Chapter 398 (1/2)

The light was still there, emerging from the smaller sigil above Randidly’s chest, but it had changed, becoming softer. The whole thing exuded this aura of softness and strength. The strength was brutally dangerous, but it was guided by a calm determination. Whereas the Class itself was filled with a baleful fatality, what animated this one was not that, but…

Responsibility.

“Very effective,” Octavius said, his voice conveying how impressed he was. “You did well with your word choice I suppose.”

“Thank you,” Mrs. Hamilton said, nodding her head, as she watched the smaller sigil float up and join the larger one. There was a ripple through it, and a small shift in it, as they adjusted to each other’s presence. Some of the evilness of the Class’ aura was abated, but honestly…

It just made it more of an insidious thing, more self-righteous and demanding. That responsibility had perhaps been more twisted than it had done twisting…

“Now what?” Mrs. Hamilton inquired, turning to Octavius. He gave her a wide smile.

“Well, now that you took your turn, we allow the others to go. Who would like to go next? With this amount of Aether…”

“I’ll go.”

Mrs. Hamilton turned, and saw a stubborn looking woman with long, pale lavender hair riding… what appeared to be Neveah, slithering over towards the group that was already gathered around Randidly. As they arrived, the woman hopped off, not even sparing the three sitting individuals a glance. Instead, she just looked up at the sigil with furious eyes.

Then she turned her gaze down to Randidly, and the look she had softened. “It wouldn’t have been a betrayal, just… guidance that you needed. And would have ignored otherwise.”

Neveah rumbled her displeasure, and the woman waved her hand. “It didn’t work, alright? He ripped everything to shreds with raw power. Don’t go getting your bones in a bunch. Hm….”

After tapping her chin for several seconds, she said, “Progenitor of the Four-Shaded Evolution.”

Again, a ripple ran through their strange location. Again, the light began to gather, slowly building to a blinding crescendo. And as it fell down, it revealed a glittering sigil, that glowed with four different lights. There was something strange about this sigil too, or multiple things.

The first was that it was oddly mechanical, and in motion, shifting and clicking together, merging into new forms, always growing, moving forwards. The second thing was that it was hidden at first, but the more that the four pieces moved, the more Mrs. Hamilton could sense that at its core, there was an unrelenting engine acting, a powerful energy source that held almost too much power to be channeled.

Slowly, that sigil too, rose and joined into the larger mass, causing the other to twist and shift. This time, the change was more… Mrs. Hamilton wanted to say superficial, but she suspected that this wasn’t actually the case. It was just that the changes were much easier to see. The varied, mechanical style had been absorbed, and now there were dozens of smaller, shifting parts that made up Randidly’s larger Class.

In addition… the aura that it emanated had intensified, perhaps driven by the addition of that energy source…

“Another fine synchronization with the image.” Octavius said, making another note. “Still more Aether remains, perhaps…?”

“You can sense me, can’t you? Well, I suppose there is no point in remaining then.” From Randidly’s chest a figure appeared, first blurry, but then slowly condensing to a grey, ashy form, and then resolving itself into a man holding a simple spear. Immediately, Mrs. Hamilton’s spider felt the strength of this shape, and was filled with caution. This man…. was probably the most powerful thing she had ever seen.

Even more so than Octavius. He simply seemed unstoppable.

After sparing Mrs. Hamilton a glance, seemingly aware of her assessment, the man looked at Octavius with an easy smile. “...I suppose that you will not allow me to dwell within his emotions? Many of them were inherited from me.”

“I am… aware of your situation….” Octavius checked something on his wrist. “...Aemont. But most of your personality has sacrificed itself to give the boy additional power. You are just the memory of the true Aemont’s shape, feeding on the ample Aether this Heretic possesses. Not that I would act against you, the boy’s safety is none of my concern, but when the Class is instituted, you will be purified. And you don’t have the luxury of this woman’s refuge, who cowers in his Soul Skill.”