I came up from the cellar really tired, exhausted, so I didn't have to pretend. Anyone who was interested in my return saw a swaying infernal with a full set of pale skin with a slight bluish tint, a blank, glassy stare, and an unsteady gait. Seeing me like this, no one harassed or pulled me, although in the echoes of emotion I felt at that moment, almost everyone wanted to ask a question or two.
As I walked up the stairs, I noticed that the younger girls had made friends: Gabby, Kiriko, and Momo were all standing off to the side, joking around and watching me with their eyes. I wanted to just turn off like a light bulb, but I gathered the rest of my resolve and will and visited the shower after all.
I didn't know when Lizzie joined me, but I was helped into the shower, wiped down with a soft, fluffy towel, and led to the bed. I didn't think much of it and just automatically pressed the big soft pillow against me and fell asleep.
I woke up because I felt someone else's eyes on me. I sniffed the air with my nose and immediately recognized who was next to me, and when I opened one eye, I was sure. Lizzie was lying on her side with a hand on her head, watching my face. Her presence, the warmth of her soul, had become familiar and pleasant to me, and I could relax with her.
— How long have you been awake? — I asked, still with only one eye open.
— No, — the girl smiled.
— Liar. — I grabbed my blonde and buried my face in her disheveled hair, which smelled of milk today.
— What have you been doing? — The girl's breath burned the skin of my neck, and then I was bitten.
— I was protecting my family and my home. — I tell the truth because I don't like to lie. — To complete the inner perimeter of the house.
That's actually true. Together with Kin and Momo, we installed the anchor stones after I started the control core, but the defense was not yet complete, I mean the inner perimeter. After returning from France, I stayed in the basement for a few more hours, infusing the magic I had collected into the core, and then connecting the active shielding circuits and spell complexes of concealment, stealth, aversion, and Mystic House.
At the moment, the energy is only enough for the above, and the "house" can only be activated once, and when I leave this mode in ten hours, I will have to create the technique again, because the energy will consume everything without a trace, and that means the destruction of the web complex.
Yes, it's not ideal, but already now it's a very good chance to save yourself in case of emergency, because the clone copy of the house will look like a real one, and even the phantoms of the inhabitants will be available, and then there will be an explosion, well, as if the owners decided to commit suicide and self-destruct. There's a chance of salvation, even if it's not a good scenario.
— What the hell were you thinking? — I was scratched on the chest, not hard, just playfully.
— Nothing special or surprising, not yet. — I run the palm of my hand up the silky skin of the blonde's back and let it down gently. — If you are interested, you can ask Momo — this information is available to you.
— And what is not available? — The girl lifted herself up and looked at me with a displeased expression.
— Except for Momo and me, no one can go down to the basement, so no one but us has access to the altar of the house and the systems of the defense/concealment complexes. — I explained, seeing Lizzie's extreme displeasure, so as not to offend. — Such magic is always coded for Blood and Shadow magic, and then for the hierarchy prescribed in the clan statutes. Without full initiation into my clan, no one can come in.
I can allow someone to come with me, otherwise how can I be initiated into the clan when the ritual is performed on the clan altar? But many people don't realize that. And another thing, as I said, I have created a separate altar core for this magical mansion, and the house is controlled and protected by it, so the system can be controlled by Momo as the spirit of the house and me as the owner.
And when I create a clan altar, I will connect the core of the house to the clan magic, but only as a "junior module," not as the "main device," as they like to do in Europe.
— And you will initiate me into your clan? — The girl lowered herself again and lay on top of me.
— Absolutely. — I replied quickly, without thinking: — This decision has been made long ago. — Just wait.
— Okay... — the blonde answered quietly. We were silent for a few minutes, enjoying each other's presence, and then Lizzie spoke again. — I didn't pay much attention to it before, — she flicked her fingernail at the wide bracelet on my arm. — But you have a lot of jewelry...
— It's all artifacts... — It's really strange that we haven't talked about it. — Do you want something like that for yourself?
— Hmmm... — Lizzie was clearly thinking, and I wasn't rushing her.
Anyway, I'm going on vacation for the next few days, and I've got a few things to do, although I have to check in with .....