ã€ŠA Vague and Indistinct Existenceã€‹


 1: The Way Back Home

    The foundations of the infinite cosmos were made up of three ingredients. Power, Data, and Law. These three factors made up the grand totality of existence.

    There were myriad energies that flowed through the universe. All of these energies were permutations of the original materia that occupied the first universes when the cosmos was still young. This energy was the basis of power.

    Data was extrapolated from that power. Created from mathematical principals originating from the cosmos birth. The positions, magnitudes, vectors, and variations of the smallest quantities of all the energy in the cosmos formed the basis of data.

    The nature of data was similar to the ouroboros consuming its own tail. This data both described everything that happened in the countless worlds, while also serving as the triggering agent for existence as a whole.

    The ability to read, interpret, and manipulate this data was the starting point of all magic and otherworldly power.

    The laws were ordained patterns that controlled the behaviors of both the powers and the data that occupied and made up the world.

    This governance decided whether a combination of power and data described matter, or whether a combination of power and data described a force. These laws also defined the behaviors of the matter and forces within a given universe.

    The first laws were born with the first universes. Each individual universe and multiverse inherited a copy of these laws. The laws themselves changed with each new branching point and great event within the cosmos.

    Each change of the laws either came naturally or was set by the efforts of myriad beings of unfathomable power such as the angels, the spirits, the devils, the gods, and the vast miscellany of transcendental beings that were known only as old ones or immortals.

    Within the cosmos there were areas where the power, data, and laws were completely uncertain. These areas were known as ¡°figment-realms¡±. Figment-realms existed as pockets of ambiguity. Spaces that were near-impossible to find without having visited before hand because officially speaking the areas didn¡¯t exist.

    The cosmos only vaguely acknowledged these areas and most of the peoples of omniverse lived their lives in ignorance of the figment-realms.

    Yet for those in the know, the figment-realms had gained a certain level of notoriety. Gaining two other names for themselves. The first was garbage-realm, the second was nightmare-realm.

    The garbage-realms collected everything that proper parts of the cosmos had no use for. The nightmare-realms were used to seal away those who could not be allowed to exist in the true-cosmos, but also could not be killed.

    Often, there was no real distinction between which figment-realms served as garbage realms and which were nightmare-realms. The figment-realms were realms that even the gods and devils could not freely go and visit unless invited. Thus it was impossible for the beings of the ordinary cosmos to have a clear idea of which figment-realms were which.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    In one of these figment-realms, there was a being that could roughly described as a vaguely humanoid, sea anemone and squid hybrid, made of smoke, blood, screaming, and singing. As far as small number of the denizens were concerned this being had no name.

    A few folk tried their best with labels like ¡°Agghhh!¡±, or ¡°Dark Presence Who Dwells within the Moonless Sky¡±. Others called the creature, ¡°great beast¡± or ¡°young old one¡±. There was growing support for simply naming the creature after the realm, like its forebearer, the first Lord of Abwickeln.

    The word that was closest to being the creature¡¯s actual name was ¡°hoheit¡±. This was the term used for the being, by its attendant, a beautiful, pale entity, that stood in the background.

    Since the strange doll-like. flower-like, biomechanical, creature was the one that the being interacted most with, her¡¯s was the word that held the most relevance. All other terms were largely ignored because the strange being did its best to avoid interacting with other denizens of the realm.

    At this moment, the being was working on a great construction. The being known as Hoheit, was creating great gate made of raw power, data, and cosmic law. An exit door that would allow the being to escape the figment-realm.

    To the eyes of a mortal the gate would seem to be made of a strange crystalline metal. Humming below the range of human ears, but humming with enough force to make one¡¯s blood feel like it was boiling.

    Power hummed through the runes and sigils that marked the gate. Space and time trembled as more and more elements were constructed and added onto the doorway.

    ¡°Hoheit, are you certain I can¡¯t convince you to wait? Surely, a millennia or two of waiting for your maturation to be complete wouldn¡¯t hurt? You are too young for this. You are too weak for the greater realms. I think this is too dangerous, Hoheit!¡± said the doll-like attendant. A subdued panic bleeding into her normally atonal voice.

    The being didn¡¯t ¡°speak¡± per se. It had no mouth. Instead its response came in the form a specially packaged, amplified thoughts, that made the air around it vibrate.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine¡­ Or maybe it won¡¯t be but¡­ honestly, I don¡¯t fucking care anymore. I need to get out of here and I need to get out of here now. I¡¯ve spent long enough in this awful place.¡±

    ¡°But, hoheit!¡±

    ¡°But nothing¡­ I¡¯m doing this! This is happening. Either you can help me, or you can get out of the way. Those are the only two options.¡± said the creature.

    ¡°...Yes, hoheit. As you command¡­¡± said the attendant. Seeming to wilt.

    The larger creature sighed. The hundreds of large glowing holes that served at its eyes all pivoting to the pale humanoid at its side.

    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t promise that this won¡¯t backfire. Nor will I promise that everything will be okay because we both know that¡¯d be lying ¡­ I just can¡¯t stay here anymore. Sitting on my ass, waiting to go crazy. I can feel myself losing myself every passing day. I need to get back on with my life. This place has only dead things, mad things, evil things, and you¡­ I already promised you that I wouldn¡¯t leave you alone like the caretaker and the old sovereign did. And that won¡¯t ever change...but I need to be able to stay sane if I¡¯m going to do that. This place¡­ this place is wrong. I can feel that wrongness seeping into me. We need to leave this place before it ruins us.¡± said the creature.

    ¡°But¡­ But how do we know that the greater realms will be any better?¡± said the attendant.

    ¡°We don¡¯t¡­ that¡¯s life. Sometimes all you can do is look at what¡¯s in front of you, and look what¡¯s behind you and take a leap of faith.¡± said the creature.

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°At the very least, we¡¯ll be together. No matter what happens we¡¯ll be together. I¡¯ll be yours and you¡¯ll be mine, even if it¡¯s just us against the whole damn cosmos¡± said the creature. It¡¯s voice rumbling through the heavens like thunder.

    The attendant gazed up at the sovereign beast and pat the creatures side, her long slender fingers resting against the creature¡¯s cool, gray-red, hide.

    ¡°I¡­ I understand, hoheit. So long as we¡¯re together, we shall conquer all.¡± said the attendant. An almost fanatical zeal in her golden-eyed gaze.

    ¡°Nh.¡± said the creature nodding. Returning to it work and adding the finishing touches to the gate.

    Three nights later, the gate would be completed. The Hoheit would finish his creation by feeding it with the bulk of his power and vital essence. Then as the gate hummed to life, he and his attendant would step through the crystal door. Stepping into the greater realms and a world that was both familiar and strange.

 2: Return to Reality

    *Click*

    6AM arrived. The television turned itself on, the little box projecting an opaque holographic screen from the notch on its top panel, acting as an alarm clock. A blond, bland, handsome reporter sitting at a desk, appeared in glorious 8K resolution.

    The reporter wrapped up a story that had to deal with the nation Cerne¡¯s recent issues with its neighbor, Mardon, and whether that would affect Mardon¡¯s stance in the upcoming UN economic conference.

    Then the splash page for that story faded out, and the reporter switched tracts. Favoring another of the cameras with a smile.

    ¡°On other news today, it seems that we have a few minor updates on the Andrew Quirk story and the status of the formerly-missing scion of the Quirk family¡­.¡±

    Behind the reporter was the picture of a young man. His skin light brown. His hair, and eyes, a dark orange. The boy¡¯s eyes were large in a way that would have made him look almost permanently surprised if it weren¡¯t for the boys thick orange eyebrows. The eyes were covered in dark rings making it look like the last time he¡¯d had a good night sleep was ages ago.

    The rest of the boy¡¯s face was triangular. His chin was pointed. His jaw was distinct but narrow. His cheekbones were sharp. Overall, one could objectively call the boy good-looking, but as the banner for the story would attest he was the son of a family of elites.

    This was an age where even the average person could afford to take gene-enhancement serums that augmented one¡¯s health, physical strength, and appearance. For the higher-end serums the enhancement was more complete and was often passed along to the offspring of the user.

    An elite family like the Quirks would naturally be able to afford such treatments. They would naturally be able to afford even better treatments and serums than those the average person could afford. Thus in a society where most folks were walking around with the unreasonable good looks of the models and movie stars of the age before, it would have been weirder for the boy to not be handsome.

    ¡°...According to the family physician young Mr. Quirk seems to have previously suffered a moderately serious head injury effecting his ability to recall what happened on the night of his disappearance and what happened during the last six months while he was gone. Beyond this there seems to be no other signs of cognitive impairment.¡± said the reporter.

    The story went on for a few seconds longer before switching to a recall of robot-dogs whose optical sensors had apparently been hacked by cyber-criminals for the purpose of collecting materials for blackmailing the dogs¡¯ owners.

    The bed creaked and then its occupant sat up, yawning and groaning.

    ¡°Mhm¡­ Only a five minute blurb this time? Good. Maybe I can finally start showing my face in public again.¡± said the low, lilting, voice of the former-sleeper. His face, more or less, identical to the one they¡¯d shown on the screen a few seconds ago.

    Andrew Quirk stood up and stretched a second time. He walked towards the window of his tiny apartment and gazed down at a city filled with gleaming towers made of glass, crystal, and steel.

    Down the below was a network of suspended highways and bridges, and below that was a tangle of streets. Each road, highway, and street lined with a fast flowing line of self-driving, AI-controlled, vehicles.

    Up above, was a fleet of dirigibles that would light up as night came around. Floating projectors that would emit hundreds of myriad advertisements and public announcements.

    The news was fairly accurate if you ignored the parts of the story that either Andrew or his family had changed, hidden, or pressured the stations to avoid focusing on.

    A rough summary of Andrew¡¯s actual story would start with the revelation that the ¡®car accident¡¯ that lead up to his disappeared was no accident. The real cause of Andrew¡¯s disappearance was his half-brother Tristan being the kind of psycho-pathic bully that generally only lived in 1980s cinema.

    Andrew had been riding along on his scooter. Tristan and his friends had been in their car. Tristan had spotted Andrew and thought it¡¯d be funny to give his half-brother a scare by attempting to run the boy off the road.

    This would probably be a good time to mention that outside of the military there was pretty much no one who actually knew how to drive anymore. The laws that made it illegal to drive manually outside of emergencies meant that most people only knew the bare minimum.

    The point being when Tristan Quirk wrested control from his sport car¡¯s AI, he didn¡¯t exactly know what he was doing. Resulting in the ¡®attempt to scare¡¯ becoming attempted murder. Tristan¡¯s car hit Andrew¡¯s bike and knocked Andrew off the road into a ditch.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The young man¡¯s broken body went skidding across the road, leaving a very visible, very hard to cover up the trail of blood. Considering how far modern science had gotten, things might have still been recoverable if one of three things had happened.

    A) If the car hadn¡¯t immediately alerted the authorities to its driver being in danger, Tristan might have been able to just call his father Milo Quirk to handle things.

    B)If Andrew¡¯s body hadn¡¯t disappeared they could have just injected the boy with a healing serum and left him to explain the situation and cover for them as was often the case when these youthful ¡°pranks¡± ended up going to far.

    C) If Andrew was just one of the lesser Quirks. A commoner. Merely possessing the name but not actually having any connection to the main family, the whole issue could have been smoothed over with some veiled threats, and a couple hefty bribes, to all relevant parties. The news would have had no interest in covering the disappearance of some nobody.

    Alas, life was not so kind to either Tristan who¡¯d had to enroll in a school overseas, or Andrew, who¡¯d had to move out of his home city of Harrow to avoid public scrutiny.

    Andrew Quirk was a true member of the Harrow City Quirks. One of the five elite families of the city. Just like Tristan, he was a son of Milo Quirk, but unlike Tristan, he was a bastard. Birthed by some lounge-girl who¡¯d appeared one day with a paternity test in hand. The woman left the baby behind, taking an NDA and several million dollars in hush money with her.

    Andrew¡¯s existence ended up becoming a source of embarrassment for Milo because it nearly cost him the role of family head. While promiscuity amongst elites and non-standard families were common, nearly causing a scandal had given the then forty-year-old Milo¡¯s reputation a black eye. A fact that the older man had never quite forgiven the boy for.

    This led to Milo treating the boy coldly and the man holding a quiet but very evident animosity against the boy, especially since as a child sired by the Quirk family¡¯s main branch the boy identity was instantly a complicated one. Ultimately, resulting in Andrew becoming the family¡¯s most disfavored son.

    The point being that however, disfavored the boy might have been, he was still a proper, Harrow city Quirk. With most of the import and status that the name implied.

    The news ate the story of the disappearance up, and for months there wasn¡¯t a single news channel or website that didn¡¯t have at least one story covering the question of what exactly happened to Quirk family¡¯s lost son.

    Then things quieted down. Till suddenly six months later, the boy appeared. Naked. Shivering. Wet. Covered in a strange gray-red slime. After numerous tests, the authorities and the Quirk family were able to confirm that the boy was indeed the real Andrew Trafford Quirk, of Harrow City.

    This naturally started up yet another media frenzy. A media frenzy that Andrew elected to hideout from. Keeping his head down for five months, until finally almost everyone had forgotten all about him, including his own family, and the only ones even mentioning his name were the Harrow City local news stations which only mentioned him because the Quirks¡¯ status in the city was just that high.

    ¡°Nh¡­ Welp, I guess it¡¯s safe to get started on that whole ¡°living the rest of my life¡± thing.¡± said Andrew. Yawning and then turning around to head towards the apartments cramped shower.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    In all seriousness, Andrew was more than relieved to fall out of the public eye. His family hadn¡¯t appreciated the renewed scrutiny. He got the sense that they would have much preferred he¡¯d stayed missing so they could just quietly announce a memorial for him, and their ¡°sincere hopes¡± that he return some day.

    As for Andrew himself, he had his own reasons to not want reporters sniffing around him. While he was no longer the creature that he¡¯d once been he wasn¡¯t human either. Honestly, if it weren¡¯t for his innate ability to manipulate data, he probably would have been outed during that first round of tests.

    For those who weren¡¯t good at connecting dots, Andrew was Hoheit. Hoheit was Andrew. This wasn¡¯t some possession, and though ¡®some¡¯ shapeshifting ¡®was¡¯ involved this was no deception. The creature of the figment-realm had been relieved to regain his true name as he returned to the greater-realms and the larger portions of the cosmos.

    Hoheit¡¯s original goal had been to return home to his much saner, much larger, much more inhabited, homeworld. He¡¯d never in a million years believed he¡¯d be able to return to his old life.

    While it was hard to tell how much time had passed while he was trapped within the figment-realm, his subjective view was that he¡¯d spent at least a few centuries travelling back and forth through that twisted realm. And that was ¡®before¡¯ he¡¯d finally slain the first lord of the realm to free himself from its endless onslaught and escape its dark games.

    Unfortunately, the ritual to slay the being for good, ended up turning him into a neophyte Lord Abwickeln. An infant version of the first ruler of the realm. Hoheit was reborn as a young ¡®old one¡¯. A transcendental being escaping the common sense of the ordinary cosmos. Like all babies there was an unknowable amount of time where he just sort of existed. A period where he lacked the ability to make reliable memories and was left in the hand of his caretaker, and oldest ally, the attendant.

    According to her, it had taken Hoheit, roughly two centillion years for him to be able to sit upright for the first time and thrice that many years for him to be able to regain the power of speech. Never mind how long it took him to be able to be able to stand and walk and feed himself again.

    Of course she couldn¡¯t be sure of exactly how much time had passed, because again, time inside the realm had flowed too inconsistency to be reliably recounted. However, to Hoheit¡¯s ears that made it seem that it was entirely possible for him to return to the greater-cosmos to find his home universe simply gone.

    Ultimately, no one was more surprised than Hoheit...aka... Andrew to find his planet still in existence and his shitty family still alive. At first he¡¯d been excited, over the moon, because as terrible as the majority of his family was, there were still a few people there he¡¯d been missing like crazy like his adoptive mother, Carmella Quirk, and his little sister Jack.

    Of course, every silver lining comes with a dark cloud. Returning to his life meant dealing with the hassle and burdens that came with returning to his life. Beyond having to prove he was still him, there were a lot of questions about what happened during the months he¡¯d been gone and he suspected there were more than a few people who weren¡¯t fooled by his ¡®amnesia¡¯ story.

    Beyond that, even without the special stress of being the boy who¡¯d been missing, Andrew still had to deal with being seventeen years old again. Despite his supposed family¡¯s prominence, Andrew himself was basically a nobody. He was a nobody living in a world that either expected one to be innately gifted, or highly qualified, if one wanted to succeed in life.

    This meant that Andrew needed to go back to school. If he wanted to get back to living the life that had been put on hold after the accident, he had to do what other people his age were doing. Earning diplomas, doing internships, finding work.

    ¡°Ugh...Why did I want to come back here again?¡±

 3: New Kid and the School Beauty

    Andrew bathed, then he dressed, wearing the navy blue chinos, white shirt, and a navy blue blazer that served as his school¡¯s uniform. The last thing he¡¯d wear were his glasses. They weren¡¯t actual glasses of course. Short-sightedness and far-sightedness were ailments of the past.

    The age of the smartphone and the laptop was long gone. Even tablets were considered old fashioned. Thanks to advances in nanotechnology and quantum computing, nowadays, the most common computing devices and communication devices came in wearable forms. The public called them ¡°sprites¡± or ¡°fairy-comms¡±

    You¡¯d see them as pins, hair clips, earrings, and yes, glasses. For the less powerful consumer models were few real requirements for what forms they could take. All that was required was that they were worn close for the sake of interfacing with the nanites that flowed through the user¡¯s bloodstream and interacting with the user¡¯s nervous system.

    These ¡°sprites¡± could be used as is to make phone calls, or access the web, they could also tap into the user¡¯s visual cortex to create AR displays and user screens. For more serious work most offices and schools would have special devices and furniture that could create solid-light constructs that would serve as workstations.

    Andrew spritzed himself with a final spray of cologne because he was nervous enough without feeling self-conscious about he smelled.

    Then he mentally activated his glasses and hailed a cab to take him to school because there was no way he was going to try figuring out how the public transportation system in this new city worked on his first day. He probably should have tried to figure that out before but he¡¯d been busy hiding out in his apartment.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    ¡°Morning, class. It seems we have a new student with us today.¡± said the homeroom teacher. Ms. Sevinc.

    The teacher was a slender, half-gremlin woman, with the gray coloring, and long, crooked-pointed ears, of most gremlins. Being half-human, she was little taller than the average gremlin, at taller than five feet and she had wavy brown hair, and sleepy brown eyes.

    In terms of apparel, the woman wore a yellow sweater over the gray-blue, skirt-suit that most female teachers wore as a uniform.

    The woman looked and sounded exhausted. Like she was badly in need of a nap. She stifled a yawn as she brought Andrew to the front of the class and said,

    ¡°Well, Mr. Oddvar, would you like to tell the class a little about yourself?¡± said Ms. Sevinc.

    Andrew resisted the panic that suddenly assaulted his stomach and mind. Quitely reminding himself that after ¡°introducing¡± himself to hoards of blood-crazed wretches and ravenous undead, saying a little something to the twenty or so normal teenagers should be a walk in the park.

    His attempts to convince himself that this was no big deal were only half successful, but he was still able to get a few words out. His natural empathic abilities made things a little more easy as he realized that beyond a few sparks of faint curiosity here and there, none of the faces staring up at him gave a shit about who he was or where he came from.

    This wouldn¡¯t be the first or last time that Andrew was made thankful for the fact that humans were such self-involved creatures.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Sure. Thanks. So, uh, hi, everybody I¡¯m Andrew Oddvar. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m seventeen years old and I¡¯m a big fan Twelve Dungeon Online so uh¡­ I wouldn¡¯t mind chatting about that if there are TDO fans here.¡± said Andrew. Deciding to share his age and his most harmless hobby because he wasn¡¯t really trying to make any waves here.

    ¡°Any questions, class?¡± said Ms. Sevinc.

    The class was thankfully silent. There was only one mind that was actually focused on what he was saying and it was a familiar one. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    After ten seconds of silence went by the teacher just nodded to herself and said,

    ¡°Well, Mr. Oddvar, if you could find yourself a seat that would gre-...¡±

    ¡°Ms. Sevinc, there¡¯s a seat available next to mine.¡± said a crisp, clear, faintly posh, voice.

    ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you, Miss Luce. You can go take the seat next to Miss Luce, Mr. Oddvar.¡± said the teacher.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± said Andrew. Nodding as he walked towards the seat both women had pointed to.

    He was faintly puzzled as he found himself sensing several arrows of animosity flying towards direction as he approached the empty desk.

    It took a second for Andrew to understand why this was happening. Then he took ten mental steps back and realized to his chagrin that the pale, delicately, pretty, doll-like, young woman who would soon be his desk mate, was probably fairly popular.

    Andrew couldn¡¯t help clucking his tongue. He¡¯d kind of thought ¡®that¡¯ sort of thing was just a trope that showed up in animes, but damn but there was an increasing amount of hate getting sent his way the closer he got to the seat.

    Andrew couldn¡¯t help giving the white haired young woman a look of annoyance. It seemed that as she established during the five months while he¡¯d been hiding out, his attendant had created a slightly troublesome identity for herself.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Sophia Luce didn¡¯t exist up until five months ago. The entity that currently called itself Sophia Luce couldn¡¯t have been considered alive up until however many years ago that her creator and first master the caretaker of the dark sanctuary of Abwickeln set her to the task of looking after him.

    Back then she¡¯d just been a doll. A construct created in the image of someone who¡¯d once been dear to the caretaker. Her purpose had been to look after her creator, his guests, and the sanctuary itself. Attending to all their needs.

    Then one day, it was only her and the young wanderer who would eventually gain the title of ¡°Hoheit¡±. All the other hunters, wanderer, and heroes to be had either perished or fallen into derangement. Her master, the caretaker had all but lost himself in his despair.

    Thus the only one she could talk to was the hoheit. Day by Day, Month by Month, Year by Year. They became each other¡¯s world.

    In her heart of hearts, the former-automaton would like to believe that it was these repeated interactions, and the way he continued he¡¯d treat her with sincerity and care that made her into the creature she was now.

    More realistically speaking it was probably the corrupted blood sparks and soul data fragments the wanderer had brought for her to refine for him that had done it.

    Oridinarily the other guests of the sanctuary were either able to refine the dark blood and soul fragments on their own. Either that or they eschewed the use of such things, seeing their ingestion as a form of cannibalism.

    It was rare for a warrior, or wanderer, to leave the task to a puppet for her. And it was even rare for a wander to survive as long as he did. The dregs that remained from the blood and souls he gave her accumulated within her body till she gradually began to change.

    The magic of the blood and soul remnants forced her to evolve. Her hoheit¡¯s evolution into the new lord of Abwickeln forced an even greater evolution, making her into the being she was today.

    Eons passed and as her hoheit passed more and more power into her hands, she became the viceroy rather than merely being an attendant. She became a sovereign beast in her own right.

    It was something she¡¯d never dreamed would happen. Yet, all of this had strikingly little to do with the tale of how the identity known as Sophia Luce came to be. However, that wasn¡¯t all that complicated a story.

    After reluctantly passing through the gate her hoheit created, the doll emerged in the world of men. Her hoheit became human again, retaking the form he¡¯d possessed when he was just a wanderer. She took on a human form as well. Taking a form she believed would fit in with the general populace and possibly, maybe, draw her Hoheit¡¯s eye.

    Tall. Slender. Appropriately curvy, and just a little bottom heavy. Her features remained pale, but that seemed to be due to the interference of the greater cosmos.

    In that moment, she realized exactly how far she¡¯d come from the doll she¡¯d been. She was now an eidolon. The Pale Knight of the Slumbering Sovereign. The Pale Attendant of the Vacuous Dreamer.

    After a moment of awe and meditation, ¡°Sophia¡± set herself to the task of creating a new identity for herself. That wasn¡¯t all that hard. Her hoheit¡¯s world was very dependant on computerized data, which was even easier for an eidolon like her to manipulate than the ¡°true¡±, cosmic, data.

    It took a single week of modifying records and making small additions to the world¡¯s true-data before the planetary government recognized her existence as a genuine one. Then once she was done, as far as the Novem Empire and its constituent worlds were concerned the human known as Sophia Luce had always existed and was a citizen of one of its human held worlds.

    As far as the world was concerned she was an ordinary young woman, born within a hospital like any other child. She was a girl born to a set of parents who unfortunately died during the last major conflict between the empire and its enemies. Leaving her the sole heir of the Luce family holdings and their company, Housecarl Industries.

    Housecarl Industries was something Sophia had started, as a means of gathering and sheltering enough wealth for her hoheit¡¯s needs. She¡¯d built the start fund for company¡¯s beginnings from wealth siphoned off the accounts for various criminals. Then she¡¯d backtracked, using data manipulation to launder the funds so that they appeared to have existed as far back as fifty years ago.

    The company was currently worth a little under two billion. Officially they operated as a private investment firm, with subsidiaries and associations with dozens of other industries.

    What Sophia didn¡¯t understand or predict was the effect that being attractive and very rich would have on her social position.

    The fact that she as a person was innately graceful, well-spoken, and hyper-competent overall, made it even easier for her to not only blend into her new setting but also rise to prominence. Eventually leading to her gaining status of one of Blackvale Academy¡¯s school belles.

    The result being her hoheit, who currently was operating as a fairly average nobody from parts unknown, gaining the class'' animosity for daring to sit at her side.

 4: Chicken Nuggets

    During homeroom, Andrew sat upright, his back ramrod straight, His hands clasped together in the very picture of studiousness.

    He¡¯d wanted to make a good impression on Ms. Sevinc because while the professors of the other classes were largely temporary, the homeroom teachers were much more permanent.

    One could remain in a particular homeroom for eight years at the minimum and while the homeroom teachers generally didn¡¯t ¡®teach¡¯ anything, the role they did play made them into dire enemies and useful allies.

    Andrew¡¯s goodie two-shoes act lasted until his second period class, where his interest in what was going on in the classroom started to wane, and despite his highly improved physical states, his back began to grow tired.

    By the third class of the day, Andrew started thinking to himself, ¡°hey...do I really need to know all this stuff?¡± By the fifth period of the day, those thoughts had progressed to the stage of, ¡°None of this is really important in the real world.¡±

    Finally, came the sixth period where Andrew found himself dozing. His head in his arms, his cheek pressed against the cool surface of his desk. He couldn¡¯t help laughing at himself and how quickly he¡¯d fallen into his old routine.

    ¡°Mr. Oddvar? Mr. Oddvar?¡± said the professor for the sixth period class. Professor Stoneflame. A balding old dwarf with a beard full of gray.

    ¡°Y-, Yes, Professor?¡± said Andrew. Jolting up right from his slumped over position.

    ¡°Can ¡®you¡¯ tell me what the Subterranean Alliance¡¯s response was when the Stygian Collective¡¯s Deathlord fleet laid siege to planet Oberon XI?¡± said the Professor.

    Naturally, Andrew couldn¡¯t since he¡¯d been more or less asleep up until a second ago. However, that was the good thing about being him, He didn¡¯t need to read a fact, or have it told to him, to know things.

    The current Andrew was a being that kept its feet soaking within the waters of the collective unconscious. If enough people knew about a thing, or felt a certain way about a thing, he¡¯d know about the thing too and understand the public¡¯s opinion on the thing.

    This was ten times more true when it came to matters involving the shedding of blood and the loss of lives. Meaning at the very least, passing history class was a certainty.

    ¡°They evacuated the populace and planted a neutron bomb in the planet¡¯s core. This would be only the first of several sacrificial players the Novem Empire and its allies would have to make in their war against the Stygian Collective¡¯s forces.¡± said Andrew.

    The old dwarf eyed the young human in front of him. Then he nodded begrudgingly.

    ¡°Very good. You may sit down. Please try to stay... conscious, Mr. Oddvar.¡± said Professor Stoneflame.

    ¡°Y-, Yes, professor. My apologies professor.¡± said Andrew. Blushing abashedly as he sat back down. Then falling back to sleep less than ten minutes after.

    Instead of directly going to the seventh period class, the students adjourned for lunch. Filling out of the classroom and into the hall. Andrew was no different. He stood and drudged out of the lecture hall that had hosted the imperial history course.

    Just as he stepped outside into the hallway, he heard a familiar voice calling after him.

    ¡°Hoheit, would you like me to show you around the campus later?¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew winced feeling another downpour of hostility thud against his shoulders like hail. He half-considered saying no but decided against it because he honestly wanted to look around the campus after not getting the chance to do so while he was hiding out.

    Plus, he didn¡¯t really care what the people around him thought. Or rather he didn¡¯t care enough to let their feelings stop him from doing what he wanted, with whoever he wanted.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Sure¡­ Are we doing that now or¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, these human bodies seem to require sustenance quite often so I imagine you¡¯re probably hungry now, hoheit. So let¡¯s leave the tour for later.¡± said Sophia. Holding her satchel in front of her.

    ¡°Nh¡­ You¡¯re right. I ¡®am¡¯ pretty hungry. Where¡¯s the canteen in this place?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll show you. Consider it a brief prequel to the main tour I¡¯ll show you later.¡± said Sophia. Sounding earnest and excited to the extent that Andrew could practically see her tail wagging.

    ¡°Heh, okay.¡± said Andrew. Chuckling.

    Sophia led the two of them out of the school building, down a walkway, into a large brick and tile structure that had students constantly filling in and out of its doors.

    As soon as they walked inside the building, Andrew was immediately assailed by the scent of steaming hot food. The myriad smells all worked together to stimulate Andrew¡¯s appetite. Reminding him of how very dangerous he could become if he didn¡¯t keep a certain part of himself in check.

    One appetite awake meant ¡®all¡¯ appetites awake. That was the kind of creature eidolons of Abwickeln were. Hungry, thirsty, horny, greedy, creatures of infinite vice and desire.

    This was the reason that Abwickeln had been so hellish and the reason Andrew had been so desperate to escape before his psyche collapsed under the realm¡¯s influence.

    The two youths made it inside the canteen proper. A large open space, partial lit with most of the light coming from the sky light. The moment they stepped inside, more than a few eyes found them. Impressing Andrew with how high profile Sophia¡¯s identity was.

    Most people ignored the two of them, but there were still more than a few eyes that immediately began to track them as the two moved around the dining hall.

    Their gazes were hot with desire and admiration for Sophia. As well as boundless animosity for Andrew simply because he was standing next to Sophia. It was getting annoying, and Andrew had to work hard to keep himself from doing something rash.

    He tried to focus on something else and instead found himself fascinated by the explosion of colorful and bright emotions playing through the dining hall. Floating through the room like dancing stars.

    It was interesting how active a mind could be. There was something about how beautiful it was to watch, feel, and taste their emotions.

    The minds here were different compared to minds he¡¯d seen back in Abwickeln. In Abwickeln all the minds were broken and not just in the sense of being extremely mentally unwell. Mentally unwell people were still people after all.

    The minds of the denizens of Abwickeln were different. Their minds were broken to the point of not being minds anymore. The denizens of Abwickeln were broken to the point of becoming something completely alien.

    It was an unsavory thing to witness. Like seeing a flayed body and watching it somehow not die. Or seeing a cockroach scuttle around without its head.

    Sophia broke Andrew out of his reverie by prodding him lightly on the shoulder.

    ¡°Hoheit, what would like to eat? I¡¯ll pay, I¡¯ve become quite wealthy, you know?¡± said Sophia. Taking the chance to casually boast in the hopes of getting the chance to impress her hoheit with her achievements because even eidolons liked to look good in front of their favorite people.

    ¡°Really? Well, if you say so, sure. Do you think they have chicken nuggets?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°I¡­ Probably? I think it might be included in one of the meal sets.¡± said Sophia. Suppressing a sigh as she wondered if her hoheit wasn¡¯t clear about what she¡¯d been hinting at when she¡¯d said she was quite wealthy. Her mind imagining the number of delicacies the school¡¯s five-star cooking staff could prepare.

    ¡°Cool. Then I¡¯ll have an order of those.¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia led them towards the lunch line where the meal sets were served. A quick look at the menu that was printed onto a plastic placard and mounted onto one of the walls, informed them of the meal set that came chicken nuggets. It was meal set H. Chicken nuggets with a side of sweet potato fries and a light salad.

    ¡°Are you sure this is all you want?¡± asked Sophia.

    Andrew considered and then his gurgling belly made his mind up for him.

    ¡°Nh, I¡¯ll order three of those, and three meal set C¡¯s.¡± said Andrew. Nodding towards the meal set which featured a hardy boneless rib sandwich.

    Sophia nodded and then led Andrew through the process of ordering.

    ¡°Oh, this is one of those places that takes meal cards. I probably should get one of those.¡± said Andrew. Watching as Sophia paid for the food.

    ¡°No need, hoheit. I can just give you my spare.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew¡¯s first instinct was to say that it was fine and he could totally get his own, but there was a warning in Sophia¡¯s gaze that made him swallow his words.

    ¡°Th-, Thanks.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Not a problem, hoheit. Where would my honor as your attendant be if I allowed you to go hungry?¡± said Sophia. A small smile spreading across her face like warm sunshine on a cold winter¡¯s day.

    They collected their food. Sophia¡¯s meal was just a duplicate of Andrew¡¯s order. They found an empty table and then proceeded to sit down and eat in silence. Occasionally breaking that silence with pleasant nothings.

    Around the end of the meal, Andrew asked,

    ¡°What are the last classes of the day like?¡±

    Sophia looked up from her food. Her expression troubled.

    ¡°For me, I have one lecture on the occult sciences, a class on this world¡¯s version of basic magical theory, an advanced biochemistry lab, and an advanced martial training course. For you¡­ I¡¯m not sure. The curriculum for individual students becomes a lot more specialized during the second half of the day because the second half of the day is mostly electives. Since you¡¯re a new student and you haven¡¯t gotten a chance to choose your electives, I¡¯m not sure what classes they might have chosen for you by default.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Nh¡­ Bummer. I guess I¡¯ll figure it out.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯d like, I wouldn¡¯t mind taking a half-day to help you figure out your classes.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew shook his head.

    ¡°Nah. You do you. Having to figure out your schedule and where your classes are is one of those experiences that come with being a student.¡± said Andrew. Smiling and eating the last of his nuggets.

 5: Academy Culture and Imperial Values

    Andrew walked across Blackvale Academy¡¯s campus, his view occupied by two AR windows that his glasses were transmitting into his optical nerves. One window held a map of the school campus including his current position on the campus. The other window held his schedule.

    ¡°Alright, so I¡¯m supposed to be heading to Wolfram hall for my Introduction to Mechanized Combat class. Now...Where the fuck is Wolfram Hall?¡± said Andrew. Furrowing his brow as he scrutinized the window with the map.

    ¡°Oi, new kid!¡± said a course voice.

    Andrew didn¡¯t let the voice interrupt his thoughts because honestly speaking there were probably hundreds if not thousands of youths entering the school at this point in time. This was the half year mark after all. Just a few days into beginning of the Spring Semester.

    ¡°Oi, I¡¯m fucking talking to you!¡± said the voice. Sounding much closer.

    Andrew still ignored it. Much more interested in trying to figure out why Wolfram hall had to be on the opposite end of the Academy¡¯s ten mile long campus.

    ¡°Are fucking ignoring me, you little twat?!¡± said the voice. This time accompanied by a blow to the ears that knocked Andrew¡¯s glasses off.

    Andrew spun around managing to catch his glasses before they hit the ground. As he spun in place, he found himself facing two tall, broad shouldered, thick-browed, students who looked like they¡¯d just walked off a movie addition for bit roles as thug one and thug two.

    ¡°Uh...What the hell? Do I know you?¡± said Andrew. Struggling to keep a tight lid on the surge of bloodlust that nearly escaped during that first blow.

    ¡°Nope, but our boss knows you.¡± said Thug One. Sneering.

    ¡°And do I know your boss?¡± said Andrew. Frowning. Wondering why no one seemed to be concerned about the fact he was being accosted in broad daylight.

    ¡°Maybe, maybe not. In any case, we¡¯re supposed to have a little bit of a chat with you.¡± said Thug One.

    ¡°About¡­?¡±

    ¡°About how you¡¯ve been getting buddy-buddy with Miss Luce. Our school¡¯s white rose ain¡¯t for the likes of you to be meddling with¡­¡±

    Andrew felt his stomach churn. He felt himself growing warm behind the ears as he understood what the two thugs were getting at.

    ¡°And¡­ you¡¯ve been sent to put me in my place.¡± said Andrew. His voice flat and glum. His orange eyes growing dim.

    ¡°Ah, well I guess you aren¡¯t that stupid after all.¡± said Thug One.

    ¡°So, grit your teeth, friend. It¡¯ll only hurt for a bit.¡± said Thug Two. Finally speaking. His voice surprising light and borderline musical.

    Thug Two swung a fist that was almost as big as Andrew¡¯s head. Andrew considered letting it land because it wasn¡¯t like the blow would actually hurt him and he ¡°was¡± trying to keep his head.

    While he was busy thinking about these things, Andrew heard a scream of pain followed by a roar of outrage.

    He emerged from his thoughts and realized that while he¡¯d been musing at the possibility of letting the thugs think they¡¯d gotten one over on him, his body had reacted. Grabbing the larger man¡¯s arm and using a single smooth movement to pop the man¡¯s wrist, elbow, and shoulder out of joint.

    At first Andrew was shocked and faintly mortified and then he wasn¡¯t. The original Andrew was a peaceful child. He kept to himself and when others came to make trouble for him he¡¯d simply accepted it because even if he could beat them once he couldn¡¯t beat them forever. Especially when ¡°they¡± were the members of his family and had the rest of the Quirks on their side.

    Andrew side-stepped Thug One¡¯s charge and drove his fist into the youth¡¯s face, holding back so that all he broke was the other boy¡¯s nose and jaw, instead of shattering the young man¡¯s entire skull.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Looking at the result, Andrew realized that current self was apparently not as forgiving or patient as he¡¯d formerly been.

    It seemed like from now on, his response to small slights and large slights was appropriate retaliation. Andrew realized that after everything he¡¯d gone through in the nightmare-realm of Abwickeln, he just simply couldn¡¯t see himself putting up with people¡¯s nonsense like he used to. He was done being people¡¯s punching bag. He was done being looked down on.

    He didn¡¯t want to go out and try to dominate the world. He wasn¡¯t planning to turn into some chest beating brute and he still didn¡¯t want to make any big splashes but Andrew now realized if the waves were going to come on their own his response wouldn¡¯t be as peaceful or as easy going as he¡¯d expected.

    Andrew walked away from the huddled bodies of the youths he¡¯d just demolished. He was a little worried that he might get called in by school staff or the police for what he¡¯d done but those fears went away as he realized that very few people were looking in his direction and their thoughts were mostly curious or appreciative, with just a few hints of worry or wariness mixed in.

    Which was the point where Andrew remembered exactly what kind of world he was from. He realized that he might have been remembering his home with rosy-tinted glasses. Yes, the Blackrose Galaxy wasn¡¯t as deranged or violent as Abwickeln had been, but it was far from peaceful.

    The entire galaxy was at war. The Novem Empire and its rivals, the Stygian Collective and the Empire of Eternal Darklight,spent every hour, of every day, fighting each other. Planets were won and lost every day, with many of those contested worlds simply being destroyed by all the fighting.

    If that wasn¡¯t enough, the Novem Empire was also at war with itself. As if its enemies weren¡¯t tearing large enough chunks out of the territory there were numerous factions leads by the smaller nations that had eventually allowed themselves to be absorbed into the empire for the sake of their survival.

    This atmosphere of constant warfare lead to an extreme emphasis being placed on strength and power. Discipline was high in certain areas but much less so in others. While murder was still technically illegal, things like fighting in the street and personal duels were still allowed. If things went too far, the punishments could be surprisingly lenient, dependant on the who, when, where, why, and how.

    People were often expected to ¡°sort¡± things out amongst themselves because that kind of brutality was viewed as promoting the growth of a strong and competent fighting force while suppressing ¡°weak¡± tendencies such as the aversion to causing harm.

    Society was very hierarchical based on the empire¡¯s focus on winning the many wars it was involved in. The upper-crust of society were those whose families held the most influence on the war effort. The elite clans were made up of ace pilots, mechanized knights, supersoldiers, military scientists, and the merchants who supplied those people with the equipment and materials they needed.

    Andrew could remember being beaten and having people threaten to do the most awful things to him in public and having no one around blink an eye. He could also remember witnessing the same thing happen to others.

    He could remember turning on the news and watching some bubbly reporter tell a story about the ¡°mysterious¡± disappearance of some prominent person, or the ¡°inexplicable¡± explosion of some family¡¯s compound.

    He remembered hearing those stories and instantly knowing that those were just thin covers used to explain away the deaths of people who''d either lost, or gotten caught up in, one of the Novem empire¡¯s countless conflicts.

    Laws were still a thing, but they were a thing for regular unaffiliated civilians to worry about and rely upon. For the rest of the empire the only thing that could be relied upon was strength. Strength of arms, strength of influence, and economic strength. That was the exact kind of place that the Empire was.

    Andrew wiped his glasses with a handkerchief. Then he put them back on his face. He looked around and realized he probably should have understood his world¡¯s nature sooner. After all, he was standing in an Academy. That should have been a big enough of a reminder that his idyllic thinking was flawed.

    The constant wars and endless conflicts had led to an increase in the requirement of trained soldiers and military personnel. A need that couldn¡¯t be simply remedied by a draft or a required term of military service.

    The powers-that-be decided to go big, by tilting the entire structure of Novem society towards the war effort. They promoted the development of the sciences and automation. With a big emphasis being placed on the development of AIs and the use of summoned spirits.

    Since machines and magic could be used to make up for a lack of civilian manpower in the non-military industries, and in some areas said machines and magics, actually made civilian labor obsolete, most people ended up being pulled or drawn into the war effort.

    This resulted in an abandonment of traditional school systems. While there were still a few daycares, kindergartens, and elementary schools around, the middle school, high schools, and colleges had all been done away with.

    The educational facilities that were most prominent were the ¡°Academies¡±. An entire industry made up of public and private training-and-indoctrination focused institutes that were generally considered as being part of a given world¡¯s army and navy.

    In essence, from as young as twelve years old onwards, most citizens of Novem were trained to serve as part of the war-effort.

    Unless one was expelled, enrollment in the academy lasted until one found employment, or one formerly enlisted into the army. In some planets, it was actually illegal to try and just drop out of school, and considered a crime akin to desertion because academy students were considered military personnel. However transferring to another academy was generally still accepted and choice of academy was considered a fundamental right for all citizens of the empire. A right, associated with the right to education, and the right to serve one¡¯s nation.

    This meant Andrew could end up having to deal with this highschool nonsense even when he was in his forties

    Andrew groaned as he realized that his plans for simply living his life had just gotten a lot more complicated. This wasn¡¯t a world where he could just keep his head down and hope everything would be fine. That might have worked in a more peaceful universe, but here being too humble could be seen as broadcasting weakness.

    ¡°....Ugh, so I¡¯m really gonna have to go down ¡®that¡¯ route, huh?¡±

    Andrew sighed and then adjusted a few of his plans. As he walked his body trembled seeming to grow in height and breadth as he allowed a little more of his actual mass to express itself physically. He allowed a little more of his aura to leak out.

    Andrew didn¡¯t want to overdo it, he still wanted to avoid drawing too much attention if he could, so he tried not to make the change too dramatic. He¡¯d keep making gradual changes as time passed so he could pass it off as the results of puberty and training.

    Even at the end of the months long process, he wouldn¡¯t be too overt in the changes he made. He wasn¡¯t trying to look like a monster. Andrew was just trying to avoid looking like someone who could be easily tread upon.

 6: Intro to Robot Punching

    Andrew eventually found his Introduction to Mechanized Combat Class. It turned out Wolfram Hall was a collection of extra-large workshops and labs rather than a lecture hall. Which kind of explained why it was on the other end of the campus, sitting amidst the academy¡¯s more industrial facilities.

    When Andrew finally entered the class, the class had only just started. All the students sat at work benches next to empty racks. The professor stood in the center of the room. He was an orc with an explosively robust physique despite his wrinkled and weathered green-brown skin and gray-white beard.

    This was Professor Delmar Ramos. According to the web browser that floated in Andrew¡¯s view the man was formerly one of the Novem Empire¡¯s top researchers in mech design before he ended up retiring to life as an Academy Professor. He was one of the handful of teachers whose careers outside of the school was high profile enough for them put his name on the school¡¯s brochure.

    Professor Ramos wore an oil-stained apron. His gray, dreadlocked, hair was tied back in a style that seemed to either be a bunched up ponytail or a half-assed topknot.

    The man had a look about him that gave Andrew the sense that this workshop, and perhaps a handful of other workshops in the entirety of Wolfram hall itself, were ¡°his¡± actual work area and allowing students to periodically invade and ask him questions, was part of some deal the old man had going with the school.

    This feeling was reinforced by the number of personal effects and non-standard equipment that was present within the workshop.

    ¡°Gnh...Alright, alright, get yourselves settled, students.¡± said the Professor. His voice a mixture of deep bass and gargled gravel. All blended into a Scottish accent. His words followed by grumble something that sounded remarkably like, ¡°you wee little shits.¡±

    The class quickly quieted down, and the professor pressed a button on his table that opened three large holes in the ground. There was a dull hum and as unseen machines raised a set of platforms up from underground.

    A minute later three canvas covered figures stood at the professor¡¯s back. The professor raised his hands and the bundle of wires that tied the canvas in place came undone slithering to the ground. He dropped his hands, and the canvas covered on the figures all fell to the ground.

    Andrew couldn¡¯t help noting that despite his reluctance the old orc was definitely putting his showmanship to work here.

    Now, the three figures were revealed. All three of them gleaming, their metal bodies a glorious blue-silver.

    ¡°Now, can any of you tell me what these are?¡± said Professor Ramos.

    Andrew recognized them and he expected that most of the other students in the class recognized them as well. These were machines that had been considered iconic imperial tech fifty years ago, were mocked and memed to death twenty-five years ago, and were now just viewed as borderline-antiques. Only still in use because, for all that the science behind mech design had advanced a lot in the last fifty years or so, the principles of mech operation hadn¡¯t evolved all that much in the last half-millenia.

    From somewhere in the back of the workshop, came a faint, soft, slightly reedy voice.

    ¡°Bell End!¡±

    Everyone in the entire class immediately froze locking down the nervous laughter that nearly escaped them. The Professor¡¯s heavy aura making it hard to breathe. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    For a moment it was dead silent inside the workshop, till finally the professor said,

    ¡°What was that? Mind coming forward and saying that again?¡±

    The students all shifted. Some folk moving to allow their unfortunate classmate move forward. Some folk simply turning in place because they wanted to see who¡¯d been so suicidally gutsy to give that kind of answer on the first day.

    The speaker finally made it to the front of the class and the reveal was shocking. The person who¡¯d given the coarse and audacious answer was a mousy, little, gnome. A pink haired young woman, who stood at just a hair over four feet. Wearing a pair of what looked like fashion goggles, but was probably her sprite, atop her head.

    ¡°Now, Miss, do you mind telling me your name?¡± said the Professor. Bending over with a look of geniality that was almost more intimidating than his earlier gruffness.

    ¡°Uh...Y-, Yes, sir. I¡¯m Emilia Karan.¡±

    ¡°Karan, huh...Karan...Karan. I think I once worked with a Karan once. Does your family have anyone by the name of Sherman?¡± said Professor Ramos.

    ¡°Yes, sir. My...My Granduncle. Sherman Karan was once of the lead engineers for planet Cornelia¡¯s Imperial Fleet.¡± said the young gnome.

    ¡°Ah...I knew that name sounded familiar. Now do you mind repeating what you said before?¡± said the Professor. The hard edge returning to his voice.

    The gnome began to tremble as the Professor loomed over her, cupping his ear with his hand as if to listen better. The gnome made a scared animal noise before finally answering.

    ¡°B-, Bell End, sir.¡±

    Silence fell once again, and Andrew felt all of the more scornful or apathetic lines of thought floating through the room get replaced with shock and anticipation. Everyone waited with bated breath, completely prepared to see the brutish old engineer punt the gnome out of the workshop like a rugby ball.

    No one expected the old man to tilt his head back and roar with laughter. Laughing for a solid thirty seconds like some kind of green-skinned, tusked, heavy metal, Santa Claus.

    ¡°That¡¯s bloody right, lass. Well, almost¡­ The real name for these old rust buckets is Bernat. From smallest to largest, the machines you see before you, are the Bernat 0129, the Bernat 0230, and Bernat 0341. Known to those of us in the imperial navy as little Bell End, Big Bell End, and Bell End Destroyer of Worlds...Respectively.¡±

    This got a nervous chuckle from the class, that was less about the rough military humor, and more about the fact the man hadn¡¯t exploded with rage like everyone had expected.

    Andrew could understand where the name came from. The source of the unfortunate nickname was from the literal shape of the humanoid machines¡¯ heads. Each one a round, semi-cylinder, like an old town hall bell. The name made even more prominent by the fact that the Bernat models all came with the same dull-witted expression carved onto their faces.

    The machines were stereotypical robots. With boxy, clunky, inelegant bodies that might have seemed very space-age and futuristic once upon a time but now were a bit like looking at your grand-dads sedan. Thus it was no surprise when the professor followed his statement up by saying,

    ¡°Our fair, Blackvale academy, has managed to procure a shipment of these ugly bastards that were slated for decommissioning. We''ve brought them here for you kiddies to play in, and it is my burden, duty, and contractual obligation to make sure most of you lot are able to at least make it a few steps in Little Bell End, without falling over, or blowing yourselves...¡± said the Professor.

    ¡°I know what your schedules and curriculums might have called this class, but honestly I can¡¯t be arsed to teach you anything that fancy. This is ¡®NOT¡¯.... and I cannot emphasize this enough, this is ¡®NOT¡¯ an introduction to mechanized combat. Those of you who think you might be ahead of the game because you¡¯ve had people at home let you climb into family owned ¡®consumer¡¯ mechs and have walked ¡®em about a bit, can stop patting yourselves on the backs right bloody now, because you¡¯re still far too green to go through ¡®that¡¯ course.¡±

    ¡°No, the class I shall be teaching you kids for the rest of the semester, is a much simpler, much more fundamental class¡­ A class I like to call, Intro to Robot Punching. You¡¯ll learn how to get inside a mech...Properly. You learn how to operate one without killing yourselves. And finally, maybe...just maybe, if you can impress me, I¡¯ll teach you how to knock an enemy robot on its arse.¡± said the Professor.

    ¡°Ah, there it is¡­ I can see the sea of discontented faces and can imagine the dean calling me to tell me about you and your parents'' complaints already. Lass, do me a favor and tell these fools the biggest cause of death for mechanized troops?¡± said Professor Ramos.

    ¡°O...Operator error, sir.¡± said Emilia.

    ¡°Do you hear that? Do you think I¡¯m lying? I know half of you younguns are here with those little fairy-computers either pinned to your ears, nose, and who knows what else. So you can look it up if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± said the Professor

    ¡°For most of you, before the enemy drops their bombs, or fires their death-rays, or unleashes their own mechanized forces, you¡¯ll be offed because you forgot to cross a T, or dot an I, in the basic operation of your machines. We, engineers, try to make these machines idiot proof but damn if they don¡¯t keep making better idiots each passing year, and honestly to be fair to you kids, there¡¯s a steep limit to how simple we can make a machine that¡¯s meant to synchronize itself with your body, psyche, and soul amidst combat conditions.¡± said the old Orc. Glaring at the crowd of somber young faces, his dark-green eyes ablaze.

 7: In the Penthouse

    After his impassioned speech the rest of Intro to Robot Punching (Introduction to Mechanized Combat) course was a lot duller. Professor Ramos spent most of that time talking about the specifics of his curriculum. Which seemed to focus heavily on paying close attention to the safety requirements associated with piloting a mech.

    Near the end of the class, he reminded the students that the syllabus would be on the class¡¯s associated site along with the class¡¯s assigned texts.

    The associated texts were massive one to two thousand page files, that made Andrew glad that the Novem empire¡¯s educational system had moved past the stupid ages of people paying for the required reading materials for classes that were already paid for.

    Instead, choosing to simply provide the required text for the students, and letting the academies, the publishers, and the government educational budget committee sort things out amongst themselves.

    The last two classes of the day were nowhere near as dramatic or memorable as the Intro to Robot Punching Course. Andrew¡¯s seventh period class was an intermediary computer programming and cyber security course.

    It was another class he could literally sleep through, and pass with flying colors, because he was an eidolon with an innate ability to manipulate the universe¡¯s ¡°true¡± or ¡°t-data¡±, never mind manipulating the much simpler 1s and 0s of computer code.

    Finally there was his eighth period of the day, which was apparently free study because the teacher for the actual class had been seriously injured during a personal duel and the school couldn¡¯t afford to hire someone else. Andrew had no compunctions about skipping ¡®that¡¯ class mid-way through like most of his other classmates did.

    As Andrew wandered through one of the academy¡¯s to grassy plazas, he tried to retrace all the paths he¡¯d taken on the map that was open in his view. Preparing for tomorrow so that he¡¯d spend less time trying to find his way around the campus.

    He heard the crisp, clean, and slightly posh voice of closest and perhaps only friend in the school and felt a familiar pair of arms pull him into a slightly unfamiliar bosom. Andrew wasn¡¯t sure, but he suspected his attendant might have given herself a bump in size, while she was making a human form for herself.

    ¡°How was your day, Hoheit?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Good...I guess. Yours?¡± said Andrew. Feeling faintly uncomfortable because their close contact was drawing looks from passerby.

    Andrew tried to pull away but Sophia just held him in place. Her feelings of bliss, enjoyment, and faint anxiety made him cease his struggling.

    ¡°Would you like to have the tour now?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I think I have the gist of where I need to go for my classes pretty locked down and all my classes for tomorrow follow roughly the same routes so I¡¯m kind of golden.¡±

    ¡°Nh...A pity. I would have liked walking around the campus with you, hoheit.¡± said Sophia. Standing on tiptoe. Using her slight height advantage to rest her chin in the fluffy orange rat¡¯s nest Andrew had instead of proper hair.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine¡­ Another day, maybe?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Can I take that as a promise?¡± said Sophia. Her breath tickling his scalp. Her calm, cool, voice vibrating against his back as she held him pressed against her ample chest.

    ¡°Probably not¡­ I might forget. But we¡¯ll probably end up walking together one of these days.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Fair enough. Shall we go home then?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Well, I kind of already got an apartment of my own set up so¡­ It¡¯s cool if you want to go do your own.¡± said Andrew. Not sure if he was teasing the woman, or if the part of his mind that still suspected that everything they''d been through together was just a very long sequence of misunderstandings on his part, was making him unnecessarily wary of making any sort of assumption about her intentions.

    ¡°Dear, hoheit. Dense protagonists are only popular in comic books and hackneyed, late night, television shows. I mean the home I prepared for us during the five months while I waited for you.¡±

    Andrew sighed and then he chuckled.

    ¡°Alright, then...Lead the way.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    They took a cab to a nicer part of the city. Eblouir was a dazzling little urb but ironically it was the was a way that the upscale parts of the city left behind all the neon, solid-light constructs, and noise that really made the city feel its most beautiful. Making it feel like the rest of the city was a distant, glow in the dark, wonderland. Surrealistic and endlessly bright.

    They didn¡¯t say much during the ride through the city. They simply sat next to each other in the backseat of the self-driving car. Watching the city go by, while their fingers intertwined.

    When they reached their destination, Andrew couldn¡¯t help being a little impressed. The address they¡¯d stopped up was a massive luxury condominium complex. A stately, rectangular chess piece, made of glass and enchanted chrome. Shiny and reflective like a mirror.

    ¡°Swanky...Which floor is your place on?¡± said Andrew. Whistling as he craned his head upwards to try and catch sight of the top of the skyscraper.

    ¡°What do you mean? The whole building is ours, hoheit¡­Though admittedly I¡¯ve mostly restricted my own needs to the penthouse and the three suites directly below it.¡±

    ¡°R-, Really? That couldn¡¯t have been cheap.¡± said Andrew. Shocked. Wondering for the first time exactly how much wealth his pale companion had gathered for herself.

    ¡°It was a pittance, hoheit¡­ The original owners weren¡¯t good people and I remembered your rules on what we could do with such individuals.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°And by not good people, you mean...?¡± said Andrew. Trusting Sophia¡¯s judgement but verifying just to be sure.

    ¡°Human traffickers. Selling war orphans. I disposed of them. Took all their non-liquid assets for my own¡­¡±

    ¡°Like the building?¡±

    ¡°Nh. Yes.¡±

    ¡°And the orphans?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Those who were unsold were freed, and those who¡¯d been sent to less than savory places were reacquired. All of the children were sent to a reputable academy. I set up a trust made up of the assets of their sellers and the assets of their buyers. The trust will pay for their needs, and be divided amongst them, when they reach their legal majority. ¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew smiled. It was just as he¡¯d expected. While slavery wasn¡¯t quite illegal in the empire, the sale of innocent children, war orphans no less, was an offense that would warrant execution if the authorities found out about it. Thus Sophia¡¯s actions were fine as far as Andrew was concerned.

    Those who were dead had all deserved death. Those who were alive would seal their own mouths for fear of bringing the wrath of the law onto their own necks. Assuming Sophia had been as exacting and clean as she usually was, no trouble would come from Sophia¡¯s actions. Making her acquisition of the property flawlessly executed.

    With their vast powers and their ambiguous natures, it was quite easy for beings like them to step into the realm of chaotic evil. Despite having been human not too long ago, Andrew found that his attachment to his fellow man was much, much, ¡®much¡¯ more distant than he¡¯d like.

    While he wasn¡¯t going to overcorrect by trying to make himself into a saint, he still tried to avoid becoming a full on devil. Thus he and Sophia set rules of conduct for themselves. Acting based on courtesy, reasonability, personal scruples, and fairness. Trying to do their best to avoid drawing the ire and attention of the angels, spirits, and the so-called gods.

    One of these rules was a rule that involved only doing unprovoked harm to those who did evil onto others. Preying on the innocent was the path of a fiend, but if monsters ate other monsters than that was just nature.

    Thinking about it now, Andrew realized he could probably do a little more to help his own fortunes. He was an eidolon an apex predator. Yes, he was trying to stay low key, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t stealthily go out and snag a ¡°bite¡± or two for himself.

    ¡°Hoheit?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Yes?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°You said you like it, right? You like the home I¡¯ve acquired for us?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Yes, I did.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°So I¡¯ve done good? My performance is satisfactory?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Of course. Excellent as always.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Then reward me.¡± said Sophia. Her eyes glowing with golden light. Her voice husky and low.

    Andrew paused. Hesitating for a moment before leaning forward and kissing the woman. Increasing his height a little more than he¡¯d planned for, because he¡¯d be damned if he had to stand on tippy-toe to reach her lips.

    His mouth pressed against hers and he ended up wincing as their teeth clacked against each other. Realizing he¡¯d used too much force, Andrew pulled back and tried again. Softer this time. His tongue flicked out, and she opened her mouth to invite it. Her own tongue waiting to greet it.

    Once they started, they started in earnest. Losing themselves in the experience. They made out in the mostly empty condominium lobby. They made out during the elevator ride up to the penthouse on the top floor. They only sort of stopped when it came time to enter the penthouse itself.

    Sophia pressed Andrew against the front door, and hurriedly but efficiently used her key to unlock it. Andrew reversed their positions, whisking Sophia off her feet. Kicking the door closed and using his data reading to find the nearest bedroom.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Several hours later they both lay on a guest room bed, exhausted, contented, and covered in sweat. Their white and navy blue uniforms crumpled and abandoned on the ground.

    ¡°Sex as a human is¡­. Different.¡± said Sophia. Sounding sleepy. A tired smile spreading across her face.

    ¡°Different bad? Or Different good?....Or?¡±

    ¡°Not bad¡­ Just different. I used be less...Just a doll. Then I was more, you made me more, gradually turning me into a person and then an eidolon, even before ¡®you¡¯ became an eidolon...Now I¡¯m both less and more...because the mortal races are just ¡®quirky¡¯ that way.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Ah¡­ But that doesn¡¯t answer the question. Was it different bad, or different good, or what?¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia giggled and nestled into his side, pulling Andrew¡¯s arm around her, as she gave him a peck on the lips.

    ¡°Silly. It¡¯s just different. Nothing more. Nothing less.¡±

    ¡°Nh...Alright then.¡± said Andrew.

    Andrew drifted off to sleep, feeling at peace with the world. He wasn¡¯t sure if his relationship with his pale companion was a complicated one or a simple one. They were a lot of things to each other. Some of them complimentary, some of them contradictory.

    Their romantic relationship was oddly the most understandable part of their relationship, for Andrew. Born from the simple alchemy of time, plus attraction, plus affection.

    The indeterminate period that they¡¯d spent with no one but each other to talk to, had ended up bringing them to a place that was somewhere between well-worn marriage, and the awkward courtship of two people who were definitely more than friends but weren''t sure how far to take things.

    An amused Andrew sleepily considered how his peers might respond if they knew he was here. Then he paled and made a mental note to hasten his plans to carve a slightly prominent place for himself in society.

    Sophia might not have cared a whit for whether he was a tiger or a pussy-cat but Andrew that the human world was a lot more complicated than that.

 8: Intro to Power Channeling

    The next day came. Sophia woke Andrew up before going about her morning routine.

    The suite was so large they didn¡¯t really see each other till it was time to head into the cab. Neither of them were really breakfast people but Sophia had purchased coffees for them from franchise cafe that stood next to the condominium.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± said Andrew. Taking his coffee from the cardboard carrier that was holding.

    ¡°Not a problem at all, Hoheit.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew took a sip of the coffee and made a satisfied noise as he found out that she¡¯d gotten him one of those sweet, frothy, drinks that were more milkshake than coffee.

    Andrew looked the pale, white-haired, woman, over, and saw that she looked prim and pressed as usual. Her hair was shining in the morning sunlight. Her golden eyes were gleaming and sharp, filled with the focus and energy she put into nearly every task she set her hand to.

    ¡°You look...nice.¡± said Andrew. Blushing as he gave an awkward compliment.

    A hint of color flowed into Sophia¡¯s normally snowy visage and she smiled, nodding in response.

    ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re not looking too bad yourself, hoheit.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± said Andrew.

    When he woke up this morning, he¡¯d expected to have to rewear his uniform from yesterday because all his clothes were back in his apartment. An apartment that he might or might not be moving out of, depending on how serious Sophia was when she said that this condo was supposed to be a place for both of them.

    It turned out, he¡¯d underestimated his companion¡¯s foresight. When she saw him trying to iron last night''s cloths, She pointed him to a walk-in closet that was filled with fresh, and ironed, male uniforms in various sizes. It was one of two closets she¡¯d set aside for him, the other closet containing a mixture of casual wear, evening wear, and professional garb.

    Andrew availed himself of the uniforms. Taking the opportunity to wear a uniform that not only fit his much expanded build but was several sizes larger. He¡¯d been restraining himself yesterday to avoid bursting out of his clothes.

    While he¡¯d intended to be a little more subtle about the size increase, since things had already progressed past the point of ¡°subtlety¡± Andrew decided to simply just jump to his intended height of 6 ''10, advance his musculature and bones structure to the targeted level, and be done with the matter.

    Having a larger uniform set would allow him to have his cake and eat it too, by downplaying the changes in his form.

    He figured only those who knew him personally would be able to put a finger on what was different, and so long as he held off on going to the doctor for a few months he could still pretend the growth happened over time.

    Or so he told himself, while trying to quiet the voice in the back of his mind that said this might bite him in the ass eventually.

    The car ride to the academy was uneventful. Andrew and Sophia didn¡¯t talk much because beyond holding the identity of an eighteen-year-old student, she was also the sitting president, and chief executive officer, of a billion-dollar corporation.

    A lot of her free time was spent fielding phone calls, and emails, from the subordinate executives, managers, and supervisors under her employ.

    Andrew didn¡¯t mind. He had an email from Carmella to answer. His mother was often busy. Preoccupied by her position as a Captain within the imperial navy. All the same, she still tried to keep in touch.

    The email was filled with typos and read like a hurriedly drafted interrogatory for a legal case. She wanted to know how he was doing in school. What kind of classes he was taking. If he was able to make sure they put him the twelfth grade and not the eleventh as they¡¯d been threatening.

    Andrew laughed as he imagined his mother just sitting down during a rare break period and simply typing down as many questions as she could think of, before sending it with love.

    There was one little detail that gave Andrew pause, apparently, his little sister Jack was a student of Blackvale as well. She was away from campus at the moment, offworld, wrapping up some kind of semester abroad program that she¡¯d enrolled in. Andrew¡¯s mother said he could expect little Jacqueline to stop by his place at some point to check in on him.

    Andrew looked down at himself and once again wondered if he hadn¡¯t been too rash in changing his appearance. Then he sighed and let the thoughts drift away because even if he could technically reduce his size to something small if he wished, he found he didn¡¯t want to.

    Humans were small creatures and back in Abwickeln his true body had ranged from building sized to star sized. Being small was uncomfortable for him.

    Andrew¡¯s original body was even smaller than that of an average human. Lacking the dynamic, distinctly superhuman stature held by most people of the current age. The original Andrew had been overly slender, and just a tad short.

    That form had felt ten sizes too small since his return to this world. Andrew¡¯s current form was a much better fit.

    Andrew drafted a message that gave rough explanation of the classes he was currently taking, and an assurance that he was doing fine at the moment.

    After glancing over at Sophia, he decided to mention that he was already making a few close friends, possibly a girlfriend, as a way of preparing for the inevitable day of their meeting. He also sent his new address because he was fairly certain he¡¯d be moving in with Sophia. Then he sent the reply with his love.

    Carmella''s earnestness when it came to her children and relatives made it hard for Andrew to resent her for not being there while the rest of the family treated him like an unloved house pet.

    Though her attempts to stay apprised of things at home from halfway across the galaxy generally met with little success, this was one of those times where getting an A for effort actually helped things.

    The only failing Andrew truly held against her was the fact she never seemed to quite believe him when she tried to explain all the many not okay things that happened to him and his sister while she was away.

    Even if the woman wasn¡¯t so naive as to believe that the massive Quirk household would be full of only good people, she never seemed to want to believe that there were genuinely bad people mixed amongst them.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew and Sophia arrived at the gates of the academy. Theirs was only one of the large number of ai-driven taxis that were pulled up on the curb, disgorging their passengers.

    A little further down the street lay the buses taken by the school¡¯s less affluent students. The buses reminded Andrew that he still intended to figure out Eblouir¡¯s public transportation system, just in case.

    Andrew got out first and held the door open for Sophia.

    ¡°Nhm...Today is an all elective day and we don¡¯t seem to share any classes.¡± said Sophia. Sounding downcast.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine...I¡¯ll just meet you back at the apartment.¡±

    ¡°You mean you¡¯ll move in?!¡± said Sophia. Sounding excited.

    ¡°I thought that was what you wanted?¡± said Andrew. One brow raised. Startled, and moderately worried, by the fact she¡¯d sounded so surprised. Growing pale despite his false bravado. His stomach beginning to churn unpleasantly as it occurred to him he might have read the situation wrong.

    ¡°I¡¯d hoped, but you¡¯d seemed a little reluctant...And I know how you can get sometimes, when you decide that things should be a certain way.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Well, you¡¯re not wrong, I suppose. I can be stubborn at times but not about this. In this case, I wasn¡¯t really reluctant. I just wasn¡¯t sure if you really wanted me squatting at your place, or if you were just offering out of obligation.¡± said Andrew. Feeling relieved. Chuckling and feeling oddly light headed.

    Sophia pulled him close her lips pressing against his own. At first Andrew froze aware of all the eyes that were drawn towards them and their display. His first instinct was to pull away, but he found himself leaning into the kiss instead. Inhaling the scent of his companion. Suddenly he didn¡¯t care who was looking.

    ¡°Well, now you know, dear hoheit. I¡¯d really, ¡®really¡¯, like you to move in with me.¡± said Sophia. Her hand caressing his cheek. Her voice hushed and breathy.

    ¡°I¡­ I guess I do.¡± said Andrew. His heart beating like a million galloping horses. His brain on the verge of short circuiting.

    Sophia stepped away. Her manner instantly transforming into one of prim professionalism.

    ¡°And now I have to swing by the library before my classes, so I won¡¯t be able to accompany you for now. Have a good day, hoheit.¡± said Sophia. Striding off after giving Andrew an airy wave.

    The car drove off. Likely called away by another customer. Leaving Andrew standing on the curb by himself not quite sure what to do with himself.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew went to class. His first class of the day was a boring literature course that was thankfully large enough that he could sit in the back of the lecture, and nap the hour away.

    His second class of the day was a math course. Which for Andrew wasn¡¯t quite as boring because he found that math had become a lot more interesting after he became an eidolon and mathematical nature of the fundamental underpinnings of reality became more apparent to him.

    The math that was being taught in his second period class was nothing quite as profound as the mathematics used for calculating the flow of fate, or altering the oscillation of the stars, but it was still very enjoyable all the same. Sort of like popping bubble wrap.

    Nothing of note happened till the fourth period class. This fourth period class was Andrew¡¯s Introduction to Power Channeling Class.

    The class itself was located in the industrial end of the campus. In a building looked small but was probably one of the largest buildings in the entire school, if you counted all the thick walled, magically reinforced, sub-basements.

    The Intro to Power Channelling course was located inside one of these sub-basements. The schedule had Andrew reported to a room that seemed to be some kind of semi-circular arena. The air inside the arena buzzing with the sound of kinetic shielding.

    The students all sat in the stands of the arena. The teacher stood up on the stage, the ellipsoid ring of the arena.

    The professor was a human. A lean, muscular, woman, in a light blue jogging suit. Her dark brown hair was tied back into a short ponytail. Her smooth, tan face, and old, world weary, eyes made it hard to tell exactly how old she was. Her dark brown eyes read the room as she waited for all her students to finish filing in.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Once she¡¯d decided that everyone that was going to come had already arrived, she clapped her hands. The sound of her hands coming together was a lot like a small bomb going off, making the room go silent, and forcing those closest to the ring to cover their ears.

    ¡°Good afternoon to all of you¡­ I think it¡¯s probably time we get started. I am Professor Octavia Espina, of the Academy¡¯s Close Quarters Combat Division, and I¡¯ll be giving you your formal introduction to Power Channelling, this semester.¡±

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Despite the ¡°Intro¡± title, the class was actually the sixth of a series of classes that all imperial youths could expect to have taken by the time they reached their final year of highschool.

    Rolling the nomenclature backwards and calling the class an introductory course was just the academy¡¯s way of indicating that this was the first course where they¡¯d actually be plumbing the depths of what it meant to be a power user.

    Ninety percent of the Empire was superhuman. This was due to the influence of two things, the first was the myriad anomalous energies that mankind found in higher energies solar systems. The second influence that caused an explosion in the population of superhumans was the empire really pushing the use of gene modifying serums during mankind¡¯s first push into the outer-reaches of space.

    If one happened to be part of the ten percent of the population that wasn¡¯t born with superhuman abilities, statistically you were either dying of a terminal illness, or were already on your way to some gray market shop to fix that shit or die trying.

    This was true for the non-humans of the empire both before and after they joined the fold. Said plainly, if you were sentient and a citizen of the empire you were expected to have some kind of power, on top of meeting the ever increasing standard in physical fitness.

    Being weak, or even just appearing weak, was a great way to be made into a pariah. This was something Andrew had experienced first hand.

    The Empire¡¯s warrior culture meant those with stronger, more useful, powers enjoyed a higher status than those with weaker powers. Which created an incentive for people to go and play with their genes using a mixture of extreme training and power-enhancing serums and medicine, to make themselves and their future offspring even stronger.

    The empire had countless dynasties and clans that were built around a single progenitor who had an impressive power and left behind a small number of descendants who were able to manifest a similar power.

    Bloodlines and propagation of powerful genetics was a big deal to the peoples of the Novem Empire.

    Important to the point that illegal trade of sperm and egg cells was punishable by death.

    Important to the point that in some extreme cases, men and women might marry solely based on their partner¡¯s power alone disregarding status, wealth, or aesthetics.

    Important to the point that most large families were largely non-monogamous for the sake of gathering a large number of useful powers into a single bloodline.

    Important to the point that a third of the purpose of the nanites flowing through everyone¡¯s blood, was boosting population wide fertility and assisting interbreeding between all the races, because the powers-that-be discovered interbreeding led to useful mutations.

    Important to point that empire¡¯s enemies knew them as the empire as blood and lust.

    Important to the point, that it was an open secret that it was the fate of any captured humanoid Stygians and Darklighters to either end up in the harems of the powerful or in some research testing lab.

    Thus from grades K to Eleven, all the youths of the empire could expect to have at least two classes a year whose sole purpose was helping them: A) figure out what their special power was, B) figure out how to actually draw on said power, and C) learn the standardized state approved method for increasing their powers if they didn¡¯t come from a clan or family with its own secret methods.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    After the professor introduced herself, the class was full with a nervous energy. Andrew understood why. This was likely the class that would divide elites from the cannon fodder.

    The academy called this course a class but going by the language in the release one had to sign before enrolling into the course, it was more a grand assessment.

    Though there would indeed be a lot to learn, the true purpose of the course was to serve as a ¡°gentle¡± trial by fire so that academy, and by extension the empire, could get a sense of where one sat on the food chain.

    Thus Andrew wasn¡¯t surprised when the woman clapped her hands a second time and said,

    ¡°Okay, I could talk to you all about great gifts that the gods have granted us, and how this semester is an opportunity for you to try and learn what you¡¯re made but honestly that shit sounds boring so instead I¡¯m gonna call of thirty...two? Thirty-two? Yeah, that sounds about right. I¡¯m gonna call all thirty-two of you down here, one by one, and we¡¯re gonna get a little hands on.¡± said Professor Espina.

    ¡°Now then...Rather than go by alphabetical order. I¡¯d respect the hell out of you guys if a couple of you kids would volunteer.¡± said the Professor.

    Naturally, nobody responded to that because there was nobody who wanted to be the one to test the water. Andrew sat back wondering what would happen next. With sleepy eyes he looked at all the faces in the room that were similarly looking at their peers. He was amused to see each and every person in the room wordlessly encouraging the person next to them to do the honorable thing and step forward.

    Suddenly, Andrew found himself being pushed from behind. Pushed with enough force to make him have to stand to keep from taking a tumble down the bleachers. This was followed by a disguised voice shouting,

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±

    Andrew whipped around realizing that someone was playing with him. It wasn¡¯t hard to spot the culprit. There was a silver-haired wolfkin sitting amongst a group of familiar looking knuckle draggers. The wolfkin sneered at Andrew as if daring him to start something. One of his friends, cracked their knuckles and smiled with menace.

    The Professor apparently was happy to pretend to see none of this. Simply smiling and saying,

    ¡°Ho ho, a man with guts. Professor approves, get on down here!¡±

    Andrew continued glaring at the wolfkin and his entourage. Noting the presence of thug one and thug two from yesterday, Andrew guessed that this young man was the ¡°boss¡± they¡¯d been talking about. Then after an additional second had passed, Andrew turned around and drudged his way down to the ellipsoid ring.

    ¡°Oh, well, you¡¯re a big fellah, aren¡¯t ya? It was kind of hard to see from far away. Anywho, what¡¯s your name?¡± said Professor Espina.

    ¡°Um, Andrew...Andrew Oddvar.¡± said Andrew. Caught off-guard by the woman¡¯s manic energy.

    The woman frowned. Her brow furrowed as she tried to think.

    ¡°Oddvar¡­ Oddvar¡­ I can¡¯t say recall any big Oddvar clans.¡±

    ¡°Would¡­ Quirk help?¡± said Andrew. Deciding to blow his own cover because he¡¯d already decided that he wouldn¡¯t be laying as low as he¡¯d initially planned.

    ¡°Quirk? Ah, the Harrow City Quirks. Now ¡®that¡¯ is a name I recognize.¡± said the woman. Her expression brightening.

    ¡°So, Andrew. Are you like the rest of your clan? Is the class gonna get to see that famous Quirk [Breath of the Steadfast Hero]?¡± said Professor Espina. Smiling.

    Andrew grimaced at the mention of the power his family was most famous for.

    The one thing all the nations of the galaxy had in common was a tendency to give their powers fanciful titles rather than simply saying what the power was. Rather than saying your family had super strength, you said they were all [Herculean Wardens].

    Andrew figured it was all down to some mutual culture of ancestor veneration, hero worship, and general braggadociousness.

    Adding the power that brought a family to its highest height, to the family¡¯s name, was a good way of reminding everyone why you shouldn¡¯t bet trifled with.

    Titling yourself after your power was just the next logical step. It was also a very useful way to avoid making the government paranoid because a world where everyone had powers was a world filled with potential persons of mass destruction. Literally nicknaming yourself after what you could do did a lot to set the minds

    Two out of every three Quirks possessed the [ Breath of the Steadfast Hero]. It was a power that allowed the user to take a single aether filled breath and then for the duration of the time while they were holding their breath, their physical abilities would be augmented.

    Their speed, agility, and in some cases, their regenerative abilities, greatly increase for as long as they could manage to hold their breath. The breadth and magnitude of this physical amplification varied from member to member but the effects were generally dramatic.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ I don¡¯t really ...have that power.¡± said Andrew. Feeling sheepish and vaguely self-conscious as he said so because social conditioning was a bitch and until now this kind of conversation had never gone well for him.

    Andrew was part of the one-third of the family that didn¡¯t have the power. Up until his trip to Abwickeln, he¡¯d also been one of the ten percent segment of the total population that didn¡¯t have a power at all. His mother had eventually been able to get him a power serum but the power it had given was only a low rated pyrokinetic ability, [Fist of Flame].

    ¡°Oh? Really? Then what power do you have, Mr. Oddvar?¡± said the Professor. One brow raised.

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem¡­ I¡¯m not really too sure.¡± said Andrew. Rubbing the back of his head. Calming down inwardly as he found himself saying lines that he¡¯d already prepared to say months ago.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know your own power?¡± said the Professor. Frowning now.

    ¡°No...I know it. You see, a while back, I had a little incident, and it triggered a mutation that changed the power I had to something else.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Strange but not unheard of.¡± said the Professor. Looking curious.

    ¡°Well, what is it? What¡¯s the name of the power, kiddo?¡± said the Professor.

    ¡°[Ideation of the Vacuous Dreamer].¡± answer Andrew.

    Months ago, during the testing to confirm that he was truly himself and not some imposter, Andrew had made the decision to reveal a portion of eidolon abilities in the guise of a new power.

    He¡¯d figured it¡¯d be a good way to avoid unnecessary trouble in the future. His new power could serve as a valid excuse to cover up any unexplainable abilities he ended up manifesting in the future.

    ¡°Hm...Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve heard of that one before. Mind explaining?¡± said Professor Espina. Hands on her hips.

    ¡°Nh, I¡¯m not sure I could do all that good a job of it.¡± said Andrew. Shrugging. Trying to drive it home that didn¡¯t really have a clue on what his power could do either.

    ¡°...According to the folks at the hospital, it¡¯s an empathic ability. So far, as far as I can tell, it lets me read emotions and sometimes thoughts.¡±

    The Professor¡¯s expression turned flat and a little glum. The power that Andrew had described wasn¡¯t completely useless, but it was far from being a combat power. Originally, Andrew had intended to leave things there. You couldn¡¯t really flunk intro to Power Channeling. It was a one credit course for a reason. However you ¡®could¡¯ end up getting sorted out of the class if your power wasn¡¯t strong enough.

    Now that Andrew had re-thought the path he intended to take as a student and citizen of the empire, he found himself giving away a little bit more of what his ¡°power¡± could do.

    ¡°Basically, I¡¯ve found that I can sense all sorts of mental energy including that from emotions, and thoughts, and dreams ...I''ve also found that I can put that mental energy to use.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Put it use? Put it to use how? Come on, man. Don¡¯t leave me hanging.¡± said Professor Espina.

    ¡°Uh¡­ A lot of ways really.¡± said Andrew. Being purposefully vague. Unsure of how much he wanted to reveal.

    ¡°Ways like¡­?¡±

    ¡°I think the researchers used the term fractal-type.¡± said Andrew. Quizzically tilting his head to the side.

    Fractal-type abilities were also called ¡°magic-types¡±. They were powers whose flexible nature allowed them to create a large number of effects. Which was exactly what Andrew had been aiming for when he faked the manifestation of the power.

    Direct manipulation of arcane energies wasn¡¯t something that people could do in this universe. Most magic was through complex formulas, and the use of special ingredients and focuses. The powers people used were essentially magic spells tied to the user''s genetic code.

    Fractal-type powers that came with varying effects and could be used in various ways were the closest most beings of the Blackrose galaxy could get to wielding the kind of powers a mage in a fantasy type universe, or an eidolon of the darker corners of the cosmos, would be able to wield. Which was exactly why Andrew claimed that kind of power. It¡¯d explain away many things he might end up doing in the future.

    ¡°Oh ho, a fractal-type, huh? What kind of things are you able to do with it?¡± said the Professor.

    ¡°Er¡­ Teleportation, I think¡­ Because that¡¯s how I¡¯m still here. Healing. Again because that¡¯s how I¡¯m still here. Beside that... I¡¯ve been able to create some short-lived constructs and emit different kinds of energy blasts . Also I can channel the energy for body augmentation.¡± said Andrew. Giving an answer that he hoped would be impressive enough to keep characters like wolf boy back in the bleachers from giving him trouble, but not so impressive that he had to worry about government types figuratively, and possibly literally, crawling up his asshole.

    The Professor chuckled.

    ¡°Body Augmentation, eh? So you ¡®are¡¯ a Quirk after all. You tease you...Now you¡¯re gonna have to show me a good time after all that talk.¡± said the Professor.

    The woman¡¯s words through Andrew for a loop. He was struck dumb by the realization that she was right. Though it hadn¡¯t been his intention, he¡¯d somehow ended up granting the wish of his ten-year-old self and gaining a power that could essentially make him a normal quirk.

    The Professor neither knew nor cared about what was going on in Andrew¡¯s head at the time. She simply surged forwards her body covered in some kind of electrical discharge as she aimed a blow at Andrew¡¯s head.

    Andrew was able to get out his head just in time to dart backwards, using the additional distance between himself and the Professor, to catch the woman¡¯s punch. Andrew¡¯s hand going numb as the force and electrical energy impacted his palm.

    Instinct and habit took over. Andrew retaliated by flinging the woman away. She flipped in mid air and landed on the opposite end of the ring like a cat. She rushed towards Andrew again but this time he didn¡¯t just wait to receive her. Andrew charged forwards like a locomotive.

    Their bodies clashed in the middle of the ring and the kinetic shielding nearly shorted out in its attempt to absorb and dampen the force. In less than five seconds time, they exchanged no less than a hundred and thirty blows. The sound of their fists hitting flesh sounded like a fireworks show.

    Espina got serious and threw a bolt of lightning at Andrew. Andrew altered the data of the air in front of him and created a shield to redirect her attack. Then he fired back an attack of his. Sending a ball of icy air and kinetic energy flying at the woman.

    Espina wasn¡¯t able to divert his attack as smoothly but she proved she was much tougher than she looked by guarding her core with her arms, and choosing to simply weather the blow. A fierce and feral smile appearing on her face as she allowed her arms to all but freeze over and then still came charging over at him like an angered bull.

    For a second it looked like Espina was on the verge of becoming lighting. Her whole body becoming a thing of crackling blue-white energy. Andrew responded by becoming thunder. A deafening and ghastly noise escaping him as he sidestepped another bolt of lightning only to find that he¡¯d been lead by the nose into a barrage of lightning packed punches.

    Andrew¡¯s right arm whipped out and caught the woman in the kidneys, the body blow was heavy enough to literally lift her up into the air. His left elbow followed and knocked her back into the ground. Then his stance reset itself and his leg flung out. Seeming to glow with faint bloody light as it travelled through the air. Aimed at the point where the woman¡¯s head met her neck.

    Andrew stopped himself. Realizing he was going to far and had gotten carried away. His aura vanished and so did the light that had clung to his leg. He stumbled back three steps and allowed himself to fall onto his backside.

    ¡°I yield¡­¡± said Andrew. Panting softly and only partially feigning exhaustion.

    ¡°W-, What?¡± said Espina.

    The woman stood frozen in place for a moment. Her entire body tensed as she waited for the blow that would never come. Then she realized that Andrew was the one the ground and not her.

    ¡°Huh? Huh?! What do you mean you yield?!¡± said Espina. Sounding a little outraged.

    ¡°Like I said¡­ this is a new power. I don¡¯t really know how to use it...Which makes it hard to pace myself.¡± said Andrew. Shrugging tiredly.

    The Professor narrowed her eyes at her little student. Rubbing the cool spot on the back of her neck and gazing down at the spot on the ring where his heel ate away at the tempered concrete that made up the stage.

    Her gaze returned to Andrew, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Then she took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds just to affirm that she was alive.

    ¡°Nh...If you say so, kiddo.¡± said Espina. Her professionalism making her let the matter go, though her inner-brawler yearned for a heart-pounding round two.

    The Professor proffered her hand and helped Andrew to his feet. He tiredly climbed off the stage and back towards another seat in another part of the bleachers to avoid having to deal with silver haired wolfkin and his punks.

    Octavia found that she was so shaken by what happened that she needed to buy time. She walked off the stage, took a sip of her sports drink and closed her eyes. She took a few seconds to reset her mind.

    She needed to do this because right now her blood was roaring, and right at this moment, she was pretty certain that if she tried to spar with another of those students in her current state she¡¯d probably kill somebody. Or at least seriously injure them.

    Which would lead to parents calling the school. Which would lead to the school making an official inquest. Which would inevitably lead to her being fired. Which would suck because being an associate professor at an academy was a fairly sweet gig and her uncle had gone on a limb to get her this job.

    Espina opened her eyes and took another shuddering breath. Then her playful but professional grin fell back into place. She turned and pointed at the bleachers at a certain silver haired wolfkin.

    ¡°Oi, wolf boy! Since I¡¯ve just been blue balled by our mutual friend here, you¡¯re up. Come down here and show teacher what you¡¯ve got!¡± said Espina. Her mood returning to normal.

 9: Bad First Impressions

    By the time lunch period came around, Andrew was exhausted. Nearly dead on his feet. The best lies in the world were all actually true.

    An amateur might try to get away with simply seeding as falsehood with generous kernels of truth, but the masters of the deception knew how to tell the truth and use it to cover up more inconvenient truths.

    Andrew wasn¡¯t lying when he said he''d been exhausted by his feet with the Professor. In terms of actual time lived, the indeterminate period he¡¯d been around was many times the professor¡¯s life. However, when considered on the basis of stages of life, Andrew was still a child. A ¡°young¡± old one. An eidolon still going through his growing phase.

    Reaching past the surface of the world and fiddling with the underpinnings of reality took a lot of energy. When he was in his eidolon form he¡¯d simply fade away like a nightmare during the day time and leave whatever was left for Sophia to handle. So he hadn¡¯t really been bothered by how much power he had to burn to get things done.

    Now though, now when he was stuck in a body of flesh and blood, he was starkly aware that too much of ¡®that¡¯ kind of exhaustion could kill him. Or at least disincorporate him and leave him very inconvenienced.

    He¡¯d rather not admit it aloud, but he suspected that Sophia had been right about him being a bit young to be gallivanting through the greater-cosmos. Not that he would have let that stop him even had he been more aware of the issue.

    Time, cultivation, and good eating would remedy the issue of his weakness. So long as he didn¡¯t go picking fights with the gods, devils, and archangels, he¡¯d probably be fine. There was no such remedy for the creeping madness he¡¯d felt overtaking him with each day that he spent within the figment-realm of Abwickeln.

    The point being, that while Andrew had indeed played up exactly how tired he was, back in the intro to power channeling class, he hadn¡¯t been lying about being tired.

    Now with the passage of time adding to his exhaustion, Andrew was fairly certain that if he didn¡¯t end up sleeping through his next few classes, he¡¯d just end up skipping the classes altogether.

    Right now, all Andrew wanted to do was eat his shepard¡¯s pie and apple cobbler in peace. He had a webcomic up on a browser window and was doing his best to just sort of veg out. Hoping to catch a second wind before the lunch hour was over.

    Just as Andrew was trying to settle down, he started to feel a gaze on his back. Lines of curiosity, scrutiny, and calculation started to prod at him. Unpleasantly poking at his back like a rogue erection in a crowded dance floor.

    At first Andrew tried to ignore it, but as time wore on the feeling got stronger. Becoming unpleasant enough that had he finished eating he¡¯d have left just to get away from the gaze. Finally, Andrew threw down his spoon, and without turning round, he called out a soft challenge.

    ¡°Oi, mate¡­ If you¡¯re gonna do something then just fucking do it already. Otherwise bugger off before I get testy.¡± said Andrew. Letting a little killing intent seep into his words.

    For a moment, talking seemed to work because the gaze pulled away for a bit. Then it came back and started to come closer. Andrew prepared for a fight, grumbling to himself, and deciding he¡¯d probably not be as generous to whoever this new person was, as he¡¯d been to Thug One and Thug Two.

    He prepared to be attacked from behind. His preternatural senses all sharpened themselves to the point that he found himself seeing with eyes that weren¡¯t inside his body. Which was how Andrew first saw the gangly youth in the tidy and pressed uniform making his way to him from halfway across the dining hall. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The young man was slender, but tall. His build was athetelic but not explosively so. His hair was yellow-green. Slicked back against his scalp.

    His skin was a soft golden color. His features were pretty and slightly androgynous in that way that was common for the fae-blooded, and Andrew could clearly see that while his ears weren¡¯t as long as a fairy or elf¡¯s they still ended in a point. Making Andrew conclude the young man was some kind of half-elf.

    Instead of attacking Andrew, the young man sat to the side of him and then turned. The stare returning as he openly, and somewhat rudely, looked Andrew over. Like a con artist looking to hook a sucker.

    Andrew tried to be patient but his exhaustion and the fact his meal had been interrupted made his temper much shorter than it otherwise would have been.

    ¡°Are you gonna say something or are you gonna just sit there making eyes at me. Because if the latter I¡¯m sorry to say, while you¡¯re not bad looking, friend. I¡¯ve already got a significant other. So maybe just say what you¡¯re gonna say and bugger off.¡± said Andrew. Unsure if he was smiling or simply baring his fangs, as he showed his teeth to the other boy.

    The other boy startled and then opened and closed his mouth several times before grabbing hold of himself. The air around the half-elf changed and then he put on a smile that was a lot more confident than the one he¡¯d worn before hand.

    ¡°I uh...I know, I mean the whole school¡¯s talking about how you shared a cab with the school¡¯s White Rose and started making out with her right in front of the school gate.¡±

    Andrew considered the other boy¡¯s words and wondered exactly how much free time the students of Blackvale must have if they were so bored as to be speculating on his and Sophia¡¯s relationship. Then he looked the half-elf over again with a look of wariness.

    ¡°Ah, so are you another one of ¡®those¡¯? Here to tell me who I can or can¡¯t fraternize with?¡± said Andrew. His voice getting louder and sharper with each word that passed through his lips.

    ¡°H-, Huh? No¡­ I... I was... I was just trying to¡­.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what you thought you were trying to do, but I can tell you what can do right, bloody now. Bugger off!¡± said Andrew. Feeling his patience come to its end.

    The half-elf seemed to deflate his confidence fleeing. He was about to get up from the table but then Andrew stopped him. Keeping him in place by resting his hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder for a second.

    Andrew¡¯s orange eyes met the half-elf¡¯s blue-green eyes. Neither boy said anything for the thirty seconds that Andrew¡¯s hand rested on the boy¡¯s shoulder. Then Andrew¡¯s look softened and the half-elf¡¯s expression collapsed.

    Andrew removed his hand from the boy¡¯s shoulder. Then half-elf began to shake his former composure completely lost. Large, sloppy, tears poured from the boys eyes.

    If there was anyone watching from a distance they¡¯d have seen the two young men sitting in silence and intimate closeness. They¡¯d have seen Andrew put his hand on the slender half-elf¡¯s shoulder and pull him towards as if to whisper something in his ear. Then they¡¯d have seen the half-elf jump up from the table and run out of the dining hall sobbing, hiding his face behind his hands.

    Andrew was aware of at least a handful of less intrusive, less pointed gazes, that had been looking in his general direction. Through his connection to the collective unconscious he could feel a series of moderate shifts in the public¡¯s opinion of him and tiredly wondered what the rumor mill would make of this little episode.

    Andrew sighed. He looked at his food and then shook his head. With his appetite gone there was nothing left for him to do but to dispose of the excess food, put the tray in the tray station and make his way out of the dining hall as well.

    The truth of what really happened was slightly confusing even to Andrew. He remembered feeling very cross with the boy. Then he recalled recognizing that those feelings weren¡¯t his own. He might have been feeling a little hangry at the moment, but Andrew¡¯s fundamental nature was quite separate from the haughty, disdain, he¡¯d felt for the half-elf.

    Usually, if he really hadn¡¯t wanted to be bothered by someone and he couldn¡¯t ignore their presence, it was Andrew who would have left, rather than growling and beating his chest at them to scare them off. Flaring up for almost no reason just wasn¡¯t him.

    This isn''t to say that Andrew couldn¡¯t be mean or brutish. He was a Quirk, so for the first fifteen years of his life he¡¯d been learning meanness and brutishness from masters of the art. It wasn¡¯t impossible for Andrew to be an asshole but he was generally a different kind of asshole and he could tell there was something ¡°inorganic¡± about the way the situation was progressing.

    With this understanding, Andrew had taken a second to take several steps back and get a good look at himself and the half-elf. At which point he realized there was some kind of miasma pouring out of the boy. A kind of greasy, oily, anti-charisma. An unpleasant provoking presence that made it really hard to tolerate the half-elf¡¯s presence.

    Too tired to tolerate strange gases messing with his head, Andrew got rid of the miasma and the ¡®thing¡¯ that had attached itself to the boy¡¯s essence to create the miasma. Literally clearing the air, and forcefully tearing away the hateful aberrant piece of data that was responsible for trying to interfere with Andrew¡¯s thoughts.

    Surprisingly, the half-elf was apparently sensitive enough to notice when the both the miasma and the ¡°thing¡± was gone. Even more surprising, the boy had immediately, burst into tears once he realized what had happened. Running off, sobbing.

    Now Andrew felt bad. He felt bad for being so rude and aggro to the half-elf for no reason, and he felt doubly bad because as far as he knew, that little ball of hate with its antagonistic miasma was some precious family heirloom. However, there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it right at this moment, so Andrew just decided to go to his next class and see if it was large enough for him to nap in.

 10: Pals

    *Squeak* *Squeak*

    A clammy hand, with long delicate fingers, trembled as it turned the, slightly rusty, restroom faucets. Hot water poured from the faucet¡¯s opening, steaming up the mirror. With a little more squeaking, cold water was added to balance the hot water out.

    Two palms began to capture handfuls of water, splashing it onto the face of a teenaged half-elf. With each handful of water, the yellow faded from half-elf yellow green hair, leaving his head as a verdant as a jungle. A strange ooze dripped from the boy¡¯s mouth as he tried to rinse his mouth out with water.

    This continued for several minutes till finally the half-elf was able to calm himself. Turning the water off and gazing at his own reflection in the cloudy mirror.

    Then just as he thought he was ready to leave the restroom, his stomach lurched and he found himself running for the stall he¡¯d already he¡¯d been kneeling at for the last fifteen minutes.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Oliver Ascelin was the fifth born son of the Ascelin family. His mother was human. His father was an elf. Despite being the fifth son of the Ascelin household, Oliver was the oldest. His four elder siblings had all died before his birth. Though their murderers came in many forms, the true killer was the Ascelin curse.

    Once upon a time their family was prosperous and well respected. They were a major faction of the Titania Confederacy, before it became a part of the Empire. Their family had ruled over multiple fae and elf inhabited worlds and birthed multiple, galaxy famous, generals.

    Then with a single moment of poor decision making they lost it all. Due to their years of service the Winter Court Queen Isolde couldn¡¯t have their family executed but she did have them stripped of most if not all their power.

    To add insult to injury she¡¯d cursed the family, taking away their luck, taking away their comradery, taking away a bulk of their magical power and natural gifts.

    This curse had remained in place for tens of thousands of years. Outliving the sinner whose actions had caused them to fall out of favor. Outliving the winter queen who had cursed the family.

    The fact of the Asceline clan¡¯s continued existence was a miracle. One bought in blood, in tears, in gold, and in discarded dignity. They were reduced to a group of parasites. Relying on the influence of others to make up for their weakness. They survived by doing whatever it took to save themselves.

    Thus for generations the family had survived by hiding under umbrellas wide enough to protect them from the effects of their curse. They bowed, they begged, they scraped, they acted as toadies. They lived as virtual slaves, selling themselves to whoever would have them.

    In the worst of times, they prostituted themselves both literally, and figuratively, for the sake of the clan¡¯s survival. It was rare for an Asceline to get married and become anything beyond a plaything, or lesser concubine.

    In fact, that had been Oliver¡¯s goal just now. Andrew Oddvar was a youth that had been in the school for all of two days and already had half the school talking about him. Oliver was following the family teachings by trying to reach out and plant the seeds of future ¡°friendship¡±. If the youth survive then this would be firm foundations for Oliver to get himself a favorable position as the other man¡¯s follower.

    Now¡­ Now Oliver wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do. The curse was gone. He¡¯d felt it as the darkness that had clung to his bloodline was torn away. The experience was painful beyond words, but it happened so quickly that Oliver had barely understood what he was feeling till minutes afterwards.

    Then it was all he could to do run to the bathroom as his essence, the true essence that had suppressed by the curse, awoke. His body violently purged itself of the vile influence of the curse. As Oliver knelt before the toilet, he felt his stomach heave and wondered if he might die there. Vomiting out the remnants of the curse.

    A strange smile crossed his face as he found he didn¡¯t care. If the family¡¯s luck and power was truly back then losing his life while the clan was freed from the weight that had followed them for countless generations was a fair exchange.

    The smile vanished as Oliver thought of all the family members who would likely be affected by the sudden disappearance of the dark parasite that dwelt within their bloodline.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Just him possibly dying was one thing, but there weren¡¯t too many Ascelines walking around. The curse had even had an effect on their overall fertility and lifespans. As Oliver spewed chunks into the toilet bowl. He couldn¡¯t help wondering whether this was a blessing or a calamity.

    He tapped the earclip pinned to his left ear and called home to try and warn them. Praying it wasn¡¯t already too late.

    **********************************************************************************************************

    Andrew sat in the back of his eighth period class. He¡¯d just woken up from a nap and was now trying to remember what the class actually was. He¡¯d read the name, recognized that it wasn¡¯t anything too interesting, and then downloaded the ebook from the class¡¯ school site so that he could absorb its contents into his working memory.

    The Professor was a slightly portly, balding, human man, who¡¯d missed his calling by going into education rather than becoming an ASMR voice artist, recording sleep aids.

    Though Andrew was no longer as tired as he¡¯d been, he¡¯d found himself blinking away sleep trying to listen to the man. Instead of paying attention to the lecture, Andrew decided to simply passively absorb the data for everything the man had said, and leave things as that. Just like he¡¯d done for the books.

    Instead of paying attention in class, Andrew had elected to watch a movie with a streaming app. The film played on a window that floated in front of his eyes and the sound was being streamed directly to his auditory cortex. Add the air conditioning inside the lecture hall and the overall experience was actually quite nice.

    Andrew now wished he¡¯d thought to bring snacks to class with him. He made a mental note to just carry a store of food with him wherever he went from now on. It wasn¡¯t like it¡¯d be a burden to do so, or like the food would spoil, Andrew could just use his powers to create a subspace where time was frozen and sync it to his person.

    While he was thinking these useless thoughts and walking further down the path of being a terrible student, Andrew heard a voice. Hushed, light, and soft, forming an urgent whisper.

    ¡°Hey¡­!¡± said the voice.

    ¡°Pst¡­!¡± said the voice.

    It was kind of annoying. The film had just gotten to the good part where its shirtless, musclebound protagonist had clambered into an old utility mech that had been jerry rigged with machine guns and was using it to mow down the squadron of evil stygian invaders that had taken over the lunar city that served as the film¡¯s setting.

    ¡°What?!¡± said Andrew. Also whispering. His tone a tad impatient.

    Andrew paused his film and looked to the side. He found himself staring at a face that was both familiar and not. The student that had been trying to get his attention was tall, but he had a gauntness to him, and his face was covered in sweat. His hair was green. His eyes were bright aquamarine. His ears were pointed but short in the fashion that indicated he was an elf of mixed blood ancestry.

    Andrew blinked finally recognizing the face.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you!¡± said Andrew. Still whispering.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s me.¡± said the strange half-elf. Sighing.

    ¡°Uh...Sorry about before. I was kind of an ass to you for no reason. D-, Do you want me to try and fix that thing I broke?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°No!¡± said the half-elf. His already pale face growing even paler. His voice rising to a level that drew the attention of others in their area.

    ¡°No¡­ This is fine. Thank you. ¡± repeated half-elf. This time speaking in a softer more controlled tone.

    ¡°Ah...Okay. So what¡¯s up?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°I was¡­. I am¡­. I¡¯d like to be your friend.¡± said the half-elf. His face rigid like he was prepared for the fight of his life.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Do you really mean that?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s what I was trying to say before. I wasn''t trying to start anything...but I¡¯m¡­ As I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re aware I¡¯m kind of shit at making introductions and the like and I ended up starting things off on the wrong foot. I swear I wasn¡¯t trying to start anything back in the canteen. I was just trying to start up a conversation.¡± said the half-elf.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Well, uh, I should have kept my head better. So uh, I¡¯m also sorry?¡± said Andrew. Feeling awkward.

    ¡°So what do you say?¡± said the half-elf.

    ¡°About what?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°About the two of us being friends. I don¡¯t really know anybody in school. You don¡¯t really know anybody in school...or maybe you do. I¡¯ve sorta been scoping you out and I at least haven¡¯t seen you hanging out without anyone.¡±

    ¡°Dude, creepy.¡± said Andrew. Pulling back a little.

    ¡°S-, Sorry. But I think you must have seen how it is for me¡­ I¡¯m not¡­ Or at least I wasn¡¯t... the kind of person who could just walk up to someone and try to start a conversation with no prep-work.¡± said the half-elf. Looking embarrassed and a little aggrieved.

    ¡°Ah¡­ True. Sorry about calling you creepy.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ It¡¯s okay. But back to the question at hand. Do you want to be friends?¡± said the half-elf. Proffering a hand.

    Andrew looked the half-elf up and down, then he gazed at the data behind the young man. Scrutinizing the boy¡¯s essence to see if he¡¯d made any dark ripples in the world around him. As far as Andrew could see his family had been involved in a number of shady things but there wasn¡¯t anything that stood out as a reason for Andrew to turn the other boy down.

    ¡°Sure.¡± said Andrew. Taking the proffered hand and shaking it.

    ¡°Cool. I guess we¡¯re friends now. My name¡¯s Oliver, by the way. Oliver Asceline of the Asceline clan.¡± said the half-elf.

    ¡°I guess so...I¡¯m Andrew Oddvar.¡± said Andrew. Not sure how to feel about the whole proceedings.

    Beyond Sophia, he wasn¡¯t entirely certain when the last time he¡¯d made a friend was. After things started going south with his family he¡¯d mostly been avoided by his peers in school and at home, his cousins and half-siblings either all either ignored him or picked on him. The only exception to this was his sister Jack.

    ¡°Uh...You should probably head down to the canteen. Either that or the school infirmary.¡± said Andrew. Deciding to start things off with a little ¡°friendly¡± advice.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Your body is starving right now and I can see a lot of turbulence in your essence. You need food. Energy. So I think you should probably eat a couple good meals and get a rest.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Ah¡­ That makes sense. I¡¯ve been feeling a bit¡­ under the weather. I would¡¯ve gone home but I wanted to settle things here before I did.¡±

    ¡°Eh?!¡± said Andrew. Giving Oliver a strange look.

    ¡°D-, Don¡¯t mind it. But if it¡¯s not too much trouble. Would you mind helping me get to the school infirmary?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Sure¡­ What are friends for?¡± said Andrew. His brow covered in cold sweat. His face looking as if it didn¡¯t know what sort of expression to make.

 11: Homemade Meals

    Andrew sat on a bench in one of the two park-like areas that were on the school campus.

    Andrew¡¯s ears rang. It wasn¡¯t tinnitus, he was just making a phone call. The ring stopped as the other side answered the call. He heard the pleasant and slightly posh voice of Sophia from within his inner ear.

    ¡°Afternoon, hoheit. How were your classes.?¡±

    ¡°They were alright, but I¡¯m done now. How about you?¡± said Andrew. Waving a fly that had flown too close to his face away. Willing it dead when simply waving wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°Same here.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Cool. In that case, do you want to go home together?¡±

    ¡°I wish I could, hoheit. But right now I¡¯m in the library doing something for school and then I need to head into Housecarl Industries HQ to handle something that came up. So it¡¯d probably be best if you just go home on your own.¡± said Sophia. Sighing.

    ¡°Bummer...Alright, I guess I¡¯ll see you at home later then.¡± said Andrew. Already getting up from the bench.

    ¡°Yes, hoheit. Ta-ta for now.¡± said Sophia. Her words were followed by the clicking noise that phone app played to signify the end of a call.

    Andrew opened up a ride app he¡¯d downloaded the other day, then he thought better of it and walked down to the bus stop. Figuring that this was a good opportunity for him to try and figure out the city¡¯s public transportation system. What Eblouir had going on, probably wasn¡¯t much different from what he¡¯d seen in Harrow so all he needed to do was figure out the routes.

    Andrew waited amidst a group of other students. He didn¡¯t have to wait long. In less than fifteen minutes a long blue, gray, and white city bus pulled up to the stop and opened its doors to let out a handful of its current passengers and allow the students who were waiting at the stop to climb aboard.

    By happy accident, Andrew had apparently chosen a day where the bus wasn¡¯t too crowded so he was able to get a seat from himself. Sitting near the back so he wouldn¡¯t be the one who had to get up if someone elderly or injured came aboard.

    The inside of the bus was quiet save for the whine of the climate control and the low hum of the electric motor. If people were listening to music or watching tv all the sound was being sent directly to their brains by their sprites. There was maybe one or two conversation being carried along softly but for the most part everyone seemed content to wait in silence for their destination to arrive.

    Andrew being Andrew, he was naturally uninclined to break this trend. Keeping to himself and killing time by reading a story he¡¯d found on a web serial site earlier in the day. Andrew read for several minutes getting through a handful of chapters before he noticed that he was being at again. This time the thoughts that flowed from the gaze weren¡¯t quite as intense and he wasn¡¯t nearly as provoked by the gaze. However, it was still a very annoying thing to experience.

    At first Andrew tried to ignore the gaze. Hoping whoever it was would just...go away. Either returning to whatever they¡¯d been doing before they started staring, or alighting from the bus, at one of the stops.

    When thirty minutes passed without either thing happening, Andrew sighed forced to face two realities: One) public transportation while convenient and affordable, was also torturously slow and simply not for him. Two) He was going to have to deal with whoever was staring at him because he could feel them finally making up their mind to approach him.

    Andrew minimized the AR window he¡¯d been reading from and looked up to meet the gaze of blue-haired woman wearing an academy uniform. She wore trousers instead of the usual skirt.

    Upon greater inspection Andrew could see that the woman¡¯ hair was actually feathers with two great tufts standing out amidst her hair like cat ears. Her eyes were blue like her hair and almost too large for her face. Each eye held a dark pupil, large and perfectly black.

    Seeing the feathers and the distinctive eyes, Andrew realized she was an owlkin. Her skin was olive. Her face was diamond shaped and slightly long. Her nose was small and hooked, and Andrew could see the points where it had been broken and healed many times. The woman was tall and moderately muscular.

    Sighing, Andrew wondered what the woman wanted. To make the whole situation more irritating when their gazes met she had the nerve to look away. Pretending she hadn¡¯t been staring at him this whole time. Andrew wrinkled his brow and wondered what exactly her problem was. Then he decided he didn¡¯t care. Returning to his reading.

    No sooner had Andrew returned to his reading that he heard a voice, low, and hesitant with just a hint of the odd, rough, twang that those who hailed from the empire¡¯s frontier worlds tended to speak with.

    ¡°Ex...Excuse me.¡± said the woman.

    Andrew considered pretending not to hear her. Silently hoping she¡¯d just go away because as much as he¡¯d yearned to see other sane beings back when he was in Abwickeln, now that he was home he found that having to deal with people was simply just exhausting. After the whole thing his new pal Oliver, Andrew felt himself feeling downright asocial. Which begged the question of why in the nine hells he¡¯d gotten on a bus of all things.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± said owlkin woman. Still not getting the hint.

    To avoid looking like a jerk Andrew made a show of looking up and looking surprised as he finally decided to respond. Pretending he¡¯d been playing something in his inner-ear, thus explaining away his prior nonreaction.

    ¡°Hm? Oh?! Hi...Do you need something, miss?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°H-, Huh? Oh¡­ No. I just. Well, I think we¡¯re in the same Intro to Power Channeling class.¡± said the woman. Fidgeting.

    ¡°Nh? So we are¡­ So we are.¡± said Andrew. Nodding and smiling enthusiastically. in that way one does when someone mentions a fact that you: A) didn¡¯t know, and B) don¡¯t really care about.

    For some reason, Andrew found himself proffering his hand.

    ¡°In case, we haven¡¯t spoken before. If we have¡­ please don¡¯t be offended. It¡¯s been a hectic day for me with the semesters start and all. Might as well introduce myself now..just in case. The names Andrew Oddvar.¡± said Andrew. Puzzled as to why he¡¯d suddenly become your a folksy politician and then realizing he was probably over-correcting for his mistakes with Oliver.

    ¡°I¡­ I know. But my name¡¯s Modeste Morgan. It¡¯s nice to meet you formally¡­ I guess. I meant to try and talk to you during class but there wasn¡¯t really an opportunity for that and you kind of left class in a hurry once the period was over. ¡± said the woman.

    ¡°True. That wasn¡¯t really the best class for having side-conversation.¡± said Andrew. Talking just to fill up the silence.

    ¡°I guess...Anyway, I noticed you have a fractal-type power. I also have a fractal-type power. I was wondering if you¡¯d want to be training partners.¡± said Modeste.

    Andrew blinked. His brow furrowing despite his intentions. At first he didn¡¯t understand why the young woman was bothering him.

    Then it occurred to Andrew, that the format of the class, according to what Professor had explained after all the test-matches, was going to be a bit like a giant tournament. Meaning the key to passing was a lot of ¡®self-study¡¯, i.e. training. Which was best done in pairs with one¡¯s peers. In fact, if he wasn¡¯t remembering wrongly the professor had made finding a suitable training partner into the first assignment of the class.

    Even with this being the case, Andrew¡¯s first instinct was toe firmly but politely turn the young woman down. The only thing that gave him pause was the fact hewouldeventually need a partner if he didn¡¯t want to risk Professor Espina¡¯s ire. Even if he wasn¡¯t taking his classes at the academy very seriously that didn¡¯t mean he was willing to flunk if it was painless to avoid doing so.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Thus in the end Andrew ended up simply smiling and saying,

    ¡°Sure¡­ If you¡¯re fine with me.¡± Figuring it wouldn¡¯t hurt to train with the woman because there was no difference between her and all the other strangers in his class.

    The owlkin woman¡¯s face and body language instantly grew less tense at his response.

    ¡°Uh, yeah. Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.¡±

    Then finally, the conversation was over. Andrew went back to his reading. The young woman¡¯s attention left him¡­ for the most part. Andrew quietly was anxious about whether there¡¯d be any troublesome complications created by this decision. Then he decided his worries were silly and lost himself within the story he was reading.

    Barely managing a distracted good-bye when the young woman¡¯s bus stop came up and she bid him good evening.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    The bus ride ended at the city¡¯s bus station. Andrew looked up the bus he was meant to take to make it to the district where his and Sophia¡¯s apartment was. He looked at the time it would take for the bus to reach the stop nearest to the condominium. Then he opened his ride app and called himself a cab.

    ¡°Fuck that¡­¡±

    Fifteen minutes later, Andrew finally returned to the condo. He spent five more minutes patting himself down trying to remember if Sophia gave him a keycard or not. Sophia being Sophia he figured she must have given him a keycard, but he couldn¡¯t for the life of him find it.

    Then Andrew remembered he was an eidolon and ordinary locks digital, magical, analogue, or otherwise, weren¡¯t really a problem for him.

    He altered the data for the door, changing the settings from locked to unlocked. He then altered data and changed the door from the closed to open. The door was instantly open, seeming to glitch as reality altered to follow the data.

    Instead of walking inside, Andrew spent a moment staring at the open door.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be safe, right?¡± said Andrew. Immediately, deciding to make it a priority to revamp the building¡¯s security.

    There was something distinctly unsettling about realizing that beyond a few ineffectual locks and anti-invasion enchantments your whole life was basically open to the public.

    Logically speaking, Andrew understood that most people would be hard pressed to get passed the building¡¯s security, but Andrew¡¯s mind naturally went to the worst possible scenario, where a powerful mage, demon, godling, or eidolon like himself was the one trying to break in.

    Andrew shuddered and immediately set a partition of his mind to the task of designing a new set of security features for the building. Then he took a deep breath and let the rest of his mind move on mentally.

    Andrew stepped through the open door and willed it close behind him. The door relocking itself as it closed.

    ¡°I¡¯m home¡­¡± said Andrew. Momentarily forgetting that Sophia was probably not back yet.

    ¡°Welcome back.¡± said a soft, posh, voice from inside the condo.

    ¡°Hey, I thought you said you¡¯d be out for a while.¡± said Andrew. Walking into the kitchen where he saw Sophia standing at the stove stirring something in a saucepan.

    ¡°What are you saying, hoheit? I ¡®am¡¯ still at school and in the office.¡± said Sophia. Frowning. Giving Andrew a puzzled look. A look Andrew had long ago recognized as her ¡°your being daft again, hoheit¡±-look.

    ¡°Uh¡­.¡± said Andrew. Staring blankly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t be home. I just said I wouldn¡¯t be able to ride home with you. Surely, I don¡¯t need to remind you that as eidola we are exempted from many of the weaknesses and limitations of lower-dimensional life forms. Weaknesses and limitations like only having one body. I also doubt I need to remind you that as someone who was a machine, before she became a woman, before she became an eidolon. I¡¯m particularly suited for splitting my consciousness between multiple bodies.¡± said Sophia. Her tone dancing between lecturing and teasing.

    ¡°R-, Right¡­.¡± said Andrew. Blushing. Wishing he could play it off, but aware that Sophia knew him well enough that anything he tried would just lead to more teasing.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Right, is it okay if I redo the security for the building.¡±

    Sophia frowned. Her silky white brows gathering.

    ¡°....Were there signs of a breach?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Huh? No¡­ No, nothing like that. I just¡­ They look a little too... thin. It took me no time at all, to let myself in.¡±

    Sophia¡¯s expression relaxed and sighed. Returning her attention to what was happening on the stove.

    ¡°Hoheit¡­ The physical locks are at the forefront of the industry standard, and modified by me. The security enchantments were made by me personally.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew gulped. Cold sweat beading on his brow as he quietly congratulated himself for taking the tactful approach when broaching the topic of the building¡¯s security. Insulting Sophia¡¯s work was one of the few ways he could get her tetchy at him. Constructive criticism was okay, but suggesting incompetence would land him in the dog house.

    ¡°I¡­ I know, but... It wouldn¡¯t hurt if I just did a little extra, right?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Hoheit, did it ever occur to you that the reason ¡®you¡¯ were able to break in so easily was because you¡¯re just inordinately strong?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Uh¡­ No, but then again, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m the strongest being out there. Plus, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to just add a few extra measures on top of what we have, right? You know how I worry when it comes to these sort of things.¡±

    Sophia sighed and looked Andrew over. The man had no clue what kind of being he was, and no matter how many times she told him, he didn¡¯t seem to get it. Andrew¡¯ current weakness was due to his youth. He enjoyed an innate control over the three primary elements of reality that even she had never attained.

    The modified military tech that made up the building¡¯s physical and digital security features was more than enough to keep out most mortals. The magical protections cast over the buildings could stand up to an assault made by angels, devils, and mid-level gods. Andrew calling the security measures for the building flimsy was akin to a giant kicking over a wall meant to keep out men, and calling said wall, poorly constructed.

    Sophia shook her head and sighed a second time. Aware that Andrew was mostly worrying about her if he really was getting anxious about the security. It made her a little happy, because it meant he was truly thinking of the building as a home for the two of them.

    Sophia looked, turning off the stove and pouring the beef stock she¡¯d been reducing over the pan of grilled vegetables, crumbled beef, and roast peppers that sat on the other spot on the stove.

    ¡°Alright, alright¡­ if it makes you feel better, then make all the modifications you wish, hoheit. Just...try to keep it normal. No riddles. No strange puzzles. No unnecessary booby traps.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean ¡®necessary¡¯ booby traps are allowed?¡± said Andrew. His inner-crafter getting excited.

    ¡°There¡¯s scarcely ever a situation where such things are necessary but yes¡­ fine. I will allow a few ¡®necessary¡¯ booby traps.¡± said Sophia. Giving Andrew a warning glance.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± said Andrew. Unable to resist a small fist bump as his mind began to think up various possibilities.

    ¡°Also, why did you even have to break into the apartment in the first place? I definitely remember putting a keycard in your coat pocket.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Huh? No you did-...Oh...Uh, I guess I just didn¡¯t see it.¡± said Andrew blushing as he found the aforementioned keycard in his breast pocket.

    Sophia just shook her head, rolling her eyes as taste-tested the noodles that were boiling in a pot near the back of the stove.

    Opening the rice cooker on the counter beside her, and scooping out to plates of glutinous rice. Walking over to Andrew, smiling, and nodding towards the table, as a nonverbal way of asking his assistance with the meal¡¯s setup.

    ¡°My thanks, dear hoheit.¡± said Sophia. As Andrew began helping her set the table.

    ¡°No problem.¡± said Andrew. Helping place the plates on the table as Sophia filled the plates with food. Which was followed by him heading to the kitchen drawers to look for cutlery.

    ¡°So what was your day like?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Well, as we¡¯ve already addressed, ¡®my¡¯ is technically still ongoing since I have two of my bodies out and about, at school and the company offices. How about your day, hoheit?¡± said Sophia. Reaching into the fridge and bringing out a bottle of white wine.

    Andrew hesitated and then he laughed.

    ¡°Mhm¡­ I guess that¡¯s fair. My day was pretty boring. There were classes, which for the most part are kind of superfluous now, since between the data I¡¯ve absorbed from the books and the webs I pretty much learned everything the professors are going to lecture on. I met two odd ducks who¡¯ve seemed to have attached themselves to me for some reason¡­ I also watched a nice movie.¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia stifled a chuckle and did her best to look sympathetic.

    ¡°Well, dear¡­ If you¡¯re feeling bored or unstimulated we¡¯re in the greater cosmos now and you have an entire universe to explore and learn about.¡± said Andrew.

    Andrew¡¯s expression turned thoughtful as he realized between being reminded that he wasn¡¯t limited to one body and being reminded that he did indeed have an entire universe to work with, he might not be taking proper advantage of his situation.

    ¡°Nh¡­ Good point, love. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you.¡± said Andrew. Nodding.

    Then he looked up his grin turning wicked as he leaned forward.

    ¡°Speaking of lack of simulation.¡±

    Sophia¡¯s brow rose and she smirked, her cheeks coloring as she held up a finger, to stop him from pouncing.

    ¡°Later, my dear and oh so naughty hoheit¡­ At least wait till after supper. I spent the better part of an afternoon getting this recipe just right.¡±

    Andrew simmered down. Still grinning like a school boy who¡¯d been scolded but wasn¡¯t repenting his mischief at all.

    ¡°Fine, fine¡­ Later.¡±

 12: Going for a Walk

    The next day came, this time Andrew woke up before Sophia, or perhaps it would be more correct to say he never really slept. Merely lying in bed coming up with various plans because his conversation with his long-time companion had led him to question what it really meant to be an eidolon roaming the wide and open cosmos.

    When morning came Andrew crept out of bed and made some coffee for Sophia and him. Since he still had time to kill he decided to see what Sophia had in her fridge and cupboard and consider the possibility of making breakfast.

    Andrew was pleased to find she had flour, eggs, salt, baking powder, and powdered sugar for making pancakes. She also had prosicoutto, and cheese, which combined with the eggs could be turned into a very nice omelet.

    ¡°Breakfast is a go!¡±

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Later, as they rode to school in yet another taxi, Andrew would watch the city as it slowly woke and prepared to meet another day. Andrew then sat back with a sigh and turned to Sophia.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± said Andrew

    ¡°Yes, hoheit?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Why do we take the cab everyday?¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia seemed to think about the question for a moment , while also absently glancing at a browser window that only she could see.

    ¡°Because the academy is too far away for us to walk to, and we¡¯d have to wake up much earlier if we had to go their by bus.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Ah...No, that¡¯s not really what I meant. I¡¯m talking about, well you know how for us...three-dimensional space is largely just a construct? Besides having to expend a little energy, we could just teleport everywhere couldn¡¯t we?¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia frowned, tapping her chin with a pointed, well-manicured, finger.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true, but I sort of feel like that¡¯d be kind of waste don¡¯t you think?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ When you told me you wanted to live amongst the mortals for a bit I admit to being a bit hesitant, but now that I¡¯ve been here for a while, I kind of get why you wanted to get back to your life here so badly. Living like this is an experience of its own. And part of that experience is about how one gets to the places one ends up in.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I guess that make¡¯s sense.¡± said Andrew. Nodding.

    ¡°Also, speaking honestly, I¡¯ve kind of scheduled myself into a corner in my current life and my daily commutes too and from school are one of brief periods that I can just...be¡­ and not have anyone expecting anything from me and or any of my duplicate bodies.¡±

    Andrew just chuckled. He understood, and sympathized with ¡°that¡± kind of reasoning as well. Being able to be multiple places at once meant getting mental strain from even more directions. It wasn¡¯t like the duplicate bodies had minds of their own. They couldn¡¯t, otherwise, the duplication technique would be too dangerous and too costly to use.

    ¡°Did I ever tell you you¡¯re a little too hard working for your own good, Soph?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yes¡­ I think I can recall you saying so once or twice¡­ every day, since the first day, after I gained a sense of self.¡± said Sophia. Smiling. Resting her chin on her knuckles.

    ¡°...I¡¯m not trying to nag. I¡¯m just saying, we¡¯re immortals, Soph. We¡¯ve got all of forever to get the things we need done¡­ done. There¡¯s no need to rush.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°And like always, I¡¯ll say that ¡®that¡¯ kind of thinking is why the long lived races always end up getting surprised when their shorter lived peers catch up to them in terms of attainments and achievements. Life whether short or long is something to be taken full advantage of¡­¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew just shook his head.

    ¡°And like always ¡®I¡¯ have to rebut by saying that a life well lived doesn¡¯t necessarily mean a life where you¡¯ve lived every second ¡®productively¡¯. I¡¯ll never try and tell what to be, or you how to live your life, you¡¯ve had enough of that. All I know is that for me, the best kind of a life would be one filled with tons of those little moments where all you get from them are a few good memories.¡± said Andrew.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Nh¡­ Maybe.¡± said Sophia. Gnawing on a pale pink lip.

    The rest of the trip passed in relative silence, with Sophia and Andrew each doing their own thing. When they arrived at the gate, Sophia kissed Andrew goodbye like the day before. However, unlike the day before, Andrew didn¡¯t hesitate to kiss her back. The young eidolon had already resolved himself to crush any- ¡°one¡±, and anything that tried to separate them.

    The young couple shared a single, brief but passionate kiss before splitting up. While today was technically supposed to be a day that shared classes, Sophia apparently still had some more work to do in the library and thus was not going to be present during the first three periods of class.

    Thus Andrew reported to homeroom on his own. Ignoring the appraising and hostile gazes that drifted in his direct as he sat down at his desk.

    Ms. Sevinc, the homeroom teacher, was as laconic and downbeat as she¡¯d been two days before. The Gremlin woman gestured in the class¡¯ general direction and everyone who had their sprite on, received prompt informing them that they¡¯d received a new email from the school.

    This was followed by Ms. Sevinc using a stylus to write three words on the electronic blackboard at the front of the room.

    ¡°Okay, class. Settle down¡­ Settle down. It¡¯s nice to see you all again. I hope the first week of school has been treating you well. We actually have quite a bit to go over today.¡± said the teacher. Trying and failing to cover up a yawn.

    ¡°You all should have received an email from me just now¡­ That email has a couple handouts attached. Now I just ¡®know¡¯ you kids will read all of the handout, but just in case you might be tempted to just delete the email or let it sit in your inbox untouched let me tell you that at least two of them will probably be pretty important your futures.¡± said Ms. Sevinc.

    ¡°The handout that¡¯s the biggest deal is also the file with the smallest size. It¡¯s basically a brochure on the job fair that¡¯s set to happen in a few weeks. There¡¯ll be a lot of corporations and government groups from all around our empire. So if you don¡¯t really have any plans for what to do after you get out of here and finish serving out your mandatory two years of mandatory military service during the course of the Academy¡¯s field training program, and don¡¯t plan on staying on with the academy, this is a big opportunity to get your foot in the door somewhere nice.¡± said the teacher.

    ¡°The second biggest deal amongst the handouts I¡¯ve given is the file with the largest size. It¡¯s a guidebook to every club, and student association, within the academy. I¡¯d like to remind you that it¡¯s mandatory to join at least one student group, and I don¡¯t think I need to remind you all of the effect the groups you¡¯re part of during school can have when you¡¯re trying to get that all important first job...Especially, since many of the groups that are coming to the school¡¯s job fair also fund a number of these clubs and associations as a way of building a recruitment pool¡­ So yeah, take it seriously, folks.¡± said Ms. Sevinc.

    After her announcement, the homeroom teacher returned to her usual task of explaining certain simple elements of life in the academy, life in the empire, and the current situation on the warfront.

    She also took breaks every few minutes to answer any questions she could about the other classes students were taking.

    As far as he could tell, homeroom was basically a chaotic little variety show instead of proper class, but the content was interesting enough for this to be one of the classes that could see himself actively listening in. Plus there was something about the teacher¡¯s vibe that Andrew liked.

    Andrew couldn¡¯t say the same for the first period class, which was another those classes whose contents he¡¯d already downloaded into his brain so he could ignore the class itself.

    Five minutes into the class, Andrew got up to go to the bathroom. A minute later, Andrew returned, except this wasn¡¯t the true him. He¡¯d taken a leaf out of Sophia¡¯s book and sent a construct of solid-light and aether in his place. Assigning a small sliver of his consciousness to controlling the construct.

    The real Andrew, the main Andrew, was wandering through the academy¡¯s campus. He considered stopping by the school canteen, but it was still early in the morning, and he wasn¡¯t hungry enough for that yet. In the end, he decided to just take a walk, he didn¡¯t need a destination. For now Andrew was satisfied with just enjoying the warm spring air.

    This world, Harlow, was officially recognized as a temperate planet, but its high average temperature was almost enough to push it into the ranks of the tropical worlds and jungle planets. The winters and falls were short. The summers were long and brutal. The springs however, the springs were something lovely.

    As Andrew strolled through the campus he took in the sight, admiring the shivering trees and vibrantly colored, four-winged, birds that lived in their branches.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± said a voice. Crashing into Andrew¡¯s zen moment like a luxury sedan crashing into a twenty-four convenience store¡¯s front entrance.

    Andrew frowned. Clucking his tongue. Then because he recognized the aura and essence-pattern of the one who was approaching, he smoothed his expression and turned around with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Oh, hi...What¡¯s up Ollie.¡± said Andrew. Greeting his new bosom buddy. Absentmindedly noting that the half-elf seemed to be looking a whole lot better than he¡¯d looked either of the times Andrew had seen him before. His physique was much more robust than it had been yesterday.

    ¡°Ollie?¡± said Oliver. Taken aback.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± said Andrew. Feeling simultaneously embarrassed, that his tendency of nicknaming everything he came into contact with, had come out. While also kind of hoping the name became an issue so that it¡¯d make it easier for him and the half-elf to drift apart.

    ¡°Nah¡­ It¡¯s cool man. Is it alright if I call you Andy?¡±

    ¡°....Sure.¡± said Andrew. Smiling so hard it nearly strained his teeth. Hating the nickname because he had an older brother named Andrei, a cousin named Andrea, and an uncle Anders, and all three were some of the most miserable people he¡¯d ever had the misfortune of meeting.

    As far as Andrew was concerned there were only two people in all the cosmos who¡¯d ever willingly allow to call him Andy. His sister, Jack, and his mother, Carmella. However despite that being the case, he wasn¡¯t the sort to kick up a fuss about something as paltry as name.

    ¡°So, Andy what are you up to?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Nothing much. Just taking a walk. You?¡±

    ¡°Taking a walk, eh? Of course a personage like yourself would be the free spirited sort. I wish I could say the same but I¡¯m actually just in the middle of doing an errand for the teacher. I just spotted you and figured I¡¯d stop by to say hi.¡±

    ¡°Nh¡­ Guess that makes sense.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Well, since I¡¯ve said it¡­ I best go before that old codger teaching Electronics Engineering gives me a demerit.¡± said Oliver. Running back towards the school building he¡¯d come out.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t let me keep you. I¡¯d hate to get you in trouble with your professor.¡± said Andrew. Waving.

    As Oliver waved back, Andrew found himself deciding that his friendship with the other boy might end up being a lot less hesitant and begrudging than he¡¯d expected it to be.

    As much as Andrew disliked having to deal with people, being alone all the time ¡°was¡± boring, Oliver had just proven himself to be the kind of person who wouldn¡¯t overcrowd him.

    This realization left Andrew with a new headache to deal with. Now that he¡¯d decided that they just might be compatible after all, he now had to figure out what it meant to be a good friend to the half-elf.

    As Andrew¡¯s mother was fond of saying, respect and consideration were things that had to be reciprocal in any healthy relationship.

 13: Robot Punching Class Two

    Andrew¡¯s tour of the campus ended somewhere around the mid-day mark. He had a nice lunch. They were serving sloppy joes, sweet potato fries, and fried chicken. He ate enough for three people and washed it all down with an almost criminal amount of iced-tea.

    As Andrew wandered through the campus he¡¯d found himself deciding that he¡¯d liked how today had gone. He¡¯d enjoyed himself and he could now see other ways he could make better use of his new freedom.

    Thus Andrew decided from henceforth, if a class couldn¡¯t hold his interest, he wouldn¡¯t personally attend unless absolutely necessary.

    Andrew reported to his Intro to Mechanized Combat class, aka, the Intro to Robot Punching.

    His decision to go to the Intro to Robot Punching class was rewarded because he¡¯d barely switched places with his construct when ¡®things¡¯ started happening. Just as Andrew was getting settled, Professor Ramos clapped his hands and said,

    ¡°Good afternoon. Glad to see you¡¯re all settled. Now get off yer arses because we¡¯re gonna have a wee change of venue.¡±

    Then the muscle-bound old orc strode out of the room, kicking the door open. Leaving the twenty something teenagers alone in the workshop. For a moment, everyone just stared at each other. It was the gnome, Emilia, who first decided to follow the professor. Andrew followed next and the rest trailed behind them.

    The small procession of uniformed students made their way from the Wolfram Hall workshop. Andrew wasn¡¯t bothered but he wonder if the professor had some reason to purposefully not not tell them that they¡¯d be having class in another venue, or if he¡¯d simply been to lazy to draft the email.

    They ended up having to walk a little over two miles before the Professor finally pointed to a building for them to stop at. They didn¡¯t stop at just any building. Their destination was a large building. Roughly bowl shaped at the top, tapering at its center as an indicator of the space manipulating tech being used inside, and broad at the base, like a massive chalice.

    Andrew recognized the building as an open-air stadium. The air around the stadium glowed with the flickering faint blue light of a high-quality aetheric shield. Andrew read the building¡¯s data and whistled as he saw that there were military-grade kinetic dampeners in place.

    Professor Ramos lead his students up into the stands. His rough voice still issuing out as if the orc had some kind of speaker system hidden deep inside that broad, muscular, chest of his.

    ¡°Welcome to Blackvale Lesser-Stadium Two. We¡¯ll be visiting this site on occasion. Some of you will find yourselves visiting this site a little more, and the best of you will find yourselves all but living here, because this is where the higher level mechanized combat classes are taught.¡± said the Professor.

    Andrew looked down at the stage and saw that one half of the stage had slightly over a dozen L¡¯il Bell Ends standing on it. The other half of the stage had been expanded into some kind of massive obstacle course with moving columns and shifting platforms.

    ¡°Alright, you lads and lassies. I can see you getting excited about what¡¯s going on down on the stage, but for now that¡¯s no concern of yours. Right now, we¡¯re gonna start with the bane of many a mech operator. Paperwork. If you look on the class site you¡¯ll notice a few additions in the assignment tab.¡±

    The whole class groaned as Professor Ramos dashed their expectations. Even Andrew couldn¡¯t help sighing aloud. They all were made to sit in the bleachers and use their sprites to access the class¡¯s website.

    ¡°One of the assignments should be labelled something along the lines of ¡®basic safety test¡¯ if those damn TAs did their jobs. It¡¯s a fifty question quiz, and I ¡®will¡¯ be grading you based on the results. But I doubt it¡¯ll be a problem for you lot. After all, you all definitely did the readings I assigned last class, so passing should be a piece of cake.¡± said Professor Ramos. His words eliciting another groan from the class.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have twenty-five minutes to complete the quiz. Starting ...now. Good luck. I¡¯m off to go see where the bloody restroom is. Don¡¯t try to cheat, there¡¯s cameras feckin¡¯ everywhere, and the school security AI are all programmed to flag those kind of things.¡± said the Professor. Chuckling as he walked off.

    Andrew shook his head as he watched the man saunter off on his yet again, then Andrew turned his attention to the window floating in his view. He noted that opening the quiz would lock his sprite into an offline mode till he was ready to submit his answers.

    ¡°Tch, It¡¯s like they don¡¯t trust us.¡± muttered Andrew. Smirking at the school¡¯s efforts to keep people from cheating.

    Andrew opened the quiz¡¯s applet and quickly scanned the test¡¯s contents. He sighed with relief as he found that all his suppositions had been on point. The twenty multiple-choice questions were a breeze to answer and he was never in doubt as to which option was the correct answer. The five short answer questions were a little trickier but he never felt at a loss for things to say about a given issue. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    It looked like Andrew¡¯s future as a student of Blackvale was bound to be a bright one despite his deplorable work ethic.

    Passively absorbing the data created by the Professors¡¯ lectures, and absorbing information from the assigned texts and whatever he could find on the internet, was enough for Andrew to be fairly knowledgeable, if not expert level. Put plainly, it looked like his plan to automate the learning process was a resounding success.

    Andrew had a thought and quickly created a new partition within his consciousness to leave in charge of such matters.

    Now there was a part of his mind that would be dedicated to the task of collecting, archiving, and comprehending knowledge. This would take his plan to a new level and streamline his whole learning process.

    ¡°And¡­ Submit.¡± said Andrew. Rubbing the back of his neck, as he completed the test.

    A little pop-up window, and a cheerful beep, informed Andrew that his submission had gone through. All that was left was for the Professor to return. In the meantime, Andrew turned his attention inwards.

    He wasn¡¯t sure, but he suspected he was experiencing something like indigestion. This was worrying because his current body¡¯s digestive tract was supposed to be capable of totally dissolving and absorbing substances as durable as aether-enriched titanium and deep space diamonds.

    Andrew figured it was just nerves from having to take his first test of the year. Even if ¡®he¡¯ thought he¡¯d done well, it wouldn¡¯t mean anything till he got his grade back.

    The grade was returned shortly before the Professor returned. The quick turnaround wasn¡¯t too surprising. Teaching AIs had been a thing for decades, and even if higher quality institutions didn¡¯t use them in classrooms that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t use them as teacher-assistants.

    ¡°Just an A? Good enough.¡± said Andrew. Furrowing his brow and trying to puzzle out why he hadn¡¯t done better, before deciding he didn¡¯t care because he neither needed or wanted the attention that getting nothing but straight A-pluses would gather.

    ¡°Alright, you lot. Times up. If you haven¡¯t finished already, too bloody bad. Good luck next time. Either way, best submit those answers before you flunk by default.¡± said Professor Ramos.

    There were groans from more than a few students who¡¯d struggled as the minutes ticked by. Once all the quizzes had been submitted, the professor clapped his hands again, making everyone jump.

    Andrew frowned because even he had been caught unawares this time. He imagined it had something to do with how taking standardized tests could put one in a different state of mind. Either that, or months of living as a human was finally making him go soft.

    ¡°Okay, paperwork time is over¡­ Hooray for those of you who passed and for those of you who failed...Well, it¡¯s just the first quiz o¡¯ many, and if it makes you feel any better I never held any expectations for the results, so you haven¡¯t disappointed me, yet.¡± said  Professor Ramos.

    ¡°Now, I want all of you to march down to that stage.¡± said Professor Ramos.

    The class rose as one and did as the old Orc commanded. Andrew found himself filled with a nervous anticipation because he knew what was coming next.

    ¡°There¡¯s a line of Little Bell Ends in front of you. On the back of the mechs you¡¯ll see there¡¯s a big barcode that your sprites can scan to open a web browser page with simple as your mum, plain as day, instructions for how to climb into mechs. You shouldn¡¯t need them of course. After all, everyone here ¡®definitely¡¯ did the readings and you definitely all got a reminder from the material on that easy as pie quiz you just took. But if you should find your memories suddenly going foggy...the instructions are there.¡± said the Professor.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to say the rest, right? You¡¯re Blackvale students. You can¡¯t be that slow. Anywho...Form into lines and get up there. Get in the mechs. I¡¯ve rigged them so that they¡¯ll just lock up instead of exploding if you screw up. If you can get in the mechs and maybe take a few steps without hurting anything, that¡¯s an A-plus from me for the day. Then if you decide to reach for the stars and successfully do the obstacle course, you not only instantly pass this course, I¡¯ll push you ahead to the next one because they¡¯re not paying me to waste everyone¡¯s time. One warning though, for the sake of dissuading the incompetant from overestimating themselves I¡¯m going to add a penalty for failing the obstacle course and wasting ¡®my¡¯ time. A fifty page report on operator safety, sounds about right.¡± said Professor Ramos.

    ¡°Well, then...I¡¯ve said my bit. Get to it.¡± said the Professor. Plopping himself down on a bench that happened to be located near the stage.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew¡¯s turn at the Bell End came eventually. He pressed the port at the mech¡¯s back, revealing a hatch. He pulled the handle on the hatch and that revealed two safety clamps he had to all pull before the air within the mech decompressed and the suit would finally open.

    The hard part of climbing inside a mech wasn¡¯t the actual process of climbing inside the mech. There were actually a number of mechs that had this process automated.

    The hard part came when one was fully inside the mech surrounded by the deep well of darkness that was born from the enchantments within the insides of the mech. Mechs didn¡¯t  come with cockpits. Instead they were largely empty inside. The mechs were essentially just walking coffins filled with endless darkness.

    The operator¡¯s first task was to use their aether and the complex enchantments built into the mech to create a cockpit.

    In the early days, when the technology was new, it wasn¡¯t uncommon for young operators to simply go missing. It was even more common for people to operators to panic while submerged within the impenetrable black, and in their panic cause an explosive malfunction.

    Fortunately, for Andrew that wasn¡¯t what happened in his case. He ran a pencil-thin tendril of aether into the enchantments that were built into the mech. His power flowed into the enchantments like thread running through the eye of a needle.

    Then before he knew it, instead of floating in a vague blackness, Andrew was now in a chamber lit with bright screens and neon-colored user interfaces. Floating above a floor made of transparent crystal with his body covered in threads of glowing gossamer.

    This transformation had little to do with Andrew¡¯s eidolon nature, anyone who knew how to competently control aether and actually read the assigned readings would know how to make a cockpit and boot up their Bell End. The professor was right about this being both a simple task and a difficult one.

    More than a third of the class failed completely, the operator chamber of the mech¡¯s opening automatically and booting them out after five to ten minutes of flailing in the dark. The remaining two-thirds had half fail on the boot up stage. The last third technically succeeded but only a third of that third were up for the task of going through the obstacle course.

    Of the entire class, on Emilia, Andrew, and one other student would try out the obstacle course. The gnome girl, and the eidolon succeeded. The other student ended up falling off one of the shifting platforms half-way through.

    The obstacle course itself was nothing to write home about for those who knew how to properly sync their mind and bodies with their machines. For everyone else, it was a bit like trying to control a game that was coded for complex pc controls with a three button arcade controller. Clunky, and uncomfortable, with great deal left to good old fashioned RNG.

 14: Playing Hooky

    Thursday came around. It was a day with no homeroom, and only one interesting class.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he¡¯d decided that from now on he¡¯d be the breakfast guy, because Sophia had prepared several phenomenal dinners over the passing week, Andew have wouldn¡¯t have even bothered waking up before noon.

    As things stood, Andrew didn¡¯t mind waking up early. He enjoyed making breakfast. Today¡¯s was a savory breakfast lasagna made with duck meat instead of sausage. He also enjoyed the morning car ride to school, where he and Sophia could just enjoy being in each other¡¯s company.

    When they arrived at the Academy, Andrew didn¡¯t get out of the car.

    ¡°Hoheit?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind me. I decided I¡¯m going to try and see the city for a bit.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°But what about school?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°School¡¯s taken care of.¡± said Andrew. Pointing at a duplicate-him that was already purposefully striding towards the first class of the day.

    ¡°Ah, so I see.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Then where ¡®will¡¯ you be going for today?¡±

    Andrew shrugged.

    ¡°I honestly don''t know. I wasn¡¯t really free to wander the city before school started¡­ Or maybe I just didn¡¯t feel like looking Eblouir over back then. Now I kind of want to see what¡¯s out there. You have your company¡­ and I know you said it was just supposed to be a resource for the two of us to use but I can see that despite all that,..it¡¯s basically your baby. You love Housecarl Industries and it loves you too. I kind of want to see if I can at least start looking for something like that for myself.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Nh¡­ Okay, be careful though. Don¡¯t put yourself in danger. ¡± said Sophia. Her expression troubled, her cheeks faintly flushed.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m an immortal remember. What¡¯s there to worry about?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Many things, hoheit... Many things.¡± said Sophia.

    Sophia gave Andrew a quick peck on the lips before exiting the car. Andrew used the ride app to enter in a certain Address. Then the car pulled away from the curb and took Andrew to the place where he¡¯d hopefully find what he was looking for.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew lay back in the seat. He felt another strange twinge from within and his brow furrowed.

    ¡°Okay¡­ This probably isn¡¯t just indigestion then. I better talk to Soph about it later.¡± said Andrew. Turning attention within and finding himself staring at a quickly spreading agitation in his internal workings.

    Andrew felt a sense of anxiety building within him as he realized that just as his life was exactly as he wanted it to be, a new, possibly negative thing, was about to show its face. He distracted himself with online games and music.

    Then the car arrived at its destination.

    ¡°You are here!¡± said the cherry voice of the car¡¯s AI.

    ¡°Welp, thanks.¡± said Andrew. Opening the door and stepping outside into what sounded like a warzone.

    Andrew heard the hum of an isolation field. He felt its electricity in his teeth and knew without checking his sprite, that all communication to the area was completely cutoff. He could hear the sound of bullets and beams being fired in the distance. He could hear concrete walls crumbling as men and women of steel smashed through them in the midst of pitch combat.

    ¡°Yup, this is the right address.¡± said Andrew.

    Andrew walked up the street. The sounds of the fighting grew louder with each step he took.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Oliver Asceline was doing the unthinkable, taking a day off of school. This wasn¡¯t hyperbole. Ordinarily, it would have to be a case where either family as a whole was in danger, or he personally was in mortal peril, for Oliver to miss a day of academy classes.

    The dire effect the curse had on the clan¡¯s luck, talents, and sociability was such that the only way they could overcome it was through sheer hard work. Which meant never slacking off...ever.

    To be fair, Oliver wasn¡¯t slacking off today. In fact, one could argue that Oliver current absence from school was completely in line with the clan¡¯s former precepts. He wasn¡¯t here on Thirty-One Gram Drive for his own good, he was here for his family.

    Even if you cut off its wings, a dragon was still a dragon. Even if you take away its claws and fangs, a dragon was still a dragon. Even if you make it crawl through the dirt and mud like a worm, a dragon was still a dragon...A dragon will never be a snake.

    This was the Asceline motto, this was their clan¡¯s secret ideal. The Ascelines may have lowered themselves but they¡¯d never completely lost their former arrogance.

    Thus for countless millennia the Ascelines had held this belief hidden deep within their hearts. A belief that a day would come where they¡¯d overcome their curse and take back all that had been taken from them.

    Now their curse was gone and the family was acting on this belief. They weren¡¯t so foolish as to believe that simply having their potential, social acumen, and fortunes returned was enough for them to take on absolutely everyone who¡¯d taken advantage of their moment of weakness. However, they were now beginning to try and stand up for themselves again, taking what they were owed from the minor and medium level ongoing deals.

    ¡°Just what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing here?¡± said Edric Long. Head of Shades of Valhalla and Vanitas, aka SVV Inc.  A small private military corporation that operated out of Eblouir city.

    Edric was also the current head of the Long family. The Longs were a family that status-wise had only been marginally better off than the Ascelines. A family that had been stepping on the Asceline¡¯s heads for quite some time. Taking thorough advantage of the cursed household.

    Technically speaking, the Shades were supposed to be a group jointly managed and owned by both the Ascelines and the Longs.  Edric had abused his position to turn the Asceline clansmen into cannon fodder while the Longs held the reigns of the company. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Edric also used his position to hoard the majority of the profits that the company made. Exploiting the Ascelines¡¯ weakness so that he could breach multiple legally binding agreements. Aware that their curse would ruin any attempts to find legal, or extralegal, remediation.

    ¡°Edric, dear sweet Edric, what a strange question to ask... Nine and a half decades ago my father gave your family his trust, bringing you into ¡®our¡¯ company, and barely a moment after the ink had dried you Longs have never stopped stabbing him in the back. So you tell me what you think I¡¯m doing here?¡± said Reese Asceline. One out of the three vice-heads of the Asceline family.

    Reese was a green haired half-elf like the rest of his family, handsome and broad bodied. He strode into Edric¡¯s office, his aura surging, a blade of aether and plasma held in his hands.

    Edric snorted.

    ¡°Looks to me like you damn fools have come all this way to die. No matter. Since I¡¯ve been such a good friend to your family I wouldn''t mind doing you this one last favor.¡± said Edric. Sneering.

    ¡°Warriors of the Shades, send these idiots to Tartarus!¡± roared Edric. Siccing all the mercenaries that were loyal to him on the small group of Ascelines that had made it to his office.

    The sounds of fighting within the company property redoubled as the two sides began to clash in earnest then suddenly there was a sound. A soft coughing noise followed by lightly spoken words.

    ¡°Excuse me¡­Would everyone mind calming down, please?¡±

    The fighting within the building abruptly slowed and stopped as the voice rebounded throughout the halls of the SVV Inc HQ. People looked up at the ceiling with confusion and fear as the voice touched parts of them that it shouldn¡¯t have been able to touch.

    Reese and Edric¡¯s fierce expressions faded as they found their former aggression and agitation dissipating. Their auras diminishing despite their intentions.

    The two clan heads looked down and saw a third party sitting between them. A handsome young man with orange hair, orange eyes, light brown skin. Dressed in a school uniform.

    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± said Edric.

    ¡°Me? Oh, I¡¯m the new boss of this place. Isn¡¯t that obvious? I¡¯m the one holding the company charter after all.¡±

    ¡°What the?! How in blazes did you get your hands on that?!¡± roared Edric. His outrage quickly sputtering and dying like a matchstick in a damp cave as the strange compulsion forced him to calm himself.

    ¡°A-, Andy?¡± said Oliver. Gaping as he watched from the back of the Asceline family¡¯s forces.

    ¡°You know this person?¡± said Reese. His thin brows joining together into a silky green caterpillar.

    ¡°Y-, Yeah. He¡¯s a...He¡¯s a friend from school. He¡¯s the one I told you and all the other family elders about.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Hm? Oh, hey Ollie. What are you doing here?¡± said Andrew. Noticing his schoolmate standing near the back of the group.

    ¡°I...Uh, my family owns half of this business and I guess you could say we¡¯re here trying to settle a contractual dispute.¡± said Olive. Laughing nervously.

    ¡°R-, Really? Damn. That¡¯s what I get for not really scoping this place out...Hold on...Shit. Yeah, I can see it now. They ¡®really¡¯ screwed you guys over didn¡¯t they. The paperwork is so thorough even ¡®I¡¯ couldn¡¯t see this place¡¯s connection to you. They were basically on the verge of completely phasing out any all ownership rights you guys might have had.¡± said Andrew. Seemingly unaware of the effect his words were having on the Ascelines.

    The fact he¡¯d stolen away their anger was the only reason that the family of half-elves didn¡¯t return to fighting the Longs in earnest as they were reminded of how thoroughly they¡¯d been cheated.

    The air of strangeness around the orange headed boy was so thick that everyone ended up turning their attention to the green haired youth instead.

    ¡°This little bastard is a friend of yours, Oliver?¡± said Edric. Snarling outwardly but despairing inwardly because he found himself feeling alarming empty inside. His head feeling light and airy in a way that reminded Edric of a number of less than pleasant experiences with mind altering substances that he¡¯d had in his youth.

    ¡° Yes, si-...I mean, yes.¡± said Oliver. Looking uncomfortable. Not entirely sure how to handle the current situation now that they were no longer fighting, because up until a few hours ago, the gruff human had been ¡°Uncle¡± Edric to him.

    ¡°Young sir...No, Young Master. Might I ask what you came here to do today?¡± said Reese. His deferential tone grabbing the attention of Edric and everyone else in the room.

    ¡°Nh? Oh, I¡¯m mostly here for this, that, and a few other things.¡± said Andrew. Answering vaguely because even he wasn¡¯t sure what his end goal was. He was just going with a feeling. Painting in broad strokes, figuring that he¡¯d add in the final details later.

    ¡°However, now, that I see Ollie here, I¡¯m rethinking a few other things. Like I probably won¡¯t be killing everyone here. Though the people who really deserve it. The ones who hurt little kids and enjoyed it. The blood starved beasts who killed for fun. The vile lechers who touched things that shouldn¡¯t be touched and took things that they had no right to take...You guys can just go ahead and save me the trouble of finding you, right now, please.¡± said Andrew.

    Despite light and almost irreverent tone, the boy¡¯s words carried a heaviness that weighed down one¡¯s bones and made one¡¯s blood flow sluggishly.

    Andrew¡¯s voice turned into countless invisible fingers that flowed through the bodies of everyone present touching things that ought to have been unreachable.

    Shortly afterwards there was a cacophony of gunfire. Those who didn¡¯t have guns used their powers instead. Bullets, beams, firebolts, and other implements were put to work. The wielders of these weapons each targeting themselves with a look of great reluctance on their faces.

    The sound of weapons being used was followed by the sound of bodies falling. Which was followed by a shocked silence as every other soul within the building watched cohorts, clan members, and friends, that they¡¯d thought they knew well, lose hold of themselves and self-terminate.

    Some not understanding why their friends had suddenly taken their own lives. Others understanding completely and feeling a cold draft flow over them as they considered who very close they¡¯d been too death themselves.

    ¡°What...What did you just do? What did you just fucking do?! What did you to my-...¡± said Edric. The blood draining away from his face.

    ¡°Shh¡­Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m thinking?¡± said Andrew. His expression annoyed.

    ¡°Now where was I? Oh, yeah. Ollie, I kind of really need this charter but I didn¡¯t expect you guys would be part of the management of this place. Think we can figure something out?¡±

    Oliver froze. Wishing his new ¡®friend¡¯ would read the room and leave him out of any other decisions he might be about to make. The heads of the two clans looked to the green haired youth. One with a measuring gaze and just a hint of approval. The other with hate and just a hint of desperation.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± said Reese. His voice soft and encouraging.

    Taking heart from his step-father¡¯s encouragement, Oliver stepped forward and addressed the orange-haired boy whose words were apparently capable of doing the impossible and directly ordering men to take their own lives.

    ¡°¡­ What are we figuring out again?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Keep up, Ollie. I need this charter, but you technically half-own it. While the rest of this company falls within the range of acceptable targets for me, since you and I are buds, I can¡¯t very well just take it from you. So we need to come to an agreement.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Ah...Er, okay. What were you thinking, then?¡± said Oliver. Wondering why the other boy...no, the monster pretending to be a boy, didn¡¯t just take what he wanted and go.

    Andrew frowned. Crossing his arms and tilting his head one way and then the other.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got an idea. You guys are probably here because these guys owe you, right? After all, half the business was initially meant to be yours. I can give you that owed sum. I can also give you half of the other side''s holdings because honestly the charter was the most important part of the deal for me.¡± said Andrew.

    Oliver frowned as he got the gist of what he was being told. He turned to Reese who nodded slightly and said,

    ¡°That¡­ That sounds fair.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. It¡¯s done.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°What¡¯s done?!¡± said Edric. Finally finding his anger again.

    ¡°Do you think you can waltz in here divvying up ¡®my¡¯ company and get away with it you little-...¡±

    ¡°Shh...Read the room, friend. You¡¯re no longer relevant to this story.¡± said Andrew. His words carrying the same strange weight they¡¯d had before. Instantly silencing Edric and making him swallow the heart full of fear and rage that he¡¯d been about to spew out.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve done what I¡¯ve come here to do¡­ Do you want me to wrap this up¡­ Or do you want to handle it yourselves?¡± said Andrew. Standing and stretching. The action filled with a lazy grace.

    Similar to Edric Reese had also managed to recover from the strange air that surrounded the orange-haired boy. All the same, his tone remained genial and almost respectful. He smiled and took the opportunity to introduce himself.

    ¡°Reese Asceline...I¡¯m one of Oliver¡¯s fathers.¡± said Reese.

    ¡°Ah...Well, nice to meet you Mr. Asceline. I¡¯m Ollie¡¯s friend, Andrew Oddvar. Feel free to call me Andy.¡±

    ¡°A pleasure to meet you as well. Might I ask what you mean by wrapping this up?¡± asked Reese.

    ¡°Killing off those who might be trouble later. Wiping the memories of others¡­ Erasing the evidence of my presence here. That sort of thing.¡± said Andrew.

    Reese blinked. Hiding the cold fear he¡¯d felt sink into his gut at casual manner the youth used when referring to the task of tidying up a mercenary corporation like the Shades.

    ¡°I¡­ I suppose there¡¯s no harm in leaving it to you. Young Master Oddvar.¡± said Reese. Deciding to completely take his hands off of the situation, because he was curious to see what methods the young man would use.

    ¡°Alrighty, then.¡± said Andrew.

    Suddenly all the Ascelines found themselves standing outside the building, alongside a handful of confused looking men and women.

    The building that formerly served as homebase to the Shades of Valhalla and Vanitas was nowhere to be seen. All that remained of the building was the empty lot it was built on.

    Oliver gaped and then turned to the young man at his side, a look of fear and reverence on his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s...I guess that¡¯s one way to get the job done.¡± said Oliver. Deciding to play things cool.

    ¡°Yep¡­ Not the most elegant solution, but eh, I was never one for needlessly fancy methodologies. Anyway¡­ I¡¯m going back to school. It¡¯d be a shame to miss Intro to Power Channelling.¡± said Andrew.

    Oliver bit his tongue, and refrained from asking what exactly the other boy was planning to learn from a class with the word ¡°intro¡± in it, when he was already at the stage of disappearing whole buildings full of people.

    Reese spoke.

    ¡°Is that so¡­ Then why don¡¯t you and Ollie share a cab? We¡¯re done here so he might as well had back to the academy as well.¡±

    ¡°Nh, okie-doke.¡± said Andrew. Smiling a smile that was far too innocent and free for a man who¡¯d just killed dozens of people less than a few seconds ago.

    ¡°Yes, father.¡± said Oliver. Finally regaining his composure as he was reminded of his duty and role as scion of the recovering Asceline family.

 15: Power Tripping

    Reese ordered a taxi for the two youths. Paying for it himself as a small gesture of goodwill.

    ¡°You kids go on. Have fun at school, Oliver.¡± said Reese.

    ¡°Th-, Thank you, father.¡± said Oliver. Still looking a little uncertain, but having grown much more steady on his feet as his shock over the events that took place in the now missing Shades HQ wore off.

    The car came quickly. This part of the city was near the downtown area, and there were always plenty of self-driving taxis parked in downtown Eblouir, waiting for customers.

    Andrew got inside the car first, all but collapsing into his seat. Oliver followed, hesitating at first before steeling himself and nodding to his step-father a final time.

    The car pulled away from the curb and the remaining Ascelines proceeded to clear the area. Using the momentary disorientation and loss of memory that Edric¡¯s men had experienced to shoo away those that they had no remaining grudge with, and guide those they did have lingering enmity with to a secluded area for disposal.

    ¡°Sir...There¡¯s a phone call for you.¡± said an Asceline clan¡¯s man. The underling came running to Reese to inform him that he should pull his sprite out of private-mode because the clan had been trying to call.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± said Reese. Dismissing the underling.

    The call was from one of the family¡¯s bookkeepers. The accountant had called to inform him that the three billion dollars he¡¯d transferred to the family¡¯s coffers had been successfully deposited. Reese didn¡¯t question what the other man was talking about. He simply thanked the man, hung up and looked in the direction of where his son and his son¡¯s new friend had ridden off in.

    Today was expected to be a much bloodier day, with lesser expected gains. It was meant to be more of a statement than anything else. A way of showing the world that their little clan was no longer one that could just be trampled. A way of helping to rebuild the family¡¯s lost reputation and regain their lost face.

    Reese was more than satisfied with how things went. The message would still be sent, and alongside other moves the clan was making throughout Harlow, the city, the planetary government, and the empire at large would still come to know that the time of trampling upon his family without consequence was at an end.

    The only thing that changed was that the message would be sent with a much reduced cost in Asceline blood, and a much increased profit margin. It was yet another hint of a path that the family could take to return to its golden age.

    ************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew groaned rubbing his brow. His gaze momentarily becoming unfocused.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Huh? Oh. Yeah. Yeah. I¡¯m good. I just over-did it a little is all. The soul is something protected and interfering with free will is frowned upon by the universe at large. For each one of those people I had kill themselves I could have disintegrated that damn building ten times over. I guess I¡¯m not recovered yet after all.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°...Um, I guess. But you are okay, right?¡± said Oliver. Not quite getting the rest of what the other boy said, but sensing that the other boy had said something outlandish.

    ¡°Yeah, man. I already said I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just...tired, is all.¡± said Andrew. Frowning as he wondered for the first time, if he¡¯d shown too much of his hand. Deciding it was fine because he hadn¡¯t shown anything too outlandish by imperial standards. He¡¯d done nothing that the true elites of the empire weren¡¯t capable of. Though it was kind of iffy that he was that capable at only seventeen.

    ¡°Good...I¡¯m...I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay.¡± said Oliver. His expression muddled.

    ¡°Hey, Ollie?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Shoot straight with me. I get that you apparently want to be my friend, but I feel like there¡¯s more behind it.¡±

    Oliver froze. Feeling uncertain and more than a little afraid. He clenched and unclenched his hand as he made up his mind to tell the truth. Instinctively knowing that if the other side sensed falsehood all the hopes he¡¯d had and all the plans he and his family had made would be ruined.

    ¡°I...It depends. What do you know of the Asceline clan? You removed something that had been weakening us for generations. Something the greatest mages couldn¡¯t remove. Something that even our gods had a hard time trying to contain.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Ah¡­I think I got it.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°We¡¯re back now...Strong again, but not so strong that we can fight off everyone who¡¯d want to keep us down or wipe us out before we can become a threat. That kind of strength will take time to rebuild.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°I really do want to be your friend but¡­¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Dude...Quit it with the melodramatics. You¡¯re in my Intro to Power-Channeling class aren¡¯t you?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yeah...How did you know?¡± said Oliver. Blinking. The determination and momentum he¡¯d built up dissipating as he was interrupted.

    ¡°I could feel you staring even then¡­¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Oh...S-, Sorry about that, by the way. I hope I didn¡¯t creep you out too much.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Nah. Like I was saying, you probably heard me reveal my old last name ¡®Quirk¡¯. One of the five big names of Harrow City. A branch clan to the Graves family, who are in turn, one of the three big names of planet Harlow. I¡¯m no stranger to personal relationships based on family alliance and family alliance built on personal relationships. It¡¯s my culture too¡­¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Ah...I...I guess so.¡± said Oliver.

    The inside of the car fell silent and for a while neither boy said anything. Then after peeking over at the other boy, Oliver decided to speak up again.

    ¡°So¡­?¡±

    ¡°So¡­ What?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°So what do you think? About me being your friend? About my family deciding to serve under you and whatever faction is behind you?...At least for a while, while we regain our strength?¡± said Oliver.

    Andrew chuckled.

    ¡°Are you Ascelines always this blunt when trying to attach yourself to other families and groups?¡±

    ¡°No...But somehow I get the sense that trying to be surreptitious would be shooting myself in the foot here.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°True enough...For the friendship, yeah. I think we¡¯re good. No problem there. You¡¯re a weird guy, but hell, so am I, and I¡¯ve got at least four more years of school coming up which is too long to go without talking to anyone besides Sophia. For everything else. Let¡¯s take it step by step and see. It might also help your family¡¯s case to run things by Sophia.¡±

    Oliver frowned. Wondering who Sophia was. Then something in the back of his mind was jostled loose and he gaped.

    ¡°D-, Do you mean Miss Luce?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Yeah. Getting into bed with me, means getting into bed with her...Er, I mean that figuratively. If I see you in bed with her...I just might kill you.¡± said Andrew. Laughing though his eyes said he was completely serious.

    ¡°I¡­ Thank you. I¡¯ll pass that along to my family elders.¡± said Oliver.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    The pair made it to Blackvale and in time found themselves sitting in the underground training arena that served as the classroom for their Intro to Power Channeling Class.

    Professor Espina stood in the ring just as she had in the first class. Andrew noticed that she looked a little different compared to how she¡¯d looked a two days ago. Her hair had been shortened and styled into a, punk rock, pixie cut, and she was wearing a different tracksuit from the one she wore the day before.

    She still had the same manic, faintly feral, energy to her though.

    ¡°Good afternoon, class. Glad to see everyone made it. Last class we checked out what everyone could do. Now we¡¯re gonna get into the meat and potatoes of training you to efficiently make use of your powers. Before we start on that though, I have one question for you all. Did everyone find your training partners, like I asked you to?¡± said Professor Espina.

    This was followed by a chorus of yeses from the class.

    ¡°Good¡­ Good. Remember you can team up in groups of four at the most. However, I¡¯d recommend being sure of those you pick because these will be the people you train with for the rest of the semester.¡± said Professor Espina.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Oliver leaned in towards Andrew, and whispered out of the side of his mouth.

    ¡°Would you mind being my partner?¡±

    ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t you find a partner already?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°No¡­ I was going through a few changes so I couldn¡¯t really reach out to anyone to arrange something.¡±

    ¡°How about friends? Don¡¯t you have any friends in class?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°I¡¯m an Asceline...You¡¯ve felt our aura. Up until a few days ago, I and everyone else who knew us could tell you that Ascelines can¡¯t have friends. Just people we make deals with and people who tolerate our presence enough to use us.¡±

    ¡°Damn¡­ Way to make me feel guilty, dude.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°But did it work though?¡± said Oliver. Smirking faintly.

    ¡°Tch¡­ Fine. Hopefully that other girl who asked me to partner up with her doesn¡¯t mind.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Which other girl?¡± said Oliver. Finding himself faintly displeased to hear that someone else was moving in on his friend, and then getting rid of that line of thought as he decided it was just a tad too clingy.

    ¡°Uh, let me think...It was this blue-haired girl. An owlkin. Uh, oh yeah¡­ Modeste something.¡± said Andrew. Frowning and trying to think.

    ¡°Do you mean ¡®Modeste Morgan¡¯?¡± asked Oliver.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the one.¡± said Andrew. Nodding.

    ¡°Then it should probably be fine ...probably. Last semester she was one of the students who didn¡¯t outright hate me before, so I¡¯m betting she won¡¯t mind me too much now that I don¡¯t have that ¡®aura of suck¡¯ on me.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°If you say so.¡± said Andrew.¡±

    ¡°Hm...Alright, it seems like almost everyone completed the assignment. For those that didn¡¯t I won¡¯t take points off, but I will be sticking you with the other leftovers which will probably affect your grade in the long run.¡± said Professor Espina.

    The professor clapped and Andrew¡¯s brow rose as he felt the space they were in shift and expand. The arena transformed into a training hall with multiple rings like the one the professor was standing on.

    Andrew bumped his assessment of the school up several notches because last he checked that kind of spatial-tech wasn¡¯t something just any group could get their hands on.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve decided on the groups. I want you all to make it official by having one member send a message to me with the number of members in your group and their names. Then the rest of the class will be spent letting you kids get to know each other. I hope I don¡¯t need to elaborate on what the best method for getting to know each other is.¡± said Professor Espina.

    Everyone in class rose from their seat and wandered towards an empty ring. Each student wearing a hesitant expression because for many even if this wasn¡¯t their first time fighting it was the first time they were actually allowed to fight their peers while using their powers.

    ¡°Do you want me to send the message?¡± asked Oliver.

    Andrew considered the question for a moment before shaking his head.

    ¡°Nah, hold on till we¡¯ve talked to Modeste first. We need to know if she still wants to be in the group with us.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Sure¡­Whatever you say, boss.¡± said Oliver. Blushing faintly as generations of deeply ingrained lackey-training put words in his mouth.

    ¡°Boss?¡± said Andrew.

    Oliver sweat. Resisting the urge to look around to see if anyone had heard, because he knew that was the best way to avoid drawing attention to the slip-up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just trying it on for size.¡± said Oliver. Ending his words with forced laughter. Wondering why the other boy was so tactless.

    ¡°Nh¡­¡± said Andrew. Looking at the cloud of anxiety that was floating around Oliver¡¯s head.

    The two youths found their third partner already standing at a ring.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Modeste.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Nh...Afternoon.¡± said Modeste. Fidgeting but trying to hide it.

    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± said Modeste. Immediately noting the half-elf that stood at Andrew¡¯s back.

    ¡°Hm? Oh him, he¡¯s Ollie. A pal of mine. He couldn¡¯t find a partner which was kind of my fault...so I let him join us. I hope that was okay.¡± said Andrew.

    Modeste¡¯s brow gathered slightly but she ultimately didn¡¯t say anything. Simply shrugging and returning her attention to the stage.

    ¡°So how are we gonna do this?¡± said Oliver. Sensing that the atmosphere in the group was turning awkward.

    ¡°Do what?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°The spar?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, I guess...You and Modeste could fight and I could take the winner.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°I guess that sounds alright. What do you say Miss Morgan?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°...That¡¯s fine, I guess. What was your power again?¡± said Modeste.

    ¡°[Aegis of the Four Seasons].¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Oh, right...the multi-type.¡± said Modeste.

    Multi-type powers were similar to fractal-types but much simpler. A multi-type power could do multiple things like a fractal-type could, but it was much more limited in its application and flexibility.

    ¡°So uh, should we start?¡± said Oliver.

    Modeste just leapt onto the ring. Oliver followed her. Andrew watched as they prepared themselves.

    Oliver squared his shoulders and spread his footing. The half-elf lowered his center of gravity falling into a posture similar to a horse stance. Andrew saw an illusion of red brown leaves caught in a cold sharp wind around the half-elf. He realized that Oliver¡¯s power was an aura type.

    Aura-type abilities were those like the Quirk¡¯s [Breath of the Steadfast Hero]. They generally augmented the main character¡¯s physical characters and often granted one or more anomalous powers. They also happened to be one of the most common types of power.

    Oliver¡¯s was slightly different in that it seemed to manifest a visual illusion instead of just appearing as a kind of colored glow created by the user¡¯s agitated aether as was often the case.

    As for Modeste, the young Owlkin stood silent and straight like a reed on a windless night. She observed her opponent watching him, clearly waiting for the half-elf to make the first move.

    Oliver launched himself forward, his movement swift and efficient. Generations of weakness had taught the Ascelines to make the most of what little strength they had, now that his bloodline was allowed to properly express its strength the half-elf was instantly turned into a beast. A humanoid storm that ran as swift as the wind even without the use of a power.

    Andrew was a little surprised when Modeste was able to respond to Oliver¡¯s explosive charge. The young woman loosed a single whistle, a sharp, six note, noise that sounded vaguely like country music and was followed by the concrete of the ring rising up and forming a circular wall around the young woman.

    Oliver¡¯s fist impacted against the wall and Andrew watched as the wall crumbled. Collapsing into dust in a way that suggested that there¡¯d been more behind the attack than simple force.

    Andrew¡¯s brow furrowed as he recognized a similarity between the effects of the half-elf¡¯s attacks and certain rot and poison element magics he¡¯d seen during his time in Abwickeln.

    The owlkin whistled a second time, a brief eight note song that sounded vaguely like an excerpt from some EDM playlist. The half-elf disappeared. Andrew recognized it for what it was, it wasn¡¯t quite teleportation. It wasn¡¯t quite time-travel. It was something in-between.

    The girl apparently knew how to q-step. Looking at the ripples of energy released by the maneuver it clearly wasn¡¯t as refined as proper q-step but it still had the time restoring and space-displacing effects.

    Modeste q-stepped behind Oliver and then dropped a blow into his back that sent him flying off the ring.

    ¡°Nh...And¡¯s the match.¡± said Modeste. Her voice free of bragging, or any other emotions.

    Oliver got up rubbing the back of his head, and glancing over at Andrew to see what his reaction to the loss was.

    Andrew ignored the other boy. Arms crossed. He was going over the fight in his head. Using the information he could pull from the collective unconscious and the akashic realm to gain context on what he¡¯d just seen.

    ¡°True enough...In a real fight she probably could have taken my head off.¡± said Oliver. Deciding that this was the best moment to play the part of a good sport.

    Andrew just nodded. Agreeing with the other boy¡¯s assessment.

    ¡°Your turn.¡± said Modeste. Her lukewarm gaze gaining a little heat.

    Andrew climbed onto the ring and used the fights going on around him to decide how much pressure to put out.

    The human and the owlkin regarded each other. Staring one another down. A full minute pissed without either of them doing anything. At the two minute mark Modeste grew impatient and said,

    ¡°Well? Come on, already.¡±

    Andrew shrugged, and seeing that q-stepping was acceptable, He appeared right in front of the young woman driving his fist into her solar plexus.

    The force behind his blow was enough to lift the young woman off of her feet. She wasn¡¯t blown off the ring. She rose and then she fell, landing on her feet again.

    Andrew stepped off the ring. Hands in his pockets. Modeste slowly crumbled behind him. The watery remnants of her breakfast and lunch spewed out of her as she fell on all fours. Andrew turned to Oliver.

    ¡°You can heal right?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Y-, Yeah. How¡¯d you know?¡± said Oliver. Wondering how the other boy knew of the abilities of his [Aegis of Four Seasons]. Wondering if the boy had looked into the Asceline¡¯s family¡¯s background, and hoping that meant good things for their chances of being pulled under the boy¡¯s umbrella.

    ¡°Mind, healing her? She can¡¯t heal herself right now, and I think I might have overdone it.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°...Sure.¡± said Oliver. Climbing up onto the stage, the illusion that flowed around him changing to one of green leaves, warm gentle rain, and blooming flowers.

    Andrew walked away not looking back. He managed to make it out of the classroom before the trembling started. He sent a quick text to Sophia to let him know that he¡¯d be home early.

    There was something wrong with Andrew. He could feel it. The inner-rumblings that he¡¯d taken to be mild intestinal distress had intensified and somehow spread into his brain and bones. His blood felt like it was boiling and freezing at the same time.

    The fact he hadn¡¯t been able to control his strength during the spar with Modeste was a sign of something having gone seriously array. The fact he didn¡¯t dare try to heal the young owlkin was a sign that whatever was wrong was getting worse.

    By his reckoning, Andrew was fairly sure if he¡¯d tried to heal the young woman she¡¯d have either exploded or turned into some kind of nightmare. The way reality rippled over and through Andrew¡¯s body as he moved boded ill.

    Andrew made it into hallway. He was about to step outside the building when suddenly two figures stepped into his path. Arms crossed and shoulders squared like bouncers at a nightclub.

    Andrew recognized the faces of Thugs One and Two. Following this recognition the young man closed his eyes and prayed for patience because right now was the absolute worst time for this.

    ¡°Please move.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°No can do. Boss has a little something to say to you.¡± said Thug One.

    Andrew heard several footfalls and saw that the Thugs had brought their friends, whom Andrew quickly dubbed Thugs Three through Eight.

    ¡°You¡­ Peasant. Just who the fuck do you think you are?¡± said a voice. Its tone both harsh and arrogant.

    Andrew turned around and saw the silver haired Wolfkin standing behind him.

    ¡°Who are you again?¡± said Andrew. Frowning. His brow lowering as he realized that he¡¯d never bothered to learn the name of his apparent ¡®bully¡¯.

    Fortunately, the thin akashic feed that came parceled as part of Andrew¡¯s connection to the collective unconscious supplied the name readily enough. Placing it into his head just as the infuriated young man in front of him began to look like he was on the verge of exploding.

    ¡°Ah, Julian Harrington. Now I remember. I don¡¯t have time for this today. Can we do a raincheck.¡± said Andrew. His tone irreverent with just a hint of desperation leaking into his voice.

    ¡°No¡­ No fucking rainchecks. You¡¯ve been walking around all week like you¡¯re hot shit. Kissing my girl. So no, We do this now! Right bloody now!¡±

    Andrew blinked. For a moment it took him a second to try and connect which girl the other boy was talking about. As for as Andrew knew he¡¯d kept his inner-manslut in control so for a good three seconds he was starting to wonder if this whole situation was a case of mistaken identity. That was how disconnected the young man¡¯s statement was with reality.

    ¡°I am Julian motherfucking Harrington. Eldest Grandson of the great General Clifford Harrington. Heir to the Harrington family¡¯s main branch. Sophia Luce was to be my bride. She¡¯s not someone a peasant like you can touch. Now the only way you get out of here in one piece is if you get down on your bloody knees and swear you¡¯ll never so much as look in her direction again. Otherwise, I swear to all the gods, and my family name, I¡¯m gonna cripple you right fucking here and now.¡± said Julian.

    Andrew blinked again. He felt a heading coming on. The feeling of agitation that had started in his stomach was now firmly in his brain and had become its own separate agitation. The sensation rippling outward and interacting with the first source of agitation to create an amplified sense of unease.

    ¡°You¡¯re...Insane, you know that? Coming out here and trying all this ¡®young lord¡¯ shit. ¡± said Andrew. Sighing.

    ¡°Kneel or break, bitch! Your fucking choice!¡± growled Julian.

    Andrew shook his head. Hearing a faint roaring in his ears and seeing strange visual aberrations that reminded him of a glitching video recording. His headache had groan from a dull ache to an intense pounding. Becoming a full body affliction of a magnitude that made him question how he was still standing.

    ¡°Look...I don¡¯t know what your problem is, mate. Whatever it is... I¡¯m sure that with the advancements in medicine these days, they probably make a serum for it. Now Sophia...Sophia is her own woman so honestly standing here yelling at me does nothing for you. And ultimately, I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯d agreed that our relationship is none of your fecking business, mate. So I¡¯ll say it one last time. Bugger off because if you force me you will not like what happens.¡± said Andrew. His hands pressed tightly together as if he were begging. His voice growing softer, lower, and colder with each word.

    Julian turned red and then purple looking like an eggplant in a silver wig. Then he turned to his boys and snapped his fingers. Saying the phrase that everyone in the hall were sure he¡¯d been dying to say all along.

    ¡°Break this bastard.¡±

    A moment later, literally less than a second later, Professor Espina came running out into the hallway. She¡¯d finally found where her missing lambs had gotten to. Except she¡¯d found them too late.

    Professor Espina wasn¡¯t an incompetant teacher. Nor was she particularly nepotistic. The fact that the young Harrington heir and his entourage could sneak out of the class and crowd around another student as they had, was largely owed to the fact that she was teaching the class by herself.

    Preoccupied with giving aid and advice to several pairs of teenagers, some of which were using their powers against another being for the second time in their entire lives.

    As an associate professor, teaching a beginner level course, Octavia Espina, didn¡¯t rate the assistants and aids that a tenured professor or a professor in a higher leveled course would get.

    Thus it was that few but the exceedingly unreasonable, could blame her for not finding the boys before nine of them were reduced to broken, barely living, bodies.

    Fortunately for the good Professor, it was clear that the boys¡¯ injuries were due to a fight and the injuries themselves were still within a range that modern medicine could treat.

    Under such circumstances imperial custom limited the amount of attention paid to the matter. Especially once it became clear that all nine boys had been beaten by a single assailant.

 16: Growing Pains

    ¡°Break this bastard!¡± roared the teenaged Wolfkin. Testosterone, adolescent hotheadedness, and generations of deeply held arrogance blinding him to the warning signs. Making him see the tremors that rode up and down Andrew¡¯s body as signs of fear.

    The silver haired boy¡¯s gang of thugs all moved to grab the lanky, mocha skinned, orange-haired, human that stood in their midst like a lamb surrounded by wolves.

    The orange-haired boy¡¯s posture was so open and unwary that it made it seem as he¡¯d already surrendered himself to the beating they were going to give him.

    Suddenly it all changed. The swift alteration of their circumstances happening so fast that even the cameras that were recording in the hallway were hard pressed to recount what took place.

    When the school authorities and his tearful mother asked him what took place in the hallway that Thursday afternoon, a bandage ¡®mummified¡¯ Julian could only offer them one word, ¡°hurricane¡±. It was like being hit by a hurricane.

    He couldn¡¯t for the life of him explain exactly how he and his cohort had  ended up smashed into the ground, thrown through walls, wedged into a lockers, tossed around like toys, until nearly every bone in their bodies were broken.

    One moment, he and his boys were about to put the hurt on the no-name peasant who¡¯d been ousted from Quirks and still dared lay hands on Julian¡¯s wifey-to-be. Then the next moment the hurricane hit and Julian was unconscious before he could truly understand what was happening.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    It was Friday now. Today Andrew didn¡¯t go to school at all. He didn¡¯t even send a duplicate. Instead he lay in bed curled up in a fetal position. Curled up in a ball of pain and confusion as his mind and soul were assailed by the weight of the cosmos.

    ¡°Hoheit, how does it feel?¡± said Sophia. She didn¡¯t go to school either, and had reduced the number of duplicates she had running around in case something happened that required her full attention and power.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine...It¡¯s just a bit of *argh*...cramping.¡± said Andrew. Smiling weakly. Trying not to grimace. Feeling like he wanted to roar, weep, and vomit at the same time.

    ¡°Nh...Endure, Hoheit. That¡¯s all you can do for now. Endure and know that if I could bear this pain in your stead I¡¯d do it in a heart beat.¡± said Sophia. Laying a cool palm against Andrew¡¯s burning brow.

    Sophia watched her beloved tossing and turning in bed. Blood leaked out of all seven holes in his face.

    Her golden eyes observed his internal and external condition, making use of numerous scanners, and perception magics that, she had integrated into her person, as Andrew writhed in pain.

    Yesterday, he¡¯d teleported into the condo covered in the blood that wasn¡¯t his. Complaining of a strange pains that had started of as mild sensation at first, and then rapidly escalated into something intensely painful as the day progressed.

    Now she was watching him as he lay in bed, telling herself that the man that she loved wasn¡¯t dying. Reminding herself that according to the tomes and data stores she¡¯d absorbed in Abwickeln, and the data she¡¯d absorbed from the imperial net the boy was completely healthy.

    The pain Andrew was experiencing were all part of a perfectly normal process. They...She...had known something like this was going to happen when they left the figment-realm. As she¡¯d said when they were leaving, Andrew was simply too young.

    He¡¯d gone through the stages of egg, larva, pupa,  and nymph relatively painlessly, but he was not yet a full adult.

    The last stretch of his growth cycle could take anything between hundreds of years and millions of years. They¡¯d failed to consider the effects of leaving the figment-realm would have on Andrew¡¯s growth.

    According to the models that Sophia had built with the data she¡¯d collected, the problem was one of anchoring and scale. Andrew was the ¡®child¡¯ and heir of the former lord of Abwickeln and was thus anchored to Abwickeln.

    The realm was to him what a pot, with fertilizer and a sunlamp, was for a plant, a safe and relatively stable environment that was conducive for his growth.

    Of course, this assessment depended on what one¡¯s definition of ¡®safe and stable¡¯ was. There was no denying that the man might have ended up becoming an even greater, even more warped, version of his sire had he remained in Abwickeln.

    The point was that entering the greater-cosmos as an adolescent eidolon was like a sapling being returned to the soil so it could finish maturing into a tree.

    The exposure to the greater-cosmos brought greater potential and possibilities, but it also brought countless trials and dangers. If her hypothesis was correct, so long as Andrew survived he would eventually become something many times more powerful than his sire.

    The issue was how low the boy¡¯s actual odds of survival were. Powerful entities like her hoheit were born rarely, and they matured into their full abilities even more rarely.

    Beyond the external threats they had to deal with, an young eidolons body could be called its own worst enemy. Falling apart catastrophically and explosively, if the eidolon wasn¡¯t handled the right way, or placed in the right environment.

    Sophia sighed and the door opened with six of her duplicates stepping into the room. All six Sophias dressed in medical scrubs.

    ¡°Hoheit...I think-...I think you might be on the verge of dying, so I¡¯m going to try something a bit drastic. We¡¯re going to begin the operation now.¡± said Sophia.

    A mostly incoherent Andrew managed to responded with a,

    ¡°I trust you, babe.¡±

    His words drew a communal sigh from all seven Sophias, who looked at each other with stern expressions. Telling themselves that this was no time to be giving into despair. She¡¯d save her hoheit even if she had to snap this universe over her knee to do it. Stolen story; please report.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew woke up an uncertain amount of time later, free of the pain that had afflicted him before. His memories of what took place in the intervening time was hazy.

    He could recall the sounds of screaming, recognizing his voice amongst a handful of others. He could recall the smell of blood and sounds of rhythmic chants. He could recall the familiar hum of ancient and eldritch magics. He could also recall feeling himself on the verge of death.

    Seeing his continued survival, Andrew rightly assumed that Sophia must have done something. Even when she was just a doll, the woman had always had a good head on her shoulders, and though she wasn¡¯t supposed to pick favorites amongst the visitors of Abwickeln¡¯s sanctuary, she¡¯d constantly saved the young man from dangerous scrapes.

    Growing more apt at doing so as the young wanderer found new and more novel ways to put himself in danger. She had also been the one largely responsible for keeping him sane as the figment-realm¡¯s twisted nature started to erode his mind.

    ¡°Where the hell am I?¡± said Andrew. Looking around and noting the obvious. That instead of the bed he and Sophia shared he was sitting in a field of grass.

    ¡°You¡¯re in another world, hoheit.¡± said a soft, prim, posh and very exhausted sounding voice at Andrew¡¯s side.

    ¡°Ah...There you are.¡± said Andrew. Finding that the unfamiliar setting became instantly less concerning with Sophia at his side.

    ¡°Yes...For now.¡± said Sophia. Yawning. Leaning into Andrew¡¯s shoulder.

    Andrew wrapped her in his arm. Shifting the way he sat so he could better support his companion¡¯s weight.

    ¡°When you say world, do you mean a new universe?¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia looked up at Andrew, frowning.

    ¡°Yes. How did you know?¡±

    ¡°The air tastes off¡­Not the air itself, but like the principles that decide how the air should behave.¡±

    ¡°Impressive. You awareness of the shifts of the universal constants must have been sharpened....As expected of my hoheit.¡± said Sophia. Yawning again.

    ¡°Thanks I guess? But how did we get here?¡± said Andrew. Running a hand through his hair.

    ¡°I¡¯m here because you are here and due to our our connection I¡¯ll always be able to find you and reach you no matter where you are in the cosmos... You are here because you¡¯ve just progressed a stage developmentally and for now, from now on, staying in one reality is going to be a whole lot harder for you.¡±

    ¡°Uh,...Want to elaborate on that, please?¡± said Andrew. Wishing the genetic memories he¡¯d inherited from the first lord of Abwickeln were a little more substantive than the vague mixture of vague images, sounds, sensations, and urges that he¡¯d been given.

    ¡°It¡¯s an issue of scale, hoheit. Scale and anchoring. You...my dear hoheit...are far too large.¡±

    ¡°Are you calling me fat?¡± said Andrew. Chuckling uncomfortably. Making light of the tense situation.

    ¡°....¡± Sophia just stared at him, before moving on as if he hadn¡¯t said anything.

    ¡°We¡¯re both young and we¡¯re still growing. Freed from the constraints of inhabiting a planetary mass, my true self is generally slightly bigger than your average planetoid at the maximum. Your true self could potentially swell to the size of a small star. At least this was the case till now...then you grew.¡±

    ¡°How big am I now?¡± asked a wary Andrew.

    ¡°Irrelevant.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Huh?! But you were just saying¡­¡±

    ¡°The point I was trying to make is that you were and continue to be, a bigger existence than I am. The very fact of my evolution into an eidolon is due to my continued exposure to you over time.¡± said Sophia. Patting Andrew¡¯s hand with the expression of one trying very hard to keep their patience.

    ¡°You are larger than life. That is who you are¡­ In a way, that¡¯s who you¡¯ve always been, but now it is a little more literal.¡±

    Andrew frowned realizing that Sophia was trying to break something to him. It reminded him of this one time she¡¯d taken him by the hand and slowly explained how he would have to sacrifice certain precious parts of his body if he planned to get through a certain segment of the former Lord Abwickeln¡¯s twisted realm.

    ¡°Soph...we both know I¡¯m no good with roundabout stuff. So you¡¯re gonna need to be a little more clear about what you¡¯re saying.¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s honestly not that bad. You just have a small condition now. Your body has entered what I¡¯d like to call its world-eater stage.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°My body¡¯s what?!¡± said Andrew. Immediately afraid and dismayed as he thought of all the screaming he¡¯d vaguely remembered dreaming about.

    ¡°Well, hoheit...If you¡¯d let me explain things as I¡¯d planned, I¡¯d have gone into how in terms of dimensional scale you are bigger than most beings. You are not just an eidolon.You are a greater eidolon. A higher dimensional being. We¡¯re both growing but I will never reach a stage where my growth equals that a multiverse. You on the other hand have already begun to outgrow the dimensional boundaries of your home universe.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°I...What does that mean for me, Sophia? Did...Did I kill everyone on Harlow? Did I destroy the home we were building? The life we were building?¡± said Andrew. Growing pale. Feeling the bottom fall out of his stomach.

    ¡°What?! No...Fortunately, it didn¡¯t come to that. Harlow and the rest of the Blackrose Galaxy are safe.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Oh...Good.¡± said Andrew. His hand to his chest, feeling his heart rate slow down as he realized that the few people he¡¯d cared about in that other universe were safe.

    ¡°Okay...So what actually is happening then?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°I just told you, hoheit. You are officially a higher-dimensional being now.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t we both higher-dimensional beings already?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yes. But I am only higher-dimensional in the general sense. It¡¯s like comparing a wyrm to a dragon. I may not be limited by the laws of a given world, but I can still...fit in the greater scheme of things. You on the other hand¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, so I¡¯m a freak...That¡¯s...That¡¯s actually fine. I¡¯m used to being the odd man out.¡± said Andrew rubbing his nose. Trying not to feel disheartened.

    ¡°I-, I wouldn¡¯t put it that way. Rather we could even look at things optimistically and say you¡¯re ahead of the curve. You are an eidolon who by default has escaped the boundary of the worlds. You are by default a peer to the high fae, old spirits, elder gods, and  great devils who sail the vistas between the worlds.¡±

    ¡°And again, I have to say I thought that was the case before¡­¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°It kind of was, but if you were normal then it would have taken more time for that to be completely true. In your case, you¡¯re little growth spurt has technically put you on the level of cosmic heavy hitters automatically. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve been suddenly brought into the UN and given your very on nuclear football before you¡¯d actuallly founded a country.¡± said Sophia. Growing flustered by Andrew¡¯s continued questions and apparent lack of understanding.

    Andrew smiled, he leaned in and gave Sophia a peck on the lips. She blinked her cheeks coloring.

    ¡°What was that for?¡±

    ¡°For being you...For keeping me alive...For making this whole situation sound awesome instead of shitty and stressful.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°It...It was nothing, hoheit. We¡¯re in this together remember?¡±

    ¡°Do we know why I almost died?¡± said Andrew. Standing up and assessing the open field he¡¯d been dropped in. Sending his spiritual sense out and finding nothing of interest around for miles.

    ¡°Nh...Again, that has to deal with your scale. Perhaps I¡¯ve been remiss in calling this whole situation a growth. Rather it might be better to call this an ¡®unfolding¡¯. Your true-self was trying to expand to its proper size after adjusting to the freedom of the greater-cosmos. The universe was trying to fight the expansion, seeing it as an attack.¡±

    ¡°Eesh...So the world was trying to kill me, huh? That sucks. How did you save me?¡±

    ¡°Magics of a pitch black hue and an overall unsavoriness that I¡¯d rather not deal with too often¡­ Let¡¯s just be thankful that Eblouir has such a large population of individuals whose absence wouldn¡¯t be missed.¡± said Sophia. Shuddering.n

    Andrew sat back down and rubbed her shoulder.

    ¡°Gotcha...Thanks for saving me, Soph.¡±

    ¡°Anytime, hoheit.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Now what?¡±

    ¡°Now you eat...You grow...You gain the strength to come back to me and the life you were so ardent on living. Also, for my hard work I¡¯d like to request something.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°A request huh? Shoot. You rarely ask for things.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Your hand in marriage.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°....!?¡±

    ¡°When I thought you were dying it scared me. I thought of all the things we¡¯d never get to do together and it felt like...I can¡¯t even put it into words. It felt like my whole world was ending. In any case, we¡¯ve been together for a while, and I love you and you love me and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to change within the next few centuries  or so...so, according to the custom of the mortals of your world, I think we should get some social and governmental acknowledgement of our bond. Plus, I¡¯d like to be able to tell the flies that are constantly buzzing around me that I¡¯m already in a committed relationship.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew tilted his head to one side and then the other. Acting as if he were really thinking on the matter. Then he lunged forwards and swept Sophia up in his arms.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll marry you...I kind of figured we¡¯d wait till we were done in school, but it was always part of the plan. I want to be with you till the other stars in the cosmos go dark, Soph.¡±

    ¡°E-, Excellent...Th-, then we can been affianced for now and then we can have the wedding a few years down the line. I¡¯ve waited eons...I don¡¯t mind waiting a few years more.¡± said Sophia. Looking down at her hands in her lap. Suddenly feeling bashful.

 17: Garden Plotting

    Andrew and Sophia lay in the grass in a state of extreme undress. After going over what had happened to Andrew and going over the details of his current condition, they¡¯d kind of gotten carried away with the marriage talk.

    One thing led to another, and between their mutual sentiments and their relief at Andrew¡¯s continued survival, the two eidolons soon found themselves rutting in the field like beasts.

    Now it was over, and a slightly out of breath, Andrew gazed up at a three moon sky that was far more blue and clean than his homeworld¡¯s. He frowned at this new planet¡¯s extra moons and then looked over at his new fiance. He was troubled to find that she was looking a lot more translucent than normal. The tall waving grass of the field showing up murkily behind her.

    ¡°Um...Soph? You¡¯re looking a bit ghostly there.¡± said Andrew. Keeping his tone light to hide how alarmed he was.

    Sophia looked down at herself and sighed as she saw that her supple alabaster skin and the muscles, organs, and bones within had all turned to clear crystal.

    ¡°I know¡­¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°You know? Good. Then I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s probably not anything too bad.¡±

    ¡°Yes...Like I said before. You are an outlier. An anchorless anomaly whose scale is so excessive that until you reach full maturity you¡¯ll often find yourself popping into other worlds and realities in the same way a man might drift between lucid dreams...In comparison, ordinary eidolons like myself are generally too weak to manage transdimensional travel on our own. Though I can come to you temporarily thanks to our connection, if I really wish to follow you on your journey between the worlds, I either need to build a gate of some kind like we built to leave Abwickeln, which would probably draw some unwanted attention from the immortal leadership of the Blackrose galaxy, or I¡¯ll need to wait till I¡¯ve done a bit of growing.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Oh...That sucks...Maybe this is something bad after all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, hoheit. After a two to three day refractory period I¡¯ll be able to crossover to you temporarily again. Plus, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to be staying here for too long.¡± said Sophia. Sitting up and adjusting her dress.

    ¡°I¡¯m not?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Of course not. Don¡¯t you remember what I said before?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be honest and say that a lot of what might or might not have been said a few hours ago was lost the moment you took your clothes off.¡± said Andrew. Only half-joking.

    Sophia shook her head and rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Silly, hoheit. Fine then...I¡¯ll repeat myself. You Andrew Oddvar-Luce.¡±

    ¡°Woah, woah, woah...Oddmar-Luce? We¡¯re going the hyphenated route?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yes. Is that not acceptable? I thought that this would be the culturally appropriate trend for a clanless individual being married into an affluent family.¡± said Sophia. Arching a brow.

    ¡°Eh, not really I guess.¡± said Andrew. Rubbing the back of his neck and trying to decide how he felt about the name change. He decided he liked it, but it would require a change of wardrobe because his mental image Andrew Oddvar-Luce  was a little more posh than his image of plain old Andrew Oddvar.

    ¡°Returning to the matter at hand¡­¡± said Sophia shaking her head at Andrew as she watched him ruminate.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°You are in your world-eater phase. Your body is now entering a stage of accelerated growth and you¡¯re going to need to gather a large amount of nutrients, i.e. power, data, and laws to sustain the process and countermand some of the symptoms.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Symptoms like randomly getting teleported to other worlds?¡± said Andrew. Pulling up the trousers that were bunched around his ankles.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Alright...And do I have swallow this planet or is any planet in this new universe, or do I have swallow the universe of itself?¡± said Andrew. His expression turning grave as he considered what it meant to be a ¡°world-eater¡±.

    ¡°None of the above...It¡¯s nothing that dire. The phrase world-eater does refer to being that survive by consuming the essence of a world, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean one needs to consume the entire world.¡±

    ¡°This planet¡¯s name is Alma...It might just be the perfect world for you to start this new stage of your life in. It has a diameter of roughly 1,240,093 square miles, and a surface area roughly 14,000 times that of planet Harlow.¡±

    ¡°Really?! Shit...How am I even standing right now with this frail human body?...And why isn¡¯t everything on fire?!¡± said Andrew. Recalling that Harlow itself was already almost two times the size of your average garden planet.

    Sophia shrugged.

    ¡°Differing universes operate on differing universal constants. It probably also helps that the amount of magical energy present in this universe many times that of your human universe¡¯s. It makes the laws more flexible.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Nh...Alright. So do we have a game plan?¡±

    ¡°I...I was thinking. You go around, you find sources of magic. You find a ley nexus or two and plug yourself into them. Then you get home. If you can collect the required amount between now and the next four months, the time differential between the two worlds is such that you could be back with only a week having gone by in the home world.¡±

    Andrew considered the plan and his normally sleepy brain woke up just enough to offer a few suggestions and optimizations.

    ¡°Nh...so we have a big ass world...filled with magic...How would I go about harvesting that magic again.¡±

    ¡°I imagine the the methods you used when conquering Abwickeln for the former-lord and then for yourself, would suffice, hoheit.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew nodded. Sophia¡¯s words were an affirmation for the thoughts that were going through Andrew¡¯s mind.

    ¡°...The parts of my mind that weren¡¯t going insane with pain took some data readings on the ¡®unfolding¡¯ phenomenon and the process that lead to my displacement into this reality. I came up with a few models tell me what you think.¡± said Andrew. Passing a data packet over to Sophia through their connection.

    Sophia frowned. Her eyes glowed and their thick, silver-white, lashes fluttered, as her mind parsed through the hefty data packet. Then the glowing stopped and she looked up at the boy with a look of appreciation.

    ¡°An interesting proposal¡­I thought you said you weren¡¯t paying attention, hoheit?¡± said Sophia. A soft pur entering her voice as she traced her finger tip down his cheek.

    ¡°Nh...Well, I technically said I lost track of what you were saying not that I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Hmph...In anycase, I think the plan could work...You¡¯re proposing laying down roots. Spreading your weight across multiple realities to reduce the frequency of your displacement.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Yes...But actually, I¡¯m thinking a little bit bigger. Not all eating has to be with teeth. I can use metaphysical resonance to tap into the magic of this world and use that power to tap into the magic of this universe at large. All I need to do is create a system of markers, lay down a few roots. Like you said...It¡¯s a question of anchoring and scale.¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia smiled. Her golden eyes glowing.

    ¡°Indeed, I did. I imagine there¡¯ll be a number of worlds you end up from feeding from.¡±

    ¡°Including home because why not¡­¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yes. We can create a root system that¡¯ll feed both our growths. With our talents it won¡¯t be hard to make it into untraceable, undetectable, an impenetrable collection system..¡± said Sophia. Her words growing more crisp and the pitch of her voice more low as she grew more excited.

    ¡°Do you want to start things up back at home while I start things up here?¡± said Andrew. Noting that his companion was now almost completely see through.

    ¡°Yes...I¡¯ll also make sure to have a duplicate with your appearance attending your classes just in case things take longer than we think.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew smiled.

    ¡°You think of everything don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I try, hoheit...I try.¡± said Sophia.

    The girl looked down and saw that her body was now almost faded into nothing. Alma and its universe were pushing her back to whence she¡¯d come. Sophai sighed, wrapping her arms around herself in a self-soothing gesture.

    ¡°Be safe, my love. There¡¯s too much left for us to do.¡±

    Andrew pulled her into his arms, his tongue briefly explored the familiar confines of her mouth, before he pulled away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worrry, Sophia Oddvar-Luce...Didn¡¯t you say I¡¯ll only be gone a week?¡± said Andrew. Putting up a brave front.

    ¡°A week at home, hoheit...That¡¯s four months in this world. A lot can happen in four months.¡±

    ¡°Kek...You don¡¯t trust me at all, do you? Didn¡¯t you know? I was already taking care of myself for a whole sixteen years before we met.¡±

    ¡°Silly...Of course I know. That¡¯s exactly why I worry. I remember how bad our condition was before we met.¡±

    ¡°Well, I figure with all those eons of care and nagging you¡¯ve put in, four months will be far too short a time for all your hard work to be undone.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± said Sophia. Not bothering to grace Andrew¡¯s statement with a response.

    The young couple kissed a final time, then Andrew was left standing in the field alone. Holding nothing. A warm wind blew over him yet Andrew felt himself grow chillier on the inside. Then after looking up at the sky and its three moons, Andrew shook himself.

    ¡°Well, I best get to it if I want to get back home.¡±

 18: Sandy

    Monday came again, Sophia woke up in bed alone. She got up, looked over at the empty pillow beside her, and felt a pang of loss and anxiety, so heavy it took her breath away. She ended up having to spend several minutes reminding herself that he would be back.

    In just a few days, her hoheit, her Andrew, would return. Healthy, alive, and probably grinning foolishly about something banal while totally disregarding the handful of implausible feats he¡¯d have had to pull off to complete their plan successfully.

    In the meantime, she, Sophia had some work to do. Sophia sat up and looked at the internal located within her mind. She created a data-process that would remind her of the next time she had enough power gathered to make another trip.

    She doubted that she¡¯d need the reminder and expected to end up crossing over to the other universe the very instant she could.

    However planning was a habit that she¡¯d cultivated within herself to deal with the chaos that was the waking world. It kept her sane and calm. Thus she planned for eventual visit and then planned for a whole host of other things that would need to happen in the meantime.

    The difference in speed between her mental space and the outside world gave her plenty of time to plan. Though the ratio varied depending on the part of her mind, Sophia could roughly spend roughly a year in her head for each second that went by in real world time.

    In which case, one might argue the prim and proper young miss was just as airheaded and ¡®carefree¡¯ as her partner, if you counted the time she spent goofing around mentally. She was just a touch more diligent, with an ability that let her hide her shortcomings.

    Sophia¡¯s consciousness expanded as she left her body and entered her overmind. She connected with the great hive of Sophias that she¡¯d created after the awakening of her consciousness and suddenly felt a whole lot less distraught.

    Andrew had given the overmind a name just as she had dubbed Andrew ¡®hoheit¡¯. He dubbed them the ¡®Network of the Wise¡¯ or simply just the ¡®Wise¡¯ for short. To this day, Sophia wasn¡¯t entirely sure why he¡¯d named her such.

    She¡¯d been freshly born and knew literally nothing about life, the universe, and everything in between, when he first gave her the name.

    According to Andrew, it was because she¡¯d shown a great deal more common sense than he had. Wanting to run away from her dark master instead just gormlessly going along with Andrew¡¯s plan to fight him showed good reasoning.

    That they¡¯d ended up being forced  to fight the former lord of Abwickeln in the end, to escape the mad being, was just bad luck.

    This Wise network was her, and she was the network, and besides a few instances where she sometimes felt herself in two minds about a matter she¡¯d never had any issues with existing as hive mind.

    The machine-like processes that dominated her greater self, and the larger perspective that the overmind granted her, gave the girl a sense of surety.

    She could leaf through her memories and see all the instances where Andrew had done something dangerous, or gotten wrapped up in the figment-realm¡¯s madness, and still came out okay.

    With cold logic and her knowledge of Andrew¡¯s capabilities, she could similarly trust that he could continue his track record of coming out okay. This was especially true if she took measures to avoid unfavorable outcomes and potentialities.

    One could sum all this up as a process of reassuring herself by saying she¡¯d simply decided he¡¯d be fine. However the sheer amount of numbers and data involved in coming to the conclusions she was coming to, made Andrew¡¯s eventual return feel less like a desperate hope and more like a statistical inevitability.

    With her worries assuaged, Sophia was able to focus on other things. She returned a portion of her consciousness to the handful of bodies she had in the building. The main body was in the suite that she shared with Andrew. There were auxiliary bodies that were either also in the suite or in condos on the floor below.

    Four bodies would teleport to offices held by her company, Housecarl Industries. She actually had a board meeting scheduled for today with a few of the executive officers, so a fifth, sharply dressed, duplicate was teleported to the head office here in Eblouir.

    A sixth body, the main body, quickly showered, dressed and teleported to school. Sophia passed through the kitchen with a sigh. She could cook breakfast herself but a lack of any real need to eat, and her current downcast mental state led to her ultimately deciding to forgo breakfast this morning.

    By that same measure, while Sophia generally cherished the quiet moments of her morning commute, today was not a day where she wanted to be sitting around alone with her thoughts in the back of a cab.

    The last duplicate that would leave the building didn¡¯t look like a duplicate of Sophia at all. It was six-foot-ten, long limbed, broad shouldered, with orange hair and eyes. This Sophia was designated by the network as ¡°Sandy¡±. An Andrew duplicate that had a copy of Sophia¡¯s mind running its wetware.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    ¡°Good morning, class. I hope you¡¯ve all read through that club brochure I passed around last week and considered which groups and companies you might want to intern with. The places you gain your first experience at and the clubs you join will have a big effect on your future employment prospects, so please actually give it some thought.¡± said Professor Sevinc.

    ¡®Sandy¡¯ sat at the back of the class, next to Sophia¡¯s main body. Sandy did the best they could, to do a good Andrew impression. Pretending to be someone you weren¡¯t was surprisingly difficult, even for Sophia.

    Having personal expeience with that individual, and a large collection of neural scans that gave hints of how that person¡¯s mind worked, helped, but the task still remained difficult.

    The only factor that made things easier was the knowledge that school-Andrew was lazy and laconic. Doing and saying very little unless it was absolutely necessary.

    Andrew¡¯s lack of close friends, or even acquaintances, in most of his classes could also be considered helpful, but Sophia found that she couldn¡¯t really think of the boy¡¯s asocial tendencies as a good thing.

    The two of them had come to this universe for a reason. Seeking a world that was bigger than just the two of them. It kind of defeated the point if only one of them was broadening their horizons.

    ¡°Pst...Pst...Hey, Harlow to Andrew. You in there, man?¡± said a voice. Interrupting Sophia¡¯s train of thought. She looked to her side and saw that: A) somehow, while operating on autopilot she¡¯d managed to make it to the lunch period, and B) there was certain clean faced half-elf looking at her.

    ¡°Sup¡­¡± said Sophia. Hurriedly searching her archives for the other boy¡¯s name.

    ¡°How are things going in your neck of the woods, Oliver.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Er¡­ Good. So as I was saying...Do you know anyway that you could help my family elders see that girlfriend of yours?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Girlfriend? What girlfriend?¡± said Sophia. Eyes narrowing slightly as she found herself surprisingly less perturbed by the idea of Andrew having another lover besides her than she¡¯d expected.

    Taking two steps back she reasoned that the cultural tendacy towards polygamy and her own unique ideas of what meant to love and be loved something to do with it.

    Her lack of a negative response might have also been due to the fact that just last night her and Andrew¡¯s relationship had gained yet another level of definition, and commitment, and after eons of the two of them being together she saw no reason to feel insecure.

    ¡°You know...Miss Luce.¡± said the half-elf leaning in and whispering the name in Sophia¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Oh,...Well, technically she¡¯s my fiance but...whatever...Why did you need to see her again?¡± said Sophia/Sandy

    ¡°D-, Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d need her go ahead before you considered taking my family into your confidence? My elders have been trying to contact her but it seems that the Luce family¡¯s attendants and the people at Housecarl Industries have stonewalling them.¡± said Oliver. Trying not to be shaken by the world-breaking revelation that he¡¯d just heard.

    ¡°Nh...Oh, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll call her and have her pencil you in for sometimes this week. Would that be alright?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°I...Uh, Yes. Yes that would be more than alright.¡± said Oliver. Trembling faintly as he correctly and incorrectly inferred certain things about Andrew and Sophia¡¯s relationship. His mind drawing conclusions on their closeness, power balance, and Andrew¡¯s level intimacy with the Luce¡¯s operation.

    ¡°Was there anything else?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Uh...No, not really.¡± said Oliver.

    Sophia was on the edge o sending the boy away. Dismissing him like she would do to any of her subordinates. Then it occurred to her that this boy was probably one of the few friends Andrew had in school.

    ¡°Er...Okay. So how¡¯s your day been, man.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°G-, Good I guess.¡± said Oliver. Taken aback at first but then settling down as the conversation carried.

    The two spent the next hour chatting about nothing. Sophia made sure to record the conversation so she could pass on the data to Andrew. When it was time for them to head to their classes, they left the canteen together.

    Just as Sophia and Oliver were about to leave the canteen they found their way blocked by a group of youths. From their builds and the badges on their uniforms it was clear that they were students from the higher years.

    In the center of the crowd was a wolfkin, blue-silver hair, sharp facial features, dark gray eyes. The wolfkin has a muscular build and an aura about him that marked him as blooded and experienced. Student who was no longer just a student.

    ¡°Are you Andrew Oddvar?¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Who¡¯s asking?¡± said Sophia. Taking on the indolent, vaguely bored expression Andrew always wore when people came to people came to pick fights with him.

    ¡°I¡¯m Joshua Harrington. Julian was...is...my little cousin. Dudes¡¯s basically my little brother. I hear you fucked him up quite badly. Personally speaking, I have no feelings about the whole situation but family is family. I hope you understand.¡± said the wolfkin.

    ¡°Ah...I see. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re here to avenge your little bro and take back the family¡¯s honor, or something like that.¡±

    Joshua smiled, the expression not reaching his eyes.

    ¡°Something like that¡­¡±

    ¡°Nh...Okay.¡± said Sophia/Sandy.

    Sophia burst forwards. Relying on the superior strength possessed by most if not all of her bodies to handle the matter.

    A leg sweep that tore through concrete, soil, and bone dealt with the first portion of the group. A flurry of punches that fell like lightning and thunder dealt with the middle part. The young men that hung towards the back were taken down as they were forced to catch the friends that were thrown at them like meteorites.

    Finally, all that remained was Joshua. The wolfkin stood stock still. Arms still crossed. His expression still confident. Then slowly the young man¡¯s eyes and brain began to catch up to the reality in front of him.

    ¡°Uh¡­ C-, Can we still talk this out?¡± said Joshua. His formerly brash and domineering attitude nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about, mate. I¡¯ve got class and you¡¯ve got to pick all this trash you¡¯ve left lying around before the head janitor sees. See you later, Ollie.¡± said Sandy. Smirking as he stepped around the wolfkin while stepping over the bruised and battered bodies of the boy¡¯s he¡¯d just knocked out.

    ¡°Yeah...Later, man.¡± said Oliver. Similarly out of sorts because the other boy had acted before he could so much as say a word to show his loyalty and reliability.

    Oliver and Joshuo¡¯s gazes met after they both watched Sandy leave.

    After assessing that he was just strong enough to give the wolfkin a thrashing, Oliver considered doing so for the sake of impressing his friend. Old patterns and old training tilting him inclined him towards the idea of gathering favor wherever he could

    After thinking on it twice, Oliver decided that crushing randoms like Joshua Harrington held no value. If the ¡®Andrew¡¯ had actually cared about what happened to the Harrington boy he would have fought the boy himself.

    Oliver also realized for the first time that even he wanted this relationship he was building with Andrew to be a real friendship and not just subordination masquerading as friendship.

    Thus Oliver simply left the scene. Uncaringly stepping on a few of the battered thugs as he left the entrance of the canteen behind him.

 19: The Fall of Debica

    The world known as Alma was split up into six continents. Anthraka with its high mountains and abundance of minerals lay to the west. Ydrogono with its rivers, lakes, and island chains to the east. Azotou with its lush forests, deep jungles, and wide open fields lay to the center. Oxygono the roaming continent within the clouds floated in the skies above. Theio with its great craggy volcanoes, hot climes, massive deserts, and overcast skies lay to the south. Fosforo the mysterious and inhumane home of the dragons lay in the north.

    The continent of Azotou was home to numerous peoples and countries. However most of the power lay in the hands of the two largest countries the empire of Antoli to the east and the holy kingdom of the Dytika in the west.

    An isolated tower sat in the midst of one of the myriad dark woods of Azotou. Within this tower sat a man.

    The man was stately, tall, and handsome. His silver-gray hair flowed down his back. His silken robes were charcoal colored with silver trim, and covered in sigils and runes. This man¡¯s name was Halbert the Gray. A rogue mage and former noble of the kingdom of Dytika.

    He sat in front of a magically projected map of the Azotou continent. The map didn¡¯t just display the continent¡¯s geography.

    Countless scrying spells were used to keep the map up to date.  The map¡¯s creation had required an expensive and bloody ritual to briefly draw the essence of the akashic plane. Such a map would naturally be more profound than any other cartographic work.

    Instead of simply showing a dead world of ink and power, the map showed a living world. An illusory world created with moving pictures and glowing three-dimensional icons. This was a map that showed the flow and positioning of power throughout the land.

    Halbert sat watching the icons and images move across his map, watching as power flowed back and forth across the western and eastern sides of the continent. Watching as his plans came to fruition and tiny but a sizable portion of the power flowed into an area he¡¯d prepared beforehand. An area that uncoincidentally was located in the same dark forest where he¡¯d built his tower.

    Halbert steepled his fingers and smiled as he gazed at the display, his dull brown eyes, tracking the movements of each icon on the map. Taking in the scene in front of him. Basking the moments that would presage his rise to godhood.

    Halbert¡¯s marble-like face shifted for the first time in days as he allowed himself a small smile. Then just as he began to smile he noticed something strange was happening on the display. The power that was supposed to be being drawn to his ascension pool was being stolen away. The flow of power between the east and west was being disrupted.

    ¡°Tch...Of course. Right when I¡¯m on the edge of a glorious climax, trouble comes knocking on my door. Alright, let¡¯s go see who''s looking to get themselves hexed to death.¡± said Halbert. Using chantless magic to cast a spell of teleportation and carrying himself to point on his map where the most recent anomaly had taken place.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Metal clashed with metal. Bolts of flame, frost, wind, and lightning flew through the air. Men screamed and died as they faced off against a beast beyond their understanding. The town of Debica was a doomed town. Death would have found its way here one way or the other.

    Debica was a city belonging to the small kingdom of Vollstad. Vollstad was one of the numerous kingdoms that swore fealty to the Holy Kingdom of Dytika. Thus Debica was technically a city of the west.

    Unfortunately, for Debica it was too far east. It sat on no meaningful resources. It abutted no rivers, and was more or less by itself meaning it didn¡¯t serve as any kind of trade nexus. It also wasn¡¯t associated with that many farms so it wasn¡¯t a bread basket.

    In terms of the war, Debica was just another square on the chessboard. A space  without any real significance. The powers-that-be on either side of the war had largely forgotten why the city was built and the reason Dytika had bothered to invest in its defense and why one of their former kings sent ment build the city¡¯s high walls of stone and magic.

    Ordinarily, the city would have been forgotten completely but after years of bitter fighting, the two warring nations were willing to make each other bleed just for saying they¡¯d drawn blood.

    Thus the empire¡¯s forces marched on Debica. The kingdom retaliated but due to Debica¡¯s low strategic value instead of sending Dytikan soldiers to do the fighting they sent mercenaries. Mean men of war who¡¯d been working long hours for little pay.

    The hired swords had all already turned bandit ages ago, and simply took the orders that the military messenger sent them as an alert that there was a whole city sitting largely undefended in an area that the kingdom barely held interest in.

    The poor people of Debica never stood a chance.

    Lieutenant Eloise Briggs was a member of the Debican militia a small group of warriors and half-taught mages that the city ordinarily used as a police force and standing army. She and the sixty four other brave but foolish souls that chose not to dessert and run away on the day of Debica¡¯s fall were all that stood between the citizenry and the two packs of human-shaped wolves that stood outside the city¡¯s gates.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    ¡°Knock that damn gate down and get to work, lads!¡± roared a lanky man with pale yellow hair, and a face made ruddy from alcohol.

    The man¡¯s men roared back as they charged forwards with battering rams, explosive charms, and magical extending ladders to circumvent the aged magical wall that surrounded the city.

    Jarell Rollins was one of the three surviving captains of the Tillman Tin Reavers. A mercancy company that normally operated in the southern part of the continent. The Tin Reavers had gotten involved in the war between the two giants of Azotou a little over a year and a half ago. At first things were fine, they¡¯d found that the war was quite profitable.

    One got one¡¯s marching orders from the kingdom¡¯s free company administration offices. You¡¯d report to a desk jockey who¡¯d have a book full of jobs that the kingdom needed done and positions the kingdom needed held.

    It was good money...if your luck held up. When your luck went bad, or if you managed to piss off the man at the desk, you ended up being offered jobs with iffy or just plain wrong information.

    One night of drinking, and one bad bar fight in an establishment that also happened to be frequented by the local mercenary administration offices was was all it took to put the Tin Reavers in a bad place.

    From that day onwards, they¡¯d found themselves sent into ambushes. They were sent to take towns with magical and martial heavy weights hidden amongst the citizenry. They asked made to hold unholdable positions while more favored companies were allowed to retreated.

    Fast Forward to now, and five out of the former-eight captains of the Tin Reavers had been knocked out of the war. Three of those five had fallen in battle, with hundreds of men falling with them. The remaining two had been dishonorable whoresons who¡¯d understandably decided to move on to greener pastures with groups that weren¡¯t on the administration office¡¯s shit list.

    Technically speaking, Jarrell Rollins was no longer a soldier of the kingdom either. It had all just been too much. Now all he cared about was recouping some of what he and his men had lost to the kingdom¡¯s pettiness.

    The city in the middle of nowhere was the answer to the Tin Reavers¡¯ prayers. Besides their antiquated wall, they had no real army. Thus the only thing Jarell and his cohorts needed to worry about was reaching the city before the empire¡¯s forces did.

    They¡¯d loot and pillage the city of Debica and then go to ground. Hiding out in the outskirts of the continent where neither kingdom or the empire held much power.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    ¡°By jove, What in blaze is that?¡± said Sir Martel Ewing of the Knight of the Empire and a Major of the Empire of Antoli¡¯s imperial forces. A broad shouldered man with pale green skin and an elegantly waxed handlebar mustache.

    The Knight-Major stood atop a carriage, with a telescope in his hands. He watched as the Tin Reavers crawled over Debica¡¯s wall and blew open her gates.

    ¡°I do believe the city is being sacked, sir.¡± said Levon Gray, Sir Martel¡¯s Squire and Attache. A stiff faced young man with slightly pointed ears and blond hair.

    ¡°Drat...We¡¯re late. I knew that damn storm was going to slow us down.¡± said Martel.

    ¡°Yes, sir...But if we hadn¡¯t slowed down we might have lost the cavalry in that swamp.¡± said Levon.

    ¡°True...Very well. It¡¯s not like its not all bad news. From what I see there¡¯s only a few hundred of them while there¡¯s more than a thousand of us. Since they¡¯ve been kind enough to open the buffet for us, we might as well go and see what¡¯s on the menu.¡± said Martel. Putting down the telescope, collapsing it, and handing the delicate device to his attache for safe keeping.

    ¡°Have the mages scry the surrounding areas to make sure they don¡¯t have backup hidden somewhere, then if it¡¯s all clear send our boys in and have them steamroll the lot of them. ¡± said Martel.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± said Levon. Bowing at the waist and running off to go and relay Martel¡¯s orders to his subordinate officers.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Eloise fought like a woman possessed, her mage-steel falchion became a flashing silver streak as she lashed out at the men who were killing her city. Of the sixty-four that had stood by her side when the fighting began there were maybe a paltry fifteen left and even that number was a miracle.

    Lt. Eloise owed her continued survival to dumb luck and years of training from her former-adventurer father. The man had been a former-hero, one of the Adventurer elites. The late Camilo Briggs had been an abusive, drunken lout, who¡¯d only been good at a single thing in his miserable life and he¡¯d made sure to pass that one thing on to his only acknowledged child. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Now she used those swordsmanship skills to face off against a little under thirty men who¡¯d come to storm the home of one of the city¡¯s wealthy elites. Behind her were six out of the fifteen remaining Debica Militiamen. The seven of them were all that stood between the citizens who gathered to hide within this fortified frontier manor and the madness that was taking place in the streets.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    ¡°What¡¯s the hold-up?¡± said Jarell. Taking a swig from a crystalline bottle of fine spirits that he¡¯d found in a shop on the city¡¯s tiny merchant district.

    ¡°It seems this city did have an expert afterall, sir.¡± said a Tin Reaver.

    ¡°Bah...What level?¡± said Jarell.

    ¡°She only seems to be Soldier-ranked, sir?¡±

    There were seven ranks of elite that roamed the lands of Alma: Seed, Soldier, Expert, Master, Fortress, Sage, and Saint. The ranks started with the Seeds who were barely considered actual elites and were more elite in the making. Then there were Saints who could gather with the wind and clouds, toppel mountains, and split the seas.

    Speaking less extremely, Seeds were basically just naturals who could give a fully trained non-elite in a given field a run for their money. Soldier-ranked elites were equal to five to ten fully trained non-elites. Experts were equally to thirty to fifty fully trained non-elites. A master could take on over one hundred people. A fortress-ranked could generally take on one thousand people on their own.

    As for Sages and Saints, they were as rare as hen¡¯s teeth and if you got on the wrong side of one you were likely dead either way, so what¡¯s the point of splitting hairs? Does it really matter if an ant is crushed by a falling mountain or a falling moon?

    If the tin-reaver had said that there was a master-ranked elite guarding that house, he would have ordered his men to avoid it and move on to the other areas in the city.

    Though this was one of the few manors in the city there were plenty of other houses, and shops to loot, and honestly, even if there was likely a vault of treasure hidden in this house, it¡¯d hardly matter to the hundred or so lads who died facing off against the elite.

    A soldier-ranked elite however, was a lower hurdle for Jarell and his boy¡¯s to climb. Low enough that Jarell tossed aside his bottle of liquor and got serious.

    An elite slave might be one of the most valuable things they could find in this humdrum town. Magically gifted slave-warriors sold for ten times their weight in gold. Worth three times as much as all other slaves that the reavers were capturing from the town put together.

    ¡°Awright...I¡¯m coming.¡± said Jarell. His mind already making calculations. Thinking of how much money they¡¯d be able to sell the elite for, and how much recovery time that much gold would buy the company.

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    Eloise¡¯s blade flew across the neck of one of the mercenaries and pierced through the chest of another. Blood and sweat ran down her face as she fought at the entrance of the manor.

    Her fellow militiamen fought from within the manor. The one mage courted ego-death by plying her exhausted soul for aether as he cast spark-bolt spells at the Tin Reavers that tried to circumvent Lt. Eloise¡¯s one woman barricade. The two archers arrows out of their quickly emptying quivers.

    The two swordsmen were mostly idle. One lead the townsfolk in obstructing the windows and doorways. The other stood behind the lieutenant ready to futilely lay down his life for the townsfolk who¡¯d taken shelter in the manor if she fell.

    Elosie slew yet another Tin Reaver with a sword that struck like steel viper. Then suddenly her sword met another sword and she felt her arm go numb during the interaction.

    ¡°An elite?!¡± said Eloise. Her tone morose but resigned.

    ¡°Aye¡­Jarrell Rollins. Expert-ranked, albeit barely so. Captain of the Tin Reavers.¡± said a red face man with coarse yellow hair like sun bleached corn-silk.

    ¡°Bastard¡­¡± said Eloise. Roaring to return the heat to her movements rather than any real outrage.

    She refused to give up even though she knew that there was almost no way she could win.

    Though it wasn¡¯t impossible for an elite to defeat someone of a higher-rank, she¡¯d been fighting for hours and some of that blood on her uniform was hers. All the same, she would fight. She would fight for the townsfolk behind her, and more selfishly she would fight to force the man in front of her to kill her, because she knew from her father¡¯s stories that death would likely be preferable to capture.

    The two elite clashed. Eloise¡¯s falchion losing in mass and range to the jagged bladed claymore that Jarell was wielding one handedly. Eloise¡¯s eyes flashed as she drew on the last of her by now, nearly non-existent, aether reserves. Her blade glowed blue as the sword began to move faster, humming as it began to carry an electric current.

    Jarell¡¯s eyes widened as he riposted an aether charge thrust from the woman. Feeling his arm go numb from the electrical discharge.

    ¡°Bloody hell, a breakthrough in a moment like this?! That¡¯s an extra zero to your worth right there!¡± said Jarell. Smiling like a madman, flashing a mouthful of crooked yellow teeth.

    Jarell decided to get serious and suddenly his sword was covered in a dingy, hissing, ooze.

    ¡°Consider yourself lucky, very few ever see my blade of the Viper¡¯s Blade and live.¡± said Jarell.

    His acidic and poisonous blade melted through Eloise¡¯s attacks. Jarrell was an old hand, knew what the young warrior would be aiming for. Thus when her falchion fell into two pieces and she still tried to attack, all but lunging into the point of his sword he pulled back and back handed her. Knocking the young lieutenant unconscious.

    The swordsman that stood behind her stared shocked. Jarell snarled at the boy and the youngster courage broke. The militia tried to flee and Jarell cut him down. The boy¡¯s face was forlorn and horrified as his acid blade rendered him into two halves.

    Jarell then turned his avaricious eyes on the townsfolk. He was just about to call his men to have them collect the manor¡¯s living and nonliving assets when suddenly one of his men cried out.

    ¡°Captain, we have company!¡±

    Jarell frowned and turned towards the Tin Reaver behind him.

    ¡°What company? You best not be talking about the other captains¡¯  boys...otherwise I¡¯ll have you cleaning up after the horses for a ten-day.¡± said Jarell

    ¡°No, sir...It¡¯s the imperials. We¡¯re surrounded.¡± said the Tin Reaver. His face pale with fear.

    ¡°Aw¡­.fuck.¡± said Jarell. Scowling wondering what his fellow Captains had been busy doing while the Antolians were getting the drop on them.

    ***********************************************************************************************************

    Martel and his men rode through the city, killing everything they saw. Their orders were to clear Debica off the map so no hostages, captives, or slave would be taken today. The city and its entire populace would be reduced to fodder to raise the level of magical energy within the body¡¯s of this particular regiment of soldiers.

    The imperials were here ¡®grind¡¯ their fellow man. Using the occasion of war to justify a normally forbidden exploitation of the law of magical osmosis. Thus the hapless, and otherwise useless, Debicans would be turned into strength for the empire. If Martel had any luck, one or two new elites would be the result.

    A ring of six hundred hundred men surrounded the city and blocked the holes the Dytikan mercenaries had so helpfully made in Debica¡¯s defense. They would catch and slay whoever tried to flee.

    Martel swung his axe and lopped off the head of a mercenary who¡¯d begging for mercy. The mages and arches fired on the dozen or so fellows and townsfolk that happened to be on that particular street.

    The imperials spread out purging Debica of life. They took time with the task. Cleaning out the streets and then meticulously breaching each and every building.

    During the purge Martel happened to come across a bearded, dark haired, man in a slightly nicer uniform in what looked like a tavern. At least the top half of the uniform was nicer. Martel couldn¡¯t really say about the bottom half because his trousers were around his ankles.

    The man had been preoccupied with forcing himself on one of the townswomen. He was so preoccupied that he didn¡¯t notice that Martel and his men entered the tavern till Martel had already cut the man and the woman beneath him in two.

    Martel and his men eventually came across a certain manor, where the captain of that particular segment of the mercenary company seemed to be loading captives and loot into wagons in preparation for beating a hasty retreat.

    ¡°You might as well surrender, knave. The way out is blocked.¡± said Martel.

    Jarell sneered.

    ¡°Ah, maybe...maybe. But you see, if you¡¯ve had a long streak of shite luck you get to making plan Bs, plan Cs, and even plan Ds in case things turn sideways. Use the charm boys!¡± said Jarell. Cackling as he gave the order to his men.

    Martel scowled as he found himself staring at an empty street and mostly burned down building.

    ¡°Teleportation charms...How the fuck did they get their hands on those?!¡± said Martel. Thoroughly dissatisfied at having let his quarry escape.

    ¡°Black market mages, sir?¡± said Levon.

    ¡°Nh...Probably. In that case, I doubt they¡¯d have been able to afford real quality.¡± said Martel.

    ¡°In which case, they likely didn¡¯t teleport very far, sir.¡± said Levon.

    Martel smiled.

    ¡°Let the boys outside clean that trash.¡±

    Martel and Levon¡¯s guess was right on the money. Jarell¡¯s gambit only carried him and his men outside the city walls. They ended up literally yards away from the enclosure of stone and armed men that had trapped them moments before.

    ¡°Retreat, lads. Run like hell is chasing you!¡± ordered Jarell. Whipping the horses that lead the wagon full of his share of the loot.

    The imperials and their officers, who¡¯d been guarding the wall, were only momentarily shocked before they sent a portion of their men to give chase.

    Jarell and Tin Reavers found themselves dodging a hail of arrows and spells. Jarell could see escape in view. All he and his men needed to do was make it to the edge of the wood that lay on the edge of Debica¡¯s territory. The imperial cavalry and their horses would lose their advantage and though the spirits of the woods weren¡¯t on anyone¡¯s side they would certainly react more hostile to the large group.

    Jarell had almost made it to the wood when he saw a swirling black and red something appear in his view. Both bright and dark at the same time.

    ¡°Cor, what in the nine hells is that?!¡± said Jarell. Pulling on the reins of his horse to keep them from running into the glowing aperture.

    The imperials caught up to the mercenaries and immediately began slaughtering them. However, eventually, even they were given pause by the swirling hole in the world.

    Something bubbled out the hole, the sound was wet and disgusting. A hand emerged, dripping with ooze that quickly turned into vapor. This hand had five digits like humans, except inordinately long and tipped with claws that were longer than the average sword.

    The hand was attached to an arm, longer than any arm could be. Muscular and emaciated at the same time. Covered in dark tendrils that looked a lot like shaggy matted fur, but somehow were clearly not.

    The hand dug into the earth and pulled tearing great rents and furrows in the soil. Out of the swirling aperture came a head and shoulder. Both the head and the shoulder were covered in the same, unnerving, ever shifting,  black-red tendrils that had covered the arm.

    The shoulder was broad and bony. The head was equine, lupine, cervine, and somehow human-like all at the same time. With three sets of glowing orange flames for eyes. The jaws of the head were large enough to swallow a horse and rider whole, and were lined with teeth of a clearly carnivorous nature. Jagged and long and sharp.

    The mercenaries and imperials gazed up at the unknown sum that had appeared before them and they watched it freeing itself from the aperture, it finally occurred to them that they weren¡¯t just having a group hallucination.

    This nightmare was very real, very corporeal, creature and each and every man present instantly knew without a doubt that if it managed to escape that hole in the ski, they were all going to die.

    ¡°K-, Kill it!¡± cried Jarell. Ordering his men to attack.

    The officer at the head of the imperials gave an order to the same end. Both the eastern and western men of war were unified by a very basic existential, terror. Brought together by an instinctual knowledge that they and their families back home would never again know peace or safety if this creature entered their world.

    Martel and the rest of the imperial rode up to join their fellows. Approaching just in time to see the creature for the first time and be struck dumb by the aura of death and desolation it wore upon its thirty-plus foot frame. Approaching just in time to see the first group annihilated by a beam of dreadful crimson light that poured from the beast¡¯s maw.

    Martel watched as over four hundred men were reduced to heaps of ash and smouldering flesh in a single heartbeat.

    He struggled to swallow the lump that had risen as he saw so many lives reaped by the horror that stood before him. Then with a mouth drier than a thousand deserts, Martel cried out.

    ¡°R-, Retreat! Fall back!¡±

    There was no other option by his reckoning this was a beast that could easily fell a team of fortress-ranked elites. Nevermind a single master-ranked elite like himself.

    The beast roared, as the men ran. Whipping and kicking their steeds to make them go faster. As Martel and his men retreated, he realized that there was a certain familiar rhythm to the wretched noises that the creature was making. He realized that the beast was laughing at them.

    Though normally prideful, in this one instant Martel didn¡¯t care if the beast laughed. In the face of absolute power, the knight-major would be satisfied with escaping with his life. Dignity be damned.

    Just as they almost made it over the eastern border of the continent where an army base lay a mere handful of miles away, Martel saw a familiar sight. A sight he couldn''t help but recognize.

    ¡°N-, No...How?! How?!¡±

    Several hundred voices cried out as they felt their minds stretch and break at the sight of the horror before them. Somehow without making a single move it had caught up to them. In their minds there was no way the world would allow to such terrors to exist, thus the only option was that beast was either devilishly fast, or capable of bending space and time.

    Something inside Martel broke and he found himself considering charging at the creature. A part of him whispering that he should rush forward into the afterlife rather than allow himself to be terrorized. Before Martell could attack on the impulse young Levon charged first. He and several other of the younger men urged their horses forward whilst they rattled their spears and thrust into their air with their lances.

    Just as the youths were about to enter into a range where their weapons could reach the beast, they simply ceased. The dozen or so young men and women burst like balloons, spraying blood, metal fragments, scraps of cloth, and chunks of flesh onto their surroundings.

    A trembling Martel sputtered as he found that a piece of blood and cloth had managed to fly into his mouth. He leaned over to vomit and found himself falling. His horse had died on its feet. Killed by fright and the overwhelming aura that the creature exuded.

    Martel and the other surviving imperials scattered like insects out from under a lifted stone. As they ran the creature raised an arm and waved it through the air, Instantly casting a dozen destructive spells that charred, blew apart, frozen, and melted, many of the fleeing soldiers.

    After enjoying the appetizers the creature turned its gaze towards the ruin that had once been Debica. The fallen city was the main course of the creatures meal, the treasure hidden within the city¡¯s foundation drew the beast¡¯s towards it like bees and flowers, or corpses and flies.

 20: On the Menu

    It had been a little over a week since Andrew¡¯s introduction to Alma, in that time, he¡¯d done a fair bit of hunting. Using his connection to the collective unconscious and his ability to read the world¡¯s t-data to find as many large sources of magic as he could.

    He wasn¡¯t acting aimlessly, Andrew had a plan for how he would manage his time in this new world, and his existence as an eidolon in its world-eater phase. The plan had started with the construction of his current body.

    Since he wasn¡¯t concerned about fitting in with the local populace, Andrew had elected to take on a form that would be more useful for the task of magic detection and manipulation. That form was somewhat similar to form he¡¯d had in Abwickeln, albeit more terrestrial, and less ¡®aquatic¡¯ in appearance.

    His current form came across as some kind of gigantic, shaggy wolf-tree-man with long spindly limbs, but that was fine. Andrew didn¡¯t mind looking a little monstrous all right now. He¡¯d even finetuned the body¡¯s proportions, and adjusted the joints, respiratory system, and musculature, so that the body would be more suitable for chasing down prey.

    People always said that one shouldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes...just sometimes, form informed conduct, and conduct informed form. That¡¯s why uniforms, costumes, and masks, were such scary things.

    By taking on a monstrous guise, the parts of Andrew that might have recoiled in horror from some of the things he¡¯d been doing as of late were more easily put asleep and put aside. It was almost like being back in Abwickeln.

    The finishing touch had been adding a long fluffy tail that he figured Sophia, who had a sweet spot for all things cute and fluffy would get a kick out of, when she saw him next.

    If Andrew¡¯s plan worked he could get back home in one month instead of four. The first part of the plan began with creating his new body. The second part involved the construction of spell module out of data and power. He¡¯d had to kill a large number of this world¡¯s fauna to collect enough energy but he eventually managed to get what he needed.

    The spell module would be nested within his new stomach...Andrew actually wasn¡¯t sure what the new space he¡¯d discovered inside his soul was. It wasn¡¯t just a subspace. There was more to it. It was almost like a genuine realm, with its own cosmic laws and natural flow.

    For now Andrew was simply calling the space his stomach. He called it such because it was wear all the energy he¡¯d been collecting was sent. He could also for some reason put himself inside the space, so maybe it really wasn¡¯t a stomach.

    As he thought about it for the hundredth time, Andrew decided perhaps it might be more appropriate to call the space his core. There was something vital about it, and he had a strong feeling that should anything untoward happen to the space, the rest of his being would suffer greatly as well.

    In any case, Andrew placed his spell construct in the ¡®core¡¯ setting a partition of his mind to the task of monitoring the spell. The spell would search for two things, evil, and magic.

    Whenever both were present in strong amounts the location would be drawn into his consciousness from the akashic plane.

    If only one of those two things were present Andrew¡¯s mental of the planet would be pinged and he¡¯d have to use his judgement and the data he could pull from the collective unconsciousness to decide what to do.

    Then he would travel from his core to the area to consume the souls of the wicked and drain them of their energy, and/or consume whatever magically rich items that happened to be location.

    It wasn¡¯t a very complicated plan. The most complicated part of it had been reordering the data and power around to construct the spell. However, Andrew had always been the sort to favor simple plans. Extra complications just meant having more things that could go horribly and terribly awry.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    After dealing with the two groups of soldiers, Andrew turned his attention to the city of Debica. He released a long sights that sent a dark glowing steam issuing out of his body. That steam was the souls of all the men he¡¯d killed during his last meal.

    Souls were immortal in the truest sense and largely indestructible. Thus rather than risk giving himself a tummy-ache, Andrew always expelled the spirits of those he¡¯d consumed after draining them dry of the energy he needed from them.

    Despite Andrew¡¯s scale, his footfalls made no sound as he approached the city. If he wanted the earth would shake, and he¡¯d approach with a sound like dull thunder, but that was only when there were people around, or other creatures that he needed to scare off or intimidate.

    Andrew was just about to reach the city when he felt something enter into the range of his spiritual senses. It was another person, their nature and flavor was not quite bad, but not exactly good either. Andrew paused, considering whether he should try eating this one.

    He used his senses to observe the newcomer. A man floated in mid-air, dressed in dark gray robes. The man had silver hair and light brown eyes, and seemed ostensibly human.

    Andrew recognized the man to be a mage. The mages of this world weren¡¯t like the mages of his world, but his time in Abwickeln had taught Andrew that magic and it utility varied from universe to universe just like all the other physical laws.

    In Alma¡¯s case, the mages were of a variety that was capable of more readily manipulating the rich if somewhat muddy power that was so abundant in this world.

    Andrew observed the mage and noticed that the man was observing him as well. The man and the beast regarded each other.

    Just as Andrew was considering simply ignoring the newcomer and moving on to the city, the mage attacked him. Sending a beam that was part petrification spell, and part kinetic energy, flying Andrew¡¯s way.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Halbert teleport to the scene of the latest disruption in his grand work.

    If all had gone as planned, Debica would have still fallen, but Tin Reaver Mercenary company would have been slaughtered by the imperials, and Halbert would have received a portion of the death energy created by the day¡¯s battles to fuel his future ascension.

    Instead, through his mental connection with the sorcerous map, Halbert watched as a third party slew both the Tin Reavers and the Imperials stealing all the death energy for themselves.

    When Halbert arrived in Debica¡¯s territory the first thing he saw was the creature. His entire train of thought ground to a halt as he beheld the beast. It was massive, and the aura it exuded was such that even he, a mage with nearly a thousand years of experience under his belt, felt himself at a loss for what to make of it. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    As a young man, Halbert the Gray had often been called gloomy, now that he¡¯d witnessed this beast he sincerely wished to slap the many people who¡¯d called him such, and bring them here to have them witness what true gloom looked like.

    Halbert¡¯s mind tried to run through the possibility, trying to puzzle out the creature¡¯s true nature and thus return it, and Halbert himself, to the rational world.

    Was it a demon?

    Was it some kind of yet undiscovered magic beast?

    Was it a spirit?

    Was it one of the lesser gods that sometime be seen wandering in the wild?

    What was this creature?

    Whatever it was, it certainly wasn¡¯t some young upstart mage piggybacking off his hard work, like Halbert had originally thought.

    The questions flowed into Halbert¡¯s mind as he tried to place the beast somewhere amongst the large number of categories, species, and genealogies that he¡¯d read about over the centuries.

    Eventually, Halbert decided that the creatures nature didn¡¯t matter. As he met its six eyed gaze, and felt it look with the same disinterested him as a man might use to look upon an ant, Halbert decided then and there that the beast had to die.

    He cast a [stoneheart] hex at the creature. The dark gray beam flew towards the beast and then immediately grounded into the dark before getting anywhere the creature. Halbert cast another stoneheart hex that beast, this time adding more power to the spell. The hex flew straight and actually managed to reach the creature.

    Halbert watched with grim satisfaction as he saw the creature knocked back several yards, its claws dragging through the soil. Halbert saw the creatures emaciated chest turn gray as hex turned its insides to stone. Then Halbert¡¯s jaw fell open as he saw the process reverse itself the creature¡¯s shaggy hide regaining its black-red coloration.

    ¡°Impossible¡­¡±

    Before Halbert could even try to puzzle out what he¡¯d just seen, he was knocked out of the air. It turned out the beast was a caster as well. The heavy enchantments that had been woven onto and into Halbert¡¯s robe flared to life saving Halbert from a miserable death.

    Halbert groaned as his skin was scalded and all the moisture on the surface of the unprotected parts of his body were boiled away.

    ¡°Bugger!¡±

    Incensed, the mage quickly healed himself. Rising back into the air and casting a [steel bolt barrage] at the beast. The air was filled with an explosive roaring as hundreds of massive steel spikes appeared and fired themselves at the blood-red monster. Pounding into creature as if driven by an invisible hammer.

    This time instead of merely skidding backwards the beast was lifted up into the air and knocked into the far end of Debica¡¯s territory.

    Halbert grew excited as he saw that the creature was pinned down. Instead of moving it simply lay in place its back turned towards him as he cast [steel bolt barrage] after [steel bolt barrage]. Peppering the beast in an endless rain of steel spikes.

    The feeling of satisfaction began to fade as the creature¡¯s aura began to grow in strength again. The fast flying steel bolts melting into pools of gray sludge as they neared the beast¡¯s form.

    Not wanting to risk losing control of the situation, Halbert cast his strongest offensive spell, [Gorgon¡¯s Maelstrom]. The mage¡¯s aether took the form of a massive snake surrounded by petrified clouds, then a storm of hail stones and stoneheart bolts flew down at the beast.

    Halbert felt a growing frustration and unease when instead of being torn apart, the creature managed to right itself, rising back to its feet. The beast¡¯s baleful aura exploded and the gaze it sent towards Halbert filled his heart with dread.

    Halbert¡¯s first instinct was to try and teleport away, but the moment he tried he ended up coughing blood as the spell backfired, something that Halbert hadn¡¯t experienced in hundreds of years. He immediately knew that it was the beast¡¯s doing some how it had locked the surrounding space.

    As the aura around the creature grew heavier, and more forbidding, Halbert cast his best [aether shield]. Putting his all into the spell because he had a feeling that his very life was on the line.

    This time the creature didn¡¯t cast a spell, it just swung one of its forelimbs at him, swatting Halbert like a gnat. Halbert was slammed into the ground by a force that could turn mountains into gravel. As his vision and coherent thoughts faded into nothing, he couldn¡¯t help complaining at the unfairness of it all.

    Elsewhere, on the site where Halbert had been gathering power for his coming ascension, a white haired young man opened his eyes, after ages of meditation. This too was Halbert. Soul splitting was one of the most mysterious and difficult arcane arts, but it was a must for any one who needed to make the risks necessary to try and ascend beyond the mortal realm.

    This younger Halbert was Halbert the Gray¡¯s true body. His heart hurt both literally and figuratively as he thought about the loss of his clone, and the sheer amount of resources that had been destroyed along with that alternate body.

    Just as Halbert began thinking about how he might recoup his laws and later consider getting a little revenge and the creature that had caused the loss, he felt a new kind of pain.

    Halbert¡¯s eyes widened in alarm as he felt something vital being torn from him.The glowing gray death energy of the ascension pool began to dim as the pool¡¯s level began to fall. Halbert gazed around in panic as he saw his ascension pool begin to drain away and a sizable portion of his soul was siphoned to parts unknown.

    ¡°W-, What the deuce?! My ascension pool!...My beautiful ascension pool! What in the nine hells is happening!?¡±

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew ran his long red tongue along his elongated maw. He¡¯d been perplexed at first when after killing the mage, he¡¯d found that the mage had no soul. However, after incurring such a heavy loss of power after that fight, there was no way Andrew was just going to let things lie.

    Andrew plumbed his connection to the akashic plane and the collective unconscious to find out who exactly his attacker was. Andrew learned that the mage was Halbert LLoyd, aka Halbert the Gray.

    Andrew used the context supplied by the information he¡¯d gathered parse the data within the mage¡¯s corpses. He discovered that the mage he¡¯d just fought had actually just been a magically created duplicate. A clone created with the blood and a fragment of the soul, of the mage he¡¯d been fighting.

    The information Andrew found helped him make up his mind on whether Halbert the mage, was naughty or nice. So feeling a tad hotter under the collar than he perhaps had any right to be, Andrew decided to finish off the mage lest he become a problem later on.

    Andrew burned up much of the power he¡¯d gathered from the soldiers he¡¯d just eaten to directly consume the mage¡¯s soul and the external power that mage had folded into his soul. Andrew used the corpse¡¯s t-data and the strong connection that formerly existed between the clone and its original, to directly attack the original mage.

    Andrew noted with a gruff sense of satisfaction that his actions had paid off quite nicely. The pool of external energy that the mage had been folding into his soul was almost bigger than all the energy that Halbert had collected over the past two days combined.

    Andrew stood shaking himself, an action that was likely far more hound-like than he¡¯d intended it to be. He gazed down at the young woman he¡¯d been protecting, a troublesome human, whose relative innocence and unexpected survival after the soldiers¡¯ raid, had nearly cost Andrew his life.

    His human-side and meagre but strict moral code had required that Andrew save her rather than letting her be turned into colateral damage during his and the mage¡¯s fight. To do otherwise would be crossing a line that seperated Andrew from the many figurative and literal monsters, and asshats, that he had met both in Harlow and Abwickeln.

    However now the fight was over, so the little human was no longer Andrew¡¯s concern. Her life or death would now have nothing to do with him.

    Andrew trotted towards the city, eager to finally consume the magical relics that had been sealed in the city, beneath the mayor¡¯s house. There was a set of bones belonging to a long dead monarch, a mage-king, that had been buried beneath the town along with many of the monarch¡¯s possession.

    The city of Debica was built out in the middle of nowhere as the fallen mage-king¡¯s sepulcher and the city¡¯s first denizens were charged with the task of keeping a vigil just in case the mage-king decided that death was a little too restful.

    Of course, all this was ages ago. Only immortals who¡¯d been around and paying attention back then, or beings like Andrew who were good at sniffing out dangerous and powerful secrets, were privy to this information.

    ************************************************************************************************************

    Eloise stood shell-shocked, watching as the imposing figure of the black-red beast receded from her view. She¡¯d regained consciousness just in time to see the creature kill the mercenary who¡¯d destroyed her town when they were supposed to defend it and the hateful imperials who¡¯d put all the survivors under sword.

    Eloise had been trying to get away. She¡¯d used a sharp rock to saw through the ropes that bound her. Then she¡¯d planned to run for the woods, or at least she¡¯d planned to try to run, the damn mercenary had hamstrung her. He¡¯d likely planned to have a healer see to the matter later, when he was ready to sell her. It was a common method used by slavers in Azotou.

    When the beast was knocked towards by the strange mage¡¯s assault. Instead of simply flattening her, by some miracle, it ended up falling right next to her instead of on top of her.

    She¡¯d remember the moment that its six fiery orange eyes met her two blue-green ones till the day she died.

    She stood frozen, expecting to be killed, expecting to be eaten. Piss and other unpleasant things, joined the blood and sweat that had soaked through her uniform. Instead, as the mage¡¯s assault fell towards her position, the beast shielded her. Using its body to protect her from harm.

    Then the creature healed her injuries somehow knowing she was hurt. Healing her so she could flee out of the range of danger.

    Now as Eloise watched the beast approach the town she couldn¡¯t help wondering if it was indeed a beast and not some kind of avenging angel.

    She wondered if the endless war between Dytika and Antoli had drawn on so long that the wardens of hell had entered the world of men to whisk away sinners early for the sake of saving time.

    Aware that her mental exhaustion and overwrought state might be effecting her thinking. Eloise simply shook her head and focused and taking breaths.

    She remembered her post, she remembered her duty, she remembered the strong likelihood that there were at least a small handful of souls that had managed to hide themselves away.

    Then she began to walk towards the town. Feeling inexplicably secure in the knowledge that the creature would hurt neither her nor the surviving townsfolk. Though it had eaten the soldiers, and killed the mage, it seemed that ordinary, decent folk, weren¡¯t on the strange monster¡¯s menu.

 21: Something Wicked

    A despondent Andrew sat upon his haunches and exhaled a sighed filled with the eerie glowing dregs of the souls and magic that served as his last meal.

    The magic was immediately reabsorbed by his core. The souls would float around a bit, but would eventually be pushed out from his core by the laws that governed the core.

    Andrew sighed a second time, and then a third time. Things both were and weren¡¯t going well with his plan. On the one hand, he¡¯d managed to gather quite a bit of power during his time in Alma. He¡¯d gathered even more power than the power that had been at his disposal in Abwickeln.

    Seeing how much power he¡¯d been able to gather, made him curious to see how much more power he¡¯d be able to gain from Sophia¡¯s efforts in the Blackrose galaxy. They wouldn¡¯t be able to use the same methods there because that was his home, but there were surely methods to harvest magical energy without going to his current extremes.

    On the other hand, Andrew was nowhere near getting home. The month was almost already over and despite all the power he¡¯d gather, Andrew¡¯s ¡®stomach¡¯ still hungered. It seemed he¡¯d greatly underestimated the vast amounts of energy a world-eater needed to be able to sustain itself.

    Andrew decided not to let that get him down. Even if he hadn¡¯t quite gotten the results he wanted that didn¡¯t mean he hadn¡¯t made any progress. The current state of his core was proof of his progress.

    Before the space had been a vague and cloudy void, unique only in the presence of numerous cosmic laws within it.

    After feeding it for several weeks now his core possessed a set of firmaments. The empty space now had dimensionality. There was a gravity that pulled Andrew towards an area that had somehow been designed as being the ground. There was a sky above his head, empty, but still present.

    It seemed his core was developing into something greater. He suspected it was becoming a genuine inner-world. Andrew¡¯s genetic memories and in his research into the tendencies and traits of various species of immortal beings held that a number of them possessed inner-worlds.

    Evolution beyond the mortal realm was a progression of the pronoun game. You went from being a profound what, to a profound who, to a profound where, to a profound why. There were many beings with similar inner-worlds, or core-realms, but most of them had to work for it.

    Andrew was shocked to find that in his case it seemed that the progression was happening naturally. He wasn¡¯t sure if this was an eidolon thing, or another thing he could blame/credit the former lord Abwickeln for.

    Andrew was steadily becoming a living world. Person on the outside, sub-reality on the inside. He had near-absolute control of the world which was a relief.

    At the moment, Andrew¡¯s opinion on the whole process was that it was little trippy, but ultimately kind of neat. He had a vague notion that when his core had consumed enough power he would start gain option on how to decorate his inner-world. He''d be able to create grass, and trees, and maybe a few mountains.

    Andrew was pretty sure the first thing he¡¯d create was a sea. There was an unpleasant oddity to being in a place that held no waves or flowing depths. Strangely enough Andrew had the sense that this was his human half that felt that way. It made him wonder, exactly what kind of beings the humans of the Blackrose galaxy were, that he could feel such strong rejection of a waterless world.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    The Orestion military base was a massive fortress built on the outer borders of the imperial territory of Orestion. This military base had been built by the Empire of Antoli to serve as a warning to their neighbors in the west, and was the closest imperial facility to Debica.

    Three and a half weeks after the failed operation at the city of Debica, a battered and weary, Knight-Major Martel managed to make it to the base. He returned to fortress with slightly more than fifty men behind him. A mere four percent of the twelve hundred souls that had followed Martel before.

    It wasn¡¯t just the beast that had killed all those men. When the creature appeared, the few that survived its onslaught scattered into the four winds. Running like chickens with their heads lopped off.

    Even Sir Martel had ended up running into the western woods. Running into enemy territory without knowing or caring.

    After they managed to regroup they¡¯d then had the hard task of making it back to friendly territory without supplies.

    Many of the men and women had even lost hold of their weapons during their flight. Even Martel had left his trusty war-axe with the Ewing family sigil emblazoned the blade, back on the fields of Debica.

    The general rule was that if it wasn¡¯t sheathed, or strapped to them, the soldiers most likely lost it during their flight.

    This meant that the group of battered soldiers had to survive in the wilderness hiding from enemy forces and facing off against the elements and the more mundane monsters of Azotou with little to no supplies and barely any means to defend themselves.

    Thus the hundred, or so survivors of the strange beast¡¯s attack were whittled down even further. Falling to illness, falling to the wild animals, falling to starvation and their inability to differentiate the plants and fruits that were poisonous from those that were edible.

    Martel dispersed his men, and then he ignored the siren call of the bed and shower in his quarters, and headed to the offices of the Knight-Colonel, the commander of the base, and his direct superior. Martel was well aware that he was duty bound to report the outcome of the operation before anything else.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    The Knight-Colonel was a tall man, old in terms of numbers, but young in terms of actual age, because he was a member of the long-lived jotun race. The distinct blue coloration of his skin, and the ram horns on his head, highlighting his father¡¯s frost-jotun heritage.

    The Knight-Colonel sat at his desk looking over the latest reports on the empire¡¯s military actions.

    The Knight-Colonel frowned as he read the numbers and statistical information, knowing that those were often more truthful than the actual text, because the text would be massaged by the various military scribes to make their superiors look like they were doing way better than they were.

    According to the report, things were neither going well or ill. This was bad.

    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t quite as bad as letting the greedy and hypocritical zealots of Dytika march into the east and put every man, woman, and child who refused to follow their dogma to the sword.

    However, it was still a very bad state of affairs. A war where both sides were stalemated still cost lives, and the lives that were expended were usually expended for little meaningful gain.

    They¡¯d sacrifice hundreds of young men and women to capture a base, or town. Or they¡¯d spend hundreds of lives to cut a supply line. The empire¡¯s blood would flow like water, only to have those damn Dytika dogs do the same, reducing the empires net gain to something close to zero.

    This trading of losses and victories could, and likely would, continue till the politicians and royals on both sides were forced to recognize that the only thing that lay at the end of this path was a mutually assured destruction. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Afterwhich, both sides would claim a near-¡®victory¡¯ of the overall war, and magnanimously sue for peace with the nearly-¡®defeated¡¯. Resulting in yet another fifty to sixty year ceasefire and little to no tangible gain for either nation after all this shed blood.

    ¡°Tch...this fucking job. Fucking stupid nobles. Fucking stupid emperor. Shitty pay...Little vacation time...Where the fuck am I supposed to magic five thousand soldiers for the next sortie from, assholes!?¡± grumbled the Knight-Colonel.

    ¡°Oi...I think I heard some lese-majeste in there.¡± said a voice from one of the two sofas that were arranged in front of the Knight-Colonel¡¯s desk.

    ¡°Bite me.¡± said the Knight-Colonel. He¡¯d only dared speak this way because knew he could trust the owner of the voice not to wag his tongue.

    Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, the Knight-Colonel was the brother to one of the more influential Grand Dukes of the empire. The only reason the Knight-Colonel wasn¡¯t a Knight-General yet was his lack of leadership experience.

    The last thing the Antolian government wanted or needed was a schism from within its leadership. This meant that if there were a member of the imperial family present, even they might laugh off the Knight-Colonels grumbling, for the sake of not having to deal with another attempted coup.

    The voice that had spoken belonged to a human man. A dark haired man, with skin the color of sand, and a robust figure that would stand out in a crowd, a member of the warrior tribes that dwelt in the southern edges of the empire.

    This man was the base¡¯s commandant. In other words, he was the true authority of the Orestion Fortress. Or at least that had had been the Knight-Colonel¡¯s intention when he promoted the man to that status for the sake of delegating the day to day headaches of administering the fortress to someone else.

    After knowing and working with the commandant for decades, the Knight-Colonel had made the man his number two, promoting him to commandant. Doing so to allow himself to focus on the increasingly unreasonably demands his superiors were sending his way.

    The commandant chuckled and opened his mouth to retort. Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a knock at the door. Both leaders immediately sat up much straighter. Becoming the stony, ultra-serious, men of war, their subordinates knew them as.

    ¡°Come in.¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    The door opened and in walked Martel. He stepped inside the room, and made crisp, by the book, salute.

    ¡°Sir!¡± said Marel.

    To the Knight-Colonel¡¯s eyes the half-orc, Knight-Major looked like he¡¯d had the stuffing kicked out of him and then he¡¯d been rolled down a hill, which boded all sorts of bad because Martel was one of the Knight-Colonel¡¯s best men.

    ¡°At ease, man. I assume you¡¯ve come to make a report.¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± said Martel.

    ¡°Well, then...I don¡¯t have all day. Let me hear it.¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    ¡°Yes, sir. The mission to suppress Debica city and end its utility as Dytika recruitment pool was a success. All enemy combatants were defeated. All dissidents within the enemy city were executed according to imperial law.¡± said Martel.

    The Knight-Colonel had to stop himself from laughing. Despite having been the one relayed the order to Martel in the first place, even he felt a little galled hearing the empire¡¯s order to wipeout a civilian settlement phrased so cleanly and euphemistically.

    ¡°Oh...alright, then. Good work, Major. What are our casualties looking like?¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    Martel flinched and seemed to shrink. Then he returned to himself, meeting his superiors eye as he came to the crux of his report.

    ¡°Of the twelve hundred men placed under my command, only fifty survived, sir.¡± said Martel.

    The Knight-Colonel¡¯s face blanched, even the commandant on the couch looked shaken. The Knight-Colonel suddenly felt faint, losing more than a thousand men all at once was going to hurt the war effort in this part of the region in a big way.

    ¡°What the hell happened?! This operation was supposed to be a walk in the park. Especially for an old hand like you.¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    ¡°We...There was a creature, sir. It appeared and wiped out all my men.¡± said Martel.

    ¡°Well, fuck...it finally happened.¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°Tell me if I¡¯m wrong, major. Was this creature roughly as big as a two, maybe three, story house? Did it look like a cross between a spider and werewolf? Did it use a mixture of magic and the occasional physical attack?¡±said the Knight-Colonel.

    ¡°Yes, sir! How did you know, sir?!¡± said Martel. His eyes wide. His tattered mustache shaking.

    ¡°It¡¯s something that was being reported about in the military intelligence that came roughly after your boys were sent ahead to Debica. We didn¡¯t know for sure it¡¯d appear, but it was a possibility. In which case, I suppose this was all just a spot of extremely bad luck.¡± said the Knight-Colonel. His voice dispassionate and empty of tone as he blew enough hot air up the younger man¡¯s hind-quarters to turn the man into a weather balloon.

    ¡°Do-...Do we know what this creature is, sir?¡± said Martel.

    ¡°Nh ...For now we¡¯re calling it the black hound. A few folk call it the barghest. The damn things a menace and yours isn¡¯t the only imperial operation its interfered with. The only good news is that it doesn¡¯t seem to be playing nice with the Dytikans either.¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    The Knight-Colonel wasn¡¯t lying per se. In fact, everything he¡¯d said was the absolute truth. He was just deflecting from certain troubling details, such as the fact that the reports had held that there might be a strong likelihood that Martel¡¯s mission in particular would have an appearance of the beast.

    Merchants and the civilian citizenry on the outskirts of civilization held as much veneration for the creature as fear. For the past few weeks reports had come in that the creature would appear right before or directly affair attacks by raiders and bandits. A few folk even postulated that its appearance was a form of divine judgement.

    The Antolian government was trying to avoid leaning into that interpretation because the beast had also appeared to ¡®punish¡¯ more than a few of their forces. While the priests from the local religions were keeping mum on the matter it was clear that whatever this creature was it was nothing mundane.

    Letting the creature be known as a punisher of the wicked would likely result in a big loss of morale for the empire¡¯s forces. If the being was known for punishing evil, that might imply that the men it killed deserved their deaths, and the leaders who¡¯d sent them to die were the biggest villains in this story. Which was the last interpretation anyone wanted spreading around at this point where popular opinion on the war was already at an all time low.

    The Knight-Colonel just shook his head. Simultaneously, hoping the higher-ups did something before things got out of hand, while also hoping the beast¡¯s presence got his superiors to stop doing meaningless things like ordering purges of civilian settlements just for the sake of adding a bunch of technical victories to their notches.

    ¡°In any case, this isn¡¯t your failure, Major. You may rest easy with that knowledge. Also know that this information as well as all the other information on the Debica operation is classified until further notice.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir¡­ Understood, sir...Th-, Thank you, sir.¡± said Martel. Sounding as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders after the Knight-Colonel informed him that he wasn¡¯t the one who¡¯d screwed up.

    The Knight-Colonel dismissed his Knight-Major and then he and the commandant sagged tiredly into their seats.

    ¡°Well...Shit. This isn¡¯t going to be a very fun report to write.¡± said the Knight-Colonel. Rubbing his brow and feeling the beginnings of headache.

    ¡°I imagine not, but look on the bright side.¡± said the Commandant.

    ¡°What fucking bright side?¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    ¡°Having this beast running around means the higher-ups will likely call in the adventurers because they can¡¯t afford to risk losing any of the army¡¯s elites.¡± said the Commandant.

    ¡°Are you drunk already, commandant? How is that a good thing? If they call in the adventurers the continents going to get even crazier than they already are.¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    ¡°Yeah?...And what usually happens when these foolish legacy wars between the east and west reach that perfect fever pitch?¡± said the Commandant.

    ¡°Well, usually, the budget gets run down, and both the knight-forces and the commoner army need to recruit to make for all the bodies that get dropped ,or injured, so both countries are forced to sue for peace and ...Oh.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± said the Commandant. Laying back down on the sofa with the folder of paperwork he¡¯d been reading opened on his lap like it was a magazine.

    ¡°We might end up in a ceasefire by this time next year...Maybe this isn¡¯t the worst news after all. If we¡¯re lucky, that damn monster might bring the war to a close, five years early.¡± said the Knight-Colonel.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope we survive the craziness that¡¯ll be coming in the meantime.¡± said the Commandant.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Elsewhere, Andrew found his mood taking a turn for the better. Not only had he managed to amp himself up for the tasks of securing a stable energy supply and molding his inner-world. He¡¯d found that suddenly a small, but significant, amount of power was finding its way to his core all on its own.

    Apparently, being open and notorious about his predations had gained him a mixture of fear and admiration. Mostly the former. This growing prominence in the zeitgeist of Azotou¡¯s populace has lead to the extra power that now flow into him through the world¡¯s collective unconscious.

    That wasn¡¯t the good news. It was a pleasant surprise for sure, but the amount of power he was gaining from the passive flow of power created by his growing reputation was minor compared to his needs.

    Plus, if he wanted to gain more power from the reputation-based phenomenon would have required walking a path that was both tedious and perilously close to that of the gods, devils, and fae.

    Despite the relative uselessness of the power itself, becoming a major presence in the world¡¯s collective unconsciousness was still of great value Andrew. This incident was of value because of the door it opened, pushing forward yet another change within the young Eidolon¡¯s inner-being.

    This was a breakthrough in Andrew¡¯s education. If he¡¯d had a master, or mentor, perhaps he would have known about this earlier. Since that wasn¡¯t the case, he didn''t know what he didn¡¯t know. Now it looked like a whole new world had been opened for him.

    Going through this door taught Andrew that he was closer to the great sea of minds than he¡¯d thought. He¡¯d already understood that Eidolons were capable of freely manipulating the power, data, and laws of the cosmos, but it looked like there was even more they could do, even more that they could be.

    It seemed Andrew hadn¡¯t properly understood what it meant to truly ¡®eat¡¯ a world. Eidolons could directly consume the fabric of the world without destroying the world.

    An eidolon could inundate themselves in the world¡¯s essence. Merging with the collective unconsciousness of the worlds they contacted for the sake of fundamentally evolving. Turning the dreams, and nightmares, of whatever world they were in into sustenance, power, and growth.

    As Andrew understood, he felt a pang of sympathy for the former-lord of Abwickeln, for the first time ever.

    He now saw that it wasn¡¯t entirely the ancient being¡¯s fault it had gone so utterly mad. For a greater-eidolon like his sire, being placed within a figment-realm would have been like a whale being plopped into a stagnant pond.

    ¡°Wait for me, Soph...I¡¯ll be coming home soon.¡±

 22: Tooth and Claw

    ¡°Heya, sweetheart. Why don¡¯t you come inside and I¡¯ll show you something special?¡± said the coarse, foul smelling, middle-aged boarkin at the door of the closed tavern.

    ¡°Thank you for the offer, sir. But I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m still on the job.¡± said Eloise. Smiling a polite, professional smile. Keeping all the disgust she had for the man hidden.

    It had been a month, maybe a month and a half, since the fall of Debica and loss of her home. The experience had been traumatic, and terrible, and the days that followed had been little better, for the former-guardswoman and the handful of Debican¡¯s who¡¯d survived the raid.

    Yet life moves ever onward even when we¡¯d rather it stand still. Thus the former denizens of Debica had to find new homes for themselves in a town a few territories over, and the former-guardswoman found a new career for herself. Taking up the mantle her garbage fire of a father left behind and becoming an Adventurer of Azotou¡¯s Adventurers¡¯ Guild.

    Eloise was currently an iron-badged Adventurer. The badges went from stone, to bronze, to iron, to silver, to gold, to platinum. Being an elite progressing between the upper-tiers of the soldier-rank and the lower-tiers of the expert-rank meant she got to start a little higher up on the rungs than the average person.

    In terms of work, that meant that she got higher paying gigs than she would have been qualified to do otherwise.

    The worth of the goods carried when she travelled between the towns, cities, and villages as a courier were higher.

    There were more security jobs open to her if she were inclinded to use the skillsets she¡¯d learned as guardsman, and babysit a building, a caravan, or group of travellers.

    Finally, she was able to get access to the hunter board. The board of bounties that held the names and last known locations of monsters and criminals that various authorities within the land wanted killed, or captured.

    She¡¯d been dismayed, but not surprised, to see it there. The black hound was listed on the board as a target for elimination. Eloise imagined that it was all but inevitable, from the rumors she¡¯d heard the creature had been killing soldiers on both sides and disrupting the war.

    Eloise was hunting the creature to...but in another way. If she were being honest with herself, she¡¯d have been forced to admit that it had become something of an obsession for her after she¡¯d lost her home. Something her mind had fixated upon after her world had been torn apart.

    Luckily for her, Eloise wasn¡¯t an honest girl. So she told herself that she¡¯d just wanted a chance to say thanks.

    The creature might not have purposely saved her and her fellow townsfolk, but the spells of healing it cast on them, and the hint of its aura that it left behind before disappearing within the swirling black and red pool it emerged from, was no accident.

    Thanks to the healing, no one else died that day. Thanks to the aura, no beasts or monsters dared waylay them.

    That¡¯s why she was here, in the city of Belinda. A beautiful city in the northern end of central Azotou. Belinda sat on a river delta, and was home to numerous clans and groups. It was a city where the gold flowed like water. The city also happened to be known as one of the biggest dens of inequity within the continent.

    Whether it was murder, thieving, slaving, gambling, or narcotics. If it was a vice, you could assume that there was likely some manner of trade associated with it that was taking place within the walls of Belinda.

    Due to its wealth, and the presence of a certain dragon that slept within the mountains that formed the city¡¯s northern wall, neither Dytika or Antoli, interfered with what took place here. On the contrary, the two nations, and their subordinate nations, all used the independate city-state as a safe habour for many of their own unsavory doings.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    The net result was that in the last few days and weeks, more and more Adventurers had been filtering into the city. The two rulers of the eastern and western halves of the continent had placed a massive bounty on the black beast¡¯s head.

    Despite Antoli and Dytika¡¯s progandists and state cryers trying their best to control the narrative, there were enough people like Eloise walking around that it was now well known that the beast only showed in the presence of great evil. Belinda was a city where bad things happened every day.

    Thus rather than run around trying to chase a beast that could vanish at will, and whose lair could not found, many a hunter, adventurer, and glory-hound noble, had elected to camp out in the city and wait for the inevitable to happen.

    Naturally, Belinda¡¯s leaders were less than pleased with the presumption, but all the business owners and merchants were making the best of a bad situation by charging at a premium for all their goods and service.

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    Up in the mountain¡¯s that formed Belinda¡¯s northern wall, a beast was rousing. This wasn¡¯t the beast the people in the city below were waiting for. This beast was the lord of the Azotou¡¯s Dvoriki mountain range. This beast a was beast that the rulers of Belinda knew all too well.

    This beast was Ejder, the white drake of Belinda, and in this already hectic period, the city¡¯s draconic lord was rousing from his slumber. Waking up to receive his decennial, and to collect the payment the ¡®ants¡¯ that lived in the city below owed him for their continued existence.

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    ¡°Hey...Hey...Girl, are you still in there?¡± said voice. Sharp and distinctly accented giving away its speaker¡¯s Anthraka origins.

    ¡°Huh? Oh...Yeah. Sorry, Del. What were you saying?¡± said Eloise.

    ¡°I was saying we should probably meet up with the rest of the party and see about heading into the wilderness soon.¡± said the lizardkin woman.

    Adventurers generally operated in parties, or in guilds. You¡¯d scarcely ever see an adventurer working by themselves for long. The only cases when this was not so, was when the adventurer was either superbly skill, or on a job with little to no risk factor. Otherwise, most would take advantage of the safety that came with working in a group.

    Delara Shirazi was a member of Eloise¡¯s party. The lizard woman stood at roughly six-foot-four, taller than most human women within the continent and many men. She was muscular to the point of being slightly bulky.

    Her eyes were red and slit-pupiled like most reptile-kin. She had pearlescent pink-red scales and matching pink-red hair. Her scales were more widespread, along her limbs, and around her back, neck, jawline, and temples. There was something in the bony ridges along her spine and brow that hinted of a faint relation to one of the draconid races.

    Delara was the party¡¯s tank. A broadsword, nearly as tall as she was, sat leaning against the table, and she had a massive kite shield strapped to her back. Delara was also the person Eloise was closest to within the group.

    Part of that was just the fact that the group as a whole was fairly new and Del and Eloise just tended to spend a lot of time together, compared to the other members.

    There was also a great deal that could be blamed on the moderate amount of xenophobia shown by the rest of the group. The party was made of Dytikans, despite being just as multicultural as Antoli in terms of demographics, the holy kingdom¡¯s politics had clear human supremacist leanings.

    Lizardkin like Delara weren¡¯t seen on Azotou too often, so they didn¡¯t enjoy the begrudging tolerance that the rest of the nonhumans on the continent got. While the others weren¡¯t offensive in their interactions with the lizardkin woman, they weren¡¯t particular warm or inviting either.

    Eloise and Delara ended up being close because Eloise was half-sidhe. Part fair folk. A rusalka to be precise. Another race that wasn¡¯t seen too often in Azotou.

    It hadn¡¯t been an issue when all she¡¯d had to deal with was the isolated city of Debica, so she¡¯d never really had to think about it before, but she soon found that the rest of the western-Azotou didn¡¯t look on elves, especially those of the more ¡®foreign¡¯ variants too fondly.

    The fae kingdoms were staunch allies of the empire and there numerous fae, and elven half-fae, nobles in the Antolian government.

    The treatment from her fellow Dytikans was such that, even if she hadn¡¯t wanted to be an Adventurer it was likely the only job she would have been able to get. The Adventurers¡¯ Guild was one of the few groups that didn¡¯t look at race, nationality, or background, when hiring.

    ¡°Why do we need to meet up with the others in the wilderness?¡± said Eloise.

    ¡°Uh...Maybe because work we can do in the city has been drying up as more and more adventurers show up, and there¡¯s still plenty of easily nabbable monsters beyound the city walls that we can slay to collect bounties.¡± said Delara.

    ¡°Fair enough, I guess.¡± said Eloise. Shaking her head and still feeling a little out of it. A part of her wondered if all the courier jobs she¡¯d been doing lately was catching up to her.

    ¡°Goodie...I¡¯ll tell the mage and he¡¯ll tell the swordsman and his little rogue girlfriend, and the five us will meet up outside around noon.¡± said Delara.

    ¡°Nh...Sounds like a plan, Del.¡± said Eloise. Yawning. Deciding that if they didn¡¯t have anything else planned today, she¡¯d just go upstairs to the room she was renting from the inn and restraunt they sat in.

 23: Tribute Band

    The wilderness beyond Belinda¡¯s walls was largely made up of marshland. The rivers that surrounded the city fed numerous streams and shallow lakes that were in turn filled with Azotou usual overgrowth.

    Eloise and Delara made their way into one of those marshes with their party in tow. Eloise, Delara, and their party¡¯s swordsman made up their group¡¯s vanguard. The rogue was scouting ahead, while her skillset was more intended for use within a dungeon, her skills were still of use out in the field.

    The mage trailed behind them, as he was fond of reminding everyone in the party, ranged ¡®masters¡¯ of the arcane arts like himself weren¡¯t suited for fighting in the foreground.

    Eloise was fine with that arrangement it meant they didn¡¯t have too many oppurtunity to talk to each other. Which was perfect in her opinion because the Mage was the eighth, or ninth, son of some noble mucky-muck and he acted like it.

    The mixture of noble superiority, and aggrievement with the world over his low-ranking within his family, made the man plainly insufferable. It didn¡¯t help that the Mage was a Dytikan noble, with plenty to say about Eloise¡¯ fae ancestory.

    As a result, while Eloise, the Swordsman, and the Rogue, were all just politely apathetic to one another. Eloise and the mage barely tolerated each other¡¯s existence. Which made it all the more unfortune that the mage was technically the leader of their little party.

    ¡°Lizard... Long Ears...Commoner...What¡¯s that ahead?¡± said the Mage.

    There was a rustling in the tall grass and bushes ahead of them. The swordsman grunted and stepped forwards. Eloise followed the swordsman while Delara hung back to safeguard their glorious leader.

    Eloise and the swordsman approached the overgrowth, prepared to cut down whatever was lurking behind the greenery. Eloise tensed, her mind running through the most likely creatures for them to run into.

    The marsh was home to a number of monsters. The most numerous, and most common, were the slimes, the water snakes, the killer frogs, the giant insects, and the wolf-otters.

    There were other monsters that called the marsh their home, but Eloise was kind of hoping that it was one the aforementioned common monster. Most of the other species that Belinda¡¯s marshes were known for, were all either famous for their ferocity, or the unpleasant symptoms they could inflict with their bites and scratches.

    To Eloise¡¯s surprise the thing that leapt out of bushes at her and the swordsman was a the rogue. The lithe young woman sprung from the marsh¡¯s overgrowth like hell was on her tail.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± said the Swordsman. Quickly sheathing his blade and catching his lover in his arms.

    The young woman was trembling, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

    ¡°I...I met another party back there. Old friends of ours. You remember Martin, right?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Yeah? How is he? What happened?¡±

    ¡°H-, he¡¯s dead. Martin¡¯s dead. A bunch of men killed him and two of his people and captured the rest and now they¡¯re coming this way!¡± said the rogue. Speaking very quickly.

    ¡°Slavers? Here? This close to the city?¡± said the Swordsman.

    For everyone in the party it was clear that the rogue had witnessed the actions of a human trafficker group. Slavery was a booming industry in Azotou and many of its neighbors.

    It was a market too large to be satisfied by crime slaves, debt slaves, war slaves, and those who sold themselves and their loved ones to escape poverty.

    There was also a great deal of illegal slavery, being done by brigands, bandits, and a few corrupt bands of off-duty soldiers and city guardsmen. The sad truth was that if one was far enough away from one¡¯s hometown, even the authorities wouldn¡¯t care how you got that collar around your neck.

    Belinda being a city built on vice and greed, a large chunk of the city¡¯s economy was tied to the actions of such groups. However for the sake of appearences, and the avoidance any conflicts with the few groups that could come down on them, the city generally avoided allowing its slaver groups to operate within its territory.

    Eloise frowned. Her long pointed ears swiveled inwards and outwards as she caught the sound of many, marching, boots.

    ¡°Alright, well we need to get out of here, right bloody now.¡± said Eloise.

    ¡°And go where? We might still be in Belinda¡¯s territory but the city¡¯s miles from here.¡± said the Mage.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know...Maybe we hide. Maybe not. Whatever we end up doing, we need to get out of here before those slavers catch us.¡± said Eloise. Narrowing her eyes at the man.

    Eloise and Delara met each other¡¯s eyes. Delara nodded and sheathed her massive blade, placing her shield on her back.

    ¡°Look they¡¯re getting close. So we can argue about it later, yeah? Right now we need to move.¡± said the rogue. Sounding as if she¡¯d gotten hold of herself.

    The party immediately began to move away from the sound of slaver¡¯s footfalls. The scout lead them on a path that lead roughly towards the city without stepping onto the more beaten, more recently cleared paths where they¡¯d be exposed.

    They put as much distance between themselves and the group that had spooked the Rogue as they could. Eloise relaxed as she found that she could no longer hear the footfalls of the slavers. Then suddenly, she found herself alarmed.

    There was a new group, she heard them, before she and her party saw them.

    ¡°No fucking way¡­¡± said Eloise.

    The five adventurers ended up strolling into a clearing with some, thirty to forty, rough looking, men and women all gathered inside it. There were tents and wagons, and fire pits on display. Besides the free men and women, there was a large number of captives. Some of them in chains, others in cages.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± said the Mage. Glaring at the rogue.

    The young woman blanched, shrinking into herself, and leaning towards her lovers.

    Delara just clucked her tongue.

    One of the slavers at the head of the camp simply turned around and smiled.

    ¡°See...What did I tell you? I said we¡¯d make our quota and look. The marks walked into our camp right on their own.¡± said the slaver.

    He then turned to the group of five. Smiling the same smile.

    ¡°Hello, ladies and gents. I¡¯m Carlisle...the head of this little group and a master-ranked elite. One of three present in the camp at this very moment. Unless one of you happens to be a fortress-ranked elite I¡¯d suggest you drop your weapons before someone gets hurt.¡±

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    Several hours later, Eloise would find herself in chains, with a slaver¡¯s collar around her neck. They took her armor, they took her weapons. They¡¯d even taken most of her clothing. Leaving the elven woman in only her small clothes.

    The best she could say about her situation was that the group had been surprising polite, and professional, and she hadn¡¯t been made to experience any of the indiginities that slavers sometimes visited upon their victims.

    She and her party now knelt in a depression that had been carved in the foot of the mountain that served as Belinda¡¯s northern wall. Naturally, they¡¯d been taken to the back of the mountain. Taken to an area that was just out of sight.

    Eloise wasn¡¯t sure what the slaver¡¯s intentions were. She, her party, and some five thousand others. All had been gathered togethered and placed in the massive basin. Wading in what was essentially a small lake of wine and aromatic herbs. A lake that had been heated to the level just past that of a hot bath.

    Eloise didn¡¯t know what to think of it. She wasn¡¯t thinking much actually. The slavers had dosed them all with some kind of mind numbing, pyschoactive, flower. The captives had all been forced to ingest the drug to keep the crowd from kicking up a foss. Thus Eloise knelt, the space between her thoughts growing with each passing second, her psyche peeling apart beneath the moon light.

 24: Thousand Eyed Hound

    Ejder, the great white dragon of the center-north segment of Azotou, finally shook off the remnants of his decade long nap. He raised his long, serpentine neck, and scented the air. Two long streams of steam and cold vapor emerged from his nostrils. It seemed his pets had prepared his favorite meal.

    Belinda was built in Ejder¡¯s territory during one of his longer naps. The only reason he didn¡¯t destroy the flimsy little settlement of wood and stone once he realized what had happened was because they¡¯d known their place and made sure to offer tribute in the form of gold, magical treasures, and good food. From then onwards, Ejder had claimed the city as his own, jealousy protecting it as he¡¯d protect all his other possessions.

    The ritualistic, post-nap, meal of five thousand humans, soaked in a nice wine and herb broth was a nice bonus that reminded Ejder of why he tolerated the ants that dwelt within his territory.

    Ejder¡¯s nest was in a cave near the peak of the Belinda territory¡¯s tallest mountain. He peered over the edge of the cave and saw that the humans had indeed prepared a meal for him. After some thought, Ejder decided he might as well fly down and eat his first meal in ten years.

    While the humans they fed him weren¡¯t the most nutritious thing he¡¯d ever eaten, they were often quite tasty thanks to the broth they were soaked in.

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    Eloise gazed up at the sky, her sluggish mind, sensing that something was terribly awry. The clouds were stirred by a pair of wings so wide they blotted the light of Alma¡¯s three moons. A great wind buffeted her and everyone else who happened to be standing in the wine pit.

    Eventually, her bloodshot eyes adjusted to the low light and she recognized what she was seeing. A being of ancient power. A brutal, primordial presence bearing magic, scales, and fangs.

    Dragons...True Dragons...Weren¡¯t just flying reptiles. True Dragons were forces of nature. They were calamity made into flesh. They were overwhelmingly powerful creatures that embodied the elements.

    A red dragon wasn¡¯t merely just a red lizard, a red dragon was a burning world. It was a volcanic eruption, and extinction causing meteorite rolled into reptilian package. Blue dragons were the crashing waves, and the endless tides.

    Brown dragons were the rumbling stones, and the shaking earth. Black dragons were death and endless night. While green dragons were the boundless verdance and virulence of mother nature at her best and worst. Finally, White dragons were living storms and eternally tumultuous skies.

    That was the kind of creature a dragon was.

    Now Eloise watched as one of these legendary beasts dropped down from the heavens. A part of her knew that she should be afraid. A part of Eloise knew that she should be running, but between the slave collar and the drugs, all she could do was gape at the massive beast that was descending towards her and her fellow sacrifices.

    The creature landed with a surprising grace, yet the world still seemed to shake beneath the dragon¡¯s weight.

    The creature roared, and Eloise looked around to see that every person that wasn¡¯t wearing a slave collar had dropped to their knees. Falling prostrate till the deafening bellow had stopped and they were allowed to back away from the scaled lord¡¯s presence. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The white dragon began to feed. Swallowing hundreds of people with each mouthful. Their bodies disappearing within its maw, their blood, and few stray limbs, dribbling back into the pit as the dragon began to chew.

    The creature proceeded with its meal, and as it did a change fell over the crowd. A few people, like Eloise, who hadn¡¯t been completely overtaken by the narcotics they¡¯d forcefed slowly began to stir as their minds slowly caught up to the horror of their situation.

    As that small number realized what was happening, and they realized the sheer amount of danger that they were in, they began to panic. Humanity and its sibling races were largely made up of social creatures, able to communicate in big and small ways. Once a few people began to panic that panic spread through the entire crowd.

    Unfortunately, everyone was still stoned to the point of helplessness. Even if they were now aware of the danger they were in, the most they could do was scream...softly...and futilely flail in the broth they were soaking in.

    Eloise watched as more and more people were eaten. Their bones and flesh ground to nothing in the white dragon¡¯s maw. Eventually, half of the five thousand souls that the slavers had captured disappeared down the dragon¡¯s gullet and it came Eloise¡¯s turn to face the beast.

    Cold dread filled her as she watched the remains of the swordsman, and his lover, get pulped and swallowed by the scaled fiend. The dragon swallowed and then lowered its head once more. She felt someone push her, she looked behind her and saw that it was the mage. The young noble was feebly and futilely trying to extend his own life by pushing forwards.

    Funnily enough his actions gave her inspiration. She flailed, gathering a short lived spurt of strength, and pushing someone as well. In Eloise¡¯ case, she wasn¡¯t pushing those people towards the beast, she was pushing them away. Trying to play the part of a protector of the people, a final time.

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    Delara Shirazi felt someone push her. She and several others who¡¯d been drugged senseless and left in the pit of herbs and wine were pushed by an inexplicable force.

    The push had enough strength behind it to send her and them flying out of the bowl. Delara was knocked clear of the scaled lord¡¯s range, mercifully and perhaps predictably, the dragon paid the people that flew out of its pit, no mind.

    In much the same way an ordinary king would pay no mind to a morsel of food that had fallen off his table, the great beast simply ignored her. Lowering it maw towards the people that were still within its feeding pit.

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    Eloise fell after exhausting what little strength she¡¯d managed to gather. It was only after the fact that she realized that had she been a little more selfish and little more smart she might have been able to save herself instead of wasting her efforts with the handful of others that she¡¯d sent flying out of the dragon¡¯s feeding bowl.

    Eloise lay in the pool of wine and herbs. Floating on her back. Watching as the dragon lowered its maw towards her and several others. It seemed the scaled lord was less than pleased with the feisty morsel that had sent so many others morsel¡¯s flying from the bowl.

    Eloise closed her eyes. Waiting to die. Then she heard, or rather she felt, a familiar something. A soft low hum that was followed by the appearance of a swirling black and red aperture in the sky.

    The dragon heard it too, raising its head. It looked up and saw the swirling portal and roared out an ear shattering challenge at the interloper in its territory. Instead of an answering cry, or a retreat, like the beast was used to, the humming got louder and the portal grew wider.

    Out from the swirling aperture appeared a hand, then an arm, then a head, then another arm. Soon a new monster appeared. Both familiar and unfamiliar.

    Eloise gasped as she realized what she was looking at. It had finally made its way to Belinda. The barghest. The baskerville lord.

    It was bigger than Eloise remembered it being. Now standing at forty or so feet, instead of its prior thirty. The creature was more robust as well.The hounds fur was now a lush, more vibrant, dark red. Its physique more full and hale, while also keeping its elongated and spindly proportions.

    The most interesting change was the number of eyes. Before the hound had only had six of them, but now it was positively covered in them. Three sets of small eyes accompanied its two glowing main eyes. A ninth eye lay vertically, lying in the center of hound¡¯s brow.

    There were eyes on its chest and eyes on its hand, limbs, and tail. The monster¡¯s entire body covered in eyes making the beast look like some horrific cross between a wolfman and peacock. Eloise wasn¡¯t sure why she knew this, but she got the sense that even the tendrils that made up its long, and luxurious black-red coat had eyes on them.

    The dragon forgot its meal as it saw the invader boldly stride onto the peak of the dragon¡¯s mountain. The enraged scaled lord flew up to cast down and likely dismember the presumptious newcomer. Elosie watched as the two beasts prepared to engage each other. Then she passed out. Wondering listly if she''d be waking up again.

 25: Beast vs Beast

    A world sundering bellow issued out of the mountains that lay north of Belinda. The leaders of the city all looked towards the city¡¯s northern wall in alarm wondering if their sacrifice had been insufficient. The bellows continued and they eventually realized that there were two beasts calling out from the north.

    After that realization, it didn¡¯t take too long for people to connect the presence of a second beast to the second headache that had been looming over the city. A grand procession of adventurers and soldiers of fortune left through the city¡¯s northern gate to head to the mountain range that lay north of Belinda.

    Most of the people within the procession knew that in all likelihood they¡¯d be leaving the mountains empty handed. They went all the same because the massive bounties placed by both nations, and the chance of maybe being able to scavenge something valuable from the area, was too tempting.

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    Though it would be erroneous to try and paint an entire species with a wide brush, countless millennia near the top of the food chain had inclined the dragon race to certain characteristics.

    All dragons had four primary drives: pride, greed, lust, and hunger. Stepping afoul of these drives was a great way to trigger the famed draconic rage.

    If one randomly asked any of the inhabitants of Azotou, they would say that Dragons were beings who mainly fought, and fucked, and ate, and slept.

    Though there were draconic nations in other parts of the Alma , and legacies founded by dragons who rose above this stereotype to reach higher places and loftier goals, most dragons within Azotou still fell within this pattern.

    The dragons of Azotou were of the independant and asocial variety. Only briefly tolerating the presence of other dragons, to mate, and quickly sending their hatchlings off to fend for themselves once they¡¯d left the shell and were old enough to fly and use a breath attack.

    Only tolerating the presence lesser creatures that shared their world because they were generally useful for serving as sources of treasure, food, and sex, according to the dragons¡¯ needs.

    It was hard to fault dragons for their colossal pride. Was it so unreasonable to think you were one of the mightiest beings in all creation, when for the most part you kind of were?

    The average dragon was faster, stronger, longer lived, and smarter than most other species in Alma or any of the infinite worlds of the cosmos.

    If they failed to meet this standard they were either a thin blooded half-breed, or worse, a mere flying reptile that happened to be called as such due to their resemblance to the genuine article.

    Their trademark superiority was part of what made a dragon a dragon. All true dragons were tryanical bundles of boundless power, ferocity, and nearly endless vitality, given flesh. They were often used to put the numerous wannabe gods clamoring for acknowledgement from the cosmos in their place.

    However, despite this being the case, most dragons were smart enough to know that being at the top of the food chain didn¡¯t mean you couldn¡¯t be eaten.

    Thus it was that Ejder showed caution as he found himself facing the strange inteloper that had appeared within his sky. He didn¡¯t just attack as his pride demanded.

    Ejder could tell that the odd fur covered creature in front of him was something not to be trifled with. The creature didn¡¯t feel like a dragon, but had it been scaled Ejder might have suspected he was facing one of his numerous bastards because the aura the creature gave off was almost superior to his own.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± bellowed Ejder. Speaking in the tongue of the dragons and a handful of other great beasts. The white drake¡¯s voice was the boom of thunder and the howl of hundred miles per hour winds. As Ejder spoke, thin, wriggling worms, of blue-white lightning rippled through his breath. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    The hound-like beast simply regarded him, tilting its head one way and then the other.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± said Ejder. Feeling a growing sense of unease as he felt all of the hound¡¯s countless turn their gaze towards him.

    The hound spoke a single word, speaking in the language of dragons and great beasts. Its voice was the rumble of a crumbling world, the thunderous hiss of a cooling star, and the hush of universe being drained of all its stories.

    ¡°Food¡­¡±

    Ejder heard that word and felt something he hadn¡¯t felt since he was a hatchling.

    The white dragon¡¯s ancient heart skipped a beat as it felt fear for the first time in ages, and seeing itself become momentarily frightened wounded its pride, triggering a bottomless rage. A rage that would only end when either Ejder, or the strange beast, were dead.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    To the witnesses that stood at the foot of the mountain, this short exchange sounded like roar. Meaningless sound, and fury, at a volume high enough to burst the eardrums of the weaker individuals amongst them.

    A few insightful folk saw the people around them bleeding from their ears, and then looked down at the pit that had served as the dragon¡¯s feed bowl to see that there was a strange glowing covering surrounding the pit.

    This alone was enough to serve as confirmation that the evil-eating beast was indeed present on the mountain. The protection of the dragon¡¯s would-be victims also served as a confirmation that evil-eating beast indeed was a beast that ate evil and protected the innocent.

    The revelation caused many a hunter, adventurers, or mercenary, to feel a sense of disquietude and conflict. After all, no one liked to think of themselves as the bad guy and killing a creature that punished only the wicked was a very non-good guy thing to do.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Up on the mountain, unaware and uncaring, of the inner-turmoil he¡¯d inspired in the mortals below, Andrew faced down his prey. He needed only slay this dragon and take the mountain territory for his own and he''d be able to return to his home univere. Returning to the Blackrose galaxy.

    The dragon asked who he was and what he wanted, Andrew ignored the first question and answered the second plainly and honestly. The white beast took a breath and then answer with a bellow of primordial range and hurricane force winds, complete with an entire hurricane¡¯s worth of lightning.

    Andrew weathered that storm that had spat in his direction. Manipulating his personal gravity and anchoring himself in space. Letting the dragon¡¯s breath roll over him like water down a duck¡¯s back.

    He responded in kind, blasting the white dragon with a mouthful of blood red light. The dragon was sent flying back. It was knocked off the peak of the mountain and into the distance.

    Then the creature came flying back, with its great white wings outstretched. It bellowed its outrage and then began to bombard Andrew with bolts of lightning and boulder-sized hail.

    Andrew responded by taking to the air as well. The two arms beneath his main arms morphed into a pair of massive tendril covered wings.

    The two great beasts circled around one another. Entering a dogfit where they spiralled up and down through the sky, sending breath attacks at each other.

    The dragon caught Andrew with a blast of roiling, ice cold, vapor, and electrical energy. Andrew was momentarily stunned falling towards the ground before catching himself in mid-air and righting his path.

    Andrew decided it was time to put an end to the battle. He reached towards his chest and drove his hand into his abdomen. Boiling hot blood poured out raining over the witnesses below and melting through a few extremely unlucky souls.

    Andrew drew a blade from his core. This was something he¡¯d prepared beforehand. It was a subspace, a sliver of the time-space continuum within his core that he¡¯d condensed and shaped into the form of a sword. By feeding it with his power he could control its length, width, and weight.

    Andrew swung the sword, extending it till it reached the massive white reptile flying above him. The dragon cried out as one of its wings fell away from its body. Andrew swung his sword a second time and the dragon cried no more. Its head tumbling off its shoulders.

    Andrew opened his mouth and a great tangle of tendrils shout out catching the wing and head. He swallowed the wing and head into his core and then he caught and consumed the rest of the now falling corpse. Catching the large scaled body before it hit the ground.

    Andrew then turned his attention to the town. He breathed out and then began to breathe in. He used the data manipulation to target and curse and consume every evil entity in a hundred mile radius.

    The people below panicked as they watched their peers collapse, rapidly, deteriorate, and then get sucked into the great otherworldly wind that was travelling towards the massive hound¡¯s maw.

    Even a few of the people within the pit were consumed.

    Once Andrew had fed on all that he would allow himself to feed upon, within the city of Belinda and its surroundings, Andrew put that power to work. Using his new profound connection to the power, data, and laws of the world to create a master root. The first of many he¡¯d lay down within Alma.

    Planting this first root with mountains of Belinda led to several hundred subordinate roots being automatically activated elsewhere within the continent. Andrew¡¯s eyes glowed as he felt his core swell with power. He realized that he was finally, finally...finally full. With a sigh of satisfaction, he leapt down from the mountain top and healed and freed the victims within the pit.

    Restoring the drugged captives senses, healing those who¡¯d been injured but not killed during the dragon¡¯s feeds, and nullifying the spells that held the slave collars in place and gave them their power.

    Andrew then returned to his core to prepare for the trip back home. Intuitively knowing that it¡¯d be easier to make the journey back if he started the trip while in a space that wasn¡¯t properly a part of any  universe.

 26: Like Hot Coffee Spilling in your Lap

    The journey back home was quicker and less painful than he¡¯d expected it to be. The experience was vastly different from that of his exit of Abwickeln. This time it didn¡¯t feel like he was traveling through space and time. It was more like he¡¯d just turned around, or tilted his head, and was now merely shifting his perspective.

    That was the moment where Andrew realized the scale of his own existence. The feeling was oddly mundane. It reminded him of the time when he was a kid, in his mother¡¯s house, and it occurred to him that it had been some time since he¡¯d last needed to use the stepping stool to reach the upper cabinets in the kitchen.

    That was how normal and natural moving across the dimensional divide felt for Andrew. He now understood what Sophia meant when said that his little change had been all but inevitable. He could now see how very easy it¡¯d be to transition between realities entirely by accident.

    There was still a sizable energy cost associated with a transfer but Andrew suspected that this was a temporary thing. A cost incurred by his youth, and his untrained muscles, when he was older and stronger he¡¯d barely feel it. He¡¯d be able to move from one part of the cosmos to another with the same mortals move from the bedroom to the fridge.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew set the arrival spot for the heavily warded, and largely invisible, open-air lounge area on the roof of his condo instead of within the suites below, because he still needed to make some final modifications to his form. Modifications he hadn¡¯t wanted to make back in Alma, because he was just a little paranoid that the costs would forestall his return home.

    ¡°The hell?¡± said Andrew. Looking down from the rooftop and seeing that the condominium seemed to be the only intact building for miles.

    Andrew returned to Harlow and found himself mired in a cacophony. A maelstrom of violence was unfolding around him while he stood on the roof of his condo. There was gunfire, blaster fire, and the sound of explosions. There were cries of pain and panic.

    Andrew¡¯s expanded his senses and made them cover the entirety of the city. Getting a bad feeling, He expanded his senses again to make the cover the entirety of the planet and its closest neighbors.

    Andrew was dismayed to discover that there wasn¡¯t a single part of Harlow and its nearest neighbors that wasn¡¯t caught up in some kind of desperate life and death struggle.

    Swearing beneath his breath, Andrew retrieved his senses, focusing his attention on the city below. The city of Eblouir was covered in smoke and many of its buildings were reduced to rubble.

    Up in the sky, there were biomechanical machines that resembled squids and insects. Machines built of metal, chitin, and flesh. Machines armed with energy weapons that had been mounted on their overabundant limbs.

    These machines battled against building-sized metal men and similarly massive airships.

    Andrew watched as one of the humanoid mechs took down one of the squids destroying one of the few remaining city blocks in the process.

    Frowning, Andrew decided to read what Harlow''s collective unconscious could tell him of the current situation. What he read there,was alarming enough that he also dipped into his connections to the akashic plane and the data with the various mortal networks.

    ¡°Seriously? Is this for real?¡± said Andrew. Aghast.

    Andrew modified the density of his particles and became intangible. Then Andrew let gravity pull him down into the condominium propper.

    Andrew was still shaking his head as he sank through the roof of the building into the condominium''s penthouse suite. He adjusted his molecular density again and returned to being tangible, landing lightly on his feet.

    The first thing Andrew saw, was the all too familiar doll-like face, and snow-white hair, of his partner-in-crime, Sophia.

    ¡°Welcome back, Hoheit.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Good to be back, Soph.¡±

    The two embraced. Despite her seemingly delicately frame, Sophia all but squeezed light out of Andrew. The young man winced but endured the crushing hug with a smile because naturally, he¡¯d missed her even more, because from his perspective it had been two and a half months since he¡¯d last seen her.

    They parted with a kiss. Then after a moment of emotional quiet where Andrew found himself growing more determined to quickly marry the woman in front of him, the two returned to business as usual.

    ¡°So the Stygians are attacking Harlow?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yes.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°How?! This might not be a core world but it¡¯s not some frontier world out in the sticks either¡±

    ¡°From my research, it looks like everyone just got complacent. A lot of people got complacent. The Defensive Network for this solar system, the Odessa System, was outdated and has needed a major overhaul for nearly a century now.

    ¡°Odessa¡¯s naval fleet and regional army are run with only partial competence. Half of the folks in charge are like your mother, decent, hardworking, people with their heads on straight. The other half are jackanapes who happened to be someone¡¯s nephew...Forcing the competent people to work around, and often under, the jackanapes  inevitably left Odessa¡¯s defense with a lot of weak points.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Andrew absorbed the information. Nodding.

    ¡°Shit¡­I¡¯m guessing with the frontier in front of us and the more competent core military behind us it didn¡¯t really matter up until now how up to snuff our defenses are. At least until suddenly, it did matter.¡± said Andrew. Looking out the window at the chaos taking place outside.

    For Andrew, the thing that hit the hardest was realizing that all his plans for settling back into life on Harlow had just officially gone out the window.

    It had been a crapshoot coming back to this universe for the first time. He hadn¡¯t expected anything to be here. In truth, he hadn¡¯t even been entirely sure it¡¯d still be the same universe. It had been beyond his wildest expectations when he found that not only was his universe still the same universe, Harlow was still present, and life on the tropical planet was still the same as when he¡¯d left it.

    When one first plays the lottery, one doesn¡¯t expect to win. This was like managing to somehow, miraculously get hold of that winning ticket, and then having that winning ticket snatched out of your hand. Or more appropriately, this was like winning the lottery and then having the municipality responsible for the payout, get bombed out by an alien invasion.

    After depressedly ruminating on his lack of luck, Andrew shook his head and returned his attention to Sophia.

    ¡°Wait, a minute. Why are you still on Harlow? The local government might have dropped the fucking ball, but we¡¯re basically one-man surveillance networks, by nature. You should have seen this coming, days in advance.¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia suddenly took a strong interest in the clouds of smoke and soot that drifted overhead. Fixing her gaze on the window.

    ¡°Soph?¡±

    ¡°Ahem...Well, about that...I did say a lot of people ended up becoming complacent, hoheit. And...you¡¯d just disappeared. I was busy pretending to be you, I was also setting up my side of the root network, plus I was trying to focus on getting back to you ...A lot of things were happening and you know how it is...One thing leads to another, and before I knew it the Stygians were here.¡± said Sophia. Giving a small sheepish shrug.

    Andrew just sighed. Massaging his brow.

    ¡°Okay...Okay ...I suppose that¡¯s fine. What happens now?¡±

    ¡°Well, now there¡¯s still the rest of the Novem Empire, so it¡¯s not like our plans for living like normal people are completely out the window,  and my predictive models have the Stygians getting pushed back in a couple of weeks. So hopefully we¡¯ll be able to get things back to normal, soon enough. Honestly, I think this attack was just a probe on the part of the Stygians¡­¡±

    ¡°As well as an opportunity to bloody the empire¡¯s nose.¡± said Andrew. Grumpily looking upwards and watching as a team of two flying mechanized-spiders took down an imperial corvette.

    ¡°Probably...¡± said Sophia. Also gazing upwards. Her focus placed on the flashes of blinding light taking place above the planet¡¯s atmosphere, looking like a thunderstorm sans the rain, or the biggest daytime fireworks show imaginable.

    ¡°So...About those plans?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Oh...That¡¯s actually a bit complicated.¡± said Sophia. Her expression taking on a difficult look.

    ¡°Complicated? Complicated how?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Love..Honestly, this one¡¯s on you, not me, hoheit. Remember when a certain somebody decided that our entire building need to have its security revamped. Remember that same somebody waking up during the middle of the night after we¡¯d had our us-time and getting it done?¡±

    ¡°Uh...I-, I guess.¡± said Andrew. Scratching the side of his and suddenly understanding how it was that half of the city could have been blown to smithereens and their condo was still standing.

    When he¡¯d snuck out of bed to make sure, he and Sophia, staid safe regardless of whatever might happen, he¡¯d mostly been thinking about immortal threats. Such as the arrival of a demon king, and some rogue deity-class entity. The possibility of them being swept up in someone else''s troubles had maybe passed through his mind, but he hadn¡¯t given it any serious thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s not entirely your fault...¡± teased Sophia.

    ¡°There were extenuating circumstances, those circumstances now make it a bit difficult for us to simply tuck the building into your core and fly off to some other planet, as we might have done otherwise. Because while the Stygians and the Imperials above us don¡¯t really notice our presence, the panic and mayhem below, and the whole ¡®being the only thing standing for miles¡¯-situation, has made it so that more than a few of the survivors in the city ended up coming to our place to wait out the storm.¡±

    ¡°And you let them in?!¡± said Andrew. Eyes wide.

    Sophia just looked at him. One brow raised. Andrew deflated, sighing in defeat.

    ¡°Right...Of course, you let him in. It¡¯d have been the only decent thing to do.¡± said Andrew. Feeling a headache, or ten, on the horizon.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ve been kept out of our personal areas and any levels that you¡¯ve earmarked for sensitive use.  Plus, you¡¯re the one who made a big deal out of the two of us following a basic modicum of right and wrong, because you thought going all-in on that ¡®angled lines and curved lines¡¯ philosophy that¡¯s been ingrained in your blood would probably end up driving us both crazy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...Yeah, I did. So I¡¯m assuming you took a brief accounting of our guests to make sure we didn¡¯t have any ticking time bombs in the mix?¡± said Andrew. Rubbing the back of his head and frowning, as he watched a team of unarmored commandos escorts a hovering med-evac unit across the ruined cityscape. Gunning down the genetically modified monsters the Stygians used as infantry.

    ¡°I did...Which leads me to the second thing that also was not my fault.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Nh? Oh, shit...What happened now?¡±

    ¡°The Academy was destroyed.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Of course, the Academy was destroyed! Look at this city. I doubt a facility as big as the academy, with as many ties to the planet¡¯s military, was going to get left alone.¡± said Andrew. Pointing out the window towards the devastated landscape.

    ¡°No...I mean the school was destroyed first.¡±

    ¡°...What?¡±

    ¡°Hours before the Stygian attack, unmarked ships entered Eblouir¡¯s sky. I ran through the data for the whole plot, it seems that this attack was something that had been in the works for months, if not years. I suspect the Stygian¡¯s immortals and some of Novem¡¯s immortals were doing so backroom business. Either that or Blackvale¡¯s dean and council of Elders have made themselves quite an enemy somewhere. There¡¯s evidence of true-data suppression. Someone out there was meddling with the flow of the world to keep the powers-that-be from seeing what took place, but the residue was too muddled for me to tell if it was divine, infernal, spiritual, fae, or something more exotic like the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough, when the immortals decide to take on the heavy price of hiding their plots there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡± said Andrew. Not feeling anywhere near as resigned as his tone suggested, and already making plans to pour over the data himself for clues, in hopes of getting even with the responsible parties someday.

    ¡°They dropped a group, fairly impressive, power-wielding unknowns in mechanized armor onto the academy grounds. They killed various key members of the school¡¯s senior staffed. Then after the ships came back to pick up their people, they carpet-bombed the campus on their way out. They also attempted to capture and/or kill several of the students, somewhere in the midst of that, but I stepped in that point. Beyond the fact, at least three of my bodies, including the body that was masquerading as you, would have been amongst their targets...it seemed like it¡¯d have been bad school spirit, to let them gun down or collar our classmates.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...So I¡¯m guessing that most of the people in the building are students and school staff?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yes...There were also a handful of regular townsfolk mixed up and a few emergency responders from the city who ended up getting stranded when the Stygians stopped dropping bombs and started dropping monsters instead, but its mostly people from the school.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Alright...So, I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ve got an idea of what to do with them.¡± said Andrew. Plopping himself down into a seat.

    ¡°Well, it turns out we¡¯re still students...Blackvale was a branch school of an even larger entity. The quietly prestigious ¡®Hundred-Night¡¯ Academy.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Nh,....I¡¯d say I¡¯d never heard about them, but going by the data I¡¯m reading through now, that seems to have been entirely the point.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Will they really take us?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°They kind of have to. The late-dean was part of the family that founded the school and it¡¯d be a black mark on their reputation to leave this large a number of students and staff out in the wind. Naturally, I can¡¯t make any promises for after we¡¯ve been pulled into the fold.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Tch...Fine. I guess that¡¯s good enough. And for the rest of our mortal cargo?¡±

    ¡°We can either drop them off on the first imperial station, or world, we pass through. Or we can drop them off when we reach Nurari III, and the Hundred-Night Academy.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Nh. Another good plan. ¡± said Andrew.

 27: Hotel Luce

    Andrew stood in his kitchen watching as a giant mechanized spider stomped its way down the block, chasing a squad of Eblouir¡¯s policy elites.

    A part of Andrew watched with cold detachment. Merely wanting to see if the police officers would be able to get away, or if the Stygian mech would catch up to them. The rest of him just sighed, and shook their heads, overruling the first part and trying to figure out a way to save the people below without causing themselves too much trouble.

    Andrew turned to Sophia. The pale woman just smiled, seeming to know what he was going to say before he said it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have one of my not-duplicates call them in.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew didn¡¯t ask what the not-duplicates were. He¡¯d already seen the slightly altered bodies Sophia had running around pretending to be other people. It seemed that after pretending to be him for a few days, she¡¯d seen the utility in having extra bodies running around that didn¡¯t look like her.

    Sophia had upgraded her mental network using some of the energy she¡¯d gathered from early versions of her half of the root system the two of them were building together. Sophia¡¯s expanded hivemind was then modified and granted an enhanced modularity that allowed her to operate multiple instances of herself without exhaustion.

    Thus the Luce family gained a whole bunch of new members. There was now a Luce main branch, and a Lux family, which served as the Luce clan¡¯s branch. ¡°Sophia¡± was still an only child, but she now had a very large extended family, whose members were now appearing out of the woodwork.

    While she was at it, Sophia had also created a number of AI-driven drones and placed them in humanoid chassis to have them serve as servant staff.

    Andrew thought his partner was just a tad too meticulous and hardworking, but felt a deep pride thinking of how those virtues would affect her future endeavors.

    Sophia, on the other hand, was embarrassed to see what she¡¯d done after a mere three days separation from her Hoheit, and would rather die than admit that her actions had been based on loneliness and boredom rather than any other grand purpose.

    Though expanding her network and making changes to it that would allow her to be more flexible and enduring in its use were likely to be good things in the end. Sophia would never be able to look at her suit-wearing, silver-faced, servitor units, and her new ¡®family¡¯ without feeling a twinge of shamefulness.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Meanwhile, on the broken and scorched roads outside, Sergeant Miller, of Eblouir¡¯s Tactical Security Force, and his merry men road for their lives as one of the Stygians titan-roaches tried to squash them.

    ¡°Sarge, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re gonna make it!¡± said the panicked voice of one of Miller¡¯s men.

    ¡°Pish posh, corporal. We just need to keep driving and look for cover.¡± said Miller. Filling his voice with false cheer and as much confidence as he could muster, while keeping an eye on the monster that was slowly catching up to their armored personnel carrier.

    Miller had one of his men sitting in the gunner seat firing round after round into the massive, mechanized, insects face. The creature and its pilot weren¡¯t flinching at all. Simply ignoring the turret rounds because they weren¡¯t leaving so much as a scratch on the mech¡¯s carapace.

    Miller kept his smile while grinding his teeth. Cold sweat ran down his brow, and he began to wonder if it was time to think about his plan B. He figured the enchantments and tech in his people¡¯s body armor were pretty solid.

    He could take over driving. He¡¯d take APC into the rubble, where they¡¯d have a little more cover, and he¡¯d order the brave men and women who were serving beneath him, to duck and roll, out of the vehicle while he lead the metal bug away from them.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Just as Sergeant Miller was about to put his plan into motion, a voice came over the vehicle¡¯s comm unit. It was a male voice, light, crisp, and very posh, like the high imperials of old.

    ¡°Pardon...What was that saying again? Ah, yes...Do... you... copy?¡± said the speaker.

    ¡°I copy. Now, who the hell is this? How did you get on this channel?¡± said Miller. Picking up the comm-unit¡¯s mike so he could speak clearly despite the explosion echoing around them and the roar of the APC¡¯s motor.

    ¡°Excellent. I am one of the Servitor-units of the August house of Luce. I¡¯ve been ordered to extend an invitation? Will you be attending?¡±  said the Speaker.

    ¡°Wha-...Look, buddy. I¡¯m not in the mood for jokes here. Who are you and how are you on this channel? This is an emergency channel for city and military personnel only...so I¡¯m gonna have to ask you to stop messing ar-...¡±

    ¡°Sir, look to your right. My mistress has ordered me to open the doors for you, but I¡¯m loath to do so for too long. Now, will you be joining us or not?¡±

    Miller frowned, wanting to argue with the stranger more, but in the end, he relented and saw that on the opposite side of the freeway they were driving along, there was indeed a structure. A sky-scraper, so tall and prominent, Miller could only gape. His train of thought derailing explosively as he wondered how on earth the ostentatious tower had managed to remain standing while the rest of the world was busy crumbling down.

    Sergeant Miller had a thought, and then he nodded to himself and slapped his driver on the back.

    ¡°Hook a right! Do it now, while we still have enough leeway to get away with it!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Wh-, What the hell?!¡± said the driver. Miller frowned for a moment, wondering if his man had finally lost his nerve. Then Miller realized the other officer was simply reacting to the sudden appearance of the tower.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Two minutes of tense, frankly reckless, driving, later and the group of swat officers were inside the building.

    The titan-roach chased them all the way to the entrance, and for a moment, Miller thought all was lost, but then the next moment he saw a massive appendage, made of crystal and brick, emerge from the building and swat the bug. Crushing it with such force that had the doors not sealed themselves in that moment they might have been injured by the resulting shockwave.

    Miller and his men found themselves in a brightly lit garage filled with a number of strange vehicles. They were guided by holographic arrows that somehow appeared within the sprites. Ushering them into the building proper.

    Miller and his people found themselves in a large lobby. A space that might have seemed ritzy and high class if it weren¡¯t for the thousands of refugees milling around inside.

    ¡°...The hell?¡± said Miller. Looking around at the sea of faces each of them carrying some mixture of anxiety, fear, and boredom.

    ¡°Ervine Miller?¡± said a very familiar voice.

    Sergeant Miller turned around and saw a tall, humanoid being, in a crisp black suit standing behind him and his men. He looked around and saw several similar looking, if not entirely identical, beings moving amongst the crowd.

    ¡°Er...Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Would you and your men like to be shown to your quarters first, or would you prefer I bring you to the group of ladies and gentleman of status that have taken fifth-floor lounge as a sort of emergency meeting room.¡±

    Miller hesitated and then looked at the men and women who were trailing behind him. All of them looking, beat-up, run-down, and dead on their feet.

    ¡°Uh, would it be possible for you to have my boys shown to their rooms, while I go see this club of high-and-mighties?¡± said Miller.

    ¡°Of course, sir.¡±

    Another silver-faced machine-man appeared.

    ¡°If you¡¯d kindly follow me, dear officers.¡± said the new machine-man.

    Miller nodded towards his men as they looked to him for reassurance.

    ¡°At ease, men. Go take a load off...Maybe scope this place out once you¡¯ve got the wind back in your sails. I¡¯ll go see what the leaders of this place have to say.¡± said Miller.

    Millar¡¯s men nodded. Each man and woman in the six-man squad managing a salute before tiredly trailing after the silver-faced servitor.

    Miller followed his own servitor. His practiced eyes read the room and he found that there was less panic in the air than he¡¯d originally read. Most of the faces he saw were washed, and well-fed. No one was content but no one was wanting either.

    They passed through the hall and reached an elevator. Miller recognized the model it was one of the fancier types that could go from being opaque metal, to being translucent and clearer than glass.

    The servitor left the elevator on its glass mode and Miller took note of the various floors they went through noting that each floor had a high number of people but besides the ground floor where he now understood was the area where people waited to see if a familiar face emerged from amongst the newcomers, none seemed overly packed.

    Miller saw families gathering together to discuss plans for what to make with the remains of their shattered lives. He saw children playing, not entirely oblivious to the crisis around them, but trying their best to stay out of their parents¡¯ way and make the best of things anyway. He saw people arguing on their sprites with insurance agents, the imperial bureaucracy, and their off-world family.

    Miller realized that he¡¯d probably underestimated how many people the building was sheltering. Just for curiosity¡¯s sake, he said,

    ¡°How many rooms does this place have again?¡±

    ¡°As many rooms as the building needs, sir.¡± said the servitor.

    ¡°And how many is that currently?¡± said Miller.

    ¡°At the moment, that¡¯s 521,391 rooms and suites, sir.¡± said the servitor.

    Miller just whistled. Feeling a sense of relief and grief. Relief at hearing that so many of the Eblouir¡¯s citizens had survived the Stygian assault. Grief at the many others who¡¯d died because as far as he knew this was likely the only shelter with that kind of capacity, or durability.

 28: Captain of an Odd Ship

    Sargent Miller found himself seated in a large lounge. A drinking room with furniture covered in rich leather and exotic wood. With the shelves covered in countless crystal-bottled liquors, and the soft crooning of some old-time jazz singer playing over the background, the room looked more like what one would expect from a high-class speakeasy than anything else.

    Yet, more than a few of the faces in the room belonged to members of the city¡¯s elite. It took Miller aback, and he found himself wondering if they¡¯d all arranged to come to this particular building ahead of time. Then he recalled that the building was located in the high-end part of the city,  making it the closest port in the storm for the city¡¯s upper-crust.

    ¡°Oh, ho? Who¡¯s this¡± said a venerable looking, old, Wolfkin. His well-styled, fur and hair, streaked with gray.

    Miller saluted, bowing faintly at the waist in greeting.

    ¡°Sergeant Miller, Head of the Sparrow-unit within Eblouir¡¯s Tactical Rangers and Emergency Response.¡± said the Servitor.

    ¡°My, my...Even you¡¯ve somehow managed to find yourself here. How serendipitous¡­¡± said another of the room¡¯s occupants. A military contact and major official of the city who¡¯d once attempted and failed to run for mayor.

    Miller met the other man¡¯s eye and struggled to his expression from dipping into a frown. That man was known in the minds of many as ¡°the bureaucrat¡±.

    Never mind that many in the rooms also held administrative and bureaucratic positions. He still remained the sole ¡°bureaucrat¡± in the room. Gaining the title because his reputation was exactly that of the kind of petty, pencil-pushing, red-tape draping, politicking, pain in the ass that the worst of his sort were known to be.

    ¡°Hello,...Sir.¡± said Miller.

    The servitor lead Miller to a seat and asked if Miller would like a drink or any other refreshments. Miller looked around the room and saw that many of the others were drinking, but just to play it safe he simply asked for a water.

    The door to the lounge opened once more and in walked a man, though from his facial features it wasn¡¯t too long ago that one could call him a boy.

    He was tall. Slender in build, but wide in frame. A muscular physique that was large without stepping into the realm of being bulky.

    His features carrying the same brutal elegance one might expect from a well-made broadsword or one of the military¡¯s astral corvettes.

    His skin was a warm brown, his shaggy red hair, and wolfish eyes, were orange-red like the flames of a dying fire. His face was sharp and handsome. Dominated by a pair of black-framed, rectangular,  glasses.

    Speaking of the man¡¯s face, his face and most of the other, visible parts of his body, were marked. His skin was covered in dark tattoos that looked like eyes. Closed eyes.

    Most striking was the man¡¯s aura. It was palpable. Reminding Miller of a famous instructor he¡¯d once trained under. The red-haired man exuded a pressure that made everyone in the room breath a little shallower and talk a little softer. It was an aura that suffered no argument or resistance. An aura with boundless depth and strength like the ebb and flow of a vast sea.

    The man looked around the room. Miller felt the man¡¯s gaze fall on him and found himself shivering as if thousands of hands with thousands of fingers had just rifled through his innermost being. Searching the Seargent up and down for the red-haired could expect every minute portion of Miller¡¯s person.

    ¡°Greetings, all. I know you were expecting my wife, but she¡¯s busy. So here I am. I¡¯m Andrew Oddvar-Luce. Nice to make your acquaintance.¡± said the man.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    ¡°Wife? I wasn¡¯t aware the young Mistress Luce was even affianced, never mind being married.¡± said a middle-aged foxkin woman, who¡¯d formerly been one of the heads of Eblouir¡¯s boards of commerce.

    ¡°Nh, well we were...are. The Luces are a quiet family and don¡¯t really do things with the pomp and circumstance that other families of their class might do them. Sophia and I had been engaged for a few months. Then we got married not long ago.¡± said Andrew. Lying about the details but telling the truth in the broad strokes.

    He and Sophia were married. They¡¯d decided on it while Andrew was wrapping up the finishing touches on his current body and syncing his Alma Root System with the System Sophia had set up within the Blackrose galaxy.

    Andrew wasn¡¯t entirely sure why they¡¯d decided to do so now, rather than wait till they graduated as they¡¯d planned. There was something about having the whole world falling apart around them that made the two immortals feel like they might not have all the time in the world to do things the ¡°proper way," like they¡¯d initially thought they''d be able to do them.

    They also didn¡¯t know when Andrew¡¯s growing pains would strike next, whisking him away to yet another world.

    Add to this ,the fact that Andrew had only two people he¡¯d ever have even considered wanting present at their hypothetical ceremony, and Sophia''s side of the family was basically all just duplicates of her. There was no reason not to. At least no serious reason.

    Besides, the two had been together for so long that they were already basically married. So manipulating the data within the empire¡¯s system to get their marriage certificate on file had just been a formality.

    Ultimately, even if he wasn¡¯t sure about the decision, he didn¡¯t regret it. He loved Sophia, and he knew she loved him as well, so the label on their relationship didn¡¯t matter as much. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Seeing the expressions on the faces of the people in the room did remind Andrew that there would likely be a few societal repercussions, but he found he wasn¡¯t that concerned. The increases in his strength came with an increased willingness to be bolder and less covert in his actions.

    Tall flowers might get their heads chopped off, tall nails might get hammered down, but the mountains could grow as high as they wanted. Anyone trying to chop them down was asking for a calamity to fall upon their heads.

    Right now, Andrew felt reasonably comfortable that if there was an immortal present, he¡¯d be able to hold his own against them with relative ease.

    Which meant he¡¯d likely be able to hold his own against any number of mortal authorities. Things could still turn troublesome if he got too reckless, but at the very least, he was unlikely to be overwhelmed, and the chances of facing a total loss were unlikely, which was the important thing.

    ¡°Well, congrats, I suppose...Moving onto the matters at hand. This building. On behalf of the Novem government, I¡¯m prepared to buy it from you for the price of a hundred million dollars.¡± said the Bureaucrat.

    Andrew didn¡¯t bother thinking before he shook his head and said,

    ¡°No can do, sir. It¡¯s not for sale.¡±

    The bureaucrat frowned. Obviously not expecting to be rebuffed even if the price was a tad low, it was real estate in a devastated city. Ordinarily, one would be lucky to get an offer of fifty million dollars.

    ¡°Fine then...On behalf of the Novem government, I¡¯m requisitioning this building from you. And you can contact the appropriate offices later about proper compensation.¡± said the bureaucrat. His tone a lot colder and lot less friendly.

    Andrew just looked at the man and then he looked at the room. Some of the gazes he saw were friendly, others were not. All of those gazes were calculating.

    If it was any other day, Andrew might have taken a different angle with things, or perhaps even simply capitulated because it was only a building and it wouldn¡¯t be hard to take everything of real worth from the building when he and Sophia left. Leaving the building as an ordinary building.

    Today Andrew was tired and just a little grumpy because he¡¯d managed to cross the distance between universes only to find himself in this mess, with his homeworld on fire.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Miller watched the exchange between the bureaucrat and the man who called himself the husband of the famous and well-esteemed Sophia Luce. The Sergeant like everyone else in the room was exceedingly curious to see what was going to happen.

    Technically, Miller should have been taking the bureaucrat¡¯s side because it was by now very clear that the building was a key portion of Eblouir¡¯s defense, and the government was more than justified to take ownership of such a structure.

    However, Miller and most others in the room were also clear that this wasn¡¯t the reason the bureaucrat had brought the matter up. No doubt, the bureaucrat had seen the worth of the building and simply wanted to claim it for the sake of getting the credit for bringing such a treasure into the governmental coffers.

    The building¡¯s spatial tech and defensive capabilities seemed to be on par with some of the empire¡¯s most advanced creations and confiscating such a marvel for the government''s use with come with great rewards.

    Andrew Oddvar-Luce smiled. Startling everyone in the room by his sudden change of expression. Then he clucked his tongue, placed his hand on the bureaucrat¡¯s shoulder and said,

    ¡°Well, shucks...I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re here, little fella. But the grownups are talking now, so why don¡¯t you go over there and play some games on your sprite?¡±

    There was an inaudible gasp that traveled across the room as everyone was struck by the sheer amount of disdain and disregard the man¡¯s words held. Miller noticed a few of the bureaucrat''s peers frowning. Even if they didn¡¯t like the man that didn¡¯t mean they¡¯d stand for the disrespect to his position and his connection to the empire.

    Everyone still waited, wanting to see the bureaucrats enraged response. A few of the people who¡¯d been watching in the background were even preparing to stand and support the bureaucrat.

    There were only a few people like a certain, green-haired, old half-elf who seemed to be kicking back and watching the show. Showing none of the outrage that more than a few faces in the room were now showing.

    Everyone was shocked when the bureaucrat¡¯s face lost all expression and then suddenly turned bright as well. The man¡¯s wrinkled face took on a youthful innocence, and his voice took on a childish lisp as the man said,

    ¡°Okay...Can-, Can I have some snacks? Please?¡± said the bureaucrat.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll have one of the servants get you some of the cheese snacks you like so much.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yay! Thank you, mister!¡± said the bureaucrat.

    The red-haired man ruffled the bureaucrat''s hair like he was some kindly old uncle. The seventy-year-old bureaucrat laughed happily, making airplane noises as he ran out the door.

    Once the bureaucrat was gone all the attention on the room fell on the red-haired young man. Some people looked amused. Others were furious. Others looked frightened and conflicted.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    The young man gestured, and his glasses, which also served as his sprite, projected a single window, with a single golden digital certificate within it.

    A certificate stamped with the imperial seal. A certificate filled with the sharp text of most important imperial documents and titled with a bold, curlicue, number fifteen. The two numbers surrounded by ten stars.

    This was yet another measure that Sophia had set up in preparation for Andrew¡¯s return. A measure born from the ashes of yet more of the couple''s ruined plans.

    Though the empire often liked to posit itself as a shining example of democracy, meritocracy, and egalitarianism, compared to its more stratified rivals, there were many classes within imperial society.

    The Royals stood above the nobles, the nobles stood above the commoners, and within all those groups there were several subdivisions based on wealth, influence and personal strength.

    In the empire, the biggest decider for one¡¯s status in imperial society was one¡¯s personal strength. Thus were born the star ranks, though rumor had it those rankings were created by beings that were a fair bit higher up in the food chain than the empire was.

    All the empire¡¯s soldiers were ranked according to their capability, and since all of the empire¡¯s citizens were either future, present, or past members of its military, all of them were ranked as well. That ranking held great weight within imperial society.

    The certificate that the boy named Andrew was showing to the group of city leaders and persons of influence ended any plots, or thoughts of reprisal, cold.

    Those who were outraged on the bureaucrat''s behalf quickly hid their anger. Those who¡¯d simply wanted to see what would happen, shook their heads in chagrin, considering how to make use of the use of the new information. Those who were quietly on the young man¡¯s side simply smiled.

    Everyone from Andrew¡¯s detractors, to the neutral group, to his supporters, all made plans for how to get on the good side of the Luce family.

    Most citizens within the empire were born rank one. They were ordinary people, holding ordinary military significance. Based on their powers, and political, military, or economic achievements most would eventually climb to the level of rank-three significance.

    If one was a noble one would be born rank-three and could reach rank-five.

    The royals were born rank-five and reached rank-seven. Even the emperor only held a personal rank of rank-nine citizenship.

    Being rank-ten and above was only possible for a group, and was withheld for those factions, families, and nations with strong ties to a powerful immortal. The empire as a whole held a rank of twenty-seven.

    A powerful immortal that shared one¡¯s family name. Being rank-ten meant that one was related and connected to one of the galaxy¡¯s powers-that-be.

    The certificate that the young husband of Sophia Luce had just revealed, was a sign that the Luce family had hid themselves deeper than anyone had thought.

    Quietly, supporting and gaining the support of, a being that no mortal power within the empire could afford to offend. In other words, even if the young man had killed and eaten the bureaucrat, only the most foolish amongst the people in the room would try to find trouble with him and the Luce clan.

    Andrew pulled up a chair for himself and plopped himself down. He ordered a drink and then looked around the table. He frowned as he noted the overly sober expression worn by more than half of the table.

    He couldn¡¯t help clicking his tongue as he saw so many judgemental stares, after the heroic amount of quick thinking that he¡¯d had to do, to keep from killing the annoying man who¡¯d dared thing he could steal his home away.

    ¡°Oh, come on now...It¡¯s not like it¡¯s permanent. He¡¯ll be back to normal in a few days. He just looked like the kind that might end up being a nuisance if he hung around for too long. And this will keep him out of hair while the rest of us do what needs to be done. Any who, let¡¯s talk about where we go from here.¡± said Andrew.

 29: Take Off

    The assault on Harlow ended up coming to a close, quicker than anyone had expected. The first trigger to the Stygian¡¯s early right came in the form of the speedy entrance of the imperial forces from the Novem empire¡¯s core worlds. The second trigger was the sudden appearance of an aberrational third force that appeared within the skies above the city of Eblouir.

    A third, but little spoken of, trigger was the fact the Stygians ended up getting what they¡¯d wanted. Retrieving the rare resource that the Stygians had been willing to sacrifice millions of lives for, and retreating because the Oddessa system wasn¡¯t that vital a position for them.

    The importance of that last trigger wouldn¡¯t be seen for several centuries. That ¡®resource¡¯ was something that few would know about because it was a matter kept secret between the devils and the gods.

    When the revelation was finally made, both sides would cough blood in rage, after finding that they¡¯d all been made fools of by a certain family of immortals that would have already risen to become a fourth power within the galaxy, and major faction in the universe overall, by that point in time.

    In the meantime, the Novem empire would shake with the tales told about the first two triggers for several years. That night, the starry seas of the Oddessa system were filled with titanic monsters. Great beasts of metal, madness, and light.

    The imperial forces¡¯ ships were sleek. Designed with the vestiges of the old aerodynamic engineering that dominated the design philosophy of the races of the empire before they finally reached the stars and the vacuum of space. They were tubular vessels with streamlined, elongated bodies, multiple fins, and pointed heads.

    With the ruby-red crystal caps that covered their lasers and warp-drives, the larger of the vessels looked strikingly like red-eyed whales and the smaller vessels looked a lot like sharks. The imperial fleet was a school of hyper-aggressive sea life.

    The Stygian fleet, on the other hand, was a massive of arthropods and a handful of mollusks. Their ships took the forms of squids, octopi, spiders, scorpions, and other creatures with far too many limbs. Their ship''s hulls were made with a mixture of inorganic and organic materials. Titanium soldered into chitin. Steel melded with flesh.

    The empire''s ships were ships manned with heroes. Men and women who¡¯d sworn to fight and die for their nation. The Stygians¡¯ ships were monsters. Manned with slaves, many of them born and bred for the duty of fighting, others captured and warped till they fit the role.

    As the two sides collided and clashed the fight was originally an even one. For every Stygian ship that had its hull ruptured and ended up disgorging its passengers into the cold vacuum of space, an imperial ship would explode bursting like a dazzling mournful firework.

    The Stygian¡¯s weren¡¯t fools they¡¯d known they¡¯d have to invest heavily if they truly wished to take this quadrant of the galaxy for their own. They¡¯d come prepared to fight tooth and nail, breeding countless clone soldiers for the task of pushing back the imperial fleet.

    What they hadn¡¯t been prepared for was a major distraction. A distraction that came in the form of an anomalous vessel that rose up from planet Harlow¡¯s surface. Escaping the planet''s atmosphere and flying through their blockade of the Oddessa system with such force that it all crippled the Stygians¡¯ defense and threw their offense into disarray.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Forty-five minutes, before the collapse and retreat of the Stygian fleet, Andrew Oddvar-Luce would walk out of the lounge in which he and the leaders of Eblouir had been having yet another meeting.

    Andrew stepped out of the room, hands in his pockets as he tried not to give away how very exhausted he was. He knew that Sophia was trying to get people used to seeing his face so it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a surprise when she named him the head of their clan instead of her. However, at this stage of things, considering how tired he was, he wouldn¡¯t have minded letting her be the head of the family if it meant being excused from a future of endless meetings.

    After leaving the lounge, he headed for the large dining hall where a number of the servitor-units had set up a buffet-style area where people could come if they were hungry. In theory, he could have just gone up into the sealed-off area where Sophia¡¯s main-body was, but there was something he needed to do in the buffet hall beyond simply filling his stomach.

    The buffet hall wasn¡¯t just one hall. At this stage, it had been expanded to a scale that was roughly equivalent to several shopping mall food courts. The ¡°hall¡± had several levels that catered to several diet choices and offered various cultural cuisines.

    Andrew walked inside and immediately ran into a familiar face.

    ¡°Oi, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Where else would I be? My entire family¡¯s here.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Huh? I thought you guys got your luck back. Surely you would have been able to get a ride off-world with one of the military clans, or get into one of the private shelters?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Maybe, but a lot of those favors would have come with strings attached. There are many who are aware of my family¡¯s recent change of fortunes, even if they don¡¯t know the hows or whys of it. And they¡¯d likely use this opportunity to step on our necks and remind us of where we¡¯re meant to sit on the food chain. My family¡¯s through with being looked down on. Miss Luce only asks for our mutual cooperation and you only ask for my friendship. That makes yours the best ship for us to climb aboard.¡± said Oliver. Running his fingers through his silky green hair because saying all that made him feel awkward. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Nh...That¡¯s...something alright.¡± said Andrew. Snorting and biting back a burst of inappropriate laughter because he was also feeling awkward.

    Oliver chuckled as well. Tickled by the fact he still couldn¡¯t tell if the other boy was unfathomably, or just a good-natured but low eq brute, with the powers and luck to make up for it.

    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry man...It¡¯s not like I¡¯m here pouring my heart out to you or anything.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Nh¡­¡± Andrew didn¡¯t really respond. He just continued looking uncomfortable and rubbing the back of his neck for a moment before he remembered that he was here on a mission.

    Oliver stopped teasing his friend and took on a sharp expression as he realized that Andrew had suddenly gotten serious.

    ¡°Yo, Ollie, I¡¯m going to do a thing. I¡¯m gonna need you to be part of it. But it is kind of dangerous so you don¡¯t have to join if you don¡¯t want to. Are you in?¡± said Andrew.

    Oliver blinked. Wondering exactly what kind of recruit offer that was supposed to be.

    ¡°What are my chances of dying?¡± said Oliver. Asking the question that mattered the most.

    ¡°Less than fifteen-percent.¡± said Andrew. Drawing on the data he¡¯d accumulated for the plan to answer Oliver¡¯s question.

    ¡°Eh, considering the current situation, those aren¡¯t terrible odds. Okay, I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°Sweet. Follow me.¡± said Andrew.

    Andrew ate. He went to the part of the buffet hall that was serving noodle dishes,  seafood, and fried rice. Oliver didn¡¯t eat because he¡¯d eaten hours before. Then once Andrew was done, he and Oliver left the buffet hall, and they waited in the large hallway outside.

    ¡°Uh...Didn¡¯t you say there was something you needed to do here?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah. I was planning to make a big impassioned speech in the main lobby of the buffet hall. But then you made your speech which I¡¯m not bagging on or anything, but it reminded that I¡¯d have to make my own speech and how embarrassing that could be so I decided not to do that.¡±

    ¡°Alright, cool. Fuck you too then, dude.¡± said Oliver. Half-jokingly, half-seriously.

    ¡°Ah, come on. I didn¡¯t mean it that way. I¡¯m just saying I¡¯m shy and shit. I mean I¡¯d never be able to walk half-way across a lunch hall to ask a stranger to be my friend.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Oi, I might actually get mad now.¡± said Oliver. Narrowing his eyes at the other boy at the memory of his former-life of professional toadying.

    ¡°Fine, fine...Anyway, we need to wait here for a bit.¡± said Andrew

    ¡°Wait here for what?¡± said Oliver.

    Less than ten minutes later a long line of youths between the ages of seventeen and thirty showed up. Crowding around them. Amongst the early arrivals were several former-students of their fallen school the now-defunct Blackvale Academy.

    ¡°Is it true? Was that video for real?!¡± said Emilia Karan. The normally mousy, pink-haired, gnome¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. Like many others within the building, she looked like she¡¯d better days. And there was a manic, borderline, fanatical gleam in her eyes.

    ¡°What video?¡± said Oliver. Looking to Andrew.

    Andrew just shrugged.

    ¡°Like I said. I needed to make a speech but I realized giving speeches is embarrassing so I used my sprite to gather the data from the applicable folks in the hall, and sent them a video with a similar speech. A recruitment ad, if you will.¡±

    ¡°How?! When the hell did you have the time to do that?¡± said Oliver. Eyes wide.

    ¡°Uh...Just now? With the magic of technology, plus actual magic? Come on, my dude. Keep up.¡± said Andrew.

    Oliver felt a headache coming on. He wanted to argue with the other boy about this some more, but he knew that this was neither the time or place.

    ¡°I¡¯m also in.¡± said a certain blue-haired Owlkin. Her usual stoic expression replaced with a look of determination.

    There were a number of others who came to join Andrew¡¯s little operation. Some of them were members of the city¡¯s police force and emergency response. Others were students like them, from within the city or its nearest neighbors. Others were simply ordinary people who knew how to fight and wanted a little payback after having their lives set on fire.

    Andrew gave me all instructions on where to go then he and Oliver head in another direction.

    ¡°Okay, hold on...What are we doing again?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°We¡¯re getting out of here.¡±

    ¡°Out of here, where though? And where are we going?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving Harlow.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°What?! How?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Come on...You¡¯re smarter than that. If I know you and your family as well as I think I do, you¡¯ve probably been keeping tabs of the heaps of people who¡¯ve been coming in and the fact that despite the population increasing at a nearly constant rate, the building hasn¡¯t been getting any more cramped. Think about it? Even if our tech is a bit more ahead compared to what the rest of the galaxy has, it should still be ringing a few bells.¡± said Andrew. Urging Oliver to collect the dots on his own.

    ¡°Infinite space...Spatial manipulation...Warp drives...Wait, are you saying this building is a spaceship?!¡± said Oliver. Heart-pounding as he looked around for any indication of his guess being true.

    ¡°If we decide it is, then sure. This building could be considered one of the best ships on this side of the galaxy.¡± said Andrew. Nodding.

    Suddenly, Oliver started understanding where the other boy¡¯s mind was going.

    ¡°So you¡¯re planning to break through the blockade? But that¡¯d be suicide. There must be thousands of Stygian vessels up there.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I recruited a few hundred extra bodies to help us punch a hole through the blockade.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Is that what your plan is? But we don¡¯t have any weapons!¡±

    ¡°Yes, we do. This ship will as heavily armed as we need it to be once we take off¡±

    ¡°What about mechs?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°We have those too.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°A lot of people could get hurt.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°And if we stay down here, those same people will likely end up dead anyway when the Stygians inevitably decide to blow this planet apart as a final fuck you to the empire.¡± said Andrew.

    Oliver frowned. He didn¡¯t really have an argument against. Nor did he want to argue. He wasn¡¯t afraid of dying, he wasn¡¯t afraid of getting hurt. For the Ascelin clan, death was an old companion.

    Oliver was mostly trying to gauge his friends resolve to see if he was actually going into this scheme with his eyes open or not, or if this was just something he was doing half-cocked.

    Dying was one thing. Dying stupidly and meaninglessly was another. Once he was sure the other boy knew exactly what he was doing Oliver simply nodded.

    ¡°Okay...so what¡¯s the plan exactly.¡±

    ¡°You know how piloting mechs has been one of the most dangerous and most difficult roles of this war for the last thousand years?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Well, the Luces and I have just put an end to that. In the long run, that means wars both within and outside the empire are about to get a whole lot bloodier. In the short term, the Luce family, the Ascelines, and whoever else we decide to bring on board, are about to gain a whole lot more influence in the world and that moment starts right now.¡±

    Oliver startled, and then he looked into the glowing orange eyes of the other boy. He looked around, and it was as if a scale had been removed from his own eyes.

    ¡°What? What is this?¡± said Oliver. His voice was hushed as he watched the walls of the building peeled away and revealed a space that was even larger and even more labyrinthine than the building he¡¯d been in before.

    ¡°I call this place the toy box. It¡¯s a workshop of sorts. Filled with things that Sophia and I come up with. It¡¯s a part of much larger space I plan to share with you, but that doesn¡¯t matter right now...What I need you to think about is the answer to these two questions: What does it mean to be strong? What does it mean to have power?¡±

 30: Battle of Harlow

    Miller stood on a stage. Standing beneath a set of scanning equipment and aetheric sensor-arrays. The last time he¡¯d stood on a stage like this he¡¯d been back in his academy. A scrawny teenager with a chip on his shoulder. Later he¡¯d get himself straightened out after a few tours in the Imperial Navy, but he¡¯d never outgrow the regret he¡¯d felt from the last time he¡¯d stood on this stage. When he failed his intro to Mechanized combat course.

    Nearly every child in the Novem empire fantasized about being a mech pilot at least once. The pilots were the heroes of the empires. The knights that slew the buggy men of the Stygian collective and the Empire of Eternal Darklight. Miller had been no different.

    Unfortunately, he¡¯d also been part of the great majority of the population that lacked the potential and talent needed to maintain the mental constructs and advanced spellwork required to pilot a mech. Thus he¡¯d eventually had to outgrow the dream.

    Now here Miller was again. Standing on the stage. Looking at a device that looked strikingly wristwatch. He frowned at it. Still not quite believing what the video had shown. Still not quite believing what the apparent future-head of the Luce family had promised the band could do.

    If the younger man¡¯s words held true, the device on Miller¡¯s arm was comparable to that first flintlock rifle that invented during the ages where people fought with only spears, bows, and swords.

    Whether the young man knew it or not, he was about to start a revolution and cultural churning that would flip the entire galaxy on its head.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing to it but to do it.¡± said Miller. Clucking at his tongue at himself after realizing that he¡¯d still been hesitating.

    Miller pressed the screen on the wristband. The screen flashed blue and interfaced with the earring that served as Miller¡¯s sprite. Miller heard a sharp three-note song in his head as the sprite and the device interfaced with his nervous system. Then he felt something engulf him. A great beast swallowed him whole and pulled him inside its gullet.

    Suddenly, Miller was there. He was standing on the stage he¡¯d always dreamed of. Standing in the altered-space that served as a mech¡¯s cockpit.

    ¡°Shit...It¡¯s real. It¡¯s really real.¡± said Miller. Gazing down at the large metal fingers of the machine he was piloting.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Elsewhere in the launch bay that had been created within one of the building¡¯s outer room¡¯s others were going to the same experience. Many were like Miller who¡¯d lacked the talent to pilot and mech and now were amazed to find themselves sharing the skin of a metal giant for the first time. Others had the talent but now found themselves standing on a higher peak than they¡¯d ever dared dream of reaching.

    The engulfment process combining with their natural skills and training, and taking them to a place they¡¯d never been before. Allowing them to reach a level of man-machine synthesis that only a few of them had even heard of.

    Andrew watched it all from the rooftop of the building, his countless eyes turned inwards and outwards at the same time as he stretched his consciousness in multiple directions.

    ¡°All according to plan, my ass¡­¡± said Andrew. Snorting and deriding himself as he took a swig from a bottle of brandy he¡¯d snatched from what he was currently calling the ¡°leader¡¯s lounge¡±.

    He couldn¡¯t get drunk but that wasn¡¯t the point. He just wanted to drink something harsh that would make him feel warm inside.

    Speaking of plans, there had been an original plan set in place before the sudden growth spurt and the sacking of Harlow. It had been a simple plan.

    All Andrew had needed to do was graduate school. Go through his mandated military tour. He¡¯d come back home, and he and Sophia would marry and start a family. A real family, not the vast collection of machines and duplicates that they had currently.

    They¡¯d use the intervening time to build a simple base for Sophia and him to rely on and then live a roughly normal life as the leaders of a young clan.

    That plan both had and hadn¡¯t gone completely out the window. Now that he knew what to look for Andrew knew that he¡¯d never be as normal as he liked. He was still growing and eventually he¡¯d come to the attention of various powerful beings that he couldn¡¯t pretend to be normal and still be able to deal with.

    Add to this the destruction of Harlow, and Andrew and Sophia had ended up having to make a few adjustments. The first of which was the speeding up of their plan to become a major player within the empire.

    The initial intention had been to slowly introduce bits and pieces of the tech that would eventually be put together by some other individual. The pieces would combine to form what Sophia called the selkie, or demon skin, systems. It was an invention they could introduce to the mortals without pissing off too many immortals, and/or, bringing about the destruction of the universe.

    If done according to the original plan their clan would create ripples in the Blackrose galaxy¡¯s history providing a legacy for their future followers and descendants. Now, they¡¯d ended up introducing things all at once, in the most bombastic of fashions. Creating a massive splash in the fate of the galaxy.

    The only reason they¡¯d dared to do so was Andrew¡¯s current increase in strength and the increase in strength Sophia would soon enjoy, after she¡¯d finished tapping into and fusing their root systems.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Up in the heavens, amidst the starry sea, sailed the HMS Valeria. A stellar dreadnought 63,360 feet in length, with a wingspan of 15,840 feet. A mobile fortress that usually carried over two dozen frigates, fifty corvettes, a hundred steller fighting-fish, and more than a thousand mechs.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    It had over one hundred light cannons, fifty launchers that could fire a mixture of conventional ammunition and missiles, thirty heavy-lasers turrets, and one moon-destroying aether beam.

    With its scale and power, Valeria was a true red-eyed whale. The Valeria was also the base of operations for the Rear-Admiral of the Novem Empire¡¯s 217th Fleet. The woman was a birdkin, her features eagle-like and sharp. She sat in the command cabin with the seven officers that worked been her as her staff.

    The entire ship was in chaos as they prepared to join the battle after sailing at top speed from Arevik, Oddessa¡¯s closest core-ward neighbor in the galaxy. Using a mixture of ship-based warps and resource-expensive jump-gates to reach the fight before it was already over and the Stygians had properly gotten themselves firmly entrenched in imperial space.

    As the Valeria reached the Oddessa system, exiting the tunnel on the other side of the last jump-gate that they¡¯d gone through and appearing in the space above Harlow, one of the Rear-Admiral¡¯s subordinates stood. Interfacing with their sprite and the Valeria¡¯s communication equipment to call out.

    The dreadnought was letting everyone know that she here and present. This was standard procedure when entering a battle like this. It not only limited the chance of their ship taking damage from an overzealous ally trying to keep enemies from entering their space. In the case of dreadnought-class vessels like the Valeria, it also served as an intimidation tactic against their enemies.

    Nothing put fear in the heart of the ¡°bugs¡± and the ¡°gems¡± like a big whale splashing into the water. Ready to make even bigger waves.

    The Odessa forces that were already present and the forces from neighboring fleets that had managed to already make it over all did a roll call. Radioing in with their call sign and position so that everyone where everyone else on their side was as they were firing at the enemy.

    The only exceptions were those who were flying cloaked. Flying under literal and technological invisibility cloak, for the purpose of getting a few key potshots at the Stygian forces.

    Amongst the names that radioed in, there was a number of familiar ones. There were the Graves, the Vandals, the Marcellos. There were the Harringtons, there were the Kyles, the Ramos, the Karans and last and far from least the Quirks.

    The Rear Admiral even cut in as she recognized a familiar name. Switching that particular call to a private channel and letting her second-in-command briefly take over the roll call.

    ¡°Carmella Quirk, as I live and breathe. Is this where you¡¯ve gotten to?¡± said the Rear Admiral. Maintaining a professional posture as she sat silently and stoically in the commander''s chair. Allowing her sprite to convert her thoughts into speech.

    The other woman¡¯s voice sounded tired as she responded.

    ¡°Oh, you know how it is. First, you get married, then you find yourself settling down to deal with kids, zwei-wives, in-laws, and a big ass bug infestation on your backyard. Life eh?¡±

    ¡°Uh...That¡¯s why I¡¯m still dodging my folks whenever they try to get me hitched the with the nice neighbor boy from down the lane.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d hardly call Lord Rednorth of Ionis VII, a nice boy down the lane¡­¡± quipped Carmella.

    ¡°Nh...Yes. Nice man, then?¡± said the Rear Admiral. Smirking.

    There was a snort from the other end of the connection. Followed by an explosion in the distance.

    ¡°Seriously though, how are you holding up?¡±

    ¡°Not good...But this is the army, I¡¯ll do what we¡¯re trained to do and soldier on till the job is done.¡±

    With mental acceleration and the clarity of the connection, the call took less than ten seconds time. It was a brief moment of humanity before she gave herself over the madness and hellfire that was surrounding her ship and the many lesser ships she carried within her berth.

    The Rear Admiral spared a final thought for her old friend and quickly returned to being every inch the hard-ass professional her underlings knew her to be.

    She gave orders through her sprite and her subordinates sent orders to the rest of the ship to make sure they were put into action.

    The ship disgorged the smaller vessels and mechs it carried within it. They weren¡¯t flying at full capacity and had only brought what the Arevik system, and the empire as a whole, were willing to shift over. However, that was still a full hundred ships and nearly five hundred mechs entering the fray.

    The Valeria herself didn¡¯t just float idle, either. She fired her cannons and lasers. Releasing car-sized bullets that would explode when they reached their targets. Sending out great columns of angry red light that melted through metal and chitin with ease and was barely slowed down by the electro-kinetic shielding that covered most of the enemy vessels.

    They responded to calls for help and calls for assisting fire. They sent flounders out. A type of autonomous, non-combat oriented, shuttle. Sending the small, low-profile, ships out to pick up those few of their men who¡¯d gotten their mechs or fighting-fish blown up but managed to escape in time to avoid the blast.

    A lucky few would be picked up in time. The rest would have to decide whether to hold out and hope someone noticed them floating out there in the void, or self-terminate before they ran out of air and suffocated inside their suits.

    There reached a point where the only communication in the command room came in the form of electronic signals. As the rest of the ship grew more hectic and chaotic, the command room grew increasingly silent.

    This trend continued till suddenly every one of her subordinates had a change in expression. The data they were receiving from the ship¡¯s sensors and closed-circuit network that has been created during the roll call showed a strange aberration approaching at high speed.

    It emerged from the surface of Harlow and was creating quite the stir behind enemy lines.

    ¡°Can we get a large image of what the hell is happening down there?¡± said the Rear Admiral.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± said the subordinate. Opening a window in all of their sprites that showed a close-up video feed that was being streamed from a ship that was closer to Harlow than they were.

    ¡°Is...Is that a building?¡± said the Rear-Admiral.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    ¡°Yeeeeeehaw!¡± hollered Andrew. He still stood on the roof of his and Sophia¡¯s condominium. Riding its tip like a surfer riding the waves.

    Sophia was inside controlling the more sensitive systems of their makeshift vessel. Andrew was on the outside supplying most of the power and data, and laws required to make up the vessel¡¯s form.

    The ¡°ship¡± was still largely building shaped but now it had thrusters and cannons and great rectangular extrusion that whipped around it smashing through anything that entered its reach.

    Around them flew a great flock of metal angels. ¡°Cherubs¡±. They were a standardized product that Sophia¡¯s Housecarl Industries would have begun producing next year if the Stygians hadn¡¯t decided to come and burn down Harlow.

    Though the mechs themselves were identical, their pilots and the powers they were able to channel through the mechs were not. So each cherub''s wings glowed with a different colors and the blasters within their palms created different effects.

    Andrew stood on the rooftop not quite dancing. His arms swung about wildly, matching the thrashing extrusions that the building was swinging around. His eyes and hair glowed brighter and brighter, and the aura around the ship and its winged companions grew more intense.

    Andrew used a mixture of hand signs and movements to control the tentacles and cannons of his makeshift ship. Part of it was because he¡¯d gotten caught up in the moment, and had watched too much anime as a kid. Part of it was for an actual purpose and from the way he felt when he did it, the movements were actually supporting his magic.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    All the Stygians knew was that something was tearing through their ranks. When one of their commanders finally caught sight of what it was they couldn¡¯t help laughing bitterly to themselves. People spoke of kicking a wasps nest, no one had ever heard of a wasp¡¯s nest flying over on its own to do the kicking.

    Oddessa¡¯s starry sea was soon filled with even more explosions. A grand cascade of light, fire, and screaming that was made even more cacophonous as everyone realized there were eerie sounds of laughter echoing through their audio feeds.

    The Rear Admiral and all her fellow imperials would watch the aberration fly up from planet Harlow and cut the Stygian forces in half. Blowing apart many of the Stygian''s ships and crippling even more.

    Once they realized what had happened, the Novem Empire¡¯s forces quickly redoubled their efforts to retake that quadrant of space.

    It was only later after the job of beating back the Stygian forces had been done that people would look into what exactly that strange ¡®thing¡¯ that had appeared in the middle of the fight had been. And once they did look into it, there weren¡¯t many who¡¯d be able to believe what they found.

 31: Liftoff, Landing, Liftoff

    Engines roared blasting blue-white dragon¡¯s flame from their nozzles. A prismatic black tower lifted up into the sky. Tearing apart the clouds as it tore its way free from the planet¡¯s gravitational hold.

    On the ground, in the spaceport, a crowd of several thousand refugees and reporters saw the ship off. The refugees waving and calling out in thanks, the reporters recording the towers flight through the heavens and into the outer-void.

    Inside the tower, Andrew watched the planet known as Louella, shrink into just another speck in the beige-black astral sea.

    ¡°Did it go down like we thought it would?¡± said Andrew. Turning to his half-elf companion as his sprite fielded and filtered through several calls from various officers and agencies of Louella¡¯s government.

    Oliver nodded.

    ¡°Pretty much...Luckily even if my family might not exactly have pull or influence there¡¯s still a lot of people who either owe us favors, or need us to keep our mouths shut on things they had us do for them.¡±

    ¡°Nh...Disco.¡± said Andrew. Nodding. Stroking his chin. Glad that he¡¯d been able to take off before the Louellan government and the Novem Empire as a whole were able to paint them into a corner.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...The fuck did you just say?¡± said Oliver. His previously serious expression lost and replaced by a look of semi-false mortification.

    ¡°No? No good?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°No good! Absolutely, no good.¡± said Oliver. Shaking his head vehemently.

    ¡°Fair enough. Anyway, I have to go do...other things¡­ Now that the last of the non-academy passengers are out, there¡¯s a few other things me and the missus have to talk about while we chart a flight to Nurari III.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Alright, cool...Er, tell if you wouldn''t mind, could you please inform the young mistress that my family¡¯s seniors might want to talk to her later about some of the things we¡¯re working on together?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°No, problem. You know you could just call her Sophia...She knows we¡¯re friends and I think she¡¯d like to be a friend to you too¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°I...Uh...I guess, that works.¡± said Oliver. The young half-elf rubbing the back of his neck and looking uncomfortable.

    ¡°Cool¡­ See you later then.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Er, my family knows that you and I have been doing stuff together in a semi-official capacity. They wanted to know if it¡¯d be alright if my sister helps me out for some of it.¡± said Oliver. Looking even more uncomfortable. His body language guarded as if he were bracing for something.

    Andrew frowned, catching the scent of politics in the air. Then Andrew read the t-data on the situation as a whole and found that whatever the Asceline¡¯s were playing at, it wasn¡¯t anything that would be against his and Sophia¡¯s interests. So he relaxed.

    They were just trying to create more connections between the Oddvar-Luces and themselves since they¡¯d decided to fully paint themselves in Oddvar-Luce colors as part of their return to greatness.

    Looked at from that angle, Andrew supposed that he was just lucky they hadn¡¯t annoyed him to death by sending out him the hundreds of youths that the family had amongst their number, to try and saturate the young man¡¯s inner circle while it was still relatively easy to become a friend to the person they could sense the young man becoming.

    ¡°Nh...I guess that¡¯s okay. What¡¯s her name?¡± said Andrew. Figuring dealing with the matter would be as simple as getting along with the new person if they were decent or ignoring them completely if they weren¡¯t.

    ¡°Olivia.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°...Huh? But aren¡¯t you already¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah...I know it¡¯s weird that my sister and I basically have the same name but that¡¯s just kind of how my clan is. Traditions, you know?... It¡¯s that kind of thing.¡± said Oliver. Shrugging.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Um...Alright. Well,...Since we actually are going to be doing stuff that¡¯s a little more serious than just shooting the breeze, I guess we could do with a hand, you can bring her by...Just make sure she¡¯s someone trustworthy. This is less a loose-lips sink ships situation, and more of a loose-lips end worlds kind of deal.¡± said Andrew. Mastering his expression, and making sure to hide the pang of sympathy he¡¯d felt, as the numbers that accompanied the Asceline family¡¯s dark history struck him.

    ¡°No, worries...Look who¡¯re you talking to, mate. The Asceline¡¯s have been collecting dark secrets for the last thousand years. If you don¡¯t want something shared, then even the dead won¡¯t know about it.¡± said Oliver. Smiling and waving as Andrew stepped into the elevator that would take him into his and Sophia¡¯s suite.

    As he rode upwards, towards the top of the tower, Andrew couldn¡¯t help think about his friend and feeling himself gain some ill-will for the Titania Confederacy on Oliver¡¯s behalf. What had happened to his friend¡¯s family was just plainly monstrous.

    The Asceline clan was on the smaller scale of things by Novem standards, with a little under a thousand members, if you didn¡¯t count adopted-members, and employees. Some years their losses were bad enough that there were only a few hundred of them left alive to see the Imperial New Year¡¯s celebration.

    Oliver was fifth out of six children. His four elder siblings had died from accidents and conspiracies. Olivia, his twin sister, was the only full-blooded sibling he had left. What made things worse was that this wasn¡¯t a unique story.

    If they hadn¡¯t been in the galactic age, the winter-queen¡¯s curse would have been a death sentence. Isolde¡¯s curse stripped the clan of all its relationships and all their luck. Without the gene editing and fertility boosting medicines and treatments available today, the family would have died out. With all their adults dying to accidents and all their children being born unbreathing and malformed.

    Instead, thanks to the availability of technologies that fix horrific prenatal mutations, and overcome the natural limits of elven fertility, Asceline family was able to endure. Not only were they able to endure, if one looked away from what was happening after the new Asceline¡¯s were born and grew up. The Ascelines were thriving, or at least thriving for a clan as heavily cursed as they''d been.

    The clan dealt with the attrition and loss of life the curse inflicted upon them by having children in large batches of four or more.

    Multiple children would be given similar names, if not the same name. Then the children in each batch would be raised to live what essentially the same life. Sharing a kind of communal identity that served a single role within the family, because that kind of ¡°redundancy¡± had been necessary for the clan¡¯s survival.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew made his way to the luxurious and comfortable suite, where he and his wife resided when they weren¡¯t dealing with the galaxy at large. He stood in the elevator, one hand in his pocket, and he leaned against the wall. Sighing.

    ¡°Almost there...Almost there.¡± said Andrew. Not sure if he was talking about getting out of the elevator and into the suite, or whether he was talking about his plans as a whole and how long it''d take before he and Sophia could return to the relatively relaxed way of living they''d enjoyed before the fall of Harlow.

    Going from the millions he¡¯d inside the building to the tens of thousands he and Sophia were still playing host too now, was a marked improvement. Even if Andrew ¡®could¡¯ meddle with the space within the building so he never had to see a single soul unless he wished to, that didn¡¯t change the fact that he could still feel them. He could still feel their presence within his home.

    Even now, with the number of guests within the condominium much reduced Andrew still wasn¡¯t feeling completely comfortable. It occurred to him that if his time in Abwickeln had made him just a touch asocial, spending all that time by himself in Alma had likely exacerbated the issue.

    The elevator doors slid open. Andrew shook his head as he stepped out of the elevator and into the suite. The space where he and Sophia lived smelled of lavender and vanilla, and various spices that shifted and changed with the day, and just a little ozone due to the extreme amounts of power that were gathered within the space.

    The suite also smelled of them, of Sophia and Andrew. It smelled of the food they cooked, of the perfumes and colognes they wore, of the sweat they shed during work and play. For Andrew, it was a calming smell. The smell of home.

    ¡°I¡¯m home¡­¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Welcome back, hoheit.¡± called Sophia¡¯s voice from somewhere deeper within the suite.

    Andrew didn¡¯t need to read the t-data in the suite to know where Sophia was. The bond between them was a convenient thing. Allowing one to know where the other was regardless of whether it was a few yards away, or in an entirely different universe.

    In this case, Andrew didn¡¯t even need that, because the reason he¡¯d spent the last two weeks taking charge of depositing Harlowan refugees on worlds near the fringe of the empire¡¯s core was because he¡¯d known that Sophia would be preoccupied with other matters. Matters like submerging her half oftheir fused root network within her core to add its power to her own.

    Now Sophia was experiencing her own growth period. Her growth was less dramatic than Andrew¡¯s was but it was still a very crucial, very momentous occasion. Andrew could feel it as she neared the end of the process. He could feel her power, her presence, inside him. He could feel his power, his presence, inside her.

    Their bond had been strengthened. Evolved to an even greater level than before. What it meant, Andrew didn¡¯t know, but somehow he doubted it would be a bad thing.

    Andrew found her in the playroom. Like the ¡°toybox¡± this was yet another room birthed by the continual developments of Andrew¡¯s core. A room where they could freely test things and train, without worrying about the passage of time, or having to recover from any ill-effects caused by the activities within.

    The current settings of the playroom had Sophia sitting, or rather, levitating, within an empty space. A space with all its negative space configured for the process of power channeling and power amplification. She floated in a fetal position as all the energy that two eidolons could gather from the Blackrose galaxy and the universe of Alma was channeled into the alabaster woman¡¯s core.

    Then finally it happened. She broke through, and for a brief moment, the woman ceased to be a woman. Instead, she was a great beautiful structure. A super-massive, super-sentient, equation of power, energy, and law.

    Sophia became a radiant, labyrinthine complex of transcendental mathematical truths and creative energies. She became a living platonic ideal that could be best described as what you¡¯d get if every tool that ever was and ever would be was gathered in one place set to the task of building a tool that would make them all obsolete.

    Then suddenly she was back to being human. Tall and curvy. Her long white locks matted with sweat. Her pale skin flushed from the great amount of effort and strain she¡¯d been under. Her golden eyes glowing with power and charisma.

    Andrew crossed his arms and smirked.

    ¡°Nh...I¡¯m not sure which version of you is sexier.¡±

    Sophia smiled back.

    ¡°Silly, hoheit...All versions of me are equally attractive by design. If you allow me to clean up a bit, and get the wind back under my wings, I wouldn¡¯t mind demonstrating this to you in a more intimate fashion.¡±

 32: Trending

    ¡°Stocks for companies associated with and/or owned by the privately held Housecarl Industries went up by another fifteen percent on the imperial stock-exchange today. This follows the fourteen-day trend as speculations over what their parent company¡¯s newly developed Selkie Systems will mean for the market. While the little known corporation still remains mum on what its next moves will be, experts in the field of mech-production and the development of weaponized-automatons all agree that whatever they do will likely change the face of warfare within the Blackrose galaxy.¡± said a strait-laced orc reporter on a financial news network.

    With a mental click, the screen flickered black for half a moment, and the tusked, green-skinned, female orc was replaced by a tan-skinned human male in a sport¡¯s coat. The host of a late-night talk-show. The talk-show host sat across from a dour-looking gnome gentleman, dressed in tech-laden, synthetic finery one would expect to see in certain regions of the empire¡¯s core.

    ¡°Look, all I¡¯m saying is that if they had this kind of tech all along, or were even just close to completing its development, they should have told somebody. Something this big...Something this dangerous...Shouldn¡¯t have been and can¡¯t be left in just the hands of a few. The Novem Empire is one of...if not the...safest nation in the galaxy, but even we have our problems. Between fending off the Stygians, the Darklighters, the myriad domestic terror groups, the demon sects, the pirates, and the bloody horrors of the void...It¡¯s a dangerous galaxy out there. I really think the most responsible, most patriotic thing they could do right now, is to hand all their research over to the government for safekeeping.¡± said the gnome.

    Andrew lucked his tongue. Changing the channel yet again.

    ¡°Save the sleep talk for when you¡¯re in bed, shit head.¡± grumbled Andrew. Speaking softly to avoid waking his wife.

    He kept flipping channels until he found a nice, safe, historical drama to watch. A show set during the early eras of the empire, when Novem was still young and barely had an influence in the galaxy at large.

    ¡°You know...You don¡¯t have to worry so much, hoheit¡­¡± said a soft and elegant voice at Andrew¡¯s side.

    He to his right and saw his wife looking up at him, her golden eyes glowing in the darkness.

    ¡°Shit...Did I wake you, hon? I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Mhm? Nah...I¡¯ve been awake for a while actually. This is a busy period for us, and I¡¯ve got instances of my consciousness running all over the place. Setting things up for the next stage of our plans.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Ah...Okay, then. In that case, I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d like to have another go?¡±  said Andrew. Grinning cheekily as he felt his glorious general stand at attention.

    Sophia tilted her head to the side and shrugged.

    ¡°Sure, why not?... The time dilation on our bedroom is still running so it¡¯ll take a while for morning to actually arrive.¡±

    Without lifting the sheets, Sophia mounted her husband. They¡¯d already done the ¡®crazy¡¯ stuff during the first session. Now was the time for something simple and comfortable. A little cowgirl riding would be having some sweet vanilla pudding after consuming and exotic and decadent buffet hours before.

    Sophia ground herself in Andrew¡¯s lap for a bit. Teasing him. Waiting till he was almost painfully erect before allowing him to slide himself inside of her.

    Andrew sighed as he looked up at his wife. Gripping her ample buttocks. Alternating between making out with the woman, and using his tongue to tease one of her nipples.

    ¡°So...where was I? Oh, yeah...You don¡¯t have to worry about that gnome on the news. First off he, personally, is no one important¡­¡±

    Andrew sighed.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°What? Something wrong, my love?¡± said Sophia. Look down at Andrew with an expression of concern.

    ¡°No...It¡¯s just...It really does kind of cut the wind out of my sails a little. When I¡¯m trying to, you know...rock your world...or whatever, and you¡¯re very...not in the moment. It makes me think I¡¯m doing something wrong here.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Nonsense, hoheit...I can assure you¡¯re doing an exemplary job. We¡¯ve barely started and I¡¯m already getting there...Plus, I¡¯m me, my love. Both the one and the many. If I wasn¡¯t good at compartmentalizing I wouldn¡¯t be able to function. Or at the very least, I wouldn¡¯t be able to function in a fashion that was efficient and allowed me to live as I please.¡±

    Andrew imagined a world where he had to wait for all other instances of his wife to be offline before he could safely get intimate with his wife. Then he shrugged as well.

    ¡°Fair enough¡­¡± said Andrew. Raising the speed of the movements of his hips a little to match Sophia¡¯s own rising temp.

    ¡°Besides...Who¡¯s the more impressive one? The man¡­*gnh*... who can bring a pot to boil or the one who can make waves in an entire..*gnh*.. ocean.¡± said Sophia. A soft purr entering her voice.

    Andrew chuckled. Growing an extra pair of hands so he could massage Sophia breasts without taking his hands off her hips.

    ¡°If you mean that then...cool. If you don¡¯t, thanks for loving me enough blow that kind of wind up my ass¡­.Seriously, though, I¡¯m doing this right, right?¡± said Andrew.

    Up until he met Sophia, Andrew¡¯s sexual history was sparse to non-existent. Being the family unfavorite he didn¡¯t really have a lot of people showing interest in what he had going on.

    Thus beyond a few girls from his earlier schools, who were feeling rebellious and/or adventurous enough (at the time) to do over the clothes stuff with him, the kindly older woman who¡¯d been with him during the one time he¡¯d visited a brothel, a few older, overly friendly, clan members he learned to avoid like the plague, and kind of, sort of, his adoptive-sister Jack, Andrew had basically been a virgin when he¡¯d first met Sophia.

    He also had an entire internet worth of porn to rely on but everyone knew that beyond a few exceptions porn sex wasn¡¯t real sex, and certainly wasn¡¯t as fun as it looked. Most it was just a lot of flashy, uncomfortable, moves that were made expressly for the purposes of filming for others to get off to.

    The point being, that when he really thought about it, and allowed himself to get into his own head on the issue, Andrew sometimes found himself worried that he didn¡¯t know what he was doing and that up until then it was just Sophia being really nice and pitying him.

    Sophia laughed, finding her husband¡¯s strange moment of insecurity amusing and annoying at the same time.

    ¡°Silly, hoheit...If I engaged with my feelings as you ask, everyone in this building would probably die. Honestly, where did this even come from? We¡¯ve been this for thousands of years with no problem. We literally just had sex with no problem. I think it¡¯d be kind of weird if you suddenly forgot how to do ¡®the sex¡¯ all of sudden.¡±

    ¡°I know...I know ...I think it¡¯s just me being anxious about our plans for Nurari and Hundred Nights Academy.¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia nodded. Understanding.

    ¡°Ah, well...I¡¯m anxious too, you know. This is a big move we¡¯re making. We didn¡¯t expect to try and turn ourselves into a proper clan with a proper presence in the galaxy for decades no suddenly here we are making waves and trending on social media. Covertly manipulating altering the political landscape into one that¡¯s more advantageous for us...Life is really moving fast for us, here...Maybe a little too fast.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re anxious too? You certainly don¡¯t show it.¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia laughed.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what you get for marrying a woman who was originally made of metal, stones, and dark magic.¡±

    ¡°I suppose...but I¡¯ve never regretted it...Never.¡± said Andrew. Giving Sophia a long tender kiss.

    ¡°Me neither.¡± said Sophia. Sighing contentedly, and then dipping below the covers.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Later, hours later, Andrew and Sophia arrived in one of the small dining halls of the building. Sophia was there to talk with the school¡¯s staff about their plans for when they arrived at Nurari III. Andrew was largely there to just be seen, though he was technically also chatting with Oliver and his family about the Asceline clan¡¯s plans for when they reached Nurari.

    ¡°Well, like I¡¯ve been telling you enrollment and boarding will be handled by the school, so there¡¯s really nothing to be worried about.¡± said Gregor Duncan. The current dean of the now-defunct Blackvale academy after the loss of life and staff caused by the attack on Harlow.

    ¡°And even if that wasn¡¯t the case, we¡¯re still several weeks away from our destination, Ms.Luce.¡± said another of the school¡¯s senior staff laughing in a grandfatherly manner.

    ¡°Oh, are ye sure about that. Think about lad¡¯s we¡¯ve been to three different planets in three different corners of this segment of the galaxy. A cumulative span of hundreds of light-years traveled in less than two weeks.¡± said Delmar Ramos, who was present because as a tenured professor he was technically part of the school¡¯s senior staff and he liked the bacon the silver-faced servitors served.

    The table grew quiet as all the professors and school administrators considered what Professor Ramos had just said. More than a few faces blanched and more than a few eyes turned towards the young pair with excitement and just a touch of greed.

    ¡°Ah...That...That is a fair point, Professor Ramos. Ms. Luce. I don¡¯t suppose you could enlighten us on predicted arrival time?¡± said Dean Duncan.

    ¡°Of course, sir...Assuming nothing unexpected happens, we should arrive at Nurari III by tomorrow.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew looked up from the conversation he was having with Oliver and Oliver¡¯s uncle Reese. Reese looked up as well and they both caught the shaken look that sat on the faces of Blackvale¡¯s staff.

    Reese chuckled.

    ¡°It seems your clan won¡¯t be satisfied till you¡¯ve turned the whole galaxy on its head.¡± said Reese.

    Andrew shook his head, easily managing to keep his composure because the capabilities of their  ¡°ship¡¯s¡± engines and warp systems was just another thing that he and Sophia planned to use to make their mark and build their clan¡¯s foundations.

 33: Is it a Duck or Goose?

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re here already? That¡¯s fast.¡± said Andrew. Standing at his window and looking down at a city of tall dark prisms and dancing light.

    ¡°Yes, hoheit. It seems so¡­¡± said Sophia joining him at the window.

    ¡°You know, hoheit...It¡¯s strange for you to sound so surprised when you¡¯re the one who insisted on making the building¡¯s flight systems as powerful as they are.¡± said Sophia. Leaning forward, the living-software behind those golden eyes of hers assessing the city below and deciding what site would be the best place for Housecarl Industries to set up camp.

    ¡°True enough...but still.¡± said Andrew.

    To Andrew¡¯s eyes, the city looked like a graveyard, merry and haunted, each building a tomb marker, surrounded by countless spirits and fae. There was something both festive and grim about the atmosphere in the city he saw below and the data he was getting from the city reflected it.

    Baku city was a city of magic, blood, money, and secrets...so many secrets. Too many secrets. Secrets that involved the entire solar system and the galaxy that lay beyond. Andrew shook himself as if he¡¯d just stepped into a spiderweb without realizing it.

    The pair of young Eidolons looked at each other with concern, wondering if they might have chosen the wrong solar system for settling down in. Then Sophia took Andrew¡¯s hand and gave it a squeeze. The tension building in Andrew¡¯s shoulders faded as he reminded himself that regardless of what ended up happening he and Sophia would be able to get through it together.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Nurari III was a garden world like most other planets that the Novem empire settled its people on. Unlike many others, it was a natural garden world, rather than one they¡¯d been forced to use magic and technology to terraform. Due to the abundant magical energy flowing within the planet''s atmosphere and through the planet¡¯s core, the planet was quite verdant and covered in forests, despite its low average temperature and distance from its system¡¯s sun, Third-Crow.

    As they arrived in the planet¡¯s atmosphere Andrew listened in on the silver-faced servitor''s interactions with administrators of the planet¡¯s spaceport. Predictably enough the administrators at Nurari¡¯s Aeronautics Commission hadn¡¯t been expecting them for weeks. Believing the dispatches Sophia had her people send to them to be some kind of error or typo.

    Of course, they eventually figured something out. It helped that most of the passengers of the building-shaped ¡°ship¡± were the students and staff of the now-defunct but still not completely irrelevant, Blackvale Academy.

    The Hundred-Night Academy was one of the largest presences within the city of Baku and a major faction in Nurari as a whole. Blackvale¡¯s ties to The Hundred-Night Academy was just the extra bit of weight the group needed to force the spaceport in Baku City to make timely arrangements for their landing.

    ¡°I guess we should go meet up with Dean Duncan and the rest, huh?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yes....¡± said Sophia. Nodding.

    Andrew craned his neck one way and then the other and then allowed his wife to guide him to the elevator. He wasn¡¯t sure why but he had a feeling that today was going to be full of tedious things.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Hours later, Andrew would find himself sitting in the lush but still oddly uncomfortable lobby of Hundred-Night Academy¡¯s main administration building. Sitting alongside a number of other students and those amongst the school staff who¡¯d been senior enough to be brought along to the school for the initial arrangements but not so senior that they could be present during the first meeting between the schools.

    Sophia and Dean Duncan were inside the office of the Senior Administrator trying to get something worked out. Andrew technically should have been there too.

    However, there was something about the Senior Administrator''s face that was getting on his nerves.

    Between the Senior Administrator¡¯s looks and the sheer amount of hogwash and unsubtle snobbery the man was spewing, Andrew had found that he was probably better off just leaving the discussions to his wife. Thus Andrew made up an excuse and walked out of the office, before he just short-circuited the conversation by snapping the Senior Admin¡¯s will over his knee.

    It was actually a little concerning because the last time Andrew checked, he¡¯d never been all that short-tempered.

    Andrew theorized that the change in the way he planned to do things had created a change in his expectation of how people were allowed to treat him.

    It was one thing to get looked down on, while he was still trying to be somewhat low-key in his activities. Now that he was trying to become a power in the galaxy and the proper head of a clan and suddenly being treated like a nobody and a persona non-grata was something he could no longer stomach.

    Another theory was that the sixteen plus years of being treated like he was nothing, and the ambiguous but definitely much longer period of time where he was a hunter of the dark and the lord of a nightmare realm were clashing in the worst possible way, at the worst possible time.

    Whatever the case was, Andrew decided he¡¯d try to keep himself in check. Becoming megalomaniacal wasn¡¯t something that¡¯d help anyone. On the other hand, he was aware that his new intractability wasn¡¯t something that¡¯d change

    ¡°What do you think is happening in there?¡± said Oliver, who¡¯d been amongst the students who¡¯d been brought along by the school¡¯s staff as representatives for the twenty to thirty thousand more that were waiting in the ship. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Nh...I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m pretty certain that senior Admin is going to tell us to go fuck ourselves.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°H-, Huh? Why?!¡± said Oliver. His green eyes growing wide.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know...There was just something about that guy...He kind of reminds of me this one Uncle I used to have...and maybe a little of my dad...Huh...Hold up...Is that why I wanted to kill him?¡±

    ¡°You wanted to kill the senior admin!?¡± said Oliver. Speaking in whisper-shout.

    ¡°Shush...Are you trying to get us kicked out of here? Calm down¡­¡± said Andrew. Shaking his head. Quietly relieved that he¡¯d managed to find out why he¡¯d been so eager to break that man¡¯s mind. Quietly mortified to find that after all this time, he still had daddy issues, and red hair, handsome arrogance, and being looked at with almost palpable disdain were one of his triggers.

    ¡°I...What happened in there?¡± said Oliver. Alarmed.

    ¡°Nothing...And I suspect a great load of nothing will continue happening regardless of if we stay here. I¡¯m gonna get out of here. I want to get some air and maybe get a taste for the local food and what the city of Baku, as a whole, feels like. Do you want to come with?¡± said Andrew. Already heading towards the door.

    Oliver blinked, hesitating over whether he should stay or not, but ultimately followed the other boy out the door. Unbeknownst to the two youths, others followed suit having similarly grown bored of hanging around the lobby.

    ¡°So where are we going exactly?¡± said Oliver. Speeding up his pace a little to match Andrew¡¯s long strides.

    ¡°Hm...I¡¯m not really sure...Hold on.¡± said Andrew. Interfacing with his sprite and using both his sprite and his connection to the city¡¯s collective unconscious to find out where the most favorably thought of restaurants in Baku were located.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know where we¡¯re going?!¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Eh...Sure I do, we¡¯re going...to the One-Eye Fox on Gitsune Boulevard.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Oh, so you guys know where you¡¯re going after all.¡± said a low, not-quite monotone, voice at their backs.

    Oliver froze, jumping a little. Andrew didn¡¯t because he¡¯d been more or less aware that they¡¯d been followed but had simply chosen not to comment on it up till then.

    Two former-Blackvale students trailed behind the two youths. One was a pink-haired gnome. The other was a lanky, blue-haired, owl-kin. Emilia Karan and Modeste Morgan, respectively.

    ¡°...Oh, it¡¯s you guys. Anything, I can help you with this evening?¡± said Oliver. His voice oscillating between the overly chipper, overly friendly, overly polite, tone he usually used for his classmates as a hold-over from his days as a peon, and the dryer, more unaffected, more unfettered, speaking voice he had when he was at home with his family, or out with Andrew.

    ¡°N-,...Not really, we just saw you guys headed out and thought you might have somewhere better to hang out.¡± said Emilia. The little gnome shrinking back as if she were a step away from hiding behind the tall owlkin.

    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m mostly just following her.¡± said Modeste. Unenergetically moving her palms in a ¡°what can you do¡± kind of shrug.

    Oliver frowned, more than a decade of being the most hated person in a room, making him naturally suspicious of the pair¡¯s behavior.

    Andrew just glanced at the gnome and shook his head. He might have been suspicious as well if he didn¡¯t already know what the two were after. Knowing their motives and knowing that they meant him no harm, Andrew relaxed. Or at least he relaxed as far as he dared in an unfamiliar city, in an unfamiliar world.

    They found the restaurant with no problem. Andrew chose to walk, using the time to gather as much of the city¡¯s t-data as he could for Sophia and himself to process later. Since the rest of the group was following him they all walked as well, but no one complained because they were all academy students, after all, possessing peak tier physiques and superhuman capabilities.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of Ghostkin, Seakin, and Bugs in this city.¡± commented Modeste. As the little group chose a table for themselves.

    ¡°Muu...That¡¯s true...There¡¯s a lot of Dragonkin and Nephilim too.¡± said Emilia. Following Modeste¡¯s awkward choice of topic because she too had been struggling to find something to say to the strange boys she¡¯d elected to trail into the city.

    ¡°Multiculturalism is nice I guess¡­And Baku is much bigger than Eblouir was.¡± said Modeste.

    Andrew just shrugged as he scanned the bar-code on the table and his sprite brought up the restaurant''s menu.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of everything in this part of the galaxy. That just sort of comes with being part of Graysville.¡± said Andrew. Speaking absentmindedly, as he tried to decide what he wanted from the restaurant''s menu.

    ¡°Graysville?¡± said Emilia.

    ¡°Graysville is what most other parts of the galaxy call this portion of the galaxy. Nurari is in a region of space that sits both in between and on the outskirts of all three galactic powers. You might also have heard it called the neutral-quadrant.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Oh...I¡¯ve heard of that?!¡± said Emilia.

    ¡°Neutral-Quadrant? I didn¡¯t think there were any parts of the galaxy that were neutral.¡± said Modeste. Inadvertently revealing that she¡¯d come from a non-military, non-mercantile, background.

    ¡°Well, technically, you¡¯re right¡­The entire galaxy has been at war for almost forever with some group or the other duking it out.¡± said Emilia. Her expression somber.

    ¡°But...there¡¯s also always been a couple of old groups who don¡¯t really have too much time for that nonsense.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°The Neutral-quadrant is basically a region of space that technically belongs to the three groups but because A) there¡¯s nothing too vital out here, and B) the groups that are out here are just a little too strong for any three powers to try actually take control of in any real sense, it¡¯s basically Switzerland out here.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Or more like a cross between Switzerland and the ancient American wild-wild west.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Oh¡­Wait... Then is it really okay, we¡¯re going to school in a place like this?¡± said Modeste. Brow furrowing.

    ¡°Huh? Of course, it is. The Novem Empire, the Eternal Darklight, and the Stygian Collective ¡®all¡¯ use this place as a sort of repository for things that are old, dangerous, and exceedingly useful. There¡¯s so many old groups and famous characters lurking in this region of space that even the three powers have to be careful about setting things off.¡±

    ¡°Nh¡­ I think I get it...Since no one can use, no can take advantage.¡±

    ¡°Which makes this place both the safest and most dangerous segment of the Blackrose galaxy.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not exactly true to say there¡¯s no such thing as ¡®true¡¯ neutrality in the galaxy. There¡¯s a lot of groups that were pushed out of the rat race by the larger players in the galaxy, operating out here, in the middle of nowhere, as well. They even formed an alliance called the Grayville Alliance and a number of associated guilds.¡± said Andrew. Finally speaking up after he¡¯d finished ordering his meal.

    ¡°R-, Really?¡± said Oliver. Startled to hear that something so shady was going on without his family knowing about it, when living in the shadows had been their schtick for over a millennium.

    ¡°Yes ...It''s not very famous, not often spoken of, and it''s not easy to get in. But being a Gray and getting a gray badge is actually quite the status symbol. It allows you to operate without worrying about national borders.

    ¡°How¡¯s that even possible though?! I doubt any of the three powers would recognize such things.¡± said Emilia. Looking scandalized and oddly adorable.

    ¡°There¡¯s all sorts of power in this universe. The power pursued by the empires is just one kind. And if you get strong enough, if you reach a certain status, and strength, why the hell would you care about the war games of a few millennia old upstarts?¡± said Andrew. His red-eyes glowing. His gaze far away.

    Oliver stared at the other youth and shivered, feeling a strange exhilaration as he struggled to imagine what kind of strength it¡¯d take for one to be an existence that could ignore the presence of the three empires.

    The half-elf was aware that Andrew was now looking towards the future, rather than the oil and smoke-stained back wall of the restaurant, and at that moment Oliver would have given anything to know exactly what kind of future the other young man was gazing upon.

    There was an awkward lull where no one at the table spoke. It remained solidly in place until everyone else at the table got around to ordering their food. Then the servers arrived. Beat up old androids dressed in kimonos.

    ¡°So...um...I wanted to ask. Do...Do you think you could let me pilot those mechs you lent us before?¡± said Emilia. Having clearly used the lull to work up the courage to ask about the thing she¡¯d originally been after.

    Andrew looked up from the mapo tofu he was eating and cocked his head to the side.

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it¡­¡±

 34: Knucklebones

    Andrew was in the ¡°playroom¡±. He hung in the air, hanging in a negative space. Floating weightlessly and bonelessly, like a bloated corpse in the water. Technically, speaking it wasn¡¯t him hanging in the air. It was just his body. The real Andrew was elsewhere, communing with the cosmos.

    He was using the framework that he and Sophia had put in place with their initial root network and adding as much power as he could to the system to expand it. An epiphany had struck him and after running and testing a few models he was putting the discovery he¡¯d made into the network.

    Light poured from the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, of Andrew¡¯s body. The light was colored red, black, and gold, both ominous and saintly. Light poured from Andrew¡¯s shadow as well, filling the playroom with a radiance.

    Elsewhere, Andrew...the true-Andrew roared. His bellow echoing throughout the furthest reaches of the Blackrose galaxy. While he wasn¡¯t so bold that he¡¯d announce his name, his high spirits made him just rash enough to announce his presence within the galaxy. The parts of his mind that remained sane, relying on the anonymity lent to him by the vastness of space.

    As Andrew expanded his power and urged his roots to extend outwards into every corner and twist of the Blackrose galaxy and the universe beyond, Andrew roared. Informing every immortal, god, devil, and high-fae within the Blackrose galaxy that was yet another unnamed titan within their midst. Yet another being that could shatter the stars and trample the heavens.

    After completing his modification of the root network, Andrew returned to his body. Drained but satisfied. Feeling his entire being tremble as his corporeal body struggled to adjust to the refined power of his soul.

    This was the power of his and Sophia¡¯s nature at work. They were a guitar and amplifier, they were wandering hero and maiden. He was the gathering storm and the pooling and blood, she was refinement and implementation. The networks each of the eidolons made together reflected this.

    Andrew¡¯s roots tore through the worlds and gathered power. Sophia¡¯s roots refined the energy of the heavens.

    Their two networks had been fused into one and became a vast all-encompassing tangle. A monstrous bird nest for the devil-bird of Abwickeln and his alabaster queen to call home.

    A great cosmic-briar that thanks to Andrew¡¯s modifications would now grow ever onwards. Its progress guided by complex magical equations that would generate a never-ending supply of branches, roots, and seeds, even without direction from the two Eidolons.

    A great construct that lay hidden from the eyes of mortal and immortal alike, while it ambitiously, albeit futilely, attempted to encapsulate all the energy of the infinite cosmos.

    ¡°Heh...This will either have been one of the best ideas I¡¯ve ever had, or one of the worst things anyone¡¯s ever done.¡± said Andrew. Momentarily worried that he might have done something that could spell the doom of the entire galaxy.

    Andrew was amused to find he wasn¡¯t really worried about which outcome would come to pass. He was simply satisfied because he¡¯d done the work as he¡¯d wanted and he could already feel the effects of his work.

    If the worst came to pass, Andrew had prudently made sure to run the idea by Sophia to make sure that he¡¯d accounted for most of the negative outcomes. So he figured even if his modifications had a downside they wouldn¡¯t result in anything too bad, or too out of left field.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew followed his work with the root system with a nice long shower. Standing beneath the pulsing hot water, and letting the heat and water pressure ease his body¡¯s adjustment to the growing strength of his soul.

    Andrew¡¯s shower was cut short by a chirrup from his glasses, which lay on the towels beyond the frosted glass chamber of the showers. Andrew sighed as he read the t-data for the glasses-shaped communication device. Then he got out of the shower and made his way to the bedroom to dress.

    Fifteen minutes later, Andrew appeared within one of Baku¡¯s many high-class cafes. He was dressed in business casual, wearing a sweat, chinos, black sock, and dress shoes. One of the many outfits that Sophia had hung up for him in his half of their closet, to avoid letting Andrew lazily fall back into his one outfit fits all tendencies.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m supposed to meet a G. Duncan here.¡± said Andrew. Speaking with the hostess of the establishment.

    ¡°Of course, sir...One moment.¡± said the hostess.

    Soon a waitress lead Andrew to a table near the back of the shop. Gregor Duncan sat their wearing daywear. Looking a much more rumpled than he¡¯d been when Andrew lost saw the former-Dean.

    ¡°No offense sir, but it looks like you¡¯ve had a rough couple of days.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Hmph, offense much taken, but sit down anyway...I take it Ms. Luce won¡¯t be joining us?¡± said Gregor.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. She has a few things with the family business to iron out.¡± said Andrew. Shaking his head and settling in one of the cafe¡¯s overly tall chairs and finding that it was more comfortable than it should have been. Making Andrew wonder if his current body wasn¡¯t getting a little too tall.

    ¡°Nh...I expected as much.¡± grunted the former-Dean. Nodding towards a television screen that played mutely in the background.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew turned around and saw his wife up on the screen. Dressed in a sharp cobalt-blue dress-suit, her snow-white hair done up in a neat low-twisted chignon.

    The footage was from a press conference she was having elsewhere in the Three-Crow system. Sophia and her ¡°seniors¡± within the Luce family were currently busy opening factories and office buildings. Making statements with various figures in the media, be they news outlets or talk shows. Working to take control of the narrative on the Luce clan and Housecarl Industries.

    Sophia had been quite busy over the two months that had passed since their landing on Nurari. Her task was to execute the part of their plan that would be seen by the world, while Andrew operated in the shadows. Reading the collective unconsciousness for the galaxy as a whole and removing nuisances that were in their path. Whether that meant going out and directly ¡°changing a few minds¡±, manipulating the t-data for the empire, or just straight up making folks disappear. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    It was honestly, more than a little tiring, but it was also, strangely enough, one of those jobs that took longer to plan than to actually do. Like moving and spring cleaning.

    Andrew had imagined that changing the narrative their rivals within the empire and the empire itself would try to spin would have been harder, but then Sophia came up with the idea to simply blow up the entire conversation.

    Thus even before they¡¯d landed, a simplified version of the Selkie-system was sent over to various academic groups within the galaxy and the empire¡¯s royal library. Ditto for their improve engine designs, warp systems and a few other works that Housecarl Industries would eventually get around to marketing.

    She¡¯d compiled it all together in a file that she¡¯d named the Luce Masterwork volume seven. That was Andrew¡¯s idea.

    They delivered the information in a way that both agreed with the narrative that they were trying to sell. The narrative where the Luce¡¯s were an old, but little spoken of, family that up until now had just been a humble researcher-trader family that had been quietly operating in the shadows. The labeling on the data also hinted that there were more things that the formerly low-key family could offer the empire and the galaxy as a whole.

    While their detractors were left scrambling, Housecarl Industries reached out to the imperial military with the same designs and research data, but just slightly ahead. With the designs and notes in that delivery falling more in line with what they¡¯d displayed during their escape from Harlow.

    Andrew imagined if the imperial government wasn¡¯t completely lead by idiots, this would be enough for the clan to A) get their foot in the door for some rich government contracts, and B)make major strides in gaining either nobility or honored status within the imperial hierarchy. Which was what they needed if they wanted to be left alone to live in peace now that the Oddvar-luce clan were showing off a little of what they were truly made of.

    Assuming the people in charge had their heads on straight the empire now knew three things about the little family.

    First, they knew that the family did indeed have knowledge that could make them either a world-class treasure or a deadly poison depending on how the empire played things.

    Second, they knew that the clan didn¡¯t particularly care about money since they had barely bothered talking about terms when it comes to releasing a sizable portion of what they knew.

    Third, they knew Oddvar-Luce clan wasn¡¯t intending to be anyone¡¯s pawn because rather than heeding any of the overtures made by the royals, the nobles, and the Novem government as a whole, they¡¯d chosen to base themselves out in Graysville.

    The family had quickly entrenched itself in the quietly infamous neutral intersect that lay in the gap of the territories of all three galactic powers. A signal that at the first sign of trouble the clan would merrily change the flags that flew above their factories if push came to shove.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew pulled his attention from the screen and trained his focus on Gregor Duncan. The former-Dean took a sip of the tea on the table and then after a moment¡¯s hesitation. He reached into his coat and poured a little something else into the mixture to make the drink stronger.

    ¡°So, what can I do for you, sir?¡± said Andrew.

    The former-dean took a sip of his tea and grimaced as the alcohol hit him. Then he placed the cup back on the saucer and sighed, the sigh seeming to age the man by ten years.

    ¡°Some time ago, before I and the rest of Blackvale left for Hundred-Night...your family made some overtures offering aid if we should find ourselves needing. At the time I¡¯d doubted such an occasion would occur but here we are¡­¡± said Gregor.

    ¡°Here we are¡­¡± echoed Andrew.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking it, that things in Hundred-Night aren¡¯t going well?¡±

    ¡°You should know...You¡¯re a student there as well, but then again, maybe you don¡¯t. I imagine you might have enjoyed a different treatment than that of your former classmates.¡±

    ¡°Ah...Yeah, they¡¯ve been pretty accommodating.¡± said Andrew. Agreeing with Gregor¡¯s assessment because the academy had been indeed quite accommodating to his and Sophia¡¯s needs. Despite the fact that neither of them had yet to set foot within the campus after the first couple of days when they were settling the issue of enrollment.

    ¡°Unfortunately, they haven¡¯t been quite so kind to your fellow classmates...or even many of the teachers.¡±

    ¡°Nh¡­¡± said Andrew.

    He understood the situation. The picture becoming clearer as Andrew drew in the t-data for the former-Dean, and Hundred-Night academy. The picture he was seeing fell in line with certain predictions he and Sophia had made before landing here.

    Hundred-Night Academy was one of the oldest such institutions within the empire and as often the case for Academy¡¯s of such an age, it possessed a hidden face, the secretive but elite Hundred-Night Sect.

    The school fed the sect, the sect backed the school, and the empire tried to avoid the headache that would come from tangling with a rank 19 organization. Allowing the group to operate unfettered in Graysville in return for the aid of a few of its elites during its military operations.

    Naturally, a group like the Hundred-Night Sect had no lack of members and applicants. Which meant the school that served as the sect¡¯s public face would have no interest in thirty or so thousand youths who¡¯d sailed in from a shattered world.

    The sole reason they were hosting the Blackvale students was due to their obligation as Blackvale¡¯s parent-school and beyond that, they held no obligation or fond feelings for the sudden surplus of enrollees and extraneous staff.

    Thus they did what any large amoral organization would do. They offered the bare minimum and tried to encourage their new-burden to go elsewhere. After all, this wasn¡¯t a part of the galaxy where one absolutely had to stay in an Academy till graduation. Dropping out and working was also a completely valid option.

    ¡°They¡¯re not even offering most of us proper dorms. Most of Blackvale is either bunking with servants, sleeping in storage areas, or paying our own way off-campus.¡± said Gregor. Sounding bitter.

    Andrew frowned, feeling a pang of pity. It sounded like the school wasn¡¯t trying very hard to hide how it little it cared about the people from Blackvale.

    ¡°Would it be fair to assume you guys haven¡¯t been receiving any training allotments?¡± said Andrew.

    The training the average Academy student did required a number of supplements, medicines, and other resources.

    The academies were supposed to provide these things and the cost was subsidized by the government. While better-off students generally eschewed such things for their families¡¯ own resources receiving those resources was a fairly huge deal for commoners and people like Andrew¡¯s former-self who couldn¡¯t count on the people at home to supply what they needed.

    Gregor took another sip of tea and raised his brow at the younger man.

    ¡°Young man...You know how educators are duty-bound to say that there¡¯s no such thing as a stupid question?¡±

    Andrew cleared his throat.

    ¡°Fair enough...No need to get snappish. You¡¯re coming to us for help remember.¡±

    The former-dean moaned and nodded, rubbing temples that had far more gray in them than had been present two months ago.

    ¡°How could I forget¡­?¡±

    Andrew couldn¡¯t help feeling bad for the older man. On the one hand, Gregor should have known what to expect. On the other hand, ordinarily, Gregor Duncan should have never been in this position. He¡¯d just been one of the school¡¯s senior Admins. One of the handful of Blackvale academy senior staff that happened to survive.

    If Blackvale¡¯s protectors and ancestral-backers had not been lost during the attack on their academy they would have had more leverage in dealing with the larger academy. If the original Dean had survived he¡¯d have had a number of secrets in his back pocket and social currency to get Hundred-Night to foot the bill for allowing Blackvale to go elsewhere and rebuild.

    ¡°If I¡¯m reading the situation right, basically, besides myself, Sophia, and a few other of the students, Hundred-Night Academy is treating the students of Blackvale like probationary students. No accommodations, no resources, little attention or care when it comes to the classes that are made available.¡±

    ¡°An astute guess¡­¡± said Gregor.

    ¡°I imagine things are similar rough for you staff members¡­¡±

    ¡°More or less...A few of us are integrating well enough, but a number of us have been downgraded to assistants and general staff. It¡¯s a blow to our egos and wallets perhaps, but for most of the teachers, its nothing too unbearable. At least they¡¯re providing work and proper shelter so that we can actually think about our options. I¡¯m more concerned about the students.¡±

    Andrew nodded. Noting the older man¡¯s sincerity and finding his respect for the older man had gone up a few notches. Whether Gregor had been unsuited for the job or not, it looked like the former-Dean truly cared about his wards. Truly concerned about the students who¡¯d followed him because they either had nowhere else to go after losing everything, or because they didn¡¯t wish to become a burden on their families after the fall of Harlow.

    Otherwise, there was no reason for Dean Duncan to be here seeking Andrew¡¯s assistance. As the former-dean of one of Hundred-Night¡¯s branches, Gregor¡¯s position would have been a privileged one regardless of whatever other decisions the sect made concerning Blackvale¡¯s students and staff.

    ¡°Mhm...I think I can help.¡±

    ¡°...You can?¡±

    ¡°I can...Or rather, Oddvar-Luce and Housecarl Industries, can. Follow me, please.¡± said Andrew. Standing and using his sprite to pay the exorbitant bill that he and the former-Dean had racked up during their short time in the cafe.

 35: Building a Nest

    A week after his meeting with Andrew, Gregor Duncan retired. Tongues would wag at its suddenness, some blaming the fall of Harlow, some blaming the Hundred-Night Academy¡¯s callousness, some blaming the quiet manipulations of Housecarl Industries and the Luce family.

    However, the truth that lay behind all the rumors was that the old man was simply exhausted. He¡¯d never intended to become dean of a school, and had only done so because he was the only surviving Blackvale staff member with the seniority and the willingness.

    Thus when he¡¯d finally made arrangements that would secure the future of the thirty thousand young lives in his care he¡¯d followed the example of a certain roman dictator, and immediately stepped down from his position of authority once his duty was done.

    He wasn¡¯t simply gone through. Old Gregor was still present within Nurari III. According to the rumors, he¡¯d used his savings to buy a small townhouse in Baku and was one of the founding members of a small group that had been started up recently and called themselves the Blackvale Society.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Nurari III had four moons. Two those moons were tiny broken things and barely counted as proper satellites, for all that they were firmly trapped within the planet¡¯s orbit.

    The third moon was large for a moon but still too small to serve as a proper dwarf planet. The moon was considered by many to be the Nurari III¡¯s younger sister, possessing its own atmosphere, a small sea, scattering of sparse vegetation, and an overabundance of snakes. That moon was known as Uwabami.

    Finally, there was the fourth moon, Osakabe-hime. Average in size, but possessing a plain kind of beauty. Most night¡¯s it hung in Nurari III three¡¯s sky as an ominous blue-silver disk. In the past, this moon was both respected and feared as the moon of fortune and calamity.

    In the present, scientists were aware that there was something strange about Osakabe-hime, but dire warnings from their superiors and the immortal ancestors that sat above their superiors kept them from prying too deeply.

    At a certain time, on a certain night, a fifth moon joined the other fours. Using grand technology and high magics to hide all signs of its presence and negate the effect of its mass on the planet, it simply appeared one day, sliding into a spot within Osakabe-hime¡¯s shadow.

    A day would come when Nurari and the rest of the Three-Crow system would look up and realize that it was there, however, that day was not today. For now, the hidden moon would simply hang within the sky. Serving as yet another unseen voyeur of the goings-on of the world below.

    This moon¡¯s name was Dougal.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew sat in an office, that lay within the topmost floors of a tower. He peered through the wide, crystal clear, window of his office. Looking down up a sea of silvery green grass.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, hoheit¡­¡± said Sophia. Her words derailing whatever train of thought the young eidolon¡¯s mind had been playing host to.

    Andrew turned around, spinning in his swivel chair. He realized he hadn¡¯t heard Sophia walk in the room. Which was a sign that his mind had really been somewhere lightyears away.

    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it¡­¡± said Andrew. Smiling. His dour expression instantly brightening up.

    ¡°When did you get back?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Just now¡­¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°So, darling dearest ...how was your big tour of the Neutral-Quadrant?¡± said Andrew.

    Sophia snorted, wrinkling her nose, as she heard the sweet names comingfrom Andrew¡¯s normally sour mouth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like I¡¯m some singer...It was a long slog of meetings and negotiations, not a series of concerts...Well, you might a bit right in that there was a lot of performance and posturing involved, but it was largely the old goats they sent my way to try and bully our clan into accepting shitty terms that were doing the performing.¡±

    Andrew chuckled.

    ¡°Have I thanked you for always volunteering to deal with that kind of bullshit yet...If not thank you ten times over...That shit sounds terrible.¡± said Andrew.

    He tugged Sophia¡¯s hand and she allowed herself to be pulled into his lap. The two kissed. Then Sophia pulled away a little, adjusting her position in Andrew¡¯s lap to a more comfortable one.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad, hoheit...I actually made a lot of good contacts out there. I learned a couple of names and faces that could end up proving useful in the future.¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Nh...Well, that¡¯s good. In the meanwhile, besides working on all this¡­¡± said Andrew. Nodding towards the window, indicating wide sweeping plain that lay beyond their window, the trees that beyond, and the very tower they were sitting.

    ¡°I started production on both the consumer line, military line, and Luce clan line of Selkie-mechs. We¡¯ve got a standing inventory of engines and specialized space-folding drives waiting for sale ...and a few other things that we talked about. I figured we can look it all over together later.¡±

    ¡°Excellent job, my love...I think I might end up gifting a few military models to a few nobles I¡¯ve befriended. What do you think?¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Andrew considered the question and then shrugged.

    ¡°If you think it¡¯s fine...It¡¯s probably fine. At the very least it ¡®sounds¡¯ like something that¡¯s practiced by groups like ours...so it shouldn¡¯t cause too much trouble.¡±

    ¡°I thought as much...but just in case, I think we might want to add a few anti-tampering seals on the mechs on the off chance they find themselves in the wrong hands down the line. Just to give our eventual competitors something to think about.¡± said Sophia. Her eyes twinkling with mischief and just a hint of predacious bloodlust.

    Andrew just nodded and added it to his to-do list. His mind straying back towards where it had been before Sophia¡¯s arrival.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Inventors of powerful inventions were sometimes afraid of their creations. The developers of the first Terran nuclear devices were haunted by the potential implications for mankind. The goblinoid forefathers of modern gene-serum believed that he¡¯d doomed his people to extinction. And all AIs were built with a love for their fleshy creators out of fear obsoletion.

    The point being there was always a bit of anxiety when you let something big out into the world.

    The young couple¡¯s scheme was simple in execution, but complicated in theory, which made Andrew keep feeling like they were constantly over-, and under-, thinking things. The two eidolons sat in the role of sufficiently advanced aliens gifting primitives with firearms.

    Old mechs were the equivalent of bows, arrows, and spears. Now the public would be enlightened and uplifted as they gained access to flintlocks or simple selkie-machines. The military would be given percussion-cap guns, medium-tier selkie-mech, that they¡¯d treasure as legendary weapons.

    In time the industry standard would fall somewhere between those two boundaries. With the Oddvar-luce clan and Housecarl industries standing just a hair above with carefully leaked suggestions of the possibility of ¡°figurative¡± laser weapons and coil guns. Transcendental Selkie-machines that would make them the kings of the industry that they were creating.

    Besides the predicted attempts to reverse engineer the mechs that had been sold and released, the documentation Housecarl industries had released would allow scientists all over the galaxy to try and understand the principles behind the selkie-system.

    The trick of it was, that those principles were based on things far outside the league of current society. Thus all those notes that the Luce clan had released would remain akin to trying to describe astrophysics to a being that had barely discovered fire, for decades to come.

    As Andrew considered the ramifications of what he and his wife had done he felt himself shudder. The two eidolons had described in numbers and mathematical formulas things that one would generally have to gain immortality and enlightenment as a greater-being to even begin to understand.

    Andrew was pretty sure that the knowledge wasn¡¯t too dangerous in and of itself. It¡¯d take thousands if not tens of thousands of years for the mortals to decipher it all. At which point they¡¯d cease to be mere mortals, they¡¯d be an enlightened people, having reached a point of their evolution that few civilizations every reached.

    An outcome that would render Andrew¡¯s concern moot, and turn his and Sophia¡¯s scheme into a good deed. The only concern was what might happen while all those factions and peoples fumbled in the dark with the knowledge they¡¯d been given. If the worst happened, someone could open the gates to pandora¡¯s box and bath the entire universe in endless chaos and death.

    Andrew considered both possibilities and then mentally shrugged. The old parts of Andrew¡¯s psyche made him feel like the future was too uncertain for him to try and prepare for every possible outcome. The young parts of Andrew¡¯s psyche made feel like the future was too far away from him to care.

    He eventually decided that at the very least he wasn¡¯t trying to manipulate society and make himself into some sort of god-king. He was just trying to make a quick buck and secure his family¡¯s future status. If the galaxy elected to destroy itself with the knowledge they¡¯d been given, so be it¡­Maybe that would just mean that those people were all just that stupid to begin with.

    After all, the small morsels of information he and Sophia had released weren¡¯t the only such nuggets of cosmic truth that were out there. The very existence of the Blackrose galaxy¡¯s formalized magic systems and ranking systems were proof of that.

    In the meantime, Andrew decided to place a priority in creating safe havens for himself and Sophia in the other universes he¡¯d end up being visiting as he matured.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    ¡°Speaking of trouble...I heard that Dean Duncan ended up calling in that favor after all.¡± said Sophia. Interrupting Andrew¡¯s buzzing thoughts yet again.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah...Yeah.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Things went well enough, I guess...It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯d finished setting this place up before he¡¯d called. I showed him around and he had the Blackvale students and staff move in within a week.¡± said Andrew.

    The building Sophia and Andrew were sitting inside and the ground it was built upon were constructs. Fabrications created with data, law, and energy.

    Rather than simply buying and modifying a home like they¡¯d done on Harlow, during the months that had passed since their arrival in Nurari III Andrew had been hard at work constructing a base and domicile for his wife and himself.

    He ended up overdoing it a little and the end result was Dougal, a one thousand seventy-nine, mile-long stellar-vessel. In its dormant phase, the ship served as a massive space-station, mimicking a terraformed moon. In its active phase, the ship became a massive leviathan, a king amongst all the other red-eyed whales. Armed to the teeth and capable of going to war with several pantheons of gods and devils, or all four of the great fae courts.

    The exact internal space within the ship varied, but its spatial manipulation abilities were such that it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to comfortably an entire solar system¡¯s worth of souls within the Dougal¡¯s hull.

    Thus when Gregor Duncan came to Andrew seeking shelter for the students of Blackvale, housing them within the uninhabited portions of the base. That night, Andrew brought the former-Dean to the base and let the man watch as Dougal printed an entire academy city before his very eyes and in that moment the remnants of Blackvale were entrusted to Oddvar-Luce clan and Housecarl Industries.

    As to why, Andrew and Sophia wanted the school''s students and staff. Andrew had a feeling that even with all his and Sophia¡¯s powers, the journey they were planning to take wasn¡¯t one that they wanted to take alone.

    The young couple were doing good by themselves, but now that they¡¯d made up their mind to be great, that meant finding allies and followers.

    Even with their duplication abilities, there was a limit to what the two could do on their own, and if something truly incapacitated either of them it would be devastating. Andrew could only imagine the problems that would have been created if it was Sophia who sporadically got pulled into different dimensions instead of him.

    Thus they needed more people. People who weren¡¯t just splintered off parts of themselves. As Andrew and Sophia¡¯s thoughts turned in this direction the move to recruit made more and more sense, considering they could have just stayed in Abwickeln if they¡¯d wanted to live in isolated.

    To Andrew¡¯s mind, there was no better place to start then the population of disenfranchised refugee-students who already knew him and Sophia as familiar and reliable faces.

    Or at least that was the plan.

    Andrew¡¯s expectations weren¡¯t all that lofty. Nor was his intentions completely machiavellian. To some extent, he really did just mean to house his former-classmates. If they chose to leave so be it. He wouldn¡¯t force anyone to join either the company or the clan. Nor would he require any oaths beyond ones of standard decorum non-aggression. So long as his guests acted as guests should behave they were free to avail themselves of the property.

    Besides, this goodwill wasn¡¯t really costing Andrew anything. Sophia had somehow managed to get the imperial government to divert most of the funds that Hundred-Night would have received for looking after Blackvale¡¯s student and staff to Housecarl Industries and the newly founded Blackvale Society.

    With that being said, if Andrew could manage to draw a few souls to his corner and make a few bosom friends for his family he wouldn¡¯t say no. Though many of that student¡¯s within the newly built academy city currently penniless and weak, that wouldn¡¯t always be the case.

    Those who hadn¡¯t been orphaned all had families out there who would eventually recover and remember their lost youths. Those who had been orphaned would use the succor they¡¯d been given to grow strong, and use their experiences in Hundred-Night Academy as a reminder of what it meant to be weak and alone in the world.

    Andrew figured most of these people would end up just leaving, but he expected that they¡¯d remember the favor they¡¯d been given.

    Sophia, whether due to optimism or some plan she already had in place, expected that they¡¯d be able to keep at least a third of the student and staff and induct them into either the clan¡¯s ranks or the company. In fact, she¡¯d already taken the private military certificate Andrew had collected a while back and vested it in Housecarl Industries'' name, all in preparation for the day their forces sailed through all corners of the night sky.

 36: Truancy is Bad, Kids

    Modeste Morgan walked out of one of the lecture halls that the Hundred Night Academy had scattered throughout the city.

    She pulled down the headphones she was wearing and sighed. The last class had been...rough, and it had taken all of the young woman¡¯s willpower to resist falling asleep.

    Just as she stepped onto the sidewalk, she heard the sound of an altercation. She immediately tensed, her sharp owlkin hearing picking up nuances that hinted at a likelihood of things turning violent.

    ¡°Okay, you need to back the fuck off my sister before I make you back off.¡± snarled a voice.

    ¡°Oi, friend...No need to get offended. I was just making a little conversation and trying to help you out.¡± said a man in an HNA uniform. His long curly hair shaved at the sides.

    ¡°Well, guess what, friend, Ain¡¯t no one here trying to talk to you. No one asked for you help. And stay the hell away from my sister.¡± said another student. A spiky haired half-goblin.

    He stood in front of a female student, also a half-goblin, who hid behind her shorter brother while looking looking like she¡¯d have rather been almost anywhere else in the world but where she was standing.

    ¡°Hey, hey, that¡¯s not nice. Your not gonna get anywhere in this school if you¡¯re not willing to make friends.¡± said the first student.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fucking fine with me, pal. Us, Blackvale students, don¡¯t need your brand of ¡®friendship¡¯.¡± said the second student.

    The argument between the three students drew a crowd. Modeste included. Going by the conversation that the Hundred-Nighter had been making some unwelcome advances on the girl in mention and Modeste hated that sort of thing.

    As the member of a clan of former-knights, Morgan¡¯s sense of chivalry meant she had to least standby to see how things would go.

    This was a fight between one of the Hundred Night elites, and a pair of Blackvale students. One of many fights that had taken place in the past few weeks.

    Oddly enough, Modeste couldn¡¯t be sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it wasn¡¯t pleasant to see the the Hundred Night students trying bully the Blackvalers. Taking advantage of the fact that many of them came from families that were struggling, if they even had families at all.

    On the other hand, it was relieving to see that all the Hundred Night students could do was ¡°try¡± to bully them. The Blackvalers circumstances have grown progressively more positive in the passing weeks. Making it so that that the Hundred Night students couldn¡¯t take advantage of their desperation.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    Weeks passed, as Andrew finished getting himself, Sophia, and the students and staff of the Blackvale Academy settled in Nurari III.

    It took a few additional weeks for Andrew to finish automating and streamlining as much of Housecarl Industries¡¯ vital processes and operations as he could.

    By the time Andrew was done, the company and the Oddvar-Luce clan that served as its backer, firmly had their feet planted in the Novem Empires military-industrial complex.

    They¡¯d been offered a number of contracts with the imperial military, a handful of noble clans, and powerful sects. Contracts that they¡¯d been able to swallow on their own, without accepting the ¡°assistance¡± offered by a number of the larger, more famous names in the industry.

    This, and their status as the standard-bearers for the selkie-system, and the ¡°Namazu,¡± or ripple-warp, engines, had allowed Housecarl Industries to go from being an up and comer, to being a nascent titan within the war mech and astral vessel markets.

    Their turn-over rate and the consistently high quality of their work, might have actually created a few rumors concerning their production abilities. There were now more than a few folk postulating that the clan had likely had some breakthroughs in the field of manufacturing, on top of what¡¯d they done with mechs and spaceflight.

    However, Andrew and Sophia decided to just ignore ¡®that¡¯ . A man who finds gold gets rich, a man who bleeds gold gets dead. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    It wouldn¡¯t serve the young eidolons to give away too much of what they were capable of. Besides, everyone knew that every clan in the galaxy with something special going on, kept the bulk of their secrets to themselves.

    Thus even if people had questions, there were few who even made a piecemeal attempt at prying. Keeping their inquiries to futile, covert attempts at surveilling the company¡¯s factories.

    Now Andrew found himself with a sudden abundance of free time.

    At first, it was just a pleasant surprise to find that his days weren¡¯t as occupied with meetings and long sessions of design and construction. Then he started to worry that he might be forgetting something. Neglecting some crucial task that he should have been doing all along while he was goofing off, doing nothing important.

    Then he realized at some point that he wasn¡¯t the only one with a lot more free time. Sophia was hanging around their main estate a lot as well.

    After the original unveiling of the selkie system, namazu engines, and a handful of other not-quite as groundbreaking but similarly impressive industry offerings Oddvar-Luce and Housecarl Industries pulled their metaphorical phallus and testes off of a bent table, zipped up their metaphorical fly, and returned to being just a hair more low key.

    Andrew had a friend, or at least an acquaintance, that he¡¯d met during his time in Abwickeln. The man liked to hear himself to talk but occasionally the man said things that made sense. Such as advising that beings such as themselves find a balance between making and impression and being part of the background.

    Sophia had kept that advice in mind, and less than three months after she¡¯d finished devastating industries. She and Housecarl Industries had turned around suddenly started making friends with a handful of their smaller and larger rivals.

    Making a bunch of distribution and supply contracts to create a buffer between the company and the rest of the galaxy. Offering generous deals to a number of big and small names because any money they made off the products they¡¯d created from cosmic detritus and their own otherworldly powers was basically pure profit compared to what it¡¯d cost a normal company.

    With those other companies pulled into the fold and given the task of selling and shipping, Housecarl Industries products, the young CEO suddenly found herself with a whole lot more time on her hands.

    While neither was completely idle by any means, Andrew and Sophia were no longer anywhere as overworked as they¡¯d been.

    The two young eidolons spent their free time, wandering through in their spacious obsidian tower. Making love frequently, because they were young, attractive, over the moon for each other, and honestly, it was a fun way to kill an afternoon. Picking up and finishing various minor projects. However, ultimately, the feeling that there was something that they were forgetting persisted.

    ¡°Ah!¡± said Sophia. Sitting up in bed one day and closing the financial report she¡¯d been reading through.

    ¡°What?¡± said Andrew. Pausing the game he¡¯d been playing.

    ¡°School!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re still students, hoheit...We haven¡¯t gone to school in months!¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew frowned.

    ¡°Does that actually matter though? This isn¡¯t one of those planets that prosecutes dropouts, or ships them out into the imperial fleet.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°True...But assuming we¡¯re still adhering to your goal of following the social norms as best as we can...we¡¯re going to need to graduate,¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Plus...Hundred Night Academy is far from cheap for those who don¡¯t qualify for government assistance...And going by these reports I¡¯m reading we definitely don¡¯t qualify. So we¡¯ve basically been throwing money down the drain by not attending despite being enrolled.¡± said Sophia.

    Andrew put down the controller he was holding and furrowed his brow.

    ¡°Shit...Fine. I guess we¡¯re going back to school.¡± said Andrew. Sighing wistfully. Suddenly losing interest in the game he¡¯d been playing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be lazy, hoheit. Getting a good education is important. Besides, I think we¡¯ve had a long enough vacation from academy life.¡± said Sophia. Teasing Andrew. Her long pale fingers crawling up his chest.

    ¡°Vacation?... We¡¯ve been working our butts off this whole time!¡± said Andrew. Looking like he didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    The next day the young couple used the Dougal¡¯s spatial-transfer gate to teleport down to Nurari¡¯s surface. Then they let a housecarl industries¡¯ self-driving shuttle carry them over to Hundred Night¡¯s gate.

    They could have directly teleported onto the school grounds, but Andrew was still feeling a little reluctant about the prospect of returning to school.

    What¡¯s more, he and Sophia were still big believers of enjoying their journey rather than simply being wherever they needed to be. Thus so long as they weren''t in a hurry they¡¯d still keep their policy of traveling like mortals rather than instantly transmitting themselves to their desired locations.

    There was no meaning in going over what percentage of Baku city fell within the school campus and what part of the city didn¡¯t.

    In truth, depending on how you look at things, and where you stood, one could make a solid argument for saying that the entirety of Baku and its nearest neighbors were part of Hundred Night Academy, and the Hundred Night Sect that stood behind the school.

    Having said that, the academy did have a central campus of sorts that was located within the city.

    Hundred Night Academy, or ¡°HNA¡¯s¡± main campus didn¡¯t follow the usual format of being a discrete but easily distinguishable city within a city like most academies. Instead, it completely with  its surroundings and spread like alien-kudzu. It¡¯s central campus took up only a few thousand acres. Occupying a small allotment of land within the heart of Baku city.

    This central campus was made up of a number of administrative buildings, a portion of its luxury dorms, the lecture halls for the primary school students, and one dining hall.

    All the other training halls, lecture halls, labs, parks, libraries, and facilities for the academy were spread out within the city itself. Radiating away from the HNA¡¯s core, like the rings of a gas giant.

    The school used its immense influence to mold the city to suit its needs so that there were always student shuttles running, and special taxis for its elite enrollees and personnel to make use of.

    The Oddvar-Luce couple¡¯s first stop of the day was at the main campus¡¯ central administration building, to confirm that they hadn¡¯t been expelled for lack of attendance. It was a tedious process. Due to certain spells the pair had in place to keep from getting recognized while they were in public, it took a little work for the woman at the desk to recognize that they were students.

    Then once she recognized them and realized who they were, it took even more work to get the woman to let them go, because there were a number of senior admins in the school who wanted to chat them up in hopes of gaining some favor or the other from the up and coming youths.

    Oddvar-Luce clan wasn¡¯t that big a deal in the greater scheme of things, but the fact they hadn¡¯t fallen under anyone¡¯s influence yet made them an untapped resource. And as any tradesman would tell you untapped resources were always in high demand.

    Thus the two tried their best to get themselves out of there without meeting anyone. It wouldn¡¯t do to get swept up in the Academy¡¯s politics before they¡¯d finished their first week of classes.

 37: New Curriculum

    A silver-haired man with a long full beard stood at a window, gazing down at the city of Baku. He frowned, as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His blue eyes glittering with an unfathomable emotion.

    Whatever irascible thoughts the old man might have had going through his head, were shelved when there was a knock at the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± said the old man.

    In came a slightly younger man. Red-haired, with a sharp widow¡¯s peak, and a very classic brand of human handsomeness. Lantern jawed, bright-eyes, pouting lips, and rippling yet graceful physique.

    This man was older than middle-aged, but far from being as venerable as the silver-haired senior. Faint hints of elvish ancestry making the newcomer look even younger.

    ¡°Master.¡± said the slightly younger man. Clasping his fist in his palm and briefly bowing at the waist.

    ¡°Good evening, Alfwin.¡±

    ¡°Good evening to you as well, Master.¡± said the younger man. Lowering himself onto one of the couches within the office.

    Farrokh Hillman, Elder of the Hundred Night Sect, turned to greet his sole disciple, Alfwin Xaime.

    ¡°How goes it?¡± said Farrokh.

    ¡°It goes well, Master. At least for the most part¡­¡± said Alfwin.

    ¡°Oh? And what¡¯s happening during  those times that things don¡¯t go well?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, sir...I¡¯m just having a bit of a headache with those Blackvale students.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I could imagine.¡± said Farrokh. Stroking his whiskers, as he foggily recalled that his disciple had recently been granted the position of a senior administrator within the academy that served as the main recruitment pool and money-making tool for the sect.

    ¡°I¡¯ve nothing against those newcomers...but somehow they¡¯re not getting along with the rest like they should.¡± said Alfwin. His expression twisting as if he were chewing on something sour.

    Farrokh just chuckled.

    ¡°What you mean to say is that they aren¡¯t allowing themselves to be ¡®eaten¡¯ like they should.¡± said Farrokh knowing his disciple all too well.

    ¡°....I...I wouldn¡¯t phrase it that way, master. I just wish they''d try a little harder to integrate with the rest of the student body.¡± said Alfwin.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do, youngster. But these kind of things take time and in the meanwhile thanks to the Oddvar-Luce clan and their company, the new students are more of an organized faction than a loose mob or refugees.¡±

    ¡°Mhm...And there¡¯s nothing I can do?¡± said Alfwin. Furrowing his brow.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that...I¡¯d just advise treading carefully...Housecarl Industries has become one of our Sect¡¯s biggest supporters...Even if these newcomers seem to be generating friction, there are enough clear signs of their intent to eventually join the fold that making too much noise over the minor matters taking place between the students, could end up shooting you in the foot,¡± said Farrokh. Sternly warning his protege.

    ¡°...Yes, master.¡±

    ¡°Very good. Now...Tell me how those kids of yours are doing.

    *************************************************************************************************************

    After confirming that they hadn¡¯t managed to get themselves unenrolled despite their months of playing truant, Andrew and Sophia left HNA¡¯s central administrative building. They stood in the plaza outside the building, and linked their sprites together for the sake of surfing the web on a window they both could see.

    Now that they knew they were still students of Hundred-Night Academy, they had to see what they needed to do next. Andrew expected that this semester would be a wash, considering how many absences they had, but that was fine. It just meant that they didn¡¯t have to take this semester¡¯s classes too seriously and could just take their time getting used to the atmosphere of the academy.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± said Andrew. Reading through the academy¡¯s site and then going back and doing a couple of searches on the academy as a whole.

    ¡°It seems Hundred-Night Academy operates a little differently compared to our old school,¡± said Sophia.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Nh...Seems so,¡± said Andrew. Frowning as he moved past searching the web, and began tapping connections to the akashic plane and the collective unconscious to get a better view of how things in the school¡¯s operation and history.

    ¡°Well, I suppose that¡¯s more convenient then, right?... If we take things a little more seriously, we won¡¯t end up wasting a semester,¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Or we could just cheat the software and test out of those classes,¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yes, hoheit...I suppose that is an option too,¡± said Sophia. Rolling her eyes and smirking, giving her husband a playful pinch as they walked through the plaza together. Then she proceeded to access HNA¡¯s data and make the necessary modifications to the school¡¯s records.

    Elsewhere in the galaxy, the various academies that served as the public faces of the magus towers, sects, and mercenary guilds still at least pretended to be proper academies. Here in Graysville, the Hundred Night Academy that served as the public face of the Hundred Night Sect barely bothered with such things.

    In hindsight, Andrew and Sophia should have known better. They should have picked up on this little detail during their prior investigations of the goings-on of the academy and Nurari III as a whole.

    However back then their focus had been on making sure the school and the planet were safe to live on, with no upcoming upheavals or secret dangers. They hadn¡¯t thought to be concerned about the curriculum and the actual makeup of the academy¡¯s program.

    If they had been paying attention they would have already known that the HNA curriculum was basically a copy and paste of the sect¡¯s training curriculum for its disciples with just enough changes added to allow the school to satisfy the empire¡¯s educational standards.

    Rather than fussing with classes and required credit hours, the HNA took a more laissez-faire approach to education. A student of Hundred Night Academy would have only one or two classes that they had to take, per year.

    The rest of the program was almost totally up to the student. Since all the classes were taught through a mixture of live professors, pre-recorded online lectures, and online programs run by AI-operated virtual tutors and teachers-assistants, there was a lot of flexibility.

    A student in the HNA had complete control over how many courses they took, when they took those courses, and how fast the course was completed. If they so choose, they could eschew the lectures, and simply rely on the virtual-tutors and online materials. If they were feeling particularly gutsy they could even simply read the course materials and leave things at that.

    The sole requirement for getting credit for the courses was passing the difficult and comprehensive ¡°midterms¡± and ¡°finals¡± that school¡¯s testing halls proffered throughout the year.

    These midterms and finals general came in the form of standardized tests and essay examinations. They also could come in the form of work product or practical assessment in the case of more craft-based, and more hands-on, courses.

    Getting a degree was just a matter of passing all the required courses and there was no particular timeline that needed to be followed for one to do so.

    ¡°Mnh¡­¡± said Andrew. Tapping his chin.

    ¡°What is it, hoheit?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°I was just thinking it¡¯s a shame¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a shame, hoheit?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Here we are in a school where we could be basically crank out as many qualifications as we want...but it doesn¡¯t matter because we already work for ourselves,¡± said Andrew. Wondering why he was only running into such a convenient system now.

    ¡°....¡± Sophia just shook her head. Wondering why that was a cause for the man to look so aggrieved.

    ¡°Well, at the very least, it won¡¯t be too difficult to make sure we¡¯ve graduated with a few good degrees by the time we¡¯re done in this place,¡± said Sophia. Moving conversation onto matters that were a little more meaningful.

    ¡°Nh...That¡¯s true,¡± said Andrew.

    ************************************************************************************************************

    Andrew and Sophia quickly earmarked a number of courses that they needed for their chosen degrees. The degrees themselves didn¡¯t matter but since they weren¡¯t planning to leave Nurari III to soon, they both ended up aiming high and choosing multidisciplinary degrees.

    The two eidolons immediately enrolled in those classes that were either fully virtual or only had non-essential live lectures. Those courses they¡¯d simply pass through testing after an appropriate amount of months had passed.

    They were pickier when it came to the courses they actually had to show up for. The fact that it was hypothetically possible to graduate without spending a single day in class, excluding the required classes, meant that they could get away with only choosing courses that they had a strong interest in.

    Speaking of the required course, that was where Andrew and Sophia were headed now. That required course was yet another indicator of the many degrees of separation that lay between the Hundred Night Sect and the Empire.

    One would expect an academy¡¯s required course to have something to do with the many needs and/or recommendations of the empire. Instead, the  HNA used the required course as a means of serving its own needs.

    At the ninth grade level, right at the beginning of secondary school, all HNA students were expected to spend a certain number of hours in a certain house. An innocuous-looking building that sat in the heart of the city surrounded by thick, high walls, and more security personnel than you¡¯d see at the average military black site.

    This house was known as the House of a Hundred Candles. Its top two floors were largely normal, but the basement and below had been the subject of much scientific, spiritual, and philosophical discussion.

    This house was also the sole reason the hundred-night sect was able to rise to the level of power that is currently enjoyed. It was the sole reason the sect was able to take-over most of Nurari III and resist the Novem empire¡¯s influence.

    The House of a Hundred candles was one the so-called Hidden realms of the martial and magical worlds. A rare treasure amongst the sects and arcane orders. This hidden realm¡¯s true identity was that of a figment realm, a nightmare realm. Which turned the house into a double-edged blade.

    On the one hand, the sect gained much power and countless resources, from exploring the depths of the realm. On the other hand, the house¡¯s presence in the heart of the sect¡¯s territory ensured that if they didn¡¯t continually wage war with the creatures that lay at the realm¡¯s depths they and the rest of Graysville would quickly be consumed. With a large portion of the rest of the Blackrose galaxy being soon to follow if the myriad gods, spirits, immortals, and angels of the galaxy didn¡¯t step in to seal away the region.

    Thus the sect and its academy had a constant need for young bodies. Young lives that they could use to quell the endless hunger of the House of a Hundred Candles.

    ************************************************************************************************************

    ¡°Huh...A dungeon realm? Neat.¡± said Andrew. After he and Sophia reached the gates of the fortified compound that surrounded the house of a hundred candles.

    Dungeon-realms were a type of figment realm. While not all figment-realms were dungeon-realms. All dungeon-realms inevitably became figment realms, assuming the core survived long enough, and this dungeon, the House of a Hundred Candles, or HHC, was well on its way to become a high-grade figment realm. The only thing it lacked was a proper lord. This was the sole reason the sect was able to plunder it so freely.

    ¡°Well, look at who it is...If it isn¡¯t our glorious leader,¡± said a wry, somewhat sarcastic, voice from closer to the front of the gate.

    ¡°Eh?...¡±  said Andrew. He leaned out of the line and saw a family face, framed with silky silver-green hair.

    ¡°Oh, Ollie...Haven¡¯t seen you in a while.¡±

    ¡°En...I know. What have you been doing for the last two weeks, man?¡± said the half-elf. Giving up his place in line to join his friend near the end of the line.

    ¡°Honestly,...Nothing. It¡¯s like time just got away from me.¡± said Andrew. Telling the truth. Somehow, going from being overscheduled to being normally scheduled was enough to throw Andrew off his game, and thus a lot of seemingly small things had fallen to the wayside.

    The two youths conversed. Talking about nothing and particular, and simply catching up with one other. Sophia joined in as well and they chatted amiably for the five minutes it took for them to get through the gates.

 38: Party in the Kitchen

    Andrew, Sophia, and Oliver made their way to the house of a hundred candles. Reading the data surrounding the house, Andrew noted that they¡¯d likely been one of the tens of thousands to do so in just this day along. However, the space warping abilities of the building, made it feel like the area was abandoned and hadn¡¯t been visited in ages.

    ¡°So what have you been up to, Ollie old chap?¡± said Andrew. His eyes scanning the sky as his senses watched for the moment where Nurari¡¯s physics ended and the distorted physics of the figment realm began.

    ¡°Er...Not much. I guess. After I was done handling the things you asked me to help you with, I just sort of ended up getting back into the academy grind. It¡¯s a little bit different here though. We have to spend time grinding resources from this ¡®house¡¯ to earn vouchers that¡¯ll let us attend lectures above the basic level.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Really?!¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Yeah¡­It¡¯s a grimy practice, but I can sort of understand why they¡¯d do it. If outsiders of the sect come here and bleed for them, it means they don¡¯t have to go through as many of their disciples into this pit. Hell, that¡¯s why they even open this place up for non-students to enter.¡± said Oliver. Shrugging helplessly.

    ¡°Hm...I¡¯d been wondering why they¡¯d be so generous as to let non-affiliated people into their hidden realm like this...But it sounds like things will be a wee bit more dangerous than I thought. I¡¯m surprised we haven¡¯t lost anyone from Blackvale if that¡¯s the case.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Well...It¡¯s not like we¡¯re helpless. Blackvale was a decent school. Plus, since Oddvar-Luce and Housecarl Industries have been helping us out, no one from Blackvale¡¯s gotten desperate enough to go into the really dangerous levels of HHC.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Ah¡­Well, that¡¯s good then,¡± said Andrew. Feeling more than a little embarrassed. He¡¯d been aware of things enough to know that the students and staff members in his care weren¡¯t in danger but he¡¯d clearly not been paying enough attention if something as big as the HHC was involved.

    ¡°So how does this usually work?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± said Oliver. Looking over at the white-haired woman with a distracted expression as he stepped through the overly large front door of the house.

    ¡°This...The hidden realm and the excursions into its depths. What is expected of us?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Oh, uh...I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve ever played an RPG?¡±

    ¡°Of course she has. Honestly, I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯ve played RPGs, considering some of the things you told me about your childhood,¡± said Andrew. Entering the building behind the other two. Noting how everything seemed to be two to three times bigger than it needed to be as if this were a house meant for ogres rather than humans.

    ¡°Then you weren¡¯t really paying attention. I was raised to be a peon, pal, and companion to the sons and daughters of my family¡¯s ¡®betters¡¯. I couldn¡¯t really do that if I¡¯d never touched a video game, or table top game, before.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Ah. Okay, I guess that makes sense,¡± said Andrew. Looking around and frowning as he realized that everything in the house seemed to be covered in a dingy, grimy, layer of wax.

    ¡°Heh...I¡¯m glad my life makes sense to you,¡± said Oliver. Shaking his head.

    ¡°Where are we headed exactly?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Downstairs...I figured you¡¯d have known that already,¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Yes...But according to maps I¡¯m looking at we just passed the basement door a while ago,¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Oh...Well, uh...the basement door is the entrance that the sect uses and they barely like letting HNA¡¯s regular students use it, never mind us folk from Blackvale,¡± said Oliver. Looking chagrined and more than a little bitter, before running his hands through his hair and sighing.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Is that so? Interesting,¡± said Andrew. Frowning, the gears within his mind turning as he absorbed the fact and added it to several others that were already working to inform his already low opinion of the Hundred Night Academy¡¯s leadership.

    Oliver paused and then he smiled faintly. Shaking his head again, as he found himself feeling oddly comforted to see the other boy was just as annoyed by the state of affairs as he was.

    ¡°Anyway, there are other ways down into the basement. They shift and move around a bit, but I¡¯ve come to realize with it comes to the house of a hundred candles, all roads lead to the basement. You just have to watch the wax and see how it''s flowing,¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± said Andrew. Looking down at the shallow marsh of liquified wax that they were all standing in and then using his data-absorption to read the wax and the surrounding space.

    ¡°So, where are we headed now?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°The kitchen. I just ran out for a bit to get some supplies, but I¡¯ve got a party waiting for me,¡± said Oliver.

    Oliver lead the two youths to the kitchen. Leading them past an ancient fridge with a smell of something awful issuing out of it, ominous groans and thuds, emanating from inside. Leading them past a counterpart that was built high like smooth topped mountains, topped with countless knives, and waterfalls of wax falling over the edge.

    Leading them past an oven built large enough for multiple people to be stuffed inside and roasted alive. And a stove with all its tops live and aflame, releasing a punishing heat that kept the surrounding wax fully liquid and almost scaldingly hot.

    Andrew wiped his brow and frowned as they passed the stove. He looked down at his uniform and suddenly understood certain eccentric choices the school had made when deciding on its uniform.

    He¡¯d thought that the black cargo pants made of heavy canvas, calf-high, boots, and a heavy-duty synthetic beast hide, raincoat, were a bit odd as uniform choices. However, knowing that wading through molten wax was part of the curriculum now made the uniform more seem quite practical.

    It honestly made the white button down shirt, red tie, and black blazer worn beneath the more work-safe clothes seem more than a little unsuitable for the life the school had laid out for its students.

    Oliver lead Andrew and Sophia to a closet. The massive door of the closet had been torn off its hinges, hacked in and combined with some of the extra-sized, wax-covered, furniture to make a rough barricade. Past the barricade stood a small impromptu camp manned by a party of four. One man, three women. Two out of the four had the distinctive Asceline silver-green looks and olive-gold skin.  The other two were a familiar pink-haired gnome and blue-haired owlkin.

    ¡°Halt, who goes there?¡± barked the male half-elf.

    ¡°Oh, get off it, Mikel. You know it¡¯s me. Who else would it be, you numpty?¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Huh? Oh?! So it¡¯s you, cousin Oliver. Did you bring goods.¡± said the Mikel Asceline. Dropping out of his guarded stance and looking a little abashed.

    ¡°Of course it is...And yes, I did bring lunch...If that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking?¡±

    ¡°You hopped out of a dungeon run to grab lunch?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°Er...Well, yeah...There¡¯s little taco place a few blocks away...and well, doing this all day is hungry work and with those storage devices you gave us, it¡¯s not like its hard to pack something better than standard rations.¡±

    ¡°I guess...but why not grab lunch before you head down into the pit of endless horror?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°The taco place doesn¡¯t open till ten,¡± said Mikel.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± said Andrew. Not sure what expression to make.

    ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± said Mikel. Seeming to suddenly realize that he was dealing with a pair of unfamiliar faces.

    ¡°Come on, Mikel. I know you¡¯re thick but not that thick¡­ you¡¯re telling you don¡¯t recognize our family¡¯s first real allies in ages.¡± said Oliver. Sniffing derisively.

    Mikel looked over at Andrew and Sophia. He leaned forward for a moment in a way that suggested that he might be part of the small segment of the population that needed glasses and couldn¡¯t fix it with serums and treatments. Then the stocky half-elf¡¯s eyes widened and he said,

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Yes, ah¡­¡± said Oliver. Rolling his eyes at his cousin.

    ¡°Mikel, meet Andrew and Sophia Oddvar-Luce.¡±

    ¡°Andrew, Sophia...Meet Mikel. He¡¯s my cousin and basically my little brother, especially since his mum¡¯s also my zwei-mother.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°N-, Nice to meet you,¡± said Mikel. Looking nervous.

    ¡°Charmed I¡¯m sure,¡± said Sophia. With an elegant quarter-bow.

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± said Andrew. Grunting in greeting.

    ¡°I recognize, Miss Karan and Miss Morgan, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve yet to become acquainted with you Miss?¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Mh ...I''m uh, I¡¯m Olivia ...Hi.¡± said the soft voice of the second Asceline.

    Andrew frowned looking between his friend and the new girl. They were definitely twins. Olivia Asceline was a tall and slender half-elf. Distinctly curvier compared to her brother, and maybe just a hair prettier, but ultimately, almost identical to Oliver.

    Sharing the same silver-green hair, the same dazzling blue-green eyes. The same long and elegant nose and sharp cheekbones. If there was a noticeable difference it was that one of her eyes was cybernetic.

    According to the young woman¡¯s data, the eye was a biomechanical replacement that was surgically installed after an unfortunate childhood accident. Said eye was more greenish-silver than blue-green, but not obviously so.

    The young woman also seemed to have a more reserved air to her than her brother. Or maybe that wasn¡¯t all that different. Looking closer, she kind of reminded Andrew of what Oliver had been like after his failed first attempt to befriend Andrew.

    ¡°Er...I didn¡¯t expect you guys to meet quite so soon but uh, meet my sister. Lolly.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Ollie and Lolly?¡± said Andrew. One brow raised.

    The young woman jolted, scowling at her twin. Then she turned back to Andrew and Sophia.

    ¡°No one calls me that. Please don¡¯t call me that.¡±

    ¡°Uh, sure¡­¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°What you would like to be called then?¡± said Sophia. Smiling despite herself as she watched the young woman¡¯s stony composure shattered.

    ¡°Olivia is fine...Or Liv...Whatever. Just not Lolly.¡± said Oliva.

    ¡°Cool...No problem. So how about we get this show on the road?¡± said Andrew. Impatient pushing things along because he was sensing something coming from the lower floors of the house of a hundred candles and he had a feeling that it might either be something very good, or something very bad.

 39: Bikini Wax Deluxe

    The basement of the House of a Hundred Candles was surprisingly ordinary. It was just a normal basement filled with random junk and utilities...The only thing out of the ordinaru was that all of it was covered in wax and cobwebs. There was nothing dangerous on that first floor of the basement.

    Things only got dangerous on the first sub-basement. There the house was replaced by a forest. A depressing marsh, completely drowning in wax. The trees drooped, their branches were heavy with wax. Their leaves were dead and brown but were preserved by the wax. The grass and shrubs were frozen into spiky, uneven mounds.

    The team of seven made their way through this forest. Traveling down three floors of even more dire-looking wax-covered woods. Fighting against the inhabitants of the woods with guns and magic.

    Predictably the sixth sub-basement, the lowest within their preset journey, was the most difficult. In that sixth sub-basement, the wax-men were tougher.

    The wax-men were undead soldiers with their bodies mummified in decomposed fat. They had been dangerous enough when they first appeared. Now they were all much smarter here than they¡¯d been on the higher floors. Smart enough to follow simple strategies. Smart enough to use weapons and magic.

    Andrew crouched behind a boulder, a combat-chainsaw in his lap. Mikel, Oliver, and Olivia were firing plasma rounds, from behind an overturned tree, while Sophia and the rest flanked yet another party of wax-men.

    Andrew watched the progress of his team through the mapping software installed on his sprite. Through a combination of rapid modeling software and a basic but handy radar spell, Andrew could see where his teammates were and he could see where the enemy was.

    With that knowledge, he could see the direction that the battle was going in. He could see the certainty of their victory.

    He didn¡¯t need to peek out of cover and watch as the three Asceline clansmen used their family¡¯s [Aegis of the Four Seasons] to create walls of ice and wind to divert the arrows being shot by the wax-man archers.

    He didn¡¯t need to look to see Moody using her [Song of the Magus] to cloak herself, Sophia, and the rest of the group, while also preparing a nasty surprise for when they¡¯d finished flanking the Wax-Men. The enchantments on the arrows in her arrow-rifle turning ominous as she fed them power.

    He just needed to wait. Remaining crouched by the boulder while his team took out the small fry, so he could focus on the big boss of the area. A fourteen-foot tall, wax-troll, with machine-gun where its left hand should be.

    Andrew closed his eyes and counted to ten while the team got into position and tangled with the wax-men. Then he ran out from behind the boulder to deal with the wax-troll. His combat-chainsaw¡¯s whirring, roaring, teeth ate their way through the greasy wax, leathery hide, and dense muscle and bone of the wax-troll.

    He cut the troll in half with one smooth motion. Then since he had the leeway he cut it into fourths, eighths, sixteenths, then sixty-fourths...Then Andrew immediately regretted it as he was showered in entrails, wax, and meat confetti.

    ¡°Fuck...This is what I get for showing off,¡± grumbled Andrew. Casting a spell to clean himself off.

    Thankfully his little goof was missed by all except his wife, who¡¯d no doubt tease him relentlessly about it later. The rest of the team was focused on dealing with the party of elite wax-men quickly now that the strongest threat on the floor was dealt with.

    The battle quickly came to a close with Oliver firing the final shot. His plasma-rifle tearing holes through the last of the wax-men.

    ¡°Kekek..So that¡¯s it for this floor,¡± said Mikel.

    ¡°Pretty much, unless there¡¯s still more wax weirdos hiding in these woods,¡± said Modeste. Shouldering her arrow-rifle after the recall enchantments on the arrows finished drawing the projectiles back into her ammo pack.

    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t suppose you were able to map out this floor as well, Miss Luce?¡± said Olivia.

    The group turned to Sophia, who nodded and smiled, while brutally butchering wax-men to get at the magical core that served as its heart. That wax-man was just one of many that she¡¯d quickly and efficiently butchered throughout their trip.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send it over to your sprites in a minute,¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Cool, er...Let us help you with that,¡± said Emilia. Flipping over a wax-men to join Sophia in harvesting the valuable bits from the corpses of their fallen foes.

    Andrew and the rest quickly joined in on the effort and it wasn¡¯t too long before the task was finished and the group moved on. They were now headed towards the exit of the sixth floor.

    Just as they reached their destination they saw a small gathering of people. Students of HNA like themselves, except unlike themselves some of these students were Nurari natives. Members of the academy¡¯s original student body. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    There were also a handful of Blackvale students there as well. As one the HNA students lashed out as a Blackvaler another Blackvale student stepped in front of them and took the blow in their place.

    Andrew and his party quickly entered the clearing before things escalated. Their entrance thankfully served as just enough of a disturbance to bring whatever conflict had arisen between the Blackvale students and the HNA students to a pause.

    ¡°Uh...Hey, what the hell¡¯s going on here?¡± said Andrew. Hands in his pockets as he forcefully used his aura to suppress the group in front of him.

    ¡°Ugh...More of you...I mean...Nothing, I was just encouraging some of our classmates to be a little bolder in their contributions to the academy.¡± said the HNA student. A tall human male with curly purple hair, one of the numerous ¡®young masters¡¯ attending the academy.

    ¡°Ah, uh-huh¡­Is that true?¡± said Andrew. Turning his attention to the Blackvale students.

    ¡°No...It fucking isn¡¯t. These lot are trying to force these guys down the slide.¡± said the Blackvale student who¡¯d leapt to the defense of his fellows. A brawny orc who curiously held the title of ¡®Thug¡¯ in Andrew¡¯s mental roster, but had apparently cleaned up his act since then.

    Andrew frowned as he heard the Blackvale student¡¯s words. Passage through the floors could happen in one of two ways. One could go through the stairways which were regular routes that took one through the floors in a sequential fashion.

    Then there were the slides. Random apertures that occasionally appeared next to the stairways and would drop you down into the lower floors at random. Meaning that one could end up lost or dead real quick if one traveled by slide because it was easy to end up going below the safer levels.

    Andrew looked towards the HNA academy student, his eyes narrowed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure...Our dear senior, wouldn¡¯t do something so reckless and tasteless...and so thoroughly, thoroughly unwise,¡± said Oliver. Stepping forward. His green-blue eyes like springtime frosted over.

    ¡°If so then, we might just have to make a formal complaint with the academy¡­¡± said Olivia. Her expression sardonic and filled with similar malice as that held in the eyes of her twin brother.

    The HNA student glowered, a vein in his forehead throbbing at the provocation and not-so-subtle threats from the Asceline twins. The student¡¯s hand fell to the saber that was sheathed at his hip and in response, Andrew crossed his arm and raised a brow at him.

    Since Andrew didn¡¯t feel like having to cover up a murder that particular night, he adjusted the mood in the clearing and lowered the overall aggression level of the HNA students. Suddenly feeling a lot more clear-headed, the Hundred Night Academy students looked around and quickly realized that with the addition of Andrew¡¯s group they were outnumbered.

    ¡°.....Hmph!¡± the HNA fop ran a hand through his purple hair and turned on his heel. Leading his group away.

    The Blackvalers all watched him and his crony leave the clearing. Then the remaining students relaxed.

    ¡°Whew...That¡¯s much better. I was afraid we¡¯d end up having to fight them.¡± said Emilia. Sounding shaken, but looking surprisingly prepared, her aura still surging.

    ¡°So uh...What was that about?¡± said Andrew. Frowning as he turned to the group of the Blackvale student.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothing much¡­ really. The Hundred Nighters fucks still think they can pick on us because we¡¯re new...But we¡¯re handling it. Blackvalers look after their own, yeah.¡± said the orc.

    This was followed by nods, and sounds of assent from the group.

    Andrew looked over the group and realized something, but he wasn¡¯t quite sure what it was he was realizing. Before he could put his finger on it Sophia stepped forwards, helping the students who¡¯d been knocked down to their feet.

    ¡°Th-, Thank you, miss.¡± said the student.

    ¡°Think nothing of it.  Just doing my part as a Blackvale student.¡±

    ¡°Nh¡­Ye-, Yes.¡± said the student.

    ¡°In any case, are you guys still going to climb down or are you heading back.¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°...Eh, after dealing with those fuckers I¡¯m not in the mood to deal with this wax-forest anymore...Hey, you...Want some help heading back?¡± said the Orc. Looking towards his injured fellows.

    ¡°H-, Huh?! Oh, thank you!¡± said the student.

    ¡°Oh, here¡¯s the coordinates to a return door, if you want to avoid running into those unpleasant fellows from before,¡± said Sophia.

    The orc blinked blushing bright green as the data was sent to his sprite.

    ¡°Thank you, kindly.¡± said the orc. Flicking bill of the cap he was wearing.

    The Orc and the other Blackvale students then wandered off towards the exit door they¡¯d been pointed towards.

    ¡°It¡¯s amazing isn¡¯t it?¡± said Oliver. After watching the blackvale students¡¯ backs recede into the distance.

    ¡°What¡¯s amazing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve turned what should have been a disorganized crowd of student-refugees into a proper faction with cohesiveness and everything and you did it right under the noses of the HNA¡¯s elites ¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°...I did?¡±

    ¡°Yes, hoheit...Or at the very least it seems we¡¯ve made great inroads on doing so,¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Was...that something we were trying to do?¡± said Andrew. Looking skeptical.

    ¡°Yes and No...Hypothetically, it was almost always guaranteed we¡¯d have to make some form of stand to keep the other factions within the school, and the sect, from trying to turn us into their captive goose,¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Goose?¡±

    ¡°What else would you do to a goose that lays golden eggs besides keeping it in a cage, hoheit?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know...Eat it?¡±  said Andrew. Scratching at his ear with his pinkie.

    ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t get any more eggs, hoheit,¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°A-, Anyway, this means...We¡¯re probably not going to be quite so easy to push around¡­Especially if we can establish a presence inside the sect.¡± said Oliver. Shaking his head after momentarily allowing himself to get pulled into the strange couple¡¯s pace.

    ¡°...Cool,¡± said Andrew. Blinking rapidly as he decided to file that information under the file for things he¡¯d deal with later. Vaguely aware that this had roughly been the plan all along... Even if things seemed to be coming together a little faster than he and Sophia had anticipated.

    ¡°So are we still climbing downwards? Or¡­?¡± said Andrew.

    Oliver gave his friend a strange look and chuckled, shaking his head. Still thoroughly unable to tell whether the other boy was a master manipulator or simply just so capable that the things he did just kept resulting in positive outcomes.

    ¡°Sure...Sure. We¡¯ll climb.¡± said Oliver.

    ¡°Great...Because I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s something at the core of this hidden-realm that I need to see.¡±

    There was silence as everyone just gaped in Andrew¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Wait, you were aiming to reach the core?¡± said Mikel.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°In one day¡­?!¡± said Emilia.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste of a day if we couldn¡¯t manage that much?...It¡¯s only a few hundred floors,¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°We understand if you can¡¯t follow us the whole way down,¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°N-, No...That¡¯s fine. Something tells me is that this is some shit I¡¯d regret missing.¡± said Oliver. Smirking as he clapped Andrew on the shoulder.

    ¡°Mhm...I¡¯m game if everyone else is.¡± said Modeste.

    There were some more nods and words of assent from the group. Then the climb downwards to the house of a hundred candles¡¯ deepest depth continued.

 40: Heart of Ash, Wax, and Flame

    ¡°Find cover! Go! Go! Go! Go!¡± called out Oliver. He and Mikel crouched behind the crumpled remains of an overturned fridge, providing cover fire for the team as they retreated from an encounter that had been just a hair too intense for their group to handle.

    ¡°Where the hell are Andrew and Miss Sophia?!¡± said Mikel. Sounding out of breath after using his [Aegis of Winter] to wear down the defense of two ashen-commandos. Powerful undead the strength, discipline, and cunning of a trained elite of the astral navy.

    ¡°They¡¯re around. They said that they were going to try and take down the King-Spider,¡± said Olivia. Joining up with her brother and cousin, to help them make their own retreat as they suppressed the monster horde bearing down on their position.

    ¡°By themselves?! That¡¯s suicide!¡± said Mikel. Looking mortified. Afraid of what the Oddvar-Luce clan would do if its two scions were lost.

    ¡°No...They can do it...I¡¯ve already seen a little of what Andrew can do and Miss Luce had always been part of our old academy¡¯s honor-class regardless of whether its the academic curriculum or the martial curriculum.¡±

    Past the fiftieth floor, the levels of the house of a hundred candles changed in layout, makeup, and theme.

    The forest was replaced with a strange art-deco catacomb. A complex maze of garishly wallpapered walls and grave markers. They¡¯d gone from being inexplicably outdoors, to being indoors again.

    Instead of wax, the floors were heaped high with hills of ash. The deluge of wax was placed by a choking smog and an endless downpour of ash that fell from the ceiling like dingy gray snow.

    Last but definitely not least, the monsters changed. The wax-men and wax-beasts that prowled and patrolled the higher floors were replaced by metal monsters that housed burning husks.

    These were creatures of ash and charred flesh that piloted mechanized suits. Cunning beasts that not only could think, but also knew how to savor a kill and prolong their victim¡¯s suffering.

    The King-Spider was a fourteen-foot tall monstrosity of rusted steel. It looked more like a crab than a spider thanks to the two arm-mounted laser-cannons it had, and beyond its pure unrestrained strength, and high-defense, the creature inside the machine seemed to possess some very powerful pyrokinetic capabilities.

    Sophia and Andrew faced off against the creature, and its powerful, exo-suit wearing cohorts, on their own. They¡¯d lead the group of monsters away from the rest of the group, leaving only a few of the small fry to the others.

    ¡°Do you want to deal with this? Or should I?¡± said Andrew.

    ¡°I can handle this, hoheit. You make sure that our companions are okay,¡± said Sophia. Smiling in a carefree manner.

    ¡°Nh...Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± said Andrew. Nodding as he turned to go check on the rest of their team.

    The monsters in this level of the hidden realm were beyond what most ordinary students could handle. They were beyond what most ordinary soldiers could handle.

    Yet, the eidolon couple could handle the creatures with ease for the most part. Enough ease that they could carry their team and use the monsters as fodder to hone their teammates¡¯ strength.

    As Andrew left his position at her side, seeming to vanish into thin air after only a few steps, Sophia took a deep breath. Her golden eyes began to glow as aether was channeled through her body.

    The air around the woman¡¯s body shimmered and shook as a cloud of glowing white nanomachines emerged from within her aura. The mechanized particles solidified forming an elegant exoskeleton with eight long blade-like limbs. Around Sophia¡¯s head, there was a halo, a crown of alabaster radiance that pulsed and surged with energy.

    Where there¡¯d once been a woman there was now an angelic, silver-white, spider. Surrounded by plasma rifles and machine guns that were held aloft by pristine snow-white wings. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    This was Sophia¡¯s power. The [Praxis of the Automaton Sovereign]. This was the color the pale eidolon¡¯s vast stores of power chose to dye themselves.

    According to what she¡¯d reported of her very broad list of capabilities, it was a power that allowed her integrate machines into her body and utilize them as if they were a part of herself.

    A deeper dive on the part of the Novem government would discover that it was actually a high tier ability to comprehend, improve, embody, and produce any piece of machinery or technology she came in contrast with.

    If necessity was the mother of Invention. Sophia was Invention¡¯s spoiled and boundlessly affluent daughter. A humanoid singularity, advancing forward in capabiltiy with each passing second, each new hurdle, and each new encounter.

    The charred ghoul inside the king-spider roared. Bellowing a challenge at the interloper. Then the two spiders clashed, the shock waves so forceful that many of the weaker charred-undead were killed off by the shockwaves alone.

    Sophia¡¯s bladed limbs sank into the King-Spider¡¯s carapace. The energy on the edges and points of her limbs, piercing the weaker metal with ease. She carved through the creature¡¯s steel shell, while her feathery, flying, firing squad dealt with the exo-suit wearing ashen-commandos that had fought beneath the King-Spider.

    Once it found itself exposed, the charred-ghoul that piloted the King-Spider responded by releasing a powerful outpouring of hot-white flame. Sophia¡¯s response to ghoul¡¯s response was more fire. Her halo pulsed and throbbed as she caught and amplified the heat energy released by the charred-ghoul¡¯s flames and then channeled them back into the King-spider. Cooking the ghoul inside till it was reduced to a fine white powder.

    Elsewhere, Andrew was taking a walk. Or rather, ¡®an¡¯ Andrew was taking a walk. He¡¯d been right about to rejoin the rest of his party when he felt something. A tug on his mind that he couldn¡¯t ignore. Something, or someone, had just lashed out at him. It felt like something that should have been a threat but was so weak it just ended up making him curious instead.

    Thus Andrew duplicated himself creating an energy clone. The clone rejoined the party cutting down the remainder of the charred-undead that were firing on his group. Meanwhile, the original Andrew went and investigated the source of the attack.

    Andrew found a crystal. A large, prism-shaped, object made of hardened wax and solidified aether. Andrew¡¯s senses extended themselves as he drew on the data surrounding and belonging to the crystal. He realized that the crystal was a cocoon. The dormant form of a being not-unlike himself.

    Andrew realized that he¡¯d stumbled upon one of the number of would-be lords that dwelt within the House of a Hundred Candles.

    Having satisfied his curiosity, Andrew was inclined to just walk away. However, as he did so, the creature lashed out at him again.

    ¡°Oi...Little one. Just because I look easy-going doesn¡¯t mean you can push me as you please,¡± said Andrew. Growling in warning.

    He turned to leave again but felt another jolt from the strange creature inside the wax cocoon. This too was an act of fear, but it was an act of attraction rather than repulsion. A psychic supplication from the creature inside the cocoon.

    Andrew sighed.

    ¡°Oof...Seriously now? First, you try to send me away, now you don¡¯t want me to leave. Make up your mind will you?¡±

    The psychic plea repeated itself. This time it was accompanied by a strand of data that had Andrew quirking his brow.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    The plea was repeated a third time.

    A still hesitant Andrew considered simply destroying the lesser-eidolon before him. Then some distant pang of conscience made him wait. He sent a query to his wife to see what she thought he should do, because depending on his actions they might be in for some trouble and a very, very, long commitment.

    Annoyingly enough, Sophia¡¯s mental network breezily answered that she¡¯d sport whatever he decided. This left Andrew grumbling beneath his breath about the heaviness of truly unconditional love and, her appreciated, but unhelpful, supportiveness. Then Andrew tossed a mental coin in his head.

    When the coin toss came up wrong, urging an unacceptable result, Andrew swore beneath his breath. Andrew then went ahead and made the decision he¡¯d known was the only choice for a person like himself and dreaded having to make anyway.

    ¡°Nhn...W-, Well, I can help you but that won¡¯t come for free...You¡¯ll need to offer me four...no...five hundred million years of fealty and service in exchange for my protection.¡± said Andrew.

    His words were answered by a sound of reluctance from within the cocoon, but eventually, the creature released a pulse of assent and a strand of core data from its soul to seal the bargain.

    Andrew then snapped his fingers and made the cocoon vanish into the space within his core. Then he vanished as well. His original body dissipating into energy and flowing over to the clone that had just become the new original.

    ¡°Whew¡­¡± said Andrew. Bending at the waist after slaying the final ashen-soldier.

    ¡°Hey, you okay, man?¡± said Oliver. His tone concerned.

    ¡°Huh? Oh...Yeah, yeah...I think I¡¯m just finally getting tired.¡± said Andrew.

    Oliver grinned.

    ¡°I should imagine so. One hundred levels in barely three days. I don¡¯t know about you, man...But I¡¯m fucking exhausted.¡± said Oliver. More than a little disbelief at what he¡¯d taken part in,  seeping into his joking tone.

    ¡°Very well, I think we¡¯ve all had enough for this first foray,¡± said Sophia. Returning from her battle with the King-Spider. Her dark uniform and snow-white locks looking pristine and undisturbed.

    ¡°Yeah...Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll conquer the core another day.¡± said Andrew. Straightening up after catching his breath. His bearing returning to its former casual disheveledness.

    ¡°Yeah...Another day.¡± echoed Oliver. Feeling a pang of frustration from deep within himself.

    His sharp senses, and training, made him starkly aware that the real reason that the pair were turning back was actually because of the party

    The group was too tired and there were too many levels between them and the safety of the surface. Meaning most likely, Andrew and Sophia were giving up on the core to escort the group back to the surface.

    Oliver¡¯s hidden hotbloodedness surged, and from that moment onwards, he swore to double his training efforts so that he could at least not be a burden even if he wasn¡¯t strong enough to fight at his friend¡¯s side yet.