Chapter 1322 (1/2)

The floating lights of the ballroom were turned down low and Reina’s magnetic voice bounced off the walls as she crooned her way through a tragic ballad about those that were lost during the arrival of the System. With a little cooperation of the people on the glowstone tiles, everyone allowed their previously flared images to dim. Humans, Nemesai, and alien creatures alike bowed their heads and swayed to the music; no matter what each individual had gained, much was lost to meet the high demands of the System.

Through that almost morose crowd swaying with the music, one man walked smoothly forward, slipping through the gaps of the groups in order to arrive quickly at his destination. And it was not that the man didn’t share the same feelings of regret as he heard the lyrics. No, this man was wracked by that very same regret every single day.

But this man also understood that the source of his current darkness lay with himself; the System was just an excuse.

Sighing, Ezekiel reached the side of the ballroom dedicated to the gift table and produced a small, hand-wrapped box. Compared to some of the lavish displays that covered the table, it was practically invisible. Yet Ezekiel reached forward and gently laid the package down on the heavy oak table.

“Don’t lose your way, Randidly,” He whispered. “Don’t become like me.”

Then Ezekiel slipped out of the party, even as the sad song ended and one filled with hope began.

*****

Something akin to an electric shock ran through Randidly’s body. He sat up straight, suddenly filled with the knowledge that Ezekiel had given him a gift. Helen, who still sat in front of him, quirked an eyebrow upward at the sudden jerky movement. But her implied question was almost immediately answered as there was a ripple in the air and an object began materialize in front of Randidly.

It was clearly recognizable as a dreamcatcher, yet the shape that was forming was extremely peculiar. Most of such mundane dreamcatchers that Randidly had seen had been a hoop woven with different patterns in the middle, generally made to resemble a spider’s web. Beads or feathers would be hanging from the bottom, adding further character to the item.

But this Dreamcatcher was a little different. Rather than a flat hoop, this dream catcher was a sphere. There were fully six exterior hoops twisted and crossing each other at random angles, adding a vast amount of depth and shape to the dreamcatcher. And from those exterior axises, Strange geometric shapes hung.

From those geometric shapes, more shapes hung. Until the interior was a confusing knot of triangles, parallelograms, rhombuses, hexagons, and the occasional unattached line that intersected itself in an extremely incestuous manner.

Congratulations! You have obtained the Second piece of your Fateset, the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night! The night of your life is extremely long and the flow of time around you can be confusing even at the best of times. The membrane that is ‘self’, through which all experiences pass, can be easily misled by the suddenness of a ‘moment’. Perception can be masked and misled but the truth that a moment is both permanent and transient cannot be lost.

The Dreamcatcher of the Long Night exists as a tool to offer poise to the user. It can be considered a map and a vehicle, as well as the ultimate shield against those compelling narratives that claim to be ‘truth’.

Many truths exist in the world. The Alchemist exists because their truth exists separately from that of the world. The Dreamcatcher of the Long Night will help you shape that truth to its full potential.

Congratulations! Due to the presence of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night, +4 Grim Intuition and Reaction per Level!

Congratulations! Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 2!

Congratulations! Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 3!

Even more than the meandering description provided by notification, Randidly was rather mystified by the two sudden Levels that he had gained in his Fatepiece. Early Levels, sure, and therefore easier, but also they had occurred before he had thought at all about what its function could be. Perhaps just from reading the description, he had obtained some clues…?

But I suppose the Philosopher’s Key wasn’t exactly immediately forthcoming with how it could be used. It will just take some time to experiment with this new piece of my Fate. Hopefully, it ends up being as useful as the prior one.

Helen clicked her tongue to get Randidly to look up from the dreamcatcher. “You obtained your Fate just like that?”

“A piece of my Fate,” Randidly corrected as he reached out and touched the top of the dream catcher that still hung magically in the air. As soon as his fingers pressed against the almost rope-like material that constituted most of the Fate, the soft sound of chimes reached Randidly’s ears. He glanced sideways at Helen, but it seemed immediately clear from her only mildly curious expression that she couldn’t hear those same noises.

...probably related to the use of the Dreamcatcher then, like the Philosopher’s Key can encounter the sensation of karma…

Congratulations! Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 4!

Congratulations! Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 5!

That's a comically easy confirmation...

Shaking his head, Randidly focused on the noise of chimes coming from the 3D Dreamcatcher of the Long Night that he now held in his hands. What he found was a maze of rumbles and rings. There were dozens of the noises that he could hear of various volumes and pitches, but after focusing for a while, his Grim Intuition and Focus were more than enough to start to isolate some individual sounds among them. The sound waves stopped muffling each other and an ecosystem gradually emerged.

However, examining the sounds gave Randidly not the faintest hint of a clue what the piece of his Fate was supposed to do.