Bonded Summoner-Chapter 18BS7 - : Exploring Aetheris

Jake and his wives arrived on Aetheris in front of the Alliance HQ, wearing their Grecian and tribal outfits. In addition to all of his wives, Bree also came as a humanoid with her odd skin-tight green and red body-suit made of special vines.

The view was spectacular as they stepped through the gate. The strange world defied normal geography. They were on top of an Asian city on a giant mountain, where the clouds were beneath them, almost like a fog. There was an open sky with more than one sun in view.

Despite that, above them and off to the side, an upside-down version of a massive city could be seen. Then, off in the other direction, another upside-down giant lake with scattered temples and more, that somehow sat without the water falling. The landscape rolled and twisted over itself, like they were on some kind of spiral or corkscrew-like world.

There was an odd, purplish haze that ran through the center of the sky, and he did see some kind of floating structure within the haze several corkscrews away in the distance. It seemed this haze was somehow gathered within the temples and other structures, as he saw a few special ones drawing it in.

Jake could not really identify where the sky ended and the void of space began. It was a strange thing, but this world was truly different from any other he had visited.

“This place is shaped like the pasta!” Berri noted.

Ophelia snorted. “You’re right. So strange.”

Bree took on the world with an impressed gaze. “I’ve only run into a few cultivators in Battlegrounds, but have never been to their worlds. If I knew they were like this, maybe I might have.”

It wasn’t only the world itself that was impressive. Both cities were incredibly massive, with numerous towering Asian-style buildings. Many were bigger than any skyscraper Jake had ever seen, and the city stretched on for many miles.

Nessa had been waiting for them near the portal, floating in the air nearby. It seemed that she preferred to float a few inches from the ground now, rather than walk, and her tail kind of swirled around her in a strange… partial sphere below the waist. It reminded Jake of a ribbon dance in how it spiraled around her.

“Hello, Hart Family! Thank you for coming, and welcome to Aetheris.”

Jake smiled at her. “Of course. Congratulations on your victory. We’re excited to celebrate with you.” Nessa had taken in their party, and she took attention to Bree. It seemed she hadn’t met her yet. “This is Bree, a daughter of Echidna.”

Nessa made a surprised sound. “Oh. Echidna? You’ll…have to tell me the story about that. It’s nice to meet you. I wasn’t aware of any Divine’s daughters under the third Tier in our Sector.”

Bree chuckled. “Stuff happened. It’s good to meet you as well, daughter of Tyr.”

Jake noted, “We heard Tartarus pulled out all the stops to prevent you from succeeding here.”

“They certainly tried. The number of unorthodox cultivators that showed up on both of our worlds was aggravating. The batch you helped us with was far from the only ones, and far from the only kind. But Sati and Ruby, as well as Mysticus and Zorina, were all instrumental in helping us in resolving these issues, along with Fhesiah’s aid with special formations. So I can’t thank you enough for lending them to me, and helping us out even with just guidance, Faye. The leaders can’t wait to meet you.”

Jake replied, “I’m glad you were able to make use of them, and that they were such a big help.” Jake mostly knew the answer because of his Summoner’s Bond with them, but he asked anyway, “Where are they now?”

“They are waiting for us to meet with them at the destination. I figured we could do some sightseeing on the way.”

Tanda tilted her head. “Is it far?”

Nessa chuckled. “Here, I think you’ll find that just about everything is, even if it’s within the same city. Let me show you some of the sights while we head over.” She gestured over to a smaller flying vehicle that looked more like a boat with comfy chairs that could hold a dozen people or so. Since they had normalized their bodies to a more functional size, and Bloodberri with a more human appearance with legs, they would fit without issues.

There were numerous people flying across the city with flying swords, boats, and similar. They sat inside the ship and it took off, and as they flew through the air, they saw that the landscape of Aetheris was even more breathtaking.

The incline of the spiral was very gradual and difficult to notice with a casual look from the ground, but higher up they were better able to see the spiral curvature of the world better. They could see what was probably thousands of miles in the distance, and it was awe-inspiring just how large the world really was.

“What a strange, but amazing world.” Ophelia noted.

Nessa nodded. “For me, this was still a surprise, even if I’d seen other worlds that would be odd here. I’ve been to worlds that were nothing more than a giant, endless temple.”

Blood was watching the many people flying through the air, and how many multi-story pagodas had tons of people within them. “The people on this world seem quite strong on average.”

The Aetherian people were a bit different from humans. Many of them had a gray hue to their skin, almost like stone. Then, their features, especially in the face or head, seemed more rounded and the back of their head a tiny bit more conical or elongated toward their back than a human’s.

Their eyes were also a bit bigger, making them look a little alien in Jake’s eyes, but not overly so. He could hardly tell their heads were conical unless they were bald, their hairstyles ultimately making them look similar.

As far as Jake understood it, this was one of the many human-adjacent races in the multiverse, as these people would still see Human in their status sheet, just with the Aetherian annotation.

Nessa smiled and nodded. “That’s right, among those in the large cities like this they are strong. The non-cultivators often live in much smaller villages scattered throughout the spirals, and the cultivators are focused in these cities. These people have a long heritage, and it did include some people reaching Nascent Soul. Difficult for a world of this energy level, but the special conditions within the core-like area made it possible.”

Fhesiah hummed, as she looked up. “Interesting. How could it do that? Is it the purple haze?”

“Yes. This world strikes a unique balance of attuned Qi that travels along the spiral, and in the center, these special Qi’s converge to create a unique type of attuned Qi the natives of this world call Aether, or the breath of the world. It has a special density, and it was what allowed a scant few to achieve it.” She smiled. “Now that this world’s energy rating has upgraded thanks to the Trial, the number should be able to increase.”

After viewing the sites around town, including a huge arena, and an immense fountain and a beautiful tea garden on a lush mountain, their destination was clear in the distance, Nessa pointing it out as they approached.

It was a massive pagoda building, larger than any skyscraper Jake had seen on Earth, its height many miles high and able to pierce into the purple haze above. It was a tiered Asian castle with numerous, giant levels. Each level was miles wide, tall and long. But what was interesting was that it was made entirely of stone.

Berri said, “This place is huge. I bet the person who owns this is super rich!”

Nessa blushed. “It’s…me, technically. It seems the defacto leaders, the top families of this world, have chosen to give me this…castle. They tried to push a few conditions on me, but thankfully the strongest and the one that made much of it in the first place stood up for me. For that, I am thankful.”

Blood smirked. “What kind of conditions?”

Nessa coughed. “A few of them had sons, of course. As always, I told them the truth: that I have my heart set on another.”

Fhesiah grinned and looked at Jake. “Hm, I wonder if we’ll run into one of these rivals. That’s a cultivator thing too, right? He’ll challenge you for her hand, and then Jake will slap–”

Avalara’s ears flicked, and she gasped. “Oh! That sounds so exciting. I love that.” She started preening, fluffing her hair and fixing her dress.

Jake groaned. “Please don’t bait men for me to fight over you with.”

She pouted, as she toyed with her mated necklace. “Of course, I would never do that. My stag has already won me, and I would never accept another. But if it happened on its own… Well, it wouldn’t be wrong for me to enjoy it when you inevitably crushed them, would it?” Ava got a dreamy stare off to the side with her tail tuft fluttering behind her, sighing as she imagined Jake standing over a beaten foe.

“What if I lost? There are certainly entities out there that could be the one that crushes me, instead. Nessa or Avalara’s dad could kill me with a snap of their fingers, couldn’t they?”

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Ava’s eyes narrowed, and the vines in her yellow dress twisted as her fingers transformed into tree-like claws, something he didn’t even know that she could do. “I would fight them tooth and nail, and seek vengeance if I could. I’d call all the beastkin to join me in my crusade, and do everything in my power to kill them. Even if they were a god, they would taste my fury.”

Tanda laughed, her tail wagging. “We’re already mated, Jake. A male that challenges you for us is trash, a destroyer of families. That said, Nessa is fair game for now.”

Nessa cleared her throat. “If they give you trouble, I do apologize in advance. I don’t think you’ll need to act though. Old man Xuan is a friend of my father’s, as it turns out.”

Fhesiah was surprised. “Ah. Wasn’t he that guy at the first tournament? He didn’t fight, if I recall, but he was strong.”

Nessa chuckled. “That’s right. He’s one of those on this world that had reached Nascent Soul. He stayed out of the participation in the Initiation Trial so that we could properly fight in it. He’s old, and he was unable to climb higher on this world.”

Jake asked, “So did he join the Framework? I understand he needs a sponsor, or to go pretty deep in debt.”

“He postponed for the time being. Something about liking his freedom? Anyway, here we are.”

The ship landed at one of the many entrances of the immense castle at a large door behind the main gate, and they disembarked. Nessa stowed away the boat, and then they all walked in together.

The door was huge, but the ceiling was even further above them than Jake had pictured–it seemed some form of spatial magic was at play, making the place even bigger than he had imagined. It was already immense, but now, it was clear it was even larger than that thanks to spatial magic.

In all, the space felt a bit odd, to Jake. It was like he could feel it was different…or taste it, somehow. Ira nudged him, sending him a feeling of a nod. Space magic and Qi was adjacent to the void, so this was probably what he was feeling.

They were in a large room, and Jake’s permanent summons were standing and floating there in the large lobby area, waiting for them.

The two both looked very different from when he last saw them. Sati’s body looked less like a flame in the shape of a woman, and more like a brown-skinned woman with flesh, wearing flames like a cloak around her. She also now wore an orange sash or toga-like dress, showing a surprising amount of skin. Her bra was more of a white bandage or cloth wrap, which he could see with one shoulder largely exposed.

As always, she still floated as she sat in a lotus position, her legs crossed with her feet on her thighs. With black hair to go along with her brown skin, she certainly looked to have Indian descent to Jake.

Her face was what changed the most, with golden eyes. She used to have a placid, contented smile on her face as she was often bowed in prayer. But the moment she saw Jake, her smile lit up. He had seen that smile on her a few times, but it was only when she had consumed his flames.

The hearth that blazed in her chest was white and gold, and had a unique feel to it. It had changed once again, and he wondered what kind of opportunities she’d gained in the last few years.

Ruby had changed far more, however. She no longer looked like a beast at all, and instead, was a beastkin woman with small black bear-like ears in her white hair–or rather, he guessed a badger’s. Her hair cascaded around her with black tips, long and wild. Jake didn’t see claws on her hands or any signs of her armadillo-like scales, just hands that looked like a dainty woman’s, somehow.

Her red eyes gazed at him while she wore a red cultivator kimono that fit her womanly curves, and her long tail trailed out behind her. If not for the beastkin features, he’d have actually guessed she was an elf or a vampire.

Within her, a hearth made of blood flames. Jake had heard from Fhesiah that she and Nessa together had refined several materials, and they were able to help her establish it within Ruby’s Core without disrupting it.

At first sight, Jake would be slightly worried that in the case of Ruby, that she would now be weak and less durable. But with his Umbral Gaze, he could see the truth. Her aura, the magical energy within her, was exceptionally dense, almost as dense as his and his wives’.

A cultivator’s looks were simply deceptive. Heavenly energy often performed up to half a Tier above other energies, and hers was refined from a higher Tier much like Tanda and Ophelia’s tattoos, and their own hearth flames from the goddess.

It seemed to be the same with Sati, her unique flames from some higher energy. Jake knew that the vampire’s stash was full of all sorts of ridiculous artifacts, and with her consuming them all, she had really claimed something truly valuable and grew her strength.

“You both have changed so much. Especially you, Ruby.”

Ruby smiled demurely. “I… learned so much, and a lot has happened. Thanks to Nessa and the many cultivators, I was humbled. But…sometimes you can’t take the badger out of a badgerdillo, as Faye would say. Sati and Nessa have both helped me a lot in finding my calm…at least outside of battle.”

Fhesiah chuckled a little awkwardly. “Wasn’t sure you heard me say that to Blood… Anyway, this is wonderful. I’m glad you are finding your own path.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Faye. I do appreciate all you’ve done for me. I didn’t fully understand everything as you took care of me in that urn, but now I know. Thank you so much.” She gave Faye a small bow, and what was clearly a grateful smile.

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Sati nodded, before bowing to Fhesiah as well. “I must also thank my benefactor, for all the opportunities granted to me. If not for your whims, the winds of fate would have never blown through my life. I am thrilled to serve my master once more, to fulfil my life’s purpose.”

Jake couldn’t help but arch his brow at that. “Life’s purpose?”

Sati smiled. “It was a series of spectacular events that made me what I am. I believe my inner flame is special because it needs to be. How or why remains to be seen. But I have a hope.” She floated over to him, and reached out her hand toward Jake’s, taking his hand in hers, which he allowed. “A wish for the greatest connection to you. That my dharma is intertwined with yours forevermore, my benefactor.”

Jake was surprised at the feel of her hand touching his. Despite now looking to have flesh and blood, he could tell that not much had truly changed. She was still a living flame, and the feel of her body touching his was warm and inviting, and her hearth was nearly leaping at his, seeking a deeper connection. He could feel the depths of her feelings, and he was a little shocked.

Still, he couldn’t help but side eye Fhesiah, as she nodded over to them and accepted Ruby and Sati’s appreciation.

Faye chuckled. “Don’t look at me, Husband. While it is true that I may have brought them home and focused my attention on both of them with a certain intention or hope for a certain possibility, I never did more than just talk you up to them. As all us girls always do. She chose to focus on you all on her own.”

Jake was a little surprised at that, as he knew she spoke the truth. But perhaps he shouldn’t have been. He addressed Sati, “Isn’t Fhesiah your benefactor? And if I choose not to seek a greater connection with you, what then?”

Sati pulled away, but still floated close in front of him. And despite the topic of potential rejection, she was unworried, and confident instead.

“She is undoubtedly my benefactor as well, and so is Lady Nessa. But as for Lady Faye, is the flame burning in her hearth, not partially your flame? Are her actions not an extension of your own will? As for whether my wish is granted or not by you, what will be, will be. I will continue with my selfless devotion, and my inner fire will burn away all impurities and illusions of evil.”

Sati searched his eyes, and her flames blazed around her, somewhat matching the bright flame in her chest. “My sincerest wish is for you to use me in your crusade against evil. Whether my other wish is fulfilled or not, I will serve the greater purpose: the dharma, until my final breath.”

The woman was intense, and the passion and devotion in her voice and in her golden gaze, as well as the brightness of her flames, was captivating. Fhesiah’s smile was wide, and she looked like the cat who got the canary at this point.

“I see. And Nessa just finished telling us that you have done well at that so far.”

Nessa beamed. “Yes, that is right. They are both such eager and capable subordinates, ready to face any challenge for the good of our alliance, or to aid others. Together with Aria, Xara, and Xu Weiyan, we’ve found that we all make an excellent team. Among the top elites of the Alliance in our level range, for sure.”

An old man’s voice came from all around them, and Jake looked up at the source thanks to his Umbral Gaze. It was a wrinkled old Aetherian man with white hair and a long and thin beard, wearing stone gray and purple cultivator robes and standing on air above them. His eyes surged with a violet light, and it was almost like veins of purple could be seen lightly underneath his gray skin.

“So this is the man you intend to marry. Interesting, you have capable senses, Young Lord. I also feel that while you are not a cultivator, you have begun to walk the Path of the Dao. How peculiar.”

Nessa pouted as she turned to him. “Uncle Xuan, we were supposed to meet later!”

He chuckled as he floated down to the ground and then folded his arms behind him. “I couldn’t wait. Wanted to see this man for himself, and he certainly passes muster. Better than my sheltered son–I can see why you passed on him if this was the one that caught your interest. It’s nice to meet you all, Hart family.”

Nessa cleared her throat. “This is Old Man Xuan, the Patriarch of the Unbreakable Stone Sect. Their home is here, within this castle.”

The girls each gave their greetings with nods and nice to meet yous, and Jake shook his hand while Tanda asked Nessa, “Uncle?”

Nessa blushed, and whispered. “He wanted me to call him that. Since he gave me this place, I wasn’t about to complain about the small stuff.”

Old man Xuan laughed, and replied to Nessa. “As far as I’m concerned, you earned it, and little has changed in truth–we still live here, after all. It is a mere trifle compared to what this world gained from your valiant efforts. Heroes should be lauded and rewarded, for it helps birth new heroes more often than not.” He turned to Jake and his party. “I hope you plan on attending the tournament, and the numerous events we have planned over the course of the next couple of weeks.”

Jake wondered if he would regret his next words. “Our schedule is mostly free over the next few weeks. I’m sure we’ll find plenty of time to enjoy the coming events.”

“Good!” The old man exclaimed, then began to stroke his beard as he thought. “Good. There is a lot to enjoy coming. I am excited for little Nessa here to relax and enjoy herself. She works hard, perhaps a little too hard. Then, the wedding ceremony. She deserves a slice of happiness for herself.”

Nessa blushed, her snake tail twisting around her in anxiety. “Thank you, Uncle Xuan. I’m…also excited about the coming weeks.”

“Now, how about I take you to meet our Clan and Sect heads, and elders? They are all dying to meet some Champions and heroes of the Framework.”

Nessa frowned. “We…were going to head that way. I did want to show them the special training grounds and the arena first, however.”

Xuan stroked his beard in thought for a moment, and then laughed. “I like that plan. I suppose those old fogeys can wait a little while longer.”

Nessa smiled. “Old? That’s a bit much coming from you, Uncle.”

The old man chuckled, “My body might be old, but my thinking is not. Changing their minds is sometimes harder than moving a mountain.”

“But you move mountains much easier than most. Perhaps that’s why they listen to you.” Nessa pointed out with a smile.

“Too true.”

A giant stone platform dislodged itself from the ceiling a distance away from them, and floated towards them rapidly before it landed in front of them. It was almost like a floating square balcony, with a knee-high stone railing on the outside.

A ramp lowered itself, and the party all walked onto it, and then it took off toward the center of the castle. After the lobby area, the floor was quite vast with many formal meeting areas, and beyond a divider they flew over, a large, vast area with many buildings inside.

Some glyphs lit up on the odd platform, and suddenly, the platform sped up–but Jake didn’t. The banister crashed into Jake’s legs, sending him tumbling head over heels to the ground, but he caught himself with his Hearth flames.

Ophelia blitzed back toward him, and the platform took some time to turn around as she did, but she arrived first. “Jake! Are you okay?”

Jake shrugged. “I’m fine, but that was weird.”

“What the hell happened?” Uncle Xuan frowned, and his Divine Sense washed over him, though Jake could tell it was a cursory glance rather than he was truly invading his privacy. His eyes widened. “Voi–ahem. Interesting. I’ll keep that to myself. These use elements of the Dao of Space in their construction, just like this very building. It seems that…something about you resisted this. Very peculiar. If you want, we can use a special flying–”

Jake shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. Now that I know what to expect, I think it’ll be fine.”

“Good. Honestly, this place is just too damn big. It takes far too long to travel through without them.”

This time, when the platform sped up, Jake willed himself to go along with it. The platform moved, and as he watched with his Umbral Gaze, the effect was very peculiar. It was almost like the building itself moved around them, in addition to the platform moving.

His void cells had rejected the effect, and he found this interesting. He hadn’t tested against teleportation, but teleportation traps would likely completely fail against him now. The Framework’s portals and more were all a part of him, and so they didn’t cause issues with this.

Watching the landscape move around them, it was truly like a city inside the castle. There were numerous structures and roads or pathways, and Xuan gave them a small tour, pointing out the many different Clans and Sects. It seemed the earth Qi in this building was drawn up from beneath it and above it, allowing cultivators to progress and train.

Jake was interested in having many of these clans or sects as allies. “Stone and earth, huh? Those are some allies I’d like to have on the team. Among our guild, not many are great at it. Their control over the earth is more along the lines of soil and dirt, rather than stone. I feel stone has better combat applications.”

Nessa said, “With Qi and the dao, even dirt or sand can be as hard as stone, I’ve learned. Still, it’s true that the essence of stone is much harder than dirt–it’s what makes it what it is. A few of our rune mages focus on stone, but the cultivators from Uncle Xuan’s Sect and his allies are on a whole nother level above them.”

Old man Xuan chuckled. “Our martial artists and mages are strong, but your people were versatile as well. While my people are stuck with stone or earth, yours could cast numerous types of spells. Ours are much more specialized, spending their whole lives committed to the dao of stone, or whatever their focus is.”

They continued their flight path, and they eventually arrived at the training grounds, as Old man Xuan announced.

It was a massive area, with numerous sections that had special environments separated by tall walls. From a giant pit of sand that was moving, to a large stone temple where stones were raining down on the people inside. There was also what looked like a pillar with endless stairs trailing around it and up into the ceiling. There were many cultivators utilizing the special environments, including people sitting on or balancing stones of various sizes, as well as lifting or breaking them.

With Jake’s Umbral Gaze, he saw many of the stones were Aether-infused, and so were the people. “A lot of these people have this Aether infused into them.”

The old man grinned. “Noticed that? The castle draws it in from the sky, and it is carried through and injected into the leylines of this place. From there, the people inside cultivate it in their private areas.”

The more he saw this Aether, the more he thought it was a lot like the Arcane Energy within the Eternum.

Jake and his girls almost looked like they wanted to try some of these feats of strength or challenges the people were trying. And Old Man Xuan noticed.

“Interested? I’m sure we can allow you to try some of these areas.”

Fhesiah asked, “They won’t mind? I see that there is a lot of Aether infused here. Surely, that means there is an opportunity for insights into the dao. That cannot come cheaply, and is often restricted to members of the sect.”

The old man chuckled, and waved her off. “It’s no problem at all. You’re Nessa’s special guests, after all.”

Ophelia arched her brow at Fhesiah. “But this is all earth and stone related? That’s not much compatible with any of us.”

Jake shook his head. “While it’s true that earth or stone might not be a focus of any of our magics, taking on unique challenges can help one find insight into their magic, themselves, and thus their dao–their path. Conflict is the driver of progress in every sense, so we can benefit here just the same.”

Fhesiah beamed with pride at his understanding of it, and hugged him tightly from the side. Even her kitsune tails wrapped around his waist. “He gets it! You really do pay attention to me. And yes, the only thing I would like to add is that Aether seems to contain all the elements in a unique balance, so by taking some into you, you could gain insight into anything–even fire. I can tell Sati and Ruby here have done this.”

The two nodded, and it was Sati that spoke, “Yes, mistress. And I did gain insight to my flames in this very building, facing off against unbreakable stone.”

Ruby scratched her neck, chuckling a little awkwardly. “And I gained the most insight by taking a beating from many unbreakable stones, it seems.”

Old Man Xuan spoke up, “The other spirals will have other environments, and odds are, we’ll be able to get you in some of those before the two weeks are up. If not, I’ll have to slap a few elders.”

Their tour of the floor complete, they floated upwards. There were several gaps for the platform to travel throughout, allowing them to arrive on the next.

As they rose above the next floor, it was shocking what they saw. It was like another whole city inside, and it caused everyone to look over at Nessa.

“What?”

Fhesiah said, “Look at moneybags Empress Nessa over here, with several cities inside her castle.”

Berri pouted, looking at Avalara with blame. “I liked the castle you made us, but this one is so much better! Can we do this too? We need to change the designs!”

Avalara huffed. “Hmph. I built them how you wanted, and it’s not like I can change them so easily without destroying them and starting over. If you were so particular about them, you should have chosen a cooler design.”

Berri raised her finger to complain, but realized only she was to blame, and dropped it, before turning to the old man and pointing at him instead. “Old man Xuan, I hire you! We need our castles upgraded on Highlands!”

Old Man Xuan laughed and stroked his beard. “It isn’t just me who made this place. Thousands of people over thousands of years have worked on this castle, turning it into what it is today. I may be able to help with your castles, but it won’t happen quickly.”

“Fine. We can seriously use your help. Ours doesn’t even have a cool, epic fountain like that one over there.”

Old man Xuan chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.” He returned to being the tour guide, “As you can see, this is the recreational area. Of course, Sects and their servants need to eat and do business, and have family, besides. Next is the major attraction, and has been my pride long before the Framework came around, drawing warriors from all the spirals.”

The flight and tour took some time. During the flight, the girls were getting caught up with one another. Blood and Berri had spent a lot of time with Sati and Ruby back at the Refuge, as they would often rest and hang out in the Sanctuary.

Their stories were interesting and exciting, facing deadly challenges both with dealing with unorthodox cultivators and difficult challenges like Greater Rifts or the Dungeon Raid.

And Nessa took the time to talk with Ophelia, Tanda, and Avalara, learning more about them. Nessa had been trained by and was often around Valkyries, so her upbringing had similarities with Ophelia’s. The biggest difference was that she didn’t have her mother or father around much, and was instead mostly raised by servants and extended family.

In addition, she had excelled at holy magic from the very beginning. She had been able to become a Cleric of Tyr, as well as excelling at runic magic–with her previous vessel. Apparently, Fhesiah had long-since hinted to her about trying cultivator’s demonic runes or similar dao scripts, and she had taken to using them when the need called for it.

Nessa enjoyed the story of Jake meeting Tanda as almost enemies despite him saving her. Then, the subsequent moments where Ophelia faced her instead, as well as Jake’s proclamation to protect Avalara forevermore before freeing their world from Tartarus’ clutches.

She smiled at Jake. “My, Fhesiah told me Jake was a hero, but to think you each had such thrilling stories of him coming to your rescue–even if it was with his wives’ help. But I think I’m most envious of Ophelia’s story.”

Ophelia was surprised. “Me? Why?”

“Just that you two got to grow together the most. That you two built each other into heroes, striving to be better for each other. It was what I had imagined or hoped for.”

Berri said, “Hey, what about me? And Faye-Faye.”

“Your stories were both plenty interesting, exciting stories. I’m just not envious of them. They’re both similar to mine in a sense.”

Fhesiah asked, “How so?”

“Just that a parent or Divine influenced our perception or hopes with Jake before we met him.”

Blood hummed. “True, though, I think Hestia’s words promising Berri a family only really kept me from running away the first chance we got. Berri was won over instantly, and it didn’t much matter what Hestia said to her.”

Bree tilted her head. “I suppose mine is not that different from Tanda and Ava’s. Still, I’m excited to see and experience how the story ends.” She nudged Jake with her hip, nearly bowling him over where he was standing with a chuckle.

They flew over a giant stadium that put Seamus’s four arenas, and any place on Earth, to shame. It was huge, with dozens of smaller arenas and spectator seats lining the outside. Many stone platforms could be seen, with various smaller arenas.

It was only lightly used at the moment, but it was a massive place, many miles long and wide. The stands went up for numerous stories, and Jake thought people would actually need binoculars or similar to even watch anything.

However, there was a central pillar that was like an announcer’s box, and it seemed there was magic to show a giant screen for viewing the fights on.

Jake could tell even Bree was impressed. “This arena is massive. It could actually host a fight for my peak third Tier form. Well, if the floor didn’t break apart.”

Nessa said, “This is where many of the cultivators test themselves, as well as settle disputes. The Unbreakable Stone Sect often hosts a tournament, and the battles of the younger generations are what decides who gets the most cultivation resources. Overall, it felt like a very fair system. Just enough to reward the victors, but not too much that the rich always just get richer. There were a number of checks and balances that I was really impressed with.”

Old Man Xuan laughed. “I’m glad you’re impressed, little Nessa. Even still, those shameless elders like to dope up their kids for more benefits, as if we won’t know what they are doing. That said, accepting the Framework is definitely going to shake things up, as it gives them many more paths to power.”

Fhesiah nodded. “I do believe those that cultivate intent or a martial spirit may benefit from pursuing Valor. It has an interesting way of both growing and manifesting their battle spirit.”

They talked a bit about the upcoming event, and learned that Sati and Ruby were already going to be participating. Nessa would be more a guest of honor rather than being involved, and Jake and his family could join as little or as much as they liked.

Ophelia definitely wanted to join the martial arts tournament, where they focused more on melee weapons and martial skills as opposed to what was more like wizardry, which was a separate tournament altogether and what Sati would be participating in.

In all, Jake didn’t think there was really that much different. When Fhesiah swiped her claws, it made a wave of blades or flames that was a lot like a magic spell. That she did it with her fists or a weapon as opposed to a magic staff, why would that even matter at all? But cultivators were eccentric like that, so he let it go.

Old Man Xuan interrupted his thoughts. “There, that should be everything, right? Now we can go meet the elders. They’re waiting at the Sect, ready to meet you all.”