In the vast corridor of the old wooden mansion, a familiar figure stood near the room door, where Dane's crib was currently; her hands were folded, and she was leaning out of sight, taking cover behind the walls. The room then began to light up into an array of colors, till eventually it died down.
As a massive spell was taking place inside.
However, at the cost of an immense amount of power on the caster's behalf.
As a result, Priscilla slumped against the doorframe, her breath ragged. Blood dripped from her fingertips, splattering onto the wooden floor in fat, sizzling drops. It reeked of iron and burnt ozone, maybe, or the acrid tang of overworked magic.
"Gah!... I swear, the things I do for this family. Honestly, what would they do without me? Rakasha's too free-spirited for her own good. Honestly, it's a miracle she hasn't burned the mansion down yet. Minerva? A wild card... there is no other word for her. One moment she is lecturing us on responsibility; the next she is off challenging the world serpent to a drinking contest. And Echidna? Don't even get me started...
Priscilla said, annoyance clearly filling her being.
Yet she continues her silent rant nonetheless.
"...Sigh, why do I even try with her? The woman is the definition of a bookworm; if she spent half as much time doing as she does reading, we might actually get somewhere. And old Roland Good grief, that man takes things far too seriously. Even more than me, sigh!!... sometimes I wonder how I got caught up in this family?"
She paused, pinching the bridge of her nose, a habit she developed from countless times she felt frustrated.
"No wonder we're the weakest family among the Thirteen Great Families. Honestly, it's a miracle we haven't been disbanded yet. Then again, when you've got someone like Minerva... practically the living embodiment of our family's power, I suppose that explains why the Thirteen haven't become the Twelve...
"Yes, she is strong enough to obliterate five of those ancient abominations on her own, but what use is sheer power when the rest of us are in absolute shambles? Instead of a proper, unified force, we've got next to no political backing in the Monster realm. We're only a family in the loosest sense of the word... a ragtag bunch of five ludicrously powerful troublemakers... and even our so-called family kingdom isn't even a proper kingdom!"
Priscilla said to herself, trembling as she gave one last look to the human creature named Blue. Rakasha's idiotic nickname for him, for the time being.
The kid was awake, looking around, but was better than ever after she cast her spell.
"Sigh, what a pain...
She muttered, swiping blood from her lip.
"Well, that's a headache out of the way... sigh, I am going to sleep. My Astrum is basically depleted... it will prob take about a week to regain what I have lost today."
Her legs trembled as she attempted to walk away.
After all, the spell she used was a nightmare... using probability magic to open gateways and reach across many different alternate realities searching for any version of Blue that had survived the miasma of the monster realm.
In each reality, her magic touch unraveled just enough to reveal how that particular Blue had died, but she was looking for one similar to this reality, Blue. In some realities, she saw Blue crushed under debris. Dissolved into sludge. One so ridiculous even that Priscilla still gagged thinking about it... eaten alive by a sentient turnip.
But after looking through many different realities, she finally found a version of him that was in the monster realm and could survive the miasma.
Reading the soul Lore of that version of him, after taking his lore from his soul and bringing it back into this reality where she recorded it to be better, with the help of Blue's crib.
Blue at this moment could easily strive, if not straight-up manipulate, the Miasma around him now if he had the intelligence to do so.
However, the ability he got from that reality was quite the power indeed.
The power of a species of human called a Shinso Human.
The words curdled in her mind... like a broken player... for the mere fact... that her probability magic actually found a reality where a Shinso of humanity actually emerged.
Something like that did not exist in this reality.
Monsters had their pureblood variants, from ancient dragons to vampire progenitors, but a human ascending to a purer line than their default was unheard of. Preposterous even...
But in that universe, even conditions for a Shinso of the human race to be born were so rare that only one could exist at a time if they did emerge.
However, still true to being human, their Shinso Lore is a unique lore, a power that is achievable by only those with the rank of a Shinso evolution.
The power Blue has is a rather weak power, but the potential it has in the long run could be catastrophic.
Humans, by nature, are weak, but what makes them so dangerous as a race is their perseverance; their will as a species to strive forward into the impossible, to make what was seen as just a dream of tomorrow into a reality of today is what makes them so dangerous.
And this child was basically the very embodiment of humanity's potential incarnate into a physical form; as such, to be a Shinso is to be a force of nature, for that is what that title dictates.
That Lore ability he now has
[Resolve of the Unbroken]
"Sigh... a power like that is basically the definition of hard work surpasses all... regardless of the reason."
"Shrug... my work here is done... I am going to bed... I think I deserve a week's worth of sleep."
Priscilla said as she walked off into the hallway of the night, limping as she went along. On the other hand, Dane was still assessing his current situation.
Of course, he did not realize Priscilla was at the door.
But was shocked nonetheless by the upgrades he had received.
"Damn, this is amazing. With a power like this, I can easily make my way to the top just by training so much to the point there will be no one left to challenge me in this world."
"Ahhh, this feeling... it's incredible. I can sense both energies surrounding me, but they refuse to obey. Sigh... So I can perceive them and watch how they flow, but I'm still too weak to control them. Even shifting the miasma just a little feels completely out of reach. It looks like I'll need to train... a lot... but no worries."
"As a baby, time is all I have."
And as if to respond to his desires, the Omni Harem System began to call out him.
『Notice!! The host's inner desires have resonated with the System… Upon searching through the archives, a DLC package perfectly aligns with the host's ambitions. However, in order to access this path, a certain level of mastery in both Miasma Control and Astrum Manipulation must be achieved』
『As a result, the mission "Master of the Flow" has been created. While there are no time limits or penalties for failure, certain conditions must be met to progress』
『Mission Objectives』
- Mission 1: Develop six original Miasma-based techniques.
- Mission 2: Form a contract with six spirits to gain an Astrum attribute.
- Mission 3: Attain enlightenment and develop your own unique Astrum attribute.
『Notice!! Upon completing these tasks, you will be rewarded with the Key of Auften, a vital item that unlocks the King of Black DLC for the Z: Box console game: War for the Throne. A new destiny awaits... should you rise to the challenge』
These were the missions that the system stated to him. Her voice playing like a crystal clear flute with a beautiful melody.
However, the mere mention of these games sparks a level of familiarity and nostolgia in him, as he said.
"War for the Throne... and the King in Black DLC... wow, that takes me back. That game was basically a gacha nightmare. You couldn't even progress in the story unless you pulled the right characters, and half the time, your luck was garbage. The story itself was great, sure, but it was also one of the most hated games of its time. Why? Because unless you were willing to drop real money, you couldn't even unlock the main cast needed to move forward. It was pay-to-play at its worst."