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But the surprising thing wasn’t that she was awake. It was surprising that she was awake and helping his mother prepare breakfast.

Curious about their conversation, Oli decided to walk toward the fire and offer his help. “Can I do anything to help?”

“Just sit, and help Netra explain this to me,” stated Ania with a strange look on her face.

“What do you–”

“I asked your mother about us being partners.”

“Huh?!” Oli had no clue what to say in response to that. “You... I...”

.....

“Come on, Oli. If you agreed to it, then man up and talk about it,” stated Ania. “Did you really agree to be her partner?”

“I...” The young ape sighed and scratched his tired head. “Yeah, I agreed. If she were a gorilla I probably would’ve asked her already and you would’ve begged me to do it, right?”

“...Yeah, you’re not wrong about that... But still, do you realize what you two mean by all of this?”

Both Oli and Netra glanced at each other, not fully certain what Ania meant.

“Fine, I’ll explain it since we’re alone and neither of you fully grasp just how difficult your proposal actually is,” continued Ania. “If it were possible to be together, are you two really willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen?”

“Yes.” Netra didn’t hesitate, immediately responding.

Oli said nothing but he nodded, waiting for his mother’s explanation.

“Then you should know that you two being together is possible and that it is possible for you both to have children together.” Netra smiled but Ania still continued, “However, for that to happen you both need to enter the king plane.”

“The king plane?!”

While Oli replied in a muffled shout, Netra’s smile shrunk as she started to ponder the significance of that statement.

“Yes, you’ll both need to enter the king plane. And, you’ll both have to have created a human form if you want to have kids,” explained Ania. “I have no clue what your children would be like, but the bloodline you’d create would be either perennial grade or king grade, so I will admit that it’s not an entirely bad idea to get together.”

“But now you know... It’s not as simple as you two just being together.”

“So I need to enter the king plane and you’d be okay with me being your son’s partner?” asked Netra, unfazed.

Ania sighed, “Yes, I’d be more than happy for you to be my son’s wife and to be my daughter-in-law in that case. But the question is, what are you two going to do until then? Do you realize how long it will take you both to enter the king plane?”

“So long as it’s possible, I don’t see why we can’t try,” replied Netra, even more determined now that she knew there was a chance.

“And what about your mom, Netra? What are you going to say to her?” reasoned Ania. “Do you think she would let you wait that long to get married? I myself wonder if I’d let Oli wait that long if there were other gorillas to choose from. You get that, right?”

“Still, I won’t just be partners with anyone. I don’t like the other foxes and none of them are as kind as Oli. And Oli’s stronger than all of them with just one essence, using half his strength,” stated Netra.

To that, Ania shook her head. “But can you blame the other foxes for that? Oli’s a very special case. You may not know the full truth, but...”

At that moment, Ania sent out a gentle wave of essence into the surrounding area. When she felt that no one was around and that everyone was sound asleep, she turned to Oli. “If you want and you really feel like you can trust her, I don’t mind you telling her the truth.”

“I–”

“He doesn’t have to tell me the truth about why he’s like that,” interjected Netra. “What’s important is that his dark essence is as strong as the strongest foxes, not how that came to be. And I already know that Oli is kind and helpful, so I don’t see why we can’t be together, especially if the bloodline would become perennial grade.”

“Actually, it would most likely become a king grade bloodline,” stated Oli. “I have a mutated bloodline, a mix of Iron-body Gorilla and Toxic-shadow Dragon, and it’s already king grade if I’m not mistaken.”

“Mutated... Toxic-shadow Dragon... That explains the strong pull I feel from your dark essence. But if that’s your bloodline, then how come my mom can’t sense it?”

“Because she’s still only an early perennial,” answered Ania. “You have perfect dark affinity, so Oli can’t hide his dark essence from you. Your mom still hasn’t managed to reach a perfect affinity, so she can’t sense it so long as Oli is trying to hide it.”

“But Oli still can’t hide it from most mid perennials, as that’s typically when perennials start reaching perfect affinity,” explained Ania. “So, if Oli can’t learn a battle art to hide his dark essence, he’ll be in trouble in the future but he’s alright until then.”

“Actually, I’ve already got a battle art for that, but I can only learn it after reaching the adept plane.”

Both Ania and Netra looked at Oli, surprised that he had such a thing. Netra asked. “Where did you get it? I couldn’t find anything like that in the library...”

“The dragon who helped me mutate my bloodline left me a few things, including her cultivation technique and some battle arts,” answered Oli. “But that cultivation technique only works for people with the Toxic-shadow Dragon bloodline. Without that, the later stages aren’t very effective.”

“So I shouldn’t use it? Hmm... Then I’ll have to find my own king grade technique.”

“Vloz might be willing to help you find one of those, Netra,” stated Ania. “He’s already searching for one that matches his essence nature, and that would automatically apply to you as well since you use the same cultivation technique.”

“Okay, then I’ll talk with him about that after the trip. So...” Pausing with uncertainty, Netra looked Ania in the eye. “Do you mind if Oli and I work toward becoming partners? Even if my mom doesn’t agree, are you willing to accept us?”

Ania looked to her son.

With a slight smile, Oli nodded and looked back at his mother with an optimistic smile.

“Well... It’s my son’s choice, not mine. So, if he’s crazy enough to agree, then I’ll just have to trust him and hope for the best.”

“Thank you, Teacher!”

“Call me Ania, or Mom now that I think about it,” laughed Ania.

“M-Mom...” Netra hesitated, till in shock that Ania agreed so willingly. Compared to her own mother, Ania was much more open and accepting.

“That’s better. Now, you two should run along and cultivate while I finish breakfast. Everyone else will be up soon, so keep that in mind.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Oli stepped forward and hugged his mother, who happily hugged him back.

Ania saw Netra at the side and opened one of her arms toward her. “If you’re already willing to call me ‘Mom,’ then I should at least care for you like a daughter. Get in here.”

Netra eagerly joined the hug, letting Ania realize how soft Netra’s fur was.

“No wonder Oli fell for you,” joked Ania. “With fur that soft, I’m sure that Oli will be a happy man with you.”

“Mom...”

“Get going already, I’m busy trying not to burn your breakfast,” muttered Ania.

The two youths laughed and left together to the outskirts of the camp. They didn’t go far, just wanting space to chat while waiting for breakfast to finish.

Ania was unsure how she was feeling at the moment. She was impartial to the two being together because of the difficulty, but in a way, she liked seeing her son commit to a woman of his choice.

It reminded her of when Diora fought her father in order to convince him that Ania was better off with Dioro and not him. They had to wait till Dioro was a perennial be together, thanks to her father’s strict conditions, but Ania felt that her and Dioro’s bond was even stronger because of that.

For that reason, she was willing to accept the difficult relationship between Oli and Netra, even if it was irregular. Ania thought that it would also help Oli have a meaningful relationship, like her own with Dioro.

As she drifted in thought while making breakfast and the two youths chatted about the struggles they would face in the future, they all sensed something foreboding.

At the same time, the ground started to tremble and shake, gradually growing stronger. Soon, the entire jungle was quivering and thunderous footsteps could be heard nearing the campground.