off Tymon's curse."
"I'm sorry about your parents," I said empathetically. I hope I hadn't reopened a wound.
"You're fine. As I said, it was an accident, and it was a long time ago," she said.
After an awkward moment of silence, Tymon spoke out.
"Well, now that everyone's here let's get to it," Tymon said as he moved to the couch.
Tymon and Za'Fia sat on the short end of the couch while I sat on the other piece. Trik decided to float next to me.
We spent the next ten minutes explaining to Za'Fia how the "curse" they thought Tymon had was actually his spirit energy. Then I told her who The Primordials were and that they really exist, and it was my job to find them, which led to me revealing Tymon as a Primordial.
"Are you sure you should be telling me all of this?" Za'Fia asked skeptically.
"Since the secrets to spirit manipulation became common knowledge, Watchers don't stand out like they would have before, so we don't have any reason to remain a secret anymore. Don't get me wrong, we're not going around advertising it, but it's not how it used to be. Speaking of..."
After that, I explained the rediscovery of Greed and Despair, my belief that they had something to do with the previous Death's death, and how I believed they needed to be put in line before they killed another Primordial. Trik stayed unnaturally quiet through everything but remained tense until the explanation ended.
"So, Tymon's like the god of death?" Za'Fia asked for clarification.
"We prefer to refer to them as Primordials, but in a sense, I guess so, yeah," I replied.
"And the previous...Death Primordial, who was – as you say – a more experienced Supreme Primordial...was believed to have been killed by these Greed and Despair Primordials," Za'Fia restated. "Yet you expect Tymon, who doesn't know how to control his powers as a Primordial to stop them? From my understanding, they haven't done anything that threatens the Primordials or us humans since the previous Death Primordial was killed. Perhaps there's no reason for Tymon to risk his life fighting these other two Primordials."
"We don't expect Tymon to confront them yet," I stated. "The plan is to take him to HQ tomorrow so that he can be trained and get a better feel for his abilities. Then we'll find another Primordial who's most likely already well established with their abilities to come along with us. We don't want it to come to a fight, but we don't know what Greed and Despair's agenda is. We want to make sure they understand the consequences of killing a Primordial in case they target another one. We also want to find out exactly how they managed to take down someone as powerful as Death, why'd they kill him, why'd they reveal themselves after so long, and why'd they start this Age of Conversion we're in. There's just too much unknown information for me to just ignore them. And my guts – along with the consideration of their titles – tell me nothing good will come from letting them go unchecked."
"And there's also something else," Tymon interjected. "While I was learning to sense through my spirit energy, I felt someone more powerful than me watching us. That's why I asked if there were any other Primordials nearby earlier."
There was a brief moment of silence.
"So, Greed and Despair have been watching you," Trik said to Tymon. He seemed to be less tense now. "Perhaps they plan to target you again."
I turned my attention back to Za'Fia.
"As you can see, Tymon sitting back and doing nothing doesn't seem to be an option. I get that you're his friend and you're worried, but whether you want him to be or not, he's involved in these problems. You can't keep him from his responsibilities," I said to her.
The room went still.
Tymon nodded his head in agreement and said "She's right, Z. I don't think I'm going to be able to stay out of it even if I wanted to."
Za'Fia didn't look at Tymon at all. Instead, her gaze went from the floor and locked on me.
Trik had tensed again. If he had pores, he'd be drenched in sweat right now.
"Lisa..." He spoke.
Both Za'Fia and I stared at Trik.
"What?" I asked.
Trik stared at me, his eyes pleading. Wha– Oh! Was he telling me I was being rude to Tymon's friend? How had it gone from me making sure he doesn't tick off Tymon to him checking me?
"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to come off as rude if I did," I said apologetically.
Za'Fia simply smiled.
I started to feel mucky. Was it getting warmer?
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
ns 15.158.61.54da2
