Hours turned into days. Days into weeks. All the while, Mira and Tyler learned from one another. They each learned enough of each other's languages to carry on real conversations. Each day that went by, Mira contemplated leaving, but something she felt for this partblood kept her from doing so. She couldn't explain the feeling she had, an uncommon warmth in the core of her chest. She felt somehow more complete.
Mira had no way of finding out whether Tyler was having strange feelings for her. Abstract ideas like affection and endearment were not in each other's vocabulary of the other's speech. Such feeling were not encouraged among Proxians since Saturos took power. He'd led the people to believe that such emotions were a weakness, a weakness to be cleansed away along with the partbloods and non-Adepts. However, Mira began to doubt that she could ever bring herself to harm this Lemurian who'd saved her.

Tyler felt strange. While he'd genuinely wanted to be able to talk to this Proxian woman, her initial decision to remain with him had unnerved him a bit. After a short while, however, both he and Mira seemed to warm up to one another. Tyler hadn't eaten so much fish in his life, which was what Mira always seemed to want to eat. Apparently, fish had been the Proxians' primary source of food in the Arctic.
But what was this Tyler felt for her? The word "love" had entered his mind more than once, but that was ridiculous. He'd only known Mira for a few weeks, how could he be in love with her? And even if he was, could she love him? Mira was a pure-blooded Proxian; she'd been raised hating partbloods like himself. It was all very confusing. Matters were made even more difficult by the fact that his Proxian vocabulary contained no abstract terms to mean "love" or "affection." Nor did Mira have the grasp of English to say if she had feelings for him as well.

The questions in the minds and hearts of both were answered in one fateful night. Mira and Tyler sat beside one another on the couch in the apartment. They had just finished eating and the television was on, Mira puzzling at what the non-Adepts on the screen were saying. Taylor soon found himself taking in the Proxian's bizarre beauty. Her pointed ears and eyeteeth, her pale skin speckled with red scales here and there, her long white-blond hair all intrigued him.
Without really thinking, Tyler reached over, turned Mira's face toward his and kissed her on the lips. She was surprised at first, but soon reciprocated the kiss. The kiss was deep and passionate, and it overwhelmed both of the people involved. Tyler ran his fingers along Mira's ears and through her hair, while Mira rubbed Tyler's scale-less back. The passion grew, and the two soon fell down together on the couch.

Tyler awoke the next morning with Mira's flesh still touching his own. She still slept, her back rising and falling as she lay on top of him. At last she stirred and woke. She sat up on the couch, looking into Tyler's eyes. They kissed again. Mira placed a hand at the center of her bare chest and then moved it to rest on Tyler's.
"Liibannae," she said; Tyler understood and retuned the gesture.
"Love," he said to accompany it.
The rest of the day was like no other. The smiles on the lovers' faces never seemed to fade. They spent the day hand in hand or arm in arm all around Tyler's apartment. They shared many more kisses and embraces. Another bout of unrestrained passion engulfed them well after midday, and when that was done, they felt even more sure of their love for one another.
The end came at sunset. The lovers sat together on the couch, Mira holding onto Tyler's arm with her head on his shoulder, when the wall of the apartment facing the outside exploded. The force of the blast threw the pair to the floor across the room. There, floating outside the charred hole in the wall, was Saturos. He glared at Mira and at Tyler. He landed inside the dwelling and stalked toward his niece.
What is this blasphemy, Mira? Saturos demanded, looming over her. The partblood crawled over to her. He acted toward her in a protective manner. What? Saturos let Dragonform enhance his senses. There was a smell about his niece. No. She wouldn't dare. But the scent was there, no doubt about it.
The partblood unleashed a Psynergy attack on Saturos. The attack barely phased the Proxian's Psynergy Shield despite the advantage it had as a Mercury attack. Saturos grinned and struck the partblood across the face, knocking him into the far wall. The Proxian aimed his open hand at the savage, readying his Pyroclasm attack. But at the last moment, as Saturos was firing the blast, Mira threw herself in front of the partblood. She took the attack full on, afterward saying something to the savage in his own tongue.
Love, said the partblood after shaking his head.
Mira seemed to plead with him. Why did he know the Proxian word for "love"? The partblood finally seemed to agree with Mira and began to flee.
I decide who leaves this place, Saturos said, preparing another blast.
All of a sudden, Mira attacked him. She pummeled him with a barrage of punches and kicks. During the momentary distraction, the partblood escaped. Saturos growled, grabbed one of Mira's legs, and shattered he femur with a blow from his elbow. She fell to the floor, crying out in pain, but tried to attack again with her remaining good leg. This, Saturos also grabbed hold of and bent it backwards at the knee. Mira cried out again, now rolling to her stomach in pain.
Do you think you deserve this pain, whore? Saturos hissed.
Why...do you say such a thing...uncle, Mira stammered. Saturos let out a shout and stomped on the woman's upper back, hearing a number of ribs snap. Mira howled again.
You will never call me that again, whore, said Saturos. You have disgraced yourself, your father, me, and your entire race. Mira lifted up on her arms, and started dragging herself away. The man brought his boot down on one of her elbows, shattering the arm.
He saved me, uncle! she moaned. With another growl, Saturos broke her other arm.
I told you not to call me that again. If you want to allow yourself be putrefied by that partblood filth, then you are not my brother's daughter.
At that moment, the partblood attacked Saturos from behind with another Psynergy attack. He'd returned, excellent. Mira could watch him die before her own execution. Saturos grabbed the partblood by the throat and squeezed. The partblood's ugly face turned blue for want of air, and Saturos grinned.
Please, Mira pleaded, let him go. Kill me, but leave him alone.
That was the last straw. Allowing the partblood to pollute her was bad enough, but now she begged for his life? Disgraceful. Saturos drew his sword and buried it to the hilt in the partblood's chest.
No! Mira cried in anguish as Saturos tossed the corpse out the hole in the wall.
Saturos laughed at her as her screams continued to grow louder and more filled with pain. She deserved the agony. The Proxian race was to remain pure, she could not be allowed to taint it. Suddenly, he noticed that Mira's screams were not subsiding, as they should have been in her condition. Instead she grew ever louder, veins protruding under her skin. Steam began to rise from her flesh, and her garments caught fire. Saturos turned to flee, but Mira's entire body emitted a bright white light. A searing explosion engulfed the area. The blast could be seen from miles away; it enveloped an entire city block.
When at last the fiery wind calmed, Saturos lowered his arms. He could feel that his Psynergy Shield was significantly damaged. What incredible power. All that remained of the surrounding streets besides Saturos himself, was a crater, the dirt seared into glass all along the bottom of it.