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

[Malcolm Tent]

"This is your worst plan ever," my best friend informed me cheerfully as I stood across the ring from my mother's apprentice. "You know you're going to lose, right? Like yes, you're the same rank now, but she's got ten times the stats you do, and probably has a Chronicle. Not to mention she practices the martial arts style that made your mom famous. You have no chance."


I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a TERRIBLE hype man? I'm about to get into the hardest fight I've had since my last battle with Bethy, and you're just sitting around cracking jokes."


"Oh, I'm sorry," he said in a deeply apologetic voice. "If that came across as humor, it was totally unintentional. You are absolutely going to get your entire ass kicked. In a very serious way."


"Benicio," said my wife kindly as she stepped up next to us. "If you don't stop demoralizing my husband before his big fight, I'm going to make you fight ME when he's finished. And I assure you. I would kick just as much of YOUR ass. If not more."


Benny clicked his tongue. "Married life has made you so mean. I was just messing with him."


"She can tell I'm worried," I explained with a chuckle. "And its putting her on edge. But he's not wrong, Cal. I'm about to get my ass kicked, and I'm fine with it. Ellie won't really hurt me. And I need to see how far I can push her. Won't be safe to engage any C-rankers unless I know what I'm really capable of."


She blew out a breath. "Yeah. Sorry. I just…I'm on edge. Now that Shane is C-rank, he's playing in a whole different league. We're supposed to be partners, and he pulled ahead, and I don't like it. I'm happy for you, of course," she said, turning to me. "But I feel so helpless with you jumping to the next rank, and I don't like it. Especially when I JUST got this kickass upgrade and now it feels like it suddenly means nothing."


I put a hand on her shoulder. "You're going to rank up in no time. With your new trait and your soul weapon? You're the Void's worst nightmare. Hell, once it gets out that you're a god's kid now…well lets just say I have to win this succession war or else you're going to pass me up so hard I'll never catch you again."


She gave me a wan smile, but I could tell it did help. She'd been really worried about the distance between us growing if I became Wishmaster. She never said anything, but I'd learned to read between the lines even when she hid her emotions from the bond. I'd just never confronted her about it because I didn't know how to actually HELP with that problem. If it could be helped.


But we'd seen from Satala that the children of gods (even adopted ones probably, or whatever Callie would be considered), got a considerable bump in renown. And that was regular gods, not scary Void adjacent Heretic gods that sent Void spawn into paroxysms of terror at their very mention.


Leaving her to think over our potential future, I stepped out into the ring. We'd found one in the courtyard of one of the two boarding houses surrounding my parent's cottage. Apparently they were basically standard in every Ascendant housing complex. Which made sense given how punchy we all were.


Everyone else looked excited, honestly. Bethy was taking bets and selling PEANUTS she'd gotten from…somewhere. Abel had reopened his sausage stand as a competitor and seemed to actually be beating her out on sales, though no one was placing any bets with HIM, so she was probably still ahead by the numbers. I considered betting myself, but I doubted my odds were good. Which was fair.


"This is lively," Ellie said as she strutted out to meet me in the center of the field. "As a complete newbie, it's shocking you attracted this much attention. No offense little lord, but your chances of victory here are…not high."


Clad in her usual golden armor, her giant mace swung over one shoulder, Ellisara looked like a warrior queen getting ready to slay a dragon or something. It didn't help my confidence.


Holding out my hand, I caught my staff, setting it whirling absently as my mom stepped between us, looking serious. "Alright, there WILL be rules to this bout. Shane, no using your staff's upgrade charge. A B-ranked attack is beyond the scope of this battle. Your weapon is a staff and hers is a mace, so despite both being B-rank, with your similarly ranked armors you shouldn't be in any real danger. No need to hold back either, Ellie can handle a little rumble."


The redhead grinned. "If you're REALLY impressive, you might even get to see my Sunsmasher Body technique. Though I wouldn't bet on it. There's a BIG gap between you and I. But hey, try to prove me wrong. Sounds like a party."


My mom nodded, gesturing us back and then retreating to a safe distance. She had us take up positions across from each other, and then said quietly. "Fight."


I expected a blitz. Ellie was the strongest C-ranker I knew of at the moment, and might have even been holding a Mythic Skill. I knew she probably had a Chronicle, but I ALSO knew it wouldn't be in my mother's Stellar Flame Fist, because my MOM'S Chronicle was Stellar Flame Fist, and she'd have been essentially hamstringing herself. Which meant the Stellar Flame Fist wasn't part of her ability and could be higher ranked than she was.


But despite the power I was both assured of and suspected, she didn't lunge at me or attack. She just…waited. I triggered Sammael, wings spreading behind me, and then after some consideration, I triggered Zagan.


Because of the combination of my grandfathers' purification flames, Jessie's life force abilities, and several modifier meta abilities, Zagan had the most raw energy output of any of my forms. In terms of pure power, Zagan was the peak. But it came with a tradeoff. Part of what made it so strong was how completely singular it was. It couldn't do any damage to anything. Ever. It was only good for healing and purifying. Until today.


I triggered Heart over Body alongside Glory, counting on the reinforcement of my flesh from the pseudo Domain to handle the excess power, and then I poured all that powerful life energy into the capstone skill and felt my entire body FILL with a sea of overwhelming power. My wings beat the air, and the sky tore, thunder echoing as the combination of Sammael's enhancement and the full power of Zagan and Glory flowed through my muscles.


Even my reinforced bones creaked under the strain, but I didn't care. My lips were peeled back in a bloodthirsty grin as I whirled my staff into action, spinning it into a series of sweeps and probing jabs, just trying to get a feel for her defenses.


Laughing wildly, Ellie swung her mace, and the weapon smashed into my staff in a series of blurs so fast it looked like she'd made a dozen concurrent movements. My assault broke with a crack of thunder (and not my staff, thank the gods), sending me stumbling back, guard broken. Ellie followed up, her mace hammering into my side, but between Mornax and my armor, I came away gasping with just a serious bruise instead of being folded in half.


I groaned, gritting my teeth tight against the pain. Then glared at her. I looked at my mother. "So, a question," I asked her tensely. "You said "a B-rank attack is beyond the scope of this bout. What about if I use my upgrade charge on a defensive ability?"


She raised an eyebrow at me curiously. "I mean, I won't begrudge you more durability, as long as Ellie is fine with it." She glanced at my opponent inquiringly, and the redhead nodded.


Grinning, I reached into my staff and triggered the upgrade skill, pushing Mornax to B-rank, and allowing my body to be reinforced by B-ranked defensive energy for the first time. Zagan might be most overtly powerful form, but combined with my enhanced Impact, Mornax was my most useful. I even dropped Glory. I didn't need it anymore.


Ellie raised a brow at me, looking unimpressed. "I mean, now I guess I can't beat you up until you drop that. But you can't beat me either. You're not strong enough. Not even close. Just give up. Why even bother with this?"


"Because if I didn't," I told her with a rumbling laugh. "This next part would probably kill me. Ninth circle of hell: Abbadon."


I wanted to know my limits. I could have used Final Strike, but honestly I wasn't sure that wouldn't kill her, and I didn't want to hurt her with an uncontrolled technique like that. I wanted to test my new limits. See what I could do with my capstones, and more specifically, to see what Heart over Body, the capstone of the Monk subclass, could really do for me if I pushed it to the edge.


Ellie looked confused when I said that. She looked LESS confused when I triggered Beelzebub, and even less confused than that when every one of my dozen clones triggered Zagan. Her confusion vanished completely as the clones all triggered Heart over Body and funneled every ounce of that overwhelming power into my main body, enhancing my physical strength far beyond what I should ever be capable of.


It didn't hurt. Not with Mornax at B-rank. This wasn't a B-ranked attack, no matter how impressive it might be. But it WAS enough to tear the fucking SPACE around me slightly as I blinked across the circle, my staff whirling like a hurricane, covering the sky in a torrent of attacks as I flickered around Ellie like a stop motion shadow.


I hit her. She didn't fall or really flinch at all, tanking all the attacks on her B-ranked armor, but I was able to deflect her retaliatory strikes with the overwhelming power of my current physical body, with a little bit of my Belial stance to mitigate the impacts.


Howling with laughter, Ellie shifted her stance, and something about her changed. Her form rippled, turning to living flame in a way I'd seen once before, back during the fight with her brother. Sunsmasher Body. I'd forced her to use it. Laughing, I triggered Mephistopeheles, enhancing my unnaturally strong physical blows with explosive bursts of black flame to try to offset the defensive power of her form.


A dozen blows landed on her still armored flame body in an instant, but she just ignored it, letting me land as many attacks as I wanted as she lined up a swing with her mace, both hands choking up for a massive smash.


My danger sense screamed at me to dodge, to move, and I triggered my waltz to evade as soon as it happened, knowing that blow would be too much for me.


Sadly, my waltz was based on my mom's Supernova Step, which Ellie was using at an extremely high level. She vanished in a blaze of flame, and I felt the danger sense trigger again as I turned to see her appearing next to me out of nowhere. She was still in her windup stance, and as soon as I turned, she swung full force, smashing the mace head on into my masked face at speed.


I blacked out. Instantly. Zeke's mask was designed to protect me, and I was still rocking a B-ranked Mornax form for defense. It didn't do any real damage, but it knocked me right the fuck out. Still, the last thing I remembered thinking as the spiked mace rocketed towards my head was "I made her use it". Damn it felt good to be strong.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

I regained consciousness slowly, seeing a familiar cheerful red haired face hovering above me, a wide grin on her lips. "Hey there little lord, how ya feelin?" She backed off as I sat up, groaning as I tried to get my head to stop doing its best impression of a six piece orchestra.


"Like someone hit me in the face with a bus full of dynamite," I spat sourly.


She snickered. "Oh, no, that would have done WAY less damage.That was my Starbreaker Smash. It's my own personal variation on the master's techniques."


"How the hell am I in so much PAIN?" I growled. "I had B-rank durability."


"Of course you did," she said sweetly. "If you hadn't, that blow would have smashed your head like a grape. Probably STILL would have pulped you, except that mask is way more durable than it looks. That's why I aimed for your face. You're welcome."


I glared at her as I massaged my temples. "If I was at B-rank durability, how the hell did you hurt me?"


"Because I'm a peak C-ranker," she shrugged. "And an elite of one of the five factions. Crossing the gap between B and C is completely doable for me. That's why your mom allowed you to use that augmentation trick on your defensive skill. C-rank is a whole new ballgame, little lord. You were all but invincible in D-rank, with a few minor exceptions, and could do a decent job fighting up even when you first broke through, from what I hear."


I let out an irritated sigh. "I could, and I was expecting that to be the case here too."


She reached down to help me to my feet, brushing off my armor absently in a way that made me feel like my big sister was cleaning me off after a playground tussle. It was not a flattering thought.


My mother stepped up behind me with a proud grin. "I didn't expect you to force her to use the Sunsmasher Body. That technique is one of the most dangerous abilities I have to teach. That was an amazing showing, Shane."


I shrugged sheepishly. "I mean, I guess. I just…"


"You expected to do better," she said with a laugh. Nodding off to one side, she clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Come here. Let's talk. I allowed this fight because there was something important you needed to learn, and given you're your father's son, there's a non zero chance I need to explain it in detail before it sinks in."


A snicker brought my gaze over to where my wife was standing not far away, looking like she was prepared to snag me from the air if I fell over. At my scowl, she just shrugged. "What? I feel better now. I can tell you're not actually hurt, nothing bruised but your ego. Besides, even that isn't too bad off. You were happy for a second before you passed out."


I grumbled as I followed her and my mother off to one side, but she was right. I HAD been proud. Still was. Just not proud ENOUGH. I hadn't realized how badly I was hoping to win until I woke up. I knew I wouldn't, but part of me had still been burning for it. To beat the odds. To conquer my enemy.


And…that was wrong. Not wrong as in bad, wrong as in stupid. That was the kind of egoistic bullshit that would get me and my people hurt. Which had been the point of this, I realized. I'd been hoping to show off what I could do and prove myself, but mom had known it would go this way. So when we got to a secluded area, I stopped and waited, letting her talk rather than opening my mouth.


"That was a wonderful showing," my mother told me serenely. "I am UNSPEAKABLY proud of you. That said, it was also very stupid. Can you tell me why?"


"Because…Ellie is an elite from the church?" I asked slowly, not sure of the answer even if I knew the basic shape of it. "She's not some bargain basement Ascendant I can beat across an entire rank? Because she's your personal apprentice."


She laughed at that. "That's very flattering, sweetie, but no. You missed something relatively obvious. But it's a mistake a lot of people make at C-rank. You see, in order to reach D-rank, you need a Path. In order to reach C-rank, it needs to be solid. But in order to reach B-rank, you need a Chronicle.


"Chronicles, much like the transformation to D-rank, are a watershed," she gestured to my staff. "I'm sure you realized that you've been capable of some truly absurd victories since you got yours. You've always been ahead on the Path. And that has been a tremendous advantage up to this point. But once you hit your Chronicle, things start to even out until you create a Domain. Even your pseudo Domains aren't going to bridge the gap as much as they used to."


I put together what she wasn't saying. "You're saying most people I would fight at peak C-rank will have Chronicles. But in the dungeon, there were a ton of peak C-rankers stuck at the edge of B-rank, and Chronicles were still rare."


"The dungeon was a petri dish," she corrected me. "People were STUCK at peak C-rank. They had grown up that way, without a chance of advancement, and they knew it. They had no motivation to form a Chronicle, aside from a few VERY talented people who were able to push a skill to Mythical. But that's astonishingly difficult to do. Besides that, you're operating in a high social strata now. This is the succession war, and if you win you'll be the WISHMASTER. You shouldn't judge your future opponents by the standards of your past enemies."


That was a valid point. I sighed. "So it'll be a while before I'm invincible in C-rank, even discounting monsters like Bethy. Point taken," I grinned wryly. "Probably could have gotten away with less humiliation if I hadn't let my head get so big."


"It's incredibly common with people who rank up fast like you do," she shrugged. "There's no term for it really, because it's not exactly common for people to improve so quickly, but a certain amount of arrogance tends to seep into your recursion when everyone sees you as the next big thing. The fact that you can recognize it is going to be a big help with avoiding it." She grinned at my wife. "Having HER around is also likely to keep you humble. Since she's likely to pull ahead of you if you don't keep your nose to the grindstone."


Callie preened, but didn't comment on my mother's praise. The two of them had been getting a lot closer lately, and I really loved to see it. Mom seemed to see Callie as another daughter, and while I was aware that was at least partly motivated by guilt towards me, I could tell that she genuinely adored my wife and the feeling was entirely mutual.


"So, now that I've reached C-rank, I can funnel all my scrolls to you, Cal," I told my wife as I sat down heavily on a nearby bench, trying to let my head rest. "You'll be right behind me. Then we can focus on helping Benny and Jessie catch up."


She chuckled, sitting down to snuggle against me. Her nine wings wrapped around us both, holding me close, and she leaned her head against my shoulder. "I know. I'm just being impatient. Getting Gossamer made me think about how great it would be for the two of us to fight together with our soul weapons. We still can, I guess. It's just not going to be the same. We're partners and you're pulling ahead."


"Some advice?" my mother offered with a smile. "Don't sweat the small differences. I hit A-rank some time before Eli did, just by virtue of who my family is. But he hit B-rank before me. Any relationship is give and take. Even an Ascendant partnership. Until you're both gods, one of you will always be ahead and one behind. Which is which will change at any given moment, but in the end, it doesn't really matter."


At Callie's obvious look of confusion, my mother laughed and answered her unspoken question. "Because you're in this TOGETHER. Forever. He'll always be there to have your back, and you'll always be there to have his. Even if there's some distance, he's not going to rush ahead. He'll wait for you to catch up, and you'll do the same. Because no matter how far apart you are, you'll always be side by side where it matters."


Her face as she spoke was…glowing. In a way I recognized from the mirror when I talked about Callie. She and my dad had been through a lot, but one thing I hadn't ever doubted since I'd first seen them together was how in love they were. My dad could be a cold hearted bastard, but my mother was his whole world, and I knew he loved my sister and I too.


Was this what Callie and I would be like in a few centuries? Still just as in love? As much as I resisted being like my father in any way, I really hoped so. I hoped we got to have what my parents had. And based on the warm adoration coming through the bond as I took her hand, she felt the same. My mother noticed that too, and smiled. "Yeah, you get it just fine. Don't worry about the small stuff. You're together and you love each other. And if you think about it, isn't that worth more than a rank or some skills?"


At first I thought she meant figuratively, but then I really thought about it and…she was right. My ability to endure pain was something I could never have developed if I didn't have Callie to rely on. The things I'd been through would have broken me without her. Her racial trait, her heretic fire, her Path. All of it happened because of us. Because we were together, and made each other better.


I tried to imagine where I'd be right now if I didn't have her. Where I'd be without the warm reassurance of her soul brushing against mine every day. And honestly, I just couldn't. Because my mom was right. Even when she wasn't with me she never left my side. I couldn't have gotten here. Wouldn't have lived through everything that had come my way. I folded my arms around her, releasing her hand so I could pull her tight against me, and she returned the embrace fiercely.


"You two are so CUTE!" my mother squealed embarrassingly. "I can't wait to have grandbabies, they're going to be adorable little angels. I wonder when you'll have your first set of twins?"


Callie froze, not in her usual mortification, but in true, genuine terror as she processed that. "What do you mean, our FIRST set of twins?" she asked my mother in horror. "As in…you think there will be more than one? And why would we even have one set? Twins are rare."


My mother just shot her a puzzled look. "Your father is a twin, right?" Callie nodded hesitantly, glossing over the whole Atlas thing for now. "And Shane is a twin. And Ascendants are already predisposed to multiples because of the drama factor. I only had the one pregnancy and it was twins right off the bat. With the predisposition on both sides, you're extremely likely to have twins your first time too."


Ignoring my wife's horrified gaping expression, my mother clapped her on the shoulder. "We can worry about that later though. You two have a meeting with The Empty Room tomorrow, and Shane is so tuckered out. Might as well get some rest. You two kids have fun!" She turned and strolled away. She made it almost around the corner before she busted up laughing and Callie just stared after her in horrified silence. And I'd thought my mom was supposed to be the NICE parent.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Creating my scrolls the next day was anticlimactic. There were nine of them now, which was new, and they were C-ranked, which was new, but they were…just scrolls. The same ones I always made. After getting that done and kissing my wife goodbye, I headed for my meeting at The Empty Room.


I left everyone behind except my dad. The current master of The Empty Room was a man named Vacant, an A-ranker of considerable power with a very mysterious nature. Of course, being a Void specialist who gave most Ascendants the creeps, the man did a lot of his business with the devils, the WCP and the more…morally grey members of Ascendant society. My dad, being one of Adramalech's generals, was in a position to have interacted with the man a time or two, and so he would be making introductions.


"So, what do I need to know before this meeting?" I asked him as we walked up a small hill towards a large foreboding looking manor.


He hummed consideringly. "I'd say just try not to worry too much. You're a C-ranker, which means nothing you can do could protect you from an A-rank threat. I'll be outside, and I've taken measures to ensure your safety. Leave it to me and ask your questions."


His eyes flicked down to my shadow, where an Obsidian Soul Body he'd bound was lurking seamlessly. He'd attached it to me before we arrived, just to be safe, and I wasn't sure if knowing he could do that made me feel more or less secure. When we reached the door, he knocked on it sharply with his cane. There was a brief pause, and then the door creaked slowly open, admitting me to the house.


Nodding stoically to my father, I stared through the doorway, into the interior of a house that I…couldn't see an inch of. Nothing lay past the door. Just darkness. Like the frame was a hole in the world.


Taking a deep breath, I stepped through, preparing myself to fall or stumble or feel some sort of change.


Nothing came. Inside the house, the temperature was the same, the atmosphere was the same, everything remained exactly as it had been, except that I was just standing in nothingness. I activated Dantalion, hoping for some kind of feedback, but nothing came. Aside from the exact amount of ground my feet were in touch with, I appeared to be standing in a vast chasm of nothingness. I took a tentative step, and the ground appeared under my feet. Then another.


I walked for about ten minutes through the nothing, stepping into darkness for the ground to form under my boots, before I came to a stop. I sensed…something. Not concrete, but a presence nearby. I was being observed. Whatever it was, my Empty Spirit wasn't enough to counter it, but I was getting a sensation of observation, which meant that even when my immunity couldn't hold up it would at least warn me something was there. I cleared my throat. "Traditionally, it's polite to introduce yourself when greeting a guest."


"A guest?" came an amused whisper in the dark. It was carried around me like a swarm of locusts, buzzing on the air and not coming from any one location. "One must visit a home to be a guest. Is this a home? Can you visit that which is not?"


I snorted. "I would argue that constructing your home in such a way as to pose that question says more about you than you might like."


A sharp bark of laughter tore at my skin, scraping across the surface of my body like I was standing naked in a sandstorm. "Perhaps," the voice whispered jovially. "Or perhaps I simply do not wish to be visited? You come to impose on my solitude. You seek knowledge from beyond the edge of this world."


"I know," I told him bluntly. "I'm the one who decided to come here, I know what I seek. The question is, do YOU know what I seek? And what will it cost me to learn?"


"Cost," he mused. "A fickle thing. Information is priceless. Or perhaps worthless. Will you pay in kind? And what information would one such as you possess that I might wish? I remain on this planet because it suits me. I am not beholden to your bloodline, and should I wish to flee, even your ancestor would not stop me. I know many secrets about the deep places of the world, and they can be used for more than just barter."


I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't threatening you. I was asking a genuine question. But fine, you want information, I have some." I had discussed this with Callie when we found out about the visit. We only had one bit of information a Void scholar might want, and she was the only person who I felt had the right to decide if I revealed it. She hadn't hesitated for a moment, giving me permission to share her new father's story.


So I did. I recounted the story, and the voice waited with bated breath, listening intently to the tale until I finished. "Your offering is…magnificent," he breathed into the dark. "What knowledge do you wish?"


"I want to know the names and affiliations of the vessels you know about on the heirworld right now." I said without hesitation. "I suspect some of them have contacted you with tales of an alliance. They contacted me, and I have far less in common with them. The alliance is a lie." I informed him of our theory and the possibility of a new Void god.


A snarl tore through the dark. "Deception," he hissed. "Your gift of further information is appreciated. I will answer your question, but I owe you a further debt. One favor of your choice, to be collected at a future time." I nodded solemnly, accepting that for the massive boon that it was. "I am sad to say I do not have information commensurate to your payment, however. A deal was proposed, and so I will share what I know, for whatever use it might be."


I remained silent as he organized his information, and then he began to speak. "I know of seven Vessels currently active on this planet. Five are A-rank. One B-rank and one C. The last, I suspect, is the one you met, for it was he who approached me about this alliance. In my hubris, I considered this an assurance. I assumed one such as he could not lie in my presence. Perhaps my understanding of the Void is not what I once thought."


"We've all been there," I shrugged. "Anything you know might help. Do you know who they're Vessels FOR?"


That got a sigh. "A few of them. Void Children are…complex. Not all of them have a cohesive enough identity to be described. The three I'm aware of are Schnex the Keeper, Doranka, and Roviram. They are complicated beings, but their core natures are more consistent than most. Schnex is a collector. It finds promising talents and then nurtures them to add to its collection. It is…unusual, for a Void Child, in that it ALMOST doesn't hate Ascendants."


"That sounds horrible," I said cheerfully. "Who is its Vessel?"


"His name is Bremman," said the voice heavily. "He is a Heaven Murder Elf." My blood froze at that. Heaven Murder Elves were rare. I had met one, but she had been under the protection of one of the vanished gods. I'd been under the impression they were mostly extinct. Heaven Murder Elves were scary. Like…Vampire scary. They were natural geniuses at weaponry and combat.


A collector of the Void having one made sense, even if I REALLY didn't like the idea. Especially if he was an A-ranker, which, upon asking, he was. "Roviram's Vessel is an A-ranked Dullahan named Vex. Roviram is obsessed with the concept of finality, and his army of executioners bring true death to all that fall beneath their blades. Doranka, meanwhile is a parody of fire, manifesting a cold flame that freezes all it touches. His Vessel is a woman named Violetta, also A-rank."


He went on to describe the other two A-rankers, a man named Drewell who used exclusively his fists, and a woman named Nasha who used sonic attacks. That one sounded particularly nasty to deal with, and I had to wince at the idea of fighting her, even for someone like my dad.


The B-ranker's name was Pell, and he was some kind of falconer. Which sounded cool, except the Vessels all had access to a variety of terrifying Void spawn, and I was guessing his was an army of evil Void falcons, which was about as terrifying as it was awesome.


Which left us with the last one. The C-ranker I'd met. It was unfortunate we didn't know the name of his patron, but whatever Void Child he served had gone out of its way to fly under the radar. "The one I met didn't give a name at first, even to myself. I forced him to part with it as payment for information given. He called himself "Wise". A pretentious moniker, but one told true when asked. That is the name he associates with himself."


I snorted at that. "Yeah, he seems like the self aggrandizing type. Did you see his face? He appeared to me as an image of myself. I wasn't able to get a good look at any actual features."


"He came cloaked in shadow, as many of the Void are want to do," the voice admitted. "My own concealment was learned from them, and they possess perhaps the most advanced means of Stealth among the Ascendant factions and their equivalents." I noted he used the term equivalents as a plural, and I wondered what he meant by that, but now wasn't really the time. "He was not concealing himself, mind. But I believe was under the protection of something greater."


"Can you tell me anything that might help me find him?" I asked desperately. "I think he's the key to this mess, and we need to stop him from accomplishing his goals. If they're what we suspect, we're all going to be VERY screwed if he pulls this off."


He hummed ponderously. "Perhaps. I detected something subtle. A scent clinging to his concealment. Liquor. A particularly expensive brand native to Arcadia. It isn't TRACKED, per se, but it is uncommon. Perhaps an investigation into that might bear fruit. That is all I know."


Honestly, it was more than I'd expected. Even as a potential alliance partner, I doubted Vacant had been put in a position to learn all this easily. It was clear he'd investigated his potential partners thoroughly. He had been willing to work with the Void where I might not have been, but at the very least he'd done his due diligence. I should have expected as much from a veteran A-ranker, I suppose. You don't last long enough to reach the penultimate step below god if you're an idiot.


Thanking him for the information, I turned and headed back the way I came. Or at least I was pretty sure I did. Orienting yourself in a pitch black void wasn't exactly easy. But I made it to the door easy enough, and when I stepped through, I was suddenly back in reality, standing next to my dad.


He raised an eyebrow at me. "So…learn anything interesting?" I recounted the events of my conversation, and he grimaced but nodded along anyway. "Well, that's better than nothing. A shame he couldn't give us more on this "Wise" fellow. I'll look into the liquor. He didn't say what kind specifically?"


I was about to confirm that he hadn't, until I realized something was crumpled up in my palm. I'd missed it because my gauntlets prevented fine tactical feedback like that, and the thing was almost cobweb thin. I unfolded it, realizing it was a label. "Apparently he did," I said wryly. I handed it over to my dad with a chuckle. "So, think you can do anything with that?" Judging by his answering grin, he did.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

The next day was hectic. Arranging the full court press of searchers we needed required calling in a lot of favors with a lot of people. Some of those favors I called in personally, some my parents called in, but the result was the same. We had officially gathered enough people to head down to clear out the anchors.


Of course, we weren't going in completely blind. We had the two anchors we already knew about documented, but more than that, we had an army of Wyndhams, and that meant a LOT of spare wishes.


In order to make the most of that, we'd had everyone wish for compasses that would lead them to the nearest anchor (the compasses would ignore anchors that already had a compass locked onto them, unless the owner died without reaching them). We'd ALSO managed to make contact with the folks upstairs and tweak the bounty board to reward anchor captures.


The tricky part was that we were sure there were active traitors, so we couldn't ANNOUNCE that fact en masse. We'd ended up arranging for the board to change at a specific time, hoping the anchor bounties could all be applied at once before anyone else noticed.


Our own forces were, of course, under strict contracts arranged by my father in exchange for the compasses, which kind of killed two birds with one stone.


While all this was being set up though, my old man had begun the process of trying to track down the Vessel who went by "Wise", hoping to head off some of our future problems by being proactive. He failed, unfortunately, but was finished with time to spare on following us down to take out the anchors.


Which led us to now, standing at the top of the colossal staircase at the heart of Arcadia, about to head down with all our forces.


We split up into multiple groups again, and mine was, as before, only twenty five people, with three of our A-rankers leading the way. I'd wanted them to split up, actually, but mom had been adamant that I was heavily at risk down here and that she refused to let me go without at least my parents and Zeke as guards.


Now we were back down in the dark stone level, searching for the anchors we had clearly marked, ready to take them out first thing.


Despite the fact that everything was going according to plan (or possibly BECAUSE of it), I was deeply uncomfortable about…something. I just couldn't tell if it was one of my precognitive senses acting up or just my own paranoia. Or if those two things were even any different from each other at this point.


"You doing alright?" Asked a familiar voice. I turned to blink at Jessie, who was giving me a soft, sympathetic smile.


I shrugged. "Fine, just worried. This…this whole trip has been nonstop chaos. I should be happy that Callie's Path problem is handled. But now I'm worried this whole planet is going to be shredded into confetti and jettisoned to the furthest corners of the Void in a plot to make some kind of dark anti-god."


She stopped, grabbing my arm. I let her pull me to a halt, though there was zero chance of her being able to move me at D-rank. "That's my point," she said bluntly. "Are you ALRIGHT? Like…in a general sense."


Her eyes were shining with concern, and despite not having a bond like I did with Callie…I knew what she meant. She was asking if I was ok being around my parents. Being around them with my sister. Being around my cousins, and potentially becoming the boss of my entire family, after which I would need to reconstruct the entirety of the system that led to me getting there in the first place, at least as much as was possible given the strong resistance I would face from the council of elders.


And the answer was that I had no idea. To make sure we had some privacy I triggered Murmur at B-rank. It wouldn't work on my parents or Zeke, but I wasn't really worried about them hearing this. "I don't know," I admitted. "I don't think I CAN think about it. I've been going non stop for years now. And that used to just feel like a fun game, like I was on a nonstop adventure, but now…


"I'm going to hit the end of my task soon," I admitted. "If I win this. If I BECOME the Wishmaster, then I did it. I accomplished that first goal. And I'm not sure I'll have it in me to pick up the next burden. To shift gears and just turn my focus to stopping a war, or ruling the WCP."


Because at the end of the day, I wasn't sure what I was anymore. Not without this. Not without the quest I'd been on since day one. Because once I accomplished the goal (assuming I fucking LIVED through this mess), then I had to start the WORK. Becoming the Wishmaster wasn't the end, it was the beginning. The beginning of the hardest part of my journey, and after everything I'd already been through, I wasn't sure I had that in me.


I expected a pep talk. Some kind of encouragement or confidence. I expected an oath of loyalty or a promise to be by my side every step of the way. But Jessie had a way of knowing what people needed even better than they did, especially people she knew well.


She just hugged me. I froze, not sure how to respond. Not because I minded her hugging me, but because I couldn't really remember the last time someone had just given me a hug because I needed one. I just put my arms around her and held her back, resting my chin on the top of her head, and felt the strain drain away from me.


Because it didn't change anything. Not a single solitary factor of all the shit I had to deal with. And in a way, that made it exactly what I needed. Not everything needed to be this momentous colossal task or great shaking revelation. Not everything needed to be BIG just because we were Ascendants.


We were still people. Still humans deep down. And abandoning that like Zeke suggested might be easier, but it made it almost TOO easy. Made it too simple to gloss over the hurt, or the worry, or the fear, instead of dealing with it. And maybe that was WHY Ascendants could be so inhuman at the higher ranks. Because they had to be. Except when they didn't. Because maybe admitting you needed a hug from a friend because you were scared was ok too. Even if it wasn't a very Ascendant thing to do.


And paradoxically, admitting that, letting that worry in and accepting it could be part of me…helped. Acknowledging that I wasn't failing to live up to my future godhood by being scared. That I could be a god AND a person, even if most people didn't.


Part of me wondered about the timing of that revelation. After meeting Atlas, after seeing his sorrow and regret. After hearing the story of what the Void had done to him. He'd become the perfect god in some ways. The ultimate god. But it hadn't stopped him from being a slave to the Void. His humanity had done that. Adam Atlas the god had failed. Adam Atlas the person had saved the universe. Had he wanted me to see that? Had he been trying to show me by example what not to do?


Or maybe I was projecting way more competence and ability onto him that was warranted. Maybe he routinely let people assume he was all knowing and secretly manipulating things behind the scenes.


In the end it didn't matter. What I took from my meeting with Atlas was my own. Despite who and what he was, no one became a god the exact same way as anyone else. I could learn from him and keep what I needed, then drop the rest.


I released Jessie, stepping back with a chuckle. "You know, your power only lets you heal the body. You have no business being this smart about what people's minds and hearts need."


She just shrugged, giggling. "What can I say? I've always been the smartest of our group."


"Yeah," I laughed. "You kind of have. Thanks, Jess. Sorry I've been a little bit distant lately. With everything going on…"


She rolled her eyes. "If I was going to throw a fit every time my friend gets busy, I'd have picked different friends. You ARE going to win this competition, and become the Wishmaster, and when you DO, you're going to be even busier than now. But can you make me a promise? Please?"


"Anything," I told her solemnly. "Anything you need. You know that."


She smiled softly at me. "Take care of yourself Shane. And let other people take care of you too. After this is over, don't jump right into the saddle. Promise me you'll finally take Callie on the honeymoon you've been talking about. The WCP can survive a few months of vacation with the council running things."


I couldn't help it, I just laughed. "Yeah," I promised her. "I will. I'll make sure to-" I stopped, letting Murmur drop instantly as my head jerked up. Doom. Overwhelming horror and death. My Danger Sense was screaming so loud I couldn't hear myself think, couldn't process anything but the sheer overwhelming panic. "Mom!" I called loudly, trying to get their attention.


My parents had stopped just ahead, and at my call, my mother nodded. "Yeah, we noticed," she said grimly. "They snuck up on us. Used the spatial instability to get close."


"Who did?" Callie asked, appearing at my side. "Who's there?"


A low laugh echoed from the darkness. "That would be us," came an amused voice. And then several figures appeared from the shadows. Or rather, five. Five figures. Five A-RANK figures. Two more than we had.


Before we could speak, Zeke was standing behind us. A series of masks flowed from a pouch on his belt, enlarging as they drifted into the air and began orbiting the group. Everyone except for my parents, who were trapped outside the circle of masks. Alone. Without even Zeke for backup.


Not that the two of them seemed fazed. My father tapped his cane on the ground thoughtfully. "A trap then," he said contemplatively. "I'm guessing you had some sort of detection array around the anchors? Assumed we'd be back for them?"


Which meant they didn't know about the plan. The contracts had held up, and he was trying to warn us to keep our mouths shut.


I understood. They couldn't have dispatched any more A-rankers than this anyway. Or if they could it wouldn't be many. Sebastian and Killian were both powerful combatants. It would take more than a single enemy to take them on. The full court press could still succeed at wiping out enough of the anchors, provided they didn't catch on and find some way to counter our plan.


The tallest man there was familiar to me. Not because I knew him, but because he had about five points of similarity to Dayna, including the pointed ears. Bremman, the Heaven Murder Elf. He seemed to be the leader of this motley collective.


"Well, you're not complete idiots," he said lightly. "Shame that even the partial idiocy you're guilty of carries the death penalty."


My father's lips peeled back from his too white teeth, his horned visage so like mine and so very different at the same time. I hadn't seen him quite like this before. So excited about the prospect of violence. "I'd have thought the servants of the Void would have more imagination. But don't worry. By the time I finally let you leave this world, I'll have demonstrated the DEATH is the least of the penalties I plan on applying to you." Then he tapped his cane again, and the world was consumed by shadows.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

I expected my dad and mom to leap into action. His shadowy black soul army spread out around them, taking up a sort of formation shaped like a series of concentric stars, easily thirty of the things. But rather than join him in combat, my mother hummed consideringly. "I'm thinking of a number between one and ten," my dad said with a grin.


"Six," she responded instantly, clearly more aware of what that meant than I was.


He barked out a laugh. "Nope, it was four. Go wait with the kids." His tone was teasing, but relaxed. He wasn't even remotely worried.


She clicked her tongue and strode over to where Zeke was surrounding us with masks, walking effortlessly between the rotating items as she came to stand beside Chelsea and I. "Um…what was that?" My sister asked slowly.


"It's called high or low," my mom explained. "Whenever your father and I have to share enemies, one of us picks a number between one and ten and guesses. One to five is low, six to ten is high. If you're in the same range as the person who picked, you win."


"Winning in this case being…the ability to fight five powerful A-rankers ALONE?" I asked her in disbelief.


She smirked at that. "Elijah never fights alone. But don't worry, if he runs into trouble I'm right here. I don't see that happening though. There's a reason your father is so prized by Adramalech. Catching the attention of a devil prince isn't an easy thing to do."


I couldn't help but remember the towering purple skinned figure of the devil I'd met at the conclave. Someone who spoke to Morgan Lark as an equal and had been completely unbothered at the thought of fighting Harrison with almost no provocation. I could imagine how powerful someone like that must be.


Bremman, who was standing at the forefront of the A-rankers, smiled indulgently at my father. "That's the kind of arrogance I'd expect of a Wyndham. And not just a Wyndham either. The rebellious son. The Wish Devil. I'm curious, why are you so focused on standing against us? You've seen the depravity and corruption your family has be-"


"Let me just stop you right there," my dad sighed. "Please don't. Like, I understand that it's tradition, trying to sway me to your side. That you'd be a powerful ally, and all that I wish for could be mine and blah, blah, blah. Or maybe you're actually an idiot and you were going for a soft sell, trying to tug on my heart strings. It makes no real difference. It's not going to work.


"I don't care about your tragic backstory, I don't want your priceless treasures, I don't have any unresolved issues to work out on my relatives," he said blithely. "If I want something, I take it, if I don't like someone, I kill them, and I am very experienced at tempting and corrupting others. Frankly your amateur sales pitch is insulting, and I should very much enjoy allowing both of us to skip the awkwardness of you trying to make it and just dispense with the ensuing bloodbath."


He tapped his cane (a soul weapon of some kind, I knew), and a mirrored sheen rolled up from the ground, over the cane and his body, covering him in a reflective finish, which with another tap turned the shiny black of onyx, just like the others. Another tap, and there was an eruption of black smoke beneath all thirty versions of my father, and then they flickered and reappeared at seemingly random points all over the chamber.


Six of them for each of the opponents, surrounding the five A-rankers in a loose ring.


Bremman, meanwhile, looked incensed. "I tried to do this the easy way," he snarled, his eyes lighting up an eerie blue. Black mist poured from him as he manifested a large black spear, driving it forward directly into the chest of one of the nearest clones.


The onyx soul in the shape of my dad choked, seizing up, and then collapsed into a cloud of black smoke. The Heaven Murder Elf choker, waving away the smoke, but it clung to him, even as the other clones attacked. He snarled, stabbing his spear into another clone, then a third. The smoke billowed up, clinging to him even more tightly. Five clones, all dead in a blink as he engaged the last one with a snarl.


Driving his spear forward, his eyes were wide with rage…and then with shock, as the cane simply stopped the blow head on.


Not just the blow. As soon as the spear touched the head of the cane, the black mist and blue glow vanished. The black smoke around him thinned, but didn't disappear. He looked shaken. "What…what have you done?" He shook the spear, smacking it against his palm a few times. "What have you DONE?"


"Combat," my father said casually. "Is a social contract. Two combatants unleashing violence upon one another until one or both are dead. However, like all contracts, it has certain provisions. For instance, while multiple people can engage in combat, each person involved can only die once. Your spear attack killed me with the first blow. And the second. And the third. You've killed me no less than five times. I'm afraid contractually, you're quite overextended."


The spearman looked outraged. "What? I never agreed to that!"


"Of course you did," my father said cheerfully. "As did the rest of your friends." He glanced around at the others, who I noticed were all standing in front of now singular copies of him, looking similarly cowed. "And that's not all either. I've repossessed your Void taint in order to repay your debt, but that's only worth one or two lives."


He tapped his cane, and the spear vanished from Bremman's hand, then again, and the elf stumbled, his leg giving out under him and sending him collapsing to the ground. He stared up at my father in terror. "This is…you can't do this! This isn't possible!"


My father shook his head, smiling coldly. "Incorrect. I'm the Wish Devil. With the payment of a human soul I can do nearly anything. And you paid me five."


He knelt down in front of the cowering man and stared straight into his eyes. "I could have done this nicely, you know. I could have killed you quick. Made it look effortless and reinforced the terror that others feel of me. But I'm not going to do that. I have questions about your masters."


"I…yes," Bremman said desperately. "I'll tell you anything! I swear! Ask me whatever you want to know!"


My dad chuckled darkly. "Oh, you've misunderstood. I already told you earlier that your sloppy attempts at coercion were insulting to me. You are not a source of information, Bremman. You are a DEMONSTRATION." He stood and turned away, then tapped his cane again. A wave of black energy exploded out of his cane, funneling into a cloud above his head and then swirling into a vortex, the mouth of which poured itself into the mouth of the Heaven Murder Elf.


Bremman screamed, writhing on the ground as he clawed at his face, and cracks began to appear along his skin, starting at his mouth. The cracks covered his whole body, spreading quickly, and then he screamed and his form shattered, the rest of him flaking off as a reflective soul climbed up to stand in front of my dad.


He hummed with amusement. "Go stand guard for my family." The mercury soul nodded, hefting its mercury spear, and its eyes glowed blue as black mist began to pour off the weapon.


My dad turned to one of the other four A-rankers, all of them now kneeling in front of his other clones. "You," he said to the woman that, based on the ice surrounding her was Violetta. "Tell me what you know about Wise."


"I…" she stammered. "I don't know! Wait no please I swear!"


"And that's enough of that," Zeke said breezily, snapping his fingers. The protective field his masks created went opaque, and I turned to look at him in shock…only to spot my mother sighing with relief. That made more sense. Protecting us like that was out of character for him, but less so for mom.


I turned to her with a frown. "You were expecting this," I said bluntly. "You both seemed completely at ease the whole time. You knew there were alarms on the anchors. That was why you encouraged me to leave them for later." That had been subtle, I'd barely noticed it happening. I'd thought that was my own idea.


"A demonstration," she said, echoing my dad. "The Vessels are dead, and the part of the soul your father retains isn't connected to the Void Children, but the process of their deaths will be witnessed. I personally don't much enjoy cultivating that sort of reputation, but when necessary I can be flexible."


Chelsea looked devastated. "Mom…" she whispered. "I can't believe you were ok with that. The things he was doing. I mean, I expected it from him, but you're a SAINTESS. You're supposed to be…better. Better than dad."


"Better?" my mother asked calmly. "I believe that was the best I've been in quite some time. Let's ignore the Void aspects of this for a moment. Ignore that those are monsters who feed people to the darkness beyond space. Even if they had been normal humans. Even if they had been saints themselves. They made a mistake. They tried to hurt my CHILDREN.


"I don't care what you think of what I just did," she told my sister calmly. "You can hate me for it if you like. But I'd do it again in an instant. Don't make the mistake of thinking that being from the church gives us the luxury of being paragons of virtue. Sometimes, to protect the ones we care about, we need to get our hands dirty. Your father didn't teach me that, dear heart. I taught HIM."


Personally I wasn't bothered. Soul bullshit was ethically dubious at times, but like she said, the Void destroyed the human part of them anyway. Though not as entirely as I'd believed, given the terror on Bremman's face. I guessed even sociopathic Void stooges can be afraid if someone is scary enough.


Zeke cleared his throat. "Think we're all good," he said. He waved a hand and the masks retreated, floating back into his belt, shrinking as the went. My dad approached, five new mercury souls trailing behind him menacingly.


I raised an eyebrow at him. "Finished having your fun?" I asked dryly. "Did it actually LEAD to anything?"


"Oh ye of little faith," he chuckled, tapping his cane. The five mercury souls and all the onyx still out vanished in clouds of smoke. "I got everything I needed. Wise is performing the ritual as we speak, slowly opening the portals like we suspected and growing stronger over time. And now…I know WHERE."


My lips peeled back in vicious triumph. "With the rest of our forces attacking the anchors, he'll be too distracted to see us coming, won't he?"


The Vessels Void Children might have seen what we just did, but they weren't WISE'S Void Child. They couldn't tell him without a means to interact, and I somehow doubted they were going to believe he was a friend much longer, given he was going to run out of neutral targets and start picking off his own soon to grow his power. I'd be shocked if he hadn't started already.


"Call Sebastian and Killian," I told him bluntly. "We need to get down there and take him out. Before he hits S-rank. You can take him on at A-rank I'm sure. Let's get down there and fucking end this once and for all." I paused and looked around the room. "Also, did anyone record us taking down the A-rank Vessels? Bet that'll be worth some points." I still had a competition to win after this was all over.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Down, down, down into the deeps. The ritual, to no one's surprise, was taking place on a much lower level, one much closer to the center of the planet. Not TOO close, mind. Our B-rankers and those of us with Chronicles were able to withstand the pressure, and Zeke had lent a few masks to the others to offset the strain for them, but it was much deeper than we'd been so far.


Which I supposed made sense. The Void Ladder was using the entire length of this stairway as a focus. In fact, it was probable there was another group of Void Vessels coming down (or I guess up?) from the other side to plant the anchors.


I'd completely blanked on the fact that this planet was dual sided and that there was probably a similar invasion (albeit most likely missing the key actor in the form of Wise himself) taking place opposite us. Luckily, I wasn't the only person on this planet, nor was I actually in charge of the WCP (yet), so I assumed that other people were dealing with that whole mess, and I was free to focus on the impossible task I already had to worry about, namely, disrupting the apparently ongoing ritual Wise was performing before he got too strong and dealt with US.


Part of me was hoping we'd taken out his entire force, that we would have a free shot at Wise as we approached, but unfortunately, that was proven demonstrably false.


"Shit," Zeke said as my entire group of thirty plus stopped at level above our target. He'd set one of his masks on the floor, manifesting some kind of technique, and the thing had…become him. Or at least his face. That I'd seen before, but I had NOT seen that face sprout spider legs and scurry off into the dark. Apparently he could see through its eyes too, because he was currently reporting the view to us directly. "There's a bunch of them."


I cursed. "How many is a bunch?" I asked anxiously. "We've got six A-rankers, not to mention Fade who might be able to fight up a rank. Do they have more?" Aside from the five I'd brought, we'd ended up meeting up with Davis, my cousin Derran's dad, and several more B-rankers besides. They'd finished their anchor sweep, so we'd recruited them to help us with the raid. They were more than happy to join up once we let them in on the stakes for this particular outing.


"Ten," he said grimly. "And…that's bad. I'm pretty sure they have a Void tainted DRAGON there. It might be a Vessel, I can't tell. And there's not just them either. There's a LOT of Void spawn down there."


I sucked in a breath. "You sure it's not a Wyvern?" I asked weakly. "Or a Wyrm or something?" I'd never seen an actual dragon before, but I knew they were SCARY. Apex predators, the least of which were born at D-rank. If he considered it a threat it must be A or B-rank minimum, and that was…unsettling.


"I mean, it could just be dragon shaped Void spawn, I guess," he said slowly. "I don't know where those come from, so I can't say. But I've SEEN dragons before, and that definitely fucking looks like one."


I grimaced. "So…ten," I looked at the others. "Can we do ten? If we assume Wise is still at C-rank, and I'm not sure he is, I'm willing to take him on. But we have to be able to GET to him." I glanced at Callie. "I assume we have some kind of PLAN here? Like you know what's supposed to happen to stop all this?"


She flicked her wrist, and Gossamer appeared, the blue black gem pulsing eerily in the hilt. "I can shut it down. If you can get us close. Adam made sure I'd have a way. I think that was the whole reason he gave me the sword."


"Alright," I said with a sigh. "Then we've got our plan. Callie, you're with me. We're going to use Murmur to sneak in while the others distract the defenders." I looked around at my friends. "This is going to be VERY dangerous. If anyone wants to back out, there's no shame. This is going to be a mess." To my complete lack of surprise, not a single one of my people stepped forward. Whether out of loyalty, self-preservation, or good old fashioned greed, everyone was onboard.


We stepped out of the level we were on (the nineteenth) and headed down once more, remounting the stairs. We'd stopped on the floor above where the ritual was going on to do recon, and now…now it was time for battle.


Murmur washed over me, and Callie beside me. Not JUST Murmur either. I boosted it to B-rank with my staff. My stealth domain was powerful enough to affect even high ranked opponents, so the boosted version should enable us to get past any of the enemies in question. "Ok, everyone stick to the formations my dad lays out," I said, letting my voice roll out of the field. "Be safe, and be careful."


I grabbed Callie's hand and squeezed, and the two of us made our way around the bend in the staircase. I stopped when the forces ahead came into sight because…damn, that actually was a dragon.


It was funny. I'd never seen a dragon. I hadn't even really seen any decent PICTURES of a dragon. But looking at this thing, all I could think was that this was what a dragon looked like. I'd mistaken things for dragons before, like the Bone Wyvern, but looking at this creature, I was absolutely blown away by how I could make that mistake, because nothing I'd ever seen before looked like THIS and this was so obviously a dragon.


We approached it slowly, almost ploddingly so. I felt the need to move slow to allow Murmur to work to its fullest, because I didn't want the dragon to spot me. I needn't have worried. As I passed into range, there was a rumble and the stairs beneath us shook aggressively. Looking over my shoulder, I spotted my mother standing further up the steps, her body made of living fire. The dragon's eyes, and the eyes of the other A-rankers, were all on her, leaving us free to slip by.


The approach was nerve wracking. Even under stealth, the crowd of Ascendants and Void spawn arrayed on the stairs, blockading the level in question, was truly staggering. I kept expecting them to notice something out of place, but the further I got, the less concerned I became for myself…and the more I became for my friends.


Because my family and my retainers had engaged as soon as they were in range. My mom hit the dragon like a speeding train, my dad deployed a full seventy two souls (many of which were mercury and three of which were mirror), and Zeke had deployed more masks than I thought he even had access to. A small army of swordmasters, marsh elves, and every other local we'd recruited since out arrival rushed out, with Bethy, Abel, and all my friends trailing after them.


And we just…left them. It made me sick, turning my back on my friends in battle. But if we didn't take out that ritual then this planet would get torn apart, even assuming the Void Child behind it didn't become an S-ranker and slip through to murder us all ahead of time.


The level the ritual was taking place on was confusing. Mirrors lined the walls, ceiling, and floor. Once we entered, I had to slow us down, because there were so many fucking reflections for me to erase as me moved that I was barely able to keep up even walking at a crawl. Callie clutched my hand tight. "We're close," she whispered. "I can feel the call of the Void from ahead of us."


I decided not to read into her still being able to hear that despite her elimination of the Void Path. As as Heretic Archangel, my wife was tied to Atlas, and Atlas was a former Void Vessel whose whole power was based on being their bane.


It took us about twenty minutes to penetrate deep enough into the level to start to find evidence of the ritual itself. Anchors floated in the air, empty stones suspended below black tears in the fabric of reality. Through the tears was just…nothing. Not the Void, not an abyss, just the complete absence of creation.


Callie stared at the holes in sick dread. "It started," she whispered. "He's already eaten several sections of the Void. Because it's not a stable or solid place, when a Void Child takes a territory, they consume it and integrate it into themselves. They literally ARE what they eat, and they eat the Void. They embody their territory, so as they expand so does their power."


That explained a bit of how the Vessel thing worked. It didn't make sense to artificially inflate the soul like they did, but the Void was the opposite of space. Like…the spirit to reality's flesh. Whatever part of the soul they took from their Vessels must be enough to connect them directly to the Void in a way similar to how normal gods connect to their worlds. I blinked at that thought. I didn't…that wasn't obvious. At all. Where had that come from?


I felt a pulse in my chest and realized it was the bond. Callie and I were connected soul deep. What she knew I knew, at least sometimes.


We stepped past another dozen tears, ignoring them as we approached a circle of blackened crystals jammed into the ground, energy leaping between them as they conducted spatial power unlike anything I'd seen.


And in the center…was me. Wise was still wearing my face, for some reason, and seeing it look so cold and smug was tough for me. I expected Callie to have trouble too, but oddly she didn't seem fazed. She knew that wasn't me, she could feel me. She was clearer than anyone that this was all bullshit.


There was a rumble underfoot again, and I heard a rattle as the mirrors shook. The me in the center of the circle frowned, then looked up and…stared. His eyes, blue glowing Void irises rather than my own green, fixed on me. "Well hello there," he said, grinning widely.


I froze, but after a long sigh, I dropped Murmur. It wouldn't do much good anyway. Because now that I was closer, I could see that Wise wasn't a C-ranker anymore. He wasn't even a B-ranker. Wise had clearly eaten more territory than we had expected in such a short time. He was firmly in the S-rank now.


Despite that, I didn't panic. When I folded my domain, I didn't drop it completely. I just condensed it to cover Callie more thoroughly. Sure enough, his vision didn't seem to twitch. Whatever his eyes were doing to pierce my stealth so easily, it wasn't something that affected my wife. Callie was a Heretic Archangel, and was the natural enemy of the Void. Wise had some tricks with stealth, which I knew from The Empty Room, but those tricks didn't extend to her.


So I took all of his attention on myself, focusing Murmur as hard as I could on Callie as she started to slowly edge around the circle. I didn't know what her target was, but it didn't matter. It was my job to make sure she reached it. She knew how to take this apart and I needed to give her the time. So I did what I did best. I decided to bullshit.


Grinning at the Vessel, I spread my arms welcomingly. "What? You weren't expecting me? I've decided to take you up on your offer of an alliance. I even brought an army here to surrender to you. What do you say?" Wise had opened his mouth to reply, but when he heard that, he froze, clearly not sure what the hell was going on. Callie continued to inch across the room, and I tried desperately to come up with a plausible story to explain all this. Given I could sense the others approaching behind me, it would have to be a doozie.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

"You want…to surrender your forces?" he said slowly, his tone obviously disbelieving. "The ones with all your friends and your PARENTS in them? Those forces? You want to just…hand them over to the Void?"


I was panicking. Or rather, I would have been panicking if I could fucking THINK. Instead, my entire godsdamned brain was lighting up like a theme park of agony as my Danger Sense tried to clobber me over the head with the fact that I was SPEAKING to an enemy S-ranker. I was less than a hundred feet from the bastard, as was my WIFE, and we were both in horrifying amounts of lethal danger.


I triggered Leviathan, because I had to, both to ward off the Danger Sense and to prevent myself from being flattened by the extremely inconsistent field of Impact radiating off Wise.


Which was almost definitely why Callie and I were alive. Wise wasn't…right. He WAS an S-ranker, but he was still operating like he wasn't. The Void in his system had boosted him up several ranks, but he was…stilted. It was the only reason I could think of that he wouldn't have noticed Callie.


This entire plan had been extremely haphazard. Looking back, I could see where my Fatewalker instincts had been pushing me back and forth during this whole debacle, leading to outcomes that were probably outwardly extremely dangerous, but that I was pretty sure I'd get through. I was threading the needle, and while I knew that this wouldn't save me if I actually pushed Wise over the edge, I still had options.


I reached into my ring, wrapping my will around something that had been in there for a very long time. Something I hadn't even thought about in months, because it would be a waste to use it against anything but a literal deity. The token.


Almost a year ago, I'd won a single use defensive token from the Lady of Lamentation during the trials on Rackham. I'd never had occasion to use it, but if anything warranted busting out the big guns, it was this. But I couldn't activate it yet. If I did, Wise might notice Callie sneaking around.


At the moment, her status as a perfect Void predator seemed to have combined with Murmur to grant her some protection from his incomplete senses, but who knew how long that would last.


Which left me scrambling, trying to justify this whole mess with nonsense to keep his attention. I'd have preferred the life and fate of every person I loved NOT rest on my ability to make shit up on the spot. But sadly, wishes weren't horses today. Lucky for me, this had all been going through the head of a parallel I'd spawned before engaging in this conversation, so I wasn't standing around like an idiot staring at him in terror. I smoothly answered his question.


"Not for disposal obviously," I told him dismissively. "But let's be honest. We both know what's going on here. I wouldn't have made it here if I didn't. You've won already. We could keep struggling, of course, but how many of my friends and family would die? I can't risk that. I won't. The WCP hasn't done shit for me in my life. Who cares what happens to their prison planet. I'm more concerned with my people, and I want to ensure they make it out of this in one piece."


A surrender hidden inside a plea for mercy with a side of ego stroking. I was almost proud of myself for that. Sure enough, Wise looked pleased. I'd figured him out. It was the form changing. He looked like me. That said something about him, whether he wanted it or not. I wasn't sure why he'd fixated on me, whether he hated me, was jealous of me, or just wanted to prove he was better than me, but he had SOME attachment.


"You ARE smarter than I gave you credit for," he gloated. "But then, I suppose that's not a high bar. How do I know you aren't planning some betrayal? That this isn't a ploy to buy time for your parents to arrive?"


"To what end?" I asked bitterly. "You're at S-rank now. You'd crush them. I didn't reunite my family just to watch them die. Not to mention I'm standing right in front of you. If an S-ranker wants me dead, what the hell can I even do to stop it? I'm completely at your mercy. All I can do is plead for my life." I let my head fall, projecting the image of a broken man.


He laughed coldly. "How pathetic. Shane Wyndham, the Wish Devil's Son, debasing himself for his enemy. I suppose you would be an amusing pet, if nothing else. But you're forgetting something. Your wife. I know what she is, and I don't believe you'd sacrifice her. Actually, where is sh-"


"She's part of the deal," I cut him off, my head jerking up. "Nonnegotiable. You need to protect her. And honestly, why wouldn't you? Your predecessor, the previous Void God, was cast down by her father. To have the only daughter of the Heretic God on your leash…could you imagine the status? Not to mention that to grow you need to consume other Void Children. Or your patron does anyway. What better weapon to wield against your own than a predator custom made to destroy them? You would be feared throughout the Void."


His expression became pensive. "That…is an interesting proposition. I confess, my patron seems a bit too cavalier about her death. But using her for our own ends." He grinned mockingly at me. "And she's such a lovely thing, too. Perhaps she'd like this face I've adopted."


My blood caught fire. Rage kindled behind my eyes and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to expose us right there. But I held out. I couldn't let it go though. Nothing in me would allow that. "Don't get ahead of yourself," I snapped. "You're not the only one down here. And even you need underlings. I don't believe you can afford to lose all those A-rankers. Afford to lose that dragon. The longer you draw this out the worse your position. It's in your best interest to bring us under control and turn this particular weakness into an asset."


I saw a flash of anger in his eyes, but he smoothed it over nearly seamlessly. "Of course," he soothed. "I was just testing your limits. I have no need of a spineless servant. Good to see you've got some guts even if you're smart enough to see which way the wind is blowing."


Lie. I could smell it on him. He was enraged. But he'd decided to play along, probably to "betray" me at the last second so he could gloat. He'd never get the chance. My eyes focused past him, to where my wife had reached a sort of cascading nexus of glowing lines that I was only able to see through our bond. Lines of dark Void energy connected to all the anchors in this chamber.


Sadly. That glance was all he needed. His brow furrowed, and I could tell he was about to look for whatever had caught my attention. I didn't even think. I triggered Double Trouble, and then flexed my will, shattering the token to surround Callie and I with a defensive shield as I dropped Murmur, since it wouldn't really matter now that he was actively searching anyway.


In the distance, I could feel the rumbles getting closer. My parents were coming, and I wasn't sure if I should be more afraid or relieved. Could they do anything to him now? Could they help us?


"SNEAKY BITCH!" he roared, hands coming up. His fingers spread, and the world CRACKED as black mist shattered the space in front of us, sending cones of rippling Void infused force right at us…which hit the barrier and did nothing.


Single use. I knew what that meant. I would get one try with it. But I had been studying up on tokens like this in my spare time for a while now, and single use did NOT mean single attack. This shield could block a blow from a literal god. Granted, not very well, because it was designed for emergency defense. But Wise wasn't a god. He wasn't even a proper S-ranker, and his attack only managed to vaguely disturb the screen of hazy reddish light that surrounded us.


Callie, who hadn't even looked up from her task, sent a wave of trust through the bond as she raised Gossamer. The black blade lit from the inside with a blue black fire, looking like nothing so much as a soap bubble. The gem at the hilt glowed brighter, and brighter. And I felt…something. Something else.


I remembered what Atlas had said. About Callie being an avatar. And the church that he'd created to house the blade. The temple. Wise screamed in incandescent RAGE. "Don't you dare! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!"


My wife didn't even hesitate. She swung her blade down like a headsman's axe, and the razor sharp edge bit right through the black misty chords, igniting them all with Heretic Fire, creating a web of blue black flame that strung the length of the mirrored chamber, sending the entire level into a dizzying explosion of flames and visual feedback. I heard a crackle, like an egg on a hot pan, and then another, and as I watched, the closest anchors began to explode light overloaded lightbulbs, the distortions above them snapping closed.


Wise screamed in fury, blurring forward to pound on the screen of red with black cloaked hands, eyes blazing that unearthly blue. "NO! NO NO NO! You can't do this! I'll butcher you! I'll turn you into fucking SHOES!"


The shield wavered, the red beginning to fade. My blood turned to ice. This was it. We'd fixed things. We'd saved the whole planet…and we were going to die. I wrapped my arms around my wife, resting my head on her shoulders as I turned her away from the enraged Void Vessel. "I'm sorry." I told her softly. "I'm sorry this is how it ends. I'm sorry this is where loving me brought you."


She reached up and yanked my mask off, pressing her lips to mine fiercely. "I'm not," she said stubbornly. "I'm proud. Being married to you has been the greatest adventure of my life. If I have to die, I'm glad it's with you. I love you Shane Wyndham. And don't you ever forget it."


Resting her head against my chest, she closed her eyes, and I smiled softly down at her as I bowed my head. I was ready. This wasn't how I'd planned things to go, but at least we'd saved my friends. I was sure Zeke and my parents could get them away from some jumped up Void Toady. He was barely an S-ranker. I had faith they could handle him. It was a shame I wouldn't get to see it.


I thought that was the end. As I heard the shield begin to finally give way, cracks spreading over the screen of light, though, I heard something else. A scream of incandescent rage so primal and terrifying that I felt it in my bones. "GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF MY SON!"


There was a blur, and a female form made of blazing white fire smashed into Wise at top speed, sending him careening across the chamber to smash into one of the mirrored walls. Give her credit, my mother didn't mistake him for me for even a second, her blazing white eyes shimmering with unrepressed wrath. Her hands were covered in a pair of mirrored gauntlets, and her torso had a mirrored cuirass across it. I saw my dad off in the distance, approaching with Zeke and Sebastian, Killian bringing up the rear.


Staring at them, I couldn't help what I did next. The relief, gratitude, and joy washed away every speck of terror, leaving me to collapse to my knees, still holding Callie. My head tipped back, and despite the still very real danger we were all in, I started to laugh. And I didn't stop.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

When Wise rose from the shattered remnants of the mirrored wall, his face was…wrong. Broken like the glass. The visage of me that he'd been using was cracked, and black mist leaked from inside of it. He snarled, his hands coming up to his face, trying to press the flaking shards back into position. It didn't work, and he finally gave up, tearing the worst offenders free and tossing them aside.


"That seeming was EXPENSIVE," he hissed at my mother. "Must your whole family be a constant thorn in my side?" He sneered at me. "When my lady told me that you were so troublesome, I thought she was exaggerating."


"Ok, do I KNOW you?" I demanded. "Why are you so fixated on me. Using my face, targeting me specifically? What the hell did I do to you?"


He snorted. "Not me, fool. My lady. You ruined her cult in the Screeching Shoals. Luckily you ALSO left a trace behind for her to harvest to create the seeming. It was laborious work, creating something that would withstand scrutiny and hold up under my advancement. But I suppose I have no need of it now."


I blanched at his words. They'd made this thing from TRACES I'd left in the dungeon? That fucking cult was just the gift that kept on giving. As if the nightmares weren't enough.


"You are a constant annoyance, you know that?" his voice was boiling with barely restrained hate. "First you ruin the shallowing we were trying to cultivate as one of the anchor points, then you steal the infinity crystals we were using to replace that project after word got out, and THEN you come down here and destroy my damned ritual! Can't you bastards just lay down and DIE?"


My mother stepped between us, making sure to be in his path as he prepared to lunge. He just sneered. "An A-ranker. You think you're capable of stopping me? I admit I was unprepared for your punch, but you're not a match for me. You'll die just as easily as he will. Being forced to watch me kill his mommy will serve as a fitting punishment I think." The others moved, preparing to back my mom up, but she held up a hand.


"Wait," she said coldly. "Not yet. Stay on alert, and you can cut in if it looks bad, but I don't need any help with trash like this. Not directly. Calliope, dearheart, might I borrow that gem from the pommel of your sword?"


Callie blinked at her in confusion, but looked down at the jewel. She reached down and gripped it, then pulled lightly, and it came loose more easily than it should have. Shrugging, she turned to my mom and tossed it. My mother caught the gem without looking, then held it up, staring through it to look at the darkening center with interest.


"A divine fragment," she said with interest. "I assumed he'd need one of these to construct a weapon like that for you. Thank you, dear, I'll return it in a moment. I just need to borrow it for a bit." She clenched her fist around it, closing her glowing white eyes, then with a deep breath, she shoved it into her chest. Her body ripples, the flames that made up her form began to waver, flowing towards her heart, and as they did, a blue black stain began to spread through the ivory flame. It rolled through her whole body, under the mirrored chest piece and gauntlets, until her entire body had gone from bright white to the blue black of heretic fire.


"Oh, that is lovely," she grinned coldly. "I can feel the extra power there. Not a trade I'd willingly make permanent, but I think this should do just fine to settle things." Her eyes flicked back to Wise. "Now, I believe you mentioned something about killing me in front of my son? Please, feel free to give it your best shot."


I'd never heard her sound so…enraged. Hateful. My mother was a warm and nurturing presence. Sometimes sad, or guilty, and I'd seen her mad a time or two, but she wasn't…dark. Vicious. She was one of the kindest people I knew.


Wise didn't seem to share that sentiment, he spat on the ground. "You think that scares me? That some heretic fire is enough to bridge the gap of a whole rank? I'm an S-RANKER, you ignorant-" there was a blur, and his head snapped back, smashing into the crater he'd already left in the wall.


My mom was standing over him, her mirrored knuckles shedding black mist. "First of all," she said harshly. "You're going to drop that insulting charade. I won't have you using my boy's face to spew your toxic nonsense."


Both her hands blurred, and there was a kind of…delayed ripple, and then the wall behind him cave in, a spiderweb of deep cracks running from behind him as she pummeled his head and chest into the mirrored stone (not glass oddly enough) too fast for my eyes to track. She stepped back, and he staggered up from the wall, more of the seeming flaking off. "That's not…how are you?" His eyes fixed on the gauntlets. "Is it those?"


Her eight gauntlet blurred as she backhanded him off his feet again. "I said stop it," she hissed. "Drop the mask before I slap that look right off your face."


He spat, crawling to his feet again, peeling the shattered remnants of my face off to leave nothing but a mass of Void taint covering a face I couldn't quite make out. My mom reached out and clamped a hand over his face, channeling the Heretic Fire through the gauntlet and into him as he screamed, the Void taint burning away to reveal…nobody. Nothing special. Just an average looking man I didn't know.


She threw him to the ground, straddled him, and then started to beat him across the face. Slow, steady punches, left, then right. His head cracked against the ground, and he reached up to paw at her, trying to get her off him, but he couldn't. The Void that gathered in his hands burned away on her body.


"You can't beat me," she said conversationally as she slowly pummeled him into the rock. "Because this power isn't yours. It comes from your master. I probably could have done this with just my flames of purification, honestly, but it wouldn't have been as hopeless."


She stopped hitting him, getting up to walk across the room to Callie. With a grunt, she shoved a hand into her chest, removing the stone, and handed it back to my wife. "Put it back in the hilt please." My wife did so, and then my mom held out her hand for the sword. Callie handed it over, looking unsure as to what was going on.


Walking over to me, she reached down and pressed the weapon into my hand. "This is yours to finish," she said kindly. "He almost killed you. Stole your face. You deserve to end it."


I glanced at Callie, who nodded solemnly, and I walked over to where Wise was lying, beaten to a pulp, on the ground. He was gurgling, blood foaming up between his lips as he looked at me with absolute loathing. "That won't kill me," he hissed. "I'm an S-ranker. You can't kill me."


I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you?" I ran my eyes over his body. "Because it seems to me that my mom just beat every ounce of Void out of your body. All I see now is a badly injured C-ranker with a superiority complex. It's just a shame that your patron benefited from all this. It got to S-rank off your hard work, and all you get out of it is a pathetic helpless death. Doesn't seem fair."


He snorted, dissolving into a coughing fit as he spat up blood. "Fair, that's rich coming from you. You and your disgusting family think you're the heroes. Protecting the universe from the Void. Newsflash. It's THEIR universe. Everything came from the Void, and everything will eventually return. You can't stop it. It's inevitable. This isn't a victory. I'm just a tool. A Vessel." He was grinning, and his eyes had started to glow again, flickering with Void light.


I didn't hesitate, I hefted Gossamer, infused it with Heretic Fire, and drove it down through his chest into the floor, spearing his heart. "Yes, that's very scary," I told him drolly. "Or it would have been, if you weren't choking to death on your own blood. Before you die though, I'm curious. What's the name of you Void Child? Who is the monster that's using you to try to claim the throne of the Void god after all these years."


He shook his head, baring his bloody teeth at me with a wet, sickening giggle. "No one special, really. She's not someone you'd have heard of. In fact, she wasn't even always a Void Child. She used to be human. She served under the last Void god, and he rewarded her service by remaking her in his image. Her name is Morwenna."


My eyes widened, because I knew that name. "Wait, don't-" but it was too late. His head flopped back, the last gasp of breath rattling from his lips. I cursed, pulling the sword out, and if it hadn't been Callie's soul weapon I'd have thrown the damned thing.


She stepped up next to me, and I handed it back. It vanished into her soul, and she took my hand in hers. "It'll be fine." She said softly.


"But you heard him, his patron is-" she cut me off, a finger to my lips. "I know. I heard. I think that's why he interfered so much this time. I've been trying to get in contact with him for the last few minutes, but I guess it doesn't work that way. I represent him, but I don't get to speak with him whenever I want. I'm honestly just glad he let your mom channel his power through the gem."


I sighed. "I think it worked because the purification flame is an ingredient in the Heretic Fire. We used it to make your trait, too, so he had a connection."


"This is all fascinating," Zeke said as he approached, dragging a wounded leg behind him. "But some of us want to get the hell out of here, kid. So scoop up your bounty and have the rest of these rookies carry up anything they can find, because these bodies are going to be worth a pretty penny point wise, if we have anything to say about it."


I laughed at that. I couldn't help it. The thought that this, all of this, had just been a GAME. That the succession war was a contest we'd been doing for POINTS. After all the horror and bloodshed and fear of the last hour. It was laughable.


Reaching down, I stashed Wise in my ring. He was dead now, so the body went in easily. Then I turned and started making my way back to the staircase. My mom fell into step beside me, silent and supportive, and I reached over to pull her into a tight side hug. My sister joined in on the other side, and we all walked out of there together, her arm around each of us.


It was…over. I mean, there might be a few more trials or whatever, but I was confident all this had netted me enough points that I should be able to maintain a solid lead. I was going to win this. I was going to be the Wishmaster.


And that felt…empty. After all this pain and sacrifice. It felt like it meant nothing. But I knew that wasn't true. Because after my honeymoon (and you could bet your ass I was taking one now), I could begin. I could start the work of fixing my family, whether they liked it or not. And once I got started on that, I just had to convince some of the vanished gods to join up and help us repel the Void invasion. Piece of cake, right?

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Making it back up to the surface was exhausting, but not in the one you would expect. The slow, plodding rise out of the depths of perdition should probably have been grating. A pool of dread filling my stomach as I inched closer to the surface and the results of the competition (which wasn't over, granted, but I was probably far enough ahead not to have to worry about much). But that was kind of the opposite of how it felt.


It felt like…liberation. Each step brought me further from the things that happened, lightened my burdens and lifted the weight from my shoulders. But once that was gone I felt…untethered.


My body felt like it was going to float away, like I was drifting into an endless void (lowercase V) from which I would never return. All the weight that had been pinning my in place was gone, and now I was just…empty. And tired. I'd been carrying so much for so long, now that it was gone, I didn't remember what it felt like not to be overburdened. My muscles aches without the strain, like I was still clenching for an impact that would never come, and starting to cramp from the effort.


"You need to calm down," came a wry voice to one side. I blinked, turning to see my wife grinning at me fondly. "This is my least favorite side of you, you know? The introspective, maudlin version that shows up when you're bored."


I huffed in outrage. "Bo- I am not BORED. I'm just processing my newfound freedom and its implications."


"You're bored," she said bluntly. "You're addicted to running from crisis to crisis and now that there isn't one you don't know what to do with yourself. Staring dramatically off into the middle distance and bemoaning the cursed weight of your colossal destiny doesn't change the fact that you're spinning out worrying about what you'll do with yourself now that all this is over."


I…frowned. Maturely. It wasn't a pout, even if I could see Callie trying hard not to call it one. "Can I have like five minutes to feel sorry for myself inside my own head, woman?"


"Nope," she chirped, popping up her toes to kiss my cheek. "You don't have to feel bad by yourself. We're in this together. And that means I'm here for you when you feel down. I'd do almost anything for you, Shane, but I won't let the man I love suffer for his own stubbornness. Any more than you would let me do the same. Or am I wrong?"


"No one likes a know it all," I said petulantly. But I still wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against me. She was warm and soft and made me feel…supported. "Speaking of knowing it all, I'd be shocked if this whole mess doesn't push you to C-rank. Are you excited? It's quite a shift. Especially for you, seems like trait holders always get a more dramatic upgrade when ranking up."


She grinned. "I have to admit, it does seem like it'll be pretty cool. The last month or two has been…wild. I'm almost looking forward to things settling down after my rank up. There's only so many crazy evolutions I can handle."


"Speak for yourself," I snickered. "If I win this succession war, I'm on the fast track for a hell of a renown boost. You'll probably be riding the gravy train right alongside me too. People won't just be talking about the Wishmaster, they'll be talking about his gorgeous godslaying angel wife. It might not be crazy upgrades or divine evolutions, but we're definitely going to be on the fast track."


Although, given the huge difference in the amount of stats needed between reaching C and reaching B, we probably wouldn't be ranking up THAT much faster.


"More importantly though…are you sure that THAT was a good idea?" she pointed down the stairs to the back of our group, where I saw Benny and Celine riding on the back of a colossal black entity. Specifically, a fucking DRAGON.


I shrugged. "Sebastian said it's fine. He managed to resuscitate it after it died, and Killian stitched its soul to Benny's. Between my mom and you, the Void is purified from it. It's still an undead dragon, but…well I have a feeling it's going to be a BIG help to Benny. Besides, he was falling behind. Getting a boost will be helpful to him. Though I do feel bad for him about the name. It seems unfair that Bethy decided to name it before he had a chance, but it just kind of stuck."


"I don't know," Callie hummed. "I think Toast is a cute name for a dragon."


I snickered at the mention of the title of my best friend's new…companion? Pet? I wasn't sure how their bond worked, honestly. Benny's whole ability set worked oddly, and Killian and Sebastian knew much more about it than I did. Still, I WAS happy for him. I was betting he'd hit C-rank in no time with an ACTUAL dragon at his back.


When we finally reached the surface, we split up. I went home with Zeke and mom while my dad headed off to turn in evidence of our bounties and try his best to maximize my point totals.


It felt almost anticlimactic, in a way. But I knew it was anything but. There had been so many things that had needed to go right for this to turn out as anything but a tragedy. I was so lucky I hadn't used that damned token before now, honestly. I couldn't imagine how bad things might have gone if I hadn't had it.


We all settled in for a nice dinner once we reached my folks place, enjoying the company and decompressing until finally, my dad slipped in and dropped into a chair near me, right next to where mom was sitting. "So, I haggled for quite a while. And I managed to talk them into counting Wise as an S-rank threat. That's a thousand points on its own, and with the others all added up, we managed to net you a cool three thousand. Your final total is four, and that puts you firmly in the lead and unlikely to lose the top spot."


I grinned. "So…I won?"


"It's not a done deal yet," he cautioned. "But given what you did for the Palace by saving this whole planet, its unlikely the council will pull anything too overtly underhanded. You won. And not JUST that, you have more than enough points to bring all of your local recruits out, and even grab some more. If I were you, I'd start thinking about what else you'd like to do with them."


I blinked at him. "Wait…what? What do you mean? They're for freeing locals, right?"


He snorted. "Shane. This is the Wish Curse Palace. Points are CURRENCY. Like yes, you can obviously use them to free captives and expand your forces, but that's not ALL they do. You can use them to access the WCP treasury, the Wyndham Vaults, you can even request a wish from one of the higher ups paid in points. You could get a personal wish from the old man."


I blinked at that. It was…wow. A lot. I mean, I was sure I wouldn't have a TON of points left over. I had a lot of recruits. I didn't know the point values for freeing them, but twenty five hundred people wouldn't be cheap.


But past that…what did I want? Gear? Power? None of that sounded particularly useful to me. I had my soul weapon, my new set of armor, and I'd just ranked up. I didn't need legendary items of special skills. I was about to be the Wishmaster, I could get all that on my own. "Can I…keep them?" I asked slowly. "I assume even as the Wishmaster I can't just take anything I want."


"Of course not," he agreed. "Fair compensation is the cornerstone of the Wishmaster mythology. You have to pay for everything. Even as the boss. But yeah, you can hold onto them. Like I said, it's currency."


I chuckled. Of course nothing could be that simple. "Alright, then I'll hold onto as many as I can. But I do have one thing I want, as soon as possible."


I glanced down the table to where my cousin sat with Daysia, Alyssa, and Jessie. "Perit. Nat's bodyguard. I want a resurrection. She died because of Travis's bullshit, and she didn't deserve it. I want to bring her back."


The room went silent. Everyone turned to look at me. Nat was staring. "Shane…that's…I mean of course I want her back, but these points are a big deal. You heard what he said, you can get a wish from the original Wishmaster. I can bring Perit back on my own. I've been getting stronger, and I'll get there eventually. I appreciate the thought but-"


"Nope," I shut her down. "I already made the request. It's a done deal. And before you try to talk me out of it, remember who was the one who accidentally landed that killing blow. I know you don't blame Callie, but SHE does. I don't want my wife living with that guilt, I don't want my cousin living with that pain, and Perit deserves to come back as soon as possible, to get something close to the life she left behind. You can always resurrect her later, but if it takes too long, think of how much the world will have changed. How much she might lose. I'm the boss here, and you all need to get used to it. So this is my first decree."


Nat stared at me, hard. Her lip trembled, then her eyes glistened, and then she burst into tears and literally threw herself across the table to tackle me in a hug so intense I was pretty sure if she'd been C-rank my spine would have been permanently damaged.


She curled against me, sobbing into my armor, and I just let her. I could feel the tension draining out of her body, the year or so of built up stress and expectation and guilt. Nat had been furious that she hadn't been able to bring Perit back. Not at Callie or me, but at herself. SHe'd felt like a failure, and seeing my previously gregarious and snarky cousin turn into a ghost of herself under the weight of sins she hadn't really committed had broken my heart.


But I'd never forgotten. Not what I owed her, not what she was going through. I could never forget. Seeing her lose Perit had driven home how devastated I'd be if something had happened to Benny or Callie or Jessie. And it had been my fault. Because my wife may have struck the killing blow, but Travis had only managed it because of me.


That had been why I'd taken his betrayal so personally. He hadn't just hurt my friends and family. He'd made ME hurt them.


But he was dead, and gone, and now the last of his bad work would finally be put right. Perit would need help and support to readjust, but she hadn't been gone too long. She could get her life back. Could help Nat and Valk do the same. "You and Celine will be heading back to Stratholme with Valk and Perit." I told her as she pulled away for air. "Benny will be going with you." My best friend looked up at that, and I grinned. "That's right, you're going to need to work on some training with Toast. Get him integrated into your combat system."


He pouted at the name but otherwise didn't complain. I knew how much he missed Celine, spending time with her would be good for him. And speaking of which. I turned to the others, standing up to clink my glass with a fork. "Excuse me," I said, unnecessarily really, given they'd already been paying attention. "My first decree is, of course, Perit's return…my SECOND decree is that once I'm confirmed I'm officially taking a vacation. I owe my wife a honeymoon, and I intend to pay up." Honestly, the cheers of support felt almost as good as that adoring smile on Callie's face. Almost.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

It took a week for the competition to officially come to a close. The succession war wound down in the background, and I didn't do a single thing to participate. No alliance meeting, no trials, no recruiting. I had twenty five hundred people to free, and while most of them were D-rankers who would only cost a single point, we had a few hundred C-rankers and about a dozen B-rankers.


The only upside was that given our impressive showing saving the planet, a decent chunk of our people had decided to stay behind. Not Fade or his people, obviously, but some of the lower rankers, and not a small amount.


Regardless, that wasn't my problem, I left it up to Crell, no, MY week was spent doing one thing and one thing only. Deciding where to take my honeymoon. And even a week on, it wasn't going well. Even now, the night before the final announcement ceremony for the position of Wishmaster, I was engaged in a heated debate on the topic. Or at least, I was witnessing one.


"Look, this isn't even an argument," Benny snapped hotly at Abel. "Vertex has clouds made of ACTUAL candy, rivers of chocolate, and the fish can be eaten still swimming and are filled with caramel. It's a PARADISE!"


"It's a SUGAR coma," Abel sneered. "Shane and Callie are WARRIORS. They should go to Svagan. The hunting there is the best in the universe. There are boars there that can SMELL your greatest fear! And their meat tastes like its been smoked in hickory freshly butchered. That's so much better than some candy planet."


Bethy slammed her hands down on the table menacingly, looking as enraged as I'd ever seen her. "No! They need to go to Gatosia! It's a whole PLANET of cats! The cats can TALK! And they can sense your perfect kitty partner. Everyone leaves with an adorable kitten bound to them for life! It's the best place ever! I've been trying to go for YEARS, but the Vitalstorm Matriarch hates daddy a whole bunch and refuses to let him send me! I want a magic kitten damn it!"


"Bethy, you're supposed to at least PRETEND this is about Shane and Callie," my sister chuckled. "This their honeymoon, remember?"


Jessie rolled her eyes. "You're all wrong anyway. They should go to Rayvar. Every surface is so soft it feels like silk, and the air has naturally occurring relaxants blowing around on the breeze. It's literally the most peaceful place in existence."


"I say the Dorax Nebula," Nat said firmly, cutting in from where she was sitting with Valk on the other side of the room. Since she'd gotten news that we were bringing Perit back, she'd been more and more her old self. "You can walk crystal bridges through the void of space, overlooking the cataclysmic star cauldron of Asteria Seven as it gives birth to stellar spirits. It's supposed to be the most beautiful sight you've ever seen."


I glanced at Callie, raising an eyebrow. She just smirked at me. I almost groaned. I knew that look. She'd picked our destination already then. I didn't really care where we went as long as it was with her. She winked at me, and I rolled my eyes but said nothing. They WERE being kind of annoying, so I didn't think a little prank was out of order.


"Are they always like this?" Derran asked from across the table. My cousin had been availing himself of our hospitality every since the battle with Wise's forces, where his father Davis had been wounded. The A-ranker was on the road to recovery and wasn't badly injured, but we didn't have any healers who could affect someone at that level, so pretty much his only option was to wait and heal the regular way.


"Of course not," I reassured him. "Sometimes they're unreasonable."


Nat snorted. "Ignore him. He likes to play himself off as wise and sardonic. He thinks pithy comments make him sound worldly." She grinned teasingly at me. "At least he's predictable. You can always count on Shane to be sarcastic and quippy."


"Can you not NUTSHELL my personality to people who don't know me!" I said waspishly. "You're making me sound one dimensional. Don't make me come fight you." Despite the faux angry tone, I felt a surge of warmth in my gut. Nat hadn't really be willing to tease me like that since Perit died. I'd missed my patronizing pain of a cousin something fierce, even if I would never admit it.


"Natalie, don't pigeonhole your cousin. Shane, don't threaten to fight the D-rankers," Callie said with a sigh. "It's gauche." She looked away to prevent us from seeing her grin, and I took the chance to stick my tongue out at her. I wasn't wearing my mask, so when she jerked her head back to look at me I had to rearrange my face into an innocent expression, then returned her earlier wink. Before I could comment though, a loud voice cleared its throat on the other side of the room. I looked up to find Roland standing at the entrance, looking solemn.


I stood, walking over to shake his hand. "Hey, cousin," I said warmly. "Good to see you. What brings you around these parts?"


"You haven't been attending the trials," he said solemnly.


I shrugged. "Family time. But I think I did alright for myself during this whole thing. The succession war is over as of today though, right? Tomorrow is the ceremony to announce the winner. Unless you're planning to rope me into some night before trial?"


"Not necessary," he smiled. "I've been dispatched by the family to be the bearer of good news. Well, good for you. It's pretty bad news for everyone else. They sent me because they were a little worried if they sent one of the A-rankers or another B-ranker they might attack you and get murdered by your guards."


I froze. Because I knew what that meant. Why they would dispatch him to come see me. It had happened. I had won.


It wasn't…a surprise, really. Like I had known I would probably win. But at the same time, I hadn't KNOWN. This was the sum total of the result of all my efforts for the last two years, all bearing fruit. I had done it. I was going to be the Wishmaster. Knowing in the abstract didn't compare to being told in no uncertain terms that it was coming.


"Wh-why would they need to do that?" I asked hoarsely. Everyone shut up with their bickering, turning to stare in rapt fascination. I ignored them, my eyes locked on Roland's face, the edges of my eyesight darkening like I was getting tunnel vision.


I followed the shape of his lips as he spoke more than hearing him, given the rushing in my ears, but I still understood every word. "Shane Wyndham. By order of the Elder's Council, under the authority of the current Wishmaster, Aiden Wyndham, and on your own recognizance as the officially selected heir to the Wish Curse Palace, your presence is requested at a ceremony tomorrow to announce your ascension to the position of Wishmaster, should you accept such a responsibility."


I stared at him, brain blank, mouth open. It was…over? Or not over. But that had been it. What I'd been waiting for. Callie stepped up next to me, snagging my hand and bumping up against my side to jar me into rational thought. "He does agree, and we'll see you tomorrow," she said graciously. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"


"Thank you," he said with a smile. "But no. I have my own celebration to attend. Those of us who chose to throw our lot in with Shane have benefitted greatly from this whole debacle."


I raised a brow at that. "I mean…how? Because I didn't pay you or anything."


"The selection for Wishmaster is a complicated and many layered affair," he chuckled. "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."


I blinked at him in disbelief. "Did you…did you BET on me becoming the Wishmaster?"


"Nothing so overt," he said with amusement. "But we positioned several of our interests in such a way as to benefit from your selection. Business interests changed hands, financial assets were traded, even a few planets had their leadership restructured. And that's just us. Several of the branch heads benefited even more."


"But they HATED me," I protested. "They were actively trying to prevent me from taking power! How the hell were the in a position to benefit?"


He shrugged. "They're old, and very sneaky. The majority of the upper seven members of the council almost always position themselves to benefit from either outcome of any given situation. There's a reason they've still held onto so much power despite Aiden's near total dominance. If you want a bit of advice from a loyal future subject, it's this: politicians don't worry about how to win. They worry about how not to lose."


Grinning, he clapped me on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself, cousin. And good luck on the new position. I don't envy you at all."


I watched him leave, frowning in annoyance. "Godsdamned Wyndhams always needing to get the last word," I grumbled as I turned to pull my wife back over to the table so we could drop into our chairs. Everyone was staring. I sighed. "Oh come on, I get why I'm freaking out, but you all knew this was coming. You don't have to be weird about it."


"I mean, it's a big deal," Benny pointed out. "I mean, you're about to become one of the most powerful people in the universe."


"No," I said firmly. "I'm about to take up a mainly ceremonial position balanced by a whole council of S-rankers. Like, yes, I'm going to be VERY famous, but that doesn't mean I'll have any real say until I get stronger. Like yes, it's a big deal, but I still have a LONG way to go." I'd been reminding myself of that for a while so I didn't feel so unmoored, but now that my ascension to Wishmaster was confirmed, all that comforting weight I'd been trying to pile on felt like it was crushing the life out of me. I wished my damned brain would make up its mind.


Changing the WCP, approaching the Vanished Gods about the alliance, negotiating some kind of peace, helping fight off the Void invasion, the list went on. And I KNEW the Void invasion would fall on me. Even without my new job and all the responsibility that came with it, my connection to Callie would suck me into this. I refused to leave her to fend for herself against the Void, which meant I was going to have to fight. They hated what she was too much to ignore her.


Oddly though, that thought settled me. Not her being in danger, that had me terrified, but the thought that we'd be in this together. All of it. Other Wishmasters might have been solo acts, but Callie and I were soulmates. She'd always be on my side, there to help me handle whatever came my way, no matter how big it was.


I squeezed her hand, smiling warmly at her, and then turned back to our friends. "Now, no need to keep gaping. I believe you were all suggesting possible honeymoon destinations? We still haven't picked yet." Almost immediately, they turned on each other, and I had to smother my smile as they argued endlessly over possible vacation spots. Callie was trying not to dissolve into giggles at the sight, and I winked at her like I had earlier. I had to wonder though, where had she picked for us to go? I kind of hoped it wasn't the star bridges. That sounded like a chore. Oh well, I supposed I'd just have to trust her. It wouldn't be hard.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Arranging Perit's resurrection took longer than expected. We had to arrange things with the body, wait for my points to be available, then wait until someone could be sent by the family to take care of everything, which given all my relatives who had been present had their OWN points to cash out, wasn't exactly quick and easy to arrange.


But we'd finally reached the point where we were ready to perform the resurrection, even if this one seemed…different than the last.


"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," I told my dad as we watched them lay Perit's perfectly preserved body out on a makeshift altar they'd cobbled together. "The fact that we can just….bring back the dead. You think they're going to do this for Kent?"


He shrugged. "Probably. But it's harder for people of higher rank. Your only experience with it is with people below the watershed, right?"


"Yeah, is it really that big a difference?" I glanced at Perit, who had died back at the ruined soul temple, or at least the connected academy. She was pre-watershed too, which seemed like it was a good thing at this point.


"It's…qualitatively different," he said slowly. "One point of Impact makes you an Ascendant, ten points makes you a REAL Ascendant, but it's not too big of a difference because of the values you're working with. But a hundred? You need to understand that the next watershed is GODHOOD. D-rankers have shed the initial stages of mortality and mounted the path to the divine."


I grimaced. "So Kent's resurrection will be WAY more expensive."


"Unimaginably," he agreed. "But not impossible. Any of the Branch Heads could do it. Some of the stronger A-rankers. And he was connected. It's just a matter of horse trading at that level. It might not happen quickly, but it'll get done."


"Well, thank you," I told him sincerely. "Not just from Nat, or even from Callie, but from me. Perit and I weren't close, but I was responsible for her. It means a lot, you arranging all this." I snorted. "If I'm going to be the Wishmaster I need to make sure that I use that power to help my friends." I thought about what my mother said about following my heart. "Power corrupts, after all."


He snorted derisively. "I hate that saying. Utter nonsense."


"Why am I not surprised to hear you say that?" I asked wryly. "But I'll bite. You really don't think power corrupts?"


"People mythologize power," he said bitterly. "It's not some toxic, corrosive force that seeps into you and wears away at your humanity. In fact, humanity is probably the main problem for most people."


I raised an eyebrow at that. "How do you mean?" I'd expected some off the cuff answer about strength and imposing your will on the world, but this sounded more…reasoned. I was intrigued.


"Power, at its core, is just choice," he said with a shrug. "Humans, even Ascendants, are weak creatures at heart. When given an easy path, they tend to take it. So when they're offered choices, they inevitably pick the path of least resistance. But no one wants to admit that they're weak of will. So they put in the groundwork. Power corrupts. It's poison. That way when they get some and they're tempted to do the wrong thing, they can point to the power they gained and say, 'see, I told you'. That way it isn't their fault. They weren't weak, the power made them do it."


I frowned at that. "I mean…I can see how you get there. But don't you think that choices are kind of…weighted? People with more power get MORE choices, yeah, but they also get more IMPORTANT choices. People don't choose in a vacuum. And if I have more power, my choices take precedence over yours. It's easy for me to assume that makes ME more important than YOU."


"It does," he said simply. "Demonstrably so. But you're missing the forest for the trees. We're not talking about how power affects others. We're talking about how it influences the self. What I choose to do with my power isn't about anyone but me. I'm given choices, and the ones I pick show who I am. If someone else's choices push me into a specific situation, how I react to that situation is still on me. Power doesn't corrupt, Shane. Power REVEALS."


I hummed at that. "That's more nuanced than I'd have expected from you. And more responsible."


"That's fair," he laughed. "From your perspective I'm probably a fairly irresponsible person. I won't try to change that impression. It's not my right. I did things that hurt you. I knew they would hurt you, and I did them anyway because I thought they were best. I made the choices that I thought would result in the best outcome for my family, and that revealed who I am. I'm reckless, and arrogant, and sometimes thoughtless."


Left unsaid was the fact that sometimes, I was all those things too. I appreciated him sparing my feelings, though I had long since grown out of the phase where I got defensive about people comparing us.


Nat and Valk were standing anxiously near the body, Nat's mother Allison waiting with them, a hand on her daughter's shoulder to steady her. Allison probably could have done the wish herself, to be fair, but she was heavily invested in the proceedings, given Nat's emotional tie to Perit. It would have messed with the payment too much.


The man they'd sent to oversee the wish was a tall, bald Wyndham with a hawkish nose and a thick mustache. He must have been ancient, because he looked about fifty, albeit an incredibly fit fifty. He was an A-ranker, and apparently a fairly powerful one.


"So who is he, by the way?" I gestured to the man as I glanced over to my father. "He seems important."


"Uncle Walter," he said nonchalantly. "And he IS important. He's my father's right hand. I assume dad sent him to oversee this event as a sign of favoritism, and to presumably build himself a bit of good will."


I chuckled. "Well, I can't say it isn't working." As we watched, Uncle Walter withdrew a small black stone and crushed it. The stone was a bindable stockpile where points from the succession war could be transferred or held, and destroying it signified that the point in that particular stone were null and void.


As he crushed it, I saw Nat mouth the words to her wish, and his eyes began to glow with the purple flickers of electricity I had come to expect from my family.


The last time we'd done this, it had been relatively simple. This time though, whether because of who was doing it or the relative strength of the target, things were…different. The purple electricity rolled over Uncle Walter, up and down his body, growing in intensity as it did so. Once it reached a crescendo, he caught it on his his hand and flung it skyward, a bolt leaving his fingers and piercing up into the sky.


Above us, the clouds began to darken ominously, the sky blackening to the pitch of night within an eye blink as sparks of purple electricity danced through the onyx clouds like electric eels slithering just beneath the surface of the blackest water.


The flickers danced around the edges of the clouds as the sky began to shake, thunder rumbling through the air as the power in the sky built and built. We all stood, transfixed, as the air began to crackle and sing with the suppressed power of the building charge. It got stronger and stronger, the field so dense it felt like it was crushing me, until, with a barely audible POP like a soap bubble collapsing, a PILLAR of purple lightning plummeted from above to smash into the prone body on the altar.


Perit's body jerked, her muscles seizing as the damage from her final wound closed up cleanly, the healthy glow returning to her skin as she sat bolt upright, eyes flying wide as she gasped in a desperate breath.


Nat was there in an instant, Valk beside her, hugging her friend and sobbing uncontrollably. Poor Perit just looked kind of confused, staring around her in complete astonishment. "Wh-whats going on?" she rasped. "Why are all these people here? Where is here? Why am I so THIRSTY?"


Valk appeared next to her like magic, holding up a cup of water. "Here, drink this! It's…you were…Perit you died."


She blinked at him for a moment. "Wow. That sucks."


"I…uh I figured you would have a harder time with the whole death thing, honestly," Nat said slowly. "I mean like, I'm glad you're doing ok. But you seem less fazed than I expected. I know resurrection is possible, but it IS rare. I figured we'd have to convince you."


"Well, I'm laying on an altar and my clothes are covered in blood," Perit said shakily. "So…I mean there's some evidence to back up your claim. Also your hair is shorter than the last time I saw you. And based on the pressure we're under I'm pretty sure this isn't the same planet, and both of you are apparently D-rankers now." She frowned up at the sky. "Actually, is space on fire? Because that doesn't seem right."


Nat patted her shoulder. "We've got some things to catch you up on. But before that…someone wants to talk to you." She glanced up and over towards where my wife had been waiting, silent and terrified. I'd wanted to stand with her, but she'd sent me away. She said she'd needed to do this alone. At Nat's glance, Callie slowly walked over to stand next to the altar, looking for all the world like she was waiting for Perit to attack her.


"Hello," Perit said in mild confusion. "You're Shane's girlfriend, right?"


"His wife," Callie said shakily. "We got married while you were…I mean. Yeah, that's me. I'm also the one who killed you."


The other woman frowned. "Well, I can't imagine you did it on purpose, or Nat wouldn't be standing her with you all nonchalant. I don't remember…well, anything really, but why don't you tell me what happened."


"Travis," my wife snarled. "I don't know if you remember him, but he betrayed us. Used translocation to swap himself with you when I attacked him."


Perit frowned. "I don't. Remember him, I mean. But it sounds like you didn't do anything wrong. I don't remember dying. Or being dead. How long was I gone exactly? Because YOU'RE C-rank and that seems like a lot."


"It's only been a year or two," Callie assured her. "We've just been through a lot of stuff."


"Yeah, I can see that." Perit's voice was dry, if a little shaky. "Did you at least get him after he got me killed?"


Nat grinned at her. "Shane did. Killed him a few months later. It was pretty brutal."


They dissolved into conversation, starting hesitant and they slowly picking up speed as the fear and uncertainty melted like snow in the warm summer sun. Nat and Valk being there to support her clearly helped, but Perit also just seemed like a surprisingly emotionally stable person. It was honestly impressive.


"Thank you again," I told my dad. "You're coming with us to the holy dominion right? No way mom lets us avoid family time, even if this is supposed to be my honeymoon."


For the first time, his crimson features twisted in something approximating wariness. "Yes," he said shortly. "I am. Though I don't know if I should. Your mothers brothers do NOT like me." I grinned at that, amused he could still worry about such human things. I hadn't heard much about my uncles, they were much older than my mom and were mostly off doing their own things, but after that revelation I was kind of excited to meet them. It would be amusing if nothing else.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

It was time to leave. Two days since the resurrection, one hundred and eight scrolls on hand, all my locals paid up and ready to head off…and I was going my own way. "You need to be careful with that dragon," I told Benny sternly. "I know Sebastian is going to be helping you learn to work with it, but it's still a dangerous animal. You need to treat it with respect, and feed it, and take it for walks."


"It's undead, Shane, it doesn't eat. Or atrophy. Or care if it goes on walks." His voice was exasperated, but kind of hoarse, and I could tell this was going to be tough for him too. I leaned forward and pulled my friend into a tight hug.


"Just take care of yourself, idiot," I told him roughly. "Don't make Celine worry about you. She'd be super bummed if you got eaten by a zombie lizard."


He snorted. "First of all, Toast is NOT a zombie, that's an incredibly low class form of undead and even saying it is insulting. Second of all, you want ME to take care of myself? Anyone want to take bets on how many dead gods Shane is going to unearth on this trip? Because statistically the answer is 'more than zero'."


"Benicio Cortez," my wife said threateningly. "If you just jinxed my honeymoon I'm going to throw you off the tallest building I can find with an anchor tied to your boots."


He just shrugged. "Jinxes aren't real. You'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?"


"I will STAB you!" Callie hissed, manifesting Gossamer in one hand as she stepped towards my best friend menacingly.


"Kidding!" Benny squeaked. "I was kidding, please don't impale me on your giant demon weapon. I'm just a harmless little D-ranker." He darted behind Celine, who rolled her eyes, but we were all pretty relaxed. If Callie had ACTUALLY meant to hurt him he'd be hurt.


I grinned at the elf girl my friend was so crazy about, someone we'd known for years now and who I'd trusted to basically own a planet for me, and considered how far we'd come. From her betrayal back on Callus to her help on Stratholme, Celine had been with us through so much. "So, you excited to have him all to yourself? I think he's still in warranty if you're sick of him. Maybe return him for a nicer model."


She chuckled at that. "I would, I suspect, miss him." She gave my best friend a soft smile, the kind I recognized from the looks I got when Callie was feeling affectionate. "He's…special. He's always been there. Whenever I needed him. I'm sure you know what I mean."


"I do," I said without hesitation. "Take care of him for me, will you? He's got this stupid idea that he needs to catch up to me. I'm worried he'll overdo it." She nodded solemnly.


"I am RIGHT next to you," Benny protested. "Like, I can hear you both. This is super demeaning. Wait, Shane, where are you going? You can't just walk away while I'm still talking! You're such a dick!" He called that last one at me from a few feet away, and I had to work not to laugh as I strolled off.


Callie caught up with me, smiling wryly. "You could have said an actual goodbye, you know. You two don't have to be dysfunctional ALL the time."


"We function fine," I said with a shrug. "And this way is better. He would have been all sad if we'd just said a teary goodbye. Now he's annoyed and motivated. He won't get all weepy for another few hours, and by that point we'll be gone. It's just…I get the feeling I won't see him for a while. Not forever, obviously, but…for a while. Longer than the few months we're spending on the honeymoon."


She took my hand and squeezed, but didn't comment. My instincts could be complex, but they weren't often wrong. I just had to hope whatever the reason was, it wouldn't be something negative.


"You finish saying your goodbyes?" my mom asked as we approached my family. "My mother is taking us home in the Acheron, and the rest of your people will be heading for Stratholme on the Necromedes. Obviously, we've got a small party coming along, of course." She pointed to the crowd of people behind her.


Gabe, Holly, Serah, Fade, Alanna, and of course my sister. But more unusual than that was…"Bethy why are you coming on my honeymoon?"


"She's not," Chelsea said primly. "She's coming home with ME. Got a problem?"


I just laughed. "I mean, I don't, but is the holy dominion really ready for Bethany Lark? Give those poor people a chance."


Bethy stuck her tongue out at me. "I'm not going to do anything. I'm just going to check out the fashion shows. Seraph is the crown jewel of the universal fashion industry. They're doing things there with water vapors that are going to revolutionize the textile industry, and don't even get me STARTED on lightweave."


"My mistake," I said apologetically, holding up my hands. "Happy to have you aboard. And you two?" I hadn't seen the angel sisters in a while, so it was surprising to find them lined up with everyone else, after all, it wasn't like my sister needed guards.


Holly scoffed. "Your wife is an ARCHANGEL now," she said derisively. "The tower doesn't even have one of those. Our Tower Master is a Throne. So we're sticking to her until we can convince her to pay a visit. Plus we have so much we can teach her about how to use her powers. Magic bullshit soul weapon and magic fire aside, she doesn't know much about being an angel. We can help."


Serah nodded solemnly. "We'll make sure her competence soars."


"Right," I said with an eye roll. "Well if she doesn't care it's not really my business. Just don't bug her when she's trying to relax and we'll be all good. So…where is dad? Is he hiding from one of my uncles? Are they coming to pick us up?"


Mom snickered. "My oldest brother Samuel is coming. He was in the neighborhood and wants to meet his nephew."


"Uncle Sam is coming!" Chelsea squealed happily. "That's amazing! I haven't seen him in ages! Is he bringing Roxy?" Seeing my sister so excited about relatives left me feeling a little conflicted, but mostly just enthusiastic. They must be pretty great people for her to be this worked up.


My mom shook her head. "Roxanne is deployed as an attache to one of the legions the empire lent us. Samuel is coming by himself. He travels faster that way anyway."


"And dad is afraid of him?" I asked with amusement.


Zeke snorted. "Your father is not AFRAID of Samuel…he's terrified. Like a little baby. It's hilarious. I thought he was going to cry when Sasha told us." He threw back his head and laughed mercilessly…and loudly. I was sure my dad had heard that, and that Zeke had meant him to.


"I am NOT terrified," my father said as he stepped out from behind a nearby stone pillar. "I simply assumed that things would go smoother if I let Samuel calm down and greet his niece and nephew before he saw me. And possibly if we had a couple of human shields in the way when it finally happened. For SASHA'S sake, because I know she doesn't want her brother to get hurt."


"Ezekial, please don't TAUNT my husband when I'm trying to deescalate his meeting with my brother," my mom said acidly. "Don't forget I'm asking my mother to take Stacy on for training. I don't expect gratitude, but baseline civility would be nice."


Zeke was about to respond when he was cut off by a booming voice. "BABY SISTER!" Bellowed a person so LOUD that the wall of sound from his shout pushed my BOOTS a couple of inches. Then there was an explosion of air pressure hitting me in the face and my mother was being picked up and squeezed in a spine cracking hug that I was worried might snap her back in two.


The man holding her was…big. Like…absurdly big. Seven feet tall, long flowing blonde hair like a lion's mane, well groomed blonde beard and bright blue eyes. He had a wide smile on his face that seemed like it belonged there, and he was already setting mom down and turning to beam at Chelsea before any of us had time to relax. "And my favorite niece! Don't tell Lara or Sonya, they'll go crying to my brother and I don't want to listen to Eric bitch."


Chelsea giggled, wrapping him in a warm hug. "Your secret is safe with me, Uncle Sam."


He pulled away, then rounded on me, his grin wide and welcoming. "And THIS must be Shane. Look at the size of you, boy! That's how I know you're an Anders. None of those tiny little Wyndham noodle arms here. And that ARMOR. That's suit's a real beauty! Come here!" He pulled ME into a hug next, and I just kind of…stood there. He laughed, then stepped away, still patting my back hard enough that I had to bend my knees not to fall over.


But his jovial mood vanished in an instant when his eyes settled on my dad. "Elijah," he said coldly. He walked towards him slowly, his steps measured, and I think we were all waiting for him to attack. Instead, he held out a hand. My dad looked at it like a venomous snake, but eventually reached out to take it and-


I didn't see what happened next. It was too fast. But because of the aftermath and the distortion in the air, I was vaguely able to reconstruct the probable events. Step one, Sam grabs dads hand. Step two, Sam pulls dad forward. Step three, Sam slams his forehead into dads nose so hard it breaks spewing blood everywhere. There was no step four. My dad stumbled back, nose gushing like a fountain, and my mom whirled on her brother in a rage. "Samuel Aloysius Anders!" She hissed. "What was THAT for?"


"That was for making you cry," he said bluntly. "I told him if he ever did that I'd break his face. Cause. Effect. We're good now. Right Eli?"


Grunting in annoyance, my dad nodded. "It's fine, love," he assured my mom. "He's not wrong. He DID warn me. Admittedly I kind of assumed he meant it in a traditional, rhetorical sense. But I can't say I wasn't told in advance. You have an unusually hard head, Samuel."


"If you idiots are done," called a voice from behind us. I turned to find my grandmother looking none too pleased, and I noticed Uncle Sam duck his head to avoid eye contact. "We really should be on our way. It's a month to Seraph, even with the Acheron, and I want to make good time."


Uncle Sam hunched his shoulders. "Sorry mama," he muttered. Then walked past her towards the ship. Celia just rolled her eyes at him. I did note that when he passed my grandfather, Nicholas gave him a pleased nod, then quickly looked away when his wife turned to glare at him. I couldn't say I wasn't amused my self. I'd been planning something similar when I saw him again the first time, after all. Must run in the family.


Callie didn't seem too upset either as she folded my arm around hers and followed me into the ship, the others taking up a steady pace behind us. My mom, meanwhile, fussed over my dad despite his insistence that it was fine, and weirdly, despite all the chaos and nonsense, I couldn't help but smile. This…this was what family felt like. And I kind of loved it. I had a feeling this trip back to mom's homeworld was going to be a fun one.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Time. The more of it that I endured, the faster it seemed to flow. A day. A month. Six. The trip to Seraph (the capital planet of the Holy Dominion) only took a month in the Acheron. The other five went by in a blur of revelry, meetings, and general contentment. Meeting relatives, bonding with my sister, spending time with my wife and parents. I felt…whole. Normal.


Paradoxically, the time following my ascension to Wishmaster status (or partial ascension given my lack of coronation) was the first time since I became an Ascendant that I really felt like a regular person. A husband. A son. A brother. It was the best six months of my life.


But all good things must end. So when I woke up a few days before our scheduled departure and considered how things would be changing, all I could do was sigh.


"Credit for your thoughts," came the amused voice of my wife. I was lying on my back, hands behind my head as I stared up at the ceiling, but I turned as she spoke, taking in the beautiful sight of her smile as she laid with her head propped up on a pillow, staring at me with a sort of soft fascination that never ceased to amaze me.


I leaned forward impulsively to give her a quick peck on the lips. "Just sad to go. This has been…amazing. And the idea of giving it up to go play shepherd to the political equivalent of a bunch of drunk mutant cats with rabies seems…suboptimal."


"Well anything sounds bad when you put it like that," she said lightly. "But don't think of it as giving anything up. We were overdue for some downtime, but let's be honest, you're addicted to danger. You'd have started climbing the walls after a few more weeks. I think we pretty much hit the sweet spot on this vacation."


I grinned sheepishly. "Well…maybe. But I'll miss the family at least."


Meeting everyone had been…overwhelming. Uncle Sam, despite being the most boisterous, had hardly been the only welcoming member of the family. My Uncle Eric and his two daughters, Lara and Sonya, had been here to greet me when I arrived. My Uncle Raph and his son Ben were over the first night for family dinner. My uncle Daniel and his wife Constance had been excited to meet me, they had no kids of their own but had helped raise Chelsea and considered her as the next best thing to their own daughter.


Within the first day, I was buried in new relatives, family friends, and excited neighbors who were dying to meet me, not because I was the Wishmaster but because I was Sasha's son.


Which was another thing that took getting used to. My mother was BELOVED on Seraph. Gabe's reaction when he heard her name back in the Moonsong Glade was not at all unusual in terms of responses to her. Sasha the Star Queen was the most popular Saintess in the Church of the Red Revenant, and she was considered to be basically the great hope of the A-rankers, almost guaranteed to reach Pope.


It was honestly sort of disorienting, because whenever I met anyone, their first response was to fawn over my mother, who would inevitably parade my sister, father, wife, and I around like show ponies, loudly announcing how proud she was of us and how amazing we are. This led to a sort of ass kissing feedback loop, where people would gush over us to make her happy, which WOULD make her happy, so SHE would gush over us more, and they would assume she wanted more enthusiasm and then respond accordingly.


Frankly, it was deeply exhausting, but we'd gotten used to it quick, and after a month or two, people had stopped getting quite so starstruck and started to treat us like normal human beings again.


"Are you nervous by the way?" I asked her cautiously. "You've been putting off the meeting at the tower for our whole visit. I was surprised you agreed to meet them at all."


She blew out a frustrated breath, puffing a strand of blue black hair out of her face. "I kind of had to. Holly and Serah are friends. It means so much to them, and it's not like your mom will let them DO anything to me even if they wanted to."


"They'd have to get in line before she even got to them," I laughed. "You're more popular with my relatives than I am. You should hear my Aunts go on about you. 'Calliope is so beautiful, so graceful, so strong, Shane you're so lucky to have married such an exceptional woman'. Between that and my grandmother being your master, you have your own dedicated fanclub. If I couldn't literally FEEL how much you love me I might be jealous, you're almost a local celebrity."


She snorted derisively. "I think we both know who the real celebrity is. Speaking of which, did you know Bethy could SING? Because I did not see that coming."


Because despite trying her hand at being a designer for a while and achieving some pretty substantial success, Bethy had apparently decided that her newest passion was musical performance. Bethy was currently the darling of Seraph, the most famous performer on the planet, and her concerts were packed wall to wall every time she performed. She was actually really good.


"I mean, nothing she does surprises me anymore," I admitted. "Though I do think the whole persona is a little silly. Princess Nightmask is, quite frankly ridiculous. That mask doesn't even HIDE her identity. It's just a fancy ballroom domino mask."


"Hon', I think maybe we don't get to throw stones about pointless theatricality and masks," my wife said with a snicker. "Besides, you should be happy for her. It helped her hit C-rank pretty fast, didn't it? Honestly she's probably further in than us at this point. It's definitely creative. Plus have you heard her music?"


I frowned. "Yes," I admitted. "Dark Beast is stupidly catchy. Though it does NOT sound like a song called Dark Beast. She picks the most edgy names and her songs are all so upbeat."


Of course, I wouldn't say that to her. I was incredibly supportive of Bethy's music. Both to her face and privately, I just tended to grump first thing in the morning, especially when I was feeling morbid. She'd done a lot with her natural talent and presence since coming here, and it was kind of awe inspiring to see what my 'bestie' was capable of even without her dad's influence.


Sitting up, I groaned and stretched. "We should get up," I complained as I slipped out of bed and into a pair of pants. "What time did you promise to be at the tower? I want to make us breakfast if we have time."


Of course, Callie shot out of bed with a happy squeal. "Fritatas!" she cheered. I grinned, rolling my eyes as I turned to head for the kitchen. "Use the spicy sausage please!" she called eagerly. "I'm in the mood for something with kick!" I just laughed making my way to the kitchen of the small wing of the manor my mom lived in on Seraph.


Which had also taken getting used to. My mom lived in a MANOR with WINGS. Wings that had their own self contained living spaces. And this was just one of like…a hundred. The manor was absolutely huge, and that was WITHOUT spatial expansion.


As I stopped in the kitchen and flipped on the stove, I heard a loud knock at the door separating us from the rest of the house. Snagging a shirt from my space ring, I headed to the door, pulling it open after dropping a pan on the open flame to heat up. To my complete lack of surprise, it was my sister and her two best friends. "Holly, Serah," I told them dryly. "You couldn't wait until she was ready?"


"We wanted to be supportive," Holly said cheerfully. "Make sure she was doing alright, wasn't too nervous, you know, friend stuff. On a completely unrelated note, is that the smell of a warming pan I catch on the air?"


"I should never have gotten my cooking skill up to Grandmaster," I complained as I turned to head back into the kitchen, leaving them to close the door. "I thought cooking lessons with mom's personal chef would be a blast, but now people just harass me to cook for them. I have feelings you know! I'm not just a chef's knife and a floppy hat."


Holly snorted. "More of a wet blanket I'd say."


"You get nothing," I told her primly as I turned to the others. "How about you girls? Want a frittata? I'm thinking of fresh squeezing some juice too. Do you guys look rezvalks?"


Holly reeled back in dumbstruck horror. "What? No! I was kidding! Please don't make me watch everyone else eat! I LOVE rezvalks!" I felt kind of bad because she looked ready to cry, and I waved her off quickly.


"Fine, fine, just calm down, I was kidding," I opened the fridge, sifting through it and pulling out a pair of fuzzy purple fruits, a local delicacy that looked like a mix of plums and kiwis and tasted like a blueberry mixed with a watermelon injected with pineapple juice (I literally had no other way to describe them, they were a unique experience). I reached into a drawer to pull out a plastic juicer, then started to crush them into a pitcher one at a time.


"I'm here!" Callie yelped as she stumbled into the room, hopping on one leg as she slid into her pants. She would have fallen but her wings spread to create drag, letting her skate gracefully across the tile and plop neatly into a chair across from me.


She blew her hair out of her face again (she insisted she needed it cut but refused to actually DO it), and looked around. "What did I miss?"


"Holly was being snarky and almost mocked herself out of breakfast," my sister snickered.


I dropped a pat of butter into the pan, grabbing a big container of eggs and cracking them all into a bowl as I turned to grin at my wife. "And we're having rezvalk juice with breakfast. Because I'm petty."


She grinned. "I love when you're petty. All my best meals come from that. Did he tell you we're having fritatas?"


"We're aware," said my sister dryly. "The eggs were a giveaway. Speaking of eggs, where is-" she was cut off by a delighted trill that echoed through the house as I cut open a packet of sausages. Snorting, I cut a chunk of sausage and tossed it into the air as a familiar green form darted through the air to snatch it up, then flew up to the top of the fridge to hoard it as he ate. "Archie," she finished wryly.


"He likes to go out for flights on his own," I shrugged. "We leave the windows open and he comes back when he feels like it. Everyone on the grounds knows him so it's safe enough."


I laughed as Holly and Serah lit up, trying to call him down to fuss over him. The angels ADORED Archie, something about their fiery nature complimented his well. Even Callie had become more affectionate with him after she became an Archangel.


It was just another reminder of the peaceful life we had here. I mixed the eggs and then added vegetables and meat, beginning the process of making the frittatas. As I considered what this morning was bringing, I thought about how comfortable I'd been here, how easy and convenient everything was…and then I realized Callie was probably right. Much more of this and I'd go stir crazy. I guess the timing really was ideal. She really did know me so well. I made a mental note to never admit to this out loud. A man needs to maintain some mystery.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

The Seraphim Tower was…big. Not intimidating, or imposing, exactly, just big. If anything the building was strangely comforting in its size. Like a big reliable bodyguard that loomed over the nearby area. It sat in the middle of a valley, surrounded by fluffy golden clouds, and the top of the tower exploded out above the skyline like a great beast rising from the sea.


We flew in to reach it, of course. Seraph, unlike many of our other destinations, was an A-rank planet. We COULD withstand the pressure, of course, but many of our lower ranked companions couldn't so we mainly stuck to safe areas where the Impact pressure was reduced, especially since those were the areas where the family stayed, given many of them had children who needed the consideration.


As we approached though, I was kind of blown away by the sheer majesty of the place. The Seraphim Tower wasn't what I expected. For one, it didn't seem like a tower at all. THe majority of the building was something like a modern skyscraper, a tall building with mirror reflective golden windows set into a white marble base.


The marble itself made up the bones of the building and flowed along it to the top, where it ended in a soaring white marble castle, built directly into the architecture of the tower itself.


You would expect the combination of a skyscraper and a castle to look discordant, but something about the cohesive design, the transition between the castle and the roof of the building, made it almost seamless.


We touched down on the parapets of the castle directly, and as soon as we arrived, Serah and Holly bolted from the shuttle in excitement.


As soon as their feet touched the building, I felt a sort of shudder in the air, a tremble in space itself as the white marble resonated with them. Their eyes lit with their respective fires, and the crystalline veins in the marble I hadn't even noticed flooded with angelic fire in response, as if the castle itself was celebrating their return.


To my surprise though, when Callie jumped down, there was another pulse, and blue black fire joined the gold and bronze. Making sure my own wings were out, I stepped down next, and sure enough, strands of black flowed among the crystal veins to join the other colors.


It felt…wonderful. Like I was home for the first time. The tower was resonating with the fire inside me in a way I'd never experienced, like my soul was singing a hymn of peace and joy in perfect harmony with the building. "Wow," I whispered as I felt the sensation from not just my own soul, but Callie's.


For her it was even deeper. The tower wasn't just harmonizing with Callie, it was singing counterpoint. Like she was taking charge of the song and it was content to support her with background vocals.


"This is…breathtaking," she exhaled softly. "I've never felt anything like this before."


"I should think not," chuckled a warm voice. There was a ripple in the air, and a man stepped from the space beside us. As he arrived, the tower pulsed again, and white fire joined the others inside the veins, twirling happily among the multicolored flames. "The Seraphim Tower is a unique artifact, after all."


We turned to take him in, and I was blown away by the sheer presence of the man. S-rank, from what I could tell, and strong. Maybe not like…Lark or my grandfather,but powerful. Behind him, two pairs of shining white wings sat folded against his back.


Serah and Holly bowed low. "Lord Isaac. It's an honor to have you meet us here."


"The sisters Hallah," he smiled happily. "It is a blessing to have you returned to us at last. I trust your journey was fruitful?"


Holly nodded quickly. "It was, my Lord."


"I'm glad," he chuckled. "Ariel has been all a tizzy since you left. She worries about you so. But when she heard you were bringing a wayward Archangel back with you for a visit…I don't think I've ever seen her so proud. You've brought great honor to your mother, young ones."


Holly, who I had never seen respond to almost anything with positive feedback, flushed and beamed at him. "Thank you, Lord Isaac. Callie, this is Isaac Nova, Tower Master of the Seraphim Tower, and the sole Throne in Dominion over the denizens of the tower. Our strongest A-ranker, and a close personal friend of your grandfather-in-law."


"Hi Grandpa Isaac," chirped Chelsea from behind us. "It's been a while."


He boomed out a laugh. "Chelsea, it's lovely to see you. I hear you've been off having adventures of your own. And this must be Shane. You definitely favor Elijah, but you've got that Anders height. Samuel must have been crowing about that." His eyes flicked to my wings. "Though I admit, I hadn't heard about this…development."


I shrugged. "It's not real. Just a form I can take. I based it off the racial trait from Holly and Serah, but it's nowhere near as complex."


"The Tower sings of your arrival," he said solemnly. "You are kin to us. Though admittedly, its harmony is drowned out by the choir of exultation it emits at the return our lost one. It has been many millennia since the tower shuddered at the presence of an Archangel."


"What exactly IS the tower?" I asked as he turned to lead us down into the castle. He hadn't asked us to follow, but we just kind of…knew we should.


We descended the stairs, and I saw several other angels off in the distance. None of them approached, all seeming to be almost afraid of Callie. "Originally? It was a cup. It belonged to the god who created the first Angel. After the foundation of our species, more deities began to use the trait. Angels were, for a time, the most sought after servants of the divine. Some were created right here, their inner flame lit with a spark from the cup, others were born, or created by their gods in our image."


His voice was strong and proud, and I could tell from his intensity that he was passionate about the subject. "Even after…well, that's not appropriate conversation for children. Suffice to say that after the number of gods dropped off, we maintained our vigil. To be taken in service to a deity or their retinue is the pinnacle of angelic achievement. I myself am your grandfather's emissary, and we've been on many adventures together."


Holly nodded. "It's why we traveled with Chelsea," she admitted. "We were sort of auditioning for a role as her emissary. No rule saying she can only have one, though it usually works that way."


"Wait…so the angelic bond isn't just something Callie and I have?" I asked in shock. The angelic bond was what the connection between our souls had become after she'd become an Angel. I explained a brief version of the process, and the Throne nodded.


"That's more…intimate than most of them," he said carefully. "I've heard of bonded with relationships like that, but it fell out of favor a long time ago. The bond is usually more transactional than romantic. An angel draws strength from their patron to act as their shield, their voice, or any number of other functions. Though of course the bond can be used in reverse."


We continued down a winding marble staircase, finally coming to a stop in a large chamber, at the center of which sat a brazier blazing with the most confusing, chaotic, random flame I'd ever seen in my life.


Blue, red, orange, black, white, every color, shade, consistency, luminosity, and any other possible attribute of flame danced inside the brazier.


"Behold the heart of the Seraphim Tower," he said with unshakable pride. "The flames of eternity. The original spark that lit the flame of the first angle, kindled with a flicker of angelic fire from every angel to have ever passed through the tower's halls. The ancestral fire of our people. It's why I've asked you to come here today."


I felt…overwhelmed. Mezmerized. The fire was so complex, so varied, so awe inspiring, that I was having trouble keeping my brain from overloading and shutting down from overstimulation.


Callie took my hand, squeezing it tightly. "You want me to contribute my flame," she said quietly. "Why? What do you get out of it?" She sounded cautious, which I approved of. Holly and Serah didn't seem offended in the slightest either.


"I understand this must seem suspicious," Isaac said reassuringly. "But we simply wish to take your flame into our ranks. You see, when a new Angel is born within the tower, their inner flame is kindled with a spark from the flames of eternity. If you add your flicker, in the future, more angels may be born with your unique fire. It is a rare and precious chance to add new flames to the brazier, and we would be in your debt should you allow us to do so."


He smiled at me warmly. "And Shane, I would be honored if you would lend your own fire to our ranks as well. It feels quite potent. In return, the tower will accept you as members of our race. You will become true members of the Seraphim Tower, and we will treat you as our own kin. Should you have need of us in the future, you need only call, and we will be at your side."


That brought me up short. I was going to be the Wishmaster. Having access to such a powerful faction would be incredibly useful. I turned to Callie, silently telling her that she was the one who got to decide. I wouldn't force her to do this. Her flame belonged to her and her father, not to me. I couldn't make that call.


But to my shock, she didn't even hesitate. She flicked her fingers, manifesting a sphere of blue black flame, and then tossed it into the brazier.


There was a rumble beneath our feet and the flames exploded upwards, a column of multicolored fire erupting up the shaft of the spiral staircase and out through the top of the tower itself.


"Welcome, little sister," Isaac said formally as he bowed to her. "We are honored to hear your song join our choir."


Knowing it was my turn, I called for Sammael's black flame, tossing a spark into the brazier. I too felt the welcoming shudder, but it was much less dramatic. Isaac's greeting was more perfunctory for me, but I got it.


Then, he clapped his hands together. "Now, with that out of the way, how about we retire to Ariel's rooms for dinner. Holly and Serah's mother has been eagerly waiting to meet you all."


Seeing our friends perk up at that news was probably the most heartwarming thing that had happened here, and I couldn't help but smile as they practically ran down the hall towards the rooms we were supposed to be heading for.


As we walked, more and more Angels peeked out from hallways or behind columns. They were clearly interested in seeing more of us, and I couldn't blame them.


Callie though, she barely seemed to notice. My wife had this quiet confidence about her these days that I couldn't begin to match, and I adored it. I always felt at ease with her at my back. When we arrived at the rooms in question, a platinum haired woman who looked like Holly's older sister pulled the door open. "MY BABIES!" she wailed, pulling the girls into a bonecrushing hug.


I felt a flush of warmth through the bond from Callie, and I returned it, both of us happy for the girls. When she released them, she stepped back and smiled beatifically at us. "And you must be our guests. Please, come in. I'm so excited to get to know you!" She turned and beckoned us into her rooms, and once I entered, I couldn't help but be blown away by the smell of the food. Whatever this woman's cooking Skill was, it was even higher than mine. This was going to be a fantastic meal.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Dinner with Ariel was really nice. She was an extremely warm and welcoming person, and Holly and Serah both adored her. But despite that, throughout the entire meal, I couldn't help but notice Callie was…distant. I'd expected after contributing her flicker to the flames of eternity she'd be excited or energized. Instead she seemed mostly out of it. Isaac, once we finished eating, offered us a room at the tower, and we accepted, so after we finished eating we headed out for a tour, and spent the rest of the day ooh'ing and aah'ing over the various amazing angel amenities.


When we were finally ready to go to sleep, we headed down to our room, and once we were inside, I went ahead and triggered Murmur, boosted to B-rank by my staff. Once we were as secure as we could get, I turned to her with an expectant smile as I pulled off my mask.


She pouted at me. "What?"


"You seem off," I told her bluntly. "Ever since our meal with Ariel. Or rather, since we saw the flames of eternity."


Her face twisted into unhappiness. "It's not going to be enough," she finally said. "I mean, I've been excited about all the power. The weapon. The legacy. It's all pretty amazing. But it's all about the Void. During the war that'll be huge, but after? When we become gods I'm going to be totally pidgeonholed. You're so damned versatile and I'm this one trick pony. And it's not even my trick."


Walking over, I flopped down on the bed next to her. "Ok. So…fix it. You've got the tools to do anything you want. So, what is that? New move? New path? Hell you could build a new skill from the ground up. Want to wish for something as a baseline?"


"No," she said firmly. "I don't. I'm already…I have my path. I know where I'm going. I just…I need to do more with it."


I didn't speak. She seemed like she was onto something, and I didn't want to knock her off the scent. I knew that expression, that moment of inspiration that was slowly dawning. It was the same one I'd seen on her face back when we'd first left Callus, when she'd stared out into the Abyss and it had stared right back.


She held up her hand, and an orb of fire flickered to life. Blue black flames just like she always used. She stared into them, searching. Then she shook her head and closed her eyes, letting the fire go out.


I raised a brow, but knowing where she was going, I decided to follow. I wanted to see where this went.


Between one blink and the next, we were standing in her temple. It looked mostly the same. Big, empty, kind of dark. She strode past the pews, the stained glass, all the way up to the altar where her sword hung suspended. Gossamer. She grabbed it, then tossed it over onto a nearby bench as she raised both hands, conjuring a roaring bonfire of black and blue flame on the altar itself.


Walking over, I sat down at the nearest pew, looking on with interest as she circled the flame. "You have a plan here?" I asked casually. "Not to rush you, just kind of interested in where your head is at."


"I have a few," she said slowly. "My first idea is atavism. This flame used to be the flame of the void, right? Like he added to it to make the Heretic Fire. So what if I do…this," she turned and grabbed Gossamer, and then just started hacking away at the fire. It took me a second to figure out her objective, but I watched with interest as she tried to…I guess cut away the blue parts.


I was pretty sure that wasn't how atavism worked, but she was on the scent, so I just waited. Ten minutes. Twenty. She was standing in front of the fire, flickers of blue flame littering the ground, her face soaked with sweat.


"This isn't working," she said angrily. She slammed her blade into the ground, then stalked away, pacing unhappily. "Damn it. I need to think. I thought being in my soul space with the sword would let me brute force it. But I need to try something more…esoteric." She walked back to the altar, reached down, and picked up the bonfire.


It floated above her hands, molding into a sphere, and she carried it gingerly into the center of the church, then held it up above her head. Slowly, carefully, she pulled apart the hands cradling the flame, and as she did, it grew.


Or rather, it stretched. As she pulled her hands further apart, the orb got thinner and more diffuse, expanding until I could see through the space between the tongues of flame. When it reached its largest form (about the size of a small shuttle), she stopped and stared up at it. Then she condensed it back down.


She pushed smaller and smaller, until it was about the size of a pinpoint. Then slowly expanded it back out. Small, big, small, big, she kept expanding and contracting it, gathering speed as she did.


It took me a second to figure out what she was trying, but once I did I blinked in surprise. The fire wasn't…cohesive. I mean it was, but it was still distinct. The blue and black parts of the flame didn't MOVE the same. The faster she expanded and contracted it, the more the two flames began to become distinct. Blue fire, black fire, they were slowly separating…until finally she snapped out a hand and closed it around a spark of black, letting the whole thing go out around her.


Panting, she held up her palm, opening it up to reveal…a butterfly. A very small, very black butterfly made of onyx flame. She stared at it for a moment…then rolled her eyes and blew on it, letting it just go out like a candle.


She slumped down into the nearest seat. "What was that about?" I asked her gently. "You got it."


"It wasn't right," she said morosely. "Conversion rate was absurd, and it just felt…stilted. Hollow. It WAS the fire of the Void, but I realized I didn't want that."


I shrugged. "I mean, you have a research direction at least, right? You don't need to fix it today."


She shook her head. "You don't get it. I'm basically helpless right now. Against any normal person I've got nothing. I mean, my sword I guess, but that's just a weapon, and I still need more training. My work with Alanna and Fade has really slowed down. I need something new. Need to innovate. I didn't realize until I was forced to face the possibility of a bunch of angels just like me how…unprepared I am. How specialized. I haven't been this helpless since I first got my powers. At least with shadows…"


She froze. Her eyes, previously flickering with frustration and annoyance, narrowed. "Shadows," she said slowly, coming to her feet. "Shadows. Shadows on the wall. What kind of shadow does darkness cast?"


Hurrying back to the altar, she manifested the flame again, leaving it to flicker and dance. She snatched up the sword and…stabbed it into her feet.


I yelped, coming to my feet to stop her, but she ignored me. I forced myself to calm down, to trust her, as she slowly and methodically sawed at the ground around her shoes. One foot, then the other. Then, both of her hands cloaked in blue black fire, she leaned down and shoved them INTO the ground at her feet.


She pulled. And pulled. Her hands, which had sunk into the shadows, began to resurface. I hadn't realized she still had those powers. Or maybe she didn't. But I was transfixed. Clasping her fingers as she pulled was another pair of hands. Not shadows. Just blue gloves. She pulled, and as I watched, another person began to emerge.


Heaving the other form (one almost identical to hers in size and shape) free of the ground, she set her down, and then dusted off her dress with a satisfied grin.


The figure across from her was…her. But not. Blue hair with black highlights instead of the reverse, black eyes that got lighter and faded to blue in the center. Blue wings with black undertones. Even the dress was the opposite.


Callie raised her sword, and the other figure raised hers, a bright blue blade. "Nice to meet you…my shadow self." She purred.


There was a flicker, and Callie BECAME the blue haired girl, who vanished completely. Squealing happily, she twirled in place, her ballgown spinning as her sword whipped the air, leaving trails of bright blue fire with barely any black.


"Ok…nice makeover," I said slowly. "But maybe tell me what just happened?"


She beamed at me. "Shadows," she said confidently. "They were always my ability. And sure, that changed when I got the fire, but they're still THERE. Just different. Shadows became the Abyss became the Void became the Heretic Fire. But fire still casts a shadow. The shadows cast by the heretic fire should be different, right? And then I considered my problem.


"I had power that would only work on the Void, and I wanted power that would work on everything else. Then I got to thinking of my shadow clones." She was so excited she was practically vibrating in place. "I heard a story, a long time ago, about a type of monster. A monster that mirrors its originator perfectly, becomes the opposite of everything they are. A shadow self. A doppleganger."


She gestured down to herself. "Might I introduce you to my shadow self. Calliope Wyndham. Adherent Archangel. It even changed my Shadow Manipulation ability. I…I think this a pseudo-Domain. I can feel the pressure on my Chronicle. But it's still me. Still my power. More my power maybe."


"Adherent Archangel," I mused. "Adherent to what?"


She hummed with interest. "You know, that's a good question. I don't know. It just felt…right. Adherent feels like the opposite of Heretic. Like this version of me is searching for something to believe in, instead of rejecting those beliefs. Maybe it's the story Isaac told us, about angels searching for their bonds. I've found mine already, but maybe I'm still looking for something else."


I laughed, then opened my eyes and emerged from her soul space, scooping her up and tossing her onto the bed. In the real world, she was still in her Adherent form, her hair still bright blue with black highlights, and she laughed as she flopped down on the comforter.


"You feel better?" I asked as I laid down next to her, propping my head up on my palm.


"I do," she said with a long, happy sigh. "I feel…new. Different. You kind of inspired me with all your nonsense forms. Though I suspect I'll stick with just the one."


I shrugged. "Well, not everyone can be as cool as me. It's fine to know your place."


Jaw dropping, she smacked me on the chest. "I can't believe you said that to me. Just for that, you have to spar with me tomorrow. And I'm not holding back."


"Alright," I told her with a wry smile. "But if you're going to throw down with the Wishmaster, you're going to need a boost. I've been raking in the points lately. You have to use all my scrolls. I'm already ahead, this is the only way you'll keep up."


I felt a surge of warmth and adoration through the bond, and I tried not to let it show on my face how smug I was about it. She just rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said with a sigh. "But don't come crying to me when you regret it." Despite the grudging agreement, I could see the glow of happiness and contentment in her eyes. I leaned down to pull her into a kiss, and then there was no more talking for quite a while.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

We ran into a slight problem with Callie using all my scrolls…she couldn't pay for them. If she'd just been reshuffling her points it would have been fine, point for point, but unfortunately, wishing for MORE stats meant cost, and she just didn't have enough to pay for it. We'd tried paying with stored attacks, but the bond gave me full access to her Heretic Flame, so it didn't work as payment. In the end, she'd been forced to postpone the scroll usage until she could find a source of income.


Still, she had become incredibly famous in the time since my initiation ceremony, and she'd raked in quite a number of stats with her powerful reputation. The more people heard about her the more they learned about her past. Not just being the daughter of a mysterious god, but her feat of slaying Suvaya back in the Moonsong Glade, her identity as my grandmother's disciple, not to mention her recent status as a revered member of the Seraphim Tower, though that one hadn't really had time to spread.


"You sure you don't want to wait on this?" I asked her worriedly. "I mean, the extra stats might be important. There's no need to rush, right?" It was the next day, and I'd gotten my scrolls packed away and prepared to have our little sparring match, only to realize the issue too late.


She grinned at me wolfishly. "Nuh-uh, you're not getting out of this. I'll accept the stockpile that I have waiting from the last six months, and then we throw down. I want to know what this new form can do. Besides, I can't let down my adoring public, now can I?" She gusted behind us to where the stands set into the walls of the training room sat FULL of angels.


Which was…disconcerting. I wasn't a stranger to fighting for an audience, but they didn't have to look so eager to see me lose. Which I wasn't even sure would happen.


The only reason I was willing to do this at all was that while Callie was accepting the points from the last six months, I was still withholding mine. My soul was clamped down tight on all my stat income, so I was still sitting at one point one million and change, while she was most likely going to pass that with this next boost.


Despite her abilities, some of my abilities, including my staff's power to bump one of my skills up a rank, would make it impossible for someone at my own level to beat me, barring people at the peak like Ellie or absolute bullshit artists like Bethy.


Who…I hadn't actually SEEN today. Which worried me. She and Chelsea had vanished after we arrived. At the very least Holly and Serah weren't here so they were probably together, that made me feel a bit better. My sister and the angels should keep Bethy from burning down the tower. Plus it was some sort of god artifact based on flames, so it should be at least SLIGHTLY fireproof.


Callie, meanwhile had closed her eyes and allowed the weight of her growth to settle over her. I could feel through the bond when the stats slammed into her, but given her powerful soul and high total points it wasn't enough to cause any real problems. When she opened her eyes again, they gleamed excitedly. I raised an eyebrow at her and she pushed an impression through the bond as a thought, essentially beaming her stats right into my head.,


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-307,012


Impact-155


Vitality-229,236


Fantasy-246,541


Focus-209,302


Perception- 218,186


Creation-210,643


Progress to next rank: 1,421,075/10,000,000


Soul Strength: Tanzanite Soul Body.


Skills: Minor Tracking, Beginner Dual Dagger Mastery, Intermediate Stealth, Intermediate Trap Mastery, Beginner Disguise, Lesser Balam Mastery, Grandmaster Adherent Ascension


Path of the Heretic Scion- Solid. Technique: Guilt in Gossamer


I blinked in shock. That was a lot to unpack. Not the changes to the skills, really, that was expected. More the sheer number of stats. It felt like a lot until you realized it had been six months. I expected a lot of her reputation boost had been with weaker Ascendants and had probably run out of steam after a month or two. Still, it was a solid bump without having to actually DO anything, and I was betting it would explode after word spread of her addition to the ranks of the tower.


I also noted the change to her technique. Guilt in Gossamer was…new. I assumed it was the sword art she'd been training in, or some aspect of it, but it reminded me that maybe I'd been taking her too lightly. My wife might not be a monster like Bethy, but she was a powerful warrior. I considered possibly letting myself bulk up after all, but resisted. I'd already committed to fighting as I was. I WOULD use my staff to boost Mornax if necessary.


She seemed to take in my hesitation, grinning wildly at me as she tapped into her grandmaster Skill. It was interesting that her form change manifested itself as a skill and not just a pseudo-Domain. It could be a factor of perception (lower case p) I knew that people influenced their stat readouts with intention, or it could be because of her trait based body. Either way, it was clearly a powerful skill, and one that made a hell of an impression.


Before my eyes, her hair rippled, bleeding to mostly blue that faded to black instead of the opposite. Likewise her isises became black voids that lightening into eerie pinpricks of glowing blue, and her wings inverted color alongside her newly drawn sword.


"Nice, right?" she asked giddily as she tapped her blade on the ground. With a single tap, it ignited into bright blue flames, with only a bit of black shot through the tongues of fire. "Ready?"


I nodded, spreading my own wings and calling on Glory, my most powerful combat form. My staff whirled, the end coalescing into a spear of black flame as I spun it crossways along my body to knock the blade aside.


My strike was heavy, leveraging the whirling momentum of my staff to bat aside what I perceived to be a powerful blow. But the second my weapon made contact, it deflected smoothly, and Callie spun off her back foot, bringing her whole body whipping around in a pirouette, using the momentum to lend speed to her slash.


My staff was out of position, but I was wearing my Seal of Solomon. I triggered Mornax and brought a fist up to deflect the attack with my forearm…and screamed.


I washurt. I blinked, flickering back as I cradled my arm. Not because it was that bad, but because I hadn't been injured by someone my rank in Mornax in…a long time. I stared at my arm, stripping off my gauntlet to see a strange cut across my forearm, looking almost translucent.


"Shane?" Callie yelped worriedly, scrambling over to check on me. I flexed Zagan, flooding my arm with purifying fire, and it returned to normal, but it was still VERY interesting. "Are you ok? What was that? What happened? I thought your armor would stop it."


I grinned at her, triggering my staff to bump Mornax up to B-rank. "I'm fine, Cal," slipped my gauntlet back on. "You just caught me by surprise. That felt really weird. It bypassed my armor, somehow. I think the flames carried it through. I don't think it was able to cut my defenses exactly, more like it erased a small portion of my body for a minute. Try it again."


"I will NOT," she spat. "That's so dangerous, are you crazy?"


Waving her off, I shook my head. "It's fine, I upgraded Mornax. You won't be able to burn away a B-rank defensive form no matter how weird and off beat you attack is. I should be able to at least tell what it's doing this time." I triggered Dantalion, focusing on my arm as I held it out to her. Her attack couldn't damage a B-rank me. Because it hadn't damaged my armor. It had BYPASSED my armor by going around it, but there wasn't a scratch on the metal.


Grimacing, she lifted her sword and brought it down on my arm again. This time, I caught what happened. I was watching closely, and I saw the fire flare for a moment. My eyes widened.


"That's…holy shit that's insane," she stared at me in confusion. "Your sword cut me from the void. The Heretic Fire rejects Void influence on realspace, purifying the present of Void entities. This…Adherent Fire does the opposite. Rather than rejecting the Void from realspace, it embraces realspace from the Void. Like you summoned the cut from the other side of the veil right into my flesh. That's why it injured me through Mornax, too. You were attacking the physical with the metaphysical, cutting away at my reality."


In layman's terms, she'd transposed her sword out of reality and then used that illusory state to make part of ME illusory. It didn't work on my B-rank defenses, nor my armor, they were too heavy for her to discount, but against anyone at our rank?


I grinned at her, stepping back and raising my guard. In this form she couldn't hurt me, which meant she was free to test and experiment. "Again," I told her bluntly. "Do it again and try to get a feel for it." I could see her eyes shining with excitement as she raised her sword in a guard. When I nodded, she blurred forward, flicking out experimental cuts.


My staff deflected the blows, carefully offsetting the leverage of the strikes, but I could feel the flames rolling down the weapon, sometimes seeping into the cracks in my armor around my hands or elbows, or even my shoulders.


The flames seemed to act as a vector of some kind, carrying the attacks, and wherever it seeped in the cuts were carried from the Void to try to sever my flesh. I felt it scraping at my defensive form, unable to break through. As we fought, she seemed to become more attuned to it. She started flicking out slashes of fire that cut the air in great waves, aiming for as large an area as possible.


I flowed between the strikes, but as I did, I saw something click in her head. She lashed out again, this time with the blue jewel at the butt of her weapon, and it struck the air. Space SHATTERED. Cracks formed in the skin of the world, not enough to expose the Void, but galaxy fractures still radiated from the strike. Grinning, Callie lifted her flaming sword and drove it into a single piece of fractured air.


All around me, the shattered pieces of sky reflected the image of her attack, and a hundred blades emerged from the refractions, blazing with blue fire.


Cursing, I closed my eyes and turtled up, trusting my defense. There was a horrible SHRIEKING sound as the blades skidded over my armor, just strong enough to carve small furrows in about a dozen places. But I hadn't just given up. Dantalion was active when she attacked, and I'd been scanning the world around my.


Zagan flashed and I slammed my staff into a seam in the air, unleashing a wave of green fire that wiped away the Adherent Flame, causing a flare of teal as the fractures sealed. I grimaced at my wife, who was smiling sheepishly at my now scratched up armor. "Ok, new plan," I said mildly. "You need to do a LOT of training." Despite the wryness, I couldn't hide the unmistakable sense of pride in my tone. I had very little idea what that been just then…but when she mastered it, it was going to be TERRIFYING. I couldn't wait.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Callie was in a great mood when we finally met up with the others. I was really happy for her too, of course, but also somewhat terrified of where they'd BEEN. "Hey guys," I greeted my sister, Bethy, and the angels. "Where did you wander off to?"

Bethy beamed. "I was trying to become an angel!" At our confused silence, she put her hands up to clarify. "Oh, not like…forever. But I decided that I could totally do it. I can turn into bats, and bats have wings, and I can turn into mist, which is like smoke, and where there's smoke there's fire, and so…" She threw her arms in the air dramatically, and a huge pair of bat wings unfolded from her back. "Ta-da!"

"Do they…do anything?" I asked her slowly. "And did you actually CREATE fire?"

She pouted at me. "Duh, they fly. And yuh-huh. Watch." She closed her eyes, holding her hands together, and her fingers started to blur. Into mist. Mist which was made of water, as far as I knew.

"Bethy, I don't think-" there was a tiny whoosh, and between her hands a tongue of blood red fire caught and floated inside the mist. "Huh." I said slowly. "That's…what even is that? Mist is water, not smoke. And blood is water. And wine is water. Where the hell did you even GET fire powers?"

She just stared at me in pity. "Blood is HOT. Fire comes from heat, everyone knows that."

"That's…ok, please put that out, my head is starting to hurt." She shrugged, then flicked her fingers and the mist dispersed, taking the flame and wings with it. "Oh wow, Callie your hair looks so cool!" she said as she caught sight of my wife for apparently the first time. "And is that a new dress? It looks like the one I gave you but way better."
Callie grinned at her. "Something like that. I have a new form. Kind of like yours."

"We could be twins!" she squealed excitedly. "I've always wanted a twin! I've never even met any."
Chelsea frowned at her. "Bethy…Shane and I are twins."

"Nuh-uh," she vampire responded derisively. "Your hair is black and white. His is yellow. Plus he's way taller than you, you look nothing alike."

Weirdly, THAT offended me. "Ok, my hair is BLOND, not yellow. Secondly we are FRATERNAL twins. Which means we
were born at the same time to the same parents but we don't look the same. People aren't twins just because they look alike."

"Then how are Callie and I twins?" she asked acidly. She blurred appearing next to my wife, putting on an exaggerated "cool" expression to match my currently nonplussed spouse.

Deciding this fight wasn't worth my sanity, I turned to the angels. "So, we were here to donate a spark to the brazier, right? Because as much fun as this has been, we're not too long out from needing to head for my coronation. You two are coming with, right?"

Holly nodded. "Obviously. Your sister is going and we're trying to bond with her, remember? Plus, having angels at your coronation is super auspicious. You're lucky to have us around. Everyone is going to be so jealous." Despite the semi joking tone, I oddly didn't smell any untruth there. That was interesting to know.

Still, we'd come here to talk to Isaac, so it seemed rude to leave without telling him. Callie obviously thought so too, because she said. "Hey, can you take us to where your tower master is? I wanted to say goodbye before we left." As she said it, she relaxed her hold on her transformation Skill and slipped back into her normal angelic form.

Bethy gasped. "You have a CLOTHES dyeing Skill? And it works on your hair? That's even cooler than I thought! Is that what being an angel is about? I need to work on my angel form more, clearly I misunderstood the core essence of angelic power." She started chewing her lip, lapsing into deep thought about something. I sighed but didn't bother to comment. Hopefully it would keep her busy until we left.

They led us off in some direction or other, and as we walked, Callie fell back to drop into step with me. "So…I changed my mind," she said abruptly. At my confused head tilt, she explained. "About the wishes. This new ability is complicated and weird. I already just got a huge bump, and I don't want to complicate the learning process any further. Plus…I worry. About you and this coronation. I want you to use those scrolls to grow your own stats."

I frowned. "I guess I get that," I said slowly. "And we DO have a tower full of potential sources of points here. I imagine plenty of them would love to realign their stats a bit. But are you sure?"

She nodded. "The whole mess before we got here, with my…my dad, and Gossamer and my Chronicle. I did too much at once, and it took me ages to sort everything out. All my training in the sword and in understanding my power, that's what led me to realize this new path. I built it slowly. I need to focus. Buckle down and learn what this can do. I won't be accepting any more new stats for a while. Not until I have a better grasp on my Adherent form."

I sighed. "Alright. It's your call. I'll talk to Isaac, I'm sure his people wouldn't be against using my stockpile. I have over seventeen hundred scrolls lying around, so it's not like we don't have enough for everybody." Six months of stockpiling at nine a day had created quite a nest egg for me to crack into.

When we arrived at the top of the tower (not the VERY top where the brazier was, but Isaac's office was pretty high up), we were greeted by an enthusiastic Ariel. "There you are," she scolded her daughters lightly. "I've been looking all over for you." She shot us a warm smile. "Apologies, you four, I needed to speak to my girls before they ran off again without saying anything."

"We were NOT going to do that," Holly said bluntly. "Tell her Sera!"

Her sister nodded, her usual somber appearance fully on display. "She is correct, mother. We had no intention of making our absence felt without taking the time to say our farewells." Her point was underscored by the complete lack of any stupid puns to punctuate her statement, a rarity in regards to the monotone angel comedienne.

"As for you all," she told me as she snagged their arms to drag them away. "Isaac was looking for you. He had something he wanted to say before you go. He didn't JUST want you here because of the brazier. But he was hoping to delay his main business until the end of your visit, so you could enjoy yourselves a bit longer."

I sighed. I had been kind of afraid of that. This whole visit had ostensibly been at Callie's behest, but it had become clear that while Isaac may not have commanded the twins to invite us directly (or maybe he had, I wasn't sure), he'd at the very least planted the idea. Looking back I realized he'd ADMITTED this had been his idea when he first met us, and I just hadn't been paying attention, distracted as I was by the tower.

We thanked her and then headed into the room she'd pointed out, where we found Isaac sitting at a large dark wooden desk, shuffling around papers. When I knocked on the open door, he looked up, his face breaking into a warm smile. "Shane, Calliope, Chelsea, and of course Lady Nightmask, it is an honor." He gave a dignified half bow to Bethy, who nodded back solemnly, then walked over and plopped down in one of the nearby chairs.

"So…" I said as I took one of the other unoccupied chairs. "You wanted to talk to us about something?"

Isaac frowned, biting his lip and straightening the papers as he seemed to contemplate what to say and how. "This tower was once the item of power of a god." He began, seemingly deciding to start at the beginning. "A cup, inside which the fires of heaven blazed. To drink from the cup was to sup of the flames of eternity. But eternity is not found in a blazing moment. It is all times, all things, all places. And so, the flames burn not just at one time, but for all of the cup's existence."

I grimaced. I understood what he was talking about. I did a lot of stuff with causality and temporal instability, and I'd learned a bit about artifacts that dealt with those kinds of concepts. "Divination," I said with a sigh. "The flame is always burning, always has been burning, so if you look into it…"

"You see the length of its existence," he nodded. "The scope and scale of the cup's truth. This ability is…taxing. As the sole S-ranker of this tower, I am the only one who can use it. The objects of gods are not toys. It takes skill and knowledge to alter a divine instrument to be used by mortal hands." He shot Callie a weighty look, and she blanched.
"But I do sometimes dabble in the flames. I consult the fires of eternity, for myself, and for my allies." His gaze moved back to me. "Allies such as your grandfather."

"A prophecy," I said flatly. "You're going to give us a prophecy, presumably of something catastrophic."
He waved me off dismissively. "I am no seer. Such is not my gift. Prophecy is vague, but often complex. I simply see moments, snapshots in time. They are up to my interpretation, and can be changed or avoided. If one is aware of them. I seek not to place a burden upon you, only to forewarn and thereby forearm."

That got my hackles down a bit. I hadn't really interacted with prophecy, but I was pretty wary about anything that told me something bad was going to happen. Because they were usually right, and I didn't need to stress about that shit before AND after.

But this wasn't that. A warning that could be USED. That could change things. That was something I was willing to hear. Maybe it could help me save someone I cared about.

Seeing me focus on him, he nodded. "Very well. Prepare yourself. This knowledge may very well derail the very tracks of destiny." I nodded back, waiting, and he closed his eyes. "I saw an image of you. Standing in a large chamber, surrounded by shadowy figures. And you were in danger."

"I…I'm sorry?" I asked him slowly. "Did you see…where? When? Who the danger might be caused by?"

"Not at all," he responded earnestly. "You were simply surrounded. There was danger. The people surrounding you might not have been involved. As for timing, I have no idea. The place was also a mystery." I was about to get up and storm out after telling him off for wasting my time, when he continued. "I did hear a word. Just one. You said it yourself."

My eyes snapped up to him, pinning him with expectation. That was something I could work with. Was it a name? Some kind of clue?" "What was the word?" I asked him, my tone steely.

He stared at me, eyes lidded and face closed down. He looked menacing and alien, somehow completely other in a way he hadn't a moment ago. The light seemed to bend around him without actually being bent, like the universe had focused itself on him subconsciously and it hadn't even noticed itself. "Just one word," he repeated. "Apostate."

The word hit me like a closed fist. I felt a shiver run down my spine, carried from somewhere in the future by my fatewalker instincts. A premonition of loss and destruction and the death of all hope. My blood ran cold in my veins in a way I'd never experienced before, and I felt my teeth buzz with the uncontrollable urge to spit that word out into the air myself to cleanse it from my mind. "Ah," I rasped, my voice shaky. "Well at least it's nothing ominous."

 

[Malcolm Tent]

After the unfortunate revelation that some kind of…something was going to try to kill me at my coronation (probably), I made Isaac an offer. With over seventeen hundred scrolls to burn, finding enough people to use them all with any expedience would be tough on my own. Luckily, I was in the presence of the tower master of the Seraphim Tower, and after I made the offer, he was more than happy to make the arrangements.

On the upside, this let me target my stat gains a little more narrowly than would normally be possible with that kind of volume. I asked him to focus on Fantasy and Creation, my two lowest stats, and then let him loose to track down my potential sources of income.

Callie waited until he was gone to turn to me with concern written across her face. "Apostate?" she asked worriedly. "Why does that feel like it scares you?"

"It DOES scare me," I admitted. "But hell if I know why. It's the usual fatewalker bullshit. I get this sense of…doom. I don't know. Like I know what the word means. Someone who renounces a god or religion. In some ways it's not dissimilar to a Heretic, honestly. But something about it…I feel fear, Cal. For the first time in a while I'm genuinely scared and I don't know why. I don't GET scared. Not like this."

My sister hummed. "It certainly sounds bad. But we can keep an eye out. Not just us, mom and dad and the grandparents. Even great grandma and great grandpa. You're not alone anymore, Shane. You have the whole family on your side. Hell, BOTH families. Grandpa Malachai wouldn't let anything happen to you before your coronation. I think even Uncle Percy would be forced to step in if someone tried something."

That was a good point. Trying to prevent me from winning the succession war made sense. I was an enemy, and having me in charge would be a problem. But once that was actually DONE? Now we were all one big happy family. The name of the game was get along to go along. I was the Wishmaster, or would be soon, and killing me NOW would be going against the old man and Aiden both, which could be described as a particularly elaborate and masochistic form of suicide.

She put a hand on my arm. "Hey, we'll tell mom and dad when we get home. They'll stick close on the trip. Mom is going to be bringing a few of the uncles with us to the coronation, and a couple A-rankers are coming along. We'll be safe as houses, especially with grandma and grandpa there."

"I…" I trailed off in embarrassment. "I kind of thought the old man might come. Like I wasn't COUNTING on it or anything. But I'm his successor, right? I mean I know I'll be meeting him soon, but I figured he would be at my coronation."

Neither of them knew what to say, and Bethy appeared to be practicing her blood flame again, which was a whole other thing I didn't want to think about. Eventually, I felt an influx of stats start to roll in. I held it back for a moment. "Stand back guys, this might be a little overwhelming.

Wishmaster candidate status. C-rank. Ability: Grandmaster Wish- Nine times a day grant a Grandmaster wish in return for proper compensation. Wish must be feasibly achievable by the candidate's own efforts within a three day period with current statistics.

Grandmaster Path of the Doom Sovereign- A Solid Path toward a great destiny.

Wishmaster candidate points-1000

Might-320,923

Impact-155

Fantasy-205,750

Vitality-290,156

Focus-298,645

Perception-297,614

Creation-202,371

Progress to next rank:1,615,614/10,000,000

Soul strength- Tanzanite Soul Body

Chronicle: Ten Demons Tome (pages bound:1)

wish scrolls stockpiled: 0 (5 in the possession of friends to be used over time)

Bonded companion: Archimedes (Life Nova Phoenix)

Weapon: Ten Demons Tree (reincarnation tree staff that lets him simulate alternate lives to perfect his forms, and when combined with the library lets him simulate and deduce techniques in a process called the "Wisdom of Solomon")

Financial resources: 0 B-ranked, 0 C-ranked, 0 D-ranked(worth 100 E-ranked, past master rank is a watershed)

Skills: Grandmaster Path of the Doom Sovereign, Lesser Valtek Mastery, Grandmastery of Cooking, Lesser Inventing Mastery, Beginner Balam Mastery, Minor Fire Manipulation Mastery, Minor Piano Mastery, Minor Guitar Mastery, Minor First Aid Mastery, Grandmaster Angelic Bond, Expert Dust Construction Mastery

DS Subskills. Monk: Stone Limb, Moonlit Night, Consecration of Flame, Ripple Running, State of Grace, Steam Arrow, Afterburner, Pit of Despair, Mountain Stance, Heart over Body

Rogue: Mercy Kill, Double Trouble, Touch of Tears, Flurry of Blows, Heavy hands, Marked for Death, False Fatality, Blood Curse, Creeping Darkness, Final Strike

Diviner: Overlay, Song of the Soil, Rhythm of the Wild, Eye of Revelation, Danger Sense, Piece of Mind, Scent of Truth, Empty Spirit

Goetia Staff Art:

First form- Belial. Touch of Tears, Stone Limb, Consecration of Flames

Techniques: Abomination Engine- uses Mephistopheles flame to supercharge the magmatic body of Belial, creating a demonic machine of pure destruction

Second Form- Mephistopheles. Consecration of Flame, Afterburner, Mercy Kill, Marked for Death.

Techniques: Cosmic Collapse: condensed sphere of black flame that explodes out one side amplifying force. Mephisto's Waltz: Movement technique, Damnatio Memoriae: causes the ground iself to dissolve best used on mountains to cause avalanches

Circle of Damnation: defensive technique through destruction

T

Third form- Mornax. Stone Limb, Triple Strength Density Shifting (x10 F-rank stored attacks), Mountain Stance

Fourth form - Zagan. Heal Burst, Purifying Flame, Consecration of Flame, Afterburner

Techniques: Life Nova, purifying and healing version of Cosmic Collapse.Genesis Burst: enhanced version of Life Nova designed to repair soul damage.

Fifth form- Bael. Moonlit Night, Eye of Revelation (inverted), Afterburner (full effectiveness is seven times base Perception due to stacking, can only currently stack a single stat, unlike wish power which stacks them all)

Sixth form- Beelzebub. Piece of Mind, Stone Limb, Dust Construction, Shadow Clone. Create twelve copies (thirteen versions total) of Shane, each copy able to use a single form without straining Shane's soul past the strain of the original technique, which is only slightly more of a strain than a normal form and still allows one additional form to be used without overstraining. Can't remote control the forms, but can communicate with them remotely via telepathy principles from Paired Dueling. Might and Perception stacking, most versatile and well designed form yet.

Seventh form- Agares. Pit of Despair, Dust Construction, Stone Limb, Shadow Manipulation, Afterburner. Ability to mold and shape the earth, into black liquid tar, solid abyssal stone, or burning ash

Eighth form- Dantalion. Eye of Revelation, Overlay, Song of the Soil, Scent of Truth, Danger Sense, Piece of Mind, Rhthym of the Wild, Afterburner

Ninth form- Sammael. Baseline of angel trait, energy source: Enshrining Darkness. A more powerful baseline that acts as a foundation for all the other forms, allowing them to reach their true power. Amplified by the angelic bond.

Pseudo Domain: First Circle of Hell- Limbo. Belial, Mephistopheles, Moonlit Night, Eye of Revelation. A psuedo Domain of confusion and mental manipulation, distorting the senses and controlling the body.

Recreated version: Piece of Mind, Overlay, Belial and Mephistopheles, Moonlit Night, Eye of Revelation. Uses Piece of Mind as it was meant to be used, to parse multiple timelines for Mephistopheles to destroy, forcing the victim to conform to a specific future.

Second Circle of Hell: Gluttony. Mephistopeheles, Mornax, Dark Reflection, False Fatality. Reinforces the body and uses the damage redirection skills to shift damage and pain into the pit of destruction in the stomach, consuming attacks to break them down for power. Can be used to fuel Abomination Engine.

Third Circle of Hell: Wrath. Mephistopheles and Agares. Creates an all consuming lake of burning dark ash infused with the fire of destruction.

Thirteenth Circle of Hell: Pride. The infernal library of techniques that serves as the foundation of the infernal realm. Deduce, refine, and perfect techniques. Refine and perfect Skills, albeit more slowly, and still requires a foundation of knowledge.

Fourth circle of Hell: Retribution. Dark Reflection, False Fatality, Gluttony to stockpile, Afterburner, Abomination Engine. Collects all the damage done to fuel Gluttony and inflicts it on the enemy.

Fifth circle of Hell: Murmur. Bael, Dantalion. Use Dantalion's overwhelming information gathering powers to more deeply eliminate traces of passage through Bael's perfected stealth.

Sixth circle of hell:Leviathan. Zagan, Promethean Fire Soul Body. complete immunity to mental attacks below B-rank, enhancement to purification of internal corruption.

Seventh circle of hell: Behemoth. Agares and Mornax. Creates limbs of constructs of invincible rock.

Eighth circle of hell: Glory. Sammael,Mephistopheles, then Mornax and Agares, added some heretic fire, threw in Afterburner. Creates a seven foot behemoth of infused stone and turns the staff into a halberd to create a single combat capable battle form.

Ninth circle of hell: Abbadon. Mornax at B-rank, Heart over Body, Beelzebub+ 12 instances Zagan

I grunted as the weight of the power smashed down on me. About five hundred thousand, almost half of my current stockpile. More than a hundred and seventy thousand of that was from the scrolls, mostly funneled into Creation and Fantasy, which had been smart, because they were STILL my lowest stats, and by a much wider margin now.

My highest, of course, was Might, but to my surprise, Perception and Focus had both skyrocketed. Presumably figuring out the Void's plan and being smart enough to counter it had both given me a reputation among my subjects for intelligence. Maybe the boost would help me stop being so damned impulsive all the time. I'd honestly welcome a reprieve from what I chose to believe was recursion.

I'd netted almost a hundred and thirty thousand points each in those two stats, which was staggering when you considered that SIX MONTHS of scrolls had only been about a hundred and seventy thousand total.

Using the trick I'd learned from her earlier, I let Callie get a peak at the purple flames rolling across my vision, and I smiled proudly as she whistled. "That's not bad," she said appreciatively. I kind of expected more, though."

"The ceremony was low key," I shrugged. "All the big name players are going to be coming to the coronation. Once I gain my title, the word goes out, and I become the Wishmaster in truth. Remember when we were on Callus? None of us knew who the Wishmaster's HEIR was. We just knew the office. This is just a taste of what's to come." I winked at her. "So you better get serious if you want to keep up."

She held up a hand, a ball of blue fire rippling up from it. "I wouldn't worry about that. I've got a whole new bag of tricks. Once we're back to your parents house I think I'm going to see if Abel will give me some pointers. Can't think of anyone better to teach me to use space flames."

That was a good point. I couldn't wait to see what she could do. For now though, I just got up and stretched widely. "Damn, that was rough though. Fifty percent stat gain. Glad it wasn't more, actually. I'd have been laid up for a week." The door opened, and Isaac stepped back inside, nodding to me as he headed back to his desk. "Hope that was helpful," I told him with a grin. "But now, I think it's time for us to go."

He smiled solemnly. "You remind me quite a bit of your grandfather. I'll give you the same advice I'd give him. Be careful, Shane. The moments when we feel most in control are often the moments when we're closest to losing our grip." And with that ominous declaration, he lowered his gaze to the papers on his desk, essentially dismissing us. Why did old Ascendants always have to be so damned cryptic?

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Getting back to my mom's estate didn't take much work to arrange. We could have taken a shuttle, but after some deliberation we decided to fly back. The angels, Callie, Bethy and I all had wings, but my sister didn't, so Sera and Holly took one arm each and carried her. Bethy seemed mildly put out by that fact, and insisted on doing it herself, but Chelsea found her offer of "whooshing around on a cloud of bats" less than enticing so the sisters did it.


One of the things I hadn't noticed about the tower until we got back up to the top was how perfectly situated it was for flight. Like yes, it was huge and mostly surrounded by empty airspace, but it was more than that. The placement made it easy to see clear flight paths to several major cities, and finding the route back was simple enough.


"You ready?" I asked Chelsea as we all stood up at the top of the tower. "Flying is pretty wild, but being carried like this might be scary at first. Don't worry about falling though, I have plenty of ways to catch you."


She snorted with amusement. "I'm not worried. Bethy won't let me fall even if you do." Despite her verbal certainty, however, I saw a bit of concern. I hummed with consideration.


"Actually, what if you could fly yourself?" I asked slowly. "Your diagram can combine things right? Opposites? Well you and I ARE twins. Sammael's black flame is pretty much diametrically opposed to the white flame of purification. Do you think you could use the diagram to trigger your own angelic form if I helped?"


She bit her lip. "Maybe?" she hedged. "I mean, I have a Solid Path for it, but not a Chronicle. I'm still D-rank too. It might be too much for me to affect."


"Try using it on me," I told her. "I'll do my best to help. I have a few ideas."


Chelsea was my twin sister. That was a bond. Maybe not the same as the one I had with Callie, but the Skill was angelic bond not wife bond. If she could get partway there, I might be able to use our blood connection to push the connection to where I needed it to be. She closed her eyes, and above her head, the diagram rotated into existence. White flame blazed over her fingers as she clenched her fists, and I felt the connection attempt to form.


It wasn't going to work. I was a C-ranker, and Sammael was a potent form, it was too much for her diagram…normally. Focusing on our blood tie, I wrapped it around the Angelic Bond Skill, using that to connect our souls temporarily, and then using that connection, I triggered my staff's upgrade ability. I pushed her diagram Skill up a rank, and as soon as it hit C-rank, our blood tie, the angelic bond, and the balance between our abilities all clicked together and.."Oh!"


Opening my eyes, I grinned at the downy white wings spreading from my sister's back. She blinked, flapping them once. Then again. "Man that's weird," she said slowly. "It's like I have a pair of really clumsy new arms I didn't have before."


"It's temporary," I reminded her. "This is straining my Chronicle. Not enough to do any damage, but enough that I won't be able to hold it for more than an hour or two."


She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I get that. It's…interesting. I wonder if I can create my own version. I have a few ideas, but for now…we're going flying right? Why don't you show me around the sky, little brother?"


I rolled my eyes at that last bit, unwilling to get into a 'who was born first' argument, but jumped up on the battlements, spreading my wings. "Flying is easy," I told her authoritatively. "It's just falling with style. Lean forward, spread your wings and…" I let myself drop, my wings catching the wind as I pitched forward. I was aimed down, so I fell at an angle, sort of a dive. I pulled in to steepen it, spun, and then used my momentum in a sort of swoop to slingshot myself back up into the air.


My wings were wrapped up with my subskills, one of which was state of grace, which meant that the restrictions of gravity were more like suggestions to me, so my navigation was smooth and easy, but Chelsea's wings were a counterbalance of Sammael, so she was probably in the same boat.


I shot past them on my upswing, then spread my wings wide as I reached the peak, hovering in the air above them as I grinned down at my sister. "Like that. Give it a shot."


Snorting in challenge, Chelsea got a running start and threw herself off the tower, wings spread…and proceeded to plummet like a rock. Cursing, I shot down after her, grabbing the back of her shirt and letting state of grace establish itself on her. Guess that answered that question.


Holly and Sera shot down and snagged her arms, pulling her up to the battlement again and setting her down. I landed and shook my head. "Ok, that was my bad. This was more intuitive for me. Now, what you did there was wrong. You let your whole weight drop right on top of your wings. Like the flying version of a belly flop."


Spreading my feathers out behind me, I indicated the structure. "When you fly, you're not holding yourself up with wing strength. That's tiring and counterproductive. Like I said, falling with style. You need to use your wings to guide yourself into a sort of smooth forward motion. Don't try to hover. What I did a minute ago was sort of cheating, and I can see how you would take the wrong lesson from that. But you want to be in constant motion."


"It helps to think of it like swimming," Holly added. "When you're in the water, you use forward momentum to keep from sinking. You CAN just float, but not everyone is able to do that. For a lot of people, they need to paddle hard or do a backstroke or something to keep from sinking. Gravity is dragging you down, so don't fight it, just help it decide where to drag."


She leapt forward, wings catching, and smoothly glided out into the open air, doing a slow, lazy half circle and coming back. "See? Nothing to it."


Callie nodded. "She's right. One of the big problems I had with learning to fly was fighting the urge to stop trying to just overpower the air with my wings. Flight isn't a battle. The air isn't your enemy, it's your partner." She glanced back at her new wings. "Of course, I can't really be much help as I am now. Flying with six wings is way different than two. Honestly I expected to have trouble with it, but it just sort of came naturally."


"It's your trait," explained Holly. "You have natural instincts for flight. I have no idea how Shane adjusted so quickly to his wings."


I did. State of grace. But I couldn't share that with Chelsea, so it wasn't useful here, so I just shrugged. "Just a talent. But you're doing fine. You tried to do it wrong, but the actual process of spreading your wings and flying was pretty smooth. Your technique just needs a little work."


After a few more attempts, Chelsea was able to get her sea legs (sky wings?) and we were off to the races. The feeling of weightlessness as we jumped from the tower was…indescribable. No matter how many times I flew, I'd never really get used to it. The sense of freedom that came with having wings was unlike anything else in the world. Being an Ascendant let you do so many amazing things, but even high ranked Ascendants could only fly on planets at or around their own rank. With wings though, I could touch these skies that only A-rankers should be able to traverse in a way that had nothing to do with bloodlines or wishes.


In some ways, Sammael was my crowning achievement. Of all my strange and amazing forms, that one was the one I was most proud of. Because I made it myself. I studied the trait the angels had and created something completely unique.


Callie's original trait was based on Sammael too, as was her Archangel trait, indirectly. I knew that her new Adherent Archangel form made her feel the same way. THe indescribable pride of taking the tools she was born with and turning something powerful into something truly unique that belonged only to her.


Drifting across the sky, I reached out and took her hand, the two of us flying together, eternity stretched out below us like a tapestry of tumbling time, an endless riot of possibilities falling away as we soared above the world together.


Her hand squeezed mine tightly, and I felt the love and peaceful joy that washed through our bond.


"Ewww can you NOT right now?" Yelled my sister from not far away. "I'm CONNECTED to that. I'm glad you two are so happy together, but EXPERIENCING it personally is…deeply unsettling."


I laughed, and Callie tightened the bond to cut off the flow of adoration. She didn't say anything to Chelsea though. Having to be a witness to someone's deepest emotions sounded uncomfortable to me too. I'd honestly forgotten she was even connected to the bond. Another reason not to do this again too often.


For now though, I couldn't help but enjoy the sights and sounds of soaring above the clouds. "This is so cool!" Bethy shrieked happily as she glided along behind us on her wings. "I've flown as a bat before, but this is totally different. I feel like I'm back on that crazy glider thing from the Moonsong Glade!" She laughed happily, twirling in midair in a way I wasn't sure I could have managed myself, arms spread in joy like she was embracing the sky.


I'd forgotten that day. Gliding off the top of a mountain that turned out to be the hand of a dead god. It was amazing to me how far we'd come since then, and how far we still had to go.


Seraph was beautiful, and the rolling hills and shining oceans skimmed beneath us as we flew, making pretty good time through the air. Finally though, we came upon the specific city we'd been heading for. The capital of Seraph, Elion. And on the second tallest mountain, a shining golden edifice of power and protection, my mother's estate.


We banked toward it, and while we were still over the ocean, I dove down to skim over the water, letting my fingers drag in the surf as I blurred along the surface before pulling up hard and shooting off into the air.


The others followed suit, doing some fun tricks and just generally enjoying themselves until we passed the water, at which point we headed for the estate directly.


My mother was waiting for us when we arrived, and as soon as we touched down she hurried forward to sweep us all into tight hugs "There you are! It's our last family dinner before leave, I was afraid you'd miss it." She reached up to tug at me windswept hair. "Oh, honestly Shane, we need to get you a helmet. Or a haircut."


"I like it long," Callie preened as she reached up to run her fingers through my nearly shoulder length locks. "And a helmet feels a little stiff. Maybe a crown? Or would that be too on the nose."


"No helmets," I said bluntly. "I don't want hat hair. And a crown is too much. My hair is fine the way it i- hey, where are you going? I'm not finished talking yet!" The two of them turned and strolled away, chatting about my current aesthetic, and I just sighed and followed behind them. Whatever, it wasn't like they could make me wear anything I didn't want. Now I just had to wait for dinner and goodbyes to distract them.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Dinner was a busy affair. Everyone from the family who lived nearby had shown up to see us off. My Uncle Anders had brought his daughters Sonya and Lara, who were losing their minds over the fact that Bethy was at the dinner. They were younger than I had been at the beginning of my journey, only fifteen or sixteen, and were HUGE fans of her music.


"I can't believe you know Lady Nightmask," Sonya gushed excitedly. My younger cousin was a redhead with bright green eyes. Her dimples made her eyes look bigger and more expressive, and she was enthusiastic about everything, though this was another level entirely.


Lara, the older one, had dark hair and calm blue eyes. She wasn't as excitable, but had still been welcoming to all of us when we arrived. While she wasn't melting down like Sonya, it was clear she was a little starstruck by Bethy. "I find your music so inspirational. I'm sorry to see you go, but I'm sure you'll accomplish great things, Lady Bethany. I'm curious though, where have the proceeds from your concerts gone? Are you saving for something?"


To my surprise, Bethy's face smoothed out into a serious expression. "I've been dedicating it to research, actually." She said quietly. "My…dietary preferences, are a big source of frustration for me. I've been working on removing them as an issue."


"Wait…you're trying to CURE your need to drink blood?" I asked her in confusion. "That's got to be a complicated process. Like doing brain surgery on your own trait. Do you need any help?"


"Nah," she said with a wide smile. "I'm not doing anything that crazy. I'm not all good at that stuff like you are. I'm sticking to what I know. I've been trying to create a type of wine that can replace blood for vampires."


Given what I'd seen Bethy DO with wine that wasn't as farfetched as one might think. Callie seemed to agree. She leaned forward with interest. "How are you planning to do that? I know you have to feed from thralls or cause pain. Is there some method of mixing non thrall blood with the wine that like…infuses it with what you need without having to drink from thralls?"


"Not exactly," Bethy said excitedly, her eyes lighting up with passion as she got to discuss her project. "See, taking blood and mixing it with wine doesn't work. The wine dilutes the vital essence. It's sort of complicated, but in order to create a wine that can substitute for blood I need a way to make the wine itself alive when I make it."


Chelsea lit up. "Her solution is GENIUS. Tell them what you did!" Apparently my sister had been in on the plans. Not a surprise considering she, Bethy, and Gabe spent all their time together, especially with the angels following Callie the last few months.


Bethy shrugged modestly. "Well I was thinking about what the wine needed, and I realized that to be living wine it needs to come from living grapes. Then I got to thinking, grapes are red and grow on vines, which are KIND of like a circulatory system. So I got in touch with some local botanists and began working with them on repurposing a grape vine into a living plant with a circulatory system. Literally, a thrall vine."


"Wait…" Callie said slowly. "You made VAMPIRIC grapes?"


"Thrall grapes," Bethy corrected. "Vampiric grapes would just DRINK blood, which would defeat the whole purpose. But the living grapes can be carefully collected and pressed into a special wine that has shown real promise as a blood substitute. The only issue I keep running into is that I can't grow ENOUGH of the grapes. And the blood used has to be VERY specific."


It had been a long time since I'd been involved in any of the more physical sides of crafting. My Dust Construction Skill had been largely folded into Agares, and I'd all but abandoned enchanting. I did a lot of crafting of forms, techniques, and even skills sometimes, but it wasn't the same.


Bethy was clearly working with physical mediums in a unique and fascinating way, and I was intrigued. "What are the requirements?" I asked her with interest.


"Well, the blood needs to come from a thrall," she said, ticking off her fingers as she listed. "The thrall needs to be at my own rank or higher. But not too much higher, because then I won't be able to make the wine. Also, the blood needs to be circulating. So there has to be a heart in the root system to pump it through the vines. I've managed to create a small vine, but to support a larger orchard we need a bigger heart."


Chelsea nodded. "We got the one we're using from dad. Bethy was able to transfuse it to change the blood circulation to an essence signature matching a thrall. Dayna donated a bunch of blood. Not too much at once, of course."


I blinked at her. "Wait…DAYNA? Dayna is here? I didn't see her when we made the trip?"


"She's been living in my Domain," Bethy explained. "Your dad suggested I bring her. He's got the soul of that Heaven Murder Elf bound and he's been using it to teach her. I think because I spend so much time with Chelsea he considers Dayna to be like a secondary bodyguard to her. Anyway, we found a Blade Bat heart that we were able to use as a basis for a root system. The energy signature from Dayna's blood was close enough to function. But for a bigger animal, and bigger vine patches, it gets more complicated."


"And you're not using wishes?" I asked nonchalantly. "Because it seems like you could have skipped a few steps."


She shook her head. "No. In order to make the wine work I need to be involved in every step of the process. It's…personal. I'd have totally asked if I needed help though." She winked and gave me a thumbs up. "Don't you worry about a thing, bestie. I got this."


Sonya, who had apparently gotten bored with shop talk, turned to beam at me. "Oh, hey I heard daddy is going with you guys for your whole conjuration thing."


"Coronation, Sonya," sighed Lara helplessly. "It's a CORONATION. It's a ceremony that involves the crowning of a ruler. Because he's going to be the WISHMASTER. We've told you this like six times.


"And I told YOU that's stupid," my cousin said waspishly. "Because the Wishmaster is a god like great grandpa. Shane is pretty cool but he's totally not a god."


I laughed at that. "She's got me there. The Wishmaster isn't just a person. It's also a job. The old Wishmaster retired ages ago, and there have been a bunch since then. I just got picked to be the next one."


The fact that she didn't get the concept of the hereditary Wishmaster title wasn't strange. Sonya grew up in the heart of the Church, where her great grandfather was the ONLY Red Revenant and was not even remotely replaceable. The Wishmaster's businesslike approach to inheriting the title was pretty atypical among the major factions. In fact, as far as I knew the old man was the only god to pass on his title. The rest were all being directly governed by an active deity.


In fact, I wondered if that was why the WCP wasn't actually considered part of the five faction alliance. There were six gods, and that was widely acknowledged, but the alliance excluded one of the divine forces. I'd always been told that was because the WCP was more diffuse, but maybe there was more to it than just lacking a location.


"So it's Uncle Eric and Uncle Sam?" I asked them with interest. "I thought we'd be bringing more A-rankers."


My mother, who had been sitting nearby talking to my Uncle's wife Tara, turned to chuckle at me. "That's what happens when you don't pay attention. I told you that each faction his a limited number of high rank slots. My parents are burning up two of ours, as are your father and I, and finally two of my brothers. Not to mention Ezekial, Sebastian, and whoever else comes, because as the Wishmaster, you don't get your own slots since its assumed that all of the WCP are your subordinates."


"Yeah, that sounds like the kind of political nonsense they would spout," I sighed. "What about S-rankers? We have a few more we could invite. What about Bethy's dad and dad's boss?"


"Adramalech declined," she said with a grimace. "He's nominally a member of the Faerie Queen's camp, and she and your ancestor don't get along. They're not ENEMIES, exactly, but fae are careful about entering Wishworld."


My eyes widened. "Wishworld…wait…is the coronation being held in the VOID?"


"Not as such," she assured me. "Wishworld, like all the godworlds of the six, has some overlap with realspace. It's why the six eliminated the vanished gods to begin with. Too many beachheads into realspace and the universe Ascends. The majority of Wishworld is in the Void, but it's anchored to realspace, and we're going to be receiving visitors in the welcome palace, which is in the physical portion of the godworld."


"Is that why the old man isn't coming?" I asked suspiciously. "Because he doesn't want to enter realspace?"


My dad had been listening quietly from the other side of her, but he shook his head. "No. The ancestor doesn't attend coronations. Part of his retirement was an agreement to distance himself from politics. If he shows up at your coronation, it'll be seen as a sign of support for your ascension to the office. He DIDN'T do that last time, or the time before. It'll piss off the branches affiliated with previous candidates for no reason."


"But I thought gods basically WERE their godworlds," I pushed. "Wouldn't he be there anyway, perceiving it all through his connection to the world?"


"Not exactly. Wishworld is massive. It covers a whole galaxy's worth of space, pretty much." He slowed down, choosing his words carefully. "He can be anywhere within its borders instantly, can perceive anything when his attention is focused. But he DOES need to focus. He usually doesn't bother. Not to mention we're at war, both in the Void and in realspace he's actively countering the influence of other gods. Don't look at your great grandmother as a typical deity. Black Sorrow's habit of manifesting avatars outside of her Domain is uncommon."


I wasn't even sure she'd done that. Callus bordered Black Sorrow Cult Space. I wasn't sure where her Domain WAS exactly, so she might have just been operating inside it the first time we met. As for the second time…well, that had been a special occasion, the death of a god.


Still, I was a little sad I wouldn't see the old man there. I'd just have to take his measure when I met him in person the first time. I had to admit, I was curious what this ancient deity, from whom so much of my power came, was really like. Not just my wish ability, but Pride, my most useful pseudo Domain, came from the Great Book Heavenly Library my dad had reverse engineered from the old man. I thought about it for the rest of the meal as we talked and ate and enjoyed each other's company. When we finally finished eating, I let myself go quiet as I considered what I might be in for as we headed back to our rooms, but I felt myself stopped by a hand on my elbow.


My mom, seeing my contemplation, smiled at me and squeezed my arm. "Don't expect too much from the Wishmaster," she told me softly. "He's been alive a long time, and he's not human in a lot of ways that might surprise you. He might look like a human, and talk like one, but never forget that you're basically looking at a concept in the shape of a person. Wishes aren't known for being forgiving or compassionate. If you slip up, he'll exploit it. Just…be yourself. Slow and steady. And everything will be fine." And with that ominous proclamation, she let me go.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Finally, the last day or two passed, and it was time to go. I had to admit, I was nervous. Coming here had been amazing. Feeling the warmth of family, spending my days relaxing, I had learned and grown so much in ways that weren't possible to track on my stat sheet. But now…now it was time to go back to the real world, where the kind of growth I'd need was ONLY the kind that showed up on my stat sheet.

The closer I'd gotten to this day, the more afraid I'd become. Not that I would die, or be destroyed, or what have you. Afraid that I'd never get this back again. That I'd never just be able to live in peace with my family.

Despite how many friends I'd had, and how much Zeke had cared about me growing up, this was…new. You don't know what you don't know, and I hadn't understood what having a normal (for certain definitions of that term) life was really like until now. Part of me didn't want to leave. But…I knew that part of me wasn't real. I was scared, hiding behind the familiar and considering burying my head in the sand because it would be easy.

Which is why I wasn't going to do it. I gathered my friends and family at the landing pad where the Acheron waited. "So," I asked my dad as we all gathered together. "How do we get to Wishworld? I've never BEEN to a godworld before, but aren't they anchored in specific galaxies? Like great grandma can only manifest inside Black Sorrow territory easily, right?"

He made a contemplative sound. "You could say that. But also not. Space in the Void is more…fluid than realspace. There are several methods for constructing a world there. Some are condensed, solid spherical constructs like a planet that occupy fixed locations in realspace. Some are mobile. Wishworld is…sort of a combination of the two. Different points in the Void correlate to different points in realspace. That's how the Vanished gods are able to travel there so easily.

"Of course, there are other ways to travel in the Void besides teleporters," he amended. "But the Roads of Void are complicated and difficult to navigate. They've been closed for centuries, and the insides are infested with Void spawn."

I waved my hand to indicate that he should move it along. "Right, so HOW is something both stationary and mobile?"

"It's not exactly," he admitted. "It's more…diffuse. Because of the nature of the Void, traveling even a few feet in one direction can bring you miles away in realspace. The old man took advantage of this and created his world in a highly irregular shape. Because of the odd construction, it connects to many WCP Branches in different galaxies rather than just being a big lump of expanded space that overlays a single area."

I imagined a kind of giant twisty starfish made of clear tubes…which was probably not an accurate representation of what the Void was like, but it made me smile.

"So we need to head for a nearby Branch?" I asked with interest. "Are there any in the Holy Dominion?" I didn't actually know what the situation of dispersion was like for the WCP inside the various powers, only that they had permission to establish locations. The Holy Dominion though, was the core of the Church's territory, so I cloud understand if they didn't want us around."

"Yes, but that's not where we're going," he said with a grin. "The old man is a visionary. Connecting the Wishworld to a few high ranking branches is great, but he wanted more than that. He wanted shipping routes. The Wishworld doesn't just connect to realspace at those branches, there are several connection points that allow easy travel into a variety of faction territories. There's a reason the WCP is the only universe spanning faction, and it's not JUST that we have more S-rankers."

That was…brilliant. Using the Void to travel with teleporters like the vanished gods did was useful and scary, but it was temporary. For a god to build their whole world around the concept of tactical and financial flexibility. "Is that even possible?" I asked in astonishment. "Creating some kind of unnatural spatial construct like that to hang in the Void?"

"It is," Callie said as she sidled up next to me. "Hey hon, sorry I'm late. I was helping Bethy uproot her grapes and transplant them into her Domain. She doesn't want to lose her progress."

My dad hummed with interest. "It's fascinating research. A bit niche, but I could think of quite a few alternate applications. Bethany is a brilliant girl. Strange and occasionally frustrating, but brilliant. You're lucky to have her on your side."

"Don't I know it," I chuckled. "But what were you saying about the Wishworld, Cal?"

"That it's possible to make a Void construct like that," she clarified. "I mean, I couldn't. Not yet. But with my Adherent Fire, I've started to pick up some interesting information about the Void. Like did you know that technically Domains are personalized Void shallows anchored to a human soul?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but came up short. I hadn't known that…but it made a weird amount of sense. God worlds were anchored in the Void, and almost all spatial effects touched on the Void, so it logically followed that Domains were at least partially in the Void.

The sheer scope of what the old man could do was staggering, and I wondered how much of it was from the library. Like he was obviously deeply gifted before that since he created it, but still, the idea that I might someday be able to do something similar (despite the differences in the expression of our powers) was pretty intoxicating.

We all filed into the ship, and Callie and I headed for the bridge to check in and to hopefully get a view outside the ship. I wanted to see what these connecting points looked like.

Watching Seraph fall away was bittersweet. Even as we left I could feel the shackles of caution and homesickness that had been pinning me down earlier loosen in the face of the call of adventure. A new world. More family I hadn't met. Power and influence and a great quest only I could undertake. My heart was starting to race a little. Callie had been right, I'd been going stir crazy already and had been in denial. I'd miss my family but this was going to be fun.

"How far out are we?" I asked my dad as we all lined up in the bridge of the Acheron. My grandparents and uncles were there, along with Zeke.

"Not far," he smiled. "You know how fast this ship is. There's an entrance a few systems over. I'd say at top speed we'll make it in an hour, maybe a bit less. Assuming we are going at top speed?" He shot a questioning look to my grandmother, who sighed.

"We are," she said in a sad tone. "I'd hoped we might have a bit of time to sightsee, we're passing through the Elohim cluster, and it's so very beautiful." she shot Zeke a grin. "My new apprentice only left her home planet a few months ago, and I think she ought to see the sights in the greater universe. You should look into that."

My Uncle, well used to this ribbing since Stella had started studying under my grandmother, just rolled his eyes. "If I wanted to hear from someone's mother about my relationship I would still be in contact with mine. Why must you hound me?"

"Because Stella is one of my disciples now," she said gently. "And because you raised my grandson. Like it or not, you're family, boy, and that comes with as many demerits as it does perks." Despite the harsh words, her tone was warm and welcoming, and I could have sworn I saw Zeke's lips twitch slightly.

Stella herself, who had become almost pathologically quiet since arriving on Seraph, cleared her throat. "I appreciate the thought, Master, but I really would prefer you let me handle matters in my own relationship."

My mom cackled in glee. "Hah! You tell her. She spent years hounding me about my relationship with Eli. Don't let her get away with that!"

"YOU ran off with a degenerate and left us all worried sick," my grandmother snapped. Then she smiled at me apologetically. "No offense, Shane. You know we love you and your sister, and we wouldn't have you if that never happened, but at the time it was quite jarring."

My dad raised an eyebrow. "What about me? Don't I get a no offense?"

"You can be offended if you like," Celine said with a shrug. "I'm not YOUR grandmother. Though I will say I've grown to see your value over the years. Doesn't mean I'm not still unhappy that you absconded with my daughter."

"He did not ABSCOND with me, mother," my mom said with an exasperated groan. "I was an ADULT and I left home."

My grandmother's eyes narrowed. "You didn't even leave a NOTE. You sent a message back after the fact. I-" she closed her eyes, cutting herself off with a sigh. "No. No that's not productive, it's ancient history. You're right. I only meant to tease. We like you perfectly well now Elijah."

"Yes," my dad said dryly. "I could FEEL the love during my visit."

She shrugged. "That wasn't US. You're a devil. You ought to have assumed there would be some friction in the Holy Dominion. Besides, it was just a couple of pointed looks and unsubtle comments. We made sure no one tried anything."

My mom looked sorry she'd brought it up, but oddly, the whole experience seemed to have acted as an icebreaker. Everyone split up to talk amongst themselves, and I dropped into the chair next to my grandfather. "Hey, you excited to see some old friends?"

"Is this where you make a joke about how all my friends are old?" he said wryly.

"No," I lied unconvincingly. "I wasn't going to say that." He stared at me flatly until I grinned and admitted. "Ok, I was. But it was right there." We bantered for a bit, and it was nice. Just comfortable back and forth with family. It helped keep my mind off the trip, though I only needed that because I was so impatient to see-

"We're here," a voice interrupted my reverie. I turned to see my dad standing next to us, staring up at a floating holo screen in the air displaying…I blinked. "Is that…a door?" I asked incredulously. "Just floating in space?"

It was a rhetorical question. The doors were FAR too large to mistake for anything else. A huge pair of double doors made of black metal, criss crossed with heavy looking chains. Under the chains, a skull inside of a lamp emblazoned the surface of the barrier. Its eyes were locked on us, or at least looked like they were, glowing the same eerie purple as my lightning and the flames of my stat page.

Along the length of the chains, similar light flickered in the shape of complicated symbols. My dad smiled. "It is," he said with a laugh. "But it's safer than it looks. No one but a Wyndham can see it. The chains cloak it, as well as keeping unwanted visitors out."

I nodded in awe. "Yeah, I can see why you'd need to. The damned doors are huge. How do we get inside though? Do we have to unlock them? Is there a key?"

"In a manner of speaking," he said, a bit smugly. You should be feeling it already. I can't open it anymore. Not since my trait altered my bloodline." Sure enough, as we approached, I felt a sort of buzz inside my head, like something was trying to make contact. "Go ahead then Shane. Request permission to enter your kingdom." So, with a slight flex of my will…I did.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Reaching out to the gate was an odd experience. It was a bit like calling for my soul weapon, but also not. For one, I could FEEL the doors, and they were much more powerful than my staff was. Something in me though, my bloodline, or maybe my position, seemed to resonate with the massive metal slabs though. I focused hard, and there was a flash of power through those skeletal eye sockets.

The skull, to my surprise, began to open its mouth slowly. Inside the mouth, a slow vortex of purple lightning began to coalesce. It started as just a small spark, rotating faster and faster, collecting power from around itself as it grew, siphoning in energy from the universe.

Grinning, my grandmother's eyes locked on it. "Ah, so THAT'S where we're heading."

"You can't see the door?" I asked her in surprise. "Like, that vortex is in its mouth, you can't see any of the metal?"

"Nope, just the portal. I did hear you two talking about it though." She shrugged. "Wyndam business, right? The Wishmaster is much more powerful than either of my parents. Among the six, the Queen, the Emperor, and the Wishmaster are considered the strongest."

I nodded, having heard that before. "Alright, well if you can see the entrance lets head in." Then I paused. "Wait…why is there a door at all if the skull opens a portal and people can't see it?" The metal was powerful I could feel that, but I didn't see the point.

"If you saw a big door with chains all over it, what would you do to get inside?" my dad asked dryly.

I blinked. "I'd…I'd try to open it. Huh." That was either brilliant or really dickish. Possibly both.

"Yup. Doors don't open. The chains bind the metal to the void so only the portal can allow admission." He chuckled. "If someone DID manage to pry them apart, it wouldn't even reveal the entrance. They'd still need to open a portal into the Void."

Grinning at the old man's deviousness, I nodded to my grandmother, who gestured the pilot forward, into the swirling purple lightning vortex.

Passing through it was…disconcerting. It felt like I was getting vertigo, but with my soul. I'd been through the Void before, but this felt different. It only lasted a moment or two and then the ship rocked and we were through. The purple lightning cleared like clouds parting over a morning sea, and we got our first good look at the Wishworld.

"Well…this is nice," I said dryly. "I mean, I kind of assumed that a godworld would be idealized, but it's nice to know that the old man prefers to go with a more natural feel." The words were pure sarcasm. The place we were currently waiting was a barren wasteland. Cold black rocks under dim blue skies filled with dark clouds. Purple lightning danced in the clouds, but with all the winter shades even that just looked washed out and bleak.

My dad rolled his eyes. "This is an entry path, Shane," he said with an exasperated chuckle. "It's not the Wishworld. It's the outskirts. And it's designed to be inhospitable and hostile. Which is why we should touch down." His eyes flicked nervously up to the clouds. "That lightning isn't a special effect for ambiance. It's a defense system. Shane's presence should cover us, but the ship might be a bit too conspicuous, and the defenses aren't people."

My grandmother grumbled, but nodded to the pilot, who took us down to land on a nearby plateau of dark stone.

Once we touched down, we filed out of the ship and, with a swipe of her hand, my grandmother made it vanish. I assumed she'd pulled it into her Domain. As soon as it vanished, I could see the lightning above flicker slightly and then dim. My dad breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, how do we get to…wherever we're going?" Callie asked as we all headed over to the edge of the plateau to look down into a canyon of black rocks. A canyon I didn't plan to enter, because staring down into the dark I could see faint movement from blurry shapes I couldn't identify. I absolutely did not want any part of those things.

A sardonic voice came from off to one side. "I'll be taking you."

I jumped, both in surprise that someone had approached and in shock at WHO had just spoken. We all turned to stare, taking in the sight of Aiden Wyndham sitting on a rock nearby, looking as bored as I'd ever seen him. "Heya kids," he said in an almost sleepy sounding voice. "Welcome to the Wishworld."

"Aiden," I nodded. "Didn't expect to see you so early. Don't you have better things to do than escort a bunch of children?"

"One would think," he said sardonically. "But this comes from the top. The old man doesn't want any accidents with the Void so active. There's a VERY small chance that a Void entity might have slipped through the barrier when you came in. Plus after we drop them all off at the palace, I'm supposed to escort you to your meeting. Now that you're here…he wants to see you."

My stomach dropped. He wanted to see me. The Wishmaster. My ancestor. That was…intimidating. So intimidating. Like I'd met gods before, but he was the first god involved in my life. The origin of my bloodline.

I'd known I'd be meeting him. He couldn't come to the coronation for political reasons, but he always met with the incoming Wishmaster. Hell he met with promising runners up sometimes. My dad and Zeke had met him. But there was a difference between academically knowing and being aware that I was on the way to a meeting with him.

Aiden seemed to sense my internal conflict. "Don't put him on a pedestal, kid," he advised me. "You'll just end up disappointed. Gods are strange, and often unknowable. Just treat them like natural disasters. If a hurricane is coming, make sure you strap down all your stuff and board up your windows. As long as you prepare properly and treat the situation with respect you'll come out of it fine."

"Respect?" my dad asked wryly. "From you? I didn't think even the old man warranted that."

"I'm contrary, not stupid," Aiden snorted. "Or at least not usually. Winning the succession war in my day might count. You son of a bitch. You couldn't have tried a LITTLE harder? I was so smug when I beat you, then I had to spend years surrounded by sycophants and backstabbers while you ran off and married a holy princess and became a devil. That sounds so fun!"

"Didn't you marry Azazel's daughter?" my dad asked mildly. "Davina is supposed to be an impressive warrior."

For the first time since I met him, Aiden's bored and condescending expression softened. "That she is. Only good part of this job. At least usually. She's pretty gung ho about me doing my duty though. Always killing my fun at work 'Go to your meeting Aiden', 'don't kill the messengers Aiden', 'he's an elder Aiden, you can't light him on fire'. Which was NOT true by the way, that guy went up like a torch."

"I think she maybe meant that you…shouldn't do that?' my mom said dryly.

He shrugged. "Probably. But that's not what she said. Sounded like a challenge to me. Even if she did make me personally host the next ten council sessions to make up for it. Anyway, I'm free now, fuckers. All I have to do is deliver the kid to the big man, wait out the end of the coronation, and then I can retire to the warfront where I can spend my time with my lovely bride, immolating Void spawn en masse. You know, the easy life."

"Damn," I said in disappointment. "That actually does sound really nice. Is being in charge really that bad?"

He opened his mouth but was cut off by my mom shoving a burning finger in his face. "If you make my son any more nervous than he already is, I'm going to kick you off this plateau and into those clouds to see what happens."

Putting his hands up defensively, he glanced at my dad. "I take it back. Only the devil thing sounds fun. My condolences."

"Keep them," my dad said with a wolfish grin. "This is my favorite side of her."

"Excuse me," my grandmother said with a sigh. "As much fun as your posturing is, children, we DO have an occasion to get to. Shane's coronation is almost here, remember? That's why we brought Wilkie." She jerked her thumb at an inconspicuous crew member who had followed us off. "He's going to get the whole thing on camera. Oh, and Shane dear, we were hoping you and Calliope might post for some late wedding pictures. I'm afraid the quality of the ones you gave us was a tad low."

My eyes widened. "Wait…you brought a PHOTOGRAPHER?" I asked her in horror. "Like…a personal one? Grandma, they're going to HAVE photographers." I stopped to look at Aiden. "I mean, I assume."

"More of a live broadcast to certain interested parties," he corrected. "But yeah basically."

"See," I said desperately. "A videographer. That's even better. You can have someone back on Seraph record for you."

She snorted. "Don't be absurd. This is your special day. We need photos to commemorate. We'll take the wedding shots, then a few of you accepting the…is there an actual crown? It doesn't matter, we brought one just in case. We even have a matching tiara for Calliope. Oh, you two will look so darling together all dressed up in your best. Of course you'll need to wear a suit. That armor is very impressive dear, but it's hardly formal."

Every word increased the pressure on me, and I turned to shoot a pleasing glance at my mother, who grinned back at me vindictively. "That sounds like so much fun, mom. In fact, you should have Chelsea pose with them. Maybe Bethany and Gabriel as well."

"Nonsense," my grandmother chastised. "We've had plenty of pictures of Chelsea. This is Shane's day."

I cleared my throat. "Hey, I have a meeting with a god. We should go. Do you guys want to go? Let's leave immediately." I tried not to let my desperation show in my voice. I felt…weird. On one hand knowing my grandparents cared so much and were so excited to share this with me was nice. On the other having them dress me up in a suit and what I was pretty sure was a custom made crown to take family photos in front of my future subject was the most mortifying experience I could imagine, and I had been in the literal presence of a TORTURE goddess.

Aiden laughed. "Sure kid, let's go." He waved a hand and a glassy wall of fire consumed the air between this plateau and the next. As it faded away, it left behind a kind of…mush in the air. He flicked his fingers and the melted air solidified, giving him an easy path across.

Callie blinked in shock. That had been spatial fire. He'd melted SPACE. The burned remains had created a solid surface to walk on, but being able to do that at all, especially here, was…impressive. I glanced at my wife, who looked back excitedly. She hadn't been able to learn much from Abel, because his power didn't work like hers, but it looked like Aiden's might.

So, as we followed behind the older man, I made a mental note to try to ask him about helping Callie with her training. It probably wouldn't be one to one, but I was betting he could at least help. Walking along behind him though, I was brought up short by something. I felt…relaxed. My family had helped calm me down. I couldn't help but smile. I was pretty lucky to have them.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

We made our way through the bleak rocky landscape pretty easily. Not that I expected trouble with Aiden around. I was sure my grandparents were tougher, given my grandpa was a demigod, but something about having the ACTUAL Wishmaster on hand in case of trouble was, admittedly, soothing.

When we reached the edge of the rocky entry path, though, that was when the place got really interesting. The first thing we ran into was…well, mist. A lot of it. A huge wall of mist. And it was mist I recognized too. "Is that the spatial mist given off by infinity crystal?"

He waggled a hand. "It's similar. I erected the mist myself. Well, actually it's closer to an ash cloud than mist. But that means I can do this." He waved a hand and the mist (or smoke I guess?) shifted slightly, forming a small tunnel. "After you," he nodded to us. We all trekked inside, and when we emerged from the other end of the cloud, we all came up short.

"Ok, now THIS is what I call a godworld," I said approvingly. "This is…beautiful. How big is this place?"

Wishworld was, in a word, paradise. I couldn't even figure out why at first. It was just a world. Trees, grass, clouds, mountains. It looked mostly normal, just better. I had to stare for a minute or two before it really clicked though. Colors. And shape. They just felt…more. Like every tree, leaf, and flower was just…idealized. Perfect. They weren't the same, exactly, but they were all more…them than they should have been.

Aiden nodded. "It's always jarring the first time. And this isn't even the actual Wishworld. This is the outskirts. The whole place is built in layers, kind of. Anyway, this was the old man's pet project for a few millennia apparently. He was obsessed with the theory of forms and its possible application in formation building. Which, by the way, this whole world is. Not that you'll see it at your level."

"What's the theory of forms?" I asked him as I looked around. "And what does it have to do with…this?" I gestured to all of it.

"You ever seen a lamp?" He asked dryly.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I've seen a lamp," I said in annoyance. "What kind of question is that?"

"The important kind," he said solemnly. "Just answer when I ask something. You've seen a lamp? Nod if yes." I nodded. "You've seen more than one lamp?" Another nod. "Ok, were they different?" Again, I confirmed. "Perfect. So if those lamps weren't the same as each other, how do you know they were lamps? How do you know any lamp you see is a lamp? Lamps can vary wildly. The range of what is and isn't a lamp is pretty vague. So how do you look at some strange, barely functional experimental lamp and just KNOW it's a lamp?"

I paused. "I mean…there are specifications, I guess?"

"Are there?" he asked archly. "What makes a lamp? Is it a stand with a bulb? But what if it has two bulbs, does it stop being a lamp? What if there's no bulb at all? What if it's an oil lamp? What about old style lamps like the one on the WCP logo? Those are all lamps, but they don't have the specifications you mentioned. When you saw that lamp outside, did you know what it was?"

I frowned. "I mean…yeah. I guess I did."

"Theory of forms," he said again. "The idea that all objects of a certain type have an archetype. A primal version of that object that is THE definition of what it means to be that thing. Somewhere out there is a lamp from which all other lamps are modeled. The ultimate lamp. The pinnacle of all lampness."

I looked around in awe. "So these are all archetypal trees? But there's so many of them."

"They're not," he admitted. "But they're based on the concept. The old man decided that if there's an archetype that shares features with all derivates, that you should be able to reverse engineer something that might not be PINNACLE of form, but approaches it. Deducing the traits of lamps until you could make lamps that are like…ninety percent more lampy than normal lamps. He spent centuries on it. Studying various trees, lakes, grasses, all trying to create evolved forms. Not perfect, just…better."

My dad hummed. "I think this came from the concept of the library. And I THINK it's where he got the idea to perfect the Wish power to create the three times multiplier. Evolving his own ability until it became its most perfect form. Or close enough."

"So Wish…it's the Archetype? The original ability?" I asked in wonder. "Or at least, the old man's attempt at creating it?"

Aiden nodded. "That's what I always suspected. Iteration after iteration, he refined it until it was as perfect as it could get. That's why changing it at all ruins it. It's his life's work. Or at least, it was MOST of his life's work. It was complete in its present form a while ago. It makes you wonder what he's working on now? Is he still tinkering? Or did he accept it was as good as it would get and move on?"

"He's not the type to accept limits," my dad snorted. "If he hit a wall, he's not done. Just biding his time."

They shared a wry smile and a nod, then looked back out into the paradisical world. "You said this isn't the REAL Wishworld," I commented. "Where is it? Where are we going?"

He nodded up, pointing into the sky. "The Wishworld connects to a lot of places. The core of the world needs to be central, and because of the shaping it tends to warp and twist at the edges. Best central spot is up there."

I hadn't noticed it because of the clouds. It sat on them, floating innocuously. But I noticed something odd. There was no shadow. Actually, come to think of it, nothing here had shadows. There wasn't even a sun. The light was just kind of omnipresent. But the building he pointed out, once I saw it I couldn't unsee it.

Black. Not like black as night, or even the void of space. Black as the soul at your lowest point. Black enough that not only did it eat the light, the light nearby that it DIDN'T eat seemed dimmer from proximity.

The building was massive, too large to comprehend it properly, and once I saw it I wondered how I could have ever missed it. But I had. And now I couldn't see anything else.

"That," Aiden said with a grin. "Is where we're going. The core of this world. Or at least the place where the core is kept. THAT is the Wish Curse Palace." He said the words with such emphasis and weight that I knew he wasn't talking about the faction. This wasn't a headquarters. The Wish Curse Palace wasn't just a group. It was a place. This place. The REAL WCP. And seeing it like this, I had no idea how I could have ever assumed anything else. Because I couldn't imagine not knowing that this was the real deal.

My wife was gaping up at it. "Wait…the Wish Curse Palace is a LITERAL Palace? I thought it was just one of those noun verb noun organization names everyone seems to be so fond of for some reason."

Bethy was gaping up at it. "That is SO cool. How do we get up there? Do we have to climb a rope? Did you bring a grappling hook?"

"Bethy, you realize like half of us have wings, right?" I asked her dryly.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "You can't fly up to a giant spooky castle, Shane. There's probably gargoyles protecting it or something."

"Lightning elementals, actually," Aiden said. "But yeah, aerial approach is a bad idea. I told you, this whole world is a formation. Trying to forcibly go anywhere you aren't cleared to access is a very poor decision. If you want to access the Palace, you need an invitation." He gestured grandly up at the colossal building. "So please, come on in."

There was a shift in the air, and the ambient light brightened, and for brighter, and brighter, and brighter, until it reached critical mass and exploded into a shower of golden sparks that shot up towards the Palace, leaving behind a seven colored trail of light that slowly built itself along the route to the clouds the palace sat on as it shot up into the sky. Bethy gaped at it. "Is that…a rainbow?"

"Of course," he said proudly. "The rainbow path is the only way to connect the ground and sky and enter the palace. It's part of the formation, so it bypasses the defenses." He stepped forward, feet touching down on the rainbow light, and it rippled under his foot like water around a dropped stone. Despite that, his foot found purchase easily and he stepped up onto the path. "Stick close, though. The defenses won't touch anyone on the path, but Wishworld has been around a long time. There are a few things up there that aren't part of the formation."

My dad snorted. "Oh gods, I forgot about cousin Jessica's birds. They're still alive?"

"Yes," Aiden said shortly. "And they're much bigger now. Plus they had hatchlings. Those fucking scavengers are deadly. I still don't know what Jess was thinking. What convinced her that something named a 'Scythian Torment Vulture' would make a good pet?"

Dad shrugged. "She was always a little odd. Had a penchant for darker wishes. Remember the zombie mountain?"

"Ugh," Aiden said in disgust. "It took so long to kill it. Didn't help they kept burying people up there. You'd think after the third legion rose back up they would have figured it out. I mean, really, she didn't call it a zombiFYING mountain. I still say they had no clue what they were doing. They got lucky with that forest fire."

I just shook my head as we followed behind them, letting them chat. "You good?" I asked Callie as we fell behind and let everyone else get some distance. "This place is wild."

She grinned at me. "I think maybe you're projecting a bit, love. I'm fine, how bout you."

"I…might be a little nervous," I admitted sheepishly. No matter how many gods I meet it never stops being crazy, but even beyond that…this is the one who started it all. The guy my bloodline comes from."

"He'll love you," she said casually. "Or he's an asshole and you should ignore him." She shot me a wild grin before saying semi jokingly. "If he's mean to you I'll have my dad beat him up." I could tell that she didn't mean it (Atlas was dead anyway), but still loved being able to say it. I just laughed and put an arm around her, leaning down for a kiss.

When we reached the top, Aiden led us to a large black door in the wall. A snap of his fingers opened it, and he whistled once. In front of us, a new figure appeared, some kind of tiny imp. It looked like a demonic baby almost, but meaner. It had horns and dark blue skin and sharp fangs so packed into its mouth it couldn't close. "Darius," Aiden said dismissively. "Bring them to their rooms. They'll be staying close together. I have to escort the kid to see the big man."

The imp bowed, then gestured to everyone else. I turned to my friends and family. "Alright all. Get settled in and I'll catch up with you soon. I have a meeting to get to. Wish me luck." And with that, I turned away and followed Aiden off into the dark hallway. I hoped I'd been telling the truth just then, and that I'd be back soon. Or at all. Oh hey, my paranoia was back. Fun.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

We didn't stop inside the Palace. I expected to be taken to a throne room, or maybe some kind of study. Instead, Aiden brought me deep, deep into the heart of the structure, and then we left it behind to enter a deeper area.

After an hour or two of walking (ignoring everyone we passed), we came to a pair of huge dark wood doors. When Aiden pushed them open, I was expecting us to step into some kind of howling abyss. But instead, when we stepped through the door, the world fell away and we found ourselves in some kind of meadow.

It wasn't green, or pretty. In fact, meadow was a bit of an overstatement. It was a wide, flat field of grass, half drowned with muddy water, with only the odd island of overgrown greenery peeking out. As we touched down, I winced at the feeling of my feet squelching deep into the thin mud. Aiden grimaced, then nodded for me to follow and led me through the meadow towards a small, difficult to see building in the center.

As we approached, the very dim light seeping through the rainclouds currently pouring water down on us finally illuminated the small, squat building we'd come here to access.

It looked…old. A wooden shack that was barely holding together in the wind and rain. The shutters hung at odd angles, the paint on the door was peeling, and the door itself was cracked in several places, though not enough to show inside.

"This," said Aiden slowly. "Is the core of the Wishworld. The center of this whole realm. This is the Great Book Heavenly Library."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll be honest, It doesn't look like any of those things."

"Yeah, the old man is nostalgic," he shrugged. "He created this place in its larval form when he was pretty low on the totem pole. It wasn't FINISHED until much later, but the concept originated before he had the power or vision to create something grander. And he likes to keep it how it is. It's comfortable for him."

I'd heard Aiden adopt a lot of tones. Casual, acerbic, even fond. But I'd never heard the Wishmaster show…reverence. I could FEEL the respect he had for Alistair Wyndham in my bones. Aiden might not want to be the Wishmaster, but he still respected the office, or at least the man who had founded it. Turning, he reached up to rap his knuckles on the door. There was a brief pause and then someone called. "Why are you still out there, lackwit, get inside out of the rain."

Aiden laughed, pushing the door open and ushering me inside. I stepped in…and blinked. Ok, this looked a little more like what I was expecting. The inside of the place was…well, books. Just all the books.

Shelves ceiling to floor, rising up into the distance so high I couldn't see the top. And not just one level, throughout the sky of the library, small islands that looked like reading rooms floated, walls lined on three sides with shelving of their own. Directly ahead of us, to my surprise was a table that looked a lot like mine. I wondered if the form of the library had influenced me through recursion, or if my dad had somehow influenced it.

We stopped in front of the table, which was covered in books, to stare down at the figure scrawling away in yet another book. "Well?" he snapped without looking up. "What do you need, brat?"

"You sent me to get the kid," Aiden said mildly. "And bring him here."

Alistair paused. "Was that today?" He reached into a pocket, pulling out a…well watch was the wrong word. It was a small circular timepiece, but it had WAY too many dials and readouts. "Well that seems wrong," he said in concern. "I could have sworn it was two hundred years ago last time I checked that." His eyes lit up. "Wait, no, I remember." He snapped his fingers and a book appeared. He cracked it open and the interior glowed, his eyes lighting up again, but more literally this time.

"Right, Shane," he said confidently. "Sorry. Certain memories get in the way of certain research methodologies. Plus sometimes I section off parts of my brain into books to get a break." He glanced around the library with a frown. "This place is getting a little crowded. I need to make another annex."

Aiden rolled his eyes. "You say that every time I come in here. The last time you made one was two hundred years ago. Anyway, you said you wanted to meet the kid, so…here's the kid." He gestured to me like a magician showing off their assistant.

Alistair nodded, then turned to look me over. "So…you're Eli's boy," he said slowly. "That one had potential. Shame we lost him to the politics. All the smart ones jump ship. And yes, Aiden, I am most certainly including you in that assessment." His eyes, the same green as every other Wyndham I'd met, studied me carefully.

Honestly, the eyes were the only part I'd guessed right. Alistair Wyndham looked…old. Not beaten down or weathered. Just old. Healthy full cheeks were adorned with a snow white beard, and his hair, though very similar to the natural upsweep that my dad and I had, wasn't sandy blonde, but pure ivory. His eyes had crows feet at the corners, showing he smiled quite a bit, and he looked sweet and harmless.

He looked like a mix between someone's grandfather and a movie star. "You look older than I expected."

I didn't mean to say it, it just kind of slipped out, but as I said it I didn't regret the words. Alistair was the kind of person who valued honesty and communication. I could FEEL it in here. All knowledge was precious to him.

"I spent quite a bit longer in S-rank than most," he admitted. "I've always been patient. I could have made…adjustments. But I didn't see the point. My wife and children have long since died, and I rarely see anyone anymore. It's mostly just Aiden. Oh, and Pomp and Circumstance. They're my wisps. Though I haven't seen Pomp in some time." He glanced up into the sky, eyes fixing on a bookshelf, and one of the books glowed. "Ah, apparently I sent him out to pick up a rare Skill for me. Oh well, it's only been a century, I'm sure he's fine."

That was interesting. "So, not that I'm not excited to meet you, but I'm curious why you wanted to see me. Is this just onboarding, or did you have a specific goal."

"Both," he admitted. "I always greet the new ones. But more than that, I heard you've been having an interesting couple years. You've met several interesting deities. Suvaya I knew about, but I confess, the idea of a Heretic God is fascinating. I'd love to pick your brain. Or you could just tell me about it if you'd rather be boring."

I snorted at what I hoped was a joke. "Well, I think if you want information, I'm going to need to get something out of it. That's like…the first rule of the WCP, isn't it?"

That brought him up short, but he grinned after a moment. "That it is. What do you want?"

I'd expected that to be harder. Except…I had no idea. He was the Wishmaster, I could ask for almost anything. Power, techniques, Skills, items. I mean sure, the knowledge wasn't likely to pay for ANYTHING. But it could pay for something.

Considering my options, I thought about what I'd needed in the past. What I'd had that had changed the game. What I'd lost. And I only really had one response. "I want a defensive token," I decided. I'd used the Lady's protecting Callie, and ever since I had, I'd felt…naked. Having that divine level insurance had helped the world seem a little safer. And given where I was going and who I'd be dealing with moving forward, I wanted that security back.

"Smart," he said approvingly. "Too many people would have wished for some kind of overpowered Skill. Why didn't you?"

I shrugged. "I already have too many options. If I want an overpowered Skill I'll make one. Or at least a technique. But nothing I can get will be strong enough to protect me when I really need it. Defense is something I can't buy or make. Not at that level. Gods don't give out protection like that easily. And I suspect my information is worth it. Don't forget I'm your successor, I know the value of secrets."

"Clearly," he grinned. "Very well. You'll need to make the wish. Any particulars you'd like to hammer out?"

"Three uses," I clarified. "I don't want a one and done."

He shook his head. "Two is the highest I can go. Your information IS valuable, but not priceless. Now that I know the Heretic God exists I can find information on my own through trial and error. Is that acceptable?"

I hesitated. "No," I finally said. "I want to transfer one. One for me and one for my wife."

"That I can do," he acknowledged. "But they aren't going to be under your control. It'll have to be placed ON you. It'll activate if you're the victim of a serious attack by someone at S-rank or higher."

That wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but I was literally talking to a god. It was probably better than I should have asked for. I nodded, and he raised an eyebrow at me. It took me a second to realize what I was supposed to do, and I cleared my throat. "I wish for divine protection of the type we've just agreed on to be placed on my wife and I in exchange for a copy of the memories of my meeting with the Heretic God."

Callie had figured he might want to know about Atlas, and we'd already discussed and decided to give them to him if asked. I hadn't realized until just now how valuable the information might be, and therefore that I could get a wish, but I was satisfied with what I'd asked for.

Alistair smiled, nodding respectfully. "Done."

I blinked. "Wait…what? What do you mean, done? Where's the lightning? The flash of light? I didn't feel anything."

"This is Wishworld," he said simply. "Reality here is what I make it. Within the confines of the Wish, all who enter here are under my influence. You wished, you paid, and now you are made whole. You may go."

The jovial grandpa smile had vanished like the wind, and he returned to his book, dipping a quill and beginning to write. It wasn't that he had been faking, it was that he had wanted something from me and now gotten it. The Wishmaster was a god of the deal. His interest in mortal affairs extended only to the wishes he granted and those he deemed worthy to make them.

Oddly…that made me feel better. I'd been so paranoid when he was being a nice old man. It just didn't fit with my image of what gods were. I sighed, then pushed back my chair. I was about to get up, but I realized that at the very least, I should CHECK what kind of protection he'd laid on me. I held up a finger for Aiden to wait, and then I closed my eyes and entered my ring of Pride.

My library looked the same as ever. Mostly. Except one difference. There was a second pedestal like the one my Chronicle sat on, a bright white stone plinth above which floated a book made of living purple flame, bound in violet lightning. In the flickers of the flames, runes and stats danced and leapt, rearranging and recombining infinitely, as if driven by the fire like an engine. I grinned down at it, then looked back at my ancestor as I left. "Thanks old man," I told him sincerely. And you know? I swore I saw him smirk a little as I got up to leave. Sneaky bastard.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Someone who wasn't me might wonder why I was so excited. I'd met my ancestor, he'd said almost nothing to me, then he'd kicked me out. Which…honestly had been what I'd expected. He was the Wishmaster. As a god centered around deals and contracts, once I was no longer relevant to him it wasn't surprising he had no use for me.

He'd answered no questions, given no advice, and hadn't even really acknowledged me as a relative with more than a passing comment. And despite that, he'd given me the most profound gift of my life.

I was sure he knew it, too. Because he could have granted that wish in a lot of different ways. An item, a blessing, there were dozens of methods of applying a defensive construct. And none of them would have been as earthshattering as the one he'd just given me. A book. A Skill (or technique?) book constructed from his power INSIDE my library. Where I could study it. Learn its secrets.

Of course, the first thing I did was try to do just that, splitting off a parallel and sending it to pilot my body back to my friends while I slipped into the library to explore this new gift. But naturally, when I got to it, I realized things weren't QUITE that simple.

The book was definitely impressive. As I stared down at it, my breath was stolen by the sheer artistry of the construction. The first thing I noticed was that despite being closed, because of the way it was designed, I could read the whole thing from above, or below, or even the sides. The runes that constructed it weren't opaque, even if they were constantly moving and shifting. Flames and lightning made up the tome, but they were mostly just SHAPED like a book, and that made a huge difference. I triggered Dantalion to study it, and I was blown away.

Mostly because the construct was shifting and changing in a way that made it feel almost ALIVE. Every symbol related to every other symbol. The first symbol in the book wasn't just the symbol before the next, it also aligned with a different effect when read in line with the one below, and diagonal. And more than that, each page was its own individual effect, and each chapter.

It was…art. Every individual instance of a rune was part of a constellation of different effects at any given moment, and all those constellations were part of a larger construction, each rune being used in a thousand ways in a thousand different patterns that were themselves making up larger patterns until-

I woke up. It was a little jarring. That was a LOT of information. My brain didn't really BEND in the way necessary to do that yet. But I knew how it could. Parallels. I needed more parallels. A lot of them. All going at once and calculating for a thousand days and- I shook my head.

Slowly. I needed to go slowly. That book was so far beyond what I could conceptualize. It wasn't just the insane cascading, overlapping patterns of formation like constructs. It was the fact that every second they were MOVING, rearranging themselves. And when viewed from a macro perspective, even THAT was a pattern. I could almost see it if I focused, almost grasp the edge of a great sprawling tapestry of constructs, all lined up in front of me in a way that showed me that the design wasn't just constructed in three dimensions. Yes, the thing was book shaped, and that was important, but beyond that, time was also a dimension the enchantment functioned in, with each second being part of an even larger array of overlapping design.

Which was why I had blacked out. I was doing too much. Trying to brute force something I had no chance at brute forcing. Scowling, I reached out for my staff. I called the object to me, then carefully set it above the book. Not interfering or even interacting, I wanted to avoid setting it off, if that was possible.

And this was why I'd been so grateful to my ancestor. The old man had made this book a PART of my library. Not in a 'stolen authority' kind of way. Like he'd loaned it to me for my collection. And since the library and my staff could work together to simulate different Skills and patterns, it would be perfect for reverse engineering this book…eventually. I set the Wisdom of Solomon to processing. And winced.

The book was changing too fast. To build an appropriate model, it would need to first build a model of each configuration, then try to line them up in the right way to create the overarching construct in spacetime. Which I had zero idea where to even start on. But before all that, I'd need to get a copy of each individual sequence of the book. And considering that my staff was having trouble calculating even one or two runes…that wouldn't happen soon.

Grimacing, I created another parallel to keep watch. Then I waved my hand and constructed a table full of empty books. "Alright," I told me. "You know the drill. The staff is going to take down every rune. Try to figure out which of them belongs to which sequence and put them together as best you can. Figure out how long until we get repeats, and then figure out if those are consistent. The staff is building the patterns, but you need to build the pattern of patterns."

Despite all that, and the fact that it would take me probably YEARS to crack this at the current pace. I was excited. Even the partial decryption was going to expand my understanding of Skill construction by leaps and bounds. And not just mine. My staff wasn't just stimulating, it was learning. And the more it learned the more it learned how to learn.

That wasn't all of it though. He hadn't just given me one of these. He's also given CALLIE one. And since my wife and I were connected at the soulular level (technical term I'd just made up), I could access hers too. Maybe it was different. Or maybe it wasn't, which would probably be better, because I would be able to compare and contrast (somewhat, without another staff it seemed unlikely to be that easy, but a man could dream).

I was about to return to my body, go find my wife, and then have her escort me into her soul space…and then I realized. Why would I need to do that? Our souls were connected by the bond. Truly, deeply, madly connected. We could share anything if we wanted to.

Soul spaces were…well, part of the soul. They were Domains, or pseudo Domains in our case. So since our souls were connected, why couldn't our soul SPACES?

I focused on the bond, closed my eyes, and then tried to PUSH myself between one space in the next. It didn't work. I tried again. Nothing. I kept at it for a minute or two, until I heard a knock on the door. Except I was currently inside my soul, so there shouldn't BE a door here. I opened my eyes to find that one had materialized.

It was set into a wall that had just been shelves previously, a large pair of gilded double doors, white at the top and bleeding darker to grey and then black as it approached the floor. A series of strange curved and twisted windows flowed down it, individual cells in a design that formed a familiar symbol. My well of wishes. There was another knock. I frowned, walking over to the other side of the room and pulling the door open slowly, ready for anything even if I knew what this PROBABLY was.

Sure enough, my wife was waiting on the other side, her eyebrow raised. "You know we can TALK telepathically?" she pointed out, her arms crossed in front of her in annoyance. "You could have just ASKED me to let you in."

I blinked. "I…did not consider that. I was kind of distracted. I assume you noticed-"

"The purple book made of flames and lightning sitting on the altar in my temple?" she finished dryly. "Yeah, it came up. I assume you're going to tell me what that's about? Because I've been getting a flood of excitement through the bond with no context." I explained the books and where they came from, and she seemed a little on the fence about if she was happy I'd used half of my wish for her. When I pointed out it was based on a memory I only had because of her link to Atlas, she caved and just said thank you, giving me a soft kiss and the kind of smile that still tied my stomach in knots even after years together.

After I finished explaining though, she paused to look up at the door. "Also, I didn't know we could do this. Did you know we could do this?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. Though it'll be damned useful. You can come down here to train and work on your techniques. With your new form you'll have to build an arsenal of them, and this is the perfect place."

"You're not wrong," she admitted. "So, are you gonna come in or what? I assume that you want to look at the book directly?" She glanced past me to where my staff sat above my copy. "Seems like you're already hard at work cracking the code. How long are you thinking, couple months?"

I snorted. "How about a couple years? Or possibly decades. This isn't something I can rush. I'll learn a lot in the process, but this…Cal, this is so far beyond anything I've ever seen. I can't even put it into words. It's almost a living being. This is like me building those walkie talkies that kids use out of strings and a pair of cups and then someone handing me a scan ring. It's…nominally the same as what I've been doing, but the scale is so absurdly different that you can barely even call them the same process. I thought I was impressive, honestly, at least with techniques. But past a certain level I'm not sure Skills and techniques are even different things. I guess they never were, given the way the library records them and things like sold paths."

Shaking my head in disbelief I laughed. "That's something for another time. I tried to brute force this earlier and knocked myself unconscious. INSIDE my soul. Slow and steady is the best course of action here. Why don't we go and take a look at yours. See if it's the same. Or if I can even tell."

We laughed, and I slung an arm over her shoulder, the two of us passing through the door from my soul to hers. When we entered, I looked over the temple that was her soul space. And I spotted a new stained glass window. Blinking, I stared at it for a moment before turning to smile at her. "Is that what I think it is?" It was an image of us huddled together, her head resting on my chest as we closed our eyes.

"Yeah," she grinned. "I felt like it was just…right to have it here. I considered using it to bind a page, but the pages reinforce certain aspects of your abilities. And I think that one would just empower the bond. Which I like, but I'm not sure I want it to be my FIRST page, you know?"

I nodded. "I can see that. We can always use it later." I squeezed her against me. "It was an important memory for me too. Now, let's go take a look at this book." We set off down the purple carpet towards the altar where the book sat, burning merrily away. Somehow, I doubted we were going to get any real answers from it right now. But hey, at least it was a pretty decoration.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Aiden escorted me back to the suite of rooms my people were staying in. The walk was…informative. The WCP reminded me of nothing so much as a walled city. It wasn't a building, for all the it was in one piece. Huge towering chambers, spatial manipulation, artificial sunlight, parks, there were amenities inside the palace that I hadn't seen in actual cities, and the walls themselves were at LEAST A-rank materials.

The tour was educational and very entertaining, but the company sucked. If I hadn't been communing with my wife and studying god level skill engineering, I might have been offended.

Once we arrived, he dropped me off with a casual wave and vanished, leaving me alone to push the door open and slip inside. My family was waiting. Chelsea, Callie, mom, dad, Zeke, Uncle Sam, and my grandparents. My grandfather let out a sigh of relief when he saw me, but my dad just rolled his eyes. "I TOLD you he'd be fine. If the old man wanted to hurt him he wouldn't need a summons. You know how powerful gods are within their Domains."

My dad shrugged. "He was fine. Like I said. Though now that we're here…I think it might be time to talk about picking your cabinet."

I blinked at him. "My…what now?"

"Your cabinet," he repeated. "You know, the people who do most of the day to day work while you're Wishmaster?"

"But…Aiden said that he does everything?" I said slowly. "He hates it. Says its the worst job of all time. He literally mocked me for taking over and went on about how much work it is." I was poleaxed. Was the previous Wishmaster messing with me?

My dad snorted out a laugh. "Because Aiden is a control freak. He trusts almost no one. Have you seen him spending time with anyone? Talking to any friends? He's a miserable paranoid lunatic. That happens when you completely dominate an entire generation through the threat of overwhelming violence. I didn't think you took any of that seriously. I mean yes, he hates the job, but it's mostly his own fault. People just don't call him on it because he scares them."

"Yeah, because people love you and you have so many friends," I said dryly. "I can't even mention your name in public without members of the family wetting themselves. No wonder you get along so well." Besides, given the conversation about his wife, I wasn't sure Aiden was as much of a loner as he let on. Still, it wasn't pleasant news to get this late in the game.

"He's right," Zeke cut in. "I love you, bud, but if not for Sasha and I you would have no social life. You used to be more personable, but you gradually lost all ability to socialize."

Chuckling at my dad's glower, I turned to Zeke. "As fun as it is to mess with him, I really do need to know what this cabinet thing is. Because apparently Aiden didn't bother to mention it, which is either entirely expected from him or so oblivious it's hard to fathom, and now that I say it out loud I think both of those are equally likely."

"Pretty much," my dad chuckled. "But basically, the Wishmaster acts as a counterbalance to the Elder's Council, having about half the power in the WCP. But since half their job is to soak up renown constantly via their position, they can't be expected to do everything. They usually bring on a cadre of loyal supporters to handle their business inside the family. It's a useful series of positions to fill…but politically complicated."

I groaned. "Of COURSE it is. Go ahead. Lay it on me. What fresh hell is this?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's nothing absurd. There's just some…considerations. Picking your cabinet is about making alliances, forming connections, and cementing your position in the family. Part of why Aiden never bothered. But YOU could benefit from that, especially given you're probably going to be leaving on a sensitive mission soon."

"I take it I can't just pick people I already know?" I gestured to my wife and sister. "I can think of a few selections I could make right now."

"That's sweet of you," my mother said with a smile. "And your sister may be a good choice, given her unique capabilities, but you shouldn't choose ALL outsiders. One or two is fine, but some of those slots should go to politically connected dynasties, or uniquely talented individuals you want to hitch to your wagon. Plus the individual offices have different skillsets, so just picking people who punch hard is unlikely to work out well."

Sighing, I nodded. "Fine, then fill me in. What are these positions and who do I need to fill them with? I assume you guys have suggestions? This is feeling less like you checking on me and more like a strategy meeting."

She just shrugged. "It can be both. But there are seven traditional cabinet positions. Master of Ceremonies, Master of Banking, Master of Challenge, Master of Treaties, Master of Development, Master of Substitution, and Master of Secrets. Like we said, Aiden didn't have a cabinet, so it's not mandatory, but anyone with any social skills makes use of them. No one can do it all alone. Of course, if you dislike the positions, there are alternate offices that have been used in the past, or you could make up your own. But the traditional seats hold a certain amount of…weight."

"Ok…" I said slowly. "So I get Ceremonies and Banking. What about the others? Secrets is like a spymaster?"

"Basically. There's some deeper significance given the role of secrets in the wishing process." My dad confirmed. "But their job is essentially to gather information. It's a difficult office to fill because secrets are one of the few major issues with wishes."

I grimaced at that. "So are people going to expect me to pick a Wyndham optimized to granting wishes of that specific kind for each office?"

He waggled a hand. "Not necessarily. I'll cover the positions on order. As you said. Banking and Ceremonies are obvious, though I would suggest you think CAREFULLY about both. The WCP is an economic powerhouse and events are a huge part of our interaction with the outside world. They're both crucial positions."

"Noted," I said solemnly. "I'll keep it in mind, but what about the others?"

Sighing, he leaned back. "The Master of Challenge acts as your Champion. They're usually supposed to be someone close to your rank, all of the cabinet is, because they gain renown alongside you, albeit to a lesser extent. Your Master of Challenge will be your sword and shield against equal ranked enemies, and as you both grow will take a larger and larger role. When you eventually step down, your cabinet will retire with you, becoming your own household. MOST of the time a retired Wishmaster hits S-rank and his cabinet members become part of his branch."

I blinked at that. "Wait…how many members of the Elder Council are former Wishmasters?" I asked slowly.

"Three," my dad said bluntly. "Desmond, Cristoph, and Warren. Warren is the youngest, and was the reigning Wishmaster before Aiden. Cristoph was before him, and Desmond was four generations ago. Cristoph's predecessor died under mysterious circumstances. It was kind of a scandal. Don't bring it up."

I frowned. "What, we've never had a female Wishmaster? Wishmistress? How would you say that."

"It's Wishmaster, because of the renown gain, and yes, we have," he sighed. "A few of them. Adalind was the Wishmaster…I want to say fifteen generations ago? She was killed in a border skirmish after retiring. Cassidy was thirty generations before her, and she died of old age."

That brought me up short. Hearing about that…it really brought home how old my family was. I mean yes, I knew S-rankers lived usually between fifty and a hundred thousand years, and that the Wishmaster office could pass on anywhere between a few decades and a few centuries depending on how big of an impact the new boss had, but still…how many Wishmasters had there been?

How OLD was the old man? Even if he was only a hundred thousand, averaging out Wishmasters to one change a century (admittedly a bit optimistic) that was a thousand potential Wishmasters. No wonder he didn't get involved in the selection.

"Anyway," my dad said waspishly. "The Master of Treaties is basically your voice in political matters. They decide where new branch locations will be founded, how many resources we funnel to EXISTING branches, and what we get in return for a branch existing in the territory of another faction. Basically they handle contracts, but on a much larger scale. The Master of Substitution takes your place for important events or when you need to be elsewhere. Like a body double.

"Finally," he said grimly. "We have the Master of Development. That's your head of research. You want something done? You give it to him and he does it. New item created? Now Skill developed? Need some lost knowledge uncovered? All of that goes to the Master of Development. The position is mostly assumed by the Wishmaster's closest advisor and confidant, because it requires absolute trust."

Frowning, I glanced around at the three of them, then at my grandparents. "You said you don't think I should fill my cabinet with outsiders, that I should use tot bind some elements of the family closer to me. I assume you have candidates in mind? And how many of the positions can I reserve for my people?"

"Well, there's nothing that says you need to have a hard number," my mother hedged gently. "We can't just come out and tell you what to d-"

"Two," my dad cut her off. "You shouldn't appoint more than two outsiders." She turned to glare at him and he shrugged. "What? It's true. No need to coddle the boy. Two is still plenty. I assumed he'll be giving at least one position to his wife, and we can consider Chelsea as one of the other five."

My sister shook her head. "Nope," she said firmly. "None of those positions suits me. I don't want a job just to ride my brother's coattails, thanks. I can make my own way. But I think the Master of Challenge should be either Abel or Bethy."

"Bethy," my wife said firmly. "A connection to Lark in an official capacity would be huge, and she's the scariest C-ranker we know. In terms of pure combat potential, the only one close to her is Abel, and he doesn't have the same political advantages. As for the other one…Crell. You should pick Crell as your Master of either Treaties or Ceremonies."

I didn't like that, and I could tell she didn't either…but I also knew she was right. Crell was one of the most devious people I'd ever met. He could talk anyone in circles, and always had a plan or an angle. Given that skillset…"Treaties," I decided. "I'll extend Crell an invitation to be my Master of Treaties. Him being B-rank won't be an issue, will it?"

"Unlikely," my dad assured me. "He only recently ranked up. He's still close enough to you that it shouldn't be an issue." He gave me a reassuring smile. "For what it's worth, those are good choices. The ones I'd have made myself."

I nodded my thanks, but then glanced at Callie and Chelsea. To my surprise neither looked unhappy. I knew Callie had wanted to be part of my cabinet, I could feel it, but she knew it was only smart to do what was best for my position. Plus, I think she was secretly relieved not to have too much more responsibility. She was already dealing with a lot.

"Alright, we'll that's two down," I said wryly. "Now we just have five to go. You mentioned some suggestions? Because I get the impression most of them are people I don't know." Or people I wouldn't like. But I left that unsaid. No need to be rude where anyone could hear. That's what the privacy of my own head was for.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

"So we have five positions to fill." I said as I paced around the room. "You mentioned having suggestions. But why do I feel like it isn't going to be QUITE that simple." I paused, thinking back to Fade and the Hall of Steel. "Shit. I'm going to have to fight a bunch of these people, aren't I?"

My dad snorted. "Told you he would get it. Or close enough. Not fighting. Most Wyndhams aren't the fighting type. Though to be fair, the ones who ARE mostly occupy the group you're scouting."

I frowned. "Well, I mean there are a few mixed up in my business from the succession war, I could invite some of them, right?"

"A few," he admitted. "If you want. But I recommend you focus a little outside the candidate wheelhouse. You know from Chelsea that not everyone in the family inherits the bloodline. It skips generations sometimes, and some branches it gets bred out completely. But those family members are still family. They usually end up joining branches as security, staff, or couriers."

Zeke snorted. "Or they leave. It's not easy for Wyndhams who don't have the gift. They're treated as second class citizens. I mean, I know Chelsea was getting lots of attention at your ceremony, but that was because she's politically well connected and powerful. For most of those kids they end up being seen and not heard. Kept around for their usefulness and ignored. Especially for siblings that DO have the gift."

My dad grimaced. "Like Trevor and Natasha," he admitted. "Though to be fair, my father isn't exactly the best example of good parenting."

"Exactly," he turned back to me. "But they ARE still family. And you can make connections with some of the more insular dynasties AND help talented kids who really need it make their own way in the world. I know the politics can be annoying, but you could actually do some good here." He shrugged. "Not my thing, but I know you like that kind of stuff."

I huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, I'm a fan of human decency," I said dryly. He just grimaced like I'd mentioned liking pineapple on pizza. "But that's…well, hopefully I can help. I was honestly kind of envisioning a full cabinet of candidates and bloodline holders, but this does open up some possibilities. You're saying I'm going to have to fight them to find the right fight though?" I wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Not fight," my dad corrected. "Like I said, Wyndhams don't tend to be fighters. There are exceptions, but you aren't LOOKING for those. You're looking for talents in specific areas. Which means-"

"You think he should check the tournaments," Zeke said with an understanding nod. "That's not a bad idea. They have them for everything. There are probably tournaments for each of the seven positions or some analogue. Except the Substitute. Not sure where we'd even look for that."

I stared at him drolly. "Seriously?" I asked him with a snort. "I wear an impenetrable wooden mask at all times. Just make another one for ANYONE my height. Maybe include a voice changer or something. I was basically born for this."

"That's…a good point," he admitted. "So that one should be easy then. Only four more to handle."

My dad nodded. "I have some ideas for where to find the others. There are quite a few tournaments and contests that might make someone a suitable choice for the Master of Ceremonies. But I think the closest you'll get to someone with the kind of aesthetic and organizational talent is going to be the Tea Ceremony Competition. Most of them are formation Masters, but it takes an extra little bit of style. I was fairly accomplished at Tea Ceremonies myself in my youth."

I stared at him blankly. "You…you did TEA ceremonies? Isn't that a little…mellow for you? Was the tea poisoned? Did you trade people the leaves for their souls?"

My mother giggled at that. "Your father has a very peaceful heart. He just sometimes takes it out and puts it in a box when he needs to do business. But he DID do tea ceremonies when he was young." She gave him an adoring smile. "He made tea for me on our first date."

Clearing his throat, my dad shot her a slightly sour look. "There's no need to go into all that now," he said in an almost pleading voice. "The point is, there's a subset of the family that practices. The Wyndham clan is HUGE. We've been around for tens of thousands of years, and the majority of the descendants don't inherit the gift. Bloodlines aren't universal, otherwise the universe would be overrun with bloodline holders. Every clan would have people lining up to bribe them to marry in a third cousin to get their hands on some more power."

"I mean, that DOES still happen," Zeke pointed out. "It's just not super successful. I mean yes, higher ranked bloodline holders are more likely to pass on the genes, but it's still hit or miss. And for the weaker ones, or the ones who don't HAVE the bloodline. Well, mostly only the desperate or powerless families try to aim for that kind of interbreeding."

Chelsea snorted. "Yeah, plus it can be dangerous. Mixing bloodlines or racial traits can result in…unpredictable outcomes." We all looked at her, and I was a bit alarmed by the slight bitterness in her words. When she saw the glances, she put on a big happy smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Not that I know anyone like that. Just thinking out loud."

We all knew who she meant, and I felt a pang of sympathy for my cheerful vampire "bestie". Bethy was so good at being zany and effervescent that it was easy to forget how much she went through every day. But that was the whole point. She didn't want to be defined by the bad parts of her life, and did her best to make every day exciting and fun. I promised myself I'd spend more time with Bethy, especially now that she was going to be my champion. I got so swept up in the show she put on that I forgot to check on her sometimes.

"Anyway," said Zeke, refocusing us. "That's one. We still need Secrets, Development, and Banking."

"Well there's a few Crafting tournaments," my dad said with a shrug. "That one I'm more up in the air about. Banking we'll want to check out one of the merchant competitions. And secrets…" he frowned. "That'll be the hardest one. It takes a very specific kind of person to become a Master of Secrets. And not the kind you can take out an ad for."

My grandmother spoke up. "Maybe you can do just that, or something similar. Just get a list of information brokers and use wishes to narrow it down. Obviously just asking for the best candidate wouldn't work, given the nature of the position, but if you just write them all out…"

"We go page by page," I acknowledged. "Or even more. Wish to know which half of the list the best candidate is in, then halve that half, then again. Then get it to page, then eliminate individually. Time consuming but not a bad idea. I'll have to get the scrolls from a relative, but I have a few I could call. My retinue is mostly on Stratholme at the moment, but a few of the cousins from the succession war should be around."

Delia and Roland came to mind. I had a decent stock of points left I could probably pay with too. It felt good to have actual currency. I'd been kind of speedrunning from one financial bit of nonsense to the next, getting by on bartering and doing tasks to get what I needed. Now that I was the Wishmaster (or would be soon) it would be embarrassing for me to be broke and trading for everything. Speaking of which.

"What about the coronation?" I asked anxiously. "Do I need to have my cabinet picked by the time that rolls around? And when is that? And WHERE? You said it would be held somewhere more neutral and outside the core of the Wishworld. Does that mean not in the Palace?"

"They'll use the Back Palace," my dad said with a nod. "It's connected but not part of the main building. It's kind of a…halfway point. It's connected to the actual Palace, so we can reach it easily, and the guests will stay there. Your grandparents were allowed in because the old man decreed it, and because Aiden escorted them. MOST of the visiting dignitaries will stay in the Back Palace for the duration of the coronation event."

I grimaced at that. "Coronation…event?"

"Of course," he grinned. "You know how important reputation is among Ascendants. We never miss a chance to have lavish parties and show off. The coronation is a week long celebration with the actual ceremony taking place on the seventh night." At my horrified expression, he just laughed. "Be grateful. It USED to be seventy two days. It got whittled down over time because it tends to get in the way of business.

"As for your cabinet, yes, you do want to have them chosen before the ceremony," he admitted. "I know it's a stressful proposition, but if anything, the ceremony will help. More tournaments will be going on during such a big event. It should make it easier to find the right fit. I assume Aiden neglected to mention the whole thing because…well, like I said, he never had one. I wouldn't be surprised if he just forgot about the whole concept, really."

Zeke snorted. "And the rest of the council probably assumed you knew. He WAS supposed to tell you. Or the old man could have. Though knowing him he probably talked to you for ten seconds and never looked you in the face."

"No, Shane had information he wanted," my father corrected. "He probably offered him a wish and THEN ignored him."

Realizing I'd gotten sucked into this whole conversation as soon I returned, I decided to sit down and fill them in on everything. Getting worried about the future was fine, but the present came first. Literally.

So I filled them in on everything. My dad nodded along, and when I finished, he beamed at me. "That…was the best choice you could have possibly made." He complimented me.

My mom nodded her approval. "It really was. Safety always comes first, both for you and Calliope. Ensuring that was the wisest use of that kind of power. In fact, I'm sure your ancestor gave you those technique books as a reward for your forward thinking and prudence."

Dad did NOT look sure of that, and like me probably suspected the old man had done it on a random whim and forgotten about it ten seconds after it happened, but he wisely chose not to say anything to that effect. We all laughed a bit, and a lot of the tension flowed out of the room as we relaxed.

This was just another part of the job, and I shouldn't get so hung up on details. Sure, I needed to find these people, and sure I'd have to TRUST them, but I was sure my dad would help with the contracts. I'd have a safe and reliable fallback, and they could take care of things while I was out making connections and preparing for the war.

Ultimately, this was all formalities, and couldn't compare to the quest I would be going on when it ended. The idea of heading off into the Void to find Mourne Kayze again (for real this time) and beseech the Lady for help was…heavy. But it helped put things in perspective. Before that though, I had a seven day party to get to…after I got some damned sleep.