Mind. Body. And Soul.

That is how a sentient influenced and moulded the universe to their will. Ascended didn’t understand that. They were as they say too close to see the forest to see the trees. That is where arbiters came in before the crazy maniacs roaming every inhabitable world could destroy reality. It was a thankless job, and a recent poll told them that only zero-point three percent of ascended understood that they were essential. They all seriously thought they could deal with the warders themselves. And sure, many of them could but when their pleas and request fell short, they all understood. Warders were created for one thing. War. And when a warder saw red, they didn’t care about anything but crushing the existence that had challenged them.

Arbiters were as essential for a sentience survival as the air they breathed. Thankfully, the system poll also told them that mundane sentients had a growing respect for the arbiters of Solace. Some were even getting treated like heroes. Looks like Solace’s PR was working. But she knew that they sooner or later the Ascended that were ignoring Solace right now will strike out at arbiters when it was convenient for them. And they couldn’t do anything about that. Greed was a powerful motivator, and shouted words and grudges were just sap on a bark.

Mind. Body. And Soul.

People who understand how to use these three factors also understood what mastery of these three stats could do. Unfortunately, almost all the benevolent ones were class two and limited in number. Not to mention they were far away for anything but quantum link to reach them. Types and tiers aside, the trinity could remould reality and give any individual an edge that could crumble empires and subjugate consciousness of trillions.

The tendencies of human variants of doing exactly that worried every soul in the cosmos. And that is why Solace held that knowledge away from individuals who didn’t deserve it. Solace allowed mortals to understand shards. Borrow the knowledge and the experiences the soul had stored in them to use for good or ill. But to give someone the ability to break apart the fabric of their being and remould themselves, that was dangerous.

And yet, Aya was being asked to do that.

Mind. Body. And Soul.

The concept of giving someone access to the ability to remould themselves went against everything she had been taught in her early years and experienced in all her years of service. Still, she couldn’t just deny as she would have to an ascended mortal. Instead, she had asked for all the information on the warders that the continuum had, and a quantum comm link to Solace. She would follow protocol here.

Aaya looked down at both the warders short history one last time and moved on to the stats only she had access to.

Name – Sheetal

Class – 0

Type – Warder

Race – Danav

Type – Binder

Fate Link – 1

Shards – 18-30

Type - Polar Forces, Wind, Matter, Gravity, Metal, Mental, Strength, Water, Stone, Cold, Density, Acid, Alkali. Plutonium, Polonium, Francium, Light.

Mind

Intellect – 8

Intelligence – 9

Insight – 9

Body

Strength – 3

Stamina – 5

Agility – 3

Dexterity – 2

Perception – 3

Recovery – 10

Sense – 3

Soul

Inspiration – 6

Id – 3

Will – 4

Merit - Low

As expected, Sheetal’s mind was brilliant. Her intellect helped her understand the world around, her intelligence helped her reason everything out at speed and her insight helped her discern the best way to tackle a problem. But that were just three I’s of her mind. Her mind needed to work with her body. And her senses didn’t allow her to grasp a problem and her perception didn’t allow her to come up with a solution before it was too late.

And that was just one problem, her soul’s inspiration might have been at par but her will and her Id, that governed her sense of being was lacking. So much so, that Aya didn’t even want her out of her sight.

Name – Ash

Class – 0

Type – Warder

Race – Danav

Type – Floater

Fate Link – 1

Shards - 20-30

Type – Speed* 4, Density*4, Channel*4, Sense*2, Power*2, Force*2, Time, Light

Class – 1

Mind

Intellect – 2

Intelligence – 5

Insight – 4

Body

Strength – 3

Stamina – 7

Agility – 5

Dexterity – 5

Perception – 9

Recovery – 10

Sense – 6

Soul

Inspiration – 4

Id – 10

Will – 9

Merit - Low

Ash, on the other hand looked like he had hobbled himself but being a soul mage, she knew better. Where it looked like that his mind was lacking intellect, he made it up with intelligence and the ridiculous stats of his soul. His body also, assisted him with high perception and senses. And he was doing it all instinctively.

Sensopaths were strange. Some said they existed in reality but didn’t live in it. The truth was they saw reality in a way others couldn’t and interact with its component pieces. That allowed them to be powerful in whatever path they followed. Ash with his stats looked like he had chosen to be a soul mage. Only the boy wanted to jump into every conflict and kick other people not fight at a distance.

Ting.

The metal wall in front of Aaya took on a green colour and transformed into a tree motif. The petals from the tree dispersed in the wind creating an image of a green hued man sitting behind a desk wiping his desk, trying to contain a spilled cup of berry wine.

A tired voice came from the connection “A moment Aaya.”

Darl Aaranyaani her friend, her boss, and the first of the blue flame sect didn’t note a squirrel inching to his plate of snacks. The squirrel picked up a nut and put it in his mouth. Then another. And finally reached for a piece of cheese. Darl turned. The squirrel looked at him with big round eyes. Darl growled. The squirrel scampered left and jumped. Darl reached out. The squirrel jumped over his hand knocking something else of the desk. The squirrel laughed in a chittering voice. Darl lunged and papers went flying into the air and then they first flame and his pet were wresting on the desk.

“Darl, I am in an aratan trial, under the eyes of an adjudicator while a millatry coup is happening all around me. So, take your time. Go ahead.”

Darl and the squireel both looked up at Aaya and her squinted eyes. Darl’s eyes widened and the squireel took that moment to run away with two pieces of cheese in his hands.

“Did you say you an arata?” Darl straightened.

“Yes.” Aaya nodded and continued “Unaffiliated warders appeared, and we were sent by the Kel to bring them in.”

“Unaffiliated warders? Have the raks finally acquired warders of their own?” Darl straightened his jacket and with a wave of his hand made the mess disappear.

“No.” Aaya grimaced, hesitated, and finally shook her head “At least I don’t think so. Here, look at their stats sheet. You will understand why I am not sure.”

Darl’s eyes glazed over for a moment and his jaw flew open “Danav? Two of them? What is going on out there?"

Aaya sighed and explained. It took longer than she had expected. The two warders had been through a lot. They had packed a lifetime of experience in three days. By the time she stopped, Darl was no longer looked liked the goofy plant mage he pretended to be but the first flame of the blue sect.

“They are Danav. And the lights chosen. That is unheard of. To my knowledge this has never happened before. I need to know how to proceed.” Aaya asked.

Darl’s glazed over eyes focused on Aaya “You mean should you kill them or not?”

Aaya frowned but nodded.

“There is an adjudicator there Aaya.” Darl rolled his eyes “I don’t think it would be so easy to eliminate them.

“The adjudicator is young and distracted. Sure, he will come for blood but if my sacrifice is needed then I would be willing.” Aaya stated.

“You look resolved but not pleased.” Darl smiled.

“They are children first flame.” Aaya said hesitantly.

“And you like one or both of them.” Darl grinned and continued “A mentalist and a soul mage.”

“Sensopath.” Aaya corrected Darl.

“Ah. That explains a lot.” Darl nodded and after a moment looked at Aaya “There is also a factor you haven’t considered. The fate link. It was given to them as soon as they arrived at the edge. That means the fate and fortune has an eye on them. And with a yaksha giving them the weapon shards…” Darl reclined on his chair with a thoughtful look and finished “I do not advice any action against these two.

“They are Danav, Darl.” Aaya pressed.

“I can see that, Aaya.”

“You know what our history says about them and their nature.” Aaya’s conflicted frustrated voice made Darl’s lips twitched upwards.

“Is it the boy or the girl that you like so much?”

Aaya exhaled “Sheetal. I held her soul in my web. She has the flame of inspiration.”

“And this Ash? His inspiration stats are commensurate.”

“He is a sensopath. Even when his soul was shuddering, I couldn’t get a read on it.”

Darl’s eyebrows shot up into his forehead “Really?”

“Yes.” Aaya’s lips twitched upwards “That boy is slippery.”

It wasn’t untrue. Her mind went to her soul net. Untied to any people the warders should have crashed into her net without anything tethering him down. Instead Ash had clung on to Sheetal tying himself to the Light know what using his shards like a rope keeping her away from falling into Aaya’s web. It hadn’t worked at the end. Not because Ash hadn’t succeeded because Sheetal had let go when she had hugged in on the bed. But Ash had not lowered himself no matter how hard his soul shook.

Darl considered for a moment and then nodded once decisively “Here are my orders Arbiter. Protect the warders. Help them grow and reach class one. We will revisit the nature of their race after we have observed them in action. Moreover, we need warders who would look at Solace favourably. So, groom them to be noble warders that become beacons of light.”

Aaya took in a sharp breath “Do you want me to hide their race?”

Darl bit his lip “Use external artifacts. I don’t want anything to interfere with their fate link.”

“About the adjudicator and his request?” Aaya asked.

“Give them access to their stats. It would be interesting to see what and how they improve. A lot has been written about Danavs and their ties to the Rakshasa but a lot is unknown. Keep an eye on them and keep me informed.”

Aaya looked at Darl and took in a shaky breath “You know, I am tired of losing young warders and if I train these young ones to only lose them my own people…”

Darl held up his hand and pushed something towards her “Fine. Here.”

Aaya notification pinged and she looked at it.

Rank Upgrade – Third Ring.

Arbiter Ability – Hide access to any information in the system.

Access – Classified Class 3

Solace Enforcement License – Protect, apprehend, punish, and eliminate.

Another smaller badge rested under her badge for Olimani.

Rank Upgrade – First Ring.

Arbiter Ability – Obscure any information in the system.

Access – Classified Class 1

Solace Enforcement License – Enforce Solace Rule.

Aaya eyes widened and she looked at Darl in surprise “Darl I am not class three.”

A pulse shot out from the wall screen and Aaya knew the room was completely secure. Darl held up a hand to stop Aaya and considered his next words carefully.

“Aaya. Times are changing. Your discoveries are ones in a long list of anomalies we have witnessed. There are other warders who have appeared that do not fit the norm. One of those warders were struck down by our own. It didn’t go well. We suffered losses.”

Aaya looked at Darl with a wide open mouth “What happened.”

“Adjudicators.” Darl replied.

“What is going on?”

“We think there is something going on in the higher planes.”

Aaya folded her hands and asked “Why wasn’t I told?”

Darl pointed at the badge pulsing on screen “The information was restricted to class three. Now we are giving access to it when and where it would be necessary.”

Aaya blinked and considered for a long moment and finally asked “Do the warders know? What about the kels?”

“No. You know what they are like.” Darl replied and saw Aaya open her mouth to protest and cut her off “I can’t explain why right now but believe me when I say, I will need friends. We will need friends. That is why we sent Raandrus to the Narsimha Kel. The silver city…” Darl shook his head “Anyway, keep them clear of them. And protect them.”

Aaya nodded and saluted by touching her shoulders with her opposite arms hands and a nod “As you will, first flame.”

Darl pointed at her and his chair “None of that. Now go and stop tempting me to drag you back and put you on this seat. I swear this job keeps getting worse and worse every day. I should have never listened to you.”

Aaya smiled “Darl, first of the blue. I thought you said, you don’t like whiners?”

Darl gave her sharp look and was about to retort when Aaya cut the connection. She could hear her old friend curse her out from three galaxies away. She chuckled and opened her door to the comm room. Before she could even understand what was happening, she was hit in the face by three beams of laser fire.

She blinked and looked at three laser rifles pointed at her in the hands of metal clad soldiers hiding behind a barricade. She wasn’t afraid. The laser beams had dissipated even before they reached her clothes. Her aura couldn’t be melted by such an insignificant attack.

“You fools! Did you shoot at the class two arbiter?”

Someone shouted from the end of the path she was going to take and saw a familiar man running towards her. Theory stopped in front of her and glared at the three soldiers without his helmet.

Theory turned around and looked at her “I am sorry arbiter but there is small battle going on in this section.”

“Ah…” A man in the bulky armour who was hiding behind the barricade started “Yes. We are sorry arbiter.”

Aaya sighed and pointed the three who had shot at her “Fine. You three, go tell your masters that I am getting tired of this nonsense. I will give them three hours to stop and then I will stop you all. But if my warders are harmed in this tussle, I will break your souls.”

Aaya turned around wordlessly and began walking to the null space. Each one of her steps thudded against the floor and made the whole structure vibrate. She needed to get to the null room but first she would take the long route around to make these people understand what they were dealing with.

Arbiter Second Ring Ability - Provide Access to individual stats.

Do you wish to grant Warder Sheetal and Warder Ash access to their stats.

Yes / No?

Aaya took in a deep breath and hit yes.

Mission Accomplished - Survive Sentient.

You have survived against all odds in the trials.

Rewards

10,000 Potentiality

Do you wish to convert earned potentiality to potency points.

Yes / No?

Sheetal who was touching the blue skin on her forearm with her finger blinked at her notification. And before she could ask another pop up answered her unasked question.

Stats Unlocked.

Do you wish to use Potency Points on your stats.

Sheetal’s stats shot up in front of her vision.

“What?” Sheetal asked softly.

“I said, I can’t believe you did that.” Ash who was on a completely different track continued while mimicking Sheetal “The hot rod is mine. And when he touches you, you fling them all in the air?”

“It wasn’t he what was touching me. It was his… his… thing.” Sheetal answered while looking at her stat sheet.

“Yeah, it was his glorious thing, and he got so scared that it wasn’t glorious after that.” Ash complained and shifted splashing water out of off his pod turned bathtub and whined “She, its sex. Just, please, do it. Don’t make an issue about it.”

“Thank you, but I can take care of myself right now.” Sheetal said curtly and squinted at Ash from her bathtub besides him “Not that you had any luck.”

Ash gritted his teeth and snarled “It didn’t know it would hurt. Whole new body you know.”

Sheetal hid her smile “Ash, it was just a pinkie finger.”

Ash gave her flat look and shimmied in the warm water “What was so surprising about that? It’s muscle like any other. You use it, it widens. You don’t…”

“You shrilly scream, and jump five feet in the air?” Sheetal couldn’t hold it in anymore and laughed.

Ash grumbled “Well, I would have gotten back in the groove if someone wouldn’t have flung people into the air.”

“Hey, I caught them, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, after killing the mood.” Ash let out a hiss of pain after his statement. The strange mechanical beetle hand crawled up his hair and down to his scalp. It was literally soldering siler to his scalp to protect his strands. It finished and then climbed back up tying his hair around one of his ten strands with a silver string with small unpolished jewel shavings.

Pain wasn’t the only reason they were distracting themselves with this embarrassing conversation. Neither of them had performed the way they wanted to and were left to their own devices to contain themselves. The reason they were having this conversation except for embarrassing Oli who was standing guard next to the door was their minds were faster. Not in the conventional way.

Humans had one thought, they finished it and went on to think about something else. Danav or whatever Ash and Sheetal were found it incomprehensible to have less than three lines of thoughts running at the same time. Sheetal called it a ADHD brain, Ash didn’t mind as long as he had something to do. That is why he was using the stale potentiality in the null room to draw glyphs all around himself. And Sheetal was using a complex algorithm with strange alphabets and numbers to calculate stats and how to use them. That didn’t mean they could stop making that stuffy Olimani uncomfortable.

“You need to relax.” Ash grunted and continued “I am never going to get laid like this. Not in dreams or reality.”

Sheetal who was more used to having her hair done relaxed in the water and ignored the pain as bettles climbed up and down her hair. Instead, she looked at Ash who was sitting in the tub facing her and rubbed her feet on the glass. She grinned at the sensation her feet sent back to her. She looked at them and her grin faded when one of Ash’s glyphs fizzled out in sparks revealing the colour of her skin.

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Sheetal raised her finger “Ash. Stop nagging. There are more important things to do right now.”

“Like what?”

“Like to understand why we have strands. Why we have blue skin and what is this stat sheet?”

A sharp hitched breath made Ash looked at Oli who was standing guarding the door with his back turned to them.

“Oye, you got something to say?” Ash asked.

Olimani didn’t reply.

Ash raised his eyebrows and gave Sheetal a pointed look. And Sheetal heard his unspoken words which seemed to say, see I told you we have been going too easy on him.

Sheetal agreed and began “Do you think my breast are bigger?”

Ash watched Olimani’s shards twitch in his body and hissed when another one of the beetles dug its feet in his scalp “Hmmm… I don’t know. Let me look.”

Ash didn’t move and just watched the arbiter with his eyes closed.

Sheetal took the time to note the other differences in her body. There were many. Oh, so many. She felt stronger. Her heart was beating faster. Her breaths were longer and deeper. And those were just the ones she could feel. The ones she could see were stranger. Her hair was matte black. It was so dark that it stood out even against the dark room. Her eyes, her sclera were still white but the rest of them were sapphire blue that gradually became black at the irises.

Her features. They were sharp now. She had higher check bones and a narrow chin. Her neck was longer. And her lips they were fuller and so red that they stood out in contrast to her blue skin.

Sheetal waved off her the mirror feature on her hud and looked at Ash who was focused on Olimani. She noted the difference between the stocky guy she knew and the boyish Ash in front of her. Where she still resembled the person, she was before, he was unrecognizable. Skinny with just a hint of muscle and soft features that screamed cute.

The effect was shattered when he opened his blind white eyes and said “Are you sure? I swear they were bigger before.”

Sheetal turned slowly and gave Ash a narrowed eyed look “Hey fliptard. You are blind.”

Ash blinked as he realised what he had said “Oh… Right. I forgot you are cow in love with her udders.”

Sheetal slowly raised one of her hands.

Ash’s eyes widened “Hey. Hey. Hey. Chill. Chill. Blaaawk…” Ash croaked when he felt pressure on his throat and in croaking voice continued “Blood. Blood. Blue blood. I know why.”

Sheetal lowered her hand and relaxed “Okay, why?”

Ash coughed “Everyone has blue blood.”

“What?”

“Hold on.” Ash gulped and cleared his throat “Blood, when it contacts oxygen turns red. We have three hearts, that means that our blood is moving too fast to lose its colouring.”

Sheetal blinked “How do you know that?”

Ash snorted “I have stabbed plenty of people, She.”

“But skin…”

“Is connected with arteries and veins.” Ash finished

“Huh.” Sheetal held up her hand and looked at it. She didn’t feel so awkward about her skin anymore. It wasn’t anything special. It was just veins. She turned back to Ash and looked at him “What about the fact that you are blind and hid that from me.”

Ash replied in a sing song voice “Yeah, that is going to take some getting used to this, but I can work with this.”

“Work with this? Ash you are blind.” Sheetal shouted.

Ash gave Sheetal a flat look which didn’t translate because his white eyes couldn’t focus on her. Still, he continued “I know, She. I am stuck in darkness with that annoying glowing ball.”

Sheetal squinted at Ash “Then how do you know where I am?”

“Because I can hear you dumbo.” Ash shouted back verbally and through their link said something else.

“She, my eyes are fixable. As are your strands. You will understand when you have them. We just need anathema. Just don’t tell everyone about what we can do when you get your strands working.”

Sheetal flung her hands in the air “Stop changing the topic and tell me what is going on with your eyes.”

Ash responded in kind “I am blind She. That means I can’t see with my eyes but here…”

Sheetal looked at his white eyes cluelessly and then felt a tingle in her mind. She focussed on it.

Fate Link Activated.

Relaying Sensory Information.

Sheetal was no longer in her pod. She was a ball of electric iridescent colours slowly rotating alongside a greyish silver ribbon floating in the air. A long thin thread connected the ribbon and the ball. The strange thing about the thread was that it was all of the colours, and then none of the colours, and then it was light and then it wasn’t.

Sheetal felt a sharp pain in her mind and looked away from the thread to the rest of the room. The room around her was streaks of white alongside random dark splotches. Sheetal looked down at herself. A flicker of her real self superimposed itself over the ball. It was strange, she was in a loose top and a skirt even though she knew she was sitting naked in a glass tub. There was even a lab coat flowing down her body. No wonder Ash made that comment about her breast. He couldn’t even see them.

“Fine, I’ll look.” Ash responded to her thoughts.

Before Sheetal could stop him, her clothes were gone, and she was a faceless humanoid covered by a twinkling sapphire blue dust. She looked down at her skin. It was blue but the way it glowed here was unusual. She followed it down and…

“Why are you obsessed with your boobs?” Ash asked

“Because I have rubies for nipples you freak.” Sheetal looked at Ash and saw him looking at her hair.

He was there. Not as his ribbon self but there. Glittering blue skin, puffy lips, long black hair, narrow neck all lit up and covered all over with glyphs.

Ash’s eyes widened “Oops can’t do that. That will activate the vortex and blow us up.”

“Ash?” Sheetal asked.

His eyes went from one glyphs to another. And Sheetal realised he had eyes. Big wide expressive eyes. But they weren’t there. Not completely. It was as if she was seeing a shadow of his eyes.

Ash winked and smiled “Yeah, She. I will be able to see.”

“What the heck are you on about?”

Ash suddenly turned back into a ribbon floating in the wind and rotated himself.

“See?” Ash asked in an excited tone.

“Ash what am I looking at?” Sheetal asked in a whisper.

“You can speak normally here, She.”

“Okay, what is this?”

“Time shard, She. With this I know I am soon going able to see and that is how I see.” Ash shrugged.

“What?”

“Yes.”

“Wait, how are you doing this? Are you are using your hud? When did you start to do that?” Sheetal asked in a rapid fire.

“What no. That computer stuff is still annoying. I just… The strands She, they do this. That is why I don’t want you to tell anyone about this.”

Sheetal looked down at herself again. She was a ball again. And there was a thin wire

attaching her to the Ash’s ribbon.

“Soul.” Ash corrected Sheetal.

“Link.” Sheetal corrected him back

“Whatever.” Ash string rolled upwards imitating the movement of his eyes and pointed “Look.”

Sheetal turned when she felt Ash point at Olimani. Olimani wasn’t there. He was there but he was a young tree with a narrow green trunk and thin branches that held shards in them. Her eyes moved away from the arbiter when she felt a ripple in the wind that shook her. A second later another one hit her with waves of green.

“What is that?”

“That’s… Aya.”

“What!?”

“Told you she was scary powerful. But no, you thought I was crazy. How can a sweet soft-spoken woman like that be scary?” Ash pointed at the oncoming green wave “See!”

“Ash! Focus.”

“Fine. Fine. Hold on. This is going to be a bit jarring.” Ash stopped Sheetal before she could reply.

“What are you…” Sheetal started and stopped as the world around her changed.

Ash was there again. Not as a ribbon but his new self. He focussed and colours bled into everything surrounding her. They rippled and danced until the null room came into focus in what looked like a Van Gogh painting.

“It’s not called Van Gogh. Its post-impressionism with a hint of pointillism.”

“What? Ash, I don’t care what it’s called. I… Wait, did you just read my mind?” Sheetal asked aghast.

“What? No. That is not possible. You are just thinking aloud. Honestly, who would want to read minds? If you want to keep your thoughts to yourself think with inside voice.”

“How does one even do that?”

“Uh…” Ash shrugged “That’s not the point. The point is that…That is the arbiter who gave us the stats thing.”

Sheetal looked at the place Ash was looking at and saw a tree. A tree beyond all trees. It was glorious and large than life. From where she sat, Sheetal couldn’t even see its crown. She could barely see its leaves. And yet she could smell the air that past it. It was full of life and strength. And even though she felt like an insect in front of the tree, Sheetal relaxed.

“Sheee…. No.”

“Ash. Yes.”

“She, you have already agreed to them becoming our arbiter. That already means that the arbiters can see our information in real time.”

“So?”

Ash turned to look at Olimani who had just taken a breath lighting up all his twenty shards and then focussed on his swords that glowed a steely green. He turned away from Aaya’s blinding green aura and stated “They are scary powerful.”

“Ash, you can see their shards and have almost as much information about them as they have off you.” Sheetal chuckled.

“That’s different.”

“How?”

Ash deactivated the link and stated “I am awesome.”

“You are a hypocrite.”

“You are a prude who flings people in the air.”

“You are a bimbo who only thinks about sex.”

“Nerd.”

“Buffoon.”

Ash looked at Sheetal. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t get it. Power was based on three things. Information, money and strength. And they didn’t have any of it compared to the arbiters.

Sheetal looked back at him with complete confidence

“Ash. Do you know why I began to trust Ghost?”

“Because he sweet talked you and you have daddy issues.”

“No. Because I saw what really drives him.”

Ash groaned “Please no.”

Sheetal continued “Duty, honour and empathy.”

“Where was the empathy when he shoved us into these pods and tore us up.”

Sheetal smiled “His empathy wasn’t directed towards us but his people. Now he cares about us. And that is what I see feel in Aaya.”

“And you are okay if she tears us apart too?” Ash scowled.

Sheetal shook her head “She won’t do that.”

“So what? You are okay doing whatever they tell you do.”

“No. But I am not going to fight the world on my own.”

Ash gave Sheetal an offended look “You have me.”

“And the seven.” Sheetal added

Ash shot back in a frustrated voice “Yeah, them too. And even Needles.”

Sheetal laughed “Don’t be jealous. I love you but I can like other people too.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Ash grumbled

Sheetal folded her hands on her chest “Ash don’t you think we need more people to make me the empress?”

Ash grimaced “Stop using my words against me.”

“You promised.” Sheetal pointed a finger at Ash

Aaya looked at the warders. They were sitting in their pods arguing with each other. Just where she left them. Olimani on the other hand had moved from keeping a watch on them to watching the door. She saw his face that had gone from a greenish brown to red and tried to follow their conversation. That was easier said than done. Only half of it was aloud and the other half was lost to their link. But by the look on Olimani’s face, they hadn’t been circumspect.

“How are you doing Olimani?” Aaya asked.

“Lady Aaya. Please make them stop.”

“Why?”

“They started by discussing the daka and dakinis anatomy in excruciating detail and then continued to their body parts. Then they stated ridiculing each other about their sexual prowess and end it all by insulting each other’s characters.”

“I see.”

Olimani whispered “Oh no. They are starting again.” Olimani moved his head towards the warders.

“You know I used to be circumcised.” Ash said while looking down at the water.

“I noticed that. Why were you circumcised?”

“Americans like circumcised. They needed me keep a congresswoman in her room for a day. I kept her in there for two.” Ash said smugly.

“She, liked that? I think they look strange and unnatural when they are cut.”

“Yeah, me too.” Ash grinned “But look, I have got it back.”

Sheetal snorted “I can barely see it.”

“Oh yeah. It’s still better than your dimply butt.”

“Oh yeah…” Sheetal made a gabbing gesture

“I didn’t mean it. Its not dim…awck.”

Aaya looked at them. Sheetal was only using a hint of her real power and Ash wasn’t struggling at all. In fact, she could feel all their attention directed at Olimani. Were they trying to make her protégé uncomfortable? Aaya looked at their hidden smiles and grins and sound of humour in their souls and sighed.

How could to people who had gone through so much in a short time find humour? But then they were warders. And not just warders. First generation warders. Everyone knew. First gen warders were all a bit strange and some even theorised that the light for some odd reason picked the crazy ones to be her champions. Whatever the reason was Aaya needed to get their attention of her poor student.

“Warders.” Aaya called out watching as Sheetal and Ash stop mid motion and looked at her. Aaya couldn’t help but smile at the comical sight and asked “Do you mind getting out of those pods please. We have a lot to discuss and not much time.”

Aaya pointed to two bath robes lying on a table.

Flash.

“Oh, good you both are still here.” Ghost appeared out of nowhere.

“Adjudicator.” Aaya said in a warning voice.

“Arbiter?” Ghost looked at her with a baffled expression.

“How about a bit of privacy for my warders?” Aaya tapped her foot on the floor. They rang like a bell.

Ghost looked from Aaya to the warders naked bodies “Oh. I see. I mean, I don’t see. Want to see. Didn’t see.”

“Ghost.” Ash rolled out of the pod with blind touches “What do you want?”

Ghost turned away from the warders and grimaced “You know not looking at you iis hard when there are so many sensors all around here.”

“Ghost. Focus please.” Sheetal quickly donned her bathrobe.

“Ash. Sheetal. I need you to take a walk.” Ghost said in a hurried voice.

“A walk?” Sheetal asked.

“Yeah, there is a battle going on in the docks. I need a put an end to it.” Ghost stated.

Ash rubbed his hands “Oh. That’s… Yeah! Where are my tonfas?”

“Ripple!” Aaya’s growling rumble shook the floor.

Ghost held up his hand “Not what I meant. I don’t need the warders to fight my battles. I need them to walk to the docks and get off my ship.”

“What?” Ash asked in a disappointed tone.

“What ship?” Sheetal asked at the same time.

“Adjudicator if they come to harm…” Aaya began.

“They won’t. Both parties have agreed to disengage at the sight of the warders.” Ghost stated in a matter of fact.

“Oh, you sneaky code.” Ash grinned.

Ghost grinned back “Thanks for that glyph work. It’s working like a charm. And your weapons are over there. Needles is coming in with your clothes. Got to go. I am almost at the nerve centre. Good luck.”

Aaya opened her mouth to disagree, but Ghost was gone. The warders chuckled.

“I hate it when he does that.” Sheetal smiled.

“Yeah, but it’s funny when it is not directed towards you.” Ash nodded and flung his bathrobe at Sheetal.

Sheetal raised a finger and caught it in the air and tossed it aside “Where are we going?”

“I don’t know. Off the ship he said.” Ash vibrated and in a second he was dry.

“Warders.” Olimani couldn’t take it anymore her turned with a glare and then turned back when Sheetal began to float out. He continued with his back turned “The ripple is using you.”

“Meh!” Ash said.

“What my brother means is, we know. And we agree to do what he said.” Sheetal stated.

“Are you sure?” Aaya asked.

Sheetal smiled at Aaya “I know you want to help us, but he has done a lot for us.”

Ash grumbled something indistinct.

Sheetal chuckled “He gave us shards, training and taught us about this world. He had his reasons, but he is a friend.”

Aaya sighed “Very well. Let’s go then. We are going to the warder spire. Time to get you both introduced to the trade terminal of warders.”

Sheetal and Ash looked at each other. Sheetal asked “Is it the spire levitating on top of a sink hole.”

“Yes.” Aaya replied.

“Oh, that sneaky… sneaky…” Ash laughed and shook his head.

“Okay, what did you do?” Sheetal asked with folded hands.

“Nothing.” Ash turned away from Sheetal and snickered.

“Warders!” Aaya almost shouted.

Ash flinched. Aaya looked at Sheetal and continued.

“The warder spire acts like a pressure valve. Whenever there is a break in our reality and anomalous creatures start swarming in. The warder spire categorises them. And the arata creates a trial around them for the warders or ascended to eliminate them. That is how young warders support themselves.”

Aaya turned a stern look at Ash and Sheetal “You are not ready for that.”

“What do you mean we are not…” Ash started to complain and quickly shut his mouth when Aaya shot him a look.

Aaya explained as the warders dressed and began walking out of the null room.

“Class one. Do you know what that means? It doesn’t mean how many shards you have. Eight for ascended, twenty for arbiters, and thirty for you both doesn’t matter in the cases of classes. A class one being is one who can project an aura. And a class one warrior should be able to disperse an attack before it reaches them. You both don’t even have an aura.”

“We know Aaya.” Sheetal nodded.

Aaya nodded as the soldier ascended that fell in step all around them. The seven. The warders protectors.

“I understand that you know but it also means that you can’t start a fight in there. No matter how much warders and their ascended provoke you.” This time Aaya looked at Ash.

“Why are you looking at me?” Ash complained.

Sheetal snorted “Ash will keep his mouth shut. Won’t you Ash?”

“I don’t need to do that. I am awesome.” Ash was offended.

Aaya sighed “No warder, you are blind. The reason you can still perform is because of your sense shards. But in a duel, you will be cut into pieces before you can respond.”

Sheetal changed the topic “You said something about the arata creating a trial around anomalies for the warders or ascended to eliminate them. How does it do that?”

Aaya replied “You have been in two of these trials haven’t you? Trials are accessible through the gates that appear in desert.”

Sheetal’s eyes widened “Those were anomalies?”

“No. They were creatures tainted by anathema. Mutated and driven mad. The trials was also

Simpler. The trials in the spire are complex. They will look like pools of fire, sand, water, and wind. Those are the basic ones. The ones that class ones fight in in. The ones you should never step in are the ones that appear to have other effects mingled with the basic element. Like a pool with a crackling storm. Those are meant large scale battles. Battles with over a hundred participants.”

“Hundred?” Sheetal was shocked.

Her voice rang out in the metal corridor and armed soldiers quickly stepped out of their way with thumping footsteps and the sound of sizzling laser fire and battle petered off.

Aaya nodded “Yes.”

“How does that work?” Sheetal asked.

“It’s not as special as you think. You are a warder. Sooner or later, you will build an army of ascended around you.” Aaya nodded at the Seven “You have already started.”

“Okay that is unexpected but not the question I am asking.” Sheetal shook her head “I mean, you are talking about matter displacement with out any adverse effect. I don’t know how the system did it when it brought us here and now you are telling me that it is normal?”

Aaya blinked “Normal. No. Normal in the life of a warder? Yes.”

Before Sheetal could ask another question Aaya raised her hand “Sheetal. I am not a scientist. Now as I was saying. These trials are dangerous. That is why we will stay away from them. All we are going to go and do is buy shards and anathema.” Aaya stated firmly and with pointed look at Ash, asked “Am I understood.”

Ash scooted away from the scary lady and hid behind Sheetal “Ye…Yeah.”

Sheetal smiled and nodded “Lady Aaya, you are understood. And don’t worry. I will him next to me.”

Aaya took in a deep breath “Good.” and took a step inside the dock areas of the Asambhav.

“Hold Fire! Hold Fire! Warders and Arbiters incoming.” Someone screamed and the call was repeated everywhere verbally.

Aaya huffed and walked to the transport standing ready to take off just this side of the bay.

Sheetal followed her and stopped. Then flew past her to the open dock doors. Ash followed in a run to stay away from Aaya.

“Stop. Take me with you.” Ash shrieked and was lifted in the air with a flick of Sheetal’s hand.

Aaya shook her head. Sheetal was too skilled and too powerful for her age. She didn’t know what the adjudicator had done but she knew she would have to keep an eye on the girl before she did something drastic.

Sheetal lifted Ash and moved to the edge of the door and looked out. They were in the air. They were in a flying ship. How was this even possible.

“It’s called a bay area and magic, She.”

Sheetal gave Ash a look.

“Inside voice.” Ash explained.

“Ash we are in a flying ship.”

“Yeah.” Ash nodded as if it was a normal thing.

“A flying ship.” Sheetal screamed “When did that happened!?”

“She, it’s called the Asambhav remember? And it is a yudhrath. It literally means a war chariot. What? You expect it what roll on the ground?” Ash asked back.

Sheetal worked her jaw “When did you put all that together?”

“Ten minutes after I walked in. When I saw how deep it went. I knew it was buried.” Ash shrugged.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How am I supposed to know what you know and what you don’t know?”

“Okay mister I can read your mind. What else should I know?”

“I can’t read your mind, She. But I can tell you are going to kick yourself, when you realise you had the chance to do it, but didn’t do it.”

“What does that even mean?”

Out loud Ash said “We are in the air. You can fly. Don’t you want to know what it is like flying in real air?” Ash smiled.

At the same time he projected his thoughts “She don’t you want to look at the flying ship from the outside? Isn’t your science brain buzzing and screaming how does this work? How does it fly? What are those chunky things?”

Sheetal’s eyes widened “You are right. I need to know that. Why are you right?”

“Warders?” Needles asked and looked at Aaya inside the transport.

“Ni, do you mind picking us up in the air?”

“Sheetal?”

Sheetal sighed “I want to look at the Asambhav from the air without any obstructions.”

Needles smiled “It is impressive.” And looked at Aaya.

Aaya nodded “We will follow you and pick you up in the air.”

Sheetal smiled back and without warning flew into the air with Ash.

“Oh, thank the gods.” Ash let out a relieved screamed “I was wondering why Oli didn’t speak. It’s because of that scary woman isn’t it.” Ash shouted over the turbulent air outside.

Sheetal chuckled and took them higher out of the wake of the ship.

“Coward.” Sheetal shook her head and floated them over the massive ship.

“Yeah, she like you. Not me.” Ash complained and whined.

“She like us both.” Sheetal shot them down.

“Why? Why? Why?” Ash asked.

“Hey this was your idea.” Sheetal stopped and floated hundred feet over the ship and the sprawling town underneath it.

“She, I am blind. I see shards and souls. I just wanted to get away from the scary woman.” Ash screamed over the wind.

“Well, now you are. And I need my wingman. So, talk to me Goose.”

“Did you just quote Top Gear?”

“Top Gun.”

“Whatever.”

“It is one of the best movies ever made.”

“So is Titanic. I don’t see anyone quoting that.” Ash grumbled.

“Because people can’t.” Sheetal dismissed Ash complaints and pointed at the ship “Will shut up and tell me what you see?” Sheetal asked in an annoyed voice.

Ash looked down at the ship and flinched “Oh man. That is awful.”

“What?” Sheetal asked and received an image of the ship in her head taken through Ash’s eyes.

“The ship. It is made of clusters of conflicting shards and bad glyph work. It’s like a lego block of different colours.” Ash stated in a disgusted voice and asked “What do you see?”

“It is stunning.” Sheetal said in an awe filled voice.

Sheetal didn’t know how else to put it. She didn’t know why when she had heard of flying ship, her mind had gone to the Star Destroyer for Star Wars. The Asambhav was nothing like that. It was not made from metal but white marble. With streaks of glittering pathways that created glistening channels equidistance from each other. And its shape was the most impressive thing about it. It was a pyramid. Not the smooth Egyptian kind but in the shape of the ancient South Indian temples she had visited. However unlike those structures which had elaborate carvings on every step, it had weapons pointed outwards.

Sheetal finally replied “Ash, it’s a temple. A flying temple.”

“Yeah. It’s okay but that…” Ash pointed at the spire “That is beautiful.”

Sheetal looked at the spire floating over the sink hole. It was impressive but nothing compared to the ship. It was tower. Worn, brown, and needed a paint job/

“Take us closer, She.”

Sheetal sighed and moved the towards the spire. It required her dodging a few flying chariots but once she lowered her altitude, she did not need to worry about them anymore. It almost felt nice. Flying, watching the city underneath, and using her hud to look at the image Ash had sent to her.

That was until Ash, threw out his hands and yelled “I am flying Jack. I am flying.”

Sheetal looked at Ash blankly.

“See you can quote Titanic.”

“I know. But why would you want to?”

“It won Oscars.”

“I know.” Sheetal stressed.

“It had a hot guy.”

“More cute than hot.” Sheetal muttered.

“Not the good guy who was the bad guy. The bad guy who was the good guy. The guy who was looking for the Aussie girl even after she cheated on him.”

Sheetal began to chuckle.

“Also, Goose was a RIO. A radio intercept officer. Not a wingman.”

“Got you.” Sheetal grinned “You have watched Top Gun.”

“Of course. It had the song, playing with the boys. How could I not watch that?”

“Then why do you hate it?”

“Because… Because…” Ash sighed “Val Kilmer had a better body than me.”

Sheetal laughed “Well, he is old and dead now and you look like girl.”

“No, I look… What the…” Ash moved in front of Sheetal and brought his tonfas up.

Clank.

Ash stuck out at an invisible foe. Sheetal watched his tonfas bounce back and then she was stuck.

Ash felt himself slowing and shot a stream of potentiality into his speed shard. In response their attacker responded by using one of his shards.

Click.

Ash knew that shard. He had one of his own. A time shard. And is soon as he heard it activating he knew that he was done. He didn’t even resist when his face was engulfed in a large palm.

The hooded man sniffed Ash “Warder. You smell like cousins.”

“Kapaf. Let go.” Ash said from behind the palm.

“But then you will fall.” Kapasura sang with smile but moved his hand.

“What do you want?” Ash asked while looking at Sheetal.

Kapasura nodded at Sheetal. She looked like someone had paused her in the middle of her raising her hands. “Look at that. Look at that fierce look. And she has changed too. That’s good. That’s good.”

Ash watched Kapasura. With his strands he could pick up things he couldn’t before. And with the asura so close and he saw the anger raging inside the soul get replaced with a hint of lust and lot of curiosity when he looked at Sheetal. Once again he thanked the whoever had given them the link, because Sheetal could not only follow this conversation but what he was seeing.

Ash snarled while dangling from Kapas’s hands “I thought you wanted to talk, have a drink.”

Kapas snorted “But you didn’t get any snacks.”

“They are on my ship.” Ash snapped back.

Kapas chuckled “I am sorry, but I guess you will have to do something for me before we have that drink.”

Ash clenched his teeth “And why would I do that?”

“Warder, I am not a wild Asura? I wasn’t mindless animal born from anathemic mutation. I am not a mass murdering maniac.”

Kapasura used his other hands to free Ash’s face and holding by torso brought him close to his face “Look at me warder. Do I look animalistic to you?”

Ash sighed and lowered his head. His hair fell over his face and his braids hid his blinded eyes “No you don’t. Except for that underbite. But that is cosmetic isn’t it?”

“It…is.” Kapasura said while touching the teeth protruding out over his lips “Good. Then you should understand that I am a moderate trying to avoid a war. I came here to stop the ones who are fighting you and yours and I was shunned. Is that anyway to treat a diplomat.”

Ash raised a finger “Hold on buddy. First of all, you are not a diplomat. You are a bloody politician. I don’t know what you exactly are, but you are important. That is why you had so many people all around you. Secondly, I think that has something to do with that underbite you are not pleased with. Third, you haven’t answered what do you want from me?”

Kapasura looked at Ash for a long moment “I need those wild raks and the asura leading them to be stopped. And if they don’t allow me or mine to go in, I can’t do that.”

“Why? No, not why they won’t allow a buff, six armed man with sharp weapons pretending to be a diplomat in. But why do you want to stop the other raks?”

“Politics.”

Ash stopped and groaned “So, that what this is? A clandestine chat while we pretend to fight?”

Kapasura hesitated “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you just say so man. Hold on. Let me get comfortable.” Ash shimmied in Kapasura hands until he was relaxed.

Kapasura “I didn’t expect you to act like this.”

“Okay, where are these monsters and the quickest way to get to them?”

“In the spire there is dark blue portal with a whirlpool. Some royals were fighting anathematic creatures in there when the wild asura stormed in. You need to stop them before they can drain the worm.” Kapasura explained and added “If they do, their leader, will be unstoppable.”

“That fire. What do these asura look like?”

“Like rhinoceroses.”

“They look like rhinos?”

“They are rhinos who gave gained sentience because of anathema. They are half mad xenophobes who don’t like the slow blooded.” Kapas explained.

“Don’t know what that mean but okay. So all I have to do his go through the portal and find the rhinos.” Ash nodded.

“Kill the rhinos.” Kapas corrected.

“Do I look like an idiot to you? I am going to go in there to look at the situation. And once I know what the other side looks like I will bring in the continuum soldiers best suited for the terrain with the weapons that will be most effective.” Ash folded his hands and looked at the ship.

Kaps nodded “Sensible.” He looked at Sheetal again.

What was he planning? Ash didn’t him looking at Sheetal. Before the asura could even think about using Sheetal as an insurance policy, Ash cleared his throat.

“Oye. Aren’t you going to tell me the fastest way to get in there.”

Kapasura blinked “You need to go the spire. And walk to the portal there.”

“Walk?” Ash asked in disgust.

Kapasura snorted dismissively “If you are in a hurry. I can throw you in it.”

“From here?” Ash asked in disbelief.

“Yes.” Kapasura answered and saw a glint of a smile on Ash’s face and added “With my time shard active I can exert a lot of force using my other shards.”

“Yeah, but how is your aim?”

Kapasura blinked “You can’t be serious, warder.”

Ash grinned “Do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Look I am bored, and you need to keep your cover. This way, I get to get away from the boring paperwork and you get say you threw me to the wolves and escaped right afterwards.”

“Escape from what?”

Ash pointed at the continuum transport aircraft moving towards them “That has our arbiters in them. One is a decent swordsman but the other one is a class two soul mage.”

Kapasura stiffened and then asked “Then are you ready warder?”

Ash took in a breath to answer but before he could respond he was flying “People really need to stop flinging me here and there.”

“AAASSSSHHHHH!” Sheetal screamed from behind.

Ash saw the spire get wider and wider in front of him and shot a burst of potentiality into the glyphs he had drawn of his skin. The roar of the wind was cut off and he muttered “Is she flying after me? What is wrong with her?”

“ASH!” Sheetal screamed again

“She, get to Aaya in the transport.” Ash sent mentally.

And then there was something like a pool of churning water in front of him. Ash cringed and activate all of his glyphs “Oh, this is going to hurt.”

Splash!

Sheetal saw a blur shoot away from her. She didn’t care about the rak. She needed to get to Ash. Sheetal flared up her shards and shot towards Ash. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t catch up. The monster had thrown Ash so hard that he was a blur shooting away from her. Sheetal saw her brother, fly into the spire through a large arched window and splash into a portal. He disappeared.

Even at the last moment he was thinking about ways to keep her safe. Sheetal screamed out in rage the world around her shook with the gravity of the matter contained in her soul. She used the anger, that was turning into a raging storm to shoot towards the portal to follow Ash. A man skidded to a stop in front of the window to the portal. He looked from it to the outside. His eyes settled on Sheetal’s flying form heading towards her. In a smooth motion he drew his sword out and pointed it at Sheetal “Stop!”

“Flip off skirts.” Sheetal fired back.

The man’s jaw set and flared his shards “Stop or I will cut you down.”

Name – Jaxx Maximillius

Type – Warder (Fifth Generation)

Rank - Shiang

Class - One

Allegiances – Roma. Silver City. City of Belladonnas.

Sheetal jolted to a stop just outside the spire. She was momentarily thrown off after seeing another warder. Then she shook her head and shouted, “Get out of my way, gladiator.”

“I am not a gladiator. I am Jaxx Maximillius. Warder Shiang under Kel Maarut Randrus. A son of Roma and the sword of the light.”

“Good for you. Now flip off!”

Jaxx’s sword took on steely glow “Very well. Remember, you asked for this mortal.”

Jaxx brought down his sword. And beam of force fell upon Sheetal.