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Phoenix was sitting on the floor between a low coffee table and the fireplace, its warmth radiating up her back. She was wearing a simple sundress, which she usually only wore around the house due to its lack of layers or coverage, along with cuff-style bracelets that helped hide her Oathbond.
On the table, she was attempting something new with a power she was struggling to fully understand. [Lunar Dream] could craft illusions, anything her mind could come up with within a certain scale, but she often came up blank, as if the open-endedness gave her less direction to work with.
After being asked some pointed questions about what its limits were, she decided to do a bit more testing with some of her friends’ suggestions; this one being the first.
The loss of most of the effects granted by [Beacon of Hope] hadn’t been too major of a setback. She didn’t need the ability to gain more auras anymore as she had already unlocked all her powers, and the increase in Caste gain was mostly replaced by her new connection with Paul, even if it would become less effective the higher Caste she got.
The part that she completely lost out on was the ability to draw ritual diagrams with her finger. While this didn’t stop her from being capable of drawing them out the more mundane way with chalk or salt or the plethora of other ingredients they might call for, it was… annoying.
However, she had an idea to fix this inconvenience that might turn out even better… if it didn’t blow up in her face. Scanning the simple diagram in her book once more, she closed her eyes, focused her mind on what she wanted to happen, and said, “Let dreams become reality.”
When she opened her eyes again an illusion about the size of a large dinner plate perfectly reflected the desired ritual lines and runes swirled together. She grinned at the first step being complete. Luckily, the talent that actually made this potentially viable was [Collector] which not only let her loot and store items but use those items for ritual components while they were stored.
“Bring delight to the skies,” she incanted, eager to test the tiny ritual.
The illusory diagram began to glow, and the next moment, small fireworks began to shoot and pop into the air in front of her, not high enough to hit the ceiling but enough that she leaned back to put her hands on the floor and watch the show, laughing at the success.
Her moment of joy and satisfaction was interrupted by a knock on her door. Phoenix called out for the visitor to enter as she stood to greet whoever it was.
“Regent Wayland,” the staff member greeted with a polite bow as he informed her, “Miss Saren is waiting to meet with you in your study.”
Phoenix got a look of confusion, “I don’t have a study, Roger.”
The staff member shifted awkwardly as he clarified, “Lord Wayland’s study belongs to you for now, my lady.”
She blanched at the thought of claiming her mentor’s study and dreaded the idea of going into it after her recent reaction to the training room. She asked the steward quietly, “Can you bring her here instead, please?”
Roger nodded and vanished without another word, arriving a few minutes later with the shy researcher in tow.
Phoenix gestured for her guest to take a seat by the lit hearth and gave Roger a reassuring nod to inform him that he could leave them. She wasn’t worried about the woman –who she needed to remember was now her cousin– trying to attack her in her very well-defended home.
“Thank you, Regent Wayland, for agreeing to see me,” the brunette said nervously.
“Please, just call me Phoenix,” she said as she took her own seat across from the woman, “What did you need to see me about? Is there something new with Presley? You’ve been helping out over there, right?”
“Ah, um, well, nothing new specifically. W–we are still analyzing the progress of growth, the vessel’s capabilities, and taking inventory of the items found within. I’ll be visiting again the day after tomorrow with Lord Teras and Knight Thevaris.”
Camilla froze as though realizing too late that she had made a mistake and tried to redirect the conversation, “Um, b–but that’s not why I’m here.”
The Sapphire Caster pulled out a large scroll from the satchel at her waist that was so disproportionate that Phoenix had no doubt it was a dimensional storage bag. Then, the brunette unfurled the parchment and laid it out on the small coffee table between them.
The researcher pointed to the intricate pattern laid out upon it and asked her in a rush, “I was given this enchantment diagram from Lord Teras. When I asked where it had come from, he said that you were the one to provide it. I was curious about where you came across this design?”
Phoenix leaned forward to look closer at the pattern. She didn’t remember providing the Order of Magic with anything, but when she studied it a bit more, she realized that it was something she had given to Paul months ago when she had found some tinkering time, “I didn’t come across this design. It’s my own.”
Camilla’s brows practically vanished into her hairline as she asked, “You came up with this?”
She pointed at the pattern splayed out on the table, “I did some research into the alarm system used in the city to detect manifestations and thought we could improve it with this and potentially link it to the outlying towns to help inform us and dispatch rapid response teams.
“See here, by using this hexagonal pattern, we can interlink the nodes and surround the directional runes with limiters and give specific instructions via logic gates along the leylines to control and circulate the flow of mana throughout the pattern.”
“Which helps modulate and redirect the mana into the other systems while minimizing the inherent bleed-through effects,” the researcher excitedly concluded.
“Hexagons are the bestagons,” Phoenix said with a grin.
Camilla returned her grin and continued peppering her with more questions as they casually talked about enchantment diagrams. Phoenix found herself content with the distraction that helped exercise her mind instead of her muscles and was able to expand her knowledge drastically with Camilla’s explanations as Phoenix created and tweaked diagram illusions.
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It was a couple of hours later when Roger returned to interrupt Phoenix from the theory-crafting as she fought the urge to fall asleep where she sat.
“Miss Saren, I do apologize, but the hour is late, and there are some preparations to be done. Ambassador Patricia would also like to speak with you before you depart,” the steward informed them.
“O–oh, right. I–I should go,” Camilla stuttered in surprise, standing to leave. The researcher paused at the threshold and turned her body towards Phoenix but still didn’t look her in the eyes as she asked, “M–may I visit again sometime? I, um, I had fun.”
Phoenix grinned at the odd woman, “I had fun too. It’s nice to find someone else interested in this stuff. Most of my friends are focused on other things, which is fine, but… Well, I hope you come back to talk more.”
Camilla was smiling happily as the older woman gave a quick bow and scurried out to follow Roger to Pati’s study, but the steward returned only a few minutes later with a package and a grimace for the Wayfarer, apparently not happy about the task he was about to perform.
Phoenix quirked an eyebrow at him as the signal to speak, and he obliged in a subdued tone, “Your aunt requested that I deliver this to you for tomorrow and remind you of the memorial service at noon that she wishes you to speak at.”
She stiffened at the reminder that she had pushed to the back of her mind and hesitantly held out her hands to take the box, “Thank you, Roger,” she replied politely and walked over to set the box on the now-cleared coffee table to view the contents.
Inside was a pure white dress that felt like satin under her touch, “White?”
The steward nodded and explained, “When the misgivings and sins of life are paid upon death. We burn the remains in a cleansing fire and the ashes return to the world in the hopes of cultivating the next generation. It is tradition to wear white clothing to celebrate both the light brought from a good life or the cleansing departure of a poor one.”
“Sounds very Purifier-centric,” Phoenix said with a frown.
“Perhaps,” Roger conceded, “But the ideals of celebrating the good instead of only mourning the loss are what we try to cling to. In my experience, the passing of a loved one is only a burden for those who remain behind. Wallowing in sorrows does not help us continue living.”
Phoenix looked at the man for a while in silent contemplation before nodding in acknowledgment and trying to fight back a yawn, “Thank you for the explanation, Roger. I’m going to try and sleep now. Wake me tomorrow if it gets too late?”
He tilted his head in agreement and bowed politely before leaving the room.
She stared at the white dress a moment longer, her ever-wandering mind tangentially wondering what people wore to weddings instead if white was considered funeral garb. Then realized she wasn’t even sure what marriage in this world actually looked like as she hadn’t been concerned with that.
Phoenix shook her hair loose as she muttered to herself, “I must be tired if I’m starting to question things that I’ll probably never need to worry about.”
Another soft knock at the door paused her movement towards the bed as she sensed Saiya’s aura on the other side and said, “Come in.”
The voxen peeked inside and asked, “Mind if I sleep in here with you?”
“Is something wrong?” Phoenix asked in confusion, noting the sleepwear the healer was currently dressed in.
“I just know we all want to be fully rested for tomorrow, and… well, I thought my aura might help with keeping your nightmares at bay. At least for tonight,” Saiya explained with a gentle smile.
Phoenix flushed in embarrassment, glancing at the bed. She knew she still wasn’t great at keeping her aura in check while she slept and she felt guilty for waking up her new neighbors with Saiya’s room sharing a wall with hers. She was a bit surprised that none of her party members had complained about it yet, honestly.
“You don’t have to feel ashamed about it, sweet flower,” Saiya reassured, walking over to wrap her in a furry three-tailed hug, “Everyone has nightmares from time to time. It’s not your fault.”
“It feels like it sometimes…” she mumbled, “Like I should just get over it already. Forget about everything that happened and not let it bother me anymore.”
The silky voxen gave her an amused look and said, “I think you’re smart enough to know that’s not how it works. If I told you that I still had nightmares about the night my family died, are you going to tell me to just ‘get over it’?”
“That’s different–”
“It’s really not,” the healer interjected, leading her towards the bed and gesturing back towards the door, “Mind shutting that while we get comfy and talk?”
Phoenix glanced over, and a simple push with her [Ruler of Relativity] slammed the door shut. She winced, “I sometimes have trouble modulating with Mundane things. I should practice more, but I almost destroyed a book I had fly across the room… the pages got so rumpled, and the spine cracked when it hit my hand.”
Saiya chuckled, “Maybe we can practice with some sturdier things later. I have something else I want to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” Phoenix asked, shifting into her own nightgown in a sparkle of starlight, “Not just acting as my fluffy security blanket? Want to cuddle with Sky again?”
The voxen grinned, “I do miss her sometimes. Has she been a good companion?”
With another shimmer of silver light, the plushie blue kitsune appeared on the bed as both women climbed in to chat before sleeping. “I find myself chatting with her once in a while before bed,” Phoenix admitted with a grin, “Guess you’ll have to do it in her place for tonight.”
Saiya laughed, picking up the plush and pulling it to her chest in a comfortable hug before saying, “I joined the Traveler’s clergy. I’m an Acolyte now… I told Rayna already but I thought you should be the next to know. It’s…” the voxen trailed off, as though unsure of what to say before settling on, “On one paw, it’s actually comforting to sense the deity connected within me.”
“On the other?” Phoenix prompted.
“It’s very… weird to feel you as well. It’s both similar and different from the bracelets we wear. Like, the beads just let us know what direction you’re in, but the Soul Mark… it really is like a beacon that calls to me. Makes me want to be closer to you, to follow and support you. I know you’re important to my deity… and to me.”
The Wayfarer felt more and more uncomfortable with each word spoken and said, “I’m not sure I like that. I don’t want you feeling like you have to be in our party… forced to be my friend.”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you about this. I’m sure Everin or some other priest has or will talk to you about it.”
“Everin mentioned they can sense me but he compared it to the bracelets… Do you think it’s mind controlling him too?” she whispered, not sure she wanted the answer.
“It’s not like that,” the healer clarified, “I wanted to explain that while I can feel all of that, it’s more like… like you’re a flower.”
“A flower?”
“Yes, like the garden on the roof. Pleasant to be around when we get the time but we’re not forced to go spend all of our time there. Your presence makes me happy but it was already doing that before I became an Acolyte, now it just feels a bit stronger because I can feel the Traveler’s happiness with your presence too.”
Phoenix fell silent, contemplating the odd analogy as she clarified, “So… if you wanted to, you could still leave the party?”
“Yes, but I didn’t really want that beforehand either,” the voxen replied with a grin, “For the most part, I’ve been enjoying my time with everyone so far.”
“Even with all the monsters and alien invaders and random gods showing up?”
Saiya laughed, hugging Phoenix as she assured, “Even with all of that. Because the moments in between the bad are worth it.”
Phoenix chuckled, “I guess they are… I’m glad I found friends like you,” she murmured, feeling the tranquil aura encompass hers, lulling her tired eyes toward rest.
The healer patted her head and whispered, “I am too. Now let’s get some sleep, hopefully without nightmares tonight.”
She nodded, soon drifting into a dreamless sleep.