Deitar Integration

"Go on, then."

”So what I’m most curious about, is why integrating to these materials brought us to you guys,” Frein said after taking a biscuit. It had a mild salty taste, perfect for the slightly bittersweet tea.

“What do you mean?” Palar’gog asked. “Isn’t that, like, normal?”

“No, it’s not,” the Visitor sipped from his tea. “At least not for me. I’ve only integrated with Emerald Guidance, and nothing so drastically different happened then. I added a new meiyal source, gained a huge boost in my abilities, but that’s about it. No Dream manifestations or Deitars talking to me.”

The Dragon of Eternal Winter shrugged with his blob arms and turned to Su’karix. She was smiling and observing.

“There are various types of meiyal-charged materials, Frein. Emerald Guidance, for example, is a natural material created organically in Brymeia, time and other external factors helping with its creation. The Fulgurblade of the Thousand-Year Storm is different. It is power formed from my very being. A nurtured material, if you will. Deliberately cultivated for a specific purpose.”

“What purpose?”

Su’karix scanned him, analyzing the material within him. “This one was honed specifically for biting. A chipped off piece of my canine from when it clashed against Kristella.”

The explanation created more questions than answers in Frein’s mind. He didn’t bother hiding his confusion, telegraphing it freely for the storm dragon to interpret.

“I can answer every question you have, if you ask them.”

“How would one create their own material? If I made my own and integrated with it, what would happen?” Were only two of a dozen other questions Frein had.

Su’karix indulged herself with the entire glass of tea and leaned forward when she was done, making herself more comfortable. A teapot promptly gave her a refill.

“You create a meiyal-charged material to provide others with power. It’s a piece of yourself, your existence to be given to others. What already belongs to you won’t provide you with anything else, other than what you have in the first place.”

Her eyes wondered for a while, recalling what Frein guessed would be some possible exceptions.

“Though if you combine a piece of your existence with a different vessel that didn’t belong to you in the first place, and provided the event that caused this union was significant enough, you might just be able to create your own material at your own expense. One that can actually help you improve. Though, the semantics requires something that’s not of your own possession.”

“How significant are we talking about?” Frill asked. Frein had the same question in mind and was glad that it wasn’t just him who was absorbed in this conversation.

Su’karix turned to the Aria. “Most successful ones that I know of involved risking one’s own life. Stabbing yourself with a blade and surviving for an hour or more, for example. Your essence essentially fuses with the blade and Destiny will deem your survival a significant event, thus charging the object with a piece of your power.”

“And what’s the survival rate for that?” Palar’gog asked, much to everyone’s surprise.

The Thousand-Year Storm turned to him this time. “Terrible. See, if you try to play around the mechanics, try to fool Destiny, if you come up with contingency plans or creatively lessen the risks, you’re essentially making the event less significant. Do you understand?

“With the method that I presented, you would have to survive the entire hour without any sort of external assistance. No healing, no backup plans, nothing. Just you and the blade for one hour. Of course, practitioners back then were extremely greedy people. If they survived the first hour, why not the second?”

“And that’s the leading cause of death?” Frein asked this time. “I guess the safest way is to hunt for materials rather than make them on your own.”

Su’karix nodded. “Correct. Trying to gain more power that exceeds your own limits, using your own terms, always leads to risks that only a few fully understand and are willing to pay. The safest way, though it is not entirely without risk, is to always find external sources of power.”

“How did you get yours?” Frill asked.

“My era was during the age of gods. There’s always an abundance of power lying around if you know where to look or who to ask…or who to defeat. Strength was everything back then.”

Su’karix motioned to take another sip but stopped halfway. “I…was special, different compared to the other Deitars. While Palar’gog represented three Concepts, it was still under the tutelage of one god. Bonding your Destiny to more than one incurs great expense towards your own Destiny and existence. It takes a lot of preparation to achieve something almost impossible.

“But I had the backing of three gods the moment I became a Deitar, representing eight Concepts in total. And it didn’t cost me anything at all.”

It was obvious that the gravity of her words didn’t translate to Frein and Frill. Elizzel, having known all these already—Frein guessed—didn’t give any reaction at all either. Su’karix sighed.

“Alas, my achievements hold no weight against the test of time. Such is the fate of all ancients it seems.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Frein started. “I just thought becoming a Deitar implies gaining the favor of multiple gods in the first place. I thought bonding with different gods with multiple Destinies was a common thing.”

“Well, you’re half right, dude,” Palar’gog said. “It does take more than one god to elevate a mortal beyond Worldborn. But it’s usually agreed beforehand that the succeeding Deitar chooses one of those gods to bond Destinies with. Su’karix here just so happens to be able to do that for all three that helped her ascend.”

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“There were four, if I recall correctly,” the Thousand-Year Storm interjected. “But the fourth denied its bond after helping me become a Deitar.”

“Why?” Frill asked. “That feels reversed.”

“It could be that it saw something within Destiny that it didn’t wish to manifest, but agreed just enough to help. It doesn’t matter now.” Su’karix shifted on her seat, lifting a leg to help her balance and feel more relaxed. “What else do you want to know?”

“Can you clarify what happens if I integrate with the Mercurial Liquid?”

Su’karix turned to Palar’gog, urging him to answer.

“Well… the Liquid serves as a primer for fusion techniques, regardless of the discipline you practice. We had this ultimate goal of combining all of ourselves and becoming the one true Palar’gog. As you can see, it didn’t quite work out the way we intended. Apparently, we’re not actually in unison with our agendas. I never quite finished my experiments with the material, but it at least allows for two fused individuals to work together. You can possibly push it to three.”

“I’m permanently fused with my sister’s meiyal system,” Frill said.

Immediately, the two Deitars scanned her. They weren’t even trying to be subtle about it. They were direct with their intent and the Aria couldn’t do anything about it but to feel embarrassed. Frein made a mental note to find ways to block this scan. It wouldn’t do well for them if their enemies could simply gain information this easily, potentially speaking.

“I only see one core, babe,” Palar’gog said. Frill still didn’t like the way the Eternal Winter addressed her, but her lack of ability to fend off a Deitar reduced any attempts to call out the dragon to merely looking at him with dagger eyes. Fortunately, he was generous enough to read the room. “Fine. Frill, it is.”

“I had to give it away. If you can see my system, you should be able to see the marks.”

“She’s right,” Su’karix said. “Two hundred marks. Complex enough. Other than the missing core, I’d say it’s a fuse.”

“Then the material should work without a problem,” said Palar’gog. “It’ll make your techniques a level higher, or make the maximum potential of the base level easier to achieve if you can’t do so yet. Basically, it raises both your ceiling and floor potential. Also gives you another meiyal source.”

“That’s amazing!” Frein’s eyes brightened.

“Thanks. Only works when you’re fused, so it basically does nothing for you, Visitor.” He held up a blob hand with a smaller blob finger. “Tethering isn’t the same as fusing, just to clarify.”

He ignored the comment and turned to Frill. “But it’ll work permanently for you, right, Frill?”

“I think so?”

Both of them turned to Palar’gog.

“I have every confidence that it will.”

“In which case, I assume both parties agree with the integration, then?” Su’karix asked.

“It doesn’t do that bond thing with Destiny or anything, right?” Frill asked, hesitating a bit. “I won’t hear you whispering in my head or in my dreams, would I?”

“It’s not that kind of material,” Palar’gog replied. “But I’ll still be able to see you in my Destiny whenever you have your Exhibit Displayed. I won’t be able to affect it or anything, given my circumstance anyway. I’ll need Su’karix to help bridge a connection if I want to communicate with anyone in Brymeia, and only through here in the Keeper’s Isolation, so…”

Frein observed the blob shrug. Only now did he notice such a movement was reminiscent of a human action, not a dragon. He found it amusing and ironically adorable from a murder machine who performed his kills without any shred of malice. Elizzel zapped him through the Tether.

Frill pondered for a while and none in the room spoke, allowing her to churn through her thoughts. Frein did the same. Overall, it wasn’t a bad deal. If Frill could go over the fact that he was gaining power from someone who was once her ancestors’ worst enemy—despite Palar’gog’s version of truth—then there was nothing for her to lose at all.

“Norazzel said I’ll reach Art fatigue faster this way,” she murmured. “But Brymeia said I should integrate anyway.”

That caused the air to freeze. Palar’gog and Su’karix looked at her with intensity. Frein fought against his instincts to raise his guard, not wishing to give the wrong impression.

“You met Brymeia?” both Deitars asked.

Frill was immediately alert. “Yes,” she said with finality.

Since she didn’t mention the Princess meeting the same person, Frein and Elizzel both decided to keep quiet about it.

“Apologies,” Su’karix said. Her face relaxed back to her calm and confident smile. “Mention of her name outside the context of the planet simply brings a little tension. You know there are two of them, correct?”

“And that I should only listen to the correct one,” Frill answered.

Palar’gog made an audible sigh of relief. Frein couldn’t contain his curiosity anymore.

“Why? What happens if you listen to the wrong one? How do you know the wrong one?”

“You can’t, buddy. But knowing helps a lot. You can sort of get a feel for it if you’re aware enough.”

Su’karix didn’t remove her eyes from Frill. “Did she ask you to be her next vessel?” When Frill didn’t respond, she continued. “It’s alright. You don’t have to tell me.”

Just from the hesitation alone, even Frein could tell Frill already unintentionally gave her answer. He wouldn’t let it past the Thousand-Year Storm to have read the same. The thought actually raised a few alarms in his head.

What if Su’karix had Heart’s Will?

He saw her smile in his direction, and everything suddenly made sense.

“See, if you act like you don’t have it, no one would assume.”

“I’m going to get paranoid really quickly at this rate.”

“What are we talking about?” Palar’gog asked, turning from Su’karix to Frein. He even turned to Elizzel who just played along and shrugged.

“She did,” Frill said, oblivious to the side chatter. “She said she’ll tell me how to become the next Brymeia.”

“Oh dear…” said the Eternal Winter.

Su’karix stood and knelt formally beside Frill. Her hands were on her lap, showing the beautiful symmetry of her ceremonial robes. Her face was solemn, blemished only by the slight crease on her eyebrows.

“Frill,” she began, turning her arms with an open hand. “If it’s not too much to ask. Would you please allow me to embrace you?”

The Aria awkwardly shuffled on her knees. “Why?”

“Because I would like to offer my support. To be the next vessel of this world is a daunting task. I would go so far as to advise you against it. But this is a decision you have to make. Regardless, I would like to provide you with some comfort along your journey.” Su’karix turned to Frein.

“In a sense, you’ll be treading a far more dangerous path compared to him. You will leave your peers behind, and you will feel alone most of the time. If you do find yourself in this path, know that I, the one who represents the dragons of Brymeia, will be at your service. So please, let me embrace you.”

“I don’t know…” Frill paused, trying to comprehend her own words. “I don’t know if I want to be Brymeia.”

“Whatever it is you decide, I will support you, Frill.” Su’karix raised her arms this time. “This I swear to you.”

Frill slowly moved and leaned onto Su’karix’s bosom. The Thousand-Year Storm wrapped her arms around the Aria’s shoulders while she reciprocated with her arms around the dragon’s waist. The two glowed for a brief moment.

“You are a kind soul, Frill,” said Su’karix, caressing the Aria’s head like a doting mother before releasing her embrace. “I will watch over you and your journey.”

“What just happened?” Frein asked, finally gathering himself from the amazing display he just saw. He could see, through his Mesiffera, a different source of meiyal swimming in Frill’s meiyal system.

“It’s another type of meiyal-charged material,” Su’karix said, not bothering to return to her side of the table. She raised a leg and began to relax once more, turning to Frill. “A conceptual type. In other words, an abstract material. I’ve given you my Storm Veil.”

“I’m already integrated with it!” Frill said, observing herself. She was brimming with meiyal, causing her hair to float.

“The embrace was the requirement for it. It’ll provide you with another source of meiyal and other surprises that I’ll reveal to you along the way. Simply mention me in your thoughts, and I’ll contact you when I can. You don’t have to resort to Dream manifestations.”

“Well, that sort of took me out of the spotlight, but fine, I guess,” said Palar’gog, crossing his blob arms.

“Same,” said Frein. Elizzel got bored and finally decided to munch on some biscuits. A glass of tea floated near her.

Su’karix turned to him. “Don’t worry, Visitor. I haven’t forgotten you.”

Frill faced Palar’gog simultaneously. “Same.”

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