-------

"So things got a little exciting there," Sieg commented as they sat on the deck of the flying ship as it traveled the dimensional pathway back towards the Academy.

“That’s one way to put it," Karna commented wryly. "I suspected that Gem's appearance would cause a stir, but they went a bit overboard."

"Well, you can't blame them really. It was quite clear to everyone that your spirit was a powerful one." Sieg pointed out the obvious.

“That’s not it. They’ve seen powerful spirits before. The real reason they got so excited was for two different reasons. The first one is that they could not determine how strong Gem was. Partially that’s because the bastard disappeared as soon as it became obvious she would not be left alone, but also because humanoid spirits vary greatly in power. Secondly, and this is the really important part, she's my spirit. Because of my age, Gem is only going to grow stronger as I will, and quite significantly so. Because I'm so young, it's obvious to everyone that Gem pretty much started at her current level. So how strong will she be when I reach higher ranks? That's what they're thinking." Karna understood the reacting of the various institutes a lot better than Sieg.

“She did look quite powerful. And I suppose it’s appropriate to have such a strong light aligned spirit considering your affinity with Qhaysh.” Sieg said off-handedly.

“Yes, quite.” Even Karna had little trouble keeping her face straight.

“Did you know? My father and I knew you'd struck gold during the trip to the Spirit World as soon as you and Arjuna bade a hasty exit from the celebration. You clearly didn't want to show off your spirit." Sieg suddenly explained with a sneaky look.

“As I recall, you two weren’t too far behind.” Karna pointed out.

“True.” Sieg’s sneaky smile remained on his face. “And I also had good results back then. Not as good as you obviously, but…”

"Eh, it wasn't a fair contest," Karna said mysteriously and refused to explain further and the two sat there in companionable silence for several minutes.

“It seems the Headmistress is calling for me.” Karna suddenly noticed Tsumi signaling her from the door leading inside the ship.

”The healers had to spend quite a bit of time putting Menranel back together after your fight," Tsumi stated as soon as they found a private room. “And they aren’t quite sure his soul is fully intact either. That said, he’s going to recover at least physically.”

“That’s just one of the myriad of reasons you shouldn’t use soul attacks. Even if the target doesn’t retaliate, the rebound from a failed attack can be quite bad. As for his other wounds, Gem made sure to strike him in a way that he suffered no lasting damage. I didn’t want to break the rule about maiming after all.” Karna retorted calmly. There were countless reasons why even the reincarnators with their powerful souls didn’t dabble with soul attacks. “On that note, that wasn’t the first time he used that sort of attack. If I were you, I’d look into it. The use of soul attacks should be banned as far as I’m concerned, and you might find interesting coincidences in his background. People that lost to him where they shouldn’t have.”

“We’ll certainly look into it. Speaking of, are you alright? It would be bad for the Academy if two of our more promising students crippled each other while having a fight. Not that Menranel looked very promising in your little fight. You dominated him.” Tsumi's tone was in equal measure complimentary and worried.

“I’m fine. He did something stupid, and he chose the exact wrong target. You would’ve thought that my performance in the entrance exam should’ve been enough as a clue to tell him that I have a powerful enough soul to resist his attack, but I suppose he either ignored that or was too confident in his own training. As for the fight itself, the matchup was really bad for him. His style simply doesn’t work against me. A simple warrior of his rank could’ve done much better against me. I doubt I could’ve dominated a fifth-ranked warrior with proper skill as badly, and ironically a mage that had focused less on the speed and efficiency of their spells would’ve been a worse opponent.” Karna downplayed her victory.

“But you would still have won against them?” Tsumi noticed the attempt and didn’t let her get away with it.

"That depends. Despite what many people seem to think, rank isn't everything. Yes, a fifth-ranked warrior is usually stronger than a fourth-ranked one, but not necessarily. If I had fought against one of the more gifted warriors that took part in the tournament, I might have had real trouble.” Karna admitted with a shrug. She was being modest though.

“What about your spirit? I was under the impression that your spirit was a Fairy Dragon.” Tsumi asked the next obvious question.

“What gave you that impression?” Karna deadpanned, while Tsumi looked meaningfully at Gem stuffing her tiny draconic face with another grape. “Yeah, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Appearances can be deceiving.” Karna continued shamelessly. Seemed like refuge in audacity was going to become a habit.

It was clear she had no intention to explain herself when it came to Gem, so Tsumi just let it go. There were some secrets that Karna wouldn’t share because it was simply too advantageous for her if her enemies didn’t know the full extent of her or Gem’s abilities. “Fine. Have it your way. I wouldn’t expect you to reveal everything anyway. I certainly don’t.” Tsumi gave a small satisfied sigh. “Still, we accomplished most of our goals for this trip. You’ve certainly been brought to the attention of other powers, and they’re all pretty convinced you’re more than you seem, which is exactly how we want it. We also had other institutes approach us to make some connections, which will prove beneficial for both of us in the long run. What about the person you were looking for?”

“He was both a hit and not what we’re looking for. He was the type of person I wanted you to find, so good job on that front. On the other hand, he was also someone I didn’t need to deal with, at least for now. So best of both worlds I suppose. On the other hand, him being aware of me could potentially be a bad thing if he chooses to share that information far and wide. It would be too much to have him killed just for that possibility though. We’ll have to trust that he knows better than to blab about me to everyone.” Karna mused.

She was pretty sure Stormcaller wouldn’t say anything, but you could never be entirely sure. A lot could change in a few lifetimes, and most reincarnators were at least a little bit insane, so judging them by the normal standards was dangerous. As the reincarnators knew they could just be reborn, some of them could and would do something that potentially destroyed entire worlds on a whim, as they didn’t have to suffer the consequences beyond accruing bad karma.

“Speaking of, did you find out what True Name he discovered?” Tsumi asked, her voice practically dripping with curiosity.

"I did," Karna replied curtly.

“May I ask what it was?” Tsumi couldn’t help herself.

"Karma," Karna replied with a serious voice, but her seriousness was broken by the wave of amusement radiating from the other woman.

“I’m sorry, what? Your given name is Karna, and you have the True Name of Karma?” Tsumi had trouble keeping her face straight.

“Laugh it up. Get it out. Gem also had a fit when she found out.” Karna couldn’t prevent the smile from creeping on her face. It was nice that Tsumi wasn’t aware of the implications of the True Name, and didn’t know the significance. Very few beings were aware, fortunately. “I suspect the similarity wasn’t entirely accidental.”

“Yeah, Karma can be a real bitch sometimes.” Tsumi couldn’t stop herself from making the obvious joke. It simply had to be said, just so she got it out of her system.

Karna chuckled politely even if she had heard the joke a million times. “Yeah, she can be if she so chooses.” Her tone of voice implied that she wasn’t referring to just a single meaning of the word ‘bitch’.

“Ooh, saucy!” Tsumi commented playfully before getting serious again. “So any plans?”

“Right now? Well, I assume I earned my points. I’ll provide a bit of help to my teammates, although they wanted to learn to stand on their own so I won’t help too much. Then we’re going to crush the tests and move to the second year. Then we’ll do the same the next year, and the next. I doubt the big events will really come in the next couple of years, so I’ll just grow stronger and enjoy life.

"Sounds like a plan. In a few years, you'll have to pick a master as well. I'm sure there will be plenty of takers." Tsumi commented idly, slipping into the Headmistress role again.

“You aren’t available? I mean it would be kind of easier with you already knowing some of my secrets. I would of course prefer Arjuna, but he already has Duskclaw, even if they are a master and disciple in name only anymore.” Karna suddenly suggested.

“Me?” Tsumi was a bit surprised. She had considered the possibility. She was in an interesting position. With her power and position, there were many that wanted to form a connection with her via having their son or daughter accepted as a disciple. On the other hand, many of the best candidates didn’t want her because of cultural reasons. She was the lewdly-dressed and norm-breaking Alpyran after all. There was also the added complexity that she was often busy with matters of the Academy, as well as larger affairs of the Higher Planes, so the disciple would need to be exceptionally skilled, or they would need to be left behind. They would also have to be good at learning on their own. “Sure, why not.” She finally said.

“Sounds like we have a plan of sorts then.” Karna nodded in agreement.

--------

“Well, it looks like everyone worth anything is already here. We can begin the negotiations while the others handle the song and dance that diplomacy usually requires.” A Leonid with white-gold fur stated with a powerful and self-confident voice. The Leonid were powerfully built as a species, but this one was tall and broad even for his kind. Arjuna knew that he was likely much stronger than even Wolfgang.

“You’re always so brash Ashanti. That’s why nobody likes you aside from your little flunkies.” A gorgeous elven woman with a silver diadem on her forehead replied. Her pale skin and regal bearing, combined with her unnatural height and unsettling presence were enough to identify her as a High Elf. Arjuna realized that he was probably the shortest person in the room.

“Hah, we can’t all be a bunch of prissy and awe-inspiring fancy-asses like you Amaranthine.” The Leonid man snarked at the elven woman. He was clearly winding her up on purpose, but the elven woman was intelligent enough to notice that. The two were also somewhat used to each other already.

"That's Queen Amaranthine to you, and my point still stands." She countered with a regal tone. She wasn't entirely serious though, as Ashanti was extremely loved by his people, and for many good reasons. He acted brashly because he chose to, and because that made him popular with the common people, not because he wasn't able to act like the fanciest and most refined nobles.

“Warm-bloods. Always arguing about pointless things.” The tallest member of the gathering of four people hissed while revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth. The representative of the Saurian Kingdoms was a testament to the fact that the Saurians never fully stopped growing, as he was almost four meters tall and made of pure muscle. His heavy frame was deceiving though, as Arjuna knew he could move extremely fast and with nimbleness that belied his form.

“We really should get to the point.” Arjuna agreed while rapping the table they were all gathered around with his knuckles. “We should come to terms.”

"Of course you would think that Shady," Ashanti stated, using a weird nickname for Arjuna. "You're the biggest winners of the whole thing. You also formed the cowardly alliance with the pointy-ear over there, so there's not much we can say about the whole thing."

“You speak as if the Aegean Empire didn’t benefit from the whole endeavor. You gobbled up more of the Holy Kingdom than we or the Saurians did, so you’re not in a position to complain. And the alliance is the natural result of your aggressive posturing and expansion in the last few decades. If you pick a fight with everyone, then don’t be surprised if the others join up to push back.” Queen Amaranthine countered.

Ashanti laughed. “Fair enough. And the Magocracy did get the jump on the rest of us, so it’s their victory. It’s almost like they were expecting something like this to happen. Makes you wonder doesn’t it?” The Leonid noticed that Arjuna was about to protest. “Don’t mind it Shady. Either you weren’t expecting it and just had the ability to react faster than others, or you did, in which case I’ll only respect your ruthlessness more. Speaking out now will only spoil my impression of you.”

“I was going to say something about sore losers, but I’ll refrain.” Arjuna lied smoothly. “Now then. We could bicker about the result and continue throwing lives away in a larger war over the territories that used to belong to the Sacred Dynasty, but that would only waste the gains we’ve already made. Speaking of, we've all made a big profit so far, so there’s no point in throwing the benefits away for questionable gain. Instead, I suggest we come to terms and wrap this whole thing up here. That will allow all of us to consolidate our gains and prepare for what’s to come next.”

“Ah, so you’re saying the rumors about the Expansion are true?” Ashanti leaned forward. The Magocracy, as the nation of mages, was the best suited to confirm such rumors. The Magocracy also had the Starlight Tower. Ashanti had his own speculation and evidence, but it was nice to confirm things.

“It’s true. I’ve already seen it.” The elven queen confirmed instead. Her abilities as a seer were also rather famed, and she was both miffed and relieved that almost everyone sought out the Starlight Tower instead. On one hand, it was a slight on her own talents, but on the other hand, she was spared the trouble.

“It’s not quite the same as confirmation by the Witch of the Starlight Tower, but I’ll take it.” Ashanti couldn’t resist making a small dig at the elven monarch.

“The Tower has been relatively quiet on the matter, but our calculations suggest the Expansion this time will be a major one. Several worlds for the Higher Planes. Perhaps even a new Plane.” Arjuna hastened to state, just to avoid more squabbling. Ashanti and Amaranthine famously didn’t get along, though few knew the real reasons behind the animosity.

“The Saurian Kingdoms agree. We have bigger and more glorious fights ahead. Better to save our strength. This way we all win. Wasting our strength now would allow our rivals to beat us when the stakes are higher.” The large Saurian stated, surprising the others. The scaled warriors were famed for not fearing protracted wars, so they had all assumed it would be the hardest to convince him, and now he was the first to agree.

“Have it your way Shady. I got what I needed from the ruins of the Sacred Dynasty, and I don’t need an Emissary looking over my shoulder anyway.” Ashanti also easily agreed, which made the whole thing a lot easier. Ashanti didn’t mention that the alliance between the elves and the Magocracy had been in his plans anyway, so he was actually glad that things had worked out as smoothly as they had. He’d originally been worried that the two new allies would’ve tried taking over some of the new territory the empire had gobbled up before initiating these negotiations just for leverage. The fact that they didn’t showed that they didn’t have enough ruthlessness to exploit their position and strength. This was all working exactly as he hoped.

“So we’re all agreed then? We can hammer out the exact details later, but each of us keeps the lands we already occupy, and the Magocracy will become the new home for the Emissary?” Arjuna confirmed while looking at the elven queen, who simply nodded in agreement.

Of course, working out the exact detail took several hours and the diplomats would haggle over a border there, a mine here, and a city there for months to come. However, the general outline of the treaty was now done, and the previous Holy Kingdom was officially carved into four pieces. It would likely not be the last time these territories would be fought over, but for now, a large war had been averted. As soon as the negotiations were wrapped up, the Saurian warrior marched out. Surprisingly, both Ashanti and Queen Amaranthine stayed behind.

“So Arjuna, I heard you got yourself a daughter? I also heard one of my relatives got trounced by her. My nephew? Younger cousin? Whatever. The poor sap picked a fight he shouldn’t have, and I’ve pulled him from the Academy.” Ashanti suddenly declared.

Arjuna was instantly alarmed. “You’re talking about Brimaz? There was no need to go that far. Rivalries are common in the Academy and can be great motivation. It’s not like the two were really hostile or anything.”

"Ah, but picking a fight with a Blessed Child is a lot less intelligent. Besides, from what I hear, you managed to train your daughter to be a fair bit more ruthless than most, so being an enemy of someone like that is prone to end badly. As I said, the sap picked a fight he shouldn't have. I don't really care about him; I just wanted to congratulate you on finally having a kid worthy of my attention." Ashanti seemed entirely genuine with his words, which didn't mean anything. The fact that everyone else at the table suspected him to be another Blessed was a bit of unintentional irony.

“Ruthless?” Arjuna blinked a bit in confusion. He knew Karna could be very decisive, but this was the first time someone called her ruthless where he could hear. He wasn’t too shocked about Ashanti thinking she was Blessed, as he knew how gifted she was. He'd had his suspicions as well, but in the end, it didn't matter. Karna was his little girl and that was all that he needed to know.

“Oh, you didn’t hear about the results of the little tournament between the Academy and the other institutes yet? Interesting. Well, I suppose you wouldn’t bother with spies seeing as your daughter can just tell you what happened. I think you should ask her when she returns. Suffice to say, that I’ll be keeping an eye on the girl in the future.” Ashanti laughed before walking out of the chamber without even giving the barest of polite goodbyes.

Arjuna had not heard anything yet, as Ashanti had guessed. He had been too busy with other things to make inquiries. Apparently, that had been a mistake, and he hated making mistakes like that. They could come back to haunt him. Queen Amaranthine also nodded towards Arjuna. “His words might be brash, but he has the right idea. He won’t be the only one paying attention to the girl. However, I find it interesting that your daughter is that particular age. I seem to recall something else happening at the same time she was born. I wonder if the two events are connected.”

Arjuna knew she was referring to the Heavensfall and that she had made the connection. “Let’s just say I’m happy with what I found that day.” He knew there was no point in hiding things completely. The Queen was not an idiot, and lying would only make things worse.

“I suspected as much. I think you owe us another favor for letting things slide that day, but that’s not why I brought it up. I have a warning for you. You and your daughter should be wary of the new Emissary. Should they find out about her, then the consequences would be bad. Not just for the Magocracy either. Should you need it, I can hide her for a time. An exchange program of sorts.” The Queen promised.

“I’ll…keep that in mind.” Arjuna nodded. He knew the Queen would not have made the warning without knowing something about what would happen in the future. “I wonder how long it will take before the Emissary shows up? I don’t think they’re in too much of a hurry, and the Divines have a different concept of time when compared to us mortals.”

“I can’t say for sure, but I can say that my visions only have them present some years from now.” The elven queen guesstimated. Predicting the future was a very imprecise endeavor sometimes, especially when the target of those visions was powerful.