Neveah manifested next to him She touched RandidlyÆs shoulder I will see if they listen to my advice Recover your Fatepiece manifesting like that has left you drained
Randidly nodded but then paused He raised his head and peered at Neveah noticing the slight tension in her shoulders and the way that she avoided his gaze hmm Neveah why is it that you seem vaguely guilty What have you been up to
I have no idea what you are talking about Neveah lied
Before Randidly could dig through their Soulbond and investigate this strangeness a portal manifested just outside the bounds of the circle of pillars A manifestation of Yggdrasil flared into existence its powerful roots digging into the ground and preparing for the fight he had expected since his arrival
Only two individuals stepped out of the portal Randidly recognized them both
Ha Finally nephew Your long period of undercover espionage is over Tuthak Eloise undulated forward toward Nathaz Eloise an individual with whom Randidly had cooperated in the past He pivoted and waved at Randidly With this our grand ritual can be directly plugged into the Overlay System As such it will be that much more difficult for the forces of the Nexus to stop the process Our chances of success just keep on climbing
Yet Randidly hadnÆt looked away from the second individual a young woman Randidly hadnÆt met or spoken to or even thought about in a long long time
Randidly Ghosthound Lyra Silver curtseyed Her lips didnÆt curl her eyes didnÆt twinkle and none of the playful barbs he had grown to expect from her were present What a pleasure to be working with you again
After the earlier farce of a tearful reunionÆ this one slammed Randidly in the gut
Chapter 2357
When the Monarch of Karma woke up floating on that tumbling bit of stone he saw the entire universe laid out above him Not only did the view possess more stars than he had ever seen but they sparkled without any intentions His eyes began to pulse with power as his image stirred All that he saw he deserved
No no not this shit again The Monarch of Karma scowled at his own instinctive reaction He refused to waste the clarity that he had regained His body ached and his head was blurry but at least the enthralling dream had passed he had somehow hiccuped his way out of the self fulfilling prophecy He raised a hand and squeezed the bridge of his nose but this simple act caused him to tremble as he saw his own fingers
He twisted them joints aching torn between fear and wonder His memories babbled out conflicting statements making him unable to get a clear grip on his situation Yet he believed his eyes his hands were creased with wrinkles and spotted with age The Monarch of KarmaÆs head swam When did I become so old
The affirmations flooded his entire awareness to buoy his consciousness toward that twisted viewpoint that gripped him for so long He wasnÆt old He deserved
Bah The Monarch grunted He shifted his weight and stood He had to sway to catch his balance because the stone on which he had landed or rather the bit of debris was probably just big enough to catch him Plus his old joins ached at any sort of sudden movement He tumbled through space on an uncomfortable bed of stone just large enough for him to lay out
He kept his thoughts disciplined so the affirmations werenÆt invited back to multiply and become dangerous As such his image became increasingly sluggish around him He simply floated for a while and tried to simply be impressed by the gorgeous world he saw without a single covetous or self absorbed thoughts
But the image of those wrinkled hands nagged at him He couldnÆt let go of the implications of that age With his shoulders trembling his thoughts turned toward his son
You are probably dead arenÆt you Quantan
If the universe tried to answer the question the Monarch of Karma didnÆt listen By now it had thoroughly learned to distrust a universe that tried to talk with you soon sweeping you up in its own strange impulses and desires Instead the Monarch just sat and wept He didnÆt think about whether or not he deserved this grief who had caused it or what could be done about it For now the tears were everything
And when finally he ceased sobbing the loneliness arrived and hovered above him stopping just short of putting a hand on his shoulder He felt so truly alone
IÆve been alone for a long time havenÆt I His chest shook and tears coursed down his face But now I realize it Mae Myrna was this really the truth you sought
Why are you looking at me like that Lyra said tilting her head to the side as she studied him a mannerism that felt so familiar yet simultaneously so strange
because I expect you to insult me or call me doggy Because Randidly pressed his lips together Since they had last met years had passed Lyra had grown from a young starlet adjusting to the System to a being of energy as a Village Spirit and now into a tall elegant woman who worked for the Nexus directly assisting in the underlying maintenance of the overlay System LyraÆs image hadnÆt developed to the point of being scary as with most of the individuals Randidly encountered recently He could feel the cool light of her lunar focus in her moderately otherworldly demeanor However
The flickering behavior of Aether around her hinted at deeper changes When Randidly peered at the energy halos underlying existence he could see the truth of her He saw the essence of her existence
You worry IÆm going to selfishly twist this project by the Upper Sonara Society Like I did in the past on Expira Lyra supplied Her voice was gentle but some of the sharpness remained in her features
Randidly shrugged You are more energy construct than human these days
You are Lyra brought both her hands to her cheeks her mouth oÆd in a look of total shock In the playful motion she briefly looked as she had when they were younger when the strange romantic tension existed between the two of them Well well well Color me impressed Be careful I suspect the one truth you will never really understand is the pressure it takes to stand by the side of a man who refuses to flinch or rest
Randidly wondered how he could casually change the subject when Neveah popped back over Luckily for Randidly I donÆt think he needs to actually learn in this case The individual in question is just as obsessed as he is
Instantly LyraÆs disposition cooled somewhat Clearly there lingered some less savory emotions between the two women Ah Neveah A pleasure as always Is it someone I would know
In a sense Neveah also spoke with a bit of extra haughtiness A version from another timeline but the object of RandidlyÆs affections is the charming Actus Suprem Well we havenÆt told the main Nexus version of Devick but IÆm sure we are all looking forward to the reveal
For several seconds Lyra just opened and closed her mouth
A wave of energy rose from the Engraving array as the pillars’ energy joined together The edges of the working began to churn Randidly could see those spots that Neveah had suggested changes marginally improving the energy transference of the process
Lyra bowed I need to assist Nathaz in his preparations But IÆm glad we are once more on the same side Randidly
He simply nodded observing Lyra and her grown form long and graceful as she proceeded to the side of the younger Eloise and began to draw sigils in the air Randidly pursed his lips watching as a secondary array came into being around the pillars Can we trust her
Not to subvert the array or whether she will betray us Neveah shrugged Well I cannot deny that sheÆs a genius looking at how she approaches Engravings But really I came over to scold you arenÆt you supposed to be recovering DonÆt allow something like this to rile you up so much
It was just a surprise Randidly rolled his shoulders
ArenÆt we approaching the last confrontation If any of these forces youÆve encountered has been biding their time they will soon reveal themselves Neveah said
Speaking of that Randidly raised his gaze from their working to the maelstrom of churning significance gathering above the main tower of the Nexus They were in the thick of it the invisible currents of history whirling around them He sucked on his teeth They will come in droves soon I suspect Not just Elhume but anyone with an image and a foundation This moment is becoming too burdened with meaning to miss