Chương 142: Sweating bullets?

In an isolated space within the Harth's Lengue manor, the Sumeye pups ran around as Mortimer circled June's adventuring shell with a mix of intrigue and confusion.

"You call this a shell? Why?" June stood up from his seat on a step ladder; the cogs in his head spun in response.

"How else am I supposed to Flesh-Shape? Small things are fine, but this is an entire suit of armor!" Mortimer jutted out a finger and tapped it against the shell's breastplate; the young man stood much shorter than Mortimer himself, but it seemed as if the shell's height was made to rival the old man's own towering stature. Though likely deliberate, the shell was slightly taller.

He tapped the breastplate once more, then lightly jabbed it, expecting to pierce clean through, but instead, his finger simply chipped the surface. The old man's monotonous expression quirked up into an unnoticeable grin.

"Wouldn't it be easier to manifest this on the fly? Flesh-Shaping is a versatile ability by nature… that's what makes it so great." June cocked his head to the side, one of his eyebrows raised, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking out.

"Doing it on the fly!? Anything large change and I would burst into flames; Y'know thermal dynamics or something? You've seen me do that a few times already?" Mortimer raised a hand to his wrinkled chin; he recalled the previous times when June had suddenly burst into flames, and each time he dismissed it as some eccentric use of Will.

"Are you saying that you burst into flames when you use your Flesh-Shaping? Isn't that something that Dreamer aura prevents on its own… Your presence has changed a lot since…" June interjected.

"Wait, Dreamer aura does something other than just being a presence? I thought it was a reflection of your abilities, or self, or even just your eyes!?" The old man sighed and shook his head slightly; he understood that it was a failure on his part that June didn't know what was considered common knowledge within the Nightrealm. He sighed once more and wiped his face before straightening his hair. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"I would first like to apologize. I would love to educate you on Dreamer dynamics, but I cannot. Instead, I have planned something else for you! I have prepared an enrollment letter for you as a temp-student. You just need to act as a guest speaker at the local Mages' academy; you were going with Lilia anyhow!" June opened his mouth, but the old man quickly added.

"They also pay well, AND you get additional benefits including admission if you go as a guest speaker!" June huffed, his bouncy cadence dropped to a monotone one.

"Do I get the option to say no… or is this something I'm being forced to do?" Mortimer turned his gaze away from June and to the shell. He admired the craftsmanship of the shell, built simply for a temporary persona; the old man took his time to think. It had just occurred to him that he may have gotten a little too eager with June since his coma. The old man cleared his throat, and then cleared his throat once more, delaying what he meant to say.

"It's been prepared, but neither the family nor I will force you to join. Lilia recently told me about how you were interested in education, and I got ahead of myself. It is up to you whether you decide to enroll for our time in Lengue or not." June untensed and let out a sigh; then shifted slightly on the step-ladder he sat on.

"If enrolling makes me too busy to spend time with the family, including you! Then I will refuse; if it doesn't take up all of my time, or brings a benefit to the family… or you! Then I would happily enroll." June paused for a moment.

"And… I appreciate you for giving me the choice." He coughed and waited for Mortimer to reply, but a reply didn't come, so he returned to his bouncy cadence and spoke in a chipper tune.

"Anyways! Mortimer! You were speaking about how Dreamer aura does something? Like I said when I called you here, I always cook myself when I spend an extended time in shells." Mortimer cleared his throat.

"Well… Will is an imposing force on reality, built on absolute confidence or delusion in what you believe is right, intent, mindset, and—" June interjected and scruffed his beard.

"Mortimer, we don't have a lot of time right now." The old man blinked a few times, then adjusted his coat.

"The space your Dreamer aura takes up is more malleable. I do not know what is going on with your aura, but I believe that your cooking problem and your body bursting into flames when growing swiftly with Flesh-Shaping is because your aura is… missing?" June tugged at his beard hairs, letting the cogs in his head turn.

"There is probably a lot I should tell you about now that I think of it… Oh well, I'll tell you and the family at once later when I find the time; I just need to have my Dreamer aura out, right?" Before Mortimer could respond, June deeply inhaled and then followed up with a deeper exhale. His shimmering gold eyes lost some of their phantasmagorical glint and slowly began to shift to a more mundane look.

His eyes remained gold, but their glow had significantly diminished, and in turn, a slightly warm aura left his body, followed by a light breeze that seemed to gently refresh his body and mind. June tilted his head up, as an unknown exhaustion left his body.

"This should keep me from bursting into flames, right?"