Yacob answered a couple more questions about the Drakoshi present, one of which was just blatant Speciesism so he ignored that one with an eyeroll, clearly having heard it before. "Very good, everyone hates the Drakoshi, yes very patriotic... Now come, let’s go and meet ol’ Grimshank. Be warned if you have a weak mental fortitude you are likely to pass out by his sheer presence even with our barriers up."

Apparently the Larger creatures in the wing were around five minutes away walking considering there were so many creatures. As we walked, the enclosure became larger and larger. I examined every creature within as we walked and was fascinated by them until I felt a telepathic strand reach out to me.

"Apollo?"

My head snapped towards the creature in question, I had made a mistake and accepted the telepathic connection on reflex due to hive shenanigans. I immediately snapped the link closed as I glared towards the creature that was pressed up against the barrier, its eyes glued to me.

"Apollo? Is everything ok?" Gabrielle asked as she stopped with me. I gave the luminescent creature a look for a few moments before returning back to Gabrielle. "Yeah, I’m fine. Just give me a second, I want to look at this creature alone for a second."

Gabrielle felt a reluctance at the request. She hadn’t had so much Apollo holding time all her life, but he asked so she simply nodded her head. "Ok, but don’t take long."

Gabrielle then ran to catch up with everyone while I turned my attention back towards the creature.

It was bipedal, around six feet tall. Its body was a mixture of purples and luminescent greens. The creature had facial features similar to a human with a small nose and supple pink lips, but its wholly purple eyes were massive and glassy. Four to five times larger than a human eye.

It also had what looked to me like some sort of aquatic breathing element upon its cheeks, most likely a type of gill. Its head was also oval in shape, elongated at its back end, sort of like Jewel, but far less bulbous.

Its body appeared mostly naked except an almost translucent piece of silk clothing it garbed itself in. The creature continued to press its body against the barrier, its small wispy tendrils that sprouted randomly from its body all pointed towards me.

I could feel its telepathic link reaching out to me once more. And although I couldn’t read it at this moment, I could feel its emotions against my barrier.

Hope.

Taking a step back, I read the plaque next to the enclosure. " Shanay? Is that what you are or your name?" I asked as there was very little information that followed except that it was a Coalition species.

"My species dearest. My species. My name is Vezzrah, but you can remember that at a later date. Now please, I must speak with you telepathically. As what I have to say, or rather show, must also be interpreted by Onyx."

"What?" My defences immediately went up as I stepped away from the barrier. I was genuinely worried. ’How does she know? Did someone blab? What should I-’ ’-Let her in Apollo. Her Mindspace is frail. You can overpower her simply on your own if push comes to shove. I am curious about this one if she knows me and I don’t know her.’

Onyx had seen many futures of her and Apollo. As things stood, even with curveballs such as Sol coming into the mix, the path she wanted, craved. Was still very much on the right track. She knew of Aeletha, the Seer and Aeletha upon witnessing Onyx for the first time had a glimpse of her future by knowing Onyx’s name. But this... Shanay. It was another curveball which meant one of two things. It was an entity like Sol. Not previously bound by time or this creature’s gift of foresight was even greater than her own. A possibility that excited Onyx for a multitude of reasons.

"Apollo, we don’t have much time before your absence becomes noticed. Please. You must trust me. I got captured just for this moment after all."

I groaned before ultimately agreeing. "Fine, but I’m coming to you not the other way around." Vezzrah immediately shook her head. "That won’t do Apollo, your telepathy is still too sloppy, you will trigger the defences. Connect with me just outside your Mindspace."

My eyebrows narrowed hearing that, my telepathy was my first awakened Psionics so for it to be called sloppy was a great insult, still my curiosity at this point was reaching the point of no return and my ’fuck it’ rationality kicked in.

The moment our telepathic tendrils connected, I was overwhelmed by a series of mental images, emotions that came with them and something else that I could not perceive. I had been overwhelmed by information before due to the hives link, but this was something else entirely.

I felt like my brain was going to explode at all the information before it suddenly ceased seconds later. I managed to stay upright after everything, but it was not without difficulty. Seemingly seeing this, Vezzrah spoke aloud.

"What you need to know for now, Apollo. You will hear of my home world in your journeys. When you do. Come. When we have all the time in the world I will explain more. For now, I will allow Onyx to decipher the clues I have given her, it should keep her busy for a while. Now, when I escape in three days, you will hear about it as Yacob will come knocking on your door while you are mating with Onyx and Orchid. Once he has finished questioning you, don’t worry he won’t know how deeply we spoke, I will see to that. Once he finished, call Sophia. It’s imperative you do. Now run along, by the time you catch up to the group, Yacob will just start to open his mouth about Grimshank and Onyx will scream not long after.

Still reeling from the fact that Shanay even knows about Sophia, I was then brought back to reality as Onyx yelled gleefully in my head. ’Follow her instructions! I wish to see why I will scream!’ There was a twinge of giddiness in Onyx’s tone as she said that and before I could say anything, Vezzrah spoke aloud again.

"Go Apollo. It’s alright. We will meet again. I don’t know where yet and I don’t know when. But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day." She then showed me a soft smile as my hairs stood on end

My feet only started moving in reflex as I had an odd feeling that Onyx was about to attempt to use my Origin as a steering wheel and I didn’t want to even attempt to know if that was possible.

...

After watching Apollo leave for as long as she could Vezzrah then turned and walked back into her little vacation home. Reaching the back wall she rested her weight upon it before sliding down, a smile on her face.

’He got his duke title? Seems early, but oh well. Those purple and red eyes make him look so dreamy~’ Vezzrah then let out a sound that was a mixture between a purr and clicking as she swooned.

’Still, having to spend a month in this cesspit... Dumb Onyx removing her emotions and speeding everything up. Dumb Praetorian making Apollo break his limit so young, throwing time into a wobbler. This year has been too hectic trying to catch up with all the squished events... Aeletha shouldn’t have sent Rekosh till he was twenty, stupid old crone... At least the expedition will slow things down a bit and let me catch my breath.

Vezzrah felt her head throbbing. She needed to take a moment to stop thinking. She did the hard part today. Seeing her husband looking at her like that with such conflicting emotions was tough, but he will get there. Her dreams will become reality as they have so far.

Vezzrah began to draw her and Apollo’s initials on the floor with her tendrils before feeling the alignment. Immediately a drowsiness overcame her and her eyes became heavy. As she closed them, she thought to herself "*Yawn* Already? But I wanted to see him one more... time."

...

"Hey."

"Hey." I said to Gabrielle as I made it back.

"Is everything alright?" Gabrielle asked, sensing something off.

"Yes, sorry. Everything is fine, I just found the Shanay to be quite eye-catching is all. It gave me some ideas for my science."

"A Shanay? Hmm, I don’t think I have killed one of those before." She he said before shaking her shoulders and once again attaching to my arm while smiling at me.

We then arrived a few moments later in front of a very large barrier and inside the first thing I saw was a giant fist the size of my body in height alone.

Yacob then opened his mouth to naturally begin speaking, but as he did so my Mindspace was suddenly disturbed by Onyx yelling in bewildered astonishment.

"What is that abomination!"