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

[Malcolm Tent]

"So…you're refusing to talk, eh?" Bethy said menacingly to the creature as she loomed over it. Despite her being a full rank plus lower than it was, it looked DEEPLY uncomfortable with her attention. Of course, the currently babyfied Demigod Manticore on her shoulder probably didn't help its level of ease. Not to mention-

"He can't talk, Bethy," I sighed. "He's bound. I am literally preventing that from happening."

She pouted. "I'm trying to do a thing here, boss. You're really undermining my whole vibe. Ugh, fine. Once he unseals you, you'd better tell us everything, or I'm going to have Apples sting your in your weird little eyes. Now, tell us the first thing you remember."

Taking that as a cue, I unbound him enough to speak, and he hurriedly volunteered. "I was four years old and I found a rabbit in the garden! I think it was tan! Please don't let that thing sting me in the eyes!" His terrified gaze was locked on the Manticore, which was fair, since he'd been eating people for centuries to prepare to fight that exact monster, and he wasn't strong enough to actually manage it yet.

"What?" Bethy frowned. "I didn't…I don't care about that. I want to know…" she trailed off. "What DO we want to know? I didn't really think this through. I'm not sure what information we're trying to get here."

Lark patted her shoulder. "It happens to the best of us," he comforted his daughter. "I once spent six months interrogating a goblin king for the location of a treasure trove. We found it in the second week, but I had my people keep a lid on it until I could break him properly. It was just too embarrassing to let him die on me just because my scouts were good at their jobs."

She nodded sadly. "Don't nod to that," I protested. "That's a RIDICULOUS reason to torture someone! And you, we want to know everything you can tell us about Belsara, the lands of endless summer, and what's on the other side of that door."

Honestly, I was kind of disappointed. I knew he was afraid of the Manticore, (admittedly it was a menacingly little shit, even in mini form) but him crumpling like wet tissue paper at the first sign of questioning was a little sad. I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but Bethy and Lark really were kind of a cheat when it came to questioning enemies, apparently.

Fortunately for my estimation of him, the creature's eyes narrowed dangerously at me as he turned to regard my face…for the ten seconds it took for Bethy to whistle at Apples and the Manticore to shoot its legendary venom at the ground next to his head.

The monster yelped, trying to scramble away from the melting marble of the flooring. I allowed myself a petty little smirk at his predicament, but I wiped it away before he looked back my way.

"Lets try this again," I said slowly, my voice dripping with menace. "We want to know everything you can tell us about Belsara, the lands of endless summer, and what's on the other side of that door." I repeated it in the exact same cadence as I had last time, using the repetition to make it clear how annoyed I was to have to ask a second time.

He swallowed hard. "I don't know much about Belsara," he admitted. "She was the lady of these lands, she vanished quite some time ago, the connections to the outside world became much less stable around that time. The doors were always there, but they used to be more…casual, from what I've been told. It was why the council planted deadly beasts around each door."

"Right…so you're useless to me," I said bluntly. "Cool, Bethy, melt his face."

"NO WAIT!" he screamed frantically. "Don't melt my face! I can help you! The corrupted! I can reverse it. I can turn them back!"

I squinted at him. "That seems awfully convenient," I pointed out.

"It's true!" he said quickly. "I swear. I've been experimenting with cleansing them. Turning them back into normal people. It's slow but I can do it."

"Why would you do that?" I asked skeptically.

He looked away sheepishly. "I can't eat the corrupted ones. The conversion ruins them. I've been experimenting with reversing it to expand my menu again. I was planning to keep them with me as travel snacks."

"Ok, now I REALLY want to melt his face," Bethy said acidly. "Just because you feed on people doesn't mean you can treat them like objects. Abominations like you give vampires a bad name. You're lucky you're useful right now." Her fangs had extended, eyes glittering like angry rubies. This wasn't Maenad Bethy, but it was closer than I'd seen her in quite a while.

Of course, it made sense this would be a touchy subject. Bethy could only feed on her thralls without causing extreme discomfort, which meant barring combat or punishment, she couldn't bite anyone she didn't already know and trust.

"I understand your anger, Bethy," I told her softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I think he's a scumbag too. But I don't think we can do anything to him until we figure this all out. If we can get Amy her mom back…" I'd have preferred to put him down, personally. He was a monster and way too dangerous to leave alive long term. But for the moment we needed him. I wasn't sure that his help would do much good, but I also wasn't sure it wouldn't.

Her shoulders sagged as the wind went out of her sails. "No," she said hurriedly. "No of course not. You're right. I'm sorry, I just…I need to go for a bit." She turned and bolted across the chamber.

Lark glared down at the monster, then whistled. The Manticore leapt off Bethy's shoulder, swooping into a long, low glide over to where we were standing. As it moved, it returned to its huge, unsettling form, landing above the creature. Its tail snapped up and over, coming to a stop so close to the center of the creature's forehead he had to hold his breath to avoid accidentally scraping the sharp point.

"I'm going to go talk to my daughter," Lark said conversationally. "If you cause any trouble while I'm gone, I'm going to have Apples here inject that venom into your bone marrow and eat popcorn as you melt slowly from the inside out."

He didn't bother to wait around for a response, just turned and strode off to find Bethy. I was glad someone was doing it. If Chelsea was here I'd have told her, but Lark should be just as good at helping cheer her up. I turned my own icy glare on the creature. "My friend Bethany is the kindest, sweetest, most energetic person I know," I said in a voice like frozen cyanide. "The fact that you managed to be so disgusting even SHE hates you is a testament to your excellence in your chosen field. I hope that achievement brings you comfort during the slow and painful death you'll experience if you're anything less than perfectly helpful to me."

Despite the Manticore, the creature had dropped the pretense of fear. I was pretty sure he was playing it up for Lark, hoping to avoid being killed casually. For some reason that made me even angrier. "I have more to offer than just the cure," he said coldly. "I said I can't help with news of Belsara, but I do know what's on the other side of that door."

"And that is?" I said casually, not really caring too much.

"The Phoenix Foundry," he said smugly. That…actually did bring me up short. He saw me pause and grinned widely. "It was one of the most legendary places in the summerlands, from what I'm told. Its forges are lit with the dying ember of Lady Belsara's summer phoenix, Halcyon."

I felt my mouth go dry, though I tried not to project that interest. "That's certainly interesting," I said slowly. "Something to look into, at least. But honestly, you might be right. That might be enough to keep you around." His smug expression intensified, clearly thinking he'd gotten the better of me. "In fact, I think I'm going to keep you around for a VERY long time," I said with grim amusement. "Hey DAD!" I called across the room. "Come help me with something?"

The creature didn't seem to understand exactly why that was supposed to be scary, but he was at least smart enough to know that it was. My dad strolled over casually. "What do you need?" he asked cheerfully as he shot a glance at the monster.

"I need to make sure this guy does some things for me," I informed him. "Important things. Do you think you could make that happen? Remember, he wants to make sure we keep him around after this."

My father, whose ability was making contracts that the other person didn't necessarily need to agree to, grinned nastily. "I can make sure he's around for a long time." He turned his dark grin on the captive. "Why don't we talk over your options." I clapped him on the shoulder with a nod, then left them to negotiate. My dad was the perfect person to handle this, he'd subdued S-rankers before, so I wasn't worried, especially with Apples right there to watch out for him.

I considered heading over to talk to Bethy, but she was over with Lark, so instead I went to find my mom. I found her easily enough, standing over several of the corrupted we'd subdued. "Hey," I told her quietly as I stepped up next to her. "You doing ok?"

"I'm just thinking about Amandine," she said quietly. "About how afraid she must have been when she lost her mother. About how desperate she was to have her back."

Her eyes were wide and bright, pain flickering behind them as she remembered something from her past. I had a decent idea what that might be. "I think that she'll be grateful," I told her casually, eyes fixed firmly on the monsters. "I think that sometimes, the relief of having someone back means more than the fact that they were gone in the first place. Some people make your life better just by being in it. Moms are like that."

She stiffened, eyes overflowing. Her face didn't change, nor did her voice, and we both pretended she wasn't crying. "You're going to be an amazing father," she said in a calm tone. "Your children are going to love you so much, and I can't wait to see it."

"They're going to love you too," I corrected her. "In fact, most of the time they're going to love you more than me. You'll be the one sneaking them candy I tell them they can't have and letting them stay up way too late. Parenthood isn't the only issue our family has run into. Most of us don't meet our grandparents until way too late. Chelsea did, but that's only half that set of twins. Mine are going to know all their grandparents from day one, and I need you to spoil them rotten for me."

Laughing happily, she wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "I think I can do that," she beamed. "But remember, I'm telling your wife we had this talk if she ever brings it up. That girl scares me sometimes."

I shook my head in amusement, but before I could respond, my dad stepped up beside us. "He's mine now," he said, tapping his cane. "His soul is in my service. Correcting the corruption should be easy enough to do. He'll work with you on it." I nodded, eyes going to the crowd of monsters. He followed my gaze to them and sighed. "Alright, better get started on this. I have a feeling it won't be quick." He was right. It wasn't.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

It took me three days to successfully undo the corruption. Well, it took US three days. I used Dan to deconstruct the process and Wisdom of Solomon to simulate possible solutions, and between them and the soul of the creature (whose name was apparently Steve, of all things, though my dad refused to let us call him that because he said it was underwhelming), we were able to reverse the corruption of all the monsters and return them to their prior angelic states.

This was extremely important because while Amy's mom WAS among the corrupted, there were also several very old angels who had firsthand knowledge of the Phoenix Foundry, and they were more than willing to share information on the subject once we fixed them up.

Still, the wait for the three days it took to fix them, despite being objectively worthwhile, ate at me a little. If not for Callie's excitement when I told her about all the new angels, I don't think I'd have been able to stop myself from spiraling at the wait. Three days was about two weeks at our current timescale, which was closer to five to one than the seven to one it had been outside, but two weeks was still two weeks. I didn't like it.

Despite that though, I had to admit the heartfelt video thank you from my teary eyed wife, not to mention the long letter she'd sent to Amy after hearing about everything the girl had been through, soothed a lot of my discomfort at waiting. Callie wasn't just ok with me taking my time, she was happy about it. My wife was a true hero, and knowing I was helping her people had lit a fire under her in a way I was almost shocked about. The gleam in her eyes in that video almost made me feel sorry for Belsara. Almost.

"Credit for your thoughts?" Abel said as he sat down next to me. I raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. "We might be on different levels now, but I was your teacher for a while. Your buddy, sister, and healer asked me to keep an eye out while we're on this trip. They asked Bethy too but, well…"

I grinned. "Bethy is Bethy," I agreed. "She's currently putting on a lion taming show for the angel kids with Apples. The fact that none of those children is even remotely worried about the cat is honestly scarier than fighting the ACTUAL Manticore. Bethy's powers are truly great and terrible. I'm glad she's doing better after her run in with Steve."

"Your dad said not to call him that," Abel said, in a voice that told me he cared even less than I did.

I just laughed at that. "Because he likes to seem powerful and mysterious, and after he converted Steve into one of those mirror souls, he's an asset."

"Pretty sure he was an asshat well before that," Abel said solemnly, and we both burst out laughing. "But yeah, she kind of took that whole snack pack thing personally. I get it though, she's got her issues with that kind of thing. I was mostly coming to see how you were doing. You've been keeping a lid on it but you've got to be getting a little antsy."

Chuckling, I shrugged. "It helps that we got so much information on the Phoenix Foundry. Not just the flame, mind, but information that might help us bypass a few links in this endless nonsense chain of webworld fragments as we head to the central area. The Summer Palace."

Because that was its name. We knew that now. Some of the older angels we'd saved DID remember Belsara, and they'd been happy to share what they knew. Admittedly that wasn't as much as I'd have preferred, but it also wasn't nothing. Beyond that, the Foundry was apparently where Belsara's forces had forged their weaponry. It probably wasn't full of perfect quality gear waiting to be cleared out, but it was likely SOMETHING had been left behind, and anything from the realm of a god as powerful as Belsara had been would be at least competitive in today's forging environment.

My eyes trailed down to my armor. The Seal had been falling behind since I hit A-rank, and while I didn't have the old smith who made it to do the upgrade, I DID have Zeke, who was not only a master craftsman in his own right but had participated in the last upgrade.
On that note, I approached him directly about the possibility of upgrading the suit. "So, this Foundry place should have some useful materials and maybe some forging equipment intact. Did you learn enough during my last armor upgrade to push this to S-rank if we find the right mats for it?"

"Not personally," he admitted. "But then, I don't need to. I have a mask with a crafter in it, and your dad should have at least one soul that can pitch in. I learned enough about the process that we can pull together to make something workable."

My mother weighed in. "I can help with that," we all turned to stare at her, and she rolled her eyes. "My father's bloodline is a type of fire that purifies things. You don't think he ever tried applying that to forging? Dad went through a long blacksmith phase, and I learned quite a bit about making and maintaining arms and armor as a girl. I'm a bit out of practice, but I'm sure it's as easy as welding the frame of a bike."

That got a nod from my dad. "She used to have a forge back at our old house on Callus when you and your sister were small. Not sure if you remember it, but she spent quite a bit of time out there."

"I don't," I admitted. "I don't remember a lot from that time in my life. But having more help can't hurt."

"It definitely can," my mom warned. "Communal projects only work if there's a strong sense of direction in the forge. Tempo is key when working with metals, as is timing in general. But given your father has at least one mirror soul in his collection with forging abilities, we should be able to manage something if we plan it out first. That said, while we COULD muddle through, we have better options for this than you think."

I raised a brow at her. "What options are those?"

"Well it seems to me," she pointed out. "That what we're doing is a form of information sharing. We're gathering disparate skills and techniques from different parties and mashing them together alongside specifications for materials and your current gear and trying to create a result that gives us the best possible result. Sound like anything you have a solution for?"

I blinked, because when she put it like that…"Dan," I said slowly. "And Wisdom. We know Dan can take information from people and objects directly, as long as nothing is fighting him, and Wisdom can iterate with that information in different configurations to find the best usage for it. Hell, I bet Celestial Fabrication could help too, might help him get a tier or two, and probably improve the overall quality of the armor."

My mom nodded approvingly. "It is important," she said firmly. "To remember that there are often more ways to solve a problem than you think. There are many kinds of Ascendant, but those of your particular inclination especially need to remember to make the best possible us of the tools you have. Your forms and archdemons are one way to do that, but not the only way."

She was right. I'd gotten so used to stacking my demons together to create compound effects that I didn't even consider just having them work together. Although…"Actually, do you think archdemons are off the table for this?" I asked cautiously. "Because thinking about it, creating a forging demon from those three would probably be the best way to maximize our results on that armor redesign."

"You're not wrong," she admitted. "Are you sure that will work? You need time to get that together, don't you?"

"Less than I used to," I corrected. "Celestial Fabrication helps with designing new timepieces. It'll take us a while to gather materials and search the Foundry anyway. Wherever the summer phoenix flame is, I somehow doubt it's going to be easy to get at."

She nodded grimly. "That flame…if what they told you about it is true, you might be the only person who can use it properly."

"It's definitely terrifying to think about," I acknowledged. Aside from information on Belsara's palace, at least one of the older angels had been able to tell me the details about that flame, or at least the phoenix it came from. It was a familiar, if counterintuitive concept. The flame of the Summer Phoenix, Halcyon, was the flame of progress. Which was to say, it was a flame that embodied time's ability to allow for growth.

My Ruin Phoenix was the exact opposite of that particular concept, and I couldn't help but think of the sheer variety of possibilities for something like that. Of course, I still wasn't sure exactly the side effects of that bloodline would be. Maybe it would boost Fantasy? Or Creation? Whatever the case, if it was like Ruin that would just be the icing on the cake. The real benefit would come from the flame itself.

In fact, I could already think of a dozen applications for something like that. Applying it to something like Zagan or Genesis Burst, for instance. A temporal shift with additional benefits to positive effects involving growth and improvement would make any healing ability I mixed it with exponentially more effective, I was betting.

Of course, I still needed to complete my template for the clear mind flame, not to mention a few others before I could hit S-rank, but that was something to worry about later. For now, identifying my sixth flame was progress, and finding a solid place to look for it was even better.

"You know, as much flack as I gave your uncle about his criticism," my mother said dryly. "It really IS a bad idea to space out in the middle of hostile territory."

"THANK YOU!" Zeke bellowed from across the room.

She just rolled her eyes. "Stopped clock, twice a day, etcetera. Statistically he had to be right about something eventually." She winked at me when Zeke yelled a wordless objection, making it clear that she just liked teasing him. I knew him well enough to know he wouldn't take it personally anyway.

"We should be leaving soon," I finally said as I focused on the door nearby. "But I don't want to abandon Amy so soon. She still seems a bit shaken. I'll stay and work on my new archdemon, so we have it ready when we head in. We can set off for the Foundry tomorrow."

Laughing, she pulled me into a hug. I knew she was a bit worried about making sure Amy was ok too. I hadn't talked to the girl since we'd gotten back, since I'd assumed she'd want time with her mom, but I couldn't deny she made me think about what my own daughter might be like. Daughters? Now that I knew we were having twins I was completely in the dark again.

Chuckling, I headed off to find a private place to work on my archdemon construction. Dantalion, Wisdom of Solomon, Celestial Fabrication, maybe even Agares. I had so many ideas for possible additions to this one, and once I made it, I had a feeling we were going to see some serious benefit to this whole situation. I ran a hand over my forearm, feeling my armor as I considered my options for the future. Yeah, I couldn't wait to see how this would turn out.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Creating a new archdemon happened one of two ways. Mad fits of brilliance or LOTS of leg work. Unfortunately, while I had SOME idea what I wanted, I wasn't currently in the midst of an epiphany or in a battle for my life, so my fits of brilliance remained firmly in the realms of sanity there I distinctly didn't need them.

Of course, I had the tools to do it the hard way. Or rather, I had the assistance. Dan, Wisdom, Celestial Fabrication, Agares, I had the framework for the being I wanted to make, and I understood who and what it was.

I also had experience. I'd created several powerful archdemons, putting them together to synergize powerful abilities into a coherent whole to make an effect. I considered just doing that again, making modifications to each of them one by one until they could all just slot into place as needed. It would be easy enough to accomplish, but in the future, I knew I'd run into this same situation again eventually.

The truth was, I needed more. More than just one plus one equalling two. More control over what aspects of my power manifested and how they synergized. Making individual changes to timepieces was a functional method of doing what I needed, but it wasn't a GOOD one.

I incarnated Wisdom, Dan, Celestial Fabrication, and Agares, feeling them all swirl together in my head. I pushed Wisdom to tier 10 for this part, pushing him to the equivalent of S-rank so I could iterate properly as I reached for a large slate from Agares, creating a place for me to carve my designs just like the old days.

The truth was, there was a limit to what I could do with my current system. Making individual spot edits to demon timepieces to combine them was only feasible as long as I only needed to use a single demon for one or two archdemons. Past that point, the modifications would potentially conflict or even negatively affect the timepiece itself, possibly damaging it or resulting in a decrease in efficiency.

For some time now, I'd been toying with an idea for how to address that, a way to create some kind of base that would allow the timepieces to be INPUTS to a larger device whose whole purpose was to connect them externally without requiring modification of the timepieces themselves. A framework that would serve as an artificial input for multiple timepieces but stand separate from the pieces themselves.

I had a design for it in mind already, a potential path, and the clockwork of Celestial Fabrication had all the elements I needed to make it. Clocks were all about taking complicated assemblies of individual parts and making a greater whole, and while that usually meant gears, it could mean more than that too. I started to sketch, creating a housing, an assembly, a gear train.

It was hard work, honestly. I already had several archdemons that I had to fit into the variable design. The gear assembly needed to allow for several constructions and modification mid function, but more than that, I had to design the individual parts with the mythology to support each of the potential outputs that I wanted. This wasn't just complicated. It meant complications in a literal sense. Seventy two complications, the theoretical maximum of my design philosophy, all aimed at supplementary and support mechanisms in a way I'd never even considered before.

Honestly, it should have been impossible. The design I was aiming at was too nebulous, too ephemeral, it went against the conceptual underpinnings of the clockwork. But there was an element to it that I was able to pull from. An aspect of my power I had never allowed to influence my demons before. The Wish power.

The design for this timepiece was based around it. The ability to become whatever I needed, to connect disparate elements into a single perfect whole. I designed the timepiece to BE the wish power, but to be something else, something beyond and outside Gehenna, connected to my second ability, anchoring Mythic Wish to the Mythic Path of the Demonbinder to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

I built a clock. Obviously. But not just any clock. A massive grandfather clock. An edifice of gold and crystal and dreams and clockwork, with seventy two slots for the seventy to individual timepieces, and the ability to combine them, maybe not freely, but with effort and skill if I could envision a purpose.

The Throne of Goetia, a clockwork chair to sit at the heart of my throneroom at the base of my tree, upon which my Myriad Demons Manual would rest, and which would serve as the anchor that would allow the connecting of my two abilities in the future in truth as well as name.

My throne took shape in stages. One configuration after another I tried and one configuration after another failed. Wisdom of Solomon at S-rank was enough to push the processing power of the staff and armor to the breaking point, though thankfully not further. More than just them, too, the other archdemons were needed. Kronos reached into the sands of time to pluck the iterations I needed most, Yama traced the Karma to the parts I needed to connect, Bennu blazed with five colored fire, melding the disparate elements in a crucible of innovation, literally forging the individual pieces of the clockwork throne.

I wasn't sure how long it took. Hours, at least. Maybe a few days. My head hurt, my soul ached, my mind was hazy and unfocused. I created something. Something real and physical and solid that would set the foundation for what I would come to be someday. My first object of power.

By the time I finished, I was barely coherent, kneeling on the ground in front of my new throne and staring up at it in awe. With shaking hands, I assembled the pieces I needed, the individual timepieces I'd been trying to connect, I slotted them into place, following the esoteric knowledge still sparking in my mind as I shifted the faces and dials strewn across the front of the chair to create a formula for what I needed, dialed in to a picture perfect formation that only the manifestation of the Wish could have granted.

The chair hummed, the Wish power melding together the demons into a single whole in a way that would have normally been impossible, a granular recombination that granted me precise control of the result to create…

A new demon stood in front of the throne, staring up at me casually. He had black and white hair that reminded me of Chelsea, and a monochrome domino mask sat atop his smiling face. "Belphegor," I said slowly, meeting his eyes. "It's nice to meet you." He was here, but he wasn't, a potential being that was real and false in a way none of the archdemons had been before.

It was as if I'd plucked him from a potential future where those demons had become permanently fused, but he wasn't really here. When the Throne finished its work, he would return to that nothing place, allowing my demons to reform as they were. A method to create TRUE archdemons where before, the combinations had just been hollow amalgams with no self. He seemed to understand what I had done as well, smiling as he took in my work.

"Six out of ten," he said casually. Giving the throne a once over.

"SIX?" I gaped at him in outrage. "I made an object of power. This is going to be the foundations of my future realm! It's a work of art!"

He rolled his eyes. "It might EVENTUALLY become that," he warned. "You've got the bones. But creation is a process. You should know the iterations you've made here aren't the end of the line. They're the beginning. The concept is good, but we have so many things to improve on. This isn't enough to hold a seed of even your current, unfinished Domain, much less the completed version."

Sighing, I stood and let myself fall into the chair. I winced. "It's also not very comfortable," I admitted. "But now that you exist you can help me with all this. Celestial Fabrication was elevated a tier at least. I could feel him hit tier 8."

"I noticed that too," he said brightly. "This IS an accomplishment, don't get me wrong. And it was brilliant. Wish was the perfect vehicle to create this timepiece, this throne that is both a part of your court and not. Especially when you're approaching S-rank, getting ready to merge together the pieces of yourself to create your final bloodline."

I grimaced. I'd been worrying about that. About how the two abilities in my soul would fit together in my last step before godhood. Because I didn't want to lose my Wish power. Not the way I would presumably have to if I made any real changes.

This though, this presented a potential alternative. I hadn't changed it yet, simply made this clockwork chair as a representation. But it was complex and variable enough to potentially grow to truly represent my ability. To make it a part of the court in a way that would maintain the perfect utility of my ancestor's masterpiece. It wasn't there yet, not even close, Belphegor was right, but I could see the potential. See a path.

Shaking off the bright future I was trying to envision, I focused on the demon in front of me. "You can do what we need though, right?" I pressed. "The upgrade for the armor?"

He flicked a gaze at the throne. "I can," he confirmed. "In fact, I already have some ideas for how to make it even better. We just need the materials. S-rank isn't like the others. It needs to set the foundation for making a divine artifact. Because if you want THIS thing to be an object of power, I imagine the armor and the staff need to be the same."

"The staff is going to be complicated," I grimaced. "But yeah. I always wanted the armor to be a foundation object. After seeing Lark's armor that's even more true. I take it you can take some inspiration from that?"

He grinned wildly. "Oh very much so. But you know I won't be here the whole time. I can't stick around that long. Also you need to sleep for a while. Using the Throne isn't exactly easy on you, especially after eight whole days of nonstop crafting." At my flinch, he laughed. "yeah , you kind of got lost in it. But hey, I think the result speaks for itself, don't you?" He gestured down at his body, at the living, breathing, sentient archdemon that shouldn't be able to exist without permanently diminishing my court, but somehow could.

"Yeah," I admitted. "I'm not happy to have missed the time, given the constraints, but I know Callie would want me to take this seriously. If I'm going to get her back, I need to be in top form by the time I arrive. This armor as an opportunity to push myself further. If we can properly calibrate it into an object of power, even one without a domain seed, not to mention manage to elevate the staff too, I should have no problem withstanding a proper upgrade to the Demigod rank for one of you."

I wasn't even sure what that would look like, honestly, but I had a feeling a demigod rank archdemon would possess abilities beyond anything I had currently seen. Having caught a glimpse of what that tier of power meant in Lark's fight…I wanted it. I was convinced it was the only chance I would have to pull this rescue off.

He chuckled morbidly. "I think you're putting the cart before the horse there, boss," he said kindly. "But if that's the path you want to take, we can pursue it. For now, get some sleep. We can start work on the armor design once you wake. We need you in peak form for what's to come." It was a sign of how exhausted I was that I didn't even argue, I just passed out right there in the chair. My last conscious thought was how damned uncomfortable it was.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

I woke with a groan. I stood slowly, feeling out what shape I was in. I wasn't feeling GOOD, though I also wasn't feeling bad, as much as I was just…tender? Like my body had been drained of energy and was preparing to be in pain by becoming hypersensitive. It reminded me of being sick, though it wasn't that, and I prayed it didn't BECOME that because the timing couldn't be worse.

Just to be safe, I called Zagan into the throne room letting him blast me with a few waves of revivifying fire. Once I was feeling human again, I stepped from my Domain, emerging in the refuge where the angel survivors had been staying, though with the rest of the city opened back up, it had mostly emptied out.

The only ones left behind were my own people, and sure enough, as soon as I emerged, I was swarmed. Well, swarmed implied there were lots of people involved, really it was just my mom, but she was EVERYWHERE. She scooped me up in a hug, then dragged me off, lecturing me about taking care of my health while insisting I eat and calling my dad to come make sure I was ok and giving me an update. There was so much happening at once it took me a second to figure out there was just one of her, and by the time I did I was already sitting at a table eating pancakes.

"So, you're finally out," Lark said, sitting down across from me. "You took a while in there. Eight days isn't exactly a blink, especially with…what? Five to one timescale still in effect? That's over a month."

I grimaced as I chewed. "I know," I admitted. "But I already talked to Callie about it. She knows hurrying is just going to screw me over in the end. Neither of us likes it, but the steps I'm taking are important. I created my first foundational pillar when I was in there. I'm planning to have three of them."

"Quality over quantity," he nodded. "I get that. But it's a bit early to start item creation. You need to do a lot of things first. Create your worldforce then condense your Domain seeds. And if you're going for a trinity you'll need to be careful and go slow. Your first reinforcement won't be too tough, but the more Domain seeds you imbue into an item the higher the requirements. Rushing is likely to bust whatever you're using."

Grimacing, I set down my fork. "Ok, so that's as good a segue point as any. I need to know more about how this works. I got the broad strokes from Alara. Less items, more power, harder to destroy but more damage if you do. How does it actually work though?"

"Domain seeds are somewhat complicated," he said, snagging some bacon off my plate and chewing it thoughtfully. I ignored him, waiting for him to continue, but I pulled the plate toward me and wrapped an arm around it protectively. He rolled his eyes as he finished chewing, but kept talking. "So you know what a Domain seed is?"

I nodded. "It's the crystallization of a Domain," I confirmed. "More Domain seeds is better, right?"

He nodded. "Sure, but do you know why?"

I shrugged. "Domain seeds like…multiply your power, right? It's like stacking more Domains on top of each other, and it empowers your eventual realm."

"Sort of," he said. "The first thing you need to know is that a Domain seed is not just some magic item you pull out of nowhere. You know that the objects of power, once you reach the peak of S-rank, need to be merged into the Saga to reinforce the realm in preparation for ascension?"

"I was told," I confirmed. "Not sure how that works, but yeah, I've got an idea."

He chuckled. "Well it works because they originally COME from the Chronicle to begin with. Or rather, the pages. See, as you may have noticed, not all Chronicles are created equal. Not just in terms of raw power, though different events can provide different levels of mythology, but also in terms of compatibility. You saw that yourself during your little page binge, from what I'm told, that sometimes to keep yourself balanced it's better to take less impactful events that are more meaningful."

"Sure," I acknowledged. "I took a few weaker ones from earlier in my timeline that I thought better reinforced who I was as a person."

"Which is an approach," he said with a wave. "But not the only one. You can go the other way and max out your most epic deeds. Stack power and meaning regardless of how compatible those things are with who you want to be. As with everything, this has benefits and downsides."

I frowned as I considered that. "And the benefit has to do with Domain seeds?"

"Sometimes, yes." He paused to consider how to continue. "So, Domain seeds are condensed from pages of your Chronicle. The more Domain seeds you have the better it is, by and large, BUT the number of them you can condense depends on the quality and compatibility of your pages. It's not JUST a matter of raw mythology per page, mind, it's also a matter of how compatible that mythology is with the objects you choose, and how compatible your WORLDFORCE is with the pages in question."

I blinked at that. "Wait…so that means that A-rank is REALLY important," I pointed out. "Because it's the only chance you get to author your pages and reconfigure them after the fact. Wouldn't that mean forming your Worldforce in A-rank gives you a huge advantage?"

"It might," he allowed. "If you could do it. But Worldforce is the power of a god. You need to be at least a Demigod to handle it safely. Not that it's impossible to do earlier, with the right kind of support or tricks. That used to be an even bigger potential landmine because we couldn't control Worldforce or really understand how it worked. Mythcrafting wasn't a thing before you brought Elonwy back, so you were kind of flying blind with all that."

"That's why some of the gods used divine Domain seeds," I said in understanding. "Like Black Sorrow and the Revenant. They were able to prepare early because they could study the Worldforce and map their pages to it ahead of time. That meant they had more Domain seeds, right?"

He nodded. "But as with everything, that's a trade off. Black Sorrow and the Red Revenant were forced to rapidly alter their Chronicles, and the resulting changes altered THEM at a fundamental level. Made them more like their predecessors. Even then, they didn't get it to the point where they were able to condense more than a single Domain seed for every two pages. That's still pretty substantial, mind, fifty seeds is nothing to sneeze at."

"How does that translate to objects though?" I asked consideringly. "Why didn't they go for less of them. Black Sorrow has a bunch, right? And she even got another one connected to the god she got her Domain seed from. Why would she want more? Just to make them less vulnerable?"

"Not exactly. It's more than just the one factor," he sighed. "Like I said, the compatibility of the object matters. Domains aren't created equal. Beyond how many pages they take, Domains also have variable amounts of power. Imbuing multiple powerful Domain seeds into the same item takes time and preparation, but depending on the item there's a limit to what they can hold. The more seeds per item the more power, but if you overload the thing it's pointless to even make it."

I considered that. "You can move the seeds, can't you?" I asked slowly. It was the only thing that made sense, considering the way foundational artifacts were treated and the purposes they served. "And using a compatible existing object of power means it can hold more."

"Yes, and Black Sorrow was able to move quite a few into that scythe," he confirmed.

"So I want to perfect my pages to the point that I can make on Domain seed per page?" I asked slowly, thinking about my options.

He grimaced. "That IS a tactic, but not one almost anyone uses. The amount of time and effort it takes isn't worth the investment. Most people consider anything more than fifty to be diminishing returns, though again, they don't have your options. Still, it's a balancing act, because in order to properly prepare your Chronicle you need to risk changing your whole personality. It's usually accepted that you want to give yourself a bit of breathing room for that kind of thing per page."

Which made sense. In fact, it might not be ideal to go for a full one hundred seeds even if I found a way around that. My power seemed to work best with the number seventy two, and if I wanted to go with three foundational artifacts, which I still did, that meant exactly twenty four seeds per artifact. I'd need to perfect my pages for my eventual worldforce until I could get one seed per one point three eight pages or so, but one less than a quarter of a complete Chronicle would probably be a fantastic power balance for an artifact.

Though it brought up another question. "What about the items?" I asked. "You said compatibility is key. How many Domain seeds can items fit? If Black Sorrow was willing to go through all that for the scythe, it must be a limited thing."

"She baptized her objects of power ten times each," he said with a shrug. "The scythe, last I heard, she managed to get to thirty, though she might have been bluffing, I'm not close to her and only kept an ear out to sate my own curiosity. Mine are baptized about thirteen times. And no, I won't confirm how many I have."

I was pretty sure someone had told me at some point, but it might have been misinformation, judging by what he'd just shared, so I decided to put it out of my head. I took a bite of pancakes. This whole talk had given me a lot to think about. My future had so many moving parts.

Mostly though, I was focused on what I needed to advance. Upgrading the armor to be compatible with me and to help my body withstand the formation of a Worldforce. If I could form my own ahead of time I would be able to author my pages to be as suitable as possible without a lot of the downsides of conforming myself to an existing Domain seed.

Though that made me wonder if Lark had done that. It was clear he'd somehow prepared for divinity in a way other people hadn't, had he done the same thing that Black Sorrow and the Red Revenant had, but just taken longer to acclimate? Had he slowly rebuilt himself around the Domain of a dead god in order to condense the highest number of Domain seeds? It would certainly explain a lot.

But I decided not to get into it. He'd already shared more than I could possibly ask. Shared secrets that most A-rankers would probably have killed for without any promise of compensation. I knew a favor when I saw one.

"Thank you," I told him bluntly. "For telling me this. And for helping me."

He smiled sadly, and suddenly, the sharp, predatory gleam drained from his eyes. "I know what it's like to watch the woman you love get taken away from you, kid. Just be glad it's something you can fight. Sometimes life isn't that kind, and when that happens…that's when you find out what can really break you."

I frowned at that, thinking about the story Bethy told about her mother, alone in a tower, and how I'd never met her or spoken to anyone who recently had. "In my experience," I said slowly. "There are ways to rescue people from a lot of things. Even themselves. You taught me a lot about being an ascendant in this conversation. Maybe I could teach you about that someday. As repayment."

He stilled, his pupils turning into slits as he regarded me slowly. The predator was back. "Maybe you can," he said after a moment. "But don't hold your breath, kid. You're not there yet." And then, we lapsed into silence, and I dug back into my breakfast. There was nothing else to say.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Stepping into the Phoenix Foundry was kind of unnerving. Without Apples guarding it, the place was abandoned, but despite that relative 'safety', the only impression I got once I entered was one of overwhelming danger.

"I hate the underground ones," my dad muttered as he stepped out behind me. "Always makes me feel like I'm in a tomb."

He was right, it did feel like that. The interior of the foundry was cramped and dark, the walls were made of black stone, though from what I could tell, it seemed that they hadn't always been black. The ground beneath our feet was crunchy shale, clouds of ash floated at random intermittent points, and the sounds of baying and growling could be heard drifting along the stone corridors toward the door we stood in front of.

Lark seemed perfectly at ease, of course, but he didn't head out like I expected. Instead, he knelt down, touching the shale and lifting it to his tongue. "Interesting," he said slowly. "I can taste the nearest metal stockpile."

"You can TASTE it?" I asked in disbelief. "How?"

He gave me a big smile and a thumbs up as he pointed across his body down one of the nearby corridors. "Simple, that direction has higher iron content."

Bethy cheered, clapping excitedly. "You show them daddy! Vampires know everything about iron. I was totally gonna do that if you didn't. Now we know the best place to find all those cool metals. You guys all think too simply of us. We vampires know blood the best, and what are long hallways full of iron rich materials but veins carrying blood!"

That…almost made sense. "Alright, we move then. Can you send Apples ahead? Whatever is out there will probably avoid him, right?"

She looked scandalized. "Apples isn't some coward who needs his reputation to scare off challengers. But fear not, he'll definitely help clear the way, he'll just do it with his own strength! That's why I designed THIS for him!" She held up a large black domino mask. "Apples, come forth!" she called dramatically.

The manticore appeared, and she set the mask on his face officiously. "Fuhuhu-" she laughed in a weird way I hadn't heard before. "Now they'll have no idea that they face their doom. When they stumble on you, they will see not Apples, the manticore, but ORANGE, the OTHER manticore!"

"Bethy, you hadn't named him the last time he was here," I said bluntly. "And also I don't think the mindless monsters prowling around here can differentiate between manticores. Or would care to try if they could."

She scoffed. "Fool! Orange will be invisible to them until the moment of their demise. They'll see a helpless, weak little manticore, nothing like the terrible Apples they knew and feared. Only when it's too late and they've stepped into our ruse will the trap be sprung, and by then, there will be nowhere to hide."

I opened my mouth to argue, but eventually just sighed and gave in. "You know what? Sure. Fine. Send him out."

Clapping again, Bethy thrust out a finger, pointing in the direction Lark had indicated. "Go forth, Orange! And teach them to fear the sound of your new name!" I pinched the bridge of my nose as the confused manticore raised a paw and pointed at itself. "Yes, YOU," Bethy snapped in obvious frustration. "Who ELSE would I be talking to?" It meowed again. "It's a pseudonym!" she snapped. "So they won't know who you are!" Another meow. "Just go!"

He turned and skulked away, leaving Bethy with her arms crossed, pouting in outrage at the fact that no one understood her plans. In fact, she literally MUTTERED that last part under her breath as it left.

Apples stepped around the corner and vanished, and we waited for it to return for about five minutes before it shuffled back into sight. During those five minutes, the howls and snarls of whatever was out of our sight devolved into yip and squeals of fear, and when the cat came back, it was carrying what looked like a metal jackal in its teeth.

The manticore strode up to Bethy proudly, dropping his prize at her feet, and she glared at him before pointing at his face. "You MASK fell off," she snapped. "Now they all know your true identity!" The Demigod ranged beast hunched its shoulders, whining, and she rolled her eyes and said. "Well, I guess your present was nice, you're still a good boy. Come here." She leaned in and gave him a long hug then sent him back into her Domain. Then she turned and gave us the same thumbs up her dad had just used earlier. "Mission complete, boss man! We've got a clear shot to the nearest stockpile."

I burst out laughing as she scooped up the metal jackal and tossed it into her Domain along with the manticore. "Sounds good, lead the way, oh master of challenge." She gave me a sharp salute and turned to march off into the unknown, the rest of us following behind.

We trekked through the shale, following the footprints Apples left behind, and eventually came to a stop outside a large metal door that had been ripped halfway off the hinges. The tear left a big empty spot near the ground for us to duck through, and once we were inside, the difference was like night and day.

The walls were still black, but they were swirled with gold and red, the floor was polished, shining marble with veins the same color as those swirls, and in the center of the room, a giant crucible hung over a metal pit, an inverted half dome with a cradle inside, set with molds that were currently in the shape of metal ingots. Next to the pit a small stack or red gold metal bars sat neatly configured into a cube of interlocking ingots.

My mom stepped forward, kneeling down to pick up a bar. "There's three kinds of metal here," she said slowly. "This one I don't recognize, but based on the feedback, I'd say it's some Solar Copper derivative, probably an alloy with Blood Bronze." She picked up a bar from deeper in the pile, this one was dark green. "THIS is Eldritch Ebony, I've never seen this much of it before. It's absurdly rare, and I've only seen it used in things like tracery work on expensive S-rank historical jewelry."

I grinned as I picked up the bar, surprised by the weight of it. It wasn't heavy, not to someone like me, but it weighed more than any bar that size ought to. "What about the third one?"

"It's tin," she said bluntly.

"I…what?" I blinked. "Like just normal tin?"

She shrugged. "Well, Terror Tin, technically, but no one calls it that. It's legitimately the most basic S-rank material you can find. It's used in the creation of almost every type of S-rank bronze. And there are a lot of those, for some reason. Like more than most metals. No one is really sure why. It's how my mom was able to build the Acheron. It's like…forty percent Terror Tin."

"Oh," I said dully. "Well that sucks."

That got a laugh. "Don't be so sure. Metal isn't a math problem. You don't just add up the rarity or the cost to figure out how good it is. Different metals have different properties, different tensile strengths. We won't get the best result for your armor by just building you a gaudy suit of mega materials. Gold is expensive for mortals but you don't want a chainmail shirt made out of it. Having some simpler base metals for alloys will be a net positive."

"She's right," said Belphegor as he stepped past me to examine the stack. I'd manifested the Archdemon through the throne as we'd approached, though I hadn't manifested him out here. Apparently he could just leave when he wanted to, though I suspected stopping him wouldn't be difficult given the nature of my Domain. He knelt down to pick up the bar of mystery metal. He squinted at it for a moment, and I could almost see the information flashing behind his eyes. Dan could scan info from things and Wisdom could iterate with that info, the combination meant Belphegor was more than capable of instantly scanning items, especially crafting related objects.

My mother looked intrigued. "You get anything?"

"It's called Novium," he said absently. "It does contain Blood Bronze, hence the tin, but the other material isn't Solar Copper, it's Starsteel."

She winced. "That's made from Nebula Iron, that stuff is a nightmare to source. You have to condense it from stardust in particularly energy dense star fields. The amount of dust you need is substantial."

He nodded. "It is. But we should worry more about what to do with this stockpile than how to get more. We'll need to continue searching for the various leftover metals, and beyond that, we need to find the Summer Phoenix flame. It should be doable to track it down if we find a few more of these smelting chambers." He pointed up at the ceiling. "You can see the flame control mechanism up there if you look. It leads that way, but one direction won't do much."

"We need to triangulate," I nodded. "Lark, can you find us a few more of these places? We'll search the rest of the room first in case there's cabinets or something, but then we should set off for the next one." He nodded, stepping back out into the corridor, and I glanced at Belphegor. "So, I take it we can use these?"

"We can use almost anything," he corrected me. "But the more materials we have to work with, the more suitable I can make the suit for you. Given your plans for that thing, you'll want to get it as customized to your purposes as possible. Of course, it IS possible for me to make alterations later, but recast artifacts rarely reach the same heights. Materials have limits to them, and recasting pushes those."

I nodded. "So we want to find as many metals as we can, and let you do your thing. Will we need one of these rooms? Like can you smelt the metals together to make new alloys?"

"Probably," he allowed. "And with your mother's help, we can get some good results too. It'll take me some time to process all the metals we find though. Once we have a full list to work off of, then I can get to work with my full creation plan. I have some rough outlines for the upgrades, of course, but nothing too specific will be possible without knowing exactly what I'll be working with."

I felt a thrill of excitement shoot through me. S-rank armor. I had never even dreamed of that when I'd first started out. S-rank materials were rare and hard to find, and armor in particular required quite a bit of it. My grandmother's ship was the exception, not the rule, most people couldn't source that kind of treasure.

My mom seemed to get what I was thinking, because she clapped me on the shoulder with a laugh. "It'll wear off," she advised me. "We all had moments like that starting out, and most of them happen around A-rank. Eventually you'll be just as jaded and cynical as the rest of us."

I laughed at that, but didn't argue. She was probably right. I was still chuckling when I started making my rounds of the room along with the others. We searched under work benches, in boxes, we even found a few secret compartments in the floor and walls. Belphegor took the contents, both the metals and, surprisingly, a few blueprints. Once we'd confirmed the room was clear, we stepped out to check with Lark, and after he confirmed our heading and we sent Apples ahead, we set off for the next stockpile. I couldn't wait to see what we found.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

I stepped out into the chamber I'd found slowly. Lark had given us all different directions, pointing us each at our own individual rooms. It was almost nostalgic, walking through this place alone. Part of me wanted to worry about getting jumped, but it only took a second of serious thought to remember that I was the number two strongest person in our group right now. Unless I wanted Lark to follow me around, I wasn't getting any backup in a fight if someone was stronger than me.

And honestly…I liked it. It felt good, finally being relevant and strong. Especially out here with my parents and friends, being someone they could rely on was kind of intoxicating. Of course, that just brought me back to thinking about Callie.

My jaw tightened as I closed my eyes and reached into my Domain. The door that usually connected our souls was sealed shut by whatever Belsara had done. I'd tried to pry it open, to whittle away at the chains that bound it closed, but nothing I did was even shaking them. My thumb stroked my wedding ring, with its shared space, the only way I could get in touch with her these days.

I paused, then decided to drop a message in. It only took a second for my scan ring message to return, and to my surprise, once it did I got a short text rather than a long update. I frowned at the contents. Setting the ring down, I backed away, not sure if this would work, but willing to try anything.

There was a ripple in the air, and to my delight and surprise, a shadow erupted from the ring on the ground, manifesting above it into a doppleganger of my wife. "Holy shit!" Callie crowed. "I can't believe that actually worked!"

"Me neither," I admitted. "How are you even doing that?"

"Shadows," she said with a grin. "I've been experimenting with that aspect of my powers. You know that I never lost it, my adherent form proves that, but more than that, I've been researching how the shadow is the natural counterpart to my Void flame. Adherent fire is the shadow of the Void, but that's a metaphysical thing. Flames cast shadows of their own though, so I've never really been missing that aspect of my power, just haven't explored it. This ring uses a special quantum superimposed space, and I'm currently projecting a clone in the shadow of that space."

I grinned at her. "I'm gonna be honest, I followed very little of that and I don't really care either way. I'm just so glad to speak to you in person. Can I hug you?"

"Better not," she grimaced. "This is a shadow clone, and I'm not really up to date on practicing those. I kind of thought I lost the ability, at least in this context. I'm going to need to do some serious training. Plus I'm HUGE right now," she glared at me. "Your children are inflating me like a balloon, and you're just skipping the whole process. Training for a rescue my ass, you're just dodging pregnancy duty."

"I'd sit through a million pregnancies to get you three back," I said bluntly, my face solemn. "Don't even joke about that, Cal. It's killing me to be away from you. To be missing so much."

Her face softened, and the clone reached up to put a hand on my face. "I know," she said softly. "My stupid, reckless idiot. I hate being away from you too, but I'm so proud of how you're handling this. I can get back time apart, but I can't get you back if I lose you. Take your time, plant your feet firmly. We'll be waiting at the end, and you'll get here sooner walking steady than hurrying and tripping over your own feet."

I swallowed hard, putting a hand over hers. "I'm trying," I told her in a hoarse voice. "But I don't know how to do this on my own. Everything I see and do reminds me that you're not here. I've been out by myself before, and I can handle that fine, but this…I'm so scared for you."

"You don't need to be," she said firmly. "Belsara isn't exactly sane, but she's also not crazy. She took me for a reason, and that reason wasn't to kill me. The babies and I are safe. Safer than we would be most places, honestly." She paused, looking conflicted. "She's not as bad as you'd think," her tone was hesitant. "She really cares. It kind of does remind me of being back home with mom. Back when I first came back from running away. What are you planning to do to her?"

"Whatever she makes me do," I said coldly. "Look, I'm happy she's being kind to you, and Atlas seems to care about her too. If I can get you out of there without a confrontation I'll do that. But if she's in the way, I'll move her. I WILL get my family back."

Her shoulders slumped. "I know," she sighed. "I knew you'd say that before I asked. I just wish I could see some way for this to end without someone dying. Not just because I like her, but because she IS a god. There's no guarantee the person who gets moved won't be you. I believe in you more than anyone in this world, but it's STILL a risk, even if I think you'll make it work."

"I don't know what'll happen," I told her sadly. "But I know that this ends one of two ways. Us together, or me dead. There isn't a third choice."

Her jaw tightened. "I hate when you say shit like that," she spat. "Do you think I like hearing that from the father of my children? That I'm moved by your loyalty or something? I'm NOT. I never doubted how much you loved me, you don't need to prove it. All I feel when you say things like that is mindnumbing terror at the idea of living in a world without you in it."

"I know," I chuckled. "But that doesn't mean it isn't true. How this goes is up to her. I'm going to be with you and the kids, or I'm not going to be. Simple as that. Although…" I trailed off, hesitant to even bring it up. She sounded so afraid though, and maybe she'd see something I didn't. "Atlas did give me some advice," I admitted. "About Belsara. He said she sees herself as the good guy, and that if you give her a way to feel like a hero she'll do your work for you."

She frowned at that, biting her lip. "That's interesting," she said slowly. "I might be able to work with that."

I shrugged. "Do what you can. We'll see what happens when I get to you. For now though, I wanted to check in on the babies. How are they? How are you? They're feeding you properly, right?"

Laughing, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, Shane, they're FEEDING me. You think I'm this big without nourishment?" She gestured down to her very swollen belly.

"I'm not sure what you mean," I said innocently. "You're the picture of svelte perfection. In fact, I'm worried you're skipping meals. You look too thin. If you turn sideways you might disappear, lucky there's no strong wind in here, you'd probably blow away in the breeze."

She shot me an unamused look. "I'm seven months pregnant, ass, with twins. Pretending I'm not fat right now isn't sweet, it's just patronizing."

"Oh no, your shadow image has cut out," I said loudly, as if I was calling to someone down a long tunnel. "I can still hear you and feel you but I have no visual contact at all. I can't possibly comment on any details vis a vis your appearance now!"

That got an eye roll and a giggle. "Coward. But fine, I'll let you off the hook this time. Just because I know how worried you are."

The smile fell off my face. "Seven months," I said slowly. "That's…I've missed almost as much of the pregnancy as I was there for at this point. I mean, yeah, the closer we get the less of a time difference there is, but we're still looking at five to one. I don't know if I'll be there for the birth."

"Who cares?" she said with a laugh. I blinked at that and she shrugged. "Look, the babies aren't going to remember being born, I doubt I'm going to spend much time dwelling on it, and honestly, I don't think you being there will make it suck much less. Do I want you to be the first person to hold our children after they come into the world? Yes. But you know what matters more than the first time? All the OTHER times."

Her eyes hardened. "You worry about helping me raise these kids, about being better parents than we had. So you take your time, and you do this right, and you show up and save us like you just said you would, and then we'll raise these kids together. It's not like we're talking about years or anything. They're not going to remember a few months where you weren't around, not if you're there for all the ones that come after."

I knew it wasn't that simple. That she did care, and that it would matter, but maybe it wouldn't be quite as much as I'd thought. "I will," I told her hoarsely. "I'll be there as soon as I can, and no sooner."

"Good," she nodded. "Then I can focus on my own training. I want to hit A-rank before the babies are born. I want them to benefit from the rank up, to have the same advantages you did at the beginning."

I nodded. It was easy to forget that I'd been born with extra stats. It might not have seemed important, but it had been a huge bonus to my strength at the beginning and had snowballed more than a bit over the years. The Wish power functioned on stat totals, and having even a slightly higher one started you out on a much stronger footing. Not that I knew if my kids would inherit the power, but even if they didn't, having those early stats were a net positive. I wanted that for them.

Callie smiled up at me, leaning up to give me a soft kiss, then leaned back. "I can't keep this up for long. I'm piggybacking the shadow projection on the spatial construction between the rings. They weren't made for this, and if I keep doing it they might break. It'll take a few days your time before we can do this again. I just…I needed to see you.

"I'm fine," I told her softly. "Seeing you has me back on track. Take care of yourself and the kids. I'll see all three of you soon for real."

Rather than respond, the image of her dissolved into a cloud of misty black smoke. I sighed and picked up my ring, slipping it back on my hand. Blowing out a long breath, I centered myself, closing my eyes and letting my heart calm down. It hurt already, her being gone again. Watching her dissolve into smoke was almost as painful as watching her get taken to begin with. I was almost grateful to Belsara for binding our bond, because I didn't want Callie feeling this from me.

Opening my eyes, I turned back to the room I had entered, beginning my search for the metal I had come here for. As much of it as I could find, because the more material I had the more likely I'd be able to make something truly great. Now the question was, how many of these damned bars did we need to stock up on before we had enough?