Nyxara
The rest of our walk to the pagoda was quiet, Azrail leading and me following. He came to a stop at the entrance. The doors opened on silent hinges. Inside, there was an open space with furniture arranged in different conversation areas. Each section had a different style of furniture. From stone age to sci-fi futuristic, the choices were endless.
"This is a waiting area, obviously. We don't need to remain here since the one you will be meeting won't be coming to this reality realm. Tell me where do you feel led to go? Through a door? Up a ladder? Into the depths of a pool? Make a choice before stepping through the doorway. I'll be right behind you."
Azrail stepped completely to the side. I looked around the vast waiting area for a clue of how to make my choice. None of the options Azrail described were in view, so I didn't understand why he even gave me those ideas.
I can now confirm Azrail had a strong influence on Lux's methods of teaching. They tell me the result I should achieve without telling me the how. Wait…what was it Lux told me that first day when I was frustrated like this? That day, he told me to do not what I thought I should do, but what felt right.
So I closed my eyes and wished for a way to get to where I needed to be to continue my journey. When I stepped across the threshold into the pagoda, I heard something crack then shatter.
When I opened my eyes, the endless waiting room was gone. In its place was a staircase going up and a staircase going down. Azrail came to stand beside me, looking around. "This should do well for this next leg of the journey. Which way are we going, up or down?"
I wasn't sure how I felt about Azrail's constant urging to keep moving, but I didn't let it distract me. I chose the first option that came to mind. "Up. While we climb, do you want to tell me about your homeland? Where is it? I've learned enough in my studies to know that while there are demons in Solhara, this isn't where most of you reside on this continent."
Azrail looked intrigued by my chosen topic, but he did not respond until we reached the third landing. "I, Cornelius, Davina, Malcolm, Mrs. June, and Rakesh are all from the east continent. Malcolm comes from a different region, but from what I was told, he left his clan and came to Solhara a few years before the rest of us. I am from Atherra. The Council of Twelve, which is the demon ruling council, is based in this region. Atherra is best known for its mist-wrapped cliffs and mythic ruins. One of the ruins' locations is open to the public as a tourist attraction."
Azrail's eyes didn't change, but I caught a hint of nostalgia in his expression. "My childhood was often spent in the mountains and forests of the region. In fact, I first unofficially met your mother and uncle in the forest close to their family circle's estate." Azrail genuinely looked happy remembering these childhood memories.
"Are Nimra and Uncle Cor from Atherra too? So there are other races in Atherra? Not just demons?" I regretted asking the question when I saw Azrail's face go blank and cold.
"Yes, other races live in Atherra, but demons are the majority. Now, no more questions. You need to focus on where we need to go; else, we will be climbing these stairs forever." He picked up the pace, and I could only match him. I noted that he didn't answer my question about whether Atherra was my maternal side's home region too. I also noticed that he not only didn't answer it, but his demeanor made it clear that he was shutting this topic down completely.
At some point, I ended up taking the lead, and it was when we reached the 11th landing and I tried to continue to the next set of stairs that I hit a barrier. I stumbled back, barely keeping myself from falling on my ass. Azrail looked around the landing with distant curiosity before his gaze settled on me. He asked what seemed to me two bizarre and random questions. "What floor is this? What do you see?"
My eyes narrowed as I looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"
He blinked slowly at me before turning away from me to look around. When he did not answer or look at me after a while, I angrily stomped over to him and put myself in his direct line of sight. His luminescent golden eyes peered down at me emotionlessly and did not speak. His non-action added to the building anger I was feeling. I felt the circlet warming in an attempt to return my emotions to a tranquil state, but I pushed the influence back. I wanted to feel angry in this moment.
I did not understand why my usually helpful and accommodating dad was being so cold and distant to me. It was stressing me out when I was already trying to not be anxious about this whole exchange.
"Why are you ignoring me? Why are you being so cold to me? I feel very alone right now. You are supposed to guide me, but I feel like you are not being helpful." I realized I was whining. I know I probably was not being reasonable. I just needed to feel safe right now, and he was not making me feel safe.
Azrail's head tilted sideways, and he blinked slowly again. "I am not ignoring you. I am not being cold to you. You are and are not alone right now. I am guiding you, but you want to waste time on questions that you would have already gotten the answer to if you had answered mine instead of asking me unnecessary questions." His hands came up to almost cup my face.
"Nyxara Ajei, you are not as weak as you are behaving. I have made it very clear we are on a deadline in multiple ways. Focus on what I tell you to focus on. Leave all other thoughts to be pondered on or asked later. If you think I'm being an asshole right now, fine. I'm an asshole. I'm an asshole who is risking his own soul and essence to be in a half-astral state so you would not be here completely alone."
My eyes bugged out and my mouth hung open at this confession. He is risking his soul and essence to be here with me? "By the way, the longer you are here, you are risking your soul and essence too. No sane Ember tier cultivator would attempt what you are doing today for the simple fact that you don't have the essence capacity or the cultivation level to attempt it. The ritual is this big for this very reason. To make sure you can travel safely and whole. So excuse me this once, Little Queen, if I want to get us in and out as fast as possible."
I felt like I wouldn't feel as shitty for snapping at him if he had slapped me. I could do nothing but listen to him correct my misunderstanding. "The supplemental training is a side effect but not the purpose. You need to know and understand certain things to get you to where you need to go. So I ask you again, daughter. What level are we on, and what do you see around us?"