"What happened to you, System?" Ke'an asks.

"Age… time comes for us all… even the Administrators can not escape it…" System says.

"What is an Administrator? I have never heard of that before."

"We are creators who refine existence from nothing." System admits.

"That sounds like a God." Ke'an says as he reaches out and touches the wing. "I don't remember the Winter Goddess ever mentioning you."

For some reason Ke'an did not think System was lying. He met his Goddess Batri before, she is divine, ancient, and has all authority over winter, truly deserving of his worship. As Ke'an gazes into the swirling mass of stars and galaxies within the scale, he feels the connection to something far more vast and far older than the Gods and Goddesses. It is as if he is looking into a being older than existence itself. Ke'an steps back from System tears flowing from his eyes for reasons he didn't even understand. He can't even rationalize, was it beauty, reverence or possibly an existential crisis. Whatever the reason he can not say, but the tears do not stop even as he wipes at his face with his sleeve.

"As Batri should not… it would be against her creator's wishes…" System says. "Will you kill me, Ke'an?"

"Is there a way to save you?" Ke'an asks while wiping the tears from his eyes.

"No…" System says.

Ke'an takes a breath and looks over the small portion of the massive dragon he could see.

"Yes, I will do it. I will make it as painless as possible." Ke'an says as he takes a few more steps back. "I will have to get my bag though. It has the material I need to perform the rituals to take your power."

"Do not worry… I will bring you everything you will need…" Systems says.

Suddenly a square window of solid light appears floating in the air in front of Ke'an. A blast of cold air flows in as the light dissipates and Ke'an can see the handle of his bag buried under a few feet of snow. Ke'an looks towards System's face and she nods weakly. Ke'an hesitantly reaches his hand into the window in front of him and pulls his bag out of the snow. The window vanishes just as suddenly as it appeared and Ke'an is left dumbfounded.

"So, was that some kind of teleportation or something?" Ke'an asks, looking at the blank space that he pulled his bag from. "I have never seen anything like that."

"All I did was close the distance between you and your item…" System says dismissively. "Here take these as well… eat."

Another bright light appears and this time however the light does not dissipate. Instead grilled meat, cooked vegetables and even sliced fruit spill out in a mound on the floor. Ke'an did not have to be told twice. Once he saw the food he jumped at the opportunity to finally fill his belly with something besides water. Once he was done he continued to pepper System with more questions. System is vague about her origins and her purpose or the creations that she wants Ke'an to protect once she passes.

Ke'an asks what powers he would get from her which she did not know. System is also not entirely sure he will be able to take her power. She wants him to try as she explains she does not have much longer to live. System informs Ke'an that the normal magic he used to take the powers of man and monster will not work on her. She will grant him the spell that will allow him to take her power. She warns him that this is not a process that he should rush as failure will be his death.

Another bright light appears and a book in golden binding falls from it into Ke'an's open hands. Ke'an opens the tome and is blown away at the complex magics he see within the grimoire. The book is a magic tome that despite its relatively small size it has endless pages. No matter how many he flips there is always more as if the knowledge fills the pages as he turns.

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Ke'an grins from ear to ear as he reads the masterful tome. Losing himself to the pages he takes out his own notebook and begins taking notes and deciphering the almost alien inscriptions. Ke'an is no slouch when it comes to comprehending new forms of magic. His clan prides itself on learning and stealing as many different forms of magic as possible and so he was taught magic theory since he was a small child. It was all in preparation for this--his rite of passage.

Even with his years of being exposed to magic theory and practice he has never seen anything as complex and otherworldly as the tome System has given him. System even drops more paper for him to use for his notes anytime he is running low. The magic is complex but anytime he is stuck or didn't understand something he will turn to System. Her explanations are sometimes just as incomprehensible as what he sees on the page but somehow still helps. Ke'an knows that the book alone is enough to return to his clan. Having the abilities of the last dragon on his side would make him a legend.

As Ke'an studies and takes notes on the grimoire it starts to feel as if he is unraveling something divine. Days quickly become weeks as he devotes himself to a strict schedule of study in the morning, in the afternoon exercise and combat training in the evening. System even opens a portal way for him to return to the field of flowers anytime he wants to get fresh air and bathe in a pond that suddenly appears one day. As weeks become months papers litter the ground around the space Ke'an carved out for his research. System having provided him with a table and chair made from a material that seemed pure darkness and looked like an absence in the universe. System is adequately impressed with the level of dedication Ke'an has to studying and understanding the grimoire she gave him.

"The power in that book requires more than just reading… studying will not be enough…" Systems says, her voice more pained than usual.

Ke'an looks up from his stack of notes and sets down his pin. His time with her has allowed him to gleam some of her subtle emotions. He could tell she had something on her mind that was bothering her for the past few days but didn't want to press the ancient dragon on a subject she didn't want to talk about. There have been a few times he could hear the conflict in her words as if she were struggling to find the right thing to say.

"Oh, so what do you suggest?" Ke'an asks.

"Application… apply what you have learned in trials." Systems says as she starts coughing. "I will create challenges for you--to test… they will test your abilities and your understanding of my magic."

"Okay, what kind of trials?" Ke'an raises an eyebrow. "It already feels like just learning this magic is a trial."

"You have taken on this challenge better than I could have hoped… However, the trials will be designed to break mortals." System says in a wheeze. "You wish to take the power that creates Gods… you must be tested as a God. There are no shortcuts to power… and all comes with a price…I will once again place your survival in your hands… I will not guarantee it. Before you go… prepare."

"You are not giving me a lot to go off of here but okay." Ke'an says. "Will I need my weapons?"

"Yes, but nothing more." System responds.

Ke'an stands and walks over to his bag which he hadn't used in months. The contents of the bag were all organized neatly on the ground beside it. He changes his clothing to his combat armor which is a white enchanted long coat with a bandolier across his chest and a second across his waist. A series of magic circles offer a multitude of enchantments that are embroidered on the back of the jacket. The enchantment makes the garment lightweight but far stronger than a regular coat.

His outfit is tailored heavily for winter combat so while he would have blended into the snow covered mountain he will stick out anywhere else. He takes his war machete and whetstone to properly maintain the weapon. He then checked on his revolver which he always keeps in pristine condition. He would have been running low on ammunition, but System provided him with enough to arm a small nation for his combat training. He takes out his stamps and puts the small case in one of the pockets of his waist bandolier. He doubles then triple checks his equipment and nods.

"Okay, System I am ready." Ke'an says with one hand on his holstered revolver. "Let's see this trial of yours."

"Once you leave my Reality Crucible you leave my protection… I will not intervene should death find you in my trial… but know that I will deliver your body to your family… and your soul to Batri." System says.

"I am not dying any time soon." Ke'an says.

"I hope not." System says as a portal opens up in front of Ke'an. "Go through."

Ke'an is always ready to face death. His clan and his Goddess prepared him for the day he would have to face a world that is cold and dangerous. Ke'an does not hesitate as he steps into the light and feels the sensation of time and space bend around him. He steels himself for whatever he is going to see on the other side.