Jack shot through the water. A grey spectral blur. Much faster than before. Lonestone Capital City's shimmering lights quickly grew closer.
He shed the voldyanoi form as soon as he reached the shadows of the dock. Returning to his specter form. No one noticed the incident in the sea. Or they did. And ignored it. It was just another strange occurrence. In a city accustomed to the unusual.
...
Life in Lonestone settled into another regular rhythm. At least for Jack and Reina. A semblance of normalcy. If one ignored the underlying reality of their existence.
Their relatively newly acquired house became their anchor. A sturdy two-story building. Surrounded by neat orchard. In a quiet Garden District. The less industrialized part of the city.
Their daily schedule didn't change much.
Reina's mornings began early. She trained. Body conditioning. Combat drills. The precise use of her combat gears. Ones that were designed and created by Jack.
Sweat dripped. Her movements were sharp, efficient. Afterwards, she managed the household. Cleaning. Cooking... Daily chores were handled with the same ruthless efficiency she applied to a target.
Her afternoons were for charity. Attempt to forcefully neutralize her negative karma. Reina spearheaded several projects. Funding and organizing relief efforts for the city's less fortunate.
Her past as Queen Mirage. Manipulating and exploiting. It now fueled a fierce, almost obsessive drive to alleviate suffering. It was a stark transformation.
Her evenings returned to training. More focused on mental and mystical aspects this time. Focusing on spell casting. And using her supernatural talent to control fog and illusion.
Then, came a shift. The determined and disciplined woman became the devoted partner. Spending quality time with Jack. Dinner. Quiet conversation. The intimate details of their shared life. A rare softness in her eyes.
Jack's schedule was denser. Broken into more meticulous blocks. His mornings mirrored Reina's. Intense training. Then household duties. He took care the orchard. And maintained their growing arsenal of strange home appliances and mechanical devices.
Then, the public persona took over. Mid-morning, he launched himself into the city. As Racer Jack, the Kamaitachi. A bipedal, bladed weasel in goggles and a short fur coat. Speedy guy with annoying chatter.
He raced through the chaotic streets. A blur of grey and white fur. He hunted criminals. Stopped muggings. Derailed smuggling operations. Rescued cats from trees.
His antics were loud, obnoxious, and effective. The city knew Racer Jack. His fame, or infamy, grew daily. Reports of a 'floating, bladed menace with a high-pitched voice' filled the tabloids. He loved it. The stronger his fame. The stronger he became.
After a few hours of public heroism, Jack retreated. Back to the anonymity of his home. His afternoons transitioned to design and creation.
The workshop in their basement hummed. Gears turned. Steam hissed. Runes glowed. His current projects were ambitious.
A mechanical hawk. Almost perfectly completed. Sleek and silent mechanical creature. Designed for aerial reconnaissance. Its eyes could pierce shadows, its talons could carry small payloads.
An armed hoverbike. Still in progress. A drastic upgrade from his current one. Sleeker, faster, with integrated weapons and reinforced plating.
And the strangest project... His newest one. A mechanical supporting fairy. A tiny, intricate construct. No bigger than a hummingbird. Designed to offer minor support. Casting healing magic. Or buff. He still got stuck in that casting part.
Late afternoon, Racer Jack returned. Another patrol. More speed. More chatter. More good deeds. He covered different districts. Ensured his presence was felt. His legend cemented.
By evening, he was back. Training again. Pushing his limits. Mastering new mystic spells, refining old ones.
And then, like Reina... He embraced the shift to quality time. The ghost, the mercenary, the weasel, the murloc – all became just the affectionate Jack. Quiet. Thoughtful. Present.
Sleep was a luxury Jack rarely indulged in. He only required about an hour sleep a day. Which meant that he could use the rest of the night for another persona... Jack Mystery.
The ghost clad in masked magician attire. This was his true work. Unseen. Unheard. Delivering judgements all over the city. Punishments for the guilty. Rewards for the worthy. In the form of nightmares and sweet dreams.
He was the quiet retribution the city never knew it needed. He moved like a whisper. A shadow among shadows.
Occasionally, as Jack Mystery, he visited the strange twins. He would slip in. Unannounced. And he somehow always find them in their usual state. Awakened. Unsettlingly calm. And preternaturally aware.
He would always prod for clues. "Anything stirring, kids? Any whispers in the wind?"
They would usually just stare. Their eyes were too mature for their faces.
"Silence." Alice would say. Her voice was flat. Adam would nod. "Just the usual static."
Jack left. Always a little unnerved. Always without a new 'quest'.
...
Life went on. The cycles repeated.
Then, it was time for the coin. The Fateless Meeting.
It was a quiet evening. Jack was sitting in his study. Waiting. He looked at the crystal coin on the desk, showing the number one on its face.
He activated his [Incarnation Shift] and transformed into his specter form. And waited. The crystal coin glowed briefly before the last digit vanished. Zero.
A mental invitation appeared in Jack's mind. Without any hesitation, he accepted the invitation. His surroundings blurred. The room dissolved.
He reappeared. In a space of profound comfort. Rainsister's living room. A warm fireplace crackled, casting dancing shadows on the walls.
Soft, plush seats invited relaxation. The light was gentle, diffused. Bookshelves, stretching from floor to ceiling, lined the walls. Crammed with thick, ancient-looking tomes. The scent of old paper and floral fragrance filled the air.
Rainsister, the homebody deity, was exactly as he remembered. Lounging on a plush couch. A steaming mug was held between her slender fingers. She sipped a warm drink. Her expression was serene. Observing with eyes that held the wisdom of ages.
Along with Jack, three other figures materialized. Amaranth. And the twins, Alice and Adam. Standing side-by-side. Their faces were unreadable.
Rainsister's voice was soft, melodic, yet carried an undeniable weight. "Welcome, Spirit of Conviction." She said, her gaze was settling on Jack. Then, to Amaranth. "Mist of Compassion."
Finally, she looked at the twins. "And Twins of Vigilance."
Jack inclined his head. "Rainsister."
Amaranth bowed gracefully. "Goddess."
The twins merely looked. They didn't bow. They didn't flinch. Last time, Amaranth had been visibly shaken to learn she was addressing a literal goddess.
The twins, however, regarded Rainsister as if she were merely an interesting elderly neighbor. Their eyes were unsettlingly direct. They darted around the room. Then fixed on Rainsister.
"How old are you?" Alice asked. Her voice and expression were flat. Devoid of awe.
Adam, not missing a beat, followed. "Do goddesses like you poop?"
Rainsister paused her sip. A faint smile touched her lips. "I am indeed old, little one. Old enough to have seen kingdoms appeared and fell. And I don't know about other goddesses. But yes, I do have that biological functions, though mine is... less messy."
"Do you ever get bored?" Alice pressed.
"Sometimes." Rainsister admitted. "But learning new things usually offers sufficient distraction."
"How do you know who is fateless or not fateless?" Adam questioned. A completely different topic. Without any logical bridging.
"It is a vibration, a resonance. Like when you listen to a musical note. Those without fate sing a unique note." She replied.
"Have you ever fought against other gods?" Alice asked. Leaning forward slightly.
"Before we became gods. Yes. After we became gods. Not really. When clashes occured, it was usually solved by our champions. Not us personally. Of course it was long ago. Before the other gods decided to leave."
"Have you ever met extraterrestrial aliens?" Adam finished. His eyes were wide.
Rainsister chuckled. "Yes, I have observed many such beings. The universe is vast, little one. Life takes many forms, in many places. Some are familiar, some utterly alien to your understanding. Few, however, are as fascinating as humanity."
Jack felt a familiar impatience building. The twins had an unending supply of questions. And they were usually not arranged following what he considered logical. He had more pressing matters. He only had one hour a month in this place.
He cleared his throat. "Rainsister..." He interjected. Cutting off what promised to be a new line of inquiry from Alice about whatever it was. "I'd like to borrow that book again. The one I hadn't finished."
The goddess's serene gaze shifted to him. A knowing smile bloomed on her face.
"Always eager, Little Specter." She waved a hand with a gentle gesture.
A shimmering disturbance appeared in the air beside one of the bookshelves. A thick, leather-bound book coming to rest precisely in front of Jack. It was the same book that had haunted his thoughts for weeks.
Jack ignored the twins' sudden fascination with the levitating book. He ignored Amaranth's quiet observation. His focus narrowed.
The book was thick. Its pages were filled with dense script and complex diagrams. He had only completed a few chapters last time. Now, he intended to devour it.
He opened it to the last page he had read. The text was clear. Though the concepts it described were anything but so.
It spoke of the foundational layer of reality itself. A hidden power and knowledge woven into the fabric of existence. Accessible only to those who transcended the ordinary.
It detailed the path to the 'Illuminated' stage of power. Not just about enhanced abilities. But also about a fundamental shift in perception. A deepening of connection to the world's underlying principles.
The book described the ways to break through. To destroy the 'World Illuminating' bubble. A metaphysical barrier that limited the true potential of transcendent beings within any given reality.
Jack's mind raced. Ready to know the next steps. The way to become as strong as the hidden powerhouse of the world.
He read the various paths one could travel to break through. Seven of them... Desire Rituals. Wisdom Contemplation. Knowledge Manifestation. Tenacity Tribulation. Artifacts of Faith. Celestial Fruits. Destiny Inheritance.