Mira, Alicia and Syl stood by a counter in the guild hall disputing the insane cost of replacing a tin level guild badge.

If he had been handling things, he would have just paid it and been about his day. Heck, they had no qualms when it came to getting some basic gear for Mira and their planned dungeon run tomorrow, so why quibble over getting his tin badge replaced?

Looking at the three of them, Syl and Alicia at the forefront as Mira stood quietly behind them and the now all cleaned-up version of Mira still screamed girl to him despite his baggy new clothes.

There had been an issue with some shopkeepers letting him try things on until Syl convinced him to begrudgingly use a cleansing stone on the promise that there was a long hot shower or bath waiting for him later.

Maybe it was a beastkin thing or just the effect of mana on adolescence, Kai honestly didn't know. He had no point of reference besides Mira himself, as Kai didn't think he had actually seen another boy his age or younger since coming to Alea.

He chuckled to himself. Thinking of Mira as just a boy and not a young man was a little confusing considering he was actually nineteen and not the thirteen he looked.

Maybe it would have been more obvious if he could see the kid's full face. But Syl had taken Mira into Tailor by herself when it came to changing his bandages for something that was both more comfortable and actually provided a reasonable defence for being some simple cloth.

Mira's sharp, toothy grin was on show when he came out of that store, illustrating just how satisfied he was with the lush dark cloth they had both selected. The new blindfold attached with a simple clasp and pin that kept it tight on his head instead of some awkward knot.

With their potential new party member kitted out for an easy dungeon run tomorrow, they had made their way over to a guild office and waited a good twenty minutes to see someone.

Kai had wandered off and was currently perusing the job board in the hopes of finding something. He didn't see much of interest. The commissions and dungeon runs that Temra managed to get her hands on were somehow far more interesting than anything he saw here.

He did chuckle at the commission someone had put up for their missing beastkin party member, who was called Kat of all things. He wondered if they had checked all the trees yet?

Not that someone being missing was anything to laugh about.

Distracted by that commission, he was bumped in the shoulder by someone as they too checked out the boards. The woman apologised with wide eyes for not seeing him before she shuffled away in embarrassment.

He didn't mind; this wasn't the first time someone had stumbled into him.

Kai had found that when he was alone, people actually paid him very little attention thanks to his spectre's shroud.

This meant that even though he was in the ever busy guild hall, people largely ignored him. He just had to be careful people didn't run him over when they were distracted.

Even the group of adventures in the corner, who thought they were being discrete, seemed to absentmindedly ignore him as they watched everyone else intently.

Kai had overheard they were looking for members, but were being a bit snobby if anyone other than another human approached them.

There was a boom as the sound of a slamming door echoed through the hall.

Kai turned to see Lycaster come storming out of a back room to stomp right past him, on his way out.

He expected some confrontation, but Lycaster's eyes just washed right off him with no sign of recognition.

The group in the corner, however, nodded to each other and got up and followed Lycaster.

If their goal really was recruitment, he wished them luck. If it were anything else… Lycaster made it more than clear he knew how to call for the guards when he wanted them.

Kai turned back to the board, but something that he hadn't seen before caught his attention.

"What are you looking at?" Mira asked as he came to stand at Kai's side.

He pointed at the poster.

"I can't read…"

That caught Kai off, he was almost certain that Mira could see. Mira had even dithered on some of the choices of gear they bought for him simply because of the aesthetics.

Then Kai realised what had actually been said each time and started reading the poster for Mira, who could see, but not read. An important distinction.

"The Dawn Empire needs you, now recruiting adventurers of all ranks and experience levels. Help tame the wild, establish new villages, regain control of the rifts, explore forgotten dungeons, climb the tower (in five years). Options for citizenship are available. To find out more, book an appointment at the Guild or with The Houses to discuss the possible visa and available travel provisions. This opportunity is funded by the Spectre on behalf of the Imperial trinity of dawn."

He didn't remember authorising this. Well, at least not directly, it did technically fall within the scope of some of the requests he had made.

"Oh that. It's one of the reasons we've been able to get slots in dungeons each day. Theres a lot of people heading out to the dawn empire and its just barely off-setting all the new adventurers," Syl said as she joined Mira, protectively taking the kid's arm in hers.

"It's not a lot at the moment, People are still weary of this mysterious Spectre. I hear he eats babies and has a massive harem of orphans he forces to call him daddy," Alicia said, sharing a ridiculous rumour.

"I heard Spectre was definitely a woman, no sane person allowing a man to have that much wealth. She's a mother who had lost her child and saw the plight of Alea when looking for someone to adopt. Brought all the forgotten children of the world together in one place for a better life," Syl said, revealing another rumour that was apparently going around.

"I was approached by someone asking if I needed help once, they directed m-me to something called an orphanage. They said that I would be taken care of there. Kept mentioning this Spectre. Is this what they were talking about?" Mira asked.

"Not exactly… was that this morning?"

Mira nodded. "Today, the day before and a w-week ago. I think they have been watching me for a while. I'm not very good with people. B-but this lady seemed nice."

"Might have assumed you were a street child in your worn out clothes. I heard there was a second push to gather people with no means when the orphanages dried up," Syl said.

Mira gripped his bag. "I like those clothes, m-mountain told me where to find them."

Making a mental note to check out the orphanages in his spare time, Kai looked up the title he had been ignoring.

Spectre You are the reclusive Spectre.

Due to the nature of this title, it is unique. Only one person in Alea may claim this title. Due to the nature of this title, it remains hidden from all but those you trust and the most advanced examines. Due to the rising infamy and acclaim associated with the Spectre that this title bears; the system has allotted a reward that scales with that infamy and acclaim. To redeem the reward, you must declare yourself Spectre and allow for this title to be tied to your identity.

Warning, others are attempting to claim the title of Spectre, 1342, people have attempted to claim they are Spectre.

Spectre has 32 true followers.

Kai froze when he reached the last line: thirty-two true followers. The system recognised thirty-two people as following him, but why?

"What is it?" Syl asked, giving him a look.

"Nothing I want to discuss here. Are we heading back?"

"Yeah, all done. The guilds going to track Mira's old badge now that we have reported it stollen. It happens more often then they would like and they have a hard stance."

"Good," Kai said firmly. "We're still going to ask Temra to have it looked into right?"

"Of course. Odds are who ever stole Mira's stuff should know to get rid of the badge. But apparently if they still have the badge on them or on their property, it will leave a trace the guild can follow. The guild clerk was quite insistent that they have their ways. She wouldn't say much else. But I also got the feeling she wasn't hopeful," Syl said, summarising their conversation with the guild clerk.

"Mira was staying at a guild recommended inn. If there is foul play they could be blacklisted to the point that no guild member will be allowed to stay there anymore. With their reputation ruined the business should last long, especially if others apply pressure." Alicia explained, her eyes narrowing with the look of someone who intended harm.

"The Guild can do all that?" Kai said

"Only through a technicality. Now lets go show Mira some peace and quiet," Syl said as she pulled Mira towards the door.

It didn't take long to get back to the inn with Syl setting a rapid pace.

They got a nod from their innkeeper when they brought Mira through the common room.

The woman knew they were looking for members, and considering they had paid for room and board but never actually came down for meals and made very little noise, she asked no questions. Which might have had something to do with why Temra selected the inn in the first place.

The representative from the riders association sat up when he saw them, but when they merely waved and continued up to their room, he went back to his drink.

"Is this where I'll be staying, it's so much nicer then the other in," Mira said when he was led into their small suite.

They had made a point of at least making the suite look lived in so that, should there be a moment when they needed to invite someone in, it would not look suspiciously bare.

Syl pointed to a side room. "That's ours. It's cramped, but the three of us technically share."

She then moved her finger to the next room. "we have been using that as storage to help with potential noise complaints. It's where we have been putting the loot from our dungeon runs that we have recorded with the guild. That will make sense if you stick with us."

"Then it's Talious's room, then the middle one wich is special, the next is empty and then on the end you have our manager Temra's room.

"You can take the empty room as your own and no matter what happens you can use it as you wish, depending on where you feel comfortable. Do you see any other guests drifting about?"

Mira looked about as if checking the suit out again. "I haven't checked any of the r-rooms, but I don't think anyone's died n-n-near here in a while. At least no one who has stayed."

Kai found the statement odd, but Syl nodded in satisfaction, and Alicia looked thoughtful.

"W-what's special about that room? I can see something in there, b-but I have no idea what it is."

"You can see it, even though the doors closed?"

"Kind of, t-there is something b-b-bleeding through the cracks." He looked at Kai. "An energy that looks similar to your own, m-mixed with the others."

"I think I get it now!" Alicia said suddenly as she slammed her fist into her hand in recognition.

"Don't spoil it for Kai." Syl said as she went over and opened the door for Mira.

Mira lifted an arm to shield his view from the sight of Kai's portal into the domain as they took a step back.

Syl slammed the door shut. "Shit, sorry Mira, I didn't think."

"N-no, my eyes were adjusting. It was j-just so bright, like I had stepped out of a dark cave into a bright day… What is it?"

"One of Kai's specialities, a portal to our souls, our domain," Syl said as she reopened again, this time revealing the room beyond and its contents much more deliberate speed.

Mira walked into the room and placed a hand on the portal reverently, his hand unable to pass through the event horizon as no one had given him permission yet. "It's so warm feeling, like Kai, yet cool and comforting like you, and there's signs of life that feel like her," Mira said as he tilted his head toward Alicia.

The last part was interesting as it hinted that maybe part of Alicia's own separate soul was starting to bleed through the bond.

Kai would have asked a few questions that came to mind, but he was more interested in the feeling of multiple people trying to enter the domain.

He looked to Syl for answers.

"That's part of the surprise," Syl said as she opened the domain to Mira, and those he was carrying with him to enter.

They walked up to the house, Syl pointing one thing out after another to Mira as his head and ears swivelled independently of one another.

"This is where I'm staying? It's so quiet, yet all around me I can feel the presence of spiritual life. but when I look, I see something that's not quite what I know or expect."

"As this is place is within the spiritual realm, spiritual life has its own kind of form here. But as it is anchored to the physical realm through Kai there is some overlap."

"To think such a place existed."

"Everyone can create a domain, but it takes a very long time to develop naturally. This one was pushed along by my own soul being anchored to Kai's and a lot time due to the system…" Syl paused as she slipped into forbidden knowledge territory and couldn't say what she had intended to say.

"A lot of time and a lot of what I like to call System fuckery," Kai said, supplying a rough if not accurate description of events that led to Syl and him being connected and the domain developing.

"What happens if you die,? is this place destroyed? what about all the spirits and me if I'm inside?"

"If Kai dies, I will die, and so too will the domains connection to the physical realm. All the spirits that live here will remain and can maintain the domain but it will no longer grow and the defences of our soul will diminish over time. Those that have a connection to the physical realm should find themselves ejected safely. Hopefully to wreck vengeance for myself and my fallen husband."

Mira looked around in awe, then pointed to some horned rabbits. "They're spirits."

"Spiritual beings from the spiritual realm," Syl nodded.

Then Mira pointed to distant mounds of fur that munched on the purple grass.

"Orricks we brought in to feed Talious and the hatchlings. So those are physical beings, though we have to supplement their diet to stop them shifting to spiritual beings… its expensive but no more expensive then managing a heard in the physical realm."

This went on for a while, Mira fascinated by the calm duality the domain had established.

"Have you figured it out yet Kai. The blindfold, the spirits, the golemancy?" Syl asked as they walked along, the house growing closer with each step.

Kai sighed and shook his head. Kai thought he might have an idea, but wasn't ready to voice it.

"Can I tell him Mira?"

Mira looked "Tell him what?"

"The true nature of your abilities."

"My friends?"

"Not just them," Syl said, tapping her head where Mira's blindfold would be if she were the one to wear it.

Mira tilted his head in confusion. "I don't think that is special."

"Mira, before you came to the city did you even know what a golem was?"

"No," Mira's shoulders sank.

"You see Mira really is a Miracle Child. He's what you might call a seer, what others might call an oracle or even a prophet. Though I think his talents might lend to him being considered a medium at the moment as it is the veil between the living and the dead that seem to trouble him most in the city."

Mira nodded along enthusiastically.

"Are you okay telling us how you met Mountain?"

Mira seemed to struggle for a moment before deciding it was okay. "My memories hazy. I remember I was lost and alone… but I don't remember why. Then I heard him, he called to me from everywhere and no where at once. He told me where to find shelter and sent other's to protect me."

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"You see, Mountain is a mountain. Or I should say, the guardian spirit of a mountain. Most people can't see or hear Spirits until far higher in the tiers and even then its rare. But Mira here is special and can hear and see them anyway. His eyes see things in ways ours never could. Even with our arcane eyes we use a skill to see and sense the ebb and flow of things like mana. His eyes do it naturally."

"Mira, were you alone on the mountain? No village or town?" Alicia asked.

"No, village. But I had lots of friends?"

"But were any of them like us?" Mira looked like he was about to nod, but Syl went on, "more specifically like Kai and Alicia. Humanoid or beastkin like yourself."

Mira's shoulders sank again, his tail wrapping around his leg. "No… mountain said people only came to him to make sacrifices. He doesn't like when people come to him to make sacrifices."

The group slowed as they all seemed to realise just how Mira might have ended up on the mountain.

Communicating through the bond, they decided to say nothing further on the subject for now.

"Some of those friends, they accompanied you to the city didn't they?

Mira nodded.

"Do you want to introduce us?"

Mira slowed, and they all looked to him as he clutched his satchel tighter.

"I'll ask… but they are tired, they didn't like the city much either and had to work hard to keep me safe…" Mira said as he trailed off for a moment.

A little flickering flame appeared, twirled around Mira for a moment and then vanished.

"That was Wik, he is my best friend. Kept me warm at night and helped cook my meals." Mira said softly as he looked at the ground.

"A wisp?" Kai asked, surprised to see a real one after Syl imitating one for so long.

"No, a flame spirit, a nascent fire elemental if you will. Can become a wisp or many other far more powerful things as they grow," Syl explained.

"When Wik grows big and strong he says he'll show the mean beasts and spirits who is boss," Mira said, lifting his head again.

"You see, Mira's golemancy isn't powered by instructions, but instead by his friend possessing empty automatons and directing them them to fight for Mira. I assume you made some kind of pact or contract with your friends?"

"Yes, we agreed to always be friends and protect each other!" Mira said as he ran to catch up.

"And they are in the bag?" Kai asked, thinking that might be why he was clutching it so tightly

"No the spirits wont need to hide in a bag. I'm guessing that's the automatons," Syl said, shaking her head.

Mira nodded. "Its all I have left."

"We'll make you more. Ester will leap at the chance to make automatons that will accept spiritual control. Since you'll be staying with us for a while even if you don't want to join the team, there will be plenty of time to get you the stuff you need to live comfortably with Mountain."

Mira slowed again to look about.

'Anyone else notice his stutters gone?' Kai asked quietly through the bond. Both Syl and Alicia responded with a mental nod.

"I had a dream… when I told Mountain about it, he banished me. Said It was time to be with my own kind… that someone was looking for me," Mira said softly, almost too quiet for them to hear.

'By the spirits and the divine guys, I know we just met him but we can't just send him on his way if he doesn't want to team up with us. Even if we think it wont work' Alicia wept sympathetically through their connection.

'Even if we think it will not work, we will do something,' Kai added, in total agreement with Alicia's sentiment.

Syl just smiled as she turned to Mira and gestured to their home. "This is where you'll be staying, I've already set up a room just for you. Should be nice and peaceful at night, don't think I didn't see the bags under your eyes when we were sorting that blindfold."

"Bags?"

"It's an expression. I was talking about the dark marks under your eyes from lack of sleep."

Mira fidgeted uncomfortably under Syl's gaze as she led them inside.

"Come let's get you settled then we can talk about the dungeon that we have booked tomorrow. This is the living room, it's where we relax. Theres others that come around often to hang out and have a chat, so don't be concerned if you come out of your room and you run into someone you don't know."

Syl pointed up the stairs to where the bedrooms were.

"Our manager was staying in our guest room, but she has moved out so she can stay with her baby daddy in a cottage that's just along the shore. I've cleaned the room out and set up the basic necessities for now. Just let me know if there are any changes you want me to make and I can have them done instantly."

"Instantly?"

"Almost everything is made of a kind of metaphysical soul stuff. Both myself and Kai can manipulate it at will. Though Kai is still getting to grasp with it. He is working on a mage tower in his spare time. Its fallen over a couple of times, but no one has got hurt."

"Hey that last time wasn't my fault. And it's supposed to be a dock for hope and a roost for Castiel, Fayriel and Gift… not a mage's tower. The views from the last one were great before it collapsed," Kai protested.

"He is still unconsciously applying concepts such as structural integrity as if they actually effect constructs in the domain, it's causing things to topple the moment his brain asks why it isn't falling under its own weight."

"It's tricky," Kai complained.

"Not as tricky as you think it is. For a guy who constructs spells out of mana and willpower its amusing that you cant let go when it comes to architecture."

"Magic is supposed to be magical; that makes complete sense to me. My brain just hurts when you go and put a hundred tons off balance on what amounts to a toothpick. It shouldn't hold… It was a dumb demonstration of what you can do within the domain. Looked like bad modern art where I couldn't figure out the trick."

"He is getting better. Now Mira what would you like to see first?" Syl asked as she ignored Kai's protests.

Mira sniffed himself and then his new clothes, his nose wrinkling at the smell. "you mentioned a shower?"

"Oh yeah," Kai grinned, pleased he had a chance to show something off. "I'll show you how to use it, follow me."

Moments later, Kai came out of the shower room and walked into the living room where Syl and Alicia were waiting for the two of them.

"Theres been some confusion," he said, looking at the two of them stiffly.

"What?" they asked at pretty much the same time.

"Mira went to use the shower. I told him that most people undress and he, well he just started taking things off. He struggled with the trousers and I went to help. All those buttons and the flap, took me a while to figure it out. When he got the hand of he just continued undressing. Only he is, and I dont know how to say this without maybe sounding like a dick, he's an anatomical female… cis-female? I tried to act, you know, nonchalant, it's not my business. But I realy don't think I should have been telling him what the three sea shells are for so I excused myself."

"You can't catch a break can you," Syl said as her attention drifted off. "Yup, sans penis. I'll go see if I can figure it out. He seems to be the most comfortable with me, Syl said as she got up to go help Mira figure out the shower in Kai's place.

Kai slumped into the chair and sank into Alicia's side as she wrapped an arm around him and started patting his head. "you should hang out with my brother more if you really want a guy friend."

"I tried, all he ever wants to do is spar with me… Cillian's not much better. Right now he just wants a wing man to help him figure out a way past his vow of Celibacy. Thinks I can sneak him out of the domain, even suggested his vow would not apply if I snuck someone in for him."

"Three sea shells… gets me every time," Syl chuckled as she left to help Mira.

Half an hour later, Syl returned with a grin and thoughtful looking Mira in tow.

"It's not what you might think. It turns out Mountain, and the many other spirits of the mountain. You know rocks, trees, rivers. Well they aren't familiar with some concepts and always referred to Mira as boy for some reason. You would think the other spirits like actual ghosts of long dead people, would have an input. But being unable to move on, it probably wasn't a priority. That and ghost are renowned for being being absent minded."

Syl turned back to Mira and asked, "Does that sound accurate?"

Mira just nodded.

"Now when Mira came to the city and he was being helped with the guild registration he, she, ah shit, they were asked their gender. They got a very short explanation and Mira just went with what they had heard all their life," Syl said with a clap of her hands.

"So Mira, what are you?" Syl prompted.

Mira thought for a moment and then pointed to Kai. "Male?"

Syl nodded.

Then Mira pointed to Alicia. "Female?"

"That's how I've always seen it," Alicia said cheerily.

Mira then pointed to Castiel and Fayriel curled up together on one of the seats.

"See this is where most people could get confused again," Syl said.

"You're telling me. It shouldn't be, but sadly, it was a controversial subject." Kai said with a sigh.

Alicia gave him a look that begged to know what he was talking about.

Seeing that things weren't being translated by his omniglot skill in some way the others understood, he realised Alea might also prescribe to the limited two sex, two gender issue that some places on earth were going through. And he really hoped this particular bigotry, or any bigotry for that matter, didn't exist on a magical world like Alea.

Trying to process his thoughts, Kai spoke up. "Some people saw gender as purely related to biological sex and anatomy. While others saw it as a mental thing to do with how you think… I mean there was even a saying that kind of annoyed me whenever I heard it. "think like a man, look like a girl." In just one sentence, you've just strongly implied that men think one way and girls look another. No wonder people got confused and formed strict definitions of their own. I mean come on, It's not that simple."

"And yet, on a larger scale, when you look into it further. It's all kind of simple. Look how on Alea the gender roles are twisted from what you knew back on earth," Syl added as she slid into the open couch spot next to Kai.

"Exactly! It's not as if how you think isn't related to social and cultural expectations. That, and who or how you were raised… it's mostly perspective. Very little to do with your sex. I'm pretty sure that there being hundreds, no thousands of examples of men that would be considered masculine in one society and feminine in another was completely lost on a lot of people."

Kai looked up to see Alicia giving him a strange look. Was he making an arse out of himself?

He tried to elaborate. "People were constantly arguing over it. Many not realising that they were arguing over completely separate issues of sex and the social construct that is gender. All the while, people were just trying to find a place they felt comfortable, a place that they understood."

Syl lay a comforting hand on his knee.

He let out a long sigh and said, "Don't get me started on how inadequate the lexicon was. That or peoples vocabularies just plain sucked. Apparently the ancient Greeks had three genders."

"It wasn't just the ancient Greeks," Syl said.

Thinking of something, he chuckled. "You know, I could never quite understood why an apple was feminine in French. It's an apple for spirits sake. And what the hell is the male gaze?"

"Are you done ranting?" Syl Said squeezing his knee.

"I feel like I've inadequately expressed my thoughts. And I guarantee I've pissed someone off somewhere. But I'll be the first to admit this is one subject I will happily sit down and discuss it if it means I learn something… That, woman, ruined a perfectly good story with such a narrow mindset… that and a load of potholes… okay I think I'm done."

"My love is an overthinker who decided it was a good idea to mix phycology and philosophy at collage," Syl said apologetically as she turned to Mira.

Mira's shoulders shrugged in reply. They were clearly taken aback by Kai and his outburst and didn't quite know what to do as they just continued to stand there awkwardly as the room went quiet.

"And yes, I read those books too. Besides the issues with the story, it is insane that she continued to make crazy amounts of money when things slipped. Not that it will matter when the tutorial wraps up in a few more weeks."

Thinking of earth Kai felt a pit in his stomach, and he let himself sink further into the couch.

"Maybe we will find a potion that changes gender and you can tell us if there is a difference," Alicia said, catching Kai's attention and giving him a wink.

"You'd miss it," Kai said, returning the wink.

"Honestly don't think there will be much difference between the two, maybe some hormonal stuff and that's anatomy. People all over the universe use magic to change their sex on genetic level all the time. Very, I mean, very rarely does it shift their personality to be what is considered more masculine of feminine to their culture. And if you think this is complicated, you should see the races that have four or five anatomically different genders. Their procreation is weird. Most have complex interactions that result in different sexes and genders in the offspring. And trust me monogamy isn't even a concept to them," Syl said, sharing a bit of her multiverse knowledge.

Syl's explanations gave Kai a frighting mental image of a writhing mass of tentacled monsters that was just one anime girl short of being another person's fantasy.

"Damn, sex changing potions could have actually sorted out a lot of Alea's population problems. I wonder how no ones found them in a dungeon or figured out how to make them." Alicia's eyes sparkled. "The amount you could make selling them."

"While the system does drop them in dungeons from time to time, and they're not hard to make. You wont find the materials needed for the type that works for humanoids on a world like Alea until it advances a few tiers."

Mira had been trying to follow, their brow furrowed as they contemplated something fit for philosophers. "What was the difference, in gender I mean?"

"For some, a lot, others not so much. It's just how you want us to address you at this point. It wont change how we treat you. The main point is making sure your happy," Syl replied.

Mira looked at Sly for a long time and then pointed to her. "Girl?"

Syl nodded.

Mira pointed at themselves, "Then I want to be a girl too."

"Your more of a young woman under all that dirt, you were such a pretty boy I was a little worried we would have to hire guards to stop people kidnapping you," Alicia said with a big smile.

"You made the right choice, woman are so much better than stinky, stupid men like Kai. All hard muscle and no brains. Ooh! You should see the choice of clothes and shoes and, on not that, you can wear the means clothing we got you today if that is what you like, it's just. Mix and match… that's actually interesting. We could introduce so many new fashion trends," Syl said, looking off in thought.

Alicia snapped her fingers to get Syl's "While I wouldnt agree about the available choice, fashion later, Mira now. And I told you, until I know who I am cosplaying I'm not doing it, even if you say it gets a rise out of Kai. That last one was embarrassing."

"What this about cosplays?" Kai asked, confused, he didn't remember the use of any cosplays.

Syl snapped back to reality, pouted at Alicia and then smiled apologetically at Mira

Mira looked down at the shirt, trousers and boots she was wearing, then at the dress and corset combo Syl was wearing. "I like that more, these trousers pinch my tail too much."

Syl groaned, "I knew you looked confused in the shop. I thought you were just uncomfortable with us buying you things. I'm really glad we didn't push for a haircut or anything like that. It would have bee such a waste!"

It was then that the Ester ran through the wide-open doors that led in from the lower decking.

A familiar pendant held in her hand as she yelled, "I got it! I finally got it! I have my challenge stone, I can start running dungeons with you!"

Mira ducked behind Syl.

Then the domain shifted, a sudden change in the ambient energy announcing to all within that something was happening

"Gift!" Alicia squealed with joy as she bolted for the stairs up to their bedroom.

…

Bria looked around her new office, not quite feeling like she belonged there.

She felt like an imposter.

She hadn't even been able to partake in the main training because of her pregnancy, and here she was in a position of power over a hundred other rigorously selected elite recruits.

She had heard about the tower guard shortly after she had her fateful encounter with Spectre.

With how she had met the man and his support of the nation in which the tower resided, she decided the man must have some connection with the tower itself.

So she had submitted an application.

And her application had been rejected.

So she went to the open tryouts.

And she was turned away.

Then she was immediately called back a moment later and asked to wait.

An hour later she was having tea with The Sage and Empress of Twilight. The both of them were very interested in how she came to have the title, First True Follower of Spectre.

She didn't even know she had the title and, once she got over the shock, did her best to explain her meeting with Spectre.

Bria found that she could recall Spectre's every word, while she had to struggle to piece together what she herself had said, mostly from the context of what Spectre had said in reply.

She was a little uncomfortable recounting the event for them as they were deeply personal, and these two, with their high positions, they weren't exactly orphans like her.

But what could she do? She was powerless in the face of these two figures, and Spectre hadn't exactly been specific on whom she should spread the word to.

The whole time, The Sage was taking notes the whole time on what was to her, a deeply personal life event.

Bria took the opportunity to beg to join the tower guard.

They refused, explaining that the tower guard would be largely ceremonial with little duties other than managing those who would come to climb The Tower.

They instead, in light of her title, hinted that they had something else in mind that would be more her speed as The Sage pushed his notes over to her so she could confirm what he was calling ideals.

She had to admit she couldn't read, but they didn't seem to mind. The Sage took his notes back and read them out for her to confirm that way.

She had to admit that the ideals, as he was calling them, resonated with her.

That's when the man admitted it was a good philosophy, and he did something that she never expected.

The Sage swore to live by those ideals.

The famed man recounted that his future was his own, that he would work hard to better himself, that he would take care of himself, that he would do his best to help others and that he would most certainly enjoy his freedom.

His simple words felt profound to Bria, and the man smiled as he shared a title with her and the Empress at his side in much the same way the Spectre had shared his own.

True follower of Spectre.

Bria was lost for word and she sat there watching as the two powerful figured shared a quiet look.

The empress, for her part, sat back and seemed to contemplate what had just happened for a long moment before deciding that such ideals would not interfere too much with her position and swore to live by those same ideals.

Her phrasing, however, differed from The Sage slightly, but the core meaning was there.

The woman again chose to omit what Bria thought might be a crucial ideal in that they did not actually worship the man.

She tried to communicate this, but they dismissed her concerns, saying that neither of them had in their hearts or minds any intention of worshiping their son-in-law, so that ideal didn't apply to them.

That led to them both discussing those who might hold Spectre in high regard and how it might be a significant hurdle for them.

Bria was still lost in the fact that they had just referred to The Spectre as their son-in-law.

She was snapped back to reality when they asked her to help them found what they were calling the Spectral Guard, Order, Knights. The two of them bickered about the name.

She accepted; how could she refuse?

The very next day her lessons began as she was thrust into what she soon realised was officer training with four others that The Sage and the Empress had already selected.

Within a week, the others had sworn the ideals and become true followers like herself. They were all orphans like her, and Bria suspected they would have managed the ideals within a day. But as had been predicted, they held Spectre in high regard and struggled with not worshiping him. No matter how small that worship might be, in the end they found that admiration was the limit.

With the ideals confirmed once again, the secret selection process began.

She continued her basic lessons, doing her best to learn to read and write as her officer course continued

Eventually, training of the newcomers started.

Training where Bria found herself stroking her pregnant belly and talking to the others about what she felt the ideals meant. How there was a core to them and that so long as this core was maintained, most anything could be said.

When they had a significant batch of inductees who had successfully sworn their ideals, the order, young though it was, was given its first request.

That was how she found herself a few weeks later walking into a gathering of the self proclaimed controversial Church of Spectre with an escort of twenty-nine other members of the Spectral Order who had successfully sworn the ideals.

The head of the church was not happy when Bria revealed her title and proclaimed that their organisation was a front to drain the populace of what little wealth they had accrued in the burgeoning economy of the Dawn Empire.

But it's not like a so-called head priest of Spectre could argue with a true follower of Spectre when Bria's title was backed by the system and theirs, on the other hand had self proclaimed tagged onto it by the system, like it was there just to mock them.

When the ideals stressing not to worship Spectre were announced, and one of the still reticent mass attendees managed to swear to the ideals then and there, the still bickering head priests gave up, and they were handed over to the city guard for further investigation.

So, Bria, feeling heavy on her feet after a long day repeating the ideals to confused supplicants of Spectre, sat in a plush chair, behind a heavy desk, and she stared at her collection of worn-out boots.

There were just two sets of boots on the shelf: the first pair she had been given when she arrived in El'alora and, after her encounter at the tower, she had made them her pair of what she liked to call tower boots. She wore those each day on her hike to the tower and back.

The second pair she received when someone saw how worn out her first pair had become. The woman gave her a staunch lesson on looking after her foot where and the ways she can make them last a lot longer suggesting things like hobnails to protect the soles if she was going to be doing so much walking.

Only despite her best efforts, this pair fell apart within the first week of wearing them because the stitching was so sloppy.

When Bria took them back, they apologised previously as they explained they had taken on a batch of apprentices to provide work and hopefully teach a trade to those that wished it.

That set of boots was, according to its tags, the first pair that had passed quality from a young woman not much older than Bria.

They tried to replace them, but Bria asked instead if it was possible to have the woman who made them repair them instead.

Bria had returned a day later to collect the same pair of boots and a letter.

Now the soles were slightly worn, but the stitching had once again given up to the point it wasn't worth putting them back together again, so the boots sat on her shelf alongside the letter of thanks that she could now read.

The boots she wore now were, upon her request, made by the same woman, and they were lasting a lot better now that she knew how to take care of them and the woman had worked hard to improve her new craft.

There was a knock at her door.

"Come?" Bria said after a moment passed and no one entered.

Her tutor walked in with an evil look on her face.

"Afternoon Captain Bria," she said as a chair appeared in front of the desk and the older woman dropped a stack of books and worksheets between them.

"Captain?"

"Yes, it's official now. The Spectral Order is the talk of the city. Good work breaking up that little cult for profit. The palace is swarmed with applicants. They'll start work on uniforms and your headquarters now that it's no longer a secrete."

Bria groaned.

"Now, you missed this mornings lesson so we have a lot to catch up on."

"I thought I would have the rest of the day off…" Bria sighed as she fell back and rubbed her belly.

"And how does that fit with working to better yourself."

"Ah, but you forget I need to take care of myself at the same time," Bria replied.

The look she got told her that line of reasoning wasn't going to work.

Her tutor pushed a worksheet Bria's way and opened a thick textbook. "Besides, you can rest when Little Kai'ryon is born. Dawn has some of the best infant care on Alea with all the miracle births. They already have everything ready to make sure you in particular have no issues caring for your child and continuing your education. We need to stay on track if you want to do your physical training and start levelling up with the rest of your order any time soon."

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