Sweat pooled on Kyrie’s forehead as he took careful practiced swings of his sword, measuring the slashing power bestowed to him by the system after his level jump. He wasn’t the only one testing his new levels. All around him were the different adventurers assembled by Liris and the members of Silvayn. They had moved a short distance away from the newly dubbed Golden Spire after their rousing success, setting up camp and rejoicing at the conquest.

  New songs were sung as Bards crafted new spells. The Clerics, including Kyra, all gathered around a small fire, communing with their gods to guide their paths of ascension. Winnie met with the mages, exchanging notes on spell compositions before she slipped away to a private tent to commune with her Pacts. Eonis and the girl Amara sat in Gene’s tent, waiting for him to wake from his well deserved rest. Liris sat by herself at a small fire nearby, chewing her nails and staring blankly at what Kyrie surely knew was her character sheet.

  “One level I can understand, I was close enough to the threshold, but three? This is madness,” she mumbled, prompting Kyrie to pause his practice and chuckle.

  “Madness is kind of Gene’s specialty,” he said as he approached her. “Try being in my shoes. I just barely stepped on the path of the true Warrior and now I need to wrap my brain around 5 levels of growth that would’ve taken me years to achieve.”

  She looked up at him, frowning as she said, “I get your point. Unfortunately it seems the young Mr Grey has given us a lot to dwell on.”

  She glanced over in the direction of the Golden Spire and Kyrie took a deep breath.

  “This wasn’t his first insane act here and I suspect there are many more to come. Gene’s done holding back,” he said as he placed his hands on his hips and stared ahead at the beacon of positive energy safeguarding the lands.

  Liris let out a strange noise of displeasure and stood, saying, “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that, just like I’m going to pretend I didn’t know what he had planned here today.”

  Kyrie’s focus shot to her and the tension in her face settled into a bemused smirk. She walked away to her tent, leaving him to his own practice and level meditation.

  He opened his character sheet, mentally, and began his practice again. Since meeting Gene, he had gained 2 levels, putting him at 15 even before the miraculous gift from the system. To Kyrie, it seemed just being in his presence, being in a party with Gene was causing unprecedented growth in all of them. He hoped that soon, he’d be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with him as an equal in battle. Kyrie wanted nothing more than to share his burden.

  He looked over to Kyra and her group. He had noticed the subtle hum from the nimbus of holy powering surrounding her when she returned to the room before they left for their mission. She had tried to hide it, tamp down her power, but Kyrie knew she had finally achieved her long sought Priestess subclass. She looked up from her convocation, sensing his eyes. They both smiled at each other and gave a small wave.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  She realized that he had realized what happened but she wasn’t ready to share her new revelation yet. Kyra stood across the fire from Delphimia, the Oracle of Biris, and Noel, Warpriest of Vyee. Delphiemia had been feverishly scribbling in her holy tome from the moment she met Gene and when he turned the world on its head and birthed a new race and class, she felt the knowledge being hungrily devoured from the pages by her god. Now, she stood in a daze, trying to recall all of the lost details.

  “This is unprecedented, blasphemous even,” said Delphimia as she drew blood to refill her quill. “Not even the gods can do what he did alone. That would require the approval of the System. How was this possible?”

  Kyra had a pained expression at Delphimia’s words.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I began to try and explain what he is and what we’ve been through since we met him,” said Kyra, staring into the fire. “I met the gods because of him. Not messengers, not aspects, the actual gods.”

  Delphimia and Noel both gasped in shock. They were the only people who would understand the gravity of such an experience.

  Kyra looked up and smiled at them both, assuaging fears as she said, “But then I met with Aliyah before this mission and she told me a new age is coming. That girl is the first sign of it and now I have a divine mission to carry out.”

  She looked to the tent for a moment before turning back to the Clerics. She gave a small bow and said, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go be the guiding torch for those stepping out of the darkness.”

  She walked to the tent to relieve Eonis from his watch over the sleeping Gene. Eonis drew his flask as he left the room and gave Kyra a supportive shove. A soft glow filled the space, emanating from Amara. Her skin was luminescent, composed of the psionic energy projected by Gene. She sat at his side, worry painting her young features. Kyra sat beside her and smiled softly.

  “You don’t need to worry about him,” she said, almost scaring the young girl as she broke the silence. “Amara, right?”

  The girl nodded cautiously, looking up at Kyra through the messy blue ringlet curls that spilled over her eyes. She hummed with energy. She was nervous. After Gene’s fainting, she had tried her best to explain what happened, who she was to Gene but due to her youth she lacked the proper language to even begin to paint the picture of her tortured existence. The adventurers were cautious of her but Silvayn had grown used to the strangeness around Gene and they thought if she was there, she was there for a good reason. They would safeguard her until Gene awoke. Kyra looked from her to Gene and then an idea popped into her head. She smiled

  “Gene just does this kind of thing when he overexerts himself. He’ll be up in no time, planning something equally as ridiculous.”

  Kyra threw her hands up theatrically, making Amara giggle.

  Kyra looked around conspiratorially before leaning close to Amara and whispering, “While he’s asleep, I should tell you about how he got here and all of the times he’s fainted since then.”

  Amara’s eyes lit up in interest, her electric blue irises sparking, as Kyra began the tale of Gene Grey.