Ori had known the cost of his actions.
When the one he had hoped would be an ally reacted with needless violence, he swiftly condemned them to death. Now, as he stared at the deadly consequences that awaited him, Ori felt no regret.
Vision of the Progenitor flared as he took in the chaos of his surroundings. A part of him felt sick— that nauseating weightlessness at the beginning of a fall, the realisation that whatever happened next would hurt, and it was already too late to stop it. However, a mad, almost gleeful part of him saw the narrow path forward, a thin, nearly impossible thread. It would test his understanding of the new world he had come to study: enchanting, magic, the library of fates and lore surrounding it, and the role he wanted to play within it all. To become worthy of the love of people like Harriet and Poppy, and the loyalty and sacrifice of Freya, Seraphine, and even Lysara, he would have to be forged in the hottest fires under unimaginable pressures. He couldn’t afford an ordinary awakening, and in a way, Tekrakathune’s vengeful remnant would be the furnace needed to complete himself.
In the absence of its god, that tidal wave of grace—that crushing, violent golden hammer born from the worship and adoration of countless billions—was temporarily held back by Ori’s pseudo-domain. His flimsy barrier resembled a thin soap bubble. Formed from the very essence of his soul, it was the only substance known to him that could block Grace from its host and here it did so, trembling and on the brink of popping.
At the best of times, Grace was an energy for which Ori had little experience with and no affinity for. On a surface level, the manifestation of belief seemed as understandable and rational a source of power as any. But how it was wielded, what it truly meant and why it had the characteristics it had, were things Ori doubted he’d ever truly understand. Even here, confronted with such quantities of Grace and with the sight to pick apart the universe's secrets, Ori was little closer to understanding one of the forces of fate and no more enlightened for how such belief could persist after the death of its host and beyond the lifespans of its believers? It was a visceral terror, feeling divine grace’s need for revenge against that which destroyed its host. It was a ceaseless, wild power, enough to turn Ori to paste as soon as Ori’s pseudo-domain collapsed were it not for the competing and greater energies surrounding him.
Firstly, Peritia, usually a moderate environmental energy that passively enhanced those who change the direction of fate, saturated the world around him, so much so that Ori couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t even fall to the ground as he relinquished his grip on his dream domain. Without his dream domain, levitation should have been impossible, and yet due to the concentration of Peritia, his body floated like a fly trapped in amber. It was Peritia that belonged to him, Peritia that waited beyond the boundaries of his pseudo domain for his awakening, as no mortal could absorb so much of it without ripping themselves apart.
Secondly, his aura of enlightenment faded as the multi-tonne spike of Quintessence consumed itself to rewrite the rules of reality. It shrunk until only a football-sized chunk of silvery-golden crystal remained in his hand. With his affinity for Fate at threshold, Ori felt history revolve around his actions as he stood on the precipice of oblivion.
Ever since he touched the crystal of Quintessence, Ori had been improvising. It was just a day ago when Crucible confirmed his suspicion that Awakening was the culmination of an enchantment process. Experiences and talents of a mortal were enhanced and fused, igniting and harmonising under the auspices of the library, transforming the person into something more, something fundamentally different. However, as Ori’s enchantment lessons had taught him, not all enchantments were equal, and this was especially true of the final part of enchanting, Quickening.
And lastly, with the dead god's body, mind, and soul erased from fate, the Aether rift its presence had previously hidden was now revealed. Raw Aether in quantities enough to burn flesh and melt lead poured directly into him due to proximity. Yet, Ori welcomed it with exhilaration.
After Quintessence rewrote the laws of reality, Ori’s seed of Aethermancy now had a path to germination. With these conditions in play, he released his pseudo domain and reached out to the once insistent voice of the Library, now offering anxious warnings as it renewed its calls.
An ocean of Peritia swirled into him as the vengeful tide of Grace collapsed upon him seeking to crush him out of existence. Mana from his enlightenment and Ori’s own Mana Nexus poured into rebuilding his flesh with Lesser Restoration, even as the golden fire of vengeful Grace tore, scoured, and flayed flesh from bone, breaking him over and over again. The spirit within his Greater Channelling Wand of White Magic bore witness to this extreme feat of flesh craft and it too joined in with its mana and guidance, rebuilding bone as it snapped, nerves as they were flayed, organs as they ruptured and were it not for his Mana Nexus and the germinating core of aether, Ori soul may have lost his anchor to his body at that moment.
His soul grew, tenfold and then a hundredfold, as it swallowed whole the tsunami of Peritia, only to be sand-blasted by hostile winds of Grace as it sought new methods to harm and eradicate him.
And yet, while the extent of its rage was vast, it was but a sea compared to the world of Peritia still to be assimilated. Seeing its chance to destroy the target of its wrath slip away, Tekrakathune’s remnant transformed from divine Grace to divine curse, its whims and design conforming to strange constraints beyond Ori's understanding, the burning leech of its presence forcefully binding itself to Ori’s soul.
Meanwhile, azure mist and light filled Ori’s chest as he consumed the rift. Each drop of Aether enhanced and intensified his control, his will devouring it at an accelerating rate until something within him imploded, and the Aether rift vanished.
Instead, his heart became an Aether Core, beating with a new rhythm. his blood pulsed with the same chimeric energies that had once warped animals into monsters and people into beasts. Yet, under Ori’s dominion, it became fuel. Aethermancy empowered eyes that shone like twin suns, while burning smoke drifted from four shining spectral hands no longer merely arcane, while a cloak of prismatic fire formed a roiling nimbus, distorting light under its pressure.
As these aspects settled under their new regime, they became more solid, more interwoven with reality. No longer mere constructs of mana, they became as permanent and integral as any of Ori’s existing limbs or organs. Aether overflowed with every pulse of a heart, no longer purely biological. The chimeric properties of his newly forged core empowered his Mana Nexus tenfold while granting a vigour that far exceeded the library's boundaries for what a mortal could possess.
Congratulations, Awakened. Through remarkable deeds, paracausal understanding, or exceptional craftsmanship, you have discovered your place within creation and gained awareness of the Library of Fates. This realisation, known as Awakening, marks your departure from mortality towards a new existence as one of the Awakened.
The Library of Fates now acknowledges your existence and grants you your unique "Page of Fate." This record evolves with you, capturing your achievements and growth, while allowing you to fine-tune your continued development through selecting class and abilities, and the assignment of Peritia.
More information is available upon request while viewing your Page of Fate.
Awakened, yet as close to death as he’d ever been, his Quickening remained incomplete. As the ocean of Peritia swelled his soul, as he screamed from the tearing, burning wrath of a dead god, as his heart pulsed with aetheric blood, and as the final vestiges of mana repairing his body ran dry, Ori had just enough presence of mind to open his Page of Fate and search for what he was looking for.
Do you wish to consume the available 160,823,275 Peritia and attempt evolution? Yes / No
Ori selected yes even as the value for available Peritia continued to skyrocket. Not sure what to expect, he was surprised to find a new message replacing the last.
You have gained the attention of the Librarian Thraxis who would like an audience during your attempted evolution. Accept? Yes / No
“Fuck it.” Ori said, and without the time or space to think otherwise, accepted the invitation.
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Ori found himself floating weightless inside an unreal construct. Rows upon rows of bookshelves arranged themselves into neat columns that disappeared into the horizon. They filled the ground beneath his feet and the entire sky, yet the world seemed unnaturally bright as if shadows were not allowed to exist and every shelf or scroll was fashioned from pale silver birch or ivory.
He spun gently in place, his view catching sight of an incongruously empty armchair floating next to him. Clinging to it as his only anchor adrift in freefall, he found that as soon as he managed to orientate himself to sit, the feeling of weightlessness faded and he sank into the soft, comfortable cushions of the sofa. A white floor replaced the infinity of bookshelves beneath him, and a man appeared as if between eye blinks.
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He sat on a similar sofa, he was older, with a pale wizened face, and black eyes that seemed slitted and blinked with a second nictitating membrane. Golden horns caused Ori to start, fearing this man to be not a man at all. Were it not for the horns being so vastly different from the ones he’d seen so far—more elaborate and contained as if a basket of horns, or a crown—Ori might have attempted something foolish.
The creature smiled at his reaction. “Welcome, Ori Suba.” The voice was surprisingly spry, with a hint of interest and genuine delight.
“Hello?” Ori’s entire posture was uncertain.
“I am Thraxis, and this,” he gestured with a wave of his arm, “is the Library of Fates, or at least a construct designed for one such as yourself to interact within.”
“Oh, okay. It was said you wanted an audience?”
“Indeed. In this brief window between your awakening and evolution, I would like us to perform a Naming, the first Prime Naming since the inception of the Library.” Thraxis smiled, doing nothing to mask his anticipation and glee.
“Alright, this is for my inherent affinity, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. From the void to verity, all things under fate should be named. It is one of the reasons why we made this library after all. And here, we have an opportunity to name a new affinity, such as has not been revealed to anyone since the beginning of recorded time. ‘What’s in it for you?’ I suspect you are most likely wondering?”
Ori nodded, his mind still overwhelmed and lagging.
“Three boons, of your choice of course. To be asked of me now or after the Naming.” Thraxis grinned, his genial expression turning decidedly predatory. Ori frowned, his mind working through all the angles.
He was apparently in the presence of one of the most, if not the most, powerful beings in existence. And it wanted something from him. He understood that Namings granted power and knowledge to the namer, so whatever he held had some value to them. Something they couldn’t just take? He had used the word ‘we’ a lot when referring to the procedure. Why? Meanwhile, he was about to undergo evolution, so why act now and not after?
Ori’s mind spun upon the boons one as powerful as the creature in front of him likely was, could provide. Could he return Sera’s soul from the void? Could he destroy this prison and return him to Earth?
Beyond that, just how much negotiating power did he have? Should he be asking for more boons? More information?
“Instead of three boons, I would like one day of your time, for guidance and knowledge,” Ori asked.
The predatory smile on Thraxis’s face widened. “One boon and thirty minutes of my time.”
Ori frowned at the shift in negotiating position. It was clear that with the reduction of time to thirty minutes, Thraxis valued his time far more than the issuing of boons. The problem was, Ori had no idea what Thraxis was capable of or willing to offer, and he needed such information just as much as he needed the boons.
“Two boons and one hour of your time,” Ori said, unsure of the game they were playing yet unwilling to capitulate without any signal of annoyance on the part of his negotiating counterpart, or his luck being stretched.
“Two boons, half an hour, and as a bonus, I’ll summon your familiars to the library to act as your advisors.” Thraxis said, his winning smile displaying a certainty he had found a deal Ori could not refuse.
“Alright then, deal,” Ori swallowed, and instantly, Freya’s pixie form appeared on his shoulder, her slight weight a reassurance he never knew he’d missed until that moment. Meanwhile, the well of potential, an invisible link to a presence Ori knew was grounded firmly beneath his feet, reconnected.
“I even threw in minor repairs to your first bonded’s soul. Nothing you couldn’t fix, I suspect.”
“Ori?” Freya said, confused, her eyes darting around at the sudden change of scenery around them.
“Long story short, this is Thraxis, he’s a Librarian, and we’re in the Library of Fates.” Ori said,
Freya blinked before her eyes narrowed into a squint. “Ori? I swear, if this is a prank you’re pulling in the dreaming…”
“No prank,” Ori hastily confirmed, attempting to head off her anger. “Though, I’m not sure how I can prove any of this to you.”
“Start from the beginning. What happened after you met Tekrakathune?”
“Well, he hurt you, seemed like he had bad plans for us, so I killed him while I still had a chance.” Ori continued to describe the moments after, his awakening and upcoming evolution, the strange request from the library, all under the disbelieving glare of his bonded.
“I should add, to give you some context, that you happened to stumble into one of seven hundred and forty-two such encounters throughout fate. I watch them all. To many, it would result in a quick and certain death, or worse. But to a few, that narrow, infinitesimally small number of those with precisely the right qualities and talents to survive and make use of the treasures within, they are a bounty of incomparable fortune.”
“So you’re saying I stumbled into a loot cave?” Ori wondered.
“Indeed. I had stumbled upon one during my youth that profoundly changed my fate. And since observing, only a scant few, less than the fingers on my hand, have had the luck of discovering such.”
“You’re really a Librarian?” Freya said, her sceptical tone giving way to terror and awe.
Thraxis waved his palm.
Thraxis, Namer of the Unnamed, Prime Dragon Transcendent, and Librarian Triumvirate of the Library of Fates grants you a permanent boon: the Blessing of the Prime Dragon. This blessing can be detected by all Dragon kind, increasing the likelihood of favourable interactions with dragons and draconic races.
Ori grunted as he read the message from the same system as his Page of Fate, while Freya simply gulped.
“You’ll need that blessing eventually, but for now, I must digress.”
“I had known that the Librarians were dragons, but…” Freya murmured, still dazed from what Ori could only believe was her receiving the same blessing as he did.
“That doesn’t count as one of the boons, does it?”
“No, it does not.” Thraxis said.
“Ori, he is a dragon, and you are a human, possibly the first human to evolve. I must warn you that things are more than they seem.”
“How astute,” Thraxis confirmed.
Freya turned towards Thraxis, “You have some other agenda, something beyond a Naming? What is it?”
“Well, that depends on Ori’s choice,” Thraxis said, floating off from his chair to hover just a few yards between them. With a wave of his hand, a familiar scroll of paper appeared in Ori’s mind eye.
Congratulations on Choosing to Evolve!
As a member of a race with no distinct evolutionary path but with an abundance of rare accolades and traits, you have been granted the following evolution options:
Dragon Kin
Due to possessing a boon from a High Dragon or higher, your evolution will enable you to cross racial lines, allowing you to become a legendary hybrid of dragon and man. This evolution path grants you draconic strength, resilience, unmatched pools of mana, and the ability to harness dragon magic. Your hybrid form will allow you to access dragon abilities, such as limited flight, aspected breath, and enhanced senses. As Dragon Kin, while seen as lesser within Dragonkind, you will be revered by most civilised societies within fate.
Base lifespan of 200 years
+1 Class slot
+1 Additional Class per Rank
Hybrid form (inherent resilience, perception, flight)
Draconic Magic (Material realm aspect, force, sensory, resilience)
Aspected Draconic Breath (inherent affinity only)
Faeblooded
Due to being bonded to High Fae, High Elven kind or higher, you may choose this rare chimeric evolution path. As Faeblooded, you will inherit the unique magical prowess and longevity of the Fae, along with an innate connection to nature and the mystical realms. This path enhances your affinity for illusion, enchantment, and nature magic, and grants you abilities such as glamour and powerful astral control. Your bond with the Fae will deepen, granting you influence and respect within their courts.
Base lifespan of 1500 years
+4 Class slots
Bonus 115% to intelligence and wisdom
Fae Magic (Astral realm, illusion, nature, glamour, enchantment)
Favoured among Fae kind
May blend in within fae, human and elven civilisations
High Human
Due to crossing the threshold of Peritia while demonstrating multiple viable upgrade paths for your race, you may choose to establish a new evolutionary pathway for humanity. As a High Human, you may begin to unleash the pinnacle of human potential, enhancing physical, mental, and arcane capabilities beyond mortal limits. This path allows you to become the architect of your race’s evolution, tailoring future generations of High Humans based on ideals you determine.
Base lifespan undetermined
+Undetermined class slots/slots per level
Undetermined abilities
Undetermined bonuses
Unique trait options for being the first.
Nephilim
Due to possessing a boon from a High Demon or higher while being bane to demonkind and having comprehension of celestial affinity to immersion, you may choose this legendary chimeric evolution path. As Nephilim, you will embody a powerful blend of human, celestial, and infernal traits, gaining supernatural abilities such as celestial and infernal magic manipulation, enhanced strength, and regenerative powers. This path also provides resistance to demonic influence, curses, and immunity to debilitating celestial effects. Nephilim are often feared and revered throughout fate, acting as both protectors and avengers against demonic threats.
Base lifespan of 150 years
-1 Class slot
400% Bonus to all characteristics and class-specific spells
Nephilim physique: vestigial wings, demonic claws, demonic horns, blood sense
Rare celestial and infernal class and spell options
Resistance to demonic magics, immunity to celestial negative status effects
“Rar! I get to choose? Freya, you see this?” Ori said excitedly.
“Show me. Will it to me,” she replied with a touch of impatience. Ori did so, “I see.”
“I want to pick High Human, but…”
“It would cause you the most problems going forward. Faeblooded, while merely a rare chimeric evolution, would allow you to naturally blend in. You’d be able to visit your elven lovers with little issue, perhaps live a long life of peace and productivity.”
“But it’s the weakest choice in terms of power and fighting. Which, we have to take seriously if we intend to survive and escape this prison."
"I agree, and the potential to craft your own evolution, your entire race's evolutionary path… I just fear what life you might lead should you choose it.”
“I was always going to have a complicated life, Freya. I might as well wrap it all up in a special class that I can tailor to maximise those benefits and help me survive.”
“Very well. I’ll be here regardless,” Freya said.
“Lysara, you’ve been quiet?” Ori asked.
“I have been busy absorbing the library's mana. I have no issue with your choice of High Human, Ori. However, Thraxis, would you also confirm the name of our Irregular Affinity?”
“Indeed, though I’ll ask for, nor offer any additional payment or boon. Ori, have you come to a decision?”
A brief spasm of uncertainty filled Ori. Even though his rational mind screamed at him to reconsider Dragon Kin as his choice, partially given Freya’s concerns of deeper games and machinations. It was a clear choice with no surprises or limitations and seemed to be a hint from the Librarian. However, Ori wanted to become a High Human on a primal, fundamental level, and damn the consequences.
“Is that your choice?” Thraxis confirmed.
“Yes, I choose High Human.”
“Very well,” as Thraxis’s predatory smile grew inhumanly wide, Ori almost doubted his decision.