Shamrock Sanctuary. Emerald Cove.
Hour of the Snake (11:00 PM – 12:00 AM)
Aksai lay sprawled on his big, plush bed, feeling the much-needed rest seep into his bones.
Zara and Violet, his loyal maids, were nestled close on either side, their heads resting on his chest.
The single, soft blanket covered them all, creating a cozy cocoon. Aksai’s arms were spread out, embracing them as his hands gently wrapped around their backs.
Aksai was very peculiar about taking moments of respite before starting with any big projects.
As a Spirit farmer, he knew that one couldn’t farm their lands all the time. The farm and the farmers needed intermittent rests to regain their respective productivity peaks.
Aksai never liked focusing on hard work and results all the time, like a one-track maniac who was all into sweating it out and grinding.
He liked to enjoy the journey to immortality to its fullest, with all the flavors life had to offer to him.
He would focus on doing hard work when it was time to do so. But he made sure to also pause a bit and take a breather so that he could feel rejuvenated.
Aksai’s maids enabled him to make his moments of respite more colorful. They allowed him to clear his head by providing him with the warmth and comfort he needed.
After some “fun” activities, Aksai and his maids decided to take some rest in bed. In the meantime, he decided to entertain his two companions with a story.
“Haha. my two lovely birds, let me tell you about this funny little tale of Courage, the Cowardly Dog,” he began, a twinkle in his eye.
Aksai liked to tell his maids stories he had consumed from his first life. The best thing about telling such stories was the fact that nobody could slap him with copyright violations in this world.
Violet giggled softly, her hand resting on his torso. “A cowardly dog with Courage as its name? Isn’t it too contrasting?”
Zara, equally intrigued, nestled closer. “What did this dog do?”
Aksai grinned and started the story.
“Well, there was this dog named Courage who lived with an elderly couple, in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. One night, a strange, ominous fog rolled in, and with it came a ghostly pirate ship looking for its long-lost treasure.”
“Ooh, a ghostly pirate ship?” Violet’s eyes widened in playful fascination. She either liked Aksai’s story too much or liked the fact that Aksai was putting effort into entertaining them. Or perhaps it was both. One could only guess what women found entertaining or interesting. It all depended on the ambiance and the mood that was set beforehand.
“Yes,” Aksai continued, “and the captain of the ship, a skeletal pirate, appeared at their doorstep demanding the treasure. Poor Courage was terrified,” Aksai said with the voice of a good storyteller and took a dramatic pause.
“Did he run away?” Zara asked, her fingers lightly tracing patterns on his chest.
Aksai shook his head, smiling. “No, despite his fear, Courage decided to face the pirate. He dressed up in a pirate hat he found in the attic, thinking maybe he could bluff his way out. But the pirate wasn’t fooled.”
The maids giggled at the image of a little dog in a pirate hat. “What happened next?” Violet asked, her voice filled with anticipation.
Aksai tickled his beautiful maid’s bare waist playfully with his ever-restless fingers before continuing. “Courage, realizing the pirate wouldn’t leave without the treasure, decided to lead him on a wild goose chase. He pretended to know where the treasure was buried and took the pirate all over the farm.”
Zara chuckled, “So he outsmarted the pirate?”
“Not really. But he really tried to,” Aksai said, grinning. “Courage led the pirate to all sorts of crazy places – the chicken coop, the old well, even under the farmhouse in a cave. All the while, he was scared out of his wits, but he kept going because he knew he had to protect himself and his family.”
Aksai then narrated the whole story as if it were some well-crafted epic, giving it a meaningful yet hilarious conclusion. Both ladies couldn’t help but be dragged into his flow.
***
Violet shook her head, laughing. “That dog sounds hopelessly silly!”
Aksai gently disagreed, “Courage might seem silly, but he’s quite inspiring. Despite being scared, he did everything he could to survive and protect the ones he loved. He didn’t let fear cripple him from doing what he thought was right.”
Zara looked thoughtful. “So, you’re saying we should take inspiration from this story? To not let our emotions stop us from doing what we need to do?”
By this point, Aksai had come to realize that his two maids had distinct personalities. Zara was mature, stoic, and focused on results. Violet, on the other hand, was much more carefree and had a playful side. Instead of the results, she focused on the process and the fun value it contained.
As their lord, Aksai liked both his maids. He appreciated the two distinct “flavors” they had to offer him.
Replying to Zara’s question, Aksai’s voice was soft but firm.
“Exactly. Despite being timid and seeking comfort all the time, Courage still takes action in the right direction. And that’s why he is named Courage. He teaches us that bravery isn’t the absence of fear, but the ability to act despite it. We should never let our emotions cripple us from doing something we know we need to do.”
Zara turned her head and looked at Aksai’s attractive amber eyes. “Why did you tell us this story, Lord Aksai? Are you going to do something that you know to be risky?” she asked curiously as she tried to hug Aksai more.
“Hehe. Very perceptive of you,” Aksai said as he caressed Zara’s bare back with his hands. “Indeed. I am about to do something that is going to bring me a bit of harm. But I have to do it anyway because it will help me in the future,” Aksai said as he looked at the ceiling of his private chamber thoughtfully, lost in his thoughts.
During the last few weeks, Aksai had started studying the Anahat Soul Splitting technique. He felt a bit intimidated after realizing what it could do to one’s soul with one wrong move. The stability-seeker in him wanted to throw that technique away into the depths of the Dadangar sea.
However, Aksai decided to stick to the plan despite being scared of the potential repercussions. He knew that some risks were necessary in order to move forward.
For example, Nimiya, Dia, and Aram, the three co-owners of Emerald Cove, had decided to explore the Core Formation Lord’s isolated dimension, which had been recently making a buzz in the Dadangar Archipelago. They knew that going to such a high-level region might put their lives in danger.
Not even Foundation Building Experts were completely safe. How could late-stage Spirit Refiners like them be assured of their safety? And yet, the isolated dimension would attract loads of Spirit Refiners its way like moths to a flame. Even some early and mid-stage Spirit Refiners would likely enter.
Despite knowing the risks, the three co-owners of Emerald Cove had decided to risk their lives in order to stand a chance to break into the Foundation Building realm. These three Spirit cultivators and Naya had left Emerald Cove just yesterday, leaving the safety and security of the island in Aksai’s hands.
The concept of taking risks to achieve something big was not new for Spirit cultivators of Dadangar. There were many examples of people losing everything they had in a gamble. However, there were also many tales of Spirit cultivators leaping into the skies with one jump just because they took some risks.
This was what inspired Aksai to take risks. He dropped his hesitation and decided to practice the Soul Splitting technique.
‘I can progress while remaining in the comfort of my own home. But even then, I’ll have to take some risks. And the risks I’ll take from practicing the Anahat Soul Splitting Technique won’t be any smaller than what Nuya would have to go through in the isolated dimension,’ Aksai thought to himself and sighed. ‘I might as well give it my all,’ Aksai concluded before looking at his maids.
“Alright, time for round 3,” Aksai said to Zara and Violet with a wolfish grin on his face.
Both ladies blushed before welcoming Aksai’s advances.