Published at 24th of February 2024 11:46 am

Chapter 2.75 Goodbyes Aren't Forever

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Even though Nox hadn’t consumed any Spirit Caller’s Tea since the night before Kris died, he found himself in the dreamscape again. It felt as vivid as the spirit walking under Pudge's guidance. An early winter breeze left Nox shivering. His arm hair stood on its end, and he needed a conscious effort to suppress teeth chattering. Yellow, orange, and brown leaves covered the ground, and the range of colors in Ygg’s canopy made the world tree's spirit realm counterpart appear ablaze.

A light mist hampered Nox's vision, limiting his range and adding a usual blurriness to the world. Bright shades of pink, blue, and yellow danced in the periphery. They moved with Nox, ensuring he never saw them directly and only out of the corner of his eyes. Nox heard whispers and distant babbles, too. Most of the voices had the pitch of children and young women. Some carried tones of joy and excitement. The others sounded amused. A familiar giggle rose from among them.

After over eight months of companionship, Nox still knew nothing about how Otis moved the way he did. Spirits, beasts, and humans all had different kinds of magic. Ancient mages studied organisms born with innate magic to fashion the first spells. Nox wondered whether gremlins were among such creatures.

At first, Nox hypothesized that Otis Shaped and Manipulated air subconsciously, creating platforms for jumping off or creating currents and riding them. But now, as he watched the spirit emerge from the fog, he wondered whether the gremlin instinctively used spatial magic just as Lillin did when they first met.

Nox had run minor tests with Temporal Sphere. The new manameter naming the spell meant someone else had created it before him, or it was an incredibly advanced device capable of reading elements of a spell and guessing its purpose. He lacked the means to determine which it was, but the title left him curious.

The base spell created an almost tangible barrier along the border of his mana zone and gave Nox the power to accelerate or decelerate time significantly within its bounds. If Otis had innate spatial magic, he probably also had the ability to push the tangibility of space within his arcane range. Nox imagined the gremlin conjuring invisible surfaces for bouncing, sliding, and zipping around. As Nox thought about it, his hypothesis felt more plausible. Otis’ Danger Sense was more likely an acute spatial awareness entangled with minor empathic abilities. After all, he didn’t just detect possible threats but also excelled at finding escape routes, obstacles, and cover.

Gaining a planet and fusing with a fragment of Lillin further changed Otis’s spirit form. He barely resembled the fuzzball Nox first contracted. His body now resembled a fleshy, deformed egg with spindly arms, spidery fingers, and a smooth, glossy coat of black fur. At first glance, he appeared to have no orifices besides the trio containing bright grey-blue eyes. Then, whenever Otis laughed or smiled, he showed off his new rows of ugly, pointed teeth. The spirit realm body also had two smaller arms growing out of the front of his body a few inches below the primary set. He also had two columns of three obsidian spikes growing out of his back. Nox guessed his physical body would eventually change to match the new form.

“Lillin finally completed you, didn’t she, buddy? You’re far more than the gremlin I first befriended.”

“You’re not wrong,” Lillin said, making Nox jump. He hadn’t heard her approach. “His soul had no room for mimic abilities after the spatial magic, but he can be your new living dimensional storage.”

She hugged Nox. The act caught him off guard, but he welcomed the embrace. “Did you bring me here?” He asked.

Lillin nodded. “Don’t get used to it. Bi Xi wouldn’t have found you if not for your current vulnerability and mental state. I wanted to say goodbye and thought you might want to, as well.”

“Of course I did,” Nox said. “Nineteen years is a long time. A rushed farewell next to a catatonic fallen god felt insufficient after everything we’ve been through together.” He pulled away from Lillin and smiled. “You did good, though. I never thought the city council would go for your idea.”

“The Cabal manipulating a titan put the fear of a thousand gods in them,” she replied. “Even Dean Woodson appeared terrified.”

“Probably for good reason if the former Plaguebringer wiped out half her family. By the way, I own the Round Table now. It's in bad shape, but I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

“Did you have to give up the throne?”

Nox nodded. “I think Dean Woodson predicted my plan. She told me to hold on to it until it was a bargaining chip. Then she set me up the perfect situation for me to whip it out during the meeting. Half the council members were drooling over it, and I’d like to think I got a favorable trade.”

“You did. Sif's memories gave me a general idea of the throne’s abilities. You get a levitating chair, minor shielding, and a prolonged life, but it’s tainted with the Void. The user’s sanity won’t last long, and they’ll slowly poison the world and all life around them. I think the person on the throne loses the ability to feel things.”

“That would explain how Clementine kept going after I burnt most of her body, and the summons lasted for so many seconds after Kris did her thing.” Nox sighed. “Let’s just be honest. I wouldn’t have any interest in the relic even if it were any good.”

“Really?” Lillin asked, leaning against Ygg’s stem. Bi Xi appeared from among the giant roots, looking significantly healthier. “Even with Ratra’s Bow destroyed?”

“I don’t know if it's completely destroyed.” Nox sighed. “I, at least, hope not. But, yes. The property holds a lot more value in my eyes. Relics and tools only have a handful of uses.”

“While money solves most problems.” Lillin completed the Trade Empire’s favorite saying for him. “I’m glad you’re hopeful. Did I do an okay job with your new star?”

“I don’t know yet. It's stealing mana from the old star and all attached planets. I can’t use any spells except it, the new Summon Familiar, and my cantrips.” Nox sat down next to Lillin. “It's not a big deal, though. You tried your best, and we expected something of the sort would happen. It’ll take work and perhaps a couple of planets, but I’ll figure it out.”

“You always loved your puzzles.” Lillin sighed. “Let this be my gift to you, then. Another puzzle to solve.” She chuckled. “Maybe it's the break you need. Spend some time with Aria and grow your business. Perhaps Sundarshahar will be the last thing on your mind by the time you find a solution. Maybe you’ll be so smitten, and so weighed down by gold that revenge will be the last thing on your mind.”

“Unlikely,” Nox said.

“Well, you’re still a long way from being strong enough to challenge an archon. Your growth will only slow further without the contract. I estimate it’ll be several years before you figure out your new magic and gather enough strength for your quest. Perhaps I’ll be used to my role of dungeon lord by then and strong enough to ascend. I can’t make any promises, but maybe Terrastalia and I will have the power to help.”

“One last hurrah?” Nox laughed. “No. That’s not what you want. You’ve fulfilled the end of your contract. Don’t risk your dream and a titan for me.”

“Forget the contract,” Lillin said. “I want to help you because you’re my friend.”

“I don’t want you to help me because you’re my friend. My chances of success are abysmally low. I won’t have you rusk yourself and an entity as ancient and pure as BiXi for my sake. You’ve achieved your dream, Lillin. Now I want you to live it.”

“Then promise me you’ll think of a life that doesn’t involve suicidal revenge. Promise me that you’ll at least look for a route with greater chances of survival.”

“I promise,” Nox said. Even though he didn’t mean it, the words didn’t feel like a complete lie.

“Thank you.” Lillin took Nox’s hand and squeezed it. “For the record, your delving days aren’t over. I’ve given you an exceptionally potent tool. I didn’t see it until Bi Xi came along. There is a lot more to spatial magic than creating pocket dimensions and gravity manipulation.”

“Any advice or direction will help. I was considering dedicating a planet to Shaping and another to Manipulation—”

“Don’t bother with Shaping. It takes too much mana to do anything useful, and is a dead end. Focus on Manipulation, instead. It’ll pair well with the Haste and Slow spell.” Her eyes drifted to the gremlin bouncing around Bi Xi. “Learn from watching him. Otis does what he does mostly on instinct and with no conscious thought.”

“Go back to basics? Is that all you have for me? Give me more than that. Or tell me how a massive dragon turtle doesn’t crumble under his own weight or travel vast distances without forever changing the topography behind him.”

“You mean when he’s not portaling wherever he wants to go?” Lillin asked, flashing him a teasing smile. “He folds space, of course. Why take a thousand steps to cross a field when you can ignore the middle and cover it in a single bound?”

Nox grinned. “Now that sounds fun to figure out.”

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