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Ceria’s face greeted me upon my entry, but I was seeing her on a monitor of sorts. The basis for it was a [Water Mirror] spell, except it displayed a remote image rather than a reflection. A familiar group, seated in an idyllic field of moonlit daisies, starry sky beside a tranquil pond, was watching her through it as she cast a spell.
Except I wouldn’t say ‘cast a spell’ quite captures the heroic vision I beheld. Within a maelstrom of magic energies circling her, whipping her hair and the somewhat chuuni cape she wore with fury, she held her staff high in one hand while raising her open palm toward an unseen target.
This Hollywood-like sight was helping me model Tiana in my mind. A thought like ‘somewhat chuuni’ certainly was hers. It occurred to me that, here in 1000:1 compression, while her thoughts in Narses couldn’t destabilize me, I could maintain Lydia + Tiana for a fair stretch, so I decided to try.
In the air above and behind my lovely cat girl Servant, an astonishing four vertical magic circles stood in a lofty semicircle, and of all things, their characters were written in Ancient Fairy, aka the Elder Xa-Ne and she was chanting in the same tongue.
When did she learn Ancient Fairy?
“She’s almost ready to fire it,” Dilorè declared. “Move the perspective behind her, quickly!”
The ‘camera’ moved in a wide arc while I noticed that this display served [Fairy Sight] as well as mortal vision. I could see Light, Aether, Wind and Fire churning within that maelstrom. Of course, I didn’t need my Elder eyes to see it, since I felt it in my mana channel the moment I entered the simulation.
Through 1:1000 time dilation, the flow within me had felt no different than some random Servant in Narses Castle drawing on me normally, but now that I was here, Ceria’s mana demand became extreme. Her Servant benefit of access to my mana channel amplified her already high capacity for magic, inherited from her impressive mother, the Baron’s Bloody Daughter, and she appeared now to have reached a new high in her ability to use it.
Wisdom I’ve received through my recovering memories of Senhion’s life tell me that an Elder’s mana channel is not infinite, but it is many times larger than what she herself can use. An Elder’s main role from her magic-yielding Servant’s perspective is to act as a mana support as they carry out her plans. Which is why a mortal woman could at this moment approach the extremes of what I myself can draw.
Of course, it was an illusion. My mana channel ‘flowed’ but Ceria was drawing illusory mana through it, in preparation for an illusory release through whatever unbelievable casting she was preparing in a Spirit Realm simulation. No actual mana was harmed in this presentation.
My eyes grew as I recognized the setting during the pan. An ancient Southern Continent desert stadium, a roaring crowd, and an ancient dragon named Gugrenar, who came to center view just as Ceria, facing him all by her lonesome, let the spell go.
Three of Ceria’s attributes are luminous, and the image momentarily flooded with white glare in the additive effect as the four circles fired.
“I do not believe what I am seeing,” Dilorè declared in a bitter tone.
She had reason. The massive beast who gave her, Ryuu and Chiara such trouble as a trio tumbled backward, forced off all four feet as Ceria budged him off the ground, the winning condition of the “Dragon’s Challenge” stage. An ancient dragon lost at the hand of a single mage, who now raised her staff with two hands over her head, a huge, triumphant grin on her face as the trumpets blared their response to her victory.
As she strode forward through the gates, a certain son of mine met her with an equally broad smile, apparently already a winner of the challenge if he had gone ahead before her. Had he shown her, and then waited for her to pass?
“I did it! Seventh level! I’ve caught up to Mom!” she crowed as she dashed into his arms, her arms over his shoulders to capture his lips with hers…
I reminded myself not to be jealous as I watched.
Looks like he’s already succeeded in wooing her, huh?
Of course, leveling up from lover to concubine was not a given, I recalled. He had to officially declare himself betrothed to her, or in Faerie terms, grant her a ‘Ladyship of the Royal Chamber’. Becoming an actual concubine under Faerie law required successful childbirth. I shouldn’t assume too much.
Although, that first step was what she actually needed under Orestanian law, to drive away the suitors. She did need to make a regular effort to become pregnant to retain her title, but my randy catgirl Servant shouldn’t find such a hurdle too troublesome.
“She is a very accomplished mage, Dilorè,” I reminded her as the display magic terminated. “Seventh level should be about right for knocking an ancient dragon off its feet, solo.”
The group as a unit turned to notice me for the first time.
“You’re here already, Lydia?” Amelia greeted me with a smile.
But the three male Incarnations looked dubious.
Daq stroked a non-existent beard while noting, “It’s her image, but…”
“Why are you using Lydia’s image, Your Highness?” Rugau wondered.
“Not,” Kwelabi rumbled in basso profondo. “Rather. Both.”
Apparently my memories and Kwelabi’s were syncing up first. They had been somewhat out of touch since this morning. Or last year, from their point of view.
I knew it couldn’t be my thoughts confusing them, so I quickly conjured a [Water Mirror] and checked my appearance. I was indeed wearing Lydia’s face, despite the two months I spent as Tiana’s body babysitter. I honestly thought I would appear as my ‘current self’, napping on the sleeping mat outside. It seems Lydia’s ancient hetaira image is the default when she’s the one casting the spell.
“Kwelabi is correct,” I told them with a smile. “I’m practicing merging with Tiana right now. Hang on.”
I closed my eyes and concentrated, and took on the appearance of a somewhat pregnant, kimono-clad Tiana. Fan Li whipped up the kimono recently as an easier-to-adjust ‘garment’ for my constantly changing body.
Daq’s eyebrows rose. “I knew that you had been trying, but… have you truly merged?”
I hesitated, then smiled ruefully. My three fellow Incarnations understood my uncertainty as soon as he asked.
“What do you mean, merged?” Amelia demanded.
“Lydia is a part of my persona as Tiana right now. The version of me who is currently in Narses has misgivings that normally prevent it, but the time compression and my resolve as Lydia are currently allowing me to overcome it.”
I could see nothing but question marks floating around my mortal sister’s head.
My fairy cousin understood, however. “I… think I understand. You are Tiana here, and you are also Tiana in Narses?”
Growing more confident in the idea, I nodded. “Correct. But the me here is also Lydia. It’s like how the version of me who lost three months of her memories and the version who did not, existed at the same time for a while.”
Dilorè’s eyes were somewhat less glazed than Amelia’s. I turned my eyes to Daq, the ringleader of this trio.
“Of course, I now know why you requested my presence. Thank you for inviting me.”
Simply bringing me here already accomplished their primary goal, allowing me to gain the memories piled up for months from their perspective, which they accumulated far too quickly for us on the outside to absorb. The time compression created a sort of communication rift between Incarnations. In the time-dilated world of the outside, their thoughts had been flitting past far too quickly for me to follow, not unlike when trying to keep up with Kiki’s mind. No, much worse than that.
Meanwhile, I realized, ours had crawled so slowly for them that they became frustrated with the slow reveal.
Of course, by the time Curator summoned me, they had at last learned his purpose.
“He does seem to have good reason,” Daq begrudged, even as Rugau stared down at his hands, trying to find peace with what is, to his point of view, nearly as demonic an action on Diur’s part as on that of the demons.
“Decision. Correct.”
The rumbling pronouncement from Kwelabi summed up the bottom line, and the other two nodded bitterly.
“What are you people talking about?” Dilorè wondered.
I realized how bewildering our conversation would be from the outside, and spent some time catching her and Amelia up on what had happened.
As they pondered the news, also troubled, I asked the question that began nagging me while recounting it.
“Where are my Servants?”
Melione and Chiara had gone into the training hall with these two.
“Training with our maids,” Amelia answered with a smile.
Through Lydia, I knew that they had been doing quite a lot of this. But I thought they were doing so with Amelia and Dilorè at their sides. Amelia, especially, as she grew to realize what an opportunity the training system afforded her, gradually grew quite committed to improving her abilities.
Two kidnappings and the threat of the third, that had led her to hiding here, had finally become enough inspiration. I remembered my husband’s complaint about her poor magic training, after I saved her from the first, and wondered if she could have driven off those raiders now.
I tipped my head. “I thought you were all training together?”
My sister glanced at Dilorè, uncertain how to continue.
My cousin answered for her. “Consider what chance she has of keeping up with elves many decades older than her, Your Grace. And half of them are your Servants, to boot. I’ve decided to tutor her one-on-one.”
Amelia’s chagrined look said she hadn’t wanted Dilorè to mention that. It probably was dissatisfying to know your maids are way ahead of you. But Amelia is a baby in comparison to them. I mean, a sixteen-year-old elve is roughly equivalent to a human three-year-old. It can’t be helped.
“By the way,” Amelia added, perhaps to change the subject, “it’s time you let the other half join them, Your Grace. It isn’t fair to my girls.”
I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut, unsure how to retort. They regularly volunteered, and she just as regularly campaigned for them, and I could well imagine what kind of advantage my three had over her three, after what I just witnessed with Ceria. But no matter how long I went, I couldn’t treat Servanthood so glibly.
I finally said, “I’ll consider it, but no promises.”
“We were only staying here long enough to watch Ceria’s battle,” Dilorè stated. “Will you be staying in here very long?”
“Well, it’s a little hard to explain how, but I’m already finished here,” I told her. I mean, I already knew all the male Incarnations wanted to tell me.
Kanon’s voice appeared in my head. <I shall inform everyone you are exiting.>
She was broadcasting to all of us, so nobody found it strange when I glanced upward and retorted, “You don’t have to interrupt them if they’re in the middle of something.”
Amelia gave me a displeased look, then archly noted, “Our maids should come out when we do, Tiana.”
I frowned for a moment, but then nodded. I sometimes forget that we are not on vacation here in Sky Ocean. Amelia’s sense of decorum needs to kick in once in a while to remind me that the maids are technically on the job.
Kanon spoke again. <Commander, my nephew and your Servant wish to invite you to visit before you leave.>
“They’ve been in here all day!” I retorted. “Shouldn’t they come outside instead?”
<They have Curator arranging a rather lavish celebration,> she answered, sounding amused. <And I think your Servant wants to play a little longer.>
Amelia chuckled. “Oberon mentioned he wanted to get back to his castle before dinner. If they come outside, it’s biting into her playtime.”
I sighed. “Fine. I can spend a few hours in here without strain. Is it a venue we can transfer to, directly?”
