Chapter 734

Eventually Lily woke up and started asking questions. Kat would have participated more in them if Lily didn’t simply ask Nixilei questions about magic Kat already knew the answers to. Lily could feel the faint amusement and smugness from Kat but ignored it in favour of more questions while they still had time. Kat was simply basking in the pure joy radiating from Lily as she asked those questions or really, Kat asked those questions for Lily. Kat wasn’t really of a mind to mention to Lily the unnecessary nature of those questions, and was thankful Nixilei didn’t mind that Kat was ‘repeating’ herself technically. Lily did manage to ask things at a few oblique angles to make Nixilei think, but they were questions not even Nixilei had known the answers to.

One such question, “Is mana generated in the soul, pulled in from the outside or absorbed and then multiplied?” and it was simply a question Nixilei had never thought to ask. Mana simply WAS for them. Nixilei knew you could go to mana starved areas but she’d never been to one. Her mana regen wasn’t noticeably different anywhere she’d been, even in high concentration areas. But was that because her body already took in as much as it could? Or because it came from within?

Kat had pointed out, the fact her new body managed both meant that the body had to have something to do with it, but that it was also linked closely to the soul. What that meant in truth though, wasn’t something anybody had answers for. Kat had tried querying D.E.M.O.N.S, something she was realising was becoming a rarity. She just didn’t NEED it as much as she once did. Things were clear enough that she just... stopped.

It did help her get a better understanding of why most demons didn’t use it for everything. There wasn’t a reason to. It might have been a massive database, but even with all that information at your fingertips. It just wasn’t necessary all that often. Still, Kat did ask, and was told she didn’t have clearance for it. Another issue of the system. It didn’t restrict her often, and demons seemed to share a lot of information fairly freely despite that.

The system really only got uppity, as proved by the fact she got two favour tokens out of it, when someone tried to buy or coerce that information from a demon. She didn’t know for sure if there was a limit on the sharing but Kat suspected that friends and family were completely fair game. Something she’d initially been rather concerned about. Her status as a Nondem seemed like a bigger deal. Though she wasn’t quite sure why that was.

*Why do you think Lily? That D.E.M.O.N.S doesn’t want that getting around?*

[Well, the only people it’s been perfectly happy for you to tell are people who live on Earth, where you were a human and still sorta pretend to be sometimes, and the demons. My best guess is that demons doesn’t want Demonic Energy Corruption to blossom into a huge issue. Like... hmm... no it would probably spread like a plague. Might even have something to do with the Angels. If things really did get so bad because a couple thousand people got corrupted... that already could be world ending if they’re strong enough]

.....

Of course, Kat learning that particular nugget of wisdom caused Kat to encourage Lily to just ask more questions about magic. Kat also decided she was shoving that particularly morbid, though likely quite accurate, thought all the way down in the darkest parts of her mind. No demonic zombie plagues for her. No thanks.

She instead pondered, while stroking Lily of course, what energy system the angels must use. Kat new D.E.M.O.N.S wouldn’t be any good for answering that one. What could they use though? Demonic energy perhaps but based on the fact Angels were seemingly stronger would imply if they used the same magic system Kat did it would be called something else. *The question is... What?*

Lily was asking some question about how much knowledge of the thing you were healing was required which Kat relayed. *Hmm... I doubt it’s called like ‘angel juice’ or something dumb like that. Wait actually... there are only three kinds of ‘Higher Energy’. Qi, Mana, and Demonic. Does that mean Angels use one of the other two? Both of the other two? Or perhaps... hmm... is it possible there’s something a step above Higher Energy? Highest Energy or something?*

*Because... it’s also occurred to me that Dimensions aren’t really designed to hold Angels. That’s why the angel behind the painter was just a projection and STILL stronger then I am. No universe comes pre-packaged with whatever Angels need. So... do they provide it themselves? Possible I suppose but somewhat strange... hmm...*

[No way to know for sure Kat,] Supplied Lily before once again asking for a question to be relayed. This sort of thing continued up until meals were brought out for everyone. Kat did actually partake but simply grabbed a bit of salad alongside Green. Lily made a dash for what remained of the meat in the house with Kress moving in to claim the rest. Gareth and Nixilei had to make do with what was left, mostly salad but a bit of bread was available as well.

After eating Lily curled up and went to sleep while Kat made some idle chatter over food. Green actually managed to stay awake after her meal was done, joining in for once and asking some details about Kat’s life. Kat of course, knowing Nixilei wouldn’t hesitate to share, talked a bit about the orphanage she grew up in and the school she attended.

When Kress found out about how Kat grew up he looked like he’d sucked a lemon. It seemed Kress wasn’t able to properly compute the idea that the orphans in the room were actually the majority (if you don’t count Lily, which Kress, due to his pig headedness did NOT). The fact Kat was perfectly well adjusted, or at least seemed that way despite living in an orphanage her whole upbringing was another bit of odd dissonance he couldn’t really deal with.

Kress thought of Nixilei as a little crazy, and while Kat wasn’t someone he liked, he also wasn’t a complete fool. He could see Kat was well adjusted, or could at least put on the act well. Hearing that her parents were killed which resulted in her going to an orphanage was a particularly interesting bit of information.

Kress, despite his anger at the world, did know that he was quite lucky Gareth’s family picked him up to act as Gareth’s friend and bodyguard. For those with modern sensibilities it might be an odd thing to think, but Kress was, while perhaps not old enough to make such a decision, he was old enough to remember MAKING it, and old enough to realise he couldn’t survive on his own. It was a great honour, one not many in Gareth’s province could acquire.

So to know that Kat arguably had a rougher upbringing then he did. That she too had parents that were murdered (despite Kat’s claims of an accident Kat still had a person to point the finger at... if she’d ever bothered to ask who was in the other cars) it was paradoxically decreasing Kress’ fondness for Kat. Despite evidence of their similarities...

Kat was just a further reminder of things that Kress didn’t like. Now Kress didn’t only see Kat, a demon, as the source of his old pain, but also of what he could have been. Her parents died to early for her to remember and that is just another thing Kress wasn’t lucky enough to have. Well, in his mind at least.

Many would argue that any good memories of a person’s parents should be treasured and that Kat didn’t have them was a travesty... but nobody said Kress wasn’t hypocritical. Still, despite his increased dislike for Kat... Kress didn’t challenge her to another duel. Kat was waiting for it, and thought Kress was close to declaring a fight... but he still wasn’t an idiot. Despite all the poor leaps in logic, he wasn’t so completely gone from rationality to believe he could actually take Kat in a fight after last time.

Seeing what she did to Irwin, while supressed after he lost so soundly was both another sore spot and a very clear indicator that he wasn’t her equal. Another unfair thing of course. A few weeks of practice and already she was a formidable armed combatant with proper form and an instinctive grasp of combat. Of course, that was just what it looked like. Kat largely had to brute force some of the instincts with her mental speed, and she was still more comfortable punching things... but Kress didn’t see it that way. Even if Kat didn’t use weapons for the fight with Irwin.