Chapter 1200 (1/2)

As soon as Randidly thought about locking the sky, he could already feel the stirrings begin inside of the Philosopher’s Key. It was like simply thinking the phrase unleashed a blast of sunlight that quickly burned through the mist that had covered the inner workings of the key. The previously mysterious interior mechanisms gradually came to light. As Randidly’s pupils dilated, he suddenly understood what he had to do.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 57!

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 58!

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 59!

…

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 71!

Unfortunately, the knowledge of how the process would work came with another realization: it would be very difficult to completely lock out the Nether Herald. It was too heavy of a projectile.

Even with the change coming as a surprise tot he unfortunate Nether Herald, Randidly had been able to sense the dense power of the previously Nether Herald that so briefly clashed with Lady Iellaya in the last few minutes. The Nether of its body was so dense that it fuzzed the surrounding air. Physical space folded and bent to its will, allowing it to move in a way not unlike the Grim Chimera’s Chimeric Avoidance.

At this point, Randidly struggled to push his own inner Nether to that golden density that a Nether Gatekeeper used to manage its own impressive sphere of influence. To see these Nether Heralds reach a density so obviously a step beyond that filled Randidly with the certainty that he couldn’t compete directly.

Randidly’s emerald eyes were locked onto the huge third Nether comet the second it was produced. He held his breath in his chest. Inside, his mind rapidly accelerated, pushing himself forward. If the current him couldn’t reliably lock the sky and reject this Nether Herald, all he needed to do was rapidly increase his understanding, which would, in turn, increase his Fate Level and his power.

A blunt solution to a complicated problem. Yet a brief scan of his available Paths didn’t give Randidly any other hope of rapidly increasing his potency with his Fate on such incredibly short notice through any other method.

...so yea, all I need to do is deepen my understanding in two-point six seconds. Randidly’s eyes were almost glassy as he stared outward at the Great Rift. His mind got to work. Ignition Essence flared brightly to life to fuel endeavor. Without any remorse, Randidly dipped into his mental power and focused his attention to a razor-sharp point.

The Philosopher’s Key was a simple tool with an uncomplicated motion. In the past, Randidly had used its function in a creative manner to ‘unlock’ Lady Iellaya’s Class, but that was just getting cute. What Randidly was attempting now wasn’t some convoluted application, this was exactly what the Philosopher’s Key was made to do: lock.

The image of locking the sky was clear, but the origin of the image was a bit less so. The key’s power seemed to arise from its functions, but that was too limiting a way to think about it. The key was simple, yes, but the person behind it wasn’t. If it could lock the sky, that inevitably led back to the individual who held the key. That capability began there.

This was the Philosopher’s Key.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 72!

Randidly took a small step forward as he pondered the process, but it was far from enough. Also, the growth stopped almost immediately because he was suddenly faced with a question. Who was the Philosopher?

Fully half a second ticked past as Randidly strained his every brain cell in order to answer this question. Images of alchemists and fantasy wizards flashed before his mind’s eye, but none of those felt right. None made the act of locking the sky seem any more manageable. Eventually, Randidly settled on the simplest answer.

The Philosopher… or the Alchemist, as referenced by the Fateset, was himself. Randidly Ghosthound.

Again, a dead stop inserted itself into Randidly’s mind for point two seconds. The huge comet of Nether surged closer. Randidly’s hands tightened into fists. His mind whirred even faster to try and pull apart the secrets of the heavy golden key in his hands.

Who was Randidly Ghosthound?

Me. But if the answer requires more detail...

Over the years since the System arrived, Randidly had changed in unimaginable ways. He had become incredibly influential on Earth and later absconded from his budding political power. He had traveled to Tellus and fought like a mercenary at Shal’s request. He had returned to Earth to struggle to find his identity, making very little headway on this question. He kept his gaze locked on the System, vigilant for threats.

He later returned to Tellus and watched thousands die on the banks of the Hallat as the Second Calamity of that world played itself out. He had been, admittedly, instrumental in allowing Shal to seize control of the image of Tellus, making it a place of heroes and dreams. Then Randidly had returned to Earth and acted less as a leader of anything and more as a warning for the people of Earth.

One they don’t appear to be heeding very well, based on what I’ve seen through Nether Rituals… A small voice in Randidly’s head whispered, but he quickly quieted that part of himself.

He had learned much about himself as he blithely allowed the deaths of Ki-Kunot’s people and later was confronted by Azriel in regards to his refusal to consider losing. Meeting Vualla, too, had greatly put a spin on who Randidly was, who he was going to be. Finding someone who made him pause and believe in a genuine partnership… It had made him happy.

Incredibly so.

But those were all external factors that affected him. None were determinative of the who at the core of this question. Even if Randidly was slowly realizing his own responsibilities and the importance of cultivating a passion to wield the power he gathered here on the frontlines, it did very little to answer the question of who he was.

Even as his images grew, he had never turned his exacting focus back on himself. But of course he hadn’t, because he hadn’t wanted to. It would have been...

Randidly blinked.

Ultimately, images were stories believed to be real. So there were a lot of images that Randidly could impose on himself as a grand explanation, based on his history, and have them be anchored in reality. Yet to take any one of those images as gospel was to miss the numerous others that populated Randidly Ghosthound. They would be diverging from his core by focusing on an aspect. What Randidly could create with an image was a partial understanding. And Randidly didn’t believe that a partial understanding would be enough to lock this Nether Herald out of the sky.

So he needed the whole. Again, who was Randidly Ghosthound?

This time, Randidly felt an answer almost immediately. It was an honest answer from his heart. An answer that turned all the way around, looking past his time in the System, to who he had been before. An answer that stared his most glaring weakness in the face.

A shy, socially awkward kid who lucked into power and stumbled into responsibility. Someone who was quiet and reserved, and didn’t know what he wanted out of life. Someone who was always described as ‘having potential’ without ever knowing what that meant. Someone who was in the right place at the right time when the System hit.

Then… the Philosopher’s Key is his, most of all. This is the key of someone who fears every moment that they won’t be enough to protect the people counting on them. Someone who fears that his luck will run out. Someone who is terrified of what that would mean.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 73!