Chapter 41
Decisions
Mags slid out of bed, moving with careful silence so as not to wake Calcabrina. Her heart still thudded from the remnants of her dream—dark corridors, that strange, shadowy child, the weight of his eyes. She threw on her jacket, the woolen warmth a small comfort, and slipped her feet into the slippers that sat beside her bed. She couldn’t stay in this room a moment longer; the silence felt too loud, pressing in around her, suffocating.
She crept out and made her way to the small tower balcony on the floor above. The door creaked softly as she eased it open, and she stepped outside, embracing the cool night air as it washed over her in a soothing wave. The stars stretched above in a swath of glistening light, a vastness that made her feel small but grounded her at the same time. She exhaled slowly, gathering herself as she leaned against the balcony’s edge.
With a steadying breath, she called Yggdrasil’s interface to life. She hadn’t checked her Attributes in a while; her last glance had left her feeling frustrated and impatient, disheartened by the glacial pace of her progress. She had instead poured her focus into her training, numbers be damned. The floating lines of silver text flared into view before her, hanging like fireflies in the night air.
ATTRIBUTES
USER LEVEL: E-2 increased to E-3
+1 Attribute Point
+1 Progression Point
Physical Attributes:
Strength E-5 Dexterity E-3 Endurance E-6 Vitality E-6
Physical Sub-Level: E-5
Mental Attributes:
Intelligence E-2 Reactivity E-2 Perception E-1 increased to E-2 Willpower E-2 increased to E-3
Mental Sub-Level: E-1 increased to E-2
Spiritual Attributes:
Power E-1 Reserves E-0 (Effective Attribute Value: E-3) Versatility E-1 Control E-2 increased to E-3
Spiritual Sub-Level: E-1 increased to E-2
Her eyes swept over the screen, widening as she took in the subtle yet unmistakable shifts. They eventually settled over the increased User Level and the rewarded points.
ATTRIBUTES
USER LEVEL: E-3
[Unallocated Attribute Points: 1]
[Unallocated Progression Points: 1]
Mags exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the two rewards. I should probably wait to discuss these with Malacoda, she thought. Buuuttt… The anticipation was too much and she couldn’t wait for the following day.
She focused on the unallocated Attribute Points.
[Assign Attribute Points?]
Yes, but to which Attribute.
Malacoda had explained that Yggdrasil will directly make any corresponding changes to her body, mind, and spirit. One point doesn’t seem like much, but if it automatically levels up a single Attribute that’s actually huge. But where do I place it?...
First, she considered her Physical Attributes. They were head and shoulders above her Mental and Spiritual Attributes. Did it make sense to continue to build advantages she may have in those categories? Or help improve her lagging Dexterity?
Then, there were her Mental Attributes. They were all pretty even across the board. None of them stuck out as the obvious choice. Maybe Intelligence, so that I can increase my threshold for Attunable Items? . . . And I am about to enter an Academy, so it may come in handy in the day-to-day grind.
Her eyes drifted to her Spiritual Attributes and she knew at once it would be where she would assign her Attribute Point. They were, to put it kindly, pathetic. What was the point of finally becoming a Soulsinger if she was handicapped by her low Spiritual Attributes?
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
[Reserves: E-0 (Effective Attribute Value: E-3)]
If it wasn’t for the Angel’s egg, I’d have a zero value in mana reserves. She would effectively still have a dull soul. She depended on the power of the Angel’s egg to even give her the barest of mana for using her Soulsinging. And since when did I just sit back and depend on the generosity of others? And with more reserves, I’ll be able to use my Spells and Skills more often.
With her mind made, she assigned the point to Reserves.
[Reserves: E-0 increased to E-1 (Effective Attribute Value: E-4)]
A familiar wave of energy pulsed through her, starting as a soft warmth in her core that she assumed would spread slowly, gradually expanding her mana. But almost immediately, that warmth turned into something sharper, hotter—like liquid iron being poured through her veins.
A soft gasp escaped her lips, and she gripped the stone edge of the balcony as the warmth grew into a scalding pain. She could feel Yggdrasil’s changes spreading through her body, as though her very soul was being tugged apart to make room for something larger. It felt like her lungs were straining against an invisible weight, her chest heaving as if she were struggling for breath. Her aura, her reserves, were stretching—as though an unseen hand was carving a deeper pit within the core of her soul.
Her hands clutched harder against the stone railing, her fingers going pale at the knuckles as the pain built upon itself, layer upon searing layer. It was as though Yggdrasil had turned her mana into a forge, and every cell of her body was being pounded into shape against an unyielding anvil.
She was dimly aware of the stars above, the vastness of the sky that seemed both a comfort and a cruel mockery in her agony. Her vision blurred, spots dancing at the edges, and she had to bite down hard to keep from crying out. It felt like her body was tearing itself apart in the silence of the night.
And then, all at once, the tension snapped. A deep, powerful sensation spread through her, washing over her body and its mana channels like cool water extinguishing flames.
One the pain fully subsided, she recalled Yggdrasil’s interface, this time prompting it to allocate her one Progression Point. What this resource accounted for was less obvious than the Attribute Point, and she was curious to see what information, if any, Yggdrasil provided.
A screen of text appeared.
[USER LEVEL E-3 PROGRESSION POINT ALLOCATION]
[Please select option.]
[Skill: Aura of Fear]
[Skill: Aether Manipulation – Aerial]
[Spell: Phantom Strike]
[Spell: Devouring Pulse]
“Erm . . . Can I get an explanation?”
The script in front of her expanded.
[Skill: Aura of Fear]
[Description: User creates a spherical area of fear. The aura extends in every direction causing fear within those in the aura’s influence. The strength of the effect and the range increase with each level in this Skill.]
That could be useful. The Skill reminded her of the aura that the Maldrath exuded—it could paralyze some people. That would be useful in a fight, though it depended on how strong it was as a starting point. The aura exuded by many of the common Maldrath was easy to resist. Or would mine be automatically as strong as the Angels’? She thought of the paralyzing dread and fear she felt being in the presence of the Angels in Solstice.
Mine would probably begin on the weaker side, and I would need to use it continually to level it up.
She examined the next option.
[Skill: Aether Manipulation – Aerial]
[Description: User has improved ability to manipulate ambient aether in the environment beyond channeling aether to create aura. They can hold their body in the air using threads of aether. The user gains increased altitude, movement capabilities, and increased control with each level in this Skill.]
Is this saying flying would eventually be possible purely through aether manipulation? Now, there was an exciting thought. I’ll keep this one in mind as a possibility.
[Spell: Phantom Strike]
[Description: Spell applies to a single physical attack. User is able to bypass any physical object or obstruction (inorganic or organic) and land a strike on a target on the other side of the object or obstruction. Range – The target must be approximately five feet away. Range expands at higher levels.]
Wow. Mags’ mind raced with the possible applications of the Spell. Even if she didn’t select this Spell, she hoped there would be future opportunities to select it upon a later increase in her User Level.
She turned her attention to the final option.
[Spell: Devouring Pulse]
[Description: Requires Void Cloak to be activated. User fires their void cloak in a concentrated pulse, extending 10 feet in every direction. The pulse wave will disrupt all active aetheric activity. At higher levels, the Spell’s range and power will increase, eventually being capable of canceling all active magic within the blast radius.]
This Spell was an interesting choice. Mags thought of what Malacoda had explained to her about the nature of void elemental abilities. In a form similar to Void Cloak, it was practically unseen. The only similar power was the effects of naturally occurring resources such as voidsteel and voidstone. It is likely something unique to me being an Angel, she echoed in her mind.
Is this the choice Yggdrasil wants me to take? It would offer an element of surprise, and would be useful in combat. If she could cancel an enemy’s Soulsinging, it would put Mags at an advantage against almost any equally leveled opponent, placing their physical capabilities against hers.
She thought about it for a few moments longer, and then made her decision. In her mind, she selected the option she wanted and a second later felt a warm sensation within the core of her body. Luckily, it wasn’t anything remotely like what she felt when increasing her Reserves.
[New Spell: Devouring Pulse]
[Level: D-5]
[Root Affinity: N/A]
[Range: 10 feet; sphere]
[Current Mana Cost: 40%]
Forty percent was a steep cost. It effectively meant she only have one use of the Spell in any real combat opportunity. It was disappointing, but the level of the Spell was higher than she anticipated, which probably meant it had decent strength. She wouldn’t be able to practice with it before her battle with Malacoda, but was already thinking through the number of ways she could apply the new Spell during their fight.
Her decisions having been made, Mags took in a deep breath of the crisp, night air, and then quietly made her way back to her room, finally ready to get some rest before her final day at Bijel Garden.