II-110 The Coming Harvest (I)

To my good friend:

Dear Old Man. I am glad to see you still alive. My time in the higher realms has been… troublesome as of late. The great king of our Circle has grown sullen again, for his precious pupil, Marie Antoinette, disagreed with him once about the color arrangement of his new drapes.

As such, I have spent the better part of a month talking our lord out of genocide—and had to enlist the great Harbinger’s aid to succeed.

Alas, I have heard about the unfortunate fate of Duke Goldskull and his wife. I mourn for him, and I smile at her passing. But now I find myself interested in the architect of their supposed demise.

Wei An Wei. Young master and lord of the newly formed Drowned Sky Sect.

The Harbinger has sung their praises. Indeed, the great one has shown me a unified Trine delivered by the boy. It seemed that he managed to preserve a Singer of the Fallen Creator. Quite a feat. Quite a success.

Quite a person.

Make the arrangements. I wish to be introduced to him. Me, and all the other Princes as well.

We want to see just who might end up as the favored Vanguard of the Claimed Hells…

And how we can stop him from stealing our glory.

-Greatest, Prince of Pride

II-110

The Coming Harvest (I)

“It’s not fair,” Wei muttered, struggling to process the great wrong that had just been done to him.

Beside, the Shell patted him on the shoulder, the Skill uncharacteristically somber and comforting. “It truly isn’t. Take heart and know that at times, the greatest measure of a master is facing hardship and enduring in the face of tragedy.”

“I know… it’s just not fair,” the young master repeated. With each step Agnesia took toward him, her face beaming, her demeanor jubilant, his own mood soured. She loomed over him by over twice his height now—the girl’s build becoming even more amazonian than it was before. Now, she was taller than Vendrian—almost of a similar height as Roggi. And here was Wei, his dimensions unchanged, resembling a child beside the princess.

“Wei, did you see what I did! Did you see!” Agnesia cheered. Behind her, the draconic avatar that was her perpetual shadow had undergone some changes as well. Instead of just being shaped like a humanoid dragonic, its own form had shifted into something that bore traits from the Solar Leviathan. Its new morphology was sinuous and serpentine, like a muscular mix of dragon and serpent. More than that, it loomed large and shone bright, with Agnesia’s Essence feeling more potent than ever. She gained new Concepts over Dawn, Gravity, Might, and Trueflame—the last of which was described as the fantastical cousin of fusion by Bishop.

Wei wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded very impressive.

The more obviously impressive part was how Agnesia could expand her own spirit into a titanic being the size of the Solar Leviathan now. This made her a juggernaut like few others could be—and for once, it made her clumsiness a boon in combat rather than a burden. Somewhat. As long as she didn’t fight someone that was better than her while being around as strong.

The full weight of her triumph slammed into Wei as the princess almost ran him over. He expected her to stop and celebrate with everyone, but she made her intentions known by dissolving in a fit of maddened laughter and—audaciously—picking Wei up by his armpits and swinging him around like a doll.

“We did it! I did it! First try! One shot! You were right, Wei! You were so bloody right!”

“No! Agnesia! Stop! Cease this! Put me down! I am patriarch! You cannot swing me this way! I command you to s-stop!” Wei cried. He tried pushing out of her grasp, but found her grip imposing—a bit too imposing. It would be a true struggle for him to break free. Damn her for this specialization, and damn him for feeding her all those Aspect Shards. “Let me down!” He kicked ineffectually as both Vendrian and Bishop doubled over in laughter. Rafael waved for Agnesia’s attention while Ellena covered her mouth, trying to hide her smile.

Wei had never felt so degraded, so humiliated. This was the thanks he got. This was—

Then Agnesia pulled him closer, hugging as she continued to swing him around. Wei stopped kicking his legs. Mainly because he didn’t actually want to slam his foot into Agnesia’s body and… well, this wasn’t too bad. Inappropriate, but still, it was better than being a doll. The scowl on his face collapsed into a pout and then became a slight frown. He also cursed his insides for doing several flips as he felt himself pressing a bit too hard against her.

This was highly, highly inappropriate, and Wei exercised his will to avoid thought—for the mind could not be trusted in such situations. For many reasons.

“Good. Think not of her anatomy. Think of her training. And what must be done.”

Wei tried. And if he lied to himself about his success.

Finally, after three rounds in the air, she put him down and let out a sigh. “I did it.”

“We never doubted you,” Rafael said.

“I did,” Vendrian said. “That thing was motherfucking huge. You’re motherfucking huge now.”

Ellena glared at the Scion. “Ser Vendrian—”

“Just Vendrian, I’m not—”

She ignored him. “Please mind your language beside my daughter. And also, comments like that about a young lady’s body are unwelcome. Right, Patriarch Wei?”

“She called us patriarch, we must answer,” the Shell said.

The young master clenched his teeth. “Yes. Vendrian. Do not attack Agnesia’s body. It is a nice—uh, powerful body that many can envy.”

The Scion sneered. “Oh. Is that what you’re calling it? Envying her body? Is envying what you’re doing.”

Wei focused his strength and commanded his body not to blush. “No. I’m just… it is dishonorable to behave this way toward a young—stop grinning at me, you bastard!”

“No,” Vendrian said, his smile resembling a wolf that woke up among a herd of sleeping lambs.

“Brother. Spare the boy. Let us not recall your courtship with Aerea.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Vendrian said.

“How did you begin that relationship again? Oh, yes, ‘nice cheekbones you got there. I’ve been staring at them for a while. You must be proud.’”

Suddenly, everyone was staring at Vendrian. Agnesia felt at her own cheekbones. Wei blinked, trying to understand the compliment. Ellena and Rafael shuddered in unison while William snorted.

“How the hell did she ever decide to keep talking to you,” William snickered. “That’s some serial killer stuff.”

Vendrian narrowed his eyes. “I was being honest.”

“No. If you were being honest, you would have been commenting on other parts aside from the cheekbones. You probably just thought of that because it sounded more ‘refined’ than ‘lustful.’” William shook his head, and Wei caught the sudden widening of Vendrian’s eyes.

“No. Bullshit. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Vendrian scoffed. Wei blinked. Was his father right? “Fucking, Agnesia! What’s your new specialization?”

“I am now a Solar Dragonshaper,” she said with a breath. “So far… it’s given a lot of Concepts—a major boost to my Strength and Constitution. Like, twenty-two for those. I feel….” She flexed her arms, and Wei swallowed as he looked away from her biceps. “...Powerful.”

“Yes—yes, that’s good,” the young master coughed. “So… my gun—”

“Oh,” she said, and pulled it out of her Inventory. “Sorry. And thanks. I don’t think I could have done it without your help.” She chuckled lightly. “I don’t think I could have done any of this without all of you.”

“Mostly Wei,” Vendrian muttered.

“You can,” Wei said, resolutely. “Even without me, you can. It would have taken more time, but you can do it. I know. Your only lack is inexperience and training. And because the heavens are cruel, it means we must use everything to our advantage. Do not think lowly about yourself for accepting my aid. Or my weapon.”

She offered him a genuine smile and Wei felt something inside him churn. Dammit. She must have some kind of mood affecting Skill or Invocation as well.

“It might be from her musculature,” his Shell theorized. “It is indeed very powerful. Very powerful…”

Yes. That must be the case.

Regardless, this was cause for celebration. And something that presented great potential for the rest of his sect.

“I would have probably been splattered flat without my avatar protecting me,” Agnesia said. “Gun did most of the work, but that Skill saved my life.”

“Yes. And how very convenient it is, I can bolster our powers substantially.” Wei hummed. “With more Concept shards… who knows how it will evolve? For you… and the others…” Now Wei was looking at the other members of his sect present. Including Bishop. His System might not be very good at creating things, but it was more than sufficient for empowerment and destruction. Like carving pieces of power from one place and moving them elsewhere.

“You know, Wei,” Bishop began. “Everyone in the hells would kill for what you can offer. Would kill for easy advancements. You understand where this is going, yeah? How much danger you might be in if word about what you could do got out?”

“Would they be willing to change? Would a Prince or King of a Circle turn and betray their own ideals for such power?” Wei met the Trespasser’s gaze, and Bishop shrugged.

“Maybe. But my guess is that they’ll just bullshit you again about what they’re willing to do and then try to bend you to their whims in the end instead.”

Wei nodded. It was as he thought. Power was more than energy or capability, but a philosophy. To always be greater than—for if one obtained power by sponsorship or a benefactor… were they true the architects of their own ascension?

“Then it will be the Drowned Sky Sect’s most treasured secret. Until we reach a point where no one can do anything about it. However… I have been thinking… what if some of my shards ends up in the market. On the Crossroads.”

“Well, that’ll spark off a shitstorm like no other,” Bishop muttered. “There will be people doing everything they can to track what the shards are—all the way back to you.” Bishop eyed Wei. “It’ll be a pretty chaotic thing to do.”

“Perhaps the realms in chaos are exactly what we need…” Wei sighed. “Alas, that is for before the invasion of Earth. Right now… Right now, I think we need to make ourselves a fortress. A group bearing immense power. I have a vision for this sect—that each person stands above being a mere Knight, that everyone possesses Skills and capabilities striking a Tier above. This can be achieved right now. But it is not enough. I think we have shaken the other forces in the Claimed Hells, but they will come for us again soon, and so I need something to fully cement the fear of Goldskull and Lein’s deaths into dread.”

“What do you think about, Wei?” Bishop asked, leaning forward. “And before you say, ‘Maybe I should kill something stronger than a Duke,’ I’m gonna ask you to think twice about that. Because a Prince or something… that’s something. That’s something that will end with a Circle bringing their full weight down on you—maybe several working together. What you managed this time was a surprise layered in disbelief. That isn’t even getting into how unlikely you are to kill someone like that.”

“Yet,” Wei said, smirking.

“No, Wei. No.” Bishop sighed.

“Yes,” Wei said. “The ability to kill matters more than the act itself. They need something to fear.”

“You’re scary enough—you’re literally building a death camp.”

“I must become more.”

“Wei, please, listen to me—”

“And salvation lies in my Skills… our Skills. Beyond our Aspects, Skills define us, become the imprint of our will upon the world.” Wei remembered Lein and what her Skill allowed—the merging between her and her summons. “I want to achieve something no one else can. I want to create a skill that is outright unparalleled.”

He looked around at the others and drew a steady breath. “I think I’m going to try something. I’m going to focus my intent into my Aspect of the Harvest and discover just how far I can evolve. There is a spiritual limit—it cannot exceed my maximum Essence. But I will find the ceiling. I will discover the limits of my current power. We need to ascend, and I will start with our sect’s most promising talent.”

“Is it you?” Agnesia deadpanned.

“Me,” Wei finished.

“Wei,” William interjected, “are you doing this because Agnesia’s new specialization is making you feel adequate—”

“Stand back!” Wei declared dramatically, cutting the remark short. He had no time for pithy accusations. “I know not what will become of me when I try this.”

“Probably a new bullshit Skill,” came a dry murmur from Vendrian.

“Stand back!” Wei repeated, determination ignited in his eyes.

Instead of his previous conservative approach, he fed everything he had into his concept core of the harvest. But that wasn’t all he did: he focused his Ambition into the core, used his omniscience to infuse the shared with his experiences, his desire to overcome and lay low those who thought themselves above him.

As Wei strained himself, aligning mind, spirit, and body, the others staggered back, watching as a sphere expanded around him, it's outside bearing the symbol of his scythe. Then, like a disturbed reflection on the surface of a lake, the scythe shivered and broke apart while Wei vanished within the core.

For a few moments, he could hear the others calling out for him, asking him to respond. He ignored them—this was something that would take all his intent, and he would see it done. Failure was not acceptable.

“Failure is not an option,” the Shell said. “Also, focus on the Skill… something that can… make us bigger. Taller. As tall as the girl. At least. At least.”

At least, Wei focused.

Parts of his spirit were changing—like something raw being refined and carved into a higher form. He spent ever last Concept Shard he had, and his Concept of Harvest jolted hard—shooting past the Moderate level and weighing on his being like a lodestone.

Something flashed behind his eyes. A vision called out to him: A vision of a realm that sapped and drained, of a place winnowed by Source and hollow as the void that claimed Wei. A surge of deathly cold lingered here—a boon granted by the Hound. At the heart of this place was Wei, and it oozed out from him like ink, like he was a brush of paint seeping his colors into the world.

Concept Core of Harvest > Great

Skill Advanced

And slowly, the sphere that once encompassed Wei expanded along with the core, spreading wide to swallow the others, and bringing them into a new place—a place once hidden inside Wei, now externalized unto the world itself; an expression of his spirit, a dimensional manifestation of his will…

(Form) > (Realm) of the Harvest

Yet, Wei’s cries were not one of pride but despair. “No! No!”

“No!” The Shell echoed.

“I was supposed to be taller! I wanted to be bigger. Don’t just expand my inner spirit space around everyone! Me! Me! I want to be taller! Damn you System!”