During the rest of the ‘party’, Randidly had to do very little talking or interacting with the surrounding people. Which was exactly how he liked it. And precisely what he needed at the moment.

Yet even if that should be true… why is this so hard…?

Although he kept some part of himself observing the surroundings, Naffur and Tatiana handled the rest of the arrangements. Which allowed Randidly to enter a meditative state to recover his mental energy. Obviously displaying his images earlier hadn’t been much of a strain, but the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night had left Randidy, well… wishing for a good night’s sleep.

At least, that was the plan. But Randidly couldn’t get over the way some of the other individuals from Earth looked at him. And they looked without any desires for a response, Randidly could sense. Their intentions echoed across the glowstone tile floor, even as Randidly continued to suppress the conductivity with Nether.

To these people, Randidly had become something akin to an unknowable abyss. They looked into him and his power and saw their own fears. It made his skin itch.

Yet all he could do is wait. The details of the joint expeditions were finalized and Randidly felt gaze after gaze trace his silhouette, filled with fear. Perhaps, through the strength that he had shown today, he had truly changed how the people of Earth will view him forever.

As the planning phase finished and most of the guests wandered out of the ballroom onto the surrounding grassy hills, Randidly stood like a statue in his original position with half-closed eyes. Some part of him finally began to relax. Acri squirmed uncomfortably but largely behaved. Sulfur was just content to be wrapped around Randidly’s torso. In a small attempt to distract himself, Randidly used his will to push through his Nether and experience its new consistency.

Yet even as people began to leave and revel outside, the interior stayed rather morose. Among those that remained, occasionally someone in the party would glance over at the still forms of Randidly Ghosthound and Octavius Shrike who had released such pressure with their images earlier. Everyone eventually looked away and then proceeded to join their fellows outdoors.

Thankfully I convinced Tatiana that they shouldn’t get the whole group to sing happy birthday to me…

There was, however, one area that had genuinely surprised Randidly: Theodora Greyman had stayed entirely silent during the whole of the planning phase. When necessarily, Richter had been the one to speak. Or Mark Rowel. The leader of Zone 1 had entirely held her council since being reprimanded by Randidly earlier. And most of the reason Randidly noticed was that her gaze had conspicuously avoided him during the entire meeting.

Perhaps the challenges hit the point home? Randidly thought to himself, disbelieving it as soon as he thought it. Yet as more and more people wandered out to continue the party beneath the stars rather than staying indoors, no situation developed. And therefore he was almost finished. Tatiana had given Randidly a very clear explanation of what the expectations would be for him, as the host of the party.

Some individuals, like Alana and Obyrn Myyr, nodded toward Randidly, but they also departed without saying anything to him. Most would stay in Kharon for a day or two, which meant that he could expect some private visits soon. But most seemed only too happy to flee from Randidly’s presence now that he returned with the heavy-imaged Octavius Shrike. They feared the duo.

Every second was a reminder of how much they now feared him. Randidly’s Nether spiraled slowly inward.

And in Randidly’s heart, that was part of the reason that he had been so careful with when and how he appeared before these people tonight. To avoid prolonged exposure. To delay this reaction. It was something akin to torture to simply stand there and watch the full gamut of emotions cross the party-goers’ faces.

These were the most powerful people of Earth. And most of them deeply feared him. Randidly kept his expression neutral. The Nether in his chest continued to swirl with dreadful intensity. The situation at the core of the Nether Nebula had stabilized, but each rotation of energy was progress in some small way. Randidly was sure that if the process would continue at this rate, his Nether would soon become his most powerful weapon.

More and more people walked out, forcing laughter and carrying flutes of champagne as they did so. Randidly glanced at Octavius. Octavius shrugged lightly, seeming to indicate that he had to deal with similar situations quite often.

I suppose Octavius is actually quite influential in the grand scheme of things… perhaps not one of the most powerful people in the Nexus, but he has a great deal of freedom with how he oversees this Seventh Cohort… Perhaps functions like this are quite common for him.

But before Randidly could let his meditative attention wander along the lines of the political situation of the Nexus, his gaze sharpened. With a light shake, he roused himself from his recovery state. He hadn’t returned to his full mental facilities, but unless he engaged in another sort of extreme training, his current mentality was more than enough.

“Winged Serpent. A word, before you leave.” Randidly said lightly. Originally, Randidly had intended on talking to Thea, but he sensed that there was something… dangerous about her current emotional state. So Randidly chose the Nemesai that seemed the most reasonable… and also the most influential of the other options.

The Winged Serpent, who had just been about to leave the ballroom with its companions, paused. Then it turned around and floated forward. Some of the other remaining individuals felt the mood and rapidly moved to vacate the area. Very quickly, all that remained were a few linger-ers in the upper level of the ballroom; the tiled floor had been completely deserted.

“What is it, Mr. Ghosthound?” The Winged Serpent’s tongue flicked outward and tasted the air.

Randidly chuckled. “I just wanted to say two things. First… I understand that your role as Nemesai is not your choice. By the same token… any violence that we use to stop you… it’s not personal. The Nexus makes monsters out of us all.”

Again, the Winged Serpent’s tongue flicked out. Randidly wasn’t quite sure how to read its expressions, but he believed that its eyes softened. “...indeed. And the second thing?”

“I suspect that even considering the strength of Earth and my presence… that the Nemesai are not yet completely out of options.” Randidly gave another sidelong glance to Octavius, who looked up at the ceiling as though this had nothing to do with him. He had already refused to provide any hints on this matter. Randidly pursed his lips and turned back to the Winged Serpent. “But before we bare all of our knives… I’d like to make you an offer. Instead of working as a Nemesai… come work with me. I believe I can find ways to help your home planets.”

Suddenly, Octavius Shrike was very interested in the conversation. He frowned balefully at Randidly. “Mr. Ghosthound, I believe we had a talk about attracting the wrong sort of attention in the past. Those reasons are still valid. And establishing connections to other Cohorts will definitely bring trouble. It was your actions on Tellus that got you into this trouble in the first place.”

Randidly glanced sideways. Nether swirled in his chest. “Isn’t the Earth already being targeted by outside forces?”

“Their test of the Earth is a pretext because they don’t have sufficient justification to move against you directly.” Octavius’s expression was stony. Some of that vast primordial creature’s power emanated from the overseer’s body in his agitation. “Believe me, you don’t want to lose the protection you have now, however flimsy that is.”

Randidly smiled sadly but said nothing. He thought about the brief moment of pressure from Elhume that had shattered his Class in an instant. He recalled the way all of his meaning and memories he had woven into his Class had been strangled in a split second. And then he also thought about Ileot Swacc’s strange power that had created such a strange situation for Vualla.

But what Randidly had learned through those experiences was that there were different threats present in the Nexus. He was currently being targeted by the Swacc Family. And for whatever reason, despite his connections to Yystrix, Elhume was leaving him alone.

After discovering Yystrix’s tomb and having some time to process, Randidly began to believe that while Elhume was to be avoided at all costs, for now, one more excuse for the Swacc Family to move against him wouldn’t matter much. After all, he was currently planning on dealing with the Xyrt Brigade Special Investigator. Somehow, Randidly guessed that a victory in that regard would rid the Swacc Family of scruples either way.

Of course, Randidly planned on tracking down Yystrix’s memories and confirming the situation before he did anything drastic. He didn’t want to walk into anything blind. But there was no harm in making the offer to the Nemesai now. Especially because Randidly genuinely meant what he said. He had no personal grudge against them.

They were simply fulfilling their role. Trying to obtain Aether for their people.

Randidly’s gaze remained fixed on the Winged Serpent. After another few seconds of wiggling tongue, the Winged Serpent nodded slowly. “...I will consider this. Thank you for the offer, regardless, Mr. Ghosthound.”

Then the Nemesai departed. Randidly turned to Octavius. “Thank you for coming. I’m sure the effect wouldn’t have been near as pronounced if you were not here.”

“It is no problem. But I almost believe that you are misleading these people, Randidly Ghosthound.” When Randidly tilted his head to the side, Octavius cleared his throat and continued to speak. “Power is one thing, but it often comes up short. Meanwhile, the real danger of the System is the roles it gives out… these people now fear me because of my image, but it is my Status as ‘Overseer’ that could really doom your world.”

Octavius' gaze continued to grow more intense. Randidly responded with a sharp smile. Further and further, deeper and deeper, the Nether in Randidly’s chest swirled. This was an area that Randidly was distantly aware, but couldn’t worry about now. He had some knowledge about the different tiers of citizenship, but he had no idea how the Nexus was structured. And face with the disapproving Octavius, Randidly sensed this was not the time to ask.

One more thing to worry about, then. Randidly thought grimly.

The moment passed and Octavius nodded. “Well then, if there is nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Take care,” Randidly said simply. Then the Overseer raised his hand and simply ripped open a passage in the air to travel away.

...impressive, but not as classy as using a key…

Finally allowing himself to fully relax, Randidly carried Acri and Sulfur and quickly moved to the side of the ballroom. From there, he passed through the employee hallway and out onto the moonlight soaked hills. With the floating lanterns that Tatiana prepared, hundreds of people still milled around laughing and talking. Due to the tight control he maintained over his image, no one noticed his presence.

For the moment, he was the observer and they were observed.

In the darkness next to the austere ballroom, Randidly smiled sadly as he looked over toward the group. Then, deliberately, he turned away from the group and produced his Philosopher’s Key while facing the wall. Even normally, I wouldn’t be very excited about attending a group gathering. But now, knowing that I need to face Kaan Swacc in his role as special investigator…

Randidly’s grip on the Philosopher’s Key tightened. Even with tonight acting as a catalyst… even with the improvements to my Nether with the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night… this will be a tough fight. I need to start training immediately-

“Randidly, are you fleeing from your own party?”