I felt bad lying to my mom. I wanted to tell her absolutely everything, but I wasn't sure that she would understand the truth. I was a soul from a completely different world - one of nuclear power, mass production, machine labor and computers. A world where I bred death itself and had no family to speak of.

I wasn't sure if I could trust her completely - after all in the perception of the locals, according to the Overseer… I was something called an 'aberration', an ancient ghost that refused to die. A monstrosity from the depths of the Astral ocean that devoured the souls of newborn children. It was true too, it matched my description - I had nearly eaten, nearly dissolved Delta’s soul by accident.

If it wasn’t for my Infoscope and the infection of the Phantom-Squid, Delta's manifestation would not have occurred. Eventually she would have simply dissolved into my soul and subconsciousness, fade into the background of my mind. If that was the case - she would never come into being as her own person, never become my most trusted assistant.

I thought about our separation five months ago. I’d had a perfect chance to make Delta disappear forever. I could have never tethered her to the Infoscope, never sacrificed my core skill. I could have let her float away into the deep darkness of the Astral Ocean, let the Wheel of Samsara take her after I had sacrificed my [Transient Soul]… and then I would have been completely alone.

Alone, I wouldn't be able to figure out or finish the [Temporal Rewind] ward in time and wouldn't be able to talk to my parents. I wouldn't have had dad's help to make the iron beam beneath the house into an electromagnet. In five months time the Overseer would show up, execute my parents and then end me. Truly, it could have been a very bloody end to my life in Skyisle, if I didn’t make the right call. Death begat death - I knew that much from my long life in USSR.

I sat in my Mindspace and stared at my mother’s worried face on one of the screens on Bessie. She had defended me, died for me today, because she believed a convenient lie - that I was special, that I was a hero destined for greatness. I didn't want to disappoint her, so I decided to reinforce the original lie with even more elaborate mistruths.

“Professor?” Mom asked, her hands trembling ever so slightly. “Please… explain your interest in my son.”

I readjusted the microphone in front of me that sent my words through the Mindspace. My words flew through the [Tether] to Delta, who in turn automatically projected it to the Queen Bee who sent it across the bee colony reinforced with the [Vox Colony] aka “the speaker made of bees” skill. Because of all of the steps involved, there was a bit of a delay in me speaking into the microphone and my words emerging from the large bee nest built of wax that was shaped like an approximation of a human underneath the large, thin coat, gloves, goggles and scarfs.

“I wish to become your son’s patron, Cassandra,” I said.

“What does this entail exactly?” Mom asked curiously.

“In Oz we have arcane rules of apprenticeship. Any adult Wizard like myself can choose an apprentice or a child to sponsor with my knowledge or finances by signing up at the Palace of Education and Uplift. As a highly respectable Academic of Oz and Delta’s friend I have chosen to sponsor your son's future. In exchange for this, I wish the honor of speaking on his behalf until he is of sufficient age.”

“I don’t understand.” Mom blinked. Her eyes suddenly sparked with inner fire. “Speaking on his behalf?! Do you think you know what’s best for my son?!”

“Of course not,” I tried to calm her. “You know what is best for your child as a parent. You don’t have to obey me - all you have to do is listen and consider my words. This is simply an ancient Oz Academia rite of passage, designed to build absolute trust between the Patron and his chosen Apprentice. Since Dante is so young I will be building trust between you and Georgi Skyisle first."

“I understand that you Wizards have quirky… traditions,” mom noted. “But… still. Speaking for my son…”

“Using my great arcane powers, I have prognosticated many possibilities of the future for your son,” I said. “His future, nay… his very life depends on OUR aid and collaboration. You must understand that your son is… shall we say… very different.”

Cassandra nodded.

“He is level eight now,” I hammered in my point.

“Level eight?! Ave Ishira!” Mom gasped.

“Yes,” I said. “He will progress a lot faster compared to other children of Skyisle. He is a very, very special child and his unique powers and skills must be nurtured. He will have many enemies like the Imperial Overseer. Ignorant fools like Overseer Kliss will attempt to execute him.”

"The Equalizers from the Gregarius Empire will see him as a monster, you're right." She sighed. "I fear for his future..."

“I helped Delta redesign your house wards,” I said. “Both of you are alive only thanks to our work. You had actually died for several minutes, but the house ward rewound you, restoring you to full health.”

“W-what?” Mom yelped. “Elder Delta didn't tell me about this! So... that's why I lost ten in Soul!”

“I promise you, our intentions are pure,” I insisted. “I only wish what’s best for your family. Delta has been with me for almost my entire life in… Oz. She is akin to a… soul-sister to me. I care for her deeply and you are her only family. She didn't let you know about me, because she wasn’t sure that the [Vox Colony] skill used to transfer my voice to you across such great distances would work.”

Yep. Great distances of… exactly 2 meters. The bee-nest shaped like a person sat in the attic right above my crib.

“Is Delta here? Why isn’t she moving?” Mom inquired, looking at the person-shaped beeswax nest.

“She is not,” I said. “This is just a simulacrum, a shell made from wax filled with her bees. Don’t be afraid, they are docile. They’ve been trained to protect you."

Mom shuddered.

"She was unfortunately injured in the fight with the Overseer and will need at least three weeks to recover at a nearby city. Agamemnon, I believe, is its name." I said. "You must understand - Delta had drained her very soul to rapidly rebuild the wards of this house. She loves you more than you know.”

“Tell her… thank you for everything,” Cassandra said. “If you can…”

“I can. I shall pass your message to her,” I finished.

An awkward, deep silence fell between us. Mom fidgeted on her chair, not sure what else to say. She likely didn't enjoy the fact that she was talking to a speaker made of bees.

“Is there anything you’d like to know about me?” I asked.

“Oh. Uhm.” She perked up. “What’s it like in Oz?”

“The country of Oz is quite different from Skyisle,” I spun my tale of lies based on ‘The Wizard of the Emerald City’ children’s book series by Alexander M. Volkov. “Its big, beautiful capital city is decorated with countless green emeralds. A yellow brick road leads to it across the lush countryside. Its name is… Emerald City.”

“W-will you take Dante to Oz when he is of age?” Mom asked nervously.

“No,” I replied.

“What?! Why not?” She blinked.

“The road across the known world is ripe with danger, unbelievable nightmarish horrors, giant sabre tooth tigers, fields that will put you to sleep with magic, cursed mountains that will attract and rip out your soul, talking creatures, raging rivers, men made of metal and straw, etc.” I added plentiful detail from Alexander Volkov’s imaginary universe. “Delta’s trip to Skyisle was one way - via our most powerful teleporter. She will never be able to return to Oz.”

“Oh,” mom mulled. “But then how will you be Dante’s patron?”

“I will provide him with a fully remote education!” I declared. “By the time he is of age, he will know as much as I do about the natural sciences.”

“Natural sciences?”

“I’m a Professor of Natural Sciences, Cassandra.” I replied. “Magic is great and all, but from what I understand Skyisle has a very serious problem with Levelling up?”

“Yes.” Cassandra nodded.

“Using the knowledge I shall pass down to him, Dante will become an expert at Natural Sciences, logic, mathematics, biology and many, many other unique fields. It might help him… break the level limits that the people of Skyisle are struggling with.”

“Impossible,” my mother muttered. “Forty generations of Alans have failed to do anything about the magogenic fault. The Valley of Death has taken countless lives!”

Ah. I now knew the possible cause of the level limit. A thing called the magogenic fault.

“Dante won’t be alone in his quest,” I said. “Delta will assist him in this difficult endeavor and so will you and your husband. One way or another, I will help your people break the Level barrier, I promise,” I declared wholeheartedly.

[Quest: Help the people of Skyisle pass the level cap!] The System dinged. I ignored it.

“It cannot be done.” Mom rubbed her hands together as if she was freezing. “Far too many have perished in the Valley of Death. Dante must never be allowed to go there!"

“It can be done without going into this Valley of yours,” I said.

“How?” Mom asked.

“Dante’s highest skill is level one hundred and twenty one,” I confessed.

“WHAT?!” Mom jumped up from the chair. “It can’t be true! It can’t!”

“It is true, Delta confirmed it herself. Her Identify skill is very high level.” I said.

“No, no, no,” mom muttered, pacing around the Vox Colony. “How can this be? Nobody has skills higher than Level 20 in Skyisle… except for outsiders like the Imperial Overseer.”

She suddenly glared at me, silver-blue eyes intense with passionate fury. “Is my son an… outsider? An aberration?!”

I gulped, not knowing what to say. The tense silence stretched on.

“That went exceptionally well,” Delta dryly commented from the sidelines. She was sitting on the Mindspace couch beside me, a half-smirk painted on her face. “Want me to take over?”

“Shush, I got it.” I covered up the microphone, shooing her away.

“Do you really?” She tilted her head. “Seems like you’ve spilled the beans, boss.”

I rolled my eyes at her.

“Professor… Please, tell me the truth.” Cassandra’s silver-blue eyes bore into the screen. “I need to know the truth about my son!”