《Neophyte》 Ascendant Rank Structure (Subject to Changes) Power Structure: Mortal Realm Body Mind Soul Mage Realm: If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Harmony Saint Ascendant Realm: Unity Ascendant Sub-Ranks: Dominus Knight Tyler Warden Lord or Sage --> there will be Tiers and subranks here as well but they haven''t been decided on yet True Lord Or True Sage ranks: Tier 1 - Terra Tier 2- Heaven Tier 3 - Lunar Tier 4- Solar .... Tier 9 - Stellar More to follow Chapter 1 "What drives a person to seek Ascendance? This immortal existence inevitably leads to conflict followed by death. Name one person who has made the climb with their hands still clean. Go on, I''ll wait." - Toven the Deep, Path of the Endless Wave. ~~~ There were about a thousand other places Layla Breeze-Walker wanted to be right now as she attempted to smash a spider to paste. For the life of her, she couldn''t remember why she let Jogen talk her into this idiotic plan. ¡®Come on Breezy let''s go steal the Praxis sect''s master holo slate. It has all the training knowledge of how to become an Ascendant.¡¯ Idiot Jogen. I could be at home right now but no. I¡¯m in a nest of spiders. I hate spiders. Layla shuddered. The things were disgusting. Swatting away some webbing, Layla cleared her view of the vent she was trying to investigate. "Move over Breezy, I can''t see." "Shut up Twitch," Layla hissed quietly. "You are going to get us caught." "Don''t call me that Breezy. You know I hate it." "Well, you shouldn''t act like a turd bucket, and I wouldn''t." "Turd bucket, really Breezy. That''s the best you got." "I thought taint hammer was a little too eh, on the nose." Jogen popped Layla in the thigh, and she almost squealed aloud. He''d frogged the crap out of her leg. Layla moved quick as lightning, flicking Jogen on the ear, causing him to curse, rubbing at his ear while she rubbed at her leg. She briefly thought about kicking the big oaf in the sack. "Hooker!" "Skank," Layla shot back. The two looked at each other then snickered as Layla made room for her best friend. She could never stay mad at him. The two had been thick as thieves, literally, since the event that stranded her on this god''s forsaken rock when Layla was 8 years old. She could barely remember the faces of her parents now or the life she had before coming to Golar. She couldn''t even remember why they came to this planet in the first place. The image of a bloody cobblestoned alleyway flashing through her mind. The cries for her parents fell on deaf ears as the street inhabitants rushed from the scene, not wanting to get involved. A little girl, standing alone, lost as the only people in her world disappeared. She was alone, all alone in a world full of monsters and unchecked violence. No one to save her. A sinking feeling of everything spiraling out of her control causing her to take a sharp breath. Jogen nudged her, causing the nightmarish visage to fade away. "You, okay? Did you see it again?¡± Layla cleared her now very tight throat, "I''m fine, I''m fine. Just a slip." "I''m not going anywhere Breezy. You know that. I would never leave you." "I know Jogen. It was just a slip. Get off it now. I told you I''m fine." "Good, planes only know what you would do without me. I''m the brains of this duo," Jogen said brazenly. Layla slapped a hand over Jogen''s mouth. His attempts to distract her being a little too loud. Layla spied through the vent to see the Praxis Clerk look up as though he had just heard something. The two held their breath. The Clerk shook his head when he didn''t find anything. They both watched the old librarian shuffle some papers around on a wooden counter in fright as he prepared to close up the Praxis sect library for the night. Layla sighed in relief when the old man finally made his way to the entrance killing the lights as he stepped out of the door. Layla released her grip on Jogen''s mouth. "More like the freaking idiot of the duo. You almost got us caught, you knob lover." She said with a sigh. "Are you sure it''s here?" "Of course. Have I ever been wrong?" Layla raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Last week you swore up and down that Bradberry''s Inn kept their money in a barrel in the back office. There were no credits in that barrel." "Who knew old man Hames was such a pervert? Leech swore to me that he kept the goods there. How was I supposed to know that his ¡®goods¡¯ were so questionable." Said Jogen with a smile. "You weren''t the one that had to hide in the barrel full of dirty panties." "That was so epic." Layla scowled at her partner. "Come on Breezy. That was hilarious." "Humor doesn''t put food in our belly or pay our rent. I''m not sleeping on the streets anymore Twitch. I reject." She watched Jogen wince at the reminder of their rent coming due. Deciding to drop the subject, Layla said, "Did Leech tell you where they keep it? You know if we are caught in here, we are dead. We can''t be running around trying to find this holo slate." "Don''t worry Breezy, we are going to make this happen. But yeah, he said it was in the back behind a locked door. Are you sure you can crack the door?" Layla scoffed, "Have I ever not produced? I always deliver and I haven''t found anything yet I can''t hack into." "Ya ya ya. Calm down cyber lord. You swell that melon anymore and you will get stuck going through the vent." Said Jogen chuckling. Layla smirked, "Mhmm, you know what''s up." Jogen''s chuckling cut off as she socked him in the side, "My head is not big." "Whaaa, that dome has its own orbit-.¡± Layla raised her fist again, and Jogen cut off with a quirky smile. "I know where you sleep Twitch,¡± threatened Layla. Jogen threw up his hands mockingly, "Oh, I know where you sleep." The two trailed off smiling. The sounds of air moving through the ducts impregnating the quiet of the building. They stayed that way for a time. The mix of fear and excitement rising in Layla''s stomach. "Do you think even if it''s there that the information is on the slate?" Layla said quietly. The tone of her voice sounded unsure to her ears. "If the information exists then it''s going to be in there." Jogen reached out and rubbed Layla''s shoulder, attempting to reassure her. "Breezy we will find it. Even if it''s not on the slate, we will find the information on your parents¡¯ death." Feeling reassured, Layla nodded. This was the last lead they had on what happened in that alleyway years ago before Jogen had found her. Part of her didn''t want to know. She had Jogen, and he was all the family she needed. Another part, a fractured part, needed to know. "Plus, even if we can''t find the information here. The holo slate will give us a way to become an ascendant. If we can become ascendants, then there is no way we won''t be able to figure out what happened." Layla shrugged off his hand and smirked, "You just want to become an AAC fighter." "Hey now! Breezy you know I want to help you. But becoming an AAC fighter would be pretty awesome right. I''d look good in those uniforms." A wide smile splitting his face before he continued, "plus you would make an excellent towel girl." "Why you little¡ª" Layla punched him in the side again, but it didn''t stop Jogen''s grin. She couldn''t help but smile too at his antics. His amiable attitude and jokes always brightening her mood. "When does the first patrol come through?¡± She inquired. ¡°Fifteen minute intervals once they start, according the information I got,¡± Jogen said. The two waited in silence for the first guards to roam within. Hearing the entrance doors click shut again, the duo made their move. Popping open the vent, Layla and Jogen dropped down noiselessly to the counter. Their dark cloaks billowing out. The pair moved like wraiths through the stacks of digital slates and ancient tomes. This was only an outer branch of the Praxis sect, so most of the books were only electronic copies, making the need for a massive structure obsolete. Most everything was digital now days and could be experienced on the full immersion holographic slates or holo slates. The library was still a decent size building, nonetheless. The stacks opened up into an expansive sitting area. A central door was visible in the back, with a gate and waist-high walls restricting access to the site. "Is that the door? It doesn''t look very secure. I mean anyone could jump over those rails and wouldn''t even have to go through the gate." Jogen frowned. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "There''s probably a barrier, you idiot. You know, all powerful ascendant beings who can fly and smash small Jogens in a single pound." "Oh yeah, that makes sense. I guess we''re going to have to go through the gate. Looks mechanical, you think you can pick it. " "Do I have to do everything around here? I feel like I''m having to do everything myself. Actually, do you even do anything?" "Why do you wound me so." Jogen dramatically clutched his chest. ¡°The pain.¡± "Pain in my ass more like it." She scoffed at his antics, walking past him towards the gate. "Hey, I told you earlier Breezy I''m the brains of this operation. You are like the uhm¡­ my clever sidekick. I get the jobs and you help me with the little stuff." Breezy ignored Jogen''s ramblings and paused in front of the gate. The gate looked normal, but she couldn''t know for sure. She didn''t see any glyphs or wires running anywhere, so she decided to chance it. Praxis was a very arrogant sect, and for a good reason. They admittedly owned this city and several others if rumors were to be believed. She had a feeling that they were just arrogant enough to not put any real effort into securing things that already had layers upon layers of protection. Pulling out her picks, she squatted down, and within thirty seconds the gate¡¯s lock clicked. Checking her wrist unit, she saw that they had seven minutes left to get the slate along with whatever else was valuable and get up back into the ventilation. "And that is why you''re more like my servant or the help than a sidekick." Layla turned her head to look at Jogen incredulously. He smiled patronizingly as he pushed open the gate. Affecting an aristocratic pompous voice, Jogen said, "That will be all Ms. Breezewalker. Please take out the trash before you leave." Then he patted her on the head as he passed by. Layla reached for him, but he moved out of her grasp, snickering all the while. "You will pay for that, you meat tenderizing knob licker." "Language, Ms. Breezewalker. Language. I won''t tolerate a potty mouth in my household." Rechecking her watch, she saw that another minute had passed. "Be quite Jogen. We are running out of time and someone is actually working here." He mimed zipping his mouth shut and gave her two thumbs up. Layla looked at the access panel and began to center herself. She needed to work fast. Layla touched the panel to see what kind of software she was working with. Recognizing that it was a generic security access point, she reached into a pouch in her cloak and pulled out a flat metallic disk. Layla gave it a kiss and held it an inch away from the panel. Letting it go, the disk snapped into place magnetically. The disk was actually a device. It was something she was very proud of. She designed it herself for a job a few years back where they needed to gain access to a shop to steal back something she had pawned. The shop had an adaptable network shielding she had never encountered before. It would close any hole she managed to breach in the system instantly. She thought it was almost like a living thing. Inspiration hit her while she was watching a holo tube vid on how things work. The video spoke about these proteins and enzymes called porins that organically made holes in the cell while not causing any damage. A week of programming, three cases of energy drinks, and a delirious mad-genius fugue state later. She had created something beyond the next level. She called it her ''spare key.'' She still wasn''t sure how she figured it out or why it even worked. She tried to reproduce it but never could. Either way, it worked. It only opened a hole in the barrier, though. She had to do the rest. Pulling up the holo app on her wrist unit, she ran an unlocking script, and the door clicked. She pulled her device off the panel and slipped it back into her cloak pocket.. "Done." she said, calling to Jogen. "Smooth work Breezy. You really are amazing." "I know, you can praise me later. Grab the slate and I''ll search for more valuables." Jogen nodded, motioning Layla to lead the way. Layla pushed open the door, expecting to find tomes of banned knowledge and chests of valuable artifacts. Instead, she found a room full of what looked like junk. The piles of old rusty odds and ends confused her. None of it looked valuable at all. It was like someone had collected all the things in the attic of every old person she¡¯d ever met and threw it into piles. Nothing but nicknack touristy things that clearly looked fake and only had value to the owner. She stood in the doorway dumbfounded. "What''s wrong?" Jogen asked over her shoulder. "What the dog humping planar crap is this? This is a junk closet if I''ve ever seen one," Layla said. Frustration evident in her voice.. "Damn, Breezy I promise you this is the room. Look there in the back." He pointed to a desk where a slate sat. "That has to be it. Let''s just grab it and go. It''s worth more than anything here anyway. We will figure something out about the rent." Layla shook her head. No, there had to be something of value here. She just had to find it. It wouldn¡¯t be here otherwise. "Grab the slate and go play look out while I search through this garbage. I know there has to be something worth credits here." "Fine but if you aren''t out in two minutes, I''m dragging you out. Tick tock." Jogen grabbed the slate and disappeared through the doorway. Layla walked to the middle of the room. Items were strewn around the area haphazardly. There was no logic to it that she could see. A crate of ancient rusty-looking armor lay to one side. A statue of a house cat smirking looked interesting but not valuable. She closed her eyes and decided to leave it up to lady luck. "This pile it is. Come on, baby, mamma needs a new pair of shoes. Show me where the good stuff is. She started to kick things out of the way, but a feeling of ominous fear rose up inside her guts. Her danger sense was going wild at the very thought of miss treating anything in this room. She couldn''t put her finger on it, but she was pretty sure that this junk was not actually junk. Despite the unclaimed baggage appearance, these items must be something important. Most likely more important than she could fathom. "Why do the guards come by every fifteen minutes to check a library? That''s pretty odd, right?" Layla mused aloud. As a feeling of unease settled around her shoulders, she decided leaving was the intelligent course of action. She didn''t want any part of this. Just as she was about to turn tail and run, her eyes fell on an old touch screen tablet laying on top of a shield rapped in plastic by the wall. She couldn''t take her eyes off the old dusty thing. The world rippled. It was the only way Layla could explain it. The room full of junk came in and out of focus before she found herself standing in the center of a colossal hall of white and jade green stone. The size was difficult for her mind to accept. It was all too big. Way too big. Outside the center of the floor was hazy darkness contrasted with white and jade columns. She could sort of make out figures there. ¡°Weak. How did this pitiful thing come here,¡± came a voice that sounded like groaning iron. ¡°It¡¯s just like you j?????????a??????????g???????????o???????????????n???????????????????t??????????????????a?????????????????????t????????????????????? to not pay attention, tsk,¡± insinuated a voice that was like thunder. The sound of the name caused her to cough. Flecks of blood stained the floor. ¡°Stuff it you decrepit sow,¡± boomed back the first voice. Layla jerked back and forth between the voices as they continued to bicker with each other. Many voices began to speak. All with inconceivable sounds that her mind barely comprehended. Each word felt like a physical blow to her body and soul. She shouldn¡¯t be here. Why was she here? Their every syllable uttered stabbing down with a thousand needles inside her brain. This place wasn¡¯t real. It couldn¡¯t be real. Something moved in the shadows, and she caught the edge of¡ª Her vision went to white static for a moment, and she found herself on the cold stone floor. What had that been? Layla felt her mind start breaking at the impossibility that glimpse had held. Layla put her hands over her ears and shut her eyes. Trying to block out the voices, but it was no use. They struck her bones like a tuning fork reverberating through her body and mind. "She must choose." "She must choose." "She must choose." She didn¡¯t belong here. Wiping some wetness from either side of her face, she looked down to see blood cover her hands. Where her eye¡¯s bleeding. Something was wrong with her body. Layla didn¡¯t know what, but she could tell something terrible was wrong with her. She had to leave. Standing up, she searched for an exit, but only shadow forms loomed over her like mountains. A pressure built in her chest. It was like someone was trying to blow up a balloon inside her rib cage. Just when it felt like her chest was going to burst, azure and red light exploded from her breast. The light coalesced into a tall, athletic framed female in white robes. Her long hair was like a deep blue ocean wave fanning out across her back. Red lightning flashed through the blue strands at random intervals. A warrior. It was all that Layla could think when she took in the woman. The woman turned to her. A strong feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu struck Layla. The woman¡¯s icy blue eyes looked around the hall as though they could pierce what was hidden in the shadows. Looking back at Layla, she said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here. There are too many and you are too weak.¡± Then the woman kicked her in the chest. Layla felt the kick impact her, and the world fractured. She was falling. The blackest of voids surrounded her. She could not hear. She could not see. She could not feel. She¡ª She blinked, finding herself holding the tablet. "What just happened," she said. Looking down at the ancient paperweight in confusion. It had fine cracks in the corner of the screen. It even had a power cord for charging it. Nothing used power cords anymore. "How old is this thing?, better yet when the heck did I pick it up." She was confused. One second she was at the edge of the pile of spooky crap, and now she was almost at the wall. She looked at the tablet again. It was a novelty item at best and worthless credit-wise. No, she had enough techno junk cluttering her room. Layla looked around with a feeling like she had forgotten something but it passed quickly. She moved to sit the item back down, and her right foot bumped into an object. She heard a click and looked down to see the lid of a black wooden chest banded in silver lying open. Inside was a blue crystal shard laying on a bed of red velvet. Silver metal wire wrapped around the crystal piece. An attached chain of black metal wreathed around the shard, making Layla think it might be a necklace. "Now that''s what I''m talkin about.¡± Looking down at her wrist unit, she almost peed herself. Three minutes. She grabbed the chain and slipped it under her cloak and around her neck. Tucking it into her shirt, she sprinted out the door closing it behind her. Seeing Jogen at the gate to the enclosed area, she raced over to him. "You''re cutting it close. Find anything good?" She grinned widely and flashed Jogen the crystal as they started running towards their exit. "Sweet baby gods. Nice find Breezy. Do you know what it is?" "Nope and don''t care. It''s worth enough to get us to next month at least.¡± Jogen jumped and clicked his heels together in excitement. As they made it back to the front of the building, Jogen sprinted ahead. Flawlessly moving from the ground to the counter and into the opened ventilation grate like a parkour master. Jogen dropped a hand down and Layla jumped and snagged it for the assist. Legs disappearing into the hole with the grate closing none too soon as the patrol sect members'' voice was heard entering the building. Twenty minutes later, the two dropped down from the rooftops a few blocks away from the Praxis sect campus. No one the wiser of the pair''s nightly escapades. "Successful night if I don''t say so myself. I got the slate and we found some loot." Jogen patted himself on the back like his he did all the work. "You do realize that all you did tonight was talk shit and keep me company?" "The secret to becoming a famous leader is delegation my dear Breezy and¡­ ample amounts of stolen credit." He said with a wink. She laughed and bumped him with her shoulder, "Ample stolen credit, huh? You certainly don''t lack that." She sighed, and her stomach rumbled, "Can we get noodles on the way back? I could really go for a pork bowl." "I''m feeling charitable tonight. I suppose I can buy a meal for the needy." "Keep running up that tab. I owe you quite a bit from tonight. I''ll have to think of something special." "I''m looking forward to the attempt, Ms. Breeze-Walker." Jogen said with a wink. "I''m sure you are, taint master. Now shut up and buy me dinner." "Fine, fine. By the way, what is that cord hanging down from your cloak?" "What are you on about?" Said Layla in confusion. Looking down, she found a white power cord hanging out of one of her more oversized cloak pockets. She reached in and pulled out the old rachetity tablet. "What''s that?" "It''s just an old piece of tech I found rummaging around in that junk. I could have sworn that I put this down while I was in the room. How did it get into my cloak?" Chapter 2 - Well Sh*t Layla laid sprawled out on her mattress. One leg hanging off the edge like she had crawled to bed but had only managed three limbs before giving up. A familiar voice came from outside her door. "Ohhh LAYLA!" "Noouhhh," came Layla''s reply as she moved her head under her pillow in an attempt to shut out the voice. "OHHH LAYLA! Wake up Layla dearest!" "Ooo to ellll," said the pillow. "I''m making sausages," said the voice in a melodic offer. The pillow lowered from her head, she considered the voice''s offer. She did love herself some sausages. "What kind of sausages?" "Spicy" A mix of sage and spicy peppers hit Layla''s olfactory senses causing her mouth to water. Rolling off her mattress and standing, Layla realized she was still in her clothes from the night before. She had been completely wiped out when they returned. Falling asleep before her head hit the pillow. Shrugging out of the dark cloak, she followed the seductive smells of breakfast. She found Jogen standing over the stove. He moved a metal spatula back and forth in a pan full of tiny circular browning links of goodness. He turned around and smiled at the sounds of her shuffling zombie gait. Layla was not a morning person. Never mind that the time on her wrist unit had told her it was almost evening. Layla plopped down into a chair at their makeshift dining room table. The two had constructed it out of crate slats they had found tossed out by a local store owner. The table and the visible ventilation gave the apartment an industrial vibe. If she was honest, though, it was more that the place was unfinished than purposefully designed. She didn''t mind. It was their home. Looking over at the counter, Jogen was gazing at the holo display transfixed. His fists clenched around the spatula-like he was going to use the cooking utensil as a weapon. Ready to swing the thing in what she could only assume was mock combat. Focusing on what he was watching, she could make out two figures standing on a field of raised octagonal pillars of all different shapes and sizes. She recognized the scene immediately as a circuit battlefield. It must be a pre-season exhibition match for the Ascendant Academy Circuit. The AAC is where different academies throughout the planes send their promising students to hone their skill in combat, at least that was what they officially claim. From what Layla could tell, it wasn''t just for practice, prestige, or even bragging rights. No, it was all about the credits. The recruitment of promising students for AAC teams was a savage and corrupt affair. No regulations prevent rival academic institutions from poaching rising stars away from each other. Combatants are often lured away by the highest bidder. Assassinations are not unheard of either. When you live on an ascendant plane, might makes right. The Mantles, gods, guardians of the planes, or whatever you want to call them, only intervene when specific rules are broken. Assassinations of AAC fighters didn''t seem to make their list Layla assumed. Despite the dangers of the AAC, just making the cut to be on a team could set you up for life. So needless to say, it was the most-watched sport of all the planes. The two fighters blurred away, shattering the pillars they started on. Dust and debris flying to the right of the area. The fighters paralleled each other through the stone octagonal forest. Brief clashes of extreme violence happening in the middle as the two came together and separated like a river stone being skipped across a pond. The impacts giving off visible shockwaves. The sound of a plate of sausage and eggs clattering in front of her dispelling Layla''s singular focus of the battle taking place on the holo display. Jogen made a movement at his wrist, and the holo paused. He had funny rules about not watching the holo tube when they were eating at the table together. "Sleep well Breezy?" Said Jogen as he grabbed some forks from the bin and made his way back to the table. "Like the dead. You?" She said with a mouth full of spicy goodness. "Not really. I got to thinking last night." "Planes save us." Layla groaned. "I''m serious Breezy. Hear me out." Layla looked at him suspiciously, "Okay, and what pray tell could you possibly be thinking about that would keep you awake all night?" "I think we should leave. Like, leave Golar." Layla stuck another bite of sausage in her mouth and replied in an exasperated manner, "Twitch, that''s always been the plan." A plan that the two had continuously fantasized about for years but never followed through. It was always ''after this job'' or ''we need to do this first. Then as time went on, they became more entrenched. An apartment then bills etc. "We should leave today. Immediately, in fact." Jogen''s voice was as serious as she had ever heard it. That gave her pause. Leave immediately. Why would they leave immediately? Did something happen? This feels sketchy. Layla felt like he was up to something. "Before you start hitting me with a hundred questions, I have many reasons for wanting to leave now. First and foremost being that we should be able to with the money that was offered for the necklace. I scanned an image of it and sent it to our fence." The fence was the person that sold their ill gotten goods. They took a cut off the sale but they also found buyers. It was a good trade off. The duo had learned early on that selling stolen items yourself only put you at risk of being tracked down. Having a fence gave the two enough security to live in one place. Layla continued to stuff her face but gave Jogen a twirl of her finger to signal him to get on with it. "That necklace is very valuable. Too valuable in fact. We need to get rid of it. I regret even sending feelers out about it now." Jogen''s face gave off a clear picture of worry. Layla didn''t like anything that he was saying. She cursed herself for looking for something in that damn room. She knew it was trouble. The holo slate was bad enough, but they never planned to tell anyone about that. "How much money are we talking about here?" "Three hundred thousand credits" Layla started choking on the bite of eggs she had just put in her mouth. A mixture of joy and fear shooting through her like a bolt of electricity. He was right. That was way too much money for an ordinary piece of jewelry. They needed to get rid of the thing immediately because there is no way something that valuable would be safe to keep. "Can those feelers be traced back to us?" "I took all the precautions but there are ways to find us given enough effort. That''s all the more reason that we should take the money and go. Look Breezy, that''s enough money to get us to the Origin plane and get you into an Ascendent Academy," said Jogen with excitement. "Jogen, we have talked about this. I''m not going to an Academy without you." "Breezy, I have almost zero academic skill. If you hadn''t known how to read and forced me to learn, I doubt I would have. You on the other hand are intelligent, innately curious, and enjoy learning. Your mind is wasted here on the streets. Scamming and stealing for next month''s rent. It''s just not what you are meant to do. But I''m not going to fight with you about it right now. Just think on it. Our main priority is getting that necklace to the drop point in an hour. Then booking passage out of this city or this plane." This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Layla was nervous at the prospect of leaving. They had never left this city before, much less a different plane. She didn¡¯t think she was from this planet. Her skin color was way too pale and her eyes light a blue with golden sunbursts around her pupils giving them the appearance of a blue sky during a solar eclipse. Jogen by contrast was dark skinned with honey brown eyes. Much taller than her with a natural athletic build. That wasn¡¯t to say Layla was short. She wasn¡¯t. The natives of Golar were all very tall dark skinned light brown eye people with white hair. Layla¡¯s natural hair color was blue with shocks of red highlights. She hadn¡¯t seen it in a long time. One of the first things they had stolen and traded for when Jogen first found her was a device that bleached her hair white like the locals. It was supposed to be permanent but her hair seemed resistant to the device after a few months. "I can agree with the last part at least. Let me grab my pack and throw some things in it. I suppose you are already ready?" said Layla as she pushed away from her now empty plate. "Of course, males don''t take forever. But you know what they say about women." Jogen said with an exaggerated sigh. Flicking him off, Layla rushed back to her bedroom. Aside from her tinkerings, the two lived very spartan. The chance of the very predicament they were currently in being a constant threat. You couldn''t steal things and not expect to eventually run into the kind of trouble that required you to leave quickly. Moving through the doorway, Layla scanned her room taking mental account of what could stay and what had to come with her. She spied a white charging cord peeking out of her cloak. Remembering the old tablet from the night before, Layla decided she had time to see if the thing worked. If it didn''t come on, then she was leaving the damn thing. She still wasn''t sure how the thing had gotten inside her cloak to begin with. Laying down on her bed, Layla connected the charger cord to the tablet''s bottom and stuck it into the port on the wall. Hitting the power button, she waited for the item to boot up. A flash of light infused her eyes, and the tablet transformed into a top of the line Holo-Argonaut Computational Kraken wrist unit, or HACK unit for short. The thing could literally do anything, access anything, and lay waste to anything digital. It cost trillions of credits, supposedly, but Layla had thought the damn thing was a myth. A god key, some called it. She had dreamed of this thing for years. Ever since she had found a thread on it in the forums. Someone had claimed to have had one, but she thought they had lied. She could physically feel her credit account soaring as she stared down at her wrist in awe. "Ho-oh oh, we hit it big this time, baby. Ya gurl about to be rich!" Layla slapped the thing on her wrist, and it sealed shut automatically. The holo function of the HACK lit up, and the area around her bedroom changed to a solid white room. A data terminal sat neatly in the center. Used to the immersive holo tech, she reached out with a hand and made a pulling motion towards the terminal. The terrain shifted, and the terminal sat in front of her. There was only one file on the desktop of the terminal, so she opened it up. A single tome lay inside the folder. She tapped it then made another pulling motion to pull the book out of the folder and into her waiting hands. The white room disappeared, and a black and red book lay heavy in her hands. "What the fu¡­ what just happened. Is this thing real? How¡­" Layla trailed off as she read the cover. In golden and red metallic outlined letters, the book''s title read, "Get Rich Quick: A Complete Guide by Atom." Who the heck is Atom? She panicked for a second and looked at her wrist where the HACK had attached itself. Sighing in relief that the thing didn''t disappear after that little magic trick. Layla considered the book as she opened it to the first page. It started glowing and then warmed to the touch. Like any normal person, Layla panicked and chunked that bitch across the room. The book hit her bedroom wall and fell flat. The light didn''t go away. If anything, it increased in intensity, but she stopped being afraid of the light for some unknown reason. Its glow suffusing her. She felt its warm and loving embrace surround her. Thoughts of a full belly and all her troubles pushed away to future her to worry about. She got up and retrieved the glowing thing. When she laid her hand on the tome, she just knew. Floods of knowledge rushed into her mind. All the scams in all the planes, even future scams planned she could capitalize on and how. Blackmail 101, high-value theft for dummies, and on and on. Every dastardly deed that involved short-cuts, hacking, to insurance fraud. A tremendous amount of knowledge on how to procrastinate and get by. At the very top of the list and most highly valued was the book''s namesake scheme. The knowledge she just gained told her that she should now be able to read the book. She opened it and read the text aloud. "Get Rich Quick Chapter 1: Religion." She poured through the pages one after another as it explained how to organize the church of Atom. The benefits and expected monetary returns that could be expected for her if she only just stood up on a podium and said words with passion out of this book. "Twitch!" Layla screamed. Moments later, Jogen came barreling into her room, fists raised for battle. He scanned the room, and when he didn''t see anything, he kicked Layla''s bed, causing her to pull her legs out of his reach. "Mantles shit Layla. I thought you were being attacked. Don''t do that!" he snarled at her. Attempting to kick her in the thigh, Layla rolled away. "Jogen you frog my leg again and I swear I''ll punch you in the sac." "Just try it and I''ll put so many bruises on your legs that you will look like the dirty hooker you are." Jogen snickered while trying to get in a shot to one of her limbs. "Stoooop Jogen, you limp noodle. I need to show you something." She whined, putting on an act of contrition. "Well what is it then. What has you screaming bloody murder? Why are you laying on your bed? You do realize we are leaving right? We aren''t coming back so you need to get your crap together." Jogen said as he sat down beside her on the bed. He looked over at the book then at her wrist where the HACK was attached. "When did you get the new shiny? It''s pretty big for a wrist unit." "This is what I was freaking out about. You remember a few years ago when I talked about that ridiculously expensive mythical hacking tool." "How could I forget? You pined about the thing for a year. I could barely get you to unplug from the forums. Why did you finally find a lead on it or something?" Layla gave him a shit-eating grin and waggled her wrist in front of his face. Jogen looked at her like she was mad. Layla told him what happened when she plugged the old tablet in. Jogen then scooted away from her as though he was sure she was mad, and it might be infectious. "Jogen Tyler William Hitch. When have I ever lied to you?" Using his full name and then poking him in the ribs for good measure. "I''m being dead serious right now. This thing is a HACK wrist unit. We are set for life." "You are sure. A thousand percent positive? Don''t mess around with me either. That piece of tech is the Trillion Credit mythical hacking tool." He emphasized the trillion credit part. "I mean I haven''t used it yet to see what it can do but I''ve seen digitals of one." "Use it then. Confirm it right now." He said, forcefully standing and began pacing back and forth. A look of distress started marring his usually cheerful face. Doing as he said, Layla tapped on the screen. The holo display came to life, and their surroundings disappeared. Not expecting the change, Jogen stumbled before righting himself. The room transitioned into a different reality as the two found themselves standing at the edge of a stone platform. A vast dark blue ocean surrounded them on all sides. The smell of salt permeated Layla''s senses, leaving her temporarily confused on whether this was a holo display or they had been transported to another world. "Damn Twitch, this thing is beyond anything I have ever seen. The realism is just staggering." Layla said as she felt the ocean spray against her face. She looked over at Jogen and found him standing rigid as a board. "You okay?" She inquired as she reached out and touched his arm. "We have to go." Jogen whispered as his face started turning pale like the stormy sky above. Layla ignored her strangely acting companion and started making her way towards the center. "Not yet twitch. I want to see what that door is about first. Mantles help us, this is just amazing." In the center of the platform stood a black onyx doorway. Layla made her way to the thing and started walking around it. It didn''t seem to lead anywhere. Just a door in a frame with no handle or knob to open it. One side had a silver carving of a Kraken with a human skull wearing a helmet. The helmet looked unique, with cheek guards stabbing downward like spearheads and an extended nose guard topped off with a plumed mohawk. The helmet seemed very familiar, but she couldn''t quite place it. "Twitch, come take a look at this. I know I''ve seen this before but I can''t remember where." She called out in a loud voice. The crashing of the ocean''s waves threatened to drown out her voice. "No, no, god''s no." came Jogen''s voice over her shoulder, causing Layla to jump. "For plane''s sake man, don''t sneak up on me like that." Layla said, reaching back and smacking her hand playfully against her friend''s chest. "So what do you think? I know I''ve seen that helmet somewhere before and what''s the kraken holding?" The kraken''s tentacles were embracing a device with metal concentric rings surrounding a dull sphere. She pushed one of the rings with her finger, and they all started moving in opposite but congruent motion. "Most be some type of solar system model, maybe. Actually it kinda looks like a 3D model of an at¡­om." Layla''s voice trailed off as she recalled the very real book that had popped into existence in her room not even five minutes ago. Atom. She looked back at the helmet. Finally connecting the dots, her stomach twisted, and she started hyperventilating. The Council. A firm grip latched onto her arm, jerking her away from the door and face to face with Jogen. His face was deathly serious but eyes full of panic. He shook her. "Layla, listen to me dammit. Shut it off. Shut it off right freaking now!" Chapter 3 With shaky hands, Layla shut down the HACK. The stormy ocean world disappeared, leaving the two friends staring at each other. Both silent. The implications of the Council''s symbol going unsaid. Layla''s mind was racing a thousand miles a minute as she cursed herself over and over again, forever going into the damn room. Jogen broke the empty quiet first looking down at the large wrist unit. "We can''t keep that. I don''t know what it is but anything to do with the Council is bad news Breezy." She gazed at the HACK longingly. Finally, she had her hands on something that literally felt like it was made for her, and of course, she couldn''t have it. There had to be some way to keep it. "Breezy, we can''t, and you know it. We would be a target no matter where we went." "I know." She said grudgingly. "I''ll dump it as we are leaving." Jogen sighed in relief, "Good, good. Okay, given what that thing is connected to we can''t wait¡ª" a cry pierced the thin walls of the apartment. Rushing to her window, she looked out to see Praxis Sect members accosting the landlord. Having a strong feeling, it had to do with precisely what was on her wrist. She looked at Jogen, and the two decided that they might want to make themselves scarce. Cracking open the door, Layla peeked outside in the hallway, and she slid it closed again. She was right. Praxis ascendants were going door to door, pulling their neighbors out of their flats. She thought fast then and pointed to the fire escape. Jogen nodded, and they made their way to the top of the building. Layla flipped a board up with a foot and placed it across to the apartment beside theirs. Making the way down the other building''s stairwell, she shouldered her bag as they walked out into the street, acting like nothing was amiss. Blending into the crowd. As they were about to turn the corner to a different street, she caught the voice of one of the Sect members yelling. "It is on the move. Elder" "Where you imbecile?" "That way el-Elder. It''s moving in that direction." Layla didn''t have to look back to know which way the man had pointed. Cursing her shit luck, she started running, Jogen hot on her heels. "It would be pretty freaking great to have some help, Atom." She muttered as they ran. Golden light in the shape of an envelope flew out from her chest and zipped away at impossible speeds, and it was gone. She was so startled by the action that they missed the alleyway she meant to take. Turning around, she saw the Praxis members in the puke yellow robes rushing their way. "That must be it. She has the relic." Damn, how the hell are they tracking this thing. Sprinting on, they took the next side street. Layla tried to remove the HACK. She pulled and ripped at the thing, but it refused to budge. The straps wouldn''t even leave her skin. It was like the thing had bonded to her body. "Dump it Layla. They must be tracking it somehow." "I''m trying you butt pirate. It won''t come off. It''s glued to my skin or something." "Fuck!" Jogen swore breathlessly as the two subconsciously picked up the pace. "Stop right there! You are going to be taken into custody by the Praxis Sect." Came the shouts of Praxis members that Layla assumed were in possession of the tracking device. The two ignored the shouts and cut down another side street, breaking the sect member''s line of sight. Layla''s breathing quickly becoming more labored as the constant all-out sprinting took its due on her body. Jogen seemed fine, though. If she wasn''t with him, he would most likely be able to evade them. He was the more athletic street runner. "If we have to chase you you''re going to pay for it," came a mocking shout mixed with the laughter of the other sect members. She ignored their warning. Praxis members were known for their sadistic and ruthless nature. That''s why they couldn''t stop. Their only chance was to lose them in the streets. The feeling of helplessness rose up in her. Trying to steal her will to keep going. She couldn''t stop. The sect members had seen them, their laughs constantly mocking their tries to escape. The snot-robed monsters could catch the duo at their leisure. It wasn''t like they could do anything against a single ascendant, much less several. One of the most bullshit things about being born on an ascendant plane was that you were not born ascendant. You were just aware it was possible. As much good that would do for you. The knowledge and training are only available to the wealthy or powerful. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Layla felt the stolen slate from the night before bouncing around in her pack. A slate full of the very information they need to start down that path. The HACK on her wrist and the mysterious book were an even better prize. Of course, someone would show up immediately to try and take it from them. What absolute shitty luck. We hit the jackpot only to be robbed immediately after collecting the prize. They ran and ran, but no matter which way she turned or the alleyway they took, the sect members were right behind them, laughing. Having a game of the chase. She wanted to cry. It just wasn''t fair. Layla turned down an alleyway between two broken-down buildings. Jogen gave a cry of pain, and she heard a crash. Layla stopped and turned around to see Jogen face down on the ground, struggling to rise. A Praxis sect member''s foot holding him in a place like he was a child. "Give us the relic girl and we will let your friend go." Said a dark greasy haired man. He looked more like a thug than an ascendant. Vomit robes dirty with drink. "Run Breezy. Ru-" Jogen''s voice cut off as the greasy applied pressure to his back. "You be silent now. The relic girl or I pop his head like a melon. You!" Said Greasy, pointing at one of the other members. "Go get the damn thing from her. Search her while you''re at it. There''s no telling what else they pilfered from the room." "It be my pleasure elder," came a deep slimy voice. The voice owner moved out from the back of the group of members and made his way over to Layla. He was large and brutish. Everything she expected a thug to look like. Her mind screaming at her to run, something she would never do to her friend. She stared down at Jogen''s face. He kept mouthing for her to run as blood slowly trickled out of the side of his mouth. Tears started slipping down her face. She knew they wouldn''t be leaving this alleyway. She could see it in the eyes of the big one. This was all a show to sate their sick idea of entertainment. "Aww, it''s going to be alright." Said the approaching bruit info kindness. "Just give me the relic and we will let you go. I promise." Layla shuddered as the man started searching her. His calloused hands moving over her body. Finding nothing, he grabbed her rear and squeezed so hard that Layla tried to cry out before his other hand covered her mouth. "Where is it, little bird? Just give us what we want and your friend will have nothing to worry about. The elder told you that we would release him." He cooed in her ear. The man disgusted her. The smell of rancid sweat and moldy cheese-making Layla wanted to vomit. She thrust her bag at the man''s chest as hard as she could, but it was like shoving something into a brick wall. Either way, it caused him to let go of his grip on her. He rummaged through her pack, finding the slate. He turned around and walked over to the elder. "Look what we have here Elder." The big man held out the slate to Greasy. "And the other item." Greasy said as he took the stolen slate. "I didn''t see anything else Elder. She doesn''t have it. Nothing but junk was left in her bag." Layla looked down at her wrist, and the HACK had disappeared. "Then where is it then disciple," Greasy said to a thin nerdy-looking member. Sweat was pouring down his face, and he looked pale. "I uh¡­ don''t know el-Elder. The signal is g-g-gone sir. We lost it at the apartments." The thin man continued to pale as Greasy eye him. His face displaying his displeasure. "No matter, it will show back up at some point. Those things can be tricky but they always show back up." "You have what you want. Please let my friend go." Layla pleaded. The sect members all turned their heads her way. The looks she was getting from the group caused her stomach to tighten. She didn''t care what they did to her as long as Jogen was safe. He had the necklace on. That would give him enough money to have a good life. Her tears continued to fall like the rain as she looked pleadingly at Greasy. He tapped his chin like he was mulling over the statement, then said, "Well you did give us back the relic. Release the boy." "But Elder." said the one who''d searched her. "Now now Danto. I gave the girl my word. I said I would release the boy and I will." Layla held her breath as they picked Jogen up and let him start walking towards her. Her heart began to unclench. They were going to make it out of this alive. Jogen smiled once he was almost to her. Layla grinned right back. "Looks like we lucked out this time Bree-" Jogen never finished the sentence. A fine red mist struck Layla''s face as Jogen''s head vanished. Layla followed his corpse as it fell to the side. The lifeblood of her best friend fountaining out against the dank alleyway''s wall like some homeless man taking a piss. The world around her shattering and reforming rapidly as her mind tried to cope with the sudden event. Outwardly, nothing had changed. Smile bright as sunshine on her blood-spattered face. What just happened. A white light flashed under his shirt. What just happened. The flash turned into a faint luminescent glow that was barely perceivable. What just happened. Layla thought that was odd. What just happened. Layla was eight again. The smell of damp, rusted iron assaulting her nose as she took in a breath to scream again. What just happened. "I think you might have broken her Elder." The voice is close but distant to her broken mind. "Not yet boys, not yet," said Greasy with a chuckle. "Who''s going first?" The sect members laughed and jostled each other. Talking about how long so and so would last with Layla. Her gaze never wavered away from Jogen''s body. Lying amongst the trash and debris in this forgotten alley. Unmoving and lifeless. Detachedly, as the first man grabbed her arm, Layla thought about what was about to happen. She would be raped repeatedly and most likely killed in this dank, nasty alleyway right beside her best friend''s cooling corpse. She considered that clinically. Why? Why would something like this happen? The only thought in her mind was how unjust the universe was that she lived in. Gods and immortal beings walked the planes in the flesh doing and creating wonders. The Mantles and their Council just stood by while the powerful took what they wanted. Weren''t the Mantles supposed to be the guardians? Protectors of the light and life. Warriors of justice and freedom. The tears started slipping down her face again. She slumped, letting her legs give out, and closed her eyes. Resigning herself to the shit hand, she had been dealt. That''s when she felt the ground shake and loud booms all around her. She looked up, and a massive beautiful white barrier was in the sky. A familiar warmth started soothing her body. A tune full of bass started playing with such intensity that she thought her ears were going to pop. Is that music? The goons holding her let go, and Layla fell to the earth. The jarring music derailing the loop her mind had been on. Her mental haze clearing, she glanced back over to Jogen''s body. Panic suffusing her, Layla slowly crawled towards the source of her pain. Grabbing hold of Jogen''s shirt, she laid her forehead down on his chest and started to scream. Chapter 4 The sounds of B.O.B., So good, playing on his headphones. Atom thought that the song was wonderfully appropriate. His life was pretty impressive, and he bobbed his head to the beat as he slew noobs on his G-box?. It was a fantastic piece of hardware and hacking genius, in his opinion. He had created it, after all. Connecting it to all planes that had video games had been a tricky thing. Hacking the ways without destabilizing them and covering his tracks alone had taken him like a month. As he aimed in on a player trying to escape an opposing team firing, he pulled the trigger on his controller. The player hit the ground, dropping a loot bag, and his mic queued up so Atom could hear it. Of course ARHHHHH!, Son of a¡­ "Third-party, bots,¡± Atom said with a chuckle. As he was sitting in to start taking shots at the other squad, a message icon came up on his screen. It looked like the player he just killed. He clicked on it.
User Merkage_555: You hacking piece of sh*t. Why don''t you get a f**king life, loser! Just delete the game. You''re trash!
Atom just laughed. He might be a hacking P.O.S., but he wasn''t a cheater. Arguably it wasn''t fair to be playing against an Ascendent with preternatural dexterity and reaction time. That wasn''t Atom''s fault. It was just who he was. He typed back an appropriate response to the rager.
User Surprise_ButtSex01: Get good, Noob! L.O.L.
Closing out the message screen, he spun his character around while changing his weapon to a shotgun. Someone had just shot him, and they hadn''t killed him in the first bullet. That was a mistake. He saw the player across the map hiding behind a broken down vehicle. Atom started bobbing and weaving as he pushed the idiot. He would regret taking a pot shot at him. The moment he got close enough, he pumped some digital lead into his opponent''s avatar. The player tried to run, but Atom just kept pushing the player. He was clearly panicking now. The player trying to evade in a straight line just like all the casuals. A voice called out in his head, distracting him from his pursuit. He sighed in annoyance when he realized what it was. One of the few followers that he had was in trouble. He considered ignoring the prayers for help, but he really couldn''t. He maintained the bare minimum that he needed to retain his seat on the Planar Council. He couldn''t have that. He cared little for power other than that which granted him the freedom to do what he wanted. Sighing again, he called out, "Hey Tess, Did you get that?" A female popped into existence beside him on the couch, eating a bowl of popcorn. She was beautiful by every planar standard. Shorter than his six-foot, she stood around five four. If Atom had friends, he would tell them how "thicc" she was. Skin tinted with a slight tan, burnt orange spiked hair styled in a wave that peaked on the top. One side of her head was shaved with thin lines of short hair. Her hair made her look like she''d been stolen out of a cyberpunk video game. It was actually pretty close to the truth. He had copied her build from a game he loved and constructed her matrix around the avatars framework when he forged her into existence. What she was currently wearing, though, was closer to a college girl on break. She wore a sea-green t-shirt that came down to her mid-thigh and toe socks with kittens playing on the yellow fabric. She turned to look at him, catching Atom appreciating her impressive frame. "The hell¡­ Atom, you shit. I was busy!" She popped off at him in annoyance. "Tess, you were definitely watching trash reality T.V. weren''t you? Besides, I know you just got that notification." She huffed and said, "I''m still mad at you, Atom. Don''t talk to me." Then she dissipated into thin air. "For planes sakes Tess. I''ve already apologized to you a hundred times. I forgot one time in a thousand years, once, and we had the thing on Waygo," he called out to the ceiling. "Doesn''t matter." A voice came back from everywhere. "Tess babe, we have to work. Can we please just talk about this later?" "Fine, but only because this isn''t for you." Tess came back in a snappy tone. Thank gods, like one time, and I never hear the end of it. You''d think giving someone life would be more than enough to get a little forgiveness. "I heard that." Atoms face cringed. He had forgotten to block that thought. Sometimes, the woman was a freaking terror, and he didn''t want her anymore pissed off at him. He had forged his Icon into something that would make his life more comfortable. How the hell was he supposed to know that she would have twice the attitude he did and an even worse temper. When he thought about it, though, he figured it was because she had been created out of the piece of him that was reliable and did work. When Atom had to be responsible, he had tons of attitude and snark. Why? Because he was lazy as shit that''s why and work was a chore. He just wanted to chill, surf the holo tube, and play video games. But unfortunately, he did have to work to do just that. So Tess had been created to handle most of it unless things like this happened. "Tess, what do we have?" "Shut-up, I''m working on it. Go to bridge fourteen. They are in a non-shifting zone." He cursed aloud. Atom hated having to travel the ways physically if he could help it. Moving through the Feed of the Ways was instant. Using the rainbow frost, a stupid name that, meant he had to interact with his peers. Sure it was fun to ride, and he looked badass when he landed on the planet. He did like that part. Making an entrance and looking awesome was vital if you had to go out into public, after all. Sighing internally again. Why he thought picking up this Mantle was a smart decision, he would never know. How was I to know that I could ignore the damn thing? I swear it was put there just to sucker in the first noob that ascended on my plane. He shifted, appearing in a massive warehouse-size closet. Thousands of clothing suits and various accouterments associated with their specific load-out, all in their own little lockers, sprawled around Atom. "Babe, what load-out?" "Do I have to do everything for you, you lazy bastard!! Ughhh¡­ SX42. Now leave me alone. I''m trying to create a report for the situation we are about to go into." "Love you, babe!" "Shut up, you ass, and get moving. Sucking up isn''t going to help you." "Doesn''t hurt to try, though," He muttered as he shifted to the appropriate locker. His body disappearing and popping into existence before a locker. He couldn''t remember what SX42 looked like. Laying his hand on the locker, it swung open. Inside was a sleek suit of power armor and a black nano weave trench coat hanging inside the left door. He groaned audibly. "Tess, what in the planes is going on? The only reason I would need this is if we were going to an Ascendent plane. What is the threat level?" An Ascendant plane is where people go once they "Ascended," and become aware of the truth about the universe. The fact being that their universe was just one of the thousands. Ascendants were not allowed to live in planes that didn''t openly know the truth, so the system summarily collects them once they sense it for the first time. The system was created and universally implemented across every plane. No one knows who made it, but everyone who reaches true ascension finds the status screen. Which is collectively called the system. It''s super original and absolutely not ripped off by every known fantasy author across the planes. Anyway, Atom thought it was a stupid name, but it stuck way before he came along. "Just put on the load-out and get to the damn bridge!¡± Tess''s voice rang out in the warehouse. "No," Atom said petulantly. "You are going to do this, you lazy shit." She shot back. "No, not until you tell me the threat level." "Ugh. I swear Atom, you are the ¡­ Whatever. It''s a half step below triple S." "Nope, they aren''t worth it. I''ll make sure their soul goes somewhere nice." He turned around and shifted back to his couch. At least he tried to. Instead, he felt himself falling face-first right back in front of SX42''s locker. "You are not going to let that little girl die because you don''t feel like doing your job. I swear you have to be the worst god.¡± Her voice saying the last word with piles of doubt. ¡°If it wasn''t for me, you would have lost your Mantle ages ago. Now put on that damn armor and get to the bridge. I''m waiting for you." "Sheesh woman, I was just joking, kinda¡­" he muttered under his breath as he picked himself off the ground. "No, you weren''t, and don''t call me woman." "Okay, Okay, I''m getting ready. I''ll be there in a sec," he said. Reaching out, he touched the armor and coat, making them vanish into his inventory. Mentally activating a script that made the clothing swap without using the status screen, Atom felt the suit envelop him. He looked at himself in the mirror that was in the back of the locker. Black and red adamantium microscale plates moved and flexed across the suit as the armor came online, pulling in anima from the surrounding area like the greedy thing it was. The suit''s circuitry was made of orichalcum, which was a perfect conductor of anima. Anima is the universal planar energy that all living things possess. At least, that is what it was called in the book that his grandfather had left him. That book had changed his life forever. Atom had taken his grandfather''s death hard. The man had been the only one to really get him. He was, of course, an old womanizing cad who always tried getting out of doing anything. "That''s why I had you, kids," he would say to my dad. The man had been a genius at shirking any responsibility. A pure legend if Atom ever knew one. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. This is why Atom had focused on all the things in the book his idol had left him. He had taken to the tome with a feverish drive that only those who lost someone they love can understand. Burying himself in all the techniques, movements, and exercises. Then one day, while meditating, he ended up in front of that damn Mantle. He hadn''t been able to get around the thing. All the other ascendants he had met said that they had easily sidestepped the offer and moved on. But no, of course, that isn''t what happened for Atom. It''s also why he''s currently standing in a suit that could destroy a mortal planet. "Will you please stop procrastinating, Atom? We are already going to be cutting it close," Tess yelled at him, her voice making him jump in surprise. "Coming Master," He muttered. "Ugh, if only. If only," she said in an exasperated tone. Atom shuddered internally. The image of her having him do all the work she did for him making his inner shirker want to cry. Giving himself one last look over, he remembered the nano weave trench coat. It appeared on the armor, sealing itself together at the front. The tails of the coat hanging down. Style baby style. Damn, I look fantastic. I might be a lazy bastard, but when I do actually do something, I freaking do it and look good at the same time. Atom shifted. His vision snapping into focus on the entrance to the Frost bridge. The building that held the physical access to the Ways was monstrous. Easily dwarfing a mountain in size. The rainbow crystal dome giving the structure its name. The Ways are an interconnecting information highway and the literal highway that is used by those who have the power to travel the multi-planar universe. It had been built by a being of unparalleled power and genius. The said being had been missing for eons. At least, Atom had been told that when he had taken his seat on the Council of Mantles. The Council governed all the planes and their "gods," or guardians, whatever said planes called it. It wasn''t his thing; Tess handled the details. He knew how to access the information if he really needed it, but he couldn''t be bothered with stuff like that. He attended meetings when he had to and dodged all extra duties like a happy fat man avoids a diet. Walking off the designated teleport platform, he moved through the entrance. Waving at people he knew, trying to look like he had places to be. Of course, giving smiles and winks at the beauties he saw was a priority. They of course couldn¡¯t see them with his suit on but he thought it was worth it. He caught sight of his feisty orange haired companion looking beautiful as ever. Fine backside on that one. She turned and smirked at him. Guess I didn''t hide that very well. At least she smiled at me. "I''m here, my dear. Shall we?" She eyed him with a dirty look and said, "I''m still pissed at you, Atom." "I know, babe. We don''t have to do this." He turned around to leave, and she grabbed the back of his collar, dragging him back towards the bridge they needed to use. "Oh no, you don''t, you slacker." She said, continuing to manhandle him. "Tess, let go. You''re embarrassing us. Stop it, stop it, fine, okay¡­ just let go." Atom protested to her as she continued dragging him to the transport station. She finally let him go before they got to the Angelic Arbitrator running their particular access point. The bird brains always ran the Ways and policed the plains, enforcing the peace treaty known as the Accords. Anyway, Atom thought they suck fat ones and really needed to get the stick that was stuck in their asses out. He outranked them as a Council member, but they worked for both sides of the treaty. If he got into too much trouble, they could at least cause him a big litigation nightmare and court appearances. And by him, he meant Tess. He wasn''t about to do paperwork, that was for sure. "I''m still mad at you, so this changes nothing. Give me your hand." She said. Atom gave her his hand. The two lit up like two suns briefly before Tess disappeared. Two ethereal blades formed on his back. They were a physical manifestation of his Icon. In actuality, though, Tess was something much more than a weapon. She was an A.I. that gave him insane access to the data Feed that ran through the planes. She hacked almost as well as he did, but he would never tell her that. Atom could feel Tess moving through his soul. The experience caused him to shutter as she snapped into place, where she belonged. He had forged her out of a piece of his soul, after all. He was never as powerful as he could be without them being joined. It had been the other reason he had forged an Icon immediately after taking the Mantle. He had quickly realized that there were some seriously dangerous beings spread throughout the planes. The Icon forging was necessary for his survival and not for keeping his job. Well, maybe to keep his job. Tess was right. He would have been stripped of his cushy position a long time ago if he didn''t have her. He''d be stuck on a single plane continually watching over it. Bored out of his mind and non-stop work. Boot sequence activating. Your full HUD should be coming online now. The name of the area is planet Trygon, in the Golar sector, on plane 382. I''ve already sent the destination information to the Arbitrator. Approval granted. The nearest access point is 3000 km out from our follower. Guess we are running then, ugh. The planet would be massive. Whatever. What''s the deal? It looks like this isn''t actually our follower''s fault. She is being targeted by a local ascendant sect called Praxis. What a stupid name. Why are they targeting her? How did I even get a little girl as a follower? I know, right, and not sure. She somehow got a hold of one of our relics we sent out to keep your numbers high enough. You don''t exactly do what you should, so we are barely scraping by. I know Tess, I know, It''s just hard, and I''m awkward around people. That''s why I set up the system I have so that I barely have to do anything. Fine, yeah, I get it. You''re basically a shut-in lazy bastard. Pushing a report of the planet''s follower count. Atom cringed at the very accurate description of him before reading the report in his hud.
Report: Plane 382 (Ascendant) Sector - Trygon Planet - Golar Population - 13.2 billion Followers - 1
Shit, we only have one follower on this planet? Did she just find the relic or something? That seems to be the case. It''s a contested planet between the Enemy and us. The Sect is definitely his. They must be targeting us intentionally. Requesting H.Q. for full entry and restrictions removed. Full entry Granted. Destruction restriction still in place. Try not to destroy everything, babe. You will be on the horns again if not. Psh, I''ll do what I have to. I only have one follower there, and I''m not about to let anyone cause me to have to do more work. Making those damn things are hard. You made me come here, so let''s get to work. And the follower. We are going to save the follower, too, right? Tess''s tone did not sound very welcoming, so Atom thought back quickly. Right, of course. I won''t let anyone target my follower, either. Tess sent a mental snort that he interpreted as a complete lack of faith in him. But Atom dismissed it. They knew each other absolutely when they were joined. She may be mad at him right now, but she still loved him completely. Stepping past the Arbitrator into the small room known as bridge fourteen. The crystalline floor like blue glacial ice giving it its namesake. Atom had zero clues about how it worked. He had desperately tried to figure it out, but no amount of hacking, bribing, or blackmail gave information on it. If he could get one of these at his place, he would never have to come out in public. Something Atom thought was actually worthy of working on. He stepped into the center as the door behind him clanged shut. Atom''s excitement rose as he prepared for his favorite part of this mode of transportation. The Frost started to glow with a bluish light as a humming white noise started increasing. The light flashed, and Atom was moving through the ways. It felt like sliding down a massive water slide but at speeds faster than light. He loved it. "Woooooo!" He yelled in joy. You''re such a child. Yeahhhhhhhh His ascendant mind was able to make out the crazy light show as they passed interconnecting tunnels of the Ways. They moved faster and faster before taking a planar junction and connecting to their destination. Shooting through space like a laser cannon, Atom could see the Purple and black planet. Sporadic cascades of yellow city lights in regions of the continent that he was about to land on. Turning his feet first as they entered atmo. He prepared to land. He hit the ground in a massive impact that had no sound. One knee down and his head lowered. An enormous glyph representing his power spread out around in a fifteen-meter circular diameter. The area was quarantined off specifically for Council members and arbitrators. An entire structure was built around the pad. Its purpose was to greet the dignitaries. All contested planes and planets had one that was connected to the Frost. They were technically not at war at the moment, but something had been heating up, according to the reports that Tess read to him. He did pay attention to them. A war would mean more work, and it wasn''t something Atom wanted to be any part of. If it did happen, he''d find a way to shirk out of it somehow. Showing up unexpectedly, the people of the welcoming area looked on at Atom in fear. If a member of the Council had shown up unannounced, then it meant trouble for someone. In stately attire, a fat sweaty man started walking towards Atom''s kneeling form to greet him most likely. Not paying attention to him or to the gawking onlookers. Atom flexed his will, the physical manifestation of his personal power, outward as he stood up. Stopping the fat man in place. Queue the music if you don''t mind, dear. You could just fly over there, Atom. There is no need to run. But flying is so bothersome. The only reason you want to run is so you can tear the ground up. If I have to work, I might as well have fun with it. Come on, Tess, don''t be cross with me. Just let me have my fun and queue my running playlist. Pick a good one too. Why you think tearing up 3000 km of the terrain is fun, I will never understand. Fine, boys will be boys. Don''t break the landing area, we need to leave from this backwater. You''re the best. I won''t, babe. Turn on the external acoustics¡ªno reason for them to not know who''s here after all. Damn right I am, and don''t you forget it. Kay, hmmm¡­ Oh, here''s a good one. The beat started blasting out from his anima enhanced armor. Bounce by his boy Calvin. Atom thought it was perfect as his Mantle fully activated. The God of Procrastination and Easy Ways prepared to do just exactly what the song demanded. Anima powered servo motors spinning up, and brightly glowing orange lines pulsing to the music''s beat in waves across the suit. The frosts landing structure inhabitants started to scream, dropping whatever they had in their hands, trying to escape the area. Everyone in the know about who sat on the Council knew precisely what happened when the God of Procrastination actually had to stop procrastinating. Cities disappeared. Waves of the beat stirring his Mantle, his soul-filling as all the ambient anima in a 10 km area was sucked in. The music pushing him to move, Atom broke into a slight jog. Pushing off one leg to the next in a warm-up. The adamantine star forged armor was so dense that the structure shook each time his foot touched and left the ground, people falling as they ran away. The entryway doors were thrown open as he picked up speed, bouncing to each leg as he came in sync with the music''s beat. Crossing the threshold, the beat started to build, working its way towards the drop¡ªAtoms every-step in sync as he worked up speed. The beat dropped, and a shock wave blew apart the front drive of the council building. Loud cracks of the sound barrier being broken repeatedly as Atom really started as the song transitioned to Iron by the same artist. Clouds were being pushed away and pulled into his wake as he crossed the terrain. Large hills and impact craters were created with each pump of his leg. Atom jumped as he neared a populated city, not wanting to harm the innocent citizens or damage public property. He did break Mach 5 as he crossed over the town, which shattered a large majority of the windows in the area. Coming upon an ocean, Atom decided that he had had his fun. He switched to flight as he broke Mach 7, blowing a cliffside over the ocean to pieces. If he had looked back, he would have noticed the thousands of trees and tornados he had created in his wake across the continent. Destroying billions of credits in property and wiping out half of a priceless ancient sacred forest. Tess, where is the headquarters of this Sect? Do we have time to pay it a visit before the relic¡­ I mean, follower gets hurt? You know Atom¡­ You are absolutely awful sometimes, right? These people believe in you. Sigh. Yes, we have time. Correcting course. Follow the blue line. You can only Destroy the building. Too many civilian facilities are around, so be careful. Do you want to wipe them off the planet? Yeah, I figure we probably should. I could make it clean. Give my follower their H.Q. Maybe invest some power into the structure while I''m here. I don''t plan on coming back in person, like, ever, so it could save me some future hassle. Always trying to plan around your next duty to shirk. Your ingenuity to devise plans to escape responsibilities never ceases to amaze me, and I''m in your head, always. That''s saying something. Loading up the list. Hmmm... we don''t have time to do this clean and save the follower. Get the girl first, then handle the rest. Correcting course again. Follow the new path. Thanks, babe. You really are the best. You know I''m sorry, I forgot your birthday. I know you can feel it. I know you are. It''s okay. I''ll get over it. You need to make it up to me very soon, or you will regret it. Atom knew that those words meant trouble if he didn''t figure out how to appease her. He put it on his to-do list. He''d get to it eventually, probably right before she tried to stab him if he didn''t miss his guess. Coming up on our target in two minutes. Fall out of hypersonic. Oh no, we didn¡¯t make it in time. In time for what Tess? You remember the rules Atom we can¡¯t have an incid¡ª Atom cut her off. I know, Tess. I won''t break the rules. In time for what Tess? I swear Atom. If you cause me to have to do all the paperwork for an incident again with those freaking bird brain halo freaks¡­ I won''t, I won''t. I only break the rules when I have to. Send me the feed of the last five minutes of the situation. Whatever, here, pushing it now. Chapter 5 Damn, poor thing. Nothing can be done now. Run the Phase lock script. I don¡¯t want any of them escaping or communicating with their buddies. Ehhh¡­ slam down a barrier as well. I can at least give her some revenge. Which one? They are pretty strong. They will probably break whatever you have on hotkey for me. Yeah, now that we are close enough, my readings say that two will easily break through. I would suggest Heavens Fire Gates of Absolution. Tess, you always suggest that one. It''s effective. So it has nothing to do with how stupid it makes me look. Nope¡­ Atom could feel the mirth from his snarky companion rolling through his soul as he set down from his flight. "That damn woman." He muttered as he prepared to do the Macarena. He had been trying to figure out how she had designed the technique, but it was under heavy encryption. That shouldn''t be a problem for the God of Hacking and Short-cuts, but he suspected she had been altering his thoughts each time he came close. He could brute force it and fix the embarrassing way to activate the barrier, but he wouldn''t. It was pretty funny to do, reminded him of home, and if it made her laugh and smile, it was worth a little of his pride. He was a shameless shirker and didn''t have much use for pride anyway. Undulating with his hands on his hips, he jumped around for the final time and called out in a loud sing-song voice, "Heyyy Macarena." Catcalls and hoots of laughter came from Tess at his finishing moves. The city block they were in went dark as the Heavens Fire Gates of Absolution took form. Massive smoldering pillars fell from the heavens landing in the four corners of the area. A white ethereal light snapped into place, connecting the pillars'' tops and sides, forming an impenetrable box. Alright, Tess. I''m pissed off. Pick me a good song to rage out to. Coming right up¡­ Del R¨ªo Tess said to him, laughing all the harder. Atom had stopped paying attention, though, as sweet musical ministrations of the man, Rick Ross, and the legend Jay-Z started blasting out around him. The bass hit so hard that pebbles and dirt in the area began jumping off the ground. The Devil is a Lie, It, right, I can fuh witcha. I figured you might like a classic. Now cut loose and show ''em proof the song is wrong. The devil is alive and here for you. Walking around, Atom saw his follower screaming into the chest of the headless corpse of her companion in the back of the alley. Realizing just how young she was. The goons from the Praxis Sect casually talking about raping her. He held his anger in at her tears. Regretting that he¡¯d wasted any time at all coming here. Tess light them up by priority. Don''t Atom. I can tell what you''re thinking, and I''m with you, but... We will get in trouble if you destroy this city block. It''s fine, babe. I have a plan. You had a plan on Waygo too. You know how that turned out. Atom stiffened for a second before dismissing it. It would work this time. He was certain. Tess, we agreed to forget about the Waygo incident. I only mentioned it earlier because it was a valid reason why I forgot. Sorry, we did. No, it wasn''t a valid reason, but we can finish that little conversation later. The music''s beat pounding around him, Atom reached out his hand calling his blades. They shot up from his back into a single piece of light. Forming a gigantic war hammer. He chuckled. Tess knew his mood all too well. A job like this did not require finesse. No, it required blunt force with lots of trauma. Twenty Sect members stood in between him and his follower. Piss stained colored robs, making them look stupid. They all began glowing in three different colors, red, green, and blue. Signifying their ascension rank. Red meaning they had Icon''s and were full Ascendants like Atom. Blue meant two steps below him in ascendent rank, and green meaning newly ascended. "Ewho da hell are you?" A ranked blue man stepped out of the group. Atom said nothing as the music continued to shake the ground. "How about you piss off mate, before eh, we have to get personal." Atom gave them the universal sign of hello with his free hand out, middle finger extended. "You tryin to die cunt?" The blues and greens started to make their way towards him. He dropped his hammer, gave them another hello, and made a hand gesture towards his crotch. He put his index and thumb really close together then pointed at the goons. Then mimed laughing while slapping his leg. "Imma freak''en pound you music boy, let''s get em boys. The bent can wait." They rushed him. The loudmouth blue hit him first with enough power to shatter the stones around him and sending his body bouncing off the barrier. Atom fell into a building, destroying it as his dense armor caused it to collapse in on itself. And so it went, building after building destroyed as the blues and greens beat his ass all over the enclosed area. They split up into teams, knocking him back and forth like he was a ball in a tennis match. Basically, flattening everything inside the white barrier beside the two buildings, which his follower, was in-between. Being true to form, Atom had thought of a brilliant workaround to the damage restriction. Just let the bad guys do it. Anything that led to less paperwork and effort was a serious priority. He let the soon to be dead Sect members prepare the area for him, so he could play. I think that''s about enough. Surely I can get away with cutting loose now that they destroyed the block with my body. Got it annnnnd done. Running blackout script in the area. The Feed is looped. Overwatch is blind, cut loose. Getting punched again, he angled his body so that he''d be thrown over the hammer, snagging it with an outstretched hand on the way by. The song transitioned to Godzilla. Atom flexed his will, speeding up his flight through the air. As he came barreling towards five of the goons, he swung the war hammer, connecting with a highlighted green. The body disappeared along with most everything else for thirty meters¡ªthe shock wave from the impact blowing body limbs of two blues reeling off into the air. Two of the other greens remaining companions flew outward to slam against the white barrier on opposite sides. Their colors went dark, telling him that they were no longer among the living. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "Striiike," Atom cheered, then blurred away. "Wat da fuk just appen," said an illiterate blue that had sped over to the site of his former sect members. He looked over to see the music box with legs busting moves that he would attribute to a person having an epileptic seizure. It wasn''t any dancing he''d ever seen. "You dead you cun¡­" The man cut off as Atom appeared standing in the air at approximately his shoulder height. The face of the war hammer was encompassing the blues vision. Atom''s feet were slightly spread apart, and he was wiggling his butt, looking off in the distance behind the blue. He gestured to the man to stand still. The man was in such shock at how Atom had just appeared by him that he just stood there while Atom pulled back his hammer. The now headless body of the blue fell limp as his head blew a hole through the chests of two greens across the enclosed area that happened to line up just right. Tess, tell me you got that clat. Stop playing with the weaklings and get the girl. The two reds have already started making their way over to her. Ah, Tess, I will, but did you get it? It was awesome, right? Is there such a thing as a hole in two? Tiny gods Atom, yes, I got it. Girl. Now! Right, on it. Atom blurred away, destroying the body of the headless blue as a massive pressure wave finished off the area. Three more loud cracks happened almost simultaneously as Atom softly dropped down back into the alleyway. His armor peppered with chunks of organic leftovers of the lower-ranked sect members. The sounds startled the reds. They turned around from tapping on the shield that had been placed around the girl. The music from the suit cut off as Atom scanned the two reds. He would need to be careful with this one. If he gave them enough time to go all out, they''d end up destroying the small city they were in. Tess would have his balls for a coin purse if that happened for sure. "Any way we can just you know, not do this?" He called out to the two reds. He was pretty sure they were sect elders. "I mean, you''re dead either way. One just doesn''t require as much paper work on my part." Atom shrugged. "Where are our disciples?" One of the reds said, looking around in concern. Atom picked a chunk of what he thought might be a part of a liver off his coat and tossed it to the man. "I''ll be honest. I''m not sure which one that belonged to. I''m really surprised that there was even anything left of them. Must be a strong body path." The reds face he had thrown the piece of liver to went purple in rage. "You have no idea who you are messing with, you son of a gutter shite. We are elders of the great Praxis Sect. We own this planet. You will pay for this insult." Do they actually own this planet, Tess? In all but name babe. The more I dig, the more I''m piecing together what''s actually happening here. I calculate that if the Praxis sect continues unchecked that we will lose this contested planet completely to the Enemy. Dammit, I don''t want to get involved in politics. I just wanted to save my¡­ follower and get off this rock. How entrenched are they? The data says that Praxis has corrupted all governments and has openly started sanctioning the ones that haven''t been influenced yet into poverty. Now that I know what''s going on, we will have to do something about it. They are in violation of the Accords¡­ sort of. Enough to warrant a Council inquiry. Okay, but they are actively seeking other Council members'' relics, which gives me leeway to do as I see fit. How many temples of the Councils are left on this planet. Hmmm, let me see here. That would be a fat none. I imagine the only reason yours hadn''t been snagged up was due to how sneaky the damn things are. They lay dormant until a particular type of individual comes in contact with it. I know how they work, Tess. I made them. Wait, how can there be no temples? Something is really messed up here. Oh no... no! Shit¡­ What is it, Tess? What just happened? Kill the two now, Atom. Grab the girl and get to the frost connection. Atom didn''t hesitate, letting his hammer go as it flashed to light and the two crossed swords formed on his back. He blurred over to the first talking red. Grabbing the man by the back of his neck, Atom jerked. Tossing aside the head and spinal column, he once more repeated the action. Looking down at the woman holding the headless corpse of her companion, Atom paused. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do. They had to leave but he knew the situation required some care. He had been late and she had lost someone because of that. The ascendent planes were cruel, even more so to the mortals. Taking a deep breath he focused and removed his helm. Keeping control of himself he laid a hand gently down on the girl¡¯s back. ¡°We have to go.¡± Atom spoke quietly. The girl jerked at the touch and voice. Her tear streaked gaze looked up at him. ¡°Who are you?¡± came a hoarse voice. She must have been screaming the whole time, Atom thought. ¡°I am Atom. You called for me and I came.¡± She looked away from him. ¡°You came too late.¡± ¡°I know,¡± he said softly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come sooner?¡± Her voice broke as she held to her companion''s body all the tighter. ¡°We can talk later and I will explain. Right now we must go.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave him here. Not here in this, this trash heap. He deserves better,¡± the girl stated with conviction. We can¡¯t wait any longer babe. Our window is closing fast. Reaching down he dragged the woman away. A black chain with a crystal shard attached came away in the woman¡¯s hand. Atom froze as he realized what the item was. Tess, did you see what she has? Yes, I have no idea how it got here but it looks like it''s full as well. I agree. We will have to take a look at it later. Slamming down his helmet again he took a deep breath. Relief flooding him. Using his will, he held the girl still and used a barrier script that encapsulated her in the radiant glow of Anima. Waving a hand the body of the girl''s companion disappeared into his storage. Ignoring the girl''s protests as she beat against the container, Atom crouched then leaped. Everything inside the Heavens Fire Gates of Absolution exploded to dust as Atom moved through the white wall. Nothing but a perfectly square crater a hundred meters wide and 25 deep was left as the ethereal thing dissipated. Tess, tell me how bad it is. I absolutely know that will get us into trouble back there, so it better be serious. It''s bad, babe. Even worse than bad. Two other frost connections were just destroyed on different continents. We need to get off this rock asap. Wait, what? Who would be stupid enough to destroy a Council structure? Not even I''m willing to do any more than blow up the lawn, and I''m an asshole. You remember my analysis last year about how I thought something fishy was going on with the constant Accord violations in non-magical planes. Yes, yes. Get to the point, Tess. How could I forget? You literally stopped talking to me until I agreed to take a freaking MCQ on the report. Well, you should preste aten??o cabronas, else I won''t have to resort to childish measures. Tess, I''m pretty sure that''s not how you say that. Shut up, you useless bastard. Ugh¡­ Okay, well, I theorized that the Enemy had been looking for something. We could never prove it was actually him violating the rules, but my analysis pointed to it. The Council leader and the General disappeared a few months ago. When they came back last month, the violations stopped. That seems pretty strange, doesn''t it? Actually, there has been zero activity by the Enemy since they returned. Atom thought that was extremely troubling. The back and forth between the two powers had been going on for eons before he ascended¡ªnothing too hostile or aggressive. The Accords had been agreed on for a reason. The first war had caused destruction on a scale that genuinely sickened Atom. He had no problems with killing those who opposed him or enforcing Accord violations. These people were not run of the mill criminals. They knew exactly what they were doing. But the destruction of entire planes and all their higher subspaces. The afterlife and soul sea destroyed. The thought made him feel like he''d just been told he killed a hospital full of children. Okay, reach out to the Council if you haven''t already. They need to know what''s happening here. On it. Scanning the Feed to see if this is an isolated event¡­ Shit, Atom, we are in trouble. I just lost connection to outside this plane. Something is blocking me. The moment I put in a query to see the planes'' current status, something slammed into place before I could get a full report. That is very, very bad, Tess. What did you manage to get, and did the message get out? No, whatever that thing was interrupted the download midstream. I don''t know what got through, but I doubt anything useful. Analyzing the partial data retrieved. Dammit, Atom, if I''m reading this right. We are at War. At least on this plane. What?! There''s no way it''s that bad. We just lost over eighty-five percent of this plane. The Accord violations point towards an outright slaughter of all Council staff, facilities, and structures. That''s only on the piece of the info I was able to get. I don¡¯t know if something similar is happening on other contested planes or planets. Shit wat¡ª Before Tess could finish the thought, Atom sensed something about to hit him. Not having enough time to maneuver away and protect his cargo, he pushed his follower''s anima container away from him with his will and prepared for impact. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Atom didn''t so much as feel the impact of something striking his back as he experienced what an absolute change in direction at Mach 8 felt like. He hit the landmass below him like a falling meteorite. His HUD lit up red with internal sensors screaming at him about breached and failed containments. Suppressing the flood before it could get out of hand, he asked Tess to silence the alarms. He pushed himself up off the ground and surveyed the two-kilometer crater his body just made. Gods I hope nothing was here. Else I¡¯m going to be in trouble. A grating high pitched female voice from the sky called down to him, "What do we have here? Now this was an unexpected treat. A Council member trapped on this shit hole? It must be my lucky day. He will be very pleased with me. Very pleased indeed." Atom looked up towards the annoying and familiar voices owner. She slowly drifted down from the sky. There was absolutely nothing notable about the woman. She was athletic-looking but mostly average in every way except for a slightly hooked nose. Her cold dead eyes looked down on him imperiously. Yes, he was familiar with Karen. Her name wasn¡¯t actually Karen but it was something close so he¡¯d intentionally not remembered it deciding Karen was much more fitting. She was one of the Nine. An organization that mirrored the Council on the Enemy''s side. "Look, the manager isn''t in right now." Atom said. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You always say that." Karen snapped out. Atom snickered as the woman seethed in confusion at his inside joke. It wasn''t his fault they weren''t from his world. He checked to see that his suit had sealed the breach, and full containment was reestablished. He relaxed his control allowing the hungry suit to gorge itself once more. Ignoring the woman''s question, he asked his own, "What are you doing here, Karen? A little birdy told me that you got in quite the pickle recently with your master. I could have sworn you lost your place on the Nine." Karen''s face went red in rage, but she took control of herself, then smiled, " That''s not my name bastard. And that was a minor and temporary thing." Atom laughed, "You think losing a high profile target like that was minor?" He didn''t actually know exactly what she had been doing, but Tess had told him that the target had been worth almost starting the war up again. Multiple planar rifts, brute force tears in the Ways that are used gain access to protected planes which don''t know the truth. There had also been open use of Icons in a non-magical plane. Atom had gotten a little greedy, sifting through the data, accidentally triggering an air gap failsafe and locked down the information node. The node had interested him for that very reason, though. The mystery. The juicy secrets. Why would it be so protected, and most of the reports were redacted? He knew that two Council members and two of the Nine had been there. One of the Nine went missing, and Karen was subdued by the Arbitrators with the help of two council members. He only knew about Karen''s involvement because it fit with her being captured then her removal shortly afterward from the Nine. Let''s see what she will tell us. "I can''t believe you would actually call losing one of the Nine and being captured by the council a minor thing." He laughed like she had told the greatest joke in the world, completely overdoing the act to insulting proportions. "I didn''t lose one of the Nine you suit wearing freak. She was kidnapped by the¡­" She shut her mouth as she saw Atom lean in. She glared at him. Taking control of herself, barely, she forced a laugh, "You don''t know anything and I''m not about to divulge things above your station. Even if it doesn''t matter." Atom, you almost had her. Why did you have to lean in? Stop being a noob. Sorry, Tess, I got a little excited. That''s why you don''t know the details now. You botched that job thoroughly. Atom grumbled at her. He knew it was true, but he didn''t like his skills getting called into question. "Suit wearing freak? I look freaking amazing in this thing." "You always have on some type of amplifying armor. You do realize that won''t even the playing field against those of us with true power." "It is what it is. Some are more gifted than others." He said with a laugh. Have you found him yet, Tess? Working on it, babe. You know it''s hard to do anything in this suit if I don''t have full access to the Feed to supplement¡­ Got him. He''s concealing himself just outside the crater. Okay, good. Are you confident that we are at war? I will have to break the rules here, even if it''s in self-defense. There is no way the General will let me get away with it. I''m not recording, so at least try to leave peacefully. I doubt this hag is going to let us leave peacefully. The crater is enough to tell me that, but I''ll try to cover our ass. "Look Karen. Let''s just call it a day and let me be on my way. I''m sure you have better things to do than to pick on little oh me. I just want to leave. Personally I could give two flying craps about this place. I don''t want to get involved in whatever you are up to." "Ohh, but I want you to get involved. I''ve been dying to see what''s under that suit of yours for quite some time now." "You have a nice body but you''re a little too homely for my tastes." It just slipped out of Atom''s mouth before he could stop himself. He even snorted at how funny he thought it was. Karen''s famed Icon formed into her hand as she visibly shook enraged. The silvery light coalesced into the shape of a three-meter long red-shafted yanyuedao. The blade looked like a void black flame had been blown backward then frozen. It seeped with the pestilence of her twisted paths power. "You talk a lot of shit for a weakling sloth god. I''m going to enjoy this." I lost him, babe, so watch out. Atom sighed audibly, "Seriously. Can we please not do this? I really really really just want to leave." Atom tried one last time. He really did just want to go. He''d saved his relic and defeated the bad guys involved. A war breaking out mid-mission was a fluke, and he needed to get back and prepare for how to not be involved in this fiasco. No matter what, Tess was going to have to do a lot of paperwork because there was no way to untell overwatch they were here. If he got any more involved than this with the dust puss over there, he would be doing said paperwork himself. The council leader and General would supervise it all while they had their feet so far up his ass that he''d be tasting leather and boot polish for the next decade. A collared dark-robed man appeared beside Atom, swinging a punch for his head, which he leaned back casually and dodged. He grabbed the man by the collar and threw him at Karen. The woman disappeared from the spot as her dog flew through the space she had previously been in. She reappeared behind him, swinging the tasseled end of her yanyuedao, and swept him off his feet. The woman was just as fast as he''d read in reports. While he was still falling in the air, she swung down with the bladed part of her staff railing him in the gut, making another crater inside the crater. He thought that if they kept this up, they might end up breaking a continental plate if he wasn''t careful. Something he most definitely will be blamed for, even if it wasn''t his fault. Tess, is the frost we came in on still up? Not for long. Their forces will have the shield down pretty soon. Okay, we need to get over there and fix that issue. I''m about to punt this bitch. Prepare something we can use. Atom blurred away before Karen could follow up with a downward heel kick. Picking out one of the two moons that orbited the planet. Atom performed the exact sweeping leg action in reverse so she would fall face first then kick the thunder cunt as hard as the suit would allow without breaking containment. Karen basically disappeared as a rather large crater appeared on the surface of the lucky moon. He threw his hands up and yelled, "And it''s good. The crowd goes wild. Ahhh!" Atom tore off to his only exit. He didn''t bother to take care of the Praxis sect members that seemed to be slowly chipping away at the Council''s cheap scape bottom of the line shield. He had Tess drop down one that he was pretty sure no one would be able to get through until he could handle ole girl. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Speeding back to the crater site, he found that Karen hadn''t made it back from her two-point adventure. She was coming through; he could see her burning form racing through the atmosphere right at him. He bent his legs waiting for her to arrive. She came in at hypersonic speed, yanyuedao leading. Atom was pretty sure she would break the planet''s tectonic plates with an Icon powered strike like that. He would not be responsible for that, no sir. The world slowed to a crawl. Karen inches from him. He pushed her yanyuedao wide, snatching one of her arms, and twisted, redirecting her at a slight, much less dangerous angle. Karen''s body impacted the crater''s side, creating a small canyon as she bounced like a rag doll for a few kilometers. He hoped there wasn''t anything important in that direction. The collared man made an appearance again, throwing a barn size fireball his way. Atom blurred behind the man and snapped his neck. He tossed the body in the explosion of his own flames as he waited on Karen to quit screwing off. She obliged him as he felt her start drawing in the ambient anima in the area. He didn''t feel the first blow, but he did find himself flipping and flopping just like he''d just done to her. She stayed on him, though, kicking, punching, and all-around beating his ass all over the place. He never even had time to react to her attacks. They fell in an unending barrage of blows. The woman was on the Nine, after all. She wasn''t some pushover he could splat and move on. The main thing was that he hadn''t prepared to face someone this powerful. The suit he was in wasn''t designed for it. He could beat on the plebs in this backwater no problem but not someone at Council or the Nine''s strength. She somehow managed to impressively cause his body to create another impact crater in the crater of the crater. It was just getting ridiculous at this point. His suit alarms were going off, and multiple breaches were evident in his HUD display. It was still holding containment together despite the Karen putting it through the wringer. He didn''t bother getting up as the woman appeared before him at his feet. He couldn''t keep up with her speed anyway. Her brown hair was all messed up, and her face was covered in what he assumed was moon dirt from her little trip upstairs. The woman was breathing in a ragged rage. He thought if just a little dro¡­ never mind, some drool started coming out of the left side of her mouth. "No one makes a fool at of me! I''m going to tear down every gods damned temple you have in every plane. I''m going to erase you from existence you stupid music playing suit wearing bitch. Then I''m going to find your orange hair slut and have my dog rape her till she dies." She screamed, causing spittle to fly all over him as she drew in and another breath. Waygo part two it is. Abso-bucking-lutely not Atom. I don''t care what she''s saying. Don''t get¡­ Atom stopped listening to his companion as he stood up and started pulling off the tatted remains of his nano-weave coat. "Oh you going to do something now, suit wearing pansy bitch. Did I upset you? Aww does music man not want his orange pretty broken. Maybe I''ll drop her off at one of my temples when my dog is finished with her. So they can keep her warm." Karen laughed maniacally. He thought he had a good judge of her power level now and figured one arm ought to be enough. He could keep himself in check enough for one arm. He didn''t want to burn away the planets atmosphere. He wasn''t that angry. He tried to run the script to remove the left sleeve after touching it, but it failed. Tess was blocking him, it seems. It''s too late, Tess. I''m doing this. Tess screamed back at him, but he didn''t listen. He''d made up his mind, and he thought that maybe he would like to see what leather tasted like. He knew the fresh stuff smelled good. Atom interrupted the dead woman that kept screaming obscenities at him, "You know what I find funny, you sandy cunt. You all seem to assume that I wear this suit to even the playing field. Which is close to the truth. You also incorrectly believe that my path is some form of bardic type. That my Mantle is some type of procrastination and good times emulation of reality. Which is stupid as hell if you thought about it for two seconds. I guess my acting is pretty good though." He chuckled. "What! What did you just call me?" She frothed out in a seizure-like scream. He moved. The punch hit her in the stomach, breaking his left gauntlet''s containment. He didn''t try to fix it. He moved back away from the woman as she tried to catch her breath. It might be a while with the lower right half of her rib cage shattered. "Don''t open your mouth when your betters are speaking to you. Now where was I¡­" Hook nose threw up blood and shards of bone, he was pretty sure. He shrugged and continued his mental battle of trying to subvert his fiery Icon''s attempt at blocking the removal of his left arm piece. He could shatter it, but he didn''t have a replacement on him. He continued, "Oh yes, so you''re in luck. You guys broke the Feed into this plane so no ones around to see me show you. See I actually have a problem. Without this suit I couldn''t be around anyone." Karen tried to speed away, but he snatched her arm mid-flight and slammed her back down in front of him. He chopped down with his breached gauntlet and smashed the femur in her right leg. After further consideration, he shattered the fibula and tibia in her left. "None of that now. Be rude again and I''ll break the rest." Atom looked at her like a disapproving father who''d caught his child misbehaving.Not that she saw anything with his helmet on. Karen''s anima enforced screams could probably be heard on most of the continent. "Right, so my suit. It doesn''t actually protect me. It actually protects you from me. That¡¯s funny right?" He looked down at the screaming woman and kicked her in the shattered right leg. "I said it''s funny. RIGHT?" She started nodding emphatically. He chuckled darkly and then smiled brightly as he continued, "I thought so too, Karen. I thought so, too. The problem I have is that my path and my Mantle synergize too well. You would think that would be a great problem to have but it actually isn''t." He kicked her again when he thought she was spacing out from the pain or trying to speed her healing up. He didn''t care. He''d break them again. "Nope it''s a shitty problem. See, I can''t control it very well. I''m honestly just lazy. I could have mastered it by now if I tried. Anywho, if I go out in public without one of these hungry monsters," He tapped his suit. "My spirit alone would start killing people who weren''t in the high Ascendent ranks. I live in a specially designed house on an isolated planet so I don''t absentmindedly walk out to the backyard. You know to take a piss, and accidentally kill the neighborhood." Atom looked up into the sky, feeling wistful. "It''s a lonely problem to have. But I''m not alone. I have Tess. She''s my better half by far. I loved her something fiercely. Don''t you think that''s beautiful Karen?" He stomped down on the mostly healed right leg, and she gave a gut-wrenching cry. He decided that she agreed too. "Yes, it''s very beautiful. Now, Karen, if you think it''s so beautiful then why did you threaten to do such horrible things to my Tess?" She spewed out her words like a violent case of diarrhea. "I didn''t mean it, I di di didn''t mean it. I I I''m sorry¡­" Atom placed a finger over her lips to quiet her and started stroking her hair. "I appreciate that apology Karen. I really do. People make mistakes¡­" He gestured like it was no big deal as he continued to stroke her hair. "I''ll tell you what. Since you apologized I won''t tear your arms and legs off and watch you bleed out. Doesn''t that sound great?" She nodded emphatically. Do it in space, and I''ll stop fighting you. I know you''re going to do it either way. What you said was sweet. I love you too¡­ asshole. He sent his love back to his cyberpunk queen and looked Karen in the eyes. He put on a bright smile. "I feel so close to you right now. I think I can share my secret with you. Would you like that?" Karen nodded that she absolutely wanted to know. He even thought it was genuine. "I have a theory. The reason I probably couldn''t get around my Mantle when I ascended is because the two ideals refused to separate when they came in contact with each other. The path of Stellar Might meets the Mantle of Endless Nova. The two just constantly feed off each other. It''s a bit much, to be honest. I shine like a¡­ well, without my containment lets just say I twinkle ever so brightly. I''ve been told it''s beautiful. You think it''s beautiful too don''t you, Karen." He reached down and squeezed her left shin, cracking the bones again. "Ohhh gods! Yes, very beautiful!" Karen half groaned and screamed out. He clapped his hands together like he was excited about something. Then started stroking her hair again. "Oh, I have an idea. Why don''t I show you my light show. You would like that wouldn''t you, Karen?" She nodded emphatically that she would like to see his light show. He was sure she would agree with anything at this point if he didn''t miss his guess. "Excellent, well let''s go." He paused, then called out, "Layla, don''t move from this area. We have to leave after this." He heard a loud squeak and the sound of rocks sliding as someone fell over behind him. She could have promise. Especially if she was able to break my own barrier. That was no easy feat. I might put a little effort into her¡­ maybe. I¡¯ll put it on the to-do list. "Oh o Okay. I''ll be here." She said from the pile of rubble she''d been eavesdropping from. ~~~~ Layla watched as the deity flew off. The glowing barrier had given her a front row seat to a display of power beyond anything she had ever seen. That included holo films. It was one thing to know powers like this existed and another to see them in action. Slipping her spare key back in the pocket of her cloak, she looked around at the devastation. The pulsing light of the crystal shard pulled her attention away for the moment. She rolled the shard back and forth between her fingers. She wasn¡¯t sure what happened but the thing was glowing now. Layla thought it started doing that right after¡ªno she couldn¡¯t think about it. Her legs started getting weak. The dusky sky white super white. So white that the world looked strange. Vivid, too vivid. Her eyes started burning as the light became too much for her and she closed them. Shielding them with her hand. Then a wave of heat. She¡¯d never felt so much heat. She thought her skin might catch fire. It abruptly disappeared. Risking a look she saw that everything was back to normal. She looked up into the night sky and saw one of the two moons¡­ she wasn¡¯t sure. Burnt maybe. Yes, she was sure. The silver orb was blacked around the edges. She was confident that she absolutely did not want to see Atom¡¯s light show. A thump off to the left let her know that Atom had made it back down to the ground. She stiffened her resolve. She would need to grieve but not now. Layla moved out from the pile of rubble and hesitantly made her way over to the man in dark armor. His face was hidden by his helmet. Only blazing red swooshes for eyes looked back at her. She thought he looked like some type of shinobi mech lord. It was both menacing and ridiculous. "Well, are you ready to go kiddo? This planet isn''t safe for us anymore." She nodded. She didn''t mind him calling her kid. His presence made her feel safe and, honestly, kind of like a child. She thought it was strange, but she had called out to him, and he came. A true blue deity answered her cry for help. "Any more family we might need to grab before we go?" She shook her head. He had done something with Jogen¡¯s body but she assumed he had it. Who knew what gods were capable of. He looked off for a second, then nodded like he was answering someone. "I guess you¡¯re with me until I can figure something out." She shrugged in that ¡®if you say so¡¯ kinda way. The warm feeling of his power enveloped her. The events of the day finally took their toll on her. His power was so soothing. Layla started drifting off as they left the ground. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 The loud clicks of heavily armored feet struck the stone floor as Atom paced outside the council chambers. It had been three months since he had returned from Golar with news on what had happened. The plane had been lost completely. All but the staff at the gate Atom used had been killed. That had been a blow to the Council. An entire plane lost. Their protection, though limited as it was, withdrawn from the inhabitants. The event had been isolated, fortunately. The Nine had responded to the Council''s demands on the event by sending an envoy. But Atom was required to leave the chambers for some reason while the discussion took place. He didn''t like it. No, he did not like it one bit. It had the makings of more work for him if he didn''t miss his guess. He knew he shouldn''t have ever gone to that planet. He just knew it. The feeling of a rather large migraine was setting in behind his eyes. "Stop pacing, your footsteps are giving me a headache," came a feminine voice from which he was positive, said migraine came from. Atom looked at the speaker. Layla Breeze-Walker. His new follower sat primly on a bench to the left of the colossal door. A glare that he found only women he annoyed could manage aimed directly at him. He smiled at her, but of course, she couldn''t see it. His suit prevented his face from being seen. He could take it off, but the effort of suppressing himself would only make the pounding in his head worse. Pausing, he took stock of the girl. She was an enigma to him. The girl refused to speak once they got back. Walking around his house in a catatonic state for weeks before he finally confronted her. An attempt ending with Layla throwing things at him in rage, blaming him for every bad thing that had ever happened to her before petering out into a crying mess on the floor. Of course, he went straight back to the dog house with Tess. Honestly, worse than the dog house. She had outright refused to do anything for him. Tess and Layla became the best girlfriends ever while Atom had to actually do his job. The amount of work that he had been subjected to post Golar was ridiculous. The Council on high alert and constantly in session. Mountains of bureaucracy usually handled by the orange-haired companion now his problem. He had to find a way to get out of this. He couldn''t take much more forced social interaction, especially with the ego-driven idiots that made up the other Council members. Atom swore that he had to be the only one that didn''t actually want to hold a Mantle because clearly everyone else loved the position. The drive for more power was the only way to even get to a level where you could get a chance at a Mantle. Atom did not have that drive. The power was forced onto him like a rancid fart in an enclosed elevator. A side door to the meeting chamber opened and a figure in elegant robes stepped out. A mop of calico black, orange hair topped with silver turned his way. Her heterochromatic feline eyes took him in before motioning him over. She was the Mantle of something, but neither he or Tess could discover what. He did know that she headed the intelligence division of the Council and was someone you absolutely did not want to piss off. If you wanted to keep your life, that is. Atom had always been on friendly terms with her. He hoped that she had good news as he made his way over to her though that seemed less and less like the case if he was judging her expression correctly. Once he was within hand-shaking distance, she made a gesture, and a globe of silence surrounded the two. "Atom, in a few moments your going to need to walk into the meeting. I''ll be straight with you. It''s not good. Compromises had to be made," she said in her sing-song voice. "Compromises for what?" He said back, confused. "The Nine are claiming that you started the conflict on Golar." "Whaaat! Don''t be ridiculous. Come now Dory why would I do something like that? I simply answered a prayer from one of my followers." He gestured dismissively. "While causing billions of credits in damage and destroying a third of a city. Killing multiple assets of the Nine and nearly killing one of their disgraced members. I won¡¯t even mention the moon." She replied back patiently. "I did no such thing! Karen attacked me as I was trying to leave. I literally pleaded with her to let me go in peace." Atom spat out. Ignoring the part about the moon and the credits. "Where is the proof? Overwatch was blacked out. All that the feed showed was you entering a part of the city and then a crater with dead bodies everywhere or at least what was left of them." She raised an eyebrow. He sputtered as he tried to come up with an explanation for what happened. It was looking like the precautions he had made to cover his tracks were coming in to bite him in the ass full force. "They were attacking my follower." "Again Atom, where is the proof? We can''t just take the word of a single child." Dory gestured towards Layla, who eyed the two suspiciously. "Dammit Dory, I didn''t cause this. They were already attacking before I did anything. I broke no rules. Yes my exit from the city might have been a little eh-uhm... forceful but the Praxis sect members had already leveled the area before I retaliated." He voiced in protest. This was ridiculous. He had nothing to do with the Nine''s schemes. Hell, if he hadn''t run into Karen, then he wouldn''t have even interacted with the Nine at all. This smelled like a setup. "You''re using me as a scapegoat aren''t you?" Dory shrugged, "Doesn''t really matter. Someone has to take the blame. You were there and without proof to back your claims we have know choice but to accept the evidence that has been presented. You know the rules Atom." Dory sighed. "You covered your tracks too well. Overwatch is there for your protection. You shouldn''t have shut it off. You left yourself open for this attack and we can''t protect you. So here is what''s going to happen. You''re going to go inside here and say nothing. I''ve been given leeway on handling your punishment. Come find me after the meeting and we will talk." She patted him on the shoulder and made her way over to Layla. The bubble of silence dispersed as she went. "Layla, right?" Dory said kindly. The girl nodded hesitantly at Dory. Layla was clearly unsure about who or what Dory wanted. "I''m Dory, one of the Council members. Atom is about to go inside the meeting chambers for a while. Why don''t you come with me? I have some things I''d like to discuss with you." Layla looked over at Atom in uncertainty. "It''s fine Layla. You will be safe with her." Atom said more confidently than he felt. He honestly wasn''t sure if she would be safe, but he had no reason to think otherwise either. Dory was a ruthless information broker, if he''d ever seen one but also known for her kindness towards the young. "Can Tess come with me?" Layla asked. "You will have to ask her. We aren''t exactly speaking right now. At least she''s not speaking to me." Atom trailed off in a mutter. Layla looked around, then called out in a questioning tone, "Tess?" Tess popped into existence beside Layla on the bench. "Oh hey, will you come with me? Ms. Dory would like to speak with me and I don''t want to be alone." "Of course honey. Of course." Tess said as she stroked Layla¡¯s hair. Atom scoffed at the PDA between the two. Tess shot him a murderous glare, and Atom swore mentally. He kept forgetting to block his thoughts. Actually, all three of the women were now staring at him like he''d just interrupted some intimately private discussion. Deciding quickly that he would rather be in the Council getting berated than face down three angry females. He turned to the side door of the meeting chambers and prepared himself to get wrecked by the General. ~~~~ Layla watched her ''deity'' walk into the small door that he had to duck into. She sighed at her situation. How had she gotten stuck being a follower to an idiot like Atom? He was rude to a fault and had the attention span of a small child ninety percent of the time. Playing video games at all hours of the night. He didn''t clean up after himself. He complained constantly. It was like she had somehow become a follower to a teenager. She was the teenager here. She shook her head. She had been in a sleepy hazed out depression since the events on Golar. Jogen''s death. Just the thought of his name caused a void crushing tightness in her chest. She shuttered, taking in a deep breath, letting the feeling pass. She wasn''t stuck in that place anymore. No, he had taken care of that. Atom, the ass hat, barging into her room asking about what they should be doing with the body. His insensitive words snapped her out of her depressed state and straight into the loving embrace of rage. He had said nothing to her. Not a single word for weeks and then appears at her door with a stupid ass question like that. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "How do you deal with it Tess? He''s such a ugh¡­" "Idiot," the two said at the same time, then giggled. "Yes, he''s an idiot man, that is for sure. As much as I want to go on and on about his faults. He does care Layla. He cares about people more than you know." she said as she continued to stroked Layla''s hair. "If you say so." Layla said doubtfully. Dory cleared her throat, interrupting the two''s conversation, "Alright . Atom will probably be a while. Let us go over to my office and talk." Dory said as she gestured down the hall. Layla looked up at the woman. She was beautiful. Actually, everyone she had met since leaving with Atom was distractingly beautiful. Flawless skin and perfect smiles. Dory''s hair was almost disheveled in appearance, but yet Layla couldn''t help but think it was perfect. These beings, these gods, had an aura about them that drew you in like iron to a lodestone. It wasn''t exactly a sexual attraction but a physical pull. It was like sunshine and laughter mixed with a sense of peace and serenity. She had felt something similar from Atom on Golar briefly. Once when he had taken off his helmet and right before she had passed out as they were leaving. Layla thought it might have something to do with the stupid suits he wore. Layla realized she had been staring up at the woman way longer than was proper. She didn''t want to seem like a creeper, so she stood and nodded to the patiently waiting deity. "Good, this way." Dory said as she made her way down the palatial hallway. Layla looked around at the legendary Citadel of Radiance, for which the Mantles seat of power resided. It was easily the most intimidating structure she had ever seen. The ceiling''s height alone caused her knees to wobble when Layla really thought about it. Counting the steps it took them to pass a pillar, she shuttered. Thirty paces. How something of this scale was constructed was beyond her. It made her feel insignificant. She assumed that was its purpose. Making a turn down a much smaller side hallway. Layla sighed in relief. The sun''s light twisting through the textured, colorful panes of the windows, reminding her of a temple she once visited. A door popped open off to the right, and the trio entered what she assumed was Dory''s office. Expecting a massive, opulent office, she found it to be quite homey. A large desk in the back had a glassy black surface. By the lack of items sitting on the desk, she assumed it was a holo terminal of some make. A plush leather chair sat across a tea table and couch. The rest of the office had bookshelves full of tomes and frames with cinemagraphs of Dory with people Layla didn''t recognize. Shaking hands or laughing and posing for the camera. The little snippet of memories adding more humanity and realism to a being of unimaginable power. "Please take a seat. Would you like something to drink?" Dory said as she dropped a holo slate down on the desk. Moving over to the couch, Layla said, "What do you have?" "Anything you want." Dory said as she took a seat across from Tess and Layla. She wasn''t in the mood for anything in particular, so she said, "Surprise me I guess." Dory waved her hand. A black and gold tea set appeared on the table. Little cats walking tail to tail were ornately pictured on the cups and steaming tea kettle. Tess moved to the kettle and poured for everyone. Layla wasn''t sure what to do in these situations. The streets didn''t exactly teach you how to have tea with a god and a¡­ uh whatever Tess was. She''d have to ask her later. They had bonded, but Layla had been very selfish with that bond so far. She watched Tess and followed her lead on the edict of the situation. Dory took a cup and saucer from Tess with a thankful nod. Taking a deep whiff of the dark, steamy liquid, she sighed in pleasure before taking a sip. Layla took hers, mirroring the action and taking a strong pull of the aroma into her nose. She found herself on the side of a river. The sun''s rays warming her skin as the cool running water tickled her toes. The feeling of a perfect summer day rippling through her body. She wanted to laugh and sing and play. The vision disappeared, and Layla was back holding the cup of tea. The feeling slowly fading away. "It''s called Summer''s Bounty. It''s my own personal blend." Dory said with a knowing smile. Layla looked down at the substance in awe and a little bit of fear. Could she drink something like this safely? She didn''t want to be stuck in the vision. Well, she did, actually, but it didn''t seem like a very productive way to have a conversation. "Go on, it is safe to drink. The vision is only a one time experience. The planes only know that we wouldn''t get anything done otherwise." Dory chuckled softly. Putting the cup to her mouth, Layla sipped. The taste was oddly spicy with a hint of something she couldn''t place. Traces of the visions sunshine hit her belly and radiated out bringing a wave of peace to Layla that she didn''t know she needed. She felt her mind become sharper and, at the same time, relaxed. It was as though she had been walking around with knots in her brain. As these knots dissipated, only a calm clarity was leftover. The experience was emotionally overwhelming. She felt a tear slip down her face as she revelled in the feeling. "It was the same for me the first time. You don''t realize how much pressure and discord the mind has until it''s been smoothed out." Dory said. The group sat in silence as they let the calming effects of the tea wash over them. Layla was the last to finish her cup. She sat down her teaware and leaned back. Dory waved her hand, and the tea set vanished somewhere. Layla wasn''t sure and didn''t think much on it. Gods did god stuff. Who was she to question it? "You might be wondering why I asked you to come talk with me." "The thought had crossed my mind." Layla answered calmly. The tea''s effects washing away the unease of the situation, giving her the ability to speak on a more even footing than she normally would. Plus, being around Atom, the shirker was stealing the wow factor out of being in front of a Council member. "I know that you just lost someone very close to you. Normally I''d give you a little more time to gather yourself but an opportunity has come up. An opportunity that involves your future." "Why would you want anything to do with my future? I don''t even follow you. Hell I don''t even willingly follow Atom." She reached down and thumped the HACK. "This thing has bonded with me. No matter how hard I try, I can''t get it off short of me losing the offending limb. A feat that won''t be happening anytime soon. Honestly I figured the only reason Atom has kept me around this long is because he feels guilty for what happened to me and he should. I didn''t want this thing. I didn''t even want to pick it up. I''m positive I sat it down right after I mysteriously found it in my hands. Against my own will might I add. So I couldn''t imagine that anything you are going to offer me is worth my while. Nothing good comes of messing with ascendants, nothing.¡± Layla emphasizing the last part. ¡°I''m actually grateful that Atom is a lazy shit who spends the majority of his time trying to get out of doing his job." Dory laughed, "That boy is most definitely a lazy one. Self proclaimed Mantle of Good times." She waved her hand at the ridiculousness of the statement and continued, "Well, Layla since we are laying it all out I''ll be candid with you. This is a very real opportunity for you. If I left you solely in Atom''s care, he would eventually get around to teaching you something. Now if you were still young when that teaching happened is a whole other thing entirely." Layla sort of figured that was the deal. Atom was too relaxed and too sketchy. If she stayed with him much longer, she was reasonably sure that she would be helping Tess do his work. It actually wasn''t that bad of a situation. She would probably never want for anything, and Tess was really fun to hang out with. The interplay between Tess and Atom was premium entertainment. "Yeah I had a feeling that it would be something like that. As much as I don''t want anything to do with the idiot, it''s not a bad life. It is certainly much safer than the way I was living before." Layla said with a shrug. "That''s just it though Layla. Why would you settle when you could do more, be more. You Layla Breeze-Walker have potential. That''s why that relic on your wrist chose you. It wasn''t against your will. The selection differs for each Mantle but the rules are the same. You have to meet certain criteria that are frankly unrealistic. It''s that way for a reason. You can''t even see them if you aren''t at least a few steps onto the path of ascension. The fact that you were able to see one without any training shows how much potential you have." Dory spoke excitedly. Layla''s cheeks blushed at the praise. "But here''s the deal about the relic. If you truly didn''t want that on your wrist it would have been easy to remove. To make a complex scenario simple. The relic spoke with your soul and the decision was made. Now, I know you might have made a different choice consciously but since items such as the relic on your wrist soul bond. Your true self, your soul, was the one that got the final decision on the matter. Situations like these don''t normally happen. Again, if you had started on your path to ascension you would have had more conscious control over the situation. That doesn''t matter now though. The relic has bonded with you. You''re what we call a Holder." I¡¯m a Holder, huh? What does that even mean? I don''t know if I can fully appreciate the information just yet, but this is more answers in a few moments of conversation than Atom has given me in several weeks. Planes, he sucks. Layla sighed. Taking a few moments to gather her thoughts, she eventually said, "Okay, before smoke starts rising out of my ears from the info overload. Tell me what exactly is a Holder?" "That is an excellent question Layla but I''m curious. If you have bonded with your relic then how do you not know what a Holder is. These things, although they are all different, do come with the knowledge of what they are." Dory questioned. Tess coughed politely and interjected for the first time, "I can answer that, actually. Layla hasn''t completed the bond yet. You see, and I know I shouldn''t be saying this, but Atom may have altered his relics slightly.¡± Tess''s face was red in shame, ¡°They require an extra step to complete the bond." Dory''s affable demeanor began to slip away, "And what pray tell, is this additional step." Tess was fidgeting on the couch. Clearly, Adam had done something he wasn''t supposed to, and now Tess was about to have to explain his sketchiness. "It requires a Shard." Dory blinked, slightly shaking her head, "I''m sorry Tess. I must have misheard you,¡± she paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°Could you please repeat what you just said." Dory voice transitioning into barely contained outrage. Tess started talking rapidly, "It doesn''t require a full one obviously ha ha that would be extremely wrong right but to complete the bond it does require one I told him it was a terrible idea to mess with the relics but he said that if he was going to have followers then they needed to exceed the standards. I explained to him that the minimum standards were already beyond unreasonable but you know him Dory. He doesn''t listen to me half the time. I try to help the ones that encounter the relics and make the initial bond." Dory had closed her eyes and began rubbing the bridge of her nose. Layla and Tess sat quietly, waiting for the woman to speak. After a few moments, Dory took a deep breath and blew it out in exasperation. "I suppose this explains why Atom has almost the absolute bare minimum amount of Holders. His mythical relics won''t even function without gaining possession of another mythical relic. What could he have possibly been thinking? Wait a minute. Why would it require something like that?" Tess lost her look of embarrassment, "I''ve given you all the information I''m allowed to divulge. If you want more then it will be at Atom''s discretion. Those are his words not mine. He also says he will speak with Layla about relics and Holders." A flicker of annoyance crossed Dory''s face, "What is that kid up to? It seems I have been letting you two do your own thing for far too long. Never mind then. I assume that she has one or will be given one?" "Yes ma''am," Tess replied. Her demeanor relaxing. Dory''s slit pupils expanded and contracted as she surveyed Tess. It was clear that she was not happy about the situation. Tess didn''t squirm. A fact that made Layla proud of her new friend. Dory''s gaze finally moved back to Layla before breaking the tense silence of the room, "I''m sorry Layla. It seems your patron has decided to fill you in at a later time. No matter, though. I will make sure it happens dear, don''t you worry." She glared back over at Tess, who nodded in affirmation. "Excellent, but that''s not what I called you here for Layla. Tell me, young one. What do you know about Nexus Academy? Chapter 8 Chapter 8 The oddity of the interplay between the two women was, well, odd. Dory looked no older than 25 or maybe 35. It was hard to tell, really, from one moment to the next depending solely on her temperament. But mostly, it was almost as though she had aged to her peak and stopped¡ªflawless dark cream colored skin with not a hint of imperfection. In the interplay, her voice was that of a displeased deity. Her words voiced with a certainty that put any paltry general to shame. Confidence that all would obey her. Then she switches back to this 25-year-old aged grandmother. It was very confusing. She couldn''t get a read on these people. Tess was also similar. Both young and old. The budding friendship between them giving Layla a sense of kinship. She had never had a female companion before. If you were to ask Layla how old Tess was, she would guess 20 ish at the most. Close to her age. Yet Layla could never truly see herself defying Dory like Tess just did. Not under that absolute stare. Atom was clearly up to something that he wasn''t supposed to be. It fit his sketch personality. On the other hand, Tess didn''t lie about it, but how did she know what Atom wanted. Weird was the only way she could define it. It was almost as though he was speaking through her. Deciding that it was just something she would need to ask Tess about later, that list was growing, she considered Dory''s question. What did she really know about Nexus? It was old, from the origin plane. That in itself was saying something. The first plane of existence, the model upon which all others had been birthed. She had no clue who created the other planes, much less how they were created. Who created the first one, for that matter? The Mantles? She didn''t know. Had never really considered it. She assumed the Mantles created everything. That was beside the point. Nexus was from the first, the origin. It was very elite and always produced a competitive team for AAC. She only knew that much because of Jogen always asking her to look things up during the matches. Brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear and ignoring the pang in her heart, she said, "I only know what I''ve read on the planar forums, and the AAC matches of course. Nexus Academy is an elite ascendent school. It''s located on the planet Nexus in the origin plane." Dory smiled, "Good, so you do know about it. Do you know what an Ascendant Academy is exactly?" "It''s an institution where you learn the secrets of becoming an Ascendant?" Layla''s voice formed the statement as a question. She assumed that was what it was, but who knows really. She knew that you certainly become powerful if you attended the Academies. The AAC matches were full of physical feats beyond that of a mere mortal. Movements so fast that they couldn''t be tracked with the naked eye. Strikes that turned stone to dust. "Quite right child. The Ascendant Academies are where the bright and gifted of the current generation attempt to become Ascendant''s. You know that there are different steps or phases to Ascension. Not everyone can achieve the pinnacle." "I wasn''t aware of that. I''d always assumed that if you had the knowledge then you could become Ascendant." Dory nodded in understanding, "It''s a common misconception child. I don''t want to bore you with the details because you will get plenty of them in the future but let''s just say there is a tower. There are those who stand at the top of this tower and there are those who are still climbing. Not everyone can climb to the top even though we all start at the bottom." That made sense to Layla. Not everyone could be the best at something. There were plenty of things she had tried her hand at yet would never be a master of, even with multiple lifetimes of practice. Her ability to draw was one of those things. Anything beyond stick figures, and she might as well be scribbling lines on a piece of paper. But what does that have to do with her? It wasn''t like she could ever afford to go to one of those academies, and she said as much. "This is interesting and all but what does that have to do with me." "Well Layla I just so happen to be over the admissions committee this year at Nexus. I wanted to offer you a spot." Layla snorted, "You want to offer me a spot at the most prestigious academy in all the planes of existence?" She could barely make rent in a slum apartment. Dory smiled, twirling a little bit of her black and silver locks with her hand. Layla didn''t like that look. It smelled like a trap. As though she was reading Layla like a book Dory replied, "A full scholarship, and all expenses paid, of course. I couldn''t very well offer you a spot and not make sure you''re taken care of." Layla''s mouth fell open. She had looked into what it cost to enter a low-tier Academy. Partly out of curiosity and partly in hopes she could get Jogen to shut up about it. The number of credits was humbling. She had never had the heart to tell Jogen once she found out the unreachable cost. Now she never would. The thought was disjointing. The tea had done wonders to her mind, but the ache was there. Just waiting for her each time she thought of him. The only family she had left in the world. Lost. She was alone. Tess was a new friend, but she didn''t know where that would go. Honestly, she didn''t know where she was even going herself. Layla hadn''t given it much thought. Her mind hadn''t been clear enough to consider it. She couldn''t return to Golar. Nothing was left for her there. The slate that held her potential answers about her parents was undoubtedly gone. Most likely unattainable if not just outright destroyed by their exit from the city. Was the Nexus offer a good step? She didn''t know. Now that she thought about it, she had never made any big decision on her own. Jogen really had been the brains of the duo. She smiled at that. Twitch, you bastard, you aren''t here anymore, and you''re still annoying me. Layla needed her best friend. Her big brother. Why hadn''t she told him how much she cared about him? How she thought of him as family. It had never seemed important at the time. He had just been Jogen. The ever-smiling schemer. He always had a plan. Layla just followed along, only interjecting when his harebrained ideas were just too ridiculous. She never realized just how much she had depended on him¡ªher big brother, maybe not by blood, but certainly by choice. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Dory spoke again, the statement startling her out of her thoughts. She ran a hand through her hair collecting herself. She didn¡¯t realize Dory had kept talking, "I''m sorry what did you say again." "That''s quite alright child. I''m sure it has been some time since you''ve been clear of mind. I was just stating that if you choose to go then that won''t be an issue. I won''t force it on you, Layla. It has to be your choice." What would Jogen say about this offer? He''d probably scream at me to take it no matter the cost. But what''s the angle here? She knows my situation. She knows I''m vulnerable. She gave me the tea, which only helped me think more clearly. She could have just as easily not given it and manipulated me into going, or commanded me to, for that matter. I couldn''t stop her from doing anything. But she didn''t. That''s certainly a point in her favor. Still, I think that caution is prudent in this situation. Nothing is free, and Layla knew it wasn''t about to start now. Especially not with a god who has an agenda. "And the catch?" Layla said. She was sure there had to be one. "The catch, the hook, the angle," Dory''s hands forming quotes in the air for each phrase. "The price." She smiled and gave an exaggerated shrug of her shoulders. "It''s quite simple child. You have to survive. I won''t play coy with you Layla. Nexus or any ascendent Academy for that matter, is not for the faint of heart." Dory started reaching up and twisting the ringlets of her hair faster. Plainly unconscious of the tic. Or at least Layla thought. "What I''m offering you is a chance to become part of the school. You see, the admissions committee only selects the potentials." "What do you mean, you only select potentials? Like, if I got a spot at the Academy. I still might not keep it?" Dory smiled knowingly, eyes shining in delight, "That is correct, we only select potential''s. That doesn''t mean you will actually become a student." Dory gestured with her free hand as she continued to speak, "Money, power, influence, these things can get you a spot as a potential. Now, to become a neophyte, you must make it through your Agoge Trial or AT as it is commonly know." Dory placed her elbow on the armrest of her chair and propped the side of her face on it as she continued to speak. "Very few make it through AT. We try to only pick the best but the attrition rate is sixty plus percent in a strong crop. Most of those drop out in the first two days. The rest either die or eventually become to broken mentally to continue by the end." "Do they torture you or something? Because that sounds pretty intense.¡± "I told you that it wasn''t for the faint of heart." "You just told me people die." Layla said deadpan. "The training required to reach the top is perilous.¡± Dory said with a shrug. ¡°The normal rules of civility don''t apply. But with hard work, indomitable will power, and with a sharp mind, you can achieve greatness." "So the catch is that I have to put in effort. Sure I might die but I already assumed that was possible just from what I know about AAC. That''s not a catch." Layla affected an imitation of Dory''s voice, "Child the catch for this priceless, once in a lifetime shot at infinite power and immortal life is¡­ that you will have to work hard, be strong of mind, and clever," Dory grinned at Layla''s antics. Layla grinned back. "You ma''am, are so full of it. Did you pull that out of a holo flick?" Layla balked internally. Why had she just said that? This was a deity. A member of the Council. This woman was very good and making her feel comfortable. Layla decided whatever, that was just what she would do then. The smile never left Dory''s face as she replied, "Maybe, and so what if I did. I''m not lying either. I want to help you. I want to give you this chance. It''s dangerous and yes you could die if you don''t stay on your toes so to speak. I won''t ask for anything in return. That, I can promise you." Hummoring her, Layla said, "Fine, so I would have to pass AT," Thinking aloud, her gaze unfocused as she puzzled through what the trial might be," A weed out initiation thing, I''m guessing? Or maybe a bootcamp." "You''re mostly correct. Only the worthy can carry the Nexus name. Ascendants are functionally immortal. That''s a long time to be associated with an Academy. The Agoge is only the first in a long line of Trials that you must complete while you are enrolled just to retain your spot. The faculty will reveal the details when you are there." Dory said as she stood up and made her way back over to her desk. Things such as that wouldn''t change the advantage that money, power, and influence had on potentials prior to starting. Layla was confident about that, but it would take care of those just trying to buy their way into the school. I like that. Something that can even the playing field. The challenge is surviving. That is something I''ve had plenty of experience doing. If the AT has a physical portion, which I''m confident it does. I will fare poorly. That''s my weakest area. I''d need to work on that. Wait, what did she just say? "While I''m there? When I''m there?" Layla said, arching an eyebrow causing Dory to chuckle. "I can see it in your face, child. You''re going to accept." Dory picked up her slate, walked around her desk to an oversized comfortable-looking chair, and sat. Layla needed to think. She stood up and walked around to the back of the couch Tess and she had been seated on. The back was the perfect height. Falling forward with her waist on the backrest, Layla hung there. "Layla are you¡­ uhm, okay?" Tess said hesitantly. Layla replied in a muffled voice, "I¡¯m ine, ust inking." Was she going to accept? Layla couldn''t think of a lot of reason to say no. She knew there was more to the offer. Most likely some unfathomable angle only a kajillion year old god-like being could come up with. But¡­ did it matter. The reward at the end was more than just power. More than just immortality. It was true freedom. The ability to do whatever she wanted. Thoughts of going back to Golar and crushing the Praxis sect sending jolts of pure happiness in her center. Yeah, she was going to accept, if only for that fact alone. The process sounds ruthless, though. That was fine too. She did enjoy testing herself. She always had. Sure she loved taking the easy way as well. Who wouldn''t take a shortcut if they knew how? Lords, she knew so much about procrastinating effectively after Atom¡¯s book that she was confident she could do this and maintain her sanity. Okay, her mind was rambling now. Too much blood to the head. Pushing herself upright again. She attempted to fix her messy hair but quickly gave up. The people around her were so ridiculously perfect-looking that she did not know why she even bothered. Layla jumped in surprise when she noticed Dory standing next to her. She held out a black envelope with a feline-like head wearing a familiar plumed helmet stamped into golden wax. She took the envelope, "Is that some type of Mantle thing? The helmet I mean." "It is," Dory said with a kind smile. "But why this symbol?" Layla rubbed her finger over the impression. "If you ever see a Mantle unleash their power then you will understand. But fortunately that rarely happens. Now, come child, Atom should be on his way here as we speak. I''ll need to bully him a bit and it''s not proper for a follower to see such things." Dory guided Layla to the door. "Tess dear, do you mind looking after Layla while I deal with the shirker." "Of course, may I have authorization to shift? I''d like to take Layla to the shops out in the outer rings of the city. Given the mood Atom is in right now. I doubt he will give us time to walk there and back." Tess said as she strolled up beside Layla. "That''s fine dear. Just send me the request. Now Layla," Dory patted Layla on the shoulder. "I''ll be giving Atom instructions on your training prior to the start of class. Tess will make sure he doesn''t added it to that list he''s always going on about and does what he''s supposed to do. Good luck child. You need to get up to speed. Train hard. I hope to see you at Induction once the AT is complete." Dory smiled and turned back towards her desk but paused. "Oh I almost forgot. This is for you too." She waved her hand, and a small package appeared with a sealed letter on the top. "This is a tea set with several of my favorite blends. I think they may be of some small use to you in the future. The letter at the top is instructions on how to prepare them." Layla took the package thanking Dory before Tess, and she walked out the office door. "Looks like we got approval. What do you say to a therapy shopping spree?" Tess said excitedly. Layla smiled at her friend''s enthusiasm. "I''ve actually never been on a shopping spree before. Not a legal one anyway. I don''t have any credits though." "Oh, don''t worry about that. We will just spend Atom''s. That''s why it''s therapeutic." Tess said with a mischievous wink. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 "You will be doing what now," Atom said, annoyed. He''d just finished being kicked around the Council room by his peers and the envoy from the Nine. Now Tess was talking about shopping like it wasn''t one of the worst days he''d had in centuries. He needed to nip this in the bud asap. "Tess, you know we don''t have time to go out into the city. Just wait here. This won''t take long." His voice came out more patronizing than he meant it to. "Did you hear something Layla?" Tess glared at him, and his steps faltered for a moment before he continued towards the two. Layla gave him a big shit-eating grin, "No I don''t believe so Tess. Must have been a bag of wind." Why that ungrateful little¡ª He looked to Tess, doubling down on his disapproval. "Hey. Tess I know you heard me." "Definitely a bag of wind." Tess answered back. She laid a hand on Layla''s shoulder. "Let''s get out of here. We have thousands of credits to spend." "TESS," Atom said warningly. "Maybe even millions. Who knows how much damage we can do." Layla smiled at Atom wickedly, "I agree, who knows indeed. But isn''t a million so yesterday. Surely a billion is more reasonable." Atom missed a step after that remark then began speed walking towards them. Reaching out to snag the two troublesome women before they could ruin him, he caught nothing but air as they shifted away. Stumbling, he swore aloud. Who had given them permission to shift in the Citadel? Dammit! He turned his gaze in the direction of Dory''s office door. It was that woman''s fault. Why was he surrounded by women who had it out for him today? Arguably that was a regular thing, but Mantles shit, today was all-you-can-eat, kick Atom day. He cursed again. Thinking of something clever, he brought up his credit accounts in his HUD. "Ignore me will you. Lets see how you like it when you have zero credits. Wait, what the hell..." A pop-up on his HUD said access was denied. The second time he tried it, 20 pop-ups saying the same thing. He tried again, and hundreds filled his vision. "Did that woman hack into my system? No wonder she waited so long to leave. She was uploading malware into my suit." Atom muted his external speakers and began to scream in rage. Of course, that''s how Dory found him. Standing in front of her door, swinging his arms in a muted silent tantrum. "What the planes are you doing, Atom? Get in here and stop acting like an idiot in front of my door." Dory said in annoyance. Atom raged at Dory. Calling her every name under the book. Gesticulating wildly in anger. "Are you having a seizure?" Dory asked with concern written on her face. Atom deflated, realizing he''d still been on mute. It was probably a good thing. Dory would have certainly not taken well to what he had said. His head was throbbing. This day sucked. After the reaming he received in the council chambers, he just wanted to go home. So many lies were told, and he wasn''t able to refute a single one. As usual, at the top, things have already been decided before you step into the room. Dory had been right. Nothing he said would have changed the outcome. He''d screwed himself, let himself be open to attack, and now he had to deal with the consequences. Unmuting he said, "I''m fine. Let''s just get this over with." His petulant tone making him cringe. He really hated his job sometimes. "Fine by me. Do come in." Dory moved back into her office and sat behind her desk. Atom followed her in and shut the door. He moved to sit on the small couch, but Dory cleared her throat. Making the warning evident. He had forgotten he was in one of his suits. That wouldn''t have ended well for the small piece of furniture. Walking over to stand in front of her desk, he waited for her to speak. He was feeling very antisocial at the moment. His day was complete shit. The General had taken him to task. Dory would dole out her punishment. Honestly, the whole affair was crap. Everyone knew he hadn''t done anything wrong but yet he would be punished anyway. Yes, the day was a complete nightmarish pile of crap. Dory searched through her desk drawer for a moment, almost as though she was working on something and intentionally making him squirm. She finally pulled out an old paper file folder. It wasn''t something you really saw nowadays. Oh, sure, you could still get paper products, but they were more of a novelty item. Everything was electronic or digital. There was even electronic paper. It boggled his mind at times how advanced the ascendant planes were in comparison to his home plane. Atom had left Earth during a massive boom in technical advancement, or he so had thought. The tech on the ascendant planes might as well be magic in comparison. You could spend lifetimes studying how a holo slate worked and still not fully comprehend its complexities. He had done just that too. Of course, when he''d finally gained a seat on the Council, he''d gain access to the Feed and most of the knowledge in existence. The holo slate was similar to an ultra-thin tablet from Earth, yet it had practically limitless storage capacity, zero computational lag and never lost connection. Plus, it provided a complete immersion holographic experience. It produced zero heat and ran on ambient anima. You could buy them for a few credits anywhere. It was a piece of tech that would have had every nation at war back home, and it cost the equivalent of a number one at any fast food place. He looked around at the tomes lining Dory''s office before taking the folder. Some things were just too dangerous to be available on the Feed, though, and it was usually on paper. Part of the Council''s job was to keep some knowledge from entering general circulation. "What''s this?" Atom said. "That dear, is your new job for the foreseeable future." "What?" A hitch of panic came into Atom''s voice. He began flipping through the paperwork quickly. The more he scanned and flipped, the more he wanted to cry. He looked up at Dory, incredulous look hidden but full in his voice, "You can''t be serious." "Quite serious actually." He looked back down at the documents then back to Dory. "I can''t do this." "And why not?" He thought furiously, then the obvious hit him, "My suit¡ª" Dory slid something across the desk, cutting him off. Atom caught it before it could fall and inspected the item. A bracelet of twisted silvery metal with his symbol pressed into a coin-shaped disc. He had to admit the artistry was beautiful, masterful even. "I thought you couldn''t get one of these." He turned the thing over in his hand as he thought about the item. He had wanted one of these in the beginning. As his path and Mantle matured beyond his ability to suppress. It was an extremely rare suppressor. It functioned just like his suit but was much smaller. He knew about them but Enoch planet had been destroyed in the beginning of the war and no one had yet to achieve the mastery with anima in somethings like they had. "I lied." She shrugged. "This is a child''s tool. You are fully capable of learning to suppress yourself. You just choose not to. A handy reason to be antisocial and hide behind a helmet." Atom raised his hand in protest, but she cut him off, "I''m aware that some of your suits are not suppressors. Frankly if you didn''t have Tess we would be having a conversation about those and why you have them. But Tess and I have an understanding. Wonderful woman. She deserves way better than being cooped up on a solitary planet isolated from the rest of the planes." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. They have an understanding? Since when did Tess have an understanding with anyone on the Council. Things were spinning way too far out of control. "Did I offend you or the General somehow? Why are you doing this to me?" Atom said. His shoulders slumping. "Oh stop it, Atom. You''re over a thousand years old. It''s time you did a little adult work. The General and I have let you do your own thing for far too long. Don''t think we don''t know what you and Tess get up to. Hacking into parts of the Feed and rummaging in things better left alone. This has been long overdue." Dory sighed deeply. "Look dear, things are going to be changing over the next few years. Changes that require you to stop acting like a child." "I don''t act like a child," he said sullenly. "I''ll admit that you don''t always, and when you do apply yourself, you get things done but Atom. You are barely known in the planes. You have the bare number required to hold your seat on the Council. Even Kitos has more followers than you and he is the most repugnant smelling thing in all the planes." Kitos was a Slyverian, a species of insectoid creatures that sort of looked like a human, and praying mantis had a love child. They wore dung forged armor. The stinkier, the more prestigious. He was so foul-smelling that the Council had him sit in a special container during meetings so that the smell wouldn''t make everyone sick up. Kitos was an alright guy for a bug, and had an odd dry sense of humor that Atom could appreciate. "Great, now I''m lotted in with the smelly guy." "Well you don''t try so I don''t know why you are surprised. But that''s besides the point. At least now I know why your numbers are so low. Tell me Atom. Why did you modify your relics to require a soul shard?" Her tone wasn''t exactly hostile, but it wasn''t friendly either. He had to be very careful here. If she knew the whole truth about his relics and why they required an additional mythical item, this conversation might end poorly for him, but if she knew anything, she wouldn''t be asking. "I have very high standards," he shrugged. "If you can''t acquire two items then why should you be a Holder of mine. I give them my tenets which is more than enough to start the temple. But if they want to be a Holder of mine, then they will need to go the extra mile, as they say." "No one says that Atom." "They do where I''m from. Plus it''s not against the rules. I''m positive even you have different standards that your Holders must meet. I simply require another item." Dory eyed him suspiciously, "I do require different things from my Holders but obtaining an extremely rare artifact is honestly a little too much. Why do they need it?" Her voice going a little too sweet for his liking. "That Dory, is none of your concern. You can bully me into doing this," he choked out the words, "assignment but my followers are MY followers. Nothing I require hurts them and if they can achieve the full Holder status they are arguably more competent than a normal holder for the effort." She never let the look of suspicion leave her face as she attempted to browbeat it out of him. He wouldn''t budge though. Dory finally sighed exasperatedly, "Fine, fine have your little secrets for now. But don''t think I won''t figure out what you''re up to." Good luck with that. I specifically designed my relics so they couldn''t be tampered with or even found by a council member. All my Holders are fully aware of what they have and would never dream of telling a soul what they can do. Spin your webs, but it will do you no good. "I''m sure you will." "Now I expect you to be suitless and reporting to Nexus in four days. Layla will be accompanying you." "What? Why would she be coming with me?" He couldn''t stop the irritation from lining his voice. The two women were most definitely spending all of his credits at that very moment. "I gave her a spot in this year''s cohort of fledglings." "Wow, did she offend you too?" He was seriously surprised. Nexus Academy was barbarically savage, but it was effective. You can''t argue with results. "It''s not a punishment Atom. She is beyond exceptional. Did you know that she saw all of the relics those ingrates had stolen. All of them. I''m almost positive a selection happened given how she explained the encounter. How your relic came out on top is beyond me. But the girl hasn''t taken a single step onto the pathway and she is now a Holder. That speaks to an unbelievable amount of potential. Did you sense that disk she''s carrying around? You need to do something about that by the way." "Yes I have. I was planning on masking it." He said. "You better and do it before she gets to Nexus. If they find out what she can do too soon then she will be targeted. Are you aware of what it means?" "I''m not. I know she made it. That much is obvious but how is unclear." Dory leaned back. Her blue and green eyes looking up at the ceiling in contemplation, "It''s her heritage. That much I''m sure. I wasn''t aware¡­ no never mind. I''ll need to look into it. All you need to know is that she''s a Contriver, probably. Do you know what that is?" "I have an inkling but I haven''t studied up on them." "It doesn''t matter right now. I won''t know more until I figure out who her parents were. She was an orphan right?" Atom honestly wasn''t sure. They hadn''t had a serious conversation since the day they returned from Golar. Tess did most of the talking then. "I think so. Tess knows the details I believe." "Good, I''ll speak to her later. Layla needs to be brought up to speed before the entrance trial. You have four days before faculty needs to report. I expect Layla to be physically capable of completing the first trial." Atom started laughing, "That''s not going to happen. Four days is not enough time. A year wouldn''t be enough time." Dory pushed a black disk towards him with the Council''s Spartan style helmet pressed into the metallic disk. "You have four days. I''m sure this will help." Dory took her hand off the hockey puck size disk hesitantly. Atom whistled in surprise. "Yeah that will do it. You know¡­ I''m not giving this back right?" He didn''t pick it up. He wanted her to make sure she knew that he wasn''t giving it back if he took this. At least not until he managed to copy it, that is. She sighed, "I''m not giving it to you. I''m loaning it to you. I know what you will try to do. I''ll expect that one back at some point." He nodded. She knew and was okay with it. This day was looking up. "Anyway, back to you and your new position, Professor Atom." He cringed at the words. Back down it goes. "I''m sending you to Nexus for more than just a punishment. That was just an excuse. Something fishy has been going on at Nexus and other Ascendant academies. The most promising students have been either turning up dead or vanishing. I''ve sent my people in to discover what has been going on but they have all vanished. They are presume dead." A pain-filled expression came over her face before she continued, "they of course knew the stakes but it doesn''t change the fact that I''m not pleased about the situation." Someone killed Dory''s people? That doesn''t bode well for anyone involved in the situation. "Why me though?" He felt better about the task now. A purpose. It wasn''t a punishment so much as a job that needed handling. But he was still curious why he had to be the one to go do her dirty work. "That''s simple. Four reasons. One, no one knows what you look like. Two, you are very good at getting into things that you shouldn''t. Three, you''re one of the most personally powerful members on the Council when you take away the Mantle from the equation. Basically you''re hard to kill without giving away we are looking into things. Four, I don''t have the time to investigate this personally, at least not for long stretches. I''ll be by periodically but that isn''t enough time to do anything meaningful. " The power ranking was news to him. Council members didn''t exactly fight each other, so he was unaware of where he would stand if it came down to it. He knew he was powerful, of course, and he''d yet to run into a situation that required him to manifest his Mantle. His personal power with a suppressor being well more than enough to handle any issues. If it got too hairy, he could always take off a piece of armor. Come to think of it, he''d only openly manifested his Mantle once. Obtaining the Council seat had required it. They had taken him to a special training area where he was told to manifest. After a few moments, the General had asked him to stop, and then he was hit with a slew of damage restrictions any time he was out and about. He figured that was universal for all of them. Finding out that he was the only one that had to ask for permission to go out in public had been quite annoying. Atom was the youngest Mantle at the moment, and no new ones had been offered a seat since he was accepted. Making him the only member who was stuck on permanent training wheels. He mostly broke things on purpose now. The continued treatment offended him. "You will be teaching aside from your extracurricular activities." Dory slid a slate to him. "Dory!" He whined, "You know I suck with people. How do you expect me to deal with idiot neophytes? I barely manage with my Holders and that¡¯s only when they can find me." She chuckled, "I''m sure you will figure it out. I can''t get you a position there and then allow you to do nothing. But don''t worry Atom. The classes you will be teaching are well within your ability." He perked up, "Oh really?" Atom already resigning himself to the new role. Any more complaining, and he was sure she would make life more difficult for him. "You will be teaching several classes actually. The older student''s require more hands on." He thought he could handle the upperclassman much easier. They weren''t searching, they were climbing. The main one is Offensive Combat." "Yes! Now that is something I''m very good¡ª" "And the other is Anima Theory" He started cursing up a storm, for which Dory laughed heartily. Shaking his head in dejected acceptance, Atom muttered, "You giveth, then you taketh away." "You will be fine." Dory chuckled again, then her face turned to concern. "Now the last item. Exactly how long has Layla been wearing a full soul shard around her neck like some piece of jewelry?" Atom winced. He had meant to speak to Layla about that. "A few weeks now." Atom admitted. "For the love of, Atom. That''s dangerous. Is she even aware of what it is?" Atom held up his hands in protest. "Look I tried to talk to her but well it didn''t go right, and I wasn''t able to get to it. Plus she still has some time before symptoms become an issue. I''ll take per cautions during her training so that it''s not a distraction." Dory scoffed, "Why don''t you just take the thing from her? No, never mind, it''s not important. Just handle it. I expect her to be ready for the Academy. And I expect you to have a new Holder by the end of this cycle." Atom snapped to attention and saluted. "Sir yes sir, Major Dory sir!" Dory sighed, "Just get out of my office Atom. You''re going to give me a headache." He made two about faces like a soldier and saluted again, "Sir, Right away sir." "GET OUUT!!" Chapter 10 The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Layla floated in the void. The empty calm that came after a battle. The only peace she received. Moments in-between simulations. Endless simulations. How long had she been here? The question floated in the void but she had no answer. She only knew battle. Endless battle. She did not sleep, she did not eat, she did not stop. Each completion or failure of a simulation leaving her fully refreshed in every way. As though she had eaten the most nutritious food and slept the most perfect sleep. Her mind sharp, clear, and nimble. Something in her environment changed. It was an oddity. Something novel. It was to soon for another simulation. She opened her eyes to see a door. Her motion from seated to standing was without waste. She did this at all times now. A lesson repeatedly beat into her through countless failed and repeated simulations. She walked to the door and it opened automatically. She continued through. In to a living room that seemed familiar. How long had it been since she¡¯d seen it? ¡°Layla, your back! Looking great too.¡± Annoyance crept through her void at the sound of a long forgotten voice. How long had it been since she felt that? She looked over at the owners of the voice. ¡°Let¡¯s look at your stats here¡­ hmmm oh WOW! Talk about an overachieving completionist. I¡¯m impressed.¡± She remembered now. Why had she not remembered before. Her room was that way. Layla walked away from the man with the annoying voice. ¡°Layla?¡± It squawked at her. Brushing against her void and flitting away like the wind. ¡°Layla, where are you going.¡± Ignoring the man, she made her way to her room and closed the door, putting an additional barrier between her and the voice who kept saying a name she didn¡¯t recognize. How long had it been since she used it? Everything was exactly as she remembered. A glass half empty on the night stand beside the bed. That didn¡¯t seem right. She had been gone years hadn¡¯t she. The water should be gone by now. Layers of dust inside. She turned to the mirror that stood by the closet. Walking over shock pushed into her void. She didn¡¯t recognize the face staring back at her. How long had it been since she saw it? The protection of the void shook. How long has it been? Her face was still young but lean and mature. Removing the tattered remnants of her clothing she stood in her under garments and inspected her body. An athletic frame reflected back. Flat stomach replaced with muscular lines of abs she¡¯d never seen before. Her stick like arms replaced with lean muscle mass. Her tube-like legs now shapely and powerful. Her back defined and strong. Her ass¡­ her ass¡­ now present and visible. She moved and her frame rippled with corded muscles. She didn¡¯t look masculine. Her muscles not bulky but tight and lithe. Every movement of her body ready for action. She had the figure of a warrior. A female at the peak of her ability physically. That word sparked something in her. Peak. Layla had thought that at some point recently. In the silent moments between simulations. She had peaked. The simulation hadn¡¯t given her power. She did feel powerful but not abnormally so. She had plateaued. She had reached the limit a mortal body could achieve, but there had been something more hadn¡¯t there. Layla had felt it. She had been on the cusp of it but each time she had not been able to figure out exactly what she lacked or how to obtain it. The desire to search present, ever present. Why had she not questioned it? The void groaned at the thought. Her empty calm straining. Why had she not questioned anything? Memories of countless times of limbs being hacked off while she fought on unconcerned. Pain a cursory after thought in the miasma that was battle and death. Each time, failure or completion, her body restored and ready. How many times had she fought till her muscles started to break down. Her body unable to move. How many times had she felt her heart stop only for it to beat once more, steady, and calm as the simulation started over. Hundreds? Thousands? She wasn¡¯t sure, the memories empty. The mistake and then she was starting the simulation again. Like pieces had been erased. Only a few left to remind her of failure. So many failures. Why had she not resisted it? What had she fought? Races she¡¯d never seen or even heard of before. Each with fighting styles and racial advantages she had to overcome. Most had required weapons to take down. So many weapons. Had she mastered weapons? The hanb¨­. Only learning the basics of how to kill with the rest as efficiently as possible. How had she managed it? How many years had she just focused on the staff? One, two, more. The void wavered. How? Why? So many how¡¯s and why¡¯s. No rational explanation for either. Had it even been real? Was she real? She pinched her arm. It hurt. She watched the redness fade away in the mirror . Real then. She must have been controlled. Yes she had been controlled. Commanded to fight endlessly. But that hadn¡¯t actually happened had it. Not at first. No, Layla had stood at the feet of Masters of the martial arts. How many had there been? How long had that taken? She stopped thinking about it. The number not feasible. What was wrong with her? The void broke. Layla stumbled and caught herself on the mirror. The incongruous memories failing to be rationalized by her mind. Anger, so much anger. Who had done this to her. ¡°Atom,¡± a voice whispered. It was familiar. Her voice. How long had it been since she used it? ¡°Atom!¡± Layla said louder. ¡°ATOM!¡± Almost a yell. ¡°AAAATOOOOM!!¡± She screamed. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ~~~ ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go in there just yet.¡± Atom paused from opening his followers door. ¡°She couldn¡¯t be that mad surely¡ª¡° A piece of wood punched through the door inches from his face. His name began to be screamed over and over again as things crashed and shattered inside Layla¡¯s room. ¡°You know. I think¡­ Yes, you might be right. Maybe I should go for a walk or something till she cools down.¡± Atom tried to shift away but landed flat on his face. ¡°Dammit Tess,¡± he said, picking himself off the floor. ¡°You will face her Atom. You did this, and if you had done this properly, she wouldn¡¯t be so confused right now.¡± Tess growled out. Brushing himself off, Atom nodded. ¡°I might have been a tad hasty in sending her in. Maybe some wrong buttons were pushed and I could have adjusted the setting a little, only a tad really, to harsh. I mean, it could have happened to anyone.¡± He laughed nervously. ¡°She couldn¡¯t die in there. At least not completely.¡± Atom mumbled the last part under his breath. Tess was not amused. ¡°Well you know what they say, What doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger. Ha ha.¡± Tess crossed her arms and started tapping her foot. Clearly not buying his explanation. Atom supposed he might have pushed her too hard. The setting should have let her quit. He thought he turned that on. Did he? Yes he was certain. Well never mind that. She didn¡¯t quit. She kept going and going and going. Layla really had impressed him. Having to actively stop her from opening the tower on multiple occasions towards the end. He¡¯d wanted her to start searching but not to open it. Nexus wouldn¡¯t accept anyone who wasn¡¯t untapped. Each time he erased her memory she only found it faster the next time. Dory had been right. Layla had pure potential. He would need to keep a close eye on her. She needed to be held back from progressing too fast. It was always a problem with the ones who had the raw talent. Progress too fast and her journey would fall short. She was in the perfect spot recently. Right at the breaking point. Primed and ready to break through. Just not by herself. She needed guidance. Something he could provide. He just had to convince her not to try to kill him first. He might want to never tell her how long she had been in the Slice either. What had he set the time compression to? Best not to even think about it. Yes, better to just clear out that menu setting. Right, leave it a mystery. In a couple of centuries they would laugh about it. He was sure they would, maybe, probably. The door flew open and a mostly unclothed Layla stepped out, heaving in uncontrolled anger. ¡°Where is he?¡± Her voice seething in rage. ¡°Layla! Darling. You really do look great¡ª¡° ¡°You bastard! What did you do to me?¡± She barely had the words out of her mouth before the clearly mad woman came at him. Even in her rage she moved with feline grace. She lashed out hitting him in the sternum, both ears, side of his knees and an elbow to the chin. Then she stabbed him in the neck with a leg from the night stand in her room. None of this did anything to him of course but he rolled with every blow as though they were devastating. Atom fell to the ground where Layla continued to pound on him until Tess gently pulled the crazy woman off. ¡°Layla honey. Stop before you hurt yourself.¡± Layla tried to jerk out of Tess¡¯s grip but it was iron, and unstoppable at Layla¡¯s level. ¡°I hate him, Tess. I hate him.¡± She screamed. ¡°I know love and he surely deserves it. I just don¡¯t want you to get hurt is all. Just look at your knuckles.¡± Atom looked at the girl''s fists and cursed. He hadn¡¯t pulled back enough. He wanted her to get the rage out but it was difficult to manage the right amount of contact that made her feel the blows while simultaneously preventing her from breaking her knuckles. ¡°You stole years of my life!¡± ¡°Technically I only let you age to maturity then prevented you from aging on ward.¡± Layla¡¯s face screwed up in outrage. ¡°How many? How long was I in there?¡± Her voice ragged. Atom picked himself off the floor, again, and dusted himself off. ¡°Oh who knows. I didn¡¯t keep count. You¡¯ve only been gone three day¡¯s here. So again, technically, I only stole three days. Three days that you agreed to, might I add.¡± She tried to come at him again but Tess stopped her attempted assault. ¡°I agreed to no such thing you prick.¡± ¡°Oh but you did my dear. If you will remember. I asked your consent on trusting me to train you how I saw fit for Nexus.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I did¡­¡± Her voice faltered. ¡°You did. And might I say if you are not the most prepared potential in the crop this year I''ll eat my socks.¡± ¡°You tricked me. Yes, you tricked me. There''s no way I would have ever agreed to that.¡± Layla¡¯s voice gaining confidence. Atom decided to stop the charades. ¡°You agreed and I delivered. I probably could have, or maybe should have given you a little bit of an explanation first. But it wouldn¡¯t have changed a thing about what happened inside the simulations. You just might have not tried to stab me after coming out is all.¡± Atom watched as Layla visibly started running out of steam as he stated the facts. Tess relaxed her grip on the girl. No, not the girl. Her physique and graceful movements giving a lie to the word girl. A fledgling warrior. He owed her that much. ¡°I promise you Layla. I would never do anything that I didn¡¯t believe was necessary.¡± He said gently. Moving over cautiously to pat her shoulder. Layla stood there unmoving. Her eyes hooded by her unkempt hair. ¡°I know you feel confused about everything. But you will thank me for this. Maybe not now but you will see. You needed to be strong and this was the only way to accomplish that.¡± ¡°How long?¡± She asked. Atom started backing away. ¡°How long was I in there?¡± Layla emphasized each word. He laughed, ¡°Who knows about these things. They are so complicated.¡± Atom began putting some more distance between his angry little warrior. ¡°Does it really matter? I mean it¡¯s done. You did great! Remarkable really.¡± Atom rambled nervously. Layla watched him. Her gaze more like a predator now. It simultaneously made him proud and fearful. She would forgive him eventually. Probably. ¡°Well this has all been very exciting. I believe I need to get somethings ready before we have to leave tomorrow. You should probably rest. You¡¯ve been so busy recently with training¡­¡± he trailed off as Layla started moving towards him. ¡°How long Atom?¡± Layla¡¯s voice too sweet and off putting to his ears. Scrambling back he said, ¡°Oh, look at the time. I¡¯ll see you bright and fresh in the morning.¡± He shifted away, appearing in his office. ¡°Bless that woman.¡± He muttered aloud. He wasn¡¯t sure if Tess would let him get away. Moving around his desk he took a seat and sighed. That went much better than expected. She¡¯d only attacked him once and he¡¯d avoid telling her how long she¡¯d actually been inside the simulations. That was a win in his opinion. Tess babe could you make sure her hands are healed? ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll take care of your mess. As usual.¡± Came Tess¡¯s voice from everywhere. Love you!!! A snort was all Atom got back. He sighed. He¡¯d be in the dog house again. ¡°Now, where was I?¡± Atom brought up his holo display. His desk lit up with multiple pages of research fanned out. The folder Dory had given him had contained all the information he needed for his persona he was going to take up at Nexus. He¡¯d get around to reading that later, probably. He¡¯d put it on the list. But that wasn¡¯t actually the important part though. The information on the missing student investigation was what he had been focusing on while his disciple got up to speed. He pointed at a stack of screens and made a pulling motion. Tapping on the stack they organized before him in a grid like pattern. Names and profiles of the suspects that the investigation had produced so far were clear to see before him. ¡°Which one of you is behind this?¡± he mused. Atom enjoyed a good mystery. A whodoneit. The hunt for clues. The suspense of hacking the suspects. Atom wasn¡¯t talking to anyone if he didn¡¯t have to. People were liars in his experience. Better to just violate their privacy and see what he could find that way. ¡°So many names. So many dirty secrets. What will I find, I wonder?¡± Atom rubbed his hands together. Yes, Nexus would be a more interesting adventure than he initially thought. Chapter 12 Layla shook her head as they shifted into existence on a cliff outside of Arcodawn. The prized capital city of Nexus and home of their Ascendant Academy. The city stretched out as far as she could see. The pre dawn light filling the sky with golden rays, pushing away the unfamiliar stars. It was one of the most beautiful sites she had ever experienced in her life. She could start to make out massive structures and tall spires but not in much detail from their distance. The city was shaped by six major roads running into an enormous octagon wall that made up the center of the sprawling metropolis. She had researched Arcodawn the night before and found that it was broken down into eight districts and an inner-city part of the Academy campus. The inner city was not visible due to the campus being surrounded by a forest of ancient trees. The inner walls were controlled and run by NAA, while the 8 districts belonged to the eight original founding families of the city. It was even rumored that the founding members were still alive. Something that boggled Layla¡¯s mind. She hadn¡¯t asked Dory or Atom how old they were, but she knew they weren¡¯t even close to their youthful outward appearance. ¡°What a dump. Good view though.¡± Atom said off to her right. Layla ignored the man. His opinion of anything not counting for much in her book. The night before was still fresh in her mind. The time in the Slice was now fading into her memory like a dream. Tess had told her it would be that way. Something else Atom had done to her while she was in the cursed thing. She could remember everything about her training, but she couldn¡¯t feel the lost time like she had when she first emerged. The temporal aspect fading away along with her initial confusion. Adjusting the old dusky black robe, she glared at her bastard of a deity. Atom had forced her to wear the old thing, making her look more like a beggar than a new student of a prestigious academy. She had to admit that it was insanely comfortable. But it looked stupid, just like his face. ¡°I appreciate the view and all, but don¡¯t I need to be somewhere?¡± Layla said as the sun crested the horizon. Atom looked down at a wrist unit that she thought might be a mechanical time device now that she paid more attention to it. ¡°Ah yes, we wouldn¡¯t want to be late for orientation now would we.¡± Layla took a deep breath. She wasn¡¯t nervous exactly. The slice had taken care of most of the anxiety that she would normally feel about stressful events. But there was just something different to starting a journey. That''s how she thought about this. Her old life died in the streets of Golar. This was the beginning of her path to freedom. To power. To justice. Searing the beautiful sunrise blazing across her new home into her mind. She asked Atom a question, ¡°Any words of wisdom oh mighty Mantle of shirk?¡± He looked at her and smirked, ¡°Yes, try not to die.¡± Then, not asking her permission, he touched her shoulder, and she shifted. Layla found herself falling face-first into a stone floor. Smacking the stone with a loud grunt, she jumped to her feet, ready to stab the bastard, but he was nowhere to be found. Cursing, she took in her surroundings to discover that she was in a bustling metro station. People were moving at swift speeds to their destinations. All in fancy robes of different colors and designs. Black outer robe with a white undershirt being the most common. She assumed it was the professional class off to do their menial tasks for whatever corporation or sect they were employed by. ¡°Castration is too good for that sadistic twat.¡± She grumbled as she stood there brushing off the dirt on her homeless beggar robe and waited for the other potentials to arrive. Looking around, she took in the landing she found herself on. It was currently empty. A sign hanging from the ceiling in planner common said ¡®NAA next departure one hour.¡¯ Her gaze shifted back to the terminal and people. The man hadn¡¯t been wrong about the robes. Everyone wore one, and she couldn¡¯t find a single person that was in regular clothing. That included the terminals workers. The architecture design of the station was somewhere in between ancient temples and modern technology. Winged beings carved into stone that surrounded holographic displays of advertising which most people seem to ignore. Each landing filling up as the people waited to board the hovering passenger transports. Some time passed before she made out an entourage of individuals breaking off from the pack of travelers to make their way on to the relatively spacious landing. The group had a team of servants carrying what Layla assumed was their luggage. All but the servants look to be around the same age as Layla. She counted ten. Their robes were deep red and deceptively plain in comparison to the station''s other patrons. Once they came closer, Layla could make out the fine quality of the robes. Not even one looked to have been worn once and was custom fitted to each individual. She had a poor premonition of what was to come as the people moved closer. Great, probably nobles or whatever makes up the upper crust of Society here. I¡¯ve seen this trope play out way too many times on holovids and in books. She braced herself as the group finally took notice of her. But to Layla''s surprise and relief, the group only glanced at her curiously and went back to their own conversation. Over the next hour, many more groups appeared just like the first one, all in different solitary shades of colors. Blue, green, red, orange, yellow, white, black, pink, gray, brown, purple, and finally pink. Some had designs or crests on the back, but she couldn¡¯t make out all of them without being rude. The looks between the groups varied. Some seemed to be friendly, while others were outright hostile to each other. Not many acknowledged her, so Layla stood there silent as the landing filled. No one said anything to her, although she eventually got the expected disdain from several of the later arriving groups and a few snooty individuals. It didn¡¯t faze her, though. She didn¡¯t know anyone and didn¡¯t plan to make enemies on the first day. Staying away from the spotlight was precisely what she was aiming for. Where am I? Layla jumped as she heard a faint voice. Looking around, she couldn¡¯t find the owner anywhere. Shaking her head, figuring that she must have imagined the speech. It came again. How did I get here? She continued to scan her surrounding but still couldn¡¯t find anyone close enough. The voice sounded like someone was right next to her or maybe in her head. Who am I? I can¡­t remember. Why can¡¯t I remember¡­ Getting tired of whoever was playing tricks on her, she called out, ¡°Okay who the planes is messing with me?¡± The people around her looked at her strangely before giving her more space. ¡°Real smooth Layla.¡± She muttered as she adjusted her sun-bleached rags. Who are you? ¡°Get out of my head.¡± She called out. Looking around for whoever was screwing with her. Not finding anyone again and more than one person beginning to look at her like she might have cracked, she pulled the hood of her robe up and hid her face. She put her hand over her ears, but it didn¡¯t hinder the voice in any way. You are in my head. You get out. Now having confirmation that the voice was in her head and becoming defensive by their tone. ¡°Would you shut up. I don¡¯t know who you are, but you¡¯re in my head so get the planes out.¡± She hissed. Where are my memories? Why is this person talking in my head? What''s wrong with me¡­ The voice groaned before going silent. Layla felt a presence approaching her from behind, and she moved fluidly to the right as a person carrying boxes wiped out in front of her. Looking down, she realized that it was a girl. ¡°Oh no no no no,¡± came the girl''s squeaky voice as she scrambled to pick up her things that had spilled out of the boxes she was carrying. Layla looked around and realized that no one was going to help. She probably wouldn¡¯t have wiped out like that if I hadn¡¯t moved. Or it might have all ended up on my head. I should probably help. Layla reached down and started grabbing items and placing them back into their boxes. The girl looked at her and smiled her thanks for the assistance. The two worked in silence as the crowd around them were engrossed in their own conversations. Ignoring the two completely, for which Layla was grateful. She wasn¡¯t really in the mood to engage in conversation with large groups of people. She was aware that she hadn¡¯t had any honest, meaningful conversations with anyone aside from Jogen. More concerned with her tinkering than trying to make more friends. Jogen had been the charismatic social one of the duo and could make friends with anyone he encountered. Layla wasn¡¯t an introvert per se. Jogen had just been enough for her, and the people you can befriend when you were on the streets weren¡¯t exactly the most trusted of individuals. ¡°Thank you. That was quite the embarrassing tumble,¡± said the girl in a now less squeaky, more soft voice after Layla put the last item into a box. Layla waved her hand dismissively, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, and sorry about that. I probably could have steadied you instead of moving out of the way. You just surprised me is all.¡± Layla replied with an apologetic smile. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh no, please don¡¯t apologize. If you hadn¡¯t moved, we both would have been on the floor.¡± The girl had short messy black hair with glasses that were framed around green eyes. In Layla''s opinion, her skin was almost too pale, but she knew some people were into that sort of thing. Especially given the number of pale females that surrounded her. She¡¯s cute. A little timid, but she doesn¡¯t seem to be with anyone, so maybe just nervous. All right, Layla, let us try and make our first friend. Dusting off her hands on her third-generation hand-me-down garments, she put one out, ¡°The name is Layla Breeze-Walker. My friends call me Breezy.¡± The girl put out her own and shook Layla¡¯s in a surprisingly firm manner, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Breezy. I hope it¡¯s okay if I call you that. I am Tiana Quillan, but everyone just calls me Tia.¡± Her face wincing at her last name for some unknown reason. Strong grip. Guess the timidness doesn¡¯t apply to hand strength. I must remember where I am. All these people are trying to become ascendants. Quillan, Quillan, sounds familiar, but I can¡¯t think of where I¡¯ve heard it before. Maybe I¡¯ll ask later. I don¡¯t want to be rude, and she was expecting me to react to it, so I won¡¯t. ¡°Nice to meet you, Tia. Breezy is fine. I don¡¯t know anyone here so it would be nice to have a new friend.¡± Layla said, releasing her grip. Tia smiled and a look of relief coming over her face. Layla gestured down to the boxes, ¡°You certainly brought a lot of things. Kind of makes me feel strange only having what¡¯s on my back.¡± Tia laughed nervously, ¡°It¡¯s my first time being away from home. I didn¡¯t know what I would need so I sort of just grabbed everything I could think of.¡± Layla gave her a big smile, ¡°Sounds like a smart plan.¡± She hoped that the school would provide her with something. Dory was supposed to cover her expenses, but she didn¡¯t know what that meant just yet. Layla guessed she would just have to see what she found in her room when she got there. Atom hadn¡¯t said anything about it, not that that meant much. That bastard will get what¡¯s coming to him. I don¡¯t know how or when, but as soon as I¡¯m able. I will get him back. Picturing herself laughing maniacally as Atom whaled before her. Tia interrupted her satisfying daydream of revenge on the ponce. ¡°Are you excited about starting?¡± Layla thought about the question. Was she excited? Maybe, but the warning that Dory and Atom had conveyed about the Academies still laid heavy in her mind. She had to be careful here. There were too many groups, and Layla was only one person. She was confident in her ability to protect herself, but at some point, numbers would prevail. ¡°I think I am. I¡¯ve been told it¡¯s pretty cutthroat here though.¡± Tia nodded, ¡°Yes, you are not wrong. This program is especially dangerous from what my instructors told me. That just adds to the excitement if you ask me.¡± Layla grinned as the shorter girl surprised her with the last statement. She hadn¡¯t thought about it that way, but the added danger of the place did give it something more. An edge, maybe. A place to be challenged. If there was one thing, Layla liked it was being challenged. It had mainly been expressed in her tech designs, but she thought she was prepared to extend that to something else. Her thoughts going to her time in the slice. ¡°So, you had instructors? How was that?¡± Layla said, pulling off her hood. ¡°My family helped me there. They have¡­ high expectations for me. The instructors were difficult, but the training was rewarding.¡± ¡°Overbearing parents huh?¡± Layla remarked. ¡°You have no idea. My life has been nothing but a calendar schedule since I was old enough to read. It¡¯s sort of a relief to be away from them. They were too protective as well. I think it was hindering my training. My trainers refused to injure me in anyway. What about you? I bet you had awesome instructors that beat you to a pulp. Did you get any broken bones? I bet they broke your legs and then had you fight them only using kicks. Or wait no. They broke your forearms then had you punch stone walls till you broke through them.¡± Tia sighed dramatically as she stared up at the ceiling. Her cheeks were faintly red for some reason. Layla¡¯s mouth fell open. The conversation going into slightly disturbing territory. Her new friend seemed to have an unexpected kink. The slice had been worse, but she wouldn¡¯t be discussing that time with anyone. At least not anytime soon. Layla shrugged, ¡°My training was¡­ intense.¡± Tia looked sullen at Layla''s reply, ¡°So luckyyy. One cut on my leg and I never saw that instructor again.¡± Layla chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will receive an untold number of wounds and near-death experiences while we are here.¡± Tia thrust her hand in the air and began doing a little dance, ¡°I can¡¯t wait. I can¡¯t wait. I can¡¯t wait.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t normal,¡± Layla said, bursting out laughing at the girl''s antics. Tia¡¯s cheeks heated in embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m weird. I hope that doesn¡¯t creep you out. I haven¡¯t had many friends.¡± ¡°Not at all. I love it. I think we are going to get along just fine.¡± Catching sight of something moving on the rails in front of her, she said, ¡°Oh look here comes the transports. Want me to help you with your stuff?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Layla replied. The two picked up Tia¡¯s things and waited for the silver passenger transports to stop in front of the crowd. The doors slid open, and they made their way inside. The passenger transports were very spacious with seating in the middle and on both sides. They found a place to sit in the front and put Tia¡¯s boxes in the storage area above them. The two watched everyone come in and take their seats. A few scuffles broke out between groups with different color robes, but it was quickly broken up by the transport attendants. Five minutes later and everyone aboard the transport started moving. Layla couldn¡¯t feel the motion, but the lights in the tunnel blurred by. The shaft opened up, and the capital lay below them. Layla looked out the window as they sped across the city, heading towards the walled area. She took it all in, or at least she tried to. The speed of the transports was fast, ridiculously so. Layla wasn¡¯t sure where the prick had dumped her off, but it seemed to be at the city''s edge. In less than a minute, it all passed before the transports slowed to a stop just outside the wall. There was no opening in the wall that she could see. A small landing jutted out from the stone with a building placed in the middle. The singular door to the structure opened, but no one came out. Layla looked around to see that everyone on the transport was also waiting for someone to walk out. An individual in black robes covered by a long white haori appeared inside the middle of the carrier. A black symbol of a five-sided shape with lines coming out of each point at an angle. Triangles at the end of the lines. It looked almost like the figure was spinning. Layla knew the symbol. The emblem of the Nexus Academy. She couldn¡¯t see the face of the individual but assumed it was a man by the build. Shoulders too broad and black hair too short. He stood in perfect stillness, hands behind his back. An oppressive force from nowhere gripped her chest, and her lungs seized up. Layla strained to breathe as the pressure squeezed her insides. Her shoulders became heavy, and she began leaning forward unwillingly. Layla spied out of the corner of her eyes that she wasn''t the only one who was affected, as more than one passenger looked to be on the verge of falling out at any moment. Layla strained as she straightened her back against the unseen force. Her new, more powerful body responding to her call barely. She was now confident that if she had come here before her slice experience, she most likely would have instantly hit the floor. Gaining a modicum of control, she spied Tia starting to lean forward, and she grabbed the back of her robe. Covertly helping her new friend. Beads of sweat dripping down Tia¡¯s temple, she gave Layla a strained smile. Looking around, she realized she wasn¡¯t the only one upright. The individuals in the primary color robes all seemed to be in better shape. They, too, had straightened their backs against the pressure, but the strain was visible in their faces. She wondered if this was what Atom had done to the big guy back in the shop. The force suddenly disappeared. Layla¡¯s head slamming against the un-cushioned headrest. She cursed internally, rubbing what would surely be a lump but didn¡¯t voice the complaint. Knowing it would be useless to do so. She glared at the man, blaming him for whatever garbage that had been. He hadn¡¯t moved a single centimeter that she could tell. His presence silent and intimidating. Confused at the purpose of the display of power. Possibly a test, but she didn¡¯t see the point. The lack of information given to her about anything continuing to annoy her. Everyone here had probably been more informed than she was, which made absolutely no sense when her patrons were two damn deities. The transport started moving again, but the hum of chatter present prior to the man''s appearance was now gone. She looked over to Tia and saw that the girl had composed herself and looked abnormally excited for some reason. Layla just shook her head, deciding that the girl had problems. As they passed through the walls, a forest came into view. Layla gazed out the window as the ancient brown and grey centennials loomed over her, stretching into the sky. Blades of sunlight piercing the green canopy above. Layla had never seen an actual forest before. At least not in person. The part of Golar she had lived in being more of a dry, barren wasteland. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught something large moving towards their transport. Layla¡¯s body going tense as she was having trouble making out what the thing looked like. It speeds too fast for her eyes to make out anything more than a blur. She looked over to the unknown man, but he remained in his statue-like pose. Looking back again and bracing for the impact. The blur struck a golden barrier. The impact was significant enough to be felt in her chest. The thing stood up on its hind legs and roared at the now slowly moving transport. Layla had to cover her ears from the deafening sound of the beast, and it was most certainly a beast. Black and green hairless skin with muscular humanoid limbs ended in long talons at both the hands and feet. A wicked-looking tail that had more in common with a mace than anything organic lashing behind it. The face was something that Layla wouldn¡¯t mind ever seeing again but knew it would haunt her dreams. Nightmarish teeth of black filled the things maw, leaving her with no doubt that vegetation was not on the menu. A pair of giant orbs of blackness piercing into her soul as it glared at the passengers in hatred. Shocks of gold flaring out as it pounded on the only thing preventing it from making a snack out of them all. The thing, finally realizing it couldn¡¯t get through, calmed and squatted down. Layla continuing to watch the thing transfixed as they moved further away from it. Then the beast''s body started shimmering and went invisible. She shuddered. Layla had seen some insanely scary races inside the slice, but there had never been any beasts, although it was difficult to tell at times. ¡°What the ever-loving mantle divine crap was that.¡± She whispered to Tia. Looking over to her, she found her new friend panting with her cheeks heated. She gazed longingly out at where the beast had been. She turned to Layla grabbing her shoulder, ¡°Can you even imagine what that thing could do to you? The kind of carnage it could do. That thing ravaging my bo ¡­¡± Tia trailed off as Layla just stared at the girl in concern. Tia coughed before continuing quietly, ¡°I mean ¡­ uhm. I haven¡¯t the slightest clue. It looked really dangerous and scary ¡­¡± Layla changing her expression to skepticism but eventually moved it to a smirk. ¡°You should probably see someone about that,¡± Layla said and punched Tia in the arm. Tia¡¯s pale, flushed cheeks turning a darker shade of red that continued to her ears, but she smiled, most likely realizing that Layla didn¡¯t really care how weird she was. Layla didn¡¯t. The transport continued at its slow pace through the forest. All the passengers gazing out the windows. Expecting another terror, the carrier started sloping downward, eventually going into another tunnel. They came to a stop around twenty minutes later outside a landing of a similar size that had been picked up from. The man moved for the first time, putting Layla on edge. His movement was smooth and absolute. Complete control of his every limb. Her experience in the slice now making her aware of what sort of training it took to produce the effortless grace the man portrayed. His right foot hit the ground, and he vanished without a sound. That one is very dangerous, but who am I kidding. Everyone here is dangerous. The doors slid open, and everyone started making their way to the landing. Layla and Tia grabbed the boxes overhead, waiting their turn to exit the transport. There were whispers, but the overall upbeat cheer was now subdued by the man and the beast. Her fellow potentials now realizing that this might not be the place they expected. A thick white line was painted into the grey stone of the landing before stairs that lead into a dark hallway a few meters past it. No one crossed the white line that Layla could see. She and Tia more towards the back as the crowd of several hundred potentials waited for some type of direction. The noise level on the landing began to rise as everyone became more restless. Conversations about what was going to happen next being the most prominent topic of discussion. Layla said nothing as they waited. Closing her eyes and beginning to meditate. A habit that the slice had instilled in her. An unknown amount of time passed like this as she both ignored and tracked her surroundings. Aware of everything and nothing inside her void. She found herself searching. For what she didn¡¯t know. The search part of the ritual in the meditation is also a habit. Like a drop of water in a silent room, she felt something in the void. She rushed towards the sound that was not a sound. It was something, it was¡­ there in front of her. A tower so vast that it absorbed almost all her void. No, it didn¡¯t absorb it. It became the void. She found herself standing outside the tower. The size was beyond her comprehension. She couldn''t see its edges. Had she not seen the outer on approach, she doubted that she would have known it was round. The edges of her void were still visible outside the stairs she stood on. Stairs that led to a door of dark metal and handles of silver. Her attention fixating on the door, and she appeared in front of it. The entryway looming above her and only a few paces away. Layla knew that the size didn¡¯t matter. If she pulled on the seemingly ordinary handles, the door would open for her. It wanted her to open it. Deeming her worthy and prepared. She did not know where those thoughts came from, only that they felt right. She took a step, her hand reaching out to pull on the silver loops of the colossal entryway. The sound of a loud horn shattered her meditation. The tower and void disappearing. A feeling of dissatisfaction settling within her. Layla opened her eyes, looking toward the direction of the sound. Atom stood on the other side of the white line. Robes and white haori making him look professional. A big million credit smile on his disgustingly dashing face. Green eyes staring directly at Layla. He knows exactly what he just did. What he stopped me from doing. Bastard. Chapter 13 The landings inhabitants all faced Atom as he put away a cylindered canister with a horn shape attachment. Layla¡¯s mind was somewhere else, though, as she imagined smashing the blonde man''s face with her fist while her knee squashed his privates. The mental scene was helping her cope with the ever-rising feeling of irritation each time she had to see the man¡¯s face. She was now in a foul mood. Atom spread his arms wide in an inviting manner and said, ¡°Good morning potentials. I¡¯d like to be the first to welcome you to Nexus Ascendant Academy. My name is Master Neutron. Please leave all of your belongings on the landing and proceed in an organized manner down the hallway.¡± ¡°Master Neutron,¡± Layla spat out. The man was an idiot. A five-year-old could make that connection. She looked over at Tia and shrugged before sitting down the boxes. Layla tried to keep the irritation off her face as the two followed the crowd up the small set of stairs. Burning torches lighting their way. The hallway led to a rather large open area about twice the size of the landing. Easily accommodating all the potentials with room to spare. There was no exit that she could see anywhere on the four walls of the room. Looking higher, her heartbeat sped up. Expressionless faces stared down on the group from stands surrounding the room twenty meters above. The torches light of area, casting ominous shadows on the spectators. Layla had a bad feeling about the situation that was immediately justified when the doors of the hallway slam shut behind her. Lights flared to life in an area of the balcony directly across from the doorway drawing everyone''s attention. Four chairs sat alone in the now clearly visible location, but only three had occupants. Each wearing what she now assumed where the master¡¯s attire of black robes and white open haori. The masters all held that strange ageless look that Atom and Dory had. Somewhere between twenty-five and forty. Atom appeared from thin air standing in front of the three seated individuals. The balconies face open where the chairs presided over the potentials giving him space to walk and be seen clearly. Atom had not dropped his smile. For anyone who didn¡¯t know him, you might think it was welcoming and trustworthy. A person ready to help with any problem you might have. Layla knew the truth of that smile and looked around, getting her position in what was most definitely turning into a setup. She needed to get to a wall. An area where she could at least be able to prevent attacks from behind. Grabbing Tia¡¯s arm, she began shouldering her way towards the wall as Atom¡¯s voice rang out over the crowd of soon-to-be enemies. ¡°Again, Welcome to Nexus. Now you all might be wondering what this is all about. Perhaps confused as to where the Academy greeters are. Why you aren¡¯t being shown around the campus and going through a proper orientation.¡± His voice pausing an understanding, concerned paternal look on his face. Layla ignored the evil bastard''s prattle. Pushing other potentials out of her way. All their gazes fixed on the man as he spewed out his false concerns like a particularly nasty case of the runs. Finally breaking out of the group, she found that the door to the hallway was indeed closed. Everyone had moved closer to Atom as he continued to speak. His speech leaving an open line to one of the corners of the room. A tugging from Tia halted Layla¡¯s progress to the corner. She looked back at the girl in confusion. ¡°What are you doing Layla? We need to listen to what the Master is telling us.¡± Her gaze going back to the fatherly smile of concern. Layla turned around. Grabbed the girl by both of her shoulders and shook her. Forcing the girl''s face towards her, ¡°Stop listening to the manipulative bastard. We need to get to a corner before this place devolves into a slaughter.¡± Tia only looked at Layla in confusion. ¡°A slaughter? Why do you think that? It¡¯s our first day Layla. It¡¯s orientation day. Nothing like that would¡­ hap¡­pen¡­¡± She trailed off as Layla just pointed up while she was talking. Tia finally taking notice of the shadowy faces of their audience surrounding the room. Layla thought she could see some people smiling, but it was difficult to make out in the torchlight. ¡°I see. Yes, a corner does sound ever so nice,¡± Tia said, and Layla turned back around, heading to a corner on the right side of the room. Atom began speaking again, ¡°Those are all very understandable concerns. I myself would wonder such things. Have no fear my bright and shiny new potentials. That part comes next. First, I need your help with a problem. You see, I was talking to the other master¡¯s, and we just couldn¡¯t agree on something. It¡¯s a silly thing,¡± He chuckled, waving his hand like the topic was non-consequential. ¡°You don¡¯t mind helping do you?¡± The potentials all nodded their heads, already eager to curry favor with a master. Layla and Tia made it to the corner and took up a defensive stance. Neither saying anything as they waited for the speech to reach its inevitable conclusion and the crap to hit the fan. ¡°Excellent, so motivated. I love it. Well, the issue we couldn¡¯t agree on was which one of you exceptionally talented potentials are the best. I know, right. It¡¯s ridiculous. How would we even decide such a thing? I thought maybe a tournament. One on one.¡± He made some punches in the air, ¡°Mano a mano, good ole fisticuffs as they say where I¡¯m from. They told me that would just take too long with the amount of people we have currently. Sad, I know. Welp, I did a little digging and found out there use to be an old ritual at Nexus. A rite of passage before the Agoge Trial. A grand free-for-all, a pell-mell if you will.¡± His last words had a noticeable effect on the crowd of potentials as Layla watched them start looking around. Understanding coming to them as the ones in the center realized that they were surrounded by potential enemies, figurative and literally. The ones in matching robes gathering closer together. Taking a deep breath, Layla closed her eyes. Her heart was racing in anticipation of battle. The emptiness of the void coming to her easily. Its emotionless embrace wrapping around her like armor. The excitement and thrill of the situation draining away. Her heart rate slowed, and her eyes opened. She was ready. ¡°Anywho, the rules are simple. There can only be one.¡± He said in a cheery manner and sat down in his chair. ¡°Begin!¡± The room erupted into violence. The sounds of screams and flesh smacking against flesh filled the arena as potentials savagely attacked one another. Layla, prepared for the battle, was still taken aback at the ferocity. The sheer level of violence that everyone was willing to deal at the drop of a hat surprising her. A guy in flamboyant yellow and blue robes with butterflies put down an orange robe potential with a swift kick to his temple before making his way to her and Tia. Layla was impressed with his efficient dispatching of the orange. An avenging, orange-robed female rushed him from behind, but he turned smoothly and delivered a kick to her chest, sending her back in the gaggle of brawling people. He looked at Layla and Tia with a charming smile on his olive tan face. His black hair immaculately styled in a top knot at the crown of his head. His fingernails were painted in colors that matched his gaudy robe. Layla wasn¡¯t sure what to think about the guy. He certainly knew what he was about. His moves looking well-practiced. He bowed at the waist and introduced himself, ¡°My name is Oliver. You beauties wouldn¡¯t happen to be independents, would you?¡± He kicked one of the unconscious, orange-robed potentials lying on the ground beside him to emphasize what he meant. ¡°Yeah, what of it?¡± Layla called back. ¡°Excellent, do you mind if my sister and I join you in this lovely corner,¡± he said. Layla didn¡¯t see this so-called sister anywhere. She knew that she could probably take him, but she also knew that without help, one of the groups would overwhelm them eventually. She looked at Tia, and the girl shrugged as though she didn¡¯t care either way. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°That¡¯s fine Oliver. That¡¯s Tia and I¡¯m Layla. Truce till the end?¡± He nodded his agreement and smiled at Tia before taking up a relaxed fighting pose in between the two. She was familiar with his fighting stance, but she didn¡¯t comment on it. Instead, looking around for the sister he spoke of. She didn''t worry about his betrayal. Layal was confident on putting down a single man. A female in a more subdued red and gold robe power slammed a man in green robes right in front of them. The man was out cold from the looks of it, but the girl kept stomping on the man for some unknown reason. It looked personal to Layla. ¡°Ah, there she is. Sister, please stop beating on your ex and join us. I found us two Allies.¡± The girl pushed back strands of her disheveled black hair, looking at Oliver, and gave the poor man who¡¯d clearly offended her in some way another kick. Someone attempted to attack the girl from behind, but she ducked and pivoted fluidly, coming up with an elbow strike to the offender''s chin that crumpled him. The movement was gracefully executed so well that it looked like one single motion. All gracefulness was immediately lost as the girl struck her chest with her fist then splayed her arms out, fingers waving in a braggadocious manner. She pointed at another potential that had taken notice of her. ¡°You, want to rumble handsome. Come. Let mama show you how she treats her boys.¡± Her tan face grinning maniacally as she ran her hands down her body in a suggestive way. The guy just looked confused. Hell, Layla was confused herself. She wasn¡¯t sure if that had been a threat or if the woman had just propositioned the man to have a go mid-battle. Oliver rushed over to his sister and began dragging her back to the corner. The girl still screaming obscenities at the confused males. ¡°You want to go pretty boy? I promise to give you an experience you¡¯ll never¡ª oof¡­ Let go of me Oli!¡± She struggled to get away from his grasp, but it looked like Oliver had ample experience handling his sister. He released her and shoved the girl towards the corner before saying, ¡°Could you please refrain from embarrassing us in public Livvy.¡± His words sounding well-practiced as he sighed. Layla guessed this hadn¡¯t been the first time his sister had did such a thing. He took back up his spot in the center and waved his hand towards the newcomer, ¡°This violently promiscuous creature is my twin, Oliviana.¡± The girl glared at Oliver before fixing her robe and scratching her crotch in a very masculine manner. She nodded at Layla and Tia, ¡°Sup females.¡± Oliver groaned, and Oliviana grinned behind his back. Layla suspected that Oliver¡¯s sister enjoyed embarrassing him, but she put the silliness out of her mind as a group in black robes attempted to break out of the melee. Several making eyes at their corner. She could see seven, but they were mainly engaged yet looked to be winning. Their tactics of ganging up on their opponents showing fruit. She thought that might be a problem if they made it to them. She didn¡¯t know how well Tia could fight yet and she was sort of worried the woman might just let someone beat on her. The red cheeks and panting she was doing as she watched the fight around them continuing to support the theory. She tapped Oliver and had him switch with her so she could be in the middle. The black robes finished off their opponents, and they made their way toward Layla¡¯s group. Layla could tell just by looking at them that they wouldn¡¯t be joining them peacefully. The leader stepped out in front. He had dark skin and a red mohawk. His voice was slimy, and the tone was that of a man used to getting what he wanted, ¡°Peasants, if you relinquish that position, we will let you leave un-accosted. I Jano of the family¡ª¡± Layla interrupted him, annoyed at the peasant remark, ¡°Piss off mohawk! Find your own corner. Call me peasant again and I¡¯ll put you down. Hard.¡± The man looked to have blown a circuit as he started stuttering in a mix of bafflement and rage. ¡°How d-dare you talk to me th-that way. You dirty whor¡ª¡° he began choking as Layla punched his throat. She hated being called names. Hated it. Her friends, sure. But being called anything by anyone she didn¡¯t know always sent her over the edge. She slipped by the choking man and kicked off his back, angling him towards Oliver, who put him down with a quick punch to the temple. A big fellow had been watching Mohawks back, so she went after him first. Slamming her open palms against his ears disorienting him. She kicked the inside of his knee and felt the ligaments tear as he folded up one hand on his knee and the other on his ear. Her battle sense warning her of an incoming strike to her right, she moved into the punch, grabbing the man''s wrist with one hand and putting her other under his armpit. Using his own momentum against him, she flexed her hips body slamming him into one of his buddies, trying to sneak attack her from behind. Not releasing the man''s wrist, she struck the back of his elbow with her palm with enough force to make it bend the wrong way. She ignored his screams as she kicked the man he was on top of in the side of the head, taking him out of the fight. A kick to the back of her knee caused it to give out. Layla rolled with the motion, latching on to the offending leg. Its owner not pulling away fast enough. Grabbing the foot with both her hands, she jerked and pushed off with her other knee doing a twist in the air a few inches off the ground. Feeling the ankle make a sickening pop, she released it as a girl screamed. She rolled away as another female tried to stomp down on her head. Layla executed a kip-up from her back and immediately had to defend against the last two black robes. A male and the female that just tried to stomp her head with enough force that Layla was positive it could have killed her. She showed them no mercy. Every opening they left was exploited fully as she jerked the male off balance while jumping over an incoming leg sweep from his female counterpart. The crack of the man''s shin was a satisfying sound as he crumpled to the ground. Head stomper cursed and turned around to run, but Layla snatched the back of her robes before she made it two steps. Slamming her elbow into the girl''s kidney as hard as she could. Ensuring that she would be pissing blood for the next month. The girl hit her knees as she tried to reach the spot with her hands. Her mouth was open as she made a soundless scream. Layla performed a sidekick putting the girl down for the count. All this had happened in less than a minute. Layla looked around to make sure all her opponents were down for good before nodding. Her breathing was steady, and her heart rate was only slightly elevated. Everyone in the near vicinity backed away from her in fear. Most had stopped their own fights to watch Layla as she decimated seven potentials without even getting winded. She looked over to her temporary allies to see them engaged on both sides by two different groups. The twins seem to be handling their five attackers efficiently. Both worked in harmony to disrupt their attacker''s rhythm. They clearly had practice fighting in these types of situations as Oliver snatched a man''s leg that had attempted to kick him in the ribs, locking it in place. Livvy bringing down an ax kick that bent the man''s leg the wrong way. Layla didn¡¯t let the violence bother her as she had done and seen much worse. She was thankful they didn¡¯t have weapons. Else the blood in this room would already be at least a centimeter deep by now. Tia fended off several assailants using a similar method to hers by taking advantage of the uncoordinated attack from multiple individuals against them. It wasn¡¯t easy to fight in as a group like most people thought. It was something that needed to be practiced. If it wasn¡¯t and given a situation where you could protect your sides, an experienced combatant could pick your group apart or at the least defend against the assault. One of Tia¡¯s attackers tried to shoot the gap in the middle to flank her. Layla rushed in, kicking the man in the hip, knocking him off balance. He struck his head against the wall in his forward momentum slumping. He didn¡¯t get up. Layla grabbed him by the belt of his robe and tossed the heavy bastard back in front of their position. She looked to see that Tia had put down two of her attackers and sucker-punched one guy in the sack. He was down on his knees, holding his hand between his legs while he vomited. Savage little thing isn¡¯t she. Layla had at least avoided people''s privates. Tia moaned inappropriately as she held up a finger that was going in the wrong direction. The girl shuddering in apparent pleasure as she moved it back and forth with her other hand. Aside from that, the masochist seemed to be fine. There were only a few fights left going on when the twins finished off their last opponents. Oliver seemed to be hurt as he attempted to put pressure down on an ankle. His sister helped him hop to the edge of the wall, where he sat down, keeping the injured extremity off the ground. He looked over at her giving her a grin before saying, ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll be able to continue. I have a high pain tolerance, but this makes me more of a liability than a help. Good showing by the way. You¡¯re one scary woman.¡± Layla shrugged at his praise but smirked at him so he would know she appreciated the compliment. She knew her abilities and skills. If she had her hanb¨­¡¯s with her or the sickle chained variant. Layla would be able to mow through all these potentials. Nothing but ass holes and elbows left in her wake. It was a disgusting thought that she tossed away immediately. She didn¡¯t want to be a murderer. The simulations were just that, simulations. Things created for her to test her skills and learn. This wasn¡¯t a situation where she needed to end someone''s life. Something she needed to keep in the forefront of her mind. She analyzed the battle. It was getting close to the time for her to go it alone, but there were still three groups left. All of which had taken up corners just like Layla had. Bodies of the injured or unconscious sprawled out everywhere. People crying and some throwing up as the pain of their broken limbs was just too much for them. Layla thought these potential were weak and clearly ill-prepared for the twisted and frankly barbaric scenario the Academy had placed them in not even an hour into orientation day. This place was going to be hell. She looked up at Atom to see him watching her impassively. A knowing smile creeping on his face as he met her eyes. Bastard. I¡¯ll never thank him. Never. She would have been absolutely destroyed if she had come here without that training. A sopping mess on the floor most likely shattered by any of the seven she had so deftly dispatched moments ago. But she would never thank that prick. Not for all the credits in the world. Layla needed to think of what to do next. She wasn¡¯t great at tactics, at least not when it came to handling unknown resources like her two female companions. She knew her own capabilities and had to admit that the girls at least knew how to handle themselves. There were still several independents fighting it out that was holding most everyone''s attention. ¡°Any ideas?¡± Layla said, turning to her interesting new friends. Oliver put a hand up as if he would say something but shook his head dismissing his thought. ¡°Out with it man. I have nothing. Best I figure, we have a 50/50 shot of taking a group if all three of us rush one.¡± Layla said. She couldn''t assume that everyone would be as unskilled as the black robes had been. Oliver laughed and shrugged before saying, ¡°You know. It¡¯s going to sound ludicrous but how are your acting skills?¡± Chapter 14 Arnao Veil rammed his fist into a potentials stomach repeatedly. The scum had struck him while he had been in the process of dispatching his companion, busting his lip. His burlier cousins held the insect in place as Arnao delivered his justice five knuckles at a time. ¡°You should know your place, independent trash,¡± Arnao said as he drove his fist into the guy''s gut once more to emphasize his words. He waved for Marco and Luca to get rid of the wretch as he wiped the blood off his lips. He looked down to assure no filth from the encounter had besmirched his clothing. The golden crane on his back and pristine white robes symbolizing that Arnao was a member of the Veil family. He had to look the part even in this situation. To be chosen to come to NAA had been a great honor and something not easily won. Years of training and a brutally competitive environment were vital to keeping all the branches of the family strong. Arnao¡¯s admittance had been assured regardless. His father currently sat in the third seat of the families twelve elders. An ascendant of unbelievable power. Power and position that Arnao flexed liberally on his cousins to bully them into line. Not that he needed to. He was strong in his own right, but some power could only be given. A lesson his father had drilled into his mind. He surveyed the situation of the fighting going on around him. They had lost three of their fighters at the very beginning leaving them with only seven left. Those useless members would most certainly die in the Agoge trial if they couldn¡¯t hack it in this situation. The Veil family had not been informed of this new addition to NAA¡¯s curriculum. That was a rare thing, given that one of his uncles was a master. It must have been something decided on the fly, he figured. Nexus was infamous for its training methods and savagery. Something like this didn¡¯t go outside Arnao¡¯s expectations of what the staff had up their sleeves. A golden-haired female stepped to his side, but Arnao didn¡¯t look at her. A power play on his part. Anna was from a distant branch family, but her father was in the fifth seat on the elder''s council. He was ambitious, and Arnao¡¯s father had demanded that he keep her in her place. Part of him wanted to ignore his father¡¯s demands, but the man had his ways of making people pay for disobeying his wishes. Arnao had rallied his other Veil members when the surprise brawl began pushing them to secure this corner. He kept his eyes on the two corners where two more Nexus founding families had setup. Both had taken losses. Threlen, in their customary green robes, had six members left and was in the adjacent corner from this corner. The Luna family in their grey robes had taken the most losses with five left. They were taking up the corner opposite to their position. The blonde female beside him spoke, ¡°We should take Luna down. We have the numbers.¡± Arnao didn¡¯t reply to her. Not willing to acknowledge something that might be construed as being her idea. But he couldn¡¯t help but agree with her assessment. The Luna was the prime target tactically. Their family was in good relations with Luna though. Hence, he was slightly hesitant to commit, which is why they hadn¡¯t made a move so far. Hoping another faction would take them out, but it didn¡¯t seem like that would happen. He looked at Threlen. Their families were in direct conflict at the moment. A sound victory over them here would be a blow to their reputation and a boon for Veil. Something his father would surely reward him for. Arnao caught a group of three females helping carry one male towards the door. The girls seemed to be in a panic, and two looked to be crying as they reached the arena''s closed entrance. Pounding away at the massive wooden doors. Their pleading cries ignored by the uncaring masters. Arnao chuckled darkly. The independents clearly didn¡¯t know what they were in for. He watched as the Luna group made their move on the weaklings as they sprinted towards the independent garbage. Waiting for them to be crushed, he caught Threlen also making their move against Luna. ¡°Perfect,¡± Arnao said as he rubbed his hands together. Turning to the side, he called out, ¡°Listen up, everyone. I want two on the left and two on the right.¡± He looked at Anna. He didn¡¯t trust her. Arnao was confident that she would stab him in the back if the opportunity presented itself. Their last match had been a little too close for comfort. ¡°Anna, take the right. Luca and Marco, we are going into the center.¡± He put on a vicious smile and looked at everyone, ¡°No mercy.¡± Arnao moved through the injured potentials swiftly. His family spread out behind him. The screams of the Luna and Threlen pushing him to pump his legs faster. His body eager for the conflict. Slowing down a few paces before he reached the Threlen¡¯s backs, Luca and Marco shot past him. Their massive forms punching into the line of fighters like a smith''s hammer to hot iron. Meaty fists slapping flesh as the brutes assaulted their prey. Arnao, excited by the display, came in right behind his two cousins. His sucker punches impacting with anyone within his reach. He gave no thought to who he hit. Male and female alike struck without care¡ªthe battle more like a drunken tavern brawl than a coordinated strike by three elder families of Arcodawn. He thought the whole affair crass and well below his station, but a more primal side of him reveled in the violence. The screams of his foes and the smell of iron driving him to swing all the harder. His fists pounding into flesh. Each contact filling him with a joy that very few things in his life could match¡ªknowing that his family would be victorious today all the better. Something he had complete confidence in achieving. Their positioning in this battle too superior to think otherwise. Arnao''s vision went white, and he felt himself stumbling back. The ringing in his ears and wet fluid gushing down his mouth emphasizing the strike he just took. He touched his nose and winced. The pain began to bleed through his battle high as he felt the crooked thing. Who the¡­ Who broke my nose? Luca screamed beside him. The man¡¯s cries raising Arnao¡¯s hackles. They cut off seconds later, and a thumping sound off to his left sent a chill up his spine. Arnao attempted to look around, but his vision hadn¡¯t cleared just yet. He shook his head in a pain-filled endeavor to gain his wits. He needed to get it together before he was blindsided again. I will destroy whoever threw that lucky punch. Wiping his watering eyes clear, his vision focused on Marco bent over. A woman with blue hair wearing rags kneeing the large brute in the head before he collapsed. As the man''s big frame hit the ground, his line of sight opened to see Anna put a tiny waif of a girl with short black hair in a choke hold. The look on the girl''s face confusing Arnao. Why does she look so¡­ excited? The girl lost consciousness a few moments later. Remnants of a smile still on her face. The woman who had just taken down Marco moved towards Anna as the girl''s limp form was released. The women began trading blows in an impressive feat of martial prowess. The blue-haired woman caught Anna with an open hand slap to the ear that left her reeling to the side. The blonde''s defense opened briefly, and the blue-haired woman, in what he assumed was beggar¡¯s robes, demolished her. Raining down strike after strike of perfectly timed and executed blows. Not a single wasted movement that he could see. Anna couldn¡¯t keep up with the onslaught. A final elbow strike to the jaw that made a crunching sound dropped the blonde''s body like a cooked noodle. Arnao had barely been able to follow with the encounter that had lasted seconds at most. It was a testament to Anna¡¯s skill that she had held up even briefly. Where did this woman come from? A tanned black-haired woman in red and gold robes rushed the unknown potential. The black-haired woman seemed familiar, but he couldn¡¯t place the face. The blue-haired woman turned at the last moment and flowed forward into the tanned woman''s guard. She lashed out, landing a devastating blow to the black-haired woman¡¯s diaphragm. The woman tried to take a breath after clearly getting the air knocked out of her. The blue-haired woman planted a fist in the girl''s gut before kicking the tanned woman in the head putting her down. The blue-haired beggar''s facial expression never changed. Her actions that of someone taking out the trash or performing a task that required no effort. Her visage that of unyielding iron. Her eyes turned to him, and his stomach dropped. Orbs of cold blue and burning gold devoured him. They lacked all empathy for life. His heart beat skipped then went into overdrive. The emptiness he felt while looking into them making him break out into a cold sweat. This woman was a killer. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Was his life in danger? Arnao wasn¡¯t sure. The woman must be one of the family''s assassins or maybe a sectarian organization. It was the most plausible explanation. Who was she? How had she become so skilled? How had someone so skilled been hidden from the roster? He would need to talk to his father. If one of the families or another organization had sent in an assassin to the trials they would need to discover their purpose immediately. The Luna and Threlen members who''d been disabled in one way or another moved away from the woman in fear. How many had she taken down? His gaze seeing too many moving away from her to be reasonably rationalized. Did she take out Luca as well? She had probably been the one to break his nose. Why was he still standing here? Yes this monster had broken his nose. A disrespect of the Veil that could not go unanswered. The embers of rage burned through his veins at the thought flaring up his confidence once more. He was one of the best fighters in this generation of the Veil family. A Veil prodigy. He could beat her. Arnao was sure of it. ¡°You broke my nose, you filth,¡± he moved into his fighting stance. ¡°I¡¯m going to soak the ground with your blood for disrespecting the Veil family.¡± The woman ignored all his verbal jabs and kept walking towards him. Her every step making Arnao feel like he was watching a monstrous ocean wave he had no chance of escaping. He looked around and saw that they were the only ones left. This was it. The final battle to decide who took victory. Who was the best in all the class of new potentials. His legs began to wobble. Her slow, inevitable gait adding to the pressure of the situation. Arnao couldn¡¯t take her stare anymore. It was breaking something inside of him. They hadn¡¯t even exchanged any blows, and he knew deep down inside that she would defeat him. Only his father and the other elders made him feel so insignificant. Which was expected. Who wouldn¡¯t feel that way in the presence of Ascendant power? But she wasn¡¯t an Ascendant. She was just another potential. Untouched by any power. There was no doubt she was skilled but so was he. He could do this. The shaking weakness in his legs was just adrenaline. Yes, just the excitement of the fight. It certainly wasn''t fear. The thoughts rang hollow in his mind. His heart beat striking so hard inside his chest that he could feel it in his throat, a hitch in every breath he took. Hatred built in his heart. He wouldn¡¯t let her do this to him. He wouldn¡¯t allow this blue-haired freak to break him. ¡°NO!¡± Arnao screamed. ~~~~ Atom watched as broke nose screamed and rushed his pupil. Or was she his follower? Was fopiller a word he wondered. He wasn¡¯t sure. He figured he had enough pull to make it one if he tried. He''d put it on the to-do list. His new fopiller did her creepy walk towards the last contestant. He approved, a flair for the dramatic was always an important quality to display in public. Looking stylish was important after all. The poor boy had clearly lost his nerve but still decided to rush Layla. She rushed forward at the last moment and deftly dodged the kid''s frenzied strikes. Three seconds later and he was off to count sheep with an unnecessary and honestly showboating roundhouse kick. Layla glared up at Atom. He met her animosity with enthusiastic clapping. The girl really needed to lighten up. ¡°I believe you gentleman owe me some credits.¡± Atom said. He heard grumbling from his new colleagues, and he chuckled. Atom looked over at the masters. The man beside him, Master Lockheed, brushed back his brown mop of messy hair with a hand. ¡°Brent, can you cover me. I didn¡¯t bring my wrist unit.¡± The man in question eyed Lockheed suspiciously before saying, ¡°You still owe me from last week. Why don¡¯t you ever have your wrist unit on you?¡± Lockheed gave him a dismissive wave, ¡°Ah get off it Brent. You know I hate carrying around those stupid gadgets. I don¡¯t know why we decided to move over to that dumb system.¡± The argument appeared to be one the men had been having for eons. The two were ridiculously old. According to his research, they been a part of the NAA staff for probably a thousand years before he was a twinkle in his mother''s eye. ¡°That stupid system has been around for seven hundred years now Lock.¡± Master Brent sighed, punched a few things in the air over his wrist unit, and handed a small data chit to Atom. Brent scratched his black and silver streaked beard. "Your disciple is skilled and strong. It''s been quite some time since I''ve seen one as trained as her. Look there Lock, you can see the edges of a killing intent trying to manifest." "Yes, I can see it. I''m starting to think we may have been scammed." Master Lockheed eye''d Atom. "I told you, I took her to the peak." Atom replied back. Master Lockheed looked down at the woman again, "Hmm, yes, you did warn us. I''m glad we were wrong. She will be a pleasure to teach. I hope you will be able to do the same for the other students. We have needed some fresh blood for a while now." Atom cringed internally. He absolutely did not want to teach other students. Honestly he''d never had to teach anyone anything. Sure, his other Holders asked questions but he mostly just made stuff up or quoted some manga bs from his home world. The upper stages of power where mostly about an internal understanding of reality. It didn¡¯t really matter what he said. They had to figure out what that meant on their own. Even his own grandfathers books teachings had been shaky at best on that subject. Aside from Layla, all of his Holder had already stepped onto the path. How Layla had done it without anima was still a mystery although he had his suspicions. Master Brent chuckled drawing Atom''s attention. "That one despises you Neutron." Atom didn''t need to look to see the little blue warrior''s expression. He could feel her anger from here. He laughed, "You have no idea." Atom could see a wild excitement on the man''s face. He kept stroking his beard as he looked down at Layla. "Good, as it should be. The weak are only fodder on the path. That fire of hers will serve her well. I hope to garner such respect from her in the future. It''s not even aimed my way and it still makes me want to go down there and start training her." His toothy grin and the bouncing of his leg made it clear to Atom that the man was serious. It also confirmed why the old Ascendant had stayed so long at the Academy. He enjoyed being an instructor. Brent and Lockheed could be trusted according to Dory''s file. Their loyalty to the Council was vouched for by her. The reason why was unknown to Atom but Dory was a founding member of the Council. A group of companions from this very world who had done things so unbelievable that even he had trouble wrapping his head around the stories. But yet the Frost and it''s gaudy crystal dome stood. The Feed, allowing you to travel into thousands of planes in the blink of an eye worked perfectly. That alone something he still didn¡¯t understand. How did Shifting work? Superluminal motion shouldn¡¯t be possible even based on the ridiculous advancements in science of the Ascendant planes. But it was something he knew how to do instinctually. He didn¡¯t know how he did it, only that he could. One moment he was in one plane and the next he was across a universe with absolutely zero time lost. Only the frost took actual time to move through and made since by the laws of physics. Atom sighed. He had to stop thinking about the subject. He¡¯d be stuck in a loop for days again. Dory refused to explain it and the General only laughed at him anytime he asked. Saying she did not want to melt his brain with information he just wasn¡¯t ready accept. He felt like a caveman at times when he thought about all that shouldn¡¯t be possible yet were. Needless to say Dory had been around since before his own plane even existed. That was enough for him to take her word on it. Looking back down at Layla he couldn''t help but feel proud of at her accomplishment. The smile on his face definitely wasn''t because he was several hundred thousand credits richer at her expense. ~~~ Did that bastard set up this situation just to make some credits? I¡¯m going to gut him. Atom looked back down at her. She put her hand out, making a motion with her fingers to let him know that she expected a cut. There was no way she would allow him to profit off the misery the man seemed to have a knack for putting her through. His face soured, and he made a covert one zero. She shook her head and made a five zero. Layla wanted half. The lazy dirtbag had done nothing but try to get her killed. She would take her cut. Layla watched Atom grit his teeth in frustration. He shook his head in decline. She shrugged and nodded her head. Layla mouthing that she understood and that it was fine. The universal sign that all women seem to have an innate talent for. A look that expressed that everything was actually not fine, they wouldn¡¯t be understanding, and you would regret not agreeing later. He sat up straight. Atom seemed to be familiar with the expression. His face growing concerned. She looked away from him. Ignoring his attempts to get her attention again. Let him sweat. The masters all stood up, and the spectators all quieted down. One of the master standing next to Atom stepped out from the pack. His gaze surveying the arena floor. His face seemed pleased with what he saw. The expression did nothing positive for Layla¡¯s mental survival estimations. If the NAA was like this from hour one, she couldn¡¯t imagine the actual trials. The ancient being that looked to be a few years older than her smiled down at Layla, ¡°Congratulations Potential. You now hold the number one seat in this year¡¯s class.¡± The masters all clapped. The sound ringing hollow in her ears. ¡°Enjoy the target.¡± He chuckled. Layla looked up in confusion as the audience and masters all chuckled as well. When the meaning of his words sank into her battle scrambled mind, she almost threw up. She had just taken the number one slot on the first day. Why had she not thought about the implications? It had happened too fast. Her only concern surviving. How was she supposed to know that they all were so¡­ she didn¡¯t know. Inexperienced, maybe. Layla looked around as more than one perfectly uninjured potential stood up. What the heck? Did they just¡­ lay down instead of fighting? Why didn¡¯t they say that was an option? ¡°Don¡¯t look so glum child. The seats will be adjusted after the Agoge trial. As the number one seat, you have the right to ignore any challenge until after the trial. Although I would caution you to not ignore every single one. The results will be posted in the main hall later tonight.¡± the same master said. The man snapped his finger, and individuals with white suits appeared and disappeared rapidly. Each time snagging an injured potential. ¡°Now for those of you not in need of healing. Please make your way out of the chamber and collect your things. Once all the potentials are healed, we will gather you up from the landing and your orientation day will continue. Welcome to Nexus Academy.¡± The masters gaze looked over the spectators then roared out, ¡°Rise!¡± The crowd of spectators stomped once then boomed back, ¡°Climb!¡± The master shook his head. ¡°Nexus, your going to have to do better than that. RISE!¡± he shouted. ¡°CLIMB!¡± Layla felt their response rattle her bones this time. The master, visibly excited at the improvement, called back, ¡°PREVAIL!¡± The arena shook again when the spectators stomps hit the ground. They all clapped two times simultaneously, then rocked the hall with the word, ¡°ASCEND!¡± A crazed, almost mad glee in the man''s eye made Layla want to run away from the master. His expression promised pain and motivation. A combination she didn¡¯t think would be healthy for her in the coming days. The display both excited her and raised up concerns in her mind that she may be joining a cult. Layla thought about it but then decided she didn¡¯t much care either way. She was here for power. The power to be free in this reality of monstrous beings. If she had to drink the mystery juice to get that, she would. Chapter 15 Layla stood by Tia¡¯s boxes, feeling like she was some type of scarecrow in the middle of a busy street. The other potentials that had not taken part in the fighting stared at her in varying degrees of intensity. Some looks were just curious, while others held dismissiveness. As though Layla was nothing but a dirt clod for which they could stomp along their paths. The latter typically coming from the individuals in primary color robes. Those Layla ignored. She didn¡¯t want to be caught up in whatever petty political games the sectarians and elder families engaged in. Layla honestly thought she won by a fluke. Enough skilled people could have taken her down. That was something she had learned well in the slice. A lesson of humility. That particular scenario was not winnable. She would not speak of the number of times she had repeated that simulation before she came to the conclusion. It had been evident in hindsight. No simulation had been frivolous. Layla should have known there was a no-win scenario when it was one against an endless horde of small green humanoids. They had just been so weak and the size of a small child carrying wooden clubs. The bastards talked a lot of shit, too, not that it had affected her emotions any. Nothing had inside that programmed piece of reality. Layla had wanted to show her superiority to the foul-mouth cretins. The pointed eared bastards had died in droves. She had danced into their mists, dealing critical blows with her dual-bladed naginata. A strange weapon, that one. The dual blades delt death at every twist and thrust. She had enjoyed the weapon. Alas, no matter how long she fought or how well her weapon slew the enemies, she was always washed away by their unending tide. Now that she thought about it. That simulation had been the odd one out. Why had she wanted to show superiority? That was outside her normal reactions in the simulation. Layla couldn''t recall any other simulation where her judgment may have been compromised. That singular focus was still there, the lack of emotional response clear in her mind, but yet she had chosen to repeat that simulation time and time again because of their goading. That had probably been a trap. She shrugged. The lesson had been learned, and the mistake had not been repeated afterward. Retreat when faced against an overwhelming force when possible. Regardless, the win had been lucky. Luck that she had met the three people she had. All independents, as Oliver called them. It had been a risk to trust them, but it had paid off. There were undoubtedly more potentials who could have challenged her. She figured that if a team of similarly skilled individuals like the blonde girl in white at the end would have ganged up on her¡­ well, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten out of the fight without some injuries, at least. The approaching footsteps broke Layla out of her contemplations. Tai, along with Oliver and Oliviana, was walking towards her. Oliver''s injured ankle appeared to be perfectly fine now. This place must have some impressive healing capabilities. That made sense, she supposed. They wouldn¡¯t have had a ridiculous battle like that without being able to heal the students afterward. Oliviana walked as boldly as ever, but her face looked uncertain. She wasn¡¯t surprised by the girl''s look. Layla gave her a smirk and a wink. Oliviana responded with a crooked grin, but she could tell the girl had actually been worried about Layla holding some type of grudge about their fight. Layla wasn¡¯t that petty. There could only be one after all. The thought stabbing into her gut. There could only be one. She took a deep breath. Could I have laid down? No. I couldn¡¯t have done that. I wouldn¡¯t have chosen the situation, but I did need to test myself. I just wish it wouldn¡¯t have come with a target for my back. She decided that there was nothing she could do about it now. She absolutely didn¡¯t want the spotlight, but after she fleeced Atom for most of the credits he¡¯d won off her misery. Layla thought it was a fair trade. Layla didn¡¯t know why the bastard was so stingy. He was a god thingy, for crying out loud. How did he not have like a bazillion credits or something? Layla looked at her new possible friends. She thought they were friends. She didn¡¯t know anything about them other than they had found common ground and stayed true to the pact until the end, just like they had agreed on. That was already more than Layla could say for any of her previous attempts to make friends when Jogen and her were younger. Both are a little less street smart and trusting then. Her stomach made a complaining grumble, letting her know that she had yet to eat breakfast. ¡°Hey guys. Do you think we could get breakfast before the tour starts? I¡¯m starving.¡± ~~~ Layla began working on her fourth plate of sausage and eggs. The hint of sweetness and sage sending her taste buds into euphoric bliss. She ignored the faces of her companions. Her heavenly experience could not be dissuaded. ¡°Where does she put it all?¡± Tia said. Her fork pushing around a half-eaten piece of fruit. ¡°Clearly she has a void where her stomach should be.¡± Oliver commented offhandedly. His voice full of amusement. Layla finished off the plate before deciding that her hunger was satiated for the moment. Looking up, she saw that everyone was looking at her for some reason. ¡°What?¡± She said, confused at the trio''s looks of disgusted aww. Layla observed that Oliviana had attempted three plates of exactly what she had eaten. The girl was holding her stomach. Her tanned skin was pale as if she might blow chunks if she ate another bite. Points for the attempt. Layla assumed it must have been some type of self-imposed competition Oliviana had dreamed up. She couldn¡¯t think of any other reason why the girl would eat to the point of getting sick. The girl was grown, so she could do whatever she wanted, she supposed. The increased need for food had surprised even Layla. She¡¯d never eaten that much food in a single day, possibly two, in her entire life. Her hunger was almost nonexistent before her forced transformation. Layla was sure it was just a side effect of the additional muscle mass. Not that anyone could see her fit body under the baggy robes she wore. Each of her companions in more of a slim, tailored fit garb. Almost everyone she had encountered was dressed similarly, making her homeless look both dated and hideous. Surprisingly most people looked at her hair instead of her robes. The blue with veins of red interspersed throughout her head was a very stand-out feature. She hadn¡¯t had a chance to get it trimmed since her vacation to the slice. At some point, she had cut off the white during her time there. Layla hadn¡¯t really noticed the appearance of her natural hair color. The reemergence not really making the cut of odd things currently going on with her life. Tugging on her single braid, she looked at her hair. The glossy blue color always made her feel an odd sense of happiness. The pale white of the Golar locals had never suited her, but it had been worth the protection it brought. The dark skin people were not pleasant to outsiders, at least in the less affluent areas she had lived in. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°That is quite the interesting color. Is it natural?¡± Oliver enquired. Layla looked up at his voice, ¡°What? Oh my hair. Yep.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve ever met anyone with naturally blue hair. Where are you from? What is the story of Miss Layla Breezewalker, solo warrior queen of this years class of potentials.¡± His questions felt harmless but still gave her pause. Her origins were a mystery. She realized that the need to solve it had been muted. Still present but no longer a driving force in her mind. Shrugging, Layla decided she would share a little, ¡°I Don¡¯t know. My parents were killed when I was around eight while we were on Golar. Can¡¯t remember much of anything before that.¡± She looked away from her companions. Watching the potentials and academy staff go about their business. The site of the utter normalcy of it all leaving her emotions in a cathartic state. Chuckling darkly, she continued, ¡°You assume that someone would have came looking for me. I mean, surely I had more family somewhere. It felt like I had more family at the time¡­ No one ever showed up though. A friend found me living in the alleyway where¡­ it happened.¡± She huffed and let the morose feeling go. ¡°We lived on the streets for several years before we were in a position to get a stable place to live. Stuff happened and now I¡¯m here. Not much else to tell besides that.¡± Oliver and Oliviana shared a look before he turned back to her, ¡°It seems we have similar fates. We also lost our family at a young age but we had family friends who stepped in to help us through it. I can¡¯t imagine what you been through. That must have been hard Layla. I know we aren¡¯t overly familiar with each other as of yet, but I appreciate you sharing about yourself. In this environment and this place specifically. It is easier to form alliances than it is to form a bond of friendship. I for one prefer the latter and hope we can grow to a point where you will consider us friends.¡± Layla gazed at the man for a long moment. This was a new beginning. It was surreal that people were already coming into her life. Their motivations are unknown at the moment, but their actions so far promising a potential bond of friendship. Gazing over at Oliviana, she said, ¡°Talkative bastard isn¡¯t he.¡± The tanned black-haired beauty snorted before laughing out loud, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe the flowery garbo that comes out of his mouth.¡± Oliver¡¯s hand flying up to his forehead as though the insult would cause him to faint like a damsel. He waved his hand at her in a dismissive way. His inner diva emphasized by the color sequenced nail polish. ¡°Both of you¡­ barbarians clearly can¡¯t respect well spoken and refined individual such as myself.¡± His pompous manner skewed by the edges of a smile creeping onto his face. ¡°Here here. So what about you Tia?¡± He said, ignoring Layla and Oliviana¡¯s laughter. The girl jerked. Her cheeks burning at the sudden attention. ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°Come now. Surely you have some tragic background. The need for answers and vengeance motivating you to seek power.¡± Oliver''s hand stretched out above him as though he would seize power from the ether right then and there. ¡°And dramatic.¡± Layla sniped, but Oliver ignored her. Tia smiled but shook her black locks from side to side, ¡°Sorry Oliver. Aside from my parents being a little over protective. My life was super boring. The most exciting thing to happen to me was that free for all.¡± ¡° That¡¯s fine dear. You will even us out. My fashion sense and sophisticated refinement combined with your voice of reason will certainly do this group some good.¡± He doesn¡¯t know about our little pain junky just yet. Aren¡¯t we all just a bunch of weirdos? Oliviana is picking her nose. Oliver is more feminine than me. And me, a blue-haired orphan with no memories and a follower to a sadistic flop of a deity. The thought made her laugh. Oliver was offended, of course. His assumption that his words had caused her humor. She didn¡¯t correct him. Checking the time on her wrist unit, she stood up and placed her tray on a conveyer belt label dirty. Walking back over, she said, ¡°Weird that the lifts are in the cafeteria. You guys want to go outside and wait on our guide? I really want to see what the Academy campus looks like.¡± They all nodded and went to put away their dirty trays. The looks from the rest of their class never stopped. Mohawk and his gang glared balefully at her as she walked by, but when Layla looked their way, they instantly averted their hostile looks. She would have to watch them. They didn¡¯t look like the type to let things go. Honestly, there was more hostility, or maybe envy pointed her way than she felt comfortable with. Layla wasn¡¯t used to the attention. The limelight was certainly not a positive thing to have in a place like this. She sighed as she pushed open the large door to the cafeteria and was immediately assaulted by a ball of fire in the sky. Her eyes adjusted from the stark contrast of being underground most of the morning. The sky was clear, though. The air was clean of sweaty potentials. She looked around and gaped. It was like she had been transported back in time. The smaller buildings was constructed of wood. Roofs of red ceramic tile were decorated with various beasts of stone. The larger buildings made of dark grey stone which she assumed where academic due to there enormous size and the abnormally spaced windows. Layla thought this place was ancient. There wasn¡¯t a spec of technology anywhere. Several students carried slates, but aside from that, the area gave the feel of a place frozen in time. It was sort of a shock to see. Even in the baren trash heap of a city she lived in on Golar, there were various bots or drones going about there tasks. ¡°Whats the deal with the absence of tech?¡± She asked when Oliver walked up beside her. He scrunched up his face. His confusion plane, ¡°Do you not know anything about this place?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t chose this place. I was offered a spot.¡± She furrowed her brow. Yes, she had agreed way too quickly, hadn¡¯t she? Layla shrugged and let it go. I¡¯m here now, so whatever. ¡°That¡¯s quite odd given that millions upon millions apply to NAA. I¡¯m not saying you didn¡¯t deserve it mind you. You¡¯re a monster. But to randomly join the most prestigious Ascendant Academy is very irregular. Who offered you a spot?¡± Oliver said before he drank from a bottle he produced from somewhere. Layla saw that he was trying to be casual about the inquiry, but she could tell that the man was intrigued. Trying to figure me out, huh? She had already given the man her life story, so she said, ¡°Some cat eye¡¯d chick with oddly colored hair. She was pretty nice. Gave me some big speech about potentials and death blah blah. Now that I think about it. I¡¯m certain she manipulated me.¡± Layla scratched her chin as she considered the encounter. ¡°Yeahhh. That tea was pretty sketch.¡± Layla snorted. ¡°Anyway, she said her name was Dory and was on the admissions committee.¡± Oliver began choking on his drink. His eyes bulging out of his head. ¡°You okay man?¡± She slapped him on his back in concern. The guy really needed to be more careful about drinking water. She read somewhere that a spoon full of that stuff could kill you. Oliver wiped his mouth after his choking fit subsided. He looked over at Layla. His face fully cycling between awe and disbelief before finally settling on doubt. ¡°Planes girl. You had me going there for a second. Your benefactor was one of the seven companions. Ridiculous.¡± Then he chuckled, shaking his head. He didn¡¯t believe her, it seemed. Who the hell are the seven companions? Actually, she didn¡¯t really care. She figured it was for the better he thought she was joking. If she had told him she got the offer in the Citadel of Radiance, he would probably pass out given his outburst of Dory¡¯s name. Layla wouldn¡¯t be dissuading him of that. She might not have been supposed to tell anyone. Not that she had been commanded to do otherwise, but she doubted that very few were ever even allowed in that mountain parading as a building. She shuttered, just thinking about the size. There was just something about being beside something so colossal that freaked her out. She supposed Dory might be famous though, she was a Mantle after all. Layla hadn¡¯t really ever paid attention to their names. They just¡­ were, and you didn¡¯t want to be involved in anything that had to do with their god club, the Council. Layla hadn¡¯t been interested in religion. Gods existed, and they did god stuff. They had undoubtedly never paid her rent or bought her food when she was hungry. Why would she be interested in knowing or worshiping them? Ascendents were the ones you had to watch out for anyway. They didn¡¯t stay in the magical castle of shiny. No, they actively messed with people''s lives. Mostly on a whim if she didn¡¯t miss her guess. Destroying people''s lives because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Layla took note of the flame burning just a little bit higher in her mind as an additional log plopped down on the ethereal fire that was her rage. She was surprised to see that it had not diminished given the possible untold years she had spent in the slice. When she contemplated more though. She realized that until justice had been served for Jogen the flame would burn on. A woman in a tight fitting gray robe approached their group. A medallion with a fire drop ruby hung around her neck. It was something Layla had seen on several student. Most of the students walking around in this area and the same clothing and medallion. There were other students in different color robs with purple and green gemmed medallions as well but they seem to be leading groups of gray robed students to various different areas. Layla figured it must be some type of rank but it hadn¡¯t been explained to them yet. ¡°Hello potentials. My name is Neophyte Nami, I¡¯ll be guiding you today. You look to have a sufficient number of students together. Would you like to start now?¡± Looking behind her the rest gave a nod and the group was off to see their new home for the foreseeable future. Chapter 16 Layla decided that tours were BORING. It wasn¡¯t the guide''s fault. She just wasn¡¯t interested. Nami was actually very pleasant and spoke about the various history of the Academy, but Layla just let the information go in one ear and out the other. Aside from the more beautiful campus architecture, there wasn¡¯t much to see, which she found confusing. She thought the campus should be more extensive. She did take note of the critical locations they would be using daily such as the library and the building that supposedly held the lecture halls. There was a parade field for physical training, which Nami said they would all be using daily once their routine started. Layla noticed that they were not actually being guided through the entire campus. Several paved stone paths led to open decorative archways or maybe gates, she wasn¡¯t sure. They stood several meters in height. The unknown stone beast stood sentinel on each side of the gates leading to other parts of the campus. After passing the third such gate without explanation, she decided to enquire. ¡°Neophyte Nami, what are the purpose of the gates?¡± Nami nodded knowingly, ¡°An excellent question potential. The gates lead to the actual campus. As potentials you are not yet ready to interact with the student body.¡± She waved her hand, ¡°This area is specifically quarantined for potentials. You must pass your Agoge Trial before you will be allowed to mingle with the students. The people in gray with medallions like mine are here because we are in red cycle.¡± Layla¡¯s scrunched-up face spurred the girl on to elaborate, ¡°I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know what that is. Most of this will be explained in greater detail in one of your classes but I¡¯ll give you a brief run down. Let¡¯s start with the ranking system. There are four ranks at NAA. The first is Neophyte.¡± Nami held out her medallion. ¡°You will always be able to tell what rank someone is by their medallion. A Neophyte is the rank you achieve once you complete your Agoge. The other ranks are initiate, adept, and prime. Each rank has five sub ranks which you must rise through to achieve the next rank. When you move from Neophyte to initiate you must meet a threshold. This threshold might take you years to achieve or months. Like most things in life, your progress is based on your talent and work ethic. But I warn you now.¡± They paused their walk, and Nami turned to look at them. Her countenance becoming very serious. ¡°Ranks do not equate to skill or actual power. There are some who do not wish to move past certain ranks for one reason or the other. Do not assume because someone has been a Neophyte for ten years that they are weak. Many have paid for their arrogance.¡± Nami¡¯s grave expression was convincing. Layla would never do that regardless. She assumed everyone here was out to kill her. But sh had always been of a mind to give a person full respect until convinced otherwise. A little kindness never killed anyone. Nami seemed satisfied that her point had been made and continued her walk as she lectured, ¡°Now each rank is able to fulfill certain roles that contribute to the Academy. These roles may be assigned or chosen. For instance, I volunteered to be part of a red cycle team, which is the only one available at the Neophyte rank. When a group is put on red cycle that means they are responsible for assisting the Academy directly. Sometimes that might mean helping move supplies or grounds keeping. Whatever it may be, red cycle means you are assisting the Academy staff with menial work. As you can see my role is to help assist new potentials with integration. It only requires me to have knowledge of this area and to guide you to all the main buildings.¡± Tia chimed in, ¡°So, basically manual labor or a chaperon in red cycle? What are the benefits for volunteering for something like that?¡± Nami¡¯s head bobbed in affirmation as they walk past a shop, ¡°You are correct and another excellent question. Come let me show you instead of explaining.¡± Nami turns towards the shop''s entrance. The chiming of bells signaled the group''s entry into the establishment. The shop was something akin to a general store, from what Layla could tell. Its shelves filled with the odds and ends someone might need for everyday living. Toothbrushes, soap, a variety of food and drinks-making up most of the wares. Nami grabbed a purple drink with the picture of a very energetic-looking brown rabbit on the label. Layla assumed it was some type of stimulant drink by its appearance. When Layla saw the shopkeeper, she froze. The most outlandish character she had ever laid eyes on stood before her. Honestly, she was wondering why he wasn¡¯t the first thing she saw as his stature alone was imposing like a mountain. The two-and-a-half meter height would have made the man stand out anywhere, but it wasn¡¯t precisely what caught Layla¡¯s eye. Hair of vibrant pink was brushed back professionally. The pink hair looked as though it was constantly under some type of ultraviolet lamp. His face was clean-shaven with a masculine jaw that would make any of the opposite sex swoon. Interesting azure glowing lines ran from his forehead just above each eye down to his outer cheeks in an ¡°L¡± fashion. A wide-brimmed flat-top hat and matching dark-colored duster hung on a peg behind the man. The entire ensemble constructing a vision of some type of old-timey bounty hunter in Layla¡¯s mind. He certainly didn¡¯t fit the bill as a mild-mannered shopkeeper. Nami sat the energy drink down on the counter, and the man perked up. Sitting down the slate he was perusing, he turned his gaze towards the girl. Black sclera and glowing pink iris took in Nami then the group before a charming grin split his face. An inner light could be seen shining through his impeccable pearly whites. What the ever-loving crap is he? ¡°Nami, my dear little flower.¡± He reached out a long finger hand and sat it down on the girls in What a pleasant surprise. On red cycle again?¡± Said the man in a deep voice that rumbled in Layla''s chest. Nami slapped his hand away with burning red cheeks, ¡°Stop it Torren you old flirt. And yes, as you can see. I¡¯m working right now. What are you doing here anyway?¡± The grin never left his face as he looked back at the trio before returning his attention back to Nami. Waving his hand dismissively, he said, ¡°Sam had some errands to run, and I didn¡¯t want to pull anyone else from the store.¡± Nami facial expression spelled out clearly that she wasn¡¯t buying it, ¡°You just wanted to take holiday and read your dirty harem novels.¡± As though struck, the man threw his head to the side with his hand held up in protest, ¡°You wound me little flower. I would never ignore my business to read smutty literature.¡± He peeks back down to Nami, who only has a raised eyebrow for his antics. Chuckling, Torren relaxes. ¡°You know me too well Nami. Worry not. I will be sure to share once I am finished.¡± Nami¡¯s creamy pale skin turned violet as she started spluttering out denials. Torren only gave her a satisfactory grin before talking excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s good Nami. Really good. It¡¯s about a man who wakes up with no memory and interesting farming tools.¡± The poor woman just stood there as Torren explained a scene involving a beast girl and the main character in inappropriate detail. Layla speculated that Nami might catch fire soon, given the level of embarrassed horror on her face. ¡°Stop Torren. For planes sake stop.¡± Nami finally got out, looking back at Layla and the trio. The poor woman looked like she just wanted to die right then and there from the encounter. Torren laughed and then leaned conspiratorially to deliver a stage whisper that would give any stadium announcer a run for their money. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Nami. I¡¯ll get you a copy of the series, but we can talk about it later, eh.¡± Nami slapped away the man and let out a frustrated growl before saying a little too loudly, ¡°Torren, I am here with these fine new potentials to show them how APs work.¡± The man affected a faux confused look before saying, ¡°Well why didn¡¯t you say that to begin with.¡± ¡°Torren!¡± ¡°Calm yourself little Nami. I was only joshing with you. Hmmm come closer young ones and let me get a better look at you.¡± The group stepped forward under the scrutinizing inspection of the shopkeeper''s alien luminescent pink orbs. Oliver stepped forward and introduced himself in a flourishing elegant manner, ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you master Torren.¡± The man nodded to Oliver, and Tia similarly greeted him. Oliviana waved at Torren while scratching her butt and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on man. I¡¯m Livvy. Say, do you sell beer?¡± Oliver groaned and facepalmed. Oliviana cut a look over at her twin''s reaction and grinned. The exchange got a chuckle out of Torren before he looked at Layla. ¡°You in the hood. What¡¯s your name?¡± Layla forgot she had put up her hood to keep everyone from staring at her hair. She flipped it off her head while stating confidently, ¡°Layla Breezewalker. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Torren.¡± She looked at his face waiting for the customary nod back, and it did come but¡­ there was something there. His eyes had lingered a little too long on her hair after she said her name. She couldn¡¯t know for sure, as the man''s amiable smile didn¡¯t alter. Like, didn¡¯t move a micron. His expression had frozen. It had become less organic as though his face had been paused like a video. This all happened so fast that Layla couldn¡¯t say with confidence she hadn¡¯t imagined it. Even if it did, she could simply be reading too much into it. The acceleration of her pulse and knocking in her chest made her inclined to trust her gut, though. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He had recognized her last name, and her hair had something to do with it. He knew something about her people. She wanted to call him on it immediately and was about to do just that before he clapped his hands together and looked away, grabbing Nami¡¯s drink. Layla let the urge pass. I should probably be more cautious. I still don¡¯t know why my parents were targeted on Golar. It would probably be safer to speak with Tess about this first. Placing the drink on a pad, a price came up in holographic numbers above the item. ¡°That will be 3 AP miss.¡± said the shopkeeper in a professional manner. Nami passed her medallion over the small flat panel fixed to a stand on the counter, and the price disappeared. She turned to the group, ¡°AP or academy points are what you earn for helping the NAA with tasks. If any of you are from a Sect or large organization then you will understand the concept. Contribute to NAA and you will be awarded points. Everything inside the walls of the campus runs on this currency. This prevents outside influences from gaining traction inside the walls. NAA is a neutral place that¡¯s sole purpose is dedicated to the pursuit of fostering the best and brightest individuals into Ascendants.¡± ¡°What''s to stop someone from just trading credits for AP?¡± Layla enquired. Not that she had any credits but still. ¡°Good question. One, credits can be exchanged for AP. The Academy allows you a onetime one for one exchange of credits to AP. There¡¯s a limit but I can¡¯t remember what it is. Two, after this one time exchange the ratio is 10,000 credits per 1 AP.¡± Layla gaped. The most she had ever had in her account was a few hundred credits, and that was gone the moment she paid rent. Wait, does that mean she just purchased a drink for the equivalent of 30,000 credits. What the heck is that drink? Nami smiled at Layla, who seemed to be the only one with their mouth open like a fish, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Who has that kind of money? You would be surprised. Some family¡¯s and sectarian organization are powerful and exist in multiple planes. Regardless of the exchange rate that doesn¡¯t mean AP are actually worth that many credits. The exchange rate is there for those who can afford it while simultaneously supporting NAA. The real value of APs are the items that can only be acquired from the academy depot such as Alchemical pills, weapons, info crystals, technique manuals and so on. These are things that you will need to advance the ranks.¡± Nami cracked open her drink and took a big swig before saying, ¡°So you must contribute to get AP¡¯s. You need APs to get things that will help you advance. Since you can¡¯t leave academy grounds until you are raised to Initiate rank, credits don¡¯t have much value.¡± ¡°Wait we can¡¯t leave the campus? What about our family?¡± Tia said. ¡°You will be able to talk to them, but you can¡¯t leave and they can¡¯t enter. Only Initiates and above, staff, or Alumni may enter or exit NAA walls. I know it might sound harsh, but it is for our protection. I¡¯m sure you are aware of the high-profile Ascendant Academy Circuit.¡± Nami put on her serious face again before continuing, ¡°There are those out there who would snuff out growing talent before it has a chance to bloom. At the Initiate rank you should be able to protect yourself or escape from most dangers which is why you are allowed to leave then.¡± That sort of made sense to Layla. She didn¡¯t have anywhere to go or anyone to see outside the walls either way. Her life was here now. She could understand Tia''s distress, though. She had a family and loved ones she would want to see. ¡°So there is no way my parents can come inside the walls?¡± Tia said ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Nami replied. The small girl threw her hands in the air and cut a jig for the second time that day. Apparently, Layla was wrong. The little minx was happy to be away from her family. Surely they couldn¡¯t have been that protective. Tia blushed in embarrassment once she realized everyone was staring at her display of victory. She looked at them and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just say, I needed some space from my family.¡± Nami smiled and turned to Torren, ¡°Thank you master Torren.¡± ¡°T¡¯was my pleasure dear. Now for you new potentials. If you need anything for the next month while you are here in the potential zone you let me know. I can take credits here since you don¡¯t have the ability to earn AP yet. But once you become Neophytes come visit me at my store in the town. I might have a task or two that will earn you some APs. I also have a great collection of fine literature you might appreciate. Nami is a regular so she can vouch for me.¡± Nami swiped at the shopkeeper, who deftly avoided the embarrassing guides attempt to strike him. A toothy grin beaming on his face. ¡°I¡¯m going to get you for this Torren.¡± She hissed at the shopkeeper as she stormed out of the shop, refusing to meet anyone''s eyes. Everyone waved and followed the girl out the door to finish the tour.
The tour finished in front of a three-story-tall stone building in the corner of the area where potentials were allowed to roam. There hadn¡¯t been much to see, really, but Layla appreciated the effort. They had eaten at the cafeteria around lunchtime, where they had peppered Nami with questions about what it was like to live here and how hard was the curriculum. Most of her answers were not satisfying, but she assured them that before dinner, they would have a meeting with one of the Four Masters that would be over their class while they prepped for their trial. The group walked through a large oaken door into a common area of what would be their place of residence for the next month. Layla didn¡¯t know why they would be here for a month, but as long as she had a safe place to lay her head, she didn¡¯t much care. Potentials were relaxing in and around various furniture spread throughout the common area. Nami guided them to what looked like a hotel counter in the back of the room. The lady standing behind the counter had the same ageless look as the Masters, but her haori was black with the golden rotating bladed pentagon that symbolized NAA. Layla hadn¡¯t a clue what that meant, but the ageless beauty only meant one thing to her, Ascendant. Nami looked startled at the sight of the woman before bowing with a fist into her open palm. ¡°Master Ash, it is a pleasure to see you. I didn¡¯t realize you had returned from your sabbatical.¡± The woman looked up from her menial task and nodded at Nami. ¡°Ah Nami, it is good to see you child. I just returned. How is your progress coming along? You should be getting raised soon I¡¯d imagine.¡± She waved the girl over, ¡°Let me see your medallion.¡± Nami handed the raven-haired beauty the item. ¡°Humm yes. Yes, it¡¯s good that you waited until you shored up your foundation first. You would have trouble later on if you didn¡¯t.¡± Nami¡¯s smile split her face in half at the praise. ¡°Will you be able to make it to my testing.¡± Nami enquired. The woman handed back the medallion to Nami, and she slipped it back over her neck. ¡°If you wait till after the Agoge trial for this crop then I will most certainly be there child.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master Ash.¡± She bowed again in respect then motioned for Layla¡¯s group to move forward. They all bowed in the same manner as Nami, and the master nodded in approval. ¡°So, these are your fledgling potentials.¡± The woman¡¯s draconic gaze scrutinized them, and it was draconic for sure. Her iris golden and reptilian slits. Layla felt something brush against her internally. It was an odd feeling. It was as though something had touched the very core of who she was. She knew it wasn¡¯t hostile but didn¡¯t know how she knew that, only that it wasn¡¯t. ¡°It looks like none of them have broken the threshold although¡­¡± she trailed off, looking at Layla. She felt the probing sensation again. Each touch felling out, but at the same time, it was making Layla aware of something inside herself that she did realize was there. ¡°You are dangerously close. Don¡¯t go any further child. I don¡¯t know who your master is, but they did a very good job of getting you to the edge.¡± The woman¡¯s molten gold pupils contracted into slits before expanding again. ¡°Did you find what you were searching for?¡± Layla¡¯s heart almost exploded out of her chest at the question. How did she know? What do I say? ¡°Relax child you aren¡¯t in trouble. This is part of my duties as a master.¡± said the woman with a kind smile. Layla cursed Atom for everything he was worth. Damming the wretched man to some dark pit full of demons and feces. He literally did not tell her anything. He didn¡¯t even tell her he was going by a different name. She had no clue what she was supposed to say or not to say, and Layla doubted she could get away with lying to someone whose job was to help her with this type of stuff. Honestly, she didn¡¯t want to lie to her. She didn¡¯t know what she had found this morning. The habit of searching had been written into her soul, given the number of times she had performed the task. Layla decided that she might as well see what she could find out. Atom had stopped her from entering the tower on purpose, so there probably was a reason. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I did find something though.¡± Layla said. The woman leaned in with curiosity written on her face, ¡°And what did you find child?¡± Layla looked around, ¡°Is it okay to talk about this out in the open. My¡­ master didn¡¯t give me many instructions, and this seems personal.¡± She wanted to vomit at the word master being associated with that bastard. He was more like a sadistic torturer. Still, she didn¡¯t want to say things allowed that she shouldn¡¯t. The master nodded and waved a hand. The sounds of the common room disappeared. ¡°I assume it¡¯s okay if your companions hear.¡± Layla signaled that it was before the woman continued, ¡°Well, hmm, you are right that somethings shouldn¡¯t be openly talked about. Okay what did you find child?¡± ¡°Well, I was in the void.¡± Layla looked at the woman, and she gave her a nod that she understood, so Layla continued, ¡°While in the void I felt something, so I went towards it and came across a tower. The next moment I was there beside it. It was monstrous. I was standing at its door and couldn¡¯t see were the sides ended or how tall it reached in the sky.¡± Master Ash looked away in thought for a moment, then asked a question, ¡°What did it feel like to be at the door?¡± ¡°It felt like¡­ I¡¯m not sure maybe that I was worthy, welcoming, or that I was ready. If that makes sense¡­¡± Layla petered off. ¡°Hmm that¡¯s odd. I¡¯ve never heard of that one¡­ Very irregular. You obviously didn¡¯t go in. Thats good child. We don¡¯t start assessing those who are left till the start of the second week. You¡¯re too close though. I doubt you will make it a week now that you have found it.¡± Layla thought the woman was right. Now that her mind was on the memory this morning, she was already making plans to meditate before sleep tonight. The woman grunted before shaking her head and began straightening some papers on the desk, ¡°Well it¡¯s fortuitous that we met. I¡¯ll need to research your file and sign off on somethings, so you don¡¯t get in trouble. I¡¯ve assessed you unofficially and I know you have yet to do anything wrong. I¡¯ll need to get you a token.¡± Everyone was staring at Layla, which was making her uncomfortable. She had no idea what the woman was talking about, but she was glad she had dodged some type of problem before it happened. A rarity in her life. But she figured that she was bound to get lucky occasionally. Even if it was a fluke. Master Ash got their names and scanned their wrist units so their assigned rooms would open for them. Nami reminded the group that they should be in the common room an hour before dinner for their first meeting with the masters. She said her goodbyes and let the group know they could find her in the library if they needed anything. ¡°Layla, come see me before breakfast so I can give you a token. I¡¯m giving you verbal permission to go inside the tower but clear it with your master first. You can get in touch with them, right?¡± Layla nodded that she could. She could get in touch with Tess at least, which was good enough in her opinion. She refused to pray or whatever that gold thingy was that called Atom the first time. Then the group walked towards the stairs to check out their new room and hopefully relax before their meeting. Layla really needed a nap. The first day and she had already fought a battle, made friends, possibly found a lead to her past, and was given the go on pursuing something that she assumed would give her power. Today was turning out to be one great day. Now, if she could only find a way to ruin Atom¡¯s life in some small way, it would be a perfect one. Chapter 17 - Thanks For Playing Layla heard a soft click as she put her hand to the door. Giving the door a push, she looked around to see a barren room. A single bed sat in the corner with only a mattress. A desk made of white composite material was mounted to the wall beside the bed running to the other corner. Layla wasn¡¯t sure what she was expecting to find, but the emptiness of the living space was not it. A pang shot through her chest as she thought about her room in her old apartment. There she had her junk spread out everywhere in a nice homey feel of organized chaos. This room lacked all of that. Its cold, clean look left her feeling hollow inside. She knew it did not make sense. They would be somewhere else in a month. The room at Atoms house had been full of girlish things that didn¡¯t precisely fit Layla¡¯s style, but it did make her feel a sense of belonging or homeyness. This emptiness overemphasized that hollow place in her heart that used to hold Jogen and their life together. This place seems pretty nice. Layla was jolted out of her pity party at the voice that came from inside her head. ¡°You again. What the hell do you want?¡± Layla said aloud. What? Who are you? Get out of my head, foul wench! ¡°Foul wench? Listen here you bastard. I don¡¯t know what your about but if you keep messing with me¡ª,¡± Layla was cut off by the voice. Back fiend, back. I shall not listen to your vile words¡­ The voice trailed of snickering to its self disturbingly. I remember¡­ I remember something. Something important. You are¡­ Why can¡¯t I untie these knots? This cord shouldn¡¯t be together, Arghh¡­ The voice went silent, and Layla knew it had left or at least gone away for some strange reason. The experience left her mind in turmoil. She wasn¡¯t confident that she wasn¡¯t losing her mind because of what Atom did to her. She cursed him anyway, for the principle of it. She took one last glance at the empty room and walked down the hallway towards the common space that made up their makeshift dorm room. Layla had taken the room at the very rear of the abode. Everyone seemed to have gotten settled and were now talking in the living room. Tia was bright red as Oliver spoke to her. Most likely digging into her personal life if Layla had a guess. She could tell a drama queen, noisy socialite when she saw one. She didn¡¯t think Oliver meant any harm. He was just shamelessly curious. Oliviana was watching an AAC match on her slate, ignoring everyone. Layla had never encountered a person like her before. The girl was beautiful, achingly so. Her perfect olive complexion and noble features contrasted with her actions, though, making her seem like a crude barbarian male. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the woman said her primary forms of enjoyment were fighting beer and a good romp. Layla was confident that some of it was an act, but at the same time, she didn¡¯t believe the woman was acting counter to her true self. Only time would tell, she figured. ¡°So Tia. Tell me about your love interests. How many do you have?¡± Oliver said mischievously. Tia when dark pink at his words and started stuttering, ¡°Oliver, I don¡¯t¡ª,¡± ¡°Shh, Oli is fine dear. We are friends. Come tell Oli about your love life. You are too cute to not have dashing young men beating down your door.¡± Layla chuckled before making her way to a cushioned chair and plopping down. ¡°Oli, if you keep that up Tia is going to burst into flames.¡± Oliver laughed before giving Tia a feminine wave of acquiescence, ¡°Fine keep your secrets for now. I¡¯ll work on you later.¡± Tia gave Layla a look of relief. Layla was starting to believe that the girl may have been way too sheltered. She wasn¡¯t precisely socially awkward, but neither was she used to interacting with people as far as she could tell. Oliver turned his noisy gaze to Layla and hesitated. Not feeling up to battle words with someone who was clearly more social than her, she said, ¡°Out with it man. I¡¯m comfortable with you asking me questions as long as it doesn¡¯t leave this group. You have my trust. Just don¡¯t betray it and I¡¯m an open book.¡± Smiling in relief, Oliver nodded to her, ¡°Thank you Layla. I appreciate that trust. You can expect the same from me as well.¡± He gathered his thoughts before asking, ¡°What was the master talking about down stairs? I sort of understood it had something to do with starting down the path but my,¡± he looked over at Oliviana before continuing, ¡°our training never went into anything to do with the path. We were told that we had to wait until we were here before we could delve into those things.¡± Layla thought about the question. She honestly knew nothing about what she was doing. Atom, of course, didn¡¯t say whether she could talk about it with anyone. She honestly didn¡¯t care the more she thought about it. ¡°I actually don¡¯t really know. The void is sort of like a meditation. It¡¯s something my¡­ it was something I was taught and instructed to do. I don¡¯t mind teaching you but we should probably wait until you all are cleared to do so. Your guess is as good as mine on the tower part. I found it while meditating this morning.¡± Layla said with a shrug. ¡°Who¡¯s your master?¡± Oliver enquired. As though just thinking about him would summon the bastard. The prick popped into the center of the living space with a big grin. ¡°Hello there potentials¡ª,¡± Layla moved without thinking and struck while the man¡¯s head was turned towards her suite-mates. Before her fist could connect, she found herself back in her chair as though she had never left it. Layla growled at the man, muttering, ''Bastard,'' under her breath. Atom looked over at Layla and gave her a wink, making her want to pummel his face even more. He was too powerful, but that wouldn¡¯t stop her from trying. At some point, she would be able to wipe that grin off his face. She would bide her time for now. Tess appeared beside her, sitting on the chair''s arm, and gave Layla a hug which Layla unexpectedly realized she needed. ¡°Ah what was I saying, oh right. Hello there potentials. You may call me Master Neutron. I am Layla¡¯s master.¡± He waved back to Tess, ¡°This is my lovely assistant Jess.¡± Tess waved at everyone. Layla said nothing. The man was either an idiot or his identity as a Mantle was so protected that no one would be able to make the connection. She looked at her slacked jawed roomies who had been stunned into silence by the appearance of a master in their new home, or it was possibly Layla¡¯s failed attack of said master. Probably both. They recovered quickly and shot up to bow to him respectfully. Atom nodded in approval putting a sagely look on his abnormally perfect face that Layla hated. ¡°Ah I can see you all have manners. That is quite good. Relax though. Hopefully some of those manners will rub off on my disciple. ¡± He said, eyeing Layla. She snorted and crossed her arms obstinately, ¡°Keep dreaming,¡± she muttered. The disrespect shocked her friends, but she didn¡¯t care. They''d find out soon enough if she didn¡¯t miss her guess. It was something you had to experience to fully understand, and she didn¡¯t want them to miss out on the opportunity. Hopefully, he would have little to do with their training here at the academy, but she doubted it. ¡°You two look familiar,¡± Atom waved at Oliver and Oliviana. ¡°Are you Seth¡¯s kids?¡± The two went pale as a look of panic started coming over their faces. Atom seemed to understand what was happening and continued, ¡°Worry not, young ones. You are beyond safe here inside the wall, at least from the masters. I knew your parents and you two are dead ringers for the Aleph family. I was saddened to hear of their passing. My condolences. They were good people.¡± That name sounded familiar to Layla, but she couldn¡¯t place it. The twins visibly relaxed at his words and bowed even lower this time, ¡°Thank you master Neutron, for your kind words.¡± Atom waved his hand, ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± He looked over to Tia, eyeing her suspiciously. ¡°Do your parents know that you are here?¡± Tia¡¯s eyes went wide at the statement. Atom found some answer in her face and sighs aloud as he closes his eyes in frustration. The sight brought joy to Layla¡¯s heart, instantly perking up her mood. She would have to make a point to thank Tia later or somehow pay her back for the gift. Atom looked back down at her reproachfully, ¡°That is¡­ you have¡­ This is going to make things complicated for a great many people, young lady.¡± Tia flinched at his words. The color of shame tinting her cheeks as she replies, ¡°I-I am sorry master. I was¡­ I was going to tell them.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you would have. The question is who would still be alive before you did.¡± Layla barely heard the last part as Atom crossed his arms over his chest and began tapping afoot. He stood that way for a bit, looking off in thought. Layla said nothing and decided to just observe everyone''s reactions. She didn¡¯t know much about the inner workings of politics but figured the idea had been played out in various forms of entertainment for her to get the gist. Tia was from an influential family. Said powerful family would start putting pressure on important people once they found out their wayward daughter was missing. If they were so protective, it wouldn¡¯t take an intellectual giant to make the intuitive leap that her parents would be very unhappy with their little girl joining an extremely dangerous Ascendent Academy. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The question is how powerful are they and what kind of scandal would develop from the situation. Especially if they didn¡¯t agree with Tia staying at NAA. If they were powerful enough to give Atom this amount of pause, then it seems odd that she would even need to go to an academy at all. Even the elder families in Arcodawn only attended the academy because they helped establish it a bajillion years ago. As far as she could tell, it was now a vehicle the families used to thin the ranks and a right of passage for those who would eventually take power in the family. NAA was still independent of politics, and their alumni made sure it stayed that way. Layla thought it was all fascinating in an entertainment sort of way. Something undoubtedly worth watching from a distance, but she did not want to be a part of it. That was the question, though, wasn¡¯t it? Should she support her? She wasn¡¯t sure. She had known the girl for less than twenty-four hours. They had been through something significant in those few hours, though. It wasn¡¯t an earth-shattering thing, but a seed of friendship and trust had been planted. Did she nurture it or let it wither untended? Layla was unsure. A constant companion, it seemed. Unsurety in almost every aspect of her life. The moment she picked up that damn tablet, her life had been like a leaf in the wind. All control lost as the forces fickle and random nature blew her across the sky. Her own situation was something to be considered as well. Tia had no clue about Layla¡¯s situation. If she asked Atom to intercede on Tia¡¯s behalf, then it would most likely get her mixed up in Atom¡¯s web. Was that a bad thing? As much as she loathed Atom, his actions so far had yielded results beyond anything she could imagine. She refused to respect him and wished that small bugs would chew on his privates. But yet, she couldn¡¯t deny that he had helped her. If anything, he may have put her ahead of everyone in her cohort. She would need to warn them first, though. Looking around at her new companions, she came to a conclusion. She was going all in. It was a ridiculous decision that made absolutely no logical sense. She didn¡¯t know these people at all, but¡­ she had a gut feeling about this. That irrational gut feeling hadn¡¯t failed her on the streets of Golar, and she wasn¡¯t about to start ignoring it now. She looked over at Tia. The girl refused to meet anyone''s eyes, making Layla feel for her friend. She must have had difficulty with her parents if she had run off to join this place. It certainly was not the same thing as living as a street rat thieving. But who was she to judge who¡¯s problems were more significant. Tia hadn¡¯t shown an ounce of arrogant pomp. With such a powerful family behind her, that alone was a mark in her favor. According to her research, Layla was pretty sure that you had to be at the age of majority before you could apply to Nexus. This line of thinking made her consider her own age again. How old was she now? No, only madness lies down that train of thought. Stay on track, Layla. Taking a grip on her thoughts and trying not to vomit at the words, she said, ¡°Mas¡­ ter Neutron would you please help Tia.¡± Atom looked at Layla curiously, so she continued, ¡°I¡¯m sure that you could help Tia stay with us. If that¡¯s what she wants of course.¡± Layla looked over at the girl''s emerald green eyes looking at her in surprise. Smiling back at her, she looked to Atom. She wasn¡¯t confident he would agree, but she had something on him. Atom thought about it, then shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be a good idea. It¡¯s better to not get involved in these things disciple.¡± Putting on a strained smile, ¡°Surely master has his ways to make many things happen if he wished them to be so.¡± He put on a face of sagely wisdom and began stroking his chin, ¡°You are correct disciple. Your master is very powerful and not much can stop him should he choose to act. But in this case, I choose not to.¡± Flicking a hand covertly, out of Tess¡¯s sight. Layla made a two zero and motioned to Tia. ¡°I¡¯m sure master would but only reconsider the situation he might find wisdom in choosing to help.¡± Atom¡¯s sagely master face was suddenly marred by the twitch of an eyebrow. ¡°Wisdom to act is certainly costly. A little to costly for my tastes.¡± Layla¡¯s eyes narrowed, and she made a three zero with her hand. She was generous, and this bastard thought twenty percent was still too much. ¡°I agree with master. The wisdom to act may sometimes be more costly. I, a lowly disciple know very little of the cost of things but maybe sometimes the cost of not acting is too high.¡± Layla laid a hand on Tess¡¯s leg and leaned into her side. Tess rubbed Layla¡¯s hair in absentminded affection. Atom¡¯s face became cautious as he looked at Layla and Tess sitting together. Layla gave him an innocent smile. That¡¯s right, you bastard. You forgot who¡¯s side she¡¯s on. Agree, or I make your life hell. ¡°I¡¯m sure master is wise beyond anything that I can imagine. His kindness and generosity knows no bounds.¡± Layla said as she stabbed the metaphorical knife in for the kill. Atom coughed nervously, ¡°Ah, yes you are quite right disciple. Your master is kind¡­ and generous¡­¡± he trailed off. He nodded his head in acceptance. What''s the deal with him being so cheap? Does he really not have credits. How? Maybe it has to do with him being under the Neutron persona. Layla thought about it and then quickly realized she didn¡¯t care. Giving up thirty percent for helping Tia seemed like a fair deal. She had no clue how much it was, but if it was enough to make him sweat at the thought of telling Tess, then hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about credits for a while. Atom looked at everyone. The sagely master act abandoned for a more serious one. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying when I said this is going to make things complicated. I have an idea that will probably work but it will cost you.¡± He looked at Oliver and Oliviana. ¡°You two have to make a decision. Leave now and no longer associate with my disciple or join her. What will it be?¡± Layla tried to open her mouth to warn them. Tell them to run away and forget they ever met her. That he was a bastard and shouldn¡¯t be trusted under any circumstances. But her face couldn¡¯t move a centimeter. She wanted to scream but she couldn''t even move her eyes. He had done something to her. The twins looked to Layla, searching her face for something but the lazy smile she had on her face never changed. She smiled back as if she had told them it was a great idea. ¡°It would be an honor Master Neutron.¡± Oliver said before looking at his sister, who nodded in agreement. ¡°We would be very honored to become your disciples.¡± Atom nodded to them as though it was always going to be so before looking at Tia. ¡°If you want my help you don¡¯t have a choice. So what will it be? Do you want to stay with your new friends here or are we taking you home to your parents?¡± Tia looked at Layla just as the twins did, and she was able to look at the girl before her eyes froze again. Tia found some type of assurance that Layla most certainly wasn¡¯t trying to convey before she looked back to Atom. Tia bowed and said, ¡°This disciple is honored to greet master.¡± Why had she not warned them immediately? Because he showed up the moment he was mentioned, that¡¯s why. Was this his plan all along. It had to be. He knew everyone. That was suspicious by itself. Layla finds friends, and then he suckers them into joining her as followers as well. Didn¡¯t he not like having followers? Atom looked at Tia as though it had never been a question on whether she would accept or not. ¡°Outstanding. Well hmm. Tess dear. Would you please get a meeting setup with Tia''s parents. You might need to talk to ¡®her¡¯ first.¡± ¡°Why do we need to go through her?¡± Tess said. Atom sighed, ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to break cover. At least through her we can get backing without revealing my presence.¡± Everyone looked confusingly at Atom, but he ignored them. Tess said, ¡°Right. That makes sense.¡± She kissed Layla on top of her head and said she would talk to her later before her presence disappeared. Layla thought she would fall over, but her body moved without her permission making itself more comfortable on the chair. Layla watched Atom gaze at his new victims before pulling out a metallic disk. Unbridled panic at the item struck Layla like a comet sending her into fits of rage and fear. None of this could be observed, of course. Her body was not her own currently. She watched as Atom coaxed her new friends into the black slit in reality. The bastard, of course, was much kinder about it than he had been with her. It wouldn¡¯t have mattered, though. Nothing he said would change the situation. The slice was another thing you had to experience first hand, and no words could accurately convey that. As Tia stepped through with a wavy to Layla¡¯s unwillingly nodding head, the slit closed. Atom looked at Layla with a huge grin. He walked over to her and squatted down beside her. She felt that she could move her face and head again but not her mouth. She gave him the most venomous look she could, but he only went from a grin to a smile. ¡°Ah, little follower. Don¡¯t fret.¡± Atom ruffled her hair, and she attempted to punch him in the throat, but of course, she still couldn¡¯t move, ¡°It¡¯s better this way. You win and I win. You swindled some money out of me. That¡¯s a victory all on its own. I obtain some more minions to help me with my task. Calm yourself Layla. You have no idea who Tia parents are. Her presence here is almost a declaration of war.¡± Layla gave him a look of skepticism before he continued, ¡°Our little Tia is the heir to the Quillian empire.¡± The Quillian empire. Megacorp turned empire. The largest provider of military and consumer tech in all the known planes. They outright owned and controlled two planes. How does one even own a plane of existence? Layla didn¡¯t know, but she was confident that they did. The Council hadn¡¯t stopped them either. As far as she knew, they weren¡¯t some evil entity, just very successful at controlling the market on many things. When you live forever, it makes it easy to keep control, she figured. Slates, for instance, were all made by Quillian. The wrist units that everyone uses for communication, quick and safe transactions, all made by Quillian. Of course, there were other competitors, but nothing as advanced, reliable, or affordable in Layla¡¯s experience. What would happen if they decided to come to get their daughter. The Council would need to get involved. She looked at Atom questioningly, and he nodded, ¡°I see you understand but let me elaborate and explain why I¡¯m here. Tia most certainly wasn¡¯t why I came. A big issue to be assured, but not exactly my specialty. No, that was just a bonus and disaster avoided. I¡¯m here because someone has been killing promising students at several academies. I can only do so much as a professor. I wasn¡¯t sure how to go about this. All suspects have come up clean. The more I thought about it the more I realized I had the perfect resources already under my nose. What would be more delicious bait than several promising students. I have no doubt that you will be top of your class.¡± He waved towards where the opening to the slice had been. ¡°Now I will have several top dogs. Plus there was no way you were going to make friends here and not put my identity at risk. Like I said, It¡¯s better this way. You now have ally¡¯s who are in the know and damn if you don¡¯t have an eye for them. The Quillian heir and the Aleph twins, the last surviving members of one of the eight elder families of Arcodawn. You sure know how to pick friends.¡± Atom stood up and patted her on the head. ¡°Your friends will be back in the morning. I¡¯ll take care of the Tia mess. They will know who I am once they get back. Don¡¯t speak my name outside this room. I''ll be expecting big things out your group. Get through the trial and we will talk about your assignments.¡± Atom disappeared. Layla seethed in rage at the man. She had been played expertly by him. Outmaneuvered in a game that she didn''t even know she was playing. How would she know? She lacked all control. Not even in the most innocent thing in her life did she have control. Making new friends. Her stomach churned at what they would think of her when they returned. Would they be the same? Would they blame her? Of course, they would. How could they not? She had smiled and nodded as Atom the snake herded them to slaughter. Why had she asked him to help? What was she thinking? His help always came with a cost. She just hoped her new friendships could survive this one. Atom shifted back into existence in front of her, ¡°Almost forgot,¡± he flicked a credit chit into her lap. ¡°You asked for this. Everything has a cost little follower. There¡¯s your thirty percent. Thanks for playing.¡± With a smile that she wanted to punch, and wink that made her feel the need to break everything in sight, he disappeared. Chapter 18 - Old Monster Logic Shifting into the hallway, Atom took in the smell of freshly waxed wood and a subtle hint of lime in the air. The Masters quarters on campus was a stunning building pack full of decadence and artistry. Walls of flowing scrollwork wood and masterwork paintings lined the lavish hallway. Vestiges of whatever enlightenment the ascendant artist had found during the paintings creation lingered in the air. Giving off a faint spiritual pressure from the pieces. Atom thought it a bit snobbish, but he couldn¡¯t deny the beauty that could be found in the works. Confirming that he was alone, he thumbed his nose before straightening his master''s robes. Snorting, he said, ¡°Cheeky shit, she best be thankful I like her.¡± He wasn¡¯t expecting to have to part with some of his slush money. As much as Tess claimed to ¡®blow credits¡¯ when she was mad at him, it was far from the truth. She could shame good ol¡¯ Ebenezer at times. They didn¡¯t exactly need credits, but his station required him to play by the rules. He couldn¡¯t go around thieving or magicking up credits from thin air. He¡¯d set up his Ponzi scheme of religion to generate him credits for that very reason. Yet every one of his stinking holders eventually got pissed off at him for ignoring them and decided to go looking for him. He cringed internally the last time they found him. "Never again," he muttered. Regardless his slush fund was hard to keep hidden from Tess, and he loathed to give Layla any of it. He had to give the girl her due, though. She had played her hand well, but so had he. Gaining access to the twins had already been a priority for him. He owed Seth and Trisha that much. He hadn¡¯t known about their deaths until he reached Nexus, only to find the Aleph family gutted. Gritting his teeth, Atom cursed himself for not keeping up with the few friends he had. He¡¯d spent too many years acting like a hermit. Isolated from people. It was easy to do when you didn¡¯t have to worry about growing old. The ticking clock of mortality put an urgency in life that just didn¡¯t exist for him anymore. You start thinking in decades instead of days and centuries instead of years. Atom¡¯s forcefully imposed Mantle sort of threw him into an odd category. Mantles were typically tied to a singular plane. They were a foundational pillar that a plane''s reality revolved around. While not all of the Mantles were strictly guardians, they usually served a function. The Mantle of Inspiration, War, and even Magic were some of the most common ones. Not every plane ascended the same way. But as far as he been able to figure out, his Mantle wasn¡¯t tied to anything. It just was. Since Atom had ascended with a Mantle, there had been no Arbitrators collect him. Which was typical for non-magical planes when they took the final step into Unity. Nope, Atom had just woken up on an ascendant planet and treated the whole ordeal like an adventure. He¡¯d figured he¡¯d been transmigrated or some such nonsense and rolled with it. The system had been there, and he¡¯d binged enough GameLit to realize that he was either dead or hit the neckbeard lottery. Had the feather-brained Angelic¡¯s picked him up like they usually did, he probably wouldn¡¯t have ever gotten on the Council''s radar and eventually been forcefully recruited. He sighed as his thoughts drifted to that fiasco but figured it was for the better. The planes were dangerous. Much more than he ever could have imagined. Giving the thoughts no more time. He quickly strode towards his door. The plushness of the red and gold accented carpet made his footsteps silent. Atom hoped to avoid interacting with his colleagues, so he moved swiftly, but Master Brent crushed those hopes as he exited his own quarters down the hall. Giving the man a nod, he reached for his doorknob. ¡°Master Neutron, could I have a moment of your time?¡± Brent inquired. His deep voice open and is inviting as always. Atom sighed again internally but realized he actually did need to speak to the man. Putting on a friendly face, he replied, ¡°Of course. What can I help you with?¡± Brent made his way over, and they clasped wrists. ¡°I was wondering if you could take physical conditioning in the morning. One of the Masters overseeing our AAC tournament team was called away for some reason and I¡¯m on duty for back up. So I can¡¯t make it.¡± Drill sergeant huh, Atom smiled, ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t mind if I uh, deviate a little from the script do you?¡± Brent gave Atom a knowing grin, ¡°I¡¯ve seen your results. That disciple of yours has me fired up. I can¡¯t wait to get a weapon in her hands and see if I can¡¯t squeeze some respect out of her.¡± If the potentials could have seen the Masters discussing the subject, they would have been sweating bullets and questioning what higher power hated them so much. Atom couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The man had an infectious air about him. Brent was the type of guy that made you want to believe. It didn¡¯t matter what it was or what subject he was talking about. If you spent more than five minutes with the man, then you¡¯d be ripping and roaring and ready to jump into a hell dimension. Armed with broomsticks and only wearing your boxers. Confident you were about to lay waste to anything and everything that stood before you. ¡°She has plenty of fire to go around. I promise you that. Oh, by the way. I picked up the Aleph twins and the Quillian girl as disciples.¡± Brent frowned, ¡°Dammit Neutron, you can¡¯t be stealing all the talent.¡± Atom waved his hand in protest, ¡°I¡¯m not. I swear but Layla asked me to intercede on the Quillian girls behalf. What was I supposed to do. I decided to pick them all up since they bonded. I¡¯ll pawn them off on you anytime you like though.¡± Brent''s eyebrows relaxed, and he nodded in appreciation, ¡°Fine. Good. I may take you up on that. What is the deal with the committee letting that girl in anyway? Smells like politics.¡± His face scrunching up in disgust. Atom was wondering the same thing. He speculated about the same and assumed it had something to do with the Council''s resident spider spinning her web. ¡°Who knows these things.¡± Atom said, shrugging, ¡°I¡¯m going to go try and negotiate with them before they decide to start a multi-planar war or something.¡± Brent perked up at the sound of war, ¡°You don¡¯t think that they would go that far do you?¡± A fire started to burn in the man''s eyes as he scratched his chin, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been able to stretch my legs. Do you think they will mobilize the Alumni?¡± The excitement on Brent''s face had Atom concerned. He certainly didn¡¯t want to be involved in a war. This was twice now in a matter of a few weeks that a war might happen. Why did wars all of a sudden want to keep breaking out around him? This was why he stayed in his house. You couldn''t start a war if you just stayed home and didn¡¯t speak to anyone. He might need to prioritize going to visit the Quillian Empire. ¡°Surely that¡¯s over kill don¡¯t you think?¡± Atom exclaimed. Brent shrugged as if it didn¡¯t really matter to him, ¡°It hasn¡¯t happened in a while but important kids run away all the time with dreams of power. Still a show of force is sometime the best answer for these situations. We don¡¯t just let anyone in and we aren¡¯t going to let someone come steal a student either. People seem to forget pretty quickly why Arcodawn has persisted for so long. It¡¯s good to give them a reminder every now and then.¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. The sheer number of Ascendants that owed their ascension to Nexus was frightening, to say the least. Dory and the General were both Alumni of NAA. Not to mention the person who created the Ways and the other Wonders credited to the Companions. If even a tenth of the stories about the Companions were true, then calling them gods was not far from off. Atom didn¡¯t truly consider himself a deity, although that hadn¡¯t always been the case. He¡¯d thought himself a godling for the first few hundred years. That all changed when they decided to step outside the firmament of reality. The spaces in-between the planes for which the Ways traveled. What he¡¯d learned and faced in the Void had shown him just how far he was on the totem pole. He shuddered at the experience. Had his Mantle not decided to awaken out there, he doubted that he would have survived. Brent gave Atom a pat on the shoulder as he passed by, ¡°I¡¯m off Neutron. Give the kids hell tomorrow.¡± The two chuckled before Brent shifted. Atom flexed his Will, and the artfully crafted door to his quarters opened and closed behind him as he stepped through. Mentally pushing out his presence, he scanned the room. The Will and Presence were the more useful abilities you gained once you reached full Ascendant status or the Unity rank. The Will was a person''s physical authority over the surroundings. A person''s presence is the ability to sense their surroundings and interact with the ambient anima. Together these two made up an Ascendents domain. Atom felt through his presence that nothing was amiss in his quarters. His bond with Tess let him know that she was off this plane at the moment. He looked at his headset and controller. The pull to just relax and enjoy a pizza while picking up a few matches was strong. The responsibility of all the current projects already weighed on him. Atom didn¡¯t enjoy having this type of responsibility, but he knew that this was a long-term project that would pay dividends if he just stuck to it. Looking at his wrist unit, he thought he might have enough time to get in a quick match of Battle Royale. He hadn¡¯t snuffed out any noobs in a few days. That felt wrong to him somehow. What if they forgot they were trash. He had a moral duty to make sure they remembered their place. He hesitated, ¡°Should I get into a match right now? It would be wrong, right? Like, Tia¡¯s parents could show up guns blazing any moment.¡± Staring longingly at the console that any true gamer would slap their beloved grandmother for, he sighed. He had to get his priorities straight. There was no actual decision here. This is why twenty minutes later, Tess found Atom in his quarters talking smack to a thirteen-year-old girl. ¡°What are you doing? You freaking re re? Do you even know how to play this game.¡± Said a high pitch teenage squeal in Atom''s headset. ¡°Best check yourself chunni_rainbow_fairy. I¡¯m not above TK¡¯ing you.¡± ¡°Why are you not with us! This is a team match you random. You just got us killed dumpster fart!¡± Getting annoyed by the mouthy girl, Atom aimed in on a rainbow-haired digital avatar¡¯s head as it floated down from respawn and pulled the trigger. ¡°You did not just OMFG UGHHH!!!¡± She screamed. ¡°That will teach you to mouth off,¡± Atom chuckled. ¡°Moooooom! This creepy old man is asking me where I live and if he can touch me!¡± ¡°WHA! Why you little¡ª,¡± Atom cut off his statement, and he froze as ominous feelings flooded through his bond. A bond that was way too close. Turning his head towards the kitchen, he found his better half giving him a look that promised death. He should have known she was about to pop in when he felt someone probing his domain a few moments ago. Misunderstanding Tess¡¯s anger, he blurted, ¡°She¡¯s lying babe. I would never do or say something like that¡­," he trailed of with an awkward pressured laugh. The tension of the room increased to palpable levels as Tess raised an eyebrow. Her face on the surface did not reflect the murderous aura flowing through their bond. Had he done something wrong? Tess looked at the console and looked back at Atom. ¡°Oh¡­¡± he gulped. His gaming command center disappeared into his inventory. He started talking really fast, ¡°Babe I was just waiting on you to get back this isn¡¯t what it looks like I wasn¡¯t¡­.¡± He trailed off as he could tell it wasn¡¯t helping. Tess¡¯s face started to turn cold and distant, sparking him to try and speak again. Possibly defend himself from her wrath. ¡°Babe. It was just to burn some time¡­¡± an imminent feeling of death spike through the bond. ¡°I¡¯ll just shut up now.¡± Atom said meekly. Tess nodded as though it was probably best that he be silent. Atom knew this was going to be another long sad sleep on the couch. The silence stretched out uncomfortably, making Atom start to squirm under Tess¡¯s heated gaze. She finally broke it, stating, ¡°You were playing video games.¡± Every word was followed by increasing jolts of violence conveyed through their bond. He had no idea how she could do that, but he had to admit it was effective. Atom didn¡¯t say anything. He was at least that intelligent. ¡°You were playing video games¡­ while I was attempting to prevent a war.¡± Atom shrugged before weakly saying, ¡°It was only one match¡ª,¡± There bond went frigid, and Atom corrected himself, ¡°I-I¡¯m Sorry.¡± Maybe he wasn''t that intelligent. She took a deep breath, held it, and closed her eyes. The bond between them flitted through hundreds of emotions so fast that Atom was left in awe and confusion. Then, it calmed to a tranquil stillness that sent him into a panic. The stillness was not a good thing. It was always followed by violence. Tess blew out an exasperated breath before walking towards him. Standing before Atom, she said, ¡°Dory is waiting for you on the Prime moon in orbit around the Quillian imperial planet. They have already started to mobilize.¡± And then she slapped him. Hard. His head jerked back like a first-round TKO. He found himself disoriented, followed by a feeling of falling. Atom¡¯s face greeted a foreign terrain with his mouth open. He took in more than a mouth full of soft dirt. Spluttering, he slowly picked himself up from the ground to find a purple-black barren lunar landscape before him. He obviously could have avoided landing on his face, but he realized that it was better to just let it happen a long time ago. Tess¡¯s improved mood through the bond gave him confirmation on that choice. She really enjoyed being violent at times. He found it disturbingly exciting. Atom was pretty sure he needed to talk to someone about the normality of that feeling. Looking up, a blue oceanic planet interspersed with little earthy brown landmasses loomed over him in the sky. A snort of concealed laughter came from his right. He wanted to ignore the woman but knew better. He turned to eye the spider suspiciously. Her eerie mismatched colored gaze was full of mirth. ¡°This is your fault you know.¡± Atom finally said, mouth still full of some type of foreign moon dirt. An acidic salty-sour taste mixed with burnt toast assaulted his taste buds. Dory snorted derisively, ¡°I keep telling you to keep her happy. Alas you persistently keep finding new ways to piss her off.¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong. Using his Will to remove the moon dirt from his mouth and clothing, he hrmfpt. ¡°You knew I was playing a game and sent her to catch me in the act.¡± Dory looked away in fo innocents then shamelessly denied it, ¡°I did no such thing.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Lies,¡± Atom protested, ¡°I felt you scan. You could have at least given me a warning.¡± The betrayal evident in his voice. ¡°I tried but I couldn¡¯t get through your warding. It¡¯s your own fault really.¡± ¡°Dory, have you ever heard of sending a message?¡± Atom sighed and accepted that every female in his life was out to get him. He looked up at the planet again. Monstrous space crafts the size of small island countries back on earth started to lift off the planet''s surface. The titanous space crafts were a clear sign of the Quillian Empire war machine spinning up for conflict. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a little too, uhm, helicopter? I mean the girl is well into her age of majority? Princess or not this just seems like a little too much.¡± Atom commented as the two watched the Solar destroyers beginning to crest the atmosphere. ¡°Yes, I believe it is.¡± Dory concurred. ¡°It¡¯s also against the Accords.¡± Atom perked up, ¡°Oh really?¡± Dory glanced at him with a playful grin, ¡°A minor violation.¡± She looked back at the destroyers, ¡°We would normally let it slide since this sort of thing is more posturing than anything else. But I¡¯ve been monitoring the throne room and Tia¡¯s father is set on showing his ass. He¡¯s an idiot of course. Obviously Nexus would never allow such a thing to go unchallenged. To make matters worse the admissions committee is still in session until after the trial. So most of the Alumni would be available.¡± Atom nodded in understanding and speculated, ¡°They would see the show of force as a good way to cut loose and have a good time.¡± ¡°Exactly. We have been coped up with each other for the past few months. There haven¡¯t been any major conflicts since before your time. I¡¯m positive the Alumni would use this as the perfect opportunity to vent some frustrations. That would not be a positive thing in the current climate with the enemy.¡± Dory looked at him, ¡°Are you keeping the girl?¡± Atom didn¡¯t look at her as he watched the scene play out from the moon, but he eventually nodded, ¡°Yes¡­ unfortunately. My follower trick¡ª convinced me to intercede on her behalf. She¡¯s in the slice with the Aleph twins getting up to my standards.¡± He turned to her with a hurt look on his face, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about Seth and Trisha.¡± Dory winced and looked away from him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Atom. I know you cared for them. I didn¡¯t know until it was too late to do anything. When I started looking into it¡­.¡± She trailed off. He wanted to refute her statement, but he believed her. He was confident that his friends had probably been involved with his current task. There were too many strings leading back to Dory¡¯s investigation. They were the type to get involved in things like that if they saw it. Atom would let it go for now. He would find his own answer there, and then he would deal with those involved, off the books, of course. Setting aside his feeling on the matter, he watched the first spacecraft finally exit the atmosphere. ¡°You coming with me? It would make things much easier.¡± She hesitated as though she might say yes but eventually shook her head in the negative. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you go down there yourself since you will be responsible for her.¡± Cursing internally, he said, ¡°Well how powerful are they? Tier 5 Lords or is it something ridiculous like Transcendants because if they are Tier anything Transcendants you might as well come with me. I¡¯m not going to play nice and I¡¯m not taking the blame.¡± Dory hummed to herself for a moment in thought before she spoke, ¡°No they aren¡¯t that powerful else you would know about them. Emperor Roland has reached True Lord. He¡¯s been hovering in the peak of Tier 1, the Terra rank. He¡¯s been there for the last thousand or so years. Our predictive model doesn¡¯t give him favorable odds of breaking through anytime soon. It¡¯s common for those who choose the Lord path to bottle neck in this area without some fringe understanding of a Law.¡± Atom gave a sound of agreement. Once a person achieved Unity, it was commonly thought to be the end. Little did they know that it was only the beginning. The mortal realm was best known as the foundation step. Then there was the Mage realm. It was honestly the most exciting realm, at least his inner nerd thought so. Once you entered the Mage ranks, you could start using skills or spells. So in a sense, you were actually a Mage by Earth''s standards. It was only a pseudo step, though. And the largest bottleneck area for those trying to Ascend. Then after that, you had Unity, the true first Ascendant rank. Where a person achieves Unity with their chosen path. Things bifurcated after Unity. The Lord''s path was based on the accumulation of power and authority in their domain. The Sage path was based on their understanding of reality. To make a good comparison. The Lord is the path of the warrior, while the Sage is the path of the scholar. Both paths had their perks and drawbacks. The problem is that if you kept climbing, you eventually come back to the Sage path if you ever want to break out of the True ranks and into the Transcendent ranks. Each rank had a tier system that the Council used, but there were more common names for the sub ranks like Terra, Heavenly, Lunar, Solar, etc. ¡°Empress Victoria is a Tier nine True Sage in the peak Stellar rank. She follows the path of Clockwork Serenity. She could break the threshold of Transcendence at anytime if she wanted to. The Council suspects that she will not move past this rank unless her husband can join her. Publicly she has mastery of three Laws along with several Ideal¡¯s on the verge of becoming Laws. Unofficially she has mastered five Law¡¯s, two of which are Primal, and dozens of Ideal¡¯s. Victoria is very dangerous.¡± Dangerous wouldn¡¯t be the word Atom would use. Two primal Law¡¯s was a scary achievement for anyone not in the late Tiers of Transcendent ranks. She was more like a walking talking planar Calamity. It was no wonder the Council allowed them control of two planes. Atom felt a pressure building behind his eyes. The tail tail sign of a migraine coming in hot and stabby. This was going to be more annoying than he initially believed. He almost opened the slice and just threw the girl at her parent''s feet right then and there. It wasn¡¯t really worth it, but Atom had given his word to Layla. Not keeping that would cross a line for him. You had to have some type of principles, even if his were tar-black and smelt of sulfur. His family and followers were on that line. ¡°What approach do you want me to take?¡± Dory began to state her thoughts allowed, a habit he''d noticed about her, ¡°The Quillian¡¯s are one of the more positive forces in the planes. Their business tactics are beyond ruthless and bordering on tyrannical. But in exchange for this they have overall improved the lives of all the planes the Council govern. I know them both. Victoria is a brilliant inventor thanks to her path and a pleasant woman to converse with. Roland is an ass on the surface and doting family man behind closed doors.¡± Dory paused for a moment and continued her humming. Atom waited quietly for her to finish her thinking. He watched the oddly angled crafts begin to align into a formation above the planet. Spaceships were a big letdown for him. They looked nothing like what he imagined they would. There were very few sleek aerodynamic ¡°treky¡± style crafts, at least in the larger ones. They were more artistically inspired. These destroyers¡¯ shapes, for instance, were that of a circular ball with oddly shaped spikes jutting out. It looked like the Death Star if it were a pin cushion. He was sure they had a purpose for looking that way, but he couldn''t see it. Weird. ¡°How is your Law mastery these days?¡± Dory inquired. It was so innocent. So casual and so smoothly asked that Atom almost answered her truthfully. He looked at the woman incredulously. The slightly upward tick of her mouth let him know that she was aware of how close she had gotten. The woman really was good. He shook his head before snorting. He would have to lock down the empire before meeting with the Quillian¡¯s. Keeping the file Dory had on him abnormally thin was a top priority. He figured if he could access the file, anyone could, so the less the Council had on him, the better. There was trust, and then there was stupidity. Once you reached a certain level of power, your mastery of Laws was all that mattered in a battle between Ascendants. If someone knew what laws you had mastered, then, theoretically, they knew your weaknesses. Thus it was a very personal subject that was not shared. Not even when you became a Council member. All members of the Council were of the True Sage rank, personal power-wise. The Council would not allow a Mantle to be given to anyone less. One of the requirements to break into True Sage ranks was a rudimentary mastery of a single Law. ¡°I know a few,¡± Atom said. His smirk was dry and unamused. He¡¯d been letting his guard slip around her too often. She looked at him and made a gesture. He felt a pulse pass through him before he could block it, and she began to read something in the air only she could see. ¡°Did you just use a skill on me? Rude.¡± He complained. His offended words brought a smile to Dory¡¯s face. ¡°Of course. Ah here we are¡­.¡± She chuckled before dismissing whatever window she had open. ¡°You really should change that to something aside from ¡®I know a few,¡¯ I¡¯m not the only person with skills like this. Being able to change that is more telling than you realize. At least put an obvious one like the Law of Fire or something generic like that. It would draw less attention.¡± She scolded him before shaking her head in a disappointed fashion, ¡°What is it you says¡­ Stop being a noob, I believe.¡± Atom flushed at the rebuke. It had been more of a joke placeholder when he was constructing the Neutrons persona. He¡¯d forgotten to adjust it. Shaking her head, she continued, ¡°Go down there as Master Neutron. Inform them that you have taken their daughter as a disciple. Assure them that she is safe and will continue to be so on NAA campus.¡± Atom shook his head, ¡°You know that¡¯s not going to work.¡± She reached over and gave him a pat on the shoulder, ¡°It will be fine. Go down there and be assertive.¡± She changed her voice to that of a motivational manager, ¡°I believe in you. You can do it.¡± Atom rolled his eyes, ¡°Why are you making me do this? I know you let her in for a reason. I just don¡¯t know what that reason is?¡± He looked over at Dory. Trying to get a read on her. The hair on the back of Atoms arms raised at the sight of her expression. Her look held the endless wisdom and the untold secrets of an ancient primal monster. ¡°My reasons are my own. Atom. Though," Dory gave him a wink that stiffened his spine, "I¡¯d be willing to trade, if you¡¯d like. Secrets for secrets. They¡¯re juicy, I promise.¡± Shanking off the feeling of unease, he scoffed at the offer, then ignored her. He knew better than to play at intrigue with the woman. She always got the upper hand, and there wasn¡¯t a thing he could do about it. She was an unfathomable monster. He couldn¡¯t sense her rank at all. He was also positive now that she¡¯d touch him that he was just speaking to an avatar and not the real deal. Another scary fact that Atom did not want to think about. Instead of answering the honeyed words, Atom finished breaking the wards around the throne room and shifted inside the doors. The Emperor and Empress were seated on a dais speaking to a group of generals standing around a table. Roland and Victoria were the pictures of nobility, as far as Atom could tell. Roland was a powerfully built man with a tight-fitting suit of black that made him look both regal and dangerous. Tia''s mother was a mature version of the girl with long ink-black hair, full pink lips, a button nose, and pale flawless skin. A little thin in Atom¡¯s opinion but still gorgeous. ¡°Emperor I advice against this action. We should reach out to the Nexus Ascendant Academy and simply ask for Princess Tatiana to be returned. The empire does not want to go to war with the Nexus.¡± Said a light brown-skinned man with meadow green eyes. ¡°No Tomon, they have went to far this time. They play these games across the planes time and time again. Nexus did not ask our permission to take our daughter. I won¡¯t stand for it.¡± Roland said, almost screaming at the end. His wife said nothing as the man continued to rant and rave about the audacity of the Academies. Atom thought that she didn¡¯t seem to feel the same as her husband but wasn¡¯t going to stop his actions either. She probably wasn¡¯t happy about NAA not informing them about the acceptance. He hated politics, but he did understand the situation. Tia was their only child. Why they had never had a child until Tia was a mystery. Possibly they were too consumed by their own personal aspirations. Again with no clock ticking and anima perfecting your body to the point that a female Ascendant wouldn¡¯t ovulate unless they chose to, you had all the time you wanted. ¡°Sire please listen to me. If we jump our destroyers to Nexus this is going to end poorly for us. I was there the last¡ª¡± the now-named Tomon pleaded with emperor Roland again. Roland raised his hand and cut his general off, ¡°I know you were and I don¡¯t care Tomon. They have my baby girl and I¡¯m going to show them they can¡¯t just do whatever they want without repercussions.¡± ¡°Sire she has reached her age of majority. This is probably just a miscommunication. If you would just let¡ª,¡± ¡°Enough Tomon. We have heard you. Prepare to depart within the hour. That is all.¡± The emperor stated flatly, broking no more argument from his subject. Atom felt terrible for the man as he bowed in acceptance to his liege''s command. He was the only one speaking sense in the room, yet that sense was falling on deaf ears, it seemed. The poor man was just trying to do his job. He wasn¡¯t sure how he wanted to play this. He had a multitude of characters he could draw on. There was a strong urge to channel Darth Sidious for some reason. He¡¯d always wanted to use the ¡®unlimited power line¡¯ with someone. Of course, Atom didn¡¯t believe that claiming to be a Sith Lord would go over well. They wouldn¡¯t get it anyway. He eventually decided to wing it. He began walking towards the group of soldiers while dropping wards to obscure any outside peeking. Once the last officers shifted away, he enforced a phase lock, effectively sealing the area from shifting. The Imperial couple finally took notice of him when the lock went into place. He couldn¡¯t hide something like that. It was too noisy of a thing for the two high-level Ascendants not to notice. Whether they had figured out what he¡¯d done was is yet to be seen. ¡°Who are you?¡± The Empress spoke for the first time since he¡¯d popped in. Her voice was more profound than he expected for a petite framed woman but still very feminine. Atom gave a little wave and strode forward. His flowing black robes and white haori were motionless as he approached. The couple didn¡¯t seem worried. Roland looked annoyed, but Tia¡¯s mother looked interested. Confident, aren¡¯t they? Well, we will feel them out. Atom stopped in front of their dais and gave a slight bow. Neither respectful nor disrespectful. ¡°My name is Master Neutron. I¡¯m here on behalf of Nexus Ascendant Academy. I¡¯d like to discuss your daughters future.¡± The emperor made to speak, but the Empress waved him down. The man slumped into his throne sullenly. Smart man. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that Nexus had any interest in our daughter.¡± said the Empress. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a while.¡± Atom said politely. ¡°I¡¯d say you are very aware. So if we could skip the verbal dancing that would be nice.¡± She put on a pouty face, ¡°I rarely get to play at being Empress. You could have at least indulged me for a bit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Empress. I am just too brutish and pragmatic, I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°My love, let us do away with this trash and go and get our sweet little girl.¡± Emperor Roland urged. The man was quite rude in Atom¡¯s opinion. The Empress ignored the man, though, and continued, ¡°Yes, I can see that. Well out with it then. You are aware of our little runaway. Her father would like her returned. We are not pleased about this¡­ situation.¡± So only daddy wants her back. Isn¡¯t the mom supposed to be the helicopter? Odd. ¡°Well Empress unfortunately that will not be possible. She has requested sanctuary from you as well as discipleship from me. All of which I have chosen to accept. I came here to let you know personally that she is in the best hands possible.¡± Emperor Roland surged to his feet. His face was beet red. ¡°You will bring my daughter to me this instant or¡ª,¡± Yeah no. ¡°I will not.¡± A surge of power came from the man. ¡°Then burn.¡± He said. Atom felt the Ideal of Fire take hold around him, turning the marble tile in a two-meter floor radius to molten slag in an instant. The Ideal tried to burn him to ashes but lacked the power to do so. But Atom had a flair for the dramatic, so he raised his arms and gesticulated wildly while screaming to let the man vent his rage. When the murderhobo didn¡¯t let up, Atom shrugged and walked out of the firestorm perfectly unharmed. People always complained about this trope back on earth, but the fact of the matter was when you had the power to break reality with a thought, it was elementary to deal with your problems that way. People were either too sheltered or gave humans too much credit. No one wanted to really consider they lived in a bubble. Plus, Atom broke into his home. He was surprised the man took so long to attack him. ¡°You are a brave bastard aren¡¯t you. Do that again and I¡¯ll show you real fire.¡± Atom promised. ¡°Calm yourself Roland. Do try not to embarrass us.¡± Roland seemed to not hear the woman by the facial expressions he was aiming his way, but he didn¡¯t say anything either. So Atom continued. ¡°As I was saying. I can assure you that your daughter is in the best of hands.¡± The Empress pursed her lips before asking, ¡°And how do we know this is true. We do not know you. I¡¯ve never even heard your name before and I know anyone worth knowing with power. We are not happy about this unknown acceptance. The board should have let us know. It feels like a slight to our family and our power.¡± Atom gave her a nod of understanding but then shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m not here to play politics. What Nexus and the admission board did or did not due doesn¡¯t matter to me. I¡¯ve taken your daughter on as a disciple. Nothing else matters now. She will stay with me until she reaches the Mage ranks.¡± ¡°You must be confused. Master Neutron. I don¡¯t know you. I''ve never even heard of you. That means you don''t matter. I will not be trusting you, a nobody, with my daughter.¡± The Empress proclaimed authoritatively. Atom put on his best arrogant master''s face, "I didn''t even know your names until about twenty minutes ago. Which means you aren''t relevant." He chuckled. ¡°Again, I¡¯m just here letting you know that your daughter is my disciple. Something I did not need to do but did. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it. But if you would like to break out the measuring sticks¡­.¡± He left the rest unsaid as he held out his hands in invitation. She obviously got his meaning as two authorities in the True ranks slammed into him. Their power trying to grind him and his soul into infinitesimal dust. If someone was to walk in and see this display of power, they would see a high-stakes staring match. The Imperial couple would be viewed as looking down on a man straining as hard as they could. As though the two were constipated and trying to squeeze out a big fat log. Veins pulsing on the sides of their heads and all. Atom could feel the hidden servants in the room start to pass out, so he flexed his own power out. His eyes turned black, and twin ice-blue stars blazed in his eyes. An outward sign of his path, Stellar Might. Instantly suppressing the couple before they could harm their own people. He was a colossal prick, but he wouldn¡¯t allow any innocents to be hurt if he had the power to prevent it. Atom had plenty of power. Way too much, really, but his new handy dandy little bracelet helped with that. The imperial couple slammed back into their thrones. Thin hairline fractures running through the stone at the force. A look of fear painted their face. Atom let the strength of his power grow... and grow... and grow. Terror replaced the fear in their eyes as he let them feel how much of a difference there was between them. He allowed them to fully appreciate the gap. These noble types needed to fully understand that he could protect their daughter, even from them. Else they¡¯d keep annoying him. Satisfied they were aware that the measuring contest had been won, he dialed it down. He had a thought of getting Dory something nice for this little volume knob before he remembered she was using him as a foot scrubber currently. ¡°Well that was unpleasant,¡± he lied cheerfully. ¡°Whatever games NAA are playing do not concern me. I¡¯ll be at the Academy for a time. She will train and she will learn while she¡¯s there. Once she becomes an Initiate, I¡¯ll allow you to come see her but I will not force her to see you.¡± The Empress recovered quickly, ¡°Y-you can''t do this. This is breaking the Accords. The Council will hear of this.¡± Atom laughed, ¡°Victoria, who do you think requested that I come and speak with you. This was a show of respect to you as well as to prevent any unneeded conflict between you and the Academy. Now, are we at an understanding? I do have other things to do besides bully my grown adult disciples parents." He gave them a look that let them know what he thought of their feelings on the matter. Atom put on a softer expression, "Don''t worry though. Your daughter will become powerful. That I can promise you." He turned and started walking out of the throne room but paused and glanced back. "If I have to come back here. I will break lots and lots of things. You wouldn''t be the first empire I''ve snuffed out of existence." He reached out and grabbed a thread of time and used it to repair the damage from the firestorm the emperor had used. The beautiful tile was unmarked and perfect. No signs of the molten crater of slag could be seen. The Empress gasped at his casual use of the Law of Time. "And I doubt you will be the last," and he blinked away. Playing the old monster is much more satisfying than being heroic. Old monsters don''t have to worry about heroism when they are the only one left to tell the story. Chapter 19 - Insidious Thoughts The common area of the dorm was a lively affair. The potentials excitement about their first day on campus was evident in the enthusiastic chatter that floated throughout the room. A large board had appeared on the wall, and everyone buzzed about what the rankings would be. The savage battle that had taken place but only a few hours ago now discussed like an old war story. Each potential with their own heroic battle to tell. Layla felt none of the excitement. Her mood was dark and radiated off her in waves. Not a single person or group had approached her since she came down the stairs. The other potentials had sensed that she wanted to be left alone. It was the exact opposite of what she needed, but it was also exactly what she wanted. Atom¡¯s stunt had probably ruined her relationship with the first set of friends she had ever made on her own. Her insides twisted at what they must be thinking about her right now. The years they were currently spending in a mindless haze of focused training were probably the only thing holding back the growing hatred they had for her. She only brought suffering to those around her, it seemed. Her parents, Jogen, and now¡­ It wasn¡¯t fair. Why was her life so crap. Why did so many bad things keep happening to her? Was this not supposed to be a fresh start. A new life that she could enjoy to the fullest. A place where she could gain control over her future. The jovial chattering around her did not fit her mood. She was depressed, she was hurt, and most of all, she was angry. The more the room filled with bright excitement, the darker her thoughts became. Layla wanted pain, and she wanted to inflict pain. A new fire inside her mind space was growing. It was a morose and hateful thing. She did not know when it had come to life, but she fed it all of her feelings. With each ephemeral log of her vengeful emotions thrown on the fire, the more her anger amplified. Her earlier session of destruction in the room wasn¡¯t enough to sate her. Layla needed to break something or¡­ someone. Yes, a fight would be perfect now. She looked around. The mohawk guy had been eyeing her earlier, hadn¡¯t he? No, she¡­ she shouldn¡¯t do that. What was wrong with her? Why couldn¡¯t she control herself? A feeling in her chest rose up inside. A pain that had been buried deep. A wound that refused to heal. She was so¡­ alone. Alone like she had never been before. No one she could trust if she needed help. She felt hollowness inside her chest so deep that it seemed limitless. Her only friend was an aching throb. She needed her brother. She needed to cry and for him to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay. That she wasn¡¯t alone. That would never happen, though. He¡¯d never make stupid jokes or laze about while she did all the work. He¡¯d never drag her out of her room to watch stupid AAC matches or make her be his personal encyclopedia. They would never sit atop the tall buildings on the outskirts of town and just stare off into the desert sands as the sun went down. Neither saying anything. Just enjoying the presence of family and a beautiful scene. He would never make her sausage and¡­ and¡­ and¡­ it was all Praxis''s fault. She felt this way because of Praxis. Yes, that¡¯s why she was here. Her feelings of emptiness were brushed away by the dazzling and glorious bonfire of rage. It was both scorching as the sun and cold as the darkest void. The unchecked rage felt intoxicating. It was powerful. It desired action. Her eye¡¯s narrowed as she searched the crowds looking for¡­ Ah, there he was. Janice or something right. A woman¡¯s name. It was fitting. Of course, mohawk was watching her. Of course. This was perfect. She locked eyes with him. She mouthed a word that she knew would insight him to rage. They would rage together. ¡°Coward,¡± she mouthed. His eyes bulged, and his face started to turn red. He took a step forward but stopped himself. Oh, he needed more. She made an expression of disdain and mouthed ¡°Trash,¡± then looked away as though he wasn¡¯t worthy of her concern. She watched him out of the corner of her eye blow his top. She laughed. ¡°You know. You really shouldn¡¯t make an enemy of the Cellini family.¡± Said a voice behind her. His tone felt exhausted. She turned around and sneered at the voice''s owner. ¡°What do you know?¡± A powerfully built man stood before her but not so much that it would restrict its movements. He was a bearded guy of probably twenty-five stood relaxed.He had a stylish flip of chestnut hair in the front. He had eyes of gold with red. They looked exhausted and weary. As though they couldn¡¯t be bothered to do anything ever again. For all the tiredness in his eyes, he held himself like a taught springboard. Ready to do violence at the drop of a hat. She could appreciate that. ¡°I¡¯m just saying. You aren¡¯t in one of the elder families or a major faction. You aren¡¯t powerful enough to protect yourself yet. But do whatever you want. I don¡¯t know why I even bothered. No one ever listens to me anyway,¡± he said. His deep, sluggish, overtaxed tone was off-putting to the warrior she saw before her. He walked away, his gait controlled and solid as if he were fully cognizant of everything around him. No wasted movements. She would need to keep an eye on that one. He knew what he was about. Why hadn¡¯t she seen him in the battle this morning? He probably laid down. She certainly should have. Dismissing the bearded guy, for now, she turned around to see if Janice had taken the bait. Mohawk Janice and his lackeys were making their way toward her. The thrill of the upcoming battle thrummed in her chest harmoniously with the rage. The feeling of emptiness and heartache was suppressed. That was what she wanted¡­ right? No, the bearded man was right. She shouldn¡¯t make enemies. Not so soon. The rage pulsed around her promising a release, promising joy, promising relief from pain. All she needed to do was embrace it, and she would be free. And she hesitated no more. Smashing the small voice of reason away for the promise of rewarding violence. As Mohawk Janice and associates were about to break through to her tiny island of isolation, a loud and commanding voice filled the room. Everyone¡¯s attention was diverted to the owner of the voice. A small stage was now beside the wall that held the cohort''s rankings. The board was still blank. Layla thought she recognized him as the Master that sat beside Atom in this morning''s conflict. His messy brown hair ran counter to the pristine Master''s garb. She kept Janice in the corner of her eye but focused on what the Master had to say. ¡°My name is Master Lockheed. I¡¯d like to wish you a good evening potentials. I see that everyone is getting along. That is good. The next four weeks will be a harrowing time. Don¡¯t hesitate to make friends. This is not a competition. You have already been accepted. It is for you alone to pass your Agoge Trial.¡± The Master paused to let that sink in. Layla looked around, but it looked like everyone already knew that in advance. She wasn¡¯t surprised. Why would her useless Master deign to bring her anything but confusion and zero information? Master Lockheed continued, ¡°This meeting serves a few purposes. Listen closely as I will not be repeating myself. Nor will I be accepting questions at this meeting. Feel free to take notes.¡± He paused and gave everyone time to pull out their slates. Layla pulled up her audio record function on her wrist unit. Not having a slate anymore put her at a slight disadvantage. Fortunately, they were cheap, so she would need to acquire one. The wrist units could do everything a slate could, but there was something about having tactile touch and the act of physically writing that made retention easier for her. ¡°Firstly, I will give you a run down of what you will be doing in preparation for your trial. The next four weeks are progressive. Each week more and more items will be placed on your schedule. Use this first couple of weeks wisely to prepare. The times and schedules all classes will be posted at the front desk.¡± The Master pointed to the area where Layla had met Master Ash. The Master didn''t seem to be present at the moment. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Week one, physical conditioning, Intro to Combat, and Intro to Meditation. Physical conditioning or PC is self explanatory but for those geniuses out there. In PC we will push your bodies to their limit and then we will take you further. We have learned over the years that these four weeks of conditioning has vastly improved the survival rate of potentials in their first trial.¡± ¡°Intro to Combat. This class will cover a range of area¡¯s involving personal combat and how you as the individual should respond to varying combat oriented situations. Intro to Meditation. I cannot stress enough how important this class is. Most already know and most likely have been trained by their organization or family. But this isn¡¯t always the case. Nexus only accepts those who have yet to step on the path of Ascension. It¡¯s not uncommon for your prior instructors to avoid this subject so that you do not accidentally disqualify yourself from training at our prestigious academy. They will expand more on that in class.¡± Master Lockheed paused and adjusted his robes. ¡°Now for week two, Intro to Weapons and Intro to Anima will be added. The weapons class is self explanatory. In this class you will learn the foundations of wielding the classical weapons, and how to care for them properly.¡± ¡°Intro to Anima. Intro to Anima. This class is where your journey starts. This is where you learn the basics of building your foundation. The first step¡­ on to the path of Ascension. To power. To immortality.¡± Master Lockheed, let that sink in for the potentials. Layla could see the excitement in everyone''s eyes. The jubilation at finally starting on the path. So many years of training, blood, sweat, and tears. All to get to this point, and in a week, they would begin. ¡°Now you might be asking yourself. Why not start this from the beginning. Day one. I want to start right now.¡± The Master paused and gave a sly smile. Layla could see all the bobbing heads in agreement with all the Master had just said. ¡°Look to the left and right of you. Go on now. Do it.¡± Everyone followed his instructions. Layla took this moment to rile up Mohawk Janice. Their eyes met. Layla tried to convey in a single look how little she thought of the dark skin red-haired man. By the sizeable pulsing vein on his forehead and his two buddies restraining him, she figured the look did its job. She looked away, ignoring Janice, for now. ¡°40.¡± The Master declared as though the number should be meaningful. ¡°Forty percent of you will be gone by the end of the first week. Some of you will ask to leave and some of you will be asked to leave. I know, It¡¯s a shocking number but it¡¯s held true for the last thousand years.¡± Master paused to let the reality of the statement set in. ¡°The first question most potentials want to know is why would I be asked to leave. That¡¯s quite simple. For your safety. This Academy is not a slaughter house where we throw our students into the meat grinder and hope for the best. No, if we ask you to leave it¡¯s because we are confident that you will die in the trial. This isn¡¯t the end though. You will be able to come back and attempt the preliminary weeks again, once you¡¯re ready. That is at least those asked to leave in the first week.After week one, you would have stepped on to the path thus disqualifying yourself for entrance into Nexus. Which is why other potentials ask to leave.¡± Master Lockheed pushed back his mess of hair and continued. ¡°The path and those how chose to climb it is a dangerous one. There will always be a chance of death in any of the many trials you will need to complete to advance here at Nexus. You are here because the academy saw potential in you and thus we call you potentials. We are not here to snuff out your future so that those with a higher potential can rise. That is a ridiculous notion that would only weaken our school in the long run. Not every potential was chosen for their combat ability alone. There are thousands of other jobs that Ascendants can do beside beat up another Ascendants. We want to cultivate talent in all aspects of Ascendancy. Anima Technology advancements, Soul trinket creation, Alchemy, Elemental Smithing, and many other area¡¯s of expertise. When you leave here Alumni you will make waves that will ripple across the planes.¡± He waved his hand out excitedly. Layla could tell that Master Lockheed cared a lot for the NAA. The man spoke with passion, and the belief in what he was saying shined through his eyes. The Master sighed, ¡°But alas that a whole other conversation. Just know that we want what¡¯s best for you and won¡¯t be throwing away your potential.¡± He cleared his voice, ¡°Now were was I¡­ ah yes. Week two is the exciting week the start of your foundation. Week three is combat week. Constant endless combat on top of your other scheduled classes. And finally week four. Hell week. You will receive no information on this week. It exactly what it sound like. You will understand if you get there.¡± A sadistic grin was on the man¡¯s face. Layla shuddered. That didn¡¯t sound like something she wanted to go through, and she didn¡¯t even know anything about it. ¡°Now for the Rank Challenges and fighting. All fighting that is not inside the class room or is sanctioned by the staff will be severely punished. Worry not though. We understand that you will want to temper yourself against your fellow potentials. How else would you grow. Thus we have the challenge hall. This facility can be accessed through the elevators in the cafeteria. The sparring and training rooms can also be found down there as well.¡± So that¡¯s why the lifts were in the cafeteria. She guessed it was to save space, or maybe the Academy had an underground network or something. She would have to ask about it at some point. Combing back his mop again, Master Lockheed continued, ¡°Rank challenges will need a Master to officiate. Regular challenges can be officiated by what ever upperclassmen is on staff. Now the rules. You may only challenge someone that is within five ranks of you. The challenged sets the time and the scenario. A person can only be challenged once per day and have the right to refuse three times in a week. You may not challenge anyone below your current rank. That¡¯s not to say you can¡¯t challenge them, only that you can¡¯t challenge them and use up there rights to refuse. Those below your rank have the right of refusal without penalty. If they choose to accept it cannot be a Ranked match. This is to help prevent¡­ over eager people.¡± ¡°You mean bullying,¡± Layla muttered. She looked over at Mohawk Janice. He went down early, so he would undoubtedly be below her rank. She didn¡¯t think that would be a problem, though. The murderous bloodshot gaze he was aiming her way made her confident of that. He would challenge her. She gave him a wink that looked to have sent Janice into a seizure. She snickered and gave her attention to the Master once more. ¡°If it is not a rank match then you are free to challenge anyone as long as they agree. With one exception. This mornings Champion and current Rank number one. Which brings me to my final purpose. Your current rankings.¡± Master Lockheed said as he gestured to the board behind him. The blackboard lit up, and one name was filled in at the top. Her name. She was relieved it was only a name and not a photo or something. If they didn¡¯t know who she was, then she didn¡¯t have to¡ª The thought was cut short when Master Lockheed called out, ¡°Layla Breezewalker please come join me.¡± She hesitated but only for a moment. She could use this. It was bound to happen, but she could use this. Layla strode confidently through the crowd. A neutral expression on her face. Everyone quickly made a hole for her to move to the small stage the Master stood on. Once she was beside him, he gave her a mischievous smile and a friendly pat on the back before looking back to the potentials. Bastard. ¡°This is Layla Breezewalker. Raining champion. Rank number one. Her prize for being the last one standing this morning is that she can refuse all challenges. She has already proven herself superior to you all in combat. This gift is so that she may continue to improve herself without the hassle of being challenged constantly.¡± ¡°But without further ado. The rankings.¡± He said. Names populated the board with numbers to the left of them, denoting their ranks. Everyone started to push in, but Master Lockheed cleared his voice making the eager potential''s pause. ¡°Now you my find your rank lower or higher than you expected. This is because we took into account your combat ability along with several other thing such as bad luck. There is no big prize at the end for who is rank one or fifty. This is for combat ranks and bragging rights. At least, while you are potentials. Once you become Neophytes the rankings have perks. But you will find that out if you make it through your trial.¡± ¡°I look forward to seeing you in PC. Now, go eat and get some rest. Your future begins tomorrow,¡± and Master Lockheed shifted out of existence. A rage-filled broken voice shot across the crowd. ¡°Layla Breezewalker, I challenge you.¡± She looked around in puzzlement as though she didn¡¯t see the redheaded Mohawk making a b-line straight for her position on the stage. The other potentials looked shocked at the outburst. Most hadn¡¯t even seen their rankings yet. The ones that had started rushing in to look at the board paused to watch the commotion. Layla stood on the stage, repeatedly looking over the raging main. She put on a concerned face as though she didn''t understand what was going on. Mohawk Janice made it to the stage, and Layla finally looked at him. The man was moments away from frothing at the mouth, from what she could tell. She cocked her head to the side as though he was a curious bug she wanted to study. Mohawk Janice pushed out his chest once he saw that all eyes were on the two of them, ¡°I, Jano of family Cellini Challenge you, Layla Breezewalker.¡± Layla scratched the side of her face with a finger before saying, ¡°I thought your name was Janice. Huh.¡± And that¡¯s when Mohawk Janice lost it. He abandoned all sense of reason and rushed her. Layla¡¯s rage-filled heart overflowed in excitement. She felt drunk with it. Her hand began to shake in need. The need to pound flesh. How considerate of Mohawk Janice to aid in satisfying her needs. Chapter 20 - Rage Excepting the first blow from Mohawk Janice, Layla reveled in the blossoming pain as his fist connected to the side of her jaw. It was a good blow. The strike sent her ears to ringing, and black dots dragged in her vision as she dodged away from his tackle. It wasn¡¯t yet time to take it to the ground. The Mohawk pivoted smoothly even in his seemingly berserk rage and continued his assault. A shot to her ribs partially negated by her tensed muscles that were ready for the blow. An attempted kick to the side of her knee thwarted by a jump. Another strike accepted beside her nose on the upper cheek. The hint of iron filled her mouth. The taste of blood like a sweet candy she had missed from her childhood. Yes, more! She wanted to feel more pain. Layla didn¡¯t fight back. She only avoided blows that would do debilitating damage. She had to give him credit. He was well-practiced in the martial arts, but his movements were too textbook even in his drunken rage-filled haze. He worked the same patterns over and over. There were numerous openings she could have exploited. Even in her semi-stunned state from his blows, he was also still too slow. She had fought beings much faster and thrice as skilled. ¡°Is this all?¡± She said to him as she dodged a jab aimed at her chin. ¡°Do you really not have anymore for me?¡± Her voice full of disdain but quite enough for only him to hear. Mohawk stiffened at the words, and then he pulled a blade from out of his robes. ¡°You will die for ever dreaming to insult the Cellini family you gutter¡ª,¡± Layla never let him finish the insult. The blade''s appearance, along with being called a derogatory name, sent her into a rage. Which wasn¡¯t a good thing considering that she was already a ticking bomb of anger. This one never seemed to learn. She moved in with a palm strike to his nose. A rewarding sickening crunch was felt in her hand. Using two hardened knuckles, she struck his wrist hard enough to temporally stun the nerve. Mohawk Janice dropped the weapon, and Layla caught it by the blade cocked back and threw the knife. It flew in a single flip to stab into the wall beside the ranking board with a thump. She swept the legs out from under Mohawk Janice and lept atop his stunned form. She felt his right cheekbone crack in her first blow and joy-filled her heart. Each strike, each time her fist landed on soft, pliable flesh, she shuttered internally. Flecks of Mohawk''s blood splashed across her face as she let her blow fall like hammers onto his stupid, arrogant face. This¡­ this¡­ was what she needed. It felt right. This sharing of pain and rage. Mohawk Janice feebly tried to stop her blows or buck her off his chest, but she stuck to him like glue. She began to laugh. A tiny part in her cringed at the tone. It didn¡¯t sound like any laugh she had ever made before. It was full of malice and dark intent. The people who had been silently watching the conflict paled at its sound. Layla continued to tenderize Mohawk Janice''s face into a pulpy mess. Her knuckles ached, but her arms were just warming up. She had been so used to fighting in prolonged conflicts that she felt as though she could literally do this for hours. Would there be anything left of Janice afterward was another question entirely. Layla had taken care to keep Mohawk Janice''s lackeys in the corner of her eye. As expected, the moment the tables had turned on their master, the lackeys would move in to rescue him. The fact that they had let her do this much damage was not surprising. Mohawk Janice might be as intelligent as a rock, but the others had remembered how she had cut through their ranks single-handedly. The fear was still there in their eyes, but their loyalty to him finally won out. The small stage became cramped quickly as four lackeys in matching robes rushed in to seize her. She hopped into a crouch, gave Janice¡¯s limp form one more hammer blow for luck, and committed to one of the four lackeys. They were much more cautious this time, but Layla wasn¡¯t here to have a battle. She was here to sate her growing rage and desire to inflict harm. Accepting a meaty fist to her side, she traded the blow with an elbow strike to the man''s jaw. His eyes rolled back into his head and began to collapse but not before Layla delivered a shin kick to his groin. A hand grabbed the back of her robe, jerking her off balance. Another attempted to seize her arm, but she broke its hold once she stabilized. Layla¡¯s instincts were running at full throttle as she jumped a heel kick that would have torn the ligament in her knee to shreds. She retaliated with a heel kick of her own. The man fell as his diaphragm spasmed uncontrollably. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of the water as he tried to take a breath that just wouldn''t come. More and more black robes began to appear on the stage. She put down a brown-haired girl with a kick to the face. Then no more black robes came near her. She wanted more. She needed more. Why weren¡¯t they coming at her? She was fury made manifest. The bonfire of rage inside of her soared. It was blinding. It consumed her completely. Putting her arms out to the side, she flexed inward with her fist balled up and roared out her fury. Layla fell into a berserk-like trance. The world went red, and the rest of her reason faded out. She came to sometime later as the last attacking potential hit the ground. Around a dozen people lay unconscious and bleeding. The potential she had just dropped began to beg her to stop. She was confused. Stop what? What had happened again? She had¡­ been fighting and¡­ but why? Had she really just started a fight and then¡­ did this. Layla looked down at her hands. Blood dripped from them onto the stage. What had she done? Was she actually this type of person? A person who picked fights just so she could do harm to others. The potentials all stared at her in shocked awe and open fear. The looks made Layla sick. She felt her final vestiges of anger drain away. She knew now that she would not be making any friends here. Not after this so open display of ruthlessness. The lonely sadness began to slip back in, slowly applying pressure to the dam of tears trying to break through. She had to get away from this. To get away from these people. She looked down, pulled up her hood, and jumped off the stage. Everyone backed away from her as she made for the exit of the dorm. As she made it to the door, she saw the bearded guy from earlier. They met each other''s eyes. She didn¡¯t see judgment there. The only thing she could find was an understanding sadness. She didn¡¯t know why but the look shook her, and she couldn¡¯t hold back the tears any longer. She rushed out the door to escape and ran as hard and as fast as she could. The cobblestone blurred in her sight as the tears fell like rain. Sobs wracked her body as she attempted to outrun the empty feeling in her heart. Each turn ended with a gate she could not cross. Every alley was a dead end. Finally, giving up on the running at the end of one such alley, she braced her arms against the dead end and tried to gain control of her emotions. She failed. The first punch to the was out of frustration and only a light jab. As her tears began their halting flow, the force behind them increased. The insidious black anger reared its head once more. Anger at herself. Anger at Atom. Anger at her life. And most of all, anger at her actions. Why did she do something so stupid? She would probably be thrown out of the Academy now. There was no way they would allow her to get away with hurting so many people. Especially in a conflict she had instigated. A punch hit nothing but air, and she stumbled forward, sprawling into a well-lit entryway. Looking up, she found a roguish-looking pink-haired man with glowing eyes. Had she been punching on a doorway? She cursed. ¡°Well well well. If it isn¡¯t friend Layla. I didn¡¯t expect you to be beating down my back door.¡± Said the voice of Torren, the shopkeeper. His voice was a deep rumble like a boulder tumbling down a mountainside but there was also a musical quality underneath. Layla looked up and met his black and pink orbs. A shock of shame ran through her, and she looked away. She could only imagine what her face looked like. Dried tears and bloodshot eyes mixed with splatters of blood. A look of concern crossed his face before he gave her a helping hand up. ¡°Come inside dear. Lets get you cleaned up.¡± Layla took the proffered hand. It felt feverish to the touch but also soft and gentle. Torren hoisted her up and guided her out of the way of the entry. He looked out the doorway that she now realized she had been beating on. Not seeing whatever he was looking for, Torren closed it and then turned to her. ¡°Now before we take care of you. I need to know something. Is there a body I need to go and retrieve or more than one?¡± He said casually, although his large frame looked relaxed there was a slightly tense feel to it. She was startled by the question. Why would there be any bodies? He would retrieve them? For what? He saw the confusion in her eyes before he relaxed, ¡°Well never you mind then. You show up covered in blood like that, beat all to hell, and there is typically bodies somewhere. But good, good¡­ Okay well follow me. I¡¯ll get you some stuff to clean up with.¡± Layla felt mentally exhausted. Her emotions were in tattered rags. A mixed goulash feelings so tangled that she could be bothered to consider them anymore. Only confusion lay there. So she went into autopilot and followed the odd man without question. She tried to care that she¡¯d just met the man, but it was a struggle that wasn¡¯t worth the effort. Torren brought her a small hand towel and a bowl of warm water. He wet the towel and gave it to Layla, and she began to wipe off the blood. She was thankful the towel was a dark color. She didn¡¯t want to see the blood. After a few rinses, the water colored to a light pink tint, but she eventually felt a little better after cleaning her face and hands. The shopkeeper had sat down across from her. He said nothing to her while she cleaned herself. Something she was thankful for. Layla needed this time to gather her thoughts. She rubbed her knuckles on her hands. She saw that a few were bruised pretty severely, and she had several gashes on them as well. Torren noticed and stood up. He walked out the door to the room for a moment and then returned with a small faintly glowing crystal. Layla recognized it as a healing crystal. Tess had used one on her the night before to heal similar wounds. Another event where she failed to control herself, albeit in a more justified situation. He stood beside her, and she held out her hands. A warm feeling washed over her. The warm feeling turned into more hotness around her injuries and then healed like magic before her eyes. This type of crystal could only be used to heal minor wounds. Tess said the item accelerated the healing process the body used to repair injuries. It also improved the process. Typically when the skin is damaged, the body has many little messengers that it releases at the sight of the wound. This causes inflammation, along with other little things that Layla didn¡¯t understand. Tess said that when the injury tries to heal itself, an over-proliferation of tissue usually happens so the sight can be repaired. This over-proliferation tends to leave behind excess tissue, a scar. The crystal improves on the process, acting as a master conductor precisely controlling everything to prevent the negative effects of healing. Layla didn¡¯t know how much something like this cost, but she assumed it wasn¡¯t cheap since she had never even seen something like it in her life until yesterday. ¡°I can pay you back.¡± She said. Her voice was hoarse. Probably from the screaming she had done earlier. Torren waved her off as he slipped the small gem into his pocket. He sat down across from her at the table. The two said nothing for a time. The silence wasn¡¯t awkward like she thought it would be. It just was. Torren¡¯s face held an open and inviting expression. Layla felt no pressure to speak, but at some point, she started. She told him everything. She talked about her time on Golar and the disappearance and likely murder of her parents. Her life on the streets as she waited for a family that never came, about her brother who found her and taught her how to survive in the gutters of the desert city. She talked quite a bit about her life with Jogen. Tales of their adventures thieving and the close calls they had running from the authorities. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Torren was an enthusiastic listener. He laughed at the right spots and grimmest at the blunders Layla and Jogen had made through the years. She eventually made it to Jogen¡¯s death and the events that led her to be here. She edited a few things like her visit to the Council''s stronghold and her time in the Slice, but she let it all out for the most part. All the way to the events that lead her to the assault on his back door. It felt good to talk about everything. Every story pulled off a chain that had been slowly strangling her from the inside. The pent up rage and aggression seemed to fade away as Torren listened. The hole in her heart for Jogen was still there, but it seemed to be smaller and more manageable. Torren was a stranger, but Layla guessed that sometimes it was just like that. A person needed someone who wasn¡¯t involved in talking to. A person that wanted to hear your story and held no judgment about it or you. Torren reached out and patted her hand kindly, ¡°Thank you Layla. Thank you for sharing your story with me.¡± Layla¡¯s cheeks burned in embarrassment, ¡°I-I it was nothing¡­,¡± she trailed off. He shook his head in disagreement, ¡°No, Layla. It was your story. One of the most precious things a person can give. I¡¯m honored to have received it. To have been through so much at, wait how old are you? Sixteen or seventeen?¡± She shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure to be honest.¡± Which was the truth. As far as she knew, she could be over a hundred now. ¡°Well your young in comparison to my old bones that is for sure,¡± he said as he leaned back into his chair. Torren''s face went into a pensive expression. Layla left him to his thoughts for the moment. He eventually looked back at her. His glowing eyes assessed her for something, but she didn¡¯t know what it might be. He seemed to make a decision about something. ¡°Layla, do you care to hear some advice. You don¡¯t have to of course but I think it might be helpful.¡± He offered. She considered his statement for a moment, then gave him a sheepish grin, ¡°I think I¡¯d like that very much. Listening to a piece of advice is the least I could do for dumping all this on you.¡± He leaned in, looking around the room as though what he was about to say might be too dangerous for someone else to hear. Layla leaned in as well, expecting something profound. But when Torren spoke, she was floored. ¡°Just let it go.¡± She looked at him in confusion, ¡°Just let it go. Let what go? I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Just let it go. It¡¯s as simple as that,¡± he asserted. ¡°You see young one. I think you originally had the right idea when you first stepped foot on this planet but I don¡¯t think you really committed to it fully. That is understandable. More than understandable really. You¡¯ve been through much hardship in your life but you can¡¯t change that can you. It happened. That¡¯s that. You have no control over your past. So I say just, let it go. You are here now even if you never wanted to be. Layla, I think you may be missing something important that is right infront of you.¡± Layla didn¡¯t know what she was missing. Aside from her childhood memories with her parents, she had a near-perfect recall of her memories. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I could be missing. Especially something important.¡± She countered. He smiled, ¡°You have no idea do you?¡± Layla was starting to get annoyed. Of course, she didn¡¯t have an idea. The daft man hadn¡¯t told her yet. She rubbed her glabella, ¡°Let say I¡¯m slow on the up take. Just tell me what I missing,¡± she said, sighing aloud. Torren gave a chuckled but eventually let her in on the profound, important thing she had been missing. ¡°Layla my dear. What you don¡¯t see is that, you have made it.¡± She gave him a look of skepticism before repeating his words, ¡°I¡¯ve made it.¡± ¡°That you have. It¡¯s understandable that you don¡¯t realize it yet. There has been a good bit of heart ache that has lead you to this point. But you¡¯ve made it Layla. You are in one of the most elite Academies in existence. You¡¯re attending for free and with expenses paid. You have been accepted as a disciple and been trained by a Master who teaches at this prestigious institution. You took the number one rank in this years crop of potentials. Your friends also gained a discipleship because of you. No matter how much of a bastard your Master may be, you cannot gain a teaching position here unless you are the best. You don¡¯t understand how significant that is but you will with time.¡± Torren said. The words washed over Layla like a bucket full of ice water. Had she made it? It didn¡¯t feel like it to her, but how would she know. She¡¯d been in a constant struggle her whole life. There had been good times, of course, but there had always been something. Rent or food. The next job. Hadn¡¯t it all been for this very thing? All the years they had struggled, this had always been the end goal or something like it. Without Jogen here, she had cast a negative light on everything. This had been his dream, really. Not that she wouldn¡¯t have turned down the opportunity. It was just she hadn¡¯t dared dream of having more than what she¡¯d had. With Jogen no longer by her side, she had to this point refused to accept what a gift this all might be. Atom was still a scumbag who deserved to forever have nasty foot fungus on his face. His downfall to misery and despair, while Layla stood above him with her boot grinding into his back, was without question a motivation in her life. But¡­ she could accept that he had done her a solid by bringing her to this place. Was it that simple? It couldn¡¯t be. Was she so blinded by her past that she couldn¡¯t see the brilliant opportunity she was already taking advantage of? She had made it. Maybe not how she wanted to, but now that it had been pointed out to her, she couldn¡¯t deny it. She slumped back in her chair with a thoughtful expression. ¡°Huh, I guess I have made it.¡± Torren snorted before saying, ¡°Girl if you haven¡¯t made it then I¡¯ve never seen someone who has.¡± Layla grunted at that. It sure didn¡¯t feel like it to her. She imagined it would feel, she didn¡¯t know precisely how it would feel, but this wasn¡¯t it. She¡¯d expected more or maybe a sign from the heavens. ¡°What did you think there would be some type of divine signal beamed into your brain from the heavens? That said, Layla Breezewalker you have made it. Welcome to the good life.¡± Layla scoffed at his words and lied flawlessly, ¡°Of course not. That would be crazy.¡± She had been expecting exactly that, actually, but it sounded so ridiculous now that Torren said it. Torren raised an eyebrow in suspicion, and Layla¡¯s cheeks caught fire, but she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought it was feel different is all.¡± ¡°Sorry dear. I happens like that sometimes. One day you wake up and you¡¯re there. You reached a goal years in the making and not even realized it. Admittedly there¡¯s normally a celebration of some type. I¡¯d say you save it until after you and your friends complete your Agoge Trial.¡± At the mention of her friends, Layla flinched. ¡°If I still have any.¡± She lamented. Torren waved a hand at her dismissively, ¡°I think you give them to little credit. Whatever sketchy thing your Master has them doing right now, you have done as well, correct?¡± Layla nodded in affirmation. ¡°And some.¡± ¡°Then why would they hate you because of it. Give them a chance and maybe a little time to prove you wrong. If it does turn out for the worst then I don¡¯t believe they were ever really friend material.¡± Torren asserted confidently. He was probably right, but Layla still felt anxious about seeing them in the morning. She remembered the confusion she had been in afterward. She supposed that they could be different. Layla had been the lab animal for the first use of the thing. Undoubtedly he would have improved the experience. This encounter had been a lucky one. She wasn¡¯t sure what would have happened if someone else had found her. Layla needed to speak with one of the Masters and give her side of the story. Technically she had been the one attacked now that she was thinking about it rationally. Layla didn¡¯t know if that mattered to the Masters, but she assumed she had the right to defend herself. Maybe she had instigated the fight, but there were no rules about words were there. People talked crap all the time. She¡¯d probably still fess up, though and at some point make an apology to Mohawk. She didn¡¯t want to be that type of person who would run roughshod over someone without reason. It was no better than Praxis had treated the people. She had to try to be better. Layla''s stomach gave loud protest that made Torren snort with laughter. ¡°Guess I missed dinner.¡± She said sheepishly. ¡°The cafeteria is always open so you have know worries there. Menu might be different if you don¡¯t come at the prescribed time but they should have something for you.¡± Torren informed her. Standing up, Torren stretched before saying, ¡°Now young one as much as I have throughly enjoyed our chat. I do have responsibilities unfortunately.¡± Layla looked down to her wrist unit and balked in surprise. She had been here for hours. It hadn¡¯t felt like that long, but now that she thought about it, her butt was a little numb from sitting. She copied Torren and stretched as well. Her joints popping ever so nicely in relief. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll see you out. Best you go out through the front this time.¡± The two walked through the small hallway and out around the counter. Torren opened the door, and Layla was halfway through it before she turned around and bowed low to the man. ¡°Thank you! I can¡¯t express enough how much this has meant to me or how much it has helped.¡± Layla said. Trying with all of her heart to voice how deeply she did appreciate his kindness. He reached down and pulled her up from the bow. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that young one. You needed it and this old man was more than willing to help.¡± Layla gave him a big smile before wandering off to find dinner. Then go explain herself to the Masters. ~~~~~ Torren watched the blue hair girl walk away. The urge to grab her and disappear from this place almost overrode his reason. But no, he couldn¡¯t do that. She had already gained too much notoriety here. She had a Master as well. The Master could be dealt with, probably, but he hesitated to do something like that. His thoughts were running wild. The odds that he would be the one to find someone of the blood here of all places. They were just astronomical to the extreme. He needed to report this to the others. Most had already given up on the search for any of the Contriver bloodlines. The extermination had been quite thorough. A multi-planar assassination years in the making. Not all had been confirmed dead, though. There had been a chance that some still survived. Torren suppressed another urge to grab the girl. Consequences be damned. She walked around a corner and out of his sight before he let the notion drop. He locked the door and walked into the back of the shop. Once he made it into the room where they had talked, he began to search around the area where the girl had sat looking for something. His eyes began to radiate brighter and brighter as he used his gifts to scan the area. A blue line started to glow in his vision signifying that he had found what he was looking for. He reached down and plucked up a piece of blue hair. He would need genetic proof of her identity to convince his peers to action. Moving to the side of the cabinet in the same room. He pushed in a hidden latch which caused the thing to pop outward. Opening the little hidden cubby¡¯s door, he placed his hand on a blank black surface that resided within. The black surface opened, and he retrieved the modified slate that rested inside. The cubby and box were heavily warded against any and all known detection. The contents too important to be otherwise. Sitting back down at the table, Torren placed the slate before him. He turned it on, and a holo display of the worktop popped into his vision. A particular application hovered in front of him. The icon spinning slowly. He hesitated. It had been some time since he had spoken with the others. Was this the right thing to do? She was so protected here. He caved and punched a finger activating the program. The room disappeared, and Torren found himself sitting at a dark table of some unknown make. Six empty chairs sat around the table. Nothing but blackness surrounding him. It would take a few moments for their owners to get the notification. Torren waited in silence as the chairs began to fill one by one. All looked similar to Torren but with varying shades of neon-colored eyes and hair. They were the leaders of what was left of their order. A blue hair man spoke first, the leader of their group. ¡°Well Torrenograth. Why have you called to us?¡± Torren dropped the piece of hair to the table and activated the genetic scan function. The results are displayed for all to see.
Genetic Profile: Scanning sample please wait¡­ Scan complete Sex- Female Race- Contriver Blood-line Purity: 100% Searching Ancestral lines Please wait ¡­¡­¡­ Ancestral line found Ancestral-line: Breezewalker
No one said or did anything. They just stared at the information displayed out in front of them. Torren watched the others. Waiting for them to speak. Clearly, they were all running subroutines to prevent emotional outbursts. He had been running them since the girl had walked through his shop''s door that morning. The blue-haired man spoke after a long time, ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°She claims doesn¡¯t know. My scan of her shows that her bones are much older. She may have spent a span under spacetime compression. The story she told alludes to something like that. Possibly a fracture slice. There are many unaccounted for.¡± Torren replied with a shrug. The man stroked his chin in thought before saying, ¡°Are you still on Nexus?¡± Torren nodded that he was. ¡°I assume there is a problem since you haven¡¯t brought her home.¡± The blue hair man inquired. ¡°There is a small problem. She is currently a student here at the Academy. She is also the top ranked potential slated to go through her Agoge Trial in the next month.¡± He threw up a hand as though he wasn¡¯t sure what to do. ¡°Part of me wants to take her now but I believe she is to visible at the moment.¡± He went on to explain the scholarship and Master''s situation as well. No one seemed to like the circumstance from what Torren could tell but there was nothing that could be done at the moment. It was challenging to read their kind. They were more tech than human when it came to the central nervous system. They had the ability to control all their bodily function. The outside world knew them as Androids. Part machine, part organic. It was much more complicated than they would ever know. ¡°Continue to develop a relationship with her and win her trust. Then observed and protect her from the shadows. We would send you more help but we can¡¯t risk coming inside the wall of the Academy without drawing attention. And find out who her master is. Report back periodically.¡± said the blue-haired man. The orders were delivered flatly without emotion. Torren knew otherwise. The microscopic movements of his kin screamed to him of the excitement. Torren waited to see if anyone had anything else to say before he stated. ¡°With my life.¡± ¡°With my life,¡± the group replied back, ending the meeting. The Roesue once more had a purpose. Torren had a purpose. ¡°With my life, I am thy shield, With my life, I do thee protect.¡± He spoke the ancient oath of his order quietly for the first time in thousands of years. Chapter 21 - Entering The Tower The vast emptiness of the void cocooned around Layla. It¡¯s nothingness caressing her body like a soft, warm blanket. The feeling of entering this meditative state came to her naturally. Its empty touch made her feel at home more than in her own skin. Time in the void state passed oddly to the waking world. There were periods where it felt as though time stood frozen. The calm of each moment floating in the vast nothingness lasting days. Neither emotion nor negative thoughts were able to touch her. Other times it felt like a light of a star racing out from its celestial body as she searched with frantic abandon for the ever elusive¡­ something. Only now did she realize that the tower was what she had been searching for all along. As the thought of the tower came to mind, a bright white pinprick came into view. Layla quested towards the new light eagerly. The image of the impossibly vast and gargantuan structure entered her void. She wasn¡¯t sure if she had eyes in this state or if this was all just some mental hallucination developed by her mind to comprehend the structure. What she did know was that the tower was there in all its colossal glory. White stones filled up her void so completely until there was only her and the structure for as far as her ethereal sense could perceive. In a flash, she stood at the walkway to the dark metal door once more. The same silver handles invited her to pull them open. Just as before, the tower seemed to want her to enter. A feeling of acceptance and welcoming flooding her. She reached out to the silver handles and pulled. A brilliant light shot out from the doors, and Layla felt herself being sucked in. The light consumed her and felt as though she had moved a vast distance. A jolt hit her being, and she blanked out. Layla came to an unknown amount of time later on her back. Opening her eyes, she took in a beautiful azure sky dotted with white fluffy clouds. The heavenly canvass stirred something inside her. An inner peace could be found amongst rolling shapes, she thought. She looked to her left to see she was lying in tall lush green grass. The blades soft and lightly tickled the sides of her face. The overwhelming odor of nature filled her nostrils. The smell of freshly turned soil and cut grass was relaxing in a way she had never experienced before. A connection she didn¡¯t know she longed for. Layla felt as though she could just lay amongst these swaying blades of green forever. Lazily she turned her gaze back at the azure sky and watched the tumbling balls of cotton roll through the heavens. The tranquility of the passing clouds soothed her mind. How long had it been since she took time to just¡­ exist? At some point, she sat up refreshed. She didn¡¯t know how much time she lay there, but something inside her said that it was long enough. Layla stood up and found herself stuck in the beauty that surrounded her. There were endless waves of swaying green as far as her eyes could see. A cool wind breeze brushed her face briefly before it flitted across the tops of the stalks playfully. There were no landmarks that she could perceive in any direction that might assist her with some type of direction. She didn¡¯t let this bother her, though. Choosing a path at random, she began to walk. A stroll in the vast meadow felt like a fantastic idea. Even if she didn¡¯t find anything, the atmosphere was pleasant. Layla wondered at the purpose of this place as she let her hands trail atop the foliage. Was this really a tower? It didn¡¯t seem like any tower she had seen, not that she had seen many towers. She¡¯d broken into pretty tall buildings before, and they definitely didn¡¯t have their own sunshine and clouds. It was more like Layla found herself in another world. The sun in the sky did appear to be moving to let her know that time was passing in some form here, but how fast or slow she couldn¡¯t guess. Her body appeared to be the same along with her clothing. The shabby robes refused to leave her, even in her mind, it seemed. What was her body doing in the real world? She could somehow tell that her body was still in a cross-legged position in her room when she thought about it. It was a faint feeling like she was very far away from her physical form but at the same time very close. How it worked was a mystery currently, so she put it out of her mind. She should be safe in her room at the very least. Only she could enter her personal space. That wasn¡¯t to say someone couldn¡¯t get in, only that it would take a good amount of effort to enter both her dorm and her personal quarters. She had inspected the security system before deciding to search for the tower once more. She had to admit that the security in the rooms was the real deal. It would give even her trouble if she didn¡¯t have her spare key to handle things. Regardless she felt safe enough. As she walked, she started to notice a trickle of sweat begin to bead on her temple. The temperature hadn¡¯t changed. It was perfect as far as she could tell. Layla felt both warm and comfortable. What had changed? The landscape was still flat, and no signs of an elevation change could be seen in any direction. Layla knew she hadn¡¯t exerted herself in any way. Her physical endurance was bordering on superhuman, she imagined. She knew with confidence that she could run nonstop for hours. A curious thing she had noticed recently was that she felt too light. It was as though she had been wearing heavy armor for a long time, and when she left the slice, she had taken it off, giving her the feeling that she was floating with every step. Layla speculated that the slice had incrementally increased the gravity past what was typically found on human planets. It sort of made sense now that she reflected on the simulations. While she eventually reached a point where she could fight for hours upon hours. The effort to do so had never really become any easier. There had never been a point where she felt strong inside that hell. No, Layla had only become more efficient and effective with her movements. But she didn¡¯t believe this was the same. She didn¡¯t know what had changed, but something had. A bead of sweat rolled down her back, and her breathing was starting to become labored. The air felt too thick. She decided to stop for a time and acclimate to whatever this change was doing to her body. Taking in large breaths, she held them for ten heartbeats then expelled the air. She did this for around a hundred cycles before she felt the tension ease. Now that she had noticed something was going on, she moved backward to sense what had changed. The heaviness in the air decreased. If she moved back in, at some point, she needed to stop and acclimate once more. If anything, once she adapted, she felt invigorated as though she could run farther or push herself harder. Whatever was making the air heavy did not seem to be harmful. There was no visible change in the air or the grass, so she decided to push on. The cycle of moving and acclimating repeated itself over and over. Layla''s thoughts drifted during this time. Thoughts about her past and her future. She considered Torren¡¯s words more seriously. Did she really need to just let it go? It was a novel thought. Layla considered herself to be somewhat intelligent, but her mind had been clouded by events. The change had come too fast, and the loss of Jogen had thrown her into a loop that she usually would be self-aware enough to avoid. No one had ever taught her about the loss of a loved one. Not even the loss of her parents really affected her. She wasn¡¯t sure she could even remember their faces. That whole event felt very strange to her now. Layla had experienced those bouts of panic many times throughout her life. It wasn¡¯t the loss of her parents, though. It was something more. It was the loss of safety. The thought of being alone with no one to call on. A child¡¯s fear. That had affected her. She understood that it may have even emotionally stunted her in some ways. Children were egocentric, and that didn¡¯t really start to change until their mid-teens normally. Not that they couldn¡¯t understand others'' points of view before then, only that they were more about themselves. She understood that, but that only explained the panic. What was odd and slightly weird was that she had almost no memories of before. It was like she woke up in a panic on the streets of that city on Golar with no idea what was going on. It wasn¡¯t even clear if her parents were the people she was with because she couldn¡¯t remember anything. That didn¡¯t seem normal at all. Was Layla even eight years old when Jogen found her? She had no memories of family or birthday parties. The more Layla pondered on the subject, she believed that wasn''t right either. Jogen had been the one who had guessed her age. Had she just agreed with him? The time was hazy. The hunger had been so intense. Her memories had become much more orderly after those first couple of days. Layla had been extremely weak when her brother had found her. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she had spent in that alley just waiting, but it had been long enough that she hadn¡¯t been able to walk very well. A potent sign that it had been quite some time. The landscape changed as she came across a white stone path. The moment she stepped onto the path, the mysterious pressure disappeared. Layla looked left and then right, but the stone footpath didn¡¯t seem to lead anywhere. It apparently continued on in either direction for forever. This place was odd. She shrugged and continued in the same direction ignoring the neat paving stones. The pressure came back, and she continued the cycle of walking and breathing as her mind wandered back to the issue at hand. Planes how she missed Jogen. The anger started to rise in her chest at the thought of why he wasn¡¯t here with her. She closed her eyes to calm her mind. She had to let it go. But what was it to let go? Did she need to simply forget what had happened and move on? Close that door and walk through the next? Layla didn¡¯t believe that was what Torren meant, and it wasn¡¯t something she was willing to do either. So what did it mean to let it go? She thought she might have an idea, and Layla believed that she was coming to the same conclusion prior to the odd shopkeeper''s advice, but things kept happening that twisted open the wounds that were trying to heal. Layla needed to accept that what had happened had happened. That Jogen was gone, but their dream together was not. For better or for worse, she had made it come true. She needed to let go of the anger and her strange past. That didn¡¯t mean she needed to forget, only that she should stop dwelling on things she couldn¡¯t change at the moment. Start living in the now. She had friends and a despicable master. Layla would certainly fight for the new friendships, but only time would tell if they would pan out. If they didn¡¯t, then that was okay. There were plenty of people here at this academy. Even if she only found one person to connect with, then it would be enough. Jogen would have loved this place, and she had no doubt in her mind that he would have been fast friends with everyone he met. Layla would take a page from his book and try. He had always said that you just needed to put forth the effort, and most decent people would reciprocate. That is what she would do, but how would she deal with the rage? The anger was something she was not used to handling. Layla had never truly comprehended real anger before. Oh, sure, she had been furious many times in her life, but it had never clung to her like this. It was like a black tar that festered inside her mind, eating away at her very soul. Internally she understood that it was just a product of the injustice of her current situation. How could she ever be happy with a dream achieved by sacrificing a loved one? How could a dream become whole when half of the dream was missing? She didn¡¯t know, but she would try. She would keep stepping forward, carrying their dream on her back. She looked inside herself at the bonfire of rage. It promised release and justice. She wasn¡¯t so sure now how appealing those insidious promises were. She had given in to them briefly and the results had sickened her. That wasn¡¯t the person she wanted to be. She turned her back on the flames. Layla would let it go, for now. When she left this place powerful and indomitable, she would revisit the issue and see if she still felt the same. The stone paths continued to crop up every so often, and she ignored them. She was making progress on her fraying mental health. The cyclic nature of acclimating and walking took little effort mentally. It freed her mental energy to organize the twisted knots in her mind. It was a interesting experience, essentially meditating while in meditation. Layla wasn¡¯t even sure how that worked. Why was this tower here inside her head, or was she even still in her mind at all? The planes were obviously vaster and more interesting than she could understand. Another path came and went. Each one seemed to be getting narrower and narrower. Layla finally came across a track so thin she could just jump over, so she did. She took two steps, and the pressure struck her like a hammer. The force of it beating down on her like a waterfall. Its power slammed down upon her shoulders until she fell to her knees. Sweat gushed out of all her pores. It wanted to crush her. To wipe her away from existence. The air was thick, almost tangible. Layla could taste a domineering presence permeating the air. It held a will of its own. The will''s intent was clear to her somehow. If she persisted in this direction, it would grind her soul into oblivion and leave her body a hollow husk. She almost gave in to the tiny flames of fear that were trying to take seed in her mind. Drawing on a streak of stubbornness that refused to be cowed. Layla gathered herself with all her might and moved to her cross-legged position to acclimate. She would not stop. Who cared what the pressure wanted? She would endure and continue. There was clearly something good this way. Why else would this force be trying to keep her from it? If she wanted to be indomitable, then she had to start somewhere. This pressure would be the perfect way to hone her conviction. The things she had accomplished in the slice were not by her own will. She doubted she would have been capable of achieving any of those feats of unstoppable force. On some level, Layla had never imagined that she could do something like that. Charging into a hoard of bestial humanoids without fear. Allowing herself to be stabbed just so that she could create the opening to dispatch a superior foe. Ordinary people could not do that. Well it wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t achieve these things. Given enough motivation, anyone could crush their perceived limits. The simple fact is that most people would never need to find that boundary. The average person would never need to find that inner conviction deep inside them to push their bodies further. But she had been shown her limits time and time again. Then, under the control of the slice, she had summarily dismissed them. Layla had defied their very existence only to reach higher. Now that she fully understood what she was capable of without the doubt and fear plaguing her mind, she would need to build the foundations for that willpower to stand on. The acclimation went excruciatingly slow this time. Each and every breath was a mountain for which Layla had to conquer. Every cycle was a feat of mental resilience she had to achieve. The pressure was ruthless and relentless as it assaulted her from all sides. It felt as though she was opposing something absolute and unmovable. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Layla continued the cycle while she kept picturing the battle between Atom and the woman on Golar. A conflict that had reshaped kilometers of the terrain in the blink of an eye. The exchanges happening so fast that it looked as though the ground had gone mad and began exploding in all directions. The brief pauses were the only sign that two beings were even fighting. That was the stage she was headed towards. If she wanted to stop being a victim to the whims of those stronger than her, then she had to become a titan. A force of nature that was unyieldingly, indestructible, and unstoppable. Only then would she be free to choose her own fate. It all started with one more breath. Time passed as she completed each agonizing cycle. At some point she the pressure became more manageable. The intent to crush her was still there, but it felt hollower now. The last throes of its petulance will seeped away with each breath. It had attempted to snuff her out, but in the end, it had failed. Layla rose to her feet and wiped the sweat from her brow. She briefly wondered how she could even sweat in a place like this but dismissed the thought. She had no clue what this place was but assumed that she would find out if she kept heading in this direction. Wasting no more time, Layla moved swiftly. The time of reflection was over. That pressure hadn¡¯t been precisely malicious, but she knew it would have harmed her had she not taken action. This place was not what it seemed at first glance. While she appreciated the time to gather the loose threads of her thoughts and organize them. The act had been accomplished. Now it was time to figure out what the hell this place was about.
¡°Mother, please stop. Ahrg, You¡¯re embarrassing me. Mother¡ª,¡± the boys muffled cries fell on deaf ears as Joslin Cellini, the current matriarch of the Cellini family, crushed her youngest son into her bosom. ¡°Hush Jano. Mother has missed her little spark.¡± Her son pushed away from her, and she allowed him to move her a bit, ¡°Mother I told you not to call me that anymore. I am a warrior of the Cellini family.¡± The words caused her to hug him even tighter. He feebly tried to escape her clutches, but she refused to let him go, ¡°Of course you are little spark.¡± Joslin loved every single one of her children. All one hundred and fifty-eight of them. And why wouldn¡¯t she? Motherhood was the most rewarding thing in her life. Why she had waited so many thousands of years to start, she would never know. After reaching the very apex of the Cellini family by crushing all those crusty old men with their ancient backward thinking, she had found herself at an impasse. She had both power and respect but yet something was missing. Joslin had felt unfulfilled. There had to be something more, and it turned out there was. Motherhood. She finally let go of her red-faced and thoroughly embarrassed child. His cute expression of anger tempted her to snuggle him once more, but she held off. He was trying to become a man, and she didn¡¯t want to hurt his confidence too much. ¡°So tell me little spark. How was your first day?¡± Jano explained the day''s events. Joslin¡¯s eyes narrowed at his tale. So he had met a girl. A fierce one at that. ¡°I hate her mother. She has disrespected me in front of the whole Academy.¡± He said vehemently as he clutched his fist in what she assumed to be rage. Oh, he was too cute. ¡°Was she pretty, little spark? I can¡¯t have you dallying around with girls who aren¡¯t up to standard.¡± Joslin said with a smirk. Jano looked as if he¡¯d be struck. Confusion and betrayal rout on his face, ¡°What, was she pretty? Mother did you not listen to a word I said. That peasant girl almost killed me, twice. She¡¯s a monster.¡± Joslin waved her hand dismissively, ¡°Nonsense little spark. I had beat your father bloody dozens of times before he came around. She was just letting you know that she was interested.¡± And she had. The man was insanely stubborn. She had thrashed him to near death countless times before they fell in love. What a passionate man he was. Full of fire and fury. She had called him her flame. It was a shame they had lost him to assassins. She had tried to convince him that he should give up his thrown in one of the lower planes, but he refused. He loved his country too much, and he died for it in the end. She had burned most of it to the ground afterward before finding the ones responsible. At least, he had gifted her a little spark. ¡°Mom, you are not listening to me. She is a vile and disreputable blued-haired peasant. Have you not looked at the recordings I sent you? I swear, mother. I¡¯m going to¡­.¡± She let her son prattle on. He was just like his father. Once his passion grabbed hold of him, he would keep talking until he was thoroughly wound up. He did have a good point, though. Joslin hadn¡¯t looked at the reports from their younglings sent in from this year''s cohort as of yet. She continued to nod and comment on how this evil woman yada yada. She was an ascendant and a mother. Multitasking was not an issue. She relaxed her control over her perception of time. Her son''s words slowed to a rumble of vibrating air. She zoomed through the information while she watched the recording of the two altercations. Her little spark had been thoroughly thrashed. She could see how that would hurt his pride. Despite their mother reigning supreme in their family, getting ¡®beat-up'' by a girl always hurt their fragile little egos. Her boys were like that sometimes. Joslin paused the recording with a finger flick and looked the girl over. She was frozen mid-leap from her son''s bottom headed straight for his protector. There was some potential in that face. It was brimming with confidence. It lacked any doubt that she would be victorious even with the numbers heavily against her. But what was this second conflict about? She played through the interaction, taking in all the minute details. Someone had hurt her, perhaps. Joslin could sympathize with that. Had her little spark not been his father''s son, he would have never played into that little trap. She was clever and able to push his adorable little buttons skillfully. Respectable. Joslin clicked her tongue when she saw her son pull out a blade. Shameful, but she wouldn¡¯t punish him for it. Maybe a good scolding and some hugs would do the trick. Joslin didn¡¯t mind the embarrassment of the public beating. Those kids needed some tempering. A little humility never hurt anyone. She sat back and thought about the issue. Little spark would need his ego reinforced. He was too young to understand the skill gap and too immature to comprehend real power. Something Joslin would continue to keep her son ignorant off. Several years at NAA would take care of that without her needing to get involved. She wanted him to enjoy his time at school as long as possible. Grabbing control again, she slowed down her mind to her son''s level and listened to him continue on with his tirade. She struggled to keep the smile off her face as he stomped around. Too cute. She was a busy woman, and as much as she wanted to listen to her babies day, she had pressing matters to handle. ¡°So you found a new girlfriend then. Excellent.¡± Her son¡¯s eyes bulged incredulously, and he tried to deny her words, but she kept talking. ¡°Well I did look over the reports and watch the recordings before you came here,¡± she lied shamelessly. ¡°She is beautiful. Not as much as your mother but just as fierce. She¡¯s perfect. But I do understand you are upset. Mama will take care of it.¡± Joslin said sweetly. Her son still looked offended by her earlier words. The boy would learn at some point what a good woman was, even if she had to knock out a few of his teeth first. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that blade you pulled out. That was not very gentlemen of you son. You can¡¯t draw weapons on your future betrothed in a formal challenge. It¡¯s shameful.¡± Jano threw his hands up in the air as though his mother had lost her mind. She snatched him up and cuddled him into submission. ¡°Worry not little spark. Mother will send some people to test your new girlfriend. If she survives then she will be even more worthy of you. And if she doesn¡¯t¡­ well mama always delivers doesn¡¯t she.¡± ¡°Yes, mother,¡± Jano said grudgingly as he finally gave in and hugged her back. He was a little spoiled, she knew, but she just couldn¡¯t help it. She would send her worst group of shades to snag the girl. Joslin would have a productive talk with her, and hopefully, her son would gain a strong woman to keep his passion in check.
Arnao Veil lay prostrate in front of his father as they discussed the happenings of his first day at Nexus. On some level, it irked him that his father required such obeisance when no one was around. Why couldn¡¯t the man just be his father for once? He knew that would never happen, though. His father was an ascendant, a True Sage in the stellar rank. An immortal existence. The man could snuff Arnao soul out with an absent thought. Arnao had seen him do that very thing for no other reason than someone had offhandedly annoyed him. Family was no exception. He was currently favored in his father''s eyes. A favor that, if taken away, might cost him his life. Arnao kept his rebellious thoughts to himself. ¡°So, one of the families has sent a shade into the academy?¡± His father drummed his finger rhythmically. Arnao couldn¡¯t see it, of course, with his head plastered to the floor, but he could feel the pressure of the man''s gaze. ¡°Well, what else happened after the rank match? We have been seeing some abnormal movement from the Cellini family in the last hour. A peculiar thing given the information you have provided and the fact that so many scions of the Elder families are in your fledgling cohort this year. I¡¯m assuming there is more than your failure to take the first rank,¡± the tone in his father''s last words thrust into his heart like a dagger. How could he be expected to fight a shade, an assassin? Someone trained in the art of dealing death with every movement of their body. Arnao had trained since birth as well, but not for that. He was capable of killing, he knew. There was no doubt in his mind that the Veil family arts were capable of being deadly. But having the capability and then willingness to use that capability was entirely different. If it wasn¡¯t family policy to let the younger generation grow and advance to at least the pre ascendant rank of Harmony before being allowed to get directly involved in the family business. He was positive his hands would be steeped in blood. He shuddered at the very thought. What kind of damage would that have done to his psyche? His father was bad enough under the limitation the founder edicts presented. If that old monster wasn¡¯t still alive, Arnao was confident that those rules would have been ignored long ago. Arnao didn¡¯t know his great great great whatever grandfather personally, but he did know that he was powerful enough to be on a first-name basis with the Mantles. His edicts sheltered the younger generation from the total ruthlessness of the older, at least until they became powerful enough to somewhat fend for themselves. If you broke those edicts, then you were gambling with your life. Arnao hadn¡¯t seen the founder enact punishment on a family member before, but he had witnessed the results. When he was eleven, he ventured out to one of the branch family¡¯s compounds to spar with a cousin. Something he had done many times before. When he arrived at his cousin''s home, he found that most members were gone. There was no sign of a struggle, no last stands of defiance from the rule-breakers. All the branch family member''s memories altered as though nothing had happened. To defy the founder was to be erased. This was an absolute in the Veil family. Arnao knew all of the edicts set down by the founder. He could never understand why anyone would break them. Every single one only aided the family as a whole and prevented the older generation from creating soulless monsters out of their children. It didn¡¯t stop them from trying, something Arnao knew firsthand. Either way, it was a kindness that would forever earn loyalty and respect from Arnao. An impact on his ribs so hard he was sure two had been broken served to remind Arnao who he was speaking to. His father did not like to wait for his answers. He ground his teeth in frustration for his stupid idle thoughts. ¡°Well, seed? I asked you a question? What excuse do you have for your failure this time?¡± Another blade thrust in his back. Planes how he despised this man. An eldritch demon from the void would have been a better parent than this monster. ¡°I¡¯m sorry father. I managed to obtain the number two slot, but the shade is beyond my capabilities. The shade single-handedly decimated our squad along with most of Luna and Threlen¡¯s families groups as well. Although I did not see it personally there are several accounts of them taking down the whole Cellini family cohort in under a minute the first time.¡± Arnao''s father''s gaze became a physical pressure that bore down on his back. To go any lower in obeisance would require him to lie face down on the floor. What more did the bastard want from him? He felt one of his broken ribs rub together, and he wanted to scream at the pain. A shameful act that would no doubt earn him more broken ribs on the other side of his rib cage. He endured. ¡°The first time you say. The shade has already fought them twice? In one day?¡± His father''s voice curious. ¡°Yes, father. Before the ranking were released, the shade was witnessed goading Jano Cellini. Once the Master left, Jano immediately challenged her¡ª,¡± he wasn''t able to get anything else out before a force gripped him by the neck and hoisted his body up. Arnao found himself dangling half a meter off the ground, unable to breathe. What had he said? ¡°Her. Her. You let a woman beat you in front of all the families.¡± His father hissed quietly. Arnao cursed internally at the slip. The Veil family was patriarchal to the extreme. No female held a high position in the family. This wasn¡¯t as common amongst all the branch families but the main branch, and for the seated elders, it was law. Numerous female ascendants could wipe the floor with the majority of the elders, both physically and mentally. That didn¡¯t matter, though. He tried to speak, but he couldn¡¯t get any air out. Arnao felt veins start to bulge on his temple, and his head felt like a boiling kettle about to blow its top. This was it. The man would finally kill him. A feeling of relief washed over him. At least he would be free of this psycho. He had suspected for quite some time why his father only had three children after thousands of years of life. Two had escaped and became powerful. According to rumor, they would kill the man if he ever stepped foot off Nexus. But the rest of his possible siblings, he didn¡¯t want to think about it. The welcomed relief was replaced with hatred as he stared into his father''s eyes. He was a vile snake. He didn¡¯t hide his hostility either. He looked defiantly at his father and openly dared the man to kill him with all his being. The look only amused his father, given the expression of his face. ¡°Good, so you do have a spine. Not that it matters. Only power matters, seed. Something you woefully lack.¡± He made a disgusted snort before dropping Arnao to the floor. ¡°Continue. I don¡¯t have all night. Tell me everything.¡± Arnao caught his breath and assumed the position again. He might not care if the man killed him, but he wouldn¡¯t give him a legitimate excuse to do so. He would make sure that it was clearly murder which would be a broken edict, and hopefully, the founder would bring down his justice upon this monster. He told his father everything he knew and explained what went down in the common area. How the blue-haired shade had utterly destroyed not only Jano but every single member in the family in a twelve-on-one fight. The Veil elder pondered what he said and left him in silence. ¡°What''s your analysis of the situation? Show me you have more than disappointment and failure inside that tiny skull of yours.¡± The barb slid into Arnao''s gut without feeling this time. This man only thought him a tool. A seed which he ''gifted'' his mother. Why should he let his words harm him anymore? ¡°I believe that if we do not do something to hinder her ascent then no one in the cohort will be able to match her. Our top priority should be focused on ascending through the body stage as quickly as possible. They will allow us to begin in 6 days after the chaff has been culled from our ranks.¡± There was no further abuse, so he assumed his father agreed. ¡°Well, seed, it looks like you have a brain after all. See that it is done. The family has already provided you with everything that you need on that front. Continue to update me via message on the girl¡¯s status. We can¡¯t allow a shade from another family to slip into the main academy campus. The balance there is too precarious. It will be interesting to see what the Cellini¡¯s do about the public disrespect they were shown. I expect results in the next two weeks,¡± the monster said. ¡°Yes father.¡± Arnao said. Two weeks of freedom from this wretched bastard. He stayed in the same position for five more minutes just to be sure the man was gone before he stood, only to find himself almost nose to nose with his father. Arnao¡¯s heart skip a beat before it started accelerating. He tried to look away from his father''s face but the man snagged his chin. ¡°You didn¡¯t think your little act of defiance would go unpunished, did you?¡± A malicious glee came over the monster''s soulless eyes. Arnao¡¯s body lifted into the air as vice-like grips latched to each of his appendages. The force was just shy of pulling his arms and legs out of their sockets. His heart was pounding in his chest so hard he could feel each beat jarring the broken ribs in his chest. It had been so long since he had messed up this bad in front of his father. He¡¯d been so careful for so long and twice in one conversation he¡¯d managed to slip. Arnao would not beg though. It would do no good in the face of this demon. He also had his own pride even if it meant nothing to this thing. He felt his father¡¯s power latch onto his nervous system. An agony so profound that it threaten to break his mind rolled throughout his body and Arnao began to scream. Chapter 22 - I can fix it! The virescent meadow stretched out endlessly into the horizon. It was a monument to nature''s sonorous beauty. The emerald-colored blades contrasted with the azure sky beckoning the mind towards a calm, sweet serenity. The sight whispered promises of a soft profound tranquillity. The bounty it offered was a completeness that could inspire almost anyone to sit down amongst its waves and ponder on the intricate mysteries of life. This was the only conclusion that could undoubtedly be drawn on why this place existed. Layla had no time for these things as the unknown power tried to disintegrate the very essence of her being. It felt like she was a the bottom of a deep ocean with billions of liters of water pressing down on her. She was like a potent ingredient in a mortar viciously being pounded into powder. This was starting to become a common theme in her life with mysterious places. It was going to cause her to develop a complex at this rate. Why did every step along whatever this ascension thing desire her destruction? What she wouldn¡¯t give to be staking out high-risk heist instead of running in a hostile infinite meadow realm. Who would have thought that thieving from the powerful was safer? Her life decision-making abilities were all sorts of broken. Layla pinched the front of her robes and pumped them like a smithy''s bellow as she tried to cool herself off. Her black robes were drenched in sweat, but she wasn¡¯t sure if it was from running for hours or the pressure trying to crush her like a tin can. Layla took in a breath and gagged. Well, she assumed it was sweat coming out of her. A foul stench had long ago started permeating the air around her. It wasn¡¯t clear if she was smelling this in the real world or in this mindscape she found herself in. She figured it didn¡¯t matter at the moment since she couldn¡¯t do anything about the stench, and she still needed to breathe. Many paths ago, things had changed. Layla had paused before a new path. The first change in the scenery since coming here. The path was of dark crystalline onyx. The surface was marred with golden runes that glistened in the sun. The path was also much broader than the previous narrow ones. The moment her foot stepped onto the dark stone path, something appeared in the distance. A lazy column of smoke rolled into the sky. That smoke had definitely not been there before she stepped onto the path. It was as though everything had been hidden under an illusion. Layla didn¡¯t know who or what was causing the smoke as the distance was too far to judge its source. What she did know was the moment the smoke appeared, she felt as though a countdown had begun. Why she felt that way was a mystery. Maybe it was something instinctual or a gut feeling. Like one of those things where you walk by an alley and think, ¡°Yeah, not going down the murder shortcut.¡± Layla was confident that nothing good would happen if she didn¡¯t reach the source of the smoke before the sun touched the horizon. She looked into the sky to gauge her progress as she pumped her legs for everything they were worth. The treacherous light-giving orb seemed to be falling faster and faster. Was it speeding up? She cursed as she made the assumption that it was. The further it dropped, the more danger Layla felt. Another thing that changed was the paths themselves. They no longer stretched into infinity in a straight line. She could easily see a curve now. The curve bowed inward towards the smoke. The paths became much more numerous and shrunk to a single stone width. Layla suspected these paths weren¡¯t actually paths, but there was nothing around to give her any more hints. A part of her mind started to thank Atom for the insane physical endurance she now had, but the rest of her mind ripped that tiny part to shreds like a wild pack of rabid cats. Had the bastard told her anything about this place, she wouldn¡¯t be in this situation. Maybe she was supposed to stay where she started, and someone would retrieve her? She didn¡¯t have a clue, and it was starting to piss her off. There were zero reasons as far as she could tell why he couldn¡¯t take a few minutes of his time to explain things. She would bet her life that the man had played some type of console game today. That was all he did before they came to this place. It was like he wanted her to fail. How was she supposed to learn when all he did was place her in situations where she could do nothing but react? The next time she saw the man, she would punch him right in the sack before strangling some answers out of him. Fortunately, the pressure had not increased once she passed the onyx path. It remained constant in its pursuit of her soul''s destruction, but she didn¡¯t concern herself with it any longer. If anything, its continuous attempt to erase her had served as a reminder. Something interesting had to be at the center of these massive stone-ringed paths. She looked to the sky once more, and a shock of fear ran through her. Time was most certainly running faster now. What had taken an hour previously for the sun to move was now taking maybe twenty minutes. Turning her gaze back to the grey smoke in the distance, she judged that she would be cutting it very close. She still couldn¡¯t see where the smoke was coming from, but it was getting closer. Layla leaned slightly forward and picked up speed. She pushed herself to her absolute maximum. Her legs, with all their superhuman-like strength, felt like jelly. Every beat of her heart could be heard like a drum in her ears. The sun touched the horizon, and she knew her time was up. That didn¡¯t stop her from pushing on. The silent thuds of her footsteps were all that she had heard for hours. Nothing had moved or been seen aside from the smoke and the stone paths. So when Layla felt she had missed her goal to reach the smoke before the sun took its nap in the sky, she had turned up her battle senses to overdrive. It was the only thing that saved her. Layla felt a slight tingling between her shoulder blades, and she reacted on pure instinct as the world slowed down. She dove forward like a thrown spear and twisted mid-air towards the danger. A dark grey blade glinted in the twilight as it passed right through the air where her spine would have been. She snatched the small spindly arm that was attached to the sword. The dusky light didn¡¯t give her a good picture of what the assailant looked like, but that didn¡¯t matter. It possessed a head, and Layla could work with that. She hooked her right leg around the back of its neck, and she flexed her hamstrings as hard as she could as they spilled across the ground in the waist-high grass. The squeezing pressure was rewarded with a sickening pop that she felt in-between her knee, and the arm she had a death grip on went limp as they finished their tumble. She paused briefly and dislodged herself from the thing to look it over. It was small, like a child of maybe eight or nine, but that¡¯s where the comparison ended. A mane of coarse white and black hair covered its head. She instantly recognized the thing. It was one of those green glowing red-eyed scabs from the slice. Where the crap had this thing come from? She snatched up the things crude sword and scanned the grass. There were lines of tall grass moving unnaturally around her. They were trying to encircle her. A common tactic for those pointy-eared bastards. Orienting herself to the smoke again, she quickly judged that it would take her around ten more minutes to reach it. Did she stay and handle the little green turds? She had a strong urge to do so. Layla despised their existence. These creatures had caused her more pain and frustration in the simulations than any other being. If she had a mortal enemy at this point in her life, it was undeniably these things, no matter how artificial those feelings might be. You just couldn¡¯t forget having your flesh ripped from your bones so easily, even if the memories were now hazy. As she watched, more and more paths through the grass could be seen. They would roll over her if she stayed any longer like a green tidal wave. Layla shook her head. There was no advantage to be had here. She didn¡¯t have her two interlocking naginata or a pair of scythe variants to the ha?bo. There were no redo¡¯s in the real world, and she had no reason not to believe that if she died here, her body wouldn¡¯t die as well. Clicking her tongue, she palmed the poor excuse of a sword and ran towards the smoke. No matter how well she fought, she could and would be overwhelmed given enough numbers. She had already learned this lesson in the simulation. Sometimes it was better to retreat, for now. Three moving lines in the grass began to converge into her path to box her in. She veered towards two of the lines. The two lines came together in front, but she didn¡¯t slow down. Two sets of sinister glowing red eyes met a pair of electric blues. She pushed forward, falling into a sword style centered around fighting on the run. Layla performed The Millers Harvest, and two new fountains of green blood came into existence with a flash. Her strike never slowed her momentum in the slightest. She briefly considered snagging another blade but dismissed the idea. If she couldn¡¯t kill a few pests with this metal rod posing as a blade, then she might as well fall on the darn thing and end it all. Layla wasn¡¯t a true master with the sword, at least not in her mind. The masters she had been forced to study under in the slice were far beyond her skills. When they used their blades, the air hummed with power, and their every movement molded that power to their very desires. Just the memory of watching them move through their kata¡¯s invoked a strong emotion inside her chest from the beauty alone. There was something more to their movements, but she felt like she lacked a crucial piece of the puzzle that wasn¡¯t explained. Maybe it couldn¡¯t be. It was something she would need to think about when her environment wasn¡¯t trying to kill her. Layla had never been able to perform to that level. She suspected that it was due to the mental state she had been placed in while in the simulations. A mastery to that level must require some level of emotional awareness that simply wasn¡¯t given to her. What she did accomplish, though, was to master the styles. She could perform every movement to perfection, but they lacked the artistry the masters had possessed. Layla imagined, if she took the time, she had the foundations to truly master the sword. The was the case for many of the classical weapons but not all. She had little mastery in a few weapons, but she suspected they were never meant to be wielded by a human. As the minutes passed like hours, more and more of the little green beasts began popping up. Planes only knew from where, but the number was becoming a problem. Layla dropped into Samaras Lament, a sword stance meant to create room with its wide sweeps when surrounded on all sides. Usually, the move would only warn off the swordsman¡¯s foes, but the glowing ember-eyed things paid no heed to the whirling blade. Fearlessly charging her without a care for their life. Layla took great advantage of their fearlessness as she quite literally mowed down her enemies with every spinning step. Something was off about these attacks. A piece that had yet to show itself. Where were the more significant variants hiding? These tiny pests were only fodder used to soften her up. They could absolutely overtake her with enough concentrated numbers, but the problem lied in their leaders. The leaders were more human-looking with powerfully built frames. If Layla had not seen them commanding the things time and time again, she wouldn¡¯t even think the species were related aside from the similar green hue skin. The leaders always roamed in a group of three. A brawler type, an assassin with shadow abilities, and a priestess. It was a powerful combination to take on when you were constantly harassed by the little ones. She assumed that the priestess was a magic-user of some type. Yeah, the fact that magic really existed had come as a shock to Layla. While Ascendants were god-like beings with strength beyond anything that could be comprehended, she had never actually seen them use any abilities aside from shifting, and whatever that oppressive force was that they could enforce around them. Atom¡¯s light show on Golar didn¡¯t really count in her mind. He was a Mantle, and they were known to break entire worlds if provoked. Regardless, the combination was challenging to deal with, primarily because of the assassins. The bastards would never fully commit to a confrontation, and the moment Layla directly struck at the sketchy backstabbers, it would slink away into the shadows. The priestess took time to cast their magics and could be ignored if she quickly dispatched the brawler. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. She could feel the gazes of the three somewhere. They were biding their time looking for the opportune instance to strike. That was something Layla couldn¡¯t allow. In an open field like this, while it was dark combined with the constant force that she was somehow mentally combating. She gave herself a fifty-fifty shot of winning. Ignoring them and avoiding direct conflict would be the wisest option. The mysterious place mocked her plans almost as soon as she made them. Layla sighed as a dozen of the green turd droppings along with three leaders stood directly in her way. Life indeed did have it out for her. Layla took in the three leaders. The one on the right towered over the small ones. He had a refined handsome face and inky black hair with two white streaks running back on either side of his head. Two short swords sat on his back. His face was contemplative. The female priestess was lithe and beautiful with delicate features and full, lush-red lips. The heart-shaped face was marred by a nasty sneer that Layla was familiar with. The priestess was always the group leader, and they were the definition of spite. The shadow''s features were hidden under a dark cloak. Only its sinister burning gaze could be seen amongst the darkness of its cowl. Looking past them, she could see they were blocking more than her way. Another onyx path wrapped around what she imagined the safe area was. She could see that these paths were actually circles and The source of the smoke appeared to be just beyond that onyx one. Layla paused and considered the situation. In a head-on fight, she did not like her odds at all. This place and this scenario were complete trash. She could hear the other small green ones catching up to her from behind. A big part of her wanted to just run in and lay down the law on the bastards. She really did hate them, like an unreasonable amount. But¡­ could she try diplomacy. Layla hated herself for the thought, but it was an option. The elites had never spoken to her in the slice. But they were all in fine clothing, which did give credence to some type of civilization. Screw it. Let''s give it a shot. Layla flicked her stolen sword out towards the onyx path. ¡°Say, you wouldn¡¯t mind just letting me past would you?¡± The priestess began to laugh before she called back to Layla in a husky voice, ¡°You shall not pass. We wouldn¡¯t let you even if we were allowed.¡± A red mist started to gather around Layla, which briefly shocked her. That¡¯s new. She nodded and gave in to her hate for the green alien-looking creatures. Shrugging, she said, ¡°Yeah, I kinda figured as much.¡± She looked down at the poorly crafted weapon. The leather handle creaked as she tightened her grip. Giving the thing a few swings, she made up her mind. Layla looked at the female, and her eyes narrowed, ¡°But just so we are clear. I offered peace, and you chose death.¡± Pointing her sword at the three, she continued, ¡°You three will die even if it cost me my own life. That''s a promise you can bet on.¡± Layla didn¡¯t wait for a reply as she burst forward at a full sprint. The elites looked startled for a moment but recovered quickly. The priestess began to chant something in a strange language that made Layla¡¯s skin itch. The brawler unsheathed his two swords and took a ready stance. She kept her eyes trained on the assassin, but he bent down and disappeared. The little ones began to get riled up as they pushed against each other, preparing to accept the charge of a single female human. Something they were pretty confident in dispatching. Layla gave a loud battle cry when she was ten meters away. A purple fireball started to grow in the priestess''s hand as her voice raised, most likely signifying the chant was about to come to a crescendo. When Layla was five meters away, the group tensed for her assault. But to their utter shock, Layla pivoted to the right and ran away from the group. None of her enemies did anything for a moment as they all turned their heads to watch the previously screaming madwoman run away with great gusto. The elites adapted first, but it was honestly too late. Layla dodged the assassin''s strike from her shadow when she felt something behind her and dove into a roll right onto the black onyx path. Coming out of the roll, and immediately dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding the purple flames of the caster. The fire fizzled out a meter past her position. Her green ambushers stared daggers at Layla as she gave them a big toothy grin. Her gamble seemed to pay off as none of the monsters would come onto the black onyx path. Why they could didn¡¯t really matter, but she had suspected. Layla snorted and spat to the side before turning her rear end to them and giving it a loud swat. ¡°You missed!¡± Layla taunted the priestess. The woman began to scream obscenities at Layla, but she had already stopped listening. She gave the brawler a wink because he was looking extra broody. Flicking the assassin the finger she turned her attention to what had appeared inside the black runic ring. Nothing but an empty grass field was before her gaze, but as Layla stepped off the ring, the world changed. One moment she was in a field of lush grass as flat as could be. The next, she stood a the bottom of a small mountainous structure with a winding dirt path dotted with what looked like guideposts leading up to the top. At the peak, she could see the edges of something, but it was difficult to make out at the angle she was at. Wondering how the heck something this large could go unseen, she turned around only to find the dirt path just ending a few meters away from her. Beyond the trail was a foreign night sky like she had never seen before. Beautiful blue and burnished bronze nebulas could be seen dotted across the sky. They were not fixed but flew like a swarm of birds across the stars. Periodically new stars would appear in their wake. Golden lines connected stars creating a tapestry of thousands upon thousands of unknown constellations. Had she been transported somewhere else? Did she actually die instead of escaping? She walked to the edge, and her legs immediately started to get shaky, and she lay down too afraid she might fall off. Below the border was only a continuation of the night sky or maybe outer space. It was as though she was on a small island in an ocean of stars. The beauty was both breathtaking and terrifying. Layla scooted away from the edge and rolled onto her back. Taking a deep breath, she blew it out through her nose. Throwing up her hands, she decided to just ignore the craziness. She was literally in a tower that''s size defined her understanding. Not to mention she found it inside her head. There was no way she was making sense of this crap without someone explaining it. Even then, she would be skeptical. A shooting star collided with another star. The collision caused a burst of kaleidoscopic colors that eventually turned into another rainbow nebula that drifted off through the infinite sea of moving celestial bodies. Layla sighed and got to her feet. The last time she stayed to enjoy the scenery, she was punished for it. Looking up at the peak of the small mountain, she could make out the familiar smoke. Shrugging, she trudged her way up mount hill. The pressure had disappeared for some reason which left her feeling odd and slightly suspicious. Why was she all of a sudden welcome? The moment she passed the first guidepost, the pressure returned, and she cursed aloud. Why did she just plant a flag? When she passed the second, the pressure increased. It was almost like it was stacking. ¡°Really!¡± Layla yelled into the sky. This place was starting to grate on her nerves, and this pressure was complete mantle shit. She cursed a few more times colorfully and began to run again. She was going to just bull rush this garbage. Layla should have known that the brief reprieve was only a setup for round two. That was her life theme at the moment. At the halfway point, she was the pressure double stacked, and she almost hit her knees but managed to turn it into a drunken stumble before gaining her momentum. She refused to be restrained. When she reached the three-quarter mark, the pressure hit her like a falling house. Her vision blacked out for a second, and she found herself leaning against the side of the wall of the path, trying to catch her breath. Black stars shot across her vision, and she could make out a distortion in the air. What in the planes was up with this place. She felt like that increase could have killed her. Sensing her body back in her room, she could faintly feel something leaking from her nose and ears. Was it blood? Did she almost die? Layla clenched her teeth together. Righteous anger built in her chest. This tower invited her in. Gave her no instructions and then suddenly didn¡¯t want her to be here. Well, that was too damn bad. She ignored the black stars as the pressure tried to send her into unconsciousness. Layla ran for everything she was worth. Each guide pose she passed on this last stretch felt like physical blows to her soul, but she endured it. That didn¡¯t mean she took it standing up. The pressure was too great. Like the gravity had been turned to eleven. By the last guidepost, she was crawling. Her arms dragged her body across the ground. The air in front of her shimmered from the pressure. Its physical manifestation made Layla think of the hazy heat from a hot metal surface that had been baked in the sun. The end of the path was a stone arch, and as Layla drug her face through its entryway, the pressure reluctantly abated, but only after a few more pokes that she was sure shouldn¡¯t have been allowed. ¡°Eat shit you petty twat,¡± Layla mumbled as she lay on the ground. Her everything hurt. She felt like something inside her was broken but was slowly fixing itself. It was as though the intent in the pressure was upset that it had not crushed her but had to follow some type of rule. After a while, she stood and took note of her surroundings. A giant stone necropolis layout before her. The source of smoke that she''d been following turned out to be a large round brazier in the stone courtyard. The fire burning seven to eight meters in the air. She could see no wood in the brazier, so she wasn¡¯t sure exactly what was burning. A large stone building with wide circular pillars held up a stone roof beyond the fire. To the left and right of the courtyard were numerous marble and bronze statues of beings in poses of both dominance and beneficence. They were all human, but something about them was different. Alien even. While they were human, they were also something better or more significant. As though they represented what the race of humans could be evolved at its pinnacle. It made Layla shiver. She felt inferior just being around the statues. That feeling immediately pissed her off. Making an intuitive leap, she began to suspect that these statues were the reason the climb in that plane''s forsaken path was so hostile. She immediately ignored the things refusing to give them any more respect than a dog that had just taken a piss on her leg. She cursed every single one as she passed. She could somehow tell that they could hear her curses and wanted to retaliate but couldn¡¯t. She chuckled darkly as her curse words became more creative as she made her way towards the entrance of the temple-like structure. Walking inside the temple, she found a singular statue of a man. He sat in a cross-legged position in the middle of the building. His garb was very similar to Layla¡¯s. A beggar''s robe over pants and shirt. In his lap sat a staff. His arms laid across the staff in a meditative pose. The first finger and thumb of each hand touching to make a circle with his hands relaxed palms up. The marble figure was the most life-like that she had ever laid her eyes on. The level of detail gone into sculpting the white marble astonished her. The only light that could be found was shining down on the statue from a source that couldn¡¯t be seen. She circled around the thing a few times, wondering what to do before she decided to sit in front of the statue and wait. The moment her butt hit the ground, a crack of thunder sounded, and a flash of light that blinded her hit the statue. Layla rolled backward and flipped to her feet, guarding her eyes. The flash of light subsided, and she moved her hand away to find that the statue of marble was no longer marble. It was also no longer sitting as Layla looked into two copper green eyes from only a few centimeters away. Layla¡¯s personal space was wholly violated. ¡°What are you,¡± Said a masculine voice. His face looked intently at Layla as though she was some interesting novel thing he couldn¡¯t quite figure out. ¡°Says the magic statue man,¡± Layla replied back flippantly. ¡°Could you not.¡± The man cocked his head sideways, ¡°Could I not what?¡± His voice was curious. ¡°You¡¯re uh, really in my personal space right now. It¡¯s sort of creepy.¡± The man straightened up and nodded that he understood. He continued his scrutinization of her body before saying. ¡°You are injured. I can fix it but it will hurt.¡± Before Layla could say anything, he reached out and tapped her on the forehead. Every inch of her body froze. She couldn¡¯t make anything move no matter how hard she tried. He then grabbed hold of something over her head and yanked. A silver cord of light was in his hand, and Layla somehow intuitively knew it was extremely important. It was also something that you didn¡¯t want someone to be messing with. What he did next would live in her nightmares for the rest of her life. She floated there tethered to the silver cord connected to something off in the distance. The monk gave a big tug with the silver cord made of light and felt the substance of who she was being ripped from her body. Not softly, not gently, but straight up ripped out. The wrongness of it was beyond her understanding. All she could do was watch as she felt the very core of herself being violated. ¡°There is quite a bit of damage.¡± He said casually as he studied her again. She turned her head to see her body frozen in place. He placed his hand over her ethereal form, and a platinum light shone out. A euphoria shot through her soul. It was¡­ she didn¡¯t know what it was. Complete bliss. Endless ecstasy. The things that felt broken inside her disappeared as the light touched her. ¡°There really shouldn¡¯t be this much damage. The Path of a Hundred Thousand Steps should have groomed your physical form for adaptation. Did you just run here?¡± The man looked at her oddly. His eyes went up to the left as though he was watching something. ¡°You did just run here.¡± He laughed aloud. ¡°That was really stupid. Do they not teach you mortals anything anymore?¡± Layla couldn¡¯t say anything, so she just glared at the man. He ignored her as he finished up his whatever that was. He scrutinized her ethereal form and cord. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t recognize you. You are not human. Wait. You¡¯re not even from this iteration. How did you even get here? You really shouldn¡¯t be here. It¡¯s no wonder the watchers were so hostile.¡± The man did something else, and then her form snapped back into her body with a pop. The feeling felt disturbing, like putting on a perfectly fitting glove. He touched her forehead again, and she unfroze. She then had the most unbelievably stupid idea of her short life. She wanted to punch the being that just yanked her soul out, repaired it, and put it back in like he was drying the dishes. Yeah, she could see that going well for her. He sat back down and motioned for her to do the same. ¡°So tell me little cousin. What brings you to the Tower of Mazzaroth?¡± Layla was still standing. The words the being just said caught up to her slowly recovering brain. I¡¯m not human? Iteration? Wtf? Chapter 23 - So thats how it is. When did that happen? I don¡¯t, I uhm, I was¡­ I, what was I thinking about again? Oh right, this guy had weird hair like me. She doesn¡¯t know. She doesn¡¯t see. She can¡¯t fathom it. What to do, what to do! Should I let her, see it again. No, no, no, no, number. The strain, it was too much. She isn¡¯t ready. Yes, not ready. Too weak. Much too weak. What, you again, get out of my head, you, you... unfilial harlot! ohhhhhhh! How did¡­ I was¡­ I can, no, I almost remember. It was important. Who are you? No, I know who she is, but¡­ I¡ª Whyyyyy does this butterfly swim so slowlyyyyyy? If I move up three knots and twist the key like sooo¡­ all the strings will become tiny booows¡­ Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Chapter 24 - Crazy stars and free sack rides! A lizardman with massive wings ravaged a colossal boar. The boar flicked its head violently. Its tusks severed the lines of one of the lizardman¡¯s leg. The lizard man rushed to gather the fading stars of its leg while the boar constellation sucked up the stardust greedily then shot away like a comet. What was I doing again? There was the star madness and¡­ Oh, right, I was sparring with Argo. Where is Argo? Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. to roll over towards the wall and protect her head while blows rain down on her like a waterfall. She blacked out a few times before they finally stopped their beating. Chapter 25 - The Burden of Knowledge This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it It¡¯s mouth parted showing thousands of needle like teeth. It never stopped smiling at Atom as it burned to ash. ¡°But grandpa why don¡¯t they run away. Won¡¯t they get hurt by the bad guys?¡± Atom¡¯s grandfather tousled his hair and said, ¡°Heroes don¡¯t run kiddo. Hero¡¯s don¡¯t worry about getting hurt. To be a hero is to protect those around you. To have the burden of knowledge that if you fail, no one else is coming.¡± Atom¡¯s face hardened and he clinched his little fist. He looked back to the screen and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to be a hero someday.¡± His grandfather laughed and snatched him up from the floor. ¡°Is that so little Atom? Well, we will see.Why don¡¯t we worry about being a hero another day and go steal some of those turnovers your Gran is making.¡±
Chapter 26 - Putting The Pieces Together Facility forty-two was one of Atom¡¯s closely kept secrets. Honestly, all his facilities, depots and the many vaults in his possession were secrets. Since Atom had no friends that he had actively interacted with in the last few hundred years, no one should know about any of them. How Dory knew about any of his projects was beyond him. She had hinted a few days ago that she was aware of some things, but he was sure she was only fishing. He had to have messed up somewhere along the way. But where? It was possible to suspect he had crafted things out of the ordinary. This could be seen just from the materials he had acquired over the years. Atom had been careful in his acquisitions, mostly trading resources for resources, thus avoiding a credit trail. Unfortunately, there were some things that only credits could buy. Even worse, there were some things you couldn¡¯t outright purchase at all. You had to compete with others at auction to obtain. There were untold Auction Houses throughout the planes. Almost all of them had a digital presence giving their patrons the ability to bid anywhere, in any plane, anonymously. It was very similar to Earth''s online auctions. Make a purchase, and the items are shipped to wherever you wanted. The items offered had many grades depending on the typical factors such as scarcity, age, uniqueness, or, if a completed artifact, the renown, and talent of the crafter were factored in. These factors and many others combined into a universal grading system used throughout the known planes. The grades you could find in these houses were common, uncommon, rare, supreme, and occasionally mythic. These establishments were open to anyone. If you had the credits, then you could buy. Now, if you wanted something mythic and above. There was only one place you could go. The Aleph Auction House. The Aleph Auction House was owned and operated by the Aleph Consortium. The establishment had zero digital footprints aside from the collection and transference of credits. They operated in a traditional auction house fashion. If you wanted to bid, you needed to physically attend and to attend, you needed an invitation. The establishment explicitly catered to powerful and affluent Ascendants among the known planes. The Consortium was owned by the Aleph family, one of the elder families of Arcodawn. This made sense as the eight elder families were amongst the oldest families in recorded existence. They were powerful immortal families long before the Council had been formed. Each elder family had their hands in various businesses throughout the planes. The families were very similar to Earth''s nobles. Atom had met Seth Aleph and his new wife Trisha while adventuring. Why was the heir to one of the wealthiest and most influential families in existence out adventuring in the planes, might someone ask? Well, Seth had been in quite the rebellious phase after graduating from Nexus Academy. He returned to his family after graduating. Expecting his family to welcome him home with open arms and congratulations, instead, he found politics and chains of obligation. The elders had attempted to force him into an arranged marriage. His parents, the current patriarch, and matriarch of the elders'' council, refused to hear his plea to stop the arrangement. This obviously didn¡¯t go well with the young heir since he was already engaged. Seth and Trisha, who had graduated as together, had long fallen deeply in love as they went through the deadly trials of the Prime rank. He attempted to bargain, but the elders were dead set on the alliance his marriage would bring. Trisha was from a distant branch family of the Gaspari, another elder family of Arcodawn. At the time, the Gaspari and the Aleph were not on cordial terms, and while Trisha¡¯s parents supported their daughter, the family elders disapproved of the union. Without support on either side, the couple was left with few options. So, Seth, the hot-blooded youth that he was, stole away in the night with Trish and eloped. Those who graduated as Primes were not the average cut of the mill Ascendants. The skills needed to be mastered to complete the trials were not few. Using those skills, they disappeared from Nexus and went out to seek enough power to force their families to accept their love. It was a classic tale of two lovers trying to fight against their family''s wishes. One that would have ended badly in an ancient ruin on a shit hole of a cracked planet if Adam hadn''t shown up to assist the two in a battle with an undead demon lord. After the event, they had become companions and adventured together. Their adventures came to an end after an outing into the Void. The events in the Void forced Atom to break through into the Divine realm under un-idealistic conditions. Yet, it still hadn¡¯t been enough. Atom had been forced to manifest his Mantle in the end. While that had been the deciding trump card in their escape. The events had left his companions gravely injured and mentally scarred from the experience. Atom had hidden his true power from his companions, and even though he had saved them, it had damaged the bond of trust they shared. The group went their separate ways after that. There were no hard feelings in the departure, but their adventuring days were done. Seth went back to his family and took his place as the heir once more. They stayed in touch, and Seth acquired many things for Atom throughout the years. On the other hand, Atom had slowly slipped into the madness that came with the elevation to the Divine realm. A madness that was supercharged by his experiences in the Void. That madness led to the construction of facility forty-two and the birth of Tess. But how did Dory find out about facility forty-two? If Seth and Trish had become one of Dory¡¯s agents after returning, it would explain some things. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to make the intuitive leap that Atom was creating something he probably shouldn¡¯t. He might even be the reason that the couple had gotten caught in her web now that he really considered it. Atom could even remember when this recruitment may have even happened. Seth had acquired a Primordial grade artifact for him at auction. Primordial grade artifacts were exactly what they sounded like. They were items that either was primordial in nature or could reverse engineer something to a primordial state. These things were dangerous beyond belief, with some items able to drive a whole planet to madness or death just by their very presence. The purchase of such an item was not illegal. Those who could afford or use such an item typically weren¡¯t out to watch the universe burn. The Council handled those types without mercy. Needless to say, the sale of such an artifact was a very high-profile event that would raise tons of red flags depending on who acquired the item. Therefore, Atom knew he shouldn¡¯t have purchased it, but it had been required for the facility forty-two¡¯s project. He''d been more lucid later and avoided situations like that again. That didn''t mean the damage hadn''t already been done, though. Dory and the General had appeared shortly afterward with an invitation to a Council seat. He had never connected these two events before. He blamed it on the madness. Their offer and reason for how they had found him had been logical. Atom wondered what would have happened if he had been resistant to their offer. The image of his body being reduced to microscopic detritus, free-floating in the vacuum of space came to mind. But Dory had actually known about him all this time. She had known his gramps. Had Seth and Trish already been one of Dory¡¯s people when they met? It was troubling to consider. How deep did the rabbit hole go? These were the thoughts that passed through Atom¡¯s mind as the trio shifted into a circular dark metallic room. It was around twenty meters in diameter and ten meters in height. This room had no doors or exits of any kind. It could only be accessed by Atom or Tess. There was nothing significant in the room itself. What was important about the place was where you could go from the room. A smooth, clear crystal ball was sitting in the center of the room atop a pedestal of emerald glass. This pedestal would open a portal to any of Atom¡¯s facilities attached to its network. It was a safety precaution he had put in place. If he ever needed to bring someone with him to one of his private realms, this would prevent them from discovering their real-world anchor points. Private or pocket realms were like little balloons of space with their strings attached to the Planes they were created from. This was not to be confused with a God Slice. The owner of the pocket realms did have control over them but not to the extent they could create life from nothing. Not that it mattered. Atom had been extremely paranoid at the time, and it still wasn¡¯t enough. That was made clear as Dory walked past him, munching on a pastry. Crumbs fell on her chin and shirt as she walked right through all his unseen security measures and formidable defenses. Defenses might he add that would keep even someone at his own power level out without issue. He sighed loudly. Dory turned around at his sigh and looked at him in confusion. ¡°What?¡± She questioned. Pieces of flaky crust flying out of her mouth adding to the ridiculousness of his life. Atom just shook his head in defeat. Why did he even bother when things like her existed? Dory gave an ¡®oh¡¯ face, signaling that she had realized what she had done. ¡°Ah, common kiddo. Don¡¯t be such a sore paw. You know I already know. So why pretend. We are on the same side. Now take me to the good stuff.¡± Dory said, giving Atom a sheepish toothy grin. Atom ignored her words and said, ¡°You have something in your teeth.¡± Dory cursed, pulled out a mirror, and dug at the offending food particle. Atom smiled internally at his petty victory over the woman, but it did nothing for the feeling of unease that was building inside him. Something was off about Dory, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly what was different. He wanted to say she was an imposter, but he could sense that it was, in fact, her. If anything, according to his Presence, it was more her than ever before. The feeling was hard to explain. It was almost like previously when he met with Dory, she hadn¡¯t entirely been there. Atom tsk audibly. Another mystery he was sure she wouldn¡¯t divulge, and probably not one they had time to discuss at the moment. Walking to the middle of the room, the orb lit up at his approach. Atom touched it once, injecting a bit of his power into the thing. Only Tess or he could do this and survive. It was the last security measure to the access point. Without it, you wouldn¡¯t be able to use the room even if you somehow managed to find it. Something he had previously believed to be impossible yet now questioned. This particular access point was inside the core of a protostar drifting in a dark nebula on the edge of a barely awakened Plane. The instability surrounding the birth of a baby star made it a prime place to hide such an access point. Very little could be observed as the protostar greedily sucked in the stellar gases and matter around it to aid its attempt at Ascension to full starhood. Whether it would succeed was yet to be seen, but Atom could tell through his path, Stellar Might, that it was coming along nicely. It might succeed in a million or so years, giving this access point a power source to run on. It took quite a bit of power to drill through the fabric of space and connect two points in a safe and stable manner. As it was now, Atom had to supply the juice. That was something he did not lack. But the use of that much anima, especially his Divine grade, created ripples that could be traced. Not easily, mind you, but someone could do it at his realm and above. Which is why this access point was inside a noisy celestial fetus trying to give birth to itself. The orb lit up, and a three-meter hollow screen popped up in front of him with hundreds of lines of text visible. Atom tapped at the search function, and a keyboard appeared. He typed in his query, and the options on the small screen dropped to one. Facility forty-two. He selected the option and confirmed it. The screen disappeared, and he laid his hand on the orb. The orb served as a focus and a compression apparatus for the power to build. As he dumped power into the orb, a miniature golden sun grew inside. Once the threshold was reached, a ding was heard. The ding, very reminiscent of an old school microwave, rang out. Letting Atom know it was ready. It took a few moments after the ding for it to do its thing. He removed his hand, and the group waited in silence. ¡°This thing is going to work right?¡± Dory enquired after a minute or so. Her tone sounded skeptical. ¡°You of all people should understand that to do this safely, it takes time.¡± Atom replied. Dory raised an eyebrow, ¡°I suppose. What this thing does and what we built are completely different. We made holes and then we made permanent tunnels to connect the holes. This thing does something else. Let me guess. This is something you came up with when the madness was in full swing?¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong there. It was different. There was no tunnel or slide of light to ride connecting you to another plane. This was a true portal. A superimposing two points together in different planes. This might not seem like a considerable achievement given the kinds of things the Mantles or high-level ascendants could do. That assumption would be incorrect. Shifting was only possible due to the Feed. Any passage through the Feed would leave traces if you had the know-how to find them. This portal orb also did not use the Ways, which was the tunnel most planes used to travel. Thus, there were no traces to track. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Atom¡¯s portal orbs worked on a higher set of concepts based around the Law of Space and the attributes of the Void. Atom had been mad as the hatter when he created it and while he understood how it worked. The mindset you needed to imagine things working this way wasn¡¯t something he could repeat on demand. Four silver-white lights shot out from the orb piercing the air at a singular point. Glyphs on the ceiling and floor previously not visible blazed to life five meters in front of the orb. At the four corners of these two lines of glyphs, one shown more brightly than the others. The silver-white beams began to rotate from the orb. The rotation moved faster and faster. There were no magic lightsaber sounds or electric arcs of thunder. It was a silent thing, but the power it gave off could be felt in your bones. A light pop was all that signaled the portal had superimposed two different areas of space and time. The beams of light moved towards the four brightly lit corners. As they moved away from the center, it created a box that opened wide like a curtain, as the beams of light connected with the glyphs. Atom wiped a trickle of sweat from his temple. Opening this thing was not easy. It didn¡¯t precisely fatigue him, but it did get his juices flowing. He turned to Dory and motioned to the open portal, ¡°Welcome to facility forty-two. Ladies first?¡± Dory eyed the opening before softly snorting, ¡°You¡¯d just be upset if I did. Really, Atom, you are quite the delicate creature when it comes to your little clubhouses.¡± Tess guffawed, and Atom¡¯s eye twitched. He ignored the women and strode into the dark landing with an annoyed expression. He had wanted to see if Dory could walk into his personally crafted pocket realm or not. Atom doubted that she could have done it without at least some visible effort. She had the right of it, though. If Dory had just walked in like it was a public bathroom or something, he would have¡­ well, he wasn¡¯t sure what he would have done, but it would not have been manly. The landing was similar to the access point, with no visible doors or exits of any type. A white stone altar stood waist-high in the middle of the glossy white room. Upon the altar stood a singular object bathed in blue light. It was a seemingly simple wooden recurve bow without a string. Atom walked over and put his arm into the blue light and retrieved the bow. He turned around and started walking back out of the portal. Dory cleared her throat, and Atom looked at her. He narrowed his eyes at the woman. Atom looked incredulously at the woman. He shook the bow in his hand like there was no way anything else would be needed. Dory just laughed at him and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be needing one of the other things as well.¡± His shoulders dropped in defeat. Atom had hoped he could get away with just the bow. But he knew that she was probably right. Pulling out an old square grey controller, Atom pressed the select button. He then entered a button sequence that Contra fans would be very familiar with. ¡®up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start.¡¯ When he finished, a piece of the floor disappeared, and a white altar rose up just to the right of the bow¡¯s stasis field. A glass box sat atop the altar. In the box stood a thirty-five-centimeter-tall all black figure. It would be easily mistaken as a high-end large action figure on Earth. Atom walked over to the box and opened it with grudging resignation, retrieving the figure. He couldn¡¯t store the bow or the action figure in his storage. Why he couldn¡¯t, had to do with the grade of the items being above his own realm. He wasn¡¯t sure why higher realm items worked that way since he could store higher-grade materials. But anything that was considered complete and named by its creator was treated differently. The system had odd quirks like that. If he tried, all he got was an error code explaining it wasn''t possible. Atom looked down at the items in his hand. Mentally activating a script, he read the notifications that popped up in front of him.
Bow of The End Artifact Type: Weapon Artifact Quality: Named Artifact Grade: ???? Artifact Creator: Lord Brahma Artifact Traits: Unlimited Shot - Item can produce unlimited ammo. Unblockable Shot - Capable of piercing anything in existence. Dependent on user¡¯s realm of Ascension. Unstoppable End - Arrows are infused with the Laws of Desolation and Oblivion. Anything struck by an arrow will find its end. Effects dependent on user¡¯s realm of Ascension. Description: The Bow of Brahm¨¡stra was created by the great Lord Brahma in their youth. Despite the destructive power of the bow, Lord Brahma was displeased with the item and eventually cast it away as a failure.
Deus ex Mechina Artifact Type: Custom Artifact Quality: Named Artifact Grade: ???? Artifact Creator: Atom Artifact Traits: Hero - item has the ability to rise to the challenge under any circumstance. Dependent on the amount of anima invested. MC - like the tropes of old, this item blesses the user with reality-bending fate. The user has no control of the trait and is subject to the whims of the Laws of Probability. Description: The Deus Ex Mechina was created by Atom while in a fugue state of paranoic madness. The artifact gained its name under dubious intellectual humor. It is unknown what this item is capable of as the creator, with his tinfoil hat, became too suspicious after its creation to thoroughly test its abilities.
Atom blinked twice as he read the description of the DEM. Had the system always been that cheeky? Hero? MC? He couldn¡¯t recall it saying that the first time. The traits were just supposed to be about growth and increased luck. Was he being trolled by the system? He looked up at the two women waiting patiently for him to exit the facility. He frowned in suspicion. Had one of them changed it? Tess had a bored look as she brushed some of her purple-black hair out of her face. Dory, the picture of a Southern bell off at college, gazed at him innocently as she took a bite of something. Wait a damn minute. Was that one of his pirouline cookies? He fought back the urge to check his inventory. Atom shook his head trying to get control of himself. No. No, it couldn¡¯t be. He was slipping. The situation was getting to him, and seeing his nightmares come to life earlier was not helping. He clutched his creation a little tighter as the sliver of paranoia reminded him why he had created something like this. Atom was strong by all standards. Even in the Divine Realm, he could go toe to toe with those above him. The synergy of his path and Mantle gave him that ability and some. The number of beings who could end him was small in the scheme of things. It was almost not worth thinking about. He was essentially a walking talking apocalypse for any planet if he chose to be, yet there were more extraordinary beings out there. Their power eclipsing his own so far that he might as well lay down and die if they decided it was his time. How something like that wouldn¡¯t make anyone feel paranoid was beyond his thinking. Stepping out of the facility, Atom used his will on the orb, closing the portal. The two artifacts he had retrieved were very dangerous. One was direct proof that a divinity had influenced his home plane in some way. The other, a mad creation that would have nerds creaming their pants while probably getting him sued for copyright infringement if Earth¡¯s corporate lawyers had a say on the matter. Dory wiped her mouth, and crumbs fell to her shirt and the floor, ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°How hot of a situation are we going into?¡± Tess said. Speaking for the first time in a while. Atom could sense through her bond that she was concerned and a tad nervous. She hadn¡¯t been there when they ventured out into the Void. While she could see his memories, it just wasn¡¯t the same as experiencing them firsthand. He sent a pulse of strong assurance and confidence across their bond. It didn¡¯t matter if he actually felt that way or not. Because she needed it. In a way, Tess had been sheltered from how things had been in the beginning. Atom no longer took the risks he used to take, so they hadn¡¯t been in any legitimate danger before together. He had complete confidence in her ability regardless, and he needed to let her know that. Dory looked down at something neither of them could see. Most likely reading her personal screens granted by the system. He wondered what her screen looked like. It was probably some type of God Admin version. A few strokes of her finger and Atom would be deleted from existence. He shuttered internally at the thought, and he began cursing his curious mind. It would do him no good to go down that line of thinking. Looking up, Dory gestured in a wishy-washy manner, ¡°It depends. We should be good, but we could arrive in the thick of it. Our other companions are already there monitoring the situation, but communication around the anomaly is almost nonexistent. We will have to see when we arrive.¡± Atom frowned at her answer, ¡°I think I¡¯m going to need some more details about what exactly is going down. We also need to have a talk about why you have been spying on me.¡± This was feeling way too half-cocked for him. Dory walked over to Atom and patted his cheek, ¡°Little Atom, relax. I predict that we have only a fifty-seven percent chance of perishing in this breach. That¡¯s really good odds. We can talk about the other stuff afterwards.¡± Atom¡¯s mouth opened in horror. Those were terrible odds. This woman was about to get him killed. Dory smiled at him and pointed at the action figure. ¡°Just be ready to go all out and keep your Mantle in check. We can¡¯t risk widening the breach. We are back up. So, technically, I don¡¯t know where we are going yet. Breaches are opening in multiple locations. This is the only reason I decided to bring you in on this. It doesn¡¯t happen too often, but it happens from time to time.¡± ¡°But why are the breaches happening at all. I thought it was impossible. Doesn¡¯t the firmament repel them?¡± Tess asked. Atom thought that was an excellent question. He¡¯d obviously seen the thing come through, but how was the real question. Dory looked at them. His expression seemed hesitant, but she eventually spoke, ¡°The crystal has the answers you seek but the short of it is that we created something during the war, and it had lasting effects. Eventually a plane was sacrificed to contain the event.¡± Dory ran a hand thru her hair, letting out her breath. A pained expression evident on her face, ¡°We thought everything had been destroyed in the sacrifice, but something survived. It not only survived but has been helping these beings breach the Plane''s protections. And not just any Plane either. It is almost always the lower Planes.¡± That made Atom raise his eyebrows, but when he thought about it, he suspected he knew why, ¡°It¡¯s because they have less protection, right?¡± Tess looked confused, so Atom explained, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. The Lower Planes are heavily protected because they are so heavily protected. What do they lack or, should I say, whom?¡± A light bulb lit up in her eyes, ¡°They lack other ascendants. An infant Plane only has one or two powerful Mantles serving as guardians. While an ascendant Plane would have an untold number of powerful individuals.¡± Dory gave her a wink and made two-finger guns, ¡°Bingo, little lady! That¡¯s what we think at least.¡± Dory¡¯s Southern drawl was really throwing Atom off. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are leaning a little too much into your persona?¡± Laughing, Dory waved him off, ¡°Atom, honey, I¡¯ve never spoken any other way¡ª,¡± She cut off as she looked at her screen in alarm. Turning her head back to Atom and Tess, she said, ¡°Get ready and don¡¯t hold back because we¡¯re coming in hot.¡± Atom wasted no time as he threw the figure to Tess. His eyes went black as the twin blue-white stars of his path blazed to life. He took a firm grip on his power and removed the safety bracelet helping him keep control. Where they were going. He wouldn¡¯t need to worry about that. The air in the access point began to shimmer and distort around him. He looked at Dory and nodded. Without another word, they shifted.
The glowing eyes watched the portal close behind the little Divine realm. ¡°Something about this place feels off.¡± One of his eyes squinted in thought. ¡°Should I follow or explore? Hmmm. Let¡¯s have a look around and then catch up.¡± He gazed around at the room before phasing through the walls. He passed through metallic corridors and large rooms that looked like engineering access areas. Gargantuan mechanical structures dwarfing small mountains dwelled inside. They lay dormant but looked well maintained and ready for action at a moment''s notice. He couldn¡¯t fathom their purpose, but he assumed that all these places were part of a larger, more uniform structure. ¡°Is this place some type of titanic ship?¡± Clicking his tongue at his inability to sense the next rooms. The burning pink eyes quicken their pace. He did want to see what was here, but he also didn''t want to miss the excitement that was to come. Rooms and walls flashed by as he made haste to exit the structure. He eventually came to a wall that gave him difficulty in passing. He probed the metallic wall with his senses. He focused on the changes, delving for its pattern. It was clever in its simplicity. He found a chaos-based algorithm that he hadn¡¯t encountered before. As he gathered more and more information, he couldn¡¯t help but appreciate the level of paranoia that went into creating the thing. ¡°Ah. The frequency is constantly in flux.¡± He snorted derisively. Something like this would not keep him out. It was no wonder he was having difficulty sensing anything past each room, though. Every wall in this place had a different frequency and pattern that constantly changed. He hadn¡¯t noticed since his power of phasing through objects was a passive thing. His power hadn¡¯t deemed it relevant until it needed his active assistance. Devoting a small fraction of his mental power towards the algorithm. A network of glowing pinpricks of light, representing nodes. The lights spread out around him. He observed as the frequency moved through the model like a busy little sprite. At first glance, there seemed to be no recognizable pattern. The light sporadically changed paths, flitting from node to node. Sometimes changing directions at the last second to ping another node. He eventually cracked the algorithm as the glowing eyes watched the model play out. True chaos could not exist inside the Planes. It was subject to the Laws of Probability and Order. Given enough time, a pattern would emerge. It might not make sense to a squishy mortal mind, but that didn¡¯t matter. His mind was neither squishy nor mortal. A glowing smile split the air as he adjusted his energy state to match the frequency pattern and continued through the little chaotic wall. This all happened in seconds as a task like this was simple to a Sovereign Eternal. He burst out from the facility, and his senses expanded to fill the area of this remote pocket realm. What he found shocked him to his core. A feat that happened very rarely to someone of his age. He chuckled lightly, ¡°Dory would have a fit if she knew about this. Actually, considering that woman, she probably already suspects.¡± He moved several thousand kilometers away from the structure and took it in with his burning turbine-like eyes. ¡°What in the nine Asuras was this kid thinking when he created this¡­ thing? It¡¯s madness. What is it even for?¡± He grudgingly had to admit, though, that this Master Neutron, or Atom, had an impressive imagination. Thinking about the two hazardous items that the kid had taken possession of had him excited about the future breach. They were always dull, and he rarely watched them anymore, but it had been a long time since he had seen one of Braham¡¯s little toys in action. He had thought they had collected them all, but universes were enormous, and they hadn¡¯t always been observing things so closely. Things were bound to be hidden in natural forming dungeons shielded by its core or in pocket realm inheritances. He withdrew his senses and made a note of the artifact in front of him. If you could even call something rivaling a star in size an artifact. Either way, this Atom was officially going on a watch list. Several if he had anything to say about it. He took a peek at what was going on with his little potential. She was still safely passed out in her sack. Good, he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about her for now. He could tell that several Masters were monitoring the situation. Turning his attention to the access point, he latched onto the infinitesimal traces of the shift left behind. He wondered if they would need to get involved in this one. He doubted it. Not with Dory there watching over everything. Finally, following the traces to their destination, he took a peek. ¡°Oh my. How curious. So many. Hmm. I believe I¡¯ll go watch this one in person.¡± The Sovereign Eternal¡¯s eyes faded away as he slipped into the Eternal Stream, leaving no traces of his presence or where he was going behind. Chapter 27 - Comin in Hot! When the trio appeared at the anomaly site, they were immediately swarmed. Atom felt Tess and Dory get ripped away from their initial position. He couldn¡¯t make out what the things looked like, but they hit hard and fast. He was pushed back as the stream of void creatures beat down on him like he was standing in front of a wide-open fire hydrant. They were not precisely strong individually, but he could tell that they could eventually do him some damage if they continued to swarm him like this. Atom¡¯s eyes burned in annoyance. He seized the space around him, enforcing his domain on the area. Immediately ceasing in place, the swarm momentarily faltered. Deciding he needed some space to think, Atom let his path run wild. In a burst, a one-kilometer area around him flash fried as his body twinkled ever so brightly. Placing the artifact bow on his back, he looked down at himself and brushed off the burning embers of the beings that had been assaulting him. A dark smudge of goo could be seen marring his white haori. ¡°Ah man. Come on.¡± He rubbed at the spot vigorously but only managed to smear the substance deeper. ¡°This is never going to come out.¡± Atom dropped the offending cloth in disgust. A roar that rattled his bones echoed across the vacuum of space. Of course, Atom could not physically hear it. Hell, he couldn¡¯t even breathe. It was freaking outer space. He wasn¡¯t bound by the fleshy constraints of air, though. A body reborn in the substance of the stuff that made the universe tick didn¡¯t need such things to listen. He jerked his head in the direction of the roar. The scene that flashed into Atom¡¯s eyes chilled him to his very core. Two gargantuan-sized pearlescent white hands jutted out of a tear in reality. The breach, which looked like a curtain being held open by two hands, had to be several hundred kilometers tall. What was inside that curtain was not sunshine and rainbows. The empty black nothingness was all that could be seen. Atom¡¯s chest tightened at the unforgettable sight of the Void. Hundreds of beings rushed out of the tear. They ranged from the most fantastical beauty creation had ever produced to the most twisted pure chaotic madness he¡¯d ever laid eyes on. Just looking in that direction made Atom¡¯s eyes burn. Even being near the creatures made his stomach cramp violently like he¡¯d eaten the last burrito from a sketchy gas station that had been suspiciously discounted. This was a definitive warning sign that he was creeping dangerously close to beings a tad too far outside his weight class. Atom¡¯s eyes locked onto the Void as whispers filled his mind. They quickly turned to wails of pain. He felt himself start to spiral out of control almost instantly. The feeble grip he had on his own power slipped as his Mantle, Endless Nova, began to awaken at the site of wrongness flooding the infantile Plane. Without Atom¡¯s bidding, he felt his Mantle initiate the process of manifestation. A power coalesced above him, causing him to look up. A praetorian-style galea with a plume of kaleidoscopic starlight formed above him. The mercurial silver helm slowly drifted down towards his head as he felt the space behind him warp. A collapsing neutron star blazing with turbulent blue fiery light formed behind him. It began to expand, contract, and rotate as it spewed stellar energy from its top and bottom like a spinning wet tennis ball being hit by two comets. Cosmic debris and colorful interstellar gases formed about the star in an endlessly expanding spiral. As Endless Nova picked up speed, a sigh could be heard in his mind. Atom couldn¡¯t stop it. He wanted to. He desperately wanted to, but the screams were too loud in his head. ¡°ATOM!!¡± Came a familiar voice from somewhere. He tried to focus on the voice with everything he had, but the noise in his head was overwhelming his defenses. He did briefly succeed and met Tess¡¯s eyes. Tess was fighting off a dire wolf-headed Cthulhu-looking monstrosity. She held a bright silver power lance and shield in her armor. The shield and lance morphed and twisted to her desire like a machine goddess. The interchange between the two happened so fast and violently that it looked like space was exploding randomly in the area. She sent her concern across the bond as well as her confidence. He knew she would be okay for the moment. Her battle moved away, and it unblocked Atom¡¯s sight of the tear in space. His gaze slipped to the breach again. A mental cry pulsed in his head, hitting him like a truck scattering his lucidity once more. Atom grabbed his head. He felt the pain of the infant universe fall on him like a sledgehammer. It screamed in agony as the things that should not be tore at its fabric. Scarring its soul with their wrongness. The breach, a bleeding wound that wouldn¡¯t close no matter how hard it tried. It needed to close. Help us, please help us! The cries of the Plane sounded like a child begging for help. It was hurt and injured. Confusion filled its cries as it didn¡¯t understand why this was happening. He felt his path stir at the child-like voice. Atom¡¯s Divine ranked Ascension with its unfulfilled price, a piece of himself that he had locked away and suppressed, began to resonate with the pleading cries of the Plane. That was the tipping point as their pleas for help overwhelmed his last tenuous threads of reason with its sheer desperation. He felt himself give in and drift back towards the celestial mass. The power built inside him as it urged him to fuse with the core of the pulsating nova. Black diamond stars appeared around his eyes, stretching down his cheeks like scars as the suns in his eyes raged to new heights. ¡°Yes,¡± he found himself saying. He could make it all stop. He could help. No, he could fix this whole situation. All he had to do was reach up. Seize the helm and... His perception of the world went completely black, and he lost connection to everything. His power, motor function, vision, and even his bond to Tess. The impact that slammed into Atom¡¯s head was so immense that he momentarily thought he had died. A power much greater than his own flooded his body, stabilizing his energy state. His vision immediately snapped back into focus on a person in front of him. Dory held him one-handed by his master¡¯s robe. Her blue and green heterochromatic feline gaze blazed with power shining on his face like neon lights. She scrutinized him intently. Not liking whatever she saw, she cocked her arm back, ready to deliver what he assumed was the asteroid that just struck his head. He jerked up his hands and said, ¡°I¡¯m good! I¡¯m good!¡± Dory tightened her grip and pulled him closer, ¡°Are you sure?¡± The menacing tone in her voice made Atom squirm as he tried and summarily failed to get away from the woman. She narrowed her predatory gaze, ¡°I really think one more might fix somethings in there.¡± Dory pointed her chin at his head. Atom pushed away from the crazy cat lady. Speaking frantically, ¡°Dory that won¡¯t¡­uhm¡­ be necessary. I¡¯m in control now.¡± She snorted before cracking a grin and letting him go, ¡°Ya darlin I know. I was just messing with you. Sorry, I meant to be here with you, but I needed to help stabilize the situation before we got over run.¡± A green streak of light blurred up beside them. A female with light matching green skin came into focus. Atom recognized her race, although he did not know who she was. The woman was a high Goblin, one of the Fushi. They weren¡¯t technically goblins, but they had so much in common that he refused to think of them any differently. The female was beyond gorgeous, with her blue eyes shining with an inner light surrounded by a face that looked like it had been crafted specifically to break the hearts of anything with a sex drive. Her silky black hair was floating behind her as though she was submerged in water. A pair of overly long pointy ears poked out of the sides of her head like wings. Atom had to admit she was right up his otaku alley. Not that it mattered. He had his queen already, but hey, he could appreciate a home run when he saw it. The woman looked at him before glancing back to Dory. She spoke in a heavenly sing-song voice. The sound-making him feel uncomfortable. Something that didn¡¯t really surprise him. He was jumping into a situation that required the varsity team while he was quickly realizing he was still playing JV. He couldn¡¯t feel the power of anyone here, but he could feel the disruption effects of their authority on the fabric of space as the battle raged on around them. ¡°Doritha, stop playing with the man child. I have an Orion Class trying to slink off. Everyone his tied up and I can¡¯t get too far away without my seedlings weakening. Ya knows if we don¡¯t close this thing before any of the Fayan or High Tuwath take notice then we will be in a difficult position. It¡¯s bad enough that wretched angelic abomination is holding the tear open.¡± The unknown woman said. She looked back at the breach and grunted in annoyance. One of the lines holding back the hoard of void beasts started collapsing. Throwing out her hand, hundreds of glowing seeds of light burning with green life energy flew out from her palm. They shot away from her before exploding like fireworks sending out a pulse of energy that felt similar to strong trees and fields of blooming flowers. What was left from the explosion was a ball of green writhing roots that rapidly began growing into trees. Those trees grew to enormous sizes, then collapsed in on themselves and eventually morphed into carbon copies of the female. They instantly streaked away and began fighting the lesser Void creatures reinforcing the lines. A druid maybe or possibly a fertility goddess? She definitely was not a straight Ascended. There were planes with real swords and sorcery-type stuff. Mana and arch magus etc. It was all just anima, whether you converted it to something else and called it Qi, spirit, or mana. Anima was what the user believed it was. Dory gave her a thumbs up before patting him on the face and disappearing. Atom immediately felt the destabilizing effects hit him again as Dory¡¯s domain was no longer supporting the region. Asserting his own Will over the area, the effects lessened. He was back in control. ¡°Dammit that woman should have warned me it would be that bad.¡± He muttered in annoyance. Before Atom could start to assess the situation or see where he could be most effective, the green long-eared woman spoke again. ¡°Boy, can ya do that flash thing again?¡± Atom could most definitely do the flash thing again, but he would not. It was bad enough that Dory guilted him into assisting in this mess. While he wasn¡¯t as strong as these people around him fighting off an apocalypse, he did have some tricks that would make this whole thing exponentially easier. For instance, Atom could simply drop a small star right in front of the breach and vaporize most everything trying to come out. But if he did something like that, then everyone would know he could do it. That would lead to someone either wanting to fight because that¡¯s what idiots who sought immortal power liked to do, or they would want him to make them a sun or some such nonsense. He looked out at the madness coming from the breach. This shit right here was exactly why he stayed in his damn house on his blessedly remote planet and played video games. A tiger-headed person grew in size to battle a twenty-story being made of disturbing flowing geometric shapes. Just looking at the thing made him want to pee. Not in fright, mind you. Looking at it literally did something to him that caused the urge to urinate. Sort of like when you scratched a mole on your chest and felt it on your stomach. It was weird, and he wanted no part of it. Like, who would want to fight triangle pee monsters? ¡°Not I,¡± said the cat. He looked at the goblin and put on an expression of helplessness before saying, ¡°Sorry it was a one-off thing.¡± She eyed him skeptically. He didn¡¯t think she believed him, but fortunately, she didn¡¯t push the issue. ¡°Well, ya smell like sunshine and space magic. Keep ya¡¯r Starry friend in check. Do you think you could drop some gravity magic around this thing to slow down the little ones and stabilize the area? I¡¯m tired of chasing em down. Once we have these little buggers contained, start blasting anything that comes out of the hole. I¡¯ll work on healin the breach.¡± Said the goblin in a strange accent he had trouble following. Atom just stared at the woman. Piecing together what she said, he eventually nodded. She blinked away and popped up far away, engaging with something Atom had a hard time looking at. ¡°Nasty gods, why am I here.¡± He cursed. Tess. He needed to find Tess. The bond they shared was muted along with all his other senses, but that didn¡¯t matter. He had already given her the artifact. The thing would be difficult for her to hide for much longer. Once he took in everything, it was hard to miss Tess and the hundred-meter tall-growing black silvery mecha. It was writhing and shifting like a Rubik''s cube as it began to unfold itself. Atom needed to get inside the thing before it decided to go into autopilot. Putting his hands together, he focused on his mastery of the Law of Gravity. He pulled his hands apart, and a dark warping well spun in between his hands. Gravity was one of the flavors of the Law of Force, but since they all played their part in the scheme of things, the lesser forms of the Law could be mastered. It was also the safest form to work with. Pulling apart his name''s sake was not healthy for the environment. Once he felt that the gravity well was strong enough to stay stable, he urged it aside with his Will and created seven more. Aligning them into a pentachoron shape for stability, Atom began connecting the forces so the wells would stay in formation without repelling each other. He then adjusted the vectors of their gravitational pull towards the central point. The final shape looked like a stack of pyramids placed on top of the main pyramid. It was the size of a beach ball and had enough gravitational force to collapse the core of a planet. Atom flicked his finger, and the thing shot off towards the tear. Once it reached around a hundred kilometers out from the breach, he slapped his hands together and then pulled his arms and hands wide. The four-D object collapsed and exploded, surrounding the gaping rip in space. He waited in anticipation to see if the effort was worth it. The large island-size fingers of the white angelic slipped for a moment, and the tear partially healed itself before the thing firmed up its grip once more, preventing the breach from fully sealing. Atom sighed internally. He had really thought that might do the trick but had to admit doing something like that on the fly wouldn¡¯t produce ideal results. It was a long shot either way. The little Void creatures were now trapped, and the regional fabric of space was stabilized while constantly applying pressure on the opening. Hopefully it would accelerate the closure. Turning back to the artifact, he panicked. It was now more than two hundred meters in height and fully formed. It had taken the form of a sleek black mecha this time. If Bandai Namco had a chance to see this, they would most likely have some legal issue to bring up with Atom. It suspiciously looked like a replica of a Gundam Banshee, only ten times larger. Silver lines of power ran through the matte black suit with matching bladed wings folded behind its back. He looked at the eyes and saw that they were still dark and relaxed. He still had some time. Tess was doing her crazy anime battle with the demonic and angelic purebloods that were slipping through the containment. He needed to get inside the suit before it started doing its probability thing without someone behind the wheel. That thing could potentially make matters worse without guidance. He shifted to the front of the building-sized suit, and it opened at his presence. He mentally communicated to his admittedly bad-ass-looking bond mate. Tess, stop messing around. Can¡¯t you see we are in a crisis? It¡¯s time to get serious. Tess¡¯s power lance flashed. The anima in the area rippled violently, and the things she was fighting burned away like a stack of flash paper. You know Atom, you really are an ass sometimes. What? What did I do? Ugh. And that, Atom, is why you are an ass. He sighed and kept his trap shut. Right now wasn¡¯t the time to discuss whatever miss-step he had made this time. Atom felt something change in the area around the breach. He started to get a horrible feeling as he rushed inside the artifact suit. He slipped inside the suit, and the opening closed behind him. Moving towards the center, a black sphere fifty meters in diameter lay suspended in the air. Atom slapped a hand to the outer hull of the thing, and a wave rippled through it. The dark metallic metal rolled away like water creating an opening. He moved inside, and it sealed behind him. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The sphere served as the core and cockpit of the suit. It was mostly empty aside from the set of concentric rings of metal with spines coming out of them. The contraption was covered in glyphs and runic symbols, creating a massive formation. They lay dormant at the moment. Atom moved to the center of the crazy-looking thing. Atom closed his eyes. Slowly he gathered and gently released power. As his output rose, the formation slowly came to life. The rings and spines rotated in their fixed position. If you looked on from the outside, you would think he was standing in the center of a kinetic perpetual motion device. The rings and spines looked like they were infinitely flowing inward. The air hummed with power as the ring''s rpm¡¯s surged higher. A distortion field around the motion of the rings began to manifest. Light and heat were pouring off Atom in visible waves as he ramped up his output. It was almost time. While this artifact was extremely powerful, its start-up sequence was less than optimal. He couldn¡¯t fully start it until the formation reached a certain threshold. It was sort of like a Diesel engine. You couldn¡¯t just instantly start it without possibly damaging something. You needed to let the glow plugs do their thing before it could reach auto-ignition. Like the madness this core was inspired by, once he juiced up the motion of the formation rings, they would perpetually continue to spin. He felt it reach that threshold, and he pulled back his power, letting the contraption hum at its idol motion. He mentally called to Tess that it was ready and waited. Atom felt Tess touch the sphere and merge with the structure. He then punched it. His path poured out from him in an overwhelming explosion of power. The rings whined like jet engines as the sound rose higher and higher and the formation fully came to life. The glyphs and runes glowing with vibrancy made the formation shine like a chaotic rotating mess of starlight. The rotating formation reached critical mass, and the mess of light that was so chaotic before slowly started to organize into new visible runes. It was sort of like what a fan does when it appears to be rotating slowly once it picks up speed. Earth called it the stroboscopic effect. Once the runes became fully visible, a silent implosion happened. Atom felt a deep thrum in his chest, signaling that the artifacts probability engine had come online. He opened his eyes to a completely different scene. The spinning formation could no longer be seen. The sphere he had initially entered had disappeared. All that lay before Atom was a three-sixty view of open outer space. The battle raged on before him. He moved his arms, and¡­ nothing happened. He should have seen the hands of the massive mecha. ¡°What the hell? Is this thing broken? Tess what¡¯s going on?¡± He called out in confusion. ¡°Calm your tits. You think it¡¯s easy to assimilate a two-hundred-meter fantasy item.¡± A screen popped up in front of his face vying for his attention.
Welcome Hero! Are you ready to rise up and defeat Evil? Yes/No
Atom sighed. What had he been on when he made this thing? No, of course, he did not want to rise up or defeat evil. What he wanted to do was be at home with his headset on, talking smack to the multi-planar gaming community. He rubbed at his glabella. The lengths that he went to stay out of the limelight were sometimes just¡­ depressing, even to himself. He mentally selected yes.
Outstanding! Engaging Planar SITREP Please Wait¡­.
Atom felt a sizable pull on his anima reserves as the artifact prepared to take an assessment of the situation outside. He looked out at the battle. He had felt something earlier, but he wasn¡¯t sure exactly what it was. He raised his hands and shaped an L with his thumb and pointer fingers. Putting them together, aimed at the breach and pulled them apart. A screen of the area popped up magnified on the region. Two figures stood just outside the opening. At first glance, they looked like normal humanoids. Two arms, two legs, etc. When Atom saw the faces, though, he started cursing. It was one of the Fayan. One was a female, the other a male. Both were achingly beautiful. The race was truly blessed by creation for its beauty. They would outshine almost any ascended with ease. They looked sort of like elves, but their skin was too pale, but the ears were slanted backward and just a little too long. Blood Red lips with needle-like metallic teeth that held no purpose that he knew since he¡¯d never seen one eat. They probably only existed to give him nightmares. Eyes with black sclera and glowing draconian irises finished off a dichotomous look of beauty and horror. They were among a few known factions that had their own realm you could visit. It wasn¡¯t like a plane and did not function like one. The Fayan realm was born of chaos, and only those of the Fayan could traverse it without issue. What made these beings so dangerous was that they were not like the beasts of the angelic or demonic races. Even the thing holding the breach open was mostly a beast in the hierarchy of things. All the factions that Atom knew about in the Void had Lords who presided over their races. They were still alien in every way, but they did have higher beings that did something similar to ruling. These two were something akin to nobles. Atom knew that much but did not know their rank. It had something to do with their eye color, blood purity, or whether they had a coffee on Tuesday. It was challenging to understand precisely what mattered or didn¡¯t matter. Suffice it to say, it only made sense to them, and they all innately understood how it worked. The pulse went out from the artifact, taking the form of a golden wave. It washed over the sector''s combatants. Atoms hackles rose as everything in the sector froze and turned towards his location. ¡°Shit,¡± Atom cursed. ¡°Tess, hurry up!¡± ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m working as fast as I can.¡± Tess shot back in annoyance. The two Fayan looked at his position in curiosity. Well, he assumed it was curiousness. It could just as easily be sexual attraction or apathy. The female stretched out a slender hand pointing in Atom¡¯s direction. A black ball streaked with blood-red glowing lines slowly formed. The sense of wrongness coming off the thing was palpable, even from his position of more than a thousand kilometers away. The ball of power left her fingertip without warning it almost instantaneously appeared before the artifact. Without Atom¡¯s prompting, the suit formed a shield of golden light as it pulled more power from him. The ball struck the shield violently, lighting sprayed out as the two battled for supremacy. Atom had no control over the thing as Tess had yet to fully sync with the suit. All he could do was stand there helpless as the artifact responded to the threat. He knew that they had taken too long when a massive red box appeared in front of him.
Warning!!! Evil Detected! Defensive measures taken! Searching for Pilot¡­ Pilot found. User not yet synchronized. Please Wait¡­ SITREP complete. Multiple SS class hostile beings detected. Protocols being assessed. Please wait¡­ Potential suitable protocol found. Checking criteria for Protocol ¡®I might be dead¡¯ Activation Checking Users life signs. Life Signs confirmed. Searching for override protocol. Please Wait¡­ Hostile threat level exceeds criteria threshold. Running Outlook model based on current SITREP¡­ Without Protocol ¡®I might be dead¡¯ ¡ª Outlook prediction: Defeat with 83% confidence. Protocol ¡®I might be dead¡¯ Criteria override Satisfied. Protocol ¡®I might be dead¡¯ Online. Engaging Autopilot¡­ Autopilot Online! Fallen Hero sub-Protocol Activated.
¡°Dear mother of God! Tess, disengage. We need to get out of this thing.¡± Atom said while sweating bullets. Why did he have to bring this god''s damned thing with him? Better yet, why did he even build something so ridiculous. He could feel Tess panicking just as much as he was through their bond. Neither of them wanted this thing to make decisions on its own. It was too late now, though. With the autopilot already engaged and the protocol online, the best thing he could do was get the hell out of the artifact and wait for it to run out of power. He¡¯d be a puppet in his own body if he didn''t, as the artifact used him like a Duracell. Atom tried to shift out of the artifact and immediately hit his knees, gripping his head in pain. ¡°What the hell was that, Tess?¡± Atom called out. His voice cracking. Something had just disrupted his shift, and the backlash had been severe. ¡°I think the whatever ball of energy is trying to destroy the shield is disrupting our connection to the Feed. I¡¯m trying to override the artifacts AI but it¡¯s ignoring my request to finish syncing for, my own safety¡­ Atom this thing isn¡¯t going to let us leave and you¡¯ve already given it so much power that we may not be able to break our way out.¡± Tess explained in a defeated tone. Atom snorted, like hell he was going to sit here and become some damn NPC in his own creation. He reached for his other game-changer artifact on his back. It wasn¡¯t there. IT WASN¡¯T THERE! ¡°Tess where is the bow?¡± Atom said. Fear filled his voice. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°TESS!¡± He shouted. ¡°The artifact has already taken it¡­,¡± Tess said quietly. Atom threw up his hands and began to curse. He cursed himself, Dory, the Void, the Fayan skank that threw that stupid ball of death, the thieving ass artifact, and most of all, he cursed himself for creating something like this POS. ¡°You know what.¡± He pulled out his favorite recliner from his inventory and dropped it in the center of the seemingly digital space. Sitting down, he pulled out some popcorn. ¡°Fine then. Just¡­ fine. Whatever.¡± Atom said as he pulled the handle on the side of the recliner, leaning back. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything. I¡¯ve already tried using our skills like blink, but they aren¡¯t working either. I¡¯m sorry, babe¡­,¡± She trailed off. Atom sent some reassurance through their bond and a strong feeling of acceptance and love. It wasn¡¯t her fault. Even if they had started the process immediately, they still might no have synced in time given the appearance of the Fayan. Looking back at the screen, his stomach tightened. ¡°So, it¡¯s like that.¡± He guessed he had racked up some karmic debt for things to got this sideway right after breakfast.
Hero¡¯s Weapon acquired! Checking suitable form Banshee Form deemed suboptimal. Weapon form deemed suboptimal. Activating Probability Engine¡­ Engaging in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­
A deep synthetic crescendo of bass blasted inside the core as the probability engine engaged. The world twisted. Atom clinched his teeth in pain as he felt him self get drained like glass of orange juice. Mantles balls. He hated this part. ¡°Mother fu¡ª,¡± But Atom never finished as reality started to flicker and the nightmarish acid trip began.
Vibrant vines wrapped around the demonic true blood abomination. Azure vines contrasting with its crimson skin. Crystalline horns bucked wildly as the vines tangled around them bending its head at uncomfortable angles. The voidling stared balefully at its soon-to-be executioner. A pair of four-pointed star pupils contracted rapidly. As disturbing as the visage was, it did not phase the voidling¡¯s opponent. Zosia, Champion of the Fushi, Supreme Druid of the Blood Leaf Forest, Slayer of the Great Blight, Guardian of the Trial Planes, Mother of the Tribes, Mantle of Vitality, did not let this lower being in her eyes. She looked away and urged the vines inside the abomination''s mouth. A few moments later, the vines ripped the demon in half from the inside out. Elder Sun blossoms bloomed and burned away the remains of the creature. Satisfied with the results, she looked for more powerful opponents trying to slip out of the clever cage that man child had set up. He was strong for his age. If she had been a few thousand cycles younger, she would have taken him back to the Blood Leaf and made many strong Fushi. The breeding stock was always so poor in the Trial Planes, and it was difficult to acquire fresh bloodlines without causing a fuss with Doritha. A few dozen of her Ascendant males wasn¡¯t so big of a loose. And it was never as fun if they came willingly from the start. Zosia snorted, thinking about the cat''s prudish ways. She would relent one of these days. Zosia scanned the lines. Her seedlings were doing well in dispatching the invaders. She rarely got the chance to use Saplings Legion, and it was always satisfying to gain the combined combat experience her seedling replicas acquired after the battle was over. It had been key to her rise to power. Every war provided hundreds or even thousands of unique experiences, helping her become one of the most feared Druids to walk the Planes. Her senses were not as keen in the vacuum of space where little of nature''s life flourished, but she could get by. All things were of nature bounty anyway. Zosia¡¯s head jerked to the opening as a surge in wrongness entered the Plane. The two beings strolled arm and arm as though they were on a stroll. As far as Zosia knew, they very well could have been. That¡¯s just how those of the Fayans were. Taking stock of the situation, she felt for Doritha. She was still battling the Orion Class monster. She could easily handle the thing but keeping it stalled in that area was the right call. Their combined power was cutting off an exit for the lesser creatures. Reaching out telepathically to her friend Doritha accepted the connection. It was deemed offensive to force a link without permission. Or so Doritha claimed. Dory responded first, ¡°I know Zosia. I feel them. What do you think?¡± Zosia considered the question. What should they do? Talking with the two and asking them to leave could work. It actually did work pretty often, sometimes even without violence. The decision was taken out of their hands when a mountain size figure appeared from out of nowhere. A spherical golden wave of magic racing out from the thing. The wave rolled over them and everything in the sector. It smelled like the handsome man child''s power. ¡°What the blight is that?¡± Zosia sent to Doritha in shock. ¡°Give me a second.¡± Dory sent back. Zosia turned back to see, and a feline Eldritch horror from her deepest darkest nightmares briefly flashed in and out of existence. Primal fear rolled thru Zosia at the view. Half of the Orion class monster was simply missing. The rest of its body burned away in dark purple soul fire. ¡°Planes third nipple. I hate when you do that.¡± Zosia said in a shudder. Doritha appeared beside her and belched in a most unladylike manner. ¡°Oh,¡± Doritha''s eyes sparkled in mirth as she covered her mouth innocently. ¡°Excuse me. How brutish. And Sorry darlin you really shouldn¡¯t have looked. You already know it bothers you.¡± Doritha said. Her Southern twang bleeding through hard. ¡°Mhmm, a little warning would have been nice ya know.¡± Zosia said skeptically. Zosia looked back at the two figures when she felt the chaotic energies build. ¡°Well, I guess talking ain¡¯t gonna work,¡± Doritha said. ¡°Is the man child going to be alright?¡± Zosia said. Gauging the power coming off the death ball had her concerned. That thing was already doing untold damage to the weave of the Plane. It was like an insidious ember on the fabric of space. Everything about it attempting to set it aflame. Doritha squinted in the direction of the ape child. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m sure he will be fine. That thang is pretty strong.¡± ¡°If you say so. It¡¯s certainly interesting. You should let me have him once this is over.¡± Zosia said slyly. Doritha snorted and slapped Zosia on the rear. ¡°Zosia, I told you I can¡¯t just give you males.¡± Zosia yelped at the swat and then snorted before bumping her friend with her hips. ¡°Come now Doritha. Just lend him to me for say a hundred years,¡± Zosia said. A thoughtful look on her face before she continued like she was bartering with a merchant, ¡°No wait, how about two-hundred years. That¡¯s nothing Doritha. Nothing. Ya know the males will enjoy it and the Fushi are always in need of fresh blood to keep them strong.¡± And that last part wasn¡¯t even a lie. The Fushi truly did need males to keep the bloodline strong. Zosia wasn¡¯t a shameless old lecher, at least not entirely. The Fushi race was matriarchal, and unfortunately, they produced too few High Fushi Males. This bottleneck in their population growth was primarily due to their odds of having a male child being one in three, unlike most races where the odds were an even fifty-fifty. Since the Fushi children always favored the mother side of the bloodline bringing in compatible males from other races didn¡¯t dilute or alter the Fushi race. It was a win-win. Doritha just laughed at Zosia¡¯s words, ¡°It don¡¯t matter either way sweetie. I doubt that his partner would accept me throwing him to a fertility goddess. Plus, he¡¯s too young for you anyway.¡± Zosia scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m still in my prime Doritha.¡± The two watched in fascination as the Fayan released the chaos death ball. The ball quickly shot towards the strange artifact. Both Doritha and Zosia had their minds on full blast. Their perception of time made everything around them look like the battle had paused. They both had done this the moment the Fayan stepped into the Plane. It was far too dangerous not to. The pair looked like minor nobility in the Fayan court, but that meant nothing. One of them could easily be the most powerful being in the Void and not be a noble at all. They were beings of unchecked chaos and creation. Sometimes they killed everything on-site, and sometimes they were as friendly as your best friend. Sometimes they talked illogical nonsense for hours, and sometimes they spoke like divine philosophical poets laying out the most complex mysteries of the universe so simply that anyone could understand it. Sometimes they gave away riches while cursing you to damnation, and sometimes they robbed you blind while acting deeply upset that they had to do the act. The bottom line was that they were not of the planes and were unpredictable. The death ball, for instance, could easily be the females'' way of saying hello. The energy ball was killing the lesser voidlings without impunity, adding to the illogical appearance of the two. This breach had turned truly dangerous now that they were here. ¡°Should we attack?¡± Zosia commented. She looked at her friend. Doritha made a cute face as she scrutinized the death ball zooming towards the man-child. Zosia looked back as the golden tower shield materialized from nowhere, blocking the ball of doom. Colorful plasmatic energy shot out as the conflicting energies interacted. They both watched the light show for a while, waiting to see if they needed to step in, but the shield held firm. ¡°Let¡¯s take a backseat on it for now. I ain¡¯t seen what this kiddos toy is capable of yet. We may need to help but no reason to ruin his first breach experience. It might help him grow¡ª,¡± The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Zosia felt the heavy use of a High Law. The cries of the baby Plane went silent as the lines of probability became visible to the naked eye. The lines shined like the morning light. The darkness of the thankfully empty sector blasted away as the lines twisted and writhed like a pond full of serpents. The ball of chaotic energy was absorbed by the shield of gold, and the black-winged figure flickered in and out of reality as it changed shapes rapidly. It was a mountain, tall and vast as three suns. It was a flaming torch the size of the world tree burning with holy light. It was a rock with silver divine blood leaking off it signifying the death of a true god. It was a man kneeling in front of a longsword. His armor was made of hardened jagged blood, and his eyes were pits of fire. It was a thousand other people and races or things. Almost all unfamiliar. Almost all extremely, one might say, improbably strong. The flickering finally stopped with a simple robed man sitting on a stone. Zosia couldn¡¯t help but think he looked like a peaceful shepherd meditating on a rock as his herd grazed around him. His skin was brown that seemed like it had been earned from long days in the sun. A long white beard trailed down over a crook lying across his knees, solidifying the nature of the man in Zosia¡¯s mind. She felt nothing but overwhelming peace and serenity coming off the man. The shepherd opened his grandfatherly eyes, and clear honey brown irises took in their surroundings. The man''s bushy white eyebrows rose and his forehead scrunched up as if in confusion. Like he didn¡¯t understand how he had come to this place, but eventually, his expression settled on mild amusement. He closed his eyes again, and then he sniffed. Zosia felt herself being pulled forward as the universe literally bent inward towards the man''s nose. All the ambient energy seen in the area, even some from Zosia herself, flowed towards the man. She couldn¡¯t stop it or reclaim it. Zosia didn¡¯t even know what kind of energy it was or where it came from as her essence still felt full. It felt¡­ different, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on exactly what it was. She stretched herself, trying to sample the energy. Truth. It was the only word that came to mind. He clearly had better control than she did, whoever the old man was. The Fayan were not immune to the man''s nostrils of might either. A stream of dark miasmic energy was pulled out from their chest and zipped off towards the old shepherd. This action caused the two to start acting strangely. They seem to be in some type of competition of politeness. The female smiled with her needle-like gaze shining wide as she bowed to the male. In polite denial, the male shook his head, smiled, and genuflected back. Bloody stumps, she hated being around these weirdos. The scene would have been funny if Zosia knew what in the planes was going on. She kept the weird and very dangerous Fayans in her peripherals as she turned her attention back to the old shepherd. The old shepherd finished his sniff, and the energies entered his nose. Zosia stilled her mind and kept her senses on high alert. Ready to react at the slightest change in the situation. The old man opened his eyes. The orbs were pitch black with burning silver runic symbols. The man smiled and hell fire was all that could be seen. He spoke for the first time. Zosia felt her eardrums burst from power of the man''s voice. ¡°Zosia, we need to get out of the area. The kid isn¡¯t in control.¡± Doritha tugged at her arm. Zosia did not resist. What the man said, combined with the type of power coming off the old shepherd, hitting her like waves of hot magma, told her all she needed to know. The old man had said only two words and they sent shivers down her spine. ¡°Ah, Sinners.¡± Chapter 28 The Plane shuddered as the shepherd took his first step. He swept his head left and right, with a smile full of damnation for all sinners. Everything his burning gaze landed on trembled. The ruins in his eyes shinning like silver moonlight. The peaceful, comforting radiation of power that was previously present was now gone. In its place was something darker, almost hungry. The force moved feverishly over everything as if it was trying to smother and assimilate anything in its way. The shepherd ignored the ascendents currently locked in battle with the lesser creatures of the void. The shepherd only had eyes for the two Fayan. The full attention of the old man could be felt physically even by those not associated with its regard. The old man¡¯s gaze was so palpable that it even caused the odd Void beings to stop their creepy bowing. They turned and looked at the shepherd and hissed. Their metallic pointy teeth glinted from the distant star¡¯s light. The shepherd put his left hand out, and the tool of his assumed trade snapped into it. He looked surprised at the wooden stick as though he didn¡¯t expect it to be whatever it was. Snorting derisively, a prismatic fire began to roll up and down the crook from where he gripped the thing. When the fire petered out, what was left was a gorgeous crozier made of metallic runic silver. It was glowing with a feint silver hue. Small ethereal moons appeared at the head of the crozier and began orbiting around it slowly. The staff looked more suited for an Arch Priest than a lowly shepherd, but it suited him all the same. He said nothing as he slammed the butt of the moonlight crozier down on seemingly empty space. A ripple in the fabric of space rolled out in all directions like a rock thrown into a still mountain pond. As the wave hit the two Fayan, they leaned forward and hissed again in unison. They were almost pushed back into the tear but the female flared with dark red power stopping them in place at the last moment. That dark power began to billow out from the two covering them in a blackish-red-hued aura. The two made some unknowable decision and surged toward the not-so-simple shepherd. The old man frowned and began twirling his crozier slowly. The hungry power radiating off him seemed to vanish as a stillness fell over everything in the area. The absence of his smothering power was not comforting. The greater and lesser void beast, more in tune with their baser side of themselves, paused. That primal part of every living creature warning them to be still, that something was wrong. That eminent danger was close, and they needed to stop. They needed to listen. Everything lay quiet aside from the Fayan and the old man. As if a damn broke, the void creatures began to flee back into the tear in reality. The lesser denizens dying by the hundreds as greater nightmares of the void crushed them in their race to escape whatever danger the stillness seemed to present. The old man paid little heed to the lesser beasts of the void. His runic eyes burned in feverish silver light as he moved towards the Fayan. His steps weighed heavily on the Plane. Every single step was felt upon the fabric by all in the sector. Power was building in the spinning crozier, although it could not be felt or seen. Only a thrum of something hummed harmonically through the emptiness of space. Those of the greater mysteries of anima would understand what was happening, but none would dare touch their own power to sense it. It was far too dangerous to do something like that so close to the tear. It could send a beacon out into the void. A glaring challenge to the more significant entities out in the unknown. The shepherd didn¡¯t care. He was deep in the throws of his own path. A harmony of some type was achieved, and he snatched his crozier from its spin. The old man began to preach, ¡°And so it was said. The creatures of deepest sin and darkest darkness walked the planes. Their sin infinite and boundless as the void which birthed them. All sinners must repent, but all voidlings must die. So sayith the Lord,¡± and then he attacked. He thrust the crozier forward, and the moons shot out like small celestial comets burning with lunar light. As one left the crozier, another replaced it. Tens, dozens, and hundreds. Reality warped above and below the tear and the Fayans as the moons grew to their natural size. Oddly enough, none went directly toward the Fayan as the moons chaotically shot off and halted in random directions. As it became more populated, the area above and below a pattern became visible. The Fayan¡¯s jumped and chased after any of the lunar objects as they came close like children at play. Witnessing such epically destructive beings acting in such a way sent shivers down the Sovereign Eternals spine. This was starting to get out of hand, according to his calculations. That boy had crossed a line, but for the love of all the planes, he couldn¡¯t think of how he had done it. Sighing, he mentally pulled up his system interface. Rapidly he searched through screens. The most important thing at the moment was checking to see if containments on planes best left forgotten had been breached. This being should not be here, and he wasn¡¯t, at least not truly, but enough of him was nonetheless. That shouldn¡¯t be possible. This was something that the Sovereign knew for a fact, as he had been the one to seal away this particular calamity himself. ¡°How in the ever loving emptiness did this one slip out of his cage?¡± He Tsk. ¡°This would happen on my watch. A locked away gods damn Sin Eater, and the wretched moon lover at that,¡± he complained to no one in particular. The Sovereign Eternal flipped through screens only he could see as he checked the integrity of the seals. The pages zoomed by in a flicker so fast that mortal eyes would only see a solid light. He paused on a screen showing a 3D representation of the sealed planes. The illusory structure resembled two impossibly giant arbors mirrored perfectly at their trunks as though it was only a singular tree¡¯s reflection on a dark pond. Their roots buried deep in some fractal distortion in reality,chaotic clouds of multicolored lightning surrounding them. Lines of power surged back and forth from the arbors through the maelstrom that seemingly connected or possibly powered them. The Sovereign only cared about the bits of light hanging from the branches of the trees like fruit or festive ornaments. This space was neither planar nor void. It was something different, foreign, and only that man who created it and the two living Arbors understood it fully. A pact long-standing between the two cosmic entities was forged to safeguard everyone else from things not suited to ordered reality. Although he wasn¡¯t there, the duo was still aware he had peeked at them. Two incomprehensible powers brushed against the Sovereign. He was like a grain of sand next to a star in comparison. It was a simple hello which he returned, but secretly deep in his ascendant heart, he only thought of the gesture for what it really was. A reminder of how small he was in comparison to those ancient of ancient beings. The reminder wasn¡¯t even meant for him but for everyone who knew about them. He let the thought go. They desired nothing from the ants scurrying around them other than to bring them more collectibles if or win the situation was needed. They were neither good nor evil, for such things meant little to beings greater than universes. They simply were, and that was that. Also, the top Cosmic arbor said into his mind, ¡°What do you seek little Sovereign?¡± Aziz, the bottom Cosmic arbor, interjected before he could reply, ¡°Yes, tell us, little Eternal.¡± As a member of his faction currently in active rotation, he often spoke with the entities. They were always pleasant despite being a little eccentric. ¡°Something is wrong. One of your tenants has slipped out.¡± Aziz scoffed, ¡°No one leaves the collection, little Sovereign.¡± ¡°Not unless we allow it little Eternal,¡± Arsu snickered. ¡°Is that so,¡± he replied to the duo skeptically. ¡°Then why is the Sin Eater, the paths progenitor no less, about to release a grand stellar formation working inside a breach zone?¡± The Sovereign''s tone came harsher than he intended. Dealing with this type of mess would put him in reports and meetings for weeks with his compatriots. He didn¡¯t wait for a reply as he searched for the sin eater''s globe. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any irregularities in the containments, hm, and yet¡­ what is this here,¡± he muttered to himself as he zoomed in on Azizos¡¯s canopy. It wasn¡¯t actually the bottom, as there was no real up and down in that place, but a mortal beginning always leaves its mark in little ways. He could speak a countless myriad of languages, but he thought and calculated in his first. There was a profound truth in that. The things hanging off the cosmic branches gained more resolution as the image came into view. The fruits of light were now clearly showing themselves as tiny globes. The globes were full of all sorts of things, from entire planes to singular planets. Entire Universes were caged in seemly small marble-sized spheres. The inhabitants proven too dangerous to interact with the rest. Some globes were dark. Their planes snuffed out by the entities contained inside the globes. Some spheres, with solitary galaxies or solar systems, ruled by empires and hive minds, too disruptive to the balance of power. Other globes radiated with the divine light of a True god. The entity either gone insane or too malicious to be allowed to roam free. It was fine when mortals wanted to see the world burn. Very few had the power to do so, but True gods, born from the desires of billions or trillions of people and empowered by their faith. Well, that was a whole other thing entirely. Many could be reasoned with and served healthy functions in whatever Plane they manifested in, while others, not so much. The Mantles had been developed for that very reason. Then there were globes that held odd, maybe not evil, but still perilous individuals. People who had traversed paths that led to unintended outcomes. There were reasons some paths were taboo. Individuals such as the Sin-Eaters were prime examples. The Sin Eaters were a faction of powerful ascendant beings capable of sensing the history of a person¡¯s actions via some soul anima skill related to the Sin Eater path. The ability in and of itself was quite extraordinary, and they flourished in the multi-planar eco-system. They were a trusted and respected faction, and while not perfect, because what is, they were more a power of equitable justice than most. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that the ability eventually drove those who chose the Sin Eater path to go murderously insane. As could be imagined, beings of upper ascendant power believing everyone deserved to die for any and all wrong they had done, no matter how little, was not a good thing. Thousands of planets were lost to their righteous need to eliminate all sinners before the powers that be had to get involved. If the Sovereign had to be honest, the Sin-Eaters were one of the lesser powers contained in the planar prison they were responsible for managing. Looking closely at the globe that held the moon lover, Endymion, the Grand Elder of the order, sat happily on a stone in a picturesque field of vibrant grass as a flock of white fluffy animals grazed peacefully around him. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing amiss, but upon closer inspection, an impossibly faint thread of something was connected to Endymion¡¯s head. He combed over the globe, looking for where the thread entered. Tracing it back to an infinitesimal rift of¡ª. He started cursing. ¡°This kid was on his way to being on every single watch list that we have. Where the hell did he come from?¡± He muttered as he stared at a physical manifestation of probability. It was almost entirely undetectable, and if he had not been here, then he doubted they would have ever known it happened. The next logical leap he made was how often this had happened. Probably more times than he was comfortable thinking about. And this was the lesser artifact he had created. Dangerous. Bordering on too dangerous. ¡°See little Sovereign. Endymion is in the dream. As is all our guests.¡± Arsu said victoriously. ¡°Yes, Endymion dreams the dream. As do they all.¡± Aziz''s followed in a triumphant tone. The Sovereign sighed. That was technically true, but It wasn¡¯t wholly accurate. So he pointed it out, ¡°Then what is that inside his globe?¡± Amusement flowed across their connection. ¡°Little Sovereign has eyes?¡± Aziz said imperiously. ¡°But yet the little Eternal cannot see?¡± Arsu cackled out. ¡°You two have been watching the Jade¡¯s dreams to often¡­ damn insufferable man.¡± He muttered. The duo heckled across his mind. Their amusement was evident. ¡°Well how in the nines did it happen?¡± The two sent a mental shrug, but Arsu replied, ¡°Anything is possible, and the pact was not broken.¡± Aziz snickered again, ¡°Anything is probable, and with the pact not broken, it was allowed.¡± The Sovereign was starting to get frustrated. They were technically correct. Quite a bit of technically¡¯s going on today. A loophole had been found, he supposed. He dismissed his interface aside from the feed of Endymion¡¯s globe and looked back to the battle. The formation grew to truly titanic proportions. Silver lunar light began to suppress the void noble''s aura. The Fayan, although suppressed somewhat, seemed oblivious to the formation burning itself into the fabric of the planes around them. They responded to the moonlight suppression by linking hands. To what ends the actions could only be guessed. A powerful black and red aura flared out all around them. The Sovereign guessed they were most likely readying themselves to release something devastating to the Plane. Their void aura continued to flare wildly for a moment, then condensed to a perfectly smooth and controlled outline of power around the two Fayan. The formation finished as the last moon fell into place. The Sin Eater pulled back his crozier at its completion. It was a masterwork if the Sovereign had ever seen one. Layers upon layers of formations pyramided up from the top and bottom. The two pyramids came together, entrapping the breach. The structure looked like a brilliantly cut gemstone with all the glowing facets of glyphs. They blazed like silver starlight. Each glyph comprised of thousands upon thousands of runic scripts throughout the formation. The Sovereign didn¡¯t know what it would do outside of containing the Fayan. He could gather that much, but he hadn¡¯t fully paid attention past that portion of its construction. They needed to be appeased or contained and shooed back to their ridiculous court. These workings were rarely seen outside private sandboxed planes where the damage could be contained. This infantile Plane had yet to develop far enough to look out amongst the stars, and what planets had life were tens of thousands of light-years away. If that hadn¡¯t been the case, he would have already had to step in. The Sovereign couldn¡¯t for the life of him understand why the Council was allowing this to happen. Doritha had her reasons, he was sure, but it wasn¡¯t the first time their two factions had disagreed. Not that anyone could do fuck-all if the cat decided to enforce her will upon them. None of this would be here without that man, the cat, the general, and their companions. The Sovereign would still complain fiercely. The shepherd just smiled with the pits of some hell shining out of his mouth. He said, ¡°Lunar Reflection,¡± and the words of power rippled throughout the anima and the formation. The moons crystallized at the six points of the formation, and the silver glyphs began to move like rolling text. The Fayan finally took notice of the spell form as it locked into place. The two released each other¡¯s hands and shot in different directions. The Sovereign watched the male move thousands of kilometers in the blink of an eye and smack right into the side of the container. He bounced equally as fast to an adjacent side. Something similar happened to the female. And so the two Fayan nobles began to ricochet around without slowing. The formation somehow preserved their momentum. The old man stroked his white beard like the evil-looking wizard priest he appeared to be and smiled. The smile moved to laughter. No sound waves came from the gesture, but the anima rippled with his joy, conveying his mood all the same. Then he moved. Endymion disappeared and reappeared at a central corner of the formation, where a crystalized moon was embedded into the formation structure. He flipped the crozier in his hand once. He raised the staff up like a javelin and moved it forward in what looked like a half-hearted throw but was anything from it. The crozier exploded with brilliant power and slammed butt down to embed itself into the crystal moon. A beam of light blasted from the crystalized celestial object like a laser inside the barrier of the formation. The rays began to refract endlessly. A beam hit one of the Fayan noble''s arms, and it was simply gone. It reformed almost instantly, but the beam was not just a pretty light, that was for sure. But the stakes were now too high that it signaled the end of the visit from the Fayan. The female had gained back some semblance of control and snatched her counterpart by his leg as she shot towards the breach. They both had massive smiles as though they had been having the time of their lives. They turned around and waved goodbye as they slipped back into the void. The female still held the male by his leg, waving madly. A stray beam took off their arms, but they reformed instantly, and the two never stopped smiling. He supposed it might have been nothing but fun for them. Pop in for a nice vacation. Decimate a few civilizations, a planet or six, a solar system or ten, and head on home. Needless to say, all the void court nobles were insanely dangerous. I hate this job sometimes. As they finally slipped through the tear in the fabric, the massive continental size hands removed themselves from the opening. The fabric rapidly began to heal itself. Endymion dismissed the formation, and the moonlight crozier materialized in his hand. ¡°What to do with you?¡± He pondered. He reached out to the Cosmic Arbors, ¡°Well how do I stop the connection? I can¡¯t leave him out like this no matter what planar malarkey is going on. He¡¯s too dangerous.¡± They both replied in unison, ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± As usual, nothing followed. He closed his eyes before they could start twitching in frustration. Did he have to drag everything out of these two? Finally, he wrestled his emotions in check and asked, ¡°And why not?¡± ¡°Probability must have it¡¯s way. Even we don¡¯t dare push on it¡¯s threads without care.¡± Arsu said ¡°Yes. It must have it¡¯s way once invoked. It is too dangerous to pluck the threads.¡± Aziz claimed solemnly. ¡°Why is that? The kid clearly just played a ballad on the threads.¡± The duo hummed in contemplation as he felt their attention move away from him and on to the situation occurring in front of him. The Sovereign saw Doritha look around in surprise but relax after a second. ¡°Great, now she is definitely going to know I was here,¡± he muttered in annoyance. He didn¡¯t need to hide, but he had many cards in play right now, and with the girl appearing basically gift-wrapped to them, he couldn¡¯t afford to be caught up in her games. Unlike the cat, his motives weren¡¯t exactly altruistic. Tired of waiting, he said, ¡°Well?¡± The attention of the Cosmic arbors returned to him. ¡°The child of Aleph. The legacy bound.¡± Arsu said. ¡°The blood line of Aleph. A Mantle passed down.¡± Aziz said knowingly. As if that made any sense to him¡ªwait, hmmm, Aleph. He knew that name. A deep pain hit his chest as the comprehension brought on a sadness that rolled through him, but he needed to confirm it. ¡°The boy has Aleph¡¯s Mantle?¡± He inquired softly. ¡°Yes,¡± the duo replied together. ¡°So he¡¯s gone,¡± a complex expression took over his face. ¡°Yes,¡± the duo affirmed. He didn¡¯t shed tears, but his heart ached at the confirmation of the death of a friend. The man had been one of the greats. Why had he chosen to do this? The Sovereign supposed it didn¡¯t matter. There were so few of them left from the beginning. Even less of Aleph¡¯s kind. Most in the first Era never wanted eternity. They had simply risen to the occasion. The Divinity War pushed everyone to the brink. They had all done things they never wanted to do to ensure everyone wasn¡¯t slaves to mad esoteric existence. Those who were left afterward had either stepped into leadership roles or faded into the background. ¡°We guided the threads to the little moon. Be thankful. It could have been much worse.¡± Aziz said. ¡°Be blessed. It could have been much worse,¡± Arsu mirrored. That made the Sovereign pause. It certainly could have been much worse. Some of the things that had popped up had been quite disturbing. He¡¯d only recognized half of the things that had shown up before it landed on the Sin Eater. Which probably meant that those beings were out there somewhere. That made him more uncomfortable than he had wanted to admit. Another thing to add to the reports. ¡°Do you know when the rift will close¡ª, Ah never mind.¡± He said as he watched the rift snap shut and the line disappear in Endymion¡¯s globe. The Sin Eater popped out of existence, and the ridiculously tall war machine appeared in his place. The chest opened up and ejected a sandy-haired man in a brown leather reclining chair. He hunched over the side and began vomiting rainbow-like light everywhere. It was a scene so ridiculous that he couldn¡¯t stand to look at it, so he immediately ignored it. What he had thought would be an exciting snoop around turned out to be a trap filled with mountains of reports. He disparately wanted to pretend like he had never been here, but the Cosmic shrubs, the bastards, had prevented that. At least he didn¡¯t have to break cover. Pulling up the feed of the girl, he snorted at the situation. She was knocked smooth out and covered in her own vomit. It wasn¡¯t exactly where he wanted her, but she wasn¡¯t ready. So it would do, for now. Nexus was a safe enough place for her to grow, and with her current backing, they could watch from the shadows biding their time. They had already waited so long, and she was useless to them with her current strength. With more of their brother and sisters showing up, it would be a much easier situation to manage. Before he could look away, he felt familiar spacial ripples beginning to coalesce inside the dorm room. He looked back over at the kid, vomiting rainbows. He would probably believe the kid was faking it if he couldn¡¯t sense the foreign energy the kid was expelling. ¡°Must be some type of side effect of using the artifact,¡± he mused to himself. Seeing that the kid wasn¡¯t going to shield the room from all the peeping outsiders. He audibly Tsk¡¯d and sent a mental message to his associates on campus. An invisible glyph came into light, jamming all the peeping eyes monitoring the situation inside the room. No one needed to see what the kid had in his possession. Something like that would instantly start a war leading to many powerful and influential individuals being silenced, permanently. Possibly finding a home with the arbors. Several doorways ripped open in reality, and three figures walked out. Their faces were blank of any emotion. He scanned them over and was quite impressed with their progress. They had not exactly been lacking before, but they would have fallen behind the girl without the additional training. Good, now she has friends who can walk beside her. He looked back at the descendant of his friend. He could see the resemblance now that he looked for it. The rainbow vomiting was really killing his reminiscing mood. The Sovereign did not miss the fact that the disciple and master were both covered in vomit. ¡°Karma¡¯s a bitch. Wherever the planes she is now. Shit¡ª¡± He looked around as a cold sweat seeped onto his back. Realizing she wasn¡¯t anywhere in the area, he sighed in relief. She did that sort of thing. Just showing up the moment you start talking about her. The multi-planner cosmos was both beautiful and fickle. Even he couldn¡¯t be too careless. Chuckling to himself over the near miss, he relaxed and turned his attention back to the kid. He watched the young mantle finally stop expelling the foreign energies and thought about his friend. He clenched his fists in frustration as the intense emotions hit him. It was a larger blow than he expected. ¡°Damn you Aleph. Damn you. Why didn¡¯t you say good bye.¡± He knew why, of course. No one could talk him out of it if they didn¡¯t know. He wasn¡¯t the only one of the first-generation Mantles to wander off and do the same. The first-gen Mantles were beyond powerful, but they all came with burdens, one might even call it a curse, and Aleph¡¯s burden was the heaviest of them all. The Sovereign Eternal sighed in both happiness and regret as he looked out across the stars of the baby universe. ¡°I am sorry my friend, rest well.¡± The Sovereign said farewell to his lifelong friend and wished him well wherever his soul rebirthed. He would keep an eye on his successor. He owed Aleph that much, at least. Especially considering the trouble, he¡¯s caused thus far. Chapter 29 - The trio return Wiping his mouth, Atom looked around with bloodshot eyes. His head pounded like he had been struck with a sledgehammer many times. His stomach churned from the lingering foreign higher energy left in his body. Something that normally did not happen unless he was forcefully assimilated and ejected from the artifact. He had been aware of the fault in the script''s logic but never fixed it. The odds of something like this happening had been astronomically small. Clearly, that bastard Murphy followed him everywhere. He glared at the artifact with undisguised malice. When he had free time, he would rip that POS to shreds. Tess popped out of the thing while he was glaring at the suit. Her expression was dizzied. It looked like she had at least faired better than him. Catching his expression, his heart sank, and Murphy struck him again. Assumptions were made as hostile intent flowed through the bond toward him. Today just wasn''t his day. Going from breakfast back home to fighting mantles knows what and straight to the dog house. "You think this is my fault? How dare you blame me for this!" Tess''s voice exploded in his mind. "I, uhm¡­ huh?" Atom was extremely confused. Atom was a little shocked by the livid expression on her face. Before Atom could explain anything, she disappeared on the spot and blocked her side of the bond. What just happened? He floated there in space with his thoughts and mind discombobulated. He could only shake his head in resignation. He had not said a thing, and yet this happened. Given how upset she seemed, he imagined he would have to hunt her down later, or she would not speak to him for a month. Sighing in deep regret, Atom snagged the recliner, the bow, and the suit and stored them in his inventory. He would need to make a trip back to facility forty-two and put them back in stasis. Actually, wasn''t he going to get the kiddos some weapons? He could multi-task and drop the bow and suit off at the weapons vault. He could decide whether to smash it to pieces or fix it later once he cooled off. The headache, nausea, and rage over how everything went down were affecting his emotions at the current moment. He couldn''t be too hasty, given that some of his artifacts, like the suit, couldn''t be replicated. While he understood how the suit worked perfectly, he also knew that the only reason it worked was due to the unique state he had been in after breaking through to the Divine realm. Almost everyone went mad for a time when one stepped into the Divine realm. Getting a peak behind the curtains of existence was too much for basically everyone, but those who had weak foundations rarely recovered. Everyone who survived went mad, but with that madness came an opportunity. What you could make of that opportunity was dependent on your preparations beforehand. Atom had, of course, prepared well, but he had still been quite insane for a long time. His memories and thoughts over that period of time were clear. But the reasoning behind his actions was challenging to digest. What he had been able to do was beyond his understanding after the fugue state passed. It was just a taste of what was possible if only you climbed higher. But the price to continue was something other than what he was willing to pay, at least not at the moment. Shaking his head, he looked around. The voice of the infantile plane finally stopped pressuring him. It seemed content with the outcome as it hummed in appreciation while Doritha and the other figures present purged the region of the lingering chaotic void energies. Atom recognized a few individuals as they sat on the Council of Mantles. He refrained from speaking with them as they did not know who he was without his suit on, and he needed to maintain anonymity at the moment, given his mission. Doritha and Zosia finished up their part and made their way over to where Atom was. He put on an amiable smile even though it strained him deeply. This whole situation was absolutely Dory''s fault, but he was not stupid enough to say it aloud. "Smart," Doritha commented casually. Atom''s mind froze briefly. Did she just read my mind? Fear bloomed inside him, and his chest tightened. "Can you¡ª," he tried asking but was immediately cut off. "Nope," she replied. Didn''t she just answer a little too fast? "She did," Zosia seemingly replied to his internal thoughts. Atom''s smile slipped, and his face slowly crept into one of horror. His face paled even more than it already was, and his mind went into chaos. The two women burst into fits of giggles which only made things worse. Doritha waved her hand at Atom in a placating gesture. "Relax Atom, you''re just easy to read." The hand clenched around his heart seemed to ease up at those words, and he couldn''t stop a sigh of relief drifting out across their mental link. The women, of course, laughed again at his expense, but that was still much more preferable to the alternative. Zosia glanced at Atom momentarily, then the Fushi woman turned to Doritha and asked shamelessly, "Dory, you must give this one to me. He would make a great addition. Tell me, how much do you want for him?" Doritha looked at Atom with a thoughtful expression and seemed to be considering the question seriously. "Depends on what you are offering?" Dory said casually. Zosia perked up and spoke in a serious tone, "Dory. I would be willing to give you three, no wait, I would give four planes over to the Council if you let me have him for a hundred years." Zosia smiled mischievously and gazed at Atom in a manner that had him sweating bullets instantly. He subconsciously took a few steps back. How had it come to this? Was Dory about to sell him to the Fushi? Who was this woman, and why did he feel he had just become livestock? Doritha looked a Zosia in appreciation of the offer, "Four planes for a hundred years." Dory hummed in thought. "A Hundred years really isn''t that long." Dory mused aloud. "Ladies surely you can''t be serio¡ª," Zosia cut him off and nodded excitedly, "A hundred years is nothing. Nothing I tell you. He will even thank you afterwards. I''m positive." He looked around in panic as he thought about ways to escape. Atom was not confident he could flee from Dory, but if the admittedly mighty Fushi was helping her. Well, Atom was sure he was about to be bagged and tagged. That wouldn''t stop him from going down swinging. His already muddled mind spun off into chaotic desperate scenarios, with a few leading to him tearing a hole in the void again and taking his chances right then and there. Before he could make a move out of sheer desperation, Dory burst into laughter again. "I''ll have to turn down the offer despite how tempting it is." Zosia''s face frowned in disappointment. Gods, she was serious. I have got to get away from these two women before I lose my already fraying sanity. Atom gave a half-hearted chuckle, attempting and failing to hide the brief, panic-stricken horror plastered all over his face. Doritha turned to Zosia, "Gather everyone up and go assist the other breaches. This one went much more smoothly despite the excitement towards the end." Turning her attention back to Atom, she said, "I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that you contributed greatly to our efficiency and success at this breach." Everyone nodded their heads and gave him smiles in affirmation of her words. Zosia spoke up, "Alright everyone. You know the drill. Looks like Plane 1282 needs us the most so lets move out." She turned to Doritha and asked, "I assume you will catch up?" Doritha gave a nod. Zosia looked at Atom before clicking her tongue in disappointment before she shifted away. "Gods," Atom breathed out as he shuddered. That woman had been a perfect vision of desire to the point of any man''s fantasy. But he was confident he would have nightmares about her for many months to come. Once they were alone, Doritha gave him a sheepish smile, "She''s not so bad. Zosia is just very devoted to her people. You will get used to it." Atom eyed her skeptically. He would avoid that woman at all costs and never be alone with her. Period. Else he might find himself being the first mantle being multi-planner sex trafficked. "You did well for your first time. I''ll be by to debrief you at some point and fill you in on your new role as part of the Breach team. We can talk about your progress with your mission then." She looked down at her wrist unit before continuing, "Well you have responsibilities soon if I''m not mistaken so go on head and head back to Nexus. The night is still young." She shifted away, leaving Atom standing there. He couldn''t help but think that every single freaking time he spoke to Dory, his life became increasingly complicated. Did he offend her? When? Shedding mental tears, he could only return to campus with a heart full of unresolved frustration. Then he remembered that Master Brent had asked him to take over Physical Conditioning, and a sinister smile split his face. He shifted back to Nexus campus and made his way to the training field. The lights of the empty field had yet to come on, which suited Atom''s mood just fine. Darkness would be good for the soul sometimes. Atom was not in charge of the Physical Conditioning class, Brent was, but he was aware of what today''s purpose was supposed to be. The schedule was quite dull, though. A beautiful idea had hit Atom, and he sent a detailed message to Master Brent to see his thoughts on the changes. A few moments later, Master Brent returned a message with a long string of ''hahaha''s'' and many yes''s as he wholeheartedly agreed. He moved to the gathering area and posted up like a statue, his hands behind his back like a lofty expert gazing at the world devoid of emotion. A malicious smile briefly appeared on his face, then disappeared. With half-lidded bloodshot eyes, he waited for the fledgling potentials to show up. A little training never hurt anyone. "Pain is only weakness leaving the body, right?" Atom chuckled darkly as he waited for his entertainment to arrive. ~~~~ Three individuals stood inside the common space of a dorm room. A tall, olive-skinned young man of 190 cm with thick black hair that hung down to his shoulders stood beside two beauties. One was the same height as the man and looked eerily similar, while a slitty shorter female of around 180 cm stood beside her. She had pale white skin that seemed to have only ever seen moonlight. It was difficult to tell what was going through their minds as their faces did not shed any light on their internal emotions. The trio did not move for a time as their gazes seemed lost in the distance staring at things only they could comprehend. It went on like this for some time. Eventually, they seemed to snap out of their dazed-like state. They turned to look at each other. Their eyes trembled to see actual people again. They weren''t sure how long it had been, but they knew that whatever they had just gone through was not ''normal.'' Anything they had experienced in that place was even on the radar or normal. They had all changed in little ways. A physical maturity of some type had been reached, and they had all filled out athletically. It wasn''t a drastic change, but that was to be expected. They had been preparing to enter Nexus Academy most of their life, so they had already been in excellent physical shape. They had all, even though they were at some type of peak of what they could achieve before stepping into that¡­ space. They had been wrong. Oh, how they had been so very, very wrong. There had been something in them that they never knew existed. A self-imposed limit they never understood they had. A barrier that couldn''t be reached by normal means. It had been shattered, no, blasted into oblivion. And with that barrier''s destruction came a broadening of their horizons on precisely what a human''s true potential actually was. A mortal''s potential, at least. The shorter, more petite girl broke the silence first. Her tiny voice cracked, "I-I¡­ I hate him," her voice trembling. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "I think I understand why she attacked him once he showed up." The young man spoke, His twin added, "It''s honestly all I can think about." They all nodded vehemently. There was no doubt in their mind that they hated that man. They were also not stupid either. What they had just been given was unmeasurable. A gift they never knew they needed, but it still felt like the trio had been violated in a way they could never again come back from. There had been an explanation inside the space, and they had been given a choice again, but in the end, they had all agreed to push forward. How could they not? They all had trained fiercely to get to this academy, to be in this room, or at least they thought they had trained hard. They now knew that they had only been goofing off. That said, it was also clear to them that it was only possible to replicate that type of training given that place''s uniqueness. The man looked at his wrist unit and stared in disbelief. The girls followed suit. They all saw the time was an hour till the fifth bell. The date was only the next day. A look of confusion came over them all. They glanced at each other, but no one seemed to have answers. It had been so long, too long if any logic could be applied to the situation, yet mere hours had passed here. The dilation of time effects was slowly changing in their minds. It was as if something was gently easing the memories of their time inside that place toward acceptance while preventing the mental trauma from overwhelming them. The intense feelings of anger towards their ''master'' did not go away, which at least let them know that they were not being harmfully altered mentally. This had also been explained, but it had been so long that they barely remembered. A soft grown could be heard by the door, and they instantly fell into a battle stance as their eyes lasered in on a black burlap sack right inside their dorm''s main entryway. It was a lumpy moving thing, and by the continued sounds of grunts of pain, it could only be assumed to be a person. The trio approached the sack cautiously before a familiar voice started to curse. "Oy, Oy! mantles shit, is that my vom- euhck," the voice started to gag, and the sack trembled violently. The petite girl rushed to the sack and started to untie the opening, "Layla is that you?" "Huh!? Tia? Yes its me, please little gods get me out of this thing." Layla pleaded. Tia finished untying the knot, and Layla burst out of the sack like a wet cat. She groaned again as she stood up. She was clearly injured. There was quite a bit of blood and vomit all over her. Tia stepped close to her, but Layla held up a hand to stop her from coming near. "Don''t come any closer. I don''t want to get any of this on you. Even I want to vomit from my smell." Layla said with a soft laugh that made her hold her ribs in pain. Oliver stepped forward with a look of anger on his face. "What happened Layla?" A complex look fell over Layla''s face before she chuckled darkly, "I might have gotten a little angry after you¡ª, after you guys were tricked by my Master. He''s a real¡ª" "Bastard!" They all said at once. They all fell silent at those words looking at each other. A unity of thought had been achieved by those words. A tacit understanding passed between them all. "So it happened to you as well?" Tia inquired with a thoughtful expression. Layla just nodded her head. "I didn''t really get a choice. Well, that''s not entirely true but at the same time I didn''t. It doesn''t matter. I¡ª," Layla''s voice broke, and she looked away in shame before her face gathered some courage, and she bowed to them. "I''m so sorry you guys. I¡­ I didn''t know he would do that to you." Her words were full of deep conviction. The trio looked at her in surprise. They looked at each other before shaking their heads with rueful smiles. Tia stepped forward and waved her hand to get Layla to stop bowing. "Layla, please don''t. We don''t blame you for that. I don''t know about the others but I was given multiple chances to leave. I won''t blame you for the choices I made." Oliver came behind Tia, supporting her, "Layla, I would never blame you for that. I know we don''t all know each other very well yet, but just as our Tia says, I was given the opportunity to quit." "Same," Oliviana said after her brother finished. Layla looked up and seemed to find truth in their words before she relaxed. Layla frowned at them, "You guys have changed. You look good. And Tia did you get taller?" Tia looked at herself before shrugging, "Maybe? No clue, to be honest. Being inside that place was weird¡­." Tia''s fist tightened as a look of rage fell over her face. "That place was hell," Oliviana said, filling in the silence, and they all couldn''t agree more. "I just want to¡­ to hold him down and just beat his legs until they don''t work anymore," Tia said with burning anger that didn''t surprise them. Oliver smiled and looked at them all, "I think we may have all just become best friends." The girls looked at him skeptically at first, but then as their gazes strayed to each other, they felt the connection. A bond that had been tenuous at best formed while fighting together the day before was now solidifying into something more tangible. A fledgling support they felt they could depend upon in the future. Only time could tell if it would last. By the look in everyone''s eyes, they all seemed to understand that there were very few people they could trust during their time at Nexus. The journey of ascension was, in many ways, a personal one. Excluding their time spent in that place, which was rapidly becoming distant in their minds, they were still very young. Surviving till graduation was the goal, and that would require trusted friends at their backs. ~~~~~~ The awkward silence in the room was palpable as Layla stood there looking at the trio of new friends she had just made. Their looks of concern tinged with anger had her feeling oddly warm inside. Had she found her people? It was a tricky question. One that she would have to figure out as the days came. The fact that they did not blame her for Atom''s misdeeds spoke volumes about their character. Layla didn''t know if she would have been the same. She had been so angry about the situation. She was utterly convinced they would hate her guts for what he had done, yet she was met with kindness and understanding. Layla still couldn''t understand where the bursts of anger came from. It was unnatural, at least for her. She knew something was wrong with her mentality. Tess had spoken to her about traumatic experiences, sometimes being insidious. Even though she may feel fine at the moment, especially after partaking in Dory''s special tea, she would eventually need to address what happened in the streets of Golar. The image of a fine red mist flashed through her head, causing her inner peace to tremble. Layla closed her eyes and took a slow deep breath. A sharp pain jolted through her rib cage, ruining what she was trying to achieve. She didn''t think her ribs were broken, but they were most certainly bruised. Those bastards had definitely kicked the shit out of her. Oliver said, "You should probably go to the Hall of Healing before we have to report to physical conditioning." Layla opened her eyes and nodded, and turned to do just that. As she was about to reach the button to open the door, Tia said something that made her freeze. "I would advice you shower first." "Yeah, you smell like hot, rancid garbage and vomit, its honestly impressive that you aren''t gagging." Oliviana chimed in her direct support. Layla frowned. That felt a little harsh. Oliviana nodded as she gestured to Layla, "Seriously, you look like hammered shit. You are covered in blood and your hair has yesterday''s food in it. I don''t even know what that black stuff is that you seemed to have sweated out but it''s pretty foul." Damn, she had a point. Her nose must have gotten used to the foul smell. She had no clue what the black sticky stuff was, but she was sure it had something to do with her experiences in the tower. Layla would have to speak to Tess or Argo at some point. "Ah, right well I''m going to go, uhm shower." Layla said sheepishly. "Thanks Livy." "No problem," giving Layla two thumbs up. Layla gave an embarrassed smile and walked toward her room. Upon entering, she found two boxes in the middle of her floor that had yet to be there. A little note sat on top of the larger one. Picking up the note, Layla read the contents. ¡ª Dear Layla, Sorry, I meant to leave this with you earlier, but I wasn''t sure what room you would pick. I picked up some essentials you would need since you didn''t take anything with you. This should hold you over for now, but I''ll pop in this evening, and we can grab anything you need. On another note, I know you may feel isolated now, but I want you to know that you are not alone. Atom has stated that we shouldn''t interfere with the younger generation or some such nonsense. He''s an idiot. Be careful and try not to antagonize your fellow students. You have substantial backing, but it can''t be publicly acknowledged. That will leave you vulnerable. Last night''s little adventure should prove that this place has its own dangers. <3 Tess ¡ª A heaviness that had been weighing on her lifted as she read the letter. Tess had been right. She had felt entirely alone. Entering an empty dorm room emphasized that she was alone with basically nothing. But Tess was right. She wasn''t alone. Tess was here, and they were for sure friends. Now she had Oliver, Oliviana, and Tia. Her tendency to drift towards the more negative side of things was a problem she needed to work on. It was clearly blinding her to what was actually around her. Layla was in the most prestigious Ascendant Academy in all the known planes. Regardless of how she gained admission, that was not something to scoff at. She was here, and now it was up to her what she did with it. Something she had to keep reminding herself. The last part of the letter made sense as well. Layla couldn''t depend on them to fight her battles, especially one''s that she herself had instigated. That had been a sizable blunder on her part. She would attempt to fix it somehow. Scanning the letter again, she saw a little postscript at the bottom below Tess''s name. ¡ª PS The smaller box contains robes for your roommates. Atom said to ensure they put them on before leaving the dorm this morning. ¡ª Layla opened the box to find the same unstylish worn-out beggar-looking robes folded neatly in the box. She grimaced at the sight. "What a prick," she muttered before closing up the box. Shaking her head in pity, she couldn''t help but secretly be pleased that her fellow friends would suffer like her. She giggled briefly, thinking about Oliver. Layla knew that he was going to lose his mind. He was clearly at the peak of whatever the latest style was with his painted nails and gaudy robes. She had to admit they did look good on him, but it wasn''t something she would ever be interested in wearing herself. Keeping it simple was her style. Her blue hair was loud enough for her to deal with. She closed the little box and opened the larger one for herself. Grabbing some bathroom essentials, Layla shot over to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Feeling a thousand times better, she dried off and put her robes back on. Tying her hair into an upside-down top not, she left the room. Looking in the mirror, she was still shocked to see the face staring back at her. It was the same, but at the same time, it was foreign. If you were to compare how she looked before the slice, her previous appearance was that of a skinny, almost malnourished teenage girl. She wasn''t unhealthy, but she wasn''t genuinely healthy either. Now with her face filled out and her skin practically glowing with health and vitality, Layla couldn''t fully recognize herself. "The change was pretty drastic and practically overnight." She mused aloud. Layla figured she would get used to it eventually. Giving her wrist unit a glance, she saw that she still had some time. Why was she still in the bathroom, though? She was stalling. Yesterday''s events could have been better. Two big splashes in a single day. How would everyone react to her now? She didn''t know, which made her stomach flip-flop just thinking about it. Layla walked the box out to the trio, told them what Atom had stated, and gave them the box. When Oliver came out dressed in his new robes, Layla burst out in a fit of laughter. ~~~~ "I can''t, I just¡­ I can''t," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Sorry, Oli, but those are the orders," Oliviana said with an ear-to-ear smile plastered on her face. She clearly loved her brother''s discomfort. Oliver looked on the brink of tears, "But my reputation¡­." Oliviana walked up behind him and patted his shoulder consolingly, "I''m sure that it will be fine. It''s not your fault. No one should hold it against you." He turned to look at his twin and saw the sincerity on her face, and the tension in his expression eased. "You, you are probably right." His voice gained a little more confidence as he turned back to the mirror. "It will be fine for now." When Oliver looked away, Livy looked at the other two girls, and a big grin spread across her face. With every positive word Oliver verbally said to boost his confidence Oliviana denied them silently with a big grin. Layla just shook her head at the twin''s antics. Tia didn''t seem to mind robes, commenting, "At least we will all match. They look worn, but they aren''t so bad." Oliver looked at her with an offended expression, "Tia, do not make excuses for these, these rags." "Sorry, Oli, I don''t like them any more than you do, but they are abnormally comfortable and self-cleaning. At least it seems to always be clean. I''m honestly not sure how it does that." Layla stared down at the sun''s faded black robes in bewilderment. Shrugging at the mystery, she asked, "Does anyone know how to get to the Hall of Healing?" Oliver pointed to his wrist unit, "It should be in your map function on your unit." Layla looked down and flicked over to the map function, but once she opened it, she frowned. "It''s completely blank, that''s weird. It''s never done this before." Typically wherever she went, there would be a plethora of information and a detailed map of the area. It had never been just¡­ blank. "You should have received a data chit when your acceptance packet was delivered. Did you not get one?" Olive asked in confusion. Layla shook her head. She had not received anything. Honestly, she had no clue how much this place even cost. Dory had asked her to come, and she had said yes, most likely due to the strange tea. She was curious if she would make the same decision now. "I didn''t, uhm, I didn''t apply to Nexus." Layla said sheepishly. "You didn''t apply? Well how did you get in here?" Tia questioned. "I was sort of invited slash maybe sort of pressured to attend. I can''t be sure.¡± The others all looked at each other with their eyebrows doing strange things that mostly looked like confusion to Layla. "Wait, our Master is part of the faculty here. So he must have been the one who got you in." Oliver said while nodding his head. Coming to a conclusion that made sense in his mind, Layla decided to let him believe what he wanted for the moment. There was no way they would believe the truth. Even she thought it was unrealistic. How would that even go? Personally, being invited to the Citadel of Mantles by one of the Council''s top brass. Would anyone even believe that ridiculous garbage? She didn''t, and it actually happened to her. "How about we all just go together," Tia suggested, and everyone agreed. Looking at Layla again, she said, "I have my data chit somewhere in my stuff. I''ll let you sync with it tonight." Layla gave her a smile of appreciation. They exited the dorm, and Oliver guided everyone to the Hall of healing. None of them really said anything on the walk to the Hall. Each lost in their own thoughts. Layla remembered how it had been when she had left the slice, so she didn''t try to force anything out of them. It didn''t help that she had been through enough excitement in the last twelve hours that her thoughts also overwhelmed her. Layla didn''t remember the way to the Hall of Healing, nor did she understand exactly what was done to her. She was asked to lie on a fancy dark metallic table. After a few moments, warmth suffused her body, and everything felt better. Her addled mind felt sharp, and the ache that had existed everywhere was gone. She even felt more energized. Thanking the Healer with a deep bow, she walked out of the room with a smile. "Looks like everything went well," Oliver said with a smile. Layla laughed, "I really need one of those stone tables in my room. It was actually pretty nice. Like, I feel amazing right now." "I guess you have never been to a healer before. It''s pretty great." Oliviana said with a grin. Layla couldn''t refute her statement at all. She had not been able to fully appreciate Argo''s healing since things went straight to the crapper. She might try stopping by this place more often. "Welp we have about thirty minutes till PC starts. We should probably go over and hang out until time to start." Oliver said. Oliver retook the lead, guiding everyone to where they needed to be. "What do you think PC will be like? I can''t really imagine it being anything that challenging. Especially given what we have been through, you know." Tia said cautiously. Layla had been wondering the same thing. If the trio''s experience was anything like hers, and by the looks of their improved athleticism, it was. She couldn''t foresee this being precisely difficult. Her endurance felt boundless at this point. She knew it wasn''t, but she also knew that it would take something extreme to wear her down, and two hours of PC would undoubtedly not achieve that. They arrive at the training field a few moments later. It was dark, but massive stadium lights shone on the neatly trimmed green blades. The dew on the grass glistened in the stadium lights. The freshly cut grass was a pleasant smell that Layla wasn''t used to experiencing. Golar had grass and forests a plenty, but where she had grown up, it was mainly a low-rent slum of a city surrounded by a desert. "It seems like we''re the first group of people to arrive. Who''s that standing out in the middle of the field?" Layla said aloud. "No clue but I imagine it''s probably the Master that''s over PC. Let''s head over and see what we are in for today." Oliviana said with a chuckle. The field was not small. Given the number of potentials, it made sense. As the group got closer, they realized that the person was unnaturally still, as if they were a block of stone. His back was to them, and his white haori with the Nexus academy symbol lay still despite a cool morning breeze. The hairs on the back of Layla''s neck stood up, and she subconsciously positioned herself in the optimal position to fight or flee. That person looked very familiar, and then it hit her. "Ah fu¡ª," but she never finished as a familiar bastard of a man flickered and appeared right before the group. Chapter 30 - Misunderstandings Atom clicked his tongue in disapproval as he stared at Layla. ¡°Language, language. You should watch your words when in public little follower.¡± His voice was playful, but his face said something utterly different to Layla¡¯s mind. With a pale face and eyes bloodshot from gods know what, she grew concerned. If someone had told Layla that he had been on a week-long bender of stims and alcohol, she would not have doubted the statement. Seeing the abnormally perfect man in such a state sent a spike of fear into Layla, but she suppressed it under the fire that was her rage toward the man. Layla stood defiant and refused to bow to him while the others gave him proper courtesy due to a disciple and Master. She wasn¡¯t his disciple and didn¡¯t want to be his follower either. There wasn¡¯t much Layla could do about it at the moment with the device stuck to her wrist. She felt the weight of it both in her mind and physically. Though, she found it odd that no one had commented on it being there. Atom looked over the trio that had just returned from the slice with a nod of approval. ¡°Good, Good. It looks like your training went well. I¡¯ll be speaking with you all individually at some point but you understand what¡¯s expected of you correct?¡± ¡°Yes Master,¡± the trio replied in unison. Layla made a gagging face at the display. She would also need to talk with them about this difference. This dude was a douchebag through and through. Bowing and scraping while no one was around wouldn¡¯t due at all. Atom glared at Layla, and she glared right back. Tilting her chin up, she put the back of her fingertips under her chin and flicked outwards. She had no clue what it meant, but in the holo vids she had watched with Tess, everyone seemed offended by it. Atom¡¯s eyes bulged briefly at the gesture before he clicked his tongue again, ¡°It seems you have been spending too much time with Tess. She¡¯s a bad influence.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let her know you said that.¡± She quipped back. Atom¡¯s face paled slightly more, ¡°Let us leave Tess out of it.¡± Layla noticed the look and chuckled. She couldn¡¯t help but twist the knife as she said, ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a whole day and you¡¯re already in the dog house, again.¡± She put her hands behind her back and mimicked Atoms¡¯ Master pose¡¯ as she shook her head in mock disapproval. Atom closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. He opened his eyes again, and his smile caused chills to run down Layla¡¯s spine. ¡°I hope you all enjoy Physical conditioning today. I¡¯m sure it will be an experience you won¡¯t soon forget.¡± Atom said nothing else as he flickered again, disappearing and reappearing where he was previously as if someone had edited a vid. Cutting him out of reality and pasting him back in twenty meters away. His chilling smile never left his face as he closed his eyes once more. Layla cursed herself for provoking the bastard. The group all looked at each other as unease grew in their stomachs. Atom''s presence here did not bode well for how physical conditioning would go. Oliver looked at his wrist and frowned, ¡°I could have sworn that the schedule said Master Brent was over PC. Why is our Master here?¡± Pausing, his fingers flickered through something only he could see. ¡°Oh wait, it looks like it''s just a temporary change.¡± Layla sighed heavily before turning to the group, ¡°Nothing we can do about it regardless. Let''s just line up and wait for everyone to get here.¡± She looked over at Atom¡¯s smiling face, and the bad feeling in her gut did not improve. Listening to her own words, she ignored the man and lined up with the others as she took in the surroundings. Layla fell into a mindless trance as she watched the wind brush playfully across the dew-covered blades of grass. The wind was restless but calm. Strong but gentle, the blades swayed this way momentarily, then the other the next. It was such a simple thing, but the beauty couldn¡¯t be denied. Lost in the emptiness of pure observation, ironically, she failed to perceive the arrival of the rest of the potentials until the bell signaling the hour rang out across the field. She saw that everyone had decided to line up behind her group. She wondered how that happened when she noticed other adults in Master¡¯s attire guiding everyone into organized groups. They weren¡¯t the only grouping of people, of course. There were several hundred potentials. That was far too many to fit behind them to be reasonable. As curious as she was, Layla didn¡¯t let her gaze stray too long. The sounding of the bell meant that the class they would be attending almost every day for the next few weeks was about to start. Suddenly, a feeling of danger overcame her, and she reflexively tightened her muscles. She caught someone moving in her peripheral vision and rotated her head on instinct. A silver-haired young man in a black robe and a red haori approached her from the side. Layla locked onto his feet and core out of habit. His movement was graceful, beautiful even. Dangerous. Oh, this one is very dangerous. ¡°Layla Breezewalker, right? Wait¡­¡± Pausing for a moment, he let out a tired sigh as he continued under his breath, ¡°Of course, it would be you.¡± Layla looked up in confusion. Slightly indignant at the person''s tone. When she saw his face, she realized she had recognized him and frowned. ¡°You¡¯re the one from the common area last night.¡± She said, bewildered. Wasn¡¯t he one of the potentials? She guessed not, given that his attire was similar to the Masters but slightly different due to its color. ¡°And you¡¯re the one who ignored my advice.¡± He said with a tired smile. Layla gave a grunt. The silver-haired man looked at Atom before returning his gaze to her, ¡°Find me after Physical Conditioning.¡± Looking at him in confusion, Layla asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I need you to come with me after this.¡± Layla shook her head in denial, ¡°Pass.¡± The young man frowned, ¡°Pass? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? You will be coming with me after this class.¡± His tone changed to a more authoritative one halfway through. Layla sighed before shaking her head again. ¡°Yeah, look. I don¡¯t know you and I¡¯m not about to go off with you somewhere after this.¡± She looked him up and down. He was what Jogen would call a specimen. His silver hair was perfectly groomed, and his face was symmetrical in all the right ways. Dreamy exotic draconic-like golden eyes and a powerfully built body that would make most girls weak in the knees. The air of danger around him made him even more dashing. But so what. Almost everyone on the field could fit into most of those categories one way or another. Atom was one of the most perfect humans she had ever seen, yet all she wanted to do was punch his face, like every time she saw him. Looking back at the young man, she said, " You''re attractive enough, but I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°A-attractive enough¡­ Wait what? And... N-not interested.¡± The young man¡¯s expression flickered from confusion to surprise to embarrassment and finally to a hint of annoyance. And here we go. It¡¯s like this guy walked out of a tacky novel or something. I''m so dashing. You must listen to me, etc., etc. Seeing that he was building up steam to lash out at her, she realized she had to stop him from embarrassing them both. She had caused enough waves as it is. She lowered her voice and glared at the annoyed young man, ¡°Look specimen. It¡¯s literally my first day. Could you not hit on me right now.¡± ¡°Sp-specimen, What is that supposed to mean? I¡¯m not hit¡ª,¡± Layla was starting to get annoyed. Did this guy not get it. Just because you hit the genetic lottery did not mean you could do whatever you wanted. She cut him off, ¡°I get it. You¡¯re some big hotshot here. That¡¯s great, I¡¯m really happy for you. I¡¯m sure there are tons of other idiotic girls who go for dudes like you. So why don¡¯t you go find them and leave me alone.¡± The young man¡¯s face went crimson. In embarrassment or rage, only he knew. ¡°You damn insufferable woman. You will be coming with me after this class.¡± He finally hissed after trying and failing to gain control of his emotions. ¡°Negative,¡± she shot back. ¡°Oh you will even if I have to tie you hand and foot like a pig.¡± He spat out. ¡°Could you please stop embarrassing my friend? She already told you she wasn¡¯t interested.¡± Oliviana stated flatly. Her tone was frigid, like a lake of ice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Layla,¡± Oliviana looked over at her. ¡°I know his type. Drunk on their own power. We will probably need to report him after this for attempting to coerce you for trying to go with him against your will. Who knows what sort of deviant acts he would do to you if you went with him.¡± Tia looked at the young man thoughtfully, ¡°Hold on lets not be too hasty. H-how deviant are we talk here?¡± Tia¡¯s breath started to pick up slightly. ¡°I-I might be interest¡ª,¡± Oliver chopped down on Tia¡¯s head, cutting her off. Layla would really need to have a talk with this girl. Looking at the young man, Oliver said darkly, ¡°You should go away, deviant, before we report you to the higher-ups.¡± ¡°D-deviant,¡± he stuttered in incredulity. The young man stood there momentarily, his mouth agape like a howling monkey. With his ears burning red and gnashing teeth, the young man reached out his opened hand and clinched it shut. An unseen force flowed over her body and then tightened. No matter what she did, her body would no longer obey her commands, and the more she attempted to move, the more the force hardened. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. More than a little fear gripped Layla¡¯s heart at the display of power. Had she wholly forgotten where she was? Her fellow potentials might only be ordinary mortals at the moment, but those in the haori certainty were not. Gods, spending time around Atom must have rotted her brain. Just because he let her run off at the mouth did not mean everyone else with power would. Stupid Layla, Stupid. You know better. The young man gave a visible shake, and his breath evened out. He stared at Layla, and she assumed the rest of her group as his eyes drifted their way. After a moment that felt like an eternity but was likely only a few seconds, he looked back at Layla and spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°I can see that there has been some misunderstanding in my words. This is likely my fault as I have not been around students for some time. So I will clarify myself. I have been commanded by Master Ash to retrieve you after this class so that you can receive your token. I am not a devi-.¡± He broke off his words as his cheeks burned red, and he looked away. Taking control of himself once more, he looked at Layla¡¯s companions again and, after a long pause, continued, ¡°I do not have any ulterior motives other than to do as my Master has bid me do. But since you have some misgivings about my motive, your friends may accompany you to as-assure your honor stays intact.¡± After hearing the man¡¯s words, Layla¡¯s felt a well of embarrassment grow inside her. It was also tinged with a bit of annoyance. Could he not have led with that? Layla felt the force relax over her body as the young man dropped his hand. She instantly opened her mouth to berate the man before coming to her senses. She felt it was the young man¡¯s fault for not being clear, but he could probably explode her body with a snap of his fingers. Didn¡¯t Atom say something about not seeking death, or was it ''if you don¡¯t want to die, you shouldn¡¯t seek death.'' At the time, he was playing a console game, so she wasn¡¯t even sure if he was talking to her. Everything he said was filed away as stupid to Layla, so it was challenging to sift through anything that might be meaningful. The young man caught her attempt to speak and interjected in her pause, ¡°So as to not cause anymore misunderstandings. Please do not speak to me anymore. I¡¯ll meet you all in the common area after you shower.¡± Then he blurred away in a streak of red. Despite his quick movements, neither the wind nor a blade of dewy grass was disturbed. His swift departure left Layla both relieved that she hadn¡¯t died and annoyed that the young man had caused such a misunderstanding. He could have at least started with his name and purpose. Looking around, she saw all the potentials near them staring at her in wide-eyed disbelief. Layla didn¡¯t know why, but they must know something she did not. Was he someone important or something? Surely someone that stupid would not have authority over anyone else. Layla looked at Oliver, Oliviana, and Tia. She had not expected them to step forward. A warmth suffused her chest, and she could not restrain a smile from blooming on her face. These three random individuals continued to surprise her, and only one word would come to her mind. Friendship. That word and the warmth that it brought lessened the pain that Jogen¡¯s death had caused. Filling a gaping hole that his absence brought. If only a little, it was a start nonetheless. Taking note that all the Masters making their way to the left and right of the silent sentinel, Atom. Layla trained her eyes forward, waiting to see what they had in store for them. She imagined it wasn¡¯t anything good. As if on cue, once the last Master fell into place, Atom opened his eyes, and a brilliant smile grew on his face as he stepped forward. Everything about him had transformed from a chilling hungover statue to a kind and inviting uncle. An uncle you could trust with anything. One that always brought presents and laughter. A person that seemingly exuded nothing but happiness and memorable, heartfelt family moments. Layla instantly felt a nauseating fear overcome her body. She immediately regretted being in the front as there was no way that she could leave the area without someone noticing. Could she feign illness? No, that wouldn¡¯t work, as she left the Hall of Healing less than an hour ago. When she looked around, everyone else also had smiles on their faces. Were they stupid? Did they not remember what happened not even twenty-four hours ago when this malicious bastard had them fight till the last man standing. Having a single night¡¯s rest caused their brains to go dumb. Her friends beside her were also starting to smile, but there was confusion on their faces as they did. It was as if they knew they shouldn¡¯t but couldn¡¯t help but do it anyway. Tia was the closest to her, and she reached over and pinched the daft girl. ¡°Ouch,¡± she complained as she turned to look at Layla in confusion. Layla hissed silently, ¡°Don¡¯t fall for it again. Get the others.¡± As if coming out of a daze, Tia looked back at Atom again before her eyes narrowed in anger. She nodded her head and repeated what Layla had just done to her to Oliviana. She was even more surprised and twice as indignant by the look on her face as she outright punched her twin. Seeing Oliver snap out of it, they all glared back at Atom. Layla sighed in relief. Whatever he had done to them was not appreciated by the trio in the slightest. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was doing them a favor or not, but at least they weren¡¯t docile lambs being led to the slaughter. Atom began to speak and his voice seem to come from everywhere at once. It was not loud, but Layla was confident everyone on the field could hear him clearly. ¡°My wondrous new Potentials. Good morning to you all.¡± He paused, and everyone roared back, ¡°Good morning, Master!¡± Atom¡¯s face became excited at the booming response. ¡°Ah, now that is a welcomed response. It looks like everyone is motivated to start their first day of training. Well, let me tell you little Potentials. I, too, am excited to be here as well.¡± Atom reached out and clenched his fist as if to show how pumped he was to be a part of their training. ¡°Now, some of you may be confused about why I am here since Master Brent is normally over this course in your training.¡± He waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Worry not. Master Brent will be back tomorrow. He was needed on-site for our AAC team. As some of you may know, they are competing today.¡± The other Masters struck their chests twice a the mention of the Academy¡¯s AAC team. The AAC or Ascendant Academy Circuit team was the pinnacle achievement one could obtain while attending any Ascendant Academy. Even the Masters took great pride in being part of their training, it seemed. ¡°While they aren¡¯t here that doesn¡¯t mean we cannot show our Academy spirit. Potentials give me two stomps for our elites.¡± The ground shook twice in unison as the Potentials struck the ground with their feet in support. ¡°Good! Good! Thats what I like to hear. I know for a lot of you the idea of making it onto the Nexus Academy Circuit team has probably been a life long dream. Am I right?¡± The ground shook once more to answer Atom¡¯s prompt. ¡°Well let me tell you that today that dream is no longer some ethereal unreachable thing. You are here now. You are here at Nexus and nothing is stopping you from rising up and seizing that star.¡± Atom reached out to the dark morning sky, and a bright shining star popped into existence. He seized it, mimicking his words as he pulled it down. He looked down at his hands as starlight shinned through his closed fingers. He faced victorious, as if he had finally achieved something he thought impossible. He looked out towards the crowd of Potentials as he tightened the little star in his hands. A mini implosion went off in his fist, and a wavy, almost scalding heat washed over the crowd. The display left the group of Potentials in shock and awe. While most may have come from great backgrounds, they were still awed by the show. ¡°Power.¡± Atom said in a quiet but dominant tone that resonated in Layla¡¯s bones. ¡°Power, this is what you need to reach that dream. Power makes your words meaningful. Power can destroy. Power can protect. Power is the currency of the strong. Without it, you are nothing but fodder to the strong. Be it personal or given, Power is a universal truth that none can deny.¡± Atom stared feverishly out at the crowd of potentials. Everyone stared back caught up in his every word. All of them were hungry for the world. Atom was spinning with his words. Even Layla, who knew he was full of bullshit, felt some modicum of truth in his words. ¡°And that truth starts here today. That dream of becoming an elite that stands on the stage representing our beloved Academy whilst trillions watch on cheering your name. That road starts right here and right now. Today, you are going to get a taste of what it takes to stand on that stage and even beyond. I¡¯m going to show you what it takes to make your every step shake the world as you tred down your path.¡± All the Potentials were foaming at the mouth as they shook the field with their stomping feet. Layla had found truth in Atom''s speech but still looked around concerned. Even some of the younger-looking Master''s eyes were shown with zealous light drunk on the man¡¯s words. Was he really this charismatic? If she didn¡¯t really know him, she supposed she would have eaten those words like a dying man thirsting for water in the desert. The problem was these people had no idea what standards Atom had. Just how unrealistic they were. Atom gave a manic but knowing smile, and Layla swore he aimed right at her. That smile felt like a physical blow to her stomach as memories of her time in the slice started to resurface. The beginning had started out with physical training as well. A brief flash of memory showed her body tumbling to the earth as her heart gave out, and just before her face could hit the ground, she was back, refreshed, and running again. The recollection reseeded before she could relive it entirely, something she was desperately thankful for. Her guts churned as she waited for what was to come. With a wave of his hand, all the Potentials fell silent again, but the hungry fire in their eyes never stopped raging. Atom pulled out a black banner with the Nexus Academy insignia stylized in gold. Then looked directly at Layla. This time there was no mistaking it. He called out to her, ¡°Ms. Breezewalker, won¡¯t you please join me up here. Come on now don¡¯t be shy. Everyone is waiting on you.¡± Layla went a little weak in the knees at his request. To stand in front of so many people was already a fear bordering on a phobia for her. Why did she have to run her damn mouth? Gods, this guy was a real dick. At that thought, her anger assuaged her burgeoning panic, and she plastered on a crooked smile as she broke ranks and trotted up beside the man. As he looked back at the crowd, Atom put his arms around Layla like they were a close father and daughter pair. ¡°Ms. Breezewalker is our top dog, our rank number one Potential. The cream of the crop, top of the class. She is the model you all should be striving to achieve.¡± Atom''s hand pointed outward to the Potentials on the field Hundreds of blazing eyes fell on Layla. The glares were so hostile it felt like they were trying to sear her body and soul into oblivion at Atom''s every word. ¡°That is why Layla has earned the right to carry our Academy¡¯s banner. Our standard. This is no small thing. There is pride to be found in being a standard bearer. This is your Academy Potentials. If you aren¡¯t striving to be the one carrying this standard, you might as well just leave now because to be honest, to be the standard bearer is to be the standard. If you aren¡¯t reaching for that then you don¡¯t belong here.¡± ¡°Am I right Masters.¡± Atom calls back over his shoulder. The Masters behind the duo slammed their chest with their fist twice in recognition. This time their slams were a defining boom. Fist clapping, their chest backed my Anima-enforced strength. A display of power that almost made Layla jump in surprise. Atom gave the wooden pole to Layla and showed her how to hold it properly. Layla glared balefully at Atom before whispering hatefully, ¡°You will pay for this.¡± He chuckled with a malicious grin. The grin said one thing to her, payback. ¡°Dream on kiddo. You did this to yourself. I didn¡¯t tell you to be number one. Honestly did you even read my book. You four should be thankful that today is about getting a baseline on your physical conditioning. Tomorrow I have a surprise for you all.¡± He moved to the side and patted her shoulder like a proud father. His every action cause the hundreds of eyes to become even more livid. Layla could tell they all wanted to be where she was, and they saw her as the reason they were not the ones holding the banner. If they only knew that she had no interest in holding the Academy standard, they would probably riot on the spot and tear her limb from limb. ¡°Prime Dyzen please join me up here.¡± Layla looked around to see who Atom was talking about when a familiar Silver haired young man walked out from the ranks of the Masters. Layla felt like she was missing something. What was a prime again? Prime Dyzen looked at Atom with admiration gleaming in his eyes. Layla was sure he was deep in the throws of whatever whacky drink Atom was shilling out to everyone. Atom put his arm around Prime Dyzen, and the young man grinned. Clearly, loving the attention. ¡°Most of you should be familiar with the Academy¡¯s internal rank structure. There are three ranks you need to achieve to graduate from Nexus. Neophyte, Initiate, and finally Adept. What some of you may not know is that there is another rank. A rank that carries the pride of the Academy with its bestowment. Every Master you see before you earned such a bestowment. The Prime rank is not a requirement for you to graduate, but it is the real goal Nexus has for all its students. One might even say to achieve the Prime rank is also the standard for Nexus.¡± Atom put his other arm around Layla then he moved her together beside Prime Dyzen. The three of them stood in front of everyone like a father giving away his daughter in a picturesque pose. ¡°Ah, to be young. Sigh. Well, it only makes sense that your class''s top rank should be paired with the Academy¡¯s top rank.¡± A glee full smile plastered all over the idiot man''s face. What was he trying to insinuate? ¡°Prime Dyzen I¡¯ll be intrusting you with guiding young Layla. Now Layla will be setting the pace for our physical conditioning this morning. Setting the pace just like she sets the standard.¡± He gave Layla a pat on her head. Layla gripped the banner pole tightly as she considered stabbing Atom in the throat with the pointed end. Atom strayed away from the two and looked at the crowd wanting more. ¡°Are we ready to see what it takes Potentials!¡± Vocal roars exploded from the hundreds of rabid Potentials. ¡°Outstanding!¡± He turned around to the group of white haori-garbed individuals. ¡°Fellow Masters, I¡¯ll let you organize them while I prepare the way.¡± They all nodded with a grin. Once again, Layla felt sick. What was wrong with these people here? Did they enjoy the suffering of their students? Atom glanced back to the pair before fixing his gaze on the silver-haired young man, ¡°Dyzen, match pace with our fledgling standard bearer and guide her through this mornings activity.¡± ¡°It would be my honor Master Atom!¡± Prime Dyzen said with a slight bow. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you then. Follow once everyone is prepared.¡± And without another word, Atom shifted away. Chapter 31 - Fun Run The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. fun¡¯ part of the run had arrived.