Chương 339: Epilogue 13. Delivery completed

"Well, Daughter? Are you ready?"

"Mother, I was born ready!" Skyward Mantis, fifth in line of Kite's and Dragonfly's children, protested, bustling around the room with nervous energy.

"It's time! It's finally time! And for you too!"

"Heh. Yeah, it finally is," Dragonfly agreed, grinning in a way that was matched by her now eighteen year old daughter.

"And you are sure that you don't mind sharing the big day with mommy dearest?"

"Bah! Please!" Mantis said, rolling her eyes.

"Sure, you being about to reach gold rank is a big deal, but it's not my fault that you happened to return for that occasion the same day that the ritual proved that I was ready. And I'm not about to wait an extra day just because some old-timer like you is about to start glowing. Now that I'm finally ready!"

"Watch your words there, dear daughter," Dragonfly chuckled ominously.

"Because with my flames, I can catch and command the attention of any crowd, my beauty leaving them speechless."

"Meh. Perhaps Father. The rest is just cheating by rank. When I'm a gold like you, you'll pale like limestone next to marble," Mantis retorted with faux haughtiness, tossing her long dark hair as Dragonfly was reminded of how much their fifth child took after Kite in so many ways when it came to looks. But the temperament? Well… That was probably all her doing, which had definitely made itself known during early adolescence.

Perhaps it was for the best that Mantis wasn't an early bloomer when it came to essences, having to wait until she was eighteen while the four who had come before had all been ready at seventeen. But now the day was here, and it was time.

"Bold words, young lady," Dragonfly replied while gesturing towards the door for them to get going.

"It's almost a shame you know about the rank-up goo, otherwise I would have had half a mind not to warn you about it. But here we are. Time to embrace the fires." The pair soon emerged to what had felt like such a regular occurrence lately, with all their loved ones who were nearby or within easy portal range having arrived to the occasion. Given the impatience of the soon-to-be iron-ranker, there were slightly fewer than usual as there simply hadn't been time to inform everyone.

This still left her father, Aunties Wander, Dove and Crow, Uncle Braid - who was usually nearby as he had rarely left his ever-growing laboratory during the last two decades - and Big Sisters Cicada and Moth. The latter two still worked with the guild nearby, while both Wren and Heron were still out of the kingdom with their respective teachers. Uncle Grain and his wife Fawn were also present, responsible for portaling in what people they could locate in short order.

However, this time there were also loads of other young people frolicking around the compound, as Mantis had been rather clear that she wanted all of her friends from the orphanage to be present, unlike the often more private affairs with only the people closest to them in attendance most of her siblings had opted for.

Of all of her siblings, Mantis had always been the one who spent the most time there, playing and roaming the family lands with all the other children of various ages, most now present to cheer her on on her big day. Sure, her being one of the young mistresses of the Aviary had sometimes made things a bit complicated, but it hadn't been anything the right words, enough cheer, a few fights or - even better - plenty of semi-violent hugs hadn't been able to overcome.

As the two women - one young and the other still looking young - emerged, there were plenty of cheers for the mother and daughter, both about to undertake the next step of their paths. But the mingling and general pre-celebration was partially interrupted when those present with an aura sense suddenly detected a shift as yet another presence revealed itself. One hitherto unnoticed by everyone.

"Wha- Grandfather!" Mantis's loud cry left most normal-rankers looking around in confusion as Ardent Horizon Seeker seemed to appear in front of her seemingly out of nowhere as his potent aura started allowing their senses to actually take note of him. Many present started bowing and greeting the imposing man in his black and white robes, but Mantis did none of that as she instead flung herself bodily at the gold-ranker with all the force she could muster.

This didn't cause Ardent to flinch even the slightest, of course; given the number of essence-users around them, Kite's and Dragonfly's children had all been forced to learn how hard one could hug a person based on their rank rather than one's own enthusiasm.

"You came!" Mantis continued, looking up at Ardent, who in turn seemed to be beaming in his own way in that odd fashion of his. He was still the placid lake, the empty void, the serenity and focus of the nothingness beyond. And at the same time, his grandchildren could somehow always make it seem like those concepts shone like the sun with pride and joy in a paradoxical expression of concepts potent enough to trigger some kind of epiphany for those contemplating the mysteries of the world.

"I take great pride in not missing a single one of my grandchildren stepping onto their paths, Little Mantis. Thus, I am here. And here, for you," Ardent replied, reaching into one voluminous robe and retrieving an awakening stone looking like a small hole in the world.

"May my path and yours at least intersect in this tiny way. Because from what I've heard, they will otherwise be most different from one another."

"Aaaw, thanks Grandfather! I'm honored!" Mantis squealed in return, clutching the stone to her chest and only belatedly remembering to separate herself from Ardent and giving him at least another bow.

"And yes, you are absolutely right! I thought a lot about my essences, but in the end this was what I chose. I mean, I am a lot like my mother. And with this, my fires should be even more awesome than hers, and not by a little."

"I heard that!" Dragonfly called, causing laughs and chuckles to spread among those gathered now that it was clear that even this indomitable gold-ranker was there for pleasure, not business.

"She does have a point," Ardent said as Kite and Dragonfly joined them.

"Fire, adept and zeal, leading to the wrath confluence. It should be a path of passion and flames, allowing you to learn to walk a line that might be much narrower than your mother's. Take it from another with the adept essence; practice is what will make perfect. And as for the other gifts I have for you and your siblings… Those will have to wait until later," Ardent finished after noticing Kite cast a meaningful glance his way.

"That does indeed sound wise, Father," Kite smoothly interjected, much to Mantis' dismay, but those feelings were quickly forgotten as her father continued.

"I believe it is time, Mantis. And you too, dear. Your aura is brimming with such power that I'm surprised you haven't burst into a golden waterfall already."

"And there you have it. Your confluence," Kite began, but Mantis simply waved for her father to be quiet.

"Yes, yes, I know, Father. I've seen four siblings and a few of Mother's students go through this already." Having absorbed three of her essences made it somewhat hard to speak, as Mantis had never felt such a rush in her life. She was power incarnate, ready to be unleashed. And now, her fourth essence was hovering before her, smoldering with action and fury.

But instead of touching it right away - which required a momentous effort of will - Mantis instead looked past the floating cube to where her mother sat meditating, her mass of pink curls seeming almost weightless as she levitated a bit over the ground through the use of her aura. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sensing her daughter's unspoken question, Dragonfly opened one eye and nodded.

"Ready, daughter?"

"Heavens above, I sure am!" Then, as one, they both took the next step in their lives in unison. Golden light started spilling from Dragonfly, not a speck of silver remaining, while Mantis touched her confluence essence and thus became whole in truth as it merged with her soul. Fire, zeal, adept, wrath. She would be as unstoppable as her mother, the power in her rising to new heights as the gray light of an iron-ranker burst from Mantis, mingling with the radiance of Dragonfly.

The next few minutes might be unpleasant, at least from what all of her siblings had told, but after that Mantis knew, she just knew, the heavens would suddenly be within her grasp. And she would shoot upward, towards the skies and beyond as an unstoppable flame.

"Hey, Dragonfly! Sorry to wake you, but you have someone - or perhaps something? - waiting for you at the door to the compound~!"

"Wander, if you want me to believe for even a single second that you are actually sorry then you'd better wipe that grin from your smug rat face," Dragonfly retorted as she untangled herself from the sheets of her and Kite's bed and shot the lone rat a glare.

"Well, sorry-not-sorry then, I suppose," the rat confessed with a shrug before giving Dragonfly another once over.

"And just let me say again: Girl, gold rank treated you fiiiiiiine~!"

"Why, thank you. I know. And Kite does too!" Dragonfly agreed, even posing a little bit in front of the tiny rat, now joined by another three to properly give her an audience. Privacy had become… Weird… With a gold-ranked Wander mostly around for closing in on two decades, but Dragonfly had - as had most others - simply embraced this new way of life.

Perhaps it was just years of experience, perhaps it was the power afforded by silver and gold rank, but things such as shyness just didn't really seem to matter as much any more. Especially not for Dragonfly, The Flower Blooming In Flames, Avatar of the Life-giving Warmth.

"So, who is waiting for me?" Dragonfly asked as she quickly threw on some clothes and - after a brief look beneath - slid open a window atop their tall tower and simply dropped down.

"Well, I think you know," another of Wander's bodies said from nearby as she landed, smoothly continuing the conversation.

"Gold rank. Something you've been waiting for…~""What? Really? I only ascended just last night."

"Perhaps Gleam has had your request lying around for ages and just wants to finally get rid of it~?"

"From what I asked for, I would be surprised if it could even accrue any actual dust if left lying around."

"Well… Yes. Good point~." By now, the swiftness of gold rank had left the two standing before the gates to the compound, Dragonfly pushing them open to reveal a beetle-like construct that was rather familiar by now, even if it had been almost half a life since Dragonfly had last seen it herself.

"Aura signature… Not a match. Compensating for elevated rank. Match," the beetle construct echoed with a flat voice from within as Dragonfly could feel several pulses scanning and probing her still rather raw gold-ranked aura.

"You have a delivery from Resplendent Gleam of Imagination. Accept?"

"Of course," she said, anticipation building as the beetle then turned and opened the compartment hidden beneath its shell and wings that had been used to deliver most of the gifts - Will's and Laevyeth's airship not included - that the Elevenfold Unity had wished for in way of reward so many years ago.

"Oh shi–" was all that Wander's body on her shoulder managed to squeak before a wave of heat emanating from within had the rat scurrying down to hide behind Dragonfly's back.

"Detecting risk of collateral damage in the local flora. Please retrieve and bond with the item with expediency," the construct said, and Dragonfly quickly obeyed as she walked forward and grasped the glowing handle within the construct. A quick drop of blood and burst of mana sealed the deal, the instinctual knowledge of a bonded item flooding her as she heaved once to pull the axe free from where it had rested.

"I mean. I'm not surprised in the slightest. An axe. How imaginative~," Wander drolled where she peeked out from behind Dragonfly's head.

"Any way to lower that heat a bit? Because… It has a point. I think the forest is about to catch fire~." Fortunately, this was now possible to Dragonfly with but a mental command, and the glow of the greataxe in her hands diminished considerably along with the heat it had been radiating. This also let everyone present inspect the weapon even more thoroughly, Dragonfly almost bursting into tears. It was just so… Perfect.

WWJS: [Item] Incandescent Eternity, Conflagration of the Life-Spark Axe Gold rank - Legendary Soulbound The flame is life, and life is the inferno. As long as either remains, so does the other persist. [Effect] Exudes an aura of heat dealing low fire damage. May be suppressed at will. Prolonged exposure will inflict any creature or object with the [Burning] affliction. This also affects the wielder while active.

[Effect] Any hostile creature struck by this weapon is afflicted with [Incandescent Eternity], as is the wielder while in contact with the weapon. The wielder may suppress this affliction upon them at will. [Incandescent Eternity] (Affliction, curse, fire): The afflicted creature can receive more than one instance of the [Burning] affliction, and the burning affliction of the afflicted creature becomes more resistant to cleansing effects.

[Effect] Any damage suffered from the [Burning] affliction by the wielder is followed by a burst of healing proportional to the damage that would have been suffered before resistances. [Effect] If the wielder would be slain, this artifact will start to consume stacks of the [Burning] affliction from any nearby creature to keep them conscious for as long as there are afflictions to consume. This effect ignores the increased resistance of the [Incandescent Eternity] affliction.

Any healing or similar recovery during this time is greatly increased. The weapon itself was a marvel, with a haft of black obsidian topped with a double edged and absolutely massive head of smoldering red metal infused with intricate filigree of green crystal. It was clear that Gleam had dipped deep into her pool of available materials too, as the weapon was quite hefty to wield even for someone like Dragonfly at gold rank with Mighty Strength coming into play.

But that mattered less, as her strength would keep growing, and too light a weapon couldn't even bring her full power to bear.

"Delivery completed." Dragonfly barely noticed the departing construct, so enamored was she with her first gold-ranked axe. Perhaps the only one she would ever wield for the rest of her life, depending on how diamond rank worked out for her. And it would only be belatedly that she would notice a metal plaque left behind, Gleam apparently having considered that paper would not survive the trip along with the weapon. That plaque read as followed:" It was about time.

This might be one of my finest gold-ranked creations, and it would be a shame for it to go unused any longer. Thus, my karmic debt to you all is now balanced, my promises upheld. On behalf of the Queen of Jade and Sky, as well as myself, I wish you all the best as you continue your climb towards the heavens. – Resplendent Gleam of Imagination."