Marcus observed the permanent smile on Azaa's face. It was a new feature that had shown itself only since last night, and he liked it. He watched Azaa rotate in the kitchen to provide some food for them, Marcus was not allowed to help. Even though he had offered his help she had been adamant to prepare food for him, it seemed important to her and Marcus had no reason to complain. Besides cut, fresh fruits and a ginghi bread, he also got cereals with Earth milk.

"I want to visit my father and hear how he is feeling. I can tell he has been out hunting for the first time in fifty years." Azaa said, working on a small red fruit. Marcus ate a yellow, sour fruit and was overtaken by the strong flavor "This is intense," he gasped and had some water. "Letor fruit, very intense. Makes your seed tasty," Azaa said without a hint of irony and Marcus nearly fell from the chair. Once he had recovered, he continued to eat the fruit with red ears and avoided looking at her for a few minutes.

Marcus was completely surprised by the changes in Azaa. Since they had started to court she had become more open and talkative, but now it felt like she had put the nitro booster to max and was turning into a completely different person. No, that was not right. She was still Azaa, and nobody changes this fast. Marcus peeked at her smiling face and warmth spread through his body. She is now showing him sides of her, he did not know. He was getting to know more of her and given that she was over 140 years old, there might be a lot he had never seen.

Marcus took a deep breath and remembered something he wanted to ask her "Have we made a child?" And now Azaa gasped and stared at him. "NO! It is far too early for us to have a child, Marcus. At least we should bond and that means getting the approval of my parents. Not to talk about the need to get to know each other better." She quickly recovered but Marcus enjoyed her being a bit awkward. "We got to know each other a lot last night," he said, not willing to let things go. "Yes, becoming intimate is an important step, but that does not mean we are ready to bond yet," she said, and leaned over to kiss him.

They left the house in the afternoon and walked hand in hand to the palace. The palace was not that far away, but it took them more than an hour to get there. Every few meters another person approached them and thanked Marcus and Azaa for healing Shen. Groups of children beset them and many older ginghi talked to Azaa which made her smile. "What are they saying?" He asked as two children tried to climb on him. They laughed and giggled and Azaa gently took them off Marcus. "That we look very good together and that they wish us much happiness," Azaa replied to his question. Exhausted from the constant attention they finally reached the courtyard of the palace, and Marcus readied himself to meet her father. The man was so incredibly strong and according to Azaa had been holding back the whole time because of the corruption.

They moved up the wide stone stairs and Marcus decided to ask her something that was on his mind for a long time "Azaa, are you allowed to tell me what level your father has?" Marcus felt unsure if this was a difficult topic. "Pure level, as you call them, become less and less significant as you grow stronger. Elevations, that are your abilities, and your own skill and understanding become far more important. Still, my father has level 561 unless he has leveled from his hunt today." Marcus froze mid step and his jaw hit the floor.

FIVE HUNDRED SIXTY ONE!!! Marcus had to sit down on the stairs and take a few deep breaths. "I am level 223 and Uela is level 240. I need to put more effort into raising my level or Uela will make fun of me," Azaa said and Marcus just shook his head. Unreal, completely unreal. Then another question rushed to his mouth, "How old is your father?" And now Azaa laughed, "878 years, that is our years so a bit older in Earth years."

Marcus suddenly did not want to move on. Of course he had expected Shen to be powerful and old, but both numbers were far beyond his expectations. Ye-jun will get a stroke if he hears that, Marcus thought. "Can I share this with people I trust?" Marcus whispered and Azaa nodded. He needed five minutes to gather his wits and get back on his feet. "I'm sorry that revelation hit me hard. We can go now," he said and took her hand. Azaa looked at him with her head tilted and a very serious expression. He was waiting for her to say something but eventually she moved on pulling him along.

Xeen? Marcus had unmuted his alien companion.

Oh. Oho. I see. Things worked out well for the both of you. Congratulations are in order.

Thank you. My thoughts might continue to be...you know. If it is too much for you I can mute you again.

It is quite alright Marcus. And what is this? Level 561, not bad given his circumstances. Xeen rummaged through Marcus' bubbling thoughts.

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Not bad? One day you will have to tell me your level Xeen.

High.

Is that like "Old"?

Yes.

The couple entered a large room and Marcus could already hear the deep voice of her father. Shen was in discussion with Uela and looked very lively. Even from ten meters away Marcus could feel the change, the pressure of the old man had risen twofold at least and he had to remind himself to bend to the power. Azaa waited until he had gotten used to it, and then they approached the giant and her sister.

"You are looking well, father," she said and he laughed. "Thanks to you and Marcus. Stretching my legs after five decades was a true bliss. I took care of that eyesore in the west and some smaller critters in the general area," Shen said and his eyes wandered to Marcus. "How about we two men have a talk while my daughters gossip about recent events?" Shen said and Marcus wanted to scream 'don't leave me alone Azaa!', but instead he nodded weakly.

Azaa gave him a smile for a goodbye, and started to talk to Uela in her own language. The sisters seemed to have a lot to talk about. Shen put his mighty hand on Marcus' back and guided him into another room. It was a cozy place, with large soft chairs, a table and a lit fireplace. It was not cold outside but the sound of the fire gave the room a relaxing atmosphere. Shen showed Marcus to a chair, and sat down on the one next to it. For a minute Shen only looked into the flames and Marcus tried to relax. "Are you happy with my daughter?" Shen asked suddenly. "Yes, very happy," Marcus answered in nanoseconds. "How do you like the ginghi?" Shen continued to probe Marcus and he thought for a moment. "My impression is very good, but to be honest I feel like I do not know much about your people, yet." Shen nodded, and again silence took over the room.

I think you are allowed to ask him something.

Huh? I have no idea... after a moment Marcus said: "If I may ask, what are you thinking of humans?"

Shen furrowed his brows "Humans are primitive, undisciplined and ignorant. As a species you are far too young," was his devastating answer. Marcus swallowed hard, all true but it still hurt to hear it out loud.

I believe I said something similar some time ago.

Yes you have, thank you for reminding me.

You are welcome.

Grrrr.

"That does not mean there are no outstanding individuals in your species," Shen said and looked at Marcus. "There are a lot more powerful people on Earth than me. More capable too," he said and felt like an impostor.

The old man sighed and shook his head "It is always power with the youth. You have to grow old first before you realize that other qualities are far more important in this world. And you possess many of them, Marcus." Marcus thought about Shen's words for some time and decided to oppose them. "From my point of view, power is needed to do anything in this world. Without power neither knowledge nor ethics matter. The victor takes everything and writes the history books."

Shen looked deep into Marcus' eyes, "I think you just told me more about humanity than I had learned over the last years." FUCK. I screwed up, Marcus screamed internally. Stay calm Marcus, he is not judging you. Only humanity as a whole.

Oh great, fucking great!

"I do not understand why the dark stones have visited you. You are still far too young." The ancient ginghi turned and looked into the fireplace again. Marcus tasted ash in his mouth and felt defeated.

Nobody said anything for several minutes until Shen spoke up again but he talked in his own tongue. Seconds later Azaa stepped into the room and joined them by the fire. Shen and her exchanged words for some time, and then Shen nodded to her. Azaa took Marcus by the hand and they left Shen alone in front of the fire.

"I messed up Azaa," Marcus said with a somber voice as they walked through the corridors. "You did nothing wrong Marcus. The opposite, my father greatly worries about you. He fears that, in your rush to gain power, you will find your doom. He sees great potential in you, but it might come to naught because of your impatience." Azaa explained as they walked out the palace doors.

They walked back to her home and on the way she asked "Are you going to leave today?" Marcus nodded. "I should. There is much to do in the clan. But I will come back to you in a week." She listened to his words and gave him a conflicted look. They moved quickly, and excused themselves from the ginghi who wanted to talk with them. Back home again, Marcus felt restless. "What was this talk even about?" He walked up and down unable to let go of that encounter. Azaa watched him for a while before she exhaled and put on a serious face.

"It was a test from my father. This is how he determines the worth of people," She said, but Marcus did not understand how those questions could have been a test or interesting to Shen. Azaa saw his confusion and said, "You know what class my father has?" "Blood Knight," he said and Azaa smiled. "My father has great control over his abilities. If you are close to him he can feel even tiny changes in your blood flow," Azaa explained and slowly it dawned on Marcus.

"He can tell if people lie?" And Azaa nodded. "More than anything else Shen wanted to see if you are forthright. And you were, which made him very happy. I'm sorry that I did not warn you about this little trick. But I knew you had nothing to worry about," she said and drew closer in search of his lips.

Marcus.

He muted his alien friend in an instant. They spent the final hours of his visit in a soft embrace. When they said goodbye at the portal, Marcus was not sure how he was supposed to survive a whole week without her.

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