The ground around Randidly began to quake even as the notifications for completing his path kept appearing. The pressure had built up in the ground slowly, the cracks stretching up through the stone and dirt before wrenching huge stretches of land apart.

Or at least, that was what Randidly believed. He blinked slowly, trying to separate all the layers he now saw in existence. They existed like halos of light, touching and intersecting, their hues mixing to create reality. He expended a bit of Willpower and shifted the world into its more available alignment for a second— he could see the crashing storms with their dark clouds, the huge expanses of shattered ground, the flickering tongues of spectral distortions as a world ended.

Congratulations! Your Skill Emerald Eyes and Dove Breath Certify the Objective (GD) has grown to Level 1501!

In the distance, he heard the screams of the dying. He adjusted his awareness, easing back from the familiar to the strange newness of these light halos. Once he compared the two, Randidly could feel the flow, the pulse of time, the passage of energy from one halo to another, demonstrated through color. He could notice sound, but also the sharp spikes of fear, a powerful nova of radiation weaving together from hundreds of starting points.

Congratulations! Your Skill Emerald Eyes and Dove Breath Certify the Objective (GD) has grown to Level 1502!

Randidly closed his eyes briefly, limiting the amount of information flowing into him through his new senses. But only a moment later, he forced his eyes open. No, I need to see this. Because I’m about to head back into the Nexus; after this I will either break free from Elhume’s tyranny or fall prey to it.

In other words… Randidly looked out across all the halos, the pain and fear, the blame and recrimination, the desperation and the opportunistic violence. He felt the broad halo of the Lifeseal of Homewell… and witnessed a massive crack shred the protection and destabilize the city’s foundation. Either I will protect the Alpha Cosmos from a fate even worse from this, or I will be forced to watch all I’ve built collapse.

Congratulations! Your Skill Emerald Eyes and Dove Breath Certify the Objective (GD) has grown to Level 1503!

…I would rather look now. Randidly’s eyes bulged as he followed the devastation. As the cracks proved to the memory it wasn’t real, huge swathes of land vanished underneath the feet of fleeing people. Those people fell, screaming, for miles and miles, until they passed beyond the wounded animating force of the memory and they just ceased to be. To make sure I don’t flinch and allow this to happen again.

And while the world collapsed, his Path continued to combine his Skills into more potent versions.

Finally, the Moirae of Minute Repercussions drifts forward in the space cleared by the others. She stretches out her fingers and plucks the skills to create power enough to surpass her fellow Moiraes. Your Skills Ghosthound’s Baleful Storm, Howl (P), The Spirit Realm of Foregone Possibilities (T), Certainty of the Dread Wyrm (P), Yggdrasil’s Plasm Animus (P), and all unassociated combat Skills are being incorporated…

Your Skills have been merged into The Deviation’s Inevitable Machinations (GD)! Skill Level will be set at 1750.

Randidly looked up from the notifications as a two-headed dragon fluttered its wings and flew across the broken skies. Already, color and life began to drain out of the broken memory. The substance of existence revealed its, tearing like paper exposed to water. Yet the dragon possessed enough individual strength that it forced itself to fly in his direction.

Randidly tilted his head to the side as he observed the monster approach. It was a being from the Badlands; he had sensed it observing him when he was improving his Keystone of the First Ghasthund. But it didn’t dare approach him at the time.

And now-

Before Randidly could even make an offer, he felt a glimmer of connection from his Fatepiece. Surprised, he allowed the misty orb to manifest in his hand. His brow scrunched in confusion, but gradually his expression cleared— the Fatepiece’s activation felt so different because he was approached by a supplicant, rather than extending an offer.

The churning storm above their heads released a bolt of lightning. But the pressure from the sudden explosion of energy was too much for existence around them. The memory shattered completely around them, cracks spreading out and annihilating larger and larger stretches of Elhume’s regrets.

For a brief moment, the two-heads pulsed with power and kept annihilation at bay. The dragon wished for another chance. It had heard word of Randidly’s warning and ignored it; apparently, the drama of the Beigon’s deaths hadn’t even reached the ears of the beasts within the Badlands. It was enough that Randidly was just one more humanoid promising the doom of the world.

Fist-sized chunks began simply fade across the dragon’s body. Its image was strong, but not quite strong enough to persist without support.

A Cheshire smile stretched across Randidly’s face. You were foolish and late. There will be a cost.

Congratulations! Your Skill Arch-Heretic’s Thaumaturgy (P) has grown to Level 827!

Congratulations! Your Skill Nyx’s Successor Births Fate (GD) has grown to Level 1100!

The dragon did not wait to assent. It had already lost too much of its mind and essence to hesitate. All that lingered in its collapsing existence was the desperation and the instinct guiding it toward salvation.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

A moment of thought would have been fatal. It was a close thing.

Congratulations! Your Fatepiece the Keystone of the First Ghasthund has grown to Level 87!

If Randidly felt a flash of surprise at the fact he managed to gain a Level in his Fatepiece, then witnessing the process of its activation left him slightly in awe. As the power surged within the misty orb, a runic circle appeared around the dragon’s body. As those energies surged, the slow mingling of color between the different halos ceased.

The runic circle began to turn like a wheel. It extracted the colors that had mixed, resisting the pulse of time. In an instant, the dragon’s body had been rebuilt, for the most part. Randidly observed it with interest. When its body had formed, he offered a hand. His eyes began to smoke at the edges. He felt the Path Completion notification stall briefly as it found a new avenue to proceed.

“I can turn back the flow of time briefly, but the effect will soon end. At that time… well. You’ve felt the destructive forces running wild here. Unless you’ve improved markedly after first exposure, you will soon cease. Unless… you wish to accept a deal?”

Again, the two-headed dragon didn’t hesitate. It bowed its head. In the distance, Randidly could already sense several other vestiges rapidly zeroing in on his position. Although they were mostly the wild things lurking in the corners of this world, they possessed an eye for survival that even the Dread Homunculus could only admire.

The Alchemist chuckles. He anticipates how you will corrupt the System. Your Skills Cycle of the Gloomy Woods (R), Touch of the Ghosthound (U), Scrawl of the Ghosthound (L), Ghosthound’s Green Thumb (L), and System Interference are being incorporated…

“My Pantheon has been stretched beyond their limits. Their number will grow naturally over time, but to help for now… I offer you the position of Umbral within the Alpha Cosmos. For fifty years, you will serve the Pantheon and protect the integrity of my body. After that time, you will have accumulated enough reality to be freed.”

As he spoke, Randidly felt his mouth beginning to burn.

Your Skills have merged into Heraldic Tongue of the Alchemist (GD)! Skill Level will be set at 1550!

Your Skill Heraldic Tongue of the Alchemist (GD) has grown to Level 1551!

…

Your Skill Heraldic Tongue of the Alchemist (GD) has grown to Level 1579!

The monsters of the memory galloped across the barren sky, willing to pay any price to avoid annihilation. The last remnants of the memory flared in a giant conflagration of emotion and history; all the seeds of truth that had gone to create this place cracked and shattered. For those lucky enough to reach Randidly, they could survive as the shades at the beck and call of the Pantheon. He even earned several more Fatepiece Levels, putting the Keystone of the First Ghasthund at Lvl 90.

He spoke and Named them. With a few words, he created a whole new role that existed within the System managed by the Pantheon.

Randidly felt both a sweetness to speaking with the Skill and also deep reservations. He could already feel the way the universe began to tilt, making room for his will. The Skill was a result of all the power he had accumulated, but he knew he would need to use it sparingly in the future.

With a whooshing howl, the membrane of the memory completely vanished. Randidly looked up and could see the massive physical construct of the Sonara, cracked and collapsing. He released a soft breath. He flexed his hands. Acri and Sulfur hummed in support of him, while he took the 1150 free Stats he had earned for his Paths and dumped them all into Discretion of the Apostate Moirae.

He took one last glance at his Status Screen and strode out to confront the present.

Randidly Ghosthound

Class: Legend of Randidly Ghosthound (x5)

Level: 64 (93%)

Health(/R per hour): 30415/67015 (22509)

Mana(/R per hour): 23352/27352 (7716)

Stam(/R per min): 20790/25796 (5017)

Muse’s Reverie: 0/7 (???)

Homunculi’s Engineered Adaption (L): 2157

Carrion Dragon’s Carapace (T): 1722

Primordial Nether Juju (M): 3327

Dreadful Alacrity (A): 3242

Grim Intuition (L): 3066

Predictive Synapses (A): 2942

Chimeric Indifference (R): 2596

Grey Monarch’s Authority (T): 4694

Cognition of the Aberrant Alchemist (T): 2270

Deity’s Ruthless Cerebral Scope (T): 2967

Discretion of the Apostate Moirae (P): 7267

Exquisite Piety (M): 3592

Nether Sphere

Fang of the Primeval Betrayal (T)

Weight: 1101 (+61) (+70) (+52) (+49) (+80) (+63)

Connections: 6,290,342,119

Scope: 50,000

Influence: 6,702,966

Synechdochence: 127%

First Authority: Seize

Second: The Hollow Needle

Third: Intangible Burial

Fourth Authority: Animation Nova

Skills (Soul Skill): Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 562,950 (Next Tithe 600,000)

Unique Abilities from Foreign Entity Sulfur (Rarity Rating Impossible): Combat Furnace (U), Nascent Nether Organ (U), Resistant to Force (U)

Accord of Three Moiraes and an Alchemist (GD): Lethal Tide of Izanami (GD) Lvl 1075, Truth within the Primordial Flux (GD) Lvl 1060, Motif of Unimagined Tolls (GD) Lvl 1100, (Fusion Domain) Helen’s Sea, Cradle of Unlikely Lives Lvl 1163, Apostate Moirae’s Seditious Touch (GD) Lvl 1300, Emerald Eyes and Dove Whispers Certify the Objective (GD) Lvl 1503, Deviation’s Inevitable Machinations (GD) Lvl 1750, Heraldic Tongue of the Alchemist (GD) 1579

LoBW Class Skills: Echoes of a Living Myth (M) Lvl 1003, Wake of Miracles (T) Lvl 810, Certainty of the Dread Wyrm (P) Lvl 1089, Heralds of the Ghosthound’s Legend (M) Lvl 1010, A World’s Regrets Beget Serrated Insurrection (T) 1005, Arch-Heretic’s Thaumaturgy (P) Lvl 827

Dread Homunculus, Nyx Reincarnated (GD): Ghosthound’s Cloak of a Thousand Lightless Horizons (GD) Lvl 1114, Erebus’ Baleful Waltz (P) Lvl 1091, The Homunculi Pursues Perfection (GD) Lvl 1015, Dragon’s Fell Smite (GD) Lvl 1001, The Wrathful Calamity Rends (T) Lvl 1005, Nyx’s Successor Births Fate (GD) Lvl 1100

Singularity of the Inhospitable Depths: Songstress of Absence (GD): Hungry Eyes, Hollow Heart, Cadence of Tragedy (GD) Lvl 1063, Siren’s Dirge of Bottomless Taking (P) Lvl 1012, Absolute Insight of the Smoldering Abyss (P) Lvl 1042, The Twin Lingering Shadows of Misfortune (T) Lvl 1190

Yggdrasil, the Universe that was First a Tree (P): The World Tree Sips from Every Realm (T) Lvl 1120, Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil (T) Lvl 1046, Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil (T) Lvl 1070, Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs (T) Lvl 1009, Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins (T) Lvl 1025, The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty (P) Lvl 1035

Auxiliary: Engineering of the Enigmatic Alpha Cosmos (P) Lvl 1031, Cooking Lvl 101, Soul Bond Lvl 904, Nether Executive’s Discretionary Genesis (U), Randidly Ghosthound, Executive of Nether Reborn (GD)(U) Lvl 1521, Ghosthound’s Ceaseless Toil (GD) (U), What the Ghosthound Sows, He Will Soon Reap (GD)(U) Lvl 1