So it turns out all I needed to do was think about a key ring...

Randidly tried his best for several seconds not to be insulted, but some very bitter thoughts bubbled up to the surface of his mind despite his best efforts. I suppose the Philosopher’s Key is a real object and I hadn’t really been treating it as such… and I suppose it makes sense that you do not necessarily need to learn deep truths about your Fate in to have it grow. Some of the truths are more… well… It’s just a bit…

Mundane. The truth was that these normal concerns of misplacing the Philosopher’s Key struck Randidly as extremely mundane. Perhaps a vital part of using the Fate effectively, or incorporating it into the user’s life, but it was an aggravating final level to receive.

Luckily, it came with the rather positive news of finishing his first Fate. In addition, another quick notification flashed before him and distracted Randidly’s attention.

The next piece of your Fateset has become completely awakened! Using your Philosopher’s Key, follow the path of Karma and locate the next piece! As you proceed closer to the source of the karma, your ability to follow the path will grow more acute! Good luck.

As always when the System notifications were too encouraging, Randidly frowned. From his previous experience dealing with invasive Skills and Paths given to him as ‘bonuses’, paranoia crept out in response to the System trying to be friendly.

But Randidly truly didn’t believe that there was anything sinister about the well-wishes this time. Because the System was able to gather new information on the possibilities of Fatesets by observing Randidly’s progress, it was probably genuinely encouraging him to succeed. Some part of Randidly wanted to proceed no further, just to spite the System, but Randidly also knew that he couldn’t afford to ignore methods to grow more powerful.

Right now, his own growth was the most important thing as Earth moved ever closer to its First Calamity.

When he was sure that the notifications had ceased, Randidly looked around at the peaceful valley. He had covered the ground that had cracked from Sulfur’s hammerings. The last coals of his furnace were cooling. The tang of his images still hung in the area, but the natural energy of the location was once more the dominant impression.

Places like this were an oasis from the violence-filled worlds encouraged by the System. An oasis that Randidly would soon need to leave.

I’ve done so much preparation for one impending disaster after another in the last few years, Randidly sighed inwardly. If I had time though… time where I wasn’t constantly worried about the next horrible doom the System was going to throw at me… I would probably spend my time like this. Find a place in the mountains, away from people. Every day, forging metal and Engraving…

Shaking his head at the wistful thought, Randidly once more hefted the Philosopher’s Key. The sounds of the babbling brook and the wind rustling through the surrounding greenery faded away. The Philosopher’s Key and the secrets it could detect swallowed Randidly whole.

Randidly was soon standing in an astral realm of twinkling stars. The Philosopher’s Key slid forward, glowing a soft gold color and lightly brushing against the stars. And when the key touched a star, Randidly saw a place that a bridge could be built. He felt the connection that could exist there.

Yet Randidly despite the earlier notification and the strange new vista that Randidly saw when he used the key, he didn’t detect anything that could immediately lead him to the next piece of his Fate. So Randidly waited patiently in that glimmering place of connections and karma. If he couldn’t feel it yet, perhaps what he needed to do was familiarize himself with the new surroundings.

Slowly, the light from the stars dimmed. Their karma was no longer blinding. Or Randidly adjusted to the strange sensation and his understanding of the world shown to him by the Philosopher’s Key expanded.

I suppose this can be considered a benefit from completely Leveling the Fate… Randidly thought to himself as he became slowly aware of a larger current in that isolated zone shown to him by the key. Beyond the individual stars were several broad flows of light that drifted sluggishly in wide arcs. They were so huge that sometimes his vision was tricked into believing there was only one flow. But as his perspective expanded, it became clear that he was swimming in a vast sea of karmic lights.

And as Randidly strained to follow these flowing larger paths with his Grim Intuition, Randidly paradoxically could see more and more tiny stars of light. His eyes opened wider and wider and the innumerable pinpricks of possibility swarmed him.

Each was a place for a bridge. Each was another place and moment.

Randidly was the smallest mote of light in the endless streams, infinitesimally small even compared to some of the stars of light. And amongst the drifting flows of karma… Randidly was completely dwarfed.

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In a place like this, it was easy to feel lost. Everything felt so… grand.

For almost an hour Randidly stood there, his focus simply wandering through the endless expanse of flowing light. It was wondrous and illuminating to drift in that awareness. It was like walking through a snowstorm made of burning embers, constantly flickering and flashing. For all Randidly’s power, for all the things that Ileot could accomplish filled Randidly with fear, it all seemed tiny in this place that the key allowed him to experience.

Perhaps only that terrible power Randidly had witnessed from Elhume searching for Yystrix could affect a vast place like this. But even then, Randidly supposed that Elhume’s struggles to find Yystrix illustrated how compared to the vastness of the universe, everyone’s individual power was an insignificant thing.

...even the System is only one part of the universe. Aether and Nether… That strange weave around the Nether King and the aspects of Nether Rituals in the System… what lays beyond it, I wonder…?

Yet for the moment, that distant horizon needed to be ignored. Instead, Randidly focused back on his own self in that vast sea of drifting lights. With a bit more time to acclimate to the vista, Randidly could gradually discern different shades to the light. Connections and similarities could be traced by looking for familiar colors.

Very quickly, Randidly found himself and then followed the shifting golden and emerald light to the location of the next piece of his Fate. And when he arrived there and expanded his focus to include the star where he could build a bridge, Randidly finally left that inner examination and rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t need you to tell me that it would be back on Earth,” Randidly said to the air. Then he shook his head. “I suppose I’ll know more when I return in four days…”

Thinking about it, Randidly made his preparations and returned from the Alpha Cosmos to the real world. All it took was a thought and Randidly’s consciousness was back in his body. With a yawn, Randidly got up off of his cot and stretched as he considered the surroundings. Although the quality of his tent had markedly improved after he became a Commander, it was a relatively meaningless thing.

The tent was now a spacious thing that could comfortably fit a basketball court, but it was basically all empty dirt ground. He hadn’t even laid down a rug. Randidly had his cot and a nicer wardrobe given to him by Lady Iellaya that he hadn’t bothered to use. Honestly, he supposed that it was mostly there so it added to the illusion that Randidly was a man of means.

Aside from the dresser, there was also a chair and a relatively flimsy-looking desk that Randidly supposed was literally the seat of his power as Commander. The desk was already messily covered in reports of the integration of various forces into the group under Randidly’s command. He paid attention to how it was going, but mostly Randidly left the smaller decisions to Salazar and Zauna.

Although Randidly had grown to appreciate the need for him to act as a leader, he still preferred the style of leadership where he surrounded himself with capable individuals to the more monolithic style of a king making every decision. He wore a crown, sure, but Randidly knew all too well that he wasn’t a perfect individual. He was simply the one who could most clearly see the path forward right now and had the strength to pursue it. So he had taken up the mantle of a king.

Chuckling to himself, Randidly moved from his cot to the open space in the center of his tent. He was meditating and contemplating what sort of Engraving he could use when making his new arm with Architecture of the Primordial Ways when there was a familiar cough at the threshold of his tent.

“Come on in,” Randidly responded and an annoyed looking Lady Iellaya strode forward into the wide and empty space. Despite the fact that her armor was conspicuously shining and polished, she didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

Lady Iellaya glanced around and grimaced. “Why don’t you have any guard in front of your tent? It feels like you are in command of a ghost town.”

Randidly opened his mouth to retort, but Lady Iellaya held up a hand and shook her head sharply. “Don’t answer that. You are free to operate without guards if its easier. I much prefer visiting you to some of the other Commanders; I don’t feel like you look at me like I’m a plate of meat. You didn’t argue at all with the Aether allotment that I gave you, and to be frank, it’s only about two-thirds as much as you deserve.”

Seeing Randidly’s bewildered face, the feathers along Lady Iellaya’s arm twitched. “...you know, sometimes you need to pretend at least that you are concerned about the same things as everyone else. It’s when you add up your attitude with the strange things that you can accomplish that you become your most alarming self.”

“Got it. Supreme Commander please provide me additional Aether. I’ve barely made due as it is.” Randidly said smartly.

Lady Iellaya rolled her eyes. “I’ll consider it. But at least I can use you asking for more to keep some of the other Commanders at bay. But that’s not why I’m here. More meddling from above. Military Command believes that a lot of our new Commanders, you included, are too green. So they dispatched several veterans to come and serve as advisors.”

That got Randidly’s attention. “Monitoring us? Still concerned about Ileot’s body?”

“No, from Military Command’s perspective, this is exactly as advertised. They are sending a veteran to help you adjust to your command.” Lady Iellaya rubbed her chin. There were deep bags under her eyes. “These veterans will report directly to a Commander with no oversight from High Command, so a Commander can do whatever they want with them. No, the reason I bring it up is that the veteran who was assigned to you has a familiar name.”

When Randidly raised an eyebrow, Lady Iellaya grimaced. “Kaan Swacc.”

Randidly straightened abruptly. “Someone else related to Vualla? I thought-”

“No, the Swacc family is… well, they are more of an institution than a family.” Lady Iellaya sighed and rubbed her eyes. “It’s considered a great honor to be adopted by the Swacc family. From the small amount I could gather from inquiries I made, Ileot hasn’t been involved in them for centuries, but he still bore their name. And they are not a group that takes a slight to their honor lightly. They might be targeting you to find out more. His… fascination with you was definitely known in certain circles.”

“The Swacc Family, huh…” Randidly whispered. Then he grinned. “I suppose they hadn’t heard I leave for vacation in four days? Kaan is welcome to handle things while I’m gone.”