Wish upon the Stars (Original Superhero cultivation sci fi litrpg)

[Quenster06]

Spoiler: Corrections

While the actual position is, of course, the biggest prize, the WCP is fill of people determined to make a profit off any conceivable vector."

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The WCP is full*

the hell were the in a position to benefit?"

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The hell were they*

 

[Malcolm Tent]

It was the day of the ceremony. Not my coronation. That had been made clear. The actual anointing of my position would be undertaken at a later time, in front of a LOT more people. This was more of a confirmation. An award ceremony for the succession war rather than a passing of the torch as per the leadership of the faction.


Still, it felt…weighty. My thoughts from earlier felt heavy, but unfinished. I hadn't really come to any conclusions, had I? Hadn't really made a decision. I had reframed my way of seeing my journey, but not myself.


So, as we sat in the shuttle (after stockpiling today's scrolls we'd set out immediately), heading to the ceremony, I took stock of myself, and more than that, took stock of everything else. My mother, who was sitting nearby, looked a little worried, clearly able to sense some of the uneasiness in me. "Are you alright, Shane?" she asked me quietly. I felt a shift in the world that told me she'd cut us off from the surroundings so we could talk privately, which I appreciated.


"Just thinking about change," I said philosophically. "About how inevitable it is. Zeke is a big fan of just surrendering to that. Accepting who you'll be and abandoning the past. At least in some ways. But I want something more…permanent. When I become a god, and I do think it's a WHEN at this point, I want to be more me than just a generic deity. So I need to keep something. And I feel like committing to one path or the other is going to impact me heavily, and I have no idea how or how much, so…what do I choose?"


She smiled at me warmly. "Ah, the old growth vs. self debate," she said with a chuckle. "An old Ascendant standby. I can't tell you the answer to that, I don't think anyone can. But I can share my point of view, if you'd like."


"Please," I said with relief. "Anything would help. I just feel like this ceremony marks a huge milestone, and that I need to…understand who I am before it happens. Like I'm locking in a choice that I can't take back. I might just be imagining things or being paranoid, but it feels like my Fatewalker sense pushing me to make a call. So what is my priority? Being myself, or being the best me I can be? And are they really incompatible?"


"You know," she said introspectively. "I don't think they are. I used to buy into that myself, but as I've grown, I've had a much different experience than Ezekial."


I raised an eyebrow at her. "And what is that?"


"People like to talk about the self like it's some…intrinsic thing. Like your base nature is bedrock, and it can either be changed or worn away." She chewed on her lip, like she was trying to put something difficult into words. "But that paints a person's fundamental nature as something static. Rigid. As much as we talk about people twisting, or warping, or breaking, they don't REALLY ever do any of those things. Recursion can beat and bully us into ACTING a certain way, but not BEING that way."


I grimaced. "But how does that help? If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck-"


"Then it's still a person, albeit one who has an unhealthy fascination with ducks," she said bluntly. "The nature of self is not rigid, or unbending. Not unless we allow it. Humans aren't bedrock, we're more like…water. Water can change shapes, it can be compressed, it can be mixed with other things, but no matter WHAT you do to it, it doesn't STOP being water.


"What people in the Ascendant world mistake for being brittle is just being cold." Her eyes were warm and alive. Blazing with righteous fervor. Like she was sharing a fundamental truth of the universe. And maybe she was. "They let their water freeze, and as such it can shatter or crack. But it doesn't stop being water. They just think it does. And that's fundamental Shane, it's KEY. Because you're only as brittle as you let yourself become."


She reached out and put a hand on my chest. "This is what makes you who you are. Not your power. Or your mind. Or even your soul. Just this. Your heart. The heart has a voice, Shane. It has a song. And we can hear it if we listen. It doesn't change. Not really. Not unless you let it freeze over. Just listen for that melody, and it'll never lead you astray. No matter how different you may talk, or walk, or look. As long as you can still hear your heart, you'll always be you. The things that define us aren't what we say, or even how we behave. They're who we LOVE."


I blinked. Because…that felt right. It reminded me so much of the Ruined Soul Temple. Of that long walk in the endless dark, where they stripped away everything that I was.


That had been a formative experience for me. It had shown me I could be strong without the people I cared about to lean on. Helped me break my shackle and advance my soul. But what if that WASN'T what it was trying to show me.


What if the important part wasn't how I dealt with the end, but the journey to actually get there. The fact that even as I stripped away all my senses, memories, and everything else, my love had still been there. I'd realized even then that it meant I would never be really alone, and that it could be a strength, but it was more than that, wasn't it.


I'd thought I needed to abandon my friends to regain my sense of self, at least in some way. But wasn't my mom saying the opposite. That my friends WERE my sense of self? That the version of me that loved the version of them that I did would never change. Impressions were only as strong as the material they were made in, but love was…it was a material that took an impression of both sides.


Friendship, marriage, family, these things captured an image of me. I loved who I loved because of who I was, and because of who they were, and because of who we were to each other. But all of those things meant that the emotions I felt kept an image of that person. To love someone I had to remember the person I was when I developed that affection, and the person they were.


And linking my sense of self to just one of those impressions, even Callies, would be unhealthy, and honestly kind of weak. Depending on just one person to hold up your senses of self, no matter how much you loved and trusted them, was a burden too cruel to put on someone you truly loved.


But I didn't NEED to do that. Because that wasn't what she'd said. The heart wasn't just the feelings you shared with one person. It was the feelings you shared with ALL the people. It was the impression of the me who fell in love with Callie, who met Benny and became best friends with him, who let my parents back into my life despite all the hurt between us. My heart was a thousand versions of me all mashed together, and it was greater than the sum of its parts.


Because people really were like water, in a way. We could move and shift and reform, but we still showed the reflections of the things around us. And as long as I could see those reflections, I could remember who I'd been when I first gazed out at them, and I'd always be able to find my way back.


And that thought, oddly enough, seemed to unburden me. To set me free of the fear and the cloying worry. Not about becoming the Wishmaster, though that had been part of it. But of UNBECOMING me.


Except I couldn't do that. My friends wouldn't let me. I wouldn't let myself. Recursion might change the way I thought, but it wouldn't change the way I felt, and it could never change the way I HAD felt. No matter how simple the Ascendant transformation wanted to make us, humans were not simple creatures. And recursion's most dangerous trick was making us think we were.


I glanced up to see my mother grinning at me. "That helped a little, huh?"


"It did," I agreed. "It's not what I've been told before. I don't think Zeke would agree with you, or even dad. But…I do."


"Oh your father agrees," she said nonchalantly. "He's just too stubborn to realize how he feels."


I grinned at her. "I don't know if that's how it works, but you know him better than I do. Speaking of which, you never mentioned where you thought we should go on our honeymoon. I'd have expected you to weigh in." I felt…settled. I didn't need to ponder my existential makeup anymore. I understood now. So I could change the subject.


She just snorted at me derisively. "I DID. I just didn't do it in front of all your friends." Her tone softened to a happy lilt. "I invited Calliope back to the holy dominion, to the planet where my father's clergy lives. The planet where Chelsea grew up. I thought you two might enjoy the chance to see some family history and get to know your grandparents in their home environment." She winked at me. "Don't tell her I told you though, I think she wanted it to be a surprise."


I blinked in shock. I…hadn't even considered that. I mean, I definitely wanted to do it. I wanted to see my sister's home, meet some of my uncles (who my mother rarely talked about) and just generally learn more about my family. But this was supposed to be Callie's honeymoon. Knowing she had abandoned the chance to see all those amazing planets and places so I could learn more about my family history.


Turning to stare off into the deeper parts of the Shuttle, I smiled at Callie, who was chatting excitedly with Nat about Perit's return. My heart warmed, and my mother chuckled. "Like I said, sweetie. Follow your heart. It won't steer you wrong. And I think yours in particular has excellent taste."


That drew a long, happy laugh from me. A laugh that was sadly cut short by a shift under us as the shuttle slowed down. My mom dropped the shield around us, standing to prepare to disembark. "Good timing though. Seems like you figured things out just in time to be ready for what comes next." She grinned wolfishly at me. "You ARE ready, aren't you?" I could tell that she wasn't worried about me anymore, and had moved on to delighting in my misfortune. Lovely.


I stood, stretching a bit as I prepared. I didn't need to do it, but it helped me mentally shift gears before we got off. "I think I am," I said lightly. "As ready as I'll ever be anyway. How about you, ready to be the mother of the Wishmaster? What do they call that anyway, the Queen Dowager?"


She recoiled in horror. "What? Oh, gods. Don't say that. It makes me sound ANCIENT." I turned and headed for the exit, and she followed after me, calling desperately. "Shane? Sweetie? You're not going to tell people to call me that are you?"


Callie stepped up beside me as I disembarked, threading her arm in mine. "Queen Dowager?" she asked in amusement. "Don't you think that's a little mean." I could see from the twinkle in her eye that she wasn't really bothered, but I still felt the need to defend myself.


"You DO remember her whole speech on you probably having twins when we have kids, right?" I asked her mildly.


Her eyes narrowed. "As a matter of fact, you might be right. Queen Dowager does have a nice ring to it. Or hey, what about Queen Mother? Or respected elder? Something that really underscores her wisdom and experience." We both tried not to cackle at the wordless wail of despair my mother let out from behind us. We were not successful.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Stepping out of the shuttle, I took in the location of the ceremony with fascination. I'd expected something ostentatious, maybe a huge castle or some kind of formation. Instead, we were standing in what appeared to be a soothing garden. Rock features, ponds, topiaries. It was…soothing.


"Perfect," my mom said from where she arrived next to me. "They wanted to put you in some gaudy auditorium. But that's so…expected. This is more impactful, I think. I told your father that a serene and natural environment would underscore your dominance of outside forces."


I raised an eyebrow at that. I hadn't expected her to think so hard about the optics, though given she was an A-ranker, I probably should have.


My own grasp on that aspect of Ascendant culture was fleeting at best, since I mostly bypassed it by using wishes and doing insane over the top things that drew large amounts of attention. It was probably good SOMEONE was thinking about it though. Callie gave an impressed shrug from beside me, and we headed out into the park towards the gazebo in the middle where several figures were waiting for us. Fourteen figures, actually.


The family had mostly been lined up along an aisle of purple velvet carpeting that led directly to the gazebo, with seating on either side currently filled to the brim with familiar faces. Belsara, Derrick, Nat, Delia, and a dozen other relatives I knew sat among crowds of total strangers, all focused on this ceremony of which I was the focal point. Or would be, once I joined the illustrious group of people up on the dais.


"Is that…all the branch heads?" I asked my mom quietly. "I thought S-rankers couldn't touch down here."


The fourteenth figure, a familiar one I'd seen twice now, snorted and addressed me through the assembled family members. "They can't. That's why none of us are actually here. Just projections here to pat you on the back and tell you what a special boy you are."


"Gosh Uncle Aiden," I said in a deadpan voice. "Do you think I could maybe get a cookie?"


He barked out a laugh. "Oh good. I knew you had a spine. You're going to need it with this crowd." As we approached, he turned to the assembled members of the Wyndham family. "It is traditional for the exiting Wishmaster to give a speech at this point. Before we have the official coronation, when it's just family and retainers. Well, I don't much hold with tradition, but it has been…impressed on me, that it would behoove me to say something anyway. So here it is: You all suck."


Everyone winced, but no one reacted with anger. Aiden didn't seem to care and kept going. "I don't say that as an insult. Just as a fact. Water is wet. Most skies are blue. All of you suck. It's not your fault. It's just how you were born. I was born awesome and you were born irritating and pointless.


"If I'd known how much trouble this job would be when I was in MY succession war, I probably would have gone to the beach to work on my tan and let Eli deal with you bastards, but hey, live and learn." He gave everyone a winning smile. "But the good news is that you're now no longer my problem. You're free to suck as much as you want and it won't affect me, so you know, go nuts. Really scrape the bottom of that barrel. Give the kid a run for his money. Because Eli is going to have to deal with all of you morons second hand now anyway, and that makes me smile."


He turned his bright grin on the council of elders. "You know what? You were right? I AM glad I gave the speech. This was a good talk." And then, in the blink of an eye. He vanished.


Harrison, standing off to one side, buried his face in his hands and let out a long, tormented sigh. "Godsdamn it Aiden," he muttered before facing the rest of us with an austere expression of quiet certainty that I was sure he'd practiced in the mirror. "Well. That was…very forthright. Out thanks to the current Wishmaster for his words of…wisdom. And now, without further ado, our reigning champion and FUTURE Wishmaster, the current heir to the Wish Curse Palace in its totality, Shane Wyndham."


He gestured to where I had stopped on the approach to listen to the funniest speech I'd ever heard, indicating I should come down the aisle to join them. They watched us approach (because like hell I was leaving my wife behind for this) and Harrison raised his eyebrow.


Stopping just short of them, I raised my voice to announce Callie. "May I introduce the family at large to my wife, Calliope Wyndham. Daughter of the Heretic God, Adam Atlas, and Amelia Reynolds of Callus."


A hush fell over the crowd. Callie and I had discussed her introduction. If she was going to stand with me it would be best to make sure everyone in the Palace knew she was my equal and partner, and her new divine heritage was a good way to do that (it was essentially what Black Sorrow had done to help me start my rep rolling on a universal scale). We'd ALSO decided her mother deserved to be mentioned, and Midknight could fuck right off.


Harrison looked impressed. "A child of divinity. I was…unaware of her prestigious pedigree. I was led to believe your marriage was one of affection and that your bride was a native of the planet you grew up on."


He didn't sound snobby or condescending about it, exactly. He just said it like he was commenting on the weather. He didn't care if Callie was godspawn or a random space peasant. We were Wyndhams, and no one would really measure up, so he might as well be welcoming to anyone who tried. Sometimes my family's staggering arrogance was ACTUALLY useful.


"Yup," I said conversationally. "So I figured I'd bring her up here with me, if you don't mind."


He looked more amused than offended by me pushing. "By all means," he stepped aside, gesturing to the center of the ring of council members. "Please, take your place among the council. Do you understand your role in these proceedings?"


I nodded. "Yeah, I'm supposed to request confirmation from each of the branch heads. It symbolizes their acceptance of the transfer of power."


Of course, it was also a formality. No one said no or refused to answer. They knew that this was the will of the old man, and no one disobeyed the Wishmaster. Taking my position, I nodded to Harrison, who, as the first in the ring of councillors, gestured for me to proceed. I cleared my throat. "Council of Elders, I, as the heir of the Wyndham bloodline, rightfully chosen by rite of trial, do so request your recognizance of my station. Harrison Wyndham, do you grant this recognition?"


He nodded austerely. "I do. I welcome you to the fold and honor you as the head of our family. And so it is known."


Next up was Desmond, whose daughter Mara and grandson Miles were both branch heads themselves. I repeated the ceremonial request, and he replied in turn. Next was Warren, and after him Miles and Mara. After them was Selina, who was the head of the branch my Aunt Arabella belonged to, and she gave me a warm smile as she confirmed my appointment, seemingly perfectly happy with me getting the position.


Finally, I reached my grandfather. "Malachai Wyndham, do you grant this recognition?"


He beamed at me. "I do. I welcome you to the fold and honor you as the head of our family. Well done, Shane." Harrison glared at him, clearing his through loudly and my grandfather rolled his eyes. "And so it is known. There, are you happy?"


I snorted, moving onto the only one of the branch heads I was actually worried about. "Percival Wyndham," I said formally. "Do you grant this recognition?"


He glared at me. Hard. His jaw was locked tight, and his eyes were narrowed like he was about to attack me. Harrison, to my surprise, seemed to notice something, and he snorted coldly. There was a strange pulse, and the air of menace I hadn't realized was hanging over the interaction dispersed, and Percy blinked absently, wincing like he'd just gotten an ice cream headache. "I…yes. I do, rather. I welcome you to the fold and honor you as head of our family. And so it is known."


I turned my head slightly, glancing casually over to where Harrison had looked when he snorted, to see Ayra Vetala, Percy's wife, pale and holding her head. Next to her, a younger version of Percy I assumed was her son Devon, glared daggers at me in particular. I ignored him, turning back to continue.


Danielle went next. Then Cristoph, then Westley. None of them looked particularly upset of unhappy, smiling encouragingly at me. I heard my wife snort something about two faced bastards in my head and had to clamp down hard not to laugh. I managed, but it was close.


"You have been welcomed to the fold," Harrison said formally. "Aknowledged by the members of this council, chosen by rite of trial, and preceded by the reigning Wishmaster. Now. As is your right, you may address the family."


I nodded, then turned to look out at the faces surrounding us. Some hostile, some friendly, some strange. But…all familiar in their own way. Around the eyes, something in the jaw. These were my people. My blood. I tried to remember being that terrified kid on Callus, worried about this whole mess, scared I couldn't hack it.


But I couldn't. I was fine. Up here with my wife, with my parents in the crowd, with my best friends smiling on proudly, I couldn't have cared less about which of the people out there were glaring at me or not. "I'm not going to tell you that you suck," I said dryly. "Since I don't know most of you and the ones I do know I'm mostly pretty fond of."


There was a polite chuckle at that, mostly from people I knew. But I wasn't done. "I'm also not going to pretend you're perfect. Or that I am. We might be Ascendants, but we're still human where it counts. We make mistakes. I do it. You do it. Even the old man does it." That stirred up quite a bit of muttering, which I ignored. "I have qualms with the way things are done. I plan to make changes. I won't announce them now, because I know getting them past the council will be an uphill battle, but I want to be clear about my intentions.


"But more than that, I want to make this family stronger," I looked each of them in the eye as I spoke. "I want to make us better. And that starts with all of you. If you have something to say to me. Say it. I don't care if it's insulting, or pointless. I want you to feel free to communicate with me directly. To bring me your concerns. Because I want to improve things for the family, and I know enough to know that I don't know what that means yet."


I could have waxed eloquent and told them I was on their side, but I didn't. I hadn't earned that. They didn't know me. They had no clue what I would or wouldn't do. I had said my piece, and if they were interested they would get in touch with me.


But what made my heart sing was that despite most of them looking disaffected and bored, I DID see a few people take me seriously. I saw thoughtful expressions, and even one or two hopeful looks. Maybe my quest to change my family wasn't going to be as frustrating and isolating as I had feared. Maybe there was hope for us all yet.

 

[Quenster06]

Spoiler: Corrections

Out thanks to the current Wishmaster for his words of…wisdom.

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Our* thanks

of them looked particularly upset of unhappy, smiling encouragingly at me.

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Upset or* unhappy

 

[Malcolm Tent]

The rest of the ceremony was mostly just smiling and nodding, unfortunately. I shook the hands of an endless parade of relatives, and they definitely took me up on my open door policy. My head was aching from the sheer number of subtle overtures and attempts at backroom dealing. The politicking started early, and after announcing that I wanted to be hands on, I couldn't very well pass the buck like I might have otherwise.


By the time we got back into the shuttle, I was leaning back, mask off, rubbing my temples in the hopes of making the constant ache go away. "I feel so much sympathy for Aiden now," I groaned. "He was right. They DO suck."


"Probably best to keep that observation to yourself," my mom said wryly. "But you did amazing out there, sweetie. I am SO proud of you." She turned to smile at Callie. "Both of you. Don't think I didn't see you propping him up and feeding him lines during that mess. That would have been a million times harder without you."


"Impossible," I corrected. "It would have been impossible. I'd have punched someone in the throat after fifteen minutes. I swear, I almost stabbed Peter."


Dad snickered. "That's a common reaction to Peter's presence. No one would have blamed you. Honestly you might have made a few friends. It's staggering to me that someone can be so thoroughly unpleasant and still so politically connected."


"How is he related to us, anyway?" I asked with a grimace. "He seemed to be insinuating he was a close family member."


Dad rolled his eyes. "He's your grandfather's second cousin. He likes to play up the family angles with anyone he feels is useful. Oddly, it seems to WORK for him more often than not. I'm surprised he tried it on you though, he and my father have a contentious relationship, and he usually avoids members of our direct line."


I snorted. "If only. But I think all this was worth it." I glanced over at Callie. "What do you think? Was that enough?"


She grinned at me wolfishly. "Can't be sure until we try, but I'm pretty positive we hit the mark."


"We figured you might be skimming off the ceremony to bump her up to C-rank," my mom said wryly. "Honestly, everyone noticed, but being godspawn has a certain cachet, so no one was too bothered. Of course, I may have let slip that she was my mother's personal apprentice. And THAT has plenty of cachet of its own."


Laughing, I leaned over to hug her. "Thanks ma, I appreciate it." I turned to look at my closest friends, who had been fairly silent since the ceremony. "What did you guys think?"


Jessie grinned. "I thought you nailed it. Just the right mix of reassuring and stern."


"And threatening," Bethy chirped. "You were super ominous there for a minute. People LOVE ominous leaders. Daddy says being ominous is like half of his management style. The other half is eating troublemakers."


I chuckled at that. "Noted. I think I'll skip the second part though."


"Probably a good call," she said conspiratorially. "None of them looked like they would taste very good."


Turning to my sister, I raised an eyebrow. "How about you? I saw a lot of people approaching you to talk. I'm glad to see the family welcoming you. I was worried that not having the Wish power might ostracise you, but everyone seemed really excited to get to know you."


She beamed at me. "It was pretty cool. I was expecting them to hit me up for favors, and a few did that, but I mostly just told them that I had to ask you about anything I did, and they all gave me letters to pass you and then moved on to conversation. Speaking of which, I'm going to need a place to put those. The pile is EXTENSIVE."


"Ah, throw me under the bus, lovely. How about you Benny?" I asked my best friend. He'd been oddly quiet since the ceremony. Even moreso than the others.


He blew out a long breath. "I don't know. It was…a lot. Weird seeing you like that. You looked almost competent. I had no idea you were that good an actor." He winked at me, but it wasn't up to his usual standards. He looked…tired. And sad.


Seeing my concern, he waved me off. "I'm good. Just been thinking. I have a lot of training to do during your honeymoon." His eyes hardened. "You better watch out when you see me next. I've got big plans." I could tell something he'd seen at the ceremony had rattled him, but I could also tell that he didn't want to talk about it, so I just nodded and moved on.


Abel hadn't really cared one way or the other, Mel had been impressed, Fade had just nodded his approval. In general it seemed like I'd gotten favorable responses from everyone. Which was nice to know at least, because I didn't think it was universal, and most of my family hadn't seemed impressed. The few that had though, they had approached me during the meet and greet and passed me contact information, which would be a good opportunity to build connections…later.


"So, with all that over with…" I looked to my dad. "I want to arrange Perit's resurrection first thing. But once that's done and we have everyone processed for departure, I plan to skip out for a few months. I'm taking that honeymoon."


He shrugged. "You're technically just the heir right now, rather than the Wishmaster. The old man is going to want to meet you, but as you can imagine, he isn't one to rush. Six months or so should be doable. Though you realize that you won't start getting the really heavy point boosts until the coronation? If you remember from your childhood, members of the Unlucky Thirteen are very famous, but their successors don't come up much."


I just shrugged. "I'll get the renown eventually. And with six months of almost a thousand points of income a day from wishes, I think I'll be alright. Nine scrolls at a hundred apiece is plenty."


"Fair enough," he nodded. "I'll make the arrangements. Natalie, I assume you'd like to be present. Would you like my sister to attend? It shouldn't be too hard to arrange, given her presence here."


Nat seemed enthused by the idea, and when we arrived they headed off to organize more of the details, and Callie and I headed for the cottage. Once we arrived, we settled in to prepare for her rank up. She let out a long, shaky breath. "Ok…wow. Haven't done one of these in a while. D-rank was a doozie."


"Yeah, it's been such a long time since then," I agreed. Then I paused. "How many people do you think would try to stab me if they heard me say that?"


She giggled at that, falling backwards onto the bed. "More than we could count in a lifetime. But I get it. It's been…a lot. Now we're here. Really here. It feels like it should be a bigger deal. But C-rank is almost inconsequential now. I mean, I know you said we can Bind pages in advance, or at least you can, but still. It feels like we're just killing time until B-rank."


"We might be getting a little jaded," I observed. "But if it helps, you'll FEEL the difference when you get to C-rank. Especially you. Your Heretic Archangel trait is pretty complicated, I'm guessing the effect of it ranking up will be…considerable. You ready?"


She nodded, letting out a long breath, then laid back on the bed. Her three pairs of blue black wings spread out behind her as did her hair, which had that same blue black quality in a way I hadn't really noticed before. It was subtle, but beautiful. I felt through the bond as she opened herself to the renown, and let it all pour into her, running through her body as it pushed her closer and closer to C-rank. And then, she was past, and everything…shifted.


It had been so long since I saw another person rank up that I'd forgotten how…impactful it could be. Her body stiffened, eyes going wide, and I felt her soul start to change through the bond. The power crashed into it, overflowing, and the Impact rolled through her body, carrying changes unlike anything I had ever been able to witness personally, as her powerful trait upgraded alongside her soul and took her body with it.


When the changes stopped, she rolled over, hacking and gasping, and I snagged her a cup of water. She drank it slowly, looking a bit unsteady, but as she calmed down her body seemed to adjust. Apparently the physical changes from a racial trait were very different than the normal rank up process.


"So, how did you do?" I asked eagerly. I could feel some of it, but I wanted to know the details too.


Grinning, she pulled a pen and paper from her ring and slowly wrote out the changes, passing the paper to me with relish when she was done. I took it eagerly, reading over everything, and I couldn't help but let out a low whistle.


Calliope Wyndham. C-rank.


Ability-: Grandmaster Trait: Heretic Archangel. An instrument of the will of a faded god. A child of the flame that burns back the heart of the Void.


Weapon:Gossamer (huge black sword housed in Callie's new soul space, a massive cathedral created when she formed her Chronicle)


Chronicle:Book of the Final Flame


Might-257,550


Impact-155


Vitality-159,742


Fantasy-246,520


Focus-157,908


Perception- 176,375


Creation-156,485


Progress to next rank: 1,154,735/10,000,000


Soul Strength: Tanzanite Soul Body.


Skills: Minor Tracking, Beginner Dual Dagger Mastery, Intermediate Stealth, Intermediate Trap Mastery, Beginner Disguise, Lesser Balam Mastery, Mastery of Shadow Manipulation


Path of the Heretic Scion- Solid. Technique: Dance of the Abyssal Fairy


"That's…a lot. But also not very much?" I said slowly. "It's wild to me how condensed your stat page is. Your Path changed, apparently, which is cool, and the archangel trait is front and center. Your Skills seem to have fallen behind, I guess the reforging severed the connection your shadow manipulation had with your ability. But it also seems like the bump from the ceremony was more comprehensive than expected."


She shrugged. "A lot of my stats were lagging behind. Hyperfocusing and all. And we know that a rising tide raises all ships, stat wise. I guess people were perceiving me as a bigger all around threat than I actually was, and that evened me out a bit. My Might and Fantasy are still far in the lead."


I gently set down the glass before pulling her into my arms and flopping onto the bed. "And look, you've almost caught up to my numbers. That's pretty impressive."


She gave me a flat look. "Your rank up happened days ago, before the ceremony, before the mess with the Void Ladder even, I think. I have NOT caught up with you, you just haven't updated your status in too long."


"Maybe," I shrugged. "But still. We're both C-rank now. And as a Heretic Archangel, your base form is WAY stronger than mine anyway. So it all evens out."


She rolled her eyes, giving me a long, slow kiss before laying her head on my chest. "I love you, you dope. I don't care which of us is stronger. Because we're BOTH stronger together. And that will never change."


I squeezed her tight, smiling softly down at her. She was right. I'd always be better when I was with her. We closed our eyes and drifted off to sleep there, in each other's arms. And my last thought before I was swallowed up by my dreams was that being there, alone together, was a bigger prize than any faction I could ever be put in charge of. Not that I would ever say that out loud. Some things were too sappy even for me. But from the warm pulse of adoration I felt through the bond…she already knew anyway.