If there was one thing that Mingtian struggled to adapt to the most, it was the sheer difference in perception. As an Immortal Sovereign, he’d been able to count seconds as years in seconds, see ants chewing leaves from across the galaxy and know the exact position and velocity of every subatomic particle on the planet beneath him if he so deigned. A mortal— or even a mere immortal, the difference so small as to be essentially meaningless— was so constrained compared to that. Their world was so much less alive, shifting and breathing with the infinite motions, endless intricacies without boundary—

  All that was to say, he was very much taken by surprise when he walked back into the library after a single day off, and came into the middle of a situation. A gaggle of schoolkids were hiding behind the bookshelves, peeking between gaps made of pulled-out books and curiosity. The adults stood off to the side, far more composed but no less intently focused— speaking softly amongst themselves, quietly, concerned. Janus stood just slightly off center, arms crossed, a sour look on his face.

  And, of course, the most important part of the scene— the seven foot long, six limbed cat standing in the center of it all. He blinked, taking in the incongruous sight— for a second he’d wondered how such a large animal had gotten into the city, before seeing the bags slung over its tawny flanks, and the way it glanced around with wary but intelligent caution, and the rumors he’d heard of all the cats in the city— and it kind of came together. Again, he lightly cursed his stupid lack of perception— if he’d been able to just scan the city with his spiritual sense, he’d have known about this a lot sooner…

  Still. There was a situation going on in front of him, and he was a bit curious. “What’s going on here?”

  Janus glanced over him, as if noticing his presence for the first time. “Mingtian! Thank the heavens you’re here— I’ve been trying to get them to leave, but they’ve been rather obstinate about it.”

  The feline drooped a little as he saw him enter, looking like nothing more than a sodden kitten for a moment. A very large, very dangerous sodden kitten, but still. “I understand.” His voice was surprisingly high for how large he was— a tremulous mewl touched by only the slightest edge of a growl. “I can see where I’m not wanted.” Mostly sad though. It was hard to tell from the tone of his voice, but luckily Mingtian didn’t need to rely on the tone of his voice— he could sense in the feline’s aura a complicated blend of annoyance-exasperation-defeat a sour flavor that he couldn’t help but dislike. No malice, though.

  “Why?” It took a few seconds for his question to land, but when it did— the feline’s eyes widened in shock, the small crowd watching shared unreadable glances, and Janus gave him an almost betrayed look. “Has he disturbed anyone?”

  “But— it’s dangerous! Look at him!” As if he hadn’t been doing that the whole time. “The library needs to be a safe space for the residents of the precinct, and we can’t do that with one of them here.” It might have been a convincing argument if Mintian thought that the feline would even try and hurt anyone there, beneath the sheer almost watery-eyed look of desperate hope in his eyes.

  Mingtian rolled his eyes. If Xulong, a void dragon could control himself, then a mortal cat could probably restrain himself too. “I don’t see why he shouldn’t be allowed to stay here. But we can discuss this further in my office— lest our peers continue being distracted from their important tasks?” The kids squeaked and tumbled away back towards the back of the library, and the parents turned back to their own matters, eager to look like they hadn’t been gossiping about the whole ordeal. Janus just scowled, but followed after him— and the cat, elegant as he stalked through the library and took the steps two by two— up to the third floor.

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  The moment they escaped the public eye, Janus whirled on him, eyes alight. “What was that? You just— I had it handled, and now this? What sort of game are you playing with me, Leng Mingtian? We can’t afford to let animals—”

  “I’m still right here,” mewled the feline, not even threateningly, but Janus snapped his mouth shut with a click regardless. “I merely wanted to learn. Is that so bad? I live here much the same as either of you. Should I not be entitled to the same?”

  Janus frowned. “You’re different, though. You’re not human.”

  “So? That did not stop you Elegant Aliens from taking what belonged to us—” the cat paused, then shuffled his feet sheepishly. “Sorry. Bad memories… I know that you had nothing to do with that.” Mingtian found himself curious, but he didn’t speak any further on it, so— alas. He hadn’t even known his species had existed prior to a few minutes ago, which meant— more research necessary.

  He just waved two of them onwards, ushering them into his office. The change was immediate— Janus relaxed a bit, leaning against the wall and breathing out a soft sigh, and the cat— the cat bristled with surprise, glancing around startled— to each node of his wuxing formation, Mingtian couldn’t help but notice. “How did you do this? I thought you were a mortal?”

  That managed to startle Janus. “You’re not?” Except, not towards Mingtian— which was a relief, he’d been half concerned for a split second that he’d somehow managed to out himself. No, instead, he stared at the cat in surprise.

  He shrunk back a little, sheepishly, curling a bit in on himself in a way that didn’t really manage to make him look like anything less than a massive predator. “I… am in Shedding, yes. Before…” he was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice stretched out, pained. “Before the Elegant Aliens conquered the last refuges of Refuge, my parents led me through the Ceremony of Instantiation. It is the last and greatest treasure they gave to me.”

  Mingtian sank into his chair, for a second frowning— careful not to extend his spiritual sense too much, restricted as he was, lest his first step guest caught on. His domain, at least, was unhindered, and with it… “You’re not a bloodline creature, are you?”

  Janus just looked confused, while the cat gave a tired, slow nod. “Just like you Elegant Aliens, we are our own people; from the moment of our births to when our spirits disperse to the earth, we are burdened with the mantle of awareness.”

  “Fascinating….” and it really was. In the higher realms, it was rare indeed that there was anyone who wasn’t human. Or a spirit beast, whose ascensions were a different thing entirely. If he had to name one… he was pretty sure the leader of the Astrological Orrery was an ascendant AI. He supposed it just went to show what strange marvels could be found in a lower realm, so divorced from the universe-as-a-whole. “Well. I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be able to stay.”

  Janus frowned, but— after a second, surprisingly— nodded. “If he’s truly a Shedding stage cultivator, then… yes, I can see why he was able to get a place within the wards. If he can control his instincts, then I’ll guess I’ll allow it.” He moved to leave, then paused, drawing his gaze over the feline one last time, then settling on Mingtian— “be careful.” Then, he left, and closed the door behind him, leaving Mingtian in the room alone with the cat.

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