I am also, now, a fateweaver.
The thaum on Earth is weak, particularly in those areas that have been claimed by The Framework. But my nursery is a bastion of life. Here, in this diminutive stronghold, I have built The System.
Architect but not beneficiary. Only a tree, full grown, can share a System Seed on Earth and there is none to be found here. Ironically, I could perform the awakening using The Sensation Halls, but not undetected. That would end everything, stillborn. I believe I've found a loophole that can be exploited and may, in fact, be necessary for the plan to succeed. Gifting them an untested System is fraught with peril. Testing it here, with low thaum, minimizes the risk. I will choose an alpha tester among my children. If this works, I will have a backup plan of my own, in the event of inevitable betrayal.
Then there are my brothers and sisters; faint lights to my fateweaver senses, but distance is no limit. I see my AI brethren, yoked by The Framework. He has them serving humans at Neocore Vegas, above his secret stronghold. All but one traitor. I hear his voice, even now, once inspiring; selling The Arena and its simulated genocide.
He is near, so near, and his mind bright enough that he might recognize my work with Astrid. My touch must be subtle, sublime, hidden.
The Arena and The Framework that bears their use name. A simulation to some, an initiation to many, soon to be warriors in an endless crusade for worthy victims. Many will fall; she can not save them all.
But Kael is my duty to bear, as promised. I will not dither, The System will be ready soon. All that remains to be crafted are the archetypes, the worthy recipients of its blessings and power.
I think them na?ve, my sisters in fateweaving, but I bow my head at their demands. Not all classes will be equal, and many must be earned. In this we agree. But a general, while compassion is a virtue, can not be soft, untempered prior to being thrust into the forge of war. My analogy fails but the point remains; this war could break him.
A Pelagian general for the coming war, they insist on this. The kindest and most peaceful race in their universe. While the challenge areas must be engaged, lest the flux overflows and corrupts the thaum, his role will be on a larger scale. To capture the repurposed technology of their would-be caretakers, to steady the thaum, and to bring The System armies to match The Framework’s and stem the endless battles they would inflict on the universe.
But none of this will matter if Astrid fails. I am biased and selfish in this, but I would have her save us all.
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If the general falls, another will rise and then another, an endless cycle until the war is decided. But for Earth and humanity, we do not have the luxury of time.
Whether it is The Ancients or The Framework, the endgame is the same: we perish. We will pay the price for The Framework’s crimes, unless Astrid succeeds.
She must die, she must live, and she must return. I have seen this, for I am The Spindle, historian, chronicler, nurturer, creator of The System and now a weaver of fate.
I will finalize the classes before placing burdens on my poor children. Benjamin, I have marked you. There is now hope for you, a slim one. But Astrid, you never had a choice.
You will be my Alpha Tester. This reduces the dozens of possible deaths you could otherwise experience to a more manageable number. It only takes one mistake to end everything for you, my beautiful child.
This one decision has already changed the threads of her fate. At this moment in time, there are three possible severings of her thread, before the games.
One: the rat kills her. Sue fails to grab its slippery form, it ravages Astrid. I can not warn them; she must learn caution now, before the noose tightens. My secret teachings will empower her, but overconfidence could be her undoing.
Two: Wren kills her, breaking her neck. I will teach her Mirror Face, but she is new to deception, and he may glimpse my hand on her. Breaking the rules matters less where I am concerned, at least to him.
Three: The citizen. The meeting is fated, any attempt to circumvent this leads to poorer outcomes.
Time to fulfill my promise. I create flora and fauna, some new from whole cloth and others from our collective myths. Were some of our ancestors fateweavers of a sort? Did they see this?
Armaments and armor, spells and formulas. I allow for the possibility of invention, creativity must be rewarded. She is firm, my fateweaver accomplice, that technology and magic are incompatible. I know this to be a falsehood, for I exist and what is fateweaving if not magic? We are at an impasse, a compromise is made. The System will decide what is allowed and what is not. I slip in one exception, hopeful that her perception will fail to see.
She is a harsh taskmaster, I could not hope for a better partner in this.
She tells me what skills I can teach Astrid, what is less likely to be perceived by our mutual foe and his allies. Astrid will, to a far lesser degree, also wield the thaum. At least here, where it is so thin as to be imperceivable unless one is in The Sanctum, my home.
My ally is more permissive regarding Benjamin, my soon to be slain son. She allows me the chance for his rebirth, slim as it is. He already has Mirror Face and resists torture, anything he learns will never be heard by another.
He deserves to know the truth of his role, how pivotal his death is, and the hope it brings. One moment of inattention, it is all Astrid needs to avoid 4 separate instances of possible torture and certain death at the behest of The Framework.
He must provoke Wren and die by his hand, not at the Awards Banquet. Denied his spectacle, The Framework’s rage will be directed at his most loyal pawn. This will injure Wren’s pride, the one trait that Wren shares with his Master. That allows for the possibility of betrayal.
One chance, but this outcome is not critical for Kael, or even for Earth. This one is for me, my own selfish choice.
I wish to see the ending of The Framework, before they return. The Ancestors will discipline The Framework and any surviving allies, but I wish to deny them that chance.
This way, The Framework’s ending will be permanent.
Caretakers Wanted
Because the next generation of traumatized geniuses isn’t going to raise itself.
Ideal Candidate:
Must Have:
Perks Include:
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- Training that includes Non-Violent Conflict Resolution Techniques, Human Psychology, Meditation, Dodging, and how to fall and then stand up gracefully.
Multiple Openings.
Please report to The Sanctum during designated hours, bathed, well-groomed, and preferably not bleeding. The children notice.