As the legal proceeding moved forward, Randidly could clearly feel Missy Carp’s frustration as she clumsily grasped at her generated Nether threads. The significance in the air had shifted, almost rolling downhill to some strange inevitability he couldn’t read in the air. Missy seemed both to be able to understand why he had responded so confidently and why nothing much had happened when her orchestrations pulled against him. Around her, the Nether abandoned her cause.

If she hadn’t done so many miserable things, Randidly might have felt pity for her. However, the current version of Missy deserved every hell heaped upon her, in light of past actions.

The judge reiterated her earlier statements about rule of law and what a peculiar circumstance it was for Missy Carp to be tried like this over so many disparate crimes. Randidly folded his arms across the chest, appreciating the careful way that the judge explained the rules but also beginning to understand that in this case, the judge’s fairness might mean that all this came to nothing.

To distract himself, Randidly released a pulse of Nether that resonated through the massive Nether RItual he had created in the core of Expira. From there, it bounced out to all the other planets in the Alpha Cosmos, lighting up every Nether Ritual it passed through with a crooning symphony. Yet Randidly admitted it might be too subtle to have much actual effect. It would be more of a feeling that than anything else, a beckoning finger to every powerful fighter that was connected to Randidly. It was time to come to Expira and prove themselves.

Champions would rise, to prove themselves the definitive figures of an era.

But how will the winners feel to know that their victories carry the heavy price of a prizefight? For a second, Randidly smirked.

After all, not everyone would be interested in the trial and watch the broadcast to see his announcement. And the news would be spread, but only through Expiran channels. But what hero wouldn’t be out there, waiting for a call to action? This could be the impetus that many needed to grow and change.

In front of Randidly, the legal proceeding finally concluded. The judge left first and then Missy Carp was led out by a few stern-faced and competent seeming guards. She showed Randidly one last poignant glance, filled with all the pickling spite that she couldn’t put into words. Then she was gone and the rest of the media gave Randidly the side-eye. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Randidly left next.

Once he had gone, the rest gladly followed.

Quite on accident, he caught a strange reverberation as he walked to a deserted portion of the building and opened a portal back to his volcano. Randidly stiffened. He felt Missy Carp move with competent violence several rooms below him. She had been left alone in a cell, with a special alloy pair of handcuffs that kept her bound in place. Yet she moved her hands sharply, ripping her way out of them with raw physical gifts.

Randidly was honestly impressed; he had no idea that she had put so much effort into honing her body. It was a point of emphasis he appreciated. But even as the metal warped and tore, he crooked a finger and all his power moved with him.

Congratulations! Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty (P) has grown to Level 871!

The courthouse around him shivered as his developed Skill and the powerful image behind it activated. Within Missy’s small cell, her failing physical bindings ceased solely being metal and became a portion of the First Tree’s root system. A bough waved and the metal bowed in fealty. Even while still in the act of being shed and dropped, the metal bands screeched and curled back into place.

Missy stood, not even noticing the minute shift, but then looked blankly down to find that after ripping her way out of the handcuffs, the metal still somehow bound her hands. In the hallway, there was a flurry of movements and a sharp-eyed enforcement officer opened the door and scanned the room for signs of change. He immediately released a pulse of some Skill, looking for any weakness in the walls. Then he followed up with another Skill that Randidly sensed was designed to dispel illusions.

Finding nothing, the guard pursed his lips at Missy. “You know the drill, Carp. No image manifestations or Skills in your solitary time. I’ll let this slide because I bet being up there in front of the cameras was an emotional experience. But don’t let it happen again.”

Missy was still opening her mouth and closing it when the guard left. She looked rather stupidly down at the handcuffs around her wrist. She flexed her arms, muscles and tendons standing out as she attempted to rip her way out again. But after being reformed and baptized in Yggdrasil, the metal wasn’t budging. It would take more than Missy Carp to prevent the metal from fulfilling its duty to the First Tree.

Randidly wondered if they would need to cut her out of those, now that the keyhole had been warped. The thought of that inconvenience made him smile. He walked through the portal without any regrets in his heart.

Tatiana was waiting for him on the top of his volcano, spinning a classy-looking magenta parasol above her head. She spun it at him. “Who knew that encouraging you to participate in events would end up backfiring like this- do you think the other planets in the Alpha Cosmos will participate? In relevant amounts?”

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Randidly licked his lips, thinking about that pulse of significance he had released earlier. Already he could hear the small echoes of the hook finding a willing fish. “Well, I think word will get around, one way or another.”

Tatiana nodded, as though she had expected this. She snapped the small umbrella shut. “We might need to build another island to just house and host everyone. I’ll get some people started on this; only a few weeks left before we need to start weeding out applicants- also, you realize how hellish its going to be to narrow the televised, high stakes final event down to even a hundred people? The number of arenas- well, I don’t think there is any point in telling you. I’ll set up some preliminary locations along the coast. It will probably delay the finals by a week or two, but we will work through it, so long as you don’t need to rush back to the Nexus.”

Then she looked up and her eyes softened. “But really, Randidly, I’m here for another reason. Because I know- I can sense how you feel about the Missy Carp situation, now that you’ve heard what she’s done. I just wanted to ask you… will you be alright if the World Council decides they don’t have the standing to punish her? Will you be able to let that decision stand”

Randidly’s mouth tasted sour. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck, hearing again the attorney explain all she had done. “I don’t know.”

Tatiana nodded without judging his answer. “Then… you should think what you want to do or say if that happens. Just in case.”

Once she had left, Randidly didn’t follow her advice; for now, he put the Missy Carp situation completely out of his mind. Instead, he returned to his insights on Nether perspective. After giving a bit of time to his Penance and stabilizing the Nether storm around the island, he laid himself down and looked up at the sky. He allowed his eyes to drift closed and just allowed his Nether to exist within his awareness.

Now that the deadline is coming up, Randidly’s thoughts drifted briefly to the Patron of Feathers. There really is so much to do. So many of my edges to sharpen. So that no matter what is waiting in the Nexus… I’m ready.

*****

Alana stood awkwardly in the ornate hallway, waiting next to a beautifully marbled pillar that probably weighed as much as a four-bedroom house. Milky swirls played across its front with all the grace of a choreographed dance. She looked up at its fight meter height, pretending not to be here.

“Do you really need to do this now?” The lion-headed man growled. He seemed torn between exasperation and fear. His body wanted to curl his hands into fists, but his mind made him stop.“We- well, I don’t even have any idea where we stand. Can you at least give me an answer?”

Azriel Blanche tilted her head to the side, her hair smoothly falling off her shoulders and swinging in the air. Each strand was as luminous and pale as moonlight. She held a disinterested expression. “I’m considering your offered engagement. At the moment, I haven’t come to any conclusion. And I believe it’s more important for me to address this issue, which concerns the whole of the universe, and not just how soon you can knock me up.”

Alana coughed lightly, hoping they would take the hint.

“Z, you know this isn’t about children,” The man waved his hand. “I’m the Prince of the Empire! Considering the influx of new people and the difficulty in policing the archways, if we could just find a little bit of stability at home-”

“Yes, so my life should live on your schedule,” Azriel observed in a humming tone. She folded her arms. “So that I can fit prettily into the dream you’ve had of being the perfect prince for your whole life.”

“What dream? You are my whole dream, you-” The lion-headed prince began, but then he bit back the rest of his words. He released a slow breath. Without saying anything further, he pivoted on his heel and stalked away.

Eventually, Alana looked down from the massive pillar and broke the silence. “So. You wanted to spar. I didn’t know the Pantheon could participate.”

“I know I’m not being fair to him,” Azriel sighed, completely ignoring Alana’s actual question. She shook her head sadly. “But these last three years… living here with him, managing the Paths and Classes of the people in this world… I’ve changed. Mostly… due to him. He has that powerful of an effect on me and I can’t have that around right now.

“And if I want to convince Randidly it’s worth going a little easier on the people of his Alpha Cosmos, I need to regain some of my old bloodthirstiness.” Azriel’s eyes flashed. “I’ll need to be as deadly as ever. But to answer your question… yes, let’s spar. It’s been a while since I’ve held a spear, so I want to work off the rust. As for the other Pantheon, I don’t think any will participate.”

“Why not?” Alana asked.

“They consider themselves above it. Or maybe its fairer to say they think it would be unethical if they admit they aren’t above it.” The two women began walking down the hallway. Azriel led Alana into a side room filled with dust. The ornate wooden furniture seemed to have grown fur, hunkered down and hibernating. Azriel went to a sliding closet door against the far wall and pulled it open. From within, she gently removed a jade box from the shelf and placed it on the floor.

Azriel was reverent when she removed the lid and set it upon the ground. The case was dark but the treasure was clear. Within, a long needle sat on velvet cushions. In the dusty room, it was streamlined perfection.

“...how long has it been since you’ve touched a spear?” Alana found herself asking.

Azriel laughed. “Three years, obviously. A different life, since I left Tellus behind. But just managing other people’s dreams won’t be enough. I’ll need power, to hop into this fun.”

Alana looked at Azriel for several seconds, really studying her. “Even with my help, if you haven’t touched a spear in three years, do you truly expect to be able to succeed in the Alpha Cosmos tournament?”

Azriel bared a wicked smile as she lifted her silver spear. “If I want it enough, there’s nothing that I cannot accomplish.”

“You know, I bet every starry-eyed idiot out there is saying the same thing right now,” Alana observed. But feeling the confidence rolling off Azriel’s shoulders, she couldn’t help but think that maybe this woman was right about her chances.