It's a Girl's World -- And Lilly wants Adventure

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...Something seems not-quite-right about that to me. Because there's infinitely many frequencies any one resonating body can resonate at, if you take your base frequency and double it.
 
Okay, so offering so many vote options at once has been a mistake, because golly do Chapters end up long. I'm going to try and offer a few less and do short increments after 2.4

Because at the moment I'm at 18K and still have two scenes to write...

EDIT: 03/03/21:
First draft is now 98% finished. Which means it's time for edits and revisions. This will likely take a while as working through 20K of content often does.
 
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*shrug* Can't win them all. There will probably be more secret challenges to dive into in the next mega-chapter; I'm not going to overly stress after the thread did its best.
 
Slyvena said:
"Mmmm," the broken Seraphim pondered slowly, not bothering to look at anything in particular. "The forgiveness of hypocrites. A fool's gold by any other name." The way he spoke, it was like Yalśfreet was barely aware we were there. But that didn't change his open rebuff of our olive branch
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Silly and pedanic, I know, but this implies that olive trees existed before the earth. So, did they? Did the seraphim eat them? Do seraphim eat?
 
ok I'm going to hit one more guess at the secret challenge. Petal says something about needing to unite and how the foulness nips at her roots. Because essence is like soul stuff and life force, maybe that means the maw isn't already completely defeated or the dungeon has some grip on our soul somehow? The dungeon was an essence challenge, so maybe it's something so subtle we can't detect. I dunno, just throwing out one more guess before the new chapter.
 
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Talking about this, yes, I think the dungeon was trying to replace our connection with the locus, which is maybe why petal made it sounds so urgent when she said that we needed to meet again soon the first time she asked that. We may have bought more time thanks to our advances with essence, but we still need to commune with her as soon as we can.
However, I doubt this is the remaining secret challenge; it is pretty evident even to us that the dungeon is trying to corrupt all humans and creatures it can reach.
 
darknessworld said:
Talking about this, yes, I think the dungeon was trying to replace our connection with the locus, which is maybe why petal made it sounds so urgent when she said that we needed to meet again soon the first time she asked that. We may have bought more time thanks to our advances with essence, but we still need to commune with her as soon as we can.
However, I doubt this is the remaining secret challenge; it is pretty evident even to us that the dungeon is trying to corrupt all humans and creatures it can reach.
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Well, I don't have a clue if it's the challenge, but does that mean the people who are getting 'sick' probably have some sort of Essence Ethos? If that's how the dungeon is gaining a connection? Or something?

I apologize if this is super random, I'm not an expert and haven't been following along with the discussions too closely. But your comment brought to mind that we don't know what Myah's ethos is, and how people were beginning to suspect that it was inverted. While that's almost certainly not the case, the only thing we know about her ethos is that it changed her hair color from brown to red.

If I assume that this is correct, maybe this is why she wanted to find a way out. She doesn't know anything, but she can feel that somethings wrong. Maybe?

Again, I apologize if this is totally random, but I hadn't seen anyone bring this up and figured I could take a wild swing.
 
I love that the discussion goes on a full month since the last update :).

Looking like I'll be able to post 2.4 tomorrow guys.

Also, people should feel free to check out Blessed Homunculus into the Nexus which is also likely to get its first Story Update and vote tomorrow.
 
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2.4 - These Things I Treasure
  • Threadmarks
    • Task: FonL
    [X][FonL] You're not thinking this through, you've got too many watchers on you and there's still too much to go with--but touching base with a friend after a night of horrors? That's normal, right? When you get time, touch base with Myah--you already managed to help... Whatever it is that's going on with her, and your senses have gotten a great deal better, you should be able to get to the bottom of what's going on just by leaning on your Essence abilities and provide some treatment--maybe even figure out the source of her illness? You can figure out what to do next once you know more.
    Task: WiT
    [X][WiT] Go to Madam Silva and use your favour in return for an explanation on how Divination works and its common limitations.
    -[X] You've got a cover story, at least twice now you and your family have gotten into trouble because of those apparent limitations. A few questions here and there to pinpoint where they are would be key so that there would be no such trouble in the future is just, reasonable, right?
    Task: Bfig
    [X][Bfig] Relations <- Entwining the world.
    Task: TaM
    [X][TaM] True Song (Investigate Repairs)
    [X][TaM] Riemannian Geometer
    [X][TaM] Rest State
    Task: TT
    [X][TT] One question a day, or whenever I feel my reserve has become completely full. (Default+, how the Ladder has been working but tweaked to not waste potential when at full reserve. Operates best at pre-warning of long-term dangers.)
    --[X] Current Priorities: How to escape Waters' grasp without leaving my family to suffer, how to help Zach come out of his Ethos Selection in one piece.
    Task: NGC
    [X][NGC] You... Don't want to be the kind of person who takes people's futures from them proactively, just because things might go badly. {The Ladder} after all only said the chance of a violent reaction and a breakdown were high. But isn't [Cleaver of Fortune] all about tilting the odds in your favor? The tools to guide him through this intact and happy... Are probably ones you have access to, or will in the days to come if you're diligent. What's one more impossible task on top of everything else you've been dumped on today?
    Task: AC
    [X][AC] You are almost certainly being monitored. While private areas are likely safe, between any remaining spies in town and in the watch--and whatever it was that was on that rose was bad enough that you scrubbed your own memory of the events, and even trying to recall why was apparently dangerous. Maintain information security unless in an area you can be reasonably certain hasn't been bugged, and take great care around Roses for the immediate future.
    Task: NIV
    [X][NIV] A walk amongst the Daisies (Preteen girl in Lira)





    Chapter 2.4 - - - - These Things I Treasure
    8th​ Day, 3rd​ Moon, LE 2302
    (Evening)



    The Watch's Camp is for the most part a wooden palisade surrounding dozens of large to middling tents. Watchmen populate it in random patches, either milling or moving about between various tasks. Patrols departing and returning, crates of assorted goods being moved and sorted. The hustle and bustle bears a lot of similarity to the Markets save that everyone is more direct and purposeful in their objectives.

    Strolling through the semi-organised paths worn mostly from foot traffic is quite the different experience on multiple levels to the first time you met the Watch at the walls of Harmuph. Your newfound internal perception of Essence grants your Sight a wholly new quality as it pervades through the people and tents scattered about the encampment. The first time you were among them, you were still coming down from what was then the most stressful moments of your life. Now however, you pay attention to everything you see. Ignorance is an enemy just as if not more dangerous than a sharpened blade.

    Able to observe Essence at least at the surface layer of people, you no longer need direct essence-links to identity the primary Source of each watchman; Pithe and the rare Essence wielder being directly verifiable. The strange cloudy auras of slight perturbation in the ambient essence that surround some of the men you remember using Spells on the night of the attack signals those who likely wield Mana. Flow and Oath remain unseen, but you aim to remedy that in the future.

    While not being in a forest still restricts the absolute radius of your Sight, your newfound Innate Essence allows you to push and shape it to some degree, sweeping most of the length of the camp and taking in a wealth of sights and sounds. The tell-tale signs of magical equipment seems to amount to an average of one item shared between every two or so soldiers. There are a few items in one of the depot tents that seem to interface with Essence directly. You'll have to ask about those sometime. For all your growing talent with Essence, there is no denying that most of your applications are rather blunt rather than works of finesse, learning from such examples could prove valuable.

    You are rather surprised to observe a man inside one of the tents who is bound in heavy chains ripe with magic. He is unharmed, but clearly not free to leave.

    Captain Martin found the traitor? That was… easy.

    Smatterings of carried whispers are drawn to you from around the camp as you seek out Marius' location. When you last saw him, he was in a bad way, you're surprised someone was able to help him in time given how preoccupied they must have been with the enormous bear.

    {Watchman}: "Pretty little thing, you think if I asked her father he'd oophh-"
    {Stephen Hantree}: "She saved a lot of lives, mine too probably. You'll show some Godsdamned respect."
    {Watchman}: "Geez Stephen, I didn't mean anything by it…"
    -
    {Gruff Watchman}: "That's her isn't it? The 'Southern Light'."
    {Fair Watchwoman}: "Sure is. I heard she can wield Pithe just as easily as Essence."
    {Gruff Watchman}: "Surely not, that'd be… actually, I can believe it. Shame we can't keep her."
    {Fair Watchwoman}: "I'll second that. Blasted Northerners."

    You keep searching for Marius, your lip twitching into a smile. Hearing genuine respect in the watchwoman's voice makes you lift your chin a little higher.
    -
    {Tired Watchman}: "-so I was going to… Hey, it's the girl."
    {Nasally Watchman}: "Wow, I never saw her up close. Are they sure she's even twelve?"
    {Tired Watchman}: "That's what I hear. You really think she'll be able to help Chen? When I saw him…"
    {Nasally Watchman}: "…yeah, I know. Don't get your hopes up. Sabrine had a go, didn't look she was able to get anywhere."
    {Tired Watchman}: "Wait, Sabrine? Why not one of the Sisters of Virtue?"
    {Nasally Watchman}: "Chen healed himself, quickly, when he thought the girl was right next to him…"
    {Tired Watchman}: "…oh. That deep?"
    {Nasally Watchman}: "Yeah."
    {Tired Watchman}: "Damn. His son's only ten."
    {Nasally Watchman}: "And the wife went with the last bout of the Lung… Chen doesn't have to worry about his kid though, we take care of our own."

    'What is so bad about healing himself?' you wonder as you wind an arced path around the camp.
    -
    {Irritated Watchman}: "-days when we could have wrapped this up the morning after. It doesn't make any sense!"
    {Calm Watchman}: "You want to take it up with the Captain? He says 'hold', we hold."
    {Irritated Watchman}: "Dammit Alex, aren't you the least bit curious? We could finish the suppression whenever we want, but Martins got us faffing about in tents with no end in sight. I don't know if you've got anything down there, but I'm itching to get home to the wife.
    {Calm Watchman}: "Captain Martin. You're going to get yourself on latrines if people catch that tongue.

    You think that last conversation might have something to do with what the Captain wanted to address with you tomorrow. Evidently his plans for whatever is going on in the forest are not over and most of the regular men are not in the loop.

    Your search for either Marius or Captain Martin is a success when your sight comes across them inside one of the far tents. You nearly trip at the image that fills your mind.

    What the hell?

    Not looking forward at all to seeing it with your own two eyes, you close the rest of the distance to the private medical tent trying to make heads and tails of the absolute wreck that Marius' essence seems to have been blended into. No two currents complete their natural circuits, jumbling and knotting in ways that grind rather than flow. Like a bucket with twenty holes and a large heavy rock placed in its centre, you'd have to be blind to miss the dysfunctional malady that afflicts his whole being.

    A single guard at the entrance steps aside as you arrive and push through the flaps of the tent. The sight that greets you beside the Captain is exactly as grim as you expected.

    Marius looks like a dead man walking. Dressed in simple light cloth drenched through with sweat, the broken man raises his head to try and focus on you, but the frequent spasms in his many muscles force him to twitch away. His jerky erratic movements remind you of the way ants writhe and flail the moments before their death when half-crushed.

    "Lilly." Captain Martin nods at your entrance, before making his way out of the tent. "I'll give you two space."

    In no doubt as to why you were wanted here, you place your hands on Marius and begin to push your essence into him. The added detail of his internal essence flows show that whatever caused this damage has sunk deep, all the way through. It's a miracle he's even alive.

    "What… happened to you?" you ask as you begin to try and gently thread the simplest of his golden threads back together into something resembling normal. You'd still have a slither of a chance with {Golden Rapture} and {Holistics} alone, but it's the addition of {Rest State} on top of that that gives you a decent idea of where to start without taking days of trial and error.

    "M-My own st-stupid fau- lt." Marius struggles out, each word taking visible effort to force out through uncooperative lungs.

    "Pani- p- panicked like a f-fresh recruit, h- half," you redirect your attentions toward his lungs to help ease the process. "half my age, i-is what happened. Healed myself brutally quick without checking y-you were awake." Marius breathes a slight sigh of relief as you get a handle on most of the sources of pain within his essence. "Thank you. I left myself with a mana-curse so thick no-one else had a chance in h-hell of lif-fting it. I'm.. it's been days," despair begins to filter into Marius voice, overcoming his near-terminal lethargy, "These things set in p-place Lilly, I don- I don't know if even you'll-"

    "-Shhh," you whisper while placing a hand gently over the distraught man's mouth. It would be awkward were it not for the fact that any place you touch the man must feel like cool ice soothing what was hot coals right now. "I'm much better at this than last time."

    You see the instinctual glimmer of disbelief on Marius' face, you were not the most impressive of healers the last time he saw you at work. Nothing beyond just dumping essence in people and hoping it worked itself out. But whether it's genuine belief or desperate hope, his relaxes under your ministrations as you start to get a handle on the worst of the stray strands. A few tears start to well in the watchman's eyes.

    "*sniff* Yeah, well. I appreciate it gir-. Lilly. I really do. Even if it's only enough to hold a simple spell, I'll owe you."

    "Mmhm, rest now." You place your hands on Marius' head, the man passes out near instantly as you clear away the debilitating headache some ruinous strands were inflicting upon him. You doubt he'd slept a single second since nearly three days ago. It's impressive he was anything but delirious.



    It takes you the better part of an hour to get to the point where you think Marius will recover on his own. The damage to his internal strands was so pervasive you think he was likely only alive due to the efforts of 'Sabrine', a watchwoman who you have picked up has a secondary Essence Source as part of her Ethos.

    Listening in on many conversations throughout the camp, you think you know why no one else was able to help. While there are Spells that can heal very rapidly are the cost of side effects commonly referred to as mana-curse, what had come over Marius was orders of magnitude worse than what you'd witnessed when he healed your father's arm. There was an immense weight and solidness this time that for the most part you were only able to dislodge due to the brute application of a frankly obscene amount of essence. An Essence healer would not have been enough, one like you who can draw from a 'locus' was the only thing with a chance.

    While you don't know all the specifics of Mana and healing, it seems apparent given their flexibility that a mage could adjust various costs and effects of their spells in exchange for increasing side effects. Given Marius thought he was next to a potent Auron capable of delivering restorative essence over a link that he would have still felt at that point… it is not unthinkable that he applied the most gruelling sorts of side effects in exchange for being back on his feet as quickly as possible. Then, in mounting horror, realised you were unconscious. It's not the whole story, given that you know there are Sisters in the temple of Virtue far better at general Essence healing than you and there is no reason he couldn't take the trip to Harmuph, another question for the pile.

    It is with a feeling of warm contentment that you walk out of the tent back into the camp. Marius' heartfelt thanks, the memory of his moistening eyes before unconsciousness took him, these are the moments that make it worth it.

    Seriously, they really are. Things can get so dark recently. Being able to show up and help someone, feel tension and pain leave their body at your touch, it lifts weight from your own shoulders just thinking about it. Another little mote of strength settles into {Rest State}, a new memory for it to recall in dark times.

    It's quieter now save for the occasional rumbling of thunder growing thicker in the clouds above. With the evening having given way to the night proper, all watchmen except for patrols and others at essential duties have retired at least to their tents if not beds.

    You consider trying to speak with Captain Martin again now. But you quickly find him fast asleep with your Essence Sight. It's hard to tell how tired men who draw from Pithe are. Given what you have learned, you imagine {Bulwark} is somewhat at play there. Regardless, given the multiple plates the Captain has been juggling you don't think waking him in the late evening with twenty questions would be conducive to getting proper answers. Truthfully, someone else is still sitting there in the back of your mind.

    Myah.

    {Juncture Sense} is not a power you use often. In many ways you often consider it a poor man's {The Ladder}. In this case though it is the reason you quicken your steps as you head back out to the wooden gate of the camp. Foreboding, danger. Not to you, but Myah herself. The longer you have held her in your head it is as if {Juncture Sense} has tuned into that issue more and more, gaining a narrower focus. Feelings of dread and inevitable despair seep from the echoes of sensation it brings you. Myah's situation is bad, whatever it is.

    A most peculiar and uncomfortable feeling stirs inside your soul and you look inward. {Ply the Line} writhes and throbs, {Juncture Sense} within it growing and reaching out but somehow different to what you would expect. Then in a move so blindingly fast you'd almost think it was instant {Juncture Sense} shifts and is within {The Ladder}. It immediately inflates in size and scope, the entire [Cleaver of Fortune] Ethos gaining more fullness from the move, more at peace with itself.

    Having witnessed the shift and reconfiguration, you understand exactly how things have changed. {Juncture Sense} is no longer connected to your conscious will, you cannot directly use it to survey the consequences of various actions. In return though it has gained far more strength and innately synchronised with {The Ladder}. You feel {The Ladder}'s reach expand as it able to offload some of its tasks onto {Juncture Sense}, the added sub-power now acting as a form of navigation helping to steer the future advice it gives toward things that will have more influence and away from that which your actions would do little to change. There is also a smaller more semi-controllable part to it that has been inspired by {The Ladder}, pulling on that lever you feel {Juncture Sense} activate its new sub-feature.

    |Upcoming Gravitic Juncture: 45 Hours| Myah Uyle [These Bonds I bear] {{Inversion/'Synchronicity Restoration'}} No-Return Horizon Event |Current Pre-Factor: 33%| |Current Post-Factor: -94%| Concord Node 'Lilly Silas' capable of circumvention? Yes. Gravitic Actor Factor: 74%

    The ability to ping specific upcoming events and the scope of your influence upon them.

    That decides it then. You were considering going back home, feeling bad about how you'd left things. But with a time limit of two days and no guarantee you'd be able to go if you didn't do it now? The answer is easy.

    I'm coming Myah. This time I won't give up so easy.

    No one bothers you or pays much attention at all as you exit the camp. It is unusual when you actually think about it that you are able to come and go as you please without so much as a search or chaperone, in retrospect you clearly have some degree of reputation or perhaps standing orders to be left alone among the Watch.

    Your mind is entirely upon Myah as the rains starts to fall lightly, before quickly turning into a downpour. You do not mind as you strike a path north, moving with the hastened pace your body and power allows. Even without using {Pulse Surge}, your enhanced strength still leaves small depressions in the increasingly mushy ground. You will easily arrive with a couple hours spare before first light.



    - - - - -



    You have plenty of time to think as you venture through the pitch-black darkness, the roar of the storm, water and wind whipping and flowing onto and around you. Scattered trees and bushes around the plains you trek through all bend and sway amongst the chaotic turbulence, the maddening howl of the air lashing at them left and right.

    Freed from typical concerns such as keeping warm or dry, you are a point of calm in the middle of the raging storm. {Essence Metabolism} handles the temperature itself, and it didn't take you long to figure out how to use your new talents with {Golden Rapture} to form an ablative telekinetic shield over your skin to divert water. It still pushes through, each drop striking with too much force to be repelled, but your dress continually dries itself in equal measure. A dance of water gliding on and off of you.

    Here, there is levity. A moment of detachment from everything else. You don't have to be anyone out here alone in the storm. You can just be a girl enjoying the rain run down her face, cares melting and being carried away.

    Of course, the time to drift carefree passes and you turn your attentions to what must be done. Aiming to arrive before first light, you will still have hours out here alone in open fields, the perfect chance to examine yourself and experiment. While you are not entirely sure it is infallible, {Contention Prognosticator} is not tripping at all right now, giving you the sense you are unlikely to be accosted out here by any of Lord Waters' agents.

    You pass the time as you travel poking at a node within the [Towering Edifice to Heaven]. Aside from {Artefacts} which itself can still grow, there exist five more mysterious aspects you scarcely understand. You've been trying to figure out the one that gives you vague feelings of familiarity and connectedness. The [Tower] is clearly immensely powerful, whatever it actually is. If {Artefacts} could produce something like the {Primordial Chassis}, then perhaps something to do with connections could help you help Zach? You're grasping and straws, but you refuse to give up.

    You're not taking Zach's Ethos. That is what you have decided. You refuse to close the curtain on your brother's dreams. You are the [Cleaver of Fortune], you will find a way.

    Examining the overall structure of your soul has brought answers and mysteries of its own. In many ways it reminds you of the Pithe Field; an innumerable series of intersecting patterns that recurse upon each other into smaller and smaller forks before disappearing beyond the scope of even your Domain's remarkable self-perception. Amongst the semi-structured melange lay the Ethea. Perfect, rigid and streamlined constructions moving with defined purpose and a deft touch that wastes nothing. They are bright points of order, a symphony of organisation amongst the barely constrained chaos. The location of the different Ethea slowly shifts over time, whilst maintaining its overall structure, the way they dance around each other in a sort of pattern within patterns hints at some as yet unseen purpose. While tightly connected, there also appears to be a slowly widening gap within their centre, a place of stillness where even your own soul grows quiet and calm. Almost as if preparing for something. Could this be what happens before a new Ethos arrives? Time will tell.

    You're growing far faster than the norm. {Holsitics} sometimes comes at the thirtieth expansion, according to Captain Martin. You received it at the fifth. Not just more Ethea, not just more sub-powers, you are beginning to think just about everything works faster for you. You have expanded a total of fourteen times in less than two weeks, when you've known older children who managed something like five in their first year. One year from now… what will you even be?

    So much about your nature is fundamentally changed, but you can't stop. You have to rise higher and higher and do it faster than the pressure builds around you. Already there is so much about you that is markedly different and changed as a simple by-product of your upward climb; will there come a time where you see other people as somehow innately beneath you? {Rest State} says no, but you can't help but doubt. You pick up a rock from the mud along your path, without using {Pulse Surge}, you simply use the innate strength of {Oaken Core} and {Uplifted Vessel} to slowly crush it in your hands. {Tremendous Mechanist} tells you it was a somewhat brittle stone to begin with, but as dust and wet muck flows from your hand, you can't help but feel a little bit inhuman. You remember hugging Micah after you had just awoken, how you had the strength then to squeeze the air from his lungs if you'd wanted, it's not a pleasant thought.

    For all that you secretly railed against the constraints your father placed upon you… you miss the security of knowing he would be there to protect you. Now, the only one who can protect you is yourself.

    It occurs to you in a moment of epiphany that that is part of why you have been feeling so stressed. Your safety net is gone. Your whole life up until now, your choices were not your own, but you were also shielded from the consequences. In some ways you are like an animal raised in a cage and then set free, having always dreamed of what it was like outside the cage, you are suddenly unsure where to go and what to do. In the past, you understood on some level that getting angry and throwing a tantrum would have done nothing to change anything. Your powerlessness was almost a subtle kind of security, safety.

    Now? If you let go of restraint, you could demolish trees and uplift foundations. Without noticing them disappear, all the walls boxing you in have come down. Your own freedom is now what makes you feel trapped. There is no one to go to, tell everything, and then trust that aside maybe a spanking that it will be all okay. You… don't have a solution to that right now, you think that maybe that is just what being an adult actually is; realising you are outside the safety pen.

    The decisions you are making right now will carry lifelong consequences.

    It's just yet another reason why you are so eager to see Myah tonight. If you can succeed now where you'd failed to connect and help her prior to having an Ethos, that would be another little proof that where it counts, you are still you what you hope to be, that you're still heading in the right direction.



    Speaking of progress, the node you've being trying to feel out within the [Towering Edifice to Heaven] clicks and knowledge of {Relations} floods your mind.

    You are immediately aware of the immense presence that your {Core Heart} possesses. An incredible ability to reach out and draw things into itself, to displace and combine. An anchor that binds, unites, ties and merges what it touches. The tendrils of crystal light within your own body and soul unfold into incomprehensible directions that stretch distances both minute and further than you can conceive. On a certain level, you are now connected to literally everything that is, can be, or ever was. The Concept is too large for a human mind, too complete. But thankfully the [Towering Edifice to Heaven] does not come without direction. Within the node of {Relations} that you can now perceive, you see four connection points; One major, three minor. Using these, you can unite powers, people and things. It will take longer than a lifetime to fully understand all the possible applications, but you can't help but smile as you think of Zachariah. Using one of the smaller minor 'relation slots' you could easily grant him the full use of {Rest State}. It's done wonders for you, and now you could give it to him as easily as flicking a switch through the Essence-Link you still share. You'll wait on that for now, making unilateral decisions about Zach's life without his input is something you're trying to avoid, but the option is there.

    You feel some resource that you didn't know had been there helping you has now become exhausted through the process of unfolding {Relations}. The 'space' for lack of a better word in your mind to properly handle the [Tower]'s often alien functions feels full now. You'll need to gain a better handle on either of the two you currently possess before having any real shot at grasping a third.

    As you are considering this, you feel the {Core Heart} pulse, its 'mass' increasing as your Domain formerly constrained only to your body edges out 1cm from your skin. Your mind is immediately assaulted by an impossible volume of information on the various smells, light and sound existing on the surface of your skin. For a split second you nearly collapse, before shunting it off in a familiar way to Petal in the Dream beneath you.

    You take a deep breath as the insane cavalcade of senses abruptly ceases, but unlike your first experience with sensory overload, you waste no time. Using a minor relation slot, you increase Petal's and your ability to coordinate and invite her to reintegrate the new sense into yourself. You are honestly impressed with how succinctly and efficiently you handle the process, given how much worse the first time was earlier today.

    It occurs to you that you don't really grasp even the beginnings of how Relations actually work any more than you could understand and use a {Pulse Surge} without [Brave Blood]'s help, the [Towering Edifice to Heaven] handles almost everything outside your intention and will. That mystery aside, you feel Petal at work arriving at a solution and pushing it up through {The World Beneath} with far more grace than she could have otherwise managed.

    There is an almost smug emotion flowing up from her as the sensations begin to return. You are distracted by the subtle changes that occur within your soul, looking inward to see a fascinating sight. With input from Evie, [Dream within the Forest] and [My Resolution, Thy Bedrock] both drink in and filter the huge volume of information, minute changes occurring all throughout your body on the micro-scale to facilitate the new order of things. As you rise back out from looking at your soul, the last thing you see is Evie and Petal exchanging a huge volume of information, the lesser relation slot unexpectedly allowing them to directly interact. The {Attuned Locus} seems to positively swell from the interaction, you see it expanding out wide and deep as your awareness returns fully to the waking world… and what a sight greets you.

    Colours you have never seen before, sounds so soft you'd have never thought to notice them, a thousand different aromas of dirt, soil and the hidden life that makes the plains their home. It is like the first time you opened your eyes to see the Golden Strands all over again. A myriad of new ways to describe the world around you.

    The new colours, there are no words for them. You marvel for a time watching how the falling rain is dim within them, striking against the ground that is a slightly brighter shine. Even with almost no light, it seems like almost everything around you still shines out with colour. Your own body practically surges like a flame in the new colour, seeping into your clothing where the dimness of the rain does not wash it away. Across the ground, it almost appears like a swamp of murky ponds and walkways across the plains, the air itself dances with ever so slightly different hues as the trails of the raindrops cutting through them leave long vertical lines that are quickly dissipated into the winds.

    After a not insignificant amount of time marvelling at this new wonder before your eyes, you arrive at a name for the two most predominant colours you can now see. Balm and Frigid. Your keen mind notes that things which are warm tend to carry more of the colour balm whereas the cold rain and night air tend to be more the colour frigid. You can even press your hand against your dress and leave behind a balm-coloured imprint for a few moments before the rain quickly washes it away. In many ways it is almost as if you can see temperature. Belatedly you realise it's not even out of your actual eyes that this new sight comes, but all over you, the thin layer of your Domain that now extends beyond your skin has been reconfigured to interpret and understand this new sight in its full panoramic glory. Evie and Petal are incredible, though it is almost certainly because of your innate familiarity with 360 vision from Essence Sight and ability to deal with distorted visual perspectives from {Riemannian Geometer} that you are able to cope as well as you can.

    As you continue to head north, you note that amazing as your new sight is, it is not even the end. While you can individually hear each raindrop, were someone to speak quietly next to you, you would be able to hear them perfectly too. Your skin-layer Domain is capable of conducting and interpreting the sound sans interference. Even at this very moment you are filtering out all sorts of minute sounds your own body makes in the process of moving. While you can't say much about your sense of smell right now with the storm ruining any chance of tracking anything, you think you might have most dogs beat in that regard.

    Becoming more powerful so you can defend what you love is your end goal, but moments like this where you get to see a new side of life that's been hidden from you until now go a long way to making the journey worth it.

    Aside your new senses, the {Attuned Locus} has grown by leaps and bounds. Once upon a time, weaving a dress of leaves like you saw Petal do would have been outside your ability, but you can feel your essence resonate with the grasses around you in a way it did not before. If you willed it, Petal could now almost inhabit and steer them in accelerated growth. It is significantly faster and perhaps at a far greater range for the cost of a bit less control than the slight effect your {Golden Rapture} recently attained. Push enough power into plants and the results could be an almost explosive sort of growth; dangerous and useful. Especially if your suspicion that Petal herself could intelligently guide its direction turns out to be correct.

    A perhaps not immediately obvious benefit of this is the ability to grow food for others. Your essence-links probably provide what people need, but that's not something you'd ever want to gamble a life on should your family find itself in dire straits down the line.

    You hope that it will never come to that and that you can stay in Harmuph. Captain Martin didn't seem to think it likely or wise and although you hesitantly agree, a part of you still hopes.

    There is something more you feel too, but not out here in the waking world. Something Petal has gained enough strength to see within the space of the Dream. You stop walking northward and consider delaying to investigate, after a moment of deliberation you decide that you really can't afford not to investigate every possible lead that may or may not reveal things about yourself that could help Zach, Myah or any other number of people.

    Steadying yourself, you pull at {The World Beneath}, centring yourself back to that familiar feeling of all the times you have sunk down into the Dream. At first you feel nothing, then almost so quick you miss it, you are falling-



    - - -



    -and standing back within the forest that is entirely your own.

    Every leaf, every blade of grass, the very air all around is just the embodiment of the dream, Your Dream. Taking in the vast yet familiar surroundings, there is something here that you are still missing; the last piece to really understand what the [Dream within the Forest] truly is, but you have an idea of where to look.

    You are aware of everything here, it is not a sense like Essence Sight or anything else. It is simple pure awareness like one would know their own body. Thoughtless, effortless, complete.

    Except, for one blank spot you've never noticed until now.

    "I can feel it too." Petal says next to you.

    "Ahh!" You jump at her immediate appearance beside you. Though through the innate connection you share to one another you quickly turn your thoughts to the source of her consternation. The place neither of you had noticed.

    "We didn't dream this. It comes from outside. It doesn't feel dangerous, but that's because it doesn't feel like anything at all." Your other half furrows her brow as you each ponder the unforeseen development.

    "Well, we can't ignore it," you posit, "We can't stop it either if we didn't even notice it arrive. At least one of us needs to go look."

    You're not exactly happy about investigating the unknown, but if you have to pick between potentially unknowingly harbouring something dangerous or finding out early, that's barely a choice at all.

    "Has to be you," Petal frowns, unsatisfied with her apparent impotence. "Whatever it is, it distinguishes between you and me on some important level. When I go there without you, I find nothing."

    "Well, that's not concerning at all. Wish me luck."

    "Always."



    Steeling yourself, you take a single step and cross the full distance of the Dreamspace all the way to blank place. In many ways you could always have moved around the Dream this easily, it just took {Riemannian Geometer} for you to realise.

    The sight that welcomes you on your arrival is deeply perplexing. In the centre of a new clearing stand eight grey earthern statues. Moulded from clay and mud, yet extremely lifelike in visage, eight people you know.

    Myah, Kaymie, Yolun, Sarah, Zach, Micah, Marcus, Andrew Martin. The facsimiles truly do look so much like their real counterparts you could almost mistake the two despite the colours and textures being entirely unhuman. There is a realness to it deeper than the eye.

    Sprouting out of and around all the statues are vines that course off into the air as if reaching for the surrounding trunks and canopy. Yet no vine ever reaches that far, instead fading into nothingness at varying distances. There is the vague sense that they are indeed tethered to something, just not something here.

    The feeling in the air is old, older than you thought anything could ever feel. Like this place hasn't been touched since the beginning of time itself. Impossible given the people on display, yet strangely believable.

    You find yourself approaching the closest of them, the clay mould of Myah hunched in defensive pose. You've seen sculptures in town made by people empowered by an Ethos pushing them to the heights of their craft, yet even their greatest work pales in comparison to the raw emotion and substance the form before you communicates with every subtle nuance and crenelation running across its shape.

    Just as you come within arm's reach, you nearly get the shock of your life when the formerly still statue suddenly moves. Myah looks off past your shoulder at nothing at all, fear written plain across her face.

    "No!" She shouts and recoils, shielding her face with her arms. You stand there watching the scene play out, you have no idea what this all means. Just as quickly as Myah began moving, she switches to a new stance. This time the girl looks straight at you as you see a thick swollen welt appear on her left shoulder. There is a low simmering anger in her voice as she speaks, "When it counted, you weren't there."

    "Myah…" you begin, unsure of what to say. But it doesn't matter, because the statue is still once more. Its accusing eyes thankfully do not follow you when you move.

    "What is happening here," you idly wonder. Not sure what to expect (and not wanting to dwell of what you just saw), you approach Kaymie.

    Just as Myah did, the form begins to move when you draw close. But rather than speaking, Kaymie's statue simply sits on the ground with her hands wrapped around her knees, sobbing softly for a few moments before going still once more.

    One day Kaymie. Hold on.

    You want to stop. The pattern is becoming clearer, these statues are somehow connected the real person they represent. What they have to say or show may not be something you wish to see… but what if it is something you need to see.

    Your approach your father. He looks at you with sad worried eyes, "Was it all enough?" before locking back into place like the others.

    Pushing back a little tear trying to form in your eye, you move on to your mother. A strange mix of happiness and concern plays across her face as she speaks, "Please be careful." The anger you have been building toward your mother has cooled slightly. These statues are showing you something deeply personal from each person, it's hard to stare sincere concern in the face and feel nothing.

    Zach is next, though you don't think you'll be surprised by what you see. The statue looks at you when you draw close enough. Your brother smiles, but his eyes are watery and tight. His lips twist in half started words a few moments, not sure where to begin. Frustration and affection, felt in equal conflicting measure. Zach doesn't get the chance to voice his emotions before his time runs out and like the others, he moves no more.

    I'm not giving up on a happy ending for you, Zach. There is a future where we both get what we hope for, I know it.

    You are not sure what Micah will say as you walk up to him. Pulled between so many pressing concerns, you honestly just haven't had the chance to ensure he has been coping with things well.

    Micah gives you the same strange face he did when you last saw him on the porch, unreadable in expression. When he speaks, it's a whisper almost too quiet to hear, "I know that look, you're going to leave us again."

    Micah's frozen form stands there as you are left speechless.

    Micah thinks I'm going to run away again? Why? Where did he get that idea?

    You wouldn't dream of just leaving your family behind unless you had too. Now you really do regret not getting the chance to speak with Micah properly; an error you will be sure to rectify before the new day is out. You're not just going to leave Micah behind; he needs to know that is the truth.

    Your fears that Marcus might hold some hidden secret fear or other unforeseen problem are thankfully unfounded when you step close to your youngest brother. His face is simple uncomplicated joy as it gazes up at you. "You're so cool, Lilly," Marcus states like it's the most obvious fact in the world.

    You cradle his chin with your hand hovering inches away as the statue ceases its movement, letting it rest there for a time as you release a deep sigh. "You to Marcus. You to."

    Andrew Martin stands tall and proud as you step in front of him, his armour of mud and grassy roots somehow looking almost polished to a glossy sheen like the dark hued metal it imitates. His words match what {The Ladder} led you to believe. "I really hope you're worth it."

    Me too.

    This place. You'll be visiting it again, you know there will be more to find here. This is foreign, it came from the outside, but the [Dream within the Forest] called it here. Another mystery to solve in the fullness of time.

    There is nothing new to hear here for now. Yet something does not yet feel complete.

    You pause, looking at your two frozen parents. Here alone in the Dream, your heart breaks a little standing near them, reflecting on the distance that still exists between you all.

    You almost move on without a word anyway, but a little push from {Rest State} causes you to reconsider, to mull over your thoughts. The things you say here, no one else will hear. After taking some time, you speak.

    "Mum… Dad… I'm really angry at you right now," you whisper softly, "I know you never tried to hurt me, but you did. It's… I want to just forget but… I just don't understand you." Your voice grows louder as tears begin to spill down your cheeks. "I love you and I know you love me but… there's just so much you could have said! You meant well but- I would- you could have trusted me instead. I could have handled it, I could have known, not questioned for so long."

    The clearing's only answer is silence. Breathing heavily, you speak your final piece, low and sombre.

    "It's not just me either. Zach's probably going to just d-… I don't even know. Just…" In the end, your wish is simple, "…I wish things were different."

    You place your hands lightly on your father, even though you know he won't feel like the real thing. That part is as expected, the texture of mossy dirt pressing against your fingers. What surprises you however is a feeling of deep potential that you now sense upon touching the statue. Stretching out through the new sensation, you realise that if you did not already possess the capacity, you could transmit essence directly into this form and, it's just a suspicion but, you think it would reach your father in the waking world.

    But… does that mean? You look over at Kaymie's slumped body, caught between sobs, motionless in time.

    The girl who helped you, then walked away back into her own personal hell. The girl you could do nothing to help nor reach in any way. You slowly walk toward the statue, the ethereal vines wrapped throughout her seem to quiver in anticipation. You reach out, and place a hand on Kaymie's shoulder.

    The sense is there. An unlocked door. Closed for now, unless you push it open…

    You nearly do, before thinking better of it. Kaymie is not in a safe place, there are people around her knowledgeable in ways you are only beginning to understand. It might be the height of folly to do something like this. But the option is there, and will likely stay as such. You will need to think on this.

    This does however confirm something that overjoys you. You approach Myah with no trepidation this time, placing both your hands on her in anticipation of another door. You are not disappointed, for it is as you expect, the potential for a connection lies within.

    Stretching out through directions that go nowhere in particular but reach their destination all the same, you push past a threshold and feel an Essence Link take hold. No matter where Myah is, you'll be able to walk directly toward her (even if you didn't know where her house was). More importantly, you release a thin stream of essence through the link, slightly slower than the time the two of you touched in the street. Whatever ails Myah, the very least you can do it sooth the worst of it until you arrive in Harmuph.

    With that, you feel your time among the statues has come to a close. As quick as the decision is made, they are gone. Empty air all that remains, for now.

    "What… was that?" you ask no one in particular.

    "Beats me," Petal says next to your ear. You are proud for not jumping this time. "I know you were distracted with the whole 'deep and meaningful expression of emotions' thing, but I was just as wrapped up in the insane depth those things held. I've never felt like I didn't understand the [Dream] before. I think I get how you've felt sometimes."

    "You get used to it," you answer lightly, pondering the meaning of the strange encounter yourself. Why now? Why see what you saw? There is a power within the Dream you can only perceive the edges of, mercurial and illusive by its very nature. If you could figure out this last missing piece, you feel like you'd finally understand what the Dream's purpose truly is.

    "We'll figure it out one day, Petal. You and me."

    "Yeah, one day," Petal looks up at the sky, beyond it into the waking world. "Time for Myah?"

    "Time for Myah," you answer. "Until next time."

    "Bring her here if you need to. If it turns out that… well, you know."

    "It won't come to that. But, thank you."



    - - -



    The rustle of leaves gives way once more to whipping winds and splatter of rain all around you as it strikes either the ground or the many small rivulets forming throughout the plains from the downpour.

    You stall a moment to take in the wonderful sight before you, still marvelling a little at the deep nuance that the colours frigid and balm add to the overall picture.

    There is not much time to dally though, so you quickly set off again toward your hometown, occasionally jumping in a puddle. Because when you can't feel cold, and water literally repels off you, why not?



    - - - - -
    9th​ Day, 3rd​ Moon, LE 2302
    (Early Morning)



    Minutes turn to hours as you wind your way closer to the settlement your life has revolved around your whole life. The world has grown bigger recently, mystery and potential replaced by borders and warnings. But in many ways, you are still a simple girl from a simple town. You cherish the days you have left, hoping that when the time comes to go, you won't feel the loss too harshly.

    You have made good progress these past few hours. Not just in distance, but in matters of power too.

    The {True Song}, sacrificed upon an altar of necessity, with no promise of return. It was one of the first things you set about investigating in the time you've had to yourself, seeing if there was any hope of recovering it. You know Evie has been prodding at it from time to time, but haven't had the chance to look closer.

    There has been success of a sort there, but you have also learned things from your examinations you were not expecting. Things you might be one of the few humans alive to know.

    The [Towering Edifice to Heaven] changed you, that much you already knew. But looking into your own soul you have gained a deeper appreciation of that change and its specific boundaries. There are parts of your soul that you can examine with incredible fidelity, and others that feel illusive, almost an afterthought. It is just a suspicion, but you believe that what you find easy to see is in fact what anyone else would find difficult to see. The places where your soul and Ethea interact, the structure of their powers as they entrench and spread out through you. You'll likely find out the day you gain an Oath Ethos, but the idea that you are seeing a reverse image of the norm becomes more certain the longer you consider it.

    Whatever the [Tower] originally was, it was meant to interact with Ethea. To influence them, add to, subtract from and change them. So many of limitations that were placed upon it, you feel have been bluntly removed. The mechanism behind how this was done will likely elude you for far longer, but for now it does mean you have been able to have a look at your own power for hours in a way most probably never even get to see for a second.

    Ethea are… foreign. You knew this already, but seeing something that looks different to your own soul slowly growing and blending out before becoming more like it in a slow iterative process has made that starkly clear. You think that after some huge number of expansions the lines between soul and Ethos would likely completely dissolve, the two having become one. A power is delivered, then blends into its recipient. Integrates. There is still an ever so vague sense of connection to far off places, directions and forces you cannot quite perceive. Vectors. Integration Vectors. It fits, the [Tower] resonates with the name.

    Powers have a goal, a direction they want to grow. You see it in the way they move and shift. Clearly defined shapes and patterns, your {Core Heart} thrumming in response with each subtle touch, aware of their desired directions. A world of rigid steps, firmly set pathways that can split along pre-designed directions, if not pushed past a breaking point. Inbuilt thresholds and limits, but with the potential to erode and expand once more as the Ethos integrates further into the soul. You have not been watching to witness it yet, but the way the patterns shift makes you think that every discrete expansion of a power requires communication through the same Vector that delivered it, correspondence on further avenues for growth. The implications of that are… far reaching, but is just one of many insights you have gained, most of a more pragmatic nature.

    Recognising that all powers have a set path along which they would best grow means you can get far better results in future by allowing your {Core Heart} to lead you toward what those paths are. No more floundering like a blind man through the cobble streets. You can now feel the extent to which each power within an Ethos has grown relative to its limits. Maybe, with enough time, you could learn to direct this grown in desired directions rather than leaving it up to chance.

    Back to what got you started on all this, the {True Song}. It is nearly repaired. Looking at its torn structures, you can see the chaotic parts of your soul that were forcibly merged into the structure, data that was received at the incorrect time from some far off Vector. A cobbled together frantic dash to prevent a total collapse, a falling apart of the power itself. You did not realise how close you had walked to the knifes edge. But it seems that when you called on anything anywhere to help save your dad, the same thing that gave you [Brave Blood] answered the call. You didn't think that possible. The evidence is also plain to see that they have been assisting Evie in the efforts to repair it. They say the Gods slumber, you have your doubts.

    Your newfound ability to connect things has also been put to work, Evie occasionally borrowing a minor slot to hold two pieces together while she 'stitches' up a third. At the current pace you'll likely regain the Song around noon this same day.

    That by itself would have been wonderful, but you've made excellent progress in other areas too.

    {Riemannian Geometer} nearly overloaded you the very first time you felt through its twisting paths. Even once you'd gained a handle on the literal entirely new dimensions it opened up, it still seemed an immense mountain to climb for even the simplest level of understanding. Now however, child's play. Your insight into the link between Ethea and your Soul is mimicked by {Riemannian Geometer}, extending the connection between your body and the extra-spatial dimensions Essence naturally flows and sways through. Through the {Core Heart}'s gentle guiding hand and the comprehension of {Tremendous Mechanist}, you see the way the power calls out, wanting to pull you along into the currents to move in ways no one else could really comprehend.

    Through it, {Riemannian Geometer} has been able to swell and expand. Splitting off into the smaller sub-powers {Slipstream} and {Magnify}.

    {Magnify} is the easiest to explain; any movement that you could take normally, Essence has already taken at least once before in the past. By aligning your own current essence with its link to the past, you can effectively cast out a line into your own future movement and reel your present self toward it faster. This is a very complicated way of saying you can cross a distance faster as long as you have time to concentrate on it. You don't impart extra force with these movements, you simply arrive at your destination faster than the norm; crossing five steps while only taking three. You know that as this young power matures, the time needed to figure out the alignment will dramatically reduce, allowing for much quicker course-changes.

    {Slip Stream} is far more complex and takes far more effort. Within Essence, any two points always have at least one arbitrarily short path between each other. Most of the time these are impossible to ferret out of the countless dead-ends that surround them, but this power gives a nose for sniffing them out. As long as you have some form of strong connection, it is possible with a sufficient amount of prep to take a single step and appear a world away. In time, you could simply step between any two essence-links in the blink of an eye, but you are not there yet. For now though, you definitely can return to any place you've felt out the Essence of since gaining {Slipstream}, which is going to make the leg back home significantly faster than your trip toward Harmuph.

    Your understanding of {Rest State} growing has been nearly an afterthought, but still encouraging. {Rest State} is not an emotional crutch to make yourself feel better when things get tough, that is a paltry use of its strength. What it actually is, is a source of unbending will to endure under insane pressure and flex but never snap. Feeling out the way it tethers to your soul has given you a better understanding of how it does this; Growing moderately more potent in the process.

    All of these revelations together have added up to the last discovery of the morning, the pebble you now hold in your hand. Your first prototype of something which will lend a small fraction of {Rest State}'s power to anyone who holds it. Combining {Holistics}, {Tremendous Mechainist}, your revelations of Ethea's structure, your observations of Kaymie, {Rest State} naturally, {Artefacts}, {Relations} and {Sympathetic Linkage}; you figured out how to do something incredible. You cracked how to arrange Essence into a self-sustaining formation without needing to be inside a living thing.

    {Applied Current}. You've heard Captain Martin describe the Spellworks of Mana; this feels like an Essence version of a similar thing. It is not a power in the typical sense, but functionally may as well be. The {Rest State} prototype was just the beginning, but this technique is incredibly flexible, capable of imbuing lesser versions of just about any of your essence powers into a set object. Other than the time needed to make them, you're not sure there is an upper limit on the number you could make either.

    It makes you feel proud. Although you did have a lot of help, this is still a puzzle you cracked on your own. Something which could help a lot of people, and you figured it out.

    Harmuph appearing on the horizon causes you to slow your {Magnify}'d bounds. Taking in the almost invisible town, obscured as it is by the now lighter but still falling rain.

    The morning is still quite early. The rising sun hours away as the citizens of Harmuph for the most part sleep blissfully within their homes. Not long now and you'll be walking along the streets, alone but unafraid.



    Valerie Nireile's original mindstate is not yet irretrievable. Fully encompassing her heart within your domain to eject occupying entity followed by physical isolation within the {Attuned Locus} would allow {Rest State} to enact gradual recovery.

    …

    Your first thought is that it's good to feel your Concordance starting to recover. Your second question…

    Who on earth is Valerie Nireile?

    …



    Not that you expected an answer anyway with {The Ladder} as overextended as it likely is. You've actually been quite lucky to hear from it as much as you have.

    You do consider taking the time to direct {The Ladder}'s attentions toward this 'Valerie', but there is so much to do already. You'll bear in mind that she needs help when you run into her, while being wary that this 'occupying entity' may make her dangerous at least in the beginning.

    It's not far to Harmuph now anyway. So you continue forwards.



    - - -



    And come across the most peculiar thing. To the west lie the very same woods you first rode through on your desperate escape northwards fleeing the pursuit of the Alphas (which seems so long ago now). What catches your eye however is the perfect dome of deflected rain creating a zone of motionless dry air in the middle of the storm. It is huge, at least 50 metres in diameter.

    Standing at its centre, at the edge of the tree line, is a young boy. It almost looks like… no… it couldn't be.

    You walk closer, not believing your own eyes. Because, it can't be true. The coincidence, seeing this now, with what you came to Harmuph to do…

    Standing at the treeline is Myah's brother Jeremy. Myah's dead brother Jeremy, alive and waving at you.

    You step into the dome and the roaring sounds of the storm immediately cease and are replaced by an inviolable stillness pervading the cleared space.

    Jeremy stands there. But you know the truth.

    "You're not Jeremy," you whisper. The way he smiles even wider makes you think he heard you anyway.

    This thing. It has no essence. No heat. A {Stutter Ping} returns a signal as if nothing were there, despite the fact you can see and sense the grass pressed down by his feet.

    Not-Jeremy just keeps his unblinking smile as you approach. Whatever this thing is, you need to know what it wants. It chose to show itself to you now, wearing a face that suggests it knows why you are here. If this is about Myah, it could be important.

    "It's not about Myah," Not-Jeremy calls out as you close the remaining distance.

    You nearly trip at the sound of his voice. The memories playing through your head, his voice, exactly like you remember it being. Before the Black Lung. It takes a small effort to regain your stride, but you do, coming to stand before Not-Jeremy and his unblinking eyes.

    Clad in bedclothes, skin riddled with pockmarks as dark as pitch, the low wet wheezing of each breath in and out. Seeing and hearing these things alongside that eerie smile and inhuman gaze is deeply upsetting.

    What is going on?

    "Don't fret Lilly," Not-Jeremy says with a happy cadence, "There's nothing to read into it. I chose this face because I knew it would hurt you, don't take it personally."

    How can I not take that personally?

    "What are you? What do you want?" You say, pushing away all sorts of unhelpful emotions.

    "A newborn really. A Ch̶͙̓ild at least," the thing wearing Jeremy's face says, the way it says 'child' hurts in a subtle yet profound way you don't have the words to describe. "And technically, for spoiling my fun, I want to kill you. Wait! Don't panic. I want to kill you, but dead girls are boring girls. You ruined my last game, so I thought you might like the chance to repay me with a new one."

    You can't help but take a few steps back reflexively, you don't know what game it is referring too nor how you've earned its ire. This entire situation is so far outside your realm of experience.

    It doesn't matter, you are not fast enough. Quicker than sight, a sharp barbed coil is already retracting from where it pierced into your soul.

    Hiissss!

    You fall to your knees as your strength leaves you. Your extremities and ability to use your power in any way almost completely cut off and numb. Tiny scampering bits of foul feeling spirit-stuff flee into the deepest reaches of your soul as you feel Evie go chasing after them.

    "Feisty little thing, that one," Not-Jeremy whispers coyly, leaning down close to your face. "But smart enough not to attack me."

    Despite your growing fear, you put on a strong face as you turn to look into his eyes. "Spirit, if that is what you are, what do you seek from me?"

    The creature is silent and still just long enough to be off-putting, before giving its answer. "A Game"

    "A Game?"

    Its smile is too wide for its mouth as it begins to recite a poem.

    "His own blood condemns him.
    Hours forgotten grow slim.
    The boy calls for his kin.
    But the only answer, her sin."

    The barest hints of feeling start returning to your fingers and toes as you struggle to parse meaning from the oration. "I don't understand."

    "Woe the day, to be so scorned.
    The order they came, twas not which they left.
    Four to be born, yet three to hold breath.
    Woe the day, to be so mourned."

    "Please," you whisper, at a loss, "What are you speaking of?"

    Not-Jeremy's face takes on a serious expression for the first time since this sudden encounter began, "Oh never you mind, I'm sure it was nothing important." His stare grows more and more intense, taking on an almost manic fixation. "You ruined my first game, but you can make it up to me by playing a second. The game, Lilly! The GAME! The deal is this, agree to a trial some time in the future. Pass it, and the reward will be grand. Fail, the consequences will be devastating. I'll sweeten the pot too, just agree and I'll give add a reward you'll receive after the trial regardless of how well you do. I'll explain exactly how Concordance works, a real practical breakdown on things to avoid and how to use it to your benefit. It's knowledge you won't find in any library and the people who know are likely ones you never want to meet. So, what do you say? Are you a waste of time, or do we have a contract?"

    Done talking, it continues to fix you with its unshifting stare awaiting your answer. To say your are leery of agreeing to any sort of agreement with something so unhinged and psychotic would be the understatement of the century. Yet, you are equally concerned how it might react to you not 'playing the game'.

    "This trial," you begin cautiously, "What would it be?"

    Not-Jeremy looks almost scandalized, mock gasping with a hand to his mouth before finally waggling a finger in front of your face. "Ah ah, no ruining the fun. It would be very difficult, but not impossible. Impossible games are only fun yesterday."

    Most of your feeling and ability to move has returned, allowing you to look up and sigh. Making choices without fully knowing the consequences down either path, when will it end?

    The deflected rain running down the exterior of the dome creates the impression of being within an enormous bubble, isolated from the wider world. One day, you'll be strong enough to dictate terms rather than have them dictated to you. Today, an answer is demanded.

    - - - - - - -
    In-Chapter Vote:

    A Child's Gambit: An unwelcome sight and an unwelcome offer. You're honestly not sure which is more dangerous, agreeing to some vague trial, or refusing to participate.
    [ ] [ACG] I Accepted the Trial.
    [ ] [ACG] I Rejected the Trial.
    NULLERROR is an outside-context problem; impossible to scry influence on the Concord. Historical aftershocks imply NULLERROR is prone to vindictive retribution and pathological capriciousness.

    - - - - - - -

    The encounter with the strange and honestly rather cruel Spirit weighs heavily on you as you approach Harmuph's southern gate. The sleek stones of the cities walls rendered mostly featureless amidst the light rain and pre-dawn dark.

    "Very good. We'll see if you made the right choice in time, Bloomling."

    The memory of its response after your answer unsettled you. Making you wonder if you really had one at all. Of course, its final act outshone all the others.

    "Oh, by the way." "Tell anyone about me and I will make you wish you could die."

    And then it clicked its fingers, and your world exploded into sound and light. With a desperate push of {Pulse Surge} to throw yourself backwards (so intense that you felt it expand) you narrowly avoided the worst of the tremendous shockwave that rammed into and then flung you high up and across the sky. You landed well outside the rainless dome, only to find that the dome itself had vanished, the landscape and your own clothes unblemished by the ground-shaking detonation that had rattled your body to its core.

    It had departed. Instantly, simply disappearing from the few remaining senses that you could still perceive it with while you'd been distracted by explosion. It was disconcerting enough that you find yourself looking over your shoulder despite Essence Sight and your Domain Sight both giving different versions of 360o​ vision. You can't decide whether it was all real, or an illusion.

    On some level, you know that's exactly what the Spirit wanted. To have you doubting your senses and actions, whether you were playing into some greater scheme or not. You can't do nothing for fear of making the wrong choice, down that path lays madness, but it doesn't stop you from showing an abundance of caution.

    Evie has been going over your soul with a fine-toothed comb, double and triple-checking for any lingering scraps of influence it might have left behind. You've already had more than enough encounters with foreign entities fiddling with your innermost being, adding another to that list is not something you want to dwell on.

    To your great relief, something distracts you.

    Impress upon Myah how powerful you have become. Momentary fear followed by relief will incline her to seek refuge beneath your influence. Be a safety net for her and she will grow to idolize you.

    Happy for the insight, you still scowl a little at the implication. Myah is not some tool to be bent to your will, she is a friend in need. But without outright saying it, {The Ladder} has made it explicitly clear that Myah's current circumstances are not sustainable. Punching her would have stopped her from going off on you in the street a week ago. Her own father would have strangled her in a few days without your imminent intervention. Showing her you are strong now will make her want to shelter around you. While you don't know what the full story is, you know it's one that needs to end right now.

    Coming upon the gates and stepping underneath the shelter of the arch, you stand at the closed portcullis blocking your way. The gaps in the bars are sized to stop grown men, not lithe little girls. You could slip through rather easily, but first-

    "Who goes there!" A watchman within the walls calls to you, giving you a chance to take in the sight of him as he rapidly approaches from a short distance within the Gates.

    As has almost become a habit by this point, you are once more looking upon a person with entirely new senses. The thick maty texture of balm close to his torso, lighter and more frigid colours playing about on the extremities exposed to the cold windswept air. His breath a subtle warm puff before being quickly snatched away into the surrounds. Beyond even that, you knew the clarity of natural colours you could now see was more profound, but seeing the subtle changes in the inflection and twitching of small muscles along the watchman's face and body as he moves toward you make the scope of the improvement clear. You'd thought it laziness on the part of the men stationed at the wall that you'd not been spotted sooner, but in all likelihood, it is simply much darker than you'd realized.

    "Lilly Silas, sir." You respond warmly, you have a good hunch just about every member of the Watch will know your general description and be positively inclined toward you. "Business that couldn't wait till morning."

    Surprise and then vague acknowledgment plays across the watchman's face as the light of his torch reaches your face. He regards you with a pleasant expression.

    "Well met, girl. Me brother's family twas down in the valley that night. Reckon I got you to thank for the whole litter making it out."

    You nod demurely while gesturing at the portcullis, "Do you mind if I?"

    "Oh! Of course not. We can raise it if you-"

    "Not necessary," you say, already flexing and stepping through. You are eager to get to Myah, the twinge of connection across the Essence Link serving as your guide. "Was there anything else?"

    The Watchman shifts awkwardly, likely caught in a social situation he's never been in before. "Ah, no, go with Her light."

    "She guides our steps," you bid him farewell with a nod and set off into Harmuph's streets.

    Through your 360o​ vision you see the watchman watching you leave with an honestly confused expression on his face. He has probably never just let an unaccompanied girl into Harmuph in the early morning hours ever before in his life, nor simply bid them on their way after that. Without intending too, you've found yourself in a rather unique position within the local hierarchy.

    You'll have to get used to it world. I'm something you've never seen.



    - - -



    In but a short while, you stand across the street from Myah's home. Frozen in place as anger and shock fight for right of place as your most prominent emotion.

    The last time you looked upon Myah with Essence Sight, you lacked the capacity to see any detail within people. Now that this is not the case, the mystery of why she would be so eager to leave Harmuph is plainly unveiled.

    Bruises, many old, many new. All in places covered by clothing. While your range is reduced away from the forest, the precision of your vision is not changed at all. You can match each mark to the object that made it around the home, a good half being that of her father's fists.

    You can't help but clench your own fists a little tighter watching the sleeping form of her father in another room, the casual violence he inflicts in his waking hours the furthest thing from his current dreams. You don't understand it. How could a man who has lost a wife and a son turn so cruel to his last remaining family? It's ridiculous, utter madness.

    Myah… needs to come with you. Now.

    Dad will help. Or Captain Martin. It doesn't matter, the Uyle family are neither rich nor powerful, you will feel no shame flaunting your newfound influence to discredit Myah's father should any accusation be made.

    The door unlocks soundlessly with a twist of your {Golden Rapture} as you walk into the tall narrow two-story wooden structure. Your footsteps and breath are similarly rendered completely still. You'd have had trouble managing it before, but your newfound ability to pick out any noise individually allows you to easily quiet an already small sound. You move as a ghost through the empty living room. Myah's family were quite well off compared to most, sitting at the upper end of middle-class thanks to her mother's role as an Apothecary. Half the paintings that used to adorn the walls are sold, your feel no living plants within the old green-room at the back, only a few scarce untended seeds in otherwise empty pots.

    You flinch in anger as your roaming attention briefly drifts back over a split knuckle on the sleeping man. Unsurprisingly, you feel no inclination to soothe it. Instead, you move through the house to Myah's room and her sleeping form within.

    You never saw her muscles or tissue as it was months ago, but you don't need to to still know the depth of damage slowly settling into your young friend's body. Inflammation and minor infections from numerous untreated cuts each placing another weight upon an increasingly strained system. A thousand tiny burdens, each one inching closer to the catastrophic breaking point.

    "Oh Myah," you whisper as she shivers not from the cold, but from some unpleasant dream.

    Your heart breaks for her. Her hair turned its distinctive fiery red during the day now glows a thick balmy colour in the nearly lightless room, though sputtering and splotching in parts where her mottled essence disturbs the natural patterns. Another piece of resentment you'd been holding against your own father melts away, things could be so much worse.

    You place your hand on Myah's arm, not yet to wake her, but simply to confirm no truly dangerous injury lurks beneath the vague details her slimy off-colour essence gives you and-

    Host: Myah Uyle | Species: Unmodified Human | Age: 13th​ Cycle
    Integration Vector: [These Bonds I Bear] 4th​ Expansion | Warning: Synchronicity 3%, Inversion Risk: Extreme. Divergence Factor: Extreme. Gravitic Saturation: Very Low.

    -pull your hand back quickly, barely restraining the hiss of discomfort that tries to escape your lips from the sudden connection the [Towering Edifice to Heaven] made through your Domain when it overlapped Myah.

    The memory of what you saw is almost so alien that you nearly forget it, but through the resilience your repeated exposure to truly strange things has instilled in you, you manage to hold on. For the briefest of seconds, it was as if you stood in a vast library with corridors stretching in every direction farther than any eye could ever see. An endless list of possibilities, exchanges and alterations, yet all written in a language you could not understand even though you knew what every word meant. The space was not a physical place, nor were you truly standing anywhere. It was simply the sense of being a mediator between Myah's Soul and some truly gargantuan thing in another not-place; so enormous that you lack any comparison other than that it was probably smaller than the world, maybe.

    Steeling your nerves, you calm your breathing. Things are as they were, you are standing over a sleeping girl, undetected. One day, you will understand the mysterious truth that lies behind reality. Tonight, you are changing one life for the better.

    "Myah," you say. You cannot easily quiet noise outside your Domain without the intricate awareness it grants, but you can somewhat mimic it with a very light touch of {Cessation Rivet} to your surroundings that dampen how far any mild kinetic force such as vibrations through air can make it before petering out.

    "Mmmm," Myah is a lighter sleeper than you remember, immediately beginning to stir.

    You reach out again, this time rejecting the attempt at connection that you now expected. Lightly jostling your friend's shoulder, "Myah." You are not certain what the precise cause for an Inverted Ethos is, but it appears at least tangentially connected to less than pleasant circumstances. So to put it simply, Myah's circumstances change, tonight.

    An odd sort of calm rationality comes over you as Myah's eyes open slowly at first, before bolting open wide when she notices you and reflexively starts sucking in a breath to scream.

    You could promise Myah many things, gently explain the situation in fullness if she gave you a chance. But… she might not give you that chance, flighty as she currently is. There is a common trend among all the advice {The Ladder} has ever given you regarding Myah, you need to demonstrate power. On some level you understand {The Ladder}'s advice aims to reposition you as a replacement for the role her father currently holds over her, domination as the shortest path forward. You understand that words and promises alone are not enough, but reject {The Ladder}'s premise. You will prove you have the power to give Myah a choice, then let her make it. Just as you have decided with Zach, you will not become a person who thoughtlessly dictates other's futures with {The Ladder}'s insights.

    So the scream dies in Myah's throat before it can even make a sound, a proper strength application of {Cessation Rivet} utterly blocking the attempt (as you simultaneously feel the power grow further into your Soul close to half its current maximum). Likewise, her attempts to thrash in panic are similarly rendered lacking any strength behind them. Before the situation can devolve any further, you flood Myah with a super-dose of Innate Essence, the utter euphoria of all her aches and pains melting away in a flash and being replaced with the feeling of deep restoration short-circuits the ailing girl's confused fear, replacing it with a moment of mute unfocused awe.

    "It's me Myah, Lilly." You say as Myah's eyes start to regain awareness after her brief disorientation.

    "…Lilly?" Myah blankly takes in your form standing over her bed, as if not quite believing you're really there. "Lilly-" Her face begins to contort back into fear, looking over your shoulder back toward the door to her room, "You can't be here! He-"

    Her words cut out in sudden surprise when you hold a small stone between two of your fingers, pulverising it into dust with a compressed {Pulse Surge}. You fill the resulting silence by finishing her sentence for her.

    "-will never know I was here. Especially if you leave with me."

    You both stare at each other for a time, your look of complete seriousness contrasting hers of meek shock.

    "I'm serious Myah," you say. Direct and concise, there's probably better ways to do this, but you are caught up in the moment. "I can't guarantee I can hide you from divination. Maybe, I have friends who possibly could. But I promise you this, whoever your father could afford to send after you, they wouldn't be a match for me." You inject every ounce of confidence you can into your declaration, as if it were simple immutable fact. It helps that you are reasonably sure it is true. Myah doesn't need doubts right now, she needs a clear alternative.

    Myah watches you closely as you speak, the weight of the situation starting to dawn on her.

    "… I… Lilly… How did you-…" she sputters, struggling to put words to her thoughts, before going quiet to actually think.

    After some time looking once again between you and the open door nervously, as if someone might materialise there as punishment for the very act of considering your offer, Myah seems to arrive at a decision, though her answer is not what you expect.

    "I can be useful," she says. Her eyes imploring, almost begging.

    "What?" you state, not knowing what Myah means.

    "When you go, where you're going. I can be useful." At this Myah crawls to the edge of the bed to put her hands on your shoulders. "I won't be a burden. Even if you are in a rush, I'm worth taking." A sort of manic desperation slowly leaking into Myah's voice as she speaks.

    "Myah, stop." You say mildly, still grappling with where this is suddenly coming from.

    "No- I mean, I'm sorry. But- I just mean, I can make you better, so please don't leave me. I'll do- I don't care where- just… please Lilly! Don't leave without -mmphh-"

    You bury Myah in a hug, wrapping your arms around her. "Shhhh, it's okay." Myah breaks into wracking sobs against your shoulder as you hold her. An instinct within your gut telling you that you have found the alternative path {The Ladder} had implied whilst it was leading you down another.

    Suppose a girl loses a brother and a mother. A father turns cruel, friends grow distant. Alone, filled with growing despair, no light can be found in any direction. But then on the edge of falling into an endless pit from which she could never climb out, a single lifeline appears. What would a girl give, what would she sacrifice to not have that hope slip through her fingers? So easy to manipulate, to control. Place her in a kinder prison and she'd thank her new captor for their generosity. You've found the button {The Ladder} wanted to push.

    Evie, we need to talk about if {The Ladder} can be made less evil. The easiest path it not always the best one.

    Wew wob. (Working on it)



    A short time later, sobs turn to stifled cries, then to whispers and plans. You know there are so many things you are not considering, maybe they'll occur to you tomorrow. But right here, right now, there is no path but rescuing Myah from this horrible place.

    - - -

    "You never have to leave my side." The promise you whispered among many other comforts. In reality it is probably closer to a requirement than an option. Myah's father has broken no law you know of, there is no recourse through any system by which he could not simply reclaim her were her location to be known.

    So, she'll be outside the city before he wakes and you will both figure out the rest as you go. You can speak to the Captain about how divination might be obscured. Compared to everything else, it does not seem a big ask.

    Before leaving the house, you enact certain assurances; the first true use of {Applied Current}. Standing silently over the sleeping man, it is the matter of a half-hour to weave a mild derivative of {Rest State} into the covers. A reinforcement of his currently unconsciousness state to pull that sleep even deeper, nothing short of a house-fire will wake him before morning. It would be so easy to do him far more harm; float one of the lonely seeds into his nose and infuse it with an overabundance of growth, it would be incredibly painful and difficult to remove. You push such thoughts from your head, even if it wouldn't defeat the point of not raising an early alarm, it's still not something you'd seriously consider.

    The deed done, you join Myah and what meagre belongings you could pack together, stepping back out into the city.

    - - -

    "Are you warm enough?" You ask gently as the two of you walk through the dark streets.

    You have a decent enough idea Myah's not excessively cold from the balm radiating from her, but Essence Sight alone is more than enough to notice the occasional shivers.

    The rain has turned more to a drizzle by now, while you lack the control to ablatively dry both yourself and Myah at the same time, {Golden Rapture} is more than up to the task of alternating between the two of you. It also helps that Myah's own hair serves as a form of heated cowl. Given your foreknowledge of her inversion risk, you've been avoiding Ethos based questions in case they touch on a raw nerve.

    "Mmmm," she answers. Squeezing the held hand you two share a little tighter. "I'm okay."

    You will be Myah, you will be.

    You smile a little thinking back on the words {The Ladder} gave you just ten minutes ago as you were leaving the house.

    'The {Hybrid Siphon} obstructs basic divination attempts. A lesser relational link would sufficiently extend its scope to shield Myah Uyle from typical scry attempts.'

    Completely unexpected, and exactly what you needed. You didn't hesitate at all to use a Minor Slot and shield Myah. It was exactly the uplifting news you needed. Not only a solution to the problem in front of you, but finding out that you yourself have been protected from searching eyes for days without even knowing it until now.

    As soon as it was said, you knew what {Hybrid Siphon} was, a lingering instinct confirmed on one of Evie's unknown powers. It is like some kind of maw, a suctioning whirlpool that can remove the presence of just about any concept given enough time. It hindered the acid in the forest, you suspect it helped you escape from the clutches of that Rose and whatever it was that it did. And it also jams at least the most common sorts of divination; an ever-present security blanket you can carry with you wherever you go.

    So it turns out you can keep your promise to Myah far more easily than you thought, with extra benefits on the side. Despite the harsh memory of what the two of you just left behind, it honestly puts just a little bit of skip into your step.



    There is one more thing you think you need to do in Harmuph; something important.

    While the final moment may be a flash of steel or a searing flame, it is ignorance that will be the death of you. There is a woman in town with knowledge you require; a woman who owes you a favour.

    So you find yourself standing before Madam Silva's home and place of work. A simple sign of a sun piercing through a cloudy sky much akin to a market shop the only real indicator it is more than just a home.

    Finding the Madam actually did not take long. You knew the vague area from overheard conversations in years past, and your essence sight allows you to sweep entire swaths of the buildings and streets in a single pass. Fortunately, you found her to be already awake and about various tasks despite the early hour; sans her assistance, but clearly partway into the preparations for the day.

    Were you blessed with a simpler life, you might spend many days simply walking through Harmuph taking in the sights of all the various craftsman and artisans at work, each plying their individual tools of the trade. Who knows, many years from now, when you're safe from all that might harm you, you may do exactly that.

    "I'll be okay," Myah whispers in a small voice. "I can... feel you through the link. Just don't take long." You can tell she is not entirely happy to wait for you, but understands being seen together is not worth the risk. Having an Ethos with essence as a source (and isn't that a crazy coincidence) means Myah was able to quickly grasp how to gain information from the Essence Link just as you can. In retrospect, she would have known you'd made the link immediately if she hadn't been asleep at the time. Your decision not to go with your first impulse and link to Kaymie immediately is sounding like it was the right choice.

    "Sure thing, in and out. I just need some answers," you reassure her. You wish there was a better solution right now, but who knows when you'll have the next chance to do this? This is information that could end up being very important to both of you.

    One last quick hug, then you're walking up to the front door. An overly lavish carved wooden edifice displaying various fantastical scenes. Inside, the Madam peaks up as you near noticing your arrival via some means.

    "Come in," she calls as you raise your hand to knock.

    Diviners and their parlour tricks.

    Finding the door unlocked, you push it open and step into something akin to another world. Within the large entry room are shelves upon shelves of every sort of knick-knack one could imagine. Metals, plants, sculptures, powders; most holding very little to no magic that you can feel. There is the semblance of order amongst the chaos, at least the notion of categories by which things are arranged, but the Madam is clearly only half committed to such a structure.

    The effect would have been more striking if you hadn't been aware of the layout of the house already. The Madam is clearly a woman invested in appearance and the veil of the mystique. She herself stands over a desk in a corner, tracing out lines onto paper in some complex geometric formation, its purpose unclear.

    Not wanting to waste any time, and judging the Madam's character to be one who appreciates directness, you state your purpose as you come to stand in the centre of the room.

    "Madam Silva, not long past you said our family was owed a debt. I come to ask you of the potential and limits of divination as an art to the fullness of your knowledge, to consider that debt paid."

    The Madam stops tracing lines, going still save for the tapping of a finger rhythmically along the desk. A sort of rigidity plays across her body for a time, before she lets out a long sigh and turns to face you.

    There are many ways people can look at each other. As friends, as enemies, with suspicion, curiosity, warning, lust. Madam Silva always looks the same way, calculating. Like the whole world are pieces on a board that she is trying to move to her advantage. You suppose if you had spent as long as she has as a Diviner, you might start to see things the similarly. Doesn't make it any less unpleasant though.

    At first, the Madam murmurs under her breath "He who refuses to risk the climb, knows only the dust." Then, looking straight into your eye, "A girl 'dies' in the forest, a moon passes and she returns alive. Mere days later, this same girl breaches a veil those decades her senior could not. Further still, whatever she does later that night causes the men of the Watch to pull ranks and turn mum, keeping their secrets to themselves. The Diviner looks into the girl's future, and finds it is utterly incomprehensible, now obscured by a veil of its own, even greater than that which shrouded the forest."

    The two of you stare at each other, the discomfort of the silence slowly growing before she at last continues, "Let us drop all pretence, Lilly Silas, if that is even who you really are."

    What?

    She goes on, "Times are changing, a great shift approaches in the future, so massive that we cannot see its edges nor judge its true distance. Perhaps a girl who can do impossible things impossibly fast has nothing to do with that. But I think not. No, the world is moving, and you are somehow a part of that."

    Ominous warnings aside, the Madam has not lost her talent for saying a lot of words without answering a question. "What... Where are you going with this?" you say somewhat impatiently.

    You think you see a flash of hesitation or uncertainty before the Madam quickly schools her face but to its usual haughty confidence. Though you can tell from her breathing and the subtle clenching of muscles she thinks you cannot see that the woman is nervous.

    Finally, she speaks. "I want in."

    …

    You are not following. Does Madam Silva think you are a part of some grand conspiracy? And what was she actually going on about bringing up some great calamity in the future? "You, want in?"

    "Normally," Madam Silva gestures in no particular direction, a slightly exasperated edge to her voice, "I would simply report your obviously extremely rare nature to a higher authority. The reward for exposing not only your existence but the treacherous secrecy of the Watch would be quite tremendous."

    You gut clenches and your jaw goes tight. You are not sure what you'll do if this woman means to make trouble for you and your family, but there is an obvious edge of violence in your tone as you respond. "Are you threatening me?"

    The Madam seems mildly surprised by your shift, likely expecting a different sort of response. She quickly recovers, though when she speaks, it seems her penchant for word games is exhausted. Finally, the two of you can speak plainly. "I said normally Lilly. Influence without the confidence it will actually pay off is worth as much as scattered dust. And frankly, I don't think the existing structures are going to last when the time comes. When it's all up in flames, I don't need the favour of a loose collection of people within a distant bureaucracy; I need the favour of a very close, very powerful individual looking out for me."

    She punctuates that last part by clicking her fingers such that one of her hands ends up pointing directly at you. The Madam is still injecting confidence into her words… by you are getting a feel for the current of tension and vulnerability running beneath.

    You approach the old woman, speaking lower. "What exactly are you saying?" The two of you are alone anyway, but your tone communicates that you understand the seriousness of where she may be going with this.

    Satisfied that the two of you are speaking the same language, the Madam relaxes slightly. Her false cadence of confidence dropping to a more genuine inflection. "I'm saying, name your price. Of course, I'll tell you how divination works. What I'm asking is to be a part of whatever your plans are. The Captain is almost certainly a part of your little conspiracy, I don't care, I just want to ride on your coat-tails and help you along the way."

    You'd suspected, but hearing it all just laid out like that still takes you back a little. The Madam wants to jump ship, whatever she's seen of the future is apparently enough to justify uprooting her entire life. You feel your response is appropriate, "Uh…"

    "You don't need to make the choice now," The Madam quickly interjects, abandoning all pretence of being in a position to truly bargain. It is like you are speaking with an entirely new person, going all in on her pitch. "I am simply saying that I see the writing on the wall, if you want a Diviner by your side, I am your woman. I know you obviously don't plan to stay loyal to Narisell or you would have already owned up to what you can do. The fact I am not reporting it now practically condemns me. But I know they would gladly take the knowledge for themselves with a 'thank you' and then leave me to burn when the other shoe drops. You... are less likely to do that. It's a risk either way, but I don't think I'm backing the wrong side. My daughter and her husband too, I could convince them to come. He can work with gems of the magical kind. You wouldn't regret it."

    Well. This is not what you were expecting.

    "I... This is a lot. I will think about it," you reply somewhat lamely. "For now, there is a reason I came here."

    The Madam shifts but to her usual persona like slipping into a set of clothes. "And that is all I ask. Now, you wish to know of Divination."

    "Yes."

    - - -

    The two of you find yourself sitting at a table toward the back of the Madam's house. The items in this room are of a more plainly magical sort, while most have effects visible only to your essence sight, some have a blatantly visible glow.

    On the table between the two of you rest three opaque cups. The Madam takes a small spherical ball containing some sort of Essence Formation and puts it beneath one of the cups, beginning to move and shift the position of the three cups along the table. You've seen this trick at a market show once, it wasn't exactly hard to track back then, now you can just see the inside of each cup making the exercise trivial in the extreme.

    The Madam begins to speak as she continues moving the cups. "People think of time, of reality as a straight line. There is what was, and what will be, with us in the middle. The first and most fundamental rule of divination is to accept that this is an utter fabrication. There is no past, present nor future. There is only the chaos that is fate. We are not having a conversation right now, or perhaps we are. All that can be said for certain is that a long time in the future people will likely agree that we had a conversation. The more distant something is perceived to be in the past, the more likely it is true, while nothing can ever be assumed to be entirely so."

    So far, the Madam's words sound like typical mystical gibberish with nothing actually helpful within. A point you are about to make when she stops rotating the cups.

    "Pick one."

    Giving the Madam an exasperated sigh, you tap the cup containing the ball inside it. Because again, you can literally see inside things.

    So it is to your utter fascination that lifting the cup reveals nothing but thin air, the memory of what your saw beneath the cups seeming somehow distant and foggy. The quirk of a smile in the Madam's lips makes you realise you were making a face not unlike the children at those same market shows, which you quickly wipe away to fix the Madam with a serious stare that says 'Explain'.

    "'Reality' is a lie. There are possibilities, all grinding against each other. Divination is reaching into the future's memories to try and see what it remembers of the past. Because that is what our 'present' is, a future memory, and a memory can be changed, forgotten. It took me a week, but I wove the end of that ball's future to hew to the time a cup was placed over it. The moment that happened, there no longer existed any future where lifting the cup would reveal it. Not without someone else reaching into its past to retrieve it.
    Push and pull, grapple and strife, human will is the chaos at the centre of fate. We twist and contort it in new directions, whilst being carried along its currents in equal measure. We set our own fates in places, whilst also being beholden to them. This is the paradox a Diviner contemplates without end, stealing closely guarded insights from the veil of the unknown.
    This is not only the role of Concordance Ethea, you know of them I assu- yes, I see you clearly do. Not only Concordance Ethea, but others too. Concordance may gaze at the river of fate, but we all swim within and push upon its currents. A precognitive Ethea may look at the influence of the future and strengthens its influence upon the past, pulling knowledge and action in that direction. Many reinforcement Ethea may take the influence of the past and assert its dominance further upon the future multiplying the weight of actions already taken. Even without Ethea or magic, every thought and breath we take is itself a tiny ripple and counter-ripple within the tapestry of fate."

    Madam Silva has your attention. You listen intently as she turns to practical applications.

    "Aside finding a powerful individual with the right abilities, there is not a lot you can do to directly contest divination. Save for this. Avoid connective mediums; leaving things you own or people you cherish close to those who look for such things is just making it easy. You can never fully remove yourself from this threat as you would need to step outside creation itself to be untouchable. But anything with strong literal or symbolic attachments to you is a vector for diviners of all sorts to scry or even directly reach out and target you. Otherwise, powerful enchantments and runes can disrupt the some sorts of links if you gain access to them. Finally, don't pre-commit to actions. If your future decisions are certain bar the most extreme divergences, then your future is all the easier to track. Remain on the fence, open to being persuaded, willing to make compromises. Allow as many different factors and events as possible to sway your decisions, so that even if someone gains the ability to look at your course it will be too much of a jumble to easily make sense of. This is harder said than done, even those who claim to have none still tend to live by various principles. But where you can, avoid chaining your future to a single direction."

    "Fracture and Tension. We do not know if they are actually real or just an abstraction of a deeper truth. If you learn enough about a Concordance Wielder to know their relative focus then you probably already know more relevant specifics about their individual powers. But, as a general rule. The higher a wielder's Fracture the less you can trust that the past will stay the past or that the future will be what you think possible. You must bend circumstances overwhelmingly in your favour to face them with any sort of confidence in an outcome. Be wary, for they can pay great costs or gamble larger risks against themselves to pummel you with a fate locally bent to their whim. They don't have much endurance though, find out about their power and how to avoid it at the start and they will likely be unable to push it further. I realise I am speaking generally, but such is the way it is with Concordance, you can never be fully prepared. You might find it unsavoury, but often the best method is to send lesser men ahead of you, forcing them to waste the precious resource of their powers on peons; having nothing in reserve for your arrival."

    Madam Silva is indeed correct that you are uncomfortable in the extreme with that last suggestion. If you are having to condemn others to die as an intentional part of a plan… that feels like you've already failed before you even begin.

    You have a question niggling at the back of your head, you wonder what has affected the Madam so deeply that she now claims to be ready to upend her life and follow you if allow it. "What is the danger and calamity you spoke of?" you ask, "I have heard nothing of this."

    A pained twitch in the Madam's eye tells you this is something she has likely lost sleep over. She reclines back into her chair, letting out a long sigh before responding. "Because those who know are keeping it secret, we have no answer nor solution, only the knowledge that its scope shall be greater than anything else to ever befall the mortal plane. It will dwarf the divine wars of legend, perhaps be our very end. In all likelihood, at this very moment the truly powerful scramble to secure stable holdings, hoping to ride out the coming troubles in isolation. Those of us with less means must instead fend for the scraps."

    A deep malaise comes over the Madam as she speaks, her voice becoming hollow and thin.

    "But, what is actually coming? When?" you insist. She hasn't actually told you.

    The Madam's melancholy flees for a moment in a spike of anger, "We don't know!" before receding just as quickly as it came. "Ugh, what an age to be born in. All throughout the land, no matter where we look, there is just great peril. It hides lesser dangers, makes us far less effective. The usual mundaner threats are all obscured underneath this impossibly huge calamity inching closer, the glare of its importance slowly blinding us to anything of lesser impact. The Gods are no longer silent, but they only scream pained nonsensical gibberish, if any mortal understands their meaning, they have not seen fit to share such wisdom. *Sigh* This is a 'good time' for one such as you. Those who would normally have the capacity and inclination to find your future and control it long before this moment have instead been distracted these past few years. At first only the greatest of seers knew, now us lesser Diviners are discovering the oncoming stormfront that clouds all fates behind it."

    That… is concerning. The way the Madam speaks, it is almost as if she were describing an apocalypse, an end to all life itself. You can't really wrap your head around that, it's too big, too far off.

    "I think I understand why you are so ready to marry your path to mine. You think I might be one of those people able to maintain some semblance of order when this great malady strikes."

    It's just a hunch, but you think you have the right of it. Madam Silva sees a girl rising astronomically fast. She hopes to stand next to you and be shielded from whatever is coming.

    Still slightly weak in tone, the Madam confirms your inclination. "Exactly. I will not claim to be selfless, but I hope you understand I would be foolish to be anything less than loyal to you. How easy do you think it is to find someone with the potential to hold tremendous power who also would not throw you to the wolves when times become hard. I think you've shown yourself to be that most rarest of a creature, a combination of both. It would be the height of stupidity to do anything less than tie my fate to yours."

    Her words are persuasive, but you know there would be risks to such a pact. The Madam has determined much with only tangential contact to you. Were you to bring her even partially into the fold, you doubt many of your secrets would remain hidden from her for long. "As I said, I will think on it. Then let you know."

    Sensing the end of the conversation, the Madam escorts you to the entrance. "I can be of great help to you in the future, and your friend outside and your family. Bear that in mind."

    "Good tidings Madam, until next time," you answer, deep in thought.

    "By Her light."

    "May She guide."

    - - -

    No one will see you leave Harmuph with Myah, because you are not exiting via the gates nor walls. Through your connection to the plants upon the earth and the soil on which your feet have trod, it is time to stretch {Slipstream} to its full scope. It is the work of half an hour of focus and pooling together your essence into a deeper and deeper concentration until the weight in the air around you takes on an almost solidly physical texture. You are connected to all the places you have been, but to step across such a space through what is normally a fractionally small channel would require a lot of force to pry open the path. To step through with Myah in tow requires a lot of force. But other than the tremendous bulk you must build to go so far, the process is remarkably simple.

    "Ready?" you ask.

    "Ready," Myah answers.

    The first signs of dawn are beginning blend the starry black eastern horizon to deep blue hues as the two of you step into extra-dimensional space. You look back for a second as you pass through the threshold. Every time you leave Harmuph from now on, you'll always wonder if you'll get another chance to see it. Sally and Tunia will likely be back from the north in a couple days. You should get a chance to see them... you hope so.

    You sigh as you finish crossing into the extended channel. 'I'll be okay. Home... is what you make it.'

    Dimensions twist, inside becomes outside and up becomes purple, then you are stepping out onto the darkly lit field where you gained insight into {Slipstream}, less than an hour's walk from home.

    Your brief satisfaction at watching the power expand within your soul is distracted by Myah emptying her stomach onto the ground next to you. A few dry-heaves later and she looks at you with a very unimpressed expression. "That. Was terrible."

    "I get it," you say sympathetically as you rub Myah's back, she's still a little too unsteady to stand immediately. "The first time, I saw what you saw but even couldn't turn it off. It's a small miracle I found a way to get a handle on it, now I sort of see that all the time without it bothering me."

    Myah flinches at the idea that you see the spaces between spaces all the time, forcing herself to her feet (with your shoulder for assistance) as she answers, "That's insane. A moment is more than enough."



    The two of you make good time heading south. Using minor relation slots you are able to extend the {Primordial Chassis} and {Pulse Surge}'s effect onto Myah, effectively pulling her along in bounding leaps without ripping an arm off. It took a few tries before (despite her repeated assurances each time that she was prepared) the squeals sounded more like joy than fear, but you got there.

    With home on the horizon, you settle into a calmer walk. Best not to push your Pithe too far carrying another load. You never know when you might need it. Myah, for her part, grows silent and contemplative on the final leg. Something you are perfectly comfortable with as there is plenty to think about.

    You left home with complicated feelings last evening. Some distance and time have helped you to take a step back and look at things with somewhat refreshed eyes. For all the tension that exists between your family, you love them and they love you. What you found in Harmuph serves as a stark example to put that in context. You might not agree with the decisions your parents have made, but you can accept they sought to protect you. Things may be difficult with Zach, but you have the beginning of a solution, and the hope of figuring out more in time. Things might actually work out alright.

    "I make things easier," Myah breaks through your thoughts.

    "Sorry what?" you say, refocusing.

    "My Ethos, I can make someone better at a certain talent, soothe their pain too," Myah answers, there is a strange sense of urgency to her tone that you can't place.

    "Your hair changed when it came," you add, "I haven't seen that often."

    Myah shrinks inward a small amount at your comment for some reason, "There are limits, but between you and me, not much. I can be useful and it doesn't really matter what you need to do because I can probably help no matter what your-"

    Oh.

    You place your hand lightly over Myah's mouth as you turn to face her, her words naturally petering out. "I am so so sorry Myah," you say, pondering the full weight of what you left her to face alone while you were caught up in your own world. Without {The Ladder} you'd likely have never even had the chance to correct it. "You don't need to bargain, bribe or purchase my help. I let you down, but if I have any say at all, it won't happen again. Stay with me as long as you wish. No questions asked." You punctuate your statement with a firm nod. You mean what you say.

    "...okay," Myah whispers, and the two of you walk on.



    As the edge of your Essence Sight draws close to the house, you find your sense of anticipation builds. Your father may still take quite some time to fully awake, but your general guess was that he'd make good progress over the night. All your family are of course present and accounted for nearby, the essence-links you maintain ensuring you'd know well in advance were someone to have breached the protective cordon around the home and hurt one of them.

    Your anticipation drops into a pit of fear when your radius passes through the front door and you immediately see watchman Legle's dead body just inside, a mess of splintered bone and ruined muscle as if torn apart in a hundred different places from within.

    Close your eyes and only look through your Domain's senses. Puncture your eardrums and do not heal them. Tremendous danger ahead.

    Not paying the words any heed save for the warning of danger, you move forward without thinking, a single step carrying you a dozen metres over the ground at a time. Every member of your family are awake and standing rigidly in a line in the main room next to the dining table, the shape of a young girl you do not recognise is with them.

    Panic overrules the more rational part of your mind that might take a step back before running blindly into such a situation. You reach the entrance within seconds, bursting through. The long-stated prediction of your mother's that one of her children would one-day ruin the front door is fulfilled as the hinges snap away from the frame with your high velocity impact, flinging it through the inside of the house (though not into anyone).

    "S̵̪͠t̵͓̐op̴."

    Sharp pikes of pain skewer your soul, feeling disturbingly similar to the terrible alienness of the spirit near Harmuph's touch. Parts of you that should never stop, cease moving; entire segments of your soul becoming as still as the grave.

    You Obey.

    The idea of not stopping is utterly unthinkable, unable to be even considered. Evie is scrambling around you, desperately poking and tugging at the bound segments within you. For whatever reason, a lesser portion of her was affected.

    Standing in the main room of the house is your father, alive and well. Your mother beside him and your three brothers two, arranged in order of age. They stand tall and at attention, stiff muscles clenching unnaturally tight to hold themselves perfectly rigid. It would be most unusual, except that you yourself are doing the same.

    There are tears in all their eyes, you don't have to ask why. Standing clenched so tightly like this must be incredibly painful, it's uncomfortable even for your reinforced frame.

    And then, there is the girl. It is hard to panic or even be concerned, concerns connect to the idea of solving a problem; That could involve 'not stopping', an impossible thought.

    "Hello there Bloomling," the girl says, lounging against the dining table in an overly dramatic fashion. Her eyes are a deep green, stark and piercing. She wears clothes that don't seem to fit her exactly, as if randomly selected from a dozen different sources. "Name's Valerie, lovely morning isn't it?"

    That was a question. You are allowed to answer, but no words come to mind. How can you answer without starting something? That would be 'not stopping', an impossible thought.

    Wiwially! (Got it!)

    Some part of your soul that had gone rigid and unmoving, suddenly begins to circulate again.

    You still cannot move, but you can think about how to stop stopping... somehow. It's hard to be concerned about Valerie, but a part of you is at least a little worried. Putting off {The Ladder}'s warnings is not something you'll ever do again if you get the chance.

    "Now," the girl Valerie says, playfully jumping up onto her feet to stroll over to your mother. "Shall we begin?"

    Time seems to slow, many things happening at once.

    |Upcoming Gravitic Juncture: 16 Seconds| Silas Family {{Slaughter}}, Liatris and Lilly Silas {{Fragment Harvest}} Event |Current Pre-Factor: 84%| |Current Post-Factor: -7%| Concord Node 'Lilly Silas' capable of circumvention? Yes. Gravitic Actor Factor: 58%

    Liatris?

    The Ethea within you reach an apex in their movements you did not realise was so close; the gap, the reception point, widens. In that same moment, the familiar cruel tendril of inky power reaches from an untraceable place. The golden glimmer hidden within, still present.

    But this time is different.

    You feel the potential for many Ethea, different Integration Vectors from numerous locations begin to unfold within you through the conduit the tendril provides, yet the strength it lends for this is minor, your soul seemingly handling most of the task itself.

    At the moment of climax, the golden thread suddenly lashes out from within, thrashing and tearing in every direction. The tendril is by far greater in bulk and strength to the golden thread, but taken by utter surprise at the critical moment, begins to flay apart. After a moment of struggle, you feel a sort of anchor you didn't know existed within your soul detach. The tendril and glimmer both rip away and fall beyond perception; you suspect, never to be seen again.

    Thirteen seconds remain. The tiny inceptive pieces of a handful of Ethea spread out, each one striving to reach the single available space and tether within your soul.



    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

    Choice Time:
    *** Make sure you copy paste exactly from the options, the only change is adding 'X's.
    *** Approval/Multi-Voting Allowed. (Do it all in one post or tally won't count it properly)
    *** Write ins are encouraged. In fact, creative and intelligent ideas receive bonuses on rolls.

    Stop.: You cannot fight; Trying to do anything is almost as hard as convincing your own heart to stop beating. With the tools and power available to you, what can you possibly do in the thirteen seconds before the unthinkable occurs? Is this an impossible task? The end?
    [ ] Write in.

    [My Resolution, Thy Bedrock ] Level Up 0 -> 1:
    [ ] [BLU] At her lowest point, she found a hidden light.
    [ ] [BLU] It really is the friends we make along the way.
    [ ] [BLU] She stepped inward, re-emerging when the danger had passed.
    [ ] [BLU] Firm as a mountain. For the needy, she had strength to spare.

    [Brave Blood] Level Up 3 -> 4:
    [ ] [BBLU] They retreated to gain respite, not realizing they were playing right into her hand.
    [ ] [BBLU] They thought the terror would stop her. Right up until she sliced them in two.
    [ ] [BBLU] Her blood burned hot and thick, the enemy knew to avoid its scalding spray.
    [ ] [BBLU] She watched. She waited. Still and silent. When the opening came, she moved.
    (Depending on your choice here, you may move into High Divergence)

    Sixth Ethos Selection:
    [A Loyal Steed] (Lesser): (Oath) |     Unique
    You have run, you have dodged, risking life and limb for one another. Neither of you have ever abandoned the other for selfish gain. Now, for the rest of your life, the two of you shall never be alone. Your natures' shall be entwined, wrought into something greater than you were before. An ocean may separate you, yet you would still not be apart. Not even death can sever this, for Chariot's life now resides within your own.
    Lvl 0: {Sharefont}: Chariot can slowly take on physical characteristics from Lilly (or vice versa).
    [Militant] (Lesser): (Pithe)
    Even if all he has is a stick, bone and his own fists, the Militant makes do with what he's got. A natural sort of violence born of necessity. It need not be flashy, merely effective. Lock him in chains and gag his mouth, the Militant will always find a new way to be armed. They'll put you in a diversion dress and shank high heels, you've got some surprises waiting for them…
    Lvl 0: {Piercer}: A damage/effect on a surface can be made to bypass one distinct layer.
    [Laywoman] (Lesser): (Essence)
    The members of Aurora's church are said to be the ones who keep the sun shining throughout the year, ensuring she completes her transition back to Gaia from Solemn. Through acts of subtle grace and care, they sooth and heal the world. Laywomen have a natural tendency toward being amiable and peaceful and many find it easy to trust their motivations as entirely genuine. Where the laywoman walks, shadows are a little less dark, the wind loses its biting chill and fruits taste sweeter. The world is kind to them, and they are kind in return.
    Author's Note: Myah said she wanted to be one of these. You know whatever Ethos she got was not this one, presumably it wasn't one of her possible choices.
    Lvl 0: {Hands bearing Peace}: Anything harmful/bad can be rendered less-so with your touch.
    [Vital Hunt] (Common): (Essence)
    You understand the purpose of violence is never for its own sake. There is always an objective, to wrench an outcome out of the uncaring future's grasp. You listen to the wisdom of the Strands as they guide you toward your prey, the thrill of approaching your goal and knowing that the time soon approaches. You reach out into the history of the hunt, and call forth the instinct to succeed. Lose yourself in the raw exuberance of nature, become an instrument of your own will. Just as you are empowered by the hunt, your foe is weakened by it.
    Lvl 0: {Biteback}: Slowly move wounds through forced essence-links. Functions as deeply ingrained curse impeding function of body/soul as if injured without having a wound to heal.
    [Intuitor] (Common): (Flow)
    A thousand years and every tutor under the sun, still you could not begin to scratch the surface of the sum total of possible knowledge. You accept this fact, but nevertheless will never stop your upward climb. A knack for learning and mastery of diverse or tricky talents. The Jack of All trades empowered by a dedicated Ethos. "I may not be the best juggler, dancer or singer, but I can do all three at the same time better than most." Your already sharp mind shall be honed and polished to a truly deadly point. From this starting point, your Ethos could develop into a truly strange and unique thing.
    Lvl 0: {Kneejerk}: Your first impulse on how to try something you are unfamiliar with is more likely to be roughly correct. More effective with concrete skills/talents as opposed to abstract concepts.
    [Resolved in Flame] (Common): (Mana)
    Focal Element:     Fire (Common)
    Cowards have good reason to be afraid, for the irresolute are the best kind of tinder. The cold winds of rejection have whipped at your sides and tried to steal your heart and heat, but you have found a deeper fire again and again. Now it is time to unleash the central facet of what drives you to aspire higher than your station, burn to ash all that stands in your way. Leave behind the doe eyed outlook of a child, understand the need for destruction to carve out a better future. Fire is the foundation of growth. You are the catalyst.
    Lvl 0: {Irrepressible Ember}: Fire Spells constantly emit Tierx1% of their effect for no cost while held in reserve.
    [Shine, my Gentle Heart] (Rare): (Flow)/Oath (Likely to hybridize to Flow/Oath)
    Conditions Met? Test of Purity: {Yes.} Test of Charity: {Yes.} Test of Valour: {Yes.}
    When the whole world tries to guard only itself, often with very good reason, it would take an exceptional woman indeed to turn that logic on its head. You do not strive for shallow glory, but unblemished Goodness. Others shall call you foolish whilst secretly wishing they could climb half as high as your valour. For when life demands that you compromise to match it, you shall answer with an inner illuminating brilliance that can never be smothered. Where a hundred thousand men say the only solution is violence, you are the one woman who can reach a tyrant's heart. Meek and strong alike shall look to you for moral guidance. Heal wounds the eye cannot see. Sway the most despicable back toward the light. Take your small flickering candle of love; set the world ablaze.
    Lvl 0: {Affective Radiance}: Sense other people/creatures' desires and emotional attachments. Influence the way they feel about things.
    [Limited Coordinate] (Rare): (Concordance)
    Variables must be contained. Diligent management of mediums for propagation and proper institution of transfer bottlenecks can help prevent undesirable consequence cascades. The current circumstances are too complex with too many moving parts; the equation must be simplified. Number of autonomous actors and relative gravitic weight can be efficiently whittled down with optimised application of existing leverage at appropriate juncture points. Too much external free will, not enough control. Immediate remedy must be applied.
    Lvl 0: {Obstructive Insight}: Intuition on how to keep systems isolated and processes causally separate.
    [The Path walked Alone] (Rare): (Flow/Concordance)
    The burden of responsibility is heavy, it is not right to ask another to carry it. You place your own life and happiness on the altar to be the one who stands up in the time of need. Children will play innocent and free in their homes whilst you do what must be done in far off places. Their minds and futures kept safe whilst yours are fashioned into implements of war. No man can find firm ground near you, perception and predication both twisting against him. You will go where things must be ended, and walk out alone. Perhaps one day the world shall not need your gift any longer, until then, you pay the price with grim determination.
    Lvl 0: {Agony Bomb}: Intersect Flow and Tension Lines. Massively upscales all possible short-term futures where people suffer great pain. Targets friendlies and hostiles indiscriminately.
    [D̵̘̹́͝iss̷̝̰̿͌oĺ̷̤̪͑u̷͕͚̓tio̶͕͉͐̀n of ̵̝͆̌ th̴͈̋̒e̷͈͆͌ Se̸̯̺̎l̵̻͙̎f] (Apotheotic): (???)
    I s̶͍̮̈c̴͚̩̄͐rea̸̛̠̥͝ḿ̴̧̞! I̷̞͔̔t c̸̺̍la̴͕̓͠ẁ̵̱͝s̷̥̹̾! We̴̱̥͂ ̷̜̫́̿biṫ̵̟͘ͅe!̶̰̀̇ G̴̺̓i̴͖̅͘v̵̡͒̒e̴̡͚͝ y̴̖̝͘ou̷̖͑r̶͚̺̄͝sel̷̗̊f t̴͚͆ȯ̶̯ me Ĺ̸͖̣͘ill̶̩͌y. T̷̹̱͝h̶͙̼̆̕ĕ̶̗̝̆y d̸̟͒́em̴̪͇̈͝a̴̪̿̇n̷͕͂͝d̶̫̤̄̒ it.̷͎͚̊ ̵̝̲̎If y̷͚͒oű̶̢̲ d̷̙̋ỏ̴̰͉n'̸̨̧̎t̴͐͜ c̸͈̭͊h̸̞̤͆̿o̷͕̓os̷̢̚ë̵̡̤́ m̷̡̛̝é̴̯̚ t̵̩͇͂̆han̸̛ͅ I ẁ̸̨͓ḭ̶̥̆͊ll eat̶͚́͠ yò̶̰͔̔u̵̗̽̾ͅr f̴͕̉ȁ̶̹mily̴̯̠̆͒ ẇ̵͍̽hi̷̱͐̂le̵̫̜̓ m̷͔̄á̷̟k̶̮͑̈́ï̵̦̣n̶̹̠̒g̷͉͐ yơ̵̖͖̅u w̸̮̌͘a̵̤͇̎̑tch. You̵̖̜͊̋ wiĺ̵͙̯̄l̶̳͎̏ beg for t̷̖́he p̶̨̓ȓ̷̟̼̆ḯ̸̳̑v̴͔̈́ileg̵̛̟͉e tō̸̙̆ DI̵̧͐Ë̷̼̝́, bư̴̞t ḭ̴̢̈̚n̵͖̍st̴̞͆ead I will r̷͓̀́ȩ̶̓̿m̶̭̠̏ake yoû̴̫̣͛ i̷͑ͅn̸̨̩̈́to a̵̺̥͂ b̶͗͜r̸̪̈̅ọ̵̰͆ken̵̨̝͑͠ p̵̙͔̒ḷ̷̛ă̶͍̠̚y̶̪͗̑thing untī̶͉̩l̵̟͐͝ t̵̟̙̎͛h̴̰̕e en̵̝͊͠d ŏ̵ͅf̸̼̊͑ ̷̞̫̈t̶̯́imë̸̪͝.̸̛̰̠ I am c̴̞̃o̷̹̼̓̄m̵͔̂̄ȋ̶͍̯̄ng for̸̺̂ y̴̤͗̒o̶̜̙͗u, youn̷̮̑͆g b̵̧̈́l̴͙͔̈ooṁ̷̮͙͑lì̸̗ņ̷͇̂ġ̷͔́. The̸̢̩̊͒ F̸̧͎̎a̷̲̣̅͛l̸̢̈́͜ś̸͔e̸͇͖͐̈́ Divine w̷̭̜̌̍i̶͉͍͗ll not̴͕̃͜ p̵͙̍͊rotect̷̫́̒ ̷̛̪̬̾y̴̗̳̓͠õ̵̭̬ų̷̮̉; D̶͉̀is̵̝̊ͅs̷͓̺͐ọ̶̿l̷̫̣̊̋utio̶̹̰͊́n ̶̮̫̿i̵̼͝s you̵͕̰̇̚r on̸̝͊̈ly̷̯͖̎ salv̶̼͉́̚a̵̖͋̃t̸̘̝̎̕i̵̝͌̇o̷̪͛̾n̷̟̈. CH̸̭̜̔͗o̵̲͚͊Ö̷̞́͂sẽ̶̩͔́ ṃ̸͌͜E F̶̜̀E̴̡͘ed m̸̝͛E CH̷̦̀oO̷̧̧͒͝s̸̗̉ė̷͕ mĔ̴̼̟̍ F̸̪̗̉E̷̱̜̿̚e̴͕̾d̸̟̟̓͛ mÈ̴̲̖ C̴̪̍͝HoOș̵͇̇́e̵̥̖͑̓ m̴̝̿Ȩ̴̘͐ FĒ̶͙̬ed m̵̄ͅE! T̸̹͂́ͅỏ̴̟͔̅g̸̯̓é̷͎̿th̴̫̣̏̏e̴͍̤̅̊r̴̡̙͑ we shą̸̈́l̴̩͉̋l̸̻͂ f̵̱̅͜eḁ̷̄s̷͍̭͊t ẁ̸̰̋i̶͙͒͝ͅt̵̡̊hoȕ̶̢t en̵͚͋̍d̵̦̏!̶͙̫̍͝
    No.

    AN:
    Social-fu Ethea are never going to be common appearances on your roster. You've only ever had a few and Ethos Picks are starting to slow down. I recommend you take one soon. That would be [Laywoman] (could be diverged that direction) or especially [Shine, my Gentle Heart] currently, or you can risk trying for something different later.
    That said, there're some nice picks for even more potential combat/skill snowballing if that is what you want right now… (Any problem can be solved with more force, technically.)
    Of course, the most powerful synergy of all would be to one day combine [Shine, my Gentle Heart] and [A Loyal Steed] together, turn into a horse and embark on "It's a Girl's World - - Friendship is Magic edition" ;)
    Win condition would be finding the Apotheotic [Elements of Harmony] Ethos.
    [ ] [SES] A Loyal Steed
    [ ] [SES] Militant
    [ ] [SES] Laywoman
    [ ] [SES] Vital Hunt
    [ ] [SES] Intuitor
    [ ] [SES] Resolved in Flame
    [ ] [SES] Shine, my Gentle Heart
    [ ] [SES] Limited Coordinate
    [ ] [SES] The Path Walked Alone
    [ ] [SES] Dissolution of the Self

    Additional Considerations: If there is an idea you want Lilly to keep in mind or some action not related to any voting option you think she should do, 'Additional Considerations' is the place to put it.
    For example, dropping/adding Relation Slots even when it doesn't come up in any specified vote.
    [ ] [AC] Write in.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    - Marius nearly f*cked himself for life. Moving yourself or having others come to you increases the gravitic weight of mana-curse, making it more difficult to remove. If Lilly hadn't woke to heal him, he'd need to do that anyway and likely never expand again (at best). More likely he'd have been a cripple.
    - You are very close to the Max Sync & 10/10 Grasp Bonus for the [Dream].
    - You have procced one of the unique features of [Towering Edifice to Heaven] (of course you can probably tell now what the inspiriation for some of the secondary powers you gained that didn't seem immediately related to being a Dungeon came from now), the ability to understand and examine complex magical systems that interact with your soul. This means you will be able to handle powers to a level of intracity and accuracy far beyond the typical mortal scope and find it massively easier to intuitively grasp their intended use. (Esoteric Flow/Mana/Concordance abilities will also be far less trial-and-error to figure out)
    There are more to still more features to find, this isn't the best one either.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    - High Grasp on the [Tower] is doing wonders for you right now. Makes figuring out how to use Lvl 1 features nearly impossible to fail the initial rolls for. Less 'I will need to explore this' and more 'I can do all these things now'.
    - You got a Natural 100 on reintegrating the new Domain Senses with Petal's assistance. So your Attuned Locus grew through the experience and was able to do a better job than I'd first planned, giving your Domain Senses that can actually grow alongside your Ethea rather than a static bonus.
    - Great roll of {Riemannian Geometer}, which I elected to further enhance off the back of the seceret challenge bonus and its synergy with your Domain Senses roll. So you really 'get' the extra-spatial dimensions now.
    - Speaking of which, you've missed most ##### rolls from the Dream up until now, so it was good to see you start to access that element as you can never reach 10/10 Ethos Grasp without at least getting the gist of what it's up too.

    - - - - - - - - - -
    Current XP:
    [Dream within the Forest] Lvl 5: 857/2100 (+48)
    [Brave Blood] Lvl 4: 1000/1500 (+24) (+13) "I…
    [Cleaver of Fortune] Lvl 3:     801/1000 (+67)
    [Effervescent Animus] Lvl 2: 3839/6000 (+772) (-13) "…halp"
    [My Resolution, Thy Bedrock] Lvl 1:     187/100 (+139)
    - -
    [Towering Edifice to Heaven] Lvl 0: 169.99/10000 (+53.45)
    Character Sheet, Maps, Photos: Public - It's a Girl's World
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] [BLU] At her lowest point, she found a hidden light.
    [X] [BBLU] They retreated to gain respite, not realizing they were playing right into her hand.
    [X] [SES] Shine, my Gentle Heart
     
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    Okay so!

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

    Now that I've gotten that out of the way, status:

    We've got Zalgo Lady in our house.

    But Concordance has a plan for this.
    Valerie Nireile's original mindstate is not yet irretrievable. Fully encompassing her heart within your domain to eject occupying entity followed by physical isolation within the {Attuned Locus} would allow {Rest State} to enact gradual recovery.
    Click to expand...
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    Now how do we do that?

    Idea: Stop being us. Be Petal instead. Or hand things off to Petal.

    Idea: Stop her.

    Connected thought: Cessation Rivet?

    Tentative idea:
    [] [STOP.] Try rebooting - hand things off to Petal. She's not you, ergo she is not bound, ergo she can restart things. And the order was not "stop and don't restart". Especially focus on Cessation Rivet so you can make her stop, if even for a moment, to pull off what the Ladder mentioned.

    ====

    ...Shine, My Gentle Heart really calls to me, as an Ethos and characterization choice.

    [X] [SES] Shine, my Gentle Heart
     
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    [X] [ACG] I Rejected the Trial.
    [X] [BLU] Firm as a mountain. For the needy, she had strength to spare.
    [X] [BBLU] They retreated to gain respite, not realizing they were playing right into her hand.
    [X] [SES] Shine, my Gentle Heart

    [X] [AC] Be more willing to listen to the Ladder and trust in it.
     
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    Haven't read the update yet but I might as well post this since it's looking at the last update and I've stalled on it for weeks.

    Also Sly random thing but I can't see the 2.4 status sheet. I just see 2.3 despite seeing that the sheet was editied yesterday not sure if this is a me issue or an issue on your side

    Slyvena said:
    While Lira and Molain conspired to claim unrivalled ascendancy over one another.
    Click to expand...
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    The two major human powers are fucking with each other which would probably have led to a human world war if the world wasn't going to end in 5 years. I wonder if one of these is where Cirella the Siren calls home?

    Slyvena said:
    While Kailsii desperately strove to retain its position as their favoured lapdog among other lessers.
    Click to expand...
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    Kalisii is the Strong Every Season kingdom furthest to the North and apparently the favored lapdog of both Lira and Molain instead of just one going by that 'their'. From this description it feels like they focus more on being top bootlicker and keeping the other kingdoms down than improving themselves.

    Slyvena said:
    While Tosliav sought to hide their empire's crumbling from inside itself and elven-kind set about their Great Solution
    Click to expand...
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    Tosilav is an empire and it's apparently collapsing despite it doing its best to appear not to. A late Roman Empire situation? Wonder how the elves and their Great Solution fits into Tosilav's situation if at all considering they're put togeather in the same sentence. Anyways I assume by the general tone of this entire paragraph that the Elves Great Solution will also prove meaningless if probably horrific when the end of days approaches.

    Slyvena said:
    While the Yaugry sat in her empty kingdom, chasing apotheosis at the top of her soul-wrought tower.
    Click to expand...
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    There's apparently someone trying to become a god in an empty kingdom (did she empty it herself?) in a scarily named soul-wrought tower. This once again won't help anyone since even the Gods are going to die.

    Slyvena said:
    While these schemers and a thousand more besides fought on battlefields of soil, future and mind; each thinking themselves the only one worthy.
    Click to expand...
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    There's a lot more nations and people than then just the above competing against each other. With schemes happing not only on the ground but in the future and minds. All because everyone thinks only they worthy. This implies to me that if we want to do and be better than these nations we'll need to actually be able to work with others instead of just trying to force our way since everyone else is 'obviously' incompetent.

    Slyvena said:
    While great magics clashed and priceless resources were expended, titanic struggles for supremacy over enemies real and imagined.

    All these efforts and many more amounted to less than nothing, all an utter waste; for in this time not a single eye turned its gaze onto the only place that truly mattered.

    Humanity had more than enough time to save themselves, but so preoccupied were they in yesterday's wars, none perceived that the end fast approached.
    Click to expand...
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    Basically people are dumb for being so busy fighting yesterday's war they don't notice Tomorrow's Apocalypses. Wonder if all we have to do is not singlehandedly beat the Maw or whatever but weaken it enough and draw attention to it that if one of the other powers gets their heads out their asses they can deal with it. Probably unlikely but I can try and have some hope.

    Slyvena said:
    Instead, in the isolated community of Harmuph, it would all fall upon the shoulders of a single young girl.
    Click to expand...
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    Wonder why we're the only one who can save everyone. Like I get we're powerful and seem to be part of a divine plan but we seem to be currently as ignorant as the big nations about the looming threat
    soon to approach since as bad as Rapid Iterator and Waters are they're nowhere near threats to the entire world even if RI is connected to the Maw. Especially since iirc the big plot interlude is across the sea implying that we're far from the epicenter initial disaster zone.

    Slyvena said:
    Where a weaker soul would crumple, she stood strong. Where the coward would run, she was brave. Where misfortune could twist a heart cruel, she chose kindness.

    In a world so dark, humanity's only hope was brighter than they deserved.

    But time ran thin,
    …and she was not ready.
    Click to expand...
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    Nice to have some hype going for us even if we're still super unprepared and probably going to die before Lilly reaches 16.

    Slyvena said:
    Thanks to {Tremendous Mechanist}, you understand the nature of the adrenaline within your blood and how under normal circumstances it would be giving you shakes right now from the come down. {Essence Metabolism} sits at a level that removes almost all the drawbacks alongside other stress hormones.

    Physically, you are fine.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Lilly's insides are more jumpy then a kid who ate a bowl of pure sugar but thankfully her metabolism is enough to tank it. Weird that Lilly knows what adrenaline is but I guess she just knows that now. Does she understand how the fuck the human brain works? Random thought but I wonder what interactions adrenaline has with Pithe especially since I could see Brave Blood specifically working with adrenaline given its name.


    Slyvena said:
    It is not any form of withdrawal that causes you to move and act somewhat unfocused in the aftermath of Lord Waters' departure, but simply the weight of the future weighing down upon you.
    Click to expand...
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    Poor Lilly she shouldn't have to carry the world and the future on her back. Wonder if she can actually feel that weight with her esoterica senses

    Slyvena said:
    You must leave Harmuph within the month, likely much sooner. That or lay hold of so much power an entire kingdom would not oppose you. You understand better today than any before just how quickly you are growing in strength, but to rival armies of men decades your senior still seems a wildly outlandish goal.
    Click to expand...
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    At least you know you have to leave before your hometown burns to the ground like a normal JRPG protagonist? But yeah we can't stay here which is a major issue for us considering our Prime Tree/Petal is stuck here. Cause I really doubt we'll be able to level up Tower enough to take the physical tree into the dream. Also yeah there's no way we're growing fast enough to not need to run away. Even if we had the entire watch on our side with us buffing them we would still get crushed. Maybe come back in a year or two to try again.

    Slyvena said:
    Thankfully, if there is any man nearby who could give you an idea of the feasibility of any decision, it is likely Captain Martin himself. It's time to move on from any lingering guilt of potentially stealing autonomy away from him with your knowledge of the future, you don't have time for such thoughts when your family is on the line. Act now, judge yourself later.
    Click to expand...
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    Yeah hopefully Martin can help give us the info to make a better move than aimlessly running in circles. I wonder what Martin would think if we told him exactly what Ladder said about him cause I feel like what we did wasn't really stealing autonomy and I think he might agree.

    Slyvena said:
    "…O-Okay," he sputters through held back tears. You note with some sadness that the innocence that would have sulked and tried to argue is no longer there behind his eyes. You're not the only one who has been forced to see the harsher side of life these past few days.
    Click to expand...
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    Man just fuck this week and world. Innocence is being lost left and right. I wonder if this happening when he's so young is partly why he's got the Premium ethos allocation assuming he lives long enough for that 5 year timer to go down.

    Slyvena said:
    You establish Innate Essence links to Zach, Marcus and your Mother just like you already had to Micah and your Father. It will slowly work out kinks and minor defects in the days ahead, more importantly you are now able to know their rough location and if they are in immediate peril.
    Click to expand...
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    Make our family have ideal bodies is a nice trick especially since it also doubles as a radar. Though I worry about our ability to react to knowing a family member is in danger since it's not like we can teleport or do something if we're not already nearby.


    Slyvena said:
    f your father's situation was not so important, you would likely instead focus on your mother. The levels of physical exhaustion and stress you pick up border on truly dangerous. Were it not for your essence-link, she would likely have needed to see a healer if she went many more days unattended. As is, there is no more danger. Not only can you fully restore her over time without thinking, you could also re-establish a link within seconds if it were broken thanks to {Sympathetic Linkage} and your ever expanded control of the golden strands. You won't force her to wakefulness now though even though that is within your capacity, if at all possible, you want her to find dad restored when she next opens her eyes. You have some pretty mixed feelings regarding your mother right now, but even without {Rest State} highlighting the signs, you know someone on the edge when you see it.
    Click to expand...
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    Man our family got messed up in this week with Mom basically shutting down to deal with dad. Thankfully Martin had some men help take care of our house and brothers since Mom was in condition to do so. I wonder if she did anything via Service to Man to help dad. IIRC Service is Flow so maybe it helped keep Yolun's mind from collapsing from the corruption?


    Slyvena said:
    Since expelling the foulness, restoring dad has been about calling back his original state. You believe essence is already good for that in general, {Rest State} making the process a significant step easier so long as you are physically touching. But rather than just finding the original form of things and coaxing essence to pull its surrounds back to that state, you want to try something akin to how {Wood Memory} feels. Not actively change anything, just remind the strands of what they were and then attach them to each other. Let them self-organise like the strands do without your intervention, holistically.
    Click to expand...
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    This feels like Lilly using Whispers of Life's REDACTED power along with crossing the 1st threshold for Sympathetic Linkage. Interesting Essence is good at returning things back to 'normal' really makes me wonder if the whole life theming of Essence is just a coincidence to
     
    Remember when Lilly's biggest problem was her dad's stifling and clearly antiquated views? Lilly Silas remembers.

    I'm torn, and I'll come back to this. But Shine, my Gentle Heart feels like the right choice.
    I'm going to parse back through everything before I make a final determination though. Really wish True Song was back online.

    Reminder to look at the stat sheet before plans, especially now that everyone Lilly cares about is directly in life-threatening jeopardy.
     
    NotteBoy97 said:
    Also Sly random thing but I can't see the 2.4 status sheet. I just see 2.3 despite seeing that the sheet was editied yesterday not sure if this is a me issue or an issue on your side
    Click to expand...
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    I haven't finished updating the 2.4 sheet yet. Will get it up today or tomorrow :)

    NotteBoy97 said:
    Weird that Lilly knows what adrenaline is but I guess she just knows that now. Does she understand how the fuck the human brain works?
    Click to expand...
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    It would be painful for me to describe modern terms in entirely new language, so for the most part assume that Lilly is not actually using the word 'adrenaline' or other technical terms when talking about stuff like this and I've used those just for ease of reading/writing. In much the same way as when Lilly talks about 'kinetic force' or 'spatial dimensions', the words are more for you the reader to know what the hell she is going on about :).
    Lilly doesn't understand how brains and hormones work enough to rebuild them from first principles, but has a somewhat ridiculous level of familiarity with them now. Her brain isn't fully active anymore though, given that her thoughts reside more so in the {Core Heart}.

    NotteBoy97 said:
    I wonder what Martin would think if we told him exactly what Ladder said about him cause I feel like what we did wasn't really stealing autonomy and I think he might agree.
    Click to expand...
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    He'd be a little defensive since he's in a bit of self-denial as to how self serving his goals are. But yeah, Lilly didn't steal anyone's autonomy, it's just a weird feeling to understand someones motivations so completely that you can guide their decisions like a clockwork automaton, even if only temporarily.
     
    Broadly I agree the answer is letting Petal (with Evies help) forcibly reboot us. Attuned Locus + My Resolution, Thy Bedrock + Subversion + Tower is probably the best combo. We can't do anything, but we can let someone reboot ourself, in a state where we cannot use our hearing and must use our domain to perceive as per Ladder.

    Also Shine my gentle heart is clearly 100% the best choice.

    On to the Spirit, I'm pretty sure thats the dungeon and I'm loathe to play its games.
     
    ...So, about that whole "everything's eventually going to settle down" bit, that's, uh, that's not happening for a while, huh. Holding off on voting until later, but here's some of my reactions.
    • Mathias is REALLY lucky that we both woke up and got [Bedrock] that makes Essence healing viable for us, particularly since his self-healing basically set his Mana-Curse to Hard Mode.
    • We just can't stop Demi-godding, huh? Abilities synergizing with other abilities, which both improves our understanding and helps us avoid sensory overloads. We're even getting closer to understanding the Dream, which is shaping up to be a whole other barrel of apples.
    • I'm leaning towards No to Not-Jeremy. I'm not in the mood for a "hard-mode" trial, particularly one given by a sadistic spirit. Particularly since we have enough problems making it through the next five minutes, apparently.
    • I know that Lilly's not trying to be a cult leader, but right now Myah views us as the only lifeboat on a stormy sea and is willing to do ANYTHING to get on. Glad that we got to Myah before total Inversion, though.
    • I'm going to need some more time to really dive into the Diviner's speech. I wonder if people will get suspicious when 2 families are leaving town near the end of the month.
    • It looks like "Is anyone divining Lilly?" is a soft No at this point, both due to Hybrid Siphon and general "can't hear the tip-toes for the earthquake siren" that the Concodoverse is going through right now.
    • Lilly, the ONE time you need to listen to Ladder, and you blow it. Ladder, the ONE big threat to everybody Lilly cares about, and you merely hint at a solution as a "fun fact". *sigh*
    • Dissolution, you're coming on a bit strong. I would say to ask Evie about how to give a good pitch, but she's shaking her head. Better luck next time, buddy.
     
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