After their conversation, Kayn left Yelena's quarters with a lot on his mind. Would it really be best for him and Kinzie to separate? What did she mean that he was an all-devouring darkness of potential? How was he going to reach a high enough power in order to kill the Carnet Emperor without it taking years?
He found a secluded part of the underground cavern which had been dug out and brought out the Wanderer's Villa before entering it and heading to his own mana gathering room. While it wasn't anywhere close to as powerful as the one inside of the palace, it was better than nothing and something he wanted to look into improving in the future.
As he sat down on the pillow placed in the center of the room in a lotus position, he began circulation the Void Star technique in order to meditate and calm his mind a bit. Meditating had been his go to ever since his parents' deaths whenever he needed to clear his mind up a bit.
Shortly after he began meditating, the exhaustion from the last couple weeks of constantly keeping spells active in a large area around himself as well as keeping his Mana Sense extended to the max set in. He wasn't tired beyond measure, but sleep would definitely do him good.
He first bathed in a bath filled with medicinal herbs he found deep inside the Void Loop after his experience with Chaos. The water gave a tingling sensation which was a bit painful when he first entered, but eventually helped to soothe his tensed-up muscles.
While he was at it, he trimmed his beard down to less than a centimeter in length before growing out his hair to shoulder length and tying the back up while his bangs fell to the sides of his face. Now that he had the time and mana, growing out his hair to what he desired was an easy process.
It would continue to grow as normal unless he actively suppressed it, which he was too lazy to do. Letting his beard and hair grow and trimming them down occasionally was just as easy and offered some change to his now unchanging looks.
Satisfied with his grooming session and smelling clean, Kayn went to sleep with a troubled mind. He was worried about his sister being about the age to form a core. He was worried about his own future and how he was going to deal with all of these problems before he could find Lara.
But most of all, his heart was pained and weighed down with the burden of following his own selfish desires and staying with Kinzie, or letting her go. He also knew that it wasn't something he should decide on his own as just because he thought something was best, it didn't mean she would agree.
It was a problem he wouldn't be able to address until he met Kinzie again and could discuss everything he learned with her. Maybe she would come to the same conclusion Yelena had after hearing it. If she did, would he be willing to let her go?
Regardless of their decision in the future, he would need to come to terms with it one way or the other. All he could do for now was prepare himself.
…
After waking up, eating a meal, and putting his gear back on, Kayn left he Wanderer's Villa and absorbed it back into his soul. It was time that he went back and got started on his hunt.
He found Yelena giving instructions to people, managing them like she was the mayor of a town. She saw Kayn standing at the back looking her way and dismissed the gathering of individuals before grabbing a scroll from the desk she was sitting at before approaching him.
"Here," she held out the scroll for him to take once she was close enough to him. "That's what I know about the remainder of the enemy's powerhouses in the city. It provides an overview of their specialty as well as the last place I saw them and how long ago. If I'm honest, I'd love to go with you to take care of the first few names which are on the path back to Palatine, but I can't.
"However, I would be grateful if you could take care of them before you return if you're willing. The most difficult part would be that three of the four are liches. Bastards are a pain in the ass. Fortunately for you, I've also noted where my best guess of their phylacteries are.
"If I were you, I'd try to find the phylactery first, destroy it, and then kill the lich. Though if it was that easy, I would just do it myself. At the bottom of that scroll, I've also listed out the method to kill a lich, not that I've ever been successful myself, much to my shame.
"Also, don't forget what I mentioned to you yesterday. Some decisions suck, no matter the path we choose to take."
Kayn placed the scroll into his Void Loop and thanked her before starting to walk away without so much as a goodbye.
"Hey kid," Yelena spoke and Kayn paused his steps, "try not to do anything stupid, alright? Charlotte seems to care about you for some reason, so be sure to return to her yeah? You shouldn't let your sister wait too long either, after all."
Kayn turned his head back with a half-grin adorning his face. "I'll do my best. Thank you again Yelena, for everything." After saying that, Kayn left the administrative tent and made his way to the healing area where he sensed the Whiteclaw mother and daughter.
After arriving at the healing area, he noticed that the two healers were actually within Maria's living area, so he went to the doorway where only a cloth hung and said "Knock knock."
Since Maria was the main healer here and the others didn't know about her mother yet, she assumed the person who came was looking for her. She pulled the cloth hanging from the ceiling to the side with her mother close behind her.
"Oh my." Clara Whiteclaw stated when she saw Kayn's fully groomed appearance. She felt it was a bit inappropriate, but how could she not comment when the man in front of her looked as if he had been sculpted by the gods?
Snow-white hair perfectly framing his face with a short-trimmed beard that enhanced his jawline. Crimson eyes with four diamonds of gold adorning each and a smile that could make even the most cold-hearted girl swoon. Even Maria blushed seeing him, especially since she now knew that he was around her age.
"Hello healers of the Whiteclaw family." Kayn smiled charmingly when he noticed both of them came to the door to receive their guest.
Maria still seemed too stunned to do or say anything, so Clara stepped in for her. "Welcome Kayn, do come in."
Kayn was led into the simple living space and the three of them sat down around a table as there were no couches. Clara started off the conversation as she had an idea as to why he was there. "Are you here to bid us farewell?"
"That's right. I'll be leaving after I say goodbye to the two of you. No time to waste unfortunately." Kayn replied.
"Surely you could rest for at least a day though?" Clara argued as she was trying to keep Kayn with them for a bit, mostly because she had ulterior motives though.
"I can't. Every day, every hour that I wait is just more time for something unexpected to occur and all of our plans to go down the drain. I wish I could stay and help out here for a bit, but I'll need to get going soon. I only came to say goodbye and that I'm glad things worked out."
Kayn's eyes then turned to Maria who had been silently staring at him this entire time. "I'm very happy to see you alive Maria. You've come a long way and I'm sure you'll pave a path that has never been trodden before if you continue with the determination that you've had until now."
Maria remained silent and only nodded her head. Kayn knew her to be a quiet person anyway, so he didn't think she was acting any different to usual. It was only when she got talking about healing that she would really open up with him. However, Clara thought differently and subtlety nudged Maria from the side.
"Um, Kayn. Before you go…if you don't mind…could I ask you a few questions I had in regards to theories I've been working on? I know you don't have much time, but you've always helped me work through my roadblocks in the past and I was hoping that talking with you would help me again." Maria sputtered out, gaining more confidence as she spoke.
Maria's perception of Kayn after talking with Clara about him had put him on a pedestal where he was akin to legends she read as a child. It was only after she began to think of him as her teacher again that she was able to overcome her nerves.
Kayn smiled as she was still the same girl he used to know, always excited to talk about healing and anything related to the field. "Sure, I can spare just a little time for my former student."
…
Kayn spent more than two hours talking through theories with Maria, which he had not planned. He expected to only talk for around 15 minutes, but she unexpectedly had a lot of questions and even more ideas which Kayn found quite interesting.
He didn't have answers for everything she asked, but with the plethora of information he still had to digest from the gods of Earth, he was able gleam bits and pieces to try and fill the gaps for Maria. This girl was a true genius of this world. Kayn was a cheat code while she was truly blessed by the heavens. Not the Heaven that Earthlings thought of, but a place where godlike beings resided.
"Um, Kayn?" Maria asked after the three had said their goodbyes and he was about to leave cavern hidden by a powerful illusion.
"Mmm? Did you need something else Maria?" Kayn asked at her suddenly calling out to him with a nervousness that wasn't present before.
"Please take this." Maria pulled a beautiful ocean blue crystal out from the pouch she had at her waist and offered it to Kayn. He reached out and grabbed it from her, but accidentally brushed her hand with his fingers as he was pulling back. Kayn didn't think much of it, but Maria instantly blushed from the unexpected touch.
She pulled herself back together quickly and spoke, "That's a specialized communication crystal. Its range is around the size of the entire continent. It won't work within the sealing zone in Palatine, but it should connect with the one I hold otherwise. Um, if you're ever feeling lonely, or just want someone to talk to, please reach out. Ah! It also has a messaging system in the case either holder of the connected crystal can't answer at the time."
Kayn looked at Maria and smiled gently, "Thank you Maria. I'll take you up on your offer. If you come upon a problem that you can't solve again, reach out. I probably won't be able to talk often, but I'll listen to your messages and try and point you in the right direction when I have time."
Maria then stepped back with her eyes looking down at the ground as a slight red hue began forming on her cheeks. Clara, however, was far from being shy and stepped forward, pulling Kayn into an unexpected hug while she whispered into his ear.
"Thank you once again Kayn. Without your help, I don't know if I ever would have met my daughter again. Also, please do talk with her every once in a while. She's been quite lonely for the last few years, and while I will be with her now, I think seeing and talking with you again sparked something within her." Clara winked at him as she released him from the hug.
Kayn only nodded before he turned around and left the cavern. Internally he sighed though. He wasn't dense and knew how Maria felt about him. Though, he guessed her attraction to him was also mixed with reverence and admiration.
He also wasn't in a place to respond to her feelings. He never really saw her as a potential partner, even if she was extraordinarily beautiful and intelligent. He appreciated and respected her as a fellow healer, anything beyond that was smothered by having Kinzie by his side.
'I bet the way she views me will change after this is all said and done.'
Kayn flew off into the sky while a pair of eyes followed his departure. Yelena had been there, but hid herself and watched the entire interaction from the sidelines. That monstrous boy had probably realized she was there, but he never looked in her direction or said anything.
As Kayn quickly disappeared into the distance, Yelena looked over at the Whiteclaw duo who were still watching his departure. Her eyes glowed a greyish-white color momentarily and an intrigued look came upon her face.
'If it's that girl, perhaps.' Yelena thought to herself before silently entering back into the cavern, she had duties to attend to and another expedition to plan.