Steel and Mana

Chapter 565 – Invitation into the Cosmos (End of Volume V)

We gathered atop the Pride, entering the main tower, filling it with all of the Union's leaders, my family, Sa’Ith, and the Vasas, Arthur standing slightly behind me, with Ignis chained and very much not happy about that we were looking like students lining up before our new teacher. I thought about maybe ordering something to drink or whatever to be served, but... Would they even like it? While thinking about it, Luna, because of course, had already walked out of the group and poured tea for them.

"Thank you!" Ariana said, taking it from her and sipping on it happily... She didn't look like someone who was the Goddess of Death... at all! Which was apt, because looks can be deceiving. Same to the shorty, who just hopped up onto the edge of the table instead of sitting in a chair.

“Alright,” she said after drinking the tea like taking a shot, looking over us with a grin, “You’re probably wondering what all this means.”

"Pretty much," Yuri chuckled, giving a thumbs up to Luna, who, in the meantime, walked back between us, a bit nervous, but her maid instincts simply overrode everything for a moment.

“First things first,” Ren began, swinging her legs, “You are not special. I know, I know, I said you would be unique, but that doesn't mean you would be all that special and powerful.”

"Is this a stick and a carrot move?" I sighed, muttering to myself.

"Kinda," She nodded, catching my mumblings as I saw how a few people stiffened, but I didn’t, I just kept looking at her. “There are countless realms out there,” she continued, “Worlds with skies and seas, worlds made entirely of crystal creatures, worlds where beasts evolve, turn into creatures of immense strength. There are realms that are younger than yours, but many are older. Waaay older. Some were even destroyed before yours were even born."

She snapped her fingers then, and, without formation, without anything resembling our magic, purple lightning sparked from her fingers, forming into a massive, holographic map, showing us... stars. Layers upon layers of glowing points lit up before our eyes, followed by a line going from them, creating a patchwork of territory within the universe.

“This,” Ren said, pointing lazily, “is our territory within the Cosmos, or this particular part of it. Honestly... it seems endless, we don't know how vast it is, but we know that all the stars you see in it are each a Realm on its own. Just like this... just like from where I am from.”

My throat felt dry... Holy shit... I wanted to ask if those also had life in them, and it seemed she read my mind.

“Each of these,” she tapped a glowing sphere, “has its own rules. Some may develop life, some will never. To go down into them is not easy... unless you know the laws and follow them.”

"So you follow... our laws?" Sasha asked, curious about their powers.

"I don't have to." She shrugged, looking at us, "Your world's a bit special. You see, we found it while we were exploring." Then she pointed at Ariana, "My disciples did, to be correct."

"It was a broken Realm," Ariana stepped forward, speaking to us, "My friends and I found it wide open, gulping down the energies from the Cosmos, which in those quantities... are poison."

"The monsters..." Arthur muttered, glancing at Ignis, who just stood there, chin up, looking down on everybody, including the Gods... She just couldn't speak, thank the Gods!

"Partially." Ariana nodded, "The energy from the Cosmos... It has the property of evolving living beings, but if taken in raw, unrefined by the Realm, it... acts differently."

"Like cancer." Mikan said, repeating what she learned from me, "I see!"

"Smart." Ren grinned, glancing at my wives, "It caused the creatures down here to grow into beasts, but instead of evolving into something... intelligent," she chuckled, her eyes moving to Ignis for a moment, "they just became demons in the strictest sense of the world."

"So we enacted a fix," Ariana said, "Wyland had an idea how to create a natural seal and shell for your Realm, that filters the incoming Cosmic energies, shields and keeps your world intact, and refines it. Then, every year, it would release the refined energies."

"Are you telling me... the winters..." I moaned, pinching my nose, "Is that release?"

"Yes." Ren grinned, looking at me, "And the mountains are the filter. Smart!" Then, her eyes flicked to the Gods’ Formation's direction. “That thing,” she said bluntly, “is a lock and the doorway to the Cosmos... They left three behind. It was his safety measure,” she continued, “We didn't intend to create a prison, we just locked the doors so you wouldn't accidentally kill yourselves by opening it ahead of time. They were made to measure and evaluate your progress until you are ready to join us outside.”

"How?" Mirian asked, finding her voice.

“Here’s the important bit: realms don’t stay small forever." Ren answered her, tilting her head, "Given enough time, pressure builds inside them as their magic, cultivation, or call it whatever you want... When their systems mature, people's souls adapt, and sooner or later, they will reach out to the outside world; it is inevitable. But! They have to open the door themselves... You didn't have a door. It was blown wide open! So we had to do it this way. Haaah..." She sighed, shaking her head, "We have a strict, do-not-interfere policy in place. Where we find people, creatures, who show intelligence, we don't raid their Realms for their resources, and we let them evolve."

"Did you watch Star Trek...?" I asked, but there was no answer to this question, only baffled looks. Okay... She is not a reincarnator! That's off the list then. "Nothing," I muttered, being elbowed by Sasha from my right.

"We had to try and save you." Ariana said with a sigh, "So we separated your world into two, establishing two sides, one for the demons, hoping that one day they may break out from their infection and cleanse themselves to become what they should have been... and one for you, the humans."

"Why let them through, then?" Sa'Ith asked suddenly, "It caused... so much death..."

"Without death there is no life, and there is no life without death." Ren answered her, "The Cosmos is a harsh place. We may be benevolent, but we had our fair share of fights with Realms that didn't ask, just conquered, robbing others of all their resources, lives, everything. Like locusts..."

"Did you...?" Yuri asked, watching Ren nod.

"Killed them all. Yes." She smiled innocently, making us gulp and, for a moment, even Ignis felt her instincts warn her to drop the smug look on her face, "Without tempering, you would break. Why save you if you can't improve? So it was designed to match your improvement. The stronger you are, the bigger monsters it would let through."

"Why are you all looking at me?!" I grunted as every eye suddenly turned towards me, "If not for my stuff, we would be dead, because Ignis was already hatching!"

"Hmph!" She snorted with a smirk, forcing it through Arthur's silencing spell.

"You had long winters, did you not?" Ariana asked, making us nod to her question, "It showed that your actions were speeding up the evolution of the barrier, letting in more of the Cosmos, raising your evaluation."

"Okay, okay... That's all great and all!" I raised a hand, before I was going to be the cause of all the bad things happening in this world, "What does this mean to us now? We had just defeated someone who was bent on consuming everything." I pointed at Ignis, "Then now you all are here."

"Yeah, we saw it." Ren chuckled, looking at us, remaining silent for a brief moment, "It means that in a few centuries or so, you may reach a point where you will unlock the way to travel into the Cosmos. You had already begun deciphering part of my world's laws to create the key to your door."

"The runes..." Merlin muttered, already putting it together. "From the Gods' Formation!"

"Yeah," Ren nodded, "Wyland is a formation master, one of the best I know. So, your world's laws regarding magic are based on ours, reformed and remade to fit yours. We have already solved how to traverse the Cosmos, and the barrier was made so as to contain the spark that would allow the same solution to you. Sadly..." He glanced at Sa'Ith, "Your people had taken a wrong turn."

"..." She didn't flinch; she just looked at the white-haired girl before slowly nodding, "We know."

"It's fixable." Ren chuckled, suddenly making Sa'Ith flinch, "Before we leave, I will adjust the barriers so that they do not reject you. But if you try to continue what you did and butcher others and yourselves even more... There will be hell to pay for that."

"We... under...stand..." Sa'Ith muttered, barely able to say the words, almost like she was swaying and about to collapse from hearing they would be able to... come home.

"Don't turn into monsters." She warned Sa'Ith one more time, "There are techniques that we are not going to accept into our Alliance. So!" She clapped again, "Now that we see you are at this level, we are here to make you an offer!"

"Offer?" multiple voices asked, me included.

"No need to answer yet," She spoke with a smile, "Just think about it, pass it down, let the future generations know about it. And when you leave your Realm, you will know that you can be part of something greater and not only see wonders you never knew of, but be protected. Fledgling Realms are the most vulnerable to being preyed upon by others. Within our Alliance, you would be safe and could trade with others."

"Sounds familiar," Chairman Alvor said at once. Of course, the word trade would make him light up like a Christmas tree!

"It is how things evolve," Ren nodded, "I guess your Union is of a similar thing?" She asked, and she didn't even need my answer to know it was, "Which saves me a lot of time. Ours works just the same. Just know that when you come out, we will be there, waiting for your answer. Don't worry, even if you say no, we won't force you, and you would be left alone."

"Alone in a dark forest or in a bright village..." I chuckled, shaking my head.

"It is what it is!" Ren moaned, stretching, hopping off the table. "One more thing, though... What do you want to do with her?" She asked, pointing at Ignis, who suddenly went stiff. "I saw everything, and as the winner, it is up to you," She smiled, glancing at Arthur, "If you want, we can take her... she is dangerous."

"She is." Arthur nodded, looking at Ignis before answering with a half-smile, "She was this world's mistake, for not wearing a condom."

"..."

"That's my boy!" Yuri laughed, only to groan as Sasha's elbow landed between her ribs, "True, true... he is yours... ugh... damn..."

"We will correct the mistake," my son continued, and I saw how Ignis thought she was about to be offered as a sacrifice, "so I will try to show her we can be... peaceful. That we don't need to kill each other."

"Okay." Ren answered without a flinch, grinning, "Then we are done here!"

"Wait, what?" Mirian gasped, "That's all? You come down, hold a history lesson... and go?!"

"Duh." Ren looked at her, "I was simply curious what the hell was going down here, because the things we left behind to monitor you all have been sending back weird signals and whatnot. It showed movement and bubbling, like when an egg is about to hatch, so I came to take a peek! I am pretty busy, you know... I became a Sect Master, for some weird reason, and it robs me of all the free time and more..."

"Tell me about it..." I nodded, knowing what she meant.

"This time, she isn't exaggerating." Ariana agreed, making Ren look at her with a twitching eye.

"Whose side are you on, eh?"

"Of course, yours, Master." She giggled, covering her mouth.

"Could have fooled me!" She grunted, shaking her head, then looking at us one more time, "Anyway. Just know... We will be outside, waiting for you to make it to us. Then, you could start a whole new era for your kind! For all of your kind..." She added, looking straight at Ignis.

...

....

.....

It was a cold day, yet inside the room, the air was warm as Louise was sitting in her chair, knitting leisurely while her husband was on the couch, leaning back, reading, both of them enjoying the calm and peace.

"Graaaaan!" The door flung open as Percy rushed in, crying and wailing like it was the end of the world, throwing himself into the arms of his great-grandmother.

"What's happened?" She asked, without any worry in her voice.

"S-si...si...si..."

"Percy?" Kalash asked, leaning forward, looking at his wife, who was just as lost.

"Moooooom and Daaaaad, they made a new sibling for me! I don't want to! Waaaaaaah!" He began crying again.

"Good!" Louise said, suddenly stopping Percy from wailing, who looked like he had just been betrayed.

"Graaaaaan!"

"Now, now," She patted his head, "Don't you act like that! Are you a big boy or a little girl, hm?"

"I'm a boy..." He pouted, his eyes not really wet at all.

"Could have fooled me!" Louise chuckled, standing up with him, putting Percival down, "Let's go. I'll go with you to hear it from your parents! Maybe you misunderstood them."

"Okay..." Percival shrugged, holding her hand as the trio left their room. "But I heard Mom say that Dad filled her up so much, there is at least an army brewing..."

...

....

......

"Can you keep it together?" Arthur asked, standing before Ignis, holding her chains, but this time around, the dragon's shackles were less tight, not only allowing her to move around freely but to say what came to mind, with barely any filter.

"I will show you that I am not a savage."

"All I ask," He muttered, slowly lowering his hand.

"I still think it's a weird idea." Leyla chimed in, along with Morgan and Galahad, as all my kids and their significant others gathered around Arthur. "Inviting her to the radio show... Haaah..."

"It will be the best way to introduce her to the people." Arthur argued, "I made the previous episodes to describe our history exactly for this moment! We will have to change the people's look at things, and it starts here. You saw how they looked at the Vasas first... Then, how it changed after the episodes with them aired. Integrating them into Avalon is a chore... but that moment helped a lot."

"Hmph," Ignis snorted, listening to them, "They are incapable of fitting in."

"They are doing just fine," Morgan rebuked her, "The only one who doesn't fit in is you."

"The Vasas doing better than I?" The dragon snorted, "Not happening."

"We will see," Lancelot chuckled, looking at his sibling, then back at Ignis, "Your introduction will be... the telling sign if you are better or worse than the Vasas. Sa'Ith's interview was the talk of the city for days, and I think all the recordings of that episode were sold out and still get scooped up the moment more are put up in the shops."

"Hmph!" Ignis snorted, crossing her arms before her chest, "I am not going to let the Vasas win... You'll see..."

...

....

.....

"Are you two sure?" I asked, looking at Kustov and Oleg, both of them standing before me, "This may not work..."

"We heard it," the two said, looking at each other and smiling. "Sovereign, we had never seen any of your ideas fail."

"I was the first to accompany you," Oleg continued, "I would like to keep the tradition going, if you are planning to go to new horizons."

"Same." Kustov saluted, "I have been the captain of your ship, Sovereign. If you build a new one... I'd like to keep my honor."

"And you both will," I nodded, smiling, "But this is as good as both of you retiring."

"The next generation can handle Avalon's business," Oleg said, also saluting.

"Mhm," I nodded, "Will tell you more the moment I know... more."

With that, they left my little room where I was cooped up for the past two months, since the Gods had left. I couldn't help myself, and neither could Merlin. My wives even grumbled that I retired from retirement... But of course, I didn't forget my promise to them. The moment winter ends, we will go on a tour of the continent, just the six of us. I mean, I, the donkey at the helm, Sasha, Luna, Yuri, Mikan... and Sa'Ith. Yeah, her too, as they agreed to let her come and see how the world had changed after so many years.

It will probably take a year or so, but it will be a great experience! And it will help take my mind off the new obsession I have found myself mulling over day and night. One that was slowly materializing on the blueprint before me.

Watching the paper, the half-sketches of my next big project, it was akin to a triangle... A murder triangle. I just couldn't help myself, the design is too good not to knock it off. Haaah... I wonder what their faces would look like if, after telling us it would take a few centuries or more to appear in the Cosmos, and we were to appear... in my own lifetime.

I won't lie. The fact that there is a whole Cosmos to explore, it... made me fired up again. Oh well!

That adventure will wait for me... and I am not going to miss it.