In the bowels of The Capital of the Dominion, in the bowels of the Dormancidia, perhaps the bowels of reality itself, His Honor, The True Sage felt a ripple disturb him while he meditated and recharged. Though the ripple was minor enough to ignore, it was followed by the distinct impression of full alteration that signaled global manipulation. A World Spell. This awoke him.

  He soon realized what it was — the curse of that failure Itha Ranon ending — and felt nothing but mild derision. “Of course you did.”

  But she didn’t have the patience to maximize that particular strategy; if she tried, she’d still lose. She was simply too late.

  The Sage arranged for assurances not to be disturbed by others on the subject and went back to his meditation. He’d known the Southlands lost with Redberry’s rescue because he wouldn’t waste the energy on her. The irony of that particular failure was sharp, but the presumed source made it entirely irrelevant. He’d preferred a totality of verification and had sought it out in vain. Fortunately, so many accrued bits of circumstantial evidence made things clear enough. She had arrived.

  The final stage was set and he was happy to be done with the worthlessness of his failed order. They could either prove themselves or burn. He’d have diamonds in the fire to rebuild or nothing. The Sage of Truth, his supposed protege, the one he’d deigned to save, was no different. He’d have his moment of glory, disaster, or mediocrity. Probability was the latter and acceptable. Ideal.

  Invariably, if She were all she was promised to be, she’d have to come to him to finish it. And then, in great contrast to what the Beyond had shown him of prior results, all would truly be finished indeed.

  ??············???···········??

  In a vast laboratory and warehouse full of thousands of collected alchemical substances, sectioned into dozens of experimental chambers (two of them permanently sealed), out of a work chair in front of an enchanted work table, Glaelychus jumped clean out, knocking the chair over, in supreme alarm at what he felt rippling through reality.

  Once he realized what it was, though, he pushed his goggles up and laughed, slapping his hands together. “You woke up Itha Ranon, you little whelp? Good! Get her up and running, girl. Could make things easier. You could still be useful to me yet.”

  Grinning, wiping a chalky face on his sleeve, he pushed his goggles back down, set right the chair, and got back to work on the anti-rune. The culmination of his greatest work was coming along spectacularly.

  You broke so many precious bonds of mine, Sleeper. Time to return the favor. Leveraging what you broke, I’ll end it once and for all. Then I’ll end you for the final vengeance of so many. I’ll reign supreme over all once yours!

  ??············???···········??

  The Wind Watcher yawned and tried to stay awake near the end of his shift. It was always like that after almost four hours, especially if alone. As soon as he was off, he’d catnap. Inkrea was supposed to be his partner, but he was ill. Supposedly. Whatever. Tovrar never missed his duty! It was good coin. But he also couldn’t sleep. If caught not looking at the mana stones, one got banned and replaced. Inkrea might get banned for missing his duty, even. Tovrar would be very upset. It was his fifth partner, and he’d lasted six months.

  Once upon a time, the mana stones in Weriarra were connected to automatic sound devices, he’d heard. He heard also that Venkal still had them working, but the city — town, really — was remote. Unconnected. Weriarra was an important head point for the alarms. So the mana stones were watched, and if they started doing glowy pattern things, the Wind Watcher rang the big bell. And then…

  Well, it didn’t matter. They never did glowy pattern things. Tovrar had mostly stayed awake for years and years and never saw it. He was really proud of mostly staying awake, and also for waking up Inkrea after sharp ear supervisor footstep detection, and never getting caught not staying awake. It was rar — rare, that is.

  Tovrar was attempting to sleepily play a solitaire card game when he suddenly looked up in amazement. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The mana stones! They couldn’t be, could they?

  He stood and walked over closer to them, staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed. The crystals were flashing in glowing patterns, over and over, all in different colors.

  Panic caught him up as his tail lashed around. One could be thrown in prison to ring the bells without justification! With a howl, he ran to the window and started yelling, “Hey! Someone! The stones! Glowing! Come see, please come s-...” But he realized he was very high, and there was no one paying him any mind on the ground.

  Swallowing, he stared but a few moments more at the stones, then felt a combination of risen-up duty and resignation. This was his job, and he saw what he saw. People would come when he…

  Tovrar marched over to the bell, moved the footstool over, and stood on it to reach and undo a tight tie-off and pull down the rope. He stepped down and took a deep, deep breath, saying prayers to Hin Haraki The Mystic, begging blessings for executing truth, as he stuffed bits of wool in his ears. Then he started slinging the rope, ringing the bell hard and loud. The sound was something he felt in his bones and it carried far.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Before long, he heard other bells in the distance taking up the call he’d started. He kept at it diligently, eyeing the stones still flashing away. He forgot how long it was supposed to continue… it was never something that was supposed to happen…

  He started to feel an existential dread, and not for the idea of prison anymore. For what the magic stones flashing and the bells ringing meant.

  Could the fog really go away? What would hide us, what would protect us from the humans and demons and serpents? Would they come for us? Could there really be… war? What will change? I don’t like change…

  ??············???···········??

  Sammy flew through the air, marveling at everything that had risen up out of the sea. Water was still draining out. Everything sat very high on rocks, with anything that might’ve been dock structures not making it. A great, great deal hadn’t made it, actually, despite very little of it looking like it had been on an ocean bottom. They were still ruins. She still had a lot of work to do.

  Half if not more of this city, tower, and fortress will need to be by my creation because it's half ruined. It feels appropriate, though.

  The mana of the location was… immense, and continually increasing. She could feel the thickness of it in her very breathing of the air.

  Because she had ignored System stuff while completing the work, she checked back in.

  Find the stones, huh? Okay then. The tower… this feeling…

  Sammy was drawn. She floated over to the top of the tower. Just under the final spire was a tapering roof, under which were large crystalline panels like windows going all the way around. Perhaps around a third of them were smashed in, mostly those facing north. She slid inside through a gap.

  All the way around the windows was a raised stone platform with evenly spaced blocks, apparently there as cover. The stone was glittering white, enchanted, and pristine. Most of the inner decor was destroyed, leaving only shreds and bits of metal or stone cast around, likely from water flow.

  Below the outer platform was another large circle, and here the stone had elaborate carvings filled with a beautiful, multicolored stone like a filling. The marks made a magic circle — in fact, many circles, falling concentrically down to a middle point, where a huge, perfectly diamond-shaped crystal floated above a pedestal. The circles were as they were for ritual magic members to stand directly on runes. Hundreds, dozens, or three or four — there was a great variety of total members who could stand and be supported by the geometry. Three to make a triangle, four to make a cross, twelve to make a… pizza?

  Sammy giggled. No, I think that would be eight.

  She quickly realized the growing mana nexus as well as the resonating power of the crown were making her giddy. The air and the charge flowing through her body were so rich and felt so good!

  She was immediately attracted to many things within, but the nearest was the crystalline panels. They felt… supported by the rest of the structure; they were truly a part of the tower. She understood them to be primarily fashioned of pneuma and mana, and actually very strong, particularly against physical harm.

  Walking up to one of the whole panels, feeling an uncanny instinct, she thrust her staff out at the crystal. It went right through as if through water. She stuck her hand through, and it was the same. Then she went all the way through bodily like it was a portal.

  When she turned to attempt going back through it, she slammed into it with a gong of firm resistance. Giggling, Sammy flew back through a broken panel and cast a spell at the panel from the inside — Icebolt. It passed right through.

  “One-way spell crystal!” Sammy exclaimed in child-like glee. “Fucking awesome! I gotta fix the others…”

  “Your Majesty,” came the voice of Tenshai in her head. “The waves are done here and were quite easy with this circle. Would you like us to take advantage of our current synchronization to clean out any residing water, speeding up your drying process?”

  “A fantastic idea!” Sammy replied. “Yes yes yes! Do it up, Tenshai, you awesome fish-girl, you! Gods, I love you!”

  The mermaid was highly amused. “I’ll chalk that up to the current moment more than me personally, but your adoration is noted. You are one fit to cherish as well, Goddess.”

  Sammy laughed and did a spin in the air, full up and drunk on energy. She zipped down to the circle area and the crystal. Despite her gleefulness, she slowed and paused in front of it. The crown was certainly calling for it. Here, she could cast spells of tremendous magnitude, stacking up numerous advantages through ritual. But she felt awe as if it were too… the word wasn’t quite ‘holy.’ But it was too ‘something’ to touch directly.

  “What will we do together? There’s so much to do, so little time! We need to get started, hmm?”

  Like a kid in a candy store over here.

  Next Chapter...

  More about the tower, and even learning about mana zones.

  Backers go here! Huzzah! Thank you! is a link to the claim thread for those who want a spot.

  Elias Blade, holding eternally the tarot of The Fool!

  Helva, holding eternally the tarot of The Hierophant!

  Gostsamo, holding eternally the tarot of Death (+ Binky)!

  DuB, holding eternally the tarot of The Moon!

  Guessed, holding eternally the tarot of The Magician!

  Some BS Deity, holding eternally the tarot of The Hermit!

  Silxornas, holding eternally the tarot of The Wheel of Fortune!

  Max, holding eternally the tarot of The Devil!

  IrateRapScallion, holding eternally the tarot of Justice!

  Quarter, holding eternally the tarot of The Hanged Man!

  Flight, holding eternally the tarot of The Star!

  Tempest42, holding eternally the tarot of The High Priestess!

  Venerable Ro, holding eternally the tarot of The Emperor!

  Koza0, holding eternally the tarot of The World!

  Forgotten Name, holding eternally the tarot of The Sun!

  Cothand, holding eternally the tarot of The Tower!

  T3iain, holding eternally the tarot of Judgement!

  Paul, holding eternally the tarot of The Chariot!

  Thorlab, holding eternally the tarot of The Empress!

  Renn, holding eternally the tarot of The Lovers!

  Xeo, holding eternally the tarot of Temperance!

  ObsidianShiv, holding eternally the tarot of the Seven of Swords!

  7CatRunes, holding eternally the tarot of the Queen of Swords!

  Nick, holding eternally the tarot of the Four of Pentacles!

  Hikari, holding eternally the tarot of Strength!

  Wiggles1, holding eternally the tarot of the Eight of Ships Pentacles!

  Nanominatour, holding eternally the tarot of the Ace of Wands!

  Kusoneko, holding eternally the tarot of the Queen of Cups!

  Revolgod, holding eternally the tarot of the King of Swords!

  Martin, holding eternally the tarot of the Ace of Cups!

  Tejing, holding eternally the tarot of the King of Cups!

  Renimus, holding eternally the tarot of the Eight of Swords!

  Grevias, holding eternally the tarot of the Ace of Pentacles!

  LobskiTheMagicLobster, holding eternally the tarot of the Ace of Swords!

  3X!3X, holding eternally the tarot of the King of Pentacles!

  Manlor, holding eternally the tarot of the Knight of Pentacles!

  Mage_Kikyou, holding eternally the tarot of the Queen of Pentacles!

  Captain Nuclear, holding eternally the tarot of the King of Wands!

  This_bored_guy, holding eternally the tarot of the Five of Cups!

  TeeCee67, holding eternally the tarot of the Six of Cups!

  Ronny, holding eternally the tarot of the Six of Swords!

  ArcH, holding eternally the tarot of the Two of Wands!

  Ambicatus, holding eternally the tarot of the Three of Wands!

  TheOneGunslinger, holding eternally the tarot of the Three of Swords!

  Captain_Sulsear, holding eternally the tarot of the Three of Cups!

  Dtape467, holding eternally the tarot of the Knight of Cups!

  Rosy Bramble, holding eternally the tarot of the Nine of Swords!

  TheDxve, holding eternally the tarot of the Seven of Cups!

  Riley, holding eternally the tarot of the Page of Wands!

  Volpol, holding eternally the tarot of the Ten of Swords!

  Thernn, holding eternally the tarot of the Queen of Wands!

  Spark, holding eternally the tarot of the Eight of Wands!

  ZelTheUnbroken, holding eternally the tarot of the Knight of Swords!

  Arrogantfitz, holding eternally the tarot of the Five of Wands!

  Lazifur, holding eternally the tarot of the Knight of Wands!

  GrimmRozen, holding eternally the tarot of the Five of Swords!

  Rainer, holding eternally the tarot of the Six of Wands!

  Kaylee, holding eternally the tarot of the Two of Pentacles!

  SlipJay, holding eternally the tarot of the Four of Swords!

  Talisman, holding eternally the tarot of the Four of Cups!

  Ant Mac, holding eternally the tarot of the Page of Pentacles!

  Taublatt, holding eternally the tarot of the Nine of Pentacles!

  Shattered, holding eternally the tarot of the Ten of Wands!

  IsacIW, holding eternally the tarot of the Two of Swords!

  Claire Rylander, holding eternally the tarot of the Seven of Wands!

  Zimmy, holding eternally the tarot of the Nine of Cups!

  Sarai, holding eternally the tarot of the Seven of Pentacles!