Amdirlain's PoV - Demi-Plane

It'd taken under a month to have sessions with all the Enyalië. The gradual increase in group sizes as her Power improved was offset by the rests she took throughout the process. The process of supplying realistic simulations of True Song for them had been a continual stretch of her capabilities. With all the details she'd provided, the technique had drunk deeply from her psionic reserves, requiring her to force its continual renewal far beyond what previous training had needed.

As the last Enyalië approached the Gate, Amdirlain considered the notification she'd received from the final session.

[Psychic-Prince [G] (28->29)

Zen Meditation-Lord [G] (94->95)]

I've grown my Psi reserves, but fewer classes contribute to them than Mana or Ki. Have I done enough?

"How much progress did you make overall, Auntie?" asked Gail, dropping to the grass beside Amdirlain and Sarah.

Amdirlain caught her song's subtle tensions and longings; those concealed issues were the source of edged inflections in her words.

She's not looking after herself.

"A significant amount."

Gail rolled her eyes playfully. "That's hardly meaningful information."

"You don't even bother with a Profile." Amdirlain laughed and waved downwards. "Anyway, it doesn't matter how much progress I made here. What will matter is if it's enough at the plinth. How has it been, teaching the Enyalië?"

"They're all lovely and dedicated." Gail spread her arms wide and sprawled out in the grass. "They'll overload you on brightness."

"But?"

"But what?" asked Gail, and turned her to regard Amdirlain

She raised an eyebrow. "Come clean."

"What?!" protested Gail.

"Ensure you're making the right choices for yourself, not because I need a hand. You need to listen to your own needs," said Amdirlain.

Gail frowned. "I'm young yet."

"Yep, which means you should look to discover yourself, instead of solely being a tutor. I can hear your regrets and frustrations. I'll get Gilorn to manage the teaching of the Anar octaves by herself. Rachel will also need to ease off with her pregnancy."

"Yet you'll leave Erwarth in place?"

I had hoped Erwarth would have changed her name by now, but she's as persistent as Ilya.

"You aren't Erwarth." Amdirlain leant forward and clasped her wrist lightly. "You aren't the Enyalië's keeper; yet, I also didn't say you had to leave. I want to make sure you have free time for yourself. You can organise whatever supplementary lessons you want to, but you'll stop teaching full-time. You sound like you have frustrations rubbing salt in a wound, and the Enyalië will hear that, if they haven't already."

"I'm fine."

"Fine is the enemy of great. Fine is how I felt doing a job for years because of the pay alone," said Amdirlain.

"You're not asking Gilorn how she is," said Gail.

Amdirlain waved a finger reprovingly. "I've already spoken to her. She is happy to handle the lessons for both octave ranges. I'd like you to take time and think about what you want to be doing."

"I enjoyed teaching."

"You want to take that one?" Amdirlain projected to Sarah.

"Enjoyed?" asked Sarah, reaching over to pat Gail's hand. "Why the past tense?"

Gail waved her arms erratically and huffed. "I don't know."

Sarah's brows lifted. "Have you heard anything from your old adventuring party?"

Glad I'm not the only one who's caught that something's wrong.

"Yes," admitted Gail warily.

The melodies of regret and frustration increased around her, and Sarah's nose twitched. "Did these feelings start after any recent news?"

Gail shrugged reluctantly.

"I'm only releasing you from the teaching so there are no expectations of you. At your age, an Anar is still effectively a teenager. Your rapid growth because of your parentage doesn't wash all that out the window," said Amdirlain. "Take some time and figure out what you want to do."

"But I want to help."

"Yes, and you spent years doing that at Sanctuary's Cove until you realised you missed a relationship option." Sarah sat up and waved at herself. "Regrets?"

"Did I run away?"

Sarah regarded her with calm composure. "Do you think you ran away?"

Gail stood up and brushed herself off. "Yeah, but I also can't stand the thought of going back."

"Have you taken time to figure out what you want in life, instead of doing what others need?" Amdirlain asked.

"No." Gail sighed and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Amdirlain. I'll take the time to figure it out. Come back to us."

Amdirlain smiled reassuringly. "I will do my utmost."

Though worry peeked out, Gail returned the smile and disappeared.

"She's not the only one avoiding the immediate issue. It's time to pick up some new classes." Amdirlain rose and extended a hand to Sarah.

"You expecting anything dramatic?" asked Sarah as she stood.

Amdirlain shook her head. "Not really, but I'm being careful. I will grab it and then power level the new True Song classes. Once I'm ready to combine the new ones, I'll see where I am Class-wise before I prepare my last one and head to the plinth."

Sarah cut her words off with a hungry kiss. Her hands cupped Amdirlain's hips, and she stepped close until their bodies pressed in a heated line. Unexpectedly, she cut off the kiss after a brief but intense moment to embrace her tightly instead.

"That was a see you soon, not goodbye," Sarah whispered, her breath warm against Amdirlain's neck.

"Until we meet again, beloved." Amdirlain hugged her, savouring her warmth. "Then I'll collect on the rest of that kiss."

I was blind for so long.

Sarah broke off first and stepped back, her hands trailing away reluctantly. "I'll cry if you do that now."

"I figured." With a nod, Amdirlain opened a Gate to an empty Demi-Plane behind her and stepped back through it.

Savouring the sight of Sarah in the sunlight, she waved shyly before she closed it off.

Now I need to make sure I see her again and am still myself.

The selection of Sidereal Magistrum sent a riot of noise through Amdirlain's body as it compressed the energy of her classes. The combined power of the classes was greater than what she'd previously combined, their coalescence sending out a pressure of energy that stretched her already massive True Form. Underneath her Elven flesh, she felt the echo as millions of new feathers bristled into existence.

Lethe pointed out that I should use stars to make metals. While I don't have time for that, I can cheat to speed up the process of making the stars.

She created a gravity point in the distant void beyond the edge of any stars to prevent scattering. Then, in dozens of previously empty demi-planes, she opened vast gates to draw water from her Celestial water Plane. The thresholds blazed as the rules set split molecules and converted the released heat into Mana. She shunted the oxygen into separate demi-planes, exit gates vented the hydrogen near her gravity point. The produced Mana reinforced the process, the excess feeding into the Chaos stream between planes, which would end up bleeding through into structured reality.

She added helium to the mix as the gravity point collected the hydrogen atoms and sang distant metallic planetary cores. Through the combined efforts, she pushed the reach of her True Song for days before a notification appeared.

[True Song Genesis-Prince [G] (232) -> True Song Genesis-King [G] (42)]

She caught the themes of new classes unlocking as she continued to work. With them teasing her, she sifted through the available True Song classes, seeking the best that focused on stellar construction and planetary formation.

[Elenwë

Details: Extends abilities towards the creation of solar systems and other stellar bodies.

Requirements:

- True Song Genesis-Prince

- Resonance-Prince (or equivalent)

- Ignite a star unaided

Powers:

- Further increases in Phoenix's Symphony will provide the ability to sense at stellar-level distances.

- Element Conversion

Adjustments:

+20 Endurance per Level.

+20 Intelligence per Level.

+8 Free attribute points every 4 levels after Level 22.

+10 Health per Level.

+20 Magic per Level.

+1 Defence per Level.

Note: As you can guess, neither species reached it.]

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[Element Conversion

Details: Enables the controlled separation or joining of atomic structures, allowing for the conversion of heavy elements to base elements or vice versa. The process releases excess energy as raw Mana into the surroundings, which can affect some species.]

Dipping into the list of other classes, she found one whose name meant Master of Spirits.

[Fëanturi

Details: The infinite nature of souls requires more Power than purely material manifestations, and this Class is for those who tend and craft them.

Requirements:

- True Song Genesis-King

- Tended to souls

Powers

- Soul Seed

- Extends the ability of Phoenix's Symphony to seek details within souls.

Adjustments:

+15 Endurance per Level.

+15 Intelligence per Level.

+15 Willpower per Level.

+6 Free attribute points every 4 levels after Level 22.

+20 Health per Level.

+22 Magic per Level.

+2 Defence per Level.]

[Soul Seed

Details: Translates any energy into the seed energy needed for the crafting of souls. The conversion efficiency depends on the tier and the energy source being transformed. Mundane sources require a massive scale to produce even small droplets of this seed energy.]

She picked both and returned to work. She pushed harder to accumulate the star's mass and started on additional planetary cores.

I'll get enough cores for a few systems made before I ignite the first star.

"I got my new classes, and it will be a little before I approach the plinth. Doing some more setup, so it might be a month before I go there." Amdirlain's translucent Message orb vanished to Sarah.

"Whatever you think gives you the best shot possible." The warmth and concern within Sarah's reply briefly eased her worries.

She opened the gates in the demi-planes wider, slowly increasing the flow rate to speed the star's formation. Once her songs reached the point of straining her flesh, she poured her energy reserves into Soul Seed. With no direction, the Power wove a fragile pearl of white energy into existence on her palm.

Who do I want to become? What do I want to do with my life? No matter how strong I get, those questions persist.

Amdirlain continued to cycle and pour energy into fully forming the Soul. As it grew, she set out to make a place for them to call home.

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

Three weeks later, she had a sun warming the far side of the planetary core. With precise notes, Amdirlain finished setting up an outer mantle kilometres deep and watched as the terrain shifted from the uneven heating of the core. With its patterns guiding her, she established a variety of elevations and created the atmosphere, populating it with diverse biomes. The rapid progress of her new classes caused her True Form to grow further, yet she kept to her Elven form as she floated in the void. The planet's rotation beneath her allowed the warm, honey-gold sun to come into view. Its light glinted off the Luna-sized moon and the few barren planets she'd added to the local system.

At the edge of her expanded senses, she began to make out the first sun she'd created seven light years away. From this distance, the planet's life felt diffuse, but she already knew the dwarves had progressed, and their prayers sought the dwarven Pantheon.

A hundred and fifty-one levels each in one hit. The tier seven achievements sound like they're under strain. Dare I push? Or do I take the next Prestige Class and push my final set of classes?

She awakened the local sapient species, whom she'd imbued with souls from Atonement and the single blank soul that she'd struggled to form. As the elves blinked and stretched, she left them with an understanding of the surrounding forests and Danu. The few points of light in their night sky were sunlight reflecting off the other planets she'd created while stretching her True Song.

Among the Prestige classes on offer, one appealed more than others for its mix of attributes, among other factors.

[Oialëa

Details: This Tier 7 Prestige Class is for the eternal creators, from the smallest subatomic particles to the most complex materials and living beings.

Requirements:

- True Song Genesis-King

- Eight plus True Song-related classes, including Prestige classes.

Adjustments:

- Reduces the strain caused by True Song's energy being channelled through the flesh and Soul.

+35 Endurance per Level.

+35 Intelligence per Level.

+35 Willpower per Level.

+8 Free attribute points per Level.

+30 Health per Level.

+40 Magic per Level.

+1 Melee Attack Power per Level.

+3 Defence per Level.]

I sneaked in with nine True Song classes in total. It doesn't require Ori's Soul. I'd bet there is something more potent that I haven't pushed my True Song high enough to achieve?

With her Mana reserves empty yet again, Amdirlain opened up a Gate to access her storage rooms of crystals that hummed with Mana and Ki. One at a time, she emptied them, pouring the energy into forming another blank white Soul that shone with a pearlescent glow.

The feel of the temporal bubble that Kronos had created to shield them from the Domain niggled at her. The effect has been similar yet different to the temporal slowing that accessing her Profile caused.

Can I create one to give myself more training time? I wouldn't be able to affect anything outside the bubble, so what could I do for training? The question is: how difficult would it be to set the song in place and sustain it? Nazha held a time bubble. Can I?

Amdirlain hummed odd couplets as she considered the time elements whose access Orhêthurin had denied to the Anar and Lómë.

As she set it in motion, the planet's rotation stopped, and particles of light hung frozen in place. The looping melody she'd composed strained under the internal pressure despite the bubble's size remaining static. Sharp notes crackled across its threshold, and she smoothed the negative feedback to prevent it from bursting.

"Time is on my side," Amdirlain grunted, as the temporal pressures shivered through her flesh, fragmenting muscles and skin.

Chrona appeared beside her, the water of her form rippling erratically. "I can't give you the time seeds that would help you. If you wished them, you should have claimed them when Kronos left them behind."

"I'm not after them," Amdirlain said. "I wasn't expecting you to show up. This is more of a training exercise."

"That's good, but it was a possibility you'd ask for them later in our conversation. I thought I'd get the discussion out of the way."

Amdirlain huffed. "Are we shielded from every other Aspect in here?"

"Except Gideon, as long as you can maintain it," Chrona eyed the blood flowing out of Amdirlain's pores. "Though the moment you release it, they'll hear their names mentioned."

"I'm stacking all the seconds atop each other?"

"That's how it will look to the outside observer. Once released, everything done inside will be perceived as an instantaneous event to an outside observer. You also can't influence anything outside this bubble. What you've actually done is hop out of the time stream, and when you pop this bubble, you'll dive right back into the spot you left. It'll get harder to resist the stream's pull the longer you're outside it."

Chrona nodded to a sudden gush of blood that splattered on the bottom of the bubble.

"The pressure is increasing," Amdirlain grunted. "What is up with War's personification? She wasn't like this when she whispered counter-advice to Viper's demands."

"Yeah, don't use her name, and telling you won't help, so I'm free to gossip. It's quite simple. The residue of Leviathan's curse has her concentrating on one part of her nature. You used the decay of Death to dissolve the blood, which was the manifestation of Leviathan's curse, yet it still had its hooks in her when it dissolved."

Amdirlain groaned. "Crap."

"Blood, not excrement. There is a difference!"

"Very funny."

Chrona winked. "The change isn't even against her nature, as war is a bloody, death-filled pastime. Who better to lash out at than the one who created her? Self-destruction 101. Since it's within her nature, it's not something the rest of us can influence. Nicholaus can't destroy her until she crosses the rules, as she represents War. Just at the moment, she's fighting you. War is normally in conflict with Life, and brings destruction to what others have created."

"How can you tell she's changed and not just showing her true nature?"

"I can see the past to tell how she was before the blood dissolved and after it. Those who could do something are stuck at present, as healing Laodice would help a Hidden." Chrona sighed and wiped a blood trail leaking from Amdirlain's eye. "Some are going along with her because of the fun it represents relative to their natures. Some have more malice involved than others, as Mother created balance even when she disapproved of the concepts required to complete it."

"Like the concept of Nihilism."

"Yes, Orcus was its tool. Eventually, we'll see a replacement for him."

[True Song Genesis-King [G] (42->43)

Note: There is nothing you can do to fix her as you are now, so there was no point in telling you.]

"Was there another way to break Leviathan's curse?"

"No point in asking that now, and advice at the time would have been helpful. Her various schemes have you under a bit of pressure to hasten your course. You seem to thrive under pressure, yet the future is uncertain, and she might equally harm you."

"Various schemes?"

"Answering that would be helpful, Amdirlain."

"Apologies, I won't pry further."

Chrona patted Amdirlain's hand, heedless of the blood pouring from her fingers. "How long can you hold this for?"

"It's a complex song for me."

She reformed cross-legged in mid-air beside Amdirlain. "Shall I tell you a story to pass the time?"

"That's a nicer saying than killing time." Amdirlain winked.

"Might I ask exactly what I've done to you?" Chrona put her hands on her hips.

"It's a turn of phrase."

"Yeah, turn that one around and let it ride off into the sunset." Chrona tapped her chin thoughtfully and started reciting an Elven poem.

She was twenty verses in when Amdirlain received another notification. With the pressures growing extreme, she carefully dismantled the bubble.

As she released the last couplets, they existed again in harmony with their surroundings, and the frozen light particles vanished.

"Shall I stick around? That poem has hundreds more verses."

"It's okay. If I want to admire a sunrise, I'll descend to the planet I made. I think I'll meditate and heal, then try it again."

"See ya, Ma." Chrona smiled and vanished.

73,394,063 / 122,483,112

Amdirlain considered her depleted health and started cycling.

Tribes on the world below would later tell tales of the Phoenix that blazed for hours each night. For the first few seasons, they saw it night after night through the waxing and waning of the moon, and then it disappeared. With the passing years and the appearance of numerous distant lights in the sky, they included prayers to the nameless Phoenix of creation alongside those offered to Danu.

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

Tingeth's PoV - Hell - 9th Circle - Asmodeus's Court

Around her, the smouldering air churned with the volcano's heat that grumbled constantly beneath the castle.

As Tingeth strode along the central aisle that split the rows of desks, the bureaucrats busy at work didn't spare her a glance. Their entire focus was on the scrolls and crystals crossing their desks, filled with the myriad decisions that had risen this far through the bureaucracy. At the end of the aisle was a set of double doors carved of white bone. As she got within a hundred metres, a pair of red pin pricks gleamed in hollow eye sockets and shattered the bone devil's camouflage. She smiled, and the Devil stepped forward. Its body, a lattice of interlocking bones, rattled and clacked as it shifted sideways. Its scorpion tail extended to hook the right-hand door open.

Beyond the threshold, the black basalt floor of the antechamber gleamed with a polished, pristine brilliance. Its occupants were a pair of similar, jagged-boned Devil guards armed with glowing spears, and a Kyton in a red chain shroud. The inner doors to Asmodeus's throne room were polished red stone that looked tacky in the heated air. The engravings across it depicted the themes of the nine layers of Hell and the Hierarchy of Sin represented within each layer.

The barbed tails of the bone devils rose threateningly as she stepped across the threshold, but neither of them spoke. When she was fully inside, the outer doors smacked shut, blocking out the noise of the long outer hall. Within the stillness of the antechamber, the only noises were the slither of chains, Tingeth's, the Kyton's, and those that supported the caged prisoners outside the decorative window.

As the four of them stood in silence, the Kyton sliced a blade across her palm and flicked black blood at the guards' feet. Though they scowled, neither of them dared to meet her sulphurous yellow gaze. After a half hour wait, the guard to the right of the door slammed the butt of his spear against the stone. The noise of it slapped the walls of the chamber and the damned on the castle's exterior walls screamed in terror. As the noise rose in pitch and pressure, the Kyton groaned in pleasure. He repeated the action six times before he bellowed over the screams.

"Asmodeus, King of Hell, Dark Lord of Lust, Prince of Revenge, will now hear the lowly petition of Tingeth the Binder."

The door cracked open to reveal a long hall with an ornate gold throne at the far end, occupied by a muscular Human male wearing only loose pants. His long, dark chestnut hair cascaded across his shoulders and his well-defined chest and abdomen. He blatantly ignored Tingeth, his attention on one of the six red-skinned succubi lounging about the chamber on gold divans. Their murmured exchange of decadent perversions almost drew a snort from her. As if sensing her disdain, he shifted his gaze and solid black orbs locked onto her, as his foot tapped against the stone step before his throne.

"Father." Tingeth bowed smoothly. The mithril chains of her apparel slithered over ivory skin.

Asmodeus shifted on his throne and beckoned her closer. With no way to avoid whatever he intended, Tingeth strode forward. When she knelt before him, his hands came up to cup her face, and he smiled. Lips separated just enough to show a thin line of perfect, white teeth, before his thumbs gouged out her eyes.

He yanked the orbs free, and she saw as he leaned forward and burst them between his teeth, with a crunch that Tingeth felt to her bones. He brutally ripped the devastation she witnessed in Hades to the forefront of her mind. Details that she'd been unaware of, Asmodeus lingered over. He caught at the flux of power that had ripped apart the armies and the appearance of the black orb high in the sky. She felt his attention shift to the ground being torn apart and the speed of the strands spiralling towards the blackness, as he calculated the phenomenon's growth. Tingeth screamed ‌at the mind shattering agony, as his will pulled harder on her recollection of events, only to be mocked by the laughter of the succubi.

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