POV Valterra Unok’Davaas

  The shock waves coming from the System resonated with Valterra’s Spark, creating an uneasy dissonance that he found revolting.

  “Give it a moment, lad,” Krat’Imos’s voice punched through the discomfort. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better, but I promise it’ll be worth the wait.” As if to prove the High Spirit’s words, the dissonance spiked terribly. Valterra groaned as he felt his Spark fluctuate alarmingly. Divine as it was, his Spark was a tiny thing on the cosmic scale, and this felt like trying to stuff one of his Great Tidal Whales into one of his House Mice.

  Then, with an almost physical pop, everything settled, and Valterra let out another groan, this time of relief. “What just happened?” He received nothing at first and tried pinging the System. To his surprise, it responded with alacrity, displaying a notification that had him reeling in an entirely different manner than before.

  Welcome, Valterra Unok’Davaas!

  The creator of this System has given you full Administrator privileges, including the ability to lock out other Administrators from accessing this version. Without a connection to the greater System, this version may become outdated.

  Analyzing…Dungeon core found…Divine boon found…Divine title found…Divine Spark recognized

  As a divine dungeon, all boons and titles will be cemented within your divine Spark and cannot be revoked by those without Administrator access unless forcefully stripped from your soul. Territory claimed by you cannot be influenced by those without Administrator access or sufficiently powerful Aether control.

  Note: For further information, please contact the System’s creator.

  That was…a lot. The information contained in that one notification was enough for the Dungeon Core to freeze up. The first paragraph caused numerous questions to begin racing inside Valterra’s mind. What was an Administrator? What did it mean by ‘This Version’?

  It took Valterra a long moment to find his bearings, but when he did, he noticed the equivalent of a polite tapping on the edges of his Awareness. With a thought, he acknowledged it, and at once, Krat’Imos’s calm voice reached him.

  “Hey, lad? You there? Say something if you’re there. Hello?”

  Valterra snickered at the image of the System’s creator essentially poking him to get his attention, but sobered quickly with the System notification fresh on his mind. He repeated his earlier question with some wariness injected into his tone. “Krat’Imos? What just happened?”

  “Ah!” Valterra could practically feel the god relax as he answered his poking. “Well, I kind of…gave you your own System…disguised as a personal update.”

  Valterra took that in for a moment before asking, “So. What does that mean?” He could practically feel Krat’Imos deflate.

  “Ah, I should’ve known it might be difficult to understand. Essentially, I’ve provided you with the latest version of my System. It has been copied and pushed into your Core for your Spark to access. That action caused the discomfort that you experienced.” The god’s next words shook Valterra. “You’re free, lad. Free from the Council’s control. Nothing you have can now be taken from you unless they try to do so by force. Even me.”

  The Core didn’t know how to feel about the situation. On the one hand, the idea that he was “free” set a fire in his Spark. On the other hand, he didn’t really know what that meant. His whole life up to this point had been directed and established by the gods and their influence. His name, his nature, and even his Frameworks were all gifts bestowed and power offered. What was he now that they could no longer influence his life?

  He shook away another bout of introspection before it could properly start. “Is that a probability? Having things taken by force?” He heard the grimace in Krat’Imos’s voice as he answered.

  “There are many things I cannot tell you. The High Council, which I suppose includes myself, we…had plans for you. Plans that became unstable with the death of Calamvor the Archmage.” It was clear that Krat’Imos was struggling to skirt around the issue while still trying to communicate, and Valterra felt a warmth flood his Core.

  “It’s alright, Uncle,” he said, cutting off Krat’Imos’s next words. “My father left me some gifts which have shed light on some things.” Krat’Imos’s presence went rigid before he spoke quickly and firmly.

  “Never repeat that information to anyone else in the Council. It was dangerous for you even to tell me, but…I’m glad you know something. And,” Here, Krat’Imos’s voice held a deep sorrow and pain that Valterra had never heard before from one of the gods. “I’m glad he was able to leave something behind for you. He…he saw you as his greatest achievement. He would have wanted you to know that.”

  Valterra once again felt his Core surge with emotion, but it was hard to know what he was feeling. He pushed it aside but made sure to analyze it for later inspection. He found his footing even as Krat’Imos continued.

  “Whatever he gave you, he must have hidden well, so keep it hidden. Please keep the other gods as Administrators for now. It will keep them from noticing anything other than the immediate differences. At some point, everything will become clearer, but until then,” the god’s voice grew firmer but lighter. “Your System has some upgrades, but to explain those, I have brought a guest. Would you give me permission to let her into this discussion?

  Valterra let his Awareness spread out, but he felt nothing. Was there somebody else there that he couldn’t feel? He picked up nothing, but his heightened Awareness did pick up something strange from Krat’Imos’s presence itself. “Uh…sure.” He finally responded, but kept his Awareness up even as Krat’Imos did…something.

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  “Hello, am I coming through clearly?” Even as a feminine voice spoke out, another presence arrived. It didn’t descend as the High Spirits did; it was more like it unfolded out from somewhere else entirely. Valterra’s Awareness rolled over it, and the feedback he received didn’t serve to calm him down.

  “Yes, you are, my dear. Valterra, allow me to introduce you to my new wife, Lady Ish’Matar.” The Core could hear the love in Krat’Imos’s voice, but the very essence of the lady brought flashbacks of pain.

  “Why?” Valterra spat, and he could see that both presences practically flinched at the venom in his tone. “Did you think I wouldn’t know what she is? Has it been so long since I was invaded that you have forgotten, Uncle? She is Fae, like those who tried to bind me!”

  Krat’Imos made to speak, his presence speaking to a growing anger, before a soft voice interrupted him before he could speak. “I wasn’t aware of those events until Krat’Imos informed me. What you need to know, young one, is that there are many factions among the Fae. Factions within Factions, in fact. We are not a direct people. We scheme and connive. It is in our nature. Not even I am above such things.”

  Hearing the honesty in her tone, Valterra took a metaphorical step back and tried to rein in his anger. “What makes this time different? Why should I trust you?”

  “Because I love Krat’Imos, and together we have turned my nature towards helping you. I scheme now on your behalf, and my schemes have borne fruit, with Krat’Imos’s help, in the form of an update to your System. Your creatures no longer need to fear death if you do not wish it upon them.”

  Stunned, Valterra continued to focus his Awareness on the presence that denoted Lady Ish’Matar’s spiritual connection to him. “H-how?” He stuttered, not fully understanding what, exactly, she was trying to say. His creatures would no longer be in danger of dying? How could that be possible?

  “That would require a lengthy conversation that we do not have the time for. The short version is that just like your gods, we Fae Lords and Ladies have domains of our own. Mine happen to be Entropy and Death. By combining my domains with my husband’s, we were able to create something unique. You, Valterra, will be the first, and perhaps the only, dungeon to have it.”

  She continued swiftly, not giving Valterra the time to ask any of the many questions he had. “You now have the ability to imprint Spark Signatures upon specific creatures, the ones you call Guardians. These Guardians can then be brought back to life for a tithe of Aether, an amount incumbent upon the Rank of the creature you are bringing back. Creatures Named by you will automatically receive this benefit as they are already connected to you.”

  Valterra grew increasingly excited as she continued speaking. When she stopped, he tentatively sent his gratitude towards where her presence floated nearby in the same way he would thank one of his uncles or aunts. From her reaction, he figured she hadn’t expected such a thing.

  “You are welcome, Valterra—one more thing before I go. The boon is called Guardian’s Blessing, and it requires Divine Potential to activate. It may be easier to simply Name your Guardians for them to receive the blessing. I wish you luck, young one.” And then she was gone as if she had never been there to begin with.

  Valterra stared at where she had been a moment before, shifting his Awareness to Krat’Imos. “So you got married?” He asked a little incredulously. “Congratulations?”

  The god’s laughter was genuine, but it held an unidentifiable edge. “Yes, well, it has been a long time in coming, but our relationship is something we have kept out of both of our circles for various reasons. I’m afraid it wouldn’t have been looked upon with favor.”

  “Why now, then?” Valterra asked, genuinely confused. “You didn’t do all this just for me, did you?”

  “No, no, well…not just for you, though it was true that I would have needed help to do what you wanted to happen with your creatures. My lady’s involvement wasn’t strictly necessary, but perhaps something could have been bargained for if not for our prior relationship.” The god chuckled again, but it was a weary sound. “I am tired, Valterra. Tired of doing things in the dark. It has been necessary to do so, and I understand the reasons behind it, but creativity cannot thrive in the dark. It needs light with no hidden bindings.”

  The god sighed heavily. “It was not my intention to burden you with such things. Regardless of how it came about, I am now married to a wonderful woman, and I couldn't care less what the others think.” At this, his tone turned rueful. “Of course, as soon as they realize the specific boon that has been given to you, they will put two and two together. I’m counting on their outrage to hide your access to the System. Ensure that you grant them access before experimenting. The fact that I am here is the only thing that keeps them from questioning why they can’t check in on you.”

  “Check in on me? What do you mean?”

  “My System allows the other High Spirits, what the mortals would call gods, the ability to interact with the wider world on a smaller scale. Normally, when a god touches the natural world, there are strong effects that can be felt for miles. Using my System, the others can brush by, influencing in small ways that hide their true power to avoid upsetting the natural balance. We have abused that ability to talk with you as much as we have.”

  “Huh,” Valterra let that sit for a minute before working through his response. “So if I block you all out, things would get messy?” He felt the High Spirit sag and hurried to finish his thought process. “I mean that you would still be able to talk to me, but it would be loud?”

  “That would be one way of looking at it. A god’s presence is not normally a gentle experience. My System regulates it. It's one of the reasons why my brothers and sisters accepted it so readily, despite it being a part of my domain. It allowed for a smoother way of communicating with our priests that didn’t involve an intense out-of-body experience. Regardless, we are still Divine. There is not much that could stop us if we truly wanted to act. It would indeed be messy.”

  “I see,” Valterra said, his mind whirling with everything he had just learned. On the one hand, he was now the captain of his ship, so to speak, if the analogy from his father was correct. He made a note to look more into those memories of floating pieces of wood called ships. In any case, he had the power to separate himself from the gods if he wanted to, but it obviously came with some repercussions.

  He made his uncles and aunts administrators of his version of the System and, on a whim, added Lady Ish’Matar as well. He figured it was a natural thing to do since she was married to his uncle and all. Valterra made sure to ask Krat’Imos if that was fine and received an affirmative answer.

  “I will be doing the same thing on my end. It's the first thing they will look for after they notice your boon.” The god seemed resigned but joyful all the same. “Now, Valterra, I think it is time for you to have space to unfold the gift you have been given. Additionally, you can now make changes to this version of the system, as it belongs to you. Keep such changes under wraps, though, unless you’ve talked to me first. We don’t want the others to get suspicious. Regardless, enjoy your gift, my boy. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.”

  With that, Krat’Imos’s presence faded, and Valterra was left alone. Moderately alone. With his new administrator privileges, he could sense the awareness of the other High Spirits now. They hung in the periphery of his System like ghosts. That was another random thing he needed to look into. Perhaps there was a monster he could create to mimic the undead he saw in his father’s memories.

  The gods could wait for now. Valterra pulled up his new System, and immediately words began to light their way across his Spark.