Power Overwhelming

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The nobility of most countries were known for their ability to throw lavish parties. It could be argued that the ability to organize a proper event was a prerequisite for belonging to the upper crust of most societies, and the nobles of this country were not any different, even if they had earned their titles a little differently than in most other places. This party was also a little different from most of its kind. This event wasn’t being thrown in order to have fun and socialize, although some people certainly attended for that reason. Most people had come here for other reasons despite all the flavorful delights on offer. There would be time for celebration later, once they knew if it was called for.

The people who were supposed to be the focus of the event were also a little different from the usual. It was not uncommon for the children of those with power and connections to take a big role in social events, as many events were thrown for that very purpose. However, this time the focus was not on a small group of youngsters making a social debut or someone coming of age. No, this time the room had an abnormally large number of young people, and many of them were very young indeed. Hundreds of youngsters from various races had gathered, making up a full third of everyone present, and a significant number of them were no older than ten years old. The majority of the attendees were human, but many other races ranging from elves to gnomes, and to beastmen were also represented.

In addition to the youngsters, the ballroom was filled with the most prestigious and powerful people of Ascalon, the City of Magic. Several members of the High Council of Magisters were in attendance and there were whispers about the Shadow Council also making an appearance. Or at least as much of an appearance as the elusive group would ever make. Yet most of the quiet whispers filling up the room were not about the secretive body that watched over their country from the shadows, but about recent rumors. Rumors were always popular among the high nobility, especially those that concerned the most promising man to rise into prominence in the last few centuries.

The man in question usually avoided public appearances aside from his role on the High Council and only fulfilled his assigned duties while focusing on improving himself, so most rumors about him could be easily dismissed. He was also powerful and had excellent sources of information, so few people dared to spread false rumors about him. Yet there was one particular rumor that had been around for the last ten years and refused to go away. It intrigued everyone who was attending tonight’s event, one of the most important social gatherings in Ascalon’s social calendar.

“Are you sure the Grand Medjai responded that he’d be attending? And that he would not be alone?” The hostess of tonight’s festivities asked the master of ceremonies with a look that was a mix of excitement and worry. She had made meticulous preparations for the event and couldn’t afford the humiliation of something going wrong.

"Yes, Master. Whether he'll really attend is another matter. The Grand Medjai is a man of his word, but we all know how often he is sent on missions. Everyone knows Master Arjuna always puts duty first." The nervous man stated. He knew how important this would be to his Master. Many of the people currently present, specifically those without any children of the appropriate age, had been lured to attend by the prospect of confirming the rumors that had plagued the nobility for so long, and their disappointment would cast a heavy shadow on the proceedings if the main attraction didn’t show.

“That is true.” The woman dressed in a glamorous golden colored dress affirmed and soothed her flaring skirt with her hands in a nervous gesture. “However, I heard that he has been taking fewer missions lately.” She said almost hopefully.

“You have a keen ear as usual Duchess.” An elder magister wearing the official robes of the High Council said in a kind voice, apparently to save the poor woman some worry. “I don’t know how, but Arjuna managed to wrangle a promise from the Starlight Tower that they’d leave him alone for a while. I would dearly like to know how he succeeded in such a deal but the fact remains nonetheless. The Council also honored his wishes and he has mostly been assigned to teaching and administrative duties for the last ten years.”

The old man didn’t want to publicly admit that they had little choice in the matter. Arjuna was the strongest combat mage in the entire High Council and by extension the entire Magocracy. While they would love to have sent him on more combat-oriented missions, they couldn't really force that on a fellow member of the council. Especially considering he was the person most likely to ascend and gain a spark of Divinity thanks to his talents and young age. Those that had the potential to ascend within a respectable amount of time were valued above everything else.

“Master. Whether we believe he is going to show up or not, we need to start the event soon. The time has come.” The master of ceremonies reminded the Duchess.

With a small sigh of disappointment, she moved towards the large raised dais placed near the edge of the ballroom before addressing the gathered crowd. A small spell carried her voice to everyone gathered without any need for her to raise her voice. “Ladies and gentlemen! It is a pleasure to see such an illustrious gathering of guests as we once again open the portal to the Spirit World. Most of you already know what tonight is all about, but a small reminder to those young ones among us that are attending for the first time. Eons ago the Revered Lady opened the paths to the Spirit World and gave our youngsters another path and opportunity to reach greatness. No matter your heritage, no matter your talent, no matter your status in society, geniuses, and those not blessed with talent, everyone has the equal opportunity to take the first step towards becoming someone worthy of attention this day.”

“Glory to the Revered Lady!” All of the guests chanted almost automatically. This was indeed a great opportunity for everyone, and the sacrifice of the Divine being that had made it possible would never be forgotten despite all the time that had passed since the path was first opened. Ever since then, the Revered Lady had become one of the most popular gods worshipped everywhere, despite the fact that she was no longer around.

“On the night that comes every ten years, this night, mages all over the universe are opening portals to the Spirit World, and those who have never visited the Spirit World before have the opportunity to step through. A once in a lifetime opportunity to find glory, companionship, power, and a new future. If the fates are on your side, once you step through, you will find a spirit on your journey willing to bond with you. Some spirits will bring you great power, while others will bring only minor benefits. Don’t let the appearance of the spirits fool you! The spirits can be tricksy, and the most powerful of spirits can mask themselves to test you. And even if you only manage to bond with a minor spirit, remember that it still leaves you better off than most others as the majority of you will return empty-handed. The fates can be cruel and most of us will never have the fortune to bond with a spirit. That is not a mark of shame. It just means you were not among those chosen and that you need to pursue other paths.” The Duchess gave a speech that made some of the youngsters puff up with pride while others seemed to shrink under the responsibility their relatives were placing on their shoulders. The majority of the youngsters in this room belonged to the first category thanks to their upbringing, whether their confidence was earned or not.

“Also remember that you will have limited time. You have to return when the time comes. Do not let your stubbornness make you lose your life. Every time the portal is opened, some fools refuse to admit they were not chosen and get left behind in the Spirit World when the way closes. Do not become one of those people. It doesn’t matter what kind of genius or chosen one you imagine yourself to be if you’re dead.” The Duchess finished with a stern warning.

The mages selected for the job tonight walked to the dais and started feeding their mana into a large stone doorframe behind the Duchess that started glowing. The youngsters taking part in the ceremony ranged from little children no more than ten all the way to those who were just shy of twenty and had barely missed the last ceremony. It had long since been decided that children younger than ten would not take part because they would more easily get lost in the Spirit World. Some worlds and groups didn’t abide by such rules, but the majority did. Once the doorframe was saturated with mana, they all waited for the fated moment to come.

No one missed it when the moment finally arrived as the power in the doorway flowed to the center, forming a tunnel that was covered in green fog that didn’t come through the doorway. All those taking part in the ritual rushed towards the door and into the tunnel, the older and more talented ones reaching the path first. They all wanted as much time to find a spirit fated for them, even if it was only a few more seconds. There were many ways of reaching the Spirit World on a night like this, and a doorway like this was just the easiest method.

Just as the last youngsters went through the doorway the seneschal at the entrance of the ballroom made an announcement. “The Grand Medjai and a member of the High Council of Magisters Arjuna, as well as his daughter Karna!”

The heads of everyone in the room whipped around as the announcement confirmed the rumors in a very simple and direct fashion. Yet at the same time, they didn’t even need the announcement to turn around. They had sensed the entrance of the pair as soon as it happened. One of them was a man with long straight black hair and a pencil-thin dignified beard dressed in the same ceremonial robes the other members of the High Council wore on such occasions. The one drawing everyone’s curious eyes however was the young girl standing at his side.

Despite her youth, they could all sense her emanating grace and mystery. She had long flowing hair of the same raven black color as her father, and she was dressed in a modest snow-white dress and had her face and most of her hair covered by a veil of the same color. In fact, she even had long gloves that came all the way up to her sleeves, so that the only parts of her that were showing were the large and sharp eyes that seemed to have small twinkling stars swimming in the deep blue of her irises.

Yet at the same time, everyone present could feel something that made them certain that the small girl was someone they should pay attention to in the future. It was like they were all pushed to feel positively about her for some reason. That thought occurred to everyone simultaneously for only a moment before they all seemed to come to their senses at the same time. What brought that thought on? Their wondering was interrupted though, as they could also sense something that made them pay even more attention and forget the earlier inconsequential thought.

“An Aura user!” Someone in the crowd voiced what they could all sense. They could also sense that she was quite strong for her age, even though judging her strength was difficult when she wasn’t really using that Aura. However, the mere fact that she was an Aura user was quite important, because only a few races were capable of utilizing the elusive power, and most of those races were counted among the magical beasts.

Aura was not an ability you could learn. You had to belong to a very select group of races to have that power, and all of those races were among the most powerful in the universe. That caused everyone to instantly speculate. The power of the Aura certainly didn’t come from Arjuna despite his overwhelming strength, as he was a human albeit likely one of the clans classified as High Humans, so who did it come from? The mother would need to be someone of the highest caliber considering even just half of that heritage allowed the use of Aura by the child.

“I told you we would be late father.” The melodious voice of the girl awoke all of them from the speculation that had caught nearly all of the curious guests. The voice had a slightly playful tone but it also seemed to carry confidence and maturity usually not found in someone of her age.

“So you did. I’ll have to listen to you next time.” Arjuna replied with a playful voice of his own. He had known the first appearance of his daughter would cause a stir. It would’ve caused an even greater stir without the veil. He had to admit that his daughter’s plan had worked perfectly. The display of Aura had made all of them forget what they had sensed just moments before.

The problem with Godlings was that they all possessed the universal ability to bend perception and the thoughts and emotions of those around them. A dreadful Godling would seem even more frightening, while an attractive Godling would appear even more so to everyone that saw them. The effect wasn’t really comparable to mind control, as it was more of a strong suggestion. The effect was currently minor thanks to her youth and could be easily shrugged off by people as powerful as those gathered in this room, but it would still be noticed. If his daughter had been older, then there would’ve been no problem, as finding a young woman beautiful was quite natural, but there would be a certain amount of cognitive dissonance in finding a mere child attractive instead of just cute. Luckily her little display with the Aura had distracted everyone just in time and the veil prevented most of the trouble.

“You say that every time, yet you never actually learn.” The girl shook her head in apparent exasperation, but the gathered people could sense that she was just playing around. They were also somewhat amused by the Grand Medjai being bossed around by a little girl.

“Will you be able to do this even while we’re late, or would you prefer to wait for the next opportunity? You only just turned ten, so it wouldn’t be too late to wait for the next chance.” Arjuna asked, now genuinely worried about his daughter’s chances of gaining a spirit.

The girl shook her head and her next words shocked most people present. “Time does not matter in the Spirit World. You are only in a hurry if you think you are in a hurry. If you are fated for a spirit, it doesn't matter how much time you have, and if you aren't, then no amount of extra time is going to help you.” Her words were in direct opposition to what most people thought of the process, but the most well-versed people in the audience knew she was right. Few ever asserted that fact with any sort of confidence though.

“Well get to it then. I haven’t got all day.” Arjuna grinned and played with his trimmed and elegant beard. The beard had been Karna’s idea and he had to admit that it suited him quite well. Before the beard, he had possessed a sort of attractiveness that was almost androgynous, but now he was attractive in a definitely masculine way. A world of difference caused by a simple beard.

Without a word, the girl crossed the room with a pair of graceful gliding leaps with just her toes touching the ground, and she vanished inside the tunnel without another word. The magisters in the crowd could sense her using a bit of air magic as well as her Aura to achieve the fast and smooth movement. As soon as she disappeared, the boldest among the gathered nobility approached Arjuna. “Well, well, well, the Shadow Weaver really has a daughter. I never thought I’d see the day.” The broad-shouldered and powerful looking man stated. He had an insignia with nine blades on his chest, and he also had a sword tied to a belt that barely held his half-open robes in place. The man had dressed sloppily, but no one really expected anything different from him.

“Wolfgang.” Arjuna nodded towards the warrior. They had been something like rivals while Arjuna had been training his warrior abilities. Now they were old friends. “I can’t help but note that you probably also brought your own devilspawn. How you managed to scam Birgitte to marry you still remains a mystery.”

The heavily built warrior only grinned at the jab. “Siegfried was the first to enter, though if your daughter’s words are anything to go by, that doesn’t matter. I should’ve expected your kid to cause a stir.”

“She is actually correct, strictly speaking.” One of the elderly magisters that focused more on research interjected. Those listening could all mentally picture the man adjusting his glasses with a finger just by his tone. “Time works differently in the Spirit World, although we can’t claim to have figured out all the rules and their implications.”

“Shouldn’t this be widely known information then?” One of the nearby nobles asked with a rather displeased tone. He remembered his own rush when he had taken the same ritual in his youth. He had not been among those chosen by a spirit and couldn’t help but imagine what could’ve been.

“It’s not that simple. Like the girl said, you’re not in a hurry if you don’t feel you’re in a hurry. Conversely, if you do think you’re in a hurry, then you most certainly are. The Spirit World is formed from our own thoughts and expectations. Just telling your kids that they don’t need to rush could have adverse effects instead. It is easy to be told something and think it to be true on an abstract level, but it’s completely different to truly believe it in your heart. That’s why it’s not spoken about. It’s more beneficial to act as if you’re in a hurry even when you’re not than not hurry when you actually should because your thoughts and beliefs don’t match exactly.” The magister explained with a shrug.

“Forget all that. Tell us about your daughter, Arjuna. She’s obviously an Aura user. I would’ve thought you would teach her control so we wouldn’t be able to detect it in such an obvious way.” Wolfgang returned to the subject they all really wanted to know about. He was also giving friendly advice to his old rival and friend.

"Oh, she has control." Arjuna smiled mysteriously. He couldn’t reveal the real reason after all. The whole scenario had bothered him so much that he had considered creating a private portal for Karna’s use, but she had argued differently. “She just chose not to exercise it. According to her, it’s not something she’s planning on hiding as it’s bound to come out during the many trials that she will face in the coming years anyway. She has already mentioned that she’d like to attend the Academy after all, so she decided to make the ability known in an obvious way. Or that’s at least what I think. My Karna is never quite so simple to understand.”

“She seems quite gifted.” One of the high nobility pointed out. One would think he was attempting to curry favor, except for the fact that they had all sensed that she was in fact gifted for her age. Most children didn’t start to cultivate until they became at least six or seven years old, and the first years would be spent in just learning the basics.

“Yes. Her ability to absorb information and turn it into practical applications is quite stellar.” Arjuna smiled proudly. She was actually the type where you could hand her a sword, show her the basics, and leave her alone for a while to figure things out. Given enough time she’d then come back with dozen different variations and a hundred different applications of whatever you taught her. Some of those applications would often be things you didn’t even think about. However, Arjuna knew better than to say that out loud.

“That’s rather high praise. Paternal bias perhaps?” Wolfgang teased a bit.

“I’ll leave that for others to judge.” Arjuna simply retained his mysterious smile. He couldn’t explain his daughter’s ability to learn new skills so fast, so he didn’t even try. It was something the others would have to experience for themselves to believe. Of course, even Arjuna didn’t know that Karna wasn’t really learning new skills. She was just revealing skills that she already knew at a pace that she considered appropriate.

“Do you think she will inherit your ability to summon a spirit?” One of the magisters asked while brimming with curiosity. Such things were impossible to predict with certainty, but that didn’t stop people from speculating anyway. And having the ability to summon a spirit was a major boon. Having a powerful spirit would by definition make one part of a very important and select group.

"I'm quite certain she will. The only question is what kind." Arjuna stated confidently. He knew his daughter was heavily influenced by fates, and that was one of the most likely ways to bond with a spirit.

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Karna released a small sigh of relief as soon as she arrived in the Spirit World. It was hard to rein in and try to hide the effect her nature as a Godling had on people. Her “father” Arjuna thought the effect was minor, but that was only because she took great care in reining the effect in. All Godlings possessed the ability, but she wasn’t just any Godling. This was a vessel capable of housing the soul of one of the oldest beings in the multiverse, so it had to be extraordinary by default. Her last life had been spent as a World Dragon capable of eating entire planets, an ability she didn’t bother utilizing, and even that vessel had felt a bit suffocating at times. It was a real testament to the quality of this vessel that she felt none of that discomfort now.

The problem was that she had mixed emotions about that fact. Many other reincarnators would give anything for a vessel like this, but she had enjoyed living unremarkable lives in the past. Many of her happiest lives had been spent as a nobody, living an ordinary life of doing nothing remarkable. However, the more lives she lived, the harder that simple happiness became to achieve. It was hard to be a nobody when just your heritage would make sure that you would grow to become one of the most powerful beings in existence, and that didn’t even account for the benefits her soul gave her.

There were no weak Godlings. Even the Godlings with the weakest Divine parentage would become powerful when compared to most other races, even if they tried to avoid it. That’s just how that kind of heritage worked. And her parentage would most likely be far from ordinary even when compared to other Godlings. She could easily figure that out even if she had never met her biological parents. Otherwise, this vessel would not be able to contain her soul. Tian’Zun had already implied as much when he had said that it could take forever for another such great vessel to come along and she could certainly already feel the difference.

With a small sigh, Karna started walking. The direction didn’t matter. While in the Spirit World, any direction was as good as any other if you knew where you wanted to go. ‘At least I don’t have to wear the stupid veil while in this world.’ She thought to herself and carefully removed the veil and headdress off without breaking her stride. As she did, her apparently raven black hair changed color to an almost pure white, though with a slight blueish tinge. The previously straight hair also seemed to twist into curls as it changed color. Even her eyebrows turned white. The weird color was another sign of her likely special heritage and another thing they’d been forced to hide.

The real issue wasn't really that she had a special heritage. Many people on the Higher Planes had some sort of special heritage, and while her heritage was even more exceptional, that wasn’t immediately obvious just from her looking different. No, the reason they were hiding her appearance was that no one would believe she was Arjuna’s daughter with a hair color that was almost the direct opposite of her father’s, and because the two of them didn't look similar in the slightest. And that would raise questions they were not yet prepared to answer.

Karna had never been one to bother hiding herself, although she wasn't fond of advertising her abilities either as there was wisdom in a certain level of discretion. That said, the need to hide things was directly dependent on her ability to defend herself. Once she had enough ability to fend off anyone too interested in her origins, the need for hiding would also disappear. In a weird twist, the older she got, the less odd her appearance would be, so the need to hide would also disappear as time passed.

‘This time my step-parents are quite weird.’ She mused as her mind wandered between topics while walking. She’d had all sorts of families in her countless lives. Some had been the epitome of family love, while others had been so abusive that they could be called outright murderous. She had survived most of those childhoods but not all of them. This life had brought her step-parents that could be mostly described as…incompetent. Oh, they were both rather skilled at magic and their professions, but they had no idea how to do parenting. A normal child would’ve died of starvation and neglect, not to mention suffer severe mental trauma due to lack of physical contact and affection. That didn’t even touch the topic of the eventual social problems that normally came from lack of proper upbringing,

Arjuna and Duskclaw weren’t abusive, they were simply forgetful and cognizant of the fact that Karna wasn’t actually their child, which couldn’t help but manifest in a certain lack of instinctive care. They had also been woefully unprepared for the whole thing. In fact, the servants in Arjuna’s tower had done most of the work for the first few years. Duskclaw was much better than Arjuna in that regard, but even her only experiences were with her siblings, which wasn’t the same thing. Luckily for the two, and admittedly a partial cause of the problem, was that she had been born a Godling and didn’t actually require much care. So as she didn’t require much attention, the two tended to forget she even existed. Luckily she wasn’t a normal child so she was actually glad for being left to her own devices for long stretches of time. That neglect had actually changed in the last four or five years when the two older mages had actually grown fond of her, and she had actually become old enough to credibly display enough intelligence to be a conversational partner. They had also taken to teaching her many things much too advanced for a normal child of her age, but as they had both also been child geniuses, they didn’t really know better. So what if Karna had started even younger than them? Wasn’t that just a good thing?

The mist of the tunnels gave way to a dry and sandy desert. “Ah, so it’s desert this time. Last time I had to trek through a jungle.” She had been to the Spirit World several times before. This wasn’t the only universe the Spirit World was connected to after all. Her spirit would never change. How could it? It was a spirit that had been specially created for her after all. The trip to find her spirit would be a long one, but patience and willpower were not something she lacked. Both were something that a reincarnator like her couldn’t survive without.