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PftA Book 4 - Chapter 2 - An Oracle's Influence
🕑 Added 2024-09-24 01:00:53 +0000 UTC“It truly was merely an oversight,” Master Kairos assured me as we entered the floating vehicle waiting outside.
I nodded, though I wasn’t fully sold on his innocence. While he’d seemed genuinely contrite at first, the Time Mage had grown increasingly amused as Lady Rhania reacted to the shock of learning about my new status as a Tri-Affinity Mage.
The elf’s breach of decorum hadn’t lasted long, and she had quickly regained her original professionalism. Now that it was over, I supposed the stark difference in how the Vice-Guildleader had reacted to me after learning about my new status was somewhat amusing.
As we headed toward the sect, I noted there were far fewer of the gemstone-looking buildings this far from the city center. Within a few minutes, we left the larger city behind and flew over what looked like suburbs, though they were tightly packed and left little empty space.
Mom and Dad would probably like living somewhere like this if the yards were larger.
The thought made me wonder why I still hadn’t heard from them. The only person who’d responded to my earlier messages was Deni, and she’d replied saying that she was about to enter a rift and couldn’t talk but would see me in a few days.
Aside from that one message, nobody had bothered replying.
To be fair, I’d only messaged my parents, Justin, Bell, and Deni, since they were the only ones I’d consistently kept in contact with while I was in the dungeon.
I’d sent a few messages over the years to Robert, Natalie, and my cousin Gabby, but so much time had passed since the last time I communicated with one of them that it felt awkward reaching out now.
Feeling the echoes of isolation, I sulked a little as I stared out the window. Master Kairos must have sensed my mood because he remained silent.
It didn’t take long for the vehicle to start its descent toward a walled compound. The inner-city skyline was still quite visible behind us, but it was far enough away to give the illusion of being a separate city.
“Is that the sect?” I asked.
The wall surrounding the area was far too short to be of any real use, and I suspected it served as the base for a [Barrier] formation of one sort or another as opposed to serving as a physical defense.
In the distance, I could see a massive wall enclosing the city and everything around it – including the sect. I couldn’t help but wonder how many people it would take to man such a huge structure.
I doubted there was much of a risk of beast waves on such a high-tier world, though. With how long it took for an instance to cycle at higher tiers, I imagined the demand for slots far outstripped the supply, making it unlikely rifts would be neglected enough to potentially cause problems.
Even if a new rift spawned and was somehow left undiscovered long enough to break, I doubted there was a shortage of capable adventurers willing to hunt the creatures that escaped.
Regardless, I understood the importance of maintaining strong defenses, both for the city and for the sect.
“It is,” Master Kairos said proudly as the vehicle came to a stop near a gate covered in obscured runes. Even without seeing them clearly, I could sense the movement of the mana within the enchantments.
The two disciples guarding the gate bowed toward the vehicle. “Greetings, Patriarch and Patriarch’s Disciple. Welcome home.”
As the vehicle passed through the gate, I turned to my mentor. “How did they verify our identities? What if you were an intruder wearing a [Disguise] amulet?”
“The [Barrier] can recognize our sect identification tokens. The guards only need to verify those without such tokens – like visitors and sect hopefuls.”
“I don’t remember getting a token,” I said with a frown before glancing over the items I had stored.
Master Kairos chuckled lightly. “It isn’t something physical. When you officially joined the sect, a digital token was transferred to your interface. They are impossible to copy or steal, making them perfect for identification purposes.”
I could imagine how such a feature was possible, though I struggled to figure out how it could be made perfectly secure. If it was anything like pre-integration technology, there had to be ways to circumvent the built-in protections.
With enough time and effort, I could probably make something that functioned similarly, though I doubted anything I crafted would be similarly secure without the system’s active participation. On that note, I had no idea how the designers got such an item to work with the interface in the first place.
Maybe I’d gain such knowledge once I reached Master or Grandmaster in Enchanting.
The sect grounds looked like a much larger, nicer version of the collegesque campus I’d explored virtually through Atlas Online back before I’d officially become Master Kairos’s disciple.
Most of the buildings were made of stone that looked like granite, except its colors were primarily white and lavender with a sheen of shimmer mixed in. I wasn’t sure if the material was some kind of unpolished gemstone or if it was something created specifically for the Epíkairos Sect.
Without exception, the structures and landscaping looked pristine and well-kept. Though I was sure many of the buildings were hundreds of years old, everything looked brand new.
It wasn’t really surprising for a sect that specialized in Time magic.
We flew over several buildings before the vehicle came to a stop in front of a massive mansion situated atop a hill overlooking the sect. Part of the view was blocked by trees and foliage, and I felt sure the landscaping was intentional.
Master Kairos didn’t strike me as the type of person who always wanted to be in the spotlight.
“Is this your home?” I asked with a touch of awe. It was hard not to be a little amazed by the beautiful estate.
Unlike most of the buildings I’d noticed within the compound, the stone used for the mansion’s exterior had no hints of purple. Instead, they were a shimmering white. At certain angles, it almost looked like the stone was shifting into a rainbow of colors.
“It is. It’s your home, too, while you’re visiting. I’ve already informed the servants, so you should have no issues.” Shifting his attention from the house to me, he added, “If you were going to spend your break here instead of Hadier, you’d be given a permanent residence. But since you only plan to visit…”
Master Kairos shrugged. “The visitor’s quarters are also available if you’d prefer something more private. I figured you’d rather have a little more space, though, considering your guests.”
I tilted my head in confusion. “Guests?”
My question was answered when the door opened and revealed three people waiting in the foyer.
“Emie!”
Mom moved faster than a pre-integration human was capable of, but it was still slow compared to the speed at which I could move.
Though she’d gotten a head start, I met her just a couple of feet outside of the door in a firm embrace. I was careful not to squeeze too tightly, given her lower tier.
“Mom! You’re here! Why didn’t you reply to my message?” I asked before adding, “How are you guys here? I thought the mana density was too much.”
Though it was a Tier Nine world, I’d noticed the mana density around Garnet City was only Tier Eight. Even so, that should have been far too much for someone at Tier Three to handle.
Dad wrapped his arms around both of us, with Justin joining in the family hug a moment later.
“Thank your mentor,” Dad said in response. “He coordinated everything. He even had his people loan us [Mana Barriers] for the trip.”
I twisted my head to look over Justin’s shoulder. Master Kairos was still standing back, but he was close enough to make eye contact with.
“Thank you, Master Kairos,” I said emotionally.
After feeling isolated for so long, being surrounded by my family and feeling their love was enough to bring tears to my eyes. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one crying.
“You might be more comfortable inside,” Master Kairos said after a few moments. Taking his advice, we entered the spacious residence.
The inside was decorated much like his island residence had been on Earth. Most everything was done in neutral tones, though there were a few pops of color throughout the entryway and social areas.
“Did Bell and the kids not come?” I asked once we got settled in the sitting room. Master Kairos had disappeared once we entered, likely to give us a bit of privacy.
“They wanted to, but we decided not to impose too much on your mentor,” Justin said. “Bell has a project due tomorrow anyway, so it would have been hard for her to come to the reception. It seemed like a better idea to have her watch all the kids, especially since we’ll be having a welcome home party for you when we get back to Hadier.”
It was weird thinking of Hadier as home. I’d never even visited, much less lived there. But if home was wherever one’s family was, then Hadier was the closest thing I had.
With little prompting, my parents described their new home just outside of Aspirant City, the Epíkairos Sect’s base on Hadier. They both looked so much younger than they had before I left.
I had given both of them rejuvenation treatments before I entered the dungeon, but it was clear someone else had worked their magic on the pair as well.
I’d have to ask Master Kairos about it since I suspected he would have been the cause of such action.
Instead of looking like a couple in their late fifties, Mom and Dad appeared to be in their mid-thirties. If they felt as good as they looked it was little wonder they’d decided to have a couple more kids, especially with both me and Justin grown up.
My younger siblings were still too young to attend school, meaning there was no chance I’d be present for either of their awakenings. Even if I’d waited another couple of years to leave the dungeon, the timing still wouldn’t have worked out to make it to both Amie and Kaylee’s awakening.
If I had somehow managed it by delaying Amie’s awakening by several months (which was not unheard of, though it risked spontaneous awakening), I still would have missed the youngest, Ashlynn’s awakening ceremony.
There really was no way to be there for all of them.
= = =
Master Kairos joined us for dinner, and my family seemed to grow comfortable around the Tier Ten Time Mage rather quickly.
He listened without comment as I described some of the differences between the seventh and eighth floors. Since the dungeon redacted everything of relevance about the dungeon, I hadn’t been able to share very much about the topic with my family or my mentor.
And since Master Kairos’s holofeed hadn’t included any floors beyond the seventh, this was the first time he heard my description of the eighth floor.
“It was basically a normal world with towns inhabited by more monstrous versions of demis that would actively hunt anyone in the area. I suspect the ninth or tenth floor will have monstrous humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes. The seventh floor was focused more on creatures like goblins and orcs, so the progression makes sense.”
“You really think the dungeon will make monster versions of people?” Dad asked.
“They already have,” I replied as I took my time eating the delicious meal provided by Master Kairos’s in-house chef. “Demis are people, just like the rest of us,” I reminded him. I doubted my dad had interacted with many demi races, but it was also possible he was simply unfamiliar with the term.
“Oddly enough,” I continued, “even without an actual ‘safe zone’ to rest in, I felt a lot more comfortable on the eighth floor than I did on the seventh. I’m not sure if it was because all of the challengers I encountered were nicer or because I was just so glad not to be stuck in an instanced maze most of the time.”
“You mentioned people were nicer in your messages,” Mom said. “You really think having a third affinity makes that much of a difference?”
I glanced at Master Kairos and tried not to chuckle at the thought of how Lady Rhania had reacted to the news. Master Kairos suppressed a grin and raised a questioning brow.
Focusing back on my mom, I said, “Yeah, I really do. I don’t think I appreciated exactly how big of a deal having three affinities is for people in the Alliance. I don’t know if you remember Sumi. We went to high school together as beta testers, and she had three affinities. She was offered sponsorship by a royal family as soon as she awakened. They offered her basically anything she could want in exchange for genetic material.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“I’m not sure. Egg donation, at least,” I answered, leaving out the fact that Rhona’s family had been the one to sponsor her. “She got a bodyguard and funding for school through at least secondary academies for both her and her sister. I’m pretty sure all of her living expenses were also covered. They’ll probably offer to marry her into the family if she’s agreeable to the idea.”
“Just because she has three affinities?”
I nodded and glanced at Master Kairos for verification.
“It’s true. Tri-Affinity Mages are revered throughout the Alliance, though the reason for such veneration is not entirely accurate.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Robert had explained the story about how a Tri-Affinity Mage had been the one to create the system just before he ascended in hopes that it would help others follow in his footsteps. This was the first time I heard mention that the story might not be true.
“Most legitimate historians agree that the system was not created by someone in this realm,” he replied. “Even if there is some evidence that a Tri-Affinity Mage ascended around the same time that the system manifested, there are no records that support he was involved in the system’s creation, even if it does make a nice story.”
“Huh,” I said thoughtfully as I considered his words. “So the stories aren’t true then?”
“Likely not,” Master Kairos said, shaking his head. “But there is evidence to support the desirability of having multiple affinities. Several ancient documents reference some unknown advantage for ascenders with more than one affinity, though it is unclear where such knowledge was gained since none of the sources were Fate Mages. However, the fact that several strong Fate Mages have made similar assertions strengthened such viewpoints.”
“Doesn’t your sect also specialize in Fate magic?” Dad asked.
“It does.”
“So, one of your people has had visions of the next realm,” Dad said as if answering his own question. “Is that how you know so much about it? Or is it because you are close to ascending yourself, and you’ve dug a little deeper than most people would?”
“It’s a little bit of both, quite honestly,” Master Kairos answered with a surprising amount of openness. “I’ve known the system origin stories were inaccurate from a young age, but the details never mattered much until recently.”
“Are you really going to ascend in less than a hundred years?” Justin asked. “Is that what the time limit for Emie is all about?”
Master Kairos looked a little uncomfortable, and I almost interrupted to change the topic. However, before I could speak, Master Kairos answered.
“I am, and it is,” he replied as he placed his silverware on his plate. “I hope that Emie will ascend with me, though having a strong replacement for my role as Patriarch is also acceptable. Ultimately, Emie can do what she wants, even if that is to remain in this realm and pull away from the sect.”
“Why Emie?” Mom asked. “Not that I don’t think she’s great,” she clarified with a quick smile in my direction. “But, why her, in particular? There have to be others who are closer to ascending and willing to go with you. Or you could go alone. Most people ascend alone, right?”
Everyone at the table had tensed at Mom’s words, though I suspected it was for different reasons. I wanted to save my mentor from the discomfort of needing to answer such a direct question, but I found myself too curious about Master Kairos’s answers to speak up.
Master Kairos’s eyes shifted to me for several long moments as he seemingly pondered what to say. He had to know that I wondered the same thing.
“At first, I wasn’t sure,” the platinum-haired Time Mage eventually said. “As previously mentioned, the Epíkairos Sect is known for both Time and Fate magic. It is probably no surprise that we have some very strong Fate Mages among our numbers. One of those mages is known as the Oracle. She is an amazingly strong Fate Mage, though she is only Tier Eight.”
Leaning back in his chair, Master Kairos continued, “I didn’t initially plan to take part in Earth’s reintegration. I’d planned to send an Elder instead. But the Oracle came to me just before the Elder was scheduled to leave and insisted that I should take the Elder’s place. She convinced me to make a deal with the Council to leave within a century of Earth’s reintegration in exchange for permission to take part in the excursion.
“The Oracle explained that an opportunity would be lost if I left things in the Elder’s hands. She also said that there was a chance that I would find what I was looking for on Earth.” Master Kairos’s gaze shifted back to me, making me shiver. “It is no secret that I’ve been seeking a companion with which to ascend.”
“And you think that person is Emie?” Mom asked with a frown. “She’s a little young for you, don’t you think?”
Master Kairos’s face shifted through a variety of expressions, and a line formed between his brows. “Companionship does not imply romantic involvement,” he countered before shaking his head. “In any case, by the time Emie reaches Peak-Tier Ten and leaves the dungeon, she’ll subjectively be more than three hundred years old. I believe she’ll be fully capable of deciding such matters for herself.”
“I’m already over sixty,” I said without thinking. Once I realized the implication of my words, my eyes widened. “Not that I’m advocating for anything. I’m just saying… I’m old enough to make my own decisions. Technically, I’m older than everyone here except for Master Kairos,” I added pointedly.
I completely and intentionally ignored the fact that Master Kairos hadn’t outright rejected the idea of something developing between us in the far future. I… really wasn’t sure how to feel about such a prospect.
I’d gotten so used to the idea of not getting romantically involved with anyone that the concept felt foreign.
Sure, it would be nice to have that kind of connection with someone again, but I’d never really considered Master Kairos in that way. He was certainly an attractive man, but he was also my Master. It would be weird to think of him any other way.
I was already going to have a hard enough time shifting from being his personal disciple to an Elder.
In any case, I didn’t want to discuss the matter further, and I was grateful when the servants brought out dessert, and the conversation shifted to something a little less serious.
Comments
Jennifer Leigh
The way its written, I don't think he's [planning] on a romantic relationship. To me it seems like he wants someone he can relate to and relax around. He has said multiple times that she can stay behind. Things are extra awkward now since they were much more relaxed messaging. Also, I'm getting the feeling he's like Villy and something happened to a wife and/or child. Old but young looking characters have been getting together with younger characters for a long time. So long as both are mentally, emotionally and physically mature, I don't see a problem. Plus, Emie had already lived the first time line, and gone through bad shit, before he ever approached her.
Henrik T.
She was a legal adult before she became a disciple. Grooming requires one party to be below the age of consent so no, she was by definition not groomed.
The butler did it
Yep. There are aspects of the situation that level the field a bit; mainly that the only way for them to ascend at the same time is if they are equals. He's grooming her because she's the first person he's found who has the potential to match him. I'm not saying there's no ick factor, there totally is, but from his perspective his choices are pretty limited.
Talen Drake
I agree that it might not be for that reason, but I see too many Master and Disciple relationships in reading. It's totally grooming. Emie has, to a degree, been groomed. Even having the family stay at his home to engender feelings of gratefulness. It seems sus to me. We'll see though.
Corwin
Emie should go on a road trip and see the worlds that she traveled in her first time line and see the differences
Corwin
I don't think that was his intention. More like having a friend when you enter a new environment. Since ascension would be a new realm and realistically you might be at the middle of the spectrum when you arrive. Since most likely you will still have T0 to T9. So new place, new rules, and zero friends sounds like the worst move ever
Talen Drake
So grooming...
