As soon as Randidly thought about locking the sky, he could already feel the stirrings begin inside of the Philosopher’s Key. It was like simply thinking the phrase unleashed a blast of sunlight that quickly burned through the mist that had covered the inner workings of the key. The previously mysterious interior mechanisms gradually came to light. As Randidly’s pupils dilated, he suddenly understood what he had to do.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 57!

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 58!

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 59!

…

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 71!

Unfortunately, the knowledge of how the process would work came with another realization: it would be very difficult to completely lock out the Nether Herald. It was too heavy of a projectile.

Even with the change coming as a surprise tot he unfortunate Nether Herald, Randidly had been able to sense the dense power of the previously Nether Herald that so briefly clashed with Lady Iellaya in the last few minutes. The Nether of its body was so dense that it fuzzed the surrounding air. Physical space folded and bent to its will, allowing it to move in a way not unlike the Grim Chimera’s Chimeric Avoidance.

At this point, Randidly struggled to push his own inner Nether to that golden density that a Nether Gatekeeper used to manage its own impressive sphere of influence. To see these Nether Heralds reach a density so obviously a step beyond that filled Randidly with the certainty that he couldn’t compete directly.

Randidly’s emerald eyes were locked onto the huge third Nether comet the second it was produced. He held his breath in his chest. Inside, his mind rapidly accelerated, pushing himself forward. If the current him couldn’t reliably lock the sky and reject this Nether Herald, all he needed to do was rapidly increase his understanding, which would, in turn, increase his Fate Level and his power.

A blunt solution to a complicated problem. Yet a brief scan of his available Paths didn’t give Randidly any other hope of rapidly increasing his potency with his Fate on such incredibly short notice through any other method.

...so yea, all I need to do is deepen my understanding in two-point six seconds. Randidly’s eyes were almost glassy as he stared outward at the Great Rift. His mind got to work. Ignition Essence flared brightly to life to fuel endeavor. Without any remorse, Randidly dipped into his mental power and focused his attention to a razor-sharp point.

The Philosopher’s Key was a simple tool with an uncomplicated motion. In the past, Randidly had used its function in a creative manner to ‘unlock’ Lady Iellaya’s Class, but that was just getting cute. What Randidly was attempting now wasn’t some convoluted application, this was exactly what the Philosopher’s Key was made to do: lock.

The image of locking the sky was clear, but the origin of the image was a bit less so. The key’s power seemed to arise from its functions, but that was too limiting a way to think about it. The key was simple, yes, but the person behind it wasn’t. If it could lock the sky, that inevitably led back to the individual who held the key. That capability began there.

This was the Philosopher’s Key.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 72!

Randidly took a small step forward as he pondered the process, but it was far from enough. Also, the growth stopped almost immediately because he was suddenly faced with a question. Who was the Philosopher?

Fully half a second ticked past as Randidly strained his every brain cell in order to answer this question. Images of alchemists and fantasy wizards flashed before his mind’s eye, but none of those felt right. None made the act of locking the sky seem any more manageable. Eventually, Randidly settled on the simplest answer.

The Philosopher… or the Alchemist, as referenced by the Fateset, was himself. Randidly Ghosthound.

Again, a dead stop inserted itself into Randidly’s mind for point two seconds. The huge comet of Nether surged closer. Randidly’s hands tightened into fists. His mind whirred even faster to try and pull apart the secrets of the heavy golden key in his hands.

Who was Randidly Ghosthound?

Me. But if the answer requires more detail...

Over the years since the System arrived, Randidly had changed in unimaginable ways. He had become incredibly influential on Earth and later absconded from his budding political power. He had traveled to Tellus and fought like a mercenary at Shal’s request. He had returned to Earth to struggle to find his identity, making very little headway on this question. He kept his gaze locked on the System, vigilant for threats.

He later returned to Tellus and watched thousands die on the banks of the Hallat as the Second Calamity of that world played itself out. He had been, admittedly, instrumental in allowing Shal to seize control of the image of Tellus, making it a place of heroes and dreams. Then Randidly had returned to Earth and acted less as a leader of anything and more as a warning for the people of Earth.

One they don’t appear to be heeding very well, based on what I’ve seen through Nether Rituals… A small voice in Randidly’s head whispered, but he quickly quieted that part of himself.

He had learned much about himself as he blithely allowed the deaths of Ki-Kunot’s people and later was confronted by Azriel in regards to his refusal to consider losing. Meeting Vualla, too, had greatly put a spin on who Randidly was, who he was going to be. Finding someone who made him pause and believe in a genuine partnership… It had made him happy.

Incredibly so.

But those were all external factors that affected him. None were determinative of the who at the core of this question. Even if Randidly was slowly realizing his own responsibilities and the importance of cultivating a passion to wield the power he gathered here on the frontlines, it did very little to answer the question of who he was.

Even as his images grew, he had never turned his exacting focus back on himself. But of course he hadn’t, because he hadn’t wanted to. It would have been...

Randidly blinked.

Ultimately, images were stories believed to be real. So there were a lot of images that Randidly could impose on himself as a grand explanation, based on his history, and have them be anchored in reality. Yet to take any one of those images as gospel was to miss the numerous others that populated Randidly Ghosthound. They would be diverging from his core by focusing on an aspect. What Randidly could create with an image was a partial understanding. And Randidly didn’t believe that a partial understanding would be enough to lock this Nether Herald out of the sky.

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So he needed the whole. Again, who was Randidly Ghosthound?

This time, Randidly felt an answer almost immediately. It was an honest answer from his heart. An answer that turned all the way around, looking past his time in the System, to who he had been before. An answer that stared his most glaring weakness in the face.

A shy, socially awkward kid who lucked into power and stumbled into responsibility. Someone who was quiet and reserved, and didn’t know what he wanted out of life. Someone who was always described as ‘having potential’ without ever knowing what that meant. Someone who was in the right place at the right time when the System hit.

Then… the Philosopher’s Key is his, most of all. This is the key of someone who fears every moment that they won’t be enough to protect the people counting on them. Someone who fears that his luck will run out. Someone who is terrified of what that would mean.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 73!

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 74!

Randidly’s eyes opened again as he realized something. ...honestly, that sort of basis for a story… With his mouth twisted and time continuing to slip away, Randidly opened his Path screen. There, his eyes locked onto a single option.

Monarch of the Baleful Woods 0/450

Generally, one thought of the monarch at the height of their power, seated regally on their throne with an ornate crown on their head. But that was only one portion of the monarch’s journey. One might become a monarch at any age in their life, exactly when the previous monarch died. Which sometimes occurred far before the heir-apparent was ready for the responsibility that comes.

Is there meaning in this…? Randidly wondered, even as he poured PP into the Path to finish it. Obviously the Stats weren’t likely irrelevant, but even then… what was he hoping for? But he supposed what he looked for was to find some clue in the completion text that would give Randidly a hint what he should be thinking in order to understand this image.

Randidly was quite like a monarch thrust into the spotlight far before his time. A youth that had escaped the sensation of helplessness time after time, only to always find one more unexpected curveball in his way. Yet how could he stop moving forward? Without Randidly Ghosthound, Earth-

Randidly shook his head slightly. Then he focused on this lead to revealing a truth about himself. Pouring PP into the Path earned him 1 Willpower for each 10 PP spent.

Congratulations! You have completed the Monarch of the Baleful Woods Path! To walk forward with a crown means that those behind you are your people. They pass in your wake, under your auspices. Yet there exists a complicated relationship between the monarch and the populace; they may follow you for a variety of reasons, but the truth is each follower gives a little of themselves so that the monarch must always give everything to protect them.

To walk this path is to acknowledge your duty. It is not a complicated path, but the weight you bear is not lightly taken. It is not something that can be borne by a mundane individual. As you wear this mantle, you become a little more than human.

Congratulations! Health, Mana, and Stamina +1000. +3 to Health, Mana, and Stamina Regeneration per Level.

Randidly frowned imperceptibly as he looked over the notification. The message was unhelpful and the reward was really not relevant to his current quest to understand his own identity. Of the two-point six seconds that Randidly had estimated he could use before the Nether comet had arrived, one point nine had passed. His Fate Level had increased, but not by much.

Would any improvement have really been enough? Randidly wondered idly. Without much choice, he raised the Philosopher’s Key and felt the karma present in the air. Right before he activated the ability, he looked once more at the Path completion notification. Honestly, all it talks about is the people that-

Poised there with his key raised, it hit Randidly like a bucket of wet snow to the face; behind him were people that were counting on him. It was a simple truth, one that Randidly had always understood. That truth was why he fought so desperately to protect the Earth. But it was a very clinical knowledge that Randidly allowed before.

Now, at this moment, Grim Intuition was only too happy to supply Randidly with a more visceral knowledge of those who were depending on him.

As his perception instinctively spread outward, Randidly could feel every breath the people around him released. Hunching over, he felt the constriction of the soldier’s lungs and their dried lips. He felt the sweat dripping down their backs and the uneven beat of their hearts. He felt their eyes, like thousands of laser pointers clustering like obsessive flies up to the battle in the sky. He could smell the stink of their worry.

Body by body, Randidly felt them swaying with unease. They were his body, outside of himself. Because he had taken on the role of the monarch.

...I always knew it, even when I was on Earth. Randidly’s eyes focused on his target with only point two seconds remaining until the Nether Herald arrived. As he looked upward, the Nether Herald shattered its comet and sped forward. The second Nether Herald had arrived before Lady Iellaya, deflecting a blast of darkness she unleashed and closed the distance between them.

Below, the first Nether Herald used that opportunity to surge upward and leave Lady Iellaya pincered between the two of them. The raven-winged serpent screeched and flapped its wings furiously.

I knew that people talked about me. That some people were afraid of me and even worse, there were others that grew excited when they saw me. They would follow me around, say prayers and curses in my name. Gradually, to avoid their demanding gaze I could only isolate myself.

But Neveah was correct in pointing out that one time that my existence was more of a story than I could control by disappearing. I became a presence in people’s lives by protecting them. Maybe… maybe giving control of Donnyton to Donny, hiding in Zone 1, and then pushing everything away but the Order Ducis, all of it was to avoid addressing the simple truth that I matter to these people.

They all have opinions on me. They are thinking about me and talking about me. When I fail them, they are disappointed. When I do not act, they are worried about what it means. They give a little time of themselves to me by thinking about me, by giving me space in their heart… and in exchange, I have to give them everything. I give everything to protect the Earth.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 75!

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 76!

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 77!

Randidly didn’t hesitate any longer. The Philosopher’s Key slid forward. A low, imperceptible shiver ran through the karma of the sky, where space and Nether bent and twisted. Exactly two point six seconds had passed. The Nether Herald was twisting to reveal another insectoid form, about to reach the barrier that Lord Miln erected. The same barrier that its two predecessors had pierced through without difficulty. It wasn’t strong enough to slow these foes down, but Randidly could use it to ground his working.

It never was that the prince learned some precious secret when he became Monarch, Randidly thought tiredly. It was just that he realized he could no longer fail. He couldn’t afford to. So he believed in the song of his own victory.

So he had no choice but to listen and pay attention to the stories they told about him. No matter if they were true or false.

Randidly turned the Philosopher’s Key. The karma of the world twisted.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 78!

…

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 85!

Randidly Ghosthound felt the sky lock beneath his hand. He was the monarch, and this was his land. The Nether Herald impacted the aligned barriers of Randidly’s lock and Lord Miln’s force field. Both barriers shuddered under the violent pressure. Almost as soon as they collided, it seemed the Nether Herald realized something was wrong and twisted to bring its arm around in a sharp blow to shatter the lock.

Randidly gritted his teeth. His jaw popped. His veins stood out from his arm that was holding onto the rotated Philosopher’s Key. The sense of responsibility Randidly felt burned in his heart. Grim Intuition continued to grasp the entire space. Half the soldiers below were breathing out, the other half breathing in. Randidly’s head throbbed as using the Fate quickly drained all of his accumulated mental energy in a split second. Yet even as his well of resilience was running dry, Randidly refused to give up.

I… will not fail.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 86!

Before the Nether Herald could strike, the barrier repelled it gently backward. Its strike swung harmlessly through the air. The lock on the sky held. The raven-winged serpent’s wings spread wider and wider, casting a long shadow over the two Nether Heralds that faced Lady Iellaya alone.