Cipiteca396

There was supposed to be a Forum Posts #2 between 36 and 37, but I cannot seem to write it. Every time I look at it, I just... lose all motivation.

For those of you reading this on release, the contents were supposed to be about people reacting to finding out that magic could be used on Earth, possibly a little bit about Evolution, and then, a really big one moving forward... Which is that people started making political moves down on Earth, with major powers using mages as their Ace. 

Basically, the world has been divided by various Authority holders. To access the Authority menu, a minimum of two Parties(8 people) have to agree on a leader. The Authority menu allows you to make legislative decisions for everyone who follows you. An Authority holder also has the ability to submit legislation to the 'Grand Authority'. Technically the title holder is Nyx, but it's purely ceremonial, as she can't really do anything with it.

Eventually, I may go back and finish it... At that time, I'll edit this Note and this chapter so it's less redundant. I apologize for the delay and the info dump. I've been sitting on this chapter for like, a week now, and I really want to get on with the next one.

My anxiety ate away at me, but I deliberately poured my focus into the training. It was easier not to think about it, for now. Eventually I would have to test some things. There was always the chance that I would find something strong without straining myself. It would have to be soon, of course. If I did change my body again, then getting used to this one wouldn't help me. I lost track of time, but eventually we were interrupted.

A high voice called out to us from behind. "Hey Hey, Selene! There's something you need to see." I turned to see all three fairies flying towards us. I blinked several times... Two of them were carrying objects about three times their size. Geni and Mica were the ones carrying things. The items were... An odd metal book and what was probably a laptop. 

I was so hung up on the odd sight that I forgot to acknowledge them. Instead, Geni got close to me and changed her grip on the computer, causing it to flip open so the screen was visible. The device exited sleep mode after a moment, revealing the forum in an open window.

I shook my head a little, then reached out and took the computer from her. However she managed to bring it this far, I didn't really want to see it get dropped. The Kindlesprite took the Spellbook from Mica.

I glanced at the three Fairies. Mica fidgeted around, refusing to meet my eyes, while Mara was frowning slightly and fluttering her wings erratically. Ah, I just noticed the problem with using such similar names. I'll need to be more careful in the future. It was a random thought... Just an attempt to avoid the truth. Even Geni was moving and speaking with an unusual urgency. Something was wrong.

I turned my attention to the Thread called 'Authority' and started reading.

...

So that was a thing. My first thought was guilt, but I dismissed it instantly. Even if I hadn't used magic on Earth, someone else would have. The people at fault were the ones who chose to fight each other.

And fight they did. Pretty much every nation was experiencing major shifts in power- Authority, rather. It was better in low population density areas, since most of the people present were the same ones who elected their Authority holder. But in places like China and India, there were constant conflicts breaking out between different groups. What they were fighting over and why... Entirely random, dependent on who was involved. I vaguely wondered if they even needed reasons. It's not like they lacked a reason to work together instead, what with the whole invasion thing.

While the Fairies were agitated, my own feelings were... Ambivalent. I had no friends or family to worry about. Any people who didn't want to fight could Bank all their stuff and hide in their Dungeons. I had some regret for any animals that might get involved, but I had no way to help them. I couldn't even bring them into my Dungeon. They would have to fend for themselves.

There was only one problem for me. While most of my nation's Authority holders had chosen to work together, a few had declared independence or revolution. One of those groups was set up in my city. If I ever wanted to return to Earth, they would become a hassle to deal with.

The simplest solution was: not to return. I sighed aloud. As if things would ever be that convenient. There was something I'd been putting off for a while now. It wasn't that I was avoiding it, I just didn't have the time. Finding out I could use magic on Earth had made me suspicious about something Nyx said, and if I was right I would need to return eventually.

The best way to proceed was to ask Nyx for clarification. If she didn't give the answer I expected, I could just forget about the Avatar function and get back to making my Dungeon. Otherwise... Well... There might actually be a chance to test my combat ability against 'live' targets.

One question wasn't enough for the sake of caution, so I took a moment to think of my backup questions. This time... I had three, counting the leftover 'Who are you?' from last time.

'Where can I find the shards of your Core?'

'Has anyone defeated the invasion?'

The first was based on one of my earliest questions to Nyx. She'd said I could collect her Core shards to raise my CP capacity. I hadn't found any evidence they were inside my dungeon. Most likely, they were on Earth, somehow. Otherwise there wouldn't have been any way to collect them.

The second I just thought of, but it seemed rather important. I'd just assumed that it would be possible to win if I fought hard enough, survived long enough. But Nyx had already lost. If winning wasn't an option, that would completely change my strategy... Though I didn't really want to think about that too much.

-My creatures were still waiting for me. I gave them a small smile. "I'm sorry, I got distracted. I need a moment... Ah, Geni, this is the computer you made for Corina, right?"

Geni smiled at me, coming closer. "Yup, Mica helped. Mara also, but she was more focused on Spellbooks. Just the one won't be enough." Her smile faded. "I wanted to make sure it worked and found those forum posts, so we came straight here."

I nodded. "You did a good job. Can you bring it to Corina for me?"

Her eyebrows scrunched up cutely. "Shouldn't you give it to her instead? You're the one who wanted her to have it."

I raised an eyebrow at that. I wasn't really sure why it mattered who gave it to her, but... "With this little war breaking out, I might be rather busy soon. I'm going to cast- Actually, you guys don't really know about that spell, do you? I haven't used it since I started making Creatures..." I stared off into space for a moment, thinking. Then I shook my head. "Either way, I need to get started right away. It would help if you handled this."

She nodded slowly. "Alright. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." So solemn. She picked up the much larger laptop without any trouble and flew off with Mica.

Mara settled down on the Kindlesprite's shoulder, but she didn't try to get my attention. Most likely she was waiting for me to finish my spell before she showed off the Spellbook.

I closed my eyes and focused. Despite all the light being blocked out, I could still somehow make out the flow of mana around and through me. It had been a while since I'd cast Voices of the Chorus, so I needed a moment to remember how it worked. My memory had always been rather reliable for things I cared about, but the way magic worked was... rather than complicated, foreign might have been the better word.

Despite that, I was able to scrape together everything I needed without checking the Interface. I was surprised, but maybe I shouldn't have been. The Refinement pattern's Thought Reinforcement was a subtle bonus, but I was beginning to think it was one of the bigger changes I'd undergone.

"Why are you always thinking about Thought Reinforcement when you call me?" A genuinely confused whisper entered my consciousness even as my awareness of my surroundings narrowed.

Without giving me a chance to respond, more voices started to whisper to me, overlapping in their eagerness to impart their knowledge.

"You've grown significantly since last time."

"You can call for me more often. It's tiring, but once a day wouldn't be too much trouble. Twice, if something important comes up."

"You should learn the Divine Summoning Spell. You can call my Creatures to help you. And you can share that spell, it doesn't tire me like this one."

"You have two questions this time."

"Ask."

I wasn't sure how long I had, so I let go of my desire to respond to every comment. "Where can I find the shards of your Core?" And how do I find them... I poured that desire into the question. I wanted to be sure that was answered, even if I missed some interesting trivia. Fortunately, the trivia was offered anyways.

"When we shattered our cores, the pieces became the seeds around which your Dungeons were built."

"Each shard was just an infinitesimally tiny piece of the whole-"
"But formed of condensed CP."

"Some of the shards were placed in your world's outer crust, instead of the Subspace."

"- To promote the coalescence of mana."

"That function is no longer needed. The Locate Object spell should suffice-"
"The Water Fairy can teach you-"

"Ask."

A bout of nervousness shot through me. Did I... really want to know the answer to this? But there was no time for doubts. "Has anyone defeated an invasion?" I don't want to see everything destroyed...

"..."

"It can be done-"
"Theoretically."

"We failed-"

"It was hard."
"Too many died in the beginning."

"They were weak."

"We overcame every enemy we faced-"
"It was still a failure."

"Our patron succeeded in their fight, but we were too weak to meet their expectations."

"Their realm survived-"
"They counterattacked... Tried to save us."

Suddenly, all the voices overlapped for a moment, chilling my Heart.

""Selene.""

"You... Do not have a Party."

"This isn't a fight you can win alone-"
"Reach out-"

"Help them-"
"Be helped..."

"Be lost no longer…"

The connection cut abruptly. Timed out- No, I lost control. My vision was still blank despite the spell ending, and I vaguely realized I was having a panic attack. Annoying. Glowing green ¡rr¡tat¡on lit up the dark clouds that blinded me. I wasted some of the spell. Even if it was almost over anyway- I flicked my hand out like I was swatting a bug. The oily anxiety and fear roiling around me suddenly flowed together, being dragged in the wake of my swipe like colored water. Corralled by my anger, it all flowed together before igniting into an eye searing purple-green light and slamming into the ground a few meters away.

The explosion was impressive. Like a grenade going off, chunks of stone and crystal scattered in every direction, some of it even bouncing off my skin with a dull aching feeling.

For a moment I stared blankly, shock and casting-induced apathy warring for my Heart. Then I gasped as I realized I had Creatures nearby.

I turned to see the Kindlesprite shielding both Mara and her Spellbook. Instead of the anger or judgement I half-expected to see, she wore a mildly curious look. Like she'd seen an interesting street performance, rather than a life threatening explosion.

For her part, Mara looked frightened, but as the last bits of shrapnel landed, she flowed through the air and started circling me. The whole time, she radiated concern and anxiety, but there wasn't a shred of accusation. She moved in close to check for injuries, sometimes wiping away smudges and cleaning already healed scratches with a cool touch.

I... Wasn't sure how to react to that. I was deeply embarrassed but... Instead I looked around to make sure nobody else was nearby. The area was clear, the other Fairies and Corina most likely in or near her temple somewhere. No, they came into sight as I looked. So nobody was hurt. I sighed, letting any lingering emotions fade away.

I had a lot to think about. Some things to decompress... And a lot of planning to do.

Cipiteca396

Mara witnessed an advanced tier Divination spell! +5 to Motivation, +5 to Divination Magic! But there aren't any levels...
By the by, is this format better for Voices of the Chorus? I'll have to go back and spice up the first two castings, but that's only natural. At the time, I wasn't sure how to portray the idea of multiple voices whispering in your ears all at once.

Time skip next chapter, maybe? Just a few hours.