I finally leaned back to the microphone.

“I’m sorry…” I paused to collect my thoughts again. “I actually have no idea what an aberration is.”

“What?!” Mom froze. “Aren’t you a highly knowledgeable Wizard, professor?! How can you not know about aberrations?”

“We don’t have aberrations in Oz for me to study,” I explained. “This phenomenon is local to your part of the world, but not ours. Please explain to me the nature of an aberration as your people perceive it.”

I was stalling for time, thinking of my way out of the conversation I had tangled myself up in. Conversations were hard. I didn’t talk to people that often.

“Well…” My mother sighed. “We’ve always had aberrations. It’s not often that they occur, but when they do, they… manifest in an extremely injured adult or a child. The soul and the body have to be very damaged or decayed. Enough for a creature from the Astral Ocean to enter into a human. After it finishes consuming the original soul, it makes the infested body act like a beast… but sometimes… sometimes it’s a very smart aberration. A dangerous, clever ghost from some ancient by-gone era, from some long forgotten kingdom. It can masquerade as a person for some time, until it begins to commit great evils.”

“Such as?”

“Slaughter an entire town and drink everyone’s blood.” Mom answered.

“I see,” I said. “Well, were you ever injured enough for your son to be possessed?”

“No,” Cassandra shook her head. “My Health or Soul would have to fall really low for such a thing to occur. Something invisible nipped me in the forest, around five and a half months ago, but it only took a single point off my soul. That wouldn't be enough to possess my child.”

“Do you have any strange symptoms? Afflictions?” I asked, curious if she also had the Soul-Devourer skill.

“I have the [Soul Hunter's Kiss] affliction and a Level zero [Soul Devourer] skill. It’s not really bothering me. Like I said, my [Soul Repair] skill has already healed the damage.”

“What would you do, if you discovered that your son was an aberration?” I asked.

“It would mean that he is already dead, that the soul of an Alanian in him is gone,” my mom replied with a voice as cold as ice. “I would put the body to sleep, kiss him one last time, wrap it up in silver linen… and cast the wrap into the Valley of Death from the cliff’s edge.”

I gulped.

“Dark and brutal,” Delta commented. “Very Spartan. Welp, it was nice to know you, doc.”

She flashed a smirk at me. Delta’s words didn’t get sent to the bee-speaker, since she was the one controlling the transmission. I squinted at her, starting to get annoyed with her interruptions.

“I’m kidding.” She laughed nervously. I squinted harder in her direction.

“Okay, okay, I’ll be quiet.” She pretended to zip up her lips, sat close to me, hugged my arm and fell silent. I realized that she was using snarky sarcasm as a way to deal with stressful situations.

“Your son isn’t an aberration,” I spoke into the microphone, my voice trembling ever so slightly. It wasn’t noticeable because the final result was so fuzzed up by the bee-speaker. “My… prognostication data based on Delta’s analysis of your son showed me that he will grow up into a good, decent person. I would not take a monster under my wing, would not sponsor someone plotting to do evil.”

“How… how was Delta injured by the Overseer? Is her level not in the hundreds?” Mom suddenly asked.

“The armacus that you have in your hand is an Imperial weapon containing high-level spells,” I said. “It allows the user to fire spells far, far beyond their level.”

She nearly dropped the armacus.

“Can I wield it?” She asked after a pause to recompose herself.

“Can she?” I whispered at Delta, covering up the microphone.

My soul-sister shook her head. “Don’t let her use it. I can’t see what’s in it and it might backfire if used by someone who’s not an Overseer.”

“Don’t use it. Keep it hidden,” I told mom. “Do not take it out of the house. The Redcape must not have it.”

She nodded. The sound of the opening and closing front door resounded from below.

“I… I’d like to go downstairs now,” mom muttered. “Georgi’s home and he will want dinner to be ready.”

“Very well, we’ll talk again tomorrow. The spell I’m using will let me know anytime you’re near the nest.” I said. “Enjoy your dinner, Cassandra.”

“Thank you, professor.” She nodded. “Goodnight. Till we… talk again.”

She curtsied and rushed downstairs. I pulled the Infoscope down two floors to observe my parents.

They hugged. As mom warmed dinner up on the stove, she told dad about the professor from Oz. Dad listened to the story and smiled.

“Another Elder!” He declared, sounding upbeat. “Excellent! We are twice as safe now.”

“He… isn’t telling me something,” mom sighed. “He didn’t really explain why Dante has a skill the level of which is in the hundreds.”

“We will talk to the Wizard of Oz together tomorrow, alright?” Dad chewed on a piece of bacon. “You worry far too much. Elders and Ancients like to hold onto their secrets. The important point is that he and Delta protected us - that’s what really counts.”

Mom sighed even deeper. Their conversation moved onto irrelevant things. I pulled the Infoscope away from the living room and brought it into the Mindspace.

“Well, that worked out… sort of.” Delta commented. “Good job!”

I nodded, bringing up a screen displaying the fractal superstructure Omnicode word for [Soul Repair]. Delta helped me modify it so that it would help repair her decay. In moments we were both lost in the flow of the work, forgetting about everything else.

We’ve defeated our biggest enemy in Skyisle and we were safe from the Phantoms behind the wards of our house. What else was there to worry about?

[Kliss Eliza Cessna - Equality Acolyte, the Overseer of Skyisle]

I gritted my teeth, twitching. My soul felt like it was being pulled apart from two ends. Not only had I inexplicably lost ten points in Soul, but I also foolishly made a [Protection & Friendship] Vow in fear of being burned alive. The new Vow was now tearing me from within. My other Vow, one that I had taken as an Imperial Overseer, was demanding that I do my job. Thankfully my [Soul-Shield and Soul-Repair LV 24] skills were strong and didn't let my soul tear asunder. Both of them were sucking out my mana like mad to keep me alive.

“My job… my job is to be an Overseer.” I slumped head-first into the metal desk inside the Overseer's office atop the nave of the Church of Equality. I could see the entire village through the stained glass windows from the top floor of the old building.

My face burned in embarrassment. In order of importance: I had lost my red cape, a Master-Ward-Amulet, my magisteel armor and my armacus. Losing the armacus hurt the worst. I had to get it back. Had to! I wasn’t an Overseer without one. I was a failure.

[Quest: Retrieve your armacus]

[Quest: Retrieve your armor]

[Quest: Retrieve the Master-Ward-Key of Skyisle]

[Quest: Kill the aberration]

The Soul-Song resounded with the voice of my Goddess.

“Yes, Equality,” I whispered.

It was the last straw.

I broke down completely, started to sob into the cold surface of the desk.

On the one hand I had to kill the aberration as Overseer. On the other hand, I had to protect Dante Alan Skyisle. Was he an aberration, though? What if he wasn’t? The Soul-Song told me that it was, but Quests didn't provide an absolute truth. Sometimes it was how Equality tested your wisdom. I had to find out, had to make sure that the child of the Alans was an aberration.

But how?

I leapt to my wooden chest, pulled out an Imperial spell book and flipped through it, looking for the spell hexagram for Identify. There. I ripped one of my least useful skills [Lantern LV 18] away from my Soul-Song and slotted LV 0 Identify into it. I hoped that it would be enough to Identify a newborn. It was my only hope. The Oath of the Overseer stopped painfully tagging at my soul.

I glanced at the blue orb on my table, contemplating it for a few moments. Could I call the Empire for aid? Notify my Inquisitor about the problem? No. That would endanger the Alans. I’d never work again as Overseer, never rise in the ranks if the others learned how horribly I failed here. I’d never hear the end of it, be shamed by my friends, family, superiors, and colleagues until the end of time.

Since I couldn't rely on my core skills with my mana being so low, I pulled a sharp magisteel blade out of the wooden chest. Thin, shimmering cloth followed. An invisibility coverall. I purchased it with my savings in case things went sideways in Skyisle and I had to quickly get out of the village.

If the child was an aberration, then I could kill it. If… he wasn’t Dante… if some ancient ghost resided in the body, then he had to be exterminated as the Overseer’s Vow demanded. Yes? Yes.

I pulled another Master-Ward-Key out of the drawer. This one was shaped like a ring with a large blue gemstone.

The Ishira priests had twenty of these Ward-Keys, since they functioned as the government of Skyisle for hundreds of years, approving of all house repairs and constructions, calling themselves "the architects of fate". Being important and all-knowing didn't stop the Empire's dominion over Skyisle seven years ago, since our warships had powerful anti-seer runes all over them.

I had to make it count. I had to do it while the blasted Beemancer was asleep. Only fools gave up, an Imperial Citizen never wavered, persisted, tried again and again until victory was assured. So said Equality, so demanded my Oath.

Tonight? Tonight.

I wasn’t hurting the Alans. I was checking up on them, in the middle of the night, for safety. That’s all. THAT’S ALL! I was just being a true friend. I was protecting them from a potential aberration! I’m a nice friend! The best friend they’ll ever have!