For the second time in ten seconds, Randidly and Vualla were pressed close together, their faces inches apart. Only now, blood dribbled down Acri’s shaft and fell between them.

The new harsh lines on Vualla’s face didn’t vanish, but some of them eased as energy seeped out of her due to the deep wound he had inflicted on her image. Her eyes struggled to focus on him. “Is your brand of violence… really that much superior to mine?”

“At the very least, it’s not in service to a hollow ideal,” Randidly grunted, ignoring the satisfied cackle from the Dread Homunculus.

At the words, Vualla’s eyes flashed. Those poisonous barbs running along the edge of her new image twisted around and shot toward Randidly and his images. Clearly, she had given up a victory here and instead aimed to annihilate a portion of his power in petty revenge. The Homunculi released a trill of pleasure; Randidly just shook his head and closed his eyes.

Ghosthound’s Cloak of a Thousand Lightless Horizons. Hungry Eyes, Hollow Heart, Cadence of Tragedy. Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs.

Congratulations! Your Skill Ghosthound’s Cloak of a Thousand Lightless Horizons (GD) has grown to Level 1125!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs (T) has grown to Level 1030!

Consequences and small details clattered against one another as Randidly held his image back. Vualla’s desperate stabs crossed all the intervening distance and were about to pierce into his body… but then Randidly moved as the circumstances finally came into alignment.

His images manifested so quickly that the dangerous stingers of Vualla’s image seemed frozen in comparison.

First came the darkness, that cloak of utter night, rewoven to be entirely Randidly’s. That tide of darkness swept out and smothered the poisonous barbs of this alternate Vualla. It was the void of oblivion, the regrets and emptiness of the lives Randidly had taken, all the weight of exhaustion he carried, curdling slowly in deep space. Vualla’s barbs didn’t stand a chance. New and flashy this image might be, but it couldn’t handle the implacable oblivion of the original darkness.

Yet the first image was just the beginning. From that darkness, the Hungry Eye opened. A shiver went through the rest of the universe as it prepared for a monster’s descent. The eye gulped down all the small details that would weaken or fray that perfect pattern it aimed for.

For a moment, there was peace, as the eye closed and allowed the darkness to settle. But Randidly’s powerful move didn’t end there. His sea of darkness bubbled and bulged, struggling in a way it had not for the suppression of Vualla. Increasingly powerful reverberations rippled outward until the darkness began to rip.

Yet instead of a beast, what came out of Randidly was the searing light of dawn. A vast, golden orb exploded from the darkness, reminiscent of the big bang. Rays cut open the suppressive wall of darkness and shot out in every direction. Randidly focused, peering through the halos and interactions around him. All his seething emotional sea drained into these blasts of image light. They stabbed with all the proficiency that he could wield his spears. Not only was Vualla’s image suppressed, devoured, and then pincushioned, but hsi attacks extended beyond that.

Across the battlefield, the images of the Xyrt Brigade members suffered and died underneath the bombardment of light. Dawn might not possess the sinister edge of Dusk, but no other force in the world could replicate the transformative power of a new day arriving.

All the force he gathered seared through his body and exploded out. The pure light of dawn burned out, leaving Randidly almost completely exhausted. He could only grimace. Even for me… well, fighting the whole Xyrt Brigade is a little much.

Still, that last blast of image had been enough.

Fighting ceased as the Upper Sonara Society took steps backward and the Xyrt Brigade members swayed and succumbed to their wounds. As one, they looked up toward Randidly as he floated. The last lingering notes of golden light and heavy darkness faded around him. He looked at Vualla for several more seconds, examining the withered and twisted creature she had become, in a life without their shared dream. He tried to think of a way to save her but stopped himself.

This was your choice. Randidly turned away.

His shoulders heaved as he took several deep breaths. With that last image manifestation, he had squeezed his body to its limits. Steam rose off of his skin, shrouding the immediate vicinity as his Hommunculi’s Engineered Adaption begrudgingly allowed all the cell adjustments it had made to fade away.

In the mist, Randidly allowed himself to lean forward and release an explosive exhalation. This immediate problem had been dealt with, but this was just the beginning.

By the time the visual obstruction had faded, Randidly straightened and looked around with a sharp gaze. The Xyrt Brigade Members were being led off by the Upper Sonara Society to a hastily made detention area. Tuthak Eloise drifted up toward Randidly, its tentacles undulating. “I appreciate the assistance, Mr. Ghosthound. Does that mean you’ve reconsidered our offer to join us? Your power can definitely sway the fate of our attempt.”

Randidly sighed at the rather unappetizing choices arrayed before him, but nodded. “I think in this case, I can tentatively agree. Working together until we discover Elhume’s play will be safer than breaking off on my own. I assume you’ve made your own preparations, in addition to generally causing chaos in the Nexus?”

The octopus nodded, its long legs gesturing to other key members of the Upper Sonara Society. A dozen individuals flared out from the central position of Tuthak, pulling massive marble pillars out from interspatial storage devices. They used additional Engravings to fix the pillars in place. Even from a simple glance, Randidly felt the stirrings of curiosity as he examined the devices. “Of course. We have taken advantage of the isolation provided to us by the Sonara to make ample preparations. With justice on our side, we aim to turn the very System against Elhume—”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Looking at those pillars, I can sorta understand,” Randidly coughed an interrupted the octopus before it could launch into what the sparkle in its eye hinted would be a whole spew of propaganda. “Meanwhile, I just need to protect you, yea?”

“Indeed,” Tuthak Eloise seemed vaguely disappointed, the ends of his tentacles twitched. “Are you sure you do not wish to hear the details? A full understanding-”

“We are sure,” Fiona stepped forward and patted the Octopus on the shoulder. “Now, will you give us a bit of space? I believe we are about to have a tearful reunion.”

Even though it seemed unwilling, Tuthak drifted away. Randidly’s mouth curled with amusement; tearful reunion? He opened his mouth to say something to Fiona, but Pullas rushed toward his chest, her eyes very clearly on the verge of overflowing with tears. As soon as their eyes met, she launched herself at Randidly.

Congratulations! Your Skill What the Ghosthound Sows, He Will Soon Reap (GD)(U) has grown to Level 2!

“How long as it been?!? You’ve gotten so strong!”

Congratulations! Your Skill What the Ghosthound Sows, He Will Soon Reap (GD)(U) has grown to Level 25!

Randidly patted Pullas’s shoulders. He frowned as he considered her question, slightly bemused that one of his previously acquired Skills finally showed signs of moving.. “...well, probably about six months?”

“You really are something else,” Fiona muttered. “Really, just six months.”

Randidly chuckled as he remember the rush of power as he gained his new Class, enhanced the Songstress of Absence, and also created a Skillset composed entirely of Skills that had reached the GD Rarity. “Well, a lot of small shifts came to a head at once. For the current me… it’s going to be very hard to improve beyond this, at least in the short term.”

I’ll need to empower my images probably… well, when I get the last few Levels in my Fatepiece I’ll just Level my Class, Randidly supposed. Then his eyes sharpened as he pivoted and examined the surrounding space. No threats had emerged once the Xyrt Brigade had been subdued, but that only made Randidly feel more tension. Elhume had been there, striking from outside the Sonara. Why did he make himself scarce now?

“Do you need to be stronger than this?” Pullas tilted her head to the side.

Randidly grimaced. He had intervened before it could fully manifest, but he remembered the ominous building of force around even the weakened memory Elhume, when he and Fiero had worked together. “...probably.”

A flash from the USS blessedly distracted from this small ‘reunion’. The individuals had set up the pillars and were beginning to flood them with energy, which both caused the Engravings to glow and also carved connecting Engravings into the space around them. Neveah’s consciousness brushed up against Randidly’s as she stared intently at the working.

…Tch, you might be the splashiest, but you aren’t the only one with the idea to subvert the System, Neveah observed. Just based on the shape… it’s trying to hack into the central System… and flood people with notifications. Genuine notifications. Not only that…

Randidly blinked slowly as he pieced apart the Nexus infrastructure triggered by the notifications. It’s the offer for individuals to become Patrons. To almost everyone in the Nexus. But considering how restrictive and exploitive the conditions are-

From your perspective, Neveah pointed out. Bright lights arced out from the base of the pillars, rapidly filling a space the size of a city block with complex interactions. Energy began to pulse and flow along these veins as the Engraving sought to complete itself. Yes, powerful individuals have their images very obviously copied and put to work feeding into the next generation of individuals. It is a hassle, to be bothered by weaklings wanting to borrow your power. The isolation the System requires But if every citizen became a Patron…

Both Randidly and Neveah looked closer at the shaped Aether. Randidly’s eyes glowed.

Congratulations! Your Skill Emerald Eyes and Dove Whispers Certify the Objective (GD) has grown to Level 1510!

Congratulations! Your Skill Truth Within the Primordial Flux (GD) has grown to Level 1075!

As a Patron, they won’t be subject to the same Aether as the rest. A special allotment is set aside for the Patrons, who cultivate the next generation. Randidly finally said. Anger began to build in his chest as he saw the shape of these developments. They draw on a different lake of Aether- but if even a fraction of the average citizens jump ship, the entire System will collapse. That allotment will run out. But not before most of these new Patrons die of Aether Deprivation-

It will be close, but perhaps not. Not if you support them, Neveah observed. Then she sighed. Besides… compared to the Nexus… without the capabilities you possess, you have to admit is at least a creative plan. No one ever expected the dismantling of the Nexus to be without consequences. With a few adjustments to the Engraving, I believe it is possible to minimize the risks.

Neveah manifested next to him. She touched Randidly’s shoulder. “I will see if they listen to my advice. Recover; your Fatepiece manifesting like that has left you drained.”

Randidly nodded but then paused. He raised his head and peered at Neveah, noticing the slight tension in her shoulders and the way that she avoided his gaze. “...hmmm? Neveah, why is it that you seem vaguely guilty? What have you been up to?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Neveah lied.

Before Randidly could dig through their Soulbond and investigate this strangeness, a portal manifested just outside the bounds of the circle of pillars. A manifestation of Yggdrasil flared into existence, its powerful roots digging into the ground and preparing for the fight he had expected since his arrival.

Yet…

Only two individuals stepped out of the portal. Randidly recognized them both.

“Ha! Finally, nephew. Your long period of undercover espionage is over,” Tuthak Eloise undulated forward toward Nathaz Eloise, an individual with whom Randidly had cooperated in the past. He pivoted and waved at Randidly. “With this, our grand ritual can be directly plugged into the Overlay System. As such, it will be that much more difficult for the forces of the Nexus to stop the process. Our chances of success just keep on climbing!”

Yet Randidly hadn’t looked away from the second individual, a young woman Randidly hadn’t met or spoken to or even thought about in a long, long time.

“Randidly Ghosthound.” Lyra Silver curtseyed. Her lips didn’t curl, her eyes didn’t twinkle, and none of the playful barbs he had grown to expect from her were present. “What a pleasure to be working with you again.”

After the earlier farce of a ‘tearful reunion’, this one slammed Randidly in the gut.