On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Act One Finale – Part 5 – The Tower

As the last adherence within Mary dissipated, I felt my strength grow again, amber letters flaring.

You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from one hundred and twenty-eight to one hundred and thirty. Your…

In addition to that, Foehn had Ranked up during the battle, which was unsurprising, considering it had been integrated with both Dawn and Dusk, and devoured such an adherence-rich light element.

Your Skill, Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze has advanced from Rank 6 to Rank 7, having devoured light blessed by powerful adherence. Your flames can burn adherence that does not exceed your strength, and Foehn can be integrated with complimentary elements more easily, further increasing destructive force and hunger. Class: [Imperious] Type: [Principle]

It's jumped two steps in the Type category, I guess that makes sense, considering the description… Fighting back my utter exhaustion and the agonising pain of the stump of my missing arm, ignoring the knowing look Shiro was giving me, I tossed the golden ring to Shaeula. “Here.”

She caught it gracefully, eyeing it, her glowing orbs barely able to scratch the surface of the powers it held, but knowing that it was strong. Her expression changed. “Are you sure? Would this not-not be better in your hands?”

Now that my hand was free, I ruffled her hair, smiling softly. “No, I think you should have it. It’s a ring that brings good fortune and magnifies what Fortune you have, so long as you believe in your own luck with unshakable strength.”

“I see-see.” Shaeula slid the ring onto her finger next to her engagement ring. “In that case, I shall surely-surely suit it. After all, there are none-none who believe in their Fortune more than I.” Her smile was suddenly impish, and relieved me after the tense situation we had just endured. “I do dare say Eri will be most-most jealous that you are giving me rings again.”

I had no answer to that, and Shiro agreed. “Yes, I confess to being a little envious myself. That ring looks like awesome loot if ever I’ve seen any… yeah, Tan thinks so too. She says the adherence within it is powerful and aspected to powerful Laws. It’d be on a par with any of the top treasures found on Earth, and would even be worth a second look up above.”

Sarah, who was kneeling by the silently weeping, broken body of Mary, looked up, her blue eyes hard. “That nae belongs tae ye. Stealing from a woman of faith is beneath ye.”

“Hardly. Haven’t you heard of spoils of war? Mary was going to steal my life, and worse, the lives of my friends and those I love. Your friends too, right?” I narrowed my eyes, and Sarah had no answer, lowering her head, only for David to whack her on the back hard.

“I always knew you were an idiot, redhead. It’s no different to putting your Championship Belt on the line. That bitch…” he looked down at the fallen Cardinal, who now looked so very small, her intimidating, mad air completely gone. “… she’s clearly crazy, but she put everything on the line for this. But when the fight is over, the Belt changes hands. That’s all there is to it.” He looked at me and nodded. “I definitely feel better about my loss to you now. No shame in going down to the best of the best. It just motivates me to get better. This fucking shit isn’t happening again.”

Looking around, Eleanor agreed. A handful of the Choir had survived, the barrier bubbles of Chen Na protecting them to the end, though some had been unfortunate, the barriers collapsing in the chaos of Mary’s relentless, divine attacks. Likewise, the Judges, even the ones Hyacinth had subdued, had succumbed to the strain on their bodies and collateral damage from the battle, leaving me feeling rather bitter. What a damn waste.

“Yes. We have to… start again.” Eleanor sighed. “Our Avalon is broken, so much was destroyed.”

“It’s nae a big thing. What we were doing was crap anyway, ye ken?” Sarah snorted. “We nae had the knowledge, and even then…”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, Sarah.” Eleanor narrowed her eyes at her. “You destroyed Aditi’s and Mary-Jane’s banners. Now they’ll have to start from scratch…” the sudden silence from Sarah was uncomfortable, and Eleanor paused. “…they can start again?” More awkward, bitter silence followed.

I decided to speak up. “You destroyed their Territory Anchors?” I asked Sarah, and she nodded. I shook my head, feeling gloomy. “I’ve tested this before, it doesn’t necessarily mean that their Divine Favours will be usurped, but…” seeing the way Sarah was looking at us, I feared the worst.

“Aye, I did take them.” She admitted. “They will nae fight again, or…”

“Sarah, you stupid bitch…” David growled, and Sir Arthur raised a hand to stop him.

“We need to find out all the facts, before we can decide how best to proceed.” He said calmly, despite his numerous injuries, as now that Eleanor was safe, he could turn his focus to solving the rest of this mess. “Miss Sarah, just what did you do?”

“When you destroy an Anchor…” I got some blank looks so quickly explained my terminology, before continuing. “…so, if you are stronger, you’ll rip free the Favour of the victim. I’ve done some testing, and it can be put back in. Sarah, are you still…?”

She shook her head. “It’s nae that simple, ye ken?” She looked down at Mary, who was mumbling softly to herself, whisper quiet, that “she had let her grandmother down, the Revelation-Cardinal down, all the faithful down, and God down… “ and her own eyes were shedding tears to match Mary’s. “When I did agree tae Mary’s proposal…” her burned hand was clutching her rosary still, and must have been extremely painful. “… I was granted a new power, the power of God.”

My Eye flared, and I quickly saw what she meant.

Linked Principality: Class [Powerful] Type [Law] …

“I see. You have a second Favour replacing your crown chakra too. So, what happened to the Favours you stole? Did you break them down?”

“Aye, when I felt them come tae me, they shattered, and I got stronger, I could feel the blessing Mary gave me, the grace of God, growing. It still was nae enough though.” She looked at the mostly recovered Grulgor bitterly. “The big guy there kicked the shit out of me, nae question.” Grulgor laughed at that.

“So what does that mean? Are… are Mary-Jane and Aditi all right?” Eleanor asked, and Shaeula put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

“There may-may be some hope. But until we return, do not-not allow your fears to rule you. If we can aid them, we shall, is that not-not correct, Akio?”

I nodded. “It is possible to survive the favour being forcibly removed.” The tests I had done on Kondou Kazuo proved that, though it also showed that there was a good chance that a coma and death might follow too. “When we get back, Shaeula and I will see what we can do.” I promised.

“Thank you. You’ve helped us out a lot. More than we can repay.” Eleanor muttered, and Hyacinth stepped up.

“Yes, remember that. Akio, the mistresses… all are kind peooople. It is wrong to scooorn us because you do not understand us. But… yooou are quite stupid, so I forgive you. Stupid can be fixed, we can all learn tooo be better.”

Grulgor laughed even harder, knowing that was true. Eleanor looked a little surprised that Hyacinth would say such a thing to her, but she tugged off one of her broken gauntlets and reached out a hand. She looked down, blinked, realised her hand was covered in blood and filth from the battle, and went to withdraw it, but Hyacinth simply snatched it in her own and shook it gently. “Nooow, what to dooo?” Hyacinth spoke for all of us.

“Sarah… Mary Stuart, all of you who did this…” Eleanor looked at the last few members of the Choir, who were nursing their own wounds, kneeling down beside the stricken Mary and wailing and weeping. “… there must be a reckoning. But…” she looked confused, forlorn. “Just how do we weigh these crimes? Can we?”

“Don’t ask me.” I scratched my head with my remaining hand, a bit embarrassed. “It’s not like we worked out the answers to that. Take Chen Na, over there…”

“I wish you wouldn’t…” she muttered, looking down.

“… she was part of the group that invaded Kyoto. Yes, they had reasons, but it was still an act of aggression against us, and a lot of ordinary people died. Chen Na here died too.” I sighed. “Does her death and rebirth mean she’s no longer the same person? Or do her crimes remain? Worse, another woman called Nie Ling, she was being threatened with oblivion if she didn’t help the attack, but her actions were what led directly to nearly a thousand dead. We still haven’t decided what is just.”

“I see.” Eleanor said, conflicted. “Perhaps matters are more complicated than I thought. Grandmother and the Prime Minister… I should leave it to them. And only do what I can do.” She nodded, gathering all her willpower.

“A good idea. Nobody can do everything themselves, nor should they have to.” I turned to Shaeula, Eye glittering. “Looks like it wasn’t just me who got stronger. Your Foehn upgraded too.” It had jumped to Rank 7 as well, two whole Ranks, and had also leapt from a Rule to a Principle.

Foehn, Wind Eating Breath Rank 7 – After consuming many winds, including those created from divine adherence, the Wind-Eating Breath can now also consume certain flavours of adherence, as well as the wind nature of composite elements, if the level of the element does not overpower the Winds. This energy can be transferred to other wind and suitable adherence-based abilities with greater strengthening effect. Class: [Imperious] Type: [Principle]

“You know, we really gained a lot on that Las Vegas trip. Money, levels, a second element. But Foehn might have been the luckiest find of all.” I mused, and Shaeula laughed, flourishing her new golden ring.

“Indeed. Finding such a twinned element that we could both master was a rare-rare feat indeed. But then, I am beloved of Fortune, am I not-not?” She grinned. “After all, did I not-not find you?” She leant up and kissed my cheek, leading to Hyacinth and Shiro getting jealous, so I ended up kissing all three of them, while Eleanor looked on, a touch sourly.

“More, I see. Well, far be it from me to question your love life. I can’t say I approve, but you don’t care what I think, do you?”

“Nooo, definitely not.” Hyacinth agreed, face a little flushed after our kisses. “All that matters is that we are happy. Life withooout joy is nooo life at all, so take it where you can find it.”

“Take it where you can find it. I see.” Eleanor nodded. “Aditi. Mary-Jane. Henry, my brother… I hope you can all still survive and prosper. And take more joy.” She looked down at Sarah and the broken Mary. “As for the two of you…”

“I lost. I’m done. I nae wanted to hurt ye, Eleanor, I genuinely believed this path is for the best. I still do, ye ken?” She let out a long sigh. The spikes that had pierced Mary’s head were gone now, also turned to red sand, and her hair was falling out in dead clumps, revealing her maimed skull. “Mary did too. I’m nae sure if she thought this would happen, but… she was nae afraid tae follow the paths of the martyrs before her. She may seem hot and cold, but she was dedicated tae God, and saving the Earth and all of us who dwell here. I’ll go quietly, but… I ask that ye all listen to the words of the Book of True Revelation. We all need tae pull together, put aside our differences. Sacrifice for the cause.”

“Hardly.” Shiro, no, Tan said, her hair and eyes burning red hot again. “The One True Throne does not pull together, they rule, as a Throne implies. I make no criticism of this. Power is all, the power to defend, to subjugate. I myself made a play for such power, and was defeated. Though perhaps the chance will still fall to me in the end.” She looked at me, eyes blazing thirstily. “If not… then I will at least have made a connection, an ally.”

“That’s right. If you don’t hurt Aki’s bottom line, you know he’ll help you out, Tan.” Shiro took over for a moment, before Tan continued, addressing Sarah.

“You are quite correct, weak worlds will be swept away, and joining a pantheon in the end is the surest way to some measure of safety. But for now… only the strong dictate the path. This woman…” she glanced down at Mary Stuart. “… she was not weak. She grasped the power of the Throne with great skill. Her flaw was she was impatient and reckless. To call a Power, even a merest shadow, into her body… well, perhaps with that ring she wore, with the Laws of chance and fortune within, she would have emerged unscathed. But gambling with fortune… when luck finally runs out…”

“Aye, but she put her soul into that, and everything she did. I’ll nae let ye scorn her for that. Hate her, hate me, for what we did, but nae why.”

“Stupid redhead.” David spat. “So, what are you going to do now? Rot in prison?”

“Aye, I think so. There’s nae way we’ll be let off trying tae kill Eleanor. Nor should we be. The winner makes the rules, right?” Tan inclined her head at that, and Raidre, Shaeula and Hyacinth all seemed to agree.

“Holding a Chosen isn’t easy.” I said, having experience of being on the receiving end of prison myself, albeit for a short time. “And they can still cause trouble here in the Boundary.”

“I’m done. Ye have nothing tae fear. I only hope… that Mary-Jane and Aditi can one day forgive me.” Sarah sighed.

“We have Donovan and Kathy too.” Eleanor said, remembering. “Kathy was hurt badly, but Donovan…”

“… can do no harm.” Shaeula assured her. “The little wretch, thinking he had a chance with me. Such great-great insolence.” Her smile widened. “He had quite-quite the princess fetish.”

Eleanor shuddered. “I never knew. I really thought he was just a shy, quiet boy who was popular with girls.”

“It’s always the quiet ones.” David barked a laugh. “Don’t they always say about serial killers, oh, he was such a quiet man, kept to himself, seemed so nice. Well fuck him. I’d beat the little bastard black and blue myself if I could, but seems like it’s already done.”

“Indeed it is.” Shaeula agreed proudly, puffing out her chest. She had retrieved her pinwheels, which were looking rather battered and frayed. I looked down, and my Twilight Brigandine was slowly repairing itself. I’m not sure if it can fix all the holes and tears, but having self-repairing armour is a must considering how often we suffer injuries. Storming Moonlight was fine too, I inspected the blade, and despite clashing with Mary Stuart’s sword-arm, the edge was free of chips and cracks. Yeah, this sword is excellent. Bjarki really outdid himself.

As if reading my mind, Shaeula laughed. “Master Bjarki will be rather surprised that your blade-blade survived a battle without breaking. He may cry tears of joy-joy at the sight.”

“I bet. Well, he’ll still have plenty of work to do. So…” I looked at Eleanor, her own armour slowly sprouting copper threads, which then turned green and enamelled, as if mould was growing on it. Though I doubt she’d be flattered by that comparison. “… what now, Princess? Are we done?”

She bit her lip, looking at the Tower, before shaking her head. “Max Power. He was here. Mary Stuart seemed sure he had fled, but…”

“I see. Yes, we can’t let you die now, Princess, not after all this.” I agreed.

“Call me Eleanor, please.” She insisted. “I… would you enter the Tower with me?”

“Are you sure? You’ve gone to great lengths to keep everyone else out, Princess.” Sir Arthur said. “The secret in the Tower is most precious, you said. What would the Queen say?”

“They already know some of it.” Eleanor said, looking at me and Shiro. “Am I mistaken?”

“You are not.” Tan declared. “Perhaps not all, but I have inferred a great deal, and his Eye sees many things.”

I also nodded. “Yes, I can see the flows of adherence and ether from the surroundings. No, not just from there. Adherence is being drawn in from great distances. All over Britain? Perhaps further?”

“You said your mother was British, right?” she questioned me, and I nodded.

“Well then, Sir Arthur, he is a British Gods’ Chosen, is he not?” Eleanor said decisively. “I see no problem in taking him into the Tower. As a bodyguard. If Max Power is lurking within still, I fear I am in no fit state to fight him.”

“I don’t think this guy is much better off.” David laughed at my bedraggled, one-armed appearance.

“True, but I have a little left in the tank. So, there’s no point standing on ceremony. Chen Na, can you stay here and guard the scene. Hyacinth, stay behind too. Your spores can handle any problems. Grulgor, finish regenerating.”

“Yes, if anyooone tries to escape or if we are attacked, I will destroooy them without mercy. Hyacinth is rather upset that the woman…” she glared at the fallen Mary. “… survived her spooores. I must grow stronger.”

“Shaeula, Shiro… come with me.” I looked at Eleanor, who looked like she wished to object, but I shook my head. “I trust Shiro and Shaeula with my life. As for Tan… I have no reason not to trust her. She wouldn’t do anything that harms Shiro, and we have a mutually beneficial relationship going.”

“Fine. I suppose that if you are a Fae…” she said to Shaeula. “… then you are British as well.”

“I would actually be called a half-half too, I suppose. My mother is of the Hyakki Yagyō.” Shaeula replied lazily.

“Uh, I don’t know what that is.” Eleanor said, and I laughed.

“It doesn’t matter. And Shiro’s Japanese, while Tan is… well, wherever Tan is from. But as I’m engaged to Shiro, that makes her honorary, right?”

“The logic doesn’t matter.” Eleanor conceded, heading towards the door to the Tower, stepping over many slowly-dissolving feathers from the ravens. There were still a number flying above and roosting on the impossibly tall building, much diminished, but still cawing ominously. “I’m just being foolish. Much like always, I suppose.” She sighed, disheartened. “How am I going to rebuild now? It took a great deal of effort to get this far.”

“I’ll tell you how.” Shiro said, as we entered the Tower. “But first, this.” Her words confused Eleanor, but she paid them little mind, leading us in.

Great winding steps led up into the vast heights, but instead Eleanor led us downwards, into the basement, where we reached a section of opened floor, the knotwork patterns inlaid into the tiles still stained with blood, silver mist slowly rising. When she saw that, Eleanor looked down, saddened. “Henry, poor idiot. No, this is my fault. I never should have let him show off in front of Melissa.” She turned to look at us, her expression grave. “Max has been here, I’m sure. I hope he does not remain here, but if he does…”

“Then we’ll handle it.” I promised, holding Storming Moonlight ready for battle. We entered, and found ourselves in a room filled with piles of artefacts. Swords, axes, maces, spears, bows, lances, armour, banners, boxes and reliquaries and more, all piled haphazardly. My Eye was feeding me so much information that I had to squint it shut, amber letters overwhelming my vision crazily.

“What the hell is this? Some sort of dragon’s hoard?” Shiro whistled, then grunted, as the action sent pain lancing through the hole in her chest.

“It is the treasures the many Royal families gathered from all over the four kingdoms. Some few are even from Europe and Asia.” She looked around, admiring them. “As a reward and a protection, those Gods’ Chosen who serve Britain are taken to the treasures as they lie in the Tower back in London, to find one that matches their fate.” She paused. “I am afraid I can’t let you have any. These are not mine to give away, they belong to Grandmother, and to Britain.” She paused, seeing the looks on our faces. “What is wrong? Is it Maxwell Power?” She looked around nervously, jumping at shadows.

“No, it’s just… well, the Queen and the Prime Minister already offered us the chance for some of these.” I explained, and Eleanor looked affronted for a moment.

“So, you saved us for these then?”

“Good job Hyacinth isn’t here.” Shiro snickered, wincing at the pain again. “You really are a slow learner, aren’t you? We were already here making plans to help, but then everything happened and we had to act fast. The Queen offered, so why would we say no? Besides, the stronger Aki is, the stronger we are, the better for everyone. So… I’m waiting?” Shiro crossed her arms under her chest, looking straight at Eleanor, who sighed.

“I apologise. It’s just… oh, I don’t know what it is. Forgive me.” Eleanor shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. “So much has gone on, and I admit, my first impressions of you weren’t positive.”

“Look at it this way. You think girls like us are going to be so into Aki if he’s trash or a bad person?” Shiro pressed. “Sure, he has his flaws. Wandering eye, too naïve and easily pushed around at times, he overshares like a damn sieve…”

“Hey, I’m working on those. I think I’ve got a lot better recently. Even Hinata says so.” I protested, and Shiro shrugged.

“Yeah, I have to admit you have. You still have a ways to go. But…” she fixed Eleanor with her obsidian gaze. “…seriously, I can see why you piss Hyacinth off. It doesn’t feel good when you badmouth Aki. When we do it, it’s endearing. From you, it just comes across as sour grapes.”

As Eleanor flapped her mouth, I decided to break in. “Look, it’s nothing I haven’t struggled with in the past. Didn’t I annoy Eri by being all woe is me, I’m a cheater all the time? It’s not what society is used to, with a few exceptions. But whether we are used to it or not, whether the world accepts it or not, we accept it and will make it work. Now, back on topic, what the hell is that?”

I could see a large circle of scattered, charred debris, even the seemingly-impervious adherence-fortified floor burned and blackened, fissures running through the black stone. On closer inspection, melted metal, glass and other materials had formed small puddles, as though some incredibly powerful blaze like Foehn had been used.

“It stinks.” Shaeula wrinkled her nose, her own eyes glowing. “Such a foul-foul smell. I believe I have smelt such before, though it was far-far less vile.”

Tan was next to speak. “Indeed, great curse and destruction fills the remnants of the adherence unleashed here. It is greatly powerful, so do not touch it carelessly.” She was frowning, so that made me wary.

“Do we think it was Max Power?” I asked, and then realised there was no way of knowing. “I suppose it could have been. Or something else.” I looked at Eleanor, who was frowning at the circle of destroyed treasures. “Do you know if anything is missing?”

She shook her head. “We’ve not catalogued all the treasures held here. Not yet. I’ve had more important things to do, and it’s not like we can let just anyone down here. Besides…” she pointed to the burned circle. “Who knows how much was destroyed here? But… this wasn’t here last time I was down here. So it must have been Max. I think… he may have taken some things.”

“I see. Well, if we don’t know, we don’t know.” I shook my head. “So, what’s next? Don’t you have to check the false Grail, as Mary Stuart called it? It’s there, right?” I pointed as my Eye gleamed. It seemed there was no way out of the under-basement where the treasures were kept, but my Eye could see where the adherence and ether were being drawn, and it was forming a hidden space, a dungeon, just like Shaeula’s old Territory, or where my Anchor used to be in my old apartment block, just on a far grander scale.

Eleanor flinched. “Yes. The secret beneath the Tower lies there. There should be no way Max Power, or anyone but me, should be able to enter, but… I still need to check. You will all have to wait out here.”

“I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “If Max is in there, and he has some sort of powerful destructive curse adherence, there’s no way you can win alone. You’re as exhausted as I am, maybe more. We go together.”

“I can’t!” she shouted. “Have you any idea how hard I’ve struggled to protect the secret here? It’s why I was prepared to die, why Aditi, Mary-Jane… Raidre’s kin… the others… why we all suffered!” She then froze as Shaeula placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked, to see Shaeula looking at her with a comforting smile.

“Indeed, you have struggled. So do not-not be foolish now. I too have things to protect. As does Akio. Can you do it alone? If not-not, then seek aid. We did not-not achieve all we have by ourselves.”

“I said earlier I’d tell you how you could rebuild.” Shiro said, her smile teasing. “This is how. If you trust Aki, show all your cards, Aki will trust you. And he’s terrible at letting girls in need go without aid. Besides… us Princesses should stick together.”

“Are you a Princess? I know Japan has an Imperial Family. But I have never met Princess Mikasa, she keeps to herself.” Eleanor queried, and Shiro laughed.

“Nope, I’m not Yukiko. Aki’s pretty tight with her though. She’s just like us. We’ll be working with her a lot too in the future. Me… I’m the Princess of Hungry Ghosts. Lame title, but then…”

“I greatly despise my own-own title. Princess of Beasts indeed.” Shaeula scowled. “Yukiko being the Princess of Heaven is far-far more noble-sounding. Well, I could not-not be the Princess of Humans you are, Eleanor.” Shaeula’s scowl vanished, replaced by a wry grin. “You have very little-little choice I am afraid. This is your destiny. Now, listen to Shiro.”

“First up… if we really wanted to break in, we could. And that goes without messing with you or your grandmother. Tan says that the adherence present here that is keyed to the Royal family and their chosen heir is powerful, but given time we could break it. Nothing is indestructible. Shit, it’d be a real pain though.”

On hearing Shiro’s words, Eleanor looked tense, but she continued, not letting the jumpy Princess reply. “Don’t look so scared. You think Aki, who put his life on the line for you and your friends, would take what isn’t his? No, I’m just making it clear. You can’t protect the Tower forever. As more powerhouses appear, the defences here will get ever more useless. It’s power creep, you know? Your only way is to bulk up your Territory, get it strong enough. But right now, you have a field of wreckage and few allies. So… you borrow help.”

“Akio has aided Haru in fortifying Kyoto, it shall soon-soon be safe from all but the most-most robust and furious onslaught.” Shaeula pointed out. “With our expertise, you can make improvements. Now, show some-some manners. We have come-come a long way. My curiosity will not-not be sated unless I see what has prompted such a war with my own eyes.”

“It’s up to you.” I said sincerely. “If you don’t feel you can trust us now, I think we are going to struggle to work together in the future. I get that you have a responsibility, but can you really do it alone? What would have happened had we not come to your aid? Don’t get me wrong, I really respect how hard you fought, you did a good job from a bad situation, but does telling yourself I tried my best soothe the suffering of losing?”

Eleanor squeezed shut her eyes, thinking. The silence dragged on, before she nodded. She reached up, untying her bound hair, letting it flow over her armour like a cloak. Looking at me with her serious blue eyes, she spoke. “Promise me. If you tell me that you will not attempt to usurp the secret within, then I shall believe you.”

“I won’t take what isn’t mine. And don’t look at the ring…” I smirked. “… as we said earlier, spoils of war. We didn’t fight you, we were on the same side.”

“Fine then. I am beaten. I hope…” she squeezed shut her eyes for a moment, before continuing. “… that grandmother can understand. I herefore grant permission for these to enter, by my status as the chosen Heir of the Crown.” With her words, the adherence in the room shuddered, and with my Eye I could see strands of it detaching, touching Shaeula, Shiro and I, sinking into our bodies. This feels strange. It isn’t harmful, is it?

I used my Eye to observe the process, and since Tan wasn’t reacting, I watched as the adherence spread through our Astral bodies, concentrating around the crown chakras. It was then that the entrance became visible to us, Shiro gasping in surprise.

“You see it? Another space beneath.” Eleanor said softly, reverently. “Come.” With that she led us into the opening, taking us down another set of steps, the space around us thick with incredibly powerful adherence and ether. The atmosphere was almost sacred, not in a religious sense, but in a way that made the place feel holy, not for a God, but simply because of what was there.

“Tan says if this adherence and ether was to be released all at once, the Boundary would crack.” Shiro whispered. “What’s been accumulated here is damn impressive.”

“I can see that.” I agreed. Reaching the bottom, we reached a massive, circular room. It was strange, as the architecture was two very jumbled, contrasting styles, one made from large stone slabs, sparkles of crystal embedded in the stone, while large trees were growing, despite the hidden location, draped in mistletoe and other vines. Mixed in with this was more traditionally Christian architecture, vaulted ceilings with religious paintings (although many of these seemed rather… out of place, and somewhat more mythological), stained glass windows, though some windows displayed antlered men and women, as well as old, armoured men, rather than saints, and fluted pillars of pure white marble.

“What a bizarre mess. It’s like two conflicting things together.” Shiro observed, and I couldn’t help but nod.

“You’re right.” I agreed, my Eye spying the object in the centre of the room. It was hard to look at, the radiance of the surrounding adherence and ether blinding.

“This… this is what we must protect. The Cauldron of Life.” Eleanor declared. “Without it, our isle will wither, bereft of good fortune and the blessings of nature.” She looked at us, as if half-expecting us to try and seize it. On seeing what my Eye reported, I could at least understand why.

The Cauldron of ???????? Grail ???????? – Item Class: [Mythic] Item Type [Law]

The Cauldron ?????? generates immense adherence of ??????? drawing in powerful adherence of faith, storing and converting it to adherence of ??????? and ???????? also absorbs nearby ether, creating powerful nature element. This nature element blesses the surrounding lands, supported by the adherence of ??????? faith and promotes good climate, growth of plants, trees and flowers, insects and animals, and ????????. The energy that should have run dry over the long years is replenished by ????????? drawn from worship of ????????? Grail. ?????????? ?????????? ??????????.

Damn, even without the question marks, that description is a mess. It’s almost as if two items are rammed together. The False Grail, huh? However… I asked Tan a question. “Just how can such a powerful item still exist?” Seeing through the light, I observed the form of the cauldron. It was made from black iron and gold, chased with pearls and rubies. Though again, it seemed like an odd jumble, not harmonious at all.

“This world is still rich with belief.” Tan observed. “Adherence is a great power, one that is difficult to exhaust. It seems to me that a great deal of adherence has been caught by this Cauldron. It has continued to fill, preventing it from running dry and shattering. Most interesting. It is a great power of life and nature, of growth and rebirth.”

Shaeula agreed. “Yes, I feel-feel a power not dissimilar to the great Rhyming Trees at the heart of the Seelie Court.”

Eleanor nodded. “I studied classical literature, with a focus on British myths. Well…” she laughed, a little embarrassed. “…it’s not a serious course, hardly useful for future employment, but then, it’s not as though I was expected to get a job.”

“You have one now.” I pointed out, and she snorted.

“You shouldn’t mock.” She sighed. “I’ve been thinking about what Mary Stuart said. The Holy Grail was just a story, a myth. My classics Professor said that the tale was based on the Cauldrons of old British and Irish myths. And Mary mentioned the Fisher King. And that we were stealing what belonged to God. I think…”

“I see.” I mused. “You’re saying that enough people believe in the Holy Grail, and it’s all got tangled up with this Cauldron, which is left over from the time fifteen hundred years ago.” It’s really quite fascinating. But I just don’t get how it all fits together. There’s likely more to it, but I think we have the general idea.

“Adherence is often drawn to suitable concepts.” Tan explained. “Even my understanding of it is incomplete. But the adherence being drawn here is strong. There can be no question of that.”

“You see why I have to defend it?” Eleanor said, tense.

“I do.” I agreed. “Well, we’re done here. No sign of Max Power, so we should head back.” As I turned and started ascending the stairs, Shiro and Shaeula following me, Eleanor stood there frozen for a moment, before hurrying after us. Seeing the look on her face, I asked her what was up.

“I just thought…” she trailed off, unwilling to speak.

“That Aki would go mad for the power?” Shiro teased her. “Damn girl, you really are hard work. But I suppose being a little paranoid when you’re dealing with something so important isn’t totally stupid.”

“I wouldn’t take it from you.” I promised. “But…”

“But?” Eleanor asked warily.

“I had an idea. One that could benefit both of us. But I’ll need to talk to the Queen first, I imagine.” Power of growth, strong nature energy…

“Cease your worries about such-such trivial matters.” Shaeula interjected, as we emerged out of the dungeon. “Is there not-not more important things you need from us?”

Eleanor nodded. “I’m sorry. Yes, Henry, Aditi, Mary-Jane… I would be most grateful if you could do what you can for them. Britain will be grateful too.”

“Not letting him have time to fix his own arm first then?” Shiro teased, and Eleanor flushed. There was some laughter, and as we emerged from the Tower, my thoughts turned to what was next. The world will have changed. I thought Kyoto was bad, but now… there’s no covering things up anymore…