Randidly sat in the central area of his root super-structure as the emotionally loaded Aether flowed harmlessly around him. At this point, he had acclimated to the point that any tempering of his body from the raw Aether was almost negligible. Randidly had, however, been able to confirm that the additional emotional refinement of the Stillborn Phoenix had greatly boosted the rate at which he could generate image physicalizations. At this point, he had five drops of liquid Aether and his arms and legs continued to subtly lengthen as he physically developed into the Grim Chimera. For just seven days of training, the improvement was dramatic.

Randidly looked up. Very distantly, he could see some alcoves that still possessed working light fixtures along the interior of the Web. He was keeping careful track fo the time, due to the temporal distortion caused by Aether density. Although it had felt like seven days had passed down here, he kept in regular contact with Octavius to make sure he didn’t miss his return deadline. From what he could tell, he still had a few more hours.

Plus, with all the physical changes to his body, immersing himself in the chaotic flows of Aether was almost pleasant, like a dip in a hot spring. Randidly didn’t plan on pushing the envelope this time, but he recognized that he was ready to proceed deeper toward the engine of the Nexus.

Shouts rang out around Randidly as Heiffal’s men continued to train in orderly lines. They alternated between sparring and group exercises as they engaged in their own body tempering. Although the benefits they gained were much less tangible than Randidly’s, their images were growing increasingly resilient in the face of foreign energy. In addition, perhaps just by proximity to Randidly as he experimented with emotion, their images now possessed an inherent flavor that definitely hadn’t been there before.

It was a matter of shades and hints. Only the edges of those images had been adjusted, but those new edges were viciously sharp.

For those who most successfully incorporated both distinct shape and appropriate emotion in their Aether, the image potency they could generate was rapidly increasing. Randidly estimated that the strength of the group had gone up by about 10% in the seven days, which was a thoroughly ridiculous number.

Of course, the benefit of incorporating emotion will be greatest at the beginning, when its development goes from unconscious to purposeful, Randidly reflected as he sat in the middle of his root structure. He reached his hands and used the thumb of his right hand to rub the nearby roots. Very idly, his gaze wandered across the completely copper and brass bottoms of his roots after a week of exposure. In the future, the development won’t be nearly this smooth and easy. But they will at least have the opportunity to develop in that direction…

Randidly released a breath of faintly glowing steam and prepared to spend some time focusing on the emotions of his own images. Each of his three images was moving in separate directions, but that would only increase their power in the end. But before he had finished mentally sharpening himself, he felt a familiar tug at the edge of his perspective. A powerful sleepiness rapidly invaded his mind and blurred his awareness of his surroundings.

Eidolon Crucible, huh…

Randidly mused. But he didn’t resist its pull. Although he did hope that he would subconsciously maintain the root supports while he was experiencing the Skill. Otherwise, he might wake up very deep down this shaft.

As always, Randidly found himself whisked away to a blurry and surreal mental landscape as the Skill activated. Yet even through the strange haze of the Skill, he didn’t recognize the surroundings at all: he was standing on the sandy dividing land between the sea and a tropical rain forest. The familiar form of Kharon crouched against the sandy ground further down the shore, but Randidly’s eyes were drawn inland to a gleaming city on a low hill that appeared to be made entirely of gold.

Is this the final Zone to arrive on Expira…? Randidly wondered. But before he could spend too much time examining the surroundings, a pillar of emerald light exploded out of Kharon. With a rumbling groan, the city shifted and lifted itself up off of its sandy resting place. That emerald light pooled in the sky, swirling into an ever-growing emerald maelstrom. The joints of the legs groaned underneath the city’s weight. There was a shiver and it began to move. As Kharon began to charge toward Randidly, the emerald clouds above opened up and spat pale green balls of flame that turned the surroundings into a hellscape.

The spirits of Kharon’s people began to stir.

As the nearby rain forest began to burn and collapse, Randidly spread his arms wide. This time, he allowed the Stillborn Phoenix to take the lead in fighting against this trial. The phoenix of darkness spread its wings and sucked in a deep breath. And as the image did so, Randidly was surprised that he received quite a bit of emotional information from the surroundings.

He could sense the people of Kharon’s pride. And their intense curiosity toward the Zone. But mostly, Randidly felt an infectious excitement as the people of Kharon prepared to challenge his image.

Sprinkled within those emotions were a few individuals radiating a powerful disapproval. Mostly, Randidly expected this was Tatiana and Gertrude Collins, what with him leaving without helping them finish Kharon Academy. But Randidly knew that they would do much better work than he could do; they simply understood the human experience of growing more intimately than he did these days.

In the end, it was better that he not taint Kharon Academy with anything more than his name. Violence was too deeply etched into the fabric of Randidly Ghosthound

After deeply inhaling and having its chest swell, the Stillborn Phoenix released all of those emotions in a deafening cry, having thoroughly influenced them within its enigmatic, dark core. Even the emerald maelstrom above shook. Because what the Stillborn Phoenix released with that piercing cry was a wave of determination that bordered on obsessive. It was a desire so strong that it was willing to directly confront reality and warp it until it achieved its goal.

In front of that red-eyed commitment, the emotions of Kharon faltered.

Randidly carefully experienced the broadcasted emotion of the Egg of Depression. Only a fool would completely ignore reality. But I am starting to see that I judged the Stillborn Phoenix too harshly. The reason that it so completely dedicates itself to the impossible is that I needed that bit of insanity. Or perhaps its better to say that was, for a long time, an unrecognized part of me. Both Yggdrasil and the Grim Chimera are overly focused on real threats and possibilities. I needed a part of myself that could keep me motivated on this insane endeavor to change the Nexus… and the Stillborn Phoenix became that remorseless passion.

It isn’t just an insane independent image, its a part of a whole. Its an important part of me.

Randidly flexed his fingers and the Stillborn Phoenix spread its wings and released a wave of darkness that swept outward. The flames in the rain forest were gradually snuffed out. The darkness slapped against the surface of Kharon with a physical force, stalling it further. And then Randidly unleashed the full power of Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart. A ripple exploded through the surrounding space.

The power of gravity was banished. Stones, broken trees, and even the massive form of Kharon began to float upward as all of the surrounding area came under the Stillborn Phoenix’s sway. The waves of the sea rolled helplessly through the air, tumbling upward in a spiral.

Congratulations! Your Skill Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart (T) has grown to Level 296!

Randidly’s eyes were piercing emeralds in the darkness released by his image. With the added benefit of emotion aiding his usage, Randidly quickly overpowered Kharon’s resistance and overwhelmed their ability to cope with images. He physically breathed deeply at the end, pilfering a small amount of their image potency for himself as they crumbled and failed.

Congratulations! Your Skill Reign of the Eidolon Crucible (L) has grown to Level 251!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Reign of the Eidolon Crucible (L) has grown to Level 275!

As he absorbed some of their images, Randidly began to frown. He had the vaguest inkling about the new Zone, so he paused as the Skill deteriorated and took a deeper look at some of the thoughts from people of his city. Only after he confirmed his suspicion did he allow the Skill to collapse and release his consciousness to return to the Nexus. Heh, seems like the new Zone has been able to domesticate a few species of giant lizards… a lot of Kharon’s children are excited about the prospect of riding a dinosaur…

The expression on Tatiana’s face as she tried to decide whether to acquire ‘riding dinosaurs’ was something that Randidly was very sorry to miss. And in fact, even though it had only been about a week since he left, Randidly felt rather sad that he wouldn’t he on Expira to experience these things with his planet.

But then the lines around his eyes hardened. I came to the Nexus for a reason. I cannot lose sight of that. Kharon can definitely manage without me. Meanwhile, the preparations I make here cannot wait.

With his emotions still slightly disturbed from the memories churned up by the Eidolon Crucible, Randidly instead spent the next several hours focusing on his Nether weaving. Not that he needed to maintain as thin a Nether presence down here as he did on Expira, but Randidly also didn’t want to set off any of the military’s alarms. Keeping his Nether presence low was a good habit to be in.

Somehow, he doubted that they would accept him as readily as he had been on the frontlines.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 317!

But more quickly than Randidly would have believed, he received the message from Octavius that indicated that he should begin his return. He stood up from his position in the gushing energy and allowed the Stillborn Phoenix one last, massive, exhale. A wave of powerful emotions blasted upward toward the unsuspecting Nexus.

Randidly waved his arm and called his forces to him, to proceed back into the Alpha Cosmos until they reached the training ground. While he did so, he couldn’t help but notice that most of his soldiers had incorporated a tiny amount of the regurgitated emotions from the Stillborn Phoenix into their bodies. That distinct pink-red coloration in their images was easily recognizable when it was in front of Randidly, even if he couldn’t sense it from afar.

From what he could tell, it generally benefited his subordinates, which was why he hadn’t made attempts to prevent it. Perhaps because they already had some connection to Randidly and his Aether, the typically wild emotion adapted more easily within them and also seemed more willing to soften its gleeful maliciousness. Before they realized the depths of their own emotion for the images, this emotion could serve as a stand-in.

But Randidly knew he was going to keep a close eye on its development in the future. And that thought made Randidly press his eyes closed. There was simply so much that he was trying to juggle. It almost seemed like he had more work after he left Kharon behind in the capable hands of Tatiana.

Just as quickly, Randidly opened his eyes. Helen was the last one to be shifted, whisked away to the Alpha Cosmos. But he had one more order of business; before he proceeded upward, he opened up his Path screen.