I turned the remote, notch by notch, encouraged by Cali herself who wanted to be more, wanted to change herself for me so that I could appreciate her instead of simply hating her for what her allure was doing to my mind.

  With each increment, I watched her closely, looking for any signs of distress or discomfort.

  At 5%, Cali's ears twitched, and her tail began to swish more rapidly. Her ocean-blue eyes seemed to gain a new depth sprinkled with gold sparks, a hint of curiosity that wasn't there before.

  "How do you feel?" I asked, my hand hovering over the dial.

  Cali blinked rapidly, her brow furrowing in concentration. "Strange. Different. More. Like there's a whole new part of my mind opening up. I can think about things in ways I never could before. Like there’s a whisper in the back of my head rushing across all of my thoughts, evaluating and reforming them... optimizing each.”

  "Try the allure again. See if you can make something completely different,” I suggested.

  She closed her eyes, concentrating. Through my Astralscope, I saw her silver-blue threads dance and weave. This time, they formed a more recognizable tree shape. It still had a kitten face, but now it also sported tiny feathers on its branches. The feathers twisted and turned into black and white leaves.

  "Better," I said. "But maybe less... catbird-tree and more just tree?"

  Cali's nose scrunched up adorably as she focused harder. The tree in my mind's eye slowly lost its feline features, becoming more plant-like. However, now it seemed to be sprouting tiny magnifying glasses from its branches that peered at me.

  “Huh,” Cali murmured. “It’s not just me. It’s you too.”

  “Me what?”

  “I can see more of you. I can see you through my allure. My aura isn’t just influencing yours, it’s also examining what you are, trying to understand you! Let me try to modulate my allure by examining it from within!”

  She fell silent for a few minutes, her own threads wiggling against each other.

  "Got it!" She burst out with a smile. "Go on, give me a challenge."

  "How about... a butterfly?" I suggested.

  Cali nodded, closing her eyes tight. The threads swirled and suddenly, in my mind's eye, I saw a beautiful silver-blue butterfly. It was actually quite impressive, with delicate, shimmering wings and-

  "Wait, why does the butterfly have your face on it?" I asked.

  Cali's eyes snapped open, her cheeks flushing pink. "It does not!"

  "It absolutely does," I said. "A very pretty butterfly, mind you, but definitely with your pouty expression."

  She swatted at my arm playfully, her tail swishing behind her. "Oh, shut up. This is harder than it looks! Give me more Mooni!”

  I turned the dial slightly, increasing the Corvix to 7%. Cali blinked rapidly, shaking her head as if to clear it.

  "Whoa," she said, her voice slightly higher pitched than before. "That's... different. I feel like I want to take apart the sleigh to see how it works. Is that normal?"

  "Sounds about right for Mooni,” I nodded. “Lets see your allure.”

  Cali closed her eyes again, concentrating. This time, the silver-blue threads formed a perfect replica of the sleigh, the projected image floating in my mind's eye like a 3-dimensional structure. Then, each component of the sleigh began to drift apart, revealing its inner workings. For some reason this action was seductive as if the sleigh was undressing for me.

  "Impressive," I nodded. "But uh, why is the sleigh giving me bedroom eyes?"

  Cali's eyes flew open, her face turning bright red. "It is not! I didn't- I mean- Oh Goldara, this is embarrassing."

  “Want to try one more?" I asked.

  “Give me more Mooni,” She nodded. "Also, no comments until I'm done!"

  I turned the remote to 10% watching as she closed her eyes once more. The threads swirled and danced, forming... a book? It was a large, leather-bound tome, floating in my mind's eye. The cover slowly opened, revealing pages filled with intricate diagrams and formulas.

  "Huh," I said, genuinely impressed. "Good job. No faces or weird eyes this time."

  Cali beamed at me, her tail swishing happily.

  I smiled back at her. "Look at that - you managed to create an allure that wasn't just about making me worship you."

  The shifting formulas on one of the book pages suddenly arranged themselves into a drawing of Cali. She blew me a kiss.

  “Was that intentional?” I asked.

  “Argh! Sort of? Maybe? I need more control!” The Felix reached out with her hand and cranked the remote to 30% before I could say or do anything.

  "How Fascinating!" Cali suddenly exclaimed. "Did you know that trees can communicate through underground fungal networks? It's like they have their own Astral-cast! I wonder if we could replicate that system using crystal matrices and create a network that could-"

  She clapped a hand over her mouth, looking startled. "What was that?"

  “Sounds like your inner Mooni is breaking through,” I commented.

  "Oh Stars," she groaned, but I noticed a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Is this what it's like in her head all the time?"

  "Probably," I shrugged, examining her.

  The change was more noticeable this time. A few strands of Cali's white hair developed a subtle black streak, and I swore I saw the tiniest hint of down feathers on her arms.

  "Eeeeeee!" Cali exclaimed, her tail swishing excitedly. "I can feel the knowledge just bubbling up inside me. Did you know that the Chronacist crystals in our body have a lattice structure that's remarkably similar to the atomic arrangement to the Wormwood Star shards? Oh! And the way our allure interacts with the ambient magical field is fascinatingly complex. I wonder if we could modulate the frequency to-"

  She stopped abruptly, looking at me with wide eyes. "I understood all of that. How did I understand all of that?"

  I grinned. "Because you’re 100 percent Cali and 30 percent Mooni. Try the allure again."

  Cali nodded, a determined look on her face. She closed her eyes, and I watched as her threads began to move with newfound precision. In my mind's eye, a perfect, majestic oak tree took shape. It was so detailed I could almost feel the rough bark and see the sunlight filtering through its leaves.

  "Impressive detail," I commented. “Definitely looks like a tree now.”

  Cali beamed at me, her smile brighter than I'd ever seen it. "I did it! I actually did it! Oh, this is fascinatingly lovely! The applications of this technique could revolutionize Felix training methods! Surely some of this knowledge will carry over into long term memories. We could potentially create more versatile, adaptable Seekers who could-"

  I looked at her with a smile.

  She cut herself off, giggling. "Okay, okay, ha ha ha. I can’t stop chattering, Goldara! Whiskers and tails! Let’s keep going! I want to see where this takes me! I want to keep making you smile!”

  Cali eagerly turned the remote, cranking up her "Mooni-ness" with each twist of the dial. Her excitement was palpable, her ocean-blue eyes turning gold.

  Patches of black and white feathers sprouted along her arms, peeking out from beneath the sleeves of her Nordstaii sweater. Her ears, once soft and feline, began to take on a more avian shape, head becoming covered in feathers.

  "Oh, this is extraordinary!" Cali exclaimed as the remote hit 50% Corvix value, her voice fully taking on Mooni's rapid-fire cadence, as her extended talons began tapping her own hands. "The way the crystals are realigning within my cellular structure is simply fascinating. Did you know that the Chronacist lattice can actually produce ranges of color beyond the mundane prismatic seven? Wow! It's like there's an entire library in my head now! It’s like the world makes sense. Wait…”

  Her talons relocated themselves to my armor tapping against me.

  “So many curious, shiny gems, casting Ioan-ness out into the world,” she breathed out. “An Astral Projection of the highest order, controlling fluid cascade crystal waves without flux disruptions whatsoever!”

  Then her talons tapped around the remote.

  “Oh,” she said. “I know exactly what will happen if this goes higher. It’s like I can extrapolate the end result by evaluating the current changes in me… in us?”

  “What will happen next?” I asked.

  “Stabilization,” she replied. “It's like... a standing wave of magic, the Flux oscillating between Cali-ness and Mooni-ness. Each Arcanicx projects a distinctive spiral of magic from her Aura, see? The two Auras are mixed now, but for now the Felix part of me is controlling, leading the Aura of the Corvix.”

  She gestured excitedly, her feathered arms creating intricate patterns in the air. "Even at this level, some of the Mooni traits are cancelling out my Cali traits. It's a delicate balance, you see?"

  I nodded.

  "But here's the really interesting part," she continued, leaning in closer. Her breath smelled faintly of ozone now. "If we go beyond 50%, I'll start becoming more... crystalline. More static. Like a living artifact, like a golem, the crystalline Automata you’ve dubbed a Geolith.”

  To demonstrate, she gently guided my hand on the remote, turning it ten percent upwards. I watched in amazement as the edges of her feathers became transparent, revealing a complex lattice of crystals underneath.

  "See?" she said, her speech slowing as she tapped the crystalline patch with a talon. It made a soft chiming sound. "Any further and I might lose the fluidity that makes me... well, me. Or Cali. Or Mooni. It's all getting a bit blurry now... as the two Auric Flux waves are beginning to cancel each other out.”

  “Magic interferes with magic,” I nodded.

  “Exactly,” Caoni, as I decided to dub her, turned the Mooni remote back down to 50%.

  “Ah, that’s better,” she exhaled. “I can actually think coherently… have desires.”

  “The more the waves cancel each other out the less agency you have?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she nodded. “Pure Chronacist Automata has no desires of its own. It merely obeys its Administrator.”

  She pointed a feathered and furred hand at me.

  “Right,” I nodded. “Just like Jotuns obey their creator.”

  Caoni fiddled with both remotes then, her talons clicking against the dials with precision. Her form shimmered and shifted as she reduced the amount of Cali, settling into an odd balance of feline and avian features.

  “Reducing Caliness and Increasing Mooniness also leads to stabilization,” she murmured. “But what if I turn these really quick?”

  She spun the Mooni remote to 100% and reduced Cali to 50%.

  "There," she said. "One hundred percent Moonalia, fifty percent Cali. The optimal configuration for cognitive control function and Auric control over anything within range.”

  Her now golden eyes, flecked with ocean blue spirals, fixed on me with an intensity that made me shift uncomfortably.

  "Ioan," she began, leaning closer, "I've been thinking, understanding. With this new perspective, I can see so much more clearly now. Your potential but also your... imperfections."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Imperfections?"

  She nodded eagerly, feathers and fur ruffling. "Yes! You're an incredible specimen, don't get me wrong. But there's so much room for improvement. Optimization." Her talon-claws twitched towards me. "Using Cali’s Aura I could try to fine-tune your crystal matrices, adjust your flux resonance. Make you even more powerful, more perfect!”

  I slid away from her grabby talon-claws.

  “Just think about it!” She grinned with a manic expression, orange threads armed with blue feelers unfolding from her body like million-elbowed hands covered in mind-control blades. “You’re static, not projecting magic, but I could try to fix that! I could use my Auric threads to change you, make you more Champion or more Witch! You could expand the range of your crystalline domain… you could consume the hearts of beasts. You could meditate and digest the blood of others. You could… grow!”

  Stormy, who had been snoozing on Moali’s lap, suddenly leapt up. Twirling through the air, she landed in front of me facing the Corvix-Felix, claws out and growling.

  “Your Grace?” Moali blinked. “Does my proposal displease you?”

  “Mr-wrrrrr-drrrrr,” Stormy growled.

  “But, he could be so much more and…” the Corvix-Felix girl tried to explain herself. “And you could be optimized too, made better, more divine perhaps, and…”

  “Hssssssssss,” Stormy simply hissed, sending death glares.

  “It won’t even hurt, just let me…” she began.

  My heartbeat accelerated, the world slowing. I flicked both of the remotes off and Moali stilled, became perfectly suspended, put on pause.

  “Modifying me is dangerous because our enemies would instantly spot us if I became more magically visible in the Astral, right?” I asked the kitten.

  “Mrrrrr,” Stormy nodded and curled up on my lap.

  "Right, thanks for confirming that," I said, trying to relax.

  I flicked Teya's remote on, watching as the crystalline form of the Corvix-Felix shimmered and shifted back into the familiar, human figure of Galateya. She blinked rapidly, her brown eyes with a hint of violet looking around and then settling on me.

  "Ioan?" she asked, her voice uncertain. "What happened? I was dreaming about... feathers and fur… and an uncontrollable desire to improve things… like I was myself, but also not. And there was this overwhelming urge to... change things, to change you?”

  “Just a bit of an experiment combining Moonalia with Callista,” I sighed, rubbing the back of my head. “Apparently giving the Corvix girl control over Felix powers results in their combination trying to optimize me, which Stormy determined as bad for our future. Guess it’s a bad idea to make a personality with a primary desire to maximize everything. I think I like Caoni better than Moali.”

  “Pfff,” Teya nodded, amused by my naming convention. “I see. It’s a good thing we have Stormy then, for keeping us on the right track.”

  “Mrrrrrr,” Stormy relocated herself onto Teya’s lap, curving her back and expecting pets.

  . . .

  I picked up the various bits of organic life gathered by Cali from the island we were currently inhabiting and sorted them across various wooden containers in my domain as Teya offered Stormy many pets.

  "You know," I said, as I returned to the top of the sleigh, "all this experimenting reminds me of someone."

  Teya tilted her head. "Oh?"

  "Yaga Grandhilda," I specified. "The witch who... well, I guess you could say she created me. Or at least, this version of me."

  "The witch from the Shalish Wood?" Teya asked, her brow furrowing. "I've heard many things about her over the centuries from the people of Svalbard.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “I do wonder if she knew what she was doing when she made me. Either way, I think that I should call her and say hi.”

  “Call her?” Teya tilted her head at me.

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “Call her on the Farcast Orb. I left one of Cali’s Voicecast stones at her place.”

  We went down into the sleigh and picked up the Farcast orb, its crystalline surface cool against my palm. With a deep breath, I activated it by shoving a specific partner stone into a slot in its base. The artifact flickered, reaching out across the vast distances to connect with the Voicecast stone I'd left with Yaga Grandhilda.

  For a moment, there was nothing but a soft humming noise.

  "Well, well," a gravelly voice suddenly echoed from the orb. "If it isn't my wayward apprentice. I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about your old teacher."

  "Hey Yaga," I couldn't help but smile. "Guess you didn't drown the rock I left you."

  “I did not,” the Yaga said. “Also, it seems like this Arcanicx rock can only send voices across the Astral Ocean. But let me try to Astral Project myself to where this thread leads so that I can see your face.”

  Suddenly, the air in front of us shimmered and warped. A ghostly figure began to take shape - an old woman with silver hair and piercing blue eyes, her form slightly translucent and flickering at the edges.

  "Ah, there you are," the Yaga's astral projection said, her gaze sweeping over me and then settling on Teya. "And who might this be?”

  “Greetings Yaga Grandhilda,” Teya said. “I am Karpathy Galateya… the wielder of River Glinka.”

  I watched as Yaga's astral projection did a double-take, her ghostly eyes widening comically.

  "I'm sorry, did you say the wielder of River Glinka?" Yaga sputtered, her usually composed demeanor cracking. "As in the ancient, wish-granting river spirit that's been around since before the Nordstaii?"

  Her eyes flickered from Teya to me. I nodded in affirmation.

  “You know, my lovely apprentice,” she said after a deep pause. “When you ran from my domain with both of your kittens in tow I did not expect you to somehow… How did you even bind the river to a human body? Surely you didn’t simply shove her spirit into some poor mortal girl?”

  “I didn’t wish on her nor bind her,” I said. "I just... gave her legs because she wished for such on me. And that's not a human body - that's her original stone, modified to resemble a human."

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  “Wished on you?” The Yaga blinked. “What? Also, where’s that mangy Felix Arcanicx of yours? Why don't I see her?”

  Teya started to giggle.

  “The Felix is merged with her,” I said. “Along with a Corvix Arcanicx.”

  “How?” My Master asked simply.

  "I stole a Builder artifact from your sister’s swamp," I added, as if it was an afterthought. "You know, the thing that makes two spirals? Black and red? It doesn't create Jotuns anymore."

  At this point, Yaga's projection actually flickered out of existence for a moment, only to reappear looking even more befuddled. "You... robbed my sister... and lived?!"

  I shrugged. "Well, yeah. Oh, and I think I might have accidentally created a new type of being. A crystalline Jotun. I call it a Geolith. Neat, right?"

  I couldn't help but smile at Yaga's stunned expression. Yaga's astral projection flickered again as she readjusted herself.

  "Ioan Starfall," she said, her voice a mix of exasperation and grudging admiration, "you continue to defy all expectations. When I crafted you from the wishes of the people of Svalbard, I never imagined..."

  She trailed off, shaking her head. "Tell me everything. Start from the beginning."

  So I did. I recounted my escape from Svalbard, the encounters with Bobliss, the creation of the Geolith, and our departure from the collapsed cavern. As I spoke, Yaga's expression cycled through disbelief, concern, and occasional flashes of pride.

  When I finished, she was silent for a long moment, her ghostly form flickering slightly.

  "You've been busy," she finally said. "And here I thought you might need my aid. It seems you've managed to stumble into more trouble - and more power - than I could have ever imagined."

  “Aren’t Volva Yaga supposed to see the future?” I asked.

  “We are,” she nodded. “Our own. The future of others is harder to see and yours is hardest of all.”

  “So you had no idea what would happen when you’ve made me?” I asked.

  “No,” she replied. “I did not. I only knew that making you would benefit Thornwild. Your future is impossible to see because your domain and body are very still. But, the eventual result of your action does create rippling eddies at the edges of everything you affect and will affect someday. I’m glad that you managed to defend River Glinka from my sister’s blood hands. It would be a shame to lose the heart of magic.”

  "I'm just a girl who failed to die long ago," Teya said with a shrug. "Nothing more, nothing less."

  Yaga Grandhilda's astral projection shook her head, her silvery hair swaying. "No, Goddess. A river is much more than that. You are the lifeblood of the land, the keeper of ancient memories, the bridge between past and present."

  “What do you see in our future?” I asked.

  “Change,” the Yaga said after a deep pause. “Rivers are the veins of the world. They carry not just water, but stories, magic, and the very essence of life itself.”

  “We’re heading South,” I said.

  “Then I expect you to change many things along your path,” the Yaga said.

  “You don’t mind that I take Glinka with me away from the North?” I asked her.

  “First you dig up and relocate your domain,” the old witch shook her head. “And now you relocate the heart of magic of the North."

  “Is that a problem?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “We’ll be fine,” Grandhilda said. “Far too many like my sister are willing to do terrible deeds to corrupt the heart of magic in an attempt to save what remains of the Nordstaii. At least, this way all of her plans will go astray. The glaciers are slow and I reckon that whatever you do down South will someday impact the North in great and wondrous ways. Right Acorn?”

  A shimmering raven-shaped shape nodded on her shoulder.

  “The path ahead of you is fraught with danger, my apprentice,” She said. “But I see great potential for change in you and your bonded river. Together, you may yet change the course of Thornwild's destiny, save all of us."

  She raised her spectral hand. "I bless you on your journey South, Ioan Starfall and Lady Galateya. May you continue to help those in need and grow in wisdom and power."

  Having said that, she winked away.

  “Somewhat encouraging,” I muttered. “And vaguely unhelpful as usual. Not sure what I expected.”

  "That was certainly... interesting," Teya commented. "Is she always so cryptic and dramatic?”

  “Pretty much,” I nodded. “Part of her witchy mystique, I guess.”

  "At least she gave us her blessing," Teya grinned. "Though I'm not sure how much that's worth coming from a witch. It is nice to meet your family, Ioan.”

  “Family?” I arched an eyebrow.

  “She did make you,” Teya pointed out. “And she cares for you, as far as I can see, in sort of a… weird, grandmotherly way.”

  “Hrm,” I considered her point. “I suppose.”

  The river spirit nodded.

  “Hey, uhm,” she said. “Can you fix my dog? Those damn flying Champions punched like thirty holes in it with their blood swords.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “You can still control it?”

  “I can,” Teya said.

  “Great,” I smiled. “Then let's go patch it up. Hey, uh, do you want to give her a name?"

  "A name?" Teya tapped her chin. "What were you calling it before?"

  "Tank doggo," I said.

  "That is a terrible name," she tutted.

  "You do better," I shrugged as both of us came out of the sleigh and Galateya exhumed the dog from the ocean waves, making it paddle out onto the island. The ferronite-armored construct was indeed leaking all over.

  "I'm going to call her... Rrrriptide!" Teya announced, rolling the R.

  . . .

  After repairing Riptide, Teya and I set about building a new barge. We salvaged what we could from the ruins of our old vessel, which had been torn apart by Bobliss and his fellow Champions. To my surprise, we found the six horses still alive, munching on witchgrass that had sprouted from the broken beams.

  "Well, look who decided to stick around," I smiled, patting one of the horses on its flank. Castella nickered softly, seemingly unfazed by what she had endured.

  Teya nodded. "I'm glad they survived. I enjoy riding them."

  We spent the next few days constructing our new vessel. I used my witchy powers to shape and reinforce the wood, while Teya's control over water proved invaluable in moving heavy materials and testing for leaks.

  Once the barge was made seaworthy, Teya and I set out collecting all the Chronacist crystals from the water.

  With a look of intense concentration on her face, Teya steered the barge, gathering all the Chronacist crystals from the North Sea and the delta of River Glinka.

  It was a mesmerising sight–countless tiny sparkling crystals rising from the watery depths, swirling through the air like a glittering tornado before settling into the simple hollowed out wooden logs I had prepared.

  As we decided against traveling down River Glinka, wary of the Gygr's Champions and Jotuns that might be lying in wait, Teya and I chose to head West along the North Sea instead. The barge, guided by Teya's mastery over water, cut smoothly through the waves as we left the familiar coastline behind.

  As the day progressed, I watched the terrain change dramatically. The flat, icy shores gave way to rolling hills and then to towering cliffs. Deep coastal fjords began to appear, their dark waters reaching far inland like the grasping fingers of some great sea beast.

  "Look," Teya called out, pointing ahead. "There's another river mouth between those fjords."

  I nodded, seeing the opportunity. "Good eye. That might be our ticket inland."

  She steered the barge towards the river, and as we entered its flow, I could feel the change in the water's movement. Teya closed her eyes, concentrating, and suddenly our speed increased. The barge surged forward, propelled by her power over the water.

  As night fell, the fjords loomed over us, their shadows stretching across the water.

  Teya's movements had become sluggish and jittery.

  "I think... I need to rest," she said, eye twitching.

  She guided the barge into a sheltered fjord, finding a suitable spot to moor for the night. As soon as we were secured, Teya practically collapsed onto the deck, rubbing her face.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked her.

  “Me,” Teya shuddered. “I feel… wrong… off. Like my mind is floating away somewhere…”

  “Somewhere?”

  “Somewhere where I don’t want it to go,” she shook her head. “It’s sort of like I’m losing control over what I am.”

  I pursed my lips.

  “Maybe… I just need rest,” Teya said, rubbing her arms. “Switch me off for a bit, yeah?”

  “Okay,” I nodded and flicked Galateya’s remote off.

  Teya’s body stilled.

  Feeling worried about her, I switched on Mooni's remote. The crystals comprising Teya’s figure rearranged themselves, and soon the Corvix was blinking up at me with big yellow eyes, her feathers ruffling as she took in her surroundings.

  "Ioan!" she chirped. "What a pleasant surprise! Oh, are we in a fjord? Fascinating geological formations, you know. The result of glacial erosion over thousands of years-"

  "Mooni," I interrupted gently, "I need to ask you something."

  “Oh, oh,” the Corvix’s face fell. “I did a big wrong. Bad, bad corvi. I tried to change you without permission.”

  I squinted at her.

  “Too much Cali-ness maybe,” she tapped her talons against each other. “Curiosity combined with desire. Dangerous combination. Too much awareness. Too much want. Want to change, to fix… everything. Desire to make improvements on what isn’t mine. Hard to control.”

  I nodded.

  “I normally want to fix everything,” she added. “Because I was bred to fix everything, but I’m also not really sentient, so a lot of the time, unless I’m told what to do I don’t really actuate on my wants.”

  “Uh, right,” I said. “I’ll avoid adding 50% of Caliness to you then.”

  “Yes, yes, that is a good decision,” the Corvix fluttered. “Do you have other questions for me? I know you do. Ask, ask!”

  "Do you know where we are?" I asked her.

  The Corvix slipped her glass lens on staring at the stars. Then she looked at the terrain.

  "This is likely the delta of the Vyigar River," she said. "Yes. Definitely Vyigar."

  "Will it lead us south, to the Fern Archipelago?" I asked.

  "It will," she nodded. "It will be a long journey... but it will. You'll need the way, yes? I'll draw a map for you!"

  “Teya said that she was feeling off,” I said before she rushed off to sketch the map in question. “Do you know what was going on? Why does she get tired and I don’t?”

  Mooni's feathers ruffled as she considered the question as she rapidly tapped her own hands. "Ah, an excellent inquiry! You see, while you and Teya are both crystalline beings, your fundamental structures are quite different. You, my gem, are a constant projection of your domain, continuously maintained by the power of your witchy crystals."

  She began pacing around me, her talons clicking against the deck. "Teya, on the other hand, is a more... fluid construct. Her consciousness is spread across countless Chronacist crystals, constantly shifting and reforming. This process requires periods of... recalibration."

  “Why?”

  “Cycles are a requirement for coherence,” Mooni replied.

  “Coherence?”

  “Cantigeist Automata, which is what we essentially are,” Mooni explained. “Is a very complex Astral and crystalline substrate mechanism operating on cycles, sort of like magisteel clockwork. Take the Felix Cantigeist Goldara, for example. Goldara doesn’t simply exist as a girl who guides the Felix Arcanicx. She cycles between sentience and sapience. Between a beautiful Arcanicx who is wise and can offer her children words of advice and accept their prayers... and a wild beast, a great white Lynx.”

  “So Cantigeist need sleep, is that what you’re saying?” I asked.

  “Yep, yep,” Mooni nodded. “A distinctive cycle pattern is required to keep the Cantigest operational. Many generations ago, Cycle-less Cantigest were created. It was a terrible mistake.”

  “Oh?” I asked. “So what happened to the non-sleeping Cantigest?”

  “They became infected, overcome, skewered with the void,” Mooni’s black and white feathers ruffled. “Not a good time. Not a good time at all.”

  I nodded. "Should I worry about getting infected? I don’t operate in cycles."

  "No,” talons relocating to tap on my shoulders and hands. “You don’t breathe magic in or out, therefore your essence doesn’t constantly directly interact with magical Aether, doesn’t get submerged into the void like we are. Your sense of self is extra-anchored in your domain, in the very gems you carry with you. You don't risk 'drifting' in the same way we do.”

  “I see,” I said.

  “You should cycle between Teya, Mooni and Cali, allowing each of us a day of existence,” Mooni said. “If you keep one of us in continuous operation for too long, that Geist will become afflicted with the void. Not a good time.”

  “Probably why uncle George went insane and why Bobliss became infested with void-worms,” I commented.

  “Affirmative,” Mooni nodded. “The usage of magic has a price. If one strains a muscle for far too long it will tear. Sleep or rest-like states are common in many creatures, especially those with complex nervous systems.”

  “Sooo… can I just skip sleep forever?” I asked her.

  Mooni's talons began tapping on me faster. "Oh no, no, no! That would be most unwise, my gem. While you don't require sleep in the same way we do, pure stillness serves a vital function for you."

  "How so?"

  "You see, sleep for you is not about rest in the traditional sense. It's about... integration. When you become still, your domain body processes all the new information and experiences you've gathered. It's like... defragmenting a Cantigeist!"

  “I haven’t been sleeping for a while and I feel fine,” I pointed out.

  “Fine, until you run out of memory,” Mooni said. “Periods of stillness allow your domain to optimize itself. Without it, you will likely begin to lose short term memories even without noticing it."

  "So, even though I don't feel tired, I should still make a point of sleeping regularly?"

  "Precisely!" Mooni chirped, clapping her hands together. "Please get some rest!"

  “Right,” I sighed. “I worry that while I’m sleeping something terrible is going to happen. Which of you three can be trusted to watch my domain while I’m asleep?”

  “All of us,” Mooni suggested.

  “All of you?” I arched an eyebrow.

  “The Geolith Automata is incredibly observant, lacks personal desires and cannot be distracted,” the Corvix said. “Simply direct it to watch your domain while you are asleep and to wake you if anything transpires.”

  I nodded, thinking of what else to ask the clever raven girl.

  “Oh right.” I arrived at another question. “How come Cali and Teya form naked under that Nordstaii sweater and pants and you manifest with all of your artificer tools?”

  "You see, Ioan," she chirped, "my tools and clothes are an integral part of who I am. When we constructed our combined Cantigeist, I paid more attention to my own details. After all, a Corvix without her tools is like a fish without fins!"

  "And Cali and Teya?"

  Mooni's feathers ruffled slightly. "Well, I suppose I was less... thorough with their manifestations. My apologies for any inconvenience that may have caused."

  "No worries," I assured her. "So, what do you suggest for tonight's watch?"

  Her eyes lit up. "Oh! Why don't you manifest the Mooni-Cali Geolith? Set us both to 100% and get some rest. It would be fascinating to monitor how our combined form functions!"

  "It won't have desires like the 150% version, right?" I asked.

  "Correct," Mooni nodded. "No desires. Pure crystal Automata."

  I considered her suggestion for a moment before agreeing. "Alright, let's give it a try."

  I adjusted the remotes, setting both Mooni and Cali to 100%. The crystals shifted and rearranged, forming a striking figure before me composed entirely from white crystal. The Geolith stood tall, with two sets of hands - one ending in talons, the other in claws. Four eyes glowing from within - two golden, two ocean blue - gazed at me expectantly.

  "What is our mission, Administrator?" the Geolith asked, its voice a fusion of Mooni and Cali.

  "Guard me, Stormy, the barge, and my domain," I instructed. "Wake me if anything unusual occurs."

  The Geolith nodded, its crystalline form sparkling slightly in the greenish-blue light of Endalaus rings. "Understood."

  With that settled, I made my way into the sleigh, finding a comfortable spot to rest. As I drifted off to sleep, I caught a final glimpse of the two-armed, four-eyed Geolith standing at attention, Stormy perched on its shoulder, both of them staring out into the night sky.

  -=[Chrizantia Malekai]=-

  He was getting away.

  With my flying bloodhound’s eyes, I saw that he was getting away with my precious Forgestone, heading West.

  The Jotun of crystal he had made, had subsumed, ablated my first Champion, ground him down to almost naught.

  Only my love's heart remained near me in the astral, beating and pulsing but finding little purchase in the physical.

  I hugged his heart and wept, for it would take far too long to bring my first hero back to existence.

  Far too long.

  The more time passed, the further the Stillwalker fled South with mine Forgestone.

  I looked into the future, folding it this way and that. My other six hands were far too precious to be simply thrown at the grinder of the crystalline Jotun.

  My bloodhounds would not be enough, for they too could simply be drowned in the Fold spiral which the Stillwalker’s blasted Jotun wielded.

  No.

  I needed something more, something far more potent, something strong enough to shatter the crystalline Jotun with one fell swoop.

  Her?

  No. What if she damages the Forgestone? Could dragonfire even damage the Forgestone?

  My future sight failed to show me the outcome.

  I knew that had to do it. I had to stop the Stillwalker from reaching Skulldug Citadel at any cost.

  It had to be done.

  I cast my Astral Projection towards Endalaus, where she slept.

  The journey through the Astral Ocean was treacherous, currents of raw magic threatening to tear my ethereal form apart with each passing moment. But my determination was stronger than any current. I pressed on, pushed through the void until I reached the barren surface of the infinite dead world, stood with my feet upon Endalaus.

  I walked across the lifeless landscape. The sky above was black and empty, devoid of stars or any light at all.

  I knew where to find her. The Astral spoke of her resting place—the Builders had abandoned her here when they fled our realm long ago.

  The goddess of Order, the Fourth of her kind.

  I approached the ruins of what must have once been a magnificent structure, now reduced to crumbling iron pillars, glass shards and broken stone. In the center stood a figure that at first glance appeared to be merely another statue among the ruins—a woman-shaped form made of silver metal, motionless and silent. Dust and ash had settled on her shoulders and in the crevices of her form. Her eyes were closed, her face a mask of perfect serenity frozen in time.

  "Number Four! Please," I pleaded, my astral form trembling with the effort of maintaining itself so far from my physical body. "I need your assistance."

  For a moment, there was only silence. Then, slowly, the statue's eyes opened—glowing blue orbs without pupils that fixed upon my spectral form with terrible intensity. Lines of blue light began to pulse along her segmented body.

  "What do you want, ghost?" she asked, her voice cold as glacier ice.

  "The Stillwalker," I said, the name bitter on my tongue. "He has taken my Forgestone. He has destroyed my Champion. He flees South with what is rightfully mine."

  Four remained motionless, yet I felt her attention sharpen like a blade.

  "And what would you have me do?" she asked.

  "Destroy him," I whispered. "Kill him before he can reach Skulldug Citadel. Burn him to cinders with your power! Just leave my Forgestone intact!"

  "What are you willing to pay?" she asked.

  I knew the price would be high. I had seen glimpses in my divinations, had felt the weight of the decision pressing down upon me for days. But the Forgestone was too important. The future—my future—all of Thornwild depended on retrieving it.

  I clasped my ethereal hands together in supplication. "Everything, Four! This is my only wish!"

  The metal figure's head tilted slightly. Then, slowly, she stepped forward, dust cascading from her form. Each step was measured, deliberate, as she approached me.

  "Everything, huh?" she repeated, the word hanging in the dead air between us.

  "Yes," I nodded. "Everything!"

  Four nodded. She raised her metallic hand toward the sky, her fingers spread wide and then closed, as if grasping something impossibly large.

  I felt a tremor pass through the astral plane as she squeezed, her fingers compressing around the very fabric of reality. All around us, the dead world began to awaken. Lights ignited along pitted surfaces of metal beams. Power began to flow once more through pathways dormant for millennia.

  "Your wish shall be granted, bothersome ghost," Four smirked.

  I watched in the Physical as a ray of blinding fire erupted from the nearest Builder moon—blindingly white with hints of electric blue. It cut through space and atmosphere, a perfect line of destruction heading across Thornwild straight for where my physical body slept in the material world.

  I felt a moment of terror as I realized the sky-fire would strike not just the Stillwalker but all of the North—including my own domain.

  Four had not targeted Ioan Starfall... instead she pointed her ire at me. Speaking with her had been a mistake.

  "Stop!" I cried out, my astral hands reaching toward Four in desperation. "You're destroying everything! Not just him—all of Thornwild is catching fire!"

  Four turned her glowing, silver-blue eyes toward me, a faint expression that might have been amusement crossing her metallic features.

  "You are in no position to order me around, ghost," she said. "You are a bothersome annoyance, one that should not be here, one that I wish to silence."

  "But my world—" I began, watching in horror as the beam carved through mountains and boiled oceans below.

  "I am simply cleaning up a mess," Four interrupted. "Bother me no longer, echo of the Dead Zone."

  I could only watch, my astral form trembling, as Thornwild burned.

  "The price is everything," Four said, her tone final. "Just as you desired, echo."

  As my world burned, I understood at last the true meaning of "everything." Not just my life, not just my domain, but everything—my world, my future, all that I had sought to preserve.

  "Ioan! Danger! Wake up, Ioan!" the Geolith declared.

  My eyes snapped open as the world ahead of me caught fire. The entire river ignited in a line of blue-white flame, the sound of flash-boiling water like a thousand screams tearing through the night air. I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding against my ribs as I watched mountains bordering the fjord begin to melt like wax, rock turning to glowing magma that slid down their faces in burning rivulets.

  "What the—" I managed to gasp before the ray of fire pouring from the moon above sliced through the clouds directly overhead, vaporizing them instantly into wisps of steam.

  Time seemed to slow as I watched the beam reach the barge. The Geolith sentinel I'd created rushed toward me, its crystalline form already beginning to fracture under the intense heat. It moved to shield me with its entire body. Stormy yowled in terror, leaping toward me as the beam struck.

  Pain beyond imagining coursed through me, every nerve ending screaming in unified agony as I caught on fire. I felt my physical form burning away, reduced to ash in mere seconds. But I didn't die. I couldn't die. Instead, I felt myself stretching, pulling apart, as if caught between two immense gravitational forces.

  The magic stones around me detonated in rapid succession, each explosion sending waves of conflicting magical energies washing over what remained of my consciousness. My body cracked, turned to ash, but my awareness persisted, stretching between Thornwild and Endalaus like taffy pulled to its breaking point as the Builder-made heart of Geolith did not break, did not perish in the hellish fire.

  When my heart stopped, I felt the planet shudder beneath me, a tremor that rippled outward from the impact point. But I was no longer fully on the planet – part of me was being drawn upward, toward Endalaus, while another part clung desperately to what remained of my domain on Thornwild.

  Suspended between worlds, I watched without eyes as the moon continued its terrible assault. The beam widened, carving a channel of destruction across the North. The atmosphere around the beam ignited, chemical reactions cascading outward in expanding rings of fire. I could feel them, somehow—each life snuffed out, each settlement reduced to ash, each forest transformed into a sea of flame.

  I saw the last humans of the north perish in moments, their bodies consumed by heat so intense their shadows were etched permanently into the stones beneath them before those too melted away. I watched Yaga Grandhilda's forest ignite and burn away in a flash as the beam passed nearby. I watched as the Citadel of Skulldug burned to ash.

  As the last human of Thornwild died...

  Green trails of energy spread themselves from horizon to horizon, like cracks in the sky itself, as Thornwild's magical field destabilized under the assault.

  Something ancient and dormant, suddenly flared to life. A star, a comet wrapping the world in its tail, silver and covered in hollow endless eyes. Its sickly light bathed the world below, and through it, I could somehow perceive millions of Arcanicx across Thornwild staring up at the sky in horror, their magical senses overwhelmed by the catastrophe unfolding above them.

  A worldwide celestorm formed with unnatural speed, a curtain of gray clouds wrapping the planet like a funeral shroud. Lightning of impossible colors flashed within the storms—violet, green, colors I could not name. I saw the ground heave and split, mountains collapsed like sand castles struck by waves, and oceans boiled, releasing vast clouds of steam into the boiling, burning atmosphere.

  I watched as the Arcanicx melted, their flesh turning into a churning sea of red that flowed towards the emerald comet above.

  As I continued to stretch between worlds, my consciousness expanding to encompass more of the devastation, I witnessed reality itself come apart. The fabric of the world tore open along the seams of magic, revealing the Astral Ocean beneath. Boundaries between planes dissolved like salt in water, and the void rushed in to fill the gaps. Thornwild's magic, the very thing that had sustained it for millennia, became the catalyst for its destruction.

  I saw the River Glinka, still contained within Teya's crystalline form, writhing in agony as its spiritual connection to the rest of the world's waterways was severed. I watched as Chronacist crystals across the planet simultaneously shattered, releasing their stored magic in a cascading wave of uncontrolled power that only hastened the world's demise.

  The spaghettification of my being intensified. I was stretched impossibly thin between Thornwild and Endalaus, my consciousness a thread ready to snap.

  In the final moments before my awareness was torn from the death of Thornwild, I witnessed the last coherent image–the planet completely engulfed in green and violet fractures, and the tail of the comet rushing in to claim what remained, folding and unfolding reality like clay.

  And then, with a sensation like a bowstring snapping, my consciousness split. Darkness consumed me, but somewhere in the infinite depths of the astral ocean, a tiny spark of the Understanding remained. A heart that refused to stop beating. A domain that had existed outside the normal boundaries of reality. An idea that refused to die.

  I was not, after all, so easily unmade.

  rewrite right here & bless it with your ratings n hugs: