“I’m not sure what to say; why did that happen, though?” I asked as I eyed the spot that the arm came from.

“It takes the matter of Oblivion very seriously. So more than likely just took the elemental back so it couldn’t do any harm.” Malek set his glass down with a small sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. Clearly bothered by what he just saw. I don't blame him. The power that radiated from just the arm was enough to nearly stop my heart.

“I see.” I figured that it was best that I dropped and decided to take the moment of silence between us to look over the string of notifications that appeared on my screen.

Conditions met for the Path of the Archon.

Conditions met for the Path of the Soul.

Conditions met for the Path of the Divine Celestial.

My heart ached a bit for letting Alaric go, but it was for the best. It didn’t fit with everything else I had and would only serve to hurt me in the end. I sadly looked through the notifications before glancing at Malek. “So while I have you here, can I ask you about some of the paths I just got? So I can make a better choice than last time?”

“Sure. I can spare some time before I have to meet with the other Administrators anyway.” He replied as he poured another glass of water for himself.

“So the first class is the Path of the Archon. What is that?”

His eyes widened slightly, and he let out a small cough. “The Archon is the single strongest path any Administrator can take. Though, it's not something I recommend you or anyone for that matter.”

“But why?” I asked as I started to think about it. What could make it so bad?

“You can gain power that rivals even that of the highest tier gods. A power that can rival even Administrators that have mastered the Path of Oblivion. But the cost is something that very few are willing to pay. It requires sacrifice to achieve.” He replied as he pulled out a small metal container and then a cigar that looked similar to Cassius's.

“What kind of sacrifice?”

“Something you hold, dear. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the power gained.” He replied with a sad look in his eyes as he lit the cigar and took a long drag from it.

“Was that one of the paths that you took?” He looked sad when he mentioned it, so maybe it was best that I asked.

“It was, and it's something that I wish I never actually did. Besides, I know it's not something you would be keen on doing. So please do me a favor and never choose that Path unless you are entirely certain that it's what you want. Eventually, it will take from you more than it gives and leaves a void in your heart that can’t be filled.” He took a long drag, and the smell of vanilla and cherries started to fill the room, which filled my heart with familiar warmth. It reminded me of home, honestly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I sat forward in my chair. Malek was old, though I wasn’t quite sure of his age. But if what he says is true, then I can’t even begin to imagine the pain that he must feel.

“Listen, Kairos. The one thing you learn is that all Administrators have secrets—some worse than others. However, I do appreciate the sentiment. But some things are better left alone.” The sadness in his eyes vanished, and he took another long draw from his cigar, and just like Cassius’s didn’t change in its length.

“I can understand that. Sorry if I brought up any bad memories.”

“Don’t worry about it. You asked an honest question. Now onto a different topic, what are the other Paths that were opened up to you?” He waved at me dismissively as he changed subjects, which I was alright with.

“Oh, uh.” I trailed off for a second as I quickly read through the list. “I have Soul and Divine Celestial.”

“Oh, Soul is scarce. It allows you to use the soul to create magic. It's very potent, and you can either use yours or someone else as a catalyst. So if you are not careful, it can kill you. As for the Divine Celestial, I’m not quite sure. I haven’t heard of that one.” He made a quick motion and started looking through his screen.

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While he was doing that, I had quickly dismissed the notification about the Path of the Archon. That was not a path I was willing to walk. It hurt enough having to sever Alaric from myself. As for the Path of the Soul, I think I will pass on that as well. It was a little too risky for my taste. I would choose something that would synergize well with my current paths and classes. I was already a god, with the path of the Monster. I lost a domain, so I will replace it with something involving either being a god or something to synergize with my monster path.

I glanced over at Malek as he searched through his screens for something before turning my attention back to mine. I guess I can go ahead and find a new domain for myself. I mindlessly scrolled through the myriad of domains, unsure of which seemed like a good pick. I had the monster's path, specifically, a spirit so let's type that in and see what I can get.

Domain of the Ghost: Grants Sovereignty over the realm of the spirits. This path grants reduced physical damage received and further amplifies all effects and damage dealt by abilities within this class tree.

That seemed like a perfect choice for me. But let's see what else there was while I was looking through this list. I kept scrolling, and I saw a new one that wasn’t there before.

Domain of Divinity: This domain is exclusive to those who are recognized as kings of the gods. You channel Divine mana as if it were nothing to amplify damage dealt and bend the very fabric of space to your whims.

Path of divinity seems like a compelling path, though it isn’t really my thing. That would accept the fact that I was a god, and that was something I wasn’t quite ready for—that and people worshiping me. No thanks. I skimmed through the list and didn’t see anything else that was good. I decided to go with the ghost domain, It would further help me shore up weaknesses that I had, and it would synergize well with everything else. A moment later, a slew of notifications appeared.

You have received the Domain of the Ghost:

You have received a (10%) physical damage reduction.

All skills related to this domain have gained a (15%) Increase in damage and cost-efficiency.

All spirits will recognize you as a ruling deity.

You have received the following skills:

Essence Consumption: You consume the essence of life over a period of time. Healing for a portion of the damage dealt.

Soul Rend: Once cast, your next attack will pass through all defenses and apply all damage directly to the user's soul.

Cursed Gaze: All that fall under your look receives a curse that reduces all total stats by (3) percent. Stacks up to (5) times.

Howl of the Banshee: Your scream tears at the mind of your enemies. This applies a fear debuff. If any targets in the radius of the scream have the fear debuff already applied, the buff coverts into the terror debuff. If any target in the radius has the terror debuff applied it converts into the insanity debuff.

Your monster form has changed to suit your new domain better. Would you like to apply these changes to your host form as well?

I confirmed the choice. This host form was my second skin, so I figured I should keep it decked out when I could. Though I eventually do want to change to another and keep it simple this time around. I felt thousands of ants crawl over my flesh. I hate how this makes me feel. Once the feeling faded, I adjusted my hair. Good, that was one thing down. I am thankful that I had this opportunity. Now I can start to synergize better than before. These skills and stats were insane though! I couldn't wait to see what they could do. I glanced over at malek and saw him puffing at his cigar again. “You looked busy, so I wasn’t going to disturb you. Also, like the new look, by the way.”

“Thanks, I will have to check it out,” I told him as I crossed my legs. I found my self doing feminine things more often than naught lately. But I wasn't quite sure if it was a good or bad thing yet. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“I did! Well, it looks like the Path of The Divine Celestial is based around your race. Since the Celestial Nephilim are relatively new, I had to do some digging. From what I can tell, it will make the process of evolving a little easier, though I am not quite sure of the steps needed for that race to evolve. Also, the potential effects of taking it are insanely powerful. My recommendation is on that though, don’t feel pressured to make your choice now, though.” He told me as he moved his cigar away. “Though please make sure you have one picked before the sim starts. That way, you can get the experience.”

“Yeah, thank you so much. You have given me a lot to think about. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime, my friend. If you need anything else, let me know. I arranged meetings all day today with the newer Administrators for that very reason. If you need anything else, let Cassius know, and he will pass the message on.” He stood up, and I followed suit and walked towards the door.

“Thank you again, Malek.” It really does mean a lot to me. Now I just had to choose a new path and get it leveled, and I would be set for the future.

“Not a problem at all, Kairos.” He replied as he opened the door for me. I walked out and started to wander the halls in search of my allies.