-oOo-

-oOo-

"There is something wrong with your System."

Those were the first words Sylvia spoke upon seeing Lucifer's smarmy face.

Her head throbbed.

She was sore. Sylvia felt as though she'd been stretched, beaten, then worn to a nub. It was a deep, agonizing pain with a strange undertone of pleasantness. If the silver-haired witch was forced to describe it, she'd say she'd been cooked over a fire, granted a week to heal, then pushed through a brutal fitness regime.

The asteri glanced around.

Sylvia was seated in a conference room. The surrounding walls were made from gray steel, angled in the shape of a diamond. Above were a series of tube lights, casting the world in their stark glow. Glass windows overlooked a metropolis of machines, streams of lights traveling the streets below.

Lucifer was here. The blond man wore a white suit and a red tie, his blue eyes shining with casual contempt. He sat at the table's head, of course, legs crossed so that his right ankle rested near his left knee.

Something about his smug face begged Sylvia to punch him.

"My System is working just fine," Lucifer rejected, voice smooth, urbane, and arrogant. He gazed at her as though she were a specimen ready to dissect. "Little girl, what did you see in that dream of yours?"

Sylvia gave a bitter laugh. "Don't you know already?"

"I can borrow your eyes easily enough, girl," the Devil replied. He spread his hands, tone mocking. "But it's impossible to know what delusions your rotted mind conjured up."

Yep. This was the Prometheus she remembered. No wonder the slime ball was the most hated man in the netherworld.

Sylvia pondered, her pastel eyes drawn to the monitor above. Her lips quirked. CutestSilverBird was leading the merit board with a score of 24,542. MrDeepPockets, the former head, had plummeted to rank eight while ResearchKing remained steady in third place.

Oh, and the book thief Griffmiss had broken into the top ten. She now held a well-earned sixth place.

"Eyes," she answered after a moment.

"Eyes?"

"I saw eyes," Sylvia repeated, summoning the fragmented memory. "Lots of eyes. And wires, but you already know the System has been intruding upon my soul."

The witch glared at the blond man. The Devil leaned back in his chair. His smile showed a disturbing glee.

"Eyes in your dream can only mean one thing, Heaven has turned its gaze toward you," Lucifer said. "Congratulations, you've been promoted from pawn to bishop."

Her expression soured. The Devil smirked. Just what Sylvia wanted. She was now, officially, an Apostle of Fire.

"Don't try to distract me with talk about Heaven," Sylvia snorted. Her eyes narrowed. "Something is wrong with your System. You know it. I know it. Stop playing pretend."

Lucifer sneered, his blue eyes showing his disdain.

"Do not mistake my willingness to entertain your whining for weakness. I said it before, and I'll say it again. Nothing is wrong with my System," the blond man returned.

Sylvia glared. The Devil smirked. He leaned forward, elbows on the table and hands steepled.

"If you want answers, then seek them yourself. A flawed deduction, I am willing to correct," the blond offered. "But I'm neither a teacher nor a maid willing to spoon-feed babes. Make foolish guesses or unfounded assertions and I will end this conversation on the spot."

The witch's fist tightened, hidden beneath the table. This bastard. Sylvia ground her teeth.

"Nothing to say?" Lucifer mocked.

"The voice of the System calls me brother," Sylvia hissed. "It longs to merge with me."

"Oh?" The Devil's gaze showed keen interest. "Does it now?"

"From that I can guess, the System holds a part of my soul," Sylvia continued.

"Then you are a fool," Lucifer sneered. He leaned back, disappointed. "The longing for parts ripped from your being cannot be disguised. If I had claimed a piece of your soul, you would've known the truth by pure instinct."

Sylvia frowned. She was wrong? Then why….

Her gaze turned, eyes of fractal pink gazing out into a city of wires. Two spheres hung in the air. Part of the thirteen circling the central tower. They were separate and distinct from the colored balls hanging from the steel towers like ornaments on a Christmas tree.

A broad smile spread on Lucifer's lips, his blue eyes gleaming. "The truth dawns on you, little girl."

Her thinking was upside down.

The System didn't contain part of Sylvia's soul, rather Sylvia's soul held a fragment of the System. Was this true for all gamers? Or did this principle hold only for the souls represented by those thirteen spheres?

Yet, if the System's spirit had been split in so many parts, why did it call her brother? Why did it reach for her in specific? Was it because, of the thirteen souls, Sylvia was the only one readily available?

Or was there some deeper meaning?

Legend stated that the Heavenly Will had been created from a void soul, a rare essence born in the starry void. Such spirits were not tied to the logic of Earth. Rather, their being was formed on the firmament of existence itself. The Will's soul had then been doctored with code, then cultivated by the greatest minds of Heaven.

The System, too, must have a soul of sorts. Prometheus was a god of the old era. Though dusk had already set on the Age of Magic when Lucifer was born, he'd lived through the breadth of the Golden Age. There was no way a demon so ancient would paint his great work on a canvas as fragile as a silicon chip.

Then whence came the System's soul, Sylvia wondered.

"Since you have touched upon the cusp of the truth, I will grant you a hint: 'Chimera,'" the Devil said. His blue eyes showed dull disinterest. "Now begone. And next time, strive harder to be correct."

With the wave of his hand, Sylvia vanished.

-oOo-

The witch opened bleary eyes.

She floated in a haze, halfway between dream and awareness. Her body was immersed in viscous liquid, the substance glowing pale green. Warm and gentle, it melded with her flesh, restoring lost essence. She blinked, thoughts dull and scattered.

Then she faded, slipping into a fog of sleep.

Time tumbled. Moments passed, minutes indistinguishable from hours. Her eyes opened again, clearer.

Sylvia was resting in a pool of amniotic essence. Psychic energies ran thick, accelerating faint thought even as she rose from death. Below was an urn, the ceramic sunk into the water. Her phylactery. The anchor of her soul and her guide into new life.

Curious, the witch turned a hand. Tiny fingers, like those of a child, wiggled in front of her.

"Annoying," Sylvia murmured, closing her eyes. She shifted in her vat, limbs curling. "It'd be better to sleep until my body is regrown."

Ding.

A bell sounded in her head. A blue window flickered, but by then she'd returned to slumber.

System Alert: An alarm has been set to trigger when your phantasmal body reaches 98% of operational capacity. Now entering sleep mode.

Darkness embraced her. Moments slipped away, lost forever to the black.

Sylvia roused for the third time.

The witch stretched her limbs, knuckles brushing against the side of the stone container. With a kick and a paddle, she ascended. Her head broke through the surface, cool wind touching her face. The asteri sucked in the musty air of the basement. Fey had no need to breathe, but the natural motion felt good nonetheless.

She floated for a moment, blinking away the vestiges of sleep. Then Sylvia gripped the edge of the vat and pulled herself out.

The slimy solution clung to her naked body, ooze running over smooth skin and glossy, silver locks. The thinned amniotic essence evaporated, ethers blending into the atmosphere. Sylvia indulged in the cool and refreshing sensation of rebirth.

Bzzt.

An alarm sounded in reminder. Multiple alerts were flashing on her event log, the most important one congratulating her Awakening.

"I'll check the results in a minute," Sylvia said, hopping over the vat's rim to set bare feet onto the stone floor. With a flick of her hand, she gathered a swish of wind. "■■."

An arm of air plunged into the pool, ripping a hole through whirling waters. The levitation spell wrapped around the urn, wrenching it from the depths. Phylactery floating at her side, Sylvia dressed, returning scattered equipment to her soul.

With a bounce to her step, the asteri happily unbolted the door.

Sylvia had built two rooms in the basement of the Starlight Residence. Each provided a sealed space for girls undergoing seclusion. Sylvia had one of these rooms altered to support her Awakening. Before that, their primary use was for transmigration. Not just to ensure a girl's safety, but also to turn a profit.

Soul essence was the foundation of strength. When immortals transmigrated, they shed the outer layers of their soul and their levels with it. This essence would naturally disperse, evaporating into ether unless enchantments were laid to prevent it.

Which was precisely what Sylvia had done. Both rooms were modified to capture dispersing soul essence, the crystals alchemically refined to produce the netherworld's supreme cultivation resource. This essence could be digested two to five times faster than its leading competitor, the speed and efficiency determined by the deviance of the consumer's bloodline from that of the source.

However, this resource rarely entered the broader market.

The rich and the powerful would consume their own crystals to quickly reclaim a fraction of their prior strength. The poor used public transmigration chambers, offered by their lords and ladies, then sold the resulting essence. 'Emmy' had brought this scheme to the Cloud Island Wilderness. As each asteri transmigrated, their soul essence was taken by the emeraldette. In exchange, Esmeralda Vallenfelt had surrendered her entire supply of astral dew and astral amber.

How Sylvia wished it were she who'd eat those delicious, crystalline experience points.

With a regretful sigh, the silver-haired witch headed up the stairs, checking the clock. It was mid-morning on the third of Men-Terra, a mere three weeks after Sylvia initiated her Awakening. Most of the girls would already be out and about. Even Riley, that lazy slob. Tch. Sylvia should force her friend to work a real job. The kind with eighty-hour work weeks!

Amused by her own thoughts, Sylvia entered her bedroom. A twinge of intent sent her urn floating past her to settle on a desk.

Clunk.

"First thing's first, let's see how I look."

Sylvia checked herself in the mirror.

Silver hair, with a hint of lavender pink, spilled down her back in a smooth, glossy fountain. She had cute rounded cheeks and an adorable nose fit for a cherub. Her eyes, as always, were a masterpiece, wide and enchanting with irises of candy pink. Within them lay a fractal universe, a cascading pattern capturing an ancient galaxy a billion light-years past.

Her skin was pale, smooth, soft and supple. Her frame, petite and fragile, hips and bust well curved for a magissa. By size, Sylvia was second in her class. That was to say, her breasts were the second largest and her height the second shortest.

The former had annoyed her more than the latter.

Now?

The witch poked her boobs.

"Hmm," she hummed to herself, pondering. Her gaze turned back up. "I'm cute."

Sylvia didn't just look cute. She felt cute.

And she liked it.

A small smile grew on her lips.

"I should do my hair first," she murmured, a little embarrassed by her reaction.

Ki ran through her silver locks. Tresses picked themselves up, styling themselves into a pair of tails. With delicate fingers, Sylvia swiftly tied them in place, using lengths of ribbon. "■■ ■." A touch of magic, and they curled, capturing that just right balance of adorableness and elegance.

Cheeks warm, Sylvia twirled. Both tails danced, the hem of her blue dress rising. The bounce and flutter were so fun. How had she never noticed it before?

"I've really turned into a girl," she laughed.

Was this happiness a side effect of Awakening?

Drawing a breath to calm her heart, Sylvia closed her eyes and turned her thoughts inward.

Identity grew through the self like roots spreading from a tree. It touched everything, coloring personality and experience. In stories, 'identity death' was a tag describing the erasure of a person. If the core of identity was destroyed, then that character was dead just as sure as if they'd been murdered.

Gender identity was but one fragment of a person's self, but it was an important one.

Humans were not fixed creatures. Identity was subject to change. For the last three years, Sylvia had experienced many things. A new body. A new environment. A new life. A new sex. She was a different person than Eric Swallow.

Yet, no matter how much Sylvia changed, the roots of her origin remained. The culture of Earth. The years on the playground. The jokes. The insults. The bullying. The precious moments. They were all there, hiding in the back of the mind. A ghost on her back, whispering in her ear.

And now, Awakening had bleached them white. The color of Eric's gender had been washed clean. Her memories remained, but the emotional weight was gone. No longer did her subconscious carry out its continuous critique. If you dress like that, people will call you a sissy. Men should be big and strong, not small and cute. Those legs and hips aren't yours, they belong to someone else.

A subtle poison shaping her thoughts.

She opened her eyes, adorable jewels of pastel pink gazing into the mirror. This wasn't the first time Sylvia had felt cute, she realized. This was just the first time she'd noticed. Because, every time prior, her masculine past had tainted the pleasure.

"I'm Sylvia Swallows," Sylvia said to herself. "And I'm a cute and adorable girl."

So said, the witch spun again, just for fun.

"Wheeee."

Laughing, Sylvia brought herself to a stop.

"Enough of that, I might get addicted."

Smiling so wide her cheeks hurt, the witch brought up the blue screens she'd been ignoring.

Evolution Complete!

You have successfully completed your first grand mutation, Awakening. Thanks to this action, your primary class path has evolved from 'Witch' into 'Magical Girl'.

Magical girls are pretty princesses who fight against the powers of evil in the name of love and justice. Embrace your cuteness, show the world your pure heart, be the idol of every little girl's dreams!

...

Sylvia's smile turned into a nasty glower. Angrily, she gripped the window's edges, squeezing.

"Crepe-eating fudge sucker," she cursed, folding the rectangle in half. "On what grounds am I a magical girl? Magical girls turn into witches. Witches don't turn into magical girls!"

This unnatural result was clearly the work of the Devil!

Relenting, Sylvia released the box letting it pop back into proper shape. Then the witch continued to read, focusing on the important bits.

New Class: Magical Girl * +150 Hp/Mp * +12 all Physical Attributes * +24 all Magical Attributes

Your Tier has advanced, increasing your influence on the world: * +15% all fundamental attributes

Due to the evolution of your code, the following traits have emerged:

Trait: True Cosmic Core (replaces: Flawless Astral Core) * 100% Hp * 150% Mp * +25% Affinity and sensitivity * -15% Chaos spell costs

Nether cores support the stability and function of the phantasmal body. Every core represents a vital organ, the loss of which may result in death. Compared to the common core, this one provides greater mana capacity and enhanced ether exchange with no corresponding detriment.

Due to its elemental alignment, the cosmic core also improves the User's compatibility with chaos domain elements. This provides a moderate increase to ether affinity and sensitivity for attuned elements. You also gain the ability to nature or catalyze all these elements.

Finally, when using any chaos domain spell, mana costs will be reduced.

Attuned chaos elements include: Space, Void, Causality, Fate, Realm, and Law.

Trait: Improved [Water] Palace (replaces: Basic Elemental Palace) * 20% Max Mp * 7.5 ether/second recover

An elemental palace breathes and stores raw ether of a chosen basic element. This ether can be used during casting, increasing the efficiency of magic. Mana may also be natured with the corresponding element even when ether is not present.

As a biological organ, the elemental palace grows with the User. It can also be destroyed by your foes, representing a minor vulnerability. Ether recovery increases with Magic: Mysticism and the local ether density. It may also be enhanced through supporting traits.

Compared to the basic palace, this improved palace can be aligned with both primary and secondary elements of the primordial domain. It can also be attuned to any basic element from the domains life and chaos.

To be transformed, the elemental palace must be first closed. Once closed it may be opened with the desired element.

Trait: Extra Palace Your body now contains a second elemental palace. This palace may be opened and closed independently of the first but is otherwise identical in terms of recovery rate, storage capacity, and selectable elements. If the two palaces have elemental overlap, ether reserves may be shared. Sharing ether incurs a minor delay. Trait: Digitized Soul * +100% digital processing speed * System Awareness

Your soul has gained a digital character, allowing a certain degree of internalized processing. This digital self not only attaches to your psychic core, but also extends like nerves throughout your local System client. Because of this, you will now have partial control and awareness over all local System activities.

As this proto consciousness exists within the soul, a portion of your cognition will remain even while dead.

Sylvia took a moment to categorize the changes.

First, her attribute growth had increased. Previously, Sylvia received +3 to physical attributes and +7 to magical attributes with each class advancement. In other words, she gained 30 free levels per consolidation. By reversing the math, Sylvia guessed that these numbers had been boosted to +4 physical and +8 magical.

In other words, the 30 had become 36.

Overall, the effect was small, but it wasn't nothing. Sylvia made a note to check the numbers when she hit the third consolidation to see if her hypothesis was right.

Next, her tier increased. This was a broad multiplier to her power, so the impact was bigger than it looked. Not a game changer, but definitely a nice-to-have.

After the header, the System listed the serious changes.

At the forefront, Sylvia's flawless astral core was upgraded. The impact of this was huge. From now on, Sylvia would have more hit points and mana to play with. Even better, her ki reserves and her resource regeneration rates were tied to the scale of her pools. So the real-world amplification was greater than raw numbers conveyed.

And those raw numbers were big. After combining this boost with her attribute gains and her tier modifier, Sylvia's hit points and mana had jumped by around 30%.

Then there were other, subtle improvements. Sylvia's cosmic core increased her efficiency with chaos domain magics, bumping the mana reduction from 10% to 15%. The bigger gain, however, came after. Sylvia could now catalyze all three advanced chaos elements.

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No more annoying catalyst circles for her. From now on, the silver-haired witch could create gates directly. Elemental ward could be evoked in less than a second. She even had access to a superior version of barrier frame.

"You say I'm a magical girl while handing me the keys to some real nasty curses," Sylvia said with an evil smirk. Then she sighed. "Not that my grimoire has many spells in that category."

An oversight to be fixed.

While most traditional curses came from the life domain, chaos magic could do all sorts of evil things. With realm magic she could banish others into pocket dimensions. Or, if she got fancy, she could teleport her enemy or her spells. Fate could distort luck, letting Sylvia set her foe on a path to inevitable ruin. Law wasn't just a defensive magic, it could be used to create all manner of unfavorable environments.

Sylvia scanned down the blue window. Next on the list was her elemental palace.

Excuse me, palaces, because Sylvia now had two.

Enhanced storage and faster recovery rates were just icing on the cake. The real reward was the ability to select secondary elements. If Sylvia swapped her existing palace to ice, she'd get the elements water and wind for free.

"Now, I'm not at a disadvantage compared to those darn mages," Sylvia grumbled.

The mage class had a palace with a secondary element right at the start. It was so unfair. Yes, she could switch the element of her palace while they couldn't, but so what? Sylvia had never once used this feature so it may as well not exist in the first place!

"Ice is the obvious choice," Sylvia decided. The elements ice and water were excellent for defense, and she had a fondness for wind. "The real question is whether I set my second palace to wood or lightning."

Since her palaces could share ether, it'd be foolish to choose anything else. As for the life and chaos domain elements? Ha. As if she would. The trait might say 7.5 ether a second, but if she tied her palace to void or space she'd get a hundredth of that.

"Which leaves you."

Sylvia's eyes fell on digitized soul.

Most of her traits had emerged from her bloodline code. As the soul grew stronger, possibility opened permitting a greater expression of power. The grand mutations, however, allowed the creation of traits that'd never existed prior.

And during Awakening, every demon was guaranteed one. This unique trait would represent a dearly held mortal wish.

There was no limit to the whimsy. These gifts could range from silly to useful. Those who dreamed of the great blue yonder might sprout wings and learn to fly. A man who longed for love might become irresistible to the opposite sex. Or, instead, the same man might obtain a massive resolve bonus when it came time to confess.

Digitized soul was Sylvia's unique trait.

"But did this trait truly arise from my heart's desire?"

Eyes were a symbol of Heaven. Eyes of judgment. Eyes that see sin. When the Heavenly Will was depicted, it was often in the form of an eye. This represented the Will's omniscience and its absolute governance of fate. Heaven, as a whole, had adopted that image.

But was it Heaven who had interrupted her Awakening?

Or, had it been, instead, the Heavenly Will itself?

The timing was suspicious. The Devil's glee too grand. Digitized soul could've been born from Sylvia's nature or, perhaps, from the System's invasion. And if it were the latter, she must assume this trait was no accident but instead the point of the Will's intervention.

The silver-haired witch sighed, banishing the screen.

"If it's the Heavenly Will, then the purpose is impossible to fathom."

The Heavenly Will ruled over fate. Its schemes spanned a thousand planes. Its plots had threads stretching back for centuries. The Will was impartial by nature. Its only concern was karma and the sanctity of the soul. Individuals were of no interest.

Sylvia could envision several reasons for the Will's action. Maybe, it was important there be a gamer independent of Lucifer's System. Or, perhaps, the Heavenly Will wished to use Sylvia as a counterweight to the Devil's plot.

The reverse was also possible. The Will might be aiding the Devil in his aim. Lucifer was known as 'God's most beloved angel' for a reason.

"For all I know, the System will suffer a serious glitch three centuries from now and, thanks to digitized soul, I'll be well-positioned to fix it," Sylvia lampooned. "I'd be better served trying to figure out what that man meant by chimera."

Regardless of the reasons, it was Sylvia's trait now.

Superficially, digitized soul was weak. The boost to processing speed was amusing, but not terribly useful in the real world. Even if she were happily trolling on the forums, it wouldn't save much time because writing and thinking were the primary bottlenecks.

But the real meat was hidden in the words: 'a portion of your cognition will remain even while dead.'

Fey were immortal. The serious type of immortal where one could, quite literally, return from death. Certainly, Sylvia would eventually meet her end. Entropy would extract its toll, leading to the decay of her soul, but she had a good two millennia of life ahead of her first.

And, likely, a great deal more, if her level didn't stagnate.

For a woman in her thirties, that was no different than forever.

Immortals didn't fear death, they feared powers targeting the soul. Capture. Imprisonment. Destruction. Killing the phantasmal body was just a means, a way to deprive a foe of their chance to fight back. Real victory was decided by what happened to the core of self. In the netherworld, the soul was the only true weakness.

Therefore, any trait guarding the soul was highly valued.

And of those, the ability to retain consciousness while dead topped every list. The greater the consolidation, the greater the value. For the weak, it was rarely worth the karma to rend their soul into parts. For the powerful, however, capture was often a synonym for true death.

"Though, I can't say it'll be worth much until I test it," Sylvia noted.

The witch opened two more windows before walking out the door. She had to tell Riley the good news!

Name Sylvia Swallows Class Magical Girl Level 528+108 Exp 202 / 5290 HP 1003 / 1003 MP 2884 / 2884 Str 33 Mag 158 Vit 18 Spr 183 Agl 73 Wit 171

Strength 21 + 12 Magic 134 + 24 Force 267% Dominion 824% Scaling 133% Mysticism 258% Vitality 6 + 12 Spirit 159 + 24 Toughness 198% Integrity 957% Resilience 118% Resolve 283% Agility 61 + 12 Wit 147 + 24 Celerity 212% Awareness 300% Precision 173% Capacity 271%

-oOo-

"Did you know," Sylvia explained, tone dry. With pastel pink eyes she watched the tomboy beside her. "That I'm one-point-one centimeters taller."

Riley's bright green eyes narrowed. Angrily, the blonde jabbed the silver-haired witch with her elbow.

"That's the third time you've reminded me."

"Yes, yes," Sylvia confirmed, deadpan. She sipped her drink. "But I had to say it again, because this concerns your future. When you Awaken, you might complete your dream of being a 160-centimeter witch."

Sylvia paused.

"Which is five foot three, in case you're wondering."

"You're relentless," Riley complained, throwing up her hands. "Little shorty, you're smaller than me."

Sylvia's flat expression turned into a smile as her friend snagged her around the shoulder, dragging her back and forth in exaggerated rage. Whatever did she do to get such a great bud?

Right, she was reborn ridiculously pretty.

The two of them were sitting in the town square, resting beneath the shadow of Sylvia's statue. A banner was strung up declaring: 'First Evolver!' to share the excitement with any gamer who cared. Chairs and tables had been set on the grass, a couple of newbies acting as waiters. Sylvia had even hired The Taste of Adventure, in part to elevate the celebration but also because she was a patron of the delicious arts.

Evolution was the term the System used in lieu of Awakening. Crossing this threshold was considered an achievement. As in, the first 100 players to reach this state received 250 merit points.

Sylvia was still a bit sore that the System had refused to yield achievement rewards for her prior records.

Stingy.

"Don't worry, if I can handle going from boy to girl, I'm sure you will find peace with being a midget after you Awaken," Sylvia continued dryly. "And if you fully open your heart to the power of cuteness, you might even get the chance to be shorter than me."

Riley snorted a laugh. She gave a broad smile, dimples showing. "How does it feel to not have it all weighing down on you?"

Sylvia tilted her cup. Cold sweetness slid over her tongue with a layer of sour and tart. Ghostberry juice was what they called it, some fruity concoction the gamers dreamed up. It was pretty expensive. The fruits only grew as figments in the Beginner's Forest, so it took a fair bit of harvesting knowledge to collect them.

She was looking forward to the day they learned how to farm the berries en mass.

Sylvia, sadly, didn't have the time to help. Instead, she'd used her authority to create a quest before connecting the group to Professor Fischer. Frankensteining nether codes together to create some sort of plant abomination seemed right up that woman's alley.

"Freeing," Sylvia answered after a long moment. "It's like the whole world became one shade brighter."

Sylvia knew there had been a lingering reluctance, but even she hadn't grasped the impact. The witch thought her issues were focused on a few narrow venues. Her clothes. The social expectations. Only now that Sylvia had Awakened did she realize how the gray had crept into everything.

"I'm happy for you," Riley said honestly.

"I'm happy for me too," Sylvia returned blandly.

Riley snorted. Sylvia smiled, enjoying the presence of her friend.

"So...," Riley drawled, a teasing expression on her face. "Are you ready to be Emily's princess?"

Sylvia offered her best glower.

The freckled blonde laughed. "And here, I thought you'd gone all girly girl on me."

"Tch." Sylvia thumped her chest. "I might not be a boy anymore, but my manly heart remains." The witch nodded. "We're tomboy buddies."

Riley shook her head. "I hate to break it to you, Sylvia, but you're way past tomboy territory."

Eyes narrowed, Sylvia drew a swirl of water ether from the air. With a flick and a few runes, she sent it flying into her friend's face.

The freckled blonde sputtered, water already evaporating. Riley's scowl warmed Sylvia's wicked heart.

The silver-haired witch leaned back, gazing up at the bright rays slipping through Yaalon's leaves. "I'm not going to roll over and be Emmy's princess, but I'm willing to give her a chance."

Sylvia kicked her legs. If Emily succeeded? Well. Sylvia's eyes turned back down, scrutinizing the patent leather shoes capturing her tiny feet. It wasn't a bad thing to be a pretty girl.

"How's Emmy doing now?"

Riley grimaced. "That's hard to judge."

Right around the time Sylvia sank her soul into a vat, Esmeralda Vallenfelt had reached out to Riley. The women had been exchanging letters since. Which was all Sylvia knew, as she was supposed to stay out of it.

"Esmeralda is more formal than Emily," Riley admitted, smile wan. "But I never knew the baroness. So, it's a little awkward."

Sylvia sighed.

"Lady Vallenfelt can be like that," Sylvia agreed. "Still, the fact she's interested in maintaining your friendship is a good sign."

If Esmeralda had regarded Emily's life as a mistake the whole affair would've ended with clean, cold severance.

"I did have to remind her, I'm not a lady in her court," Riley laughed. The freckled blonde scratched her cheek. "I was a little scared she'd cut me off right then."

Even if Emmy were Esmeralda, she wouldn't have gone that far.

"Don't worry. I won't let her bully you," Sylvia said, comforting. Her pink eyes revealed the cold abyss. "When it comes time to teach you etiquette, I will be the one to do it, personally."

Riley punched her in the shoulder. Sylvia wobbled to the side, wearing a broad grin. Emmy. She could only hope the adorable emeraldette had kept her cuteness.

"She did ask about you," Riley continued.

Really? And Sylvia had been trying to stick to the rules of no cross-talk. But if Emmy thought she was ready….

"What did she say?"

"She wanted to make sure you've been acting like a proper lady," Riley said, green eyes gleaming.

"Then you can tell her that, while I'm willing to dress like a lady, I have no plan of acting like one," Sylvia sneered in exaggerated response.

And she was only willing to go so far because, here in the netherworld, fancy clothes were just as comfortable as jeans and a T-shirt.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure she hears what you said," Riley replied evilly. "I'll even let her know how you said it."

Sylvia raised her nose. The Cloud Island government didn't negotiate with terrorists.

Quiet lingered.

"Future plans?"

"Nemesis and Viridian City," Sylvia replied. "Then Gateway Express. I need to connect Axis and Starlight at the least. After, I want to do a trade run with Tartarus, but I'm not sure what we'd sell that'd make the trip worth the while."

Technology was the solution to many of the plane's problems.

The netherworld didn't have automated industry like Earth, but it did have spells, alchemy, martial arts, forging techniques, enchantments, and other methods of production. The System was good. Boosted by its artificial intelligence, they could accelerate research and development by a factor of ten. Maybe even a hundred.

But the netherworld had tens of thousands of years of history. Even with the System, it'd take centuries to match the major powers.

Which was far too long.

How to close this gap? Simple. Stand on the shoulders of giants. By using Observe Item, Sylvia could steal codes and enchantments. Beyond that, manuals and books recorded many outdated methods. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they could grasp the accomplishments of their ancestors then ascend from there.

"Viridian City has to come first," Sylvia continued. "It won't be good if the high-level players settle here in the Beginner's Village for too long."

In a perfect world, the gamers would head to Viridian City by the time their core level hit one-fifty. The only high-level players remaining would be those who helped run the tiny town. The Beginner's Village was for beginners. Sylvia wanted to stick to this principle.

Viridian City, on the other hand, would become the capital of the Cloud Island Wilderness.

"You never stop being busy," Riley said, shaking her head.

"And what about you," Sylvia returned, nudging her friend. "Still running your tour group?"

"That was more a charity than a business," Riley admitted. "Henry wants to assemble a guild and start tackling the bigger quests. He's especially intent on finding cultivation resources and carving out trade routes to carry them."

"Important," Sylvia agreed. "And we'll need cultivation resources when the first wave of the beta comes to an end. The System is planning to cut carnivorous consumption for all Tier I classes."

Right now, Axis only had two cultivation resource points. A mine with ores of the earth element and a small plot growing herbs suitable for those with a wood affinity. The latter was in short supply, while the stones had to undergo alchemical refinement before use. The witches back at Starport were looking for solutions to both puzzles.

"Maybe throw some government subsidies our way then," Riley suggested.

"I already created the quests," Sylvia scoffed, spreading her hands. "What more do you want?" She paused. "You'll be joining him then?"

Riley shook her head.

"I'm planning to stick to the village for a bit. Help show the newbies the ropes. Maybe recruit some talents then throw them Henry's way. If his big plan pans out."

"Tricky to make money like that," Sylvia noted.

Riley held out a hand, palm up, then wiggled her fingers. "Then give me a quest. I'm thinking we should set up an arena. Catch a bunch of phantasms and let the gamers sharpen their knives."

"Start selling tickets, and you'll be rolling in gold," the silver-haired witch commented.

Riley's green eyes narrowed. "Now you're making me sound like a lowly villain."

"Riley," Sylvia said, using a profound tone as though conveying a great truth. "You're a witch."

The freckled blonde snickered.

"I wasn't actually thinking of blood sport," she said. Riley contemplated for a bit. "But I suppose, turning it into a business would help to keep us in the black. Some of the girls back at Starport know how to capture beasts. Think you can bring a few of them here?"

"I'll do better than that, I'll finance your vile coliseum so I can laugh as pathetic, under-armed players are sent to their cruel deaths," Sylvia chortled. This time it was her turn to extend a hand, wiggling a few fingers. "But I'll be wanting my share of your blood money."

Riley didn't hesitate to clasp her hand as though Sylvia were offering to shake.

"Deal!"

"How ruthless."

"As you said, I'm a witch," Riley returned with a broad smile. The freckled blonde stood. "Now, if you don't mind, I want to go schmooze with the others."

"Take my gold and run, huh," Sylvia teased. She waved the girl off. "Go. Have fun."

Riley vanished. The silver-haired girl nursed her drink, watching as a pair of gamers tried to one-up each other with their throwing skills. A stone sword whoomped through the air before piercing a target.

Her eyes flicked to a blue screen. The forums were going wild, poring over the information Sylvia had leaked.

Information that very much didn't include the name of her new class.

"I'm already level five hundred and twenty-eight," Sylvia murmured.

A year from now, she'd cross into the third consolidation, marking her as Esmeralda's equal. Technically, that'd make Sylvia the strongest gamer on the plane, as it'd take Emmy a while to recover the power she'd lost.

Not too long, though. Emmy would also have a System. A fully incorporated one too, thanks to her Apple of Idunn.

As for the other gamers? Awakening would be a great wall between her and those striving to catch up. Perhaps a few lucky players could lay their hands on a soul fruit, but for the rest it'd be a decade before they could tear through the boundary. And it'd be two before the gamers surged past Awakening in numbers. Until then, Sylvia would have no rivals. It was hard to imagine herself as the strongest. Even her authority, these days, exceeded Lady Vallenfelt's.

"We got off on the wrong foot."

A gruff voice snapped Sylvia from her thoughts. Eyes of fractal pink turned up to see Henry Taylor gazing down at her. The man offered a drink.

Amused, Sylvia took it.

"Just so you know, I'm paying for all the refreshments."

The lanky, brown-haired barbarian stiffened. "My apologies then."

"I was about to grab another," Sylvia said, swapping cups.

She took a sip. Tart. The Taste of Adventure needed to work on their quality control. Sylvia flicked her eyes toward the barbarian, judging.

"Riley told you about me?"

"That's right," Henry affirmed.

The tall man looked around awkwardly before grabbing a stool and bringing it close. Sylvia watched. As a woman, it wouldn't be appropriate if the two sat side by side. Even the suggestion could be interpreted as an invitation for something more.

"If she told you the truth then you should know Sylvester was just me playing around," Sylvia said once the man settled.

Henry grunted. "You're looking after her. I respect that."

"I doubt you came here for my permission," the silver-haired witch said. "So what do you actually want?"

Sky blue eyes studied her for a long moment.

"I've been told you're the big money in these parts."

Sylvia's gaze sharpened.

In this world, there was only one woman richer, Lady Vallenfelt. Sylvia, literally, owned half the Beginner's Village. Sunset Terrace and a good chunk of the buildings on Bedford had been constructed on her dime. All of this proved too much for Sylvia to operate on her own, so she had hired Lucy White and Margret Rivera to act as landlords on her behalf.

Since sleeping on the streets was outlawed, a player had to choose the inn or one of Sylvia's properties. And the Inn only had rooms for fifty, if the rooms were shared. A few adventurous souls had tried to build their own house, with questionable success. Sylvia was governor, which meant every permit was bound to her rules.

And, like the evil witch she was, Sylvia had distorted them in her favor. Hence, a huge portion of the town's revenue was flowing through her pockets.

This scheme hadn't been dreamed up by Sylvia but rather the emeraldette. Emily was truly the clone of the baroness. Only a member of the exploiter class could've dreamed up a plot so vile.

And all of this was perfect proof that Sylvia wasn't some ditsy magical girl chasing rainbows, puppies, and lollipops.

Her System class title was slander!

"I am," Sylvia answered coolly. "But don't expect any favors."

If this man thought Riley was the path to her pocketbook, Sylvia's opposition to their relationship would become decidedly less playful.

"I intend to build my guild by myself," Henry said gruffly. He paused, blue eyes cautious. "Silas asked me to make the connection. He wants to step into the world of business."

"Ah," the silver-haired witch sounded, posture easing. "Well, I'm always looking for new investments. Though, if he wants my money, he'll have to be convincing. I'll find some time on my calendar. Next week, perhaps?"

"I'll let him know," Henry answered. "For what it's worth, Silas owned a construction company in his prior life."

Pastel pink eyes turned keen. Now, Sylvia was actually interested. She could use that kind of expertise. If Mr. Wells proved competent, she might do more than lend some petty cash.

Henry tilted back his cup, swallowing a gulp of the fruity drink.

"It's not beer," Sylvia joked.

The barbarian chuckled. "I heard one of the boys tried putting spider venom in it."

Sylvia released an unladylike snort.

"I don't imagine that worked out well," she said dryly. She considered for a moment before speaking. "If you're serious about making a guild, you should set your eyes on Viridian City. I'll be breaking ground in a month. I've already picked out the spot. It's roughly halfway down the river from Yaalon Lake."

"Sounds promising," Henry hedged. Blue eyes scrutinized her. "Can we run boats along the way?"

"Haven't tried," Sylvia shrugged. She set down her cup, leaving it next to the prior. "Wards should keep the crocodiles quiet, but who knows how the rest of the wildlife will react. Doesn't matter. Everyone will be moving to Viridian sooner or later. I'll be slapping down a tax on Tier II players at the turn of the year to drive them out of the Beginner's Village."

She'd also throw in a few offsets for players who helped the noobs so they could stick around, but the penalties would be designed to ensure most gamers were gone long before they hit level 200.

"Fair warning," Henry accepted, raising his cup. "Since you're serious about it, I'll do what I can to help."

"Don't worry. There will be plenty of quests to go around," Sylvia said freely. "I'll connect you to Piper. She's down south, exploring the path along the Viridian River. That'll be the best direction to expand out from Axis. Just promise me one thing: don't take advantage of Riley."

"I don't plan to," the brown-haired man grunted.

The tall, lanky warrior stood and left.

Sylvia sighed. Fake barbarian. She still didn't like him. But Riley was a big girl. She could make her own decisions. As for Sylvia?

The witch's hand tightened. Her heart was ready. When they next met, Sylvia was going to seduce the hell out of Emmy.

-oOo-

Common Traits

Heart of Courage

* 125% Hp

* 85% Mp

* 125% ki regeneration rate

* Mana offset

Nether cores support the stability and function of the phantasmal body. Every core represents a vital organ, the loss of which may result in death. Compared to the common core, this one provides greater life force and ki in exchange for reduced mana and mana regeneration.

The heart of courage is particularly well-suited for generating ki, drastically improving the overall ki regeneration rate. Furthermore, a warrior may expend some mana to reduce the ki consumption of any stamina-consuming ability by up to 15%.

Overflowing Life

* Heal Rate: 3% / minute

* Efficiency: 100%

Your body bursts with life. This energy inundates your ki, allowing you to synthesize stamina into blood essence restoring lost Hp. While regenerating, the outward crust will also recover, allowing rapid restoration of missing tissues, limbs, or organs. This happens in addition to hitpoint recovery, roughly per the table below.

Limb Expenditure Arm 10% Leg 15% Eye 5% Heart 50%

Because your ki naturally translates into blood essence, you will recover from death slightly faster. Usually, this is sufficient to reduce the time it takes to build a new body by 15% to 30%. This will not, however, reduce the amount of amniotic essence absorbed during rebirth.

► QuestBasher [Posted: 3 weeks ago]

Seems rather weak as traits go. The efficiency is garbage to the point you'd be better off using potions or spells. Plus, ki doesn't recover all that much faster than hit points anyway.

I suppose the resurrection time reduction is nice though.

► Npc72 [Posted: 3 weeks ago]

Good luck buying a potion, LOL.

► TrueSoldier [Posted: 2 weeks ago]

A deceptively useful trait. Healing for anything but outward injuries is far rarer than most gamers expect. Potions are likewise expensive and hard to obtain. Furthermore, if your hit points are low, your stamina will slowly drain to a similar ratio, so trading ki for hit points actually improves ki management.

Finally, warriors often forget they can offset any ki expenditure with mana, per the Heart of Courage description. Overflowing Life is very much included.

► SecretProtaginist [Posted: 3 days ago]

I heard this can upgrade into Endless Life. Is that true?

► Npc72 [Posted: 3 days ago]

DustyLibrarian has it posted in the FAQ. Heal rate bumps to 10% per minute while efficiency hits 150%.

Fluid Ki

* +25% ki precision

* Increased stability

Your ki flows smoothly, flexing according to your will. This enhances innate control over all arts and techniques. With increased stability, it will be easier to externalize ki, reducing the mental burden of advanced arts. The greater precision will further improve the ease of foraging materials or otherwise engaging in acts of fine control.

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