“NOOOOO! I’M SORRY! I DON’T WANNA LEAVE YOU, DAD! PLEASEEE!”
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Syllena’s claws were digging into his thighs; clearly, if he weren’t a Cygilites, his body would be absolutely covered in claw marks. He would have to remember to make sure Syllena was careful with Lan, Rose and Jacob. She was much stronger and deadlier than them!
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Syllena was holding on to his leg, Akhenamen’s regal Cygitek cloak floating softly around them…the director laughing awkwardly at his friend’s predicament. Sofya just watched with a small smile, approaching Syllena and gently rubbing her small head.
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“Come on, didn’t you wanna see my school and my friends? They’ll all be super friendly!”
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Sofya had almost joined the family; Akhenamen had to admit that fact, and the gnomish girl fully became a sort of older sister to Syllena. Or definitely a very close cousin. Ascylla was always watching Sofya with what seemed like hints of constant suspicion. It would take years for her to trust Sofya.
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Tyfania actually stood not far from Akhenamen, a small mischievous smile, the one that any parent would have watching such a familiar scene. Almost every child had gone through such a moment, from the excitement of seeing their school, meeting their first friends…to the terrifying prospect of being away from the one who had been their anchor for what had been all their life until now.
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Akhenamen kneeled down softly, gently hugging Syllena. Before holding her shoulders to make her let go of his leg, he knew how to deal with such situations after having two kids of his own..
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“Syllena …there’s no need to be scared…firstly because you can talk to me anytime you want inside your mind. But you will have to live without me one day to experience your own adventures. I’ll always be there for you. But I can’t help but envy you a bit. To study and learn once more…I hope you’ll make many friends and will get good grades.”
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“Y..yes, Dad! I swear I’ll make many friends! And make you proud!”
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“Good girl. If you ever need to, just call me, and I’ll come back as soon as I can. Don’t forget Ascylla if you need help either. And of course, listen to Sofya, she’s been here for longer than you!”
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She nodded and gave him one last hug; she had a frankly adorable backpack shaped like a mini version of her dad. Even wore a similar cloak to his as she went toward Sofya. The gnomish girl smiled at her and turned her head to Akhenamen!
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“Thanks for bringing me along to the desert of Oleron! You’ve taught me many things!”
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Sofya came to him and gave him a short hug as he flinched, a bit surprised but returned the hug… Tyfania looked at everything with eyes that seemed to hide her thoughts despite her small smile.
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Soon the two girls started to leave…Sofya has to run after Syllena. The ball of energy, having run forward, her sadness replaced by pure curiosity. Akhenamen just watched everything, while none could tell, as his face was featureless. He had a massive smile on his face. He looked down at Tyfania.
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“Hello Tyfania. I must say your daughter is an amazing young lady. She might even become a Transcendent before you with that talent of hers.”
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“Of course. She’s my daughter. I’d expect nothing else… She seems to care deeply for you. I think you’re a father figure to her. Or something close to one.”
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“I am sorry.”
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“You have nothing to be sorry for. You make my daughter happy. He died years ago; she never really knew him. It always weighed heavily on her. I would not hate you because you treat my daughter so well that she sees you as a father figure.”
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Akhenamen nodded… staring at Tyfania ... taking a good look at her. Her shoulders seemed lighter. As if she were relaxed.
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“It must have weighed heavily on you.”
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“It did. Mostly that she has someone other than her best friend to watch over her.”
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“You sound… sorry if this is inappropriate… but are you sick, Tyfania?”
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“It is indeed a very private question you ask me. But yes…I am sick.”
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“Can it be cured?”
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“Yes…it requires Void Kraken’s eyeball.”
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Akhenamen stayed silent… Void Kraken weren’t actually inhabitants of space or any dimension called the void. They lived in the deepest part of the sea. One hadn’t been sighted in three centuries. So it might as well be called impossible…
Maybe if Tyfania were a Throne or even a Beyonder, the Alliance would be ready to sacrifice anything to find that Kraken, but she wasn’t even a Transcendent. They would not spend so much manpower for Tyfania’s sake. No matter how loyal she had been.
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“I see…how much more time do you have left?”
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“Oh, I still have a decade or two, but even if I reach Transcendent, it would still be my death…”
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Then it hit Akhenamen. Something that he had always found strange. Why would Tyfania, who received help from the Alliance, not have become a Transcendent yet? Even if they were unwilling to dispatch Beyonders and Thrones to find and hunt a Void Kraken, it would still give her a good fifty years of life to Transcend, yet she never seemed in a hurry to do so.
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“You’re keeping all the materials for Sofya, aren’t you?”
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“Yes.”
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“Use them. I will pay and make sure Sofya gets all the materials she needs for any of her breakthroughs. She’s my disciple after all, now.”
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“Disciple? You mean student. Disciple is an officially recognised position by the System which requires someone to transmit their class and law to their student.”
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Akhenamen said nothing, but his eyes looked…almost amused. He also figured he had one more goal to his travels through Zenthia. Find a Void Kraken. That should be an interesting adventure for sure! Tyfania stared for a bit more before shrugging and looking at her system window.
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“It's already time for my meeting. I must leave you, I have a school to run. Have a great day, Akhenamen.”
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“Same to you, Tyfania. Use your materials and breakthrough, or I’ll tell your daughter you’ve been holding back on using them.”
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Tyfannia flinched a bit, grumbling under her breath as Akhenamen let out a laugh before walking back through the Warp Gate, his body flickering out of the Academy. But he did not appear back in Cygislax. This time, he appeared in a small coastal town. One where his Cygilites had recently built a brand new Warp Gate.
Most of Zenthia was equipped with those. A request from both Zenthia’s rulers and even the System itself, to help the Players' future arrival, had tasked the Cygilites with creating Warp Gates all over Zenthia, not just the capitals.
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In exchange? The Cygilites were being paid; the System was actually a real client for a lot of Kingdoms. It just so happened the Cygilites were the most suited for this task. He knew the Pyrax Empire was tasked with building more “newbie villages” in the middle of the steppes and even implanting small threats to be dispatched by the players. The Covenant was busy repairing Selinad to become one of the player's main hubs. And we were even clearing out some of the more dangerous inhabitants. Every nation had its own tasks to prepare.
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And most importantly, the Mythic Level and Mythic Class had now been made public. With one big news. They were limited. Not everyone could achieve Mythic Levels. The Dominions, hidden Authorities, the Thrones that had kept their factions safe in secret… all learned that all of Zenthia’s inhabitants could unlock a mythic level.
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Mythic Level 1 had 100 000 places. Technically, 99 999 since Akhenamen already had one, and it was very likely that a few more had unlocked it already through skill or sheer luck. The levels and the number of people who could unlock them went as follows.
Mythic Level 1: 100 000
Mythic Level 2: 50 000
Mythic Level 3: 20 000
Mythic Level 4: 10 000
Mythic Level 5: 5 000
Mythic Level 6: 1 000
Mythic Level 7: 500
Mythic Level 8: 100
Mythic Level 9: 50
Mythic Level 10: 10
?Each level would multiply someone’s HP, and some levels even unlocked special features. Just the level boost alone was enough to make everyone in Zenthia go to war. The System perfectly knew what it was doing.
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A last push toward encouraging the “NPCs” to be active and unlock a Mythic Level. Akhenamen could feel powerful auras awakening or getting out of seclusion all over Zenthia. The System had created a new age, one that would be remembered as the Mythical Era by the players and many of Zenthia’s inhabitants.
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When Myths and Legends fought for the reward of Mythic Levels, when even Singularities were seen haggling over 10 copper pieces with a simple mortal merchant. When myths, legends, and even gods walked amongst the common man, forming adventuring teams and exploring the deepest reaches of Zenthia, all with one simple goal. To be amongst the ten Mythic Level 10 beings that would undoubtedly become Zenthia's next true elite.
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