Time ticked onward, and Erick watched dragons discuss the new world orders they wished to implement. None of them spoke in specifics, for most of the dragons here could not actually meet any of the other dragons out there in the world, lest they get into a fight, so their plans were couched in dubious language. The exception to this was when a few dragons openly spoke of their half-dragon family members getting Renewal Tank’d and then sent out into the world to secure land and other various interests. Their own cures would come later, and might come from any one of them doing their own experiments on [Renew]-based soul magics.

The basic theory of how this new magic cleared a person of elemental influence was rather simple, after all. The spellwork targeted the very center of a person, their base nature and soul, and then recreated everything from there, outward. Everything that was not in-tune with that base nature was discarded.

The conversation moved on from there, to talks of securing the actual cure for the Curse while allowing one to remain a dragon. The Curse itself was still an intrinsic part of Dragon Essence, after all, so a ‘reset to base’ for a dragon would still leave them with the Curse, so any actual cure would have to come from a person gaining a Death, Carnage, or Fae Elemental Body and then combining them with Wizardry. But is such a thing even possible? Unknown. And yet...

House Carnage was absolutely going to do everything it could to create a Carnage Dragon Renewal Tank.

House Fae would be expanding the number of people with [Fae Body], if they could, but as of right now it didn’t appear that Fae Dragon Essence would be that easy to foster through a Renewal Tank, no matter how miraculous the magical technology seemed to be. Resetting a person to Dragon would likely be easy, as would resetting a person to Fae, but a combined spellwork would still require Wizardry. Therefore, House Fae would be going the [Fae Body] route and leaving behind most of their Fae Dragon selves. At least that was the idea, for now. Things might change in the future.

House Death agreed with House Fae’s assessment. They might go that way as well, while also attempting to revive wyrms, granting the Silent dead new bodies.

The idea of wyrms coming back to life was a major revelation, though.

Many dragons shouted out for further answers, all across the Rotunda, and so Light Blight, the dragon from House Death, spent a good 40 minutes explaining what Inferno Maw’s latest research indicated. He didn’t say anything that Erick didn’t already know, but Erick did send his sight over to the Ophiel currently by the Renewal Tank, to see what was happening over there.

Ophiel was currently pumping [Renew] into the machine. Erick had already checked on that whole situation a few times already, and this latest check did not show anything too concerning.

So far they hadn’t tried to revive a wyrm, but their experiments were getting rather esoteric.

Redflame and Inferno Maw were both by that Renewal Tank, while yet another large rat was inside the tank. This rat did not currently have a core, but it had had a core not ten minutes ago. The bloody remnants of that grand rad sat upon a nearby dissection table. The rat itself didn’t even have a scar from where its core had been broken, and removed.

Currently, the rat floated in the tank, while glowing white water rained down into the top.

This was the fourth experiment doing this.

The rat itself was physically whole; the injuries it had sustained in the core removal process had been healed up by Inferno Maw. But its soul was another story entirely. Its soul currently looked like a flaking mist, barely filling up the rat’s body at all, looking more like a splash of paint inside the rat than the usual solid mist that was a soul’s normal configuration. Some parts of that broken soul even dangled out of the body like tattered sheets, billowing away in the tumbling waters of the Renewal Tank.

But, that soul was healing.

As white rain fell into the tank and soaked into the monster's skin, and then deeper, into the un-cored soul, the rat’s tattered mess of a soul began to thicken, and coalesce. In five minutes the soul lined up with the body of the now-non-monstrous rat. And the rat had shrunk. It was about half as large as it had been before, which was an odd, but not unexpected result.

The rat itself was completely healed. The soul was fine. The body was fine. It was just like the other three rats that came before.

Inferno Maw clapped his hands and did a small, probably unprofessional dance, before he caught himself. After briefly smiling at the floor and banishing his giddiness he went on to the next experiment, trying not to smile too much the whole time.

Erick turned his attention back to the Rotunda.

House Fae had been talking about turning the toxic jungles of Nergal into normal jungles, ripe for habitation. It was an odd sort of talk, specifically because the Speaker for House Fae, Asteroid Stars, was discussing the similarities between remaking the Crystal Forest into a real forest, and utterly destroying the toxic forest of Nergal, to try and replace them with normal forests.

Erick supposed this was for his benefit. Asteroid Stars was trying to show that they were right there with him and ready to remake the world as he desired. He would have liked to hear more of House Fae’s plans, but it was time to get going. It was nearly noon. The representatives from Stratagold would be appearing soon.

Erick got to his feet and stepped to the edge of his and Fairy Moon’s alcove.

Instantly, Asteroid Stars stopped talking.

Mikatiti, the red dragon still floating in the middle of the Rotunda, announced, “The Rotunda recognizes Archmage Erick Flatt.”

Erick nodded, then said, “This has been most enlightening, and I appreciate the invite to this talk, but this is where I must depart. The wrought envoy is going to be here in about 45 minutes and I must prepare. It was a pleasure to meet you all. I hope to work well with Ar’Cosmos in the future. If it is acceptable, I will be leaving Ophiel here so that I might continue to participate in these discussions, if only as an observer.”

“We welcome your time and presence, Archmage Flatt, but your request is a request we normally deny outright. But we can bend with the times.” Mikatiti gestured with her floating, sinuous body to the rest of the dragons of the Rotunda. “A vote to allow?”

A minor cacophony of ‘acceptable’s and ‘permitted’s and ‘allowed’s filled the space.

Light Blight raised his tail into the arena.

Mikatiti said, “The Rotunda recognizes the words of Light Blight, of House Death.”

Light Blight said, “I would ask for Yggdrasil’s Sight to remain with us as well. It is important for young ones to know the coworkers of their parents, especially when they themselves might be working with those coworkers too, and soon.”

Normally, this was an easy thing to allow.

But Yggdrasil couldn’t actually reach this deep with a second [Scry] eye. This far into Ar’Cosmos, Erick couldn’t even talk to the guy. The barriers around this place were practically as thick as the barriers around Veird’s Core. Did Light Blight know this? Or was he expecting Yggdrasil to be different? Whatever the case, Yggdrasil’s [Scry] eye bounced on Erick’s shoulder, and there remained only one of him.

The dragons of the Rotunda seemed to approve of Light Blight’s words, though, since a lot of ‘ayes’ flooded into the open air.

Erick answered, “Yggdrasil is still attached to me, and this meeting with the wrought is going to be important as well. Yggdrasil will likely join you another day.”

Light Blight did not seem to mind this, for he just bowed a fraction.

“Then Ophiel will remain, and Yggdrasil will go with Archmage Flatt,” Mikatiti said, as she descended a fraction as though in a bow. “The Rotunda is always open to you, Archmage Flatt. Please return whenever you wish.”

The brilliantly colored dragons of the Rotunda all extended a fraction out into the open air, and gave their own versions of bows. Some went low. Some only bowed a little. Some just nodded.

Erick gave half a bow in return, and then he turned, and began walking back the way he came. Fairy Moon followed silently, like a quiet observer.

When Erick was far enough away from the central space, he conjured another Ophiel. The little guy happily took his usual spot on Erick’s unoccupied shoulder, chirping and trilling. The Ophiel back in the Rotunda opened his eyes wide, and took in all the sounds he could.

- - - -

Erick stood at the end of a road.

At the other side, stood a Gate which led to the Twisted Vision that kept Ar’Cosmos separate from the rest of Veird. He had seen that Gate before, and yet, he hadn’t; not really. Not from this side, anyway. He had seen that Gate from the other side, when he had been with Tenebrae, and he had sent Ophiel into the Vision to scout around. Activating his Domain had caused the Vision to yank Ophiel all the way there.

And now Erick was here again, with the dragons, and with Fairy Moon, and he had all the secrets to [Gate]. He wondered a little how Tenebrae was doing. Was he recuperating? Could he walk around again? Erick quickly came back to the moment, though, for there was business to be done, and important conversations to be had with people who may or may not be enemies.

This was the staging ground for that eventual discussion with the wrought.

It was a long road with stone pagodas lining both sides, and dragons flying through the distant sky, headed toward wherever it was they were going. And in front, was that Gate, looking exactly the same as the last time Erick had seen it. He just couldn’t get over that. There were hundreds of gates exactly like this one, but Erick knew this was the same one he had seen before. It was a square, a good ten meters to a side, with each of those sides being about a meter thick. An arc of that same silver metal formed a bridge that curved from the stone roadway on this side of the Gate, to the dark forest floor of the Twisted Vision on the other side.

The street on this side was a small market, while the actual Center Road and all the real markets of Ar’Cosmos were far down the road and beyond three different checkpoints. The land here was basically only open to the poorest of dragons; those who could not afford to enter into the main city, or those who did not desire to enter the main city. This land was more like the transient, orcol campground lands of Treehome, than the city lands inside of that metropolis.

This place did not skimp on the guards, though.

Those guards hung out in fortified bunkers arrayed around the Gate, with House Death’s grey enamel wearing soldiers set around the Gate itself, and House Carnage’s red enamel guard further back, in the parts of the city that could actually be breached; the roads up and down to the other layers. They were all on high alert.

Erick was, too.

Mainly, as he stared at that Gate, he thought about running. Escaping as fast as he could. But… That was just some stupid instincts talking. If he went out there without Ar’Cosmos at his back then the wrought would likely want to ‘nullify’ him like they did to other Wizards. Erick would still be able to cast magic if they did that, and he could still use whatever magic he had already made, but attempting new magic would likely be…

Difficult. Painful. Annoying.

But would being neutered really be so bad?

Obviously it would be personally bad, but for the world? Could Erick lay down his power to prevent a war? Yes. Undoubtedly.

Except… that’s not what would happen.

If he laid down his power, then others would choose how the world worked.

And that was simply unacceptable. Erick did not ‘know better than anyone else’, but the wrought were poor stewards, for security through obscurity was a terrible way to secure anything, and that included a world. Security through scarcity, or rather, security through the absence of easy magic, was probably a better option, but if power was scarce, then the monsters would overrun all of Veird. So that wasn’t a solution either.

There were no easy solutions to the problems of life on Veird, which was why this land was how it was.

Melemizargo would be happy if the wrought all chose to rip apart the Script and put something lesser in place, though. But, oddly enough, Erick was pretty sure that Melemizargo was perfectly happy with Wizards and dragons and other ‘naturally powerful’ people having as much power as they wanted. That seemed to be a contradiction, to Erick. Due to a happenstance of birth, having more power than another person was okay? No. That did not sit well with Erick at all.

And yet, if he was weak then he couldn’t have done anything that he had done.

And so, Erick needed to retain his power, not just for his own personal needs, but also because he did good with his power. Was that a bit narcissistic to say? That Erick did well with the power he had gained? Yes, it was narcissistic, but it was also true.

And—

Fairy Moon leaned a little toward Erick, smirking with her mouth and with her heterochromatic eyes. “Nervous?”

“Extremely.” His thoughts were spiraling. “Is anyone ever truly ready for the turning of an age?”

“Oh yes.” Fairy Moon nodded, then stood straight again, her eyes turning back to the square Gate. “I am ready for the revolution, but I do hope the coming happenstances are curated and calm.” She added, “You have leave to leave, by the way, if we get out there and they give you better bylaws to bow down to.”

Erick almost started running right then.

But he did not.

Inferno Maw’s voice filtered down from Erick’s right like a controlled avalanche, “I highly doubt they will be willing to acquiesce to even the most basic of Erick’s wants, such as his desire to keep his memories and mind intact.”

Erick felt a rushing cold inside his chest. Inferno Maw’s words were rather true.

Erick glanced up.

Inferno Maw was a massive dragon with a head two meters across and a body trailing fifty meters down the street, and gently undulating. White-black fire held inside his mouth like monochromatic, anti-gravity napalm. That fire moved as he spoke, “House Death appreciates the addition of the extra three [Renew] rings you have granted us. They will help further research into that spell, and how it works, but we could never have achieved any of this without you. You are invaluable to Ar’Cosmos and to the future of all of Veird. Not just us dragons, either.” Inferno Maw lowered himself till his head was level with Erick. With deep, grey eyes staring straight at Erick, Inferno Maw said, “Please don’t let them take you, and please to not believe whatever lies they conjure to get to you leave with them.”

Erick looked at Inferno Maw for a moment longer, then he turned toward the Gate. “I am aware of… What to expect from them. I appreciate your words nonetheless.”

Inferno Maw lingered at eye-level with Erick for a moment longer, and then he pulled back. Four other Death Dragons held to the sides of the roads, hovering gently in the air, ready to move at Inferno Maw’s command. He did not give that command, yet.

Fairy Moon hopped forward one step, then said, “We go to have talks with hopefully not-tyrants. Evacuation of Erick will commence if he commands, or is incapacitated by the invaders. Otherwise there will be no nudging of him either way. And now! We go!” She stepped forward, and did not stop walking.

Erick followed, and then he realized he was following. He almost faltered, but he did not.

Inferno Maw followed next. He whispered, “When we get past that Gate you should reconnect to the Script. If you need a minute to go through your notifications, then let us all get all through the Gate, first. We still have ten minutes before I open the pathway for the wrought.”

Erick just nodded. Inferno Maw had spoken a few words about how the Twisted Vision worked. Apparently, everything beyond that metal Gate would move at House Death’s commands, and usually automatically so that no visiting or leaving dragon would encounter another dragon. There were ways to direct that movement, though, and that’s what they were doing today.

Currently, to the right, the switching station had four guards from House Death set up inside that bunker to facilitate those switches. On a more normal day those people would simply move the pathways according to arcane schedules, ensuring that every dragon who left this land did so without meeting any other dragon.

Because the Script was on the other side of that Gate.

… As Inferno Maw had already said. Erick was just nervous.

Fairy Moon went first, stepping onto the silver bridge that arched through the silver square. Erick took a step onto that bridge next, the metal not even making a sound, for it was solid metal. He followed Fairy Moon across that arc of metal, through the Gate—

He crossed through an unseen edge inside the Gate and blue boxes instantly filled his vision like someone had wrapped him in a blue tarp. He could still see out of it, of course, but the messages in that blue space suddenly began shifting as new blue boxes appeared. Thankfully, his mana sense suddenly expanded outward, going from the cramped 5 meter distance it had been all this time in Ar’Cosmos, back out to 50 meters in all directions.

Erick felt a rush of comfort at finally being able to sense the world again, but he focused on his footing and kept walking down the other side of the silver bridge. When he was clear of that bridge he stepped to the side, where Fairy Moon stood waiting, so that the dragons could more easily pass. Inferno Maw and his dragons followed through the Gate one at a time, each of them thick enough to take up the entire Gateway if they wanted. Rapidly, they took points all around the Gate like they were soldiers in enemy territory, which was sort of true, Erick supposed.

But the Pathways were clear of monsters and Inferno Maw controlled those spawns, anyway, and all the wrought had yet to enter into these Pathways, so they weren’t in any real danger. Not yet, anyway, and nothing that the people here could not handle.

Mostly.

Erick was now subject to the Script, which was a different sort of danger. The gods could probably appear here if they wanted, and maybe Rozeta could simply abduct him straight from this place… But since she hadn’t, maybe she couldn’t? Whatever danger he was in, though, was dwarfed by a warm, comforting feeling that spread throughout his entire body—

Ah!

His Stats were ‘coming back online’! Yes. That’s what this was. Health had returned, and washed away every single lingering bit of unnoticed-until-now harm inside his body. Constitution had come back, too, making even the small chill in the air seem like nothing at all. He could probably cast spells for 5% costs, now that Intelligence was fully working again. As for actually casting spells, though, it was time to do some of that; to create some defenses for the meeting with the wrought.

He started with [Greater Lightwalk]—

Not only did every single dragon and fae nearby turn to him as he let out his light and lightning, each and every one of them looking mightily concerned, another message popped up. This message got added to the pile, but Erick did read it first.

Caution!

You have mutated one of your spells in an unknown and potentially dangerous way!

If this was unintentional please see a Registrar or pray to Rozeta to have this change undone. Such a repairing will cost 1 point, or the completion of a Quest.

If someone else did this to you without your consent, please see a Registrar or pray to Rozeta to have this changed undone. Such a repairing might be free.

This is your changed spell:

Greater Lightwalk, instant, long range, 10 MP per second + Variable

You are the radiant day.

This spell has become:

Pristine Benevolence, instant, super long range, 10 MP per second + Variable

You are a radiant new beginning.

May your influence be eternal.

Erick read the box again, and then he pushed aside all his messages and pulled up his [Greater Lighwalk] box. And sure enough, his mental command to pull up that box had instead pulled up [Pristine Benevolence]. All the while, wispy white lightning zapped away from his body to touch the ground, leaving lingering sparks and small scorch marks here and there.

Everyone else continued to stare.

Erick explained, “Normally this is [Greater Lightwalk]. Obviously, this has changed.”

Inferno Maw stared, saying, “I should say so.”

“So I heard Domains here were bad here in the Twisted Vision, but they didn’t seem to matter inside Ar’Cosmos itself.” Erick asked, “Would it be a problem to try that out, too?”

Inferno Maw smiled a little, his massive maw revealing a monochromatic inferno. “Going into discussion with the wrought without all your protections would be a foolish thing indeed.”

Fairy Moon shrugged.

[Lodestar].

The light and lightning around Erick took on a deeper, more radiant hue, and then it calmed. For a moment Erick had looked like a plasma ball, but with a twitch of effort his sunform looked… Mostly normal. Benevolence sparks jolted here and there across the boundary edge between where his Domain was absolute, and the rest of reality began. Some of those jolts silently traced across the ground, leaving thin black lines where they touched the bare soil.

Another blue box appeared, looking akin to the previous one. Erick only read the last part.

This is your changed spell:

Lodestar, instant, close range, aura, 1 mana per second

Shine Timeless Brilliance.

All of your Light effects are supercharged, and difficult to corrupt.

All of your Light effects require 10x more mana to Dispel.

Your Light effects are uncorruptible and undispellable while they exist inside your Lodestar.

This spell has become:

Lodestar, instant, close range, aura, 1 mana per second

Impose your benevolence upon reality.

All of your Light and Benevolence effects are supercharged, and difficult to corrupt.

All of your Light and Benevolence effects require 10x more mana to Dispel.

Your Light and Benevolence effects are uncorruptible and undispellable while they exist inside your Lodestar.

May your influence be eternal.

… Okay?

[Lodestar] was different, but mostly the same. Except for the occasional lightning, the visuals were mostly the same as the original, so that tracked.

… And now, he was surrounded by his Domain, and his Elemental Body, and he was outside of Ar’Cosmos. Sure, Fairy Moon had some power out here, still, but…

He was finally acting under his own power. He was finally able to act under his own power.

Erick sighed as a heavy weight seemed to falter, and then fall off of his shoulders. Sure, he was surrounded by dragons and Fairy Moon, and he was going to visit a wrought contingent that might want him dead, or neutered, or contained. But here he was, back in his ‘sunform’, with Intelligence dropping his costs to barely nothing, and the dragons and the fairy were not hostile. In fact, they might be real allies. Sure, their relationship hadn’t been tested yet, but it was going to be, and soon.

And with that! Erick felt good enough to go over the rest of his messages. With a thought, he lined them up chronologically—

Kill Notifications?

Oh.

Quite a lot of Kill Notifications.

Almost everything here was a Kill Notification.

Monsters of all kinds, with most of them fishes, actually, which painted an odd picture that something was happening… Somewhere. Where the fuck did a ‘harpoon-eye glasser’ live? Oh! Erick recognized the notification for a lesser rivergrieve, though. So something was happening over in Songli? Or maybe some rivergrieves had gotten into Candlepoint’s lake someh—

Erick’s heart skipped a beat. He turned toward Fairy Moon. On one hand, it was odd to see that she was only level 45, except for the first kill which had been level 93, but then again, she was a ‘true immortal’ fae.

Erick asked, “Yggdrasil killed you eleven times?”

Inferno Maw balked, and then he reoriented as though considering that Erick’s words could be true. And then he laughed. The other Death dragons were a bit more reserved than that, briefly turning their heads toward Fairy Moon, and then they turned back to the dark forest all around, resuming their guard duty.

Fairy Moon waved Erick off, saying, “Twas but a temper tantrum from a toddler.”

...Sure.

Why not.

Erick eyed Yggdrasil’s eye and the iridescent white orb merely tilted a bit, as though he didn’t see the problem. Which… Fine! No problem? No problem. Erick turned back to his messages.

Except for the first major message which probably happened when Erick was kidnapped, chronologically, the bulk of the messages seemed to start around the time when he finally learned how to properly accrete—

Ah. Shit. Jane. How was she doing?

Okay.

Erick needed to see Jane, and soon.

But not at this moment. Not while he was in the middle of multiple diplomatic missions at the same time. Jane was fine, and she would keep.

Back to the messages. Almost all of them read like they were automated, except for the most obvious ones.

Anti-Slavery Protocol:

Tap this message or think at it really hard and concentrate on freedom. The Script will attempt to break all ensorcellment upon you, as well as [Greater Teleport] you back to the outskirts of <Spur>.

If you would like a [Greater Teleport] to some other approved city, then think on that city before thinking at this message in order to switch targets.

<Unfortunately your slaver, Fairy Moon, does not qualify for the Kill Quest option. She is more immortal than anyone could ever be. Escape now, if you can.>

Erick did not poke at that message too hard. It was a bit late, anyway. Now, he was sort of allied with Fairy Moon and Ar’Cosmos. The next messages seemed to be about the time when Erick finally started accreting properly. Most of them reminded Erick of when he had first gained a core, back in the Core of Veird. Back then he had gotten a failed ‘return to X’ Quest, too.

To the being cultivating their core:

If you can read this, then I urge you to cease this self destruction. You can return to being a real person if you accept and complete this next quest. It is not too late.

Come back to sanity.

Special Quest!

Return to <UNKNOWN>

- -

- -

Error!

Quest deleted. Insufficient authorization.

- -

To the being accreting their core.

It appears you are accreting correctly.

If you can read this, and I think you can, here are some warnings:

You will lose access to the Script if you become too powerful, for we will never suffer another Sundering. Magic is for everyone, but it is also limited.

While you continue to have a core you will be limited to 500 mana cast per second. If you do not like this limit, then here is a Quest to rid yourself of your core and return your body and soul back to how they should be.

This is the same quest you once spurned, but here now is salvation offered.

- -

Special Quest!

Return to <UNKNOWN>

- -

Error!

Quest deleted. Insufficient authorization.

- -

You have reached the pinnacle of accretion.

This is a warning.

You are close to losing Script access.

- -

Hello, Erick.

This is Rozeta. This is not an automated message, but it was something I typed up while you were in Ar’Cosmos. Maybe you’ll get this and it can help explain some things.

You are likely going to get quite a few ‘you are going to lose Script access’ messages, but I can tell you right now that you will never lose Script access until you hit Endless Foundation, or if you do something that is completely out of character.

Endless Foundation is the full crystallization stage of accretion, and it happens around a transition point between Third and Fifth Foundation, but not always at Fourth Foundation, though that is a rather common starting point.

Just in case they have instructed you wrong in there, let me now give some small words of definition.

First Foundation: gain a shard of a core.

Second Foundation: gain a solid core.

Third Foundation: gain a second core.

Fourth Foundation: gain an arbitrary number of cores.

Fifth Foundation / Endless Foundation: Crystallization, simultaneous absorbing of all cores, simultaneous body manifestation. True immortality and immutability.

We’ve gone over all the rest of what that all means, though we did leave terminology out of all that. I had hoped I could have helped you get here, but then events and the Worldly Path conspired against my assistance.

Once again: As of right now, your ‘sandbox’ connection to the Script is well isolated, and I don’t foresee that changing unless you purposefully change it. So unless you specifically start messing with that, I don’t foresee you ever losing access to the Script, until you reach Endless Foundation.

Maybe not even then, though? We’ll see.

Hopefully when I see you again, you aren’t ensorcelled by Fairy Moon.

Erick read that box three times, feeling a swell of something nice inside his chest as he did. He read the nice message a fourth time because he had already glimpsed and read the next message in the line, and he had instinctively pulled back from those angry-looking boxes.

He went on to the next boxes, and his heart thumped hard as he read.

WARNING!

WARNING!

YOU HAVE CREATED A NEW ELEMENT.

YOUR ACTIONS ENDANGER ALL LIFE.

YOU WILL BE JUDGED ACCORDINGLY.

PREPARE THYSELF, FOR THE EYES OF THE GODS ARE UPON THEE.

WARNING!

WARNING!

YOU HAVE CREATED A NEW ELEMENT!

ALL ACCESS BLOCKED UNTIL REVIEW IS COMPLETED.

WHY THE FUCK DOES IT LOOK LIKE PRIMAL LIGHTNING, ERICK?!

WHY?

WE WILL HAVE WORDS, AND SOON.

So, Erick.

This is Rozeta.

My previous messages might have been a bit hasty, but I’m leaving them there to better display my concern.

Your new Element looks highly promising, but there is no keeping any of this secret anymore. You are a Wizard. Your new Element has propagated backward through time, slightly shifting all of your magic that you have ever made. The tainting effect is larger with regard to every spell you ever made special.

There’s quite a lot of this new Element inside [Exalted Ran], for instance, and inside the [Blessing of Empathy] that got taken out of you and put into Koyabez’s Crystal Star. Yggdrasil and Ophiel both contain your new Element, too, as though it was always a part of them. Some magics, though, are conspicuously free of your new Element.

Particle Magic has no benevolence to it at all.

The good news is that you should not experience any real, substantial changes in how your current spellwork actually works, though there are likely to be quite a few superficial shifts.

Other good news: I don’t feel the need to send paladins after you, and instead, I wish to reaffirm our current working relationship in light of this new development. Whatever our working relationship means going forward is mostly up to you.

The bad news is that I have no idea what your new Element can do, and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT IT DOES, ERICK.

Everything!

All nuances!

I need teams of people working with you to understand this newest creation! Particle Magic was one thing, but that was just specialized telekinesis. This is actual magic.

I am VERY CONCERNED over the visual similarities to Primal Lightning.

We will have discussions.

This is Rozeta.

These next messages are to show where several Relevant Entities are on the actual spectrum of approval or disapproval when it comes to you and your new Element.

Also: Don’t get paranoid on me and run away from all my wrought clergy, please. They already have instructions not to harm or overly approach you, and this time there would not be another Sitnakov-type incident.

For the creation of a new and approved Element, the following gifts have been bestowed:

+50 points from Rozeta, for both forms.

An available casting of [Blessing of Empathy], which restores at-will, from Koyabez. The god of peace wishes you to never again be deprived of the artifact that you and he made together, but an actual object is a weakness that is unneeded.

An available casting of [Zone of Peace], which also restores at-will, also from Koyabez. You should have had this spell long before now, too.

Clearance to learn true Time Magic, to be studied at any Church of Phagar, or from Phagar himself, as you desire.

Seeds from the Blessed Bounty Vine, which grants the power of Atunir to any farming field. The seeds will be delivered to you by Champion Yetta. Champion Yetta will also pledge herself to your defense for one year’s time.

Now, normally, Erick, I would not mention this to you, or to anyone, but I feel that we will likely be working with each other soon and therefore a bit of ‘lifting the curtain’ is in order.

I’m getting strange readings from small souls that I know are inside Ar’Cosmos. Specifically, their normal mana output has dropped, but they are not dead. This is normally a very, very rare occurrence. The number of people who are capable of causing this effect either don’t do this anymore because I have asked them to stop, or they’re Wizards stealing mana production from others. Since your own mana output has not gone up by those same increments, then I know you’re not directly responsible.

I hope you are not directly responsible.

I know we had a talk about how stealing another person’s mana is one of the lines I won’t allow you to cross. Therefore, I don’t believe you are doing this directly.

But you are likely involved.

When you get this message, please give me a prayer and we can talk about this oddity and all the rest.

Possible known entity detected!

Initializing mana reintegration…

Partial connection successfully reestablished.

Hello, <Erick Flatt, protean>.

Commencing full reconnection…

<S-grade> anomaly detected.

<S-grade anomaly has been preapproved>

Special exceptions finalized.

Reorienting scan...

Scanning for unapproved influences…

No unapproved influences discovered.

Scan finalized.

Finalizing reintegration...

Welcome back to Veird, <Erick Flatt>!

Stars and brightness, you’re back and you seem to be yourself. I was worried about that.

Your scan looks clean but I’ll resend the anti-Slavery protocols again. Please use them and get yourself out of there!

Anti-Slavery Protocol:

Tap this message or think at it really hard and concentrate on freedom. The Script will attempt to break all ensorcellment upon you, as well as [Greater Teleport] you back to the outskirts of <Spur>.

If you would like a [Greater Teleport] to some other approved city, then think on that city before thinking at this message in order to switch targets.

<Unfortunately your slaver, Fairy Moon, does not qualify for the Kill Quest option. She is more immortal than anyone could ever be. Escape now, if you can.>

Ah! So it is Elemental Benevolence.

I thought you were going to call it that, but who really knows these things when it comes to you.

Good news all around, though! Elemental Benevolence looks like it might directly prevent another Sundering, while simultaneously announcing large scale disruptions long, long before they happen. Still working out how that’s supposed to happen, but we have time now. The next few centuries of life on Veird look rather stable.

You can likely guess, and somewhat arrive at, how much of a true miracle this is, Erick.

The previous boons granted are not reward enough for what you have done.

I will help you craft a boon of your own design, later, when we are in discussions about all of this. I look forward to seeing you in person once again. Before that happens, though, I am sure that you will receive a visit from some of my people. They will be wary, for everyone knows you’re a Wizard now, but they should be respectful. If they are not then let me know.

There will not be another Sitnakov-type incident.

As for the rest of the gods: There are notable exceptions, of course, but practically the entire pantheon of Relevant Entities are eager to make deals with you now that the Truth of your Wizardry looks to be the first real miracle we’ve had here on Veird in a long, long time.

See you soon.

Erick read through and dismissed the blue boxes one by one.

To an outside observer, like Inferno Maw or Fairy Moon, it would have looked like he had simply zipped his eyes up and down a dozen times and then turned his sight back to them. It only took him about that many seconds, though, to read through everything, including the Kill Notifications that he mostly skimmed and then ignored.

Mentally, his finger was on the anti-Slavery escape message, but physically, and spiritually, he was here, in the moment. He was ready to talk to some wrought, and according to what he had just read, he expected that talk to go well.

Erick smiled a little. “Hopefully this talk goes well, for it seems like Rozeta approves of most of what I’ve done, though I take it the eyes of the divine cannot pierce Ar’Cosmos?”

Fairy Moon said, “Certain gods could still visit from Veird if they wished to court a thwapping, but they bargained to leave us be, and I them in turn.”

“Okay then.” Erick said, “So it looks like Koyabez, Phagar, and Atunir also seem good with what I have done, and who I am, so let’s all be nice and hope for some good outcomes from this talk with the wrought, yeah?”

Inferno Maw pulled back a little, a look of disbelief on his large, monochromatic draconic face. “I doubt that it will be an easy talk, but… You can talk first?” He turned, “Or Fairy Moon?”

“Nay, says I!” Fairy Moon began skipping across the shadowy ground of the deep, deep forest, her voice falling into the darkness all around like brightness falling into an abyss, “We go to make magic of talking and treaty! So let’s let the Wizard do the wishing for us all!”

Inferno Maw twisted a little, turning back to face Erick for a moment, before following Fairy Moon into the gloom of the Twisted Vision, saying, “I suppose that would be for the best.” He glanced backward, at Erick, saying, “Just don’t go promising them stuff we cannot condone; I reserve the right to overrule you if you overstep your rule— Bah!” He suddenly zipped forward to follow Fairy Moon, who had vanished into the forest ahead. “You try me too much, Fairy Moon! Leave my language be— Bah! Stop that.”

Pink and green laughter filled the forest like a scattering of will-o-wisps.

… And Erick felt better for those small words of happiness, and teasing between two very powerful immortal beings. Both Fairy Moon and Inferno Maw had turned… Almost lighthearted.

Two other Death dragons flowed outward, taking corner points to the envoy, while the other two waited behind for Erick to start moving. Those rank-and-file dragons weren’t quite so overjoyed. They expected something bad to happen. They also expected Erick to keep up with the group and to move as a unit, and so Erick obliged.

With Benevolence flickering outward, and under his own Domain of power once again, Erick floated forward, moving through the Twisted Vision like a ball of plasma that could have been as bright as a sun, but he toned it down to a mere glow. And he felt good about this next meeting. He felt a lot better about those words he had heard in the Rotunda, too. The dragons were hoping for a new lease on life, and maybe, just maybe…

That new life could happen.

Mirth bubbled up from inside Erick and came out as a small chuckle—

He looked down as he floated, for as he smiled and laughed, his Benevolent sunform was doing something odd. Something wonderful. Instead of silent lightning leaving dark marks and burning the grass and the small ferns, Erick left life in his wake, like a small [Grow] happened everywhere his Benevolence touched.

Ferns unfurled from the ground. White, glowing flowers sprang up here and there, but their glows rapidly faded to reveal yellow, or red, or pink petals. Grasses came out of bare soil, and glowing mushrooms sprouted from deadfall. The mushrooms glowed too, but they retained their brightness and light for a lot longer than the flowers.

Erick wasn’t doing it on purpose but he couldn’t help but marvel, in a small way, as he left a trail of spreading life wherever he passed. It was pretty. The glowing shrooms stuck around long after he passed, according to Ophiel, who had hopped off to investigate a particularly large mushroom that Erick left in his wake. That was fine, for Erick just conjured another Ophiel, and it only cost him a pittance of mana, now that Intelligence was working again.

Some of the dragons in back spared some heavy glances at the carpet of subtle glows, but they were on duty, and they did not linger.

And Erick kept flying forward, following Fairy Moon and Inferno Maw, leaving light wherever he went. It was a small fraction of light, and most of it would likely perish on its own, over time, or whenever someone had a fight in the area. This was where Ar’Cosmos’s defenses were greatest, after all. But the light was still a nice contrast to the deep, dark forest, where the shadowed canopy was at least a kilometer overhead, the sun was nowhere to be seen, and the trunks of the trees were as wide as houses.

Erick made a pretty good artificial sun, though, even though his light was rather more like lightning these days…

But that was fine.

- - - -

Inferno Maw held in the air to the right, above and behind Erick by a good ten meters, though the dragon was a good 50 meters long so he still felt rather close. Fairy Moon was much closer, standing three meters to Erick’s left. The various dragons of House Death had fanned out into the forest, above and behind, to ensure that no one could surround or sneak up on their contingent.

They did not erect any defensive spellwork, though, for the Twisted Vision itself was defensive enough. If the wrought used any Domain magic, or if they did anything over 50 mana, then all Ar’Cosmos’s people would need to do was escape the wrought, and the Twisted Vision would respond to the infection of the wrought with an avalanche of monsters.

The forest all around them was dark, with massive trees scattered far away. The ground between both sides was empty of cover, and mostly flat. There was no worry of anyone burrowing into the ‘ground’ and popping up where they shouldn’t be, for though no defenses were put into the ground, every single thing in this land was not what it appeared to be; it was all a fae trick. The ground and the sky were the limits of this land. There was no [Teleport]ing anywhere through this land, either, for using that sort of Spatial Magic inside this space would sooner put the caster half inside a tree, and that sort of [Partial Teleport] usually killed the caster.

Erick wasn’t sure such a bisection would kill anyone at this particular meeting, though; including him.

He stood in his sunform, but with the light pulled close to his skin. Before he had pulled his sunform close, lightning had flickered off of his feet to silently touch the ground underneath three times. The fern that had sprouted under him still glowed a faint green.

That growth and glowing fern drew the eyes of the wrought on the other side of the clearing, after they had gotten over their initial surprise at actually seeing Erick.

The wrought had come with their own contingent of ten people. Erick had no idea who any of them were, though they were of most races and castes. A bright copper human. A dark red incani. A bright silver harpy, along with several duller shades of silver orcol, and dragonkin, and another human. A white owl shifter, and an iridescent snake shifter.

Both sides of the conflict had sighted each other five minutes ago, through [Scry] eyes scattered wide through the Twisted Vision. It had taken that much time for both sides to float toward each other, and to meet on the opposite sides of the clearing.

And now they were here, both sides floating in the air.

Staring. Wondering what would happen now.

From the faces Erick was seeing on the other side, they were worried, and settled. Some seemed to be reading off of blue boxes, but that could have been an affectation, for Erick knew that wrought had full surround sight. The only reason he figured it might not be an affection was that these wrought all looked young. The bright copper human stood out in particular, for being that bright meant that he was barely 30. The young ages on the other side shouldn’t have surprised Erick, though. The older wrought would not step foot in this land, for almost all of them had had dealings with Fairy Moon, and showing themselves here and now would be subjecting themselves to her power.

Erick supposed that was a problem to address in future talks, alongside all their other problems; the fact that Fairy Moon had untoward power over all the wrought was obviously cause for concern. But at the same time, Fairy Moon was using that power to prevent genocidal tyrants from coming in and fully wiping out her people.

And yet, these genocidal tyrants had only become genocidal tyrants in order to kill small fractions of the population in order to save the world from total destruction.

So… Some of their murdering was understandable, in a horrible, horrible way—

Three of the wrought landed. The red female incani, the white male owl shifter, and the iridescent male snake shifter. The others remained hovering behind the main three.

It was time to start.

Erick landed on the ground, keeping his lightning as close as possible. Some jolts still escaped his control and touched upon the ground, though this time they did not leave life in their wake. Ferns withered and died. Mushrooms rotted. Lightning lingered, killing the small things it touched.

A bare moment later Erick guessed at what was happening. It was quite possible that his emotional state had something to do with the manifestations of Benevolence. He supposed that was only right. After all, he had been using emotion in magic for a long time. In that moment, Kiri’s words came to him, reminding him of the time she had expressly said that putting emotions into his magic was a bad idea, for emotions changed and those changes would cause the created magic to behave erratically.

Ah. Whatever.

Fairy Moon stepped down onto the ground to Erick’s left. Inferno Maw settled onto the ground to his right. Everyone else remained hovering.

No one said a word, though based on the thick tendrils of air around the wrought, they were all in the middle of a large discussion. Since there was no discussion on his side—

Erick decided to break the silence of the grove and set the tone for all to come. “We see no surprises on your side, but I assume that I am a surprise to you, and likely in more ways than one. I want you to know that I want this meeting to go right, so take your time collecting your response, but please tell me: Is Kromolok connected to you? I would speak with him directly.”

To their credit, only the young copper wrought showed any signs of distress that Erick had spoken first.

After a moment of quick conference, the red metal incani stepped forward. She looked made of hellite. A counterpoint to the snake shifter made of celesteel? Perhaps. As far as Erick knew, though, the wrought didn’t participate in the Quiet War, or the Forever War, but those born to those specific metals were born into the same system that caused demons or angels to try and connect with them, to influence events down here on Veird.

The hellite woman said, “Inquisitor Kromolok is not directly with us, for Fairy Moon’s power is insidious and even more so here in her Domain, so we are cut off from everyone else. We are empowered to speak on their behalf, though, and to that end: We wish you to leave this land with us, Archmage Flatt. We have decontamination magics standing by to fully rid you of her influence.”

She said the words without any true hope, for she already knew his answer.

Erick said, “I know what the wrought do to Wizards, for I was already offered that particular calming end. I do not desire that particular calming end. My desires require a lot more power than the amount of power that the wrought would be comfortable with me wielding. Therefore, I will not be joining you today.”

The woman nodded, fully expecting what she had received. Only a few people in the group were obviously distraught. ‘Why didn’t he accept our offer!’ some were thinking. Some were preparing to murder Erick if necessary, though only the celesteel shifter seemed fully ready to attempt that idiocy. Not a fully unified group, then. The red woman had some control of the situation, though.

She said, “By your own words, in regard to certain events during Last Shadow’s Feast, you have said that ‘no one deserves to have that much power’. Has that stance changed due to your own beliefs changing, or due to the outside influence of Fairy Moon?”

Ah. So they were calling him a hypocrite then? Or just feeling him out?

Probably the latter.

Erick said, “I’ve known I was a Wizard for a very long time, and it has taken me that long of a time to come to terms with who I am, and who I have to be in order to create the world I wish to share with everyone else. I still believe that some people don’t deserve power, and some people who have no power should have more. I still dislike that someone can blow up a mountain with a flick of a thought. No one should have that much power.” Erick said, “But I have to have power if I am to remain free, and to further my own goals. It is a paradox, to be sure, which is fine since I’m a Paradox Wizard. Rozeta herself helped me to get there, you know. She believes that this whole thing can actually work out for all involved. I even got some blue boxes to that effect not ten minutes ago.”

The red woman nodded, as though she had known all of what Erick would say. Any smart person would have known, though, so Erick did not believe that she was mind reading him, or [Future Sight]ing him.

The white metal owl shifter was different.

He was mind reading Erick, for sure. Erick was under his own Domain, so the guy probably couldn’t just control his mind from there, but he could certainly read Erick’s inner thoughts. He had to be a member of the Inquisition.

The celesteel snake shifter seemed to reevaluate his decision to go on the offensive, though, when Erick mentioned Rozeta’s influence, which was nice to see. Erick had thrown those particular words out there with the express purpose of seeing if he could calm everyone down, and he had. The celesteel guy was clearly trying to hop through some mental hoops to make himself rightfully angry and ready for violence, though—

And ah! There it was.

The celesteel guy eyed Erick, and he was probably thinking that Erick was clearly mind controlled, or soul controlled, or something along those lines, for that’s what people did to control malcontents like Erick. Fairy Moon had already controlled Erick once. She was probably still doing it.

As for Erick’s own side, Inferno Maw just watched, somewhat surprised at both Erick’s declarations of knowing of his Wizardry for a long time, and at Rozeta thinking that everything could work out for the best. Could he trust Rozeta to have Ar’Cosmos’s ‘best’ in mind? Probably not, but he would wait and see, just to see what happened next.

The red woman said, “Any boxes you got could have been faked. That is what this place does. That is who these people are. Please come with us. Leave this land and return to normal magic, so that Rozeta herself can vet you as free of influences. We are not your enemies, Archmage Flatt, and we never have been.”

Erick almost asked them if they had not gotten new blue boxes, too, but apparently they were under orders to ignore all blue boxes once they got inside? Yes, that made sense.

Inferno Maw’s sudden, rumbling laughter cut off Erick’s attempt at clarification. He exclaimed, “You say ‘you have never been enemies’ like anyone could ever believe that! If he wasn’t wearing his Domain then your Inquisitor there would have already ripped him out of our protection. You think this is the first discussion we have ever had with you people? Nay! We know how you operate!”

The red woman took a half step back. She had spoken as much as she was able, and now it was time for another to take the field.

The white metal Inquisitor stepped forward. “This is not a normal situation, and Archmage Flatt is not a normal Wizard. If this were a normal situation, your people would have already corrupted him toward your own desires.”

Erick decided to barrel over the building animosity (which was likely based on true events, all around) and redirect the conversation to what mattered. “Please commit these words to mind, and take them back to Kromolok, and King Alfonin, and all the other wrought, and the Mind Mages, and Kirginatharp:

“Nothing is going to ever be the same now that I am here, and in power.

“I hope the alliances that I have already made with the wrought, and the Inquisitors, and the friendly relationships I have had with the Mind Mages, and with Headmaster Kirginatharp, and with all the other nations of this world, will prove the merit of my character more than the circumstances of who I happen to be. I hope that what I have done, enables you to more easily believe these next words, and the full breadth of their meanings and implications.

“I desire to see this world made more habitable.

“I desire fewer monsters, and more prosperity. Less war and more growth.

“But I know the measure of the wrought, and what they will do when truly dangerous magics come about. I know the dangers of dragons. I know the dangers of magic, and of Melemizargo, and of the Shades. I know the dangers of this world rather well, as I have fought against many of them, from monsters to face stealers, to assassination attempts and war, and many smaller issues that could fill a book or ten.

“And all the while, I knew that if I went to the good people who put themselves in charge of this world, and told them who I actually was, I would be killed, or worse. And so, we are here.

“These circumstances have required me to ally with Ar’Cosmos.

“To that end, I have helped them to create a machine which strips mangled Dragon Essence from a half dragon, or otherwise, turning them fully into whatever base race they were, or which they choose to be. It is the [Reincarnation] magic that I have spoken about before, but in a way that allows anyone to use the machine I have made.

“And so, Ar’Cosmos will likely be putting people out there into the world who are free of the Dragon Curse, in all ways.

“I am also making a House Benevolence.

“I assume that some reincarnated people will want to join my house, but it won’t be a house of dragons. It will be a house of people seeking normal freedoms. The majority of the reincarnated will likely go elsewhere, and hopefully to the Crystal Forest, which I plan on [Cleanse]ing of mimics and turning green.

“I might even get some full dragons transforming themselves into normal people, just so they won’t have to hide who they are anymore.

“I plan on making runic [Renew] webs wherever I need to, in order to defend my interests and the people who live there.

“And as soon as we’re done here, I’m headed back to Ar’Cosmos to make [Gate]. Or maybe I’ll make it here, in this Twisted Vision, so that it doesn’t disturb the inner magics of Ar’Cosmos too much. Fairy Moon has given me all the pieces to [Gate], and since I have my own Element now, taking that final step is just a matter of willpower.”

Erick breathed in, giving the terrified, or hopeful, or expressionless people all around a chance to catch up to his words. There had been a lot there. Fairy Moon simply looked thrilled. Inferno Maw clearly thought that Erick was divulging too much information, but he resigned himself to Erick spilling secrets. If there was one thing Inferno Maw knew about Erick, it was that Erick liked to give away magical secrets all the damned time.

Erick finished with, “I hope the alliances I have already forged out there remain intact. I hope that everyone can just get along, and if need be, simply keep to their own parts of the world and ignore each other. Because know this: I plan on curing the Dragon Curse and I plan on opening new worlds, and you all need more keepers of Scripts on other worlds, unless I am mistaken. So how about qualifying dragons? Rozeta seems to be doing a decent job.”

The wrought contingent was stunned into silence, though some of them obviously wanted to ask questions. Some of them were just staring at all the Death dragons, and judging them as floating piles of shit compared to their wonderful goddess, Rozeta.

The dragons had a much more mirthful reaction.

Inferno Maw let out a stuttering laugh that filled the air with monochromatic fire, and then he started laughing in earnest. His open display of joy rapidly waned, though, for he was still very much aware of his surroundings. The other Death dragons tried not to stare at Erick, for they were still on guard duty, but they did all glance his way.

Fairy Moon was ambivalent.

The white wrought spoke, “Your words are heard and recorded. They will be given to appropriate parties. Will you come with us to answer questions?”

“No.” Erick said, “I will exit Ar’Cosmos on my own time, though that timeframe could be sped up by open displays of diplomacy from all sides. I know Kirginatharp was attempting to get me to come to Oceanside to use my Path to force a lasting peace between Hell and Celes, but that likely will not happen for I plan on finishing the Worldly Path within the next two hours. I am still open to attempting to create a lasting end to the Forever War, though, so please tell him that.” Erick turned to Fairy Moon. “Perhaps we can get a conference going in here?”

Fairy Moon said, “Demons and Angels are allowed on the outskirts but Kirginatharp is forever forbidden.”

Inferno Maw shot Fairy Moon a brief look, but he said nothing. He did not appreciate allowing angels or demons anywhere near the Twisted Vision. As the chief dragon in charge of keeping these pathways stable and empty of threats, Erick couldn’t blame the guy for his worries.

The celesteel snake shifter man stepped forward, looking miffed, as he said, “Celes wants nothing to do with Erick.”

The red incani woman said, “Hell doesn’t want him to participate in those talks, either.”

Erick frowned at that, asking, “The wrought speak of continuing the Forever War?”

“That’s not what we speak of,” said the red woman.

“The Forever War is outside of your capabilities.” The celesteel man said, “As long as both sides exist, there will always be war, for both sides will always grant divine messages to those aligned with them in order to continue the war.”

The red incani said, “It’s an issue which does not need to be discussed in this particular arena, since no one here is actually a part of that conflict.” She said, “You, as a planar, were exempt from those messages, so you were never a part of the conflict to begin with, though the people of Spur did initially mistake you for a soldier in the Host. The soldiers that do get those messages often use that information to cause a new eruption of the Quiet War. Even without those messages, though, both sides are responsible for heavy tragedies that demand responses.” She casually warned, “Do not start barging into that war now, please.”

Eric’s frown deepened. “I am aware of the messaging phenomenon, and it makes me want to agree with Kirginatharp that the only good solution to the angel/demon war is the destruction of the moons. Just blast them away!” The eyes of practically everyone widened. Erick continued, “They’re already dead, right? And I’m pretty sure the angels and demons and their Veirdly conspirators have targeted me for death, so it is only right to return utter death to them, is it not?” While sudden, actual worry crossed every wrought fact, Erick answered his own question before they could, “No, I suppose utter annihilation of both dead moons isn’t the proper response, even if they are already dead. So some talks with actual angels and demons might be good for solving that conflict, which is why Kirginatharp needs to be informed—” Erick’s voice dropped away momentarily.

He had an idea, like a flash of lightning crossing his vision, illuminating a path ahead. Or maybe it was just the Benevolence lightning skittering across his vision. Maybe both.

Erick continued, “Kirginatharp is the Second to Rozeta, therefore he wants power, and he has shown capability with handling power, too. To that end: I offer him the next world to come along, for I already know he would want it. Perhaps he can completely keep the angels and demons away from the next world, if he were there at the beginning and making decisions.”

Fairy Moon did not like this, but she kept her sight forward, upon the wrought.

The wrought had no idea what to make of his offer.

Erick said, “Please take that offer to him, and set up a proper meeting to discuss further events and questions. I can appear with Ophiel, I think, while still remaining inside Ar’Cosmos. I would show in person, but I know how much Kirginatharp wants Wizards, but I’m not sure if he actually wants his Curse removed. That curse doesn’t actually have to be cured right away, anyway. When the next world opens up, he could take himself and his Curse along with him.” Erick said, “This is a large conversation that needs to happen over a long time, so come back tomorrow with your various answers.”

Erick began to turn.

The white wrought called out, “Are you planning on making Benevolence Dragons!”

“Not unless I need to.”

Erick floated backward, gradually picking up speed. His lightning lashed the ground, leaving sparks and tiny black marks here and there, but no growing life.

- - - -

Erick flew across the ground back to Ar’Cosmos. Jolts of Benevolence lightning scattered across the ground as he went, flickering small black lines across the soil, showing his inner emotional state as something less than happy.

Fairy Moon and Inferno Maw caught up.

Fairy Moon happily hopped across the dark ground, matching Erick for speed without seeming to expend any effort at all to keep up. “You need to gain [Gate].”

Erick flinched. Ahhh. Right.

That.

He did not slow down. “Are the wrought gone?”

“Gone to give your gracefully-given words to their gods!” Fairy Moon said.

Inferno Maw floated on Fairy Moon’s other side, asking, “He’s actually ready for [Gate]?”

“Erick cannot contain himself here anymore.” Fairy Moon turned to him, and instead of hopping along, she simply floated forward. Her words weighed upon the world, as she said, “Your true trial begins. Make your gateway and gain the way to a new world, one where your blessing of benevolence might manifest all the wonders you wish.”

Erick slowed down. Fairy Moon slowed, too. Inferno Maw slipped forward, through the dark, the monochromatic fires of his mouth lighting up so very little of the dark forest all around. The other Death dragons circled, and spread out. The wrought might be gone, but this Twisted Vision was still a land of monsters. Controlled monsters, for sure, but still… Monsters.

Erick stopped. He floated there, atop the loamy soil, and had a think.

Maybe he was ready.

Or, maybe he could make himself ready.

Fairy Moon stopped right in front of him. She seemed so small, and fragile; probably because she was. Her thin pink dress did nothing to protect her from anyone, or anything. Her white corset wasn’t anything resembling protection, either. Not like she needed protections, though. She would revive every time she died.

Her easy immortality made Erick wary about her insistence that he make [Gate] right now. What did she know about the risks involved with making difficult magic? And yet, as soon as Erick had that thought, he realized how wrong he was. Of course Fairy Moon, the last living fae (of two; where was the other one?) would know when it was best for a person to attempt to open a rift into the mana; into the world where the fae naturally lived.

From Inferno Maw’s expression, the dragon had gone through his own version of Erick’s thought process and arrived at his same conclusions, but not due to the fact that Fairy Moon was fae. He trusted Fairy Moon’s decisions because he trusted Fairy Moon.

Erick wasn’t there quite yet. He might never be. His first introduction to Fairy Moon had been after she murdered one of Erick’s teachers; Kydyr the bismuth wrought dragon. Apparently she had been murdering people all around Stratagold for the last year as the Letter Killer, too. She murdered men routinely, according to Archmage Riivo, of Archmage’s Rest. If that was all she had done, then Erick might have been able to approach her as one would a very dangerous monster.

And then she kidnapped Erick and mind controlled him…

And now they were here.

Did he trust her? Not really.

And yet...

Did he trust that Fairy Moon had certain desires, and those desires coincided with his own? Yes. Erick trusted that much. And yet...

Erick said, “There’s more to do in Ar’Cosmos, for I need to know my allies, and I need to hear the wroughts’ response.”

And he needed to keep an eye on Bright Smile, if only to understand what was going on with the ring of Benevolence lightning around her neck.

Fairy Moon said, “You spoke splendidly. The wrought response will either be to eradicate you the next time they see you, or they will work well with your wishes. Either way, your presence precipitates danger to Ar’Cosmos. They could breach the bulwarks and drive dragons to mayhem, and so, this most dangerous of ends needs to be eliminated. You need to leave, for your time is terminated in this land of no lies. But fret not! With [Gate], you can go where you wish, and we have hiding holes all over the overworld. If the best scenario shall come to call, then you already know of the sandy space set aside for the building of House Benevolence. This land will be open to you always.” Fairy Moon warned, “But if the worst wars shall come to this land, then run, and run well, Erick, for we will be running as well.”

Inferno Maw gave a sad, slow nod.

Erick felt a spike of worry. “The dragons would fight, though?”

“The Forest of Glaquin has been laid low by the crawling of the Curse into Ar’Cosmos many times before.” Fairy Moon said, “Some dragons will secure safety. Most will not. Most will fight each other as the Curse takes hold. While all that transpires, the wrought will do as the wrought will do, to fulfill the designs of that rapacious Rozeta, and her kin-killer, Kirginatharp.” She frowned at Erick, adding, “I am mad at you for offering a crown to that kin-killer, but means mean little in the light of a founded firmament.”

Inferno Maw nodded, then looked to Erick. “An odd offer, that one, but understandable given the circumstances.”

Erick said, “It might work to solve the Curse without actually solving the Curse, and he wants power, right? Just might take a while to actually happen.”

Fairy Moon waved a hand. “It is what it is! And it is acceptable.”

“It is acceptable; I agree. I doubt that he would actually agree to such an arrangement for the Curse might compel him otherwise, but...” Inferno Maw pulled back a fraction, saying, “I am not one to give in to unfounded hope, but that conversation just now did not seem like the wroughts’ usual overtures of war. We might actually be fine— Well. For a certain definition of ‘fine’.”

There was one more problem, though. Bright Smile.

As if knowing his thoughts, Fairy Moon floated in front of Erick, and said, “If you are worried about Bright Smile, do not, for I have designs to control that possible calamity.”

Erick flinched again, because yes, he was deeply worried about Bright Smile.

Inferno Maw pulled back again, eyeing Fairy Moon. He said nothing, but he would certainly be asking later. ‘What’s all this talk of Bright Smile?’ he would ask. Would Fairy Moon answer him properly? Or would she evade the question? Probably evade.

Erick turned halfway toward Inferno Maw, but he asked Fairy Moon, “Do you think I should tell him?”

Inferno Maw narrowed his eyes, first at Erick, and then at Fairy Moon.

Fairy Moon glanced at Inferno Maw, then turned back to Erick. “Do you believe you should?”

“I don’t like leaving problems behind me, so I think I should.” Erick said, “And yet again, I am not sure if she is an enemy. I might be making an enemy by letting that particular information get out. I don’t want to make more enemies… I won’t make more enemies. Never mind, Inferno Maw. Bright Smile is probably fine.”

Was that suitably cryptic? Would that cause Inferno Maw to investigate more, and then form his own opinions? Hopefully.

Inferno Maw frowned, and then he slowly nodded, and that was it.

With a sudden return to brightness and joy, Fairy Moon said, “Your access to Ar’Cosmos is forever granted, as long as you go with the flow of fairness and freedom. Keep the amulet, though, for it will annul your worldline and keep you out of [Witness] sight. Won’t do anything against normal Sights, though; it’s not my Amulet of Non-Presence.”

Erick touched the amulet on his neck. It would ‘annul his worldline’? Useful. Erick hadn’t even noticed it, but yes, as he glanced through his mana sense, into the nearby past, the path he had taken through the air of the Twisted Vision was already fading away.

Erick grinned. “It’s a good gift.”

Inferno Maw moved past the ‘warnings’ about Bright Smile, and spoke plainly, “We have allies in Quintlan if the worst should happen. With [Gate], you should be able to get there without much difficulty.”

Erick chuckled once as all his worries seemed to melt, just a little. Everything would be fine, and if it wasn’t fine, then it would make it fine. Erick said to Fairy Moon, “You did add another step to my Worldly Path, didn’t you.”

Fairy Moon shrugged. “We are beyond the Worldly Path, my walker of Benevolent Light. Have been for a long while.”

Erick shuddered.

Gods, he was past the Worldly Path, wasn’t he?

Erick’s sunform flickered out a handful of lightning jolts, sparking against the ground and leaving black streaks in their passing. Erick shook his head, then landed. Dark lines sparked across the ground where he touched down. He didn’t want to leave on such a poor note, and he certainly didn’t want whatever [Gate] came out of this to be so tainted with… burning, or whatever the blackening was.

He turned to Inferno Maw. “It was very nice to meet you, Inferno Maw. I might head over to Quintlan, but only if absolutely necessary. How well do you know that land? Do you know of Quilatalap? I met him at Last Shadow’s Feast and I hope he made it out okay.”

Inferno Maw smiled brightly. “Do I know Quilatalap? Ha! Yes. I know the most ancient and powerful of liches; the man who brought Necromancy to Veird and who has tried to bring the profession into respectability hundreds of times before. Though I must confess: my knowledge of Quilatalap is like the knowledge that a commoner might have of their king. Far removed from any semblance of truth. He has tried to come to Ar’Cosmos before, but that was long before my time and he has never tried again. I have sent overtures to him, but…” Inferno Maw glanced to Fairy Moon.

“We had a disagreement,” Fairy Moon said, and left it at that.

“That.” Inferno Maw digressed, “Quilatalap should be hale and whole, but even if he is not, I have a hard time imagining anything could overly harm him, though not for lack of trying. He’s made it through every single Forgotten Campaign, including one or two that should have culled him, but which failed. I suspect… He might be at the Temple of Shadow’s Light? It’s a Melemizargo cult, but they’re not that evil and destructive. They’re mainly just smugglers, though we’ve only ever dealt with their material operations. I don’t know how they actually operate.”

Erick sighed. “Ah. Right. I have to go back to dealing with Melemizargo, too.”

Inferno Maw said, “If you have to run to Quintlan, look up the Lavamancer Society. Tell them that ‘The Maw of Death’ sent you, though I am sure that they would want to have you as their guest anyway, just because of your own exploits. They’re a decent sort of people, and they are ours.”

“I hope to not have to do that. But.” Erick smiled, and said, “The offer is appreciated. Truly.”

Erick felt better—

Fairy Moon took an instant step back, more like a leap, actually. A fraction of a second later, Inferno Maw reared back, pulling out of the way of—

Now why would they…

Erick looked down. Ah. It was happening like this, eh?

His lightning had stopped leaving black marks. Casual jolts were even eliciting tiny white cap mushrooms out of the loamy soil. For a deep moment, Erick was intrigued. How was it doing that? Exactly? It was obviously a magical effect that seemed near to [Grow], and yet it was not [Grow] at all. That spellwork was more time and nourishment based. This seemed almost like… Pure manifestations of what could be, becoming real. Whatever Benevolence was doing, exactly, this was a good sign of things to come. This manifestation boded well for Elemental Benevolence’s ability to support life, which meant that whatever sort of place he made in the mana would be as nice as Ar’Cosmos, perhaps—

Flowers, now. In every color and glowing brightly. The flowers spread outward, turning a small patch of the forest floor around Erick into illuminated springtime. His lightning was still controlled, and under his Domain, but at seeing the sudden bounty of life all around, Erick decided to let his sunform relax. To let his power do as it would. Lightning crawled across the ground like trailing vines of iridescent white growth, touching upon seeds in the soil, and upon nothing at all, eliciting ferns and mushrooms and flowers out of both.

Erick smiled—

Something clicked inside of him, and mana began to pour outward like an uncontrolled river, sweeping away all outside influences and cementing his power in this space.

Fairy Moon’s pink and green eyes went wide as she laughed and danced away, far, far into the deeper gloom, getting out of the way of Erick’s magic. Inferno Maw and all of his Death dragon cohort vanished into the gloom, too, as fast as they could go, rushing to get away from whatever the heck Erick was doing.

Erick laughed at that, and then, a cycle began.

He felt a feedback loop begin.

He liked growing things.

That action caused him joy.

That joy caused more flowers, ferns, and mushrooms to grow all around. Even the largest trees more than thirty meters away seemed to be sprouting new growth in his direction, effortlessly stretching upward out of the ground like mountains rising. Sprigs of green branches began to knot out of the sides of those trees and grow toward Erick like arms raised in triumph.

The ferns under Erick’s feet spread wide, unfurling their leaves and popping glowing spores into the air. The mushrooms joined in next, streaming red and pink and green and blue glowing spores into an unexpected breeze. Flowers turned to seed, and then glowing white dandelion puffs floated away on a sweeping wind.

That wind spiraled around, falling in line with Erick's own personal tsunami of thick air.

Breezes danced to his whim. Flowers grew at his lightning touch. A rainbow of light surrounded him, looking like the [Kaleidoscopic Radiance] crown that surrounded each and every Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil, still sitting on Erick’s shoulder, noticed the resemblance. His [Scry] eye brightened as he hopped upward, into the air, to join in the breeze. Ophiel fluttered into the air next, to play in the colorful wind.

It was a magical moment in every sense of the word, but it was also the culmination of everything in Erick’s Worldly Path. All his magical knowledge. Every lesson gained and trick learned from every master of their own particular magics. Rift Magic. Harmonics. Proper mana shaping and aura control. Elemental Mystical shenanigans allowed for a great deal more effect than normally possible. The Undertow Effect, but refined into [Renew]. Runic webwork to string it all together and to allow for continued growth. And of course, his personal Truth, that everything could be made better.

Erick took everything he was, and had done, and went one step further with Wizardry.

Elemental Benevolence responded, and like a vase spontaneously coming together in a world without magic, or life suddenly springing into being out of the primordial universe, Erick found the beginning of a Pathway that had not yet existed, until now.

Standing in a field of illuminated life, driving back the gloom, Erick spoke,

“We plow the fields and sow the seeds

“then call the rain to grow with speed,

“creating life out of the loam

“allowing us to make a home.

“Enspell the land! Create defense!

“Yet reach out with Benevolence.

“Enshrine the ways to better fates!

“Part the haze!

“Open the [Gate]s!”

Lightning unleashed across the land, exploding the forest into brilliance.

The storm passed quickly, racing out to infinity.

The light faded. Everything had changed. The Twisted Vision of Ar’Cosmos was awash in light from a million small sources, from ferns, to mushrooms, to lichen and flowers, and to the fresh new leaves on the newest branches of all the nearby trees. The brightest source of light was still Erick, still flickering Benevolent lightning in his sunform, but there was another source of light in front of him.

An archway made of white lightning stood before Erick, like the leafless branches of Yggdrasil. And yet green flickers and rainbow light held all around that gateway, like it was an abstract deconstruction of the World Tree.

Erick stood on one side of the archway.

And on the other side, was destiny.

He breathed deep, and stepped through.

The lightning archway collapsed, for its creator had passed beyond the horizon like the setting of a sun.

The forest plunged into shadow.

Some light still lingered in the flowers and the mushrooms but that light was barely a fraction of what had come before. It was enough to turn the dark forest to twilight, though.

- - - -

At least one person was thrilled with everything.

Fairy Moon laughed bright and happy as she hopped among the large toadstools, and smelled the flowers. Inferno Maw had a much more subdued reaction, gauging everything with his eyes, and with all of his other senses. Soon, he and his people were all collecting samples, but they stayed away from the epicenter.

Lightning still lingered in that space and Fairy Moon wasn’t answering questions about how long that would last, so Inferno Maw set a trio of guards to watch over it, and then he left. Other people had already reported what had happened to Erick, as Inferno Maw had instructed, so when Inferno Maw crossed the Silver Gate into the city, Bright Smile and Illustrious Moon were there waiting for him. Neither looked happy, but what did they expect? Did they want him to stop Erick from creating [Gate]? What nonsense!

Well… Perhaps Bright Smile would have liked Inferno Maw to interfere…

And wasn’t that telling.

In that moment, Inferno Maw had a hundred thoughts going through his head, but mostly he was worried over Bright Smile. What had Erick seen there? What did Fairy Moon continue to see? Their Sights had to be Elemental Benevolence related, and if that were the case, and since that Element was directly opposed to Sundering-type scenarios…

Well.

That could only mean one thing, yes? Perhaps Inferno Maw was making an unfounded leap of logic, but he felt he was more or less correct. Inferno Maw had never thought of Bright Smile as a worldwide danger, and Erick had expressly said that he was unsure what he had seen, and that he didn’t want to make Bright Smile an enemy if he didn’t have to… But he wasn’t sure.

Whatever the case, Erick had not wanted to mark Bright Smile as an enemy.

And therefore, Bright Smile was not an enemy. Not yet.

Besides whatever was going on with her and Elemental Benevolence and Erick and Fairy Moon, Inferno Maw had always liked Bright Smile. Sure, she was rather dangerous, but she was fair in all her dealings, which was why she had risen to become the head of House Carnage. If she were a wyrm then she would have been put down long before now, but she was not that at all. Her desire to create an empire was a rather popular desire, too, so the people liked her well enough.

Inferno Maw also desired to get as many of his people out there and to secure as large of an empire as he could, just so that he could protect his people in the best possible way. Illustrious Moon felt the same way about her own people.

Bright Smile was a bit of a warmonger, but who could blame her! War came to Ar’Cosmos 9 times out of 10, and the only way to throw out the aggressors was with total domination.

Would that be a problem once Ar’Cosmos wasn’t limited in size? Would Bright Smile’s warlike ways lead to some unexpected, true danger—

Inferno Maw could easily see the woman inciting the wrought in some way. Perhaps that was the true danger. Whatever the case, the situation with Bright Smile was not a current danger. There were more important matters to discuss.

Inferno Maw said, “Erick is a Wizard and an ally. What did you expect me to do? Impede his Path? No thank you. I have seen what happens when people get in his way. I’m honestly surprised that Fairy Moon hasn’t been ripped apart and remade into something better suited to his sensibilities.”

Illustrious Moon paled.

But Bright Smile balked, laughing loud, saying, “You speak nonsense, Inferno Maw! He could never do such a… thing.” She frowned. She looked at Illustrious Moon, then at Inferno Maw. “… No? I am willing to receive tutoring from my fellows heads of house, if you think me this wrong. Your expressions worry me.”

“We’re lucky he left.” Illustrious Moon shivered, her entire body wriggling once in a flowing wave from her neck down to her tail. She looked to Bright Smile. “Erick is a strong Wizard. Do not mistake his easy going nature for weakness. Fairy Moon barely managed to get him here to Ar’Cosmos before he could break free. Many people are calling him the reincarnation of Xoat.”

Bright Smile lost some of her smile. She eyed Illustrious Moon, and Inferno Maw. “I have heard those rumors but I put no weight to them.”

Fairy Moon popped out of the air to stand level with the three of them. She wore a crown of gently-glowing flowers and carried a basket of gently growing mushrooms in the crook of one arm. “He has more weight to him than the whole of Ar’Cosmos. If he requests reasonable events to enact a path of peace, we will respond with real and authentic attempts at peace.” She waved an arm, saying, “Provided the wrought settle for the same, of course.”

Bright Smile pulled back and reevaluated several things at once. “We will have to wait and see, then.”

Illustrious Moon asked, “Where did he land, anyway?”

Inferno Maw shook his head. “Unclear. I could not see past the lightning. My people report the same.”

“He’s inside Benevolence. When he is done with that...” Fairy Moon said, “He will land where necessity needs.”

“Yes, but that could be anywhere,” Inferno Maw said, his natural sarcasm coming out a bit harder than intended. “Ahh. It’s out of our hands, anyway. I must return to Redflame’s laboratory and continue our experimentation. Erick told the wrought of our new capabilities, so we might only have days to get a fighting force ready to fight outside of these lands.”

Bright Smile laughed, her characteristic smirk coming back. “We must prepare for war, but first we must evacuate the Free Dragons.”

Fairy Moon said, “Transform those who wish to leave behind their battered and bruised lives to better swell our ranks of ravagers.”

Bright Smile said, “I already had plans to do that, but those tables will need to be adjusted.”

“What about ensuring that [Reincarnation] isn’t going to lead to problems down the road?” Illustrious Moon asked.

“The initial procedure works well.” Inferno Maw said, “The interactions between cores and [Reincarnation] is something to pull apart next year, when we’re not in crisis mode, but the ‘reset to normalcy’ of Erick’s original design works exactly as he wished it to work. The one person with a core we have tested this on has gone through that process and come out the other side perfectly healthy. Without Dragon Essence, though, the man cannot accrete nearly as well as before. It is a problem; one of many.”

Bright Smile recognized what Inferno Maw wasn’t saying. She asked, “Something happened to the rats with cores.”

“Yes.” There was little point in hiding it, he supposed. Inferno Maw said, “As soon as the rats could, they tried to accrete, and since all they had was ambient mana, they monsterized. Spirit Beasts are likely not on the table, right now. We might be able to revive wyrms or anything else with a bit of smarts to it, who can listen and hear that accreting with a normal core is bad, but, as I said: we will have to work on that later. For now, we can likely field a coreless army within days.”

Illustrious Moon frowned. “Disappointing.”

“I’m sure Uncle Redflame and yourself can figure out, and if nothing else, they can just go back in the tanks to accrete when they need to accree.” Bright Smile said, “This could be a good thing. It would be a self-limiting magic. Good for shock troops and ensuring our shock troops come back to us.”

“I prefer summons.” Inferno Maw said, “Or ensorcelled monsters. Much more disposable. And much less likely to get you slapped with the anti-Slavery protections of the Script.”

“Something to work around!” Bright Smile said, happily.

Illustrious Moon just frowned.

Fairy Moon said nothing, though Inferno Maw could not help but notice how she looked at Bright Smile, and specifically at Bright Smile’s neck, as though there was something there that no one else could see.

- - - -

Floating halfway off a cloud, Rozeta read the transcripts and watched the memories of the latest envoy to Ar’Cosmos for the third time. Her jaw still hung open in disbelief. Erick had not solved the Dragon Curse, but he had sidestepped the issue by giving [Reincarnation]s to all half-dragons. Also, he wanted to give Kirginatharp the next world to come along.

ALSO, he was ALLIED WITH AR’COSMOS NOW.

Rozeta had a hard time deciding which was worse, and if any of them were actual problems. They were shifts, of course. The alliance with Ar’Cosmos was perhaps the biggest shocker, but the threat of a Forgotten Campaign was a real threat to Wizards with Erick’s sort of power, so… Rozeta couldn’t really blame him for that.

She was going to blame everyone else who had made him uncomfortable, actually. She had half a mind to go down to Veird and yell at Alfonin and Kromolok and—

SITNAKOV.

That petulant, problematic child.

This was his fault.

It certainly wasn’t Kirginatharp’s fault, for Rozeta had already had a long talk with him and—

A very specific warning siren blared loud, filling the blue sky with noise, and then a notification came through, confirming yet another monumental shift in the balances of power of Veird.

Erick had just made [Gate].

Rozeta took half a second to sigh, and then she stopped time and stepped outside of her current thoughts. She reevaluated everything, checked on the futures and the past, and then began plotting what would likely be the best course for all. Then she took a while to check on the most obvious objections that everyone else would have and began running scenarios where she killed specific problematic people, or acquiesced to their demands. None of the scenarios would survive contact with Erick, or any of the other powers that would necessarily become involved, but she could at least prepare herself and her forces for the worst case scenarios…

She had an idea.

… She plugged some Elemental Benevolence into her calculations.

She had to use approximations, of course. She didn’t know Elemental Benevolence like she knew Book, and Stone, and all the rest. But her approximations worked well enough.

Strangely, or perhaps not that strangely at all, when using Benevolence in her strategies the outcomes were usually… softer, than they would have been otherwise. A little less violence, a lot more talking, and sometimes that talking actually worked. Usually less deaths all throughout, though, so that was qualitatively good. Rozeta still didn’t have a comprehensive grasp on the Element, but she would eventually.

She really shouldn’t have been surprised by what Benevolence seemed able to do, but she was.

When she was done with all that she spent several days and several half seconds making her final decisions.

Then, she started gathering people. Not many; only the ones that mattered and who could catch up quickly, who could best control the coming future. Erick had made [Gate] seven and a half minutes ago and he still hadn’t come out the other side, but when he did, she needed to be ready.

- - - -

Everything was white, and yet, it wasn’t truly ‘white’ at all.

Erick floated in the middle of an iridescent white space, the same color as his magic; the same colors as Benevolence. Superficially, and if one did not know what to look for, this space almost resembled that white space where Erick had floated before, where all possibilities lay, where he could have done anything. In that other white space, Erick could have gone back to Earth. Maybe he could have traveled back in time to when he first landed on Veird, and ensured that everything turned out better than it already had. And yet, had picked none of those options. He had chosen to secure the future, and to prevent all possible Sunderings, and lesser apocalypses.

And the space had changed to this; an iridescent white.

An opportunity cost taken, and enshrined.

Before, Erick had needed to construct his body out of possibility, or maybe he had just realized himself into being, and he had been naked and alone. Now, though, he already existed, and he wore the same clothes that he had started with. Ophiel was still on his right shoulder, too, though the little guy was currently very small and quite scared. Erick gave him a pat, and he calmed; he wasn’t alone, neither of them were. Yggdrasil’s iridescent white [Scry] eye held on Erick’s other shoulder. The big guy’s eye color was almost the same as the color of the sky. Yggdrasil was not panicking at all.

There were smaller differences in this space, as well.

This time, his feet still had a bit of dirt on them which had followed him through the Benevolence archway. That dirt lay atop a flat plane that existed because—

Ah.

The floor existed because Erick had decided it should exist. The brown dirt on his shoes lay scattered on that flooring like he had tracked mud into a house. A house with an invisible floor, and yet, this place was not a house at all.

This place was to be a pathway, and therefore, it should probably have a lot more dirt than this.

As Erick had that thought, brown soil expanded from where his feet touched the invisible ground, expanding in every direction like the tilling of soil to aerate the good dirt. At that thought, a breeze filled the iridescent white air, and Erick realized that the breeze was coming from him. Mana still poured out of his body like a thick wind, inundating this Benevolent space with his power. He had forgotten about that outflow of power… or maybe that outflow of power had been invisible since there had been no air for his mana to interact with, and now, there was air. Atmosphere and soil and light all around. It seemed this space was still malleable, but it was not as transformative as it had been before.

All Erick had right now was a dirt floor and air to breath and light to see. It was a simple space that could support life. It was not enough. And yet, how far did Erick want to go with this? Erick had a sudden, urgent thought regarding Ar’Cosmos, and about what he did not want this place to become.

He decided, and decreed, “A space for those in need, and absolute defenses for those who reside, but we are not hermits. We will connect to those outside, and in that connection, we will create civilizations.”

The mana responded.

The brown dirt underneath turned to solid hexagonal stonework one flashing brick at a time, spreading outward from Erick’s feet, brown dirt becoming simple, sturdy white stone. Something to stand upon, and build upon. Within moments the transformation reached a culmination, and Erick stood upon a rough circle of stonework ten meters across, hanging in a white sky that was about half a kilometer spherical…

A half kilometer? Ten meters across? Apparently he could just sense this land as though it was the inside of his body, but it wasn’t inside of him at all…

Ah! Well. Wasn’t that fun? Erick thought so. He smiled, and inspected what he had made.

It was a good start, actually.

Then wind picked up as Erick opened his mouth, to spread his words far and wide, “Let’s—”

He cut himself off. He had been about to say, ‘let’s have an ocean’, but right before he spoke those words a sudden awful feeling crept into his throat. A premonition warning? Yes. That’s exactly what he had experienced.

Creating an ocean would have been too much.

Way, way too much. In fact… Erick wasn’t quite sure, but he felt like he was about a third of the way to his limit, like he had used up half of a limited, yet still growing resource.

So he went smaller. But where to start—

Ah. Of course. Erick looked down. He was in the center of the platform, and this space could use a central marker. Something that would last for a long time and continue to support growth all the while. Something like that node of Ar’Cosmos’s that Erick had used to heal that land from the damage his Benevolence had caused. Redflame had once spoken of how he used his own core to stabilize and grow Ar’Cosmos, so Erick was pretty sure that every single node was actually one of Redflame’s cores, but Erick wasn’t going to take out his core and plant it here. Not yet, anyway.

There was another way.

Erick grinned as he stepped to the side, to stand far off center. He turned to the center of the platform, and said, “An ever-flowing fountain to continuously create this land of Benevolence, and grant succor to all who exist in this space.”

Magic took hold of the stone before him, and a weakness crawled into Erick’s body. He wasn’t worried, not yet anyway, so he just watched the magic make a miracle.

The hexagonal stones lifted from their bedrock in a wide circle about two meters across, like someone had pushed up from the other side, like the whole platform was a push pin toy. At half a meter high, they stopped, and the stone shifted directions again. The outside hexagons remained where they were, forming a lip, but the center dipped down, forming a well. Then, in the very center, the seven hexagons upon which Erick had first stood upon began to rise, and the center hexagon vanished. The stones stilled. The first part was done.

It was a basic construction made of columnar basalt.

Erick liked the looks of it a whole lot, for it felt primeval, and powerful—

Deep in the center of the platform, magics twisted the space where the center column had been. Water formed out of nothing, and then began flowing out of the top of the fountain like a hose barely turned on. That water flowed down the sides of the fountain to splash into the basin, filling the air with the soft sounds of a gentle creek. It was a lovely sound. It was the only sound in this space besides the wind.

The fountain was suddenly full from one second to the next. Half a meter of clear water sat inside the basin, just below the edge.

Erick wanted to sit down by the fountain and listen to the sound for a while, for he was tired, but he couldn’t rest; not yet. He was only about two thirds done, and his mana felt the same. The ground was almost set. One or two more magics should do it. This next one was perhaps the most dangerous, though.

“Yggdrasil.”

Yggdrasil’s [Scry] eye whipped around and locked on Erick’s face.

Erick looked down at the little, big guy. “We’re going slowly, this time. No big growth. This land cannot contain all of you right now, but it will, someday, and yet you must be here at the beginning. So you must start small, and grow steadily. Like a real tree, you must start as a seed.”

A distant rustling of leaves filled the sky as Yggdrasil’s eye nodded; he understood.

Ophiel trilled a questioning guitar sound on Erick’s other shoulder. What about him?

Erick smiled, saying, “You’re going to stay with me, following me around for many years to come, but Yggdrasil needs stability. You’re both just built differently, and that’s okay.”

Ophiel trilled in happy violins and fluffed out a bit on Erick’s shoulder. He had been a bit scared of this space before, but he was acclimating.

And Yggdrasil was ready. He knew what was happening. He was ready to become Erick’s ultimate defense, here in the mana.

Erick gestured to the right as he spoke to the fountain, “A stream of water leading off that way, to support the growth of Yggdrasil, who will become this land’s greatest defender, supporter, and continual creator.”

The fountain and the ground barely shifted. A dip formed on top of the basin’s edge, on the right side. That dip led to a winding groove between the hexagonal stones, forming a pathway for water to travel out to the edge of the platform. Water began flowing through that dip, and into that groove, creating a stream, etching a winding, tiny canyon into the platform.

That stream did not fall when it reached the edge. Water simply floated out into open air, into the nearby distance, like a tendril reaching out to touch something that had yet to be planted, which was exactly Erick’s intention.

Erick readied Yggdrasil, and Yggdrasil readied himself.

Erick cast.

Rushing cold ripped through Erick’s body as his eyes fluttered shut and—

And then it was over.

Erick barely noticed the gold threads of divine power reorganizing inside his soul, securing Yggdrasil within him, for floating in the sky, just twenty meters away, was the big guy. Erick almost admonished Yggdrasil for not starting out as a seed, but this was fine, and maybe Erick had blacked out for a moment and missed that part. Yggdrasil wasn’t nearly as large as he usually was, anyway. He was rather small, actually, but he was still ten meters tall from top of crown to his lowest root…

Actually really small for a tree. Normal oak trees were bigger than him, but Erick had asked him to start small, and he had. This was good.

Half of Yggdrasil was a bright green canopy with a rainbow crown, while the other half was bright white roots, floating in iridescent white space. The waters of the fountain already circled around the base of his trunk, trickling through his upper roots, linking him to the core of this Benevolent domain in a way that nothing would ever be able to sever. Sure, it merely looked like a free-floating stream of water, but it was anything but that. And this way, Yggdrasil could grow himself and this land as large as he wanted, and move himself and the platform around as needed…

In fact.

Erick had expected Yggdrasil’s planting to take a lot more out of him than it did, but while he felt that cold chill, it went away rather fast. Yggdrasil’s planting hadn’t taken much out of him at all. Maybe because Yggdrasil was already made, long before this land was made? And Erick was laying down actual Truths in this land as he made this land? The laying of Truths was what cost Erick some power… Perhaps? Just spending mana was easy.

He wasn’t sure, but that seemed right.

Whatever the case, Erick felt he had one more trick in him.

And he knew just what it needed to be.

Stone land. Water fountain. Windy sky. Light all around. Shadows down below. There was even some Darkness down in the depths of the water…

This place was missing Fire. Or at least something to drive away the chill—

Yes. That was it. Something to make people feel more welcome. A refuge was not a refuge without a fire to give warmth, after all.

Erick smiled, and spoke to the fountain, “And a gentle, renewing fire, to bring healing warmth to this new age.”

The air sparked above the fountain. Six small fireballs took hold of the air above the six hexagonal pillars of the fountain; one fireball per stone column. And then the fire shifted. One final fireball manifested the air above the water, and then transformed, its center vanishing, leaving a ring of gentle orange flames with a gap in the top. It was the rune of [Renew]. That same rune was mirrored upon the hexagonal pillars under the waters of the fountain, and at the top of each central pillar. Inside, where the water generated from nothing, was yet another rune of [Renew].

It was all connected. It was all as it had to be.

Erick stretched a little, feeling the warmth in the air. That warmth helped to counter the cold that filled Erick’s bones and threatened to drag down his very soul to the bottom of his feet. He was exhausted. But he was done.

This was good. This was balanced. This would grow with time, and with mana. Yggdrasil would grow, too, and ensure that everything here continued to grow as it should. But for now, Yggdrasil hung out in the sky just over there, tethered to this stone platform by a ribbon of flowing water. The water looked stable. The platform was very stable. The wind was steady…

And this was enough, for now.

Erick breathed deep. He had received no notifications, but he would probably be getting some as soon as he returned to normal space. But this was definitely [Gate]—

Something clicked, metaphysically.

Perception shifted.

Erick blinked several times and—

The land solidified. Everything seemed more real.

Nothing had actually changed, though, for the platform still hung here in the middle of the sky and a tendril of water still connected to Yggdrasil and the runic fire still radiated warmth from atop the fountain… But Erick had changed. Yes. That is what happened.

The fugue was over.

The time of creation had passed.

Erick’s torrent of inner mana began to wane, turning into a trickle, and then shutting off entirely. Ah! He hadn’t even noticed that he was still leaking that much mana, but now that it was gone, he was back to normal. The Script had reconnected to him. That was good. Erick wasn’t ready to go on his own yet.

A small blue box appeared, followed by a very large blue box.

Special Quest Complete!

The Worldly Path 1/1

Reward: The ability to cast Gate

Gate, instant, special range, 50 mana + Variable

Primary Function: Open a gate to another location.

Special Function, Special Cost: Open a gate into <Elemental Benevolence> to a known location OR create a node inside <Elemental Benevolence> to claim a portion of that space as your own gate space.

None may enter or interact with your gate space without your awareness. Expand your gate space by fortifying your node, or casting another node. The size of your gate space determines the distance you can cross through this spell’s primary function. Multiple nodes are possible, but be aware that nodes decay without proper upkeep. If all your nodes should decay all the way, the cost to founding a new node is a Special Cost.

Personal features: <Your nodes will not decay. All of your nodes are naturally connected and support each other. Your nodes will naturally grow due to the presence of the World Tree Yggdrasil. Your nodes naturally support life of most types. Your nodes massively support the growth of elemental benevolence.>

<All approved beings will gradually heal all mental and physical wounds when inside your gate space. All approved beings are at Rest while inside your gate space. All approved beings are immune to mana fatigue and health exhaustion while inside your gate space.>

<All beings inside your gate space will naturally grant their excess resources to your nodes, ensuring that growth always occurs. At will, you or Yggdrasil may designate a being as ‘malevolent’, ‘approved’, or both. Malevolent beings will be drained of all resources.>

<Elemental Benevolence is your element, therefore you have innate primacy over all other nodes built by all others inside benevolence. Your senses inside your gate space are 100x the size of the gate space claimed by your nodes, and may reach much further than that. The outside distance your nodes are capable of reaching is 100x larger than your gate space would suggest.>

<Should an apocalypse-type event occur, your gate space might intervene on its own in order to prevent such an occurrence. The nature of this intervention will vary, and is based upon the strength of your nodes. You and World Tree Yggdrasil will be warned if such an event should occur, or is occurring.>

<World Tree Yggdrasil is capable of growing and expanding your gate space on his own.>

Erick smiled as he read the blue box. It was a large box. It even rivaled [Ward] for size. Ha! Erick’s smile grew. He felt good.

This was good.

“This is good, Yggdrasil.” Erick patted Ophiel, adding, “Ophiel. This is great.” He giggled a little, then openly wondered, “I wonder what the anti-Sundering stuff looks like…” His voice trailed off as his eyes went wide.

… And nothing happened?

Erick looked up. He had expected the iridescent white sky to open up with lightning and show him the way to the next problem. But… Why would it?

Erick’s smile returned.

“The Worldly Path is over.”

No more Fate shenanigans. Even the problem posed by Bright Smile wasn’t that pressing…

Erick lost a little bit of his smile.

No more Fate shenanigans meant that everything that came next was up to him. He would have to deal with Melemizargo and the soul slime’s Truth, and Kirginatharp and the angels and demons, and whatever Ar’Cosmos was going to do, and…

All the rest.

Suddenly, Erick felt unmoored. Fate had been with him there since the beginning of his fall to Veird. With his own Wizardry, he had reached back in time and made it so that all of his big spells had Elemental Benevolence in them. It was very possible that he only survived meeting his Other Self in the Deep Paradox because of Fate shenanigans. And now…

He was on his own.

… But! Maybe...

Erick had put a bit of Fate into this Benevolence, didn’t he? Yes. He did.

So maybe he would always have Fate backing him up?

Ah. Well. That could be a problem, too. After all, Fate had lined up the Chelation War, and that had killed nearly 4 million people—

Erick’s heart beat hard as sudden clarity ripped across his mind.

Fate was here, and it always would be, to a certain extent. Elemental Benevolence was not Elemental Fate, but they were cousins.

Ah.

So what would happen now?

With understanding eyes, Erick stared out across the iridescent white sky, and watched. He waited. He didn’t have to wait long.

Lightning gathered.

Small sparks fizzled at the edges of the stone platform, transforming into something larger. Off in the distance even more lightning gathered, like a storm brewing on the horizon. Lightning flashed. A soft thunder rolled throughout all existence, and in its passing lay a tangled weave of danger. This, then, was Elemental Benevolence’s primary purpose. This, then, was why Erick had made this Element in the first place.

Three large bolts of lightning hung in the sky, tangled with each other, at three spots, thrashing around and yet not moving much at all, reminding Erick of hissing snakes. They were simply the largest and closest of the tangles, though. Countless other tangles held in the far, far distance, but those were too far out to matter.

Erick had a vague sense of those distant tangles, but as he looked for a specific one, he found it.

That one over there, hiding behind a cloud and rather loosely dangerous. That one was Bright Smile, and it almost looked as beneficial as it looked dangerous. Erick had no idea how he could tell that much, but as he stared at that distant tangle, he caught glimpses of Bright Smile upon a throne. All of the other ones were unintelligible, probably because Erick had no idea what they were. Many of them looked to happen in a hundred years, and were probably all about the opening of new worlds.

Most of those hundred years tangles actually looked more like opportunities.

He would deal with those later.

Erick focused on the closest tangles; the three that stood out as problems that needed to be solved sooner rather than later. They were not opportunities at all, and the Benevolent lightning flickered black upon those specific situations, and where appropriate, upon those specific lives.

Past a curve in eternity, Erick saw Patriarch Xangu Terror Peaks. The man responsible for the aggression of Terror Peaks and the inciter of the Chelation Wars. The man had never been found by anyone, and yet, Erick had found him. He was right there, on the other side of that tangle, and he had found out that Erick was a Wizard. Erick got the distinct feeling that as soon as he stepped out of this land and showed himself, Patriarch Xangu would devote his entire life to killing him, and every single thing that he would ever create. He would bring Extreme Light bombs to all the cities that Erick inhabited. The threat Xangu posed would only grow larger with time.

Erick could not give him that time. Erick needed to do what he needed to do.

The second black tangle was the Red Dot Mage; the mass murderer who worked with the Lower Trademaster of Portal, Caradogh Pogi, in order to attack Spur and wipe out the Farms. Prior to that, the Red Dot Mage had killed the Village of the Life Binder, Messalina, murdering hundreds of people in a bid for personal power, or something along those lines. Erick didn’t know much about them, but the Red Dot Mage was both a Hunter and a Face Stealer of the worst sort. Erick would have no trouble doing what needed to be done to the Red Dot Mage, either.

He still had no idea who the Red Dot Mage was, exactly, but they were currently living in Archipelago Nergal.

The third tangle was more nuanced and larger than all the rest, for it was the manifestation of all of Erick’s greatest fears coming true.

It was a fractal confluence of the entirety of Veird allying against him, trying to kill him, to End Elemental Benevolence, and destroy everything he had ever touched or created. It was the death of possibility. It was a million individual minds all believing that Erick was a danger to all reality. It was shortsightedness, and smallness. It was the destruction of Spur. The descent of the Converter Angel upon Veird. The killing of Poi, Kiri, and Teressa. The lynching of Nirzir. The purging of the Songli Highlands by outside forces, and interior conspirators.

The burning of Yggdrasil.

The murder of Jane.

It was almost too much.

Erick breathed deep, squared his shoulders, centered his mind, and stared out into infinity.

He went over the whole of the problem again. The three large tangles were connected, each feeding into the other, and the threat they posed was coming sooner, rather than later. Collectively, they were the death of Benevolence, and the return of the threat of the Sundering.

Erick could not solve the fractal tangle right now. Even if he could navigate that tangle with perfect precision, pulling apart the bad and fortifying the good, there would still be smaller wars. Those smaller wars would spill into larger wars. There was no way around that.

The other two tangles, with Patriarch Xangu and the Red Dot Mage, were easier to solve.

Two portals, and then two [Vivid Gloom]s, or anything else that he felt like casting…

That would permanently solve those problems.

And yet… Erick didn’t want to be just one man going up against the world. Complete tyranny was no way to begin this new world order. That would just lead to more problems down the road. No. While he could solve these problems himself, he knew he should not.

… Erick knew what he needed to do.

Some of his mana had regenerated while he gazed out into eternity, so the first thing Erick did was summon some more Ophiel. While he did that, he spoke to Yggdrasil, “Are you feeling okay?”

“It’s weird, but I’m good,” Yggdrasil said, in his child-like voice. “I am floating, but I am not.”

“Do you need help understanding how the space works? How the node works? How to work this space?” He had already handed off [Gate] to Yggdrasil, but communication was important.

“I got it! I’m smart. I know magics and responsibilities.”

Erick felt a wonderful warmth spread out in his chest. “Yes, you are. Smart and responsible and so much more. I love you, Yggdrasil.”

“I love you too, Father.” Yggdrasil asked, “Are you headed out?”

“I am.”

“The lightning?”

“Yup. The Benevolent lightning shows problems that I need to solve. I don’t expect it to always show problems, but sometimes reality is reality.”

“See you soon, Father!”

With ten Ophiel floating around him, Erick smiled at Yggdrasil, and said, “I’ll see you soon, Yggdrasil.”

Then he turned to the side, toward the dark lightning in the air. He cast [Gate].

Iridescent lightning crashed down onto the edge of the stone platform and transformed into a hole in the air. Beyond lay blue sky and orange sands, and the occasional scattered crystal mimic in the far distance. The Crystal Forest. Somewhere far north of Ar’Kendrithyst, if Erick had managed to target the right spot. It wasn’t any place special; just a random part of the desert that was mostly sand and little else.

Erick stepped through the portal and landed on that sand.

- - - -

The lightning portal silently shut behind him.

A dry wind rushed across the orange dunes, kicking sand off of the top. Heat seeped deep into Erick’s clothes, causing him to sweat. It was high summer and near the end of Wyrm Season so the air was unusually hot. He almost cast an air conditioning spell, but not yet. With eyes wide and mana sense fully open, Erick studied his surroundings.

In the far distance, crystal mimics held to the tops of dunes, glittering in the midday light, but not a single one was anywhere close to Erick, or his Ophiel. Erick was worried, and on edge, but nine of his ten Ophiel happily zipped up and out, each one in a small not-sun form, surrounded by a thorny silver all-reflective shield. Erick had already made them cast their protections, so they were well guarded against normal magics.

Erick doubted that he would be facing normal magics if the worst should happen.

In a flicker of thought, Erick cast his own silver [Animadversion] upon his left wrist and summoned some nicer [Conjure Armor]. Armored white robes flowed down his body. It wasn’t complete protection, but it would help. He also cast a little AC [Ward] on his clothes to keep him cool, and calm.

He was ready—

Ah. He wasn’t quite ready.

He opened his Status and— That looked different. He would deal with that later. For right now, all he wanted was to find— Ah! There it was. The note from Rozeta had been right. Koyabez had granted him some spellwork, or rather, Koyabez had returned a spell that Erick had created. It was a little bit different from how Erick had made it, but that was fine.

Zone of Peace, instant, 24 hours, super long range, 500 MP

All magic cast inside Zone of Peace with the intent to harm, or entering a Zone of Peace with the intent to harm, is transformed into a Cleanse of commensurate size. Zone of Peace has no effect on ongoing magic.

May the peace of Koyabez enable benevolence to flourish.

Erick cast the spell. The air filled with a saturation that passed like a gentle breeze, and then settled down into the sand, and into the sky. Peace took hold of this small part of the world.

And then he waited.

- - - -

Rozeta whipped around. “He’s back— Ah…” She frowned. “Shit.”

Kromolok frowned. King Alfonin waited for Rozeta to continue.

Sitnakov simply asked, “What’s wrong?”

Rozeta sighed. “My father has decided to show.” She looked to the people she had gathered, and decided, “We’re going to wait.”

- - - -

The blue skies of the bright desert began to darken as shadows lengthened from the sides of the dunes, like water seeping out from a broken dam. The sun dimmed, and then went out. Stars appeared.

Darkness grasped the desert.

With feet firmly on the ground, and his body wrapped in a thin layer of lightning, Erick waited for the God of Magic to fully appear—

The dark air shifted, revealing the monumental form of Melemizargo. He towered in the near distance like a smiling menace. Glowing white fangs the size of people. Bright white eyes that rivaled Erick’s own light. He wasn’t nearly as large as he could have been. Maybe only 40 meters tall, and therefore only slightly larger than the dragons Erick had recently seen at the Rotunda in Ar’Cosmos, but he had wings. Those wings were spread to the sides like he was a cat relaxing in the sun, making him seem four times as large.

And he smiled.

Erick wasn’t sure how he felt about that smile, but there was no reason to be antagonistic, so he said, “Hello, Melemizargo. Welcome to the talks. You’re the first to arrive.”

“I had to show, for you deserve a gift. How about a gift of temporary safety?” Melemizargo smiled wider, showing off his glowing fangs. “I was thinking of stripping [Teleport] from every single person, or expanding my power out from the Underworld and onto the Surface, to prevent [Teleport] that way. That would make your new [Gate] rather useful and necessary for all involved. Would prevent a war, too! Or at least delay such a war for a long while, giving you time to set up proper defenses against all who would do you harm. Wouldn’t do anything against competent assassins, of course, but I have that solution, too. Someone here wishes to make amends for her part in that Chelation War.” He lifted his arm.

Darkness coalesced halfway between him and Melemizargo. That darkness rapidly transformed into the form of Goldie, the goldscale dragonkin Shade of Assassination. She wore serious black leathers and her gigantic adamantium sword floated behind her like a plank of dark void.

She bowed, then rose. In that moment she was not her normal, bubbly self. Instead, she enunciated her words in a strange manner as she spoke, “Wizard Flatt. I wish to enter into thy service, to do as thou wouldst command from now until eternity shall pass.”

Erick’s eyes had widened at first, but he had mostly managed to contain that involuntary reaction. At Goldie’s declaration, though, his countenance was less controlled. “Uh. We can discuss… Events and responses. Maybe no one needs to do anything that drastic. Uh. Hello… Goldie. We will… Discuss that, too.”

Goldie bowed again then stood resolute; waiting for orders.

Melemizargo shrugged. “I feel I will need to do things much more drastic than this, but if you want to try talking with the petty tyrants to come, then that is your prerogative. I don’t know how much good it will do— Eh! My offers remain open.” He turned his head to the left. “So who shows next, eh?” With a half-giddy smile, he said, “It’s always so difficult to see what will happen next when Wizards start changing everything. Quite fun, though!”