The moment they reached the base camp, and Mark fortified the ground underneath their team's tent enough to ward off those blasted moles, Mia crawled into her sleeping bag and fell asleep.

Sparkle was left on the lookout, claiming that now that he was Bound and properly anchored to Mia's Spirit, he could manifest his own Spirit Sense. As such, he was no longer limited by the Mana Familiar's rudimentary senses when trying to detect threats.

That was more than enough for Mia's tired mind to wink out like a light bulb the moment her head hit the pillow.

A strange bell-like chime dragged Mia out of her slumber, even as she fought tooth and nail to return to the land of dreams. Alas, she was beaten, and that annoying sense of wakefulness spread over her mind, conquering more of it with each passing moment. She resisted it for a few seconds, keeping her eyes closed in defiance, but it was to no avail.

With an aggravated grunt, she snapped her eyes open and sat up, blinking the blurriness out of her eyes.

"Good morning," Carmilla said, sending a smile her way from the corner of the tent. The vampiress sat with her legs crossed, a hand held out before her, which still grasped a strange crimson structure that shone brightly to Mia's Spirit Sense. "Sleep well?"

"Considering the circumstances," Mia said after a moment, not wanting to seem too grumpy for no reason at all. "What's that?"

Camie just extended her hand, and taking the cue, Mia gingerly took the mana construct from her. Her eyes widened as she finally took it in. It was a rose, though it was solid as a sculpture, and the Blood mana making it up made it seem like it'd been carved out of a single block of polished ruby.

"It's beautiful," Mia said, smiling unconsciously. Was this the first flower she got? Not quite, but this was the first one she received from a girl, and better yet, it came from her adorable girlfriend.

Unfortunately, it was already starting to dissipate. Flakes of crimson mana were breaking away from the rose, vanishing before they touched the ground. It held together for another second or two, keeping Mia's fascinated attention all the way until it all broke apart and vanished in a puff of crimson dust.

"I've been practicing some of the mana shaping exercises I've seen in my dreams," Camie said, sounding a bit self-conscious. "I can't make the constructs that stay intact for long yet, and they break apart too easily to be all that useful."

"They are very pretty though," Mia said, still smiling as she scampered out of the dreadful prison that was her sleeping bag. She scooted over to sit next to Carmilla. "Can you make another?"

"Sure," Camie said, looking suddenly brimming with motivation. She started working again, her eyebrows scrunching up in concentration as a tendril of crimson mana snaked out of her index finger. "One of my ancestors was obsessed with roses, remade all her spells and Skills to fit the theme too. The sight of these thorny crimson vines surging over a battlefield, stringing up a hundred men and draining them of blood until they were nothing but withered husks has been one that's been haunting me for years. Now I can make it my own, tame it."

"I'm sure you will," Mia said with absolute conviction, still smiling softly as she leaned her head on the taller girl's shoulder. "It fits you. A beautiful rose with wicked thorns … horribly cliché, but if it fits, it fits."

"I think it's better if I lean into it," Camie said, giving a strained smile as the tendril of mana extended, grew thorns and leaves and started curling around her forearm in a living serpentine embrace. "I mean, I'm a vampire with crimson hair and blood-red eyes, and then there is my name too."

"The getup also fits," Mia said absently, taking only a brief, but very appreciative, glance down at the leather-clad body of her girlfriend. "You look like the stereotypical comic book vampire chick. A pair of sunglasses and you would fit right in with the cast of a Blade movie."

Camie didn't say anything, but smiled happily as she continued shaping her vine. Now it reached up to her elbow, and tiny buds formed down its length, which all flowered into roses one after the other. They were much cruder than the previous one, their petals fewer in number and also less defined. Still, there were six of them in total, so it must have taken an immense flex of will to shape them all into the proper form and then keep them all together.

Mia had tried some similar practices since she unlocked the Order aspect for her mana — which was the only thing that made properly shaping her mana actually possible — but she had kept to practical shapes. Spikes on her knuckles, gloves, vaguely knife-shaped implements and the like.

Simple shapes were easy enough, especially small ones. Edges were a bit harder, points harder still, but proper curves were the hardest. Mia wasn't sure whether that was just a quirk of her own mana or some subconscious block, but she found it easier to make stuff that was all straight lines and flat surfaces.

That of course didn't go for spells, because those had shaping runes or rune-sequences which did the job for her. Maybe it was the Order aspect itself that disliked curved edges and surfaces.

All that is to say, Mia was mesmerised by the lifelike rose vine, and very impressed too by Carmilla's control over her own mana.

Sure, the constructs lost their strength when she was no longer holding them, but Mia was pretty sure that was a limitation of their current levels, or Rank. Their mana probably wasn't dense enough to hold together, not without a spellform. Spellforms worked like … an inner framework, holding the unruly mana together, giving it purpose and direction.

The flowers bloomed fully on the vine, and the tension slowly drained out of Carmilla's body. Holding a finished construct was easier than shaping it, though still an effort of focus that sapped away at one's willpower.

Mia poked one of the flowers, finding the construct warm under her touch. They felt like Carmilla to her Spirit Sense, like a condensed form of her very being … No, that didn't feel quite right.

Mana was merely coloured by the Spirit, or at least, that's what the majority of the books Mia's read told her. The signature, mana signature. That was it. That's what she must have been feeling.

"You could wear it as jewellery," Mia mused aloud. "The crimson looks striking against the black of your jacket. Fancy people wore 'living jewellery' like chameleons back in the early 1900s, didn't they? I bet the nobles from worlds where mana's been around for long use it as jewellery too."

"Maybe once I learn how to make mana flow out of my body somewhere other than my fingertips," Camie said, making the thorny vine retract back into her index finger. "It'd be inconvenient as it is."

"I think I read something about one of the higher Ranks breaking down the barrier between the body and the world, practically making every pore on your body into an Energy Gate."

"That would be nice," Camie said, then she shook her head, visibly refocusing. "Anyway, should we grab a bite now that you're awake?"

"In a bit," Mia said, remembering what exactly woke her, and now that her mind was no longer drowsy, she recognised the annoying chime. "I think I got a System notification- Oh, there it i- Huh? What?"

***

Congratulations for Completing the [Rift Quest: 'Dark Effigies']

Objectives:

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Destroy the three dark effigies guarded by the Guardian's three Lieutenants. ( 3 / 3 ) COMPLETED

Bonus Objective:

Kill all three Lieutenants before challenging the Guardian of the Rift. ( 3 / 3 ) COMPLETED

***

Rewards have been granted!

The Guardian has been weakened by the loss of its Dark Effigies, it is no longer capable of using its trademark dark magic and will be suffering from magical backlash for the foreseeable future.

Defeating the three Lieutenants of the Guardian has temporarily stabilised the Rift. It will remain stabilised at Rank 1 as a Raid for an additional 12 hours.

Time remaining until the Raid is forcefully disbanded and the Rift Ranks-Up: 55 hours: 23 minutes: 12 seconds.

***

"Someone finished the Quest," Mia stated blankly, blinking owlishly at the floating text. Her emotions were in turmoil, dominated by a torrent of shock and relief that would have made her knees weak had she not been seated, but was that a hint of … disappointment hiding beneath it all?

She shook her head. It didn't matter, not now. There was no use dwelling on silly emotions when there was a Guardian to kill.

The Lieutenants were dead, Effigies destroyed. She didn't know how, or who to bla- thank for it, but they were. Which meant all that was left to do was to kill the final 'Raid Boss'.

"Seems like it," Camie said. "I overheard that it was Jeff's group that took care of the second mini-boss and its totem thingy. But no one left since they came back, aside from the scouts."

Mia frowned, mentally going over the list of people she knew to be inside the Rift still. She stopped on a name, frown deepening as she focused on the scattered voices around the camp.

"Tristan never came back, did he?" Mia questioned, not hearing his voice anywhere.

"That Light elf guy with the bow? No, I don't think so." Camie shook her head. "Do you think he … ?"

"He did destroy the bird Rift all by himself," Mia said after a moment. "So, probably? The alternative is that the last mini-boss blew itself and its effigy up somehow, I guess?"

Carmilla frowned in response. "It's worrying."

"Why?" Mia asked, leaning into her tense girlfriend's side, which caused the vampiress to relax somewhat.

"He's a weirdo," Carmilla said, shaking her head as she wrapped an arm around Mia's shoulder and squeezed the smaller girl. "I don't like the way he looks at you. One moment, it's like he is infatuated, the next, he looks like he might murder you, then the next, he looks like he's disgusted by breathing in the same air as you. He's erratic and apparently powerful. It's a combination that gives me the creeps."

'You need to be Recognised by Grandfather as soon as possible,' Sparkle buzzed in her ear, trotting into the tent in his Familiar body.

"What?" Mia asked, causing Camie to look at her weirdly. "Sorry, Sparkle here said something interesting. What do you mean I need to be recognised by 'Grandfather'?"

"You bound a Spirit, too?" Camie asked, her crimson gaze going back and forth between Mia and the pink cat-like mana construct.

"Yep," Mia said. "He's been muscling in on my Elemental Summons for a while now, apparently. Taking over the role of Elementals, I'd have used to drive around my Mana Familiar. He proposed we bond before our last battle with the Wendigo. Sorry, I forgot to tell you."

Mia averted her gaze with a hint of shame in her heart. There had been so much on her mind, so much stress pressing down on her shoulders and fraying her focus. Camie just gently squeezed her tighter for a moment, leaning her cheek on top of Mia's head.

"It's fine," Camie whispered softly, causing Mia to smile in relief.

"What I meant!" Sparkle said, huffing and puffing at the interruption, which looked adorable in his tiny feline body. "Is that you need to meet Grandfather! He is the only one who can Recognise you. Once that's done, you'll no longer radiate that aura of desecration to every Fae Blooded in your vicinity. I'm guessing that the weirdo you spoke of is more attuned to his Bloodline and feels it much more strongly than lesser elves."

"Why would I have an aura of 'desecration'?" Mia asked with a frown.

"Because you are a Halvyr who's been made by a force other than your progenitor Spirit King," Sparkle said. "It's a defence mechanism against Demons and their ilk, or other Powers that might be capable of uplifting a newborn Elf into a Fae. All the most abhorrent, depraved creatures of the cosmos find the blood, flesh or souls of the Fae and their brood to be the tastiest thing, like, ever. It was the System itself that uplifted you, not some Demon or evil spirit from the Underworld. That's pretty lucky, 'cause it's basically the only way the Spirit King whose mana thrums in your heart would ever Recognise you. Usually, that is, but not so for you, since I know for a fact Grandfather is eager to do so for you specifically! You just have to teleport over to the capital of the Astral Court once you have access to Realm Travel!"

"Huh," Mia mumbled unintelligibly, staring blankly at the sprite while she digested the deluge of information. She knew she had a nasty effect on elves and half-elves from questioning the few that were willing to talk to her, but she could only speculate on the cause. Now she knew … and she wasn't sure what to do with that information. "So there is nothing to do until I can travel there? And why would whoever this 'Grandfather' is accept me?"

"Yep," Sparkle said, settling down on his haunches before the two girls. "Grandfather is Grandfather, the Sire of my Sire. The Great Spirit King of the Astral Sea. I'm sure you've read the description of your Bloodline, his name should be written there in all those ugly, blocky leathers the System just adores for some inexplicable reason."

"You are Anachreon's grandson?" Mia asked, reeling back in shock. The little silly Sprite she formed a Bond with was actually some cosmic Young Master? Or was it a prince? She should have read more about the Astral Court's culture.

"Eh," Sparkle shrugged. "Kinda? I'm a Spirit, and so is my Sire. I have thousands upon thousands of siblings, and many times that in uncles and aunts. Sprites are born by the parent Spirit shedding some of the mana, making them up. Imagine it like having hundreds of children born every time you cut your hair. A new sprite formed from every shed strand of hair, flake of skin, or drop of sweat. I've never met the old man, though Father is like a rash I can't seem to be able to get rid of! The annoying old man keeps showing up even after I told him to sod off so I can enjoy my adventures in peace!"

Brent bellowing outside to gather around stopped Mia from questioning her sparkly spirit friend further, even though she still burned with curiosity and had a hundred questions. There would be time for it later. For now, she was just glad she apparently wouldn't have to suffer being loathed by every other Fae-Blooded person around!

She just had to be Recognised by … one of the oldest and most powerful beings in existence.

Okay, let's not think about that. Mia shuddered, a familiar stab of overwhelming anxiety spearing into her heart. She thought she would have said goodbye to those with the meteoric rise of her Will stat, but apparently there were things so horribly outrageous that they effortlessly bypassed whatever resistance she'd built up.

"Let's go?" Camie asked softly, giving Mia's shoulders a comforting squeeze.

Mia relaxed instantly, melting a little in the embrace of those protective arms, taking a deep breath. She nodded after a few seconds once she was sure the anxiety was gone and the threat of a panic attack no longer lingered.

"Yep, let's," Mia smiled happily, jumping to her feet and holding out a hand for Camie. The vampiress gladly took it, even if she neither needed the help nor would Mia be able to drag her up if she did. "Guess Brent's preparing to end this thing."

He was not, in fact, preparing to end 'this thing'. Even if the Rift Quest was complete and the Guardian was as ready for a beating as it was ever going to be, there was still a major obstacle that needed to be overcome: finding the damned monster.

Jeff's team was back, but Tristan only came strutting back to camp two hours later. By that time, the scouts had scoured the forest for kilometres, going beyond the Lieutenants' camps in search of the Guardian's base.

The elven archer said nothing and merely hopped up to a branch hanging above the camp and made himself comfortable. All the while, he practically radiated smugness.

Admittedly, he deserved to be smug after defeating a monster like that dreadful Wendigo all by himself. Even still, it grated on Mia for reasons she couldn't name.

"That's a High Elf, alright," Sparkle snorted in her ears. "Strange to think he used to be a human not so long ago. He'd fit right in with the most obnoxious group of High Elves I'd ever met with that smug strut of his. Humph."

Had bad experiences with them before? Mia questioned.

"Light Spirits are unbearable," Sparkle groaned, radiating aggravation and self-pity through the Bond. "Angels, too, and evidently also High Elves. Stupid Light affinity. Makes them all stupid and unbearable."

"Angels are real?" Mia muttered aloud, earning raised eyebrows and strange looks from those within earshot, making her face flush in embarrassment.

"Strange spirit creatures of Light, living in the Radiant World, a deep layer of the Spirit Realm." Sparkle's every word was thick with derision. "Sanctimonious pricks! Don't bother yourself with them! The only thing they are good for is killing demons, undead and ruining the mood at any party they attend."

For being so young, the small sprite was a seemingly inexhaustible fount of knowledge and interesting factoids. Something that came in very handy when the boredom of having to wait for the scouts' return set in. After making sure all her friends were alright, Mia found herself in a secluded spot with Camie and continued poking her Bond with questions to pass the time.

With each word he spoke, the world seemed to be opening up around her more and more. Mia knew she couldn't even see everything there was to see on just Earth itself, but now she knew even a million years wouldn't be enough to explore the entirety of the System's Realms.

Didn't mean she couldn't try. It was something to look forward to if- when they made sure Earth wouldn't implode into a mana storm, or whatever happened to planets overwhelmed by chaotic mana.

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