Chương 302: Direction

"Teacher?" Sprite asked, noting that her master had frozen mid-step in her slow kata that she practiced with both her axes, wielded and animated. Now though, Dragonfly instead stood frozen with an expression where excitement and concern were waging a war for dominance, neither one truly winning out.

"It's a portal. But not Grain. And if it is for Kite, it's early…" Dragonfly muttered.

"And I haven't felt anyone come out yet…" Then she was off, the bronze-ranked Sprite in her wake but unable to keep up. While there were distinct perks to having a mind at the higher end of silver, the speed of her thoughts was currently working against Dragonfly as her mind cycled through all the possible reasons for a portal to appear but for nobody to emerge. Was it a mistake? Some kind of delivery? Or worse, had something happened? To Kite? A message? That he was delayed? Or trapped? Or injured?

Or perhaps it was just his corpse in a casket– Just as her mind had started to thoroughly spiral, Dragonfly reached the gates of the compound and flung them open. Outside she saw a portal that was starting to disappear, but that barely registered to her anymore. Because while her aura senses had trouble picking anything up, her eyes told her - in no uncertain terms - that Kite had returned.

A moment later, Dragonfly crashed into him with all her might, uncaring if she would finally manage to break through that annoying power of her husband's and have the two of them plow a deep furrow in the road, such was the might of her combined relief and annoyance as she hugged him fiercely.

"You foolish husband of mine! Why were you sneaking home like that? I was beginning to really worry–" It was only then that Dragonfly realized that the two of them hadn't moved an inch after the impact of her siege-breaking hug - and she had really given it her all this time - but Kite wasn't complaining the slightest about how she should be crushing him just the tiniest of bits. Instead his arms felt firm and strong even beneath her best efforts, solid in a way beyond what they should…

"Now wait a moment!" she exclaimed, quickly leaning back to get a good, long look at her husband's face; that perfect look mixing handsome and cute, especially when he got all earnest, and those lines of his jaw… Had not been that defined when she last saw him. And his eyes, gold and blue now mixing with an intensity that seemed just shy of radiating their own light…

"I am back, my ardent Dragonfly," Kite replied with a smile as he wrapped her in his arms with a gentle care, as if he did not completely trust his own strength.

"I meant to surprise you, but I can feel your lingering worry. My apologies." Dragonfly was still stunned as the realization of what this all meant properly dawned on her, but Kite's aura carefully, gently touching hers left no room for further confusion. It was her husband alright, but his spirit was so much more; as if that solid fortress and blessed haven now had hidden depths that could hide the whole world behind its walls. A radiant, gilded bastion.

"Gold! You did it! Sprite, he did it!" Dragonfly all but shouted with joy as she hugged Kite again, this time not holding back in the slightest. He could take all that and more now, after all.

"Oh, wonderful husband of mine! I'm so happy! And so proud of you!" She leaned back to take another look before squealing with delight and hugging him a third time. By now, Sprite had caught up, and she too was unable to help herself stopping and gawking a bit.

"It is good to see you too, Sprite," Kite laughed, sweeping Dragonfly up into a princess carry.

"You too are showing great progress!"

"I- uh… Thank you, Senior Bro… ther…" Sprite managed, the young woman slightly stunned from what aura Kite had let slip, causing him to retract it more properly again and allowing her to breathe easy again.

"She has kept working hard, as have we all," Dragonfly chimed in from her comfortable husband-turned-palanquin.

"Now that she's all grown up and out on her own contracts with the guild, I have gotten plenty of work in myself. Will and Laevyeth too and– oh! That's right! You have great timing, Kite. They should be arriving any day now! We did get the missive you sent Walker, and thought it best to keep close so that we could start gathering the people once you returned. It will still take a bit of time though, as we thought we would have a few more weeks."

"That is no trouble, Dragonfly. Trust me, I have missed you all even more terribly than usual, and would be glad to actually get some time to truly rest and center myself. All of these leaves have been wonderful, but now that I actually did it… It's hard to describe the relief." Kite meant it too. The pressure he had felt had been very real during these last few years, and he had worried plenty of times that it itself might be enough to hamper his progress.

But now those worries had scattered like leaves before the gale. The future would certainly hold danger, and plenty of it, but never before had Kite found himself so ready to meet it. As they started returning into the compound, it turned out that his tiny leak of aura had not gone unnoticed by the rest of his family either, as both of his aunties and little Raven were making their way over too.

And while Kite still felt like he had a few things that needed doing before he truly embraced the relief and time of rest, he let those linger at the back of his mind for just a little bit longer, as he had a homecoming to enjoy.

"Oh Crow, can you believe it? I can't. Oh, well I can as I have seen him, but… our little Kite. A gold-ranker! Gold, Crow."

"I am quite aware, dear. I did speak with him as much as you did yesterday."

"Oh hush you. Just let me be amazed for a while longer would you? Besides, we didn't get that much time before Dragonfly dragged him off. Greedy woman, wanting to monopolize his time like that."

"Now if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black. I do remember a certain wife of mine and how she behaved when I had been gone for a month or two."

"Crow! That was… different."

"Oh really? Because I remember that you didn't even wait until we reached the bed chamber before–" It was at that moment that Kite chose to decidedly withdraw his senses, a flash of guilt passing through him for listening in to his aunties' conversation from where he was currently sitting and meditating in one of the gardens while the sun was still rising in the far distance. While last night had been… tiring…

enough for Dragonfly to still be fast asleep, Kite had found himself neither tired nor needing that much rest anymore. This had led to him meditating in the gardens, and to the realization that his senses were now strong enough to bypass Auntie Crow's privacy formations to some extent.

"Reining in my senses to give my family a semblance of privacy will be a balancing act," he murmured to Glint at his side, who was seated atop a conjured ball of shimmering water in her draconian form while reading a book.

"This will indeed require some getting used to, my bond," the familiar agreed.

"Getting too good of a read on one's suitors might even remove some of the fun in it. And I will have to carefully consider my criteria in the future too, as the dynamic will need to change given my increased power and splendor. They need to be worthy of this young mistress after all."

"Oh I can imagine," Kite said, pitying the poor draconian families of the capital, should they be able to return at their leisure. Given that Glint now looked even more resplendent and celestial, with shimmering scales that seemed out of this world, the already daunting challenge of her suitors had just grown from climbing a mountain to reaching the stars.

"But speaking of changes, we haven't truly gotten a chance to speak about you since our ascent. The changes to my powers came gradually, after all, as they each reached gold rank, while yours changed all at once. For example, I cannot help but notice that your waters seem different now," he finished, nodding towards the sphere upon which his familiar sat. That water was indeed shimmering, and not merely from reflecting the growing light of dawn.

Added to this was a silvery, crystal-like sheen that seemed to permeate the liquid, and based on looks alone Kite noticed a distinct likeness to Glint's antlers.

"That, my bond, is something which this young mistress is still trying to figure out herself," Glint replied calmly.

"My instincts are still making themselves known gradually, and with those comes understanding. Had I not consumed the fruit and transcended my previous form, I assume that my control over water would simply have become larger in scope and capable of more complex feats. Now though, I instead find a distinct sense of connection permeating it; that of bonds and balance. Karma, as I believe you called the concept that suffused many of my newer powers during silver rank."

"This is perhaps something we should speak to Verdant Evergreen about then, as she has spent a lot more time around innately magical beings such as yourself. She might help us make a bit more sense of it, though I do not doubt that you will be up to the task. I look forward to seeing what flowing karmic waters you can unleash upon our foes," Kite replied before another thought struck him.

One mental command later, the shifting mass of symbols that was Sage manifested from having been subsumed into Kite's body after having taken some damage during the last fight with the verdant cultists." Ascension Urgent Yes?"

"It is indeed time, Sage," Kite agreed, gesturing placatingly even though he was unsure if the familiar had yet to grasp body language, given its alien nature.

"Thanks to the payment from the last contract, I could procure the final reagents for the ritual." The last statement did sting a bit as Kite lamented his once again rather empty personal funds. Over the years he had already started making extensive preparations for the time when he hopefully would reach gold rank, and found out that the leap in power was also accompanied by a similar leap in prices.

Had Peony known how many pieces of equipment from his looting power Kite had been forced to sell off instead of bringing back home, he was afraid that the crafter might curse him and his nine generations. What Peony did not know would not hurt her though - and neither would it Kite's spiritual well-being - and thus Kite now sat on an impressive stockpile of magical materials that would all be used to summon Sage's gold-ranked vessel as well as upgrade his four growth items.

Never would he complain about the prizes he had received from the Jade-Sky Gates, but it did prove that having growth items was quite the costly affair. One that it was now time to start putting to use. After clearing a space atop a nearby stone patio, Kite started drawing out the ritual circle that was firmly imprinted in his mind after his Astral Gatherer power's ascent.

This proved to take quite some time too, as the circle just kept growing and growing, and when Kite finally finished he had picked up an audience in the form of all of his family members who had had ample time to finish their morning routines before joining him.

"Having only seen a few examples of gold rank ritual circles in books and scrolls before, I must admit that seeing one in person really drives home the increased complexity. Fascinating," Auntie Crow noted from where she had been circling Kite's work while taking exquisite care not to disturb any of the lines.

"Just the precision alone required to make this as well as keep the full scope of it in mind… Not something which I would like to attempt any time soon with my current capabilities."

"Had it not been for the knowledge provided me through my essence, neither would I," Kite admitted once he felt that his work was complete.

"I can only imagine the genius of those able to come up with rituals like this or modify them on the fly. Combat ritualists truly are a different breed."

After triple checking his diagram, Kite then took his time to place stacks of gold spirit coins - one of the reasons for the exorbitant cost - as well as gold-ranked void and gathering quintessence and other more exotic materials which he would probably have been unable to procure had not his contracts with Gauntlet taken him close to a few of the true metropolises of the world. But seeing Sage emoting such eagerness where it hovered, Kite thought it well-worth the expense.

He already had a bit of a guilty conscience in not letting the familiar roam freely that much during the last few years, given that he was almost constantly embroiled in one danger zone or another where an inquisitive familiar could not be allowed to go its own way.

That finishing touch was a set of formation plates which Kite placed around the circle that would not interact with the ritual itself but merely shield the surroundings from the powerful magical echoes that would otherwise no doubt ripple through most of the region. No need to induce local panic, after all.

"It is done. Sage, if you would take your place."" Eager Power Much To See""Oh, I can imagine," Kite said with a smile before proceeding with the ritual. As the lines started glowing, all of the materials were consumed and their potent power transferred inwards. Sage's current vessel seemed to melt into even more diffuse patterns that blended together in a confusing mix that forced little Raven to close her eyes and look away lest she risked a dizzy spell.

Kite, however, stared with rapt fascination as the changes seemed to occur in dimensions of which his new senses could only pick up the merest echo. And the mass expanded outwards again, new lines and symbols being added to those which had been there before, and as the light faded, Sage floated reborn in its midst. WWJS: Congratulations! Your power [Astral Gatherer] has reached Gold 0. [Astral Gatherer] has gained additional effects. - Astral Gatherer (Gathering) - Ritual (Familiar). Cost: Extreme stamina.

Extreme mana. Cooldown: None. Current rank: Gold 0 Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Effect - Iron: Summon an astral gatherer to become your familiar. The astral gatherer is an incorporeal creature without physical substance. While manifested, the astral gatherer accumulates small remnants of mana each time mana is spent in its vicinity, which is substantially increased if the skill in question drains or destroys mana.

The amount of remnants gathered will vary in accordance with the amount of mana spent or drained. When enough remnants have been gathered, it can unleash the stored power in one of the following ways: A destructive beam of energy, dealing resonating force damage or disruptive force damage. A burst of mana recovered for the summoner or a chosen ally within range When subsumed into the wearer's body, the astral gatherer becomes an incorporeal vortex resting beneath the summoner's sternum.

As long as it remains subsumed, the gatherer exudes a subtle pull on the ambient mana in an extreme radius. This may trigger magical manifestations that were already on the brink of manifesting. Effect - Bronze: Familiar can store additional energy, enough for another unleashing of stored power. Adds the following options when unleashing stored power: A potent, short lived boost to health regeneration Attempts to cleanse all hostile afflictions of the magical, curse, and poison categories from a target.

Effect - Silver: Familiar can store additional energy, enough for a third unleashing of stored power. Add the following options when unleashing stored power: A stream of transcendent damage. Consumes three charges. Effect - Gold: Familiar can store additional energy, enough for a fourth unleashing of stored power, as well as the ability to actively siphon more remnant mana from nearby active magical effects. This is especially efficient when absorbing broken or shattered magical constructs.

The familiar also gains the ability to anchor itself in place to greatly increase the scope and effect of each charge spent as well as the efficiency with which it pulls in remnant mana or absorbs mana from active magical effects. This persists for as long as the Astral Gatherer remains anchored. The broad Strokes of the familiar's form remained as it was still a floating mass of symbols that seemed to be made from small holes in reality.

There were a lot more of them occupying the same space though, and their complexities and shifting patterns had increased manifold. As had apparently the concepts which they could emote."

The World So Clear Folds Dimensions Concept Leaves Life Transference Balance–" While emitting the steady stream of not-words that everyone present could somehow still understand, Sage had started slowly floating towards one of the nearby bushes in Dove's garden, seeming to hone in on a single leaf with great fascination as it kept listing of an increasingly abstract series of words and concepts which it seemed to glean from that small part of the plant, all the while emitting a faint aura of utmost enjoyment.

As it continued its studies, the normally circular mass of symbols also started reconfiguring themselves to a more leaf-like shape even though Kite got the impression that it was a subconscious change.

"That… seems to have gone well," he eventually remarked after observing the familiar for a while in silence, with Raven the only one who had skipped up to join Sage in its close inspection.

"Alas, with four of my artifacts to go, I suspect that I will be here for some time. This mountain of materials in my bags will not spend itself." As he passed through the aperture into the astral space, Kite was once more forced to fight the impulse to take a deep breath. After all, it was not something in the air that caused him to suddenly feel as if his whole body had received a draught of clean water, but the mana that suffused the whole space of the separate little dimensional bubble.

"You are doing that thing again, dear husband," Dragonfly remarked from his side while gently nudging him with a teasing smile.

"If this place is so much better than the outside, we might as well start building another house in here. Because I do want you to feel comfortable."

"Honestly, if our resident dryad here does not mind, I believe that might be wise," Kite admitted.

"While it is sustainable outside without further intervention, I honestly had not grasped the extent to which I would notice the mana density. I thought that the elders of the heartlands were exaggerating when they called the north mana-sparse, but I find myself corrected."

"At least it is more doable than moving the entire family compound. We can count our fortunes again that the mana levels in here started rising after the tree sprouted," his wife replied as they strolled in among the lush forests of the astral space.

"And Verdant Evergreen has certainly not been idle. I thought she was done when the whole space was covered, but each time I enter we have new and more spectacular trees and bushes popping up."

"It is thanks to my sisters and Dove," came Verdant Evergreen's answer as the dryad suddenly emerged from a nearby tree.

"They send me seeds. I add them to our domain."

"Greetings, honored dryad," Kite said, giving the plant creature a small bow.

"I take your presence to mean that you have completed the projects you were engrossed in yesterday when I stopped by? And from your appearance and aura, I dare to make the assumption that your intended merge with the grand tree was successful?"

"It was a critical time yesterday, but the seed I had been cultivating managed to sprout. Nurturing the rest is easier. As for me, nature means growth which means change," the dryad replied, not seeming to put that much stock into her changed form, a sentiment Kite suspected would not be shared by most other observers. Like him, Verdant Evergreen was now a gold-ranked being, but where her tall and slender form had previously looked quite harsh and prickly, there have now been drastic changes.

The dryad was now even taller and had not moved in the direction of Despina the Bloom Shepherd - her sister who Kite had met during his first trip to Vitesse, a being who looked much more human-like - but rather had become more alien to his sensibilities.

Now standing over three meters tall, the pale and rough bark of the dryad's skin had darkened and was now partially covered with segments of the purple glass-like resin like the grand tree, and where she had previously possessed something akin to hair in the form of green, prickly pine leaves there was now instead an impressive mass of thin branches and vibrant azure leaves; some of them prickly while others were wide and fluttering in the breeze.

"Your exterior may be similar, but I can feel your spirit and life force," Verdant Evergreen continued.

"It is good that you have found power. Together, we can defend the tree."

"I did want to come and ask how you were doing, and I'm glad things progressed smoothly," Kite replied honestly.

"I also assume that you heard us speaking about building some kind of abode here?"

"I did. You will not need to."

"I… see? Because as you might have felt, the mana levels outside are bearable, but not comfortable…"

"This is true. You need not build anything here. The trees shall provide. I shall shape them as you wish." As if to prove her point, Kite could feel Verdant Evergreen's mana suddenly shift, and that was when he realized that it was all around them. The trees, the soil, the bushes; where there was growing life, so was there the dryad.

On her command, a few nearby bushes started glowing and shifting, weaving together to form seats which looked a lot like the garden chairs of Kite's compound, but wrought from still living plants.

"Nature is adaptable. Provide me your vision, and it shall be done in a way that still upholds the balance." Sharing a look with his wife, Kite couldn't help but smile. Having Verdant Evergreen with them was definitely an opportunity turned to fortune.

"Kite, my friend! My Lady could sense your accomplishment as soon as we entered the compound! You soon shall have the very heavens within your grasp!"

"Greetings Will, Laevyeth!" Kite called in return as the spearman and his outworlder companion came within sight among the houses of his compound from where he was meditating in one of the gardens.

"And greetings to you as well, Dreaming Sky Minnow. It seems that you are being kept hard at work in ferrying these two across the kingdom."

"I go where the Vanguard does," the prim and proper pilot replied with her usual professionalism, seeming to have picked up a thing or two from her distant uncle Grim Snowfall.

"The chance to serve and grow with the Lord and Lady is all the satisfaction I require. I too share in their congratulations. Master Pathbreaker is the first gold-ranker I have had the pleasure to personally interact with."

While she had ascended from iron to the higher ends of bronze rank in the years since Kite had met her, Minnow could not possibly hope to hide the satisfaction and thrill that surged through her aura as she spoke of the skyship from Kite's senses, and it proved the maid's words to be most genuine. But as was her place, Minnow then left for her Master and Mistress to take the center stage, stepping back and literally hovering inconspicuously nearby should they have further need of her.

"Thou must indeed have many stories to tell, Kite," Laevyeth said as the pair drew close, hand in hand as always.

"My Lord and I have had our fair share as well. Perhaps an exchange would be in order?" A good hour later they still remained seated in one of the most scenic of Auntie Dove's gardens, enjoying the scenery as Will was just finishing up one of their stories.

"-and just as we believed that we had cornered the last of the Quadriad's leaders in their mountain hideout, the true shadow lord of the organization revealed himself. A peak silver who was probably on the very cusp of gold, the battle was suddenly rejoined with even greater ferocity. Had it not been for my Lady's wonderful blooming flowers and their potent replenishment and one other more decisive factor, we might have been forced to make our escape."

"Oh? And what was the other?" Kite asked, not hesitating to bite the proverbial hook.

"You see, the Quadriad's shadow lord proved to be a fierce fighter," Will continued with obvious satisfaction.

"But when he turned his weapon to us, our victory proved assured as it turned out to be a spear. And nowhere, from the earth to the very heavens, was there ever a spear able to outshine my Lady Laevyeth. When the shadow lord realized this, it was already too late.

At least he had the fortune to be struck down surrounded by perfection, even the mere sliver that my still mortal hands can produce while wielding the pinnacle form of my Lady," Will finished, engrossed and utterly entranced by his own telling to the degree that it took him a second to register the flash of sadness that washed across Laevyeth's features at the end of his story.

Kite noted it too, of course, but was able to keep a lid on his curiosity as it seemed like some more serious matter hid beneath the surface here, one which he might soon get to know more.

"Ah, my Lady," Will said as his voice turned gentle.

"How many times have I said to you that you need not fret?"

"I know, my Lord, yet the sadness remains. And I believe that thou shouldst tell Kite about it too, now that you have the opportunity after all these years." Her words did cause a somber pall to fall over Kite's friend as Will rose from his seat before bowing deeply to Kite in a way one only did when conveying one's utmost regrets.

"As my Lady indicates, Kite, there is indeed something you will need to know. I… do not see any chance of my Lady and I reaching gold rank in time for the chosen time which the Lady Knowledge set for us. You have striven valiantly and managed, yet I cannot close my eyes to the harsh truths of reality."

"Please, Will, there is no need for that kind of apology," Kite quickly said while his now much more powerful aura fell over the pair, confirming what Will said; they were both stronger than when Kite had last met them, but it was not an equal growth. Of the two, Laevyeth showed great progression, having caught up to her wielder who had in turn only advanced slightly; a glacial speed that was odd for even one past the infamous wall of silver rank, given how much the pair seemed to have been pushing themselves.

"Kite is right, my Lord," Laevyeth agreed even as sadness kept creeping into her voice.

"There is no need for thee to apologize, as the fault lies with me."

"Nonsense, my Lady! You are not the–""If you would please explain the matter a little further," Kite said as he interrupted his friend with a slight push of his aura, a bit startled at how easy it was.

"You both seemed to be getting quite emotional in a way that I suspect will not be helpful." Recovering quickly, Will eventually nodded, taking a moment to steady himself as he continued more calmly.

"After you left to continue the push, my Lady and I started noticing an irregularity in our growth. She grew while I did not, or at least I did so at a much reduced speed. I had previously chalked this up to me having started to push past the wall while she - a fresh silver at her arrival in this world - did not face the same resistance.

And the more we meditated and explored the matter, the more we realized that it was indeed the case; that our paths towards the heavens had truly become interlinked to the level that mine was unwilling and unable to strive forwards properly while she was still catching up."

"Which is what has been keeping my Lord back," Laevyeth interjected, albeit a lot more calmly than before.

"I have seen his heart, Kite. I do so every time we touch. He should have had little trouble progressing towards gold, at least from what thou hast told us of the experience. If it were not for me and my nature, one that was unknown to the both of us…"

"And as I have told my Lady on many occasions, this would not have changed my heart on this matter," Will protested.

"You know this too, my Lady, as you have seen my heart. What is my path if not with you in my hands, your gentle touch guiding my heavenly shaft towards the transcendent beyonds?"

"I know, my Lord. Yet…" The pair fell silent, and Kite could feel their conflicted emotions probably as well as they could one another's; Will's dedication and disappointment in not having come as far as he would have liked, as well as Laevyeth's gratitude and fierce protectiveness towards her wielder that was yet colored by guilt. It was not something a few words would solve, and it was not Kite's knot to untangle for them even if he could.

But he could perhaps at least give them something else that could help carry them forward.

"Then let me return to the subject of your apology, Will," Kite said, nudging them both again with his aura to make sure that he had their complete attention.

"Now I understand a bit more of your situation, but I do want to point out a single and rather important thing to consider; why would you and Laevyeth not reaching gold mean that you had let me down? Or failed our cause? We do not yet know what exactly the future has in store for us, but we do know that we mean to carry this fight to Discord and their allies, tearing down their ambitions for this kingdom.

This will no doubt be centered around the capital, where only the gods know what kind of trouble will show its dark face to threaten both us and the people living there; people they merely view as fuel for their ambitions. We need golds to counter theirs, true, but this cause of ours will need more. The people of the capital will need more. Someone to protect them from that darkness. And I know of few others than the two of you who can cast away falsehood and pierce the hearts of shadows.

Will the two of you please help me with this task, even though the danger will probably be great? Will you help me take on the unknown while going up against a foe who has worked towards their goals for decades?" As he spoke, his gold-ranked mind making finding the words a lot easier than it had previously been, Kite also let some more of his aura leak out every moment. Not enough to leak through the arrays of the compound, but he suspected that every essence-user present could not miss it.

And especially not Will and Laevyeth, as Kite let his words flow freely while leaning a little bit extra into the kind of words that he hoped would move Will's heart and provide a kind of direction; a vision for his role in what was to come. And as it turned out, Kite knew his friend quite well after all these years. Because even if Will had grown and evolved, his shining core of almost ridiculous dedication glowed as brightly as ever.

The pair only glanced at one another before Laevyeth shifted into her spear form, with Will even going as far as kneeling before Kite with the spear raised in a salute before him.

"Of course, Kite. My friend. Where darkness gathers, the people shall know the battlecry of the next Saint of Spears. Even as you fight close to the heavens, let the earth know that there is light remaining in your shadow to protect those who cannot fend for themselves and strike at the heart of evil while you cut off its head. Together, we shall pierce iniquity, isn't that so my Lady?"

Will seemed entirely swept up in the moment as he made his declaration, a lone tear even falling from the corner of one eye as Laevyeth gave off a blue pulse in clear assent. Feeling that the moment required it, Kite let Immutable Echo appear in one hand before crossing the staff with the spear of his friend, its head now having had a ring of gold joining the silver, bronze and iron from before. All four gave off a gentle chime as the two weapons touched, like bells sealing their agreement to one another.

"Then it is time for us to start heading towards Convergence and the meeting which Director Temren has called. We should have somewhere between one and two years left, so let us decide together on how to best use it."