::Seven Months Later::
Laying out on a lounge chair with a cocktail in my hand, I enjoyed the warm sun and the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach. The island behind me was filled with an abundance of Life, radiating positive emotions and sensations, and making this place feel like a true paradise. Even better was the sound of happy, excitable children that were playing along the beach and fields with Selv keeping a watchful eye over them.
Hanoharu had used all of the plant samples and seeds to create a massive garden across the island, my mountaintop home, and several new properties that I acquired which included a stretch of desert, swamp, and rainforest. Aside from my house and the island, the other locations were just small outposts, buried deep in whichever biome that they were in, and warded to cloak and redirect anyone approaching them, to ensure their security. The three zones were just large enough for specialty gardening by Hanoharu and the small building that facilitated travel between the various zones for my avatars that did not have the ability to teleport.
Aside from the ever-growing gardens, I had conjured all of my avatar crafters after leaving Brightton Bay, except for one whose unique specialties were not needed currently. Sythrissa was the one to erect all of the wards around my territories and then focused on her alchemy, preparing things for me to sell to the Heavenly Realm Store or anyone that I decided to recruit; I would never let my people remain ordinary.
I had summoned Embra and Frannie, though both were not producing much for different reasons. Embra was a massive bear-woman that towered over me in both height and width and specialized in metal-working and blacksmithing, though she was also my tailor for those that did not prefer metal armor. Unfortunately, Embra had inherited all of my laziness and then added on more with her bear-kin nature, so unless I threatened violence, she would sleep more than she ate, especially if you compared either to how much she worked. Frannie, however, was actually a workaholic, but once I summoned him, we learned of a unique Law of the world, no golems.
I had found several crystals that could be used as Soul Stones and tried different methods. Even if I sacrificed a small amount of my Soul, or even the entire Soul of some minor scum lord, true golem magic would always fail, and I am a suppressed Elder Goddess of Golems. The higher ups of my faction had been even more cunning than I had originally thought, but I was not worried. Morgan's specialty with robots had given me inspiration to follow his methods, but strengthened through magic, though it was the tiniest little piggy, Frannie, that I left to figure out how to combine robotics with magic... I certainly was not going to waste my time with Zeros, Ones, and electrical circuits.
::Master, Morgan Lexington is calling you.:: Karazu's voice echoed through my mind.
I sighed and transferred my consciousness to his body, then answered the phone.
"Miss Zarra?" Morgan's voice came through the cell phone.
"Good morning, Doctor Lexington. How can I assist you today?" I asked casually.
"I would like to request your assistance with a matter relating to the Hero Alliance. Do you have the time to meet me in my office, and we can take a jet to the location while I brief you on the situation?" he asked.
"I don't have any pressing matters, so I guess that I can. Give me five minutes, and I'll be there," I replied.
"Thank you for your prompt assistance," he said politely.
"No problem. It's simply part of our deal."
I hung up the phone and released my control over Karazu's body, my focus returning to the beach and ocean. I finished my drink with a single gulp then left it on the small table to my side before I teleported away. My first stop was my mountain home where Karazu was waiting for me and gave me my phone. After tucking it into my pocket, I teleported to Morgan's office, where I found him and Rae sitting on the couches.
"Oh, hello Rae, I didn't realize that you would be joining us," I commented.
Over the last seven months, Rae had undergone an incredible change. Her mana core had already reached the liquid-stage and was no longer forcibly activating her powers. She had learned how to purge the foreign memories filling up her mind first, but after a bit of coaxing, she agreed to let me teach her some true magic. So far, our lessons have just covered Healing, Barrier, and Plant magics, at her father's request due to some of the enhanced plants that I had created, but it was more than enough for her current level.
"Father wanted to make sure that there was a member familiar with you on this mission. We are joining a hero team with a special identity, so I will be your liaison," she explained with a smile.
"Oh?" I questioned as I sat down across from them.
"I promise that this is more to prevent them from angering you than any question of your ability. Technically, only one person is a member of the Hero Alliance while the other three accompanying him are his disciples. The Hero that you are joining is known as the Golden Sun, the Archbishop of the Church of Light," Morgan explained.
"Mmm, I've heard of him and his church," I said, having long done my research on active Heroes and Villains.
"Then you are aware that they often send their clergymen to eliminate what they call sources of Black Magic. Two of their squads were dispatched to an abandoned building in downtown Floravista, separately, yet they have lost contact with both, and even members of the general population are starting to go missing in the area," Morgan continued.
"Interesting," I chuckled.
"Technology has proven to be unreliable within a hundred feet of the building which is why I have asked that Rae join you, instead of myself, but I will accompany you both on the jet," Morgan said as the sound of the approaching jet reached my ears.
"I understand," I replied, as the elderly man was not much of a Super without his suit and robots. "Well, the jet should be here in the next few minutes. Shall we go outside and wait?"
"How do you know that?" Morgan asked.
"My hearing is better than most," I retorted as I stood up.
"Doesn't that get overwhelming?" Rae asked.
I poked her forehead with a smirk, as I had done numerous times during our lessons, and remarked, "I taught you how to quiet and focus your mind for your meditation, and how did I do that?"
"Loud music, the cold air, and nudging me randomly to disrupt my focus..." she complained by giving me an annoyed look.
"I can split my mind and meditate while interacting with you, so how could sound be overwhelming? I just focus on what's important, like I've lectured you with your telepathy," I chided.
Morgan frowned at the interaction between us, but wisely said nothing. The two of them stood up, and we all walked out onto the terrace. In the distance, a black spot could be seen on the horizon and was rapidly growing in size, which caused Morgan to glance at me with surprise. The Justice Jets were particularly quiet compared to commercial models, so hearing it from miles away, while inside, was clearly beyond human capabilities.
It did not take long for the jet to approach the building and hovered near the terrace where we were standing. The back door on the jet opened and a young man in white robes stepped out onto the platform. Rae wrapped her telekinesis around herself and her father before lifting both of them off the building. With a smirk, I levitated myself and followed them onto the jet.
Inside the sleek, humming interior of the futuristic jet, the walls shimmered with a soft, adaptive glow that subtly changed color between cool blue and soft white light. Smooth metallic surfaces blended seamlessly with high-tech panels, and every inch of the cabin whispered efficiency and elegance. The air was crisp and sterile, perfumed faintly with ozone and some calming herbal undertone. The cockpit was open to the main cabin, where holographic displays floated in midair, projecting strategic readouts and incoming transmissions in soft arcs of light.
At the controls, one of the three men in pristine white robes sat in a gyroscopic pilot chair that moved with barely perceptible adjustments as he navigated the high-altitude currents. His face was calm, brows slightly furrowed as his hands glided over the touchless interface, responding more to thoughts than gestures. Behind him, the another white-robed figure sat in silence, hands folded, his robes glinting with faint energy-threaded seams that I recognized as minor enchantments. Towering between them stood the fourth figure: a man in robes of radiant gold. Unlike the serene white of the others, his presence was commanding, regal, as if he expected everyone to follow his orders without question. His robe caught every flicker of cabin light, casting golden reflections like fire on the walls. He stood with his hands behind his back, observing us as we landed on the plane.
"Cypher, Mesmer, it is good that you were able to join us... and your companion?" the man in the golden robes greeted.
"Asynia Zarra, Mesmer's teacher and one of Cypher's business partners," I introduced.
"You are not a member of the Hero Alliance?" he questioned with a raised, judgmental eyebrow.
"No, I'm not."
He gave Morgan a questioning look, who explained politely, "Miss Zarra's ability with Magic is unlike anything that I have seen before, so I believe that she will be of great assistance on this mission. Not only has she helped my daughter master her telekinesis and telepathy, but she has also taught her several forms of Healing, Barrier, and Plant Magic."
The man in the golden robes looked back at me as he touched a ring on his left hand. I felt his mana pour into the ring which caused it to recycle back into his body, more specifically, into his eyes. Mana washed over me, under his gaze, but I just chuckled and manipulated the weak spell to pass around me like I was not there, making him frown.
"Cute trinket, but trying to peer at a person's soul without their permission is rather rude for a man of the cloth," I chuckled.
"How are you hiding from the Eyes of Judgment?!?" he demanded, causing his companions to look at me with shock.
"Simple, my control of mana is far greater than yours," I retorted with a smirk.
"Golden Sun, she may not be a member of the Hero Alliance, but she is a colleague that I asked for assistance from. I would ask that you refrain from using your abilities on her without her consent," Morgan said firmly.
He snorted and turned away from us, ordering his disciple, "Move out."
"Great companion you've got, Cypher," I chuckled.
Morgan gave me a tired, annoyed look, but did not say anything as the jet began to move again. The four priests all grouped up in the front of the plane while Morgan took a seat at a computer terminal in the middle and Rae and I sat in the back. To pass the time, I gave her an impromptu lesson on Light Magic as it might be something helpful for her during the mission, and it annoyed the clergymen as it was the same type of magic that they used.