“Kara is going to kill me.” I said as I took out a set of normal clothing.

“I can give you a set of robes at my place.” Lashina said and stood up.

“I sincerely doubt I can get away from you if I go back to your place.” I said and she laughed.

“I can't trick you.” Lashina said teasingly as she caressed her breasts.

“Hey, stop that.” I said and dressed. “I have to go.”

Lashina stopped and helped me get dressed. “Give me a hand putting all of this back in order.” She said and waved at the mass of destruction we had caused to the forest.

I smiled and cupped the side of her face. “I've got this.” I said and started to kiss her, then I used both my own Presence and that of the East Forest Glade to shift everything back to where it was supposed to be. I let her feel me doing it, and she moaned into my mouth. When I was done, I broke the kiss. “There, all fixed.”

“You're depleting yourself on purpose.” Lashina said, surprised.

“I suspect the council is going to test my limits, so it's better that they think all of this was your doing.”

“Hunter, you shouldn't degenerate yourself like this.” Lashina said. “They should know the person they are dealing with.”

I smiled and gave her another kiss. “Only those I think are worthy can feel what I really am.” I said. “I don't want to give myself away so soon, you know that.”

“Don't be stubborn.” Lashina said. “Even the East Forest Glade wants you back up to full strength.”

I could feel the forest trying to offer up Presence to me, and I appreciated that. “I really should stay weakened.”

“Don't you dare.” Lashina said. “If they really are working with orders from Kralish, you need to give them a good display of power. They need to respect you, not dismiss you as inconsequential!”

I wanted to say no and stay under their notice, then let out a sigh. “All right.” I said and used the proper techniques to absorb the local Presence and convert it to my use. “Thank you.” I said to the forest and I felt a feeling of happiness. “Okay, that never happened before.”

Lashina laughed. “I told you that you have missed a lot of the small things that normal people would have picked up on.”

I gave her a hug and another kiss, then took out an outfit for her.

“No, thank you.” Lashina said. “I can be back inside my apartment before anyone notices.”

“Good luck with that.” I said with a grin and stored the outfit.

“Hunter, I... I love you.” Lashina said, her voice and emotions unsure of how I would react.

“I love you, too.” I said. “I need to go.”

“I know.” Lashina said, her voice sad. “I knew you weren't here for me; but, it's hard to face that fact.”

“I'm sorry that my plans accelerated much faster than I had planned myself.” I said and took her into another hug. “Perhaps this break will set my path back on the proper track.”

“Break! They are going to send you to prison!”

“The Wise One is right. Both he and Kara need time.” I said. “Of course, so do I.”

Lashina sighed. “I can't believe you made that kind of a commitment to Hailey.”

I chuckled. “Well, it just kind of happened.” I said. “You saw the series of events that led up to it.”

Lashina nodded. “Why couldn't you do that with me?”

I laughed. “Hey, now. I don't have future sight or even a decent grasp at predicting things beyond current events. That's more experience than being able to manipulate Presence to show me or to guess at what's going to happen.”

Lashina sighed. “Now I have to wait even longer for you to come back for me.”

“What's a few decades to people like us?” I asked with a smile.

“A long time to wait to be with you again!” Lashina exclaimed.

“It makes it all the more sweeter, doesn't it?” I asked. “Look at what we did this time.” I waved at the repaired destruction. “Imagine what we're going to be like when we meet again.”

“It's going to take me a long time to adapt your abilities.” Lashina said.

“Hailey's doing just fine with that.” I teased.

Lashina glared at me for a few seconds, then she laughed. “That's a sneaky tactic!”

“It's a clean motivation.” I said, then took her hand and knelt. “Until the next time we meet, my love.”

Lashina leaned forward and gave me a kiss. “Until then, my love.”

I let her hand go and formed Presence around myself, then used Presence Run to get up to speed and then used Levitation on myself. I was out of the East Forest Glade in less than a minute and floated over to Kara's apartment. A temporary wooden barricade had been secured over the wall of windows and I looked inside the apartment to see that she was in the kitchen getting breakfast.

That reminds me. I thought and flew around the building and over to the food vendors that seemed to be open all the time. I bought all of the man's inventory and he was more than happy to sell it all to me. I stored it and went into the building and up to Kara's floor, then knocked on her door.

“I know it's you, so come on in.” Kara said.

I entered her apartment and went to the kitchen. “Are you making enough for me as well?”

“No.” Kara said and quickly hid the extra portions she had been preparing.

“That's too bad, because it's been years since I had one of these things.” I said and took out one of the special desserts that Emari had first shown me. “It's only a dessert and can't be eaten without...”

“I DID!” Kara said and uncovered the portions for me. “I made you some!”

I snorted a laugh and put the dessert down, then helped her finish making breakfast. When it was done, I prepared the dessert and we went to the small table and sat down. Kara pointedly didn't look at me while we ate and she stayed quiet the entire time. I didn't try to talk myself, mainly because there wasn't really anything to talk about. When the meal was done, I felt her anticipation and I slid the other dishes aside and put the dessert between us.

Kara sighed as I popped the top off the orange-like container and the sweet smell hit her nostrils. “Why does it smell so good when someone else is sharing it with you?”

“You just answered that question.” I said and dipped my finger into the luscious creamy center and held it out to her. She didn't hesitate and took my finger into her mouth and sucked on it as if it was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. From her thoughts, it actually was one of the best things she had ever tasted.

Kara slid her head back and her lips made that kissing sound as my finger came out of her mouth, and she dipped her finger into the cream to hold it out to me. I also didn't hesitate, because this was the only time she let her emotions and feelings out and didn't try to control things or force her views and values on others. All that mattered was the experience.

We finished the dessert almost twenty minutes later, which meant we had stretched the thing out to almost twice as long as it was supposed to be. We just stared at each other over the empty dish for several moments and didn't say anything.

“We should go.” Kara said.

“I'll clean up and change first.” I said and quickly walked to her closet and grabbed new robes, then I went to the bathroom and washed and dressed. When I came out, Kara was stunned that I had chosen Master's robes.

“Hunter, you... you can't...” Kara started to say that I couldn't insult the council like that, then I stopped concealing my Presence. She gasped at the strength of it and her entire body trembled as it flowed over her. “What... how...”

“I'll explain after the council gives me my sentence.” I said and concealed my Presence again. “I have to assume that you will be assigned to escort me to the prison, since I won't accept anything else.”

Kara thought about demanding I tell her everything right then and there, then she nodded.

“We should have plenty of time during the trip, assuming they send me where I think they are going to send me.” I said and motioned to the door. “Shall we go? They are already in the chamber waiting for us.”

“Wh-what?” Kara looked at me like I was speaking nonsense. “The council chamber is on the other side of the compound.”

“It's barely half a mile away.” I said and walked to the apartment door. “Come on. They are already getting restless. We could have several guard squads sent after us if we don't get moving.”

Kara still didn't believe me, even though the Presence didn't waver.

I had to walk back over to her and take her arm and lead her from the apartment and out of the building. We walked across the compound and over to the building with the council chamber in it. Everyone still gave me nasty looks and I greeted them with a smile and pleasant words. Kara was right, though. All that did was antagonize them and I was okay with that.

The council chamber doors were opened by the two guards as we approached and inside was almost the same as it was the last time I had been there. The only difference was that there was a new alien face where the fluffy alien sat and one where Kara used to sit, as well as two guard squads along the walls. The scaly alien's spot was empty.

“So, you really are alive.” One of the council members said.

“Still alive, actually.” I corrected. “I've died a few times now and this latest attempt on my life was quite pitiful, especially for a council member like Kralish.” I said. “Of course, I doubt he actually ordered it and probably said something like, deal with it and make sure he doesn't get back to the council.” I chuckled. “Plausible deniability is pretty much the way all of you work, right?”

No one responded to that insult.

“You have turned yourself in for the heinous crime of killing forty-eight million, six hundred thousand, and eighty people.” A woman said from the end of the council table.

“That many?” I asked. “Does that include the people I killed after I sent the message to turn myself in?”

“What?” She asked, surprised.

“I definitely killed a few more people after that.” I said. “Oh, and I'd say that total is going to skyrocket, now that I've had access to The Order's systems and sent the kill command to all the places I couldn't reach on my own.”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?” Half of the council yelled.

“But, that doesn't matter, since you're so short-sighted and are just going to sentence me to prison for a few years.” I said.

The council fell silent for several moments, then they started to confer with each other.

“With this new information, we are going to change our verdict.” An alien said. “Since you seem to be unrepentant in the face of the charges against you, and you seem to know what we have already decided, your prison sentence will be commuted into shackled servitude at a designated sacred site...”

“That's not too bad.” I said.

“...for the next thirty years.”

“Now that's a little excessive.” I said. “No actual fake trial? No considering the mitigating circumstances? No listening to my defense?”

“We all know you are a convincing liar.” A man said on the other end of the council table.

“Really?” I asked. “You people are the most upstanding citizens I've ever known.”

Every single person on the council winced at the massive lie.

“I've always enjoyed every single time I've come into this chamber.” I said and they all winced again. “I'm so glad that you all considered the evidence and made impartial judgments against me.”

“S-stop!” The woman on the end of the table said. “Stop.”

“Am I still a convincing liar?” I asked and she didn't answer. “Have your orders already been sent to the ship waiting outside?”

The woman nodded. “You will leave immediately.”

“Master Moor is escorting me.” I said.

“She has more important...”

“I won't go if she doesn't escort me.” I said.

Nearly everyone on the council became slightly angry that I would defy them, even though I had defied them each time I had been summoned to the council chamber to face them.

“You will follow our verdict and adhere to our sentence.” One of the new aliens said.

“I repeat my words. I won't go if she doesn't escort me.” I said. “It wasn't a request or a threat. It's just the truth.”

“Guards!” The alien said loudly. “Escort this man to the shuttle outside.”

“I can't.” One of them said. “I can't move.”

“What?” The alien looked at the guards standing at the side of the room. “All of you?”

“Do you understand now? I'm just humoring you.” I said and let out some of my Presence and filled the council chamber. “Master Moor is coming with me to keep me company while you drop me off in the middle of nowhere.”

Everyone on the council couldn't help it and stared at me.

“I gave my word once that I would let you all live for giving me the information I needed.” I said and looked at the two new people. “Guess who wasn't here when I said that.”

“Hunter.” Kara said from beside me.

“You know that they were both recommended by Kralish.” I said and the rest of the council caught their breath. “I also know their names, which means I had to know them before coming into this chamber. Isn't that right?” I said to the two aliens.

“You are a rogue Presence user and...”

“I can't be a rogue, you ignorant fool. I've never been a part of your organization.” I reminded him. “I wore these robes to insult you, because I wasn't made a master by you or anyone else in this garbage heap you call The Order. I made myself a master and none of you have any authority over me whatsoever.” I said, to their surprise. “I'm only here because it stops all the planetary governments across the universe from fighting each other and coming after me for killing all of those people.”

None of the council said anything, because the Presence didn't waver and they weren't sure what to say.

“Just so you know, I'm going to kill you all when I leave here.” I said. “I'd rather have a bunch of new people in here that aren't so closely tied to the scaly alien's politics.”

Everyone at the council chamber jumped to their feet.

“How dare you threaten us!” One of the new aliens said. “You see? He's intending to wipe us all out!”

“Not all of you.” I said. “Just you and them.” I waved at the council. “The guards I'll let live, since they are only guilty of following your orders.”

All of the guards lifted up into the air and were shoved out of the council chamber.

“Hunter, don't do this.” Kara warned me.

I chuckled. “It's already done.” I said. “Care to take a nice long space ship ride with me again? I'll even break my rule of not telling someone I'm not intimate with everything about me.”

Kara opened her mouth to say no, then she thought about it and looked at the council. She remembered how they had treated her before and she couldn't help but think that they deserve some punishment.

“Hunter, you can't kill the entire council.” Kara said. “Only Kralish will be left and you know he won't be critical of who he appoints.”

“Do you really think he's going to come back here after trying to kill you?” I asked. “Me, sure. He could come back tomorrow and people would thank him for it.” I smiled. “Trying to kill you? The Wise One's Task Master?” I shook my head. “His sabbatical is going to last a long time.”

Kara sighed. “I'm going to have to hunt him down with the other alien that set the explosives.”

“I already killed him.” I said and she widened her eyes. “I wasn't going to let him live after he tried to kill us.” I felt eleven Presences try to fill the council chamber to remove mine, so I absorbed them into mine.

The woman on the end gasped as her Presence drained away and then my Presence increased in strength. “No!”

“Yeah, sorry.” I said and formed solid Presence around them to hold them steady. “It still wasn't nice meeting you. Even after all this time, you didn't learn your lesson.”

“What lesson?” She asked for everyone.

“Don't piss me off.” I said and took Kara's hand and walked out of the council chamber.

“Hunter, please.” Kara said. “Don't kill them.”

“I have to.” I said and led her from the building. “Even now, they are calling for reinforcements to come here and stop me.”

“Why?”

“They know now that I want to go to the sacred site.” I said with a smile. “It's going to be a nice vacation for me after all of the things I've done.”

“You really think that?” Kara asked as we boarded the shuttle.

“I've had hundreds of years of responsibility, Kara.” I said and she trembled at the truth in my words. “I've been working so hard the last year, and after I destroyed that planet...” I sighed. “I need a break.”

A hundred guards tromped around the edge of the building, which was quite the sight, then every single one of them tripped and grabbed their ankles.

“Well, that was technically a hundred breaks; but, they don't count.” I said with a chuckle. “Pilot, take off. We have a date with a ship in orbit.”

“Yes, sir.” The pilot said and added power to the engines, then we lifted off and flew up into the sky.

Thanks to my newfound experience with focusing crystal detonations, I knew exactly how many I needed to use to destroy the entire council chamber and everything inside of it. Just as we reached two miles up, I activated the devices and seven medium quality crystals exploded and consumed everything within the blast range.