“Are you still going with ‘Momentia’ as your chosen name?” Zavira asked through the interface later that night.
After dinner, Mom, Dad, and Justin had set up a joint video call with Bell and the kids, and we’d chatted for a couple of hours before my parents decided to call it a night.
While the cost was more than it would have been if we were all on the same planet, the video call was still remarkably affordable, especially compared with the cost of contacting my family from the dungeon.
At Tier Eight, I needed much less sleep than they did, so I doubted that I’d sleep anytime soon. Luckily, I had someone to talk to while the others slept.
“I think so,” I replied before plopping onto the neatly made bed. “I like the applicability of the name. It has strong ties to both Time and Space and could arguably also apply to Arcane. Moment, momentum, and momentous. The last one is probably a stretch,” I admitted, “but since I use Arcane mana for enchantments and enhancements, it kinda applies.”
“I like it. I don’t think you’ll even have to explain it after the ceremony,” Zavira said before adding, “Not that anyone would be rude enough to ask right away. If you chose something arbitrary, you might have a few who were curious enough to ask about it, but I don’t think you’ll have that issue.”
I hummed lightly in response as I played with one of the new E3 talismans I’d crafted while waiting for Zavira to reach the eighth floor.
I’d made a lot of upgrades to my standard kit after learning how to craft growth items. I’d planned to give Mom, Dad, and Justin their own set of protective growth items right away, but in all the excitement, it had slipped my mind.
I’d correct that issue as soon as they woke up.
The last thing I wanted was for something to happen to one of my family members.
I had enough sets for Deni, Bell, my new siblings, and my niece and nephews as well. It had taken a lot of time to craft everything, but I hadn’t minded. It was a labor of love.
Zavira already had her new set of protection talismans. I’d expected her to balk a little when I told her how they worked, but she’d grown to trust me during our decades together, and she had barely batted an eye.
“Are you still going with ‘Ferraria?’” I asked.
“I’m not sure. I like it,” Zavira said after a pause. “But it’s really just a pretty word meaning Smith. My ancestor wrapped his identity in his profession, but I’m not sure that I want to do the same thing. It’s definitely important, but I’m not sure it’s what I want to orient my future identity around.”
Chosen names, or mage names, depending on the situation, were a weird part of Alliance culture. They didn’t have family names, per se. Instead, they had a given name, and once certain milestones were met, a chosen name was added.
For example, Master Kairos’s given name was Henlen, but his chosen name was Kairos. Kairos served as a surname, though a lot of people opted to use them as their primary name instead.
“Well, you can always change it once you ascend,” I reminded her cheekily.
Her scoff was clear through the voice connection. “You say that like it’s nothing. Most people never ascend.”
“Most people don’t reach Tier Eight,” I countered.
She was right, though. I’d somehow started to think of ascension as something that would happen eventually, and likely sooner rather than later.
Was I really considering Master Kairos’s offer to join him? I didn’t think so. But even if I waited centuries to ascend, it was still a matter of when, not if.
But when was the big question.
Would I wait for the family I know and love now to die, or would I leave before then? Would I stick around and try to connect with their descendants? Would I start my own family?
Just touching on that topic made my nerves flair, so I quickly dismissed the thoughts.
“I’ve asked for sweetberry pudding at the reception,” Zavira said, aiding me in my endeavor not to think about heavy topics. “I want you to try it. Make sure to copy the recipe so you have it when you reenter the dungeon.”
“It’s probably in the master crystal already,” I pointed out. I fully intended to copy the master crystal I’d left behind to obtain access to all of the recipes collected by my devices.
“I wouldn’t leave it to chance. It’s really good.”
We chatted for a little while about different foods Zavira was excited to have again, and I made a mental note to check my updated copy of the master crystal when I got the chance. I’d need to upgrade the storage medium, but with a growth Crystal node, that wouldn’t be difficult to manage.
Considering the Enchanters working on the project were all far more capable than I was when I designed the device, my original crystal had probably already been replaced with a better one.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
As we talked, I used the new tablet I’d purchased during our shopping trip to scan the local network for items of interest. It wasn’t quite the same as the internet of pre-integration Earth, but it was close.
Eventually, Zavira disconnected the call to prepare for her ceremony. She had a whole process she had to go through, which took several hours.
Nothing like that was on my schedule, so I opted to relax in the guest sauna for a while. Before the sun rose over the horizon, one of the servants summoned me for my final robe fitting.
----------------------------------------
The ceremony itself passed in a blur.
Master Kairos spoke for a while, describing my contributions to the sect, both past and planned. Most of it revolved around reputation, though I wasn’t surprised to hear that a lot of emphasis was being put on my new role as a teacher.
Master Kairos had already discussed the expectations that I would face as a newly minted sect Elder taking a break from the dungeon.
I’d have a lot of free time, even with the lessons I had agreed to give to young disciples. Those wouldn’t start for another year or two, which gave me plenty of time to have a real vacation after spending so long in the dungeon.
After his speech, my ‘disciple’ outer robe was removed and replaced by a more ornate version. The under-armor didn’t change, though my solid purple belt was replaced with one that reflected all three of my affinities, though black was only incorporated through embellishments.
Once everything was in place, I was prompted to introduce myself. Feeling nervous and awkward, I stepped forward.
“I am Emie Momentia – Time, Space, and Arcane Mage of the Epíkairos Sect. Thank you for coming to the ceremony.”
I was supposed to say more. I had a whole speech planned where I talked about adhering to the sect oath and representing the sect honorably. But when I stood in front of the group, my eyes landed on a familiar face, and my brain stuttered.
What was the stalker doing here?
It was obvious that I’d blanked, but the gathered sect members hardly seemed to notice. Some of them were probably glad that I hadn’t made a speech since Master Kairos had already talked for a while.
As soon as the ceremony was officially over, I rushed to his side and said, “One of the stalkers from Sira is here.”
Glancing behind me, Master Kairos smiled and said, “He isn’t a stalker. Elder Ammon and his wife were assigned by the sect to observe you while you were in the dungeon. His wife departed a few weeks before you exited, but he stayed and served as a quasi-guard until we reached Aegeas.”
Following his gaze, I saw the Elder in question approaching alongside a female half-elf in lavender Epíkairos robes.
“Congratulations on your promotion,” the white-robed man said with a smile and a nod.
He was handsome enough, though his nose was a bit on the large side for my taste. The woman next to him, however, was stunning. Her skin was so flawless that it looked almost airbrushed.
“Ahhh, thanks,” I said a little awkwardly. It was weird knowing the two had observed me for years while I was inside the dungeon.
“I was just telling Emie that you and Lizbet were her observers in the dungeon. She thought you were one of the people following us after we left the dungeon town since you weren’t wearing your sect robes.”
I flushed in embarrassment at being called out like that, but I didn’t argue the point.
“Yes. I noticed them as well. There were also a few familiar individuals at the portal hub in Garnet City. We reported it already,” Elder Ammon stated. His voice and expression had turned dark.
Patriarch Kairos nodded with an equally dark expression. “I received the report. Thank you for being so observant,” he said.
Elder Ammon shook his head. “I didn’t notice them. Lizbet did,” he said, motioning toward the half-elf beside him. “She was waiting at the portal hub for my arrival and noticed some of the elves from the dungeon town loitering in the area. Since she was wearing dark martial training robes at the time, I doubt they noticed her.”
Though I’d only gotten white robes before entering the dungeon, I knew many disciples wore plain black versions when they were engaged in martial training. I fully intended to get a few sets eventually, even if they weren’t really meant for normal wear.
Martial robes were far more comfortable than I expected.
Master Kairos’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Well, either way, thank you both. We’ll keep an eye on things.” Once the two Elders departed, Patriarch Kairos turned to me. “We’ll discuss this more later. But for now, just know that we suspect members of the Sovereignty Sect are in the area. You should be safe enough in the sect, but it’s something to be aware of, given the incident with their disciple.”
“Why is that still an issue? He challenged me,” I said in confusion. “I understand that they hate human Time Mages in general, but they can’t hold a grudge when he lost in a fair duel.”
“Right or wrong, they are still a threat. It probably doesn’t help that the disciple you killed was related to one of their more influential Elders,” Master Kairos said. “Just stay on guard and make sure you’re always protected.”
“I will,” I assured him.
As long as nobody too powerful came after me, I should be fine. I hadn’t had the elven elitists specifically in mind when I developed my protections, but my preparations should still be good enough.
I’d give the potential threat a bit more consideration, though.
“Well, go mingle a bit. It would be good to get to know some of the higher-tiered sect members, especially if you plan to remain in the realm for a substantial amount of time once you leave the dungeon next time.”
I followed my mentor’s advice and made my way around the room. Everyone was very polite and welcoming, which made things easier.
Eventually, an announcement was made to move the celebration to a reception hall outside of the sect.
Based on comments from nearby attendees, most sect promotion receptions were held within the sect. Having a joint reception with an allied sect was different, but not so distinctly that it caused any issues since most of the ceremony attendees didn’t plan to go to the reception.
They didn’t really know me, after all.
I was a little paranoid about leaving the sect now that I knew Sovereignty Sect members might be targeting me. I was more worried about them targeting one of my family members, even with the protection talismans they now wore.
Hopefully, they’d focus on me and not my loved ones. I wasn’t quite sure what I’d do if they tried going after my family.
Dismissing the thought since there was little I could do about the potential risk at the moment, I brought up my truncated status. I was interested to see if my official name change was already recognized by the system.
***
Name: Emie Momentia
Level: 72 (1000681/3824100)
Profession: (P) Enchanter
(S) Manatechnician
(T) Merchant
Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane
***
Health: 350/350
Stamina: 610/610
Mana: 950/950
***
Attributes
Strength – 26
Agility – 34
Vitality – 35
Intelligence – 95
Wisdom – 71
Perception – 40
***
Spells*
Skills*
***