The water drained from the genesis chamber, and once again, Nick was blindfolded as Rebecca’s naked mother was revealed. Only Eirwen and Nick joined, so as to not…overwhelm her with too many new people. The rest were preparing a small welcoming party in the living room.
The woman was level fifteen, and Rebecca was a bit too young to understand why she had stopped her progress. It was only later that she learned her mother stopped climbing for only one reason–she was waiting for her party and husband to catch up, and form his Faith Core and Concept.
Unfortunately, the horrible man had other plans.
Her mother gave a sharp intake of breath as her large wings fluttered, and Eirwen sent her Clean spell over her, to dry her body.
Rebecca’s heart fluttered, so pleased to see her mother living once again. She said with more than a little emotion, “Welcome back, Mother. I’m so glad you’ve returned to us.”
Irene turned her gaze to Rebecca, and her voice held a lot of energy, different than what she expected.
“Ah, Becca!” She then rushed forward while floating, and hugged Rebecca with a warm smile. As always, her large wings wrapped around her as well as her arms, and Rebecca enjoyed the warmth of her mother for the first time in many years.
“I love you, my Becca. I’m so sorry…”
Rebecca’s breath caught in her throat, as tears began to fill her eyes. “Y-You have no need to apologize to me, but…let’s get some clothes on you, and we’ll talk more.”
“Oh! Haha, I guess we have a small audience–even our hero is here. Sure, we have so much to talk about, after all.”
Eirwen handed Irene her scholarly robes, and Rebecca helped her get them on. With holes for her large wings at the back and a cinch belt at her waist, it was quick to bring her back to her usual, beautiful and dignified scholarly appearance.
Her mother and Seraphara both had sharp, elf-like features on their face and ears, her mother truly beautiful. While Rebecca’s hair was blonde and naturally curly near the ends, her mother’s was straight and shimmered like gold.
Irene looked at Eirwen. “Thank you for being here to welcome me. Just who might you be?”
Eirwen smiled. “I’m Eirwen, one of Nick’s wives. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Irene.”
A light of recognition flashed in Irene’s eyes as she nodded with a small smile. “Ohhh… You’re the soft, loving one. While I couldn’t quite sense what was going on outside of where I rested in Nick’s Soul Core, I still could get a general feel for those that my hero interacted with.” She looked over at Nick. “All clear now, Hero. Thank you for granting me that small bit of privacy. But I wouldn’t have minded if you took a peek. I owe you my everything, after all.”
“M-Mom!” Rebecca protested. Her mom was awfully energetic, and it was a bit surprising for Rebecca. Normally, she had a lazy smile and spoke slowly.
Irene gave a brilliant smile. “Ahh... So I can still be Mom again, after all these years. Such a blessing.”
Rebecca blushed, and Nick chuckled as he took off his blindfold, and hugged Rebecca to him from the side.
“I’m really glad things worked out. How I see it is, you helped me as much as I helped you. I don’t know if I would have made it without your help, both times I faced that Bishop.”
Irene sighed, and looked a little…guilty. “Maybe so. But it’s thanks to you that I could rectify the biggest mistake of my life. I foolishly believed…that Samuel wasn’t that bad, and with enough kindness and compassion, he could be saved from the dark. To have wasted more than a decade on him, and one more in horrible service within him…only you could have saved me. I’m afraid if he won the Conflict against the orcs, he would have reached his goal of corrupting my spirit.”
Rebecca nodded sadly, still enjoying Nick’s side hug and comforting squeeze of her hand. Her mother had died when she was around ten years old, and she was now just twenty. From what she knew, she was born only a year or so after their matrimony ceremony.
Eirwen gasped. “Ten whole years of enduring that, and twenty with that jerk? I can’t imagine what that would be like. Now, we do have a bit of a welcoming party in our living room. Rebecca did say you liked to eat, so Jasmine and Luna are cooking.”
“Oh! I can’t wait to meet the others. I sensed that my hero was close to many other women, including my Becca. It was a little…” Her eyes took on a strange look that Rebecca couldn’t identify, as she paused. “Surprising, but I could feel how happy she was with him.”
“Mom…” Rebecca blushed as she hesitated, “I love Nicholas, even though he has many lovers. And I know that…many more will be seeking him in the future. It is normal for a hero and Lord of Orion to attract many.”
Eirwen laughed, her ears wiggling. “Ah yes, our hero and prince has many after his affection. Why, there are even a few newly evolved Wolfen girls–”
Nick cleared his throat. “Let’s talk about that later. I’m sure Irene would like to get some food in her, and to relax a bit?”
Irene smiled, and hugged Nick’s other arm. “Thank you for worrying about me. I’m content to hear more about my hero’s future family here, but I would like to meet his and my Becca’s current one! Let’s go.”
Rebecca and Nick were surprised by her action, but Eirwen just giggled as she walked out of the room. Was…her mother being a little flirty with Nicholas? Well, she had always been extra…friendly, to anyone, she thought. When she wasn’t sleeping.
They exited the Genesis Chamber, and began to head down the hall. Irene looked all around them with interest, the markings and design of the home completely foreign. The sheer black, almost marble-like surface with white lighting was striking.
She stopped the group, and ran her spare hand’s along the walls. “Such interesting materials and design. Just what is your background, Hero?”
“Ah, it’s complicated. It’s a bit of a family secret, but I’m the last of the Archaens. My family left me this place when they entered the Tower of Eternity.”
“But this is a Frontier Shard.” She gasped. “So this is a Heritage! You must have earned it in a Trial? I suppose that’s…where you rescued us.”
Nick nodded, and they continued on to the living room. “I’m still earning full access to it.”
A soft music was playing in the background as they arrived in the living room. There was already a wide assortment of snacks and drinks laid out in their relaxing area, and Jasmine and Luna were working in the kitchen.
Kaya, Sable, and Fang were playing a game of cards as they waited, but all waved and smiled at their entry.
Irene gasped. “My, my. Such a diverse family. Monsterfolk and beastfolk together.” Irene floated and found an open seat, and Rebecca sat together with her, wanting to be close to her mother she missed dearly.
Irene wrapped her wings around her, leaving only their faces showing to the rest as Rebecca enjoyed the warmth of her mother.
Nick sat down next to Fang, and began scratching her ears as Eirwen joined him on the other side. Seeing Fang’s beaming smile and tail wagging warmed Rebecca’s heart.
He cleared his throat. “Technically, I’m a monsterfolk too. I don’t know much about the Archaen’s origins, but my birth mother was a demonfolk, besides. An Archaen Heir is somehow still nearly a hundred percent Archaen because their wives become half-blood Archaen when they make the Pact.”
“Wow! That is unique. So that means my little Becca will be that too? A third human, angel, and Archaen? How do you feel about this, daughter?”
Rebecca blushed at her focusing on this, the family all listening to her answer. “I don’t mind it. Part of me… is excited about it.” She didn’t say it, but in a way, it would be lessening a part of her father, in her.
Sable chuckled. “And won’t that be soon? The lovely nun sure has been spending a lot of time with our mate.”
“I have long since decided I would like to join Nicholas’s family as his partner. We are…just waiting for the full-clear.”
Irene beamed, folding her hands in front of her, and her wings fluttering around them. “Oh, that is so wonderful, dear daughter–I can’t wait to see your marriage ceremony! I take it our dear hero feels the same way. What’s a full-clear?”
Rebecca blushed. “Nick was just being a little silly, but for the Divine Concord, he was given three Quests, and that only one was required to earn it–but he wanted to accomplish them all. C-Can you share the quest, Nicholas?” Rebecca blushed, as she realized it was going to detail about the marriage thing.
He shrugged, and likely shared it with her because Irene’s eyes roved over what was probably the Quest details, before she laughed. “So you’re planning on completing them all? How cute, and respectable! But I think that waiting to turn in your Pilgrimage and Charity completion before your Ordeal delve would be a mistake, and Mother likely knows that. Becoming an Ordained Lord will mean that you should be able to begin collecting your Tithe immediately for your climb.”
Nick chuckled. “I’m not super attached to waiting until they are all complete to turn them in, I just didn’t want Rebecca to feel like I was marrying her for the benefits. I’ll accept them, but I’d love for her to be mine with or without them.”
“Oh how sweet!” She frowned. “What is it about your words that seem to ring true in my mind? That you believe them to be true.”
Eirwen said, “You can feel that? Archaens and their wives are unable to speak lies, unless meant to protect others.”
Jasmine and Luna brought the last of the food into the room on platters, setting them down on the table. There were plenty of meat and vegetables to enjoy, Rebecca spotting at least one or two dishes that were likely meant to appease her own palette.
Irene looked at everything with wide eyes. “Oh my, this is quite the bounty. This looks wonderful.”
Luna smiled as Eirwen scooted over for Luna to sit next to Nick–the girl having spent less time in person. “We are also celebrating Boss and everyone’s return, so we went all out. We just didn’t know what time they would arrive.”
They enjoyed their meal, with Irene snuggled next to Rebecca as they talked about their adventures. Rebecca was overjoyed to see her mother so happy, and feel her loving embrace once again. Now that she had her own Faith Core, she could feel just how bright and special her mother’s spirit truly was.
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Nick had Luna and Fang at his sides, the two enjoying some ear scratches and head pats. The two preened at his praise for their efforts these past few weeks. They had ran through the Path of Kings every week, adding numerous evolved Monsterfolk and aiding them in learning language for better coordination.
The rest of his wives were arrayed around the center table, sitting on couches and chairs as they faced each other.
Irene said, “Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I’m excited to hear that our hero is going to become an Ordained Lord, but after hearing all that you have accomplished, I understand Mother’s choice.”
Of course, her mother was none other than Seraphara herself, so this was big news to the rest of them. Rebecca twisted to look at her mother. “Just what do you mean?”
“I was sent here for a reason about twenty-five years ago, and Nicholas and his Heritage is probably a large part of why. Mother felt a deep connection to this shard, despite the fact that it had not established the Open Relay.”
Nick frowned. “That’s a bit concerning. It was my understanding that divination against most of the things here in my Heritage should be…impossible.”
Irene shook her head. “It’s not divination, but a connection to the root of all things that resonate deeply with her. Mother is a goddess of Wisdom, and so there must be vast amounts of lost knowledge here in this Heritage.”
Nick arched his brow. “It’s true. Once I unlock the Ancestral Archives, there should be a lot of knowledge available to us. But it does require an Archivist.”
Irene clapped in applause, her smile giddy, and she began lifting out of her seat as she was filled with joy. “How wonderful! I can manage that role. Just what do you need to make it available?”
“It needs ten thousand DP. We may be able to pool up that much if we head back into the Path of Kings and pass the 15th floor. How much do we have now, Vi?”
The house AI responded to them, “We now have four thousand two hundred and thirty-five DP earned within the Path of Kings.”
Nick whistled. “That’s a lot more than I thought.”
Fang beamed. “We worked very hard! Four parties reaching the eighth or ninth floor per week ends up being quite a bit! Even with their high-level guides.”
Eirwen said, “But back to the reason you were sent, and Seraphara.”
“Ah! Right. As the daughter of a Goddess, the cost for me to enter a Frontier Shard is both prohibitive and dangerous. Many of the strongest entities and kingdoms would like to claim a shard for their own, and they compete for ownership. With the Zura family already claiming an Ordeal in her name, Mother sent me here to support and aid them. I was to marry the Lord of Zura, and ascend until we activated the Open Relay, all while searching for the missing knowledge. However, Samuel had stifled my search, it appears.”
Nick arched his brow. “What if it was a woman?”
Irene frowned. “I don’t see why that would have mattered? Then I’d have simply aided them, until we accomplished the same. Of course, Samuel could have rejected me, as was his right. But he was quite happy about the situation.”
Eirwen asked, “We’d like to know a little more, if it isn’t too painful for you. We’ve had a hard time understanding why you would partner with…such a horrible person.”
Irene shook her head. “I don’t mind it because my nightmare is over, and ultimately, it wasn’t that bad. As I mentioned, I came to this shard about twenty-five years ago with my level at zero. I traveled to Zura, and was quick to join the community and clergy, and obtain a climbing slot. As Rebecca knows, most everything related to faith energy came easily for me. After I formed my faith core less than a year later, I let Samuel know my goals. It appears this was a mistake because this might have been when he started making his.”
She continued, “Because you see, Samuel wasn’t always bad. He was talented in some aspects, but it seemed that he was stuck. He had been climbing for many years, and hadn’t been able to surpass his father and reach the fifteenth floor. Seeing me climb so fast must have built up resentment in him, and by then, I had just hoped that by becoming his partner, this jealousy would fall away.”
She shook her head. “Instead, after our courtship and Seraphara accepting us as partners, it only built within him as I excelled and got ahead of him–and I could feel it. Normally, increasing our affection for one another would be totally normal, but I noticed that he was only becoming worse. I denied him until he found purity, and cited Seraphara’s Tenets for partnership, along with the vows and oath he gave. However, this only caused his hatred to build further.”
Nick frowned. “It feels like he never believed in what Seraphara stood for.”
Irene nodded. “That’s right. So then he tried to force me by using the community against me. Can you believe it? After a short time, he let everyone know that I was denying him a child, that we were not consummating our partnership! As a Lord of Orion without an Heir, it was my duty to provide him one. And this is true, though it wasn’t nearly as urgent as he made it appear. So he schemed to get me into bed that way–and by this point, loving him was the furthest thing from my mind.”
Kaya’s ears were flat on her head. “That’s terrible. I can understand if you don’t want to tell the next part…”
Irene laughed. “No! I am quite proud of this next part. I guess he must have forgotten about this, but we Angels can reproduce with essence alone–we are beings of light energy. So that is exactly what I did–I used some of his essence. I gave birth to Rebecca, and she’s been my pride and joy of my existence. I love her very much, and I would not trade her for anything.”
“M-Mom… I love you too. I missed you so much.”
“And I’m so sorry I failed you so, and that I failed the people of Zura.”
Eirwen asked, “So what happened after that?”
“So he had to give up on that scheme. Throughout it all, I had always hoped that he would find wisdom, and find peace with his anger. While his actions were always positive in public, it seems he was doing horrible things in secret.”
Irene talked about the day she died–the book she saw when Nicholas Judged her father, that allowed him to somehow trap her soul. She continued, “They were just far beyond our knowledge and understanding. He must have found help, and someone with a grudge with my mother. I never could have imagined that they could pull off their horrible plot with such efficiency here on a Frontier Shard.”
Nick said, “Lumos told us she is a unique automaton from the Darkrock Confederacy, along with the Throne he procured. There was even an artifact from Seraphara used to calibrate everything and a special Bottled Concept, so he could steal Seraphara’s faith energy without her being aware.”
Irene gasped. “That is… to think they put so many resources into enslaving me and stealing from Mother. To bring all that in here, it’s almost enough to build their own shard.” She smiled at Nick. “And they never could have imagined our hero would defeat their plans so completely.” Her mother took on a dreamy expression. “Why, it must have been fate! Only you could have saved me from that nightmare.”
Nick cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable about Mother’s proclamation, and Eirwen smiled. “That’s our hubby! He walks the Hero’s Path and the Path of Kings. We now have Four Ordeals in our city of Frosthaven.”
Rebecca’s eyes were narrowed on her mother, twisting in her seat, but Irene couldn’t meet her eyes as she accepted the topic change. “The Path of Kings and the Hero’s Path? This will be quite the challenge, but not impossible. Forming the basis for your inner world will be the most difficult threshold for you to pass.”
Nick frowned. “The what now?”
“You don’t know? But you must have heard that it is best to establish your Concept before then, at least. The reason for this is that when you cross into the third stratum, it sets your foundations for what will become your inner world. Without a Concept, the foundations will be far too brittle, and the ability to attach any future concepts to this foundation will be nearly impossible. On top of that, Orion will not allow it.”
She continued, “Thus, when you attempt to enter the fourth stratum, this will be impossible too. You will be unable to become an immortal.”
“How does walking two paths play into that being a problem?”
“If you make two fitting Concepts and keep them in balance, this will probably work as you enter the third stratum. But within it, things start to get more difficult to commit actions that are appropriate for both Paths, without taking away from one. I suppose it is good that you have two Paths that aren’t completely incompatible, but it will still be challenging. You will have to walk the razor’s edge.”
Rebecca stared at her mother with awe. While she was always smart and knowledgeable, she was often…lethargic and disinterested in most things such as sharing it, aside from reading. Rebecca had become the Arch Priestess, but her mother was never interested in a clergy position beyond Priestess, taking the job of the librarian. She just wanted to read and sleep.
“What is it, daughter? You are looking at me a bit funny.”
“N-Nothing. I was just thinking that…you were energetic, and I haven’t much seen you in this…lecturing mode, before. You’re…different now, somehow.”
Irene laughed. “You’re right! I was content to sleep and read through life–and while I still desire to gather more knowledge and wisdom, I don’t want life to pass me by. I feel like… I gave my first life to the pursuit of it, and even married that horrible man. Now, I want to live my best life, you know? That, and the essence here is so different! I wonder what it is.”
Rebecca smiled as she thought of how much she loved her boyfriend’s home. The warmth of Nick and his family, the essence within, and the study, were all wonderful. So much nicer than…her current home.
Eirwen nodded. “It’s a wonderful home, we have not changed the Crown Sanctum much since we claimed it. It even has a study.”
Irene floated up, and Rebecca found herself standing as a result, like a giant balloon lifting her into the air. “A study, you say? Why didn’t you say anything!”
Eirwen smiled. “Did you want to see it? I Iove the study here so much. Rebecca and I spend a lot of time there.”
Rebecca suddenly realized this was a bad idea. Her mother might not want to leave once she saw it! “Maybe that’s–”
“I’d love to! Please, can we see it now?”
Eirwen giggled at Irene’s excitement, her ears wiggling. “Sure! We can take a look and show you it.”
Kaya, Fang, and Sable went back to playing their game of cards, and Luna and Jasmine moved to begin cleaning up after the meal. Nick, Eirwen, Irene, and Rebecca went to Nick’s study.
As they entered the room, Irene gasped at all the books. “Oh my, there’s so many! And the essence here… Do you mind if I take a look?”
Nick chuckled. “Go for it. Books are meant to be read.”
As she looked at the spines on the shelves closely, Irene’s face went slack, and it was like she transformed into her old self. Her eyes were barely open as a relaxed smile appeared on her expression, and she started browsing and grabbing several books in her arms in quick succession, before floating to sit down on top of a bookshelf.
She looked between the book’s covers, and then at the rest of the room. Irene gave a pleased sigh, her voice taking on her usual lazy cadence. “So many amazing books to read here. This would take me…a few months at least. I’ll just…stay here for a while, and finish these.”
It was like the whole world didn’t exist, other than the books. She started leafing through the pages, her eyes shimmering.
Now that was the mother she remembered. Rebecca groaned. “Mother, get down from there! You can’t just stay here!”
Irene looked like she was slapped. “Ehhh, why not? I won’t be a bother at all, I don’t even need to eat. Just look at how many books they have here!”
“Because the prince’s room is right next door! It’s not proper!”
“Huh? Why’s that a problem? The essence here is wonderful. What do I need to do to stay here?”
Rebecca blushed, realizing there was an answer–this would be corrected when Rebecca was Nick’s wife in truth, and she was his mother-in-law, and then she could be here all she wanted–though it would still be a bit strange.
“You know your mother’s tenets better than anyone. Why are you pretending otherwise?”
Her mother pouted. “Fine. Can I borrow these, Hero? I’ll do anything you want!”
Nicholas arched his brow at her wording and was about to say something, but Rebecca interrupted, “Much of these books have already been transcribed at the Cathedral–except for those with the crown emblem. They cannot leave the Heritage.”
Irene shuffled through her collected books, finding the symbol in question on the spine. “Oh! Well, why didn’t you say so, daughter? It sounds like we have quite the bounty to be shared. I suppose…it wouldn’t be the worst if I…only read here during the day.”
Rebecca sighed in relief. “Yes, mother. It’s getting a little late in the day, and we should really give our greetings to the clergy. Many of them missed you, including Marissa.”
“Oh, little Marissa is still around? I suppose… I can wait.” She visibly struggled to put the book down, then floated down to the ground, barely flapping her large wings as she descended slowly. Despite looking and feeling like a normal human or elf minus the wings, her energy body was low in mass. This allowed her to float or fly with little effort.
Irene sighed. “I guess this is goodbye, then. Thank you so much for your hospitality, Eirwen. You’re so lovely.”
“Hehe, thank you, Irene! It was so nice meeting you! I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.”
The two began making plans as they walked out of the room, and Rebecca turned to Nick.
“Sorry about my mother, Nicholas. She…really loves books. More than I do, even.”
Nick chuckled. “It’s no problem at all. I’m relieved to see that she’s doing so well, after what she’s been through. And even if she gave you some mild anxiety, you are still smiling. I’m glad it was such a happy reunion.”
It really was. Rebecca leaned up and kissed his cheek, and he hugged her tightly with his strong arms. It was truly like her mother said. Only he could have saved them so perfectly, restoring their happiness. She had so many reasons to be grateful to him, and they just kept piling up.