LoRG 5

With all the powerful Nether Warriors gathered together let alone Randidly and Enmya the result had been predictably overwhelming

Randidly started as a body of a Nether Warrior smashed into AcriÆs shaft thrown around by the fickle wind The Nether WarriorÆs eyes widened in recognition but then Randidly smashed his fist into his jaw and knocked the unfortunate fool out

Probably too much to hope that the being would interfere significantly with EnmyaÆs strange Nether Symbols his brick style Nether Core Randidly pursed his lips Yggdrasil had been sending warm threads of energy into his chest for a while but the Stillborn Phoenix continued to degenerate Well anyway LetÆs get out of here

With a step Randidly shot out of the valley He stomped several times in the air breaking space with his passage and shattering the few stubborn remnants of Nether Rituals around him He reached the plateau from which he had sensed the original threat but his heart sank About five hundred Nether Warriors waited there watching him with gleaming eyes

A Nether Ritual stretched above them already shimmering and ready to go Their leader stepped forward and crossed his arms Nether King Hungry Eye you are not allowed to leave until your discussion with our leader has finished

Randidly gritted his teeth The pain in his Soulspace continued to grow His Nether Core had been largely depleted with the activation of his Second Authority With grim humor he clenched his left hand Alright buddy looks like we are going to brawl our way out of this one

Unfortunately Nether King Hungry Eye needs some time to consolidate his thoughts NeveahÆs voice boomed out across the plateau Randidly looked up and she floated above them all with folded arms glowering down at the Nether Warriors Her frown was quite impressive Step aside

We will not The Nether Warrior replied Behind them Randidly felt EnmyaÆs dense energy lock onto his position they did not have much time

but if anything NeveahÆs smile was even more alarming than her annoyance Fine then Witness me For my image is Tiamat the Mother of Fear

The humanoid Neveah vanished In its place was the horrid mutated offspring of the bone wyrm from which she had sprung and DiOrtho VantÆs Machine Horror a huge monstrosity of bone Her leathery wings spread outward covering half the sky letting not even the tiniest glimmer of light fall upon her prey

Chapter 2219

RandidlyÆs eyes widened as NeveahÆs image filled the sky in a billowing explosion of sharpened bone The projection unleashed a baleful roar a body of darkness and rotten feathers a behemoth of mist and death that played at being a bird Its eyes were a brilliant gold as they swept side to side the ambush party of Nether Warriors completely frozen before it Its heavy body filled the sky with all the subtlety and implicit threat of a guillotine

Weirdly as Randidly looked up at the dragon even he felt a pressure building in his chest The thing radiated a certain sort of pressure Almost instinctively despite the continuing agony of the Stillborn PhoenixÆs degeneration within his Soulspace he barred his teeth in the approximation of a smile His body responded

A split second later he froze NeveahÆs image is based around fear is this sort of vicious grin really my response to fear

Maybe everyone has had a larger point about my problematic habits than IÆve admitted

However while Randidly swelled and straightened underneath the blast of oppression from Tiamat Mother of Fear the Nether Warriors surrounding them clearly flagged in the imageÆs shadow They took steps backward wavering before the concentrated blast of her force The massive bone wyrm beat its wings once twice and before it the warriors scattered like curled up and dried leaves

Behind them Nether spun together to form the beginnings of a Nether Ritual

His chest burning Randidly wrapped the Cloak of Utter Night more tightly around his body plucked Neveah off the ground and vanished toward the horizon Behind them EnmyaÆs powerful monolithic Nether bulged and erupted Different resonances curved toward them But Randidly snorted in bloody amusement

Maybe before this would have been enough But no longer

Behind him the Cloak of Utter Night stretched and stretched It covered his body and Neveah but also a huge portion of the sky An enormous cloud that was the inscrutable color of black ink screened their passage The fabric was slippery and fluttering a piece of the primordial abyss descended into the modern era When the notes landed against the edges the cloak pulsed with arrogant rejection The noises fell away rebuffed

Randidly suppressed a pained tremor running through his body relying on the Dread Homunculus to keep up the Skill no matter the strain

Congratulations Your Skill The Cloak of Utter Night has grown to Level 976

Congratulations Your Skill the Cloak of Utter Night Has grown to Level 980

Nether King Hungry Eye It is not enough to run You must answer for your transgressions The Sovereign of the Breathless Vigil roared Nether in the surrounding space began to stir in a way that Randidly had only witnessed through an Authority in the past Yet as he glanced over his shoulder at the tide of energy Randidly couldnÆt help but be impressed He can manage all this just with patterns What a monster

Randidly closed his eyes and focused on the seething core of agony in his Soulspace It whipped and turned shredding itself to pieces with its mixture of seething rage and disappointed pain Before anything else he needed to prevent it from self destructing No need to keep lashing out You are not broken You are not banished You might have failed this time but there will be other chances in the future

Someday the world will witness your birth

Yggdrasil came along with RandidlyÆs soothing thoughts stretching its golden roots toward the Stillborn Phoenix However bolts of dense emotion crackled outward sinking into RandidlyÆs flesh and ripping through strips of his muscle

With his carefully honed body control he covered up the twitching as a scratch of his chin One benefit of the Stillborn Phoenix going wild was it definitely interfered with her awareness through the Soulbond The strange radiation it wielded seemed to be the one aspect completely unaffected by this damage for better or worse

He fought to keep the tension out of his shoulders as his body healed and after a long moment Neveah pursed her lips and turned away When she didnÆt look directly at him Randidly risked upping the presence of Yggdrasil Beneath his skin his veins glimmered with motes of gold Within his Soulspace golden roots gently inserted themselves into the broken image healing the problematic areas and prying apart jagged edges that were worsening the damage

Neveah reflected for a few seconds before speaking When she began it took a few seconds for Randidly to remember his question you are aware of my limitations When I think about the risks through which you put yourself I know I cannot follow Randidly And for a long time that filled me with shame She paused and turned to him She reached out and drew her finger across his cheek There is no one in the world I care about more than you ShouldnÆt I be able to push past my fears and help you if you really needed it

If I needed it you would help me Randidly said confidently The kind energy of the World Tree finally seeped into the whole of the lashing out Stillborn Phoenix preventing it from worsening the damage Those tendrils swelled almost like airbags creating a soft buffer to absorb force Almost imperceptibly tension flowed out of him the damage to his image had been done but at least now it wouldnÆt completely break

In an extreme situation I will not deny it I have been connected to you long enough to have a very visceral response to the concept of necessityÆ Neveah gave Randidly a wry smile However these days you donÆt need me as much IÆve just seen you succeed on your own so many times itÆs hard to believe that you wonÆt continue to do so Which leaves me to struggle in the grey area with my fear

For a while the guilt and ambiguity were difficult to bear But when you started facing all the negative emotional cores you had let develop within yourself I was inspired to do the same Mine were very different but my fear turned out to be the big one Neveah leaned back and stared up at the sky I stood in front of my fear and was petrified But I didnÆt retreat For the longest time I lingered there simply viewing the behemoth my fear had become It never grew easier Each moment was a mental onslaught Proving yourself you could endure to the next moment didnÆt matter because more moments were coming

In a way I think my long term thinking harms me Because while you would see it moment by moment as a threshold you are able to clear I see the breadth of all those moments lined up heading infinitely into the future Neveah idly reached out and flicked the crystalline dune creating an even larger web of cracks Then she smirked at Randidly But I learned With my image I nudge the viewer into that line of thinking The image itself isnÆt so powerful but it promises consistency A viewer feels almost out of time You felt it yes

Yea Randidly frowned but his mind had moved beyond the image After a brief hesitation Randidly reached out and put a hand on her shoulder Neveah do you ever feel out of time

Of course I do Randidly Compared to most of the people I know we are unique yes Able to accomplish so much because of our bond But we learned a bit about it with Wick what we have is very rare Until we no longer need the power weÆve gained better not to dig too deeply into this passing feeling

Better not to dig too deeply into how unhappy you are to live like this you mean Randidly sighed inwardly

Some part of him wanted to push for a more definitive answer but he agreed with her For now he set the issue aside and continued to heal his image

Chapter 2220

Devick marched back into Homewell after almost two days of constant harrying of the fleeing Nether forces Her leather armor clung to her body mortared into place with sweat and dirt Yet despite the ripe nature of her scent Devick felt rather cheery as she passed through the gate and dismissed her soldiers

Word had arrived from the East of a great victory after Fatia Cerulean had weakened the Nether Leader Nether King Hungry Eye struck and managed to wound their opponent seriously The host of Nether Warriors floundered bickering and stalling out The Aetherlands experienced their first real victory in the war a shining example next to the many agonizing stalemates they had achieved thus far

To these people heÆs just a name Her skin tingled as she walked down the street She hummed tunelessly and bobbed her head The sun felt as warm and free as a smile Would it even mean anything if I told them I knew if If I mentioned that we were

She groped in the dark of her conflicted mind for several seconds and was unable to come up with an accurate term to describe their relationship She could picture Nether King Hungry Eye pausing and raising an eyebrow at her in question but nothing more definitive than that image Shaking herself she looked at the city around her

Turtlelines Homids and Lizakh mixed freely the raucous celebrations spilling out onto the street Giant kegs were rolled out and games of skill and chance occurred frequently The spirit had revived breathing life into the civilians

Devick found it ironic that the grand victory they used to whip up morale came from a Nether King but seeing all the happy Turtlelines flocking to the street didnÆt begrudge them the lie Small children whose oversized shells seemed so heavy for their stubby legs that they were a stiff breeze from toppling over came out in force to hang up banners and home painted shells In the warm sun everything felt shimmery and magical

After fishing about her bag for a minute Devick produced some of the elegantly detailed coins of the city and bought a fish pie The fried dough oozed just the right amount of grease warming her and providing some much needed fuel after the army finally saw the NetherÆs retreating backs and developed a backbone

Yet as the afternoon passed into evening the flurry of activity on the streets only intensified DevickÆs journey back to her room became an increasing chore due to the congestion on the roads One of the locals in her patrol had informed her this date fell close enough to a sacred day of the Turteline people that they were now hurrying to throw together a festival before hostilities resumed Hence the flourishing amount of carts on the streets the release of children once more from the safety of basements the general gaiety she saw on the face of everyone

Gaiety or dirt from trooping home from killing She finished her street food quickly leaving her with greasy fingers and a sudden weight of exhaustion All of her own contentment seeped out of her

The wave of sadness made Devick miss Nether King Hungry Eye Which in turn made her surly because very clearly he didnÆt miss her not when he was out fighting in the war And then Devick became worried about his health considering he clashed against the most powerful figure on the Nether side

Gah Devick threw up her hands into the air in front of the door to their lodgings almost announcing herself She kicked in the door with her usual charming flare causing it to swing wildly and smash into the coat rack After a wobbly effort to stay upright the cheap piece of furniture accepted its fate and collapsed of a fractured spine

Lowanna looked up from the book she had been reading and raised a brow The coat rack clattered to the ground Feeling dramatic are we

We need to talk Devick countered jabbing her finger at her aide It felt good to refocus from the small melancholy of her own mind After raking her fingers through her hair stomping to the table helping herself to the wonderful looking finger sandwiches waiting there Devick repeated the jabbing gesture and took a seat You know I didnÆt take you seriously when you brought it up before but while I was chasing down the Nether people thinking about how Elhume showed up and tried to kill me are you really the Nether Arbiter

Yes Lowanna nodded and took a bite of her sandwich

Devick shook her head Lowanna closed her eyes Think of it as a spiritual and governmental tribute system centered around the Nether Kings A bond of power and responsibility Nether Kings are those individuals who possess Phaea from others and in exchange give their Phaea to others All exist as links in the middle of the chain I do sit at the top of these structures of Phaea but it is a cursed power I wield Because it costs the lives to utilize I derive all of my potency from the vibrancy of my people I could level a city with a wave of the hand but at the very same moment an entire city of Nether people would fall dead their Phaea draining them dry without them even knowing Without them even having a say in their fate

Realization dawned in Devick Once theyÆve given the Phaea it can be activated at any time And you would gain great power by activating it but they would die

And great power only for a short time LowannaÆs lips curled upward but her expression couldnÆt be called a smile Originally the position of Arbiter was considered to be largely ceremonial mostly as oversight for the Nether Kings which are the modern equivalent of the Nether Warlords that committed travesties in the past Yet without the monstrous actions of the Nether Warlords as contrast I became the villain for every Aether child born in the last five hundred years

Hey Lowanna Devick softened but her kind and empathetic words were interrupted by the return of the knocking Her first response was to growl but then she whipped around in her chair and shouted at the door IÆm off duty

This is an off duty matter The Colonel replied with just as much emotion If nothing else he had learned to push past her initial rejections in the past few weeks

Devick dragged another hand through her hair In fact she had known it was an off duty matter the blue haired humanoid had been holding bright orange flowers which contrasted quite pleasingly with his hair and horribly with hers Which was why she had slammed the door shut in his face in the first place

Whyever would she want to associate with a man who brings her gifts that make him look good and her like a bloodstain

With Devick silent he continued to press his luck Do you know HomewellÆs celebration There is a special event underneath the city held for the greatest warriors Several spots were given to the allied military for helping to defend the city I err I have an extra slot so why donÆt we go together to the event L like a date

Perhaps this is your grand destiny Lowanna whispered

Devick fell back on a finger jab using silent vehemence to convey they hadnÆt finished their discussion of LowannaÆs mysterious and intriguing past But Devick got up and went to the door and opened it Even she felt enough respect for the Colonel to reject him to his face She surveyed him almost pleased to note he had tossed the flowers to the side IÆve told you many times Colonel IÆm involved with someone else

I if that were t true The Colonel stammered through his words but Devick had to admit his persistence appealed to her This mysterious other man would be here So in his absence come with me to the festival

Fucking Nether King Hungry Eye too busy being a war hero to visit me Devick thought to herself but she couldnÆt deny she felt genuinely frustrated and hopeless AND lonely She had left the Nether KingÆs side to find a way to earn his admiration to feel like an equal to him However even with her new Class even growing at a prodigious rate and accumulating Skill Levels it was not an easy feat

Seeing Devick wavering the Colonel spoke again Did I mention the special slot I possess is a ticket to be blessed by the spirit of HomewellÆs lifeseal If the spirit likes you you can receive a special Skill There are even rumors of certain blessed Turtleline warriors receiving a Stat evolution

Fine Devick huffed out a breath even while her imagination rushed off to fabricate a timeline where she received a wondrous reward in the strange festival She shook her head to rid herself of an image of her bulked up now equipped with a massive turtle shell She raised a finger and wagged it back and forth But no touching And no paying for my fish pockets Upstodatee from

Chapter 2221

The scrying surface remained active in front of Cerulean but he leaned his bulk back and considered the ceiling Azure aura flickered around the core framework of his body pulsing with the intensity of his thoughts His awareness spun and sparked a thousand ideas swirling around in his mind For the first time in quite a while the raptor construct felt genuine excitement

He saw a way forward a way to climb higher along his Narrow Path across the bodies of lesser beings

He hadnÆt caught much of the actual confrontation between Nether King Hungry Eye and the Sovereign of the Breathless Vigil but he had seen the Sovereign’s strange Domain broken which brought him a strange glee And then he had seen the strange companion of Hungry Eye show up reveal her ruinous dragon image and then depart with Hungry Eye

It was actually that companion that so fascinated Fatia Cerulean A part of Cerulean wished to stalk out of his castle right now hunting that black haired humanoid and claiming her as a trophy he could utilize himself A fourth foe worthy of being his prey However even Fatia had to concede that it was a politically complex time to be antagonizing Nether King Hungry Eye Setting aside the issue of whether a coalescing Cerulean could actually overcome him which had become a murkier question of late

Yet she didnÆt need to be prey the methods of the woman gave Fatia the seed of an idea

She had an insidious image that slipped inside of the viewer It actually empowers its targets giving them a boost to a very certain sort of self awareness one focused on your own mortality and limitations On the truth of the universe cast in a very particular slant It allows one to see themselves in the harsh light of eternity and obviously on that stage no one feels invulnerable Doubts creep in and resolve crumbles under exposure to such an awareness

Not useful against the truly elite but for those who do not walk a Narrow Path they are as frozen and dead as fowl before the fox

Fatia raised an arm and clicked his talons together The trick is to set the opponent up against the entire universe But in the end wonÆt it be more reliable just for me to hunt a portion of the universe

Honestly the Turtlelines have a flair for the dramatic Devick nodded in approval as she looked up at the ceiling I wouldnÆt mind them throwing me my next birthday party

Colonel Matteo chuckled only slightly awkwardly He had been particularly quiet over the last stretch mostly because the Turtlelines ahead and behind them were entirely silent After Devick gobbled down four more fish pockets the two were waiting in a deep underground chamber beneath the city one of the places where the non Turtlelines would have been allowed before the festival They stood in a long line of individuals waiting for this special ritual Devick spotted a few other non Turtlelines in the queue but they were outnumbered twenty to one

The roof of the massive chamber was studded with gems at regular intervals forming hexagons of darkness between twinkling lights The sheer size of the dome and the distance from the ground made it resemble the night sky aside from the regularity of the lights

Devick had found the soft illumination quite compelling but then she realized that some of those lights were brighter than others purposefully So when she unfocused her eyes the ceiling became a whirling kaleidoscope of block animals She could see a massive fish a lizard a butterfly a many tailed fox a tiger with two tails a long legged heron and of course the more ornate and featured turtle sitting in the middle

S so anyway The Colonel cleared his throat into his head trying to make as little noise as possible but instead overexaggerating it to the point the cough seemed to echo He became overly nervous when she spoke bluntly about their shelled hosts even more so now with armed guards flanking the line of individuals waiting to be allowed into this lifeseal ritual How was your patrol today

Devick felt like she was slapped in the face She couldnÆt even decide which part of the hard shelled bastardÆs words pissed her off more For a moment she felt a flash of shame but that was quickly replaced with a rapidly surging geyser of indignation and hate

The Colonel let out a light laugh and shook his head slightly WeÆve spoken about this Ilwen Someday I hope to make this woman a wife of mine She deserves this chance

You fucking what Devick blinked thrown for an entirely different reason She goggled at the Colonel for several seconds Because for all of his blandness and lack of any interesting things to say she had always believed him to at least have a genuine appreciation for her She had taken him at face value due to his persistence And it was rather illuminating for him to not even defend her after this bastard called her an egg warmer

You Devick stepped forward fully prepared to defend herself but the Colonel reached out and put a hand on her arm

DonÆt worry He said warmly His smile was bashful like a teenager talking to their first relationship partner They wonÆt refuse your entrance just due to dislike It would sully their honor

Devick just stared at the Colonel for several seconds Her fury hate fucked itself had a brood of vicious little gremlin children which hatefucked each other in a mounting pyramid of vicious spiteful procreation All the anger condensed outside her body and Devick had the weirdest sensation of standing as the towering pillar of wrath right next to her own body looking at her own blank expression as she tried to fathom HOW this boring obnoxious piece of shit who unfortunately would continue to be her superior officer after this interaction who she had spent the last hour coddling and humored believed that her agita was because she feared she wouldnÆt be allowed to utilize their stupid turtle ritual

Warning If you possess insufficient energy Skill transformations might result in sickness or death Please see

Pantheon Intervention Recalculating

Congratulations Your Skill Spark of Fury (Un) has evolved into Spiteflame Heart Skill Levels will be maintained

Spiteflame Heart While combustion usually results in mundane flame extreme circumstances occasionally create a more potent varietal In the case of Spiteflame extreme negative emotions have been compressed into a tight space and then set ablaze by an improbable spark As such the user now hosts the Spiteflame within her body Skill is active at all times either in an outward or inward mode While in inward mode Skill Levels will passively increase and user will experience mild pain The stronger the emotions to act as fuel the more quickly Skill Levels will increase Pain increases with Skill Level While in outward mode userÆs physical performance will be boosted while constantly depleting userÆs Mana Stamina usage slightly decreased Enemies will experience extreme pain while near the user Effects increase with Skill Level

She released a long breath and it almost surprised her to see no tongues of fire seeping out of her mouth When she sucked in another breath she prepared herself to let loose all the fury she held and damn the consequences

But then she thought about Nether King Hungry Eye She felt the gulf between them widening every second So she gulped down her wrath her vindictiveness the flames of her spite that she could now feel nibbling along her insides like vicious ants She pressed her lips shut Her eyes burned but she would wait

She would rip out every benefit she could from this stupid ritual Then she would plot the ColonelÆs murder

Chapter 2222

The Colonel went first offering Devick a weirdly stiff bow before moving into the orange light and becoming a constellation His in DevickÆs completely unbiased opinion resembled a poo swirled around like a snake Upstodatee from

A dog could shit out a shape like that and hang its head in shame

You know not your luck in catching his eye The oversized golden shelled bastard snorted and crossed his arms once the blue haired Colonel had vanished into the orange light We have seen his image known how it will grow One day Matteo will be a name known throughout the Aetherlands A pillar of our society Even as a secondary mate you lack appeal And your flashy mane will aggravate the digestion of more mannered company I cannot fathom why he lusts after your soft body

Congratulations Your Skill Spiteflame Heart has grown to Level 199

Congratulations Your Skill Spiteflame Heart has grown to Level 200

Even through the constant burn of her new Spiteflame Heart Devick couldnÆt help but look up and frown at the TurtlelineÆs words An even more odious and emotional extinction event level realization percolated in her bubbling guts secondary mate

Hah obviously Although that boy may be foolish he is not entirely without wisdom He has already whelped a child with his true wife vetted and approved by his family The Turteline snorted and gazed back toward the shifting orange light He seemed to measure what he witnessed there You may wait actually

Congratulations Your Skill Spiteflame Heart has grown to Level 201

Congratulations Your Skill Spiteflame Heart has grown to Level 202

Congratulations Your Skill Spiteflame Heart has grown to Level 219

Congratulations Your Skill Spiteflame Heart has grown to Level 245

Devick seemed less flesh and more strong emotions rebounding against each other creating a violent storm inside her body She couldnÆt even move so dedicated was her every available resource to trying to understand Devick processed for several seconds the fact that the stuttering awkward obscenely boring pestering Colonel had been pursuing her all the while having a wife back home His particular phrasing echoed in her head A wife of mine

One of perhaps many

Congratulations Your Skill Spiteflame Heart has grown to Level 260

If he had been in front of her right now she would have latched onto his nose and pulled hoping the flesh and skin of his face would tear clean off

The pain was almost a relief a distraction from how abhorrent the Colonel had become in her eyes And sure Devick had stated she would plan the murder of the Colonel wishing she could do the deed but mostly joking aware of the consequences should she be caught or found out However in light of recent developments Devick no longer cared about consequences She would rend open his body and grind his bones down to dust

Congratulations Your Skill Spiteflame Heart has grown to Level 275

My condolences to the children who will grow up without a father Devick didnÆt react as the two guards stepped to her with appraising expressions She still remained in coping mode Such a loss will be tragic but possessing a cesspool for a parental figure will be even more damning for your future

I have no doubt such children will grow up to be attracted to stunted lying manboys just like their father

Congratulations Your Skill Spiteflame Heart has grown to Level 285

The two guards were already moving leveling their halberds at DevickÆs chest Yet without the constant sizzle of pain she felt strangely focused Her body tingled Her toes tensed and she stepped lightly blurring around the opponents landing right in front of the golden shell Turtleline The ghost of her image flickered behind her back slowly coming into focus She reached out her heart pounding and wrapped her knuckles against his shell

Embarrassed Turtlelines use hard shells to cover up soft dicks Devick hissed The Master stood to the side gaping at the sudden display

The golden shelled TurtlelineÆs image blasted outward overwhelmingly strong compared to the Level 47 Devick But all it took was a single step and she breezed through the threshold passing into the core area of the ritual

Of course itÆs fucking orange

She kept an eye out for a follow up attack but all of those details fell away As Devick moved into the orange light she felt her whole being shiver Her focus turned forward but already she experienced the strange sensation of being flatened and shifted from silhouette to constellation in an instant

With a soft pop Devick appeared in a strange misty space She fell to her hands in knees in ankle deep water coughing and splashing After sucking in a few deep breaths she pulled her new Skill within her body without a constant reminder of why she was so furious smirking in front of her the pain settled down to a mild itching

She staggered to her feet beginning to cackle remembered the livid expression on goldieÆs face as she had delivered her parting line She might have slipped away from trouble for the moment but adrenaline still thundered through her veins The considerations of what might happen when she returned fluttered around her head but she could barely recognize them

It just felt so good not to feel obliged to bow her head She hadnÆt realized how much being in the military structure had begun to rankle

Luckily thoughts about the looming consequences were dissuaded when she straightened and found herself face to face with a brightly smiling Turteline child standing in the middle of the mist The being cast a dark shadow on the water but grinned at her Hello friend WhatÆs so funny I quite like jokes

Devick tilted her head to the side altogether thrown by the series of events of the last minute In the end she shook her head I donÆt think this is a joke worth repeating little one Who are you

Ah of course The small Turtleline claps his hands You are here for the festival yes Welcome I am the spirit of the lifeseal Like all others I will ask you only a single question Depending on your answer you may be rewarded Now friend are you or are you not virtuous

seriously Devick blinked once and then released a sharp laugh If this was a test of purity and well spoken virtue she might as well beat a swift retreat from here to avoid comeuppance Me Of course not I think most people would assume I donÆt even notice but itÆs not that IÆm stupid I just see no reason to change IÆm not virtuous at all I

For having a wife and daring to pursue me so aggressively I resolved to kill a man

I would cheat and slaughter my way down the darkest path in existence to stand by Nether King Hungry EyeÆs side as an equal

I am obsessive and fickle violent and capricious And I regret nothing

DevickÆs whirling reflections came to an end when a new voice spoke

I have waited a long long time for one such as you to come to this place girl One so filled with bitterness and desire You are like me

Devick stilled The Turtleline child showed a pained expression but his mouth hadnÆt moved Instead the water had stilled The long dark shadow the child cast began to grow and swell stretching across the surface of the water

Some part of Devick wondered if she should feel fear but she didnÆt flinch as it reached out a massive hand and touched her shadow She shivered And true to the words of the shadow she felt an instant empathy with it

Ah such a pure desire The shadow rumbled The bright misty area began to darken It is a tragedy that you are not of my race but I will not hold that against you Not when this prick has been dolling out small trinkets to my children who give lip service to virtue They speak so quickly that they donÆt even understand the words So honest girl strange girl the only one to have chosen vice what do you desire

Everything Devick whispered without thinking

The shadow cackled Luckily for you there must be balance in all blessings For the virtuous to have been rewarded for so long you will receive an even greater bounty For giving me such a nostalgic taste of pure Greed take everything I can give Then go out into the world and plunder all the rest “

Chapter 2223

Deep in Nether Lands far from the citadels of power Randidly sat and meditated to both investigate and repair the damage done to the Stillborn Phoenix in his last fight Even though the worst of the bleeding had been figuratively bandaged the pain constantly wore on him Neveah sat next to him honing her own image in case any individuals approached

She also worried and did only a passable job of covering her dominant emotion up through their Soulbond

Congratulations Your Skill Soul Bond has grown to Level 904

Sweat beaded on his temples and neck as the labor continued The Dread Homunculus in his chest promised a swift end to any enemies that showed up while he was recuperating but Randidly understood that the Stillborn Phoenix couldnÆt afford any distractions right now He let go of that responsibility turning all of his attention inward This was the area in which he was most needed and most useful

A thorough investigation of the meaning shape and emotion of his Stillborn image quickly revealed numerous persistent problems with its current state Right in the middle of a very emotional transition as the shape migrated from a being that craved the impossibility of birth to genuine existence the Nether Leader had struck and disrupted the most important shift When the Sovereign of the Breathless VigilÆs strange name restriction ended and its labels snapped back into place the damage was doubled because the name Stillborn Phoenix also rejected the sort of transition the Egg of Depression sought

So in the end the emotions of the image were in disarray and the shape had been crunched by forces from both directions both aspects of imageÆ had been heavily damaged The pieces large enough to retain their identity mostly related to hunger and consumption And empowering those aspects had sparked a rapid destructive cycle

Randidly licked his lips Bit by bit he picked across the battlefield of his soul and salvaged as much as he could

With YggdrasilÆs help over the course of an exhausting few hours Randidly refocused the emotions of the Stillborn Phoenix The task turned out to be surprisingly easy even after such a ruinous misstep its desire to be born and devour hadnÆt decreased at all If anything it had been strengthened by the perceived proximity to accomplishing its goal The image simply needed to work through its indignation fear frustration and desperation that lingered due to the constant pain Randidly breathed slowly sucking the distracting emotions out of the image then releasing them into the world The World TreeÆs powerful roots radiated healing and peace

As the pain departed vacating his flagging consciousness part of the transformation Randidly sought could begin The Stillborn Phoenix scoffed at the peace offered but rapidly solidified its emotional core once more Almost happily his emotional sea roiled and sloshed The two Unborn cavorted around RandidlyÆs head in a distracting manner In the end the problem was its shape

You arenÆt satisfied this way any longer are you Randidly whispered The Stillborn Phoenix hissed out its agreement

As though to emphasize that returning to its previous state simply as a black hole with an event horizon was impossible the Stillborn Phoenix released its precious heartbeat Neveah never having experienced the abrupt stifling close up gasped and whipped her head around Randidly waved a hand to tell her everything was alright and simply savored the long moment of absolute silence and absence the image created

Congratulations Your Skill Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart has grown to Level 830

Congratulations Your Skill Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart has grown to Level 856

Ah a happy coincidence that Randidly hummed to himself as the silence passed and the image collapsed from the effort of exerting its will without a shape A small shift occurred within that specific Skill perhaps a harbinger of a larger transformation down the line So the heartbeat becomes a gravitational anomaly at least that’s a good way to conceptualize its influence make it concrete The question is how all the other aspects now work together with this half formed existence

A black hole possessed a central point the infinitely small opening that consumed everything in the horizon It also possessed an event horizon the place beyond which there was no return It could certainly exert influence beyond those limits but he felt slightly stumped considering how to bring life into alignment with the harsh realities of a black hole

You awaken in your current existence to a Reverie of untapped potential and mystery but with several powerful tools at your disposal Please note most of your abilities cannot harm others while in your Reverie So long as you do not attempt to take away or destroy while in your reverie only a moment will pass for all other existence

Suddenly the world snapped back into place around Randidly He immediately knew could witness dense energy flows and patterns likely the ones underpinning the memory The whole environment was in constant motion a constant song that made his Infinite Incendiary Filaments of the Dove Moirae look like a childÆs kaleidoscope He floated beside himself as a purely spiritual being Neveah looked over at him in concern her body frozen in place His visionÆ possessed a green tint as though the colors of his irises had now become context lenses

All these details were gathered and acknowledged in an instant his comprehension truly felt limitless

Behold the glory of the Alchemist In your current mode you cannot be perceived even by individuals who have glimpsed the Pinnacle Perhaps their existence is a paradox to exist within possibility and seek to break the bindings of existence and open up impossibility but certainly their questions inevitably lead to the unusual While in your Reverie you will possess all five of your points Points will be spent activating your various Fatepieces After five minutes one minute for each MuseÆs Reverie (MR) point gathered you will be returned to mundane existence even if you have not spent all of your points

The potential you now hold is fleeting All inspiration passes leaving only a hollow remnant in its place Do not hesitate while you have stumbled across the gates to truth

Immediately Randidly could feel the five points of MuseÆs Reverie floating inside of his spiritual body like tiny torches Simultaneously the edges of his body began to fray the countdown had already begun More notifications continued to pop up in front of him

For each Fatepiece you have earned in your journey a special role has been created While most activations of your Fatepieces will cost only a single point of MR certain actions may cost more

One by one his Fatepieces came into existence floating around him in a lazy circle

For your Alchemist Passport the ability to travel through space and time Please note if you choose to travel to the future that will cost significantly more MR If you travel beyond any temporal barriers it will cost more MR

For your Dreamcatcher of the Long Night the ability to incorporate certain aspects individuals or moments within a perfect frequency of the Fatepiece These frequencies will be saved The frequencies then can be accessed at any time It is possible to use its energies to pause one aspect of reality for a short time so long as the target is in agreement Without the activation of another Fatepiece it is impossible to remove these frequencies from the Dreamcatcher Please note adding larger spaces or intelligent life to the Dreamcatcher costs more MR

For your Visage of Obsession the strange overwhelming ability to forcefully adjust the flow of time on an object Rewinding and fast forwarding are possible In addition please note that there will be a lingering effect for all those touched by the Visage of Obsession Your presence will have marked them slightly increasing their potential in the future

For your Hierarchy of Burden the rare ability to affect the current world while riding the high of inspiration By unleashing the spatial forces of the universeÆs edge you can directly damage an opponent without their knowledge WARNING If you activate the Hierarchy of Burden within Reverie all remaining MR will be consumed to fuel its activation It is very unlikely to inflict fatal damage against powerful foes However very few defenses are available against this sort of attack

For your Codex Hexahedron you have gained the smallest alley into the soul of another Effects weakened based on the incompleteness of the Fatepiece You may activate the Codex targeting objects weapons or even intelligent lifeforms If you target an intelligent lifeform you have a brief window with which to view their thoughts and memories Certain truths are more difficult to ascertain based on the target’s mental training Also the cost in MR increases as the differences between the user and target increases

The effect of the final Fatepiece is hidden

Randidly blinked several times Ability to move through space and time ability to freeze copy even remove the Sixth Fatepiece whatever its main focus will be likely grants the ability to paste a copied element back into existence

RandidlyÆs gaze sharpened as the possibilities danced in front of him However he had to move those thoughts to the side for now he had three minutes and fifty two seconds left to take advantage of these abilities

What should he do first

Chapter 2224

RandidlyÆs mind spun for another thirty seconds as he bumped up against a lot of bad ideas in his search for the correct Path

Despite the high costs described by the notification he felt slightly tempted to seek out and damage Enmya while he could After all the whole problem with the Stillborn Phoenix had been caused by his deft interference However that would waste all of his MR points if he started with it leaving Randidly believing it to be a waste

Perhaps a final spiteful action if nothing else came to mind but the Reverie seemed too powerful to waste on that

Randidly also thought that if this form was truly beyond individuals even at the Pinnacle he could escape the memory of the upper Sonora and try to use his Codex to scan the mind of Elhume himself Or at least perceive the depth of his enemy The one within the memory hadnÆt yet become the current iteration and therefore less useful but he was sorely tempted by the thought of finally understanding the mountain he had been working toward since the System arrived

However the note about the difficulty of passing through temporal barriers and scanning opponents given the relative incompleteness of the Fatepiece meant that it wasnÆt a sure thing that he would be able to scan this particular foe And wasting all the MR

I want to understand what is happening within the memory then Really understand because there are still a few things that IÆm missing RandidlyÆs eyes flashed The world pulsed lightly coated in green Another thirty seconds passed as he balanced the different paths he could take and weighed each possibility A few new thoughts occurred to him In the end the Nether Arbiter remained at large beyond the reach of the Cult of the Savior Was the Arbiter worth locating

One problem at a time Randidly hummed to himself and came to a decision The Fatepieces spun around him beckoning him He reached out and plucked up the rolled up and battered Visage of Obsession As he unrolled it his focus turned to the tortured Stillborn Phoenix

After a few final moments of indecision he used a point to rewind the damaged image to the moment right after it had been struck by Enmya First because Randidly sensed that pushing it much farther would cost more MR and second because he didnÆt want for the Stillborn PhoenixÆs attempt to be born not to have been a step forward

He flicked a metaphysical wrist and discarded that Fatepiece for Another The complex Dreamcatcher of the Long Night floated over to his hand He spent a single MR to pause the continued degradation of the image wrapping it in energy from the Fatepiece

He sensed that he wouldnÆt be able to activate his image without ending the paused state but it would do for now He could consider the problem further when he wasnÆt stuck inside of the high pressure Reverie

With three more MR Randidly dropped the Visage and Obsession and grasped the AlchemistÆs Passport The Fatepiece hummed in his hand mentally unfolding an enormous map in front of him Normally even with the Dread Homunculus the layered perception of space and time would have left him dizzy But somehow he navigated it purposefully He felt several key facts in a brief scan which made him very glad he decided to utilize this Fatepiece first ElhumeÆs emotional state had deteriorated to an alarming degree the first hints of the tyrant to come could be seen in his frayed edges as he stalked through the Nether battlefields

Second and perhaps most bizarrely the lostÆ Nether Arbiter was with fucking Devick of all people The Nether binding the two had become quite solid And speaking of Devick as far as Randidly could tell with a brief glance across the vast distance to her body she was busily absorbing some massive destructive image Based on the resonance of Nether Randidly could sense even through a faint brush it was something she had obtained in the original timeline as well

Worth monitoring Randidly grimaced But none of these facts swayed him from his chosen course

From the prophecy Randidly saw the two goals this accomplished one it weakened the Nether people in the long term But also it added homogeneity to the Universe Soul which would be the flaw they exploited later

Then they would get in contact with Elhume manipulating him until he felt pushed into a corner and agreed to help kidnap the Nether Arbiter According to the prophecy they would torture the Arbiter in front of Elhume an ultimately fruitless spectacle that was arranged just to weaken him emotionally With the access Elhume possessed and a powerful pulse of Nether it was theoretically possible to open up access to the Universe Core However the Nether Arbiter would never agree to sacrifice lives in order to do so Instead the Cult would

RandidlyÆs gaze flickered They would use a desperate and weakened Fatia Cerulean to further weaken the universe core I wish it would give more of an explanation

With time ticking away Randidly hurtled past that stumbling point to the second half of the prophecy Once they gained access to the Universe Core the Cult was to remain cordial with Elhume through the rest of the war between Aether and Nether In fact ElhumeÆs visits to Pine taught the soul individuality and would become a poison that weakened the Soul When Elhume started to recover emotionally when he was no longer distracted by the hostilities and began to wonder about PineÆs deteriorating condition they would accelerate a long laid plan

Unleashing or encouraging whatever being that needs to be hunted with the Hierarchy of Karma Randidly hummed in understanding

to keep him off balance He would be betrayed by one of his Patrons in the process and the Cult of the Savior would arrive and help Then they just needed to bide their time steadily encouraging a third opening of the Nexus as a way to revitalize the sickened Pine when they could rendezvous with their allies in the main universe to obtain control of the Nexus

Randidly began to withdraw from the ProphetÆs mind his own buzzing with thoughts of how Elhume would eventually break through the certainty of this prophecy betraying and crushing all attempts by the cult to infiltrate the Nexus Only a few fractions of time remained until the reverie would end and he was satisfied enough with the result

He understood if not the mechanics the plan of the Cult of the Savior Randidly had also learned about the Nether ArbiterÆs location which would give him even more context for Nether and the Cult of the SaviorÆs interference As an added bonus he had been able to indefinitely slow the damage to the Stillborn Phoenix

Randidly felt a twinge of guilt that he hadnÆt bothered to look for the artifact that had motivated him to come into the memory the one which had resonated with the current Patron of Feathers while she weakened However he knew it would become relevant soon likely related to the usage of the Hierarchy of Karma He also wasnÆt sure when or how Elhume would rapidly improve in power but at least he was willing to take on faith considering the current state of the Nexus

However right as he was about to completely remove himself from the ProphetÆs mind as his spiritual body collapsed he encountered a scrap of emotion on the surface of the ProphetÆs consciousness Vexation and worry that the contingency plan in the prophecy the one which would need to be dealt with the Hierarchy of Karma was developing too quickly due to Randidly Tied to those emotions was a resolve to observe the situation closely

Randidly blinked Then he remembered what the Prophet had been watching

The Reverie shattered Randidly thumped almost physically back into his body rocking back on his heels His eyes watered and the abrupt slow down from near perfect insight to his usual faculties hit him hard For several seconds he just coughed struggling to cobble together even a single notion in the morass of his brain

We Randidly licked his lips Slowly he turned and looked to the East Have a problem A different sort of problem than we thought

Chapter 2225

Coughing and sneezing Devick popped into existence positively twitching with energy Once the environment registered once she had escaped the deep shadow of the lifeseal and his low laughter she went on the defensive She twisted around looking for the looming forms of the massive armed Turtleine guards that were inevitably waiting for her and slammed her shin into a stubborn She howled and hopped on one leg for several seconds eyes squinted against the pain

No one attacked her as she quickly mastered her shock No one even seemed to notice her appearance

As she steadily recovered the gloom of the surrounding tunnel left Devick nonplussed released from the strange ritual she appeared to have come out in an abandoned side passage within the maze like structure within Homewell Although clearly carved the passages had a noticeable layer of dust across the stone At least the whisper of wind against her skin informed her she wasnÆt far from the surface

After confirming her condition Devick shivered She could still feel the constant pulse of the lifeseal against her skin but the tone of it felt different A kinship had been established when she received the gift for being the first individual to claim not to be virtuous during the ritual

She could feel roiling and still partially unformed inside her gullet a new sort of vicious hunger A Skill of pure greed an image honed and hammered and without identifying details passed over to her so she could thrive For the first time Devick realized she might be able to close the distance between herself and Nether King Hungry Eye before either of them had become ancient T/his chapter is updated by

She began walking with a bounce in her step And sure IÆm not exactly responsible for the image but I am the one who can make use of it I will make it my own given a little bit of time And then

While her imagination began to expand creating an entire world where she ruled as queen with a certain emerald eyed consort she experienced something rather unexpected the greed in her chest soured slightly It spoke independently of her wishes wondering why she would pour so much effort into pleasing someone else Especially when all of her energy could be dedicated to furthering her own desires

Devick paused She offered a gentle smile hidden in the shadows of the stone tunnel However more so than this exciting new image she had absorbed from the dark history of the lifeseal she felt changes reverberating through her body as dangerous emotions coursed through her body The sleek and bloodthirsty form of Misery the vicious hare image sharpened behind her She could now see the fatal look in the hareÆs eye the color a reflection of the lifeblood leaking out of its prey until the shade of crimson had consumed its entire gaze

IÆm only going to say this once You are an image If you question me IÆll eliminate you No I wonÆt just eliminate you IÆll debase you weaken you force you to indulge in acts of spontaneous generosity until you weep Devick told this giant slab of greedy potential She meant every word She took a deep breath and her certainty solidified inside of her In the end you can give me tools but you are just that an extraneous help My decisions are my own

The image protested weakly and squirmed but soon relented and settled back into place The hollow toothed hare smiled at the new image happy that a certain hierarchy had been established despite the obvious difference in their powers Devick quickly returned to her mood and dove again into the land of imagination She continued walking doing her best to be unaware there would be a price to pay from Homewell authorities

Now Devick had always resolved herself that at some point she would be brought up on charges of flagrant disrespect for her actions within the strict hierarchy of military command but she hadnÆt suspected she would break so quickly For whatever reason she figured she would have managed to pilfer a rather sizable command before her superiors realized her true colors making her almost impossible to be rid of Or that she would be shoved into the decision such a gold shelled bastard who appeared to have possessed quite a bit of pull Then there was the matter of the Colonel

Who needs to die Misery whispered Even the unformed edifice of greed hummed its agreement Devick approached the exit of the tunnel with a wide smile promising bloody vengeance

on the other side of the threshold a cool observation jolted her nervous system so badly she released a small and very unattractive shriek

Within ten seconds almost fifty powerful Turtleline guards moved to surround Devick and Nether King Hungry Eye They marched in tight rows spreading out in layered arcs centered on the Nether King At the back of the group the familiar bastard Goldie gave Devick a baleful glare However even the massive shelled individual moved respectfully to the side and allowed a greying Turtleline crone to totter forward through the line of guards Compared to the armored individuals the woman seemed quite small with her hands folded in front of her She barely stood half the size of Goldie Yet there was something strangely compelling about her

I bet that limp dicked bastard wouldnÆt dare call her an egg warmer Devick frowned She glanced sideways at the Nether King wondering whether the two of them would need to fight their way out of the encirclement back to back learning to rely solely on each other Her imaginations halted abruptly when she saw the look of wonder on the Nether KingÆs face

MaÆam Nether King Hungry Eye took a step forward and stuck out a hand The Turtleline guards hunched forward aggressively but didnÆt actually attack Perhaps the genuine admiration in his tone gave them pause Your image is positively sublime

The Turtleline crone drew up short and looked out at the Nether King with wrinkled eyes Whatever she found there pulled a cackle out of her throat Oho I expected a troublemaker after hearing so much about you Nether King Hungry Eye but never imagined youÆd be quite this much trouble Well thank you for recognizing For an old woman like me one of the few infallible aspects of myself remaining is pride I suppose if you insist I can give you a practical demonstration

Nether King Hungry Eye demurred MaÆam I wouldnÆt want to impose

You drive a hard bargain where does a young man get off insisting Well I suppose I can give you just a peak The Turtleline cleared her throat Next to Devick Nether King Hungry Eye straightened

The world flickered as these two individuals simultaneously unleashed their images From Nether King Hungry Eye a massive tree exploded into existence making the Turtleline guards hunch over and tighten their grips on their weapons The tree reached and reached upward filling the entire sky with rustling emerald leaves Due to its size it cast a shadow that probably covered all of Homewell Warm breezes shook its canopy softly in almost a slow natural dance

Devick had never seen the Nether KingÆs singular image manifested so clearly It burned with life She felt like she could cut into the bar and drink its sap The greed in her chest perked up immediately at the thought but she quickly smothered the impulse Ornate and gorgeous symbols covered the trunk and Devick rapidly had to yank her eyes away from the sagas carved there so as not to be completely engrossed in the image

At least as a horrid stone to keep her grounded the greed image proved useful

From the bottom of the Nether KingÆs image several golden roots stretched outward toward the Turtleline woman And from her came a giant orb of brown pink and forest green It floated above her head a sphere with as much diameter as a child is tall Compared to the domineering size of the tree the TurtlelineÆs image looked much less impressive But where one was large the other was deep The sense of possibility and growth within that orb shook Devick as much as the stories upon the treeÆs trunk It was a seed that could grow into almost anything

The two images brushed up against each other chiming a pure harmony Although the shapes differed the two existed along the same spectrum of life and growth Without aiming for such a result and being developed separately the two images came together so perfectly in the present The seed pulsed as the golden root reached out

The energies brushed and sang together

A wave of pure image power blasted outward that knocked DevickÆs breath away From the bulging eyes of the surrounding Turtleline guards they were similarly afflicted But the sensation wasnÆt negative DevickÆs doubts her indecisions her small pettiness all were blasted out of her mind by a cleansing aura Touched by that light she felt reborn Elation tingled through her veins and sparkled out her pores from her fingertips to her toes

The light gradually faded leaving Hungry Eye and Devick still standing surrounded by Turtleline warriors The crone cleared her throat Quite a bit of trouble but not without benefit yes But setting aside this party trick we must get to a much less wholesome matter You are under arrest Nether King Hungry Eye for murdering a soldier fighting in HomewellÆs defense during a time of war

Chapter 2226

Randidly felt muscles along his jaw tighten in response to the TurtlelineÆs words Arrested for murder huh Even in death that Swacc bastard found ways to cause trouble for him The surprise of sensing such an immediate kinship with this Turtleline womanÆs image was a pleasure but her follow up words brought him slamming back into the reality of the situation

Without Nether due to the lifeseal and with the Stillborn Phoenix frozen he had only two images with which to fight Not that he thought he couldnÆt just force his way out of the encirclement but he hesitated because he wanted to linger in Homewell for a little longer Both to make sure Charlotte Wick wasnÆt in any serious trouble and also for his main goal in coming here speaking to the Nether Arbiter

Randidly would have worried about Devick before but after sensing that mass of greed bubbling away in her stomach it was hard not to be wary The path to her transforming into the monstrously cruel Devick he had known in the present seemed clearer than ever

Yet just as the resolve for violence collected in RandidlyÆs gut the elderly Turtleline continued speaking with an even tone Since you have now come into my custody and I speak on behalf of HomewellÆs ruling council in times of emergency and holy days I see no reason to waste time with delays the trial will happen now this very instant Guards please clear a space so we can have a semblance of legitimacy Justice will preside

RandidlyÆs eyes widened and he almost instinctively released another tentacle of energy Yggdrasil reaching out for the TurlelineÆs seed seeking a confirmation He received a playful release of energy in return both invisible and far too subtle for any of the other individuals present to distinguish Life energy was a language spoken by very few Randidly felt himself relaxing despite knowing so little about the individual who grasped their fate T/his chapter is updated by

Although perhaps the reason she is being so helpful is she understands what would happen if Homewell really tried to war against me his skin prickled His gaze traveled upward to the swirling maelstrom of Nether hanging above the city The offensive had abated for now but the flow of events would soon bring the hammer of war viciously back around

There were no details in the prophecy but Randidly intuited that Homewell would bear the brunt of the next attack

DevickÆs mouth firmed into a hard line as she tensed next to him even though she also sensed something was amiss with the announcement of a rapid trial To make sure she didnÆt lash out Randidly reached out and pressed the cool fingers of his left hand against her arm right above the elbow She pivoted already displaying some of the monstrous grace she had obtained by the present and offered him a crinkled eye smile that did little to reassure him

Randidly rolled his eyes If you are smiling so warmly that just means you definitely were about to do something very dumb

Please letÆs at least give this Turtleline the woman not to antagonize us before we lash out

Meanwhile the Turtlelines were shuffling into a square around their position looking uncertain The massive Turtleline with the golden shell engaged in a very intense conversation with the leader He waved his arms like his words were finding so little purchase he had to use his limbs to grab attention Clearly he didnÆt agree with whatever nonsense she intended And he continued to voice his doubts until she vigorously shooed him away adding enough image power behind the gesture to buffet him back a step

She glided forward suddenly with all the poise and certainty of a responsible leader Excellent Now shall we begin First let us clarify the crimes brought against Nether King Hungry Eye For the prosecution as the one most familiar with HomewellÆs laws I will take that responsibility upon myself

What followed was one of the most blatantly sham trials Randidly had ever seen They blazed through the various procedural ticks of Homewell justice so quickly that his head was left spinning The only obvious fact was the outcome He came away declared completely innocent due to his immense contributions to the war against Nether and feeling vaguely dirty

If there is nothing else let us not waste any more of this war heroÆs time The old woman who still hadnÆt introduced herself throughout the whole process led the Turtlelines away All she left in her wake was a glance over her shoulder and a subtle swirl of energy come speak to her before he departed Still confused most of the armored guards could only be pulled along by her influence Of them all only the gold shelled individual blatantly expressed his displeasure growling through the entire charade like a pitbull watching blood drip off a juicy pig haunch

Not that Randidly could blame him the woman had called on Devick of all people to offer a professional opinion as a soldier which was a more important event for the war SwaccÆs death or the wound on the Nether Leader

Randidly didnÆt want to waste time but this time Neveah peaked into his life and scolded him for being too hasty She was en route to Mae Myrna and would have a better idea of the weird energy in the East once she saw her In the meantime he could eat a fucking meal

The two passed easily through the crowd Although Randidly was the only one not wearing robes although a lot could be understood about a personÆs economic situation by the wear of their clothing they didnÆt draw much attention Jubilation seemed at the forefront of most of the civiliansÆ lives shouting and laughing and drinking after a long period of being under siege

Randidly watched them almost sad He even heard his name attributed as helping Fatia Cerulean strike a decisive blow against the Nether Leader Yet despite the propaganda Randidly knew that the fight had not resulted in any serious injury to their opponent More than anything else Enmya hesitated now because of confusion and indecision His confidence had been shaken

And with that small shake cracks had emerged in the unity of NetherÆs purpose Sure the opposition withdrew for now But only because some of the Nether Heralds felt emboldened to question giving Enmya leadership Undoubtedly they would be back soon with a much less focused goal in mind

Perhaps even with the intention of annihilating Aether beings altogether

Eventually they reached DevickÆs favorite stand Randidly breathed deeply and suddenly his stomach announced its enthusiasm for the diversion But when she offered coins to the hunched Turtleline he scowled at them You foreign soldier types canÆt use coinage right now Need to go to the temple and convert to lifebeads

He picked up a basket and waved it under their noses Inside green and mahogany little beads sparkled radiating a clear aura of life Randidly found them fascinating and leaned closer to study the pattern which of course caused the suspicious stall owner to yank the package back

Devick glared right back I come here all the time We literally bought fish pockets for coins earlier You know IÆm good for it IÆll pay double when I come tomorrow

The Turtleline favored Devick with a squint but then shrugged Pah How can I believe that All you softbacks look the same

You piece of shit Devick put her palm against the wood of his stall clearly intending to hop over but Randidly intervened

Congratulations Your Skill Infinite Incendiary Filaments of the Dove Moirae has grown to Level 1140

Congratulations Your Skill YggdrasilÆs Plasm Animus has grown to Level 931

He clenched his right fist and wove life energy into a particular pattern Once you knew the shape counterfeiting was quite simple Here I have some lifebeads

Shoulda jusÆ said so The Turtleline muttered as he passed over the steaming pastries to the two of them And as Randidly took a bite of the food and tasted the savory curried fish within he felt something within him relax

Learning more context about the Second Cohort had only confused him but he would soon take a step toward better understanding by meeting the Nether Arbiter For now that was enough

Chapter 2227

The Prophet twitched He had the strangest sensation that a trail of bone dust had been sprinkled up and down his spine He felt unclean somehow tainted

He looked around at first assuming that Scythe had returned early from his mission and had slunk into his private chambers to mess with him But from the holy light cast by the prophecy no outside influence revealed itself Seconds passed without any developments occurring

The twitch had apparently come from nothing

Perhaps this duplication of an existence is beginning to falter The Prophet mused but the thought only made him more uneasy Then he wondered whether this was all inevitable consequences the collapse of reality around him due to his deviation from the prophecy of El Kedec Whether the doubts of the flock were justified

Whether he had thrown all their souls upon the pyre of his own hubris assuming he knew better than the prophecy His tiny mouths on his forehead ached from grinding their teeth Yet the prophecy cannot grip this reality Obviously El Kedec did not make a mistake But we might have carried its lessons too far

After a moment of squeezing his eye shut the Prophet reached and brushed his fingers against the prophecy without looking at it The heat beneath his fingers felt just as revolutionary and schema shattering as the first day the Prophet had been cleansed by pure order and certainty seared of his flaws and left raw and pure

The day his life had restarted the one moment of genuine luck he had ever encountered

That revelation is why information regarding the light must be protected at any cost The Prophet muttered to himself His shoulders slumped but his voice did not waver No matter if my own access to light is surrendered I will choose martyr over prophet

The Prophet called in an initiate and spread the word He sent the word for the entirety of the Cult of the Savior to assemble Just for the flash of unease the Prophet saw in the initiate’s eyes he considered killing him However that would just deepen the doubts of the flock

Right now they needed unity Because on one point at least the entire Cult could agree

Nether King Hungry Eye needed to be eliminated

So long as the cause was ripped from the body all would soon return to normal

As soon as he gave the order the Prophet felt a gush of relief Honestly he wondered why he hadnÆt taken this action sooner

IÆll make tea Devick announced as she unlocked the door Randidly nodded and followed her into the cramped apartment The continued celebrations out in the street faded away as they pressed deeper into the squat concrete building A quick glance confirmed his initial impressions the foreign defenders assisting Homewell had been just crammed into any space that had been free Before being used as housing this had likely been some sort of storage room Devick had accumulated a series of strange tapestries weapons and bits of art to liven up the place but the living space wasnÆt very impressive

Yet within that room awaited the Nether Arbiter He felt the Nether moving before he saw the greatest Nether individual in the Second Cohort warm and friendly against his own spinning Nether Core Honestly he didnÆt know what to expect Their eyes met and Randidly for the first time in a long time genuinely flinched back

A howling gale of energy shredded the air directly around her hands constantly The immediate area around her person shattered and exploded the effects layered perfectly so all the force canceled itself out Each blast undercut another a looping cycle of expansion and collapse The result was a horrifying display of neutered force that produced not even the slightest ripple to affect the surrounding space

The Nether Arbiter nodded Ah if you are aware of their existence a great deal of the deviations make more sense Yes they had plotted to harvest the soul of the universe and then install their own horrid ideals in its place Considering that falling into their clutches would result in a slow torturous death I thought it best to delay that for as long as possible Imagine my surprise when a series of unlikely heroes rescued me All individuals you nudged albeit without understanding how they would eventually encounter me

Randidly nodded slowly The Arbiter offered him a wide friendly smile However I suspect you donÆt want to talk about the Cult of the Savior and their ilk

What do you mean Randidly asked

The Nether Arbiter straightened the pointer finger on her left hand and drew an S in the air Patterns hummed and tumbled away a brilliant sunburst of influence and insight Your Nether Core is so raw brutal and harsh YouÆve truly educated yourself the hard way simply through experimentation We should speak of Nether Hungry Eye For sparing me a fate I thought inescapable I will teach you everything I know about the great flow

Anticipation bubbled through his entire body Even RandidlyÆs Nether Core could sense how revelatory this could be for his power

Yet so much time in the Nexus made Randidly worry He didnÆt allow himself to lean forward and reveal how much he wanted exactly that YouÆll require nothing else in exchange

Nothing else but your time And perhaps one day between two unusual individuals your friendship The Nether Arbiter seemed so fragile as she said the words so genuine that Randidly wanted to agree immediately But he remained in control

How long

The Nether Arbiter rolled her eyes exasperated Depends on how good of a student you are But let me say this grudging pace doesnÆt bode well for us Oh relax IÆm not trying to trick you I would love to teach you Nether King Hungry Eye I believe you will genuinely revolutionize the way we use Nether all you need is a foundation I can tell you all the information you need show you all the core patterns in about eight hours How much you can learn in that time is up to you

Randidly chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few seconds Neveah would handle the developing situation in the East Learning what he could about Nether from the Arbiter would only benefit him he could spare eight hours He nodded Agreed I donÆt mean to be so guarded ItÆs just

You can see The Nether Arbiter sighed I feared as much Most people Both looked at Devick who scowled at them as she poured tea into cups have no idea what I am IÆve tried very very hard to make it so It makes it easier in some ways

But it means they cannot understand you Randidly felt a pang of sympathy for the Nether Arbiter

She shrugged We can be vulnerable later We will now enter into a very old relationship teacher and student You are only the third student IÆve ever taken although I have had many teachers in order to reach this point I am Lowanna the one they call the Nether Arbiter And to begin our relationship a story

Randidly raised an eyebrow Do we need a story IÆd rather we move on to the pattern demonstrations as quickly as possible The way the destructive force of the patterns around you causes a weakness in the next explosion

We need a story The Nether Arbiter said firmly You have both Aether and Nether in your body so you have many different concerns on your mind Generally I will say this both energies benefit from a story laying at the foundation of their existence although for different reasons

Our story begins outside the promised land of the Shallah after their fall All were expelled and forced to flee from the lands of plenty the universes that sparkled and gleamed into and out of existence every moment Because the great divide between the two energies Aether and Nether actually came from a relatively small division

Those who would eventually grow to utilize Aether fled from the burning citadels of the Shallah to explore the universe Those who would use Nether stayed plopping themselves down right outside the ruins of their progenitors

Chapter 2228

In those days some of the old wonders of the Shallah clung to life energy and reality hadnÆt settled into their current more orderly arrangement The world could be rather easily persuaded that anything existed if you were genuine and spoke well Not much remains detailing how exactly the grand Shallah fell but fall they did Forcing the refugees to abandon all they knew and to discover a new way of life

We the people of the Nether were the most stubborn Immediately the wisest individuals conveyed together in a grand assembly to put down what they all remembered of the ShallahÆs ways To the Nether people history and tradition are a constant presence in their lives So they could think of no more pressing matter than to restore a semblance of the way things were

Lowanna smiled at Nether King Hungry Eye enjoying his attentive expression Time to test him if only slightly However a problem soon emerged at the grand assembly Can you guess what it was

His emerald eyes flickered He thought for a moment and responded with certainty They all remembered different rituals

Exactly Lowanna wondered how he came to the correct conclusion she watched the flows of his Nether closely and hadnÆt pressed his face to the flow to feel the shape of history He had simply arrived at that conclusion through logic

Although the thrill of danger danced across every motion Lowanna still spread out her fingers and fluttered the tips Small patterns spun and twisted out a mesmerizing whirlpool Now there are quite a few theories about why the memories were different had the wise leaders come from different aspects of Shallah society Had they had selfish motives and tweaked their recollections slightly to benefit them more Or was reality truly so subjective that multiple layers of existence pressed against and slid over one another with no ill effects

In the end it does not matter What matters is that division came even before the Nether people had settled into their new shape Arguments grew heated and lines were drawn Three dominant ideologies emerged about how the Nether people were related to the Shallah and how they should act in the first place

From the way Nether King Hungry Eye leaned forward as she spoke Lowanna sensed his impatience In a way he reminded her of Enmya pure and brutal in their aims Often harming themselves by their inflexibility But where Enmya would have tried to use humor to urge her forward into the more relevant facts Hungry Eye simply watched

Is it patience that brings you stillness Do you find peace there Lowanna wondered as she carefully chose her next words Or is it something more monstrous the hungry beast with half closed eyes in hibernation until catching the scent of prey

When the ideologies were created they did not have any teeth They were a lifestyle rather than an energy organization Those came later once Nether had settled and rituals became commonplace Yet the energies we use now still derive their potency from these stories

One more pause just to give the young Nether King one last test His Nether Core so solid and tightly wound did not waver in its rotations The color of his eyes seemed to darken but he sat and listened

He accepted their relationship as teacher and student right now He would wait and listen only evaluating after experiencing what he had gained from the process It was not the ideal attitude but it would be enough

His quickly sputtered and collapsed even while hers lingered in the air Hungry Eye glowered at the failure and quickly made another attempt This time he kept his weave tighter but didnÆt quite catch the proper spine of significance to hold it all together His second attempt collapsed and hers was just now beginning to deteriorate

He swore quietly to himself but didnÆt ask for help And his third attempt

This is the protege you wanted wasnÆt it A true monster you could help sharpen their fangs and devour the world Lowanna felt an unfamiliar emotion envy The Nether King had eyes to see the proper bindings of the Toosah with only a single opportunity enough natural intuition to work his way to the shape over three attempts and the density of Nether to support it all

Excellent Lowanna forced herself to keep her voice light She moved on from the lingering binding Historically there was no special name like Nether Priestess for those who used these any could engage in Toosah

Finally the most aggressive of the bindings Maala This ideology rode to war by the side of the Shallah It remembered conquest and conflict These people argued we should continue the holy words of our progenitors seeking to unite the universe under a single banner The bindings of Maala can be created without even the agreement of both parties essentially the supporters justified the binding by embracing a code of honor It could only be extracted from a foe when you had the possibility of killing them and instead spared their life

A cruel bond Hungry Eye observed “With many similarities to a yoke “

You can understand how after the brutal civil wars Nether Warlords and their Maala were hunted almost to extinction LowannaÆs hands moved again creating the final and most vicious of the bindings of the Nether people A tight halo of hooks and tension condensed in front of her hands twisted into an inert position but ready at any moment to snap into place and sink into the Nether Core of a target

For a long time Hungry Eye simply stared at the curled Nether for a long time Yet now the Nether people have relied on threat of violence to force everyone to surrender Phaea Quite the inversion of the original story No wonder your power comes at such a high cost

Lowanna nodded and focused on Hungry EyeÆs Nether Core I can see youÆve already accepted a Phaea And you are well this is more difficult to read Not only is the energy around your body extremely complex but deep as well You are in the process of slowly condensing additional Phaea A much simplified version but still one with consequences You imitate the pattern because you donÆt understand the price Just from all these half formed connections I assume quite a bit of emotional stress has flowed into you

Hungry Eye gave her a searching look Lowanna shrugged Phaea is service as I said Holding the responsibility you guide people even through the vicious temptations and agonies of their own demons

He closed his eyes Seems like I really needed a teacher

You did Lowanna agreed lightly And we needed an example A hope for the next generation of Nether Warriors A way that didnÆt evolve a restrictive organization built on fear

A separate Path than our current vicious pyramid with a sacrifice strapped to the top

Chapter 2229

Are you aware of the existence of the Hierarchies

Elhume hated himself for twitching around in confusion at the sudden speaker Out of the gloom of the nearby ridges the Prophet glided forward Very purposefully there was not another soul for miles For once Elhume felt glad the figure stuck to shadows he felt increasingly disturbed when he saw the small mouths where his eyes should be

Elhume clenched his fists Frustration guilt and a suffocating fear warred in his chest but mostly just succeeded in making him feel even more miserable than he already did After the clash with the warrior of Nether King Hungry Eye he had come out to the badlands to hone his edge At the moment every action felt forced His ease and certainty had been lost and he knew that the Cult of the Savior would not help clarify issues IÆm in the middle of training Do not disturb me

Training Do you really have the spare time to be improving yourself Especially when it seems that all have decided to begin targeting the soul of Pine The Prophet whispered

Elhume turned away Forced himself to turn away even as his fear spiked I will listen to you no longer You have made so many bold declarations of gloom yet I can still sense my son out there Suffering yes but he is not under constant siege as you have said And IÆve had time to sit here and reflect on my actions Elhume looked down at his hands He needed help needed an outside perspective to help him recover

Yet he couldnÆt contact Mae Myrna and he felt too guilty to face the rest of his Patrons after the slaughter of Wyndaos The last month had been the worst of his life And worst of all he had seen the hints of it in the eyes of Nether King Hungry Eye when he refused to assist

Elhume forced his words out through gritted teeth Was any of this necessary I kidnapped the Nether Arbiter and forced a war to begin One which probably would have happened anyway yet I fired the first shot And thousands have died over three weeks afterward And I am no closer to saving Pine And and IÆm too weak to even affect the war All of this listening to you was a mistake Just leave me in peace IÆll find a way to solve my own problems

Finally Elhume turned around His image of power and unstoppable momentum all concentrated into his fist focused around his body He gathered up all of the potency he possess to shoot poison out through his eyes at the fickle Prophet

To his surprise the representative of the Cult of the Savior did not become defensive He did not reference the prophecy by which he had claimed all things moved until they hadnÆt No the Prophet looked very genuinely at Elhume Although his features still cloaked themselves in shadow he could imagine empathy on the face of the Prophet

You are right Elhume The Prophet said All has not gone according to plan It is time for a show of faith from our side You have your partial key due to association which will allow you entrance into the Universe Core But we have a method as well Follow me now we will expend our resources so you can see the true state of Pine

Then I believe you will understand You must cooperate with us before its too late

Elhume wanted to say no Knew he should

But he got up and followed the Prophet If the man truly could bring him to see Pine then very little else mattered

Randidly frowned down at his hands After the brutal training Neveah had put him through with the energy games he hadnÆt expected to brush up against his limits so soon However quite a bit more than he had anticipated lurked beneath the surface of the relatively simple patterns of Nether It became easier once they set up an Engraving to hide their actions from the lifeseal but not by much

Next to him the Nether Arbiter regarded him with a serene expression You know it is already quite impressive that you can manage to capture all of the patterns after seeing each only once The rest will come with practice it is as much an art as a science

He responded only with a grunt and felt slightly bad about the short answer but Lowanna took it in stride She steepled her fingers and waited content to allow Randidly to continue his efforts The problem of capturing the spirit of the bonds twisted and turned in his mind as he attempted to solve the issue After cracking the knuckles across his right hand he made his next attempt

IÆm not sure if this is possible Randidly spoke from the core of what he had become from the labyrinth beneath Kharon Academy the physical spot where his appreciation for unique and lonely individuals emerged But I want to make sure the world never hurts you so badly you need to become the version of Devick I first met in order to survive I swear IÆll pour everything in my power to smoothing your Path I swear that you matter even as a projection And that even if you are tempted by the embrace of madness IÆll do my best to balance the scales toward stability Toward facing your problems whole and without fear

Congratulations Your Skill Yearnings of the Nether Heir has grown to Level 1060

RandidlyÆs fingers moved without conscious thought By now his Nether Core understood the shape he just hadnÆt had faith in a process he had mimicked without significance Yet as he stood opposite Devick and allowed his emotional intuition to replace the stiff shape he had been chasing after it all clicked

His Nether Core resonated so powerfully that he felt the lifeseal responding outside of their Engraved area

When the bond came into being the Nether Arbiter straightened The shape hadnÆt changed but this Nether bond was alive in a way Randidly could feel tingling up and down his arms Because making the bond did not simply connect him to another it was a concrete adherence to something older and more powerful He offered himself up becoming one of many individuals who had poured himself into the service of another

He felt his Nether Core exult in recognition That groove in existence had been long worn by his predecessors and he benefited from their efforts RandidlyÆs breath began to quicken as his Nether Core began to shift The base began to rotate slowly not an addition to the funneling of energy but a new alignment of his entire being When Devick accepted this bond he would truly be altered on a fundamental level a part of him would always exist to bring her joy and peace And in exchange for those efforts

The Arbiter flicked a finger and the Phaea dissipated without a sound The motion was so direct he missed how the annihilation was accomplished Randidly gasped and sat back blinking and shellshocked His significance swirled worried and confused by the sudden lurching sense of weightlessness Before the process had been completed he had been wrenched back to his previous state

Even through the pause he had placed upon his image the Stillborn Phoenix pulsed with sympathy It had learned a thing or two about missteps over the past few days

That was beautiful Lowanna said in a quiet voice Her eyes locked onto the position where the bond had hung before she had obliterated it but to be honest I am teaching you these bonds with a very specific result in mind The Phaea you already possess isnÆt that big of a roadblock but the purity and truth inherent in that bond you just created well you may choose to create that bond again if you wish after youÆve heard me out

Randidly pressed his lips together He still felt shaken but he had spoken with ancient beings about prices many times in his existence The knowledge was definitely worth it but he never liked this part of the exchange What did you have in mind

The three bonds coexisted for millennia Probably longer even I donÆt know the scope of the original universe The Nether Arbiter raised her head Something in the way she spoke caused the significance in the area to stir Again Randidly could sense the lifeseal growing antsy from their activity The absence of color of her manacles somehow deepened vicious and hungry against her pale wrists But inside the Nexus really there were two schools Nether Warlords and Nether Priestesses Between these two groups there were many who entered into Toosah bonds but largely amongst those of the same ideology Each became motivated by accumulating power until the whole system tore itself apart in the civil wars

She leaned forward I propose we try to create balance We would need two individuals and a large population between them I think based on your power and the force of you Nether King Hungry Eye you would be the Nether Warlord in my ideal arrangement You would dominate the people with Maala Then you would need another of equal power one who embraced sacrifice They would be your Nether Priestess giving Phaea to each individual below you

Randidly eyes widened as she saw it The pulse of significance quickened A structure of above and below to create a solid foundation and then we would create Toosah between the Warlord and the Priestess Less of a hierarchy it would become a cycle of service and fealty

Balance The Nether Arbiter whispered Perhaps a whole new beginning for the Nether people

Congratulations Your Skill Yearnings of the Nether Heir has grown to Level 1061

Congratulations Your Skill Yearnings of the Nether Heir has grown to Level 1074

Congratulations For daring to imagine a new Nether regime +1 to MuseÆs Reverie Attribute now at 1 of 6

Chapter 2230

RandidlyÆs mind raced as he considered the possibilities of what the Nether Arbiter suggested The universe around him squeezed his Nether Core encouraging that he seek out and create the shape she described The stability he created wouldnÆt possess the same sort of immediate sense of power he had felt while forging the Phaea but it would create that groove for others The fact that his MuseÆs Reverie responded made it seem legitimate

A new beginning huh Reminds me of a very old conversation I once had with Lyra RandidlyÆs expression softened as he looked at the Nether Arbiter She told me to think about myself beyond my body and think about my role she labeled me the inciting action

Even here they need me to take the first step

Still he didnÆt want to rush to agree without considering LowannaÆs motivations Yet the more he thought about it the more pity he felt for her Obviously she felt worried about the future of Nether people but even in the midst of war she didnÆt understand how things would collapse How the reason that RandidlyÆs Nether Core appeared so primitive to her was that the rich and full history of Nether all of it would be ripped up by the roots in the next few hundred years

However he forced himself to focus on the consequences of following LowannaÆs advice First and most obvious he would need to create and utilize Maala against the people of the Alpha Cosmos He could toy with the shape adjust its role a bit but it would still be a unilateral move One which reminded him of the very worst of the impulses of the Nexus

Second Randidly cleared his throat This would not be a project he could undertake alone And I suppose you would be the Nether Priestess in this arrangement Upstodatee from

Lowanna gave him a frank look for a few seconds Then she snorted and waved her manacled hands at him Are you being silly How could I be a part of the new order bound like this locked down by Phaea

Randidly opened his mouth and then closed it She sighed I know itÆs a complicated situation And as much as I dream of creating this alternative I wouldnÆt be able to be a part of it It is enough for me to guide you through the patterns Although as IÆm sure youÆve realized we have a lot to do Especially with the Maala connection

Before Randidly could advance the discussion Devick in the corner yawned and stretched She stood and shook her body After blinking she frowned over at Randidly and Lowanna Are the two of you downplaying with invisible energy IÆm getting hungry

We can take a break for now I believe Nether King Hungry Eye and I need to take a lot into consideration But before anything else I have a hot chunk of gossip for you Lowanna leaned forward her expression serious Randidly felt vaguely bewildered but felt exasperated as he listened to her While you were focused inward Hungry Eye attempted to unilaterally devote himself to your service body and soul for the rest of his life No need to thank me but I prevented him from doing so IÆll go obtain provisions for our evening meal

With a light wave Lowanna walked out of the room Devick jerked her thumb after her Honestly I donÆt get her sense of humor at all

He pursed his lips I donÆt quite follow her motivations either But her heart is in the right place

And her stomach Devick patted her belly You know you were right IÆve got the worst sort of indigestion IÆve ever felt absorbing all this greed Yet simultaneously I feel like I could gobble up a herd of ponies

That is the great weakness of a universe without a guide The Prophet observed Under the concerted weight of even of a fraction of its populous it begins to give Against the corrupting stories of living beings it is weak

Which is why we need structure and illumination To prevent rot

The Prophet gestured and the three hurried through the opening it would only last a short while A great blue expanse waited beyond the barrier as the literal became metaphysical The trio traveled to the core of the universe where the Soul of Pine slept and steadily accumulated the character of those within it where all of the tools used to fashion the universe either were stored or at least maintained a connection

The Prophet knew the hierarchies used to create this universe based on the Prophecy given to him but it would be good to confirm their presence And also to make sure no others had been removed from their places

An unaccounted Hierarchy could be a very dangerous thing

Space fizzled around them the Universe Soul struggling to conceptualize what happened they went to a space within it that didnÆt exist For a few seconds they simply hung there the vicious bite of entropy seizing upon all of them as they remained fixed The void the universe that might but didnÆt exist clung onto them and sapped away their warmth their life their ideas In a very real way you could be killed from prolonged exposure to the void

You wouldnÆt even die You would cease to exist although powerful individuals might be able to grip onto memories of you As far as ends went it was the most vicious utilized only in cases of extremely dangerous individuals

After a few seconds the Prophet began to frown The universe should have folded and allowed them into its core by now The chill crept deeper and deeper into his body The light of El Kedec flared in defiant response which slowed the process However even the light couldnÆt resist the void forever Space trembled around them as the Universe Soul struggled Strange This has the Universe Soul taken damage for another reason If it collapses now

Just as the seed of worry in the ProphetÆs chest began to germinate the Universe Soul groaned into motion It created a real space to represent a figurative one plucking them out of the void Elhume landed on the ground and collapsed Even the Prophet swayed a bit before examining the surroundings

In the center a pedestal stretched almost ten meters up into the air A spiral staircase of shimmering crystal led around and up to its side Across the flat ground of the area there were five altars each inscribed with a different symbol

As expected five Hierarchies Burden Margins Current and Finality the base four for universe creation and then the Hierarchy of Will interesting The Prophet hummed to himself as he examined each in turn Both the Hierarchy of Finality and the Hierarchy of Burden werenÆt present which made the Prophet scowl The first they had liberated to create Duo but the second meant interference And since it had been present in the prophecy it could only be Nether King Hungry Eye

The Prophet felt his resolve set and harden No matter what he must convince Elhume

We are back Elhume whispered as he pushed up off the ground He looked around with awe then his eyes went up the crystal staircase to the bright orb on the central pedestal I I had thought

Since we are here The ProphetÆs eyes smiled LetÆs check in on Pine Perhaps when you see his state youÆll believe my words

Chapter 2231

The two fell into step Elhume moving a half step behind the Prophet The silence seemed to be held hostage by the rough tension of Elhume partway between a descent into madness and a man walking toward his own execution

Truth be told the Prophet didnÆt know exactly what they would see as they climbed the spiral staircase within this recently constructed space Although all Universe CoreÆs possessed the same general aspects they manifested in different ways The prophecy did not cover the exact shape at the Core of the Nexus because it didnÆt need to So while he would have preferred to lay the groundwork for a more dramatic reveal as they climbed the Prophet moved up the crystal staircase next to Elhume this his mouths clamped shut

Behind them Scythe prowled mocking Elhume by mimicking the heavy hunched set of his shoulders

When they reached the top Elhume gasped The ProphetÆs eye mouths twitched but he suppressed the smiles of satisfaction At the very least the damage was obvious Do you see now We do not have much time

At the top of the staircase lay a giant ivory bowl within which a small valley appeared to be sleeping The lush greenery of the meadows the wildflower fields a bubbling river a few proud pines and several small drifting clouds could be seen within the life like landscape of the Universe Soul But the wholesome utopia could only maintain itself in the middle two thirds of the bowl At the edges darkness took steady bites of the landscape and eroded the peaceful scene

This incursion the Prophet understood the particulars didnÆt matter but it was clear that the Universe Soul took damage from the fact that their current reality was only a reproduction This Pine had been damaged without even the Cult of the Savior taking action

Could it be that the current Nexus is a fallen Universe The Prophet frowned at the unpleasant thought Because the darkness eating into the Universe Soul well the effect is small now but it utilizes aspects of the void Even the light would have difficulty repulsing it if the situation isnÆt rectified soon

I suppose it matters not There is no prize to be won here just pitfalls to be avoided

What the hell is that Elhume whispered raising a finger and pointing at the far side of the shimmering valley

Fool You donÆt even realize the framing darkness is the true threat Well it doesnÆt matter The Prophet steepled his fingers and turned his attention to the other great attack on the Soul of Pine curling and warping the landscape at the far side of the bowl until the end of the river twisted back around itself like a serpent He spoke even while sweating slightly at how quickly that influence had spread With the Universe Soul weakened certain individuals are capable of influencing it more concretely Especially if they use malicious methods

Pine oh god Pine Elhume took a step up to the edge of the bowl and reached out with trembling hands his impossible child suffering in his isolated existence The lines around his eyes seemed to deepen even as his cheeks hollowed out underneath the erosion of grief Elhume was a man very near to the breaking point Even after everything IÆve done am I such a poor father that you need to suffer so

Again the Prophet resisted the urge to sneer at the foolish melodrama Privately he didnÆt even understand how a universe soul could have been fathered by such an imbecile Or how empty ElhumeÆs existence must have been to latch onto a partial Shallah and waste the glorious energy it released on a subpar isolated universe Especially after using its energy to create the Nexus

A sliver of hesitation forced its way past the vicious pragmatism of ElhumeÆs expression So long as the Prophet could keep the discussion focused on subjects like this he had no fear They steady the universe

At their base yes When a Universe Soul is born it pulls in a series of Hierarchies Usually no fewer than three or more than eight Which Hierarchies are chosen determine what sort of universe it is to become Because of PineÆs choices or perhaps your choices the Nexus is particularly suited for the development of intelligent life a cradle universe they can be sometimes called One of the reasons that so many people in the wider universe flock to these is because once it is formed the Universe Soul has very few options to eliminate antagonistic forces within its purview For many it is considered a refuge

The Hierarchy of Finality should be able to handle the issue then Elhume grunted I remember the Hierarchies I I didnÆt choose them but I understood their roles

The Prophet winced Typically yes it could be used However Hierarchies are fickle forces even at the best of times You actually have even met the incarnation of that Hierarchy Duo the being that accompanied you to Wyndaos Apparently after Mae Myrna spirited away the Nether Arbiter and Duo pursued she convinced Duo to join her side But again removing the problem wonÆt be enough We need a method to cleanse her taint from the fabric of existence

For several seconds muscles along ElhumeÆs jaw flexed you wish for me to make a hierarchy of your light then ThatÆs what all of this is about isnÆt it

A flutter of longing filled the ProphetÆs chest To escape this feeling of being unmoored to be bathed in El KedecÆs light and to receive confirmation that he remained on the right path even as he knowingly transgressed the plan But no the prophecy did not speak of this suggestion just from ElhumeÆs expression it was easy to see he was deeply suspicious at the prospect He might be an emotional wreck but he was not a fool

This was the sort of man whose mind sharpened as he neared his limits Those aspects of the void he incorporated into his spirit were still diffuse but if he could master their usage

Obviously I am immensely flattered by your offer but El KedecÆs light isnÆt appropriate for this matter The Prophet said Please imagine that the Universe Soul your Pine is a powerless moderator in a complex legal tribunal The problem right now is Mae MyrnaÆs discourse is beginning to take over everything else The holy light would be like adding a rival opinion to the mix perhaps it would help ensure justice is served but what we really need is a way to silence Mae Now the process isnÆt simple but you need to convince Pine to allow an additional Hierarchy into the Nexus The Hierarchy Libra or the Hierarchy of Equivalence as it is sometimes called With it we can bind and mute the negative influences We bind her and her entire influence making her equivalently silent to another

Elhume bit his lip WhatÆs the cost ThereÆs no way this will be easy

Obviously not It will strain Pine to accept a new Hierarchy the shape he has been settling into will need to be expanded Still The Prophet turned his gaze back toward the valley within the bowl beset by darkness and being horribly twisted at one edge This isnÆt sustainable If we do nothing

The Prophet didnÆt bother to finish the sentence

In the end the imagined consequences ElhumeÆs panic conjured would be more persuasive than any visions he could describe

Chapter 2232

Underneath Homewell Charlotte Wick continued to study the patterns of the lifeseal

Life energy flowed freely in and out of her body as she breathed The guards came around regularly and left trays with indeterminate slop but she had left the food untouched All her focus went inward Her rough shaped mud all particulate and grit the messy and vague image she had arrived with fed on the history present in the city and became much more potent Her intent refined itself her Willpower stretched and swelled without sacrificing any of its intensity

But the greatest benefits came from understanding

Perhaps this is not universally true And maybe IÆll one day bash up against a hard limit because I chose to frame things this way Charlotte hummed to herself in the darkness But life isnÆt necessarily special A thousand mechanical responses layered on top of one another Piled and piled up until the predictable result is so segmented and distant from the actions that cause it that it becomes unknowable

Therefore life is complexity beyond understanding The heavy bank of impenetrable systems Nothing more nothing less

Charlotte shivered finding the framing to be both oddly horrifying and invigorating She became complexity upon complexity adding small single cell organisms within the shifting tides of her primordial mud fighting vast battles for existence that simply became the foundation of life for higher organisms The color of her mud darkened more and more varietals of microorganisms flourishing and staking their claim

After witnessing the Alpha Cosmos Charlotte understood it was possible to be a person while also being multitudes To have your existence populated by almost unrelated forces which affected her life and yet werenÆt even aware of the connection between them The mud of her image pulsed and seethed She lay in the darkness bit by bit becoming more foreign and unpredictable to herself

Her eyes were closed and her fingertips twitched like a sleeper experiencing a dream Yet she had never in her life felt more alive

Randidly took his time making dinner for the group after Lowanna returned with bulging canvas bags of fruit vegetables and meat He felt the Stillborn Phoenix beginning to grow impatient within the pause almost unconsciously beginning the process of thawing itself back out into dangerous territory but he knew he still had a few hours before he needed to carefully peel the image apart again The strange power of the MuseÆs Reverie proved to possess quite a bit of staying power

Besides he wanted to move through the mundane motions of a meal with LowannaÆs wisdom guiding his hand considering not only ways to eliminate the overly vigorous image of growth imposed by the System but also cleansing the food of any story that did not end in their bellies

Honing the strange connections he had learned from Lowanna earlier in the day was a tall order First he wanted some practice with the concept of stories within Nether To accomplish this he pushed his senses to the limit as he considered his options

Need help Lowanna asked as Randidly stood for five minutes in front of the ingredients just using his fine senses to examine the ingredients closely cataloging both Aether and Nether within them

Before he even needed to disengage from his focused state Devick stepped up and patted Lowanna on the back Let the man have his cooking fun Did you know his first action when he came to Malloon was creating a farm This is a Nether King obsessed with a good meal Besides what can you do with your fancy manacles

DinnerÆs ready Randidly said feeling quite domestic for the first time in a while He felt a pang in his chest missing his farm The slow gradual passage of time when he had first entered the memory had been replaced with a frantic rush Finding a moment now to recapture it felt good

Neveah I bet you are happy Although when I think of you I remember that you are the one walking toward danger right now and I hate it

Eat your special dinner Neveah replied with exasperation Savor it IÆll comb through your memories of it later so I can get a taste I should find Mae soon

About damn time Devick smacked her lips tugging Randidly back to reality He carried the steaming plates over to the small table crammed into the corner the three of them keeping their knees pressed together so all three could fit and eat

After a single bite Devick released a long sigh of appreciation and pleasure Then the only noise from her for the next few minutes was the rapid shoveling of food into her mouth Lowanna ate silently the entire time Randidly savored his own food as recommended by Neveah His body digested the food almost in real time delighting in the synchronous threads of Nether he had woven through the different foodstuffs Yet he wanted an expertÆs opinion

Lowanna finished her entire plate wiped her mouth then regarded Randidly IÆm starting to understand how you were able to climb so far able to forge your Nether Core without guidance You can see patterns lift them from their native environment and try them elsewhere In this case bravo chef That harmony is exactly what we are looking for

Could have used some more salt Devick added over a yawn leaning back in her chair and rubbing her stomach But I did like

A knock at the door cut off DevickÆs words Randidly pivoted to Lowanna to ask more pointed questions about her opinion but the expression on DevickÆs face stopped him He frowned Is something wrong

Only one bastard knocks like that Devick hopped to her feet The knock came again but she walked toward her sleeping quarters Just a second I need to fetch something

Devick The voice through the door sounded familiar but it took Randidly a moment to place it he blinked when he realized VuallaÆs father stood outside the door We need to talk I know you are in there The Turtlelines told me how disrespectful you were I cannot believe youÆd act like that after I vouched for you

Colonel again we are off duty You have no influence over me right now You are disturbing a meal with friends Devick reappeared in the main room of her lodgings In her hands she held a heavy saber As she spoke she drew the weapon from the sheath IÆll say this one more time Fuck right off or IÆm going to attack you

Devick donÆt be a child We need to talk about your issues The Colonel called Devick shrugged The scabbard clattered as it hit the floor and she swung with all her force

Randidly hadnÆt actually bothered to keep a close track of how powerful the current Devick was but he definitely hadnÆt expected the rush of crimson glittering black and grey energy that congregated around her weapon as she swung A grinning specter of greed latched onto her weapon opening its mouth to blast outward and annihilate everything beyond the door

Almost belatedly Randidly twitched into motion Somehow he knew that if the military complex blew up while he was staying there culpability would fall in his lap

Chapter 2233

DevickÆs saber light danced across RandidlyÆs cheekbones and reminded him of a wicked smile waiting along the path of recklessness In the tightly bound scarlet and grey power Randidly witnessed the slightest glimpse of the woman he had known in the present and it filled him with a mixture of sadness and frustration

As far as he could tell his interference had irrevocably altered her life Was the problem the image she received from the lifeseal

A little bit of the hope he had been holding onto began to wither a plant so inundated with water to avoid drowning is it really impossible for her to avoid that fate Can people truly change Or do we just live in different environments adapting and shifting to thrive

He watched the flicker of searing power she wielded Or is there something particularly broken in Devick

Randidly took a light step and appeared at DevickÆs side The floorboards groaned to support his rapid acceleration and acceleration but the building itself was concerned with larger matters Seven soldiers happily laughed in the apartment directly below their position with another three to the left and five directly in front of them enjoying a late drink before bed Without any consideration for the fallout of her wildness she struck with her full power

For all that Devick was nowhere near threatening Randidly she definitely had improved enough to kill the average person Even with only a month of the Class she had grown into a monstrous figure

DevickÆs slash seared its way through the door the portion that had been impacted initially going up in a flash of smoke and sparks Then the rest of the door buckled and ruptured bits of charred wood spraying a surprised Domon Matteo in the face

If the attack had just been at the door Randidly wouldnÆt have bothered to move The Colonel had been surprised the sudden attack but his image already rose around him to blunt the worst of its edges Yet DevickÆs attack continued to expand The bottom of the slash drew a lazy line across the floor the top began to rip its way out onto the roof All those people lounged around oblivious to the sudden threat to their lives

Hell if the entire building collapsed there were probably plenty of people who would be injured

What made the situation slightly more complicated was RandidlyÆs two best tools to handling the attack were out of commission Gravity due to the StillbornÆs PhoenixÆs continued recovery and his First Authority because of the disapproving gaze of HomewellÆs Lifeseal In the end he turned to his newest image for an answer

The no nonsense Dread Homunculus cracked his knuckles as it considered the problem A Cloak of Utter Night spread out around RandidlyÆs body and he whipped the edge forward smothering the slash from behind

The darkness moved fast enough to catch up to its quarry before the damage spread

Congratulations Your Skill the Cloak of Utter Night has grown to Level 980

For a brief moment the slash fizzled and spat at the darkness that settled across its back Devick blinded with rage and consumed by the catharsis of her action simply leered straight forward without being aware of his interference Randidly allowed a small sigh to pass his lips his heart aching slightly

Even in violence she moved gracefully That at least he couldnÆt help but admire

Know your place The Colonel said coolly Both flared their images stepping closer without even glancing sideways at Randidly who hovered at the edges of the action

He briefly squeezed his eyes shut tamping down his own anger at the situation I donÆt need this right now I need to refine the Nether bonds

Yet he stepped between Devick and the Colonel Leave it both of you

Heh IÆve heard about you Nether King Hungry Eye They say you assisted Fatia Cerulean in wounding the Nether Leader but those who truly understand the situation are not fooled Quick as a flash the Colonel twisted and leered at Randidly Perhaps he held some grudge for their prior meeting I understand you have quite the intimate relationship with the Lord of Malloon Did Fatia tack you on to his exploits as a personal favor to Westrisser Apparently the experimentation regarding these DungeonsÆ has gone very well

Randidly gritted his teeth at the unexpected spite the Dread Homunculus sensing the ambient anger in the air and swiftly rising to the challenge His Nether Core began to rotate quickly He said a silent apology to Homewell Perhaps it was one thing to insult him but it was a bit too much for him to bare after this bastard threatened to lock Devick up until she obeyed him His Third Authority unspooled the significance in the air tracing a particular pattern The Third Authority Intangible Burial

Your voice if you are going to use it foolishly it has been confiscated

The energy in the environment surged RandidlyÆs Nether Core rumbled as he reached out and scooped a vital part out of the Colonel HIs image rose in response trying to prevent the process but the Dread Homunculus smiled out from his shadowy hood Like a ravenous wolf he set his jaws into the flesh of the resistance and ripped

The Colonel gasped and stumbled backward Randidly shook his head already feeling the lifeseal tightening around his body in response to his usage of Nether they would not be able to work on Nether any longer in Homewell Get out of here DonÆt make enemies you cannot even speak in front of Colonel Domon Matteo

In the ColonelÆs expression his unwillingness to just accept the chastizement could be clearly seen But his pupils were wide and his face pale He opened his mouth several times and couldnÆt produce even the slightest sounds After struggling against the absence RandidlyÆs authority had left in his capabilities the Colonel slunk away

For several seconds the apartment remained silent Randidly glanced around from the drawn expression on LowannaÆs face she also felt that they had finally pushed the lifeseal too far Of course DevickÆs anger quickly froze melted and she beamed at Randidly with the happy providence of spring sunlight Well not that I needed help putting the Colonel in his place but seeing you become so protective of me

What I said to him goes fucking double for you Devick Randidly rounded on her and glared all of his frustrations and secret fears about her inclinations bubbling up to the surface Why the hell are you picking a fight with him Or more importantly indiscriminately lashing out You need to think about the consequences sometimes Especially now that youÆve got that new image fueling you

DevickÆs face twisted like he had stuffed a lemon in her mouth so you agree with him huh You think IÆm a child who canÆt make her own decisions

Randidly reached up and ran a hand through his hair If I wasnÆt here what would you have done Devick You might be growing rapidly but itÆs also faster than you know how to control He would have beaten you And then what Then you languish in some shitty Turtleline dungeon until you either capitulate you can rip your way out on your own or Nether wins and sacks the city above you Did you even think

I thought you understood me Devick whispered

Randidly clenched and unclenched his jaw He looked at Devick her sharp cheekbones her expressive eyes the wild tangled cascade of her hair down her back How slender and tentative she suddenly seemed when not possessed by her anger He recalled all the times he had made similar decisions to lash out to force his way forward when he felt like there was no other choice

I do Which is why IÆm trying to stop you from being an idiot Randidly sighed and turned away looking at Lowanna LetÆs pack up After I make a few more visits we need to get out of Homewell

Chapter 2234

Fatia Cerulean burned with excitement despite the bland and uninteresting nature of the report coming from HomewellÆs scouts

the much needed break due to CeruleanÆs victory has given morale an invigorating boost The dour Turtleline spoke in a slow gait that made Fatia want to reach down his throat and rip out the information His life would be a worthy sacrifice in exchange for expediency Our forces are stronger and more dedicated than ever However reports do indicate the worst have come to pass the old Nether lines dormant these last few hundred years with the rise of the Nether Arbiter are moving again

The constant prattle about his victory against the Nether Leader irked Fatia It was a burr underneath his skin He felt unwilling to cut himself open and reveal he had very little to do with any of it Yet as it lingered the wound began to fester

Cowards Perfectly willing to move now that the Arbiter is unaccounted for One of the individuals from the free area to the Northwest sniffed Fatia wanted to chuckle at that He wished he had time to investigate what had shifted suddenly boosting their confidence to such a degree

Yet those threats are still a ways off The female Turtleline spoke dragging the attention back to her I want to suggest again that we gather together and mount an offensive against the recovering Nether force that drove toward CeruleanÆs land If we weaken them now we wonÆt be so outnumbered when the old lines move

In response to her suggestion all of the others fell silent The idea was a good one Fatia would voice his support if he thought it likely they could reach a consensus But even her own people would hem and haw delaying the attack past the point of usefulness If they wanted an advantage they needed to strike now

The yawning hesitation revealed the aborted likelihood of any immediacy from this group so freshly flush with the scent of victory

I cannot speak to an offensive at this time Westrisser interjected finally breaking the uneasy pause However I am harkened to say that my experiments have achieved stability my Dungeons now can support more warriors for longer The first batch you all sent are en route to report to you as to the effects IÆm sure Now I think we can all agree the trainees dispatched were not of the highest quality However all have no maxed out their potential by reaching Level 100 Of the thirty sent into Dungeons only two suffered any sort of mental damage and those only because they did not follow the guidelines If we continue to produce high quality fighters at this rate it wonÆt matter how many Nether Warriors are thrown against use we will overcome our foes

The other Aether leaders engaged in some polite congratulations Fatia Cerulean felt his lips twist Sure they would send more warriors to be trained up but they would still be very cautious about their selections They didnÆt want their brightest to fall under the influence of Westrisser no matter what benefits it could bring

How quickly we forget the suffocating feeling of a Nether army marching across our lands how quickly we remember the petty old rivalries between ourselves Cobalt flames danced across FatiaÆs skull as he considered the different faces in the reflection Well it matters not In the end there are two types of individuals predators and prey If they wish to forget the lessons that allowed themselves to briefly appear more threatening heh

He cleared his throat Actually I have further good news to announce The process is different but I have developed another method that will greatly help our forces A way to hunt the very universe not boosting our average fighters to strong but giving life to the Paths of our oldest and most reliable individuals

The Turtleline woman opened her eyes and blinked Ah you came Nether King Hungry Eye I noticed a recent ah disturbance in the lifeseal and wondered if you had decided to simply skip town

If only Randidly replied only half joking The Turtleline woman quirked her head to the side and he waved a hand Nevermind that Before anything else whatÆs your name

Kethope Well met Nether King Hungry Eye Kethope nodded three times to herself apparently satisfied I will not waste any more of your time I need some information on Faelmac Westrisser and his recently created Dungeons Now more than ever considering recent developments I understand you spent quite a lot of time near Malloon And with the required ingredients to create a Dungeon your opinion will hopefully be illuminating

Randidly blinked IÆve sensed the Dungeons understood something of their limitations What do you want to know

Considering the mental damage some of the early testers experienced there was quite a lot of worry that some portion of the Engraving involved brainwashing those warriors sent into the Dungeons Kethope steepled her fingers There is also the matter of this sickness associated with their usage

This is a lot easier than expected Randidly hummed to himself and then explained Dungeons as best as he could He hadnÆt been paying close attention to WestrisserÆs struggles but he had encountered the finished product and using a Nether KingÆs Core was much less stable than what he would experience in the future Therefore he felt very confident some sort of brainwashing system hadnÆt been implemented

The real problem was properly stabilizing the space both in terms of time and energy Most of the damage to the testees could be attributed to the seal being not quite tight enough leading to confusion and Aether Sickness before they even left the Dungeon

After the explanation Randidly couldnÆt help but ask a follow up question I understand wanting more information but why ask me

Kethope released a dark chuckle You broke into Homewell and slaughtered WestrisserÆs right hand man in our streets or had you forgotten There was a possibility you wouldnÆt know much about his experiments but as a Nether King I figured you had been keeping tabs on the process Hehe now while most of my fellows send their ancillary fighters I will just send my best Considering the war that is to come IÆll need the influence Thank you for the tip Nether King Hungry Eye

Without much more fanfare the two bade each other farewell Randidly quickly moved through the tunnels of Homewell and headed directly toward the limits of the lifeseal Once he moved outside of its influence he heaved a sigh of relief it was easy to forget how integral Nether had become to his functioning until its flow had been stifled Then Randidly circled around the city and picked up Devick and Lowanna

LetÆs head to my farm Randidly said as he looked at the two women Devick nodded but continued to avoid his gaze Lowanna folded her arms across her chest but didnÆt disagree With a small sigh Randidly produced his AlchemistÆs Passport and carved a tunnel through space and time to the destination

Chapter 2235

Neveah flitted through the thick jungle occasionally pausing to watch the way a stray sunbeam pierced down through the thick canopy and a tangerine bloom with a sickly sweet scent yawned open petals large enough for her to curl up on their velvety expanse The vegetation was gorgeous and strange She also wanted to observe the furtive scaled monkeys that made the jungle their home but her senses felt stumped by the strange sensation in the air

It pressed against her like wind yet it stirred not a strand of her hair Its presence seemed to be the animating force of the Northeast and she felt sure she sensed it yet could not discern how exactly it affected the environment

So she hurried forward seeking Mae Myrna the Patron of Truth She hoped seeing the woman and talking to her would reveal the answers she sought

She broke out of the heavy trees and looked up at one of those mysterious pillars of crystal just in time for a massive flow of mist to descend upon the stretch of land around her blunting the edges will massive pillows of water vapor and burying her sense of direction Neveah stood for a seconds allowing the cool air to prickle her skin The sense of unreality grew stronger every second she had entered into the Northeast area although there was something rather reassuring about it

Like although a world of mist and shadows wasnÆt her natural environment the invisible presence made it seem reassuring and accessible With the tendrils of mist swirling about her Neveah tried to figure out why that would be And whether it should be a cause for concern

After about ten minutes all the mist had filtered past entering into the thick jungle she had just left With a few light steps Neveah crossed through the wilds skimming over the treetops now in order to save time She didnÆt possess the same relentlessly accurate senses that Randidly did with his reforged body but she felt very clearly which general direction she should go

It took her a half hour to hear the scream of panic From the high tenor the noise had come from a child Neveah adjusted her vector 30 degrees to the left and accelerated A small boy wove his way through some of the massive tree trunks at the edge of another stretch of jungle while Nether Warriors with vicious twisting limps prowled behind

They extended their long claws seeking his soft flesh

Neveah didnÆt even bother with her image she crunched the lead Nether Warrior physically with a punch to the back of its neck just as it was about to pounce toward the boy The rest screeched and chittered but recognized she was beyond them and fled She coolly regarded their departing backs for a second but then looked down at the one she had struck It looked back up curiously silent Its eyes were wide and almost completely black almost an inert doll with its broken spin Yet Neveah had the strangest feeling

The weird energy of this place gradually shifted pressing against her like the wind suddenly reversing its direction Neveah scanned the surrounding area trying to understand what had happened When she looked back at the Nether Warrior it had died

She turned to examine the boy a horned satyr child that pressed himself up against one of the trees and watched her with nervous eyes As she tried to consider how to safely approach him a voice boomed out of the nearby treeline Quantan

Whereas the satyr child looked slender and frail in the wild environment the figure who now bounded across the nearby field resembled a body building stump His thick muscles shook and trembled slightly with the impact his body made on the ground The thick hair across his upper arms and chest seemed to be purposefully styling itself to compete with the thick underbrush of the jungle When he arrived his arms gleamed with flesh His shoulders were heaving but he still reared up to his full height about half a foot shorter than Neveah and pointed menacingly at her Foul Nether Temptress Do not set your sights upon my only son I will defeat

Dad she saved me already The child dashed a short distance and shoved the adult satyr only jarring himself backward due to the fatherÆs weight He crossed his arms and pouted Jeez donÆt be such a spazz

What The man blinked

Yet why are the Nether forces continuing to raid in the area Were they just under a separate chain of command EnmyaÆs loss doesnÆt seem to have affected them at all Neveah chewed on her lip wondering about the series of curiosities she felt

Surprisingly both the satyrs moved relatively quickly Despite the fact that they had to move through the dense shadowy jungles and the group paused when the tides of mist briefly smothered their path they made great time Once she understood the signs Neveah could even see the small marks that indicated the trail through the undergrowth

At one point she lingered and allowed Quantan to go ahead Her eyes caught SmartÆs even as he flushed But she wanted to dig in for a little more background information about the Patron of Truth if she could find it You seemed hesitant to help guide me to the sanctuary Why

Smart looked at the ground and shook his head Just some weird coincidences have been happening lately And the weirdest have been around there DonÆt worry about me IÆm just superstitious

With that the burly satyr brushed past her and hurried up to the front of the group For the next hour they traveled in silence During that time the presence of the trail grew even clearer so Quantan began happily skipping ahead They likely would have continued like that the path blurring around them and Neveah struggling to articulate the strange sensation of wind she felt if Smart hadnÆt pulled up Quantan not that way Down here

The younger satyr blinked There isnÆt a path there

NeveahÆs gaze sharpened They stood at one end of a relatively elevated portion of the jungle the trees relatively sparse as they climbed In the direction the younger satyr had gone the trees thickened into a winding ridge From their vantage point the area was clearly flooded with mist as well Yet what interested Neveah most of all was not only the clear path down into a tucked away valley in front of them but the several paths she could see that led out into areas of the ridge

Next to her unease settled once again on SmartÆs face He rubbed his hands together looking from his son to the very obvious path leading down into the valley if you donÆt see it

We need to go this way Neveah cleared her throat and began to walk down the slope She felt the wind press against her almost willing her away Behind her Smart squirmed but followed when Quantan trailed after her without much comment

Neveah sped up as she descended Up on the ridge the mist seethed as the sky breathed on them and forced the bank downward to blanket the area If anything that just made her accelerate to the point that the two satyrs sprinted and panted to keep up with her Yet she felt somewhat vindicated when she reached the bottom of the valley and found crouching there a frozen army

About a thousand Nether Warriors stood without any movement waiting there in this tucked away valley with several paths up into the surrounding jungle Probably most others in the area would have turned and run at the force sign of the troops but Neveah had nothing to fear from Nether Warriors Besides their Nether felt thin and tepid to her borrowed senses she pressed closer

Until she saw those same eyes she had witnessed earlier in the still figures wide and desperate Around her the invisible wind howled They looked like insect specimens pinned in place with an invisible rod

We need to be quiet Quantan pipped up Yet his voice gave Neveah goosebumps he spoke as a mouthpiece for the incorporeal wind It hummed through his young windpipes The Nether patrol is probably sleeping

The boy spoke and it was so all at once every Nether Warrior closed their eyes

Chapter 2236

Unafraid of the prospect of the army of Nether Warriors around her Neveah stomped around and created plenty of noise Noise more than enough to wake an army especially a powerful army that ran mostly on burning the ambient energy of their Nether Cores Next to her Quantas continued to whisper the enemies were sleeping and they had to remain quiet in order to sneak through their base Smart stood very still between them and sweated looking nervous

The Nether Warriors kept their eyes stubbornly shut after the pronouncement they were sleeping The not wind squeezed at Neveah as she caused a ruckus but she easily shrugged off its touch She walked up to the nearest Nether Warrior a bestial being with muscular legs and pressed her hand against his shoulder

And it flinched

We need to hurry Quantas continued to act as a strange mouthpiece for the wind His eyes were faintly luminous in the mist filled valley What if they wake WeÆd be surrounded

Feeling oddly sick Neveah let her hand to fall to her side Truth be told the prospect of protecting the two satyrs and fighting her way through an entire army did not appeal to her She turned to her companions and nodded Alright letÆs get out of here

The group hurried through the mist which thickened immediately behind them hiding the Nether Warriors from view If she hadnÆt sped up as the weather had shifted she might have sped right past them without even noticing their presence Neveah felt her lip curl upward slowly beginning to understand the forces at work in the Northeast

Once they were back on the path the strange not wind pressed at their back The route blurred around them unnaturally sped up by the energy They were somehow meant to go more quickly NeveahÆs senses carefully observed the environment trying to figure out how it all functioned yet the force continued to elude her The result was unsatisfactory but Neveah figured she would have a better answer when she reached her goal

Here it is Smart announced only six hours after they had set off Neveah felt glad she had asked for a guide because the presence of the strange force of this place would have led her astray The Sanctuary

In front of them a few massive trees rose up beyond the canopy of the jungle Between their thick branches she could see assembled bridges and buildings the sprawling utopia of wood elves Crystalline hydrons floated in the air with dense halos of mist clinging to their sharp edges

The not wind flowed out hot and humid against NeveahÆs face like the breath of a beast

Randidly genuinely wasnÆt sure what he expected to find when he returned to the farm It had been a refugee for him at a time he had struggled emotionally even if that stretch in the Sonara had been blessedly peaceful Many nights he had meditated near the farm as he worked his way through his negative emotional cores But he was aware of how intense the fighting had been around Malloon Considering the farm supplied food to the city it would have made sense for the Nether forces to burn it all to the ground

Yet when the trio arrived at the farm they were greeted by a prowling group of Arakis Beasts and the comforting puff of smoke out of the farmhouse chimney The edges had been charred and scarred but the heart of the farm seemed to have persisted With a series of yips the unfamiliar beasts sent the signal back and soon the three Arakis Beasts that had absorbed portions of his images galloped from the area behind the farm as large as horses but flopping onto their backs and letting their tongues loll out of their mouth like loyal hounds

Randidly chuckled as he crouched down and rubbed the belly of the nearest one You protected the farm

They nodded vigorously even while flopping side to side in front of him His smile shrank somewhat as his senses spread out discovered the charring at the edges of the grounds hid a deeper truth he felt the significance and blood that had seeped into the ground over the last month The protection had not come without cost but they had managed to keep the farm safe

To test the point Randidly instead told Lowanna a story About how an alien power coming to an unsuspecting planet making small adjustments to the environment creating a small space where a deviation from normal System development could occur Of how a normal individual thrust into extraordinary circumstances could thrash and grow within that manipulated cavity About how every step of the way the alien would pressure the individual demanding his compliance with her wishes

Again and again as he grew her tests grew more wicked and vicious She sought to guide his growth with cruel fingers and twisted cages The individual had to use every advantage he had accumulated to resist her grip

In the end he explained the confrontation between them when the normal individual had against all odds become as powerful as the alien power in her twilight years He told Lowanna about a great inevitable sickness that weakened the alien and the explanation eventually given of her own fear of a greater enemy

He spoke of Yystrix Yule And despite the time that had passed his heart still clenched when he thought of what she had done to him

Lowanna listened to Randidly description and then simply sat for several minutes When she began to weave her Nether bond she began slowly She took great care with the details eventually weaving together a harsh and bristling bond that resembled a donut shaped sea anemone Randidly looked at the result and his lips twitched

Bond Type Maala

Story Tone Predatory

Nether Arbiter Adjustment Significant

Estimated compatibility 84%

IÆm not quite satisfied with this result Lowanna clicked her tongue and shook her head I suppose I feel something like a fool now Obviously the process is difficult but I didnÆt recognize how awkward it is only being the one to listen to the story Honestly this just proves to me your talent Your previous efforts were indeed impressive

Randidly wanted to tear out his hair at the difference between the second hand bonds they had made But he didnÆt volunteer the information provided by the Pantheon and bitterly swore he would do better next time

In the evenings he spent his time massaging the damaged Stillborn Phoenix The pause from his brief Reverie had already begun to fade so RandidlyÆs first night felt hectic He pulled apart the conflicting elements and tried to maintain the specificity of the shape The heartbeat of Stillness the gravitation imposition Randidly polished and refined until it became a massive celestial phenomenon from within the depths of the event horizon gripping the surrounding space and warning of an impending arrival of a cataclysmic entity

However Randidly still couldnÆt quite see how he could have a Stillborn Entity be born So for now he allowed the pieces to grow a bit fuzzy at the edges He knew he needed access to his third image but he didnÆt know the answer And a hasty solution in times like this would only weaken him in the long run

For four days Randidly satisfied himself with training Devick trained as well nearby but continually subdued The Nether Arbiter praised his efforts which had the unintended side effect of infuriating him but he did improve His Nether thickened and his experience with the bonds grew His average estimated compatibility started breaking 50% even from whimsical stories told to him by Lowanna

On the fifth day the horizon darkened with crashing swells of significance the new Nether offensive had begun

Simultaneously Randidly received word from Neveah she had arrived in Sanctuary and met Mae Myrna

Chapter 2237

The trio lost sight of the gleaming vista of the Sanctuary as they approached looping around the thick jungle underbrush to reach the core area Neveah noticed the curious silence of the vegetation more a lush backdrop than any sort of ecosystem that supported life as they passed through the outer edges of the town However the paths were obvious and well tred It was clear that people lived here

Perhaps the locals had just hunted the local wildlife to extinction

Smart stopped the group right as the sounds of civilization had become audible through the dense trunk of the trees Intrigued and now with a good idea of where she had to go next Neveah figured they could afford a little dawdling As always the thick satyr man seemed nervous and vaguely damp although this seemed to be about a different matter Ahem I well this is more for Quantas than you Miss But ehehe some individuals in the Sanctuary treat your father strangely IÆve found that its best to just ignore them alright If you humor them they just get a bit clingy

To NeveahÆs great relief in the time since they left the strange valley the force had stopped puppeteering the boy The satyr child stood with his arms akimbo frowning at his father This is suspicious Why are you saying things like that You are the weird one DonÆt blame other people You lecture me about personal responsibility all the time

IÆm just saying city folk are a bit different in their manners His cheeks flushing Smart turned away apparently done with his preparatory talk The group followed the winding path around a massive tree trunk and light hit NeveahÆs face Suddenly the trees around them seemed to melt away and the group stood at the edges of a gleaming sun drenched valley

The central area was dominated by those massive trees visible from the distance but up close Neveah could see the way the entire exterior of the trunks had been carved into giant populated towers A cobalt river wound its way through the trees surprisingly deep and blue The area where the trees sank into the ground was congested with buildings and movement a bustling town This was the beating heart of the resistance in the area but the longer Neveah looked at it the more she felt sure something strange was going on

So cool Quantas whispered And Neveah got the appeal even if it fell flat at the edges The Sanctuary appeared to have been cobbled together from several half considered fantasy ideals of what a safe haven should look like Yet the more she studied it the more it began to contradict itself For example the deep blue river appeared to be flowing swiftly at one end but slowed enough for the portion winding around the town to be filled with waders and flat bottomed fishing vessels Several giant crystal spires floated in the air around the Sanctuary and manipulated the flows of mist but those mists threatened to arrive but never truly descended to be in the area of Sanctuary was to be constantly soaked in sunlight

The light and warmth felt wonderful and rejuvenating against NevahsÆ skin But it didnÆt quite cover up the feeling of strangeness The whole place felt staged

Freeman Smart A loud shout pulled Neveah out from her considerations and brought her gaze to a bearded centaur hurrying up from one of the few small farm cottages dottied the road He beamed in their direction When the sun rose today I knew it would be a good day But I had no idea a SanctuaryÆs little hero would be returning to town I donÆt suppose youÆve reconsidered my offer Now I know that Daphne was unsatisfactory but my niece Brunhild is staying with me and well Brunhild

The centaur raised his voice as he said the name echoing across the valley After a few moments of stillness the door to his cottage opened and out came a centaur woman As she cantered playfully across the farm and up the road to them she demonstrated that while her bottom half seemed a perfectly serviceable dappled grey mare her top half had been drawn by a teenage boy The busty Brunhild seemed one jolt away from her significant chest from bursting its way out of the leather tunic worn down by her rough gait

Little hero Qunatas regarded his father suspiciously as the woman approached Neveah leaned closer to listen

They had passed through the street not five minutes earlier a flirty Lizakh merchant displaying an out of character bit of clumsiness and knocking down her apples in front of Smart Yet now that very same merchant vaulted over her stand with a butcherÆs knife in her mouth her eyes slitted and black Grim faced individuals appeared from previously unnoticed alleys all clenching bloodstained weapons

They moved into formation around Neveah even as QuantasÆs face twisted You you are friends with a Nether King You bring a message do you come bearing threats

The last words tore themselves out of the throat of Quantas not his voice but the howling squall of the invisible force Smart looked at his son aghast at the sudden gnashing of teeth and aggression The guards lowered their weapons toward Neveah as if preparing to lay their lives down to stop her

However the most alarming development was that Neveah straightened and for several seconds considered revealing Tiamat Mother of Fear and teaching these insolent fools a lesson

A split second later she broke the grip the force had on her body and wondered when the last time she had spoken the words insolent foolsÆ Neveah narrowed her eyes and looked up toward the height of the tree in front of her I couldnÆt sense you before with all the chaos but now that IÆm this close

Neveah stepped and ripped her way through force even as it attempted to stop her She climbed rapidly through the chambers within the tree and arrived at a grand hall filled with golden armored warriors They all walked out of the grand hall very obviously having just finished a meeting Cloaked in her power Neveah slipped past them all and took a side door into a small chamber in the back

There Mae Myrna rubbed her chin and pored over a map of the area The energy around her body churned creating a giant whirlpool of strange invisible influences that touched every aspect of the Sanctuary It was a world state image tooled by Randidly Ghosthound himself and let loose without understanding what it could become

When Neveah entered she looked up sharply and blinked You

I am the partner of Nether King Hungry Eye Neveah said firmly Her eyes blazed as she examined the Patron of Truth closely You what have you done in this corner of the world Mae Myrna

Just from stepping into the room and seeing Mae Myrna with the deep bags under her eyes Neveah began to soften in her stance Perhaps this woman didnÆt understand the consequences of her action Which made it all the more surprising when the Patron of Truth absorbed the question and steepled her fingers

Her eyes were iron when she answered I grant to the kind and powerless a fair chance at survival even as the world considers them fodder

Chapter 2238

You are doing this on purpose Neveah stated the obvious her skin prickling as she allowed the realization to sink into her body The influence the force might have the people here was awkward and almost indirect guiding from the edges but in her mind it became a much more reprehensible action if it was taken purposefully

The force she had experienced on the journey here pressed against NeveahÆs face exploding in predictable waves out of Mae Myrna The woman at the center of this warped area remained still at the map fingers steepled and eyes hard as she considered Neveah Whatever she witnessed in her face was enough for the Patron of Truth to part her lips in a smile like a barred blade Your voice drips judgment Yet in the end I am providing a much needed modicum of predictability and equity to the world

I donÆt wish to get into a philosophical debate with you Neveah began She already felt unnerved by being submerged in the world state image even if it couldnÆt affect her It was like allowing a swarm of long legged insects crawl over her body and just doing nothing However your actions

Why does your heart palpitate as it sees the world I have created Perhaps you feel envious of the idyllic scenes made possible Mae Myrna smirked For the longest time I have been lost The world seemed listless and confused Yet with a nudge forces fall into beautiful synchronicity Can you not see how this is better than the chaos we previously endured

What seemed to have been a launching pad for a larger monologue paused as another small door at the back of the map chamber swung open A shadow loomed in the opening with a wide mouth and neon yellow eyes Mae waved a hand No need to act Duo For now we are just discussing philosophy ArenÆt we friend of Nether King Hungry Eye

Neveah cracked her knuckles at the casualness of the other womanÆs tone and the sense of superiority Now that she saw the source of the invisible pressure it felt much easier to ignore In her chest the stitched together dragon of fear shifted and snorted in displeasure but she kept her image restrained If you insist on this discussion I will eviscerate you

Mae Myrna waved a hand and the shadow of Duo receded I donÆt believe I have ever seen an attempted evisceration of truth But be my guest I suppose For all that I am proud of the piece of safety I have crafted the upkeep can be draining The amusement of a discussion can alleviate my tension

Her words strummed the essence of the invisible force giving it shape At first Neveah had been confused by how she pivoted so clearly into a debate but now she began to get an inkling to force a world to follow her truth like this a certain amount of clear expression was necessary Neveah just ended up being a convenient foil

YouÆve made a fake world Mae Neveah sighed Now that she paid attention when she spoke the force responded as well Perhaps it was possible to inflict actual damage on this world state image freeing all the people of Sanctuary from its strange effects Her desire to cut quickly to the core problems of this place rose

However she didnÆt do so immediately One because significance had begun to swirl directly above them seeping through the massive canopy of the tree and creating a dense wall around their position the sort of wall that made even her connection to Randidly haze with its density An important event in the memory approached And because Neveah could look at Mae and see the good intentions buried under the stubbornness More than a budding cult leader she resembled a child that didnÆt know any better Yet you donÆt even have the slightest bit of regret despite your effect on others

Of course not My actions had a greater purpose I set out to find a better way or life to be lead for all This is the path I have chosen A path where the farmerÆs daughters and merchantÆs sons wonÆt just be slaughtered on sight by maurading Nether Warriors Mae lifted her head and rapid eye movement revealed more doubt than her monologue But around her body the force sang and thickened They can flee escape survive Should they have an upright character there will be opportunities to thrive

you honestly believe that Neveah blinked Already the significance gathered more closely she couldnÆt decide how best to reach the innocent inner child

Mae flicked her hand Sure all this infrastructure requires a great deal of upkeep But in the end it is worth it This is a revolution a shift to emphasize the role fulfilled by the average soul The ones with just as much of a right to life as one such as you strange friend of Nether King Hungry Eye

Mae Myrna smiled Actually no I donÆt quite understand the source but the methodology given to me by Nether King Hungry Eye builds its own momentum I provided the spark yes but since then the area covered by this has gradually expanded all on its own In the end I am happy just to be one more individual walking on a path to morality

Oh you fool Neveah felt genuine pity for Mae Myrna A child truly If Nether King Hungry Eye made the pattern donÆt you worry he could encounter it in the future and manipulate it even while its active And even if he is genius in some ways with patterns do you think that once they understand what is happening other powerful Nether individuals wouldnÆt be able to do the same

For the first time the flow of energy ceased MaeÆs face creased That with enough individuals embracing the Path of Equity the sheer weight of their observance

Do you think the sort of figures who knew how to manipulate patterns wouldnÆt want to cause the change slowly one subtle aspect at a time Neveah shook her head The force around her trembled infected by her words and MaeÆs sudden doubt At the weakness Neveah made another strike She hammered the faltering energy as best as she could However you have a bigger problem than possible saboteurs in the future the base premise is impossible You cannot be fair Not when your motivating force is justice

What do you mean Mae Myrna refocused The invisible force began to swirl again forcing its way past the sudden knowledge of a possible weakness In the end the force was Mae Or the world she believed in All can survive and thrive in this manner of living if they deserve to

Ah thatÆs the problem Deserve ThatÆs the aspect IÆve sensed that feels so out of place With a simple term the strange behavior of the force began to make sense to Neveah She couldnÆt help but smile She had done nothing to earn the forceÆs ire broadly denying it was not considered justification Therefore she remained impervious to it Because in the end only one person can be the most deserving

But everyone has a clear path Mae countered That is the important aspect Access

Maybe right now thatÆs what seems most important As your population only follows the precepts unconsciously you can survive that way for a time But a purposeful concerted effort by one individual could destabilize the entire framework Hell it doesnÆt even need to be purposeful You could simply be a naturally honest person Will two individuals one honest and one purposefully seeking to be deserving both be viewed equally by your force

Of course Mae spoke full of conviction Yet the strange undulations in the natural force revealed a more honest answer

She didnÆt know

She had stumbled across this world but she didnÆt quite understand it

Neveah shook her head Well we donÆt even need to consider whether intention should affect what you deserve Because Mae Myrna the real problem with your force is that it fails on its basic premise The weakest individuals have no escape You are just as oppressive as those you attempt to escape

Mae slammed her fists against the table hard enough to crack the map How dare you say that to me Show me who in Sanctuary cannot

You really are a fool What about the Nether Warriors youÆve puppetted in your farce Patron of Truth NeveahÆs eyes blazed You havenÆt even tried to understand your force have you Mae Because the answers you find at the bottom might be more damning than you want to accept

Chapter 2239

Neveah raised her head confidently waiting for the world state image to peel itself backward in a grievous rout in front of her point but nothing happened

Mae Myrna frowned at her from across the table Nether Warriors What are you talking about

From the lack of pulse from the natural force Neveah had perhaps her saddest realization of the entire night Her insight had been more accurate than she even suspected Mae Myrna hadnÆt been lying about the way the pattern she generated powered itself but it was a more central conceit than that she didnÆt know how her image force worked not really

She had expected it to be half known knowledge which she could force a confrontation over to reach the other woman Yet Mae didnÆt understand the scope of her efforts Or those it could easily influence and those it couldnÆt

You are just afraid arenÆt you ThatÆs why you are hiding in here Neveah whispered almost without thinking No other explanation for her lack of awareness made sense

The invisible force blasted out from MaeÆs body shaking the room Her countenance darkened Of course I fear the cruelty of this world How could you not At any moment death might walk out of the murky shade of the future and beckon me over with a long finger For all that this method possesses flaws I am at least trying to shield our weakest from the fickle dictates of fate Do not resent me just because IÆm willing to fight for a different lot in life

Your fear Neveah changed her mind and started again The churn of the invisible force the hanging shadow of the significance it was all becoming a bit too much She felt slightly ill Did you know that every other location in the Aetherlands has been at peace for the last week The reprieve will soon be over but hostilities in every other location have ceased after the Nether Leader was injured in battle Why didnÆt they cease here

Genuine confusion crossed MaeÆs face but the instability in the force began to vanish She clearly didnÆt understand how truly flawed the foundation of her little experiment was I possess no special insights into the motivations of Nether Leadership But are you sure about this peace I have heard nothing

One of the many flaws in your construction is its inability to allow outside information to affect it You are insular Such is the result of your foundation being built on fear But Mae Myrna the reason that the hostilities didnÆt cease with the rest of the conflict is that you are the Nether leader here

I donÆt understand your accusation Mae frowned Yet a satisfying ripple ran through the force Even if the owner didnÆt understand the actions of its pet that didnÆt mean the semi autonomous force based on what people deserveÆ would be numb to reality

You see Mae Myrna this is why your chosen utopia simply will not survive You claim at its core your truth has spread and made the lives it touches better Yet you have failed the weakest and least of those under your purview the Nether beings caught in your web Neveah enunciated the words in a careful cadence The force rippled around her body still pressing against her and still unable to seep into her skin without an invitation You take advantage of them cast them in whatever roles you wish treat them as cattle The Nether Warriors here do not remain willingly They are coerced twisted and warped into a convenient villain And they certainly did not deserve this hell

Mae stilled Her eyes went wide as the implications hit her Again it occurred to Neveah how vulnerable she looked The Patron of Truth hadnÆt come here in a healthy mindset She seemed haunted and hunted seeking to play princess knight and dragon with her Nether Warrior dolls to avoid reality

What did you see in the attack on Wyndaos Neveah wondered How could you become so hollowed out so quickly

Mae MyrnaÆs hands curled into claws The upright self righteous woman vanished so quickly she seemed to have never even existed In her place stood a cruel monolith twisted by fear into the very thing she hated

You donÆt need to do this Neveah said She knew she sounded like she was pleading and she was Already she could feel the slimy edge creeping through the city

The world will not better its behavior without cause Mae Myrna said coldly The force around her body continued to build the energy in the room accelerating around her as she focused on Neveah The hook edge energy rose up in a tidal wave of force seeking to either assimilate or obliterate her

Neveah froze In the split second of action available to her to mount her counterattack her cold fingered fear kept her from unleashing Tiamat So she just watched as the attack came forward

At the last second a blast of force cracked open the sky and obliterated the looming strike Huge chunks of splintered timber fell down around them as the individual burrowed their way down to the map room Neveah have been saved and she let out a sudden gasp of relief Randidly I have no idea how you sensed what was about to happen but thank

Her words cut off as she actually looked at the figure floating down amongst them The aura of momentum spread out first very different from the notes that Randidly would have utilized especially in a massive tree Neveah looked up at her savior a dead eyed Elhume who barely spared her a glance

He raised his fist and threw another punch obliterating the rising tide of invisible force that swirled up in front of him resisting his descent He snarled and glared at the only woman he noticed right now Mae I had assumed I had assumed you didnÆt understand the damage you did That you tore at the universe with your existence That you hurt Pine with your misplaced sense of justice Yet you do this willingly why

Several more individuals burrowed their way into the room The wall to the larger hall collapsed underneath the combined strain from all the arrivals giving Neveah the chance to open up some space Mae still stood with her hands clenched glaring up at Elhume floating above her head Her new bloodsucking world state image created a tight slipstream around her body building up momentum One by one every Patron except the Patron of Feathers floated down and watched the confrontation with unease Even the Patron of the Deep had come with Elhume on his tidal wave of significance biting his lip and undulating his massive body

If I had not forced the issue what would have happened Neveah felt helpless and foolish If I had just taken my time without being disgusted by the energy I would

DonÆt judge yourself Randidly spoke directly into her mind forcing his way through the interference of the energy You couldnÆt know Mae Myrna had the possibility of blowing up like that Be careful IÆm on my way but it will take a bit of time

DonÆt you have children to murder Elhume Mae countered A nearby wall exploded and the scaled cloaked form of Duo walked out of the debris somewhat undercutting her point His long tail slashed side to side and drool dribbled out from between his mandibles

She shook her head Of course I would prefer to help your son And what has that ever gotten us WeÆve followed you for years and accomplished nothing All weÆve done is compromise This is probably not even about Pine is it This is about control for you I finally have found another Path I believe in and you show up to stop me

ElhumeÆs eyes narrowed in irritation He did not attempt any further discussion He made a fist and threw a punch The whole tree shook with the power contained in the blow Neveah felt surprise as far as she remembered Elhume was nowhere near this strong the last time he had run into Randidly

Mae Myrna the one time Patron of Truth simply screamed Her altered energy began to boil around her body a rising tide of violence When the two forces met the entire floor of the tree exploded

Chapter 2240

Tiamat Mother of Fear spread from NeveahÆs body and formed a protective bubble around her form The beast of dark tendons and wicked feathers shrieked and sliced through the reverberations from the main conflict between Elhume and Mae Myrna Swirling waves of the twisted force ripped the skin off of her left arm The Patrons had been lost in the chaos Neveah hopped backward to avoid getting caught up in a surge from the tainted image state force resisting the implacable force unleashed by Elhume

Mae MyrnaÆs voice rose above the collapsing wood around them Once more you take full culpability into your hand Why are you so irredeemably selfish

Elhume only responded with his fists

Neveah made a beeline for the edge of the tree trunk even while the carefully carved pillars pulps and splintered to tiny fragments Several ominous looking cracks yawned open beneath her feet as she scrambled away from the conflict She ducked her way around a collapsing portion of the ceiling and then raised her arms and simply bulldozed her way through the wall and out into the open air With the extra space and the decreased pressure from other images Tiamat beat its wings and grew into a dark shadow to rival the churning significance hanging over Sanctuary

With an Elhume focused only on his target Neveah could acclimate the surrounding environment to her image

People in the small town screamed and pointed upward at the toothed bird hanging over them their idyllic existence broken Compared to the ambiguously exploding trees the giant black bird that induced soul shuddering fear made an easy villain Had the image state maintained its hegemony in the area Neveah might very well have been compelled to cackle and monologue for the terrified townsfolk

An even louder explosion brought NeveahÆs head whipping around MaeÆs thorny and vicious power gathered and fought against Elhume ripping large chunks out of the tree as he thoroughly pounded the resistance out of her image Elhume must have thrown enough punch within the tree because a huge portion of the tree blasted outward The tree had simply been leaning sideways in the past but now it truly began to fall down

More and more of the invisible force rushed to her side leaving the people with very few protections against the top portion of the tree simply collapsing sideways and falling to crush the town In her current state Mae Myrna didnÆt have the capacity to worry for anyone but herself

Shouts echoed out and the guards of Sanctuary quickly gathered They marshaled their image and Neveah could hear the guard leader making a rousing speech Even if we need to give our lives we cannot allow the people of Sanctuary to come to harm We are their shield their armor If this is the moment in which we pass to the next life so be it To provide the opportunity for the next generation to grow that is my greatest wish

Twenty images wove themselves together riding the powerful emotional steed of hope and selflessness Some of the remaining dregs of MaeÆs image that which hadnÆt yet been corrupted in her transformation joined those images to form a massive blast rushing upward

The valiant attempt crashed into the falling tree canopy with as much effectiveness as a water balloon thrown at a brakeless car Perhaps with the nudge of the Patron of TruthÆs original experiment the strike would have deviated the falling tree but not here The underpinnings of the experiment were currently in flux leaving these people weak and with poor instincts for how the world functioned

They canÆt ever leave once theyÆve embraced you Mae Neveah sighed They are too far removed with the callous cause and effect of reality Too used to the coddling nudges you offer to anyone who deservesÆ it

Below Neveah could sense Smart wrapping his arms around QuantasÆs waist who had previously just been standing next to the guards with an admiring gaze and dragged his son toward the river The frantic movements of the entire town fell in the shadow of the collapsing tree

Neveah released a breath The monstrous dragon Tiamat raised its head and roared in pleasure feeding on the fear of the people below It adjusted the angle of its wings and glided down to intercept the canopy But Neveah took her time Because as more and more of the sky above Sanctuary became the impending doom of the collapsing tree the fear of the population skyrocketed

A fear like this can be useful It will help the people unlearn bad habits

Sanctuary came face to face with its mortality and NeveahÆs power grew Whether they faced their fear and looked up defiantly or collapsed trembling on the ground it didnÆt matter Her eyes glowed and the body of Tiamat swelled It stretched out a taloned claw that resembled a long muscled arm and plucked the canopy out of the air Huge tree branches as long and thick as streams cracked and tumbled down crashing through the roofs of some of the houses and destroying street stalls

This time Neveah allowed Tiamat to raise its head and shriek with a more malicious goal in mind Her imageÆs leathery wings forced themselves into the space between Elhume and Mae muffling a portion of the blow However she was too distant and unable to quite rival the improved image of Elhume Her image even feasting on the fear of the people of Sanctuary broke and faded under the opponentÆs suppression ElhumeÆs fist contacted Mae directly cracking her ribcage and smashing Mae into the ground with blood leaking from her mouth

Elhume finally paused in his offensive glancing sideways at Neveah Why

From the harsh light in his eyes he included the subtext if you interfere again you will be next

Fear sang in NeveahÆs veins as ElhumeÆs eyes bored into her Yet she forced herself to straighten and meet his gaze You are acting like a bully Elhume And I donÆt flinch in front of bullies We can suppress her image without killing her

As his eyes narrowed and Elhume swiveled his hips Neveah admitted to herself she should have seen this coming And seeing the way he torqued his shoulder and waist to attack she realized he had been holding back in his pursuit of Mae Over the past few minutes this emotionally stunted version of Elhume had proven to have very few other coping mechanisms with external stimuli

Elhume punched the same motion just with a vehemence and disgust he hadnÆt employed previously

The void tightened around NeveahÆs body the less dramatic but ominously powerful new aspect to ElhumeÆs image Her own fear only filled Tiamat with swelling power so the massive dragon carrion spread its wings in firm rejection Her image force exploded forward and clashed against the fist She wore down its power but Tiamat rapidly began to recede before the raw force of his image Within the void even fear vanished It was the sort of death that ended in apathy

The punch hit Neveah and forced her backward She grunted but otherwise was none the worse for wear Just like Randidly her physical form could withstand quite a bit of abuse Already Elhume turned away Because from the crater on the ground Mae Myrna straightened and coughed

The storm of significance roared in approval the full weight of history gathered at this point The memory began to stutter so many forces laid on top of one another the first signs of instability in quite a while Great mechanisms of Nether moved behind the scenes shifting suddenly into place But Neveah was the only one who noticed the rest of the actors were too busy pushing themselves off the cliff

His eyes still empty of any emotion but determination Elhume descended to face his Patron of Truth

This is highly reckless The Patron of the Deep tried to force his way past the Patron of Blades but the other Patron restrained him However with the distraction of his resistance another Patron could blur past and land in a heap next to Elhume and Mae

The Patron of the Borrowed Fiero looked desperately from one to the other Do you truly mean to kill her

Yes came ElhumeÆs emotionless response Mae pressed her hand to her chest her breath coming out in a wheeze Her eyes were bright and brittle not even recognizing the threat in front of her Stubbornness kept her upright while the rest of the focus funneled toward burying her own pain She bared her teeth and they were slick with her own blood

Neveah stirred as the significance yawned above the action then split The world shivered and then folded in response Neveah felt a horrible mental pain as she witnessed another version of life being pressed over existence by a heavy hand of significance It felt like a spike was being hammered between her eyes

This has happened before Neveah had to squint to see through the pain and could barely make out the movements of significance The world stuttered and tore slightly those suddenly present mechanisms attempting to snap into place but found an unaccounted for detail propping them open

It took a few seconds of stunned senselessness to realize the source of the problem in the two versions of existence the Patrons of Truth had different energies In the other she retained the pure version while this remained tainted That difference kept the hidden mechanisms from snapping closed in an overwhelming fold and allowed Neveah to peer into two realities

Chapter 2241

Significance sputtered and sparked seeking to complete a total transformation but held in stasis by a wedge

The grains of flowing time turned out to be coarse sand catching and grinding during their passage through each individual Although Neveah seemed to be the only one conscious of the reason for the strain the sudden paleness and gritted teeth on all their faces indicated that everyone experienced some sort of discomfort

Every expression that is except Elhume and tainted energy Mae Both had already been completely stiff in affect individuals made from poured concrete and bitterness with eyes only for each other

The mental pain continued to be a distraction but Neveah could just unfocus her awareness and sense the tension present in the Nether constructs that should have flipped them over to an alternate reality Her eyes glittered as she examined their shape This is another version of those strange moments Randidly experienced where it seemed like alternate dialogue had been dubbed over the memory After all this is a designed wish Those adjustments are the only hint to the true purpose for the wish

So what did Elhume wish for when he made the memory

The Nether constructs wavered their massive engines designed to move at high speeds and make a sudden adjustment But they did not possess the force to push through an impediment perhaps because of the energy Randidly had poured into the foundation of the memory The whole scene remained stalled out The passage of time did not advance the plot but simply caused pain All figures remained still Significance churned and struggled to complete its shift Yet the two energies of Mae Myrna rejected each other creating a sizzling static

The significance ran out of steam The pressurized shift couldnÆt be completed

With a groan the pressure eased The headache began to recede and both layered timelines began to flow The stuttering of the memory which had caused the surroundings to flicker from the strain didnÆt cease but at least no longer worsened So long as Neveah focused on the middle distance she followed both scenes displayed in front of her

Or at least as well as anyone could manage to watch two movies at the same time She just crossed her fingers she wouldnÆt have to do any further dodging

Aside from the general sensation of their energies the two MaeÆs were the only obvious difference in the two timelines The current Mae remained rigid and resolved her eyes daring Elhume to follow through with his threats as they glared at one another The Mae part of the overwritten scene perhaps a version more closely matching the original Mae was equally as passive but for much more empathetic reasons She looked at Elhume with eyes filled with sadness and guilt Her expression stated that she would also remain still but because she knew she couldnÆt change ElhumeÆs mind

Or perhaps because she didnÆt want to

The scenes began to move making following both quite a bit more difficult Two Elhumes took a step forward at the same time standing so close to Mae that she must be able to feel his breath against her face Mae looked up at him waiting for his decision

You hurt him Purposefully Elhume whispered still in both Only the original Mae nodded The one wreathed in the hook edged energy didnÆt deign to respond Her bloodless cheeks made her look like a corpse one simply that no one had yet taken the effort to bury

The significance shivered The Patron of the Borrowed stepped forward in both but Neveah still struggled to keep track of both in her unfocused state Their voices overlapped a half beat apart Elhume you donÆt need to do this We we can find a way to fix this without killing her SheÆs one of us sheÆs fought with us since the beginning

The energy bolt at ElhumeÆs back was enough to force him to whirl around Mae swayed and then vanished In the chaos

Die Elhume rumbled as he stalked toward a passive almost sacrificial Mae With that same purposeful slowness he planted his foot for a strike

Elhume and DuoÆs forms blurred as they settled into a melee One of DuoÆs long talons cut a deep gash into his chest but he slammed a fist and cracked a portion of his foeÆs carapace in exchange The image of hunger and slaughter embraced the image of power and annihilation edged with the breath of the void

Elhume stood with his arms raised and flexing simply staring at Mae Myrna Like a clockwork piece run out of steam he stilled In the overwritten timeline where her energy remained pure she opened her arms as though he was going to embrace her not attack her If anything this lack of resistance infuriated him further and his countenance darkened Why

Neveah squinted catching an unexpected movement in the current memory Mae Myrna vanished only a short distance away from the fighting She appeared next to the Patron of the Borrowed who in the more realistic version hadnÆt challenged Elhume to a fight The Vulpine used jerky gestures to urge her to escape but Mae shook her head

I had no choice The pure Mae said her face opening with a small smile Elhume gritted his teeth and punched aiming for her face

FIERO ElhumeÆs voice thundered across the distance as he whipped around to search for the vanished Mae and found the culprit If anything the combat against the Duo only seemed to empower him some of the more mundane elements of annihilation wielded by the centipede were being incorporated into his own image If you interfere again I will break you

Neveah had to admit that Elhume possessed a Randidly level ability to grow while fighting

In the overwritten timeline a Mae Myrna with an energy not yet tainted by her pain stood and watched as the punch rushed to her face The Patron of the Borrowed who had been previously body slammed in this timeline threw himself between the two and took the blow His chest cavity collapsed

In the more realistic timeline ElhumeÆs yell made the Patron of Borrowed flinch and lower his gaze MaeÆs lips twitched the first softness the tainted Mae had displayed She patted him on the shoulder It will be easier if you just step aside You arenÆt strong enough to be involved in this confrontation

Elhume stood over the collapsed form of the Patron of the Borrowed and spat to the side The pure Mae seemed almost teary eyed looking at her fallen protector During this brief moment of distraction Duo made its appearance in the other timeline burrowing out of the ground in a protective spiral around MaeÆs body

The significance in the air flickered as the two timelines settled back into a single one Neveah let out a gasp she didnÆt realize she had been holding the last vestiges of the headache beginning to fade away Yet she didnÆt feel particularly clear about what she had witnessed

the difference is mostly about the Patron of the Borrowed About how he acted Neveah frowned Why the hell did Elhume spend so much effort wishing for this

In the next moment the shattered hunks of significance drifting in the sky began to move Neveah raised her eyes in alarm wondering what new danger was about to arrive But when she saw the culprit she raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh

With a cloak of Utter Night wrapped around his body revealing only his luminous emerald eyes Randidly Ghosthound descended from the sky riding a storm of Nether and kinetic energy Dragging the maelstrom behind him he raised his hands and very casually cracked his knuckles

Chapter 2242

With the GhosthoundÆs arrival Neveah felt herself relax for the first time since she had entered MaeÆs strange energy field The cool touch of Nether breezes against her face assured her of the coming dawn from this confrontation

Randidly landed lightly only a small shockwave of dust spreading out But his presence was enough that Elhume and the vicious centipede Duo stopped their melee and eyed the new arrival warily As the timelines consolidated they had returned to a standoff where the two had been fighting off to the side and Mae had been teleported away by a skittish Patron of the Borrowed

Yet in front of the monolithic power of the new arrival both shifted uneasily

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes flicked upward to the splintered carnage of the tree and color seemed to be injected along its length The bark of the tree glittered with motes of gold as life energy infused every inch The leaves swelled and turned emerald Fresh shoots pushed their way out of the broken trunk and began to grow the tree back to its former height The air in the surroundings began to feel a bit more clean

Some of the branches that had dropped and crushed roofs through Sanctuary grew small legs and walked themselves out of city limits where they began to smolder and turned to ash With a few small nudges the structural damage to the buildings began to heal

One task accomplished Randidly glanced around at the assemblage of Patrons cool currents of Nether immediately spreading out from his body and forcing back other energies When the pattern of Nether encountered the hook edged energy released by the stubborn Mae they briefly churned against each other and reached a stalemate Then Randidly made an adjustment and the image state pattern began to unravel before his touch

He raised a hand and raked it through his shaggy black hair His focus came back to Elhume once all the lingering threats had been handled Randidly Ghosthound offered the nervous watchers a wry smile DonÆt stop on my account IÆm just here to observe

Ah Nether King Hungry Eye How have you been A pleasure as always The Patron of the Deep bustled forward as the rest seemed stunned by his words And not a moment too soon Elhume has been seized by some of the most ghastly ideas and insists

Heh Elhume clenched his fists Blood continued to drip from the wound on his chest The space around him pulsed with power First you refuse to help me And now youÆll block me Nether King Hungry Eye But IÆm glad youÆve come IÆve sensed the damage you have brought to Pine as well We can settle that business if you insist on preventing me from eliminating Mae Myrna

Randidly tilted his head to the side and Neveah could see the gears of his mind turning She could also feel the flood of Nether information he absorbed his Dread Homonculus chewing through all the possibilities and weight to understand the situation Just the thought of how deeply he could peer into the patterns of significance gave her a headache In the end Randidly shook his head slowly You misunderstand me By all means continue attacking Mae Myrna if you wish I will not stop it IÆm simply here to observe

ElhumeÆs growling stern expression slipped Neveah could see the way he continued to thrust himself forward based on resistance When Randidly stepped around by not rejecting him some of his certainty had been shaken I I wonÆt stop

I believe you Randidly responded

Veins in ElhumeÆs neck began taking cues from his clenched jaw bulging and pulsing as he tried to puzzle his way through the innocuous phrase His anger sought a new direction You crash into this situation and simply expect me to forgive you because you show the baseline sincerity I will deal with you once IÆve eliminated Mae hey do you think I donÆt notice what you are doing

Elhume whipped partially around still keeping an eye on Randidly But while Duo prowled around Mae she had been gathering a certain amount of momentum with her vicious energy Randidly had unwound the force that had leaked out to fill the rest of the valley but she now kept it tightly wrapped around her limbs like jagged veins running across the surface of her skin

MaeÆs eyes remained inert Why even bother to ask after my actions We remain antagonistic Elhume You insist on this world where individuals’ only choice stems from whether they possess power I gather power a cretin scrambling in the mud like all the rest Because without power my dreams of a better life will crumble all the same

Do you truly mean not to intervene Neveah asked Randidly as the two central characters returned to their glaring contest

The ground shook with the nearby conflict and Randidly Ghosthound began to shift

Rolling her eyes at her incorrigible partner Neveah followed the action The two fighters had started even but with each punch Elhume edged slightly forward Now the vicious centipedeÆs carapace had been cracked in a half dozen places and its tail flicked side to side restlessly but couldnÆt muster enough force for a sneak attack as it had earlier in the fight Elhume began to advance with every step

Neveah shifted to look at Mae whose eyes continued to burn holes in Elhume while she remained still during the fight The tear in her heart continued to worm its way open despite the dense energy she gathered to press the edges together Following an instinct Neveah borrowed RandidlyÆs Nether senses with him present the amount of insight she could see increased ten fold Because since Elhume had arrived her emotional state had worsened quickly

In Mae Myrna she found the heavy tethers of a deep Nether bond More than that the emotions carved into her side were rich and romantic Neveah had always suspected there had been something between the two of them but it took MaeÆs careful control being ground down to this point to sense her longing

But when she looked at Elhume half of the same bond was there but the other half seemed hollow Like the core elements had been hacked away with a blunt tool

Elhume took a sudden half step forward catching Duo off guard with his movement The centipede curled its body around to bite at ElhumeÆs head but the man had already thrown a punch Like a cooked shrimp the shell of DuoÆs body split open and revealed its soft flesh The insect monster released a chittering wail Elhume stepped past the beast as it collapsed but then leapt sideways to avoid a surge of strange intensity

From the oozing flesh of Duo a slender eel the length of an arm riggled free A head with beady eyes focused on Elhume A pure and overwhelming power exploded out of its body targeting the foe that so wounded it In the vicious force Neveah understood why it had been named the Hierarchy of Finality

All the force Mae had gathered smashed into the side of that concentrated dose of death heading for Elhume The force whirled and ground against the attack struggling to find purchase despite how much potency Mae gathered she could not escape the mandate of deserving And Elhume almost didnÆt deserve to be spared

Randidly looked up distracted from his interior work and waved a hand Suddenly he wore his Cloak of Utter Night whipping the edge in a voluminous wave in front of the standing Patrons A split second later a horrible shriek of pain and doom knocked Neveah back on her heels even through the impediment The other Patrons stumbled backward shocked by the power

No Hierarchy could be easily resisted

When the smoke cleared the eel Duo hissed at a low volume and slithered back into its larger body shackling the specter of death it carried with it Elhume sat on his ass bloody with a large hole in his left shoulder the flesh of which had begun to turn black and necrotic under the influence of the Hierarchy of Finality MaeÆs careful stitchwork had torn open fully genuine concern and care scrunching her brow as she looked at him

All her power had been spent After all his attacks she beggared herself to save his life She took a few hesitant steps toward her side and fell to her knees

Elhume Mae began but Elhume cut her off

You mean nothing to me He spat out the words Fuck off Mae

After he shoved himself to his feet barely able to stand without collapsing his eyes scanned the assembled Patrons To NeveahÆs immense surprise his gaze locked on the Vulpine Patron of the Borrowed We need to speak privately

Then Elhume retreated

Chapter 2243

Randidly observed the end of the confrontation with a mild curiosity Several elements slid into a satisfying arrangement So the reason I never needed to intervene here was that this Duo hadnÆt unleashed the full power of its Hierarchy Hard to get a good read on the strike from this distance but how would I have handled that attack

Well at least there must be repercussions as it returned to the larger form its power seemed greatly reduced

His mind turned that problem over several times before contenting himself that the moment would be recorded in the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night With the constant demands of the Sonara he couldnÆt waste time And he could experience it for himself later

When he didnÆt feel so close to a breakthrough with the Stillborn Phoenix When his chest didnÆt hum with the rapid rotation of Nether through his body Sulfur practically sang with the gathered significance

In front of him the Patrons lurched into motion The Patrons of the Sun Blooms Blades and Void glanced sheepishly around before following Elhume The Patron of the Borrowed had already vanished with remarkable speed weirdly accepting the summons almost immediately

Randidly supposed the relationship between Elhume and every Patron was complicated like his with the Pantheon

The Patron of the Deep was the only figure to hurry to the side of the Patron of the Truth as she collapsed with a blank expression on her face Neveah sighed and glided forward meaning to comfort but not interfere too soon

Satisfied no immediate problems would arise RandidlyÆs attention turned inward His Nether Core gladly began accelerating

A heartbeat of stillness That had been the anchor he had chosen in desperation which worked as a touchstone for a short amount of time But now he could understand the broader picture the silence might usually be associated with stillness but this silence came from a place of stretching yawning extension From one state of existence to another the silence became resonance

Two separate existences impossibility and birth the oppressive connection between the two briefly flaring into more obvious existence Silence united them for a moment The amorphous form of his image held in careful glittering orbit in several pieces came into gradual alignment The Unborn Duo zoomed under and around the shards enjoying the tighter curves necessary

Is that really the trick Randidly bit his lip Changing the focus from transitioning to the transition The Stillborn Phoenix is not being born it is birth The chaotic impossible miracle alignment of so many separate details

The Stillborn Phoenix for its part grouched in the background as Randidly turned the possibility over in his mind It definitely wanted to be fully born not to become a constant state of flux as a general idea RandidlyÆs lips quirked and he backed away from that thought He flowed to the other position the overlaid superposition of two states A single entity spread across several dimensions