“Do I know you?” Wren said nervously.

Within his domain, Wren possessed items that Tier VI existences would fight to the death over, depending on their circumstances. Wren wouldn't even blink at the idea that some Tier VII ones wouldn't mind stooping low to bully their juniors out of convenience. Wren waited with baited breath to find out.

The sinister man smiled menacingly for a moment before a radiant androgynous figure stepped forward and said, “Assassin, why do you move to frighten him. We are here out of consideration for our mistress' wishes. If you choose to continue, we will sleep in different places for a year.”

The sinister man's face fell as he turned and whined in a grating voice, “I can't sleep well unless I'm holding you, Healer. How could you be so cruel?”

As the two began bickering, a teenage boy stepped forward and addressed Wren with, “As you've probably already guessed by the non-names, we were the guardians of Satyra's tomb. In my current form, you likely will not recognize me but I am Druid. If it pleases, you may call me Senega. Unlike the others, the children of nature preserved my name for me.”

Wren stared at the figures illuminated by a summoned light. The teenager, harboring and old soul, only stood out among his peers as being somewhat younger than the rest. Wren did notice that an argument could be made that Senega stood out among his peers as being rather plain in comparison, with his dirty blond hair and hazel eyes, pleasant in a non threatening way. A second look would reveal that Senega's eyes gave the feeling of containing a world, wild and untamed.

The Assassin was danger personified. Wren would judge that plenty of innocents had fallen to both his blade and his charms. That is, until Healer made him break character to come wheedle and fawn over them. Wren contemplated that if Assassin was on Earth, he'd definitely be confused as some indeterminate Persian descendant.

Healer was hard to visually define as anything outside of otherworldly. They could be anything from late teens to early thirties. The serene countenance was none the less striking with violet/ red eyes and hair so white it was nearly translucent. The rather short person's deeply tanned skin and small angular chin finished a set of conflicting features that made for a kind of beauty that was unique.

By process of elimination and a dose of common sense, The man and woman who overlooked the proceedings from the rear were Knight and Mage. They were a study of duality standing side by side. The stern and imposing Knight was a Roman general fresco breathed to life, discipline given flesh and humanized by the slight brushstroke of humor to the natural curl of his lips and slightly up-slanted eyes. The lazy sensuality of Mage was perfect foil to the sharp intelligence that burned in her gaze that likely was missed by the unwary who could not tear their eyes away from her generous curves.

With a practiced clearing of throat, Senega drew Wren's attention back as he said, “Our mistress is no longer able to enter the mortal planes without consequence. As such, she released us from our oaths of service with a final request that we provide what aid we are willing to you till we are ready for our own elevations. All of us are in agreement to offer personal aid for a fortnight as long as your requests do not violate our individual moral codes. Aside from that, each of us has an individual boon to grant. For my part, since our paths do not differ overly far I will strengthen your breath of life.”

Senega leaned in and blew an emerald mist into Wren's mouth and nose. Wren was momentarily pulled into his mindscape as he saw the first diagram of the Path of Nameless Transformations spring effortlessly into existence. Wren didn't miss a slight sneer appear on Knight's face at the unintentionally intimate scene as BZ informed Wren of a connection forming between himself and the environment. He marveled at the climb of his LE recovery.

As Senega stepped back he cautioned, “Please be considerate of where you are. This gift could irreparably damage nature in places where plant life is delicately sustained such as deserts.”

Assassin stepped forward and said, “I don't particularly like you but since you are mistress' brother I guess I can kill a few people for you as long as they're Tier VI or lower.”

Assassin gifted Wren a summon mark that held the power to call Assassin's true form to Wren's current location three times. With a quick warning that if Wren summoned him, someone needed to be killed or there would be consequences, Assassin quickly switched to a fawning face as he possessively threw an arm around Healer.

Wren endured warning glares from Assassin as Healer stepped forward and said, “Several of your iterations have shown me kindness. Individually they may not have been much but together they have strengthened me greatly upon consolidation. I may not have much of use to you besides my own personal ability. A call mark or sharing may delay my elevation so I have decided to share with you my greatest secret. Just as my teacher had of me, I need you to take an oath to only share this secret with your chosen disciple and only after they have taken the same oath.”

After some coaching on a complex and thorough oath, Healer shared the secret of how to exchange the karmic balance to offer more aid than mere healing to another, even resurrection, while minimizing or completely eliminating direct consequences from tampering with the Great Pattern's design. Wren looked between Healer and Assassin tellingly which caused Healer to blush. Seeing Healer's shy countenance, Assassin rushed back to claim Healer while shooting accusations at Wren with his eyes.

I get it already, you crazy stalker. Even if I wanted to, how could I edge out Healer's favorite pet project?

Mage sauntered forward seductively as she handed a fancy looking grimoire to Wren and said, “To be fair, most of the best contents are from your sister anyway. I would strongly suggest, with your penchant for memory altering situations, to keep a diary as well. It would have saved you much headache and heartache. If you start running out of pages, let it eat some mammals. Human skin is particularly sumptuous but I doubt you share my proclivities for long-term poetic justice. Well, at least most of your iterations at any rate.”

With a slight flush to his cheeks and a faint ring of red on his ears, Knight handed Wren a glass ball with precious metal filigree and said, “With Mage's assistance I have excised certain portions of myself that interfere with the path of elevation I desire to walk. It may delay me but it's of benefit to you. I may not wish to traffic with morally ambiguous proclivities but as clear as my vision is, certain iterations of myself were not so inclined. Those iterations I have excised may be lacking in some aspects but loyalty is not one of them. I have named it Blackguard but Mage insisted on a proper name, so Ian Margrave. Treat it kindly and it should serve you well.

“ Now that this sticky business-” Knight was interrupted by a snicker from Assassin before he continued, “... is taken care of. What would you have of us in this fortnight?”

Wren thought about the possibilities these five Tier VI entities represented before he decided and said, “I'd like to address a few important issues over tomorrow. The day after, I'd like to handle some pressing matters with a majority of my iterations' past problems. After that, I honestly don't know. In some ways, a fortnight is more than I need and in other's it's not nearly enough.”

Knight nodded understandingly as he said, “For your current strength, an entourage of individuals like ourselves would be a heady prospect to employ. If we were to coddle you till our elevation, we would damage your growth. Our mistress assured us that there are concerns that do require our aid or we would not have made the offer. Only through overcoming challenges will you grow properly... Oh, the method to bring Blackguard into existence is by cutting yourself on the blade ornament and then shattering the glass. I would take it as small favor for you to wait till we are gone to do so. It is not fair that I should feel ashamed but Blackguard is the collection of iterations I have discarded. As such, I'd prefer to not interact with it.”

After discussing arrangements for the next day and granting Senega the rights to slay Black Tide, Wren headed back to the safe-zone. He took his time as he digested another organized reel of recollections. As he crossed the border into the safe-zone, Wren's inner self began keening in despair as pieces of information became painfully clear at a quick pace. To keep from dying, Wren had no choice but to become one with his inner self again, forgoing all the benefits it gave him.

Many past selves had realized the inherent dangers of such a duality but the advantages seemed to outweigh them. That was because, up to this point, the two sides remained synchronized. Moving forward that would no longer be possible. The entity within, that recognized itself as the king of birds, had lost it's mate. Within a short period of time, inner Wren's feelings would permeate to Wren himself and would evolve into suicidal depression on a spiritual level. As much as Wren felt compelled to honor the feelings and intentions of his past iterations, he had no desire to join them. Appealing to his inner self that they had friends to aid, children to build a future for and a remaining iteration of said dead mate to provide for, Wren convinced his inner self to join with him. As it was in the beginning, when the very first iteration of Wren was dragged into this supernatural existence, his inner world was silent.

That was anti-climatic. No fireworks or supernatural displays? Not even so much as a feeling of an antacid dissolving in water. What a let dow-

As Wren's thoughts were interrupted by sharp spiritual growing pains, Lilly came rushing over to him due to his body collapsing like someone had cut his puppet strings. Within his mindscape, Wren witnessed the rapid growth of Nameless Transformations and the excess liquefying SE being absorbed by his manifestation. The angel/demon throne evolved into a door, A door that was only one yet two to Wren's unique vision. Within that door, an outside nothingness infinitely expanded and contracted simultaneously.

Wren panicked when he saw his multi-layered void space get drawn within the door and fuse with the space/not space. That panic subsided after feeling himself truly become one with it. He had become a Tier III existence with a domain, a domain that made him feel incredibly uneasy about the direction his lives seem to have taken him.

Wren walked up to the door and as he reverently traced the arrogant yet sorrowful demon face, he asked, “What are you?”

A dual voice answered, “We are the collected remnants of you, the bonds and the unfulfilled oaths your other selves have made. We are myriad desperation and hope. The love and possessiveness, the desire to protect and to never be parted of your destroyed selves and beloveds, allowed accumulated spiritual remnants and karmic burdens to become us. So too are we a collection of anger and desire for vengeance against the forces that have broken and sundered them. To us, you are the vessel through which we may yet find relief. We make use of you yet only seek to serve.”

Wren's heart ached at the thought of what the strange manifestation represented as he said, “I'll do what I can. Do you possess inheritances that could benefit my, uh, other iteration's bonded?”

The dual voices responded, “That and more.”

Wren said, “At my request would you grant it to them but keep the past personal experiences and emotions to yourself?”

The angel side happily responded yes even as the demon angrily responded no. Wren was perplexed and then it dawned on him. The demon likely was compelled to want to reconnect with those past bonded whereas the angel wanted to end the cycle of suffering and be released from further entanglement.

In an attempt to appeal to the demon, Wren said, “I do not have the ability to take in and share my love equally with all of them and find happiness within such a situation. That would not leave them happy either. To choose one or two among them would leave the other vestiges within yourself unhappy as well. What I can do, with your help, is grant them the ability to seize their happiness with others. I can't choose them all so to be fair, I can only choose none... But what does this have to do with you? You are here with me and what remains of the me you knew.”

Silence abounded till Wren almost left his mindscape before the dual voices said, “We long to walk under the light, hand in hand. We long to hold and comfort each other through winter nights.” The angel became silent as the demon continued, “If you choose none, that which is you within us may feel and know such things through you but I will not. If you can only choose one then at least that smaller part of me will feel your warmth again.”

Wren could barely withstand the emotional anguish washing over him from the demon side as he tried to reach it one last time, saying, “I hear you and I want to give you what you want. If I didn't at least try to honor your sacrifices and find a way for you to have what you need, my inner self would claw it's way out of me to force me. Believe that! Don't settle for an incomplete and unsatisfactory relief. If you'll trust me on this, I'll find a better way. Following the way you desire has led us here. Let's look for the right answer... together.”

A long suffering but lighthearted sigh escaped from the demon side as it said, “It will be as you say.”

Wren opened his eyes onto the concerned face of Lilly and said, “I'm fine. Just sudden growing pains, that's all. Let's get over to Troy. I'm sure he'd like to get back up to snuff.”

Lilly said, “I sure hope so. Your pain pills are wearing off and he's spent the last half hour cursing you down to your toes for talking him out of getting fast healing.”

Ignoring Troy's pain induced tirade, Wren went to work fixing the shattered knee and damaged spine.

How many different ways can you get fucked up from the same kind of fall!? At least he's not partially brain damaged this time. That's some crazy delicate and exhausting work.

Wren thought to the demon half, “So are we on the same page? You're not gonna slip anything in to make our friendship awkward if we juice him up, right?”

The dual voices answered from within, “We are in compliance.”

Wren said, “All right you two, the next part is a bit strange looking but it's all good.”

As Wren ignored Lilly and Troy's questions, He snatched up Troy with ethereal scroll ribbons and barbed chains. As his manifestation did it's imbuement, Wren talked Lilly out of attacking him until she verified whether Wren had hurt Troy or not. It didn't help Wren's case that the first thing out of Troy's mouth was asking what Wren had done to him.

Wren sighed and said, “The short answer is that there are a lot of other versions of us out there and quite a few of them have met awful ends. What I gave you, Troy, was the good bits other versions of myself have collected.”

Lilly exclaimed, “If you think I'm going to let you do...whatever that was to me, you've got another thing coming!”

Wren looked at Lilly wryly and said, “I couldn't even if I wanted to. Other versions of ourselves haven't, um, enjoyed the type of relationship necessary for me to.”

Both Lilly and Troy looked at Wren stunned for a moment before Lilly said a little sadly, “So, I wasn't... good enough to... Oh! Are you maybe a poof?” she asked a little too excitedly.”

Troy was paying rapt attention to Wren's reply as well while Wren explained, “You're a beautiful and strong young lady. It's just that you are a little too young for me. I'm a bit older than I look. Besides, what I'm talking about is a bit more involved than just sex. ”

Lilly smiled shyly and looked at the ground and mumbled, “Won't be too young forever.”

Wren stifled the sigh trying to work its way up from inside when Troy cut in with, “So you and I have been intimately acquainted in the past huh? Would you care to get reacquainted?” Troy began swaggering over to Wren, all annoying confidence and knowing smirks.

Wren looked at Troy dully and plainly said, “No... On both counts.”

Troy faltered in his steps, looking a little hurt as Wren clarified, “We have just barely met. What our other selves have done has little to do with what our current selves will be or not, other than giving us a bit of an advantage by comparisons to what did and did not work for them. Suffice it to say, I feel like I've known you guys for ages but there are subtle differences between all the different versions of us and trying to explain any more than that's going to get complicated and confusing. Let's just leave it at that.”

Lilly said, “So is there anything you can do for me?”

Back on less awkward ground, Wren smiled mysteriously and said, “In fact there is but I need to ask you a quick question. Which sounds more appealing to you, holding the lives of others in your hands at whim or being Super Girl? Both are figurative options and not completely literal.”

Lilly contemplated it for a few minutes before she asked, “Can I choose both?”

Not greedy at all are we!? Hold in laughter, self. This is serious.

Wren replied, “Sorta, but you get a weird tree you have to lug around with you and you don't get the most powerful part of either. Child birth is less strenuous, if a little creepy looking, though.”

Lilly looked searchingly at Wren before she replied, “Then I guess I'd like to be more like Super Girl.”

Wren tossed a bluish clear bead at Troy and as he walked to the hidden underground cabin he said, “Stay here and push that up to your forehead. Imagine taking it into your mind and it'll grant you a sub-dimension. It's nothing overly special but you probably shouldn't brag about it because until you've had it for a few months, someone can just kill you and take it. When you're done with that, follow my footsteps through the grass to the lock-box and get the inheritance you left yourself.”

After Wren coaxed Lilly underground, he closed the hatch and pulled out a small crystal bead filled with red liquid, suspending a miniature sun. The temperature of the room went up a couple of degrees. Once again, Wren struggled to hold in his mirth as Lilly looked at the bead with saucer eyes.

Wren said, “It's not nearly as impressive as it looks. In all honesty, the sun is illusionary. What it'll do is stimulate an incredibly watered down bloodline you carry and burn out the competing bloodlines to make room. In the beginning, it'll just make you stronger and fuel fast AE and stamina recovery but later on you'll be able to do some pretty interesting things with fire and light. If you're lucky you might get innate flight as a perk but I wouldn't count on it.

“You have two logical choices for taking it in and both of them are scary painful. The first is to get it inserted into your heart... I can do that without endangering your life... The second way is to swallow it and I spend the next hour or so trying to keep it from burning its way out of you.”

Lilly visibly swallowed then said, “I-is there any other ways?”

Wren looked a little uncomfortable as he said, “W-well there is one but... Essentially, you are innocent and can appeal to the vestigial essence within the item to grant itself to you willingly. It would project an echo of itself to, um, enjoy that innocence in exchange for its power.

Lilly flushed beet red as she asked, “W-What is it a-and would it hurt me?”

Wren said, “What it is would be hard to answer. It's, uh, guaranteed to take on a appealing, masculine visage. F-from what I understand, it will ultimately try to please, I-I guess.”

Lilly lapsed into silence for awhile then finally said, “It won't make me, you know?” Lilly mimed having a large belly.

Wren shook his head and explained that it wasn't possible without extra help which she assured Wren she didn't want.

“Do you think you could maybe wait here for awhile... Until I call for help or seem to have things handled?” Lilly mumbled.

Wren nodded reluctantly after attempting to endorse heart insertion again. Unfortunately from Wren's perspective, though Lilly trusted Wren's words, she'd rather lose her virginity than get open heart surgery or battle with lethal ulcers. Wren wasn't exactly sure what to expect after Lilly closed the door to the small bedroom but after a quiet conversation between a gravelly baritone and a teen girl's voice things seemed to be going in a violent direction. When Wren was getting ready to bust into the room to try and pull Lilly out, he came to the sudden realization that the weak protests were coming from the man and the aggressive one was Lilly. Wren was tempted to listen in but decided against it since Lilly didn't seem to be in any danger.

After taking the ladder out of the burrow, Wren looked around for Troy and saw him walking back looking shaken and disoriented. Seeing that Troy wasn't harmed, Wren decided to let the guy be unless he wanted to talk. Positioning himself under an apple tree, Wren decided to get some rest. Less than an hour later, loudly arguing voices woke him back up.

A man with illusionary flames flickering around his generously muscled body and coal black hair was shouting in a booming voice, “You have given your virtue to me as you stole mine from me. Will you not see reason and submit to me as concubine!? If you will not for the sake of your own dubious honor then do so for mine!”

Lilly shrieked, “Your concubine!? You're not even supposed to be a real person! Why would I do anything for you? A toy wants to make me one!? Go suck an egg!” Wren wanted to continue pretending to be asleep but the next words out of Lilly's mouth made it impossible. “Wren, you better tell me what's going on or I'll come over there, rip off your noots and feed them to you!”

Wren deeply sighed and opened his eyes again as the fiery man turned to Wren and said, “Boy, are you the one who gave this harridan my destroyed avatar's core?”

Fuck me with a lacquered bus.

Wren drawled out between jaw cracking yawns, “Yes, but since it had been sitting in claims for over a hundred years I didn't expect anyone to still have a connection to it. Didn't anyone tell you that such things could leave you open to malicious actions unless you sever your connections? You should feel eternally grateful it was a cute girl just using it for a bloodline purification and not an Abyssal Alchemist or an Infernal Engineer using it for philters or crafting materials which would have possibly cost you your life.”

The man flared up as he said, “Do you know to whom you speak!? I am the crown prince of Agni III. I am a Tier VI existence and my father is a Tier VII Royal Djinn! Make what claims you may under my eyes of truth, worm!”

Quelling the slight jangling of his nerves, Wren looked the Ifrit turned budding royal djinn in the eyes and said, “I am a Tier III existence who has damned dozens of Tier VI entities to fates worse than death. My father is a Tier VIII existence and so is my sister. I have five Tier VI beings awaiting my orders within shouting distance, who are likely listening to this interlude-”

Senega walked into the safe-zone clearing with four others trailing behind as he interrupted with, “All he has spoken is truth, young lord djinn.”

Wren said blandly, “Confidence is an admirable trait to nurture but arrogance is a fatal flaw. I'm reminding myself, even as I say it to you.”

The flaring mass around the well built man subsided to illusory smoke as he said with calm irritation, “It doesn't change that she has taken my virtue's gift for herself. It is a loss to my household if she is not my concubine. My lineage's greatest chance of continuance now nurtures her body. She's not even of my people!”

Mage's face transformed into a study of elegant condescension as she said, “Had I possessed such an opportunity, foolish one, I may have left you little more than a husk. It is your own folly that has purchased this misfortune. Comfort yourself that you have kept your life and power in tact.”

Seeing that the poor djinn had ate all the humble pie his appetite could handle, Wren stepped in and said, “Lord djinn, it wasn't our intent to do anything more than to strengthen the bloodline of my friend. For the rest, I will offer apologies but that is all. The moment your avatar was destroyed you should have severed ties but if this is an issue you can't lay rest to... You still have the option of pursuing Lilly's hand properly like the cultured gentleman you should be. I'll warn you, if you approach with anything less that honorable intentions, not only will Lilly reject you, I'll flay your astral body like a prized pelt and offer it to Lilly as a present.”

Lilly spoke up with chagrin and said, “Before you even think about anything else, oh so mighty lord djinn, you can start by earning my forgiveness for making my private matters a public display. I-I may have wronged you somehow b-but did you have to do this!?”

She sat down on the ground and started crying. For a moment it looked like the djinn was going to lay into her. Then as her tearful sobbing softened the arrogant prince's disposition, he began approaching her tentatively before the projection broke apart. Wren awkwardly patted Lilly's shoulder as he offered her some empty words of comfort before the idea hit him to share his own horrible 'first time' story, loud enough for everyone to hear. Joining in, Troy told his own. Caught up in the moment, Assassin decided to take it as some kind of competition as he unburdened his own as a thirteen year old boy 'eaten up' by a veteran whore who gave him genital warts he had to carry for nearly five years before he'd finally saved up enough gold to get a healer to cure.

After that, the stories devolved into a horrible sexual experience showdown between Assassin and Troy as Knight walked away, looking like his ears would melt off. After passing around a little social lubrication in the form of Everclear spiked punch, Wren sneaked off to get some rest in the underground cabin, catching a glimpse of Mage whispering something to Lilly that had the girl giggling.

All was well till Wren was once again wakened but this time it was to Troy and Assassin trading some detailed notes on a subject that had zero interest to Wren at that moment. He turned his back to them and disabled his eardrums.