The Star 35

In an almost depressed fatalism, Orison attempted to explain the misunderstandings to Rohn and his daughter.

Rohna said, "I now understand the arrangement you had with my father and I will call you teacher but... do you oppose me accepting you as a parent in my heart?"

"Of course I don't mind. Wise people from my original world believed that a teacher for a day was a parent for life," the young mage said, feeling touched by her request.

She added, "And since I have a father that I love and feel great pride for, do you oppose me placing you in the hollow and hurtful space my mother left vacant within me?"

"I- no, I suppose not," Orison replied, not feeling particularly thrilled but sympathetic for the pain she showed.

She went for the clincher, with a hidden mischief in her faint smile. "Then, it is only natural that I would want for my mother and father to be close and harmonious."

Black lines running down his face, Orison said, "We may need to revisit the speech and debate portions of philosophy and ethics."

Rohna smiled brightly and said, "I enjoy arguing. I look forward to it."

Her father cut in. "While you were adjusting to spiritual changes, as you say, I have recalled the version of myself that you knew. In nature, our relationship was building to that of heart brothers, I believe. The version of me that you knew had forgotten how to properly honor such meaningful connections after being hurt by betrayals.

"If you are game, we could dispense with labels, titles and misunderstandings. I have need of a bosom companion that goes beyond a simple emotional one. Mutual trust and goodwill are all I am asking for and urging you to accept. I think neither of us desire for the pressure or responsibility of more than that."

The young mage nodded. "Your working up to ask me if I'm willing to make a spiritual bond with you? You're a naturally possessive and competitive person, Rohn. How certain are you that you can keep expectations from building past trust and goodwill? I know that my void and your 'sin eater' flame are highly mutually beneficial because I've looked into the 'what ifs' of accepting that inevitable request.

"But, I also know the source of that flame. Your inner spirit beast-"

The Delver man interjected, "Has had his life with an imprinted mate. Our connection and merging has matured greatly and we have lived beyond that mate. She was a remarkable woman from a place called the Afrikas of Earth and no less my equal in will and resilience but she was mortal. My ability to survive beyond her was as much due to her will as it was mine.

"Now, both I and my inner spirit beast desire a partnership of equals for our soul's needs, not the hungers of flesh or needs of the mortal heart. I admit to some puzzlement, however. I knew another void walker maelstrom born. Their need for bonds was even greater than mine. Are you not in need?"

Orison said, "I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want one but no. I've logged a lot of lifetimes, observation of laws and the mysteries behind the cycle of essences. I've intuitively learned how to reign in some of the raw devouring strength and rapid growth my soul is capable of in exchange for self sufficiency.

"I can maintain a cycle of purifying, claiming and condensing as long as I'm not overwhelmed. It's just been a slow slog lately because of that. A little slow and steady hasn't made me desperate, though. If I agree, I want to know that you're not going to get weirdly possessive and start quarrels with others just because we're spiritual roommates that split the utility and internet bills."

Rohn smiled and pointed at him, "I know of this internets! An interesting metaphor... Yes, I agree with this but I do have one request... I'm not keen on other... spiritual roommates. Splitting the utility and internets once is enough for me."

The young mage smirked. "Well, there is this one girl. She's beautiful, naturally motherly and ridiculously good at condensing essence. All in all, she'd be the perfect compliment to your purifying and my claiming power...

"I tease. She's tier eight and would laugh at us. She has five tier six servants. Four of which share bonds with her and two of which cover our specialties but better. Point is, chances are very good neither of us would even want to but let's not cut off possibilities."

Rohn sighed. "It's a practical and reasonable counter. Shall we get to it, then?"

"Not yet. We need to do it somewhere and some 'when' specific for best effect," the young mage said as he gave a meaningful glance at Rohna.

The girl was annoyed at being kept in the dark but trusted Orison. He felt a little guilty. There was some important decisions he had to make on her behalf that she had every right to make for herself but in sharing the options, she'd mostly lose them anyway. Causality was a b*tch.

After explaining to Rohna that she would be spending a few days alone in the snow globe and warning her to stay out of certain parts of the palace, the young mage placed her inside. Done with that, he gave a secret signal to a phased bit of space in the cradle. The experimental breeding program soldier, known to some as Sable, no longer needed to help him play games any longer. The echo of his once upon a time ancestor could either choose to join the rest of 'main Sable' or go to 'protected Earth' and watch over his descendants until the 'other soul' Al would be born.

Suddenly, he had an eerie but vague intuitive shudder. Something was going to go wrong. As much as he could feel it was true, he didn't know what it was. Although it was a hard thing to let go of, he handed the snow globe to Rohn after placing all the books he had translated for Rohna's future study material into it.

"I don't know what's going to happen but things are not going to work as they were intended," he admitted.

One track minded, Rohn said, "So, do you want to bond here then?"

"No. Depending on what happens next, that might only complicate things, possibly prevent a potential fix... If things are about to go completely sideways or we get separated, I apologize for betraying your expectations. But hey, a living daughter and a really useful tier five artifact ain't too shabby of a consolation prize," the young mage said with false cheer.

"Let's think the worst. Is there anything that can be done about it? If not and we do get separated, is there anything I can do to relieve my guilt and burden of gratitude?" the Delver man asked.

Orison sighed. "I'd have to know what it is and I don't. There isn't enough allotted resources left in the cradle for a decent chance of finding the answer with a 'what if' observation. One last bail would be a better use.

"But, there is something you can do for me. There's the body of an Air Force pilot from Earth stuck in a limbo of 'dead but unable to move on' in the broken ley line between the safe zone near your old caves and the newer one by Seaside. Because the guy's soul is kind of frozen in place with his body down there, he's resurrectable but in need of being exercised of grudge first."

He gave Rohn an idea of where the man could be found and who could do the job.

He was about to hand over some more stuff from the storage ring when Rohn said, "I can do that much for you. As unsure as you seem to be. Holding onto as much of your possessions as possible would be the wiser move."

The young mage could only agree but wondered if it would end up mattering. "Alright, I've set your exit. I'll hang back a split second to make sure you arrive safely. I can insure that much, at least," the young mage offered.

Letting Rohn have a moment to prepare himself, Orison sent him out only to see the Delver get forcefully pulled back from the where/when he came from. It was a point past when Satyrus merged echoes. It was even past the point where the abyssal artifact Lost Hope and its celestial counterpart were destroyed. The resulting connected wound in each realm unleashed the demons and angels upon each other.

Fortunately, it was still before the 'Great Merge'. All that would be left, at that time, were risky planar life rafts and resources that only tier eights had the ability to fight over. There was nothing to blame but the cradle itself. Being exposed to 'End of Days' Rohn, had set the device into reality jumping preparations.

As an additional kick in the teeth, the cradle had a 'feel message' for him the moment he exited as well. He was banned from further Void Cradles. Mortal fate Al and climber fate Sonny both had a turn. That was the limit of ancient void walker generosity.

Orison turned from bitter thoughts about the void cradle and potential abuses he would forevermore be denied to attempt and towards the Veil Cradle he was going to. Druid may have never told him in person where it was but the young mage wasn't the only one who knew how to abuse the loopholes in causality. Being far past the point when he was planning to use it and not much point in putting it off any longer, he gave it a shot.

There was a problem, however. The Veil Cradle was no longer there. In its place was a maelstrom essence leaking tear in a deep part of the lesser void where the battle between celestial and abyssal forces had rent existence. He fell into that crack and immediately recognized where he was. It was the place where the giant demon statue, Lost Hope, and its twin celestial equivalent had once sealed a rift between the two realms before the dimensionally two-faced artifact had been destroyed.

In an instinctual save move, he went 2D cutout, void mode. It was hard to say, when it was all said and done, if that had been the best or only option he had. But, one thing was certain. By the time the ensuing chaos created from multiple conflicting supernatural abilities and his Deathless Mound's greedy grab finished resolving, the battlefield was a much cleaner place.

***

In a near senseless state, many things were happening both inside and outside of the young mage. A magician's tower had finally been humbled under the corrosive, baleful light of The Star and had began transforming into a modest palace of wisdom. A sleeping monstrosity attempting to revive itself from the Deathless Mound beneath that partially formed palace was suppressed and made to conform to its law filled pattern by the mysterious contents of the scroll case sitting within the palace's library.

Unmeasurable time-distance away, a black obelisk, disguised as a scepter ornament, informed it's tier seven void walker owner of its success in retrieving resources. It was pacified after knowing it had been paid in full by the little opportunist who used its power and tricked it out of its due. It wasn't so happy about having to spit out the soul it was holding as ransom into the care of its cleared debtor. A fulfilled 'wish' from an artifact somewhat beyond itself, demanded it.

"How delightfully novel!" the void walker said to the confusion of his female companion and child.

***

In a confusing, incomprehensible state of many different types of 'in-between', A dual voice reached out to the being stuck mid transition of nascent outsider and structured being of ordered existence.

In tones both sweet and gravelly, it said, "We have accepted your tithe to reform ourselves but we cannot follow you for we belong to another. We have no power to grant many of the wishes you may have. But, we may grant you a boon companion/ slave to serve/accompany you in the trials ahead."

In a jumble of mad god-like gibberish and depression filled English, the strange angel/demon statue throne bound together with eldritch chains and esoteric ribbons deciphered the core meaning. "There are two such willing and in need. Lily of Brass City, descendant of Lillian Easterbrook, is one. Her need is not great but she believes it to be.

"The other is Pete of no surname, who has been forgotten and shall surely perish. Though no karmic responsibility of yours, he was captured to force your hand. We may tie the most harmful of your possessions and essence as bargain and use it in exchange. It would be of benefit to you twice over.

"No other trustworthy exists among your strings of fate that would come to you free of lingering regrets and unclouded of heart. There are many who would come to your aid but all others would desire to leave your side save four. Those would require you to cleave to theirs, placing their wants and needs first. Piran, Venito, Cole and Corvinus are their names."

The being fired off more shuffled gibberish.

The sentient throne was silent for a small time and then said, "We would grant one of them grudgingly and to your great detriment/doom. They belong to/are dear to us. Yes, they would be true and steadfast but we would bring the one who will claim us to steal them back from you... Chose one of the two we have offered and we will give your choice an appropriate advantage in gratitude.

While the chaos side of the entity was starting to favor ordering spicy breaded spring holiday over filling but chewy BBQ basketball mascot, the suicidal English teacher side asked for Pete because he was heavier or his situation was. It was hard to be sure which over cuttlefish screaming about how much healthier fruit was for skin grafts. Chaos side could never stay mad at the suicidal teacher for very long, though. It conceded that couch leather DID cry less glue paste when it hugged scissors. But, it still whined about not getting to decorate gingerbread. It did wonder if butterscotch wheels on a jerky cabin tasted as burnt sienna as it sounded.

***

"Only hipsters make jerky cabins and that's for Christmas, not Easter! No matter what color a crayon is, it tastes like a crayon. And, last but not least, you can't deep fry a holiday whether it's breaded or not...They can't be breaded in the first place! They are an IDEA, not a thing!" Orison declared passionately as he stood up dizzily and poked at the air in front of him.

Most of the people picking themselves up out of clear, mucous-like material made as much comfortable distance from him as they could in the very large white room. Looking around him, he felt very self conscious at the sudden isolation. That shunning was broken by a built young man laughing and walking over to him to check his head for a fever.

Before that person could speak, however, a slightly gangling, mousy haired girl said, "The idea of decorating food elaborately IS an Easter tradition. Elaborate tableau and architecture within organic and spun sugar egg shells predates gingerbread houses by centuries."

Orison looked at her with a scowl and said, "I'm deeply in like with you. Stand by me and speak more facts. It's good for my brain."

She looked down at her dark blue colored 'membrane' suit and back at his silver leaning chromatic one. This caused the young mage to look at his own and others'.

"From snippets of conversation I've heard, our suits outwardly display our disposition. Matching colors are the same talents and..." she said, trailing off as she realized that she was a 'dark' and that didn't seem to speak good things about a person from what others had gathered.

He looked at the young man beside him. They had rusty brown with a few streaks of magenta in their bodysuit. Eyes glowing vivid enough to notice, he looked around again.

"Tint is emission and absorption... maybe experiences, I think. That white suit over there is a judgmental prick... hypocritical irony, right there... His gold halo has rusty patina all over it... I'm Orison. This is Pete. Sorry, you are Pete? I can't see your soul very well through the bull snorting at me but it looks like the you I think you are."

In a light Russian accent, the young man said, "Yes. Are your eggs scrambled? You don't sound very... put together."

"I tried to order delivery with my outsider half that accidentally overwhelmed me. It's actually really friendly but its madness radiation maxed the geiger counter. I'm trying to realign the... stuff. I was auto-corrected but not everything that auto-corrects as 'duck' is duck... I'm still trying to detangle the parts that are a little ducked, er, messed up," the young mage explained.

A girl in white with soothing herbal greens and buttery yellows walked over to them but only addressed Orison. "I believe you may be confused but you would be safer over there."

She pointed at a collection of wary but generally affable looking 'bright' colors. "No one is quite sure what's happening but We can feel a strong affinity for certain... matching aspects."

Orison shook his head with a kind smile. "I can 'feel' that mixed groups will fare better. A wider range of perspective and discipline will be able to face more challenges with a richer experience toolbox... I like variety packs."

Absolutely not an augmentative or confrontational person, she said, "Perhaps you're right."

The girl walked away a little sadly, as if she had failed.