Theodore and Sia were speeding through a long corridor of light. On the mental plane, time meant little so he wasn't sure how long they’d been journeying. To pass the time, Sia tried to explain how she both was and wasn't connected to the System. She gave up when she saw his eyes go glassy. 

Their ultimate destination was a distant speck of light that shone ever brighter than the corridor they were traveling through. He assumed that once he reached the end he would finally wake up. Once he opened his eyes for the first time in his new home the real work would begin. 

But those were tomorrow's worries, right now he felt great. Maybe he was walking into an unknown scenario, with limited information and at least one family member that wanted him dead. He saw those as minor inconveniences. Hell, he’d already died once so his sense of apprehension was limited. 

Since Sia was certain he couldn't see her she smiled. She loved that thoughtfully absent look, Theo, she’d decided arbitrarily to call him that from now on, he got when he was deep in his own thoughts.

*You're doing it again,* she said in a sultry voice she didn't know she possessed. It's all his fault. The closer we get to reality the more his powers affect me.

He barely heard her. His arms were folded across his chest as he did slow deliberate corkscrews as they traveled. *Doing what?* He replied absently.

Every time he spoke to her she found that he sounded more mature, more sure of himself. She couldn't believe how much he had changed in such a short time. She gave herself a mental shake and answered. *You’re navel-gazing again.* Though she’d discovered she didn't mind. She found the vulnerable somewhat solemn look his face took on during these occasions rather charming. She'd never willingly tell him any of this. Learning that would serve no beneficial purpose for her and serve only to pump up what she believed was a growing ego in him. *Instead of using your head to travel to and fro through the depths of your ass you need to be focusing more important things.*

Her choice of words pulled his attention back to the present. Theodore wasn't sure what it said about his warped personality that he liked the way Sia would snap at him one minute then seem to be enthralled by his every word the next. 

He finally stopped turning and gave Sia his full attention.  *And what exactly should I be focusing on?*

His eyes met her and she soon found looking just over his shoulder an enthralling pastime. More from a desire to hide her embarrassment then to pass information she extended four fingers and flicked them in his direction. *These.*

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Four windows appeared simultaneously in his field of view. He looked at the first window.

Interesting. Most of what he just read was your standard fantasy fare. But the part about Pushing and Pulling definitely interested him. He left himself a mental note to ask more about that later. But there was one thing he wanted to know now. *Sia, how do you know what details to show me and when to show them to me?*

*It involves several factors. Some of them I'm aware of but others are completely beyond me. The System sends me a ping containing information and the prerequisites for passing on said information.* 

Interesting, he thought as he looked at the first window.

Hmm…that’s an interesting distinction being made there. *What's the difference between skills and abilities?* He asked suddenly, a piece of his mind at the far edges of a plan. By accident, he’d discovered that he could partition off a small portion of his thought processes to think about something completely different than his main self. That was where this plan was formulating.

She thought about the question for several seconds before she finally answered. *Skills can be learned by anyone through proper training and their use draws on the user's Talent. Abilities are more powerful but are extremely rare. Most Awakened, if they have them are born with them. It's very rare to get them later in life.*

*Rare but not impossible,* he questioned intently, looking for further clarification.

She was so surprised by his question she accidentally made eye contact. Her body’s sudden flush reaction brought her back to reality and she looked away again. *Almost all known instances are due to hereditary. Since they are innate they can't be learned normally.* She said the last word with added emphasis.

Seriously, why are we playing these games? Then again, maybe it wasn't a game. I keep forgetting, My Sia looks like, hell she is, a beautiful woman but deep down she's still a small portion of a far larger program. *Fine, I'll bite. What do you mean when you say normally?*

Satisfied that he got the implied message her voice returned to normal. She ran a hand through her long dark hair, subconsciously mimicking the motion she'd seen Theodore do several times. She gave him an irritatingly smug smile and said. *It's easier for you to learn a new Ability. All you have to do is meet a particular and in some cases, a completely random set of prerequisites.*

He rolled his eyes. *That easy huh?* It wasn't a question. It was more a statement of passive irritation at the arbitrary implementation of such a useful mechanic. 

He took his attention off the windows and directed it fully at Sia. As usual, she didn't meet his gaze. She always managed to look just over his shoulder instead of eye to eye. He wasn't sure exactly why she did this, he had his guesses but best not to speculate. 

Completely changing the subject he asked her another question. *Have I Awakened yet?*

She twisted the ends of her hair absently and tried to school her features into something close to mild attentiveness. But her thoughts were anything but mild. How is he supposed to learn anything if he can't focus on any one thing for more than five seconds? That's what she thought, but she said was, *yeah. That pyrotechnics display around that image of your brain was your mind's attempt to rationalize what an Awakening would look like if anyone was crazy enough to attempt to visualize it. And before you ask, no I don't know exactly what Jewel you ended up with. The only thing I'm certain of is that you now possess a dark Jewel.*

He glanced at the window with the Talent Spectrum chart.

He traced his finger down the virtual screen. *That means I at least have an Opal-Jewel.* 

*Yup.*

*And I won't find out until I wake up.*

*Yup.*

It wasn't the most ideal of scenarios but he would cope. He still had the edges of a plan forming so he wasn't overly concerned. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to finalize anything until he learned more about the current situation outside his head. 

He stroked his chin, shrugged, then gave Sia his brightest smile. *That's fine. I can still make this work.*

*What are you talking about?” She asked, shocked. This was a new situation. She knew more about the outside world than he did and that knowledge made her anxious. It irritated her to no end to hear him sounding so sure of himself. She gave him a look of utter disbelief. *There is no way you have a plan mapped out already?*

He responded to that surprised inquiry by magnifying the intensity of his smile even more. *Of course, I have a plan. You do realize I'm not just a pretty face? Or did you forget that Charisma wasn't the only stat I increased?*

She hissed out a disgruntled breath. *Right smartass,* she said sarcastically. *I, the avatar of a sentient program, forgot something. How likely is that?* She shook her head and turned her back to him. Even looking in his general direction was too much for her. His smile was so intense it made her bones weak. She clicked her tongue and glanced over her shoulder. *So what’s the plan, smart guy?*

Instead of answering, he looked at the last window.

As he read through the contents of the window he felt another piece of the puzzle, the sectioned off portion of his brain was working on clicking into place.

Sia hadn't realized it at first, but she hadn't just gained a pleasing female form from Theodore. She'd also acquired a slew of new emotions as well. She wasn't sure if she approved of the changes that were a byproduct of these alterations. Yet, these new feelings allowed her to learn new things about herself. For example, she learned that she didn't like being ignored very much. It didn't matter that she currently had her back to him, it was the principle that counted. She was so focused on the unfairness of it all she didn't realize that Theodore had reached out to stroke her cheek until she felt his strong yet tender hand on her face. 

A slow tremor traveled down her spine. She had to keep reminding herself that she didn't need to breathe. But if that was the case why did she suddenly feel breathless. His touch… There were no adequate descriptors that could truly characterize just how exquisite she found the feel of his skin on hers. 

Ding!

Sia heard the telltale sound of a window opening and realized too late that she'd been used as a test dummy. Forgetting her embarrassment she spun around and smacked his hand away from her face. She folded her arms across her ample bosom. *What do you th—?*

He stopped her mid-sentence with a sharp look. Then he used Observe on her.

Sia continued to fly beside Theodore. A new emotion simmered just below the surface of her thoughts, anger. A delicate foot tapped on empty air. She knew what skill he’d just used on her and it made her feel naked in a way that had nothing to do with her current obvious lack of clothing. *Are you almost done invading my privacy?*

*Yeah I'm done.* He replied lightly.

She vibrated with suppressed ire at the nonchalant way he answered her. The worst part was he didn't even have the decency to sound embarrassed at by her implied accusation. He just hit her with another one of those brilliant smiles of his. How could a simple smile say so much? This smile said that its owner's actions held no malicious intent, he was just happy. 

*Sorry,* he said, lowering his head contritely. *I should have warned you first. I had a theory I wanted to test out and thanks to you I got the answers I needed.*

She had a witty retort ready and waiting but the look of remorse on his face kept her silent. Instead, she grunted and offered a warning instead. *While you've been on your ass napping a piece of my awareness has been listening to what has been transpiring around you.*

*Did you learn anything interesting?* The question was asked more out of form than with any true regard for his safety. His confidence was growing by leaps and bounds. Oh, he was sure there would face setbacks eventually but right now he felt like all the advantages were his.

Sia looked away from him and towards the now not so distant light. She gave Theodore a devilish grin. *Several things actually but I don't think we have time for that now.* She pointed at the rapidly expanding light. *Because you're about to wake up.*

---

When Steele first started serving her mysterious master the first lesson she learned was that a life worth living should always be lived in the service of others. She used to believe that her service in the Marshal Corps fulfilled that requirement. But the longer she served the less that feeling rang true. 

But none of that mattered. She had a responsibility to the Tower and a mission to complete. An attempted murder occurred against the rightful heir to a Great House. If that attempt originated from outside the House it would be classified as a severe breach of Protocol. Unfortunately, even that consequential fact became inconsequential in the face of the massive shockwave she assumed had come from the main target of her investigations room.

Their heavy footsteps sped through the hallways at speeds only sustainable by Awakened physiology. This meant young Lisa had long since fallen behind. A maid, lighter Jeweled by the feel of her, led them through the many twisting labyrinth-like hallways that made up this vast residence.  

Steele felt animosity and something else she couldn't quite identify radiating from the psychic scent of the high born woman behind. She found this obvious lack of control both suspicious and alarming. Her research told her that Lisey Powers was a calm collected woman with iron-clad control over her psychic barriers. That she would allow such strong emotions to leak out said something about the situation they were running towards. If she weren't certain that Lady Lisey’s Jewels didn't outrank her own she never would have let her near her back.

”We’re here.” The maid suddenly said. She opened the door, bowed then stepped aside to allow the women to enter. Several seconds late Lisa ran up winded from her exertions. Once she entered the maid closed the door behind them and left.

---

*Wake up Theo,* Sia cried urgently. 

He silently noted the change of address then quickly moved on. *I’m awake. No need to yell.* He understood why Sia was so alarmed, but that didn't stop his mind’s need to constantly process new information. *Can you use any of my skills?*

*Depends on the skill,* she replied promptly. Multiple factors coalesced into an instant understanding of what Theo had in mind. *I can use Observe but since your eyes are closed you won't be able to see the window.*

*That's fine. You can just give me the fast and dirty version of what you see.* Though he thought it would be nice if Observe would level-up pass that inconvenient limitation one day.

The fast… Sia paused, took a deep breath, and wondered if everyone from his old world talked like he did. Her gaze quickly covered the length and breadth of the room. *We're in the bedroom section of a larger personal suite.* 

This area was large enough to hold a king-sized bed, two nightstands, and a massive mirror attached to the wall at the foot of the bed. There was also room for a large plush couch, several chairs, and what looked to be a wine fridge. 

*You lived pretty well for a lazy good for nothing,* she said as she transmitted the rest of the information she’d gleaned from their immediate surroundings to him.

Sia grinned and waited for the expected witty reply that should have been incoming but all she got was verbal silence. What she could hear was a sound she was becoming very familiar with. The sounds of gears reverberating throughout his mind were so loud she wanted to cover her ears. She couldn't just hear them. She could physically feel the gears turning in Theodore’s head as he processed everything she’d told him. No time for small talk I guess. She wanted to reach down and touch his face but since she was currently incorporeal she couldn't.

The noise from a door opening drew her attention away from Theodore's face. She saw two women smoothly enter, followed soon after by a third noticeably younger woman. The final entrant seemed to be out of breath. They all took one look at Theodore and gasped. Whatever they saw set them off because they immediately took up guarded positions around what they assumed was an unconscious boy. 

He felt the sudden consternation buffeting off of Sia. And to make matters even worse his mind was also struck by several conflicting sources of stimuli he lacked the frame of reference to interpretation. *What’s going on? And what am I feeling from whoever just walked in the room?*

*Humans in this world can feel roughly how others are feeling through what they call, psychic scents. That's what you're sensing from—* She suddenly looked more intently at the two women with the obvious familiar relationship. 

He felt a sudden change in Sia. *From who? Why did you suddenly stop talking?*

*... Your mother and sister were two of the women that walked in. The other woman is a seriously strong Awakened I've never seen before.*

*How strong?* he asked tersely.

*I don't know. Her power keeps fluctuating up and down the Spectrum.*

There was more to it than that. The sharp emotional spike he felt before she managed to control her emotions said as much.*What aren't you telling me?*

Sia groaned inwardly. She didn't want to tell him what he wanted to know but now she didn't have a choice. *I overheard a conversation between your mother and your sister. They were talking about certain particularities concerning your Jewels.*

*Stop stalling. What aren't you telling me?* he growled, irritation evident in each word.

Sia flinched at the suppressed power in his tone. Everything about him seemed amplified. She had to fortify her barriers against the backlash of power. *I'm sensing from that woman the exact same thing your mother sensed coming from you. She called you a Variant.*

She projected the entirety of the conversation she'd witness directly into his mind for brevity’s sake. 

*Okay she's dangerous, got it. What are they seeing that's got them so freaked out?*

Sia moved away from Theodore and tried to find the words to explain something she didn't truly understand herself. *I'm just guessing here but I think your uncontrolled Talent is overcharging your Charisma—*

*And that's setting everybody off,* he finished. *Give me a second. I think I can fix this.* He searched his new memories for any possible solutions. The process was surprisingly difficult. His memories didn't flow in a linear progression as they should. Fragments of memory were located in random areas without rhythm or reason. 

Lisey watched her son with one eye and kept the other on the Marshal. There was no hiding what her son was now so all she could do was deal with the fallout. Her determination to protect her son caused the Mists around her to momentarily manifest. The expulsion of Opal-Jeweled power was only enough to push Steele back slightly but it sent her daughter flying. 

”Mom calm down!” Lisa yelled as she grabbed onto a dresser for balance. She felt intense pressure coming from Steele's direction. Before she had the opportunity to see what was happening she lost consciousness. 

Grey power pulsed from Steele's outstretched hand. Her Jewels pulsed and her fists clenched but her eyes remained calm. They also never left Theodore’s side.