Chapter 469 (1/2)

Randidly spun around, right before he was going to crack a joke at Rose’s expense, as the only individual here worthless in combat. But before he could finish, a flash of power pulled his attention back towards the Dungeon.

There was a flash and swirl of Aether, causing his eyes to widen. Could the Creature…?

Definitely not, based on the memories we recovered, Lucretia cut in, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a sign of trouble.

Memories...! Randidly blinked several times. Then he did his best to put it out of his mind as he moved back over towards the front of the Dungeon, where Thea still sat, crying-

Where he had left the two Regalia, feeling rather awkward about walking over next to Thea and picking them up while she was so seized by grief. Inwardly, Randidly cursed himself for not just putting them into his spatial ring, but he had felt…

Everything had happened so fast, the end of the fight, Chrysanthemum using her body to protect him, returning to the world. Randidly was lost in some of his personal grief and had let things slip a bit. He had even forgotten to lock down the Regalia and instead went off with the rest of the group, trying to prep them for the emotional toll that strength would have on them.

What the fuck sorta move was that…?

Randidly stopped up short, somewhat stunned when he returned to Thea’s location. She seemed to still be on the ground, sobbing without any bit of attention spared to the tornado of Aether next to her. The sword and the helmet were gone, swirling until they were simply two motes of light, rapidly rotating in a circle. There was… something at the center of that energy, but it wasn’t anything that he could detect.

Even his Aether Detection only managed to catch a sniff of it. What was...!?

Then Randidly realized what was going on and his shoulders slumped downwards. The motes of light spun until they reached a speed at which they transformed into bands of light, that then sunk into that being in the center of the tornado. A notification popped up, confirming Randidly’s worst fears.

After trial and strife, a Champion has emerged in your Zone: the Eternal Dreamer. You may pledge to the Eternal Dreamer in order to gain the Skill Lesser Illusion. Skills gained from previous Champions may be retrained but will be lost upon pledging to the current Champion. Abilities relating to Scrying, Fortune Telling, and Illusions will be easier to learn for those originally from Zone 32. While in the area of Zone 32, Skills relating to Scrying, Fortune Telling, and Illusions will Level more quickly. Now that a Champion has been selected, be on the lookout for special related quests.

The Aether settled, revealing a small bird, floating in mid-air. Compared to the previous iterations, this bird seemed to pulse with power, its body possessing a level of detail that was not comparable to how it was before. It fluttered its wings and hopped, moving naturally, and Randidly wasn’t able to tell that it was a fake, aside from its sudden appearance.

Still, Randidly swore aloud. Of all things, a Champion related to illusions and scrying…?

“You spoiled brat. That wasn’t your decision to make.”

There was no reply from the bird, but very quickly it hopped over to Thea and landed on her shoulder. It raised its head and began to sing, and instantly the sky darkened. White petals fell from the sky in something akin to a blizzard. Heedless, Thea sobbed on, her fingers tight on Chrysanthemum’s fur.

It only occurred to Randidly now, but if he had made Ptolemy the Champion… or even Regina Northwind, back in Donnyton, perhaps-

But no, Chrysanthemum was nearing the end of her life. Healing… healing could only do so much.

It was pretty, this display, but that was all it was. Randidly fervently hoped that this prick would learn to use the Skill he had usurped to a much more efficient degree. Without a word, Randidly turned and walked away, as Chrysanthemum’s chest fluttered one last time, and then stilled, while the petals continued to fall down around them.

Very quickly, the group arrived back at Star Crossing. Some of them had given Randidly looks, likely in response to the naming of Simon as a Champion, but his visage apparently conveyed his opinion on the matter well enough that no one, even Ace, asked. There, the group parted: Ace and Rose back to the Refuge, Drake back to East End, while Lucifer came with them to teleport back to Donnyton.

Before he went, Randidly gave a long look towards the source of a pulsating sphere of Aether, on a nearby hill. Likely Simon was there, even now, experimenting with his new power, or performing minor parlor tricks for Thea in order to cheer her up.

Randidly’s hands tightened into fists. Was that… was this really what they had struggled in the Dungeon to recover…?

A rational part of Randidly could understand the way these abilities could be useful, but that part was just swept away by a vengeful rage. Part of the reason he had departed so quickly, even while Thea remained, was that he couldn’t trust himself not to tear into Simon, had he remained. Randidly wasn’t sure how powerful Simon had become post-transformation, but he was likely at a similar level to the prior Champions.

Which were a bit lower in power than Randidly, prior to him entering the Raid Dungeon. And Simon was primarily focused on Illusions.