Draconia Offline vol. 2

93.1. The Truth - Part 1

If my father knows that I can feel his leaking emotions, he doesn't let it show. His expression is cold, but his deep sadness tells me otherwise. I don't know what to make out of it. I have to find refuge in the minds of my partners to calm down.

I don't have much appetite, but I obediently eat everything Gotrid put on my plate because my father is watching me with narrowed eyes. It's quite irritating and, honestly, too late for him to act all fatherly towards me, but something tells me that he won't show me the Nebula research facility unless I finish my breakfast.

"Let's go then," he stands up when my plate is empty, ignoring the fact that some people sitting around the table are still eating. Do the Divementis also have this stupid etiquette rule that when their sovereign stops eating, everyone else must immediately stop as well?

Nevertheless, the Divementis Emperor tells us to follow him so we do. He leads us outside which is highly unusual for me. If I don't count my regular flying sessions during which I'm strictly forbidden to land, I never really left the Draconian Embassy. We're not in the heart of Prague anymore, though, I need to get used to the fact. This is the Divementis base and all the buildings here belong to them.

It turns out that the research facilities are in a different part of the complex and we were accommodated in the residential quarter. As a result, we have to walk quite a bit, but I don't mind because there's so much to see.

"How are you keeping this place hidden?" Liana asks, amazed. "It's huge."

"Officially, these premises belong to Nebula Corporation," Nyx explains more than willingly. "We pay taxes and operate as any high-profile IT company would. This place looks like a normal company complex from the outside. Naturally, we're using our technology and our mental abilities to conceal any traces of alien presence."

That piques my interest so I spread my consciousness to see if I can find any mental barriers. Wouldn't that be incredibly demanding for the casters I wonder? Can the Divementis use something similar to our crystals to keep the shield running without their constant supervision? All I feel are countless Divementis minds all around, though, nothing that would resemble any sort of shield.

"Son, can you stop it, please?" my father scolds me. "You're making everyone more nervous than they have to be."

"You felt that?" I frown because I wasn't going after him. "Besides, I can't help it. How do you stop your mind from going after things that are new and are asking to be explored?"

"With proper training and discipline," he answers dryly. "Moreover, it's considered rude to be constantly checking the defences of others and trying to invade their privacy."

"I'm not invading anyone's privacy," I oppose. "It's just... I find this telepathic silence stifling. Don't you?"

"No, the Divementis don't leak their thoughts and emotions," he sighs, "but you grew up among humans who don't have a concept of mental guard so I understand why it must feel unnatural to you. Still, I ask you not to go after every Divementis you meet so aggressively just because they aren't presenting their feelings and thoughts on a silver plate."

"Aggressively?" I'm surprised by that word.

"You don't realise it because your telepathy is too powerful even in its current untrained raw state," he explains. "A common Divementis of average talent would have no defence against that if you really pushed. Our subjects have the deepest respect towards the Royal bloodline, but you might end up making our people afraid of you if you don't control yourself."

I shiver and clutch Erik and Gotrid's hands tighter. Making people afraid of me is the last thing I want even though I know that most humans are afraid of me already. We spend the rest of the journey in silence. Liana doesn't dare to ask another question and I'm desperately keeping my mind from reaching out.