“Meat’s done,” Selene pulled off plastic gloves and tossed them into the trash can. Several workers began to dig up the roasted meat and bring it to the butcher to be cut. She nodded to Randidly and Tatiana. “Just need to spread it out on the plates. Hungry people usually will handle the rest on their own, even without serving utensils. Now, I need to go and figure out why my boyfriend is sweating like he’s related to the three dozen pigs we just smoked.”

Both Randidly and Tatiana waved as the woman strode purposefully away, toward where Police Commissioner Arrietti sighed and stood so dangerously close to the living plant third of the island that a few vines had been surreptitiously creeping closer to him.

Randidly raised an eyebrow at Tatiana. “She certainly… has a lot of personality. I’m surprised she ended up with someone like Arrietti.”

Tatiana clicked her tongue. “Not you too. You know, despite how he looks and acts… well, how he looks and acts most of the time, he’s extremely competent at his job. Essentially everyone on the police force looks up to him. It just so happens that he’s the only individual who hasn’t noticed his own worth. For that reason, and because he obviously doesn’t notice how many women make passes at him, Selene’s rather protective of him. But enough about gossip- do you really want to be on the serving line?”

“Yea. The patterns coming together, running here from all over Expira, are fascinating. It’s much easier to see them up close, when I’m submerged in them.” Randidly looked up at the sky. The remnants of his storm continued to linger around, a distance halo of smog that hung across the edge of the horizon. Meanwhile, the day here only became hotter. “Plus, you know I love being a small part of events like this.”

“I do. I really do. Very prince dressed as a commoner sort of vibe.” Tatiana shook her head. “I’m just worried that your presence will grind the food line to a halt. Or cause a few famished individuals to be so overcome with awe that they forget to grab food and just stare, only later to succumb to heatstroke. You know I hate disposing of bodies for you.”

“You have a lot of worries. Your boss probably doesn’t pay you enough,” Randidly joked with a grin.

Tatiana responded with a hollow laugh as she turned away. “The worst part is that no matter how much my boss pays me, his capital is large enough that he doesn’t even notice the missing cash. Stealing from him feels more like a chore than anything else. Even though I do do it, just out of habit.”

Snorting, Randidly watched Tatiana go without calling her bluff. He knew that she deserved a raise and made a mental note to give her one. The only awkward part was that she handle that portion of the finances. He needed to figure out how to surprise her with it, because he didn’t want to use her to give her a surprise.

Humming to himself, Randidly turned and faced the nervous-looking group of Order Ducis applicants and volunteers from Kharon Academy that had been trying very hard to seem like they hadn’t been listening to his and Tatiana’s entire conversation. He waved a hand and picked up an apron from the pile. “Fill in around me at the table. Tatiana told you your assignments, right? Let’s go around and everyone say your names, then let’s get started.”

The introductions were less painful than Randidly had anticipated, even though he had suggested them on a whim. Although most of that was because the momentum of the activity helped distract all the food servers from his presence. Plus, using that lull Randidly began to weave the significance of his presence and his actions through the surroundings. He stopped leaning so heavily on his physical senses and sank into the constant, humming layer of Nether that lay beneath everything.

Congratulations! Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) has grown to Level 690!

His touch was light as he spread out his feelers through all these individuals, giving himself a broader range to experience the arriving patterns. He kept the connections loose and the bindings almost imperceptible, afraid of somehow altering the trajectory of the lives around him by tying them to himself.

The other aspect of this activity was using himself as part of the pattern. He was still a bit stiff, but he gradually felt the knack of incorporating patterns in his natural movements. He saw and felt the ways he moved through the world and shifted the surroundings. In small situations like this, he could still have a high degree of influence.

Ripples of Nether, connecting and sharing, started arriving in denser and denser clusters.

His evolved Focus, Exquisite Piety, played a pivotal role in this adjustment as well. He could pour his attention into the pseudo-ritual, perhaps even relying on that innate faith that Sydney had pointed out that he possessed as he set it up. He leaned into that, relying on his own certainty to prop up the spread of his intended patterns.

Soon, he had a giant conducive bowl of Nether around him that would absorb and transmit information to Randidly Nether Sensation. Honestly, the effect seemed too good.

As the group began to move into position as the food portion opened, Randidly glanced up at the sky. Not that I would tell Tatiana this, but the other reason I need to be here is to be the wave break for the significance that’s coming. Some situation is coming to a head, but there are too many elements for me to know exactly what form it will take.

He rolled his shoulders and then tied his apron around his waist. Nether continued to buzz against him, demanding his attention, but he tried to avoid sinking too deeply, as of yet. The attendees of his party began to pour over the nearby dunes, talking and laughing and carrying dense rivers of Nether with them. For a moment, Randidly was struck by the resemblance between this event and the one that the Don hosted, with the backdrop of waves crashing and tiki ambiance. The only difference was that there, Randidly felt in over his head. Here…

Well, Randidly reflected as the first youths galloped over toward the table, very willing to cut in line when the rest of the party goers seemed dangerously unconcerned about the source of their next meal. He finally relaxed his defenses and just allowed the patterns to affect him. Here… here everyone of these people is a part of me. They exist in my body, feeding off of my Aether and Nether.

Again, his Nether Core swirled and constricted itself; another phantom kick from a slumbering Authority beginning to stir. But for now, he allowed that feeling to fade. Randidly suspected that he wasn’t quite ready to unearth that next power. Especially when his understanding of what exactly he could accomplish with Seize remained so limited.

He shook his head once. The physical and Nether worlds lay atop one another, but it was surprisingly disorienting to feel the significance moving in concert with what his eyes showed him. More people came over the edge of the sand dunes, some of which Randidly recognized from Kharon and the Order Ducis. Others had images with enough force that Randidly raised an eyebrow; the standard of Expira had continued to improve. He settled himself into place and prepared to serve meat.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Honestly, the ease of the activity became critical to his presence there. Most individuals recognized Randidly almost immediately, when they moved past the ribs to his pulled pork station, raising their gaze just briefly. Immediately they froze and stammered, but most had enough words remaining to indicate whether or not they wanted the food. The massive line snaked back, curling up on top of the sand dunes, but Randidly felt like he was in a trance.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 717!

The physical continued to take up a smaller portion of his attention. His perception became a glittering sea of connections and patterns. Each individual, especially those with power, came with their own interactions and unique shapes. They were a breath, a current, a spiraling galaxy of possibilities, the spin and momentum of their previous orbit crashing into the connections and significance that already existed here and then obliterated by the significance that continued to arrive. The bowl of Nether hummed, straining against the pressure. The complex ecosystem of interactions rapidly grew beyond Randidly’s ability to manage, at which point he simply surfed on the ripples, savoring and exposing himself to the churning majesty of chaos.

Just like they are a part of me, Randidly sucked in a long breath in a brief lull in the feeding frenzy. What am I but the amalgamation of millions of small parts that fill me? Perhaps that’s why I wanted to be here; the Alpha Cosmos and I are two sides of the same coin. A sizable portion of my power is all thanks to them.

His body moved slowly, his mind distant. Nervous helpers brought plates of meat when he ran out. The eyes of the people in line caught on Randidly briefly, leading to a stuttering few moments, but then they hurried forward after a few kind words or an awkward joke. Most of the eaters paused further down the beach, the flow of bodies flooding the grouping until they stood so far out they were almost ankle-deep in the water as they ate the smoked meat.

The significance of their presence, their words as they began to talk, their awareness of Randidly… patterns built themselves and were unmade at such a speed that even Randidly couldn’t follow the ones happening directly in front of him. The kaleidoscope of intersections and bonds and destructive forces and crashing impacts that sent everything spinning in a giant whirlpool left him slightly dizzy. He sat in the middle of the phenomenon, producing and being produced, feeding and being fed.

The humming of resonance along the Nether connections only increased in volume.

His awareness followed the minute tumbling interactions further out until he could feel the heft of the sea of arrangements, the constant and churning motion of greetings and information exchanges and emotional feedback. The organic breath of a society and culture left his attention tingling, unable to quite grasp the majesty of what he witnessed.

Congratulations! Your Skill Philosophy within the Boundless Deluge (M) has grown to Level 725!

Yet of course, the longer he soaked in the connectivity of the Alpha Cosmos, the more he could feel the curdling flaws that swam through the patterns. Randidly’s breath hissed through his teeth to feel the poison of their existence. Compared to the rest of the energies flowing through him, they were minor things. Bad habits, bred and woven into the operation of humanity. Inclinations toward laziness. Cruelty and shortsighted behavior. Dishonesty and violent tempers.

The untainted patterns swirled together with the flawed ones, mixing and breeding, creating flaws and brief moments of unarranged brilliance as they continued their eternal dance of significance. The layers and currents of Nether continued to grind and swirl, conducting and being shifted in all directions. Randidly felt an urge to come with fire and fury, his Willpower weaponized to be a cleansing ray that ripped up those broken pieces inside of this grand arrangement of significance.

Yet Randidly also saw how that response was shaped more by the flaws than by the tiny moments of gorgeous connection.

He allowed his attention to unfocus. Without an exacting eye for detail, the positive parts and the negative parts blurred together into frantic and eternal motion. The boundless dance, the organic creation or maybe decomposition, or even a final collapse, the possibilities were infinite. The patterns and shapes were unpredictable and unrepeatable.

The humming of the Nether bowl cut off abruptly as the strain finally became too much. The pseudo-ritual collapsed, leaving Randidly only to feel through his skin.

Congratulations! Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep (P) has grown to Level 704!

I can see why that broken Master pursued so many Paths and patterns. Even now, in my own body, I feel like I’m midway through the Path of Blood again, glimpsing the edge of the working but unable to quite catch it. Randidly opened his eyes and looked down at his hands; the serving plate in front of him was empty. He had no idea how long he had stood still and savored the pattern that worked around and through him. This world… even for all the evil and selfish people, is an amazing place.

Some small inkling brought Randidly’s gaze around. He met the dull eyes of a familiar face just now walking up over the sand dunes: Todd, the young kid who had been bullied at Kharon Academy and taught Randidly how to create a Scrawl. The greyness in the eyes was unfamiliar, but the features hadn’t shifted that much.

Distance didn’t matter. Randidly still rode high on the flow of Nether. The press of physical bodies provided no obstruction to the firm connection between them.

But in the next moment, the emotional gulf between the Todd that Randidly remembered and this one hit him like a gut punch. This young kid’s faith had been shattered. Randidly felt the boy’s pain and the blame and the deep, deep sadness that he carried with him. The Nether between them snapped into place and Randidly could practically see the arch of his journey. He could feel the agony and confusion that it had taken to reach this point.

Todd expected Randidly to be a hero, but he had allowed the Calamity to ravage Expira.

Something within Randidly curled away from this responsibility, but as soon as he noticed he firmed his resolve and lifted his chin. He wished he hadn’t done that, but Randidly would do the same thing again, in order to teach Expira what it would need, on the off chance that he could no longer protect the planet.

Yet Randidly felt a turbid bubbling in the pit of his stomach. The lance of Todd’s accusation crossed the distance between them and struck at his heart.

Thankfully, a distraction emerged. Through the crowd, Randidly saw a strange monster woman with which he felt a certain kinship- in the same literal way that the Alpha Cosmos was his body, she was a part of his Nether Core foundation. But weirdly, she began to raise her arms and shriek as they made eye contact.

As with Todd, the currently sensitive and raw Randidly felt directly impacted by the significance between them. However, the woman came with a confusing array of images and aggression. Her primary bond seemed to be to the long shadow that Randidly cast across the Alpha Cosmos, than any direct interaction.

But that’s the thing, isn’t it? That shadow is me. Randidly’s eyed glittered as the force of that woman’s image spread out, a grey scythe preparing to sweep forward and lash out at him. Wind began to stir and the rising image quickly caught the attention of the powerful individuals on the beach. Some twisted around, marshaling their own image. Bodies swayed, wanting to move but kept still by the sheer number of people crowded on the beach.

One in particular, a man who had apparently been enjoying the party so much that he had leapt into the sea without taking off his linen suit, now shoved his way through the crowd to interpose himself between Randidly and the woman. In the process, he knocked several people to the side, “An attack! A non-human attack!”

Randidly scratched his cheek at such a dramatic response. He, the Moirae of Ripples, deftly reached out at the power that woman aimed at him and just smoothed it away, leaving the air placid as the surface of a swamp.

The wind died. The truly powerful individuals sent a meaningful glance at Randidly as they sensed the edges of what he accomplished but then continued on without addressing what had happened. Meanwhile, most people hadn’t noticed the quick shift. They were concerned with more mundane matters.

“Hey asshole,” One woman got up off the ground, brushing sand off herself. She jabbed a finger at the man with the soaked linen suit. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

Randidly set down his serving tongs and took a step back. As much as it would be painful, he needed to speak with Todd.