Unital Ring III: Rebellion In the Underworld

Hollow Incarnation

"Cordelia, keep the Chaos Drake in the upper atmosphere. Sylvie and I are going to join Kirito and Eolyne here, so drop the cycle from up there."

"Um... Are you sure about that? Empress Eydis specifically said that Sylvie and I--"

"Yeah, to come back ASAP. But she also said to follow my instructions, right?."

"...Yes sir!"

That was my conversation with Cordelia while Kirito hid the X'rphan Mark 13. After he freed the deathworm and gave chase with Eolyne, I waited with Sylvie for a minute or two, then "caught" the motorcycle attachment to the Chaos Drake with the wind elements. It was heavy to lower the cycle from the air to the ground, given that Sylvie and I had to slow its descending momentum by winning the battle of air resistance versus gravity, but once that happened, the bike was about ten feet from the ground.

But it worked.

The bike is made of a sleek, black metal. Two large wheels hold the slender frame of the bike. Grey grooves are around the bike and wheels. There isn't a thruster present like in the dragoncraft, but there's a canistered heat and wind element in the back of the vehicle. I wonder how it worked as I settled in the seat and gripped the handlerbars...then it came to me spontaneously, like a distant, forgetten memory had sprung forth.

"Hey, not that I have a problem with this, but Mother said that Cordelia and I are to return home once you're on Admina."

"Yes," I state while patting the posterior portion of the seat, "and we will follow those instructions. But until we see what we're dealing with, stay put and follow mine."

Sylvie looks conflicted between disobeying Eydis and obeying me, but sits behind me anyway. Grabbing my waist, she holds on as I rev up the engine of the cycle, manipulating the heat and wind element in the hidden canister. The more I draw back on the handlebars increases their output, thus increasing the cycle's speed. I draw back only a quarter, and the cycle shoots forward after Kirito and Eolyne.

"Wooooooo!"

"Waaaaaaah!"

Xxxxxxxx

You'd think that I'd feel sorry for not offering to switch places with Kirito and Eolyne, and on another plane of existence, that would be true. But they chose to run instead of fly. I chose to ride with my daughter and spend quality missed time with her alone for the first time.

So while we ride between them and the black worm, I tried figuring out what to talk about. It can't be this hard to talk to a girl my age about her interests — all my friends are close to it — but the dynamic is different. One, this is a father-daughter relationship, so things are different for me. Two, she's just as uncomfortable as I am.

Philia and Kureha told me not to act as her father, but as her peer. Easy for them to say; Kureha has spent time with Sylvie to break that barrier. I could ask Kirito for advice, but our respective kids are two different personalities.

"Jaymes, I have a question. Well, more so of wanting to hear your opinion."

"Huh? Oh, uh, go ahead."

"The Cult of Primus. Mother says they were defeated a century ago, but she always felt they were still around in the shadows. If that's the case, then how did they get into the castle so easily?"

"That's...an excellent point. I assume not just anyone can enter the castle."

"Maybe. The knights are strict on security, but the general public can enter the castle for whatever business they may have. That's exclusive the first five or so floors. The middle twenty-ish levels are for all other inhabitants, whether it be a place of leisure or is a councilor's quarters. The upper five levels are for the royal family, councilors, and guests. The only permanent residents of the castle at that point is the royal family and the Supreme Commander's. Servants aside, no one is allowed past the forty-fifth unless they're a councilor, military, or nobility of some kind that has been summoned. If they're a commoner, they must be escorted by the aforementioned groups."