Zaraya

I sit upright with my feet in the water twirling them around as the little cleaner fish nibble at them lightly, Erica is by my side listening to herself as we share a quiet smoke between us to pass the time and think about shit.

Some of the people that have been working against us have been identified but its only the tip of the iceberg because the real threats are the spirits involved and not the stupid motherfuckers that have made deals with them to help destroy our world as we know it.

This Circle is only the 4th group that has been identified to have a similar mission from the spirits from beyond and the cults are just gaining more and more popularity all over Gaia as people give up control of their miserable lives to their gods for favour and because they don't know what to do with them.

There are even kingdoms and forms of governance popping up all over the world that involve the cultists priests in ruling or positions of power as much as they involve the state or aristocracy. Forms of governance known as theocracies or similar are becoming popular and some technocratic or meritocratic societies are including these cultists and worshipers because they are given hidden and acult knowledge by the spirits they worship making them seem wise and able in the eyes of the desperate or fearful.

Already the Posh Technocracy is full of cultists from different beliefs as the ruling representatives compete as to who knows more acult secrets or has more power from their gods. It always comes down to power and the knowledge these spirits bring from their realm has a lot of potential to be disruptive or helpful, changing the balance of power.

Erica and I are just back from an Conclave Council meeting at the Sistysis Compound that involved more than 200 people actively involved in the discussion and planing. I never even knew so many people were already in trusted leadership roles. I had thought the Conclave was only recently put together and only involved primarily the 17 friends at the top positions. And it mostly does but I had failed to account for the other trusted friends they must have made throughout their lives, the disciples they must have taken, the lovers, confidants and children they must have had.

So yea the senior ranks of the Conclave are already filled with competent powerful people that are all working towards the same goal and I'm glad I got to meet many of them today.

"What're you thinking about?" Erika asks as she moves to put out her pipe but I signal her and take it wondering when the last time I was mentally compromised was.

"Nothing really, was just surprised at how well structured and already established the hierarchy and ruling structure is you've established here is all." I say as I pull in a puff of the dream-weed and hold it in my lungs so it permeates deep and has time to diffuse.

Erika shrugs and looks out across the water playing with the little fish nibbling at her feet. She looks like a little girl with her beautiful flowery dress rolled up and with a bluem flower vine braided into her hair.

I blow out the white cloud of smoke slowly almost immediately starting to feel the effect even as my body tries to cleanse it from my system.

I look back across the little pond and think back on the decisions that were taken at the Enclave Council only a few hours ago. This circle is only considered a greater threat than any of the other such groups and kingdoms doing the bidding of spirits because it seems to have a knack for infiltration and it's focus seems to be binding and unbinding seals.

We aren't exactly sure what they are trying to unbind since our source apparently didn't know but there are so many creatures, phenomenon and forces of nature that have been bound and sealed away since before humans walks on Gaia that it's terrifying to imagine what they may be trying to unleash at the bidding of gods only knows what spirit.

And a double circle of 50 people with 25 in the inner circle and 25 in the outer is a high working that could change the face of a continent if enough power is gathered beforehand according to the experts at sorcery and such. Not something we can ignore as a group that takes upon itself the role of safeguarding Gaia from the coming threat.

We stay quiet as we listen to our own thoughts, the dream weed isn't as effective against me as it use to be before I Ascended. My mind is too stable now, to fortified in itself and I can't really mistake reality with my dreams, not anymore.

"What's it like to there on Omega for us?" Erika ask still looking across the pond and out into the forest as she slightly sways with the wind completely high from the weed.

I take a moment to consider that as I steal another glance at her from the corner of my eye. Erika and I have gotten close since coming here to the first Civitus Compound. We have since found out we have similar interests in many things and both have curious personalities and strong combat abilities that are bellied by our deceptively famine bodies.

I didn't even mind flying her to and from Sistysis and we've spoken at length about her receiving flying lessons at some point in the future, it's a simple trick to learn once you've accumulated a certain level of power within yourself. So I know she is asking this question as a friend or at least with some concern that I have no one to talk to outside our budding friendship since I haven't rekindled any friendships with anyone from the Order.

I sigh as I think of what to say to her question, 'cause she isn't asking for a story but just what it's like.

"Have you ever considered the plight of slithering snakes?" I ask her and she shakes her head not knowing where I'm going with the question.

"They can't make themselves homes so they have to displace other creatures, they can't claim a territory for themselves so most are almost always on the move, their temperature is regulated by sources outside their control and every intelligent species of creature either hates or fears them enough to step on their heads or simply avoid any association with them." I say and then take another pull of the pipe, letting the weed permeate into me a moment slightly affecting my mind before my mental fortitude wins out and everything clears again.

"Being there for us is like being a snake. We have no home, no where to go for safety, no understanding of what's going on around us initially and a lot of the locals don't even think about our existence but when they do come across one of us they are cruel and petty.

"A lot of us die there because we were the most powerful creatures on Gaia so we go there with that arrogance and pride that prevents us from hiding or running away. You have to understand that most people there are already tier 3 or 4 Awakened and they see nothing special about us despite our pride.

"But the flip side is that if you survive just a few months there you become an Ascendant just by virtue of being there and surviving. So if you survive just a few long months you become a tier 5 and well, not everyone can reach tier 5 even there."

She nods as I pass her back her pipe, her constitution is also very high and I can see the clarity in her eyes returning. She takes a pull, saviour's it, and blows out smoke before starting to nod again.

"Sounds lonely." She says and puts it out and we enjoy the afternoon in a comfortable silence.

It was lonely at times but people from Gaia actually looked out for each other, helping the newly Ascended survive the first few months. I know I wouldn't have survived without Drex, a 2m tall antelope of a demi-human with a penchant for human females and a strong personality. I miss him actually, Drex is a loyal friend and he is smart, a survivor. He's probably still at the dungeon city and probably hardly any time at all has passed from his perspective.

"How have your disciples been doing?" I ask Erika to change the direction of my musings.

"Former disciples, I no longer have anyone learning anything from me at that personal a level of attention but they are fine. The regiment seems to have diminished returns for those that have already Awakened to mana.

"But the young unAwakened I've put on the regiment all show great improvement to ether saturation rates and actually the purity of the ether as well. Its a great thing we've stumbled across, everyone who actively wants to Awaken will be able to at this point and our pool of warriors and competent people will quadruple."

"What do you mean?"

"Well imagine all those craftsmen that had to reach unbelievable levels of skill in their craft in order to ascend, now they can get more time by becoming tier 1 Awakened. And if we because the first community with Awakened craftsmen imagine the possibilities, imagine having someone that actively Awakens as a craftsman instead of a warrior.

"What kinds of weapons could she be able to forge, what types of houses could he be able to build? Eronica and Aaka thinks that within 10 to 20 years we could get everyone over the age of 30 to at least tier 1 level in every discipline and craft that has ever been thought of." She says with excitement.

"I've seen people that choose to Awaken to a craft on Omega in Elantris the dungeon city. Their work is without a doubt extraordinary and eventually become objects of power with age and use, almost like spirit bound weaponry." I say remembering the beautiful alive carnivorous city fondly now that I'm no linger at it's mercy.

"Yes, and the closest thing we currently have to an Awakened crasftman currently is old man Coffee, who somehow managed to Awaken as an enchanter some 200 years ago."

"You know an enchanter? A real Awakened enchanter! Well why didn't anyone tell me?" I say surprised looking at Erika with a mix of petulantion and elated surprise.

"Ahhh... That's not something I thought you'd be interested in and you never brought it up...?" She responds seemingly caught off guard by my outburst, I guess I'm usually more reserved.

"Old man Coffee is only around 300 years old anyways but as only a tier 1 Awakened that's old for him and he is mostly long retired now, occasionally teaching a few of the more senior would be enchanters. What's your interest?" Erika asks leaning into me, her curious mind interested but I'm not ready to tell yet.

"Set up a meeting for me and maybe I'll tell you sometime." I say as I calm myself again.

I've been carrying around a fortune in precious metal by the standards of Gaia in my spacial ring since I've been back. There are many keepsakes and souvenirs that I've brought with me from the other side but what all 5 of us made sure to bring was uru metal.

A metal that is almost impossible to forge without an enchanted forge, an elder dragon's fire, a planets core fire, the fire of a star or fire from the elemental planes. And going through all the trouble of forging it is a waste if you don't have an Awakened enchanter to enchant it. Depending on the level of power of the enchanter uru forged weapons can became world breakers or godkillers because uru metal takes to enchantments like fish take to water.

Yes, I definitely need to have a word with this Coffee and I must see what I can do about prolonging his life. It won't do for the only enchanter around to die of old age before he reaches tier 2 and starts to make the really interesting stuff.

I walk through the open foyers just to be in the hubble of people going to places and doing things as they all walk around the compound that has turned into their home.

It's strange to imagine that all these people came from elsewhere, none were born here since this entire enclosed city didn't exist some 15 years ago. Yet these people have already made it feel like a home, the ambience warm and pleasant and the many still small children born here will never know this place as anything but home. I find that profound and I sometimes find mysterious lf taking a walk around the compound exploring just to be amongst the people.

I don't know how Master managed to recruit a Brothel here as well but he found his ways. Brothels are never associated with any one organisation or kingdom so even if there is a Brothel on the compound grounds it is a private entity not bound to the Conclave.

But the Brothels have continuously proven themselves to be incorruptible and above reproach in Tiba and they are necessary for the mental and sexual health of any large population of people, especially human people.

The compound can currently house up to 50 000 people but the second floor of the underside is still under construction and a second and third compound are already under construction, one in Ulgaria and the other in Haka with a third planed for at Culla.