“The Empire has noticed the attention and investment we have made into the Voice, and they are asking questions,” Alpha announced.

The Hindel were unique among all the races of Shijie. Their ability to create a Gestalt of Minds and a collective spatial pod to raise and nurture their young had gifted them with a form of teleportation. It was limited to the mental plane, but it was robust enough to allow a gathering of every Alpha to meet in council across their species.

“Have we given the young Voice too much help?” another Alpha asked. “She must be allowed to grow. Genesis was clear about this.”

Each leader of a pod was named Alpha, and to the Elves they interacted with, that name seemed identical, but it wasn’t. The Hindel were able to use tonal and sonar vibrations unique to aquatic mammals- whale and dolphin songs as examples to add an inflection that allowed them to add individuality to that name.

The Elves would hear Alpha and Alpha, but the Hindel heard ALpha and AlPha. The undercurrents of the whale song allowed the Hindel to include enough meaning behind each name that a person’s contribution and history to the pod was an intricate part of their name.

“It doesn’t matter,” the Seer replied. Like Alpha, she was one of many, a Hindel Cultivator skilled in reading the threads of fate and weaving karmic balance. The Seer interacted with Genesis, the Goddess who had created this world and gifted the planet with orders, structure, and rules.

It was Genesis that had created each of the races that had been scattered across the planet. Hindel, Elves, Dark Elves, Gnomes, Dwarves, Kobolds, and Orcs each spread across the planet, each claiming enough territory to equal Earth’s entire landmass.

The planet wouldn’t have existed if the laws of physics were followed. But in this universe, Genesis was Goddess, and Her will would determine how universal laws were implemented.

The Hindel had been gifted the oceans when Shijie had been created. By claiming the world’s oceans, they had access to each of the existing supercontinents.

They had known of the other races, but Genesis had commanded them not to interact with any but the Elves. That was about to change. “Genesis has allowed portal and teleportation technology to be discovered. The Empire of Elves will be credited with this discovery and the ramifications that instant travel will provide, but in truth, Genesis allowed each race to develop the technology in tandem.

“The other races will be discovered; it is only a matter of time, so Genesis has lifted her proscription against interacting with them. The Hindel will have a small window of opportunity, months at most when we can establish trade, share skills, and navigate the shoals of inter-species politics.

“The Empire will soon ignore their concerns about the Voice as they focus their attention on this new technology and the Elves' discovery that they are not alone.

“They have never really considered the Hindel as equals; they barely accept that we are people. But the other races are land-based, and the Elves' perceptions and bigotry about where they stand in relation to other intelligent races are about to be tested. And with that testing, the Voice will have time to grow and consolidate her growth,” the Seer stated.

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“Has the Voice had any communication with Goddess Genesis?” Alpha asked.

“None, nor will she,” the Seer replied. The Goddess has an agreement with the Voice. The Voice is to be left to live her own life, gain her own experiences, and have as much or as little impact on the world as she chooses.

“The only interference Genesis is willing to make is adapting the world to respond to any changes the Voice might introduce and granting the Voice true immortality.

“She may fail to ascend and gain access to the Heavens, but Genesis has promised to restore her, gift her a new life, and allow her to return to this world, or seek out another with her memories from each life intact.

“Genesis has explained that she is forging the young Voice, hoping to plant the seed here on this world that will blossom into another Goddess. A Goddess that retains the memories of the flesh, one that will create new universes and worlds that properly reflect the lived experience that only a mortal can acquire.”

“What changes are coming? How has the young Voice influenced the development of the world?” Alpha asked.

“The discovery of other races was never a certainty. Without the influence of the Voice’s action, the different races would have remained hidden and isolated. The Voice has further managed to gain access and control to all three areas of cultivation.

“She was started on the path of Body, Qi, and Dharmic cultivation from the beginning, but she has now added the path of Spirit and Mind. Her foray into the Mystic Realm was more profitable than our foreseers had expected, and her ability to create and hold the pattern needed for a gestalt of Elven minds has opened her to the mental path,” the Seer explained.

“Genesis is going to gift the Dwarves the ability to create dungeons. This will allow any individual to force an awakening, one that will test their courage and perseverance. If they are successful, they will become a Cultivator. A Cultivator that is able to choose their path: body, mind, or spirit.

“This is a second chance for those who failed to awaken a spirit root. And for those who are unsure if they can survive a tribulation to rank up to the next realm, this gives them an alternative path forward.

“These Cultivators won’t be as powerful as they would have been if they survived a tribulation, forgoing the changes that are made to their bodies as Heavenly Lightnings temper them, but they will have the chance to rank up with a smaller risk of death.”

“And for the Hindel, what has Genesis planned?”

“We will be given the ability to learn new techniques, a way to blend our control over the mental plane, runes, and the gaining insights into possible futures. Those talented enough and powerful enough will learn how to create mental rune forms, runes that can be empowered and activated within the individual's mental mindscape.

“We will be able to create spell forms that can be used to attack, defend, and support the pod and the Hindel. One example is a meeting of this kind. It will soon be possible to hold these meetings within the physical realm. The rune forms will allow Hindel to teleport across the world.

"As long as a Hindel is at a location, it can be used to act as a beacon—a way to guide the gestalt mind to power the rune form. A rune form that will interact with the physical world the same way as teleportation and portals.

“So, we continue as we have, helping the Voice, if possible, and checking with Genesis each time we impact her fate to make sure that our actions are allowed.

“The increase in our strength, combined with the gains we will make from the introduction of new concepts to the world and the inclusion of the new affinities we will gain from encouraging Cien to form a [Dao Partnership] with the Voice, will allow our people to reach new heights in power,” the A Seer concluded, waiting for each individual Alpha to add their voice in support.