Arson’s life shifted toward a routine that he had to admit to himself that he loved, no matter how much he missed Troy. No matter his fears of letting Almarine down, nor his fears of letting the people of Maelstrom suffer while he did his best to support them, he wouldn’t give in.
He found enjoyment in his days, as they were filled with building of the most advanced coliseums he’d ever had the luxury of interacting with. Not that he hadn’t visited more advanced sports centers, but the rush through the Endless trials had been one that at some times had lost its enjoyment, until he’d been reminded he had a pocket full of people to interact with.
Things had changed for him then, and Arson had long forgiven himself for all the missed opportunities during the trials of Endless, promising himself to make it up to himself when he returned.
Now though, he built a coliseum for the first time with his friends and family. The BHC may have started out as a large group of unskilled orphans, but to Arson’s surprise, that was no longer the case.
His biggest worries were regarding the potential need for something to be constructed that was outside the knowledge base of the orphans, which wasn’t unrealistic with the list of features he planned to integrate into the project.
Runic systems that would allow for every chair within the stadium to be temperature controlled. More that would give each occupant the choice to watch from their seat, or use movable hologram screens in front of their positions once seated. With even more built to support both the luxury of the coliseum, and the diverse needs for the privacy that most auction houses supported.
What started out as many individual building sized pieces, came together rather quickly. The BHC used the same space they used to hold Builders Fest to construct the stadium, the large open space filled from end to end with construction materials.
It had cost Arson almost every credit he’d saved since going into business for himself to pull all the necessary resources together, but in a mere morning, the foundation had been set.
With the help of Moriarty, Arson now walked around the perimeter of the foundation they’d completed. The stone base, lifted from the ground by Jade while the BHC installed four upside down domes of mana stone, one for each corner.
Arson walked toward his mother, who smiled as he approached. She sat on the edge of the foundation she lifted up with what Arson assumed was an incredibly powerful version of telekinesis, reading a digital magazine, flipping through hologram pages.
“Hello, son, what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be headed toward your new nightly duties?” Arson shook his head in response.
“I have to go meet up with uncle Winter’s younger brother before I go back to hunting demons tonight, something about helping him make a new teleportation grid,” said Arson. He looked around from their elevated position, taking in all the work being done.
Xani could be seen from where he stood, flying around one of the mana stone domes beneath the foundation. A full team of Bookish helping her inscribe the mana stone for their purposes.
“Impressive,” thought Arson aloud. He tried to piece out the rune work from the distance and realized the runes were far to small for him to read from the distance he was. The more he thought about the large load of work they had to complete in such a short amount of time, the more Arson’s mind drifted back toward the potential for learning to teleport.
“It is impressive, son. I wish I had the kind of thoughts you have at your age when I was a teenager,” said Jade. Arson smiled, and laughed.
“Been reading up on you mom, and from what I’ve learned at my age, you were already seen as an absolute problem in the cultivation community, and hadn’t even become a cultivator yet,” said Arson. Jade sighed and nodded.
“The realm layer I was in back then didn’t even know what a Cultivator was, only those with power, anything else was ignored.”
“Do you think I will be powerful one day?” The question made his mother frown, and look up at him, concern written plainly across her scrunched features.
“You want to be powerful? Why? You have so many more rewarding things in your life than the endless pursuit of power, my son,” said Jade. Arson was even more confused by the question, but thought about who he was talking to for a moment.
Even in her weakest days she was still raised in an incredibly powerful family, Arson. Of course she doesn’t know what powerlessness truly feels like.
Arson then he realized he was most likely wrong. Comparing their upbringing was a fruitless pursuit, since Arson didn’t know how hard it had been for her, nor did she know how difficult his own adolescence had been until he reentered her life.
“I do want to be powerful, but not for the sake of having power, more to have the ability to create change, even in moment's notice,” answered Arson.
“Hmmm,” said his mother contemplating his answer before she spoke up again.
“So what’s up, kiddo? Just here to say hello, or do you need something else…” Arson looked around at the foundation being held up by his mother’s mind and sighed with the realization that she knew most likely why he was here.
“Please, please, please please please, teach me how to teleport,” asked Arson. His mother rolled her eyes when he took a knee and bowed his head in deference.
“Hmmm, I only thought you were joking when you asked me that previously, but you are serious, aren’t you?” Arson looked up and nodded when their eyes met.
“Well, to be honest, I don’t know that I can, for two reasons, the first being that most new teleporters die, which is why my teacher forced me to pass a test before I was able to learn from her, and the second is that I don’t know if you can even survive the test as you are now,” stated Jade. Arson almost frowned, but then realized she hadn’t said no.
“Then test me, we will see if—” tried Arson, but his mother cut him off.
“I sent you to Endless—” started Jade but then Arson cut back in, her words rubbing dangerously against a wound that he didn’t know if he’d entirely let go of.
“that’s what we are simplifying what you did down to, that you… sent me?” His mother sighed and looked away with a nod, the gesture more a response to her own internal thoughts than his question, but she spoke up before Arson dare let his boiling thoughts free of his mind in his mother’s direction.
“I had you taken to Endless in hopes that you would return with the level of fortitude needed for teleportation, and to my surprise you are far more refined in your mana systems than you should be, while your physical training has obviously taken a hit during your time away,” said his mother, sparking many questions in Arson’s mind in regards to what was so intensive about teleportation that made his mother worry that his body wasn’t strong enough.
“I’ve been through tortures that I dare say should make any pain or backlash from the power of the techniques I’d learn to be microscopic in comparison,” said Arson with a chuckle. The laugh didn’t hide his pain, as his mother could see the truth in what her son was saying to her. She may not know to what extent Arson had experienced hardships, but knew through personal experience that any tower of Endless, would come with the potential for both growth and true trauma.
“Unlike any other natural born ability, system given skill, or learned technique, teleportation comes with the highest price, Arson, especially the technique you would learn from me, as it is literally the equivalent to having every cell within your body split all at once, both giving the technique the power to function, and to allow for you to move beyond, shadow or light speeds,” explained Jade with a frown. Arson could tell she hadn’t enjoyed his answer, but her response gave him pause.
"I’ve been through worst right…?" Arson’s thought was ridiculous, as he knew he hadn’t. Though far more of his experiences were outside the norm for cultivators his age, not very many 19 season cycle old cultivators could teleport properly without system given skills that assisted the skill user in a skill’s use by large magnitudes.
Which was why Conductive Water orbs, and his new Frost Beam had been near instant to learn, while Mana Lightning still gave Arson trouble. His constructs were naturally capable of many abilities Arson had the potential for, which they’d always shown even when he’d first started to use them as a child, mixing manas as easily as Arson breathed for dazzling effects.
“Have you really…” Though it was a question, Arson simply sighed knowing the truth, he could not respond in the affirmative, no matter how badly he wanted to.
“What would allow for me to take the test to learn teleportation?” His mother thought for a moment before she smiled.
“I’ll give you three tasks, and if any are failed, you get three more, until you have completed all three, we will not begin,” said Jade. Arson gave his customary nod, and his mother continued.
“First, mana can only be used during these tasks in life threatening situations, as we are trying to build your body to a new level, not continue to unbalance your physical and magical strengths,” continued Jade, Arson already not liking where this was going.
Why does everyone want to stop me from using mana, I may as well consider myself a really strong mortal…
“The first task is to complete this construction, any task that requires physical movement of materials to be used in any section, you will bring to your workers personally, no matter how long it takes.” Arson mentally went through the projected timeline for the project and added two days to the construction duration timer he set within his vision below his task list.
This could be problematic… we will be cutting things insanely close.
“Second, all of your training during the night against the large demonic wolf—“ Arson didn’t even let her finish, speaking up after a heavy sigh.
“No mana,” said Arson closing his eyes to cool the agitation he felt at now needing a new plan to contain the demonic wolf without the use of his Frost Beam, and Jane and Jill’s conductive water orb and mana lightning combo..
“You got it, kiddo. And finally, win the tournament of scions without the use of mana, as well as without being struck, and you will gain a single attempt at the test,” said Jade, and Arson opened his eyes.
“Seriously, just one attempt?”
“Yes, child, this is something beyond the scope of where you are as a Cultivator entirely. If you manage to learn it at your age and without harming yourself permanently, many immortals, myself included would be forced to acknowledge your prowess, my son. Just be patient and even this will come to you.”
“You really know how to challenge me, Mom, but you know how much this no mana stuff really bothers me, right?” Jade smiled again.
“Yes, my son, it is why I am forcing you to balance yourself. It is easy to get lost in what we are good at, but that only rarely results in an Immortal's happiness. Balance will bring you far more than just being a weapon powerful enough to break yourself.”
“I hear you, Mom... still don’t enjoy it,” said Arson, turning to start heavy lifting that he knew needed to be done before the suns set.
“But you will and that is all that matters,” said Jade underneath her breath, before Arson quickly turned and leaned over Jade, surprising her with a hug for the second time in her life. A gesture Arson knew not how much his mother appreciated, regardless of her response.
“Boy, get off me and get to work, you have a lot of things to get done.”
“Thanks, Mom, and we’ll see about my disposition changing toward suddenly being forced to body build,” said Arson, running off as fast as he could.
“You are above no task for growth. You are above no one in grace. May your foundation bear the weight that is Endless,” said Jade, glancing toward her son with a smile.
“May the luck of the gods be on your side.”
…
“Well how much do we have,” asked Lilith. Tartaria was taking deep breaths as Orbit paced, easily as frustrated as Lilith was feeling inside.
The three had managed to stop whatever gang had organized a raid on the relief shelter they’d come across, only to weave their way through the chaotic CityNation that was Maelstrom, riding the high of their aid to the citizens around them, and being stopped by money of all things.
They’d successfully found a Realm Travelers Hall, only to be metaphorically swept off their feet by the price of a single admission to Prism, their home realm.
“We aren’t close, we are an entire admission fee down,” stated Orbit simply. Lilith turned away from her brothers as she thought to herself, weighing the depths of her choices.
“With what we have learned here, experienced in a realm that is supposed to be leagues behind Prism in all ways, I think we need to speak with mom and dad as soon as possible, as there is something truly wrong about this realm,” said Lilith. Orbit and Tartaria agreed, but what Lilith recommended next, neither brother saw coming.
“We have enough for two admissions, so I elect that I stay and you two go,” said Lilith looking at her brothers over her shoulder as she finished her statement. The faces of surprise she received in response enough to make her want to chuckle.
“Don’t look at me like that, you two. This is important and you two have more of the details than I do. I’m still not where either of you is in regards to growth.” Lilith turned around on the large steps that led into the Realm Travelers Hall, lines of people to either side of her leading all the way down to the street.
Orbit staring at the top of the building they stood in front of, seemingly looking at something Lilith felt she couldn’t see. While Tartaria stared down Lilith.
“We were only able to achieve that because we had one another to rely on Lilly. How do you expect us to leave you in a place that is supposedly a realm of minor substance or importance, but has proved dangerous and far more advanced than it should be?”
“She’s not making a request of us, brother,” said Orbit, still staring at the top of the building. Tartaria’s mouth opened as if he wished to speak, but after a look toward Orbit, he froze and gave a nod, Lilith aware of an unspoken message being passed between the brothers.
“I’ll be here, most likely trying to help out that group that runs the relief shelter we helped on the way here, they did promise us a safe place to stay,” said Lilith. Tartaria closing the distance between them to hug his sister. It wasn’t until she was pulled into the embrace that Orbit finally looked at her.
“Be careful, sister. I would make you promise not to enter that wasteland filled with dungeons again, but I know you won’t listen,” stated Orbit, and Lilith nodded in response before she let go of Tartaria, and approached Orbit, extending a hand out to her quasi haphephobic brother.
“Don’t be gone for too long, or I may be able to handle you both myself by the time you get back,” said Lilith with a smile, only for her to be immediately shocked when Orbit wrapped her up in a hug of his own, whispering to his sister before he turned and walked away flanked by Tartaria.
“Don’t lose your soul to power, become the power that your soul needs to survive, my sister.”
Lilith watched her brothers walk away, before she looked back at the beautiful CityNation around her, made even more unique by the devastation being repaired in the distance. A plethora of new buildings and structures being built for the needs of the realm. Lilith smiled, lost in the potential of what she may be forced to face and overcome on her own, for the first time in her short life.
“Alright, where should I begin?"