Oh, they could be, I'll go grab the tiny flying elephant...

After Anaz had been pried off of me, our little group of misfits finally returned to some sort of 'normality', and the idea that some part of me is still... Me; it gave me a modicum of hope. Ashes was trying her best to keep Anaz from walking out amongst the crew of the ship so she wouldn't find any, and I quote, 'Big Boys to play with.' Cilla was re-reading that book she had been using for the lesson on Wild Magic, with Gabriella sitting by her silently, listening to Cilla's reading. Ariel still had his physical manifestation out and about, and was going back and forth between helping Ashes contain the monster Zana had unleashed, and checking up on me after my breakdown.

My breakdown, all of this uncertainty on who I am, and what to do about it; all because of Sarmenti Hoffman... which reminds me.

As Ariel comes by to check on me again, I ask him. "Ariel, could we speak, alone?"

Confused, but still clearly trying to accommodate me, he replies. "Uh, sure pal. Hey sis, I'll be right back, 'kay?"

Gabriella waves with a small smile, trying not to interrupt Cilla's reading.

Ariel and I head out of the room as I lead him around the inner workings of the ship, trying to find a remote enough place to speak. Finally, I manage to find a place behind a few crates, away from and all prying eyes, or listening ears. A single, presumably magical, light swings from the ceiling, going behind a box every now and then.

"So, what's this about." Ariel asks, taking a seat on a smaller crate.

I clear my throat, still slightly strained from my earlier breakdown. "Hoffman, before it happened, reminded me of something. You gave me six blessings, but I've no idea how to use the more... active ones. The ability to make constructs, the domain, the eye thing..."

Smacking himself in the face, the God of Martyrdom whines out. "Darn it! I forgot to tell you when I was your guardian. Man, I kinda suck at this..."

"You're doing great with Gabriella." I say; an offering of praise given in thanks of his support.

"Aw shucks, you know just what to say." He says, before standing from his seat, cracking his fingers, and saying. "Ok, so these blessings, they're like... enchantments, but carved into your rhythm; your heart. They don't require any words, because I've already paid the cost, a hefty one at that. Let's start with God's Eye. You need something from your target to focus in on to activate it, like the pattern of their breathing, or a nervous tick..."

I offer an idea. "The sound of their heartbeat? I can do that."

"Won't work." Ariel says. "Has to be something visual, it's not 'God's Ear' you know."

I begin to look about at the godling before me, trying to find anything about the effeminate diety to focus in on... ah, there we are.

His eyes, I can see their dilation varying as the light swings back and forth. "I've got something."

"Ok, now think these words. They were the Incantation I used to give you the blessing." Ariel says, taking a deep, not really needed given he isn't really there, breath.

"I see it. Future. Present. Past."

"I see it. The first and the last."

"I see it. Behold. God's Eye."

As I think along with his words, I being to understand things about Ariel that would have been found by any observations before. I see now the immense, unfathomable power of what I was told is a 'minor' God, not even fully ascended, yet dwarfing anything I could begin to imagine in terms of strength. I know his class, which seems to be from when he was mortal; an evolution of his birth class, Knight, called 'Helper.' Interesting. His race, once more from when was mortal...

"Nephilim?" I ask aloud.

"Oh, yeah, Half-Angels. You think these wings came with my job or something? My dad, rest his soul, was a Messenger of Yrit, an angel, I assume its why the old goat picked me." Ariel explains.

"And Gabriella?" I ask.

"Different dads, same mom. We both look a lot like her." He says, his face turns a bit sour at mentioning his mother.

Wanting to avoid that line of questioning, and confused as to something I remember from when I, or at least, Damian, arrived; I ask. "What were all those numbers, and 'levels' about back when you found me, the twins were doing the same thing. It was... confusing."

Looking confused, Ariel answers. "You mean the 'Introduction' screens? I don't know about what the twins were showing you, but I was just going based on the screens they used when Tomoko came here. I even re-used some of them, like for God's Blade. I guess they assumed, like I did, that you'd know what a 'Video Game' is. I mean, I don't. I wasn't a God when the Light Pantheon started using that hole they found."

"What hole?" I ask, somewhat annoyed that we we're going off track already.

Looking a bit mixed on discussing 'The Hole', Ariel answers. "Its a hole in space and time that appeared in the Heavens... we're kinda stumped on. Even ol' Ihsrom doesn't know what caused it, or where it goes. It's how the Gods found Tomoko. After you showed up and I got called to that meeting, I requested Ihsrom to investigate the Hells for another hole, and... he found one alright, twice as big; and dead center in Mel's Realm. All we know about these 'holes' is that, by using the cosmic vibrations on them, we can see into other timelines. It's kinda become a bit of a pass time for us, seeing other versions of reality. Ihsrom forbade anyone using them beyond reality gazing, but the Light became ****; after the destruction of Krow, and the ascension of the twins. They started messing with it, and a few hundred years later, bam, Tomoko shows up in a little town called Shellhole and meets yours truly while all the church bells around the world start ringing."

Trying to keep my over-stimulated brain from imploding, I ask. "Can... can we go to the next lesson before I have another existential crisis?"

Ariel, sweating bullets at this point after talking about 'the hole', says. "Great idea! Let's talk about making those constructs."

After a bit of an awkward silence, Ariel begins to explain. "This one is going to be a bit less... useful in violent situations; compared to if you were... basically any other class, because the constructs purpose depends on your class for it's function. Since you're an Assassin, and a Ranger, it'll be something like... this."

Clapping his hands together, then opening them, Ariel suddenly has a floating, golden orb in his hand. "A ward construct. I don't have to follow the rules of the spell, cause, you know... God... But you do. For this spell, focus internally on something; that heartbeat thing could work here. Once you've got it, I'll tell you the words."

Internally... Ok, so listen to my heartbeat... five beats in a second, then seven, then five... repeat, repeat, repeat...

Seeing my concentration, Ariel recites the words.

"Perfection, from your inception."

"My word is law, no exception."

"Your Immaculate Conception."

Looking down within my hands now resides a fist sized wriggling mass of scaled shadowy tendrils, which floats away from my hands, and turns to me, its single, crimson eye staring into me.

It's kinda cute, in a weird, gross way.

"Now, name them." Ariel demands, inching away from my creation.

"What."

"They won't follow orders without a name." He explains.

"Fine... Wriggles." I say, and my new construct floats about, releasing a gleeful squelch from its tentacled being.

"Aww... he likes you. All of your 'Wriggles' will allow you to see through their eye, you'll understand how on an instinctual basis now the power is active. You can command them without having to say anything, and can make 'em go away any time you wish, as long as you're close enough." Ariel explains, looking worryingly towards the wriggling Wriggles, who is wriggling closer and closer to the deity; causing him great unease.

I make Wriggles cease to be, a bit sad to lose my new floating friend, but Ariel's sigh of relief from not having to look at it anymore gets an internal chuckle from me. "Ok, now how about... uh, Domain's gonna be hard, so lets talk about the function of 'Warmth' that Maiyo forces everyone to add..."

"If I have to mentally recite a spell to have safe sex, then it's not happening." I reply.

Flustered, and clearly regretting his diversion, Ariel says. "Oh, no. You just focus on your... stuff, and will it one way or another. You can't change it if you're already in the 'throws of passion', though. It's really not that big of a deal."

"Domain, now. This is getting awkward." I say; holding my face in my hands.

"Agreed!" Cheers Ariel, hoping to get past his mistake. "Domain has a... default appearance. If you want it to change at any point, that's up to you. So, just imagine a really nice bathhouse, like the one back at Saltmoore when you guys were staying in that one place, and hold your hands out like this, it'll take a minute, but it's worth it."

Ariel presents his own small hands outwards, as though he were prying something open.

I do so, thinking of the fine stonework, the bubbling water, the warmth...

Nothing happens.

"Huh. Maybe you already changed it? Try something else." Says Ariel.

Oh... oh no.

I imagine it, the hill, the tree, the blanket... Her.

A minute later, I feel pressure against my fingertips, as a rip in reality as formed. I pull away, not wanting to see it in the flesh; the portal closes.

"Ok, so, you didn't like what you changed, understandable. It'll be easy to change after a while of practice." Explain my guiding godly fellow, who then begins to walk back towards the room. "Come on, the others are gonna think we're making out or something."