Dark Matter Ascension-Chapter 49B2 - : Embrace the Void

“Converting 2x Common (Variable) to (Stardust) and using them.”

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[Stardust Acquired: 500.]

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“Well, since we are going to cap off anyways, might as well get you into the Starlit Sea right now.” Ollie swam in circles around Jace, and the liquid starlight cascaded from him. Reality warped, and Jace found himself floating inside the liminal, black sea of starlight. He was surrounded and suffused by warmth, and in every direction, the glittering of the stars was visible.

Xera popped up on a screen next to him, “Welcome to the big leagues. The normal screens for leveling up you’re used to will show up after you make these selections.” A screen with a grid pattern appeared in front of him, just like when he first obtained Cosmic Power. Symbols corresponded to each written power source.

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[Gigastar.]

[Flux.]

[Magnetar.]

[Supermassive.]

[Exoplanet.]

[Void.]

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“Void is the one only I can use. Right?” Jace asked. “What does it do?”

Ollie swam around Jace, “Void is the absence of matter. There are parts of our universe that contain absolutely nothing. This is the essence of that.”

Jace nodded and tapped it. The screen vanished, and his whole world vanished. The Starlit Sea, his sense of direction, his sight, smell, touch, taste: everything vanished. Only his consciousness remained. For a moment, he felt…nothing. It was oddly peaceful yet disquieting at the same time.

And then it all came rushing back and he sucked in a deep breath. “What the hell was that?”

Xera answered, “When you choose your Ascended Power, you are infused with it, just like with Cosmic Power. But the experience is…more drastic, because they are far more powerful.” Her voice changed slightly to one of curiosity. “What was it like?”

Jace described the experience, and Ollie frowned, “That doesn’t sound nice at all!”

Xera nodded, “Thank you for sharing. I am sorry that you experienced that.”

Another interface appeared.

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[Use the space below to describe what you desire to do with your Ascended Power.]

[The Cosmic System will then determine a selection of Advanced Classes based upon your description.]

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“I want to improve on my mastery of my weapon use,” Jace began. “And just amplify everything else I’m doing. I’m already pretty versatile as is.” The screen filled up as he spoke, and it flickered as he finished with the names of various Advanced Classes appearing.

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[Guru.]

[Paragon.]

[Savant.]

[Master.]

[Continue Scrolling by sliding your hand down.]

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So many options, Jace thought. “Xera? Ollie? A little help?”

Ollie pointed out the [Savant] Class. “This is very good for amplifying existing Skills.”

Xera nodded, “But, for my special Signer…I have a present.” The panel blurred, and a Class appeared. “The [Edge] Class focuses not just on the edge of a blade, but making you reach the outer limits of possibility with what you can do in all capacities. Exactly what you’re looking for, but with my personal twist.”

Jace felt that same warmth and sense of belonging as he had on prior interactions with Xera. The feeling of being wanted and supported by someone he trusted, and who was watching out for his best interests. “Thanks, Xera.”

Jace tapped the icon for [Edge], and the Cosmic Power symbol on his left hand flared up…and then a dot appeared in the center of the swirling mass of deep, purple and black shapes. A single point the small cascade. It was the color of his flesh-tone prosthetics that were under the Cosmic Power symbol. “Let me guess, Void is invisible?”

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“Precisely,” Xera replied. “The absence of matter, and thus it cannot be seen at all, since it does not exist. It is pure nonexistence. And it was a bitch to put into a conceptual framework for The Cosmic System to manipulate. Ever tried to hold something that isn’t there? It’s not fun to calculate.”

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[Preparing Skill Advancement.]

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“What’s that mean?” Jace asked.

Ollie answered, “It means that your Skills: some of them: will change to a new one but keep the same ‘identity’ as the prior iteration. It will not apply to all your Skills. Only those that ‘mesh’ between the prior Class and the new Advanced Class.”

“Okay,” Jace replied. “Last question; do I get free Skills like when I started out as a Swordmage?”

“No,” Xera replied.

Jace looked over at Ollie, “Let’s do it.”

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Name: Jace Seren (Aspirant, Tier 6)

Power [Class Level]: Dark Matter [Swordmage <Wrathblade> 100] / Void [Edge 1]

Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Swordmage Stance (Rank 3) [Astral Annihilator], Dark Matter Dart (Rank 4) [Exploding], Dark Matter Cloak (Rank 3) [Group], Dark Energy Mine (Rank 3) [Distant], Cosmic Infusion (Rank 10) [Innervating], Dark Matter Mending (Rank 4) [Vampiric], Energy Cost Reduction (Rank 10) [Siphoning], Mage's Mark (Rank 5), Wrath's Embrace (Rank 10) [Focused], Ruination Razor (Rank 3) [Wrecking], Raging Cleave (Rank 10), Aura of Wrath (Rank 11), Void Blade (Rank 1) [Rending], Void Shield (Rank 1) [Reflecting], Void Beam (Rank 1) [Limited Range], Arbiter's Anathema (3/day), Archmage Geomancy (1/day) Archmage Hydromancy (1/day) Archmage Pyromancy (1/day), Shadow Nebula Smokescreen (1/day), Hope's Edge (1/day), Steel Gale Stride (1/day)

Stardust: 130

Equipment: (Returning / Adaptable) Nethaldrim, (Medium / Snowguard / Burnguard) Aegisleather, Ghostlight Grapnel Arm, (Thrice Judged) Anathema Arm, (Overclocked / Lightfoot) Steelstalker Sabatons, (Terrifying) All-Seeing Dragon's Eyes, Leviathan's Skin, Adamantine Skeleton, (Reactive) NICIF, Mind's Eye Amulet, Thellor's Everguard, (Heavy) Venture Pack, survival meals (x40), enhanced canteen, optimized medical kit, (Restful) Wildercloth tent, Devilsram wool bedroll, Vibro-Slicer Knife

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Boons: 2x Common (Equipment)

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Void Blade (Rank 1): The user's weapons with an edge are rendered invisible, undetectable, and untraceable. Those struck are afflicted with an effect that slows their movement (stacking upon subsequent strike), and constantly rips away at the matter, dealing damage over time (stacking upon subsequent strike).

Void Shield (Rank 1): The user creates a barrier of nothingness around themselves that negates all damage suffered. Consumes energy while active. This energy reduction is paused if affected by another Skill-based barrier or shield effect until that effect is gone.

Void Beam (Rank 1): The user fires a beam of pure Void that annihilates anything it touches. The beam has a diameter of 50 inches.

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“Those are just straight upgrades,” Jace stated as the information flashed across his screen.

Xera smiled, “They are better versions of Dark Matter Blade, Shield, and Dark Energy Beam, respectively.” She shook her head and chuckled slightly, “Since Dark Matter and Void are opposites: matter and lack thereof, respectively: most Skills did not convert. Dark Matter Cloak, for instance. A stealth effect made of Void would cause you to stop existing while it was active: instantly annihilating yourself.”

Ollie nodded, “The safeguards in place might be a little restrictive, but they are meant to keep you alive. Swordmage Stance did not swap over, either, because [Edge] is not specifically a sword-user, but rather the ‘best’ outlier of everything.”

Jace nodded, “Makes sense. Thank you both.” I was kind of hoping to reduce some of the Skill bloat, but this is fine.

“You are welcome,” Xera replied. “Now, make sure you enjoy yourself for a bit. You need some downtime before you head off to your next mission.”

Jace felt the world return around him, and he was sitting in the chair at his table once more. He glanced up at Ollie, “Well…time for the final stretch. We’re halfway there.”

“Not quite,” Ollie replied. “It costs 2,500 Stardust per level from 1: 25, then 5,000 per level up to 50, 10,000 per level to 75, and then 20,000 per level to 100.”

Jace deflated slightly and stood up. “Well…still the final stretch. Just a long one.” He glanced over at Ollie and scratched the Wayfinder behind his little ears. “Head back to the Starlit Sea, if you don’t mind. I’m going to spend the morning with Shhiv and then head to my appointment.”

After spending the morning with Shhiv in bed, eating breakfast, and then back in bed, Jace headed out for his appointment. The world warped around him instantaneously, instead of taking a minute. Ollie explained that it was a security measure Xera had implemented.

He found himself in front of a building like the hospital that Jonsar was located at, but this building was a cooler, deep blue color. Soothing, in a way. Jace walked in and went up to the enormous screen. Doctor Restra…Ah, here she is. He went to the stairs and ascended to the floor where she was located, walked down the hallway, and then entered a general entry area.

There was a front-desk clerk who looked up at him. A Civilian-marked human, who gave him a grin. “Oh, another human. Haven’t seen one of our kind in a while.”

Jace nodded, “Doctor Restra?”

The man pointed to a door that was painted a garish pink, “Right over there.”

Jace walked over and knocked gently. The door was opened, and he saw a pink-feathered bird-lady whose hue matched the door. “Ah, you’re my morning appointment. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable.”

Jace walked into the room and thankfully it was warm, brown tones and not the pink of the door. There was a desk in the corner with a cushioned chair next to it, several shelves full of books, and two couches facing across from each other. The doctor closed the door behind him and then took her seat on the far couch.

Jace sat down on the closer couch, and the bird-woman’s head cocked sideways for a second. “I was not aware your Wayfinder would be joining our session.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Ollie asked.

The doctor shook her head, “No. It is perfectly fine. I was told a partner may be present; but for a first session, being alone is good to get a baseline.” She crossed her legs, reached over to a small table, and grabbed a notepad. Clicking a pen, she began jotting down some notes. “I’ve been given some information by your faction leader, Jace: do not worry, your secret is safe with me. This room is completely isolated, thanks to X.”

Jace breathed a small sigh of relief, “I thought everyone was supposed to use my code name.”

She laughed lightly, and it sounded like the trilling of a songbird. “No! Your health care team is bound by contract to X. We know a lot about you. Maybe more than you know about yourself.”

“Who all is on this team?” Jace asked.

“Well, Doctor Velicole, whom you’ve worked with plenty. Myself, of course. And Professor Malzthorn who is a contemporary of Doctor Velicole and is advising him on your biochemistry. Jonsar’s main focus is limbs and the overall biology, but the chemistry of the body is different enough: especially in your case: to warrant the additional expertise.”

She must be paying a bunch of Stardust or Boons to these people, Jace thought. Once again, Xera is watching out for me unlike anyone else has. “So…what now?”

Doctor Restra smiled, “We just talk. About anything you want.”

Jace spent a good four hours just talking. He retold his life story to the woman, and she nodded, asked a few clarifying questions, and jotted down notes. Jace was petting Ollie almost the whole time, the constant presence of his companion a soothing source of comfort.

As the end of the fourth hour wrapped up, Jace got to the events of that morning. The woman jotted down a few more notes. “Well, you sound like you have a lot of stuff going on in that head of yours.”

“Yeah,” Jace replied as he took a sip of water she had provided earlier.

She glanced at the clock on the wall, “It has been a long session. Why don’t you say we wrap this up?”

Jace stood up and held out his hand. The bird woman reached out with a winged hand, shook lightly, and then went to open the door for him. “Thank you, doctor.”

“You are welcome. I’ll coordinate with your Wayfinder about your next appointment.” She shut the door and Jace let out a sigh of relief.

“Everything okay?” Ollie asked.

Jace smiled, “Yeah…I’ve never told my whole life story before. It felt…liberating, in a way.” He looked at Ollie, “You record everything you hear, right?”

“Yup!”

“Can you send the whole thing to Shhiv? I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. I really want her to know everything about me.”

“Okay!”

Xera answered the video message request from Doctor Restra, “So, how did it go?”

“For a first session? It went well. I would advise a few weeks of waiting. He confided that he wants to fill in his partner on everything we discussed. I think that he is doing some excellent self-therapy with her support, so I fully endorse that idea.” She sighed, “He has maternal trust issues, which given recent events, is understandable. I will need more sessions to fully dissect the issue, and come up with a plan of treatment.”

“I trust your expertise.” Xera shut off the call and looked over at Josie, who was busy integrating her new Wayfinders to assist in the management and back-end support of The Cosmic System that Xera was engaged in. “Josie, how much longer?”

“Just a few hours!”

“Good. I’m going to head to the banquet my Signers are arranging.”

Shhiv absolutely loved the spread that Greg put together. The whole crew: Jace, Priam, Quinn, Dee, and of course their host Greg, along with their significant others: Greg’s fiancé Missy, Quinn’s parents, Dee’s sister Ree, and even Xera/Sera: were all present. The food was excellent, and Greg proudly explained in detail how he made each and every single dish.

Shhiv had eaten better food, sure, but there was something about the passion that went into the food, the effort, that made it taste just a bit better. Greg called it the ‘flavor of love’, and this resulted in some laughs from around the table. The whole group was quite jovial, and there was plenty of interesting conversation that went back and forth.

She found herself primarily talking to Quinn’s parents, who were delightful humans in their mid-fifties. They had shared their life story upon prodding, and they had lived fascinating lives. It also shed light onto why Quinn seemed standoffish sometimes: she didn’t have much peer interaction as a child. She was just smarter than the other children.

When the time game to migrate upstairs to Jace’s apartment for game night, Shhiv knew that it was her time to shine. The group engaged in plenty of games of skill, chance, and wits. Similar to the first time they had Jace’s housewarming party, her and her partner were the most proficient at the Skill based games. The games of chance were up in the air, but Quinn’s parents were winning a bit more than the other contestants.

And the Wayfinders were floating above the group. Ollie was wearing a cute, little hat as he ran a poker table, and the other Wayfinders floated above, playing the game and bidding with Stardust. Not a lot, but it was very funny and charming whenever Shhiv looked up, seeing the various cute animal-shaped Wayfinders get agitated or elated.

And as the night drew to a close people began to leave. Shhiv made sure to shove Jace into the bedroom once everyone had left, and Ollie vanished with a pop to leave the two to their activities. As she tackled him into bed, she made sure to slide up alongside him until her mouth was at his ear. “You ready to have your world destroyed?”

Jace chuckled a bit, turned sideways, and gave her a kiss. “I think it’s ‘rock my world’.”

Shhiv laughed in response to her Earth-lingo flub.

“The ritual failed again,” the acolyte said with a sigh. He took a sip of his frothy, warm beer and spit out the few twigs that had floated up from the bottom of his stein.

“It is because we did not have enough people to sacrifice,” his fellow acolyte replied. “Soon enough we will pierce the veil of our world and find what lies on the other side.”

The first acolyte sighed and looked at the brown Civilian symbol on his hand. “Why not try the ritual in The Eternal City? Surely the fabric between reality is weaker there?”

“And be around Ascendants and Aspirants?” his fellow acolyte shook her head. “No way. Too risky.”

Both acolytes stood up and bowed as their leader entered. He looked at the duo and scoffed, “Do you give up so easily in our efforts?”

“Of course not, Master Vord,” the male acolyte replied.

“Be prepared. We must capture more for the next attempt. Twenty was not enough, so let us double that and then some: I want fifty people ready to sacrifice for the next try.”

“Sir,” the female acolyte said. “If that many people go missing-”

“Make it work.”