Accords and Fate

"I suppose that goes a long way towards explaining... well, you," Rwnil said, several minutes after Ahsch had finished his story. The younger hrafthi got the feeling that his mentor didn't expect - nor wanted - a response, so he kept quiet. Another few, long moments passed before she spoke again. "I admit, I'm surprised you gave up all of that so quickly to me."

He met the ascendant's gaze. "I doubt I could keep it a secret from you for too long. You don't strike me as the type to allow things that catch your attention to get away. And, contrary to how it may seem, I'm not fond of having to keep over half of my life a secret from everyone I meet." He wasn't going to do the exact math, but barring nonequivalent seconds that he didn't feel like inventing a super-accurate stopwatch to figure out, Euphoria and Earth had fairly similar timekeeping and calendars, enough so that he would be fairly comfortable calling his current age accurately 18 on Earth. Eventually, as years went by, that would change, as Euphoria and its two moons had improbably precise orbits and rotations, allowing for rather easy math to get weeks, months, and years: A year was 400 days long, with 10 40-day-long months that were precisely marked by the orbit of the greater purple moon, Daerund; each month was composed of 5 8-day weeks that could be tracked by the orbit of the lesser green moon, Enra; each day seemed to be almost identical in terms of the ratio of seconds to minutes, and minutes to hours as Earth, but each day was an even 30 hours long. The months and weeks were each named, alongside the days, given they were so precise.

Ahsch expected some sort of deity had a hand in that - the calendar was, as far as anyone knew, globally-accepted, and had existed since the dawn of recorded history. Even the feral monsters tracked the time and date using the same method.

All that to say, while 18-year-old Ahsch had experienced more than 18-year-old Mitchel (and in a literal sense, not solely that his life was more eventful), Ahsch roughly estimated that he was still younger than he had been when he'd died at 28 years old. Though how much longer that would be true, he wasn't sure about.

"As I said, your tale explains much about you," Rwnil replied, then smiled grimly. "For another admission, my thoughts traced a similar path to your wife's, from what you said of her reaction to your revelation. And I must concur with her conclusion - killing you is liable to bring more harm than good, barring the complete obliteration of your most base essence."

"In other words, I'm safe from oblivion, but certainly not an abrupt end to any given life," Ahsch said.

Rwnil nodded. "I also suspect I have an understanding of your interest in bonds," she mused. "You seek a way to tie your soul to Euphoria, perhaps even to this Kingdom... or to those you know."

Ahsch nodded. "Even just among the worlds I was offered by the CEO person, I only have a one in twelve chance of ending up back on Euphoria. Assuming the multiverse is significantly larger than twelve worlds, that chance dwindles into nigh impossibility. Not to mention that even if I do reincarnate on Euphoria, it's a big world, and I somehow doubt I would end up right back here without interference."

The ascendant nodded again. "Indeed, your chances are slim at best, and that's hardly likely to be the case." She lapsed into thought again, and Ahsch was content to wait. "I offer an accord." There was power in her words, and the Dominant Mage sat up straight, his attention fixed on Rwnil. "You... interest me. You have proven yourself a decent person, and I doubt you would betray that impression without good cause. That inclines me to help you, in as much as I'm much more willing to trade a favor now for a favor owed. And the favor of a god is no small thing, which only further inclines me to help you."

Ahsch leaned forward. "Go on."

"I am willing to bind your soul to Euphoria, the Kingdom of Starlight, and, should you discover an appropriate means, to a specific person, place, or thing; should you reincarnate, the bond will be consumed, and your soul will remain here, generally speaking, allowing you to continue where you left off once you are born again. In such an event, I will offer this accord once more, the favor of such a bond for a favor from the god you will become, and so on until such time as I call in those favors. I'm willing to promise to not demand something against your nature, though perhaps leaning against your soft morals."

The elder hrafthi fell silent, and Ahsch thought for a minute. "What incentive do you then have to continue training me in earnest?" His eyes narrowed. "Or getting me killed prematurely."

Rwnil grinned proudly, if wickedly. "What if I swore to continue training and dealing with you in good faith, on the presumption that you will continue dealing with me in good faith?"

He nodded slowly. "Then I would be much less reserved," he agreed. "Though I would insist that my education in bonds is directed with the greatest priority towards the ability to bind my reincarnation as I will." His mentor nodded, a gesture he returned. "Then it is agreed."

"It is agreed."

Again, a separate bond formed between teacher and student. "I will need time to create the bond, so I advise against dying anytime soon," Rwnil said. "However, should you wish better than 'the Kingdom of Starlight upon Euphoria' as the destination for your reincarnation, I suggest you decide on a more specific bond within the next few days."

"I will - several ideas already come to mind," the boy said, leaning back. "But first, we had another deal - a story for advice."

"Indeed. Though I'm afraid that my advice will not be well-received."

Ahsch took a deep breath. "Let's hear it."

"Exercise your power." Rwnil said bluntly. "Your familiar is right - as you are well aware - that you have ignored the potential of your 'Dominant's Tithe' and the Thralls you may bind. Much as I respect your desire to obtain Thralls carefully and with their consent, the fact of the matter is that you did not obtain Kirasiel in such a manner, but obtain her you have, and it is irresponsible of you to allow something under your authority to act poorly." A momentary conflict tracked across the ascendant's face, but was quickly resolved and she continued. "You asked about fate before, and I want to be clear that what I'm talking about is likely similar, but far more than what you meant. For I speak of Fate, a truth of reality. Many consider Fate to be immutable, but this is not true, as Fate is far more of a pathway, guidance that is likely to be followed, but can be ignored. But Fate is also a balance, and it pays attention to the bonds between people. For example, your bond with your Thralls - willing or no - is quite clear in the eyes of Fate, and if you allow Kirasiel to act in such a way that she raises negative Fate with herself, you are allowing her to build negative Fate with you, the one who holds responsibility for her." Rwnil smirked. "Perhaps this is why you always felt responsible for her, as hrafthi are more likely to be sensitive to such bonds, though not inherently so. If what you've said about her is true, then I guarantee you, Kirasiel will affect your Fate negatively, and likely the Fate of all who are bound to you, if to lesser degrees. Therefore, if you wish to maintain a good Fate, you may be required to engage in acts you dislike, even abhor. Bringing your wayward Thrall to heel may be such a need."

She had been right, Ahsch didn't like her advice. "Can you explain more? What is Fate then?"

"It is not a destination, as such, nor the journey. Fate is the... path of least resistance of everything in existence. Water flows downstream, so too do all of our lives take the easiest path before us, even should it seem anything but to us. But, with extraordinary effort, or through extraordinary circumstances, we may defy Fate, and take another path." Another smirk twitched on Rwnil's face. "You were likely Fated to die on Earth, Mitchel Cohen, and yet you sit there as Ahsch through rather improbable circumstances, do you not?"

Ahsch nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "And that bit about balance?"

"The deeds you perform, the events you suffer, all are recorded by Fate. Often, they build upon each other, furthering your negative or positive Fate, and oft are those with poor Fates doomed to perpetuate their own doom upon themselves - and likewise, those blessed by Fate rise ever higher upon the path laid out before them. I suspect that your Fate is - or rather 'was' - blank when you first arrived upon Euphoria, an errant thread in the tapestry of existence. However, I doubt that is the case now, and you should take care that you do not allow yourself to be dragged down a path of doom."

"And Kirasiel is doing that?"

"I can't guarantee it, but I suspect as much. And as admirable as your idea to release her from the bonds of Thralldom, I ask two questions: firstly, do you think Phashak would suffer a mortal, even if he was a 'godling,' to undo her gift easily? Secondly, have you made any progress towards this goal? I believe the answer to both is 'no,' and I doubt that will change anytime soon. Therefore, you must choose if you'll allow your stray Thrall to drag you to a Fate I doubt you'll like - and possibly do the same for those you care about - or if you will pull her from the mire of her own doom and carry her towards something better, whether she agrees or not." Rwnil smiled again, and it might have been the kindest smile she'd ever given him.