Chapter: 684 – The Discussion Ends

Tala was rather excited for the story, and as such, she pulled out a tray of magicless pastries and willed it to rest on the air between the five chairs. Tales were better with treats, after all.

As she took one from the tray and leaned back, Tala hesitated.

All four arcanes were looking at her with mixes of confusion and awe, causing Tala to frown.

Alat cleared her throat within Tala’s head. -Did… you know you could do that? Before you did it, I mean?-

Do what…? Tala trailed off as she realized that the tray was sitting there as solidly as if it were on a table, no magic in evidence at all. It remained in place simply by dint of her authority.

She could see that authority, her near absolute command of the House of Blood, slotted into the fact that this world-fragment had been under House of Blood control for millennia. More than that, this was the seat for that House, steeping it even further in that authority. Additionally, everyone within was devoted to the same House, and therefore her. In this place, that portion of her authority meant more than anywhere else.

She had simply acted without thought, just as she would have within Ironhold or her sanctum.

Jord broke the silence, leaning forward to wave his hand under the tray before taking a pastry. The gnome seemingly wanted to break up the tension, as he injected a bit of levity into his question, “You haven’t already consumed the world-fragment… have you?” He took a bite almost casually, even as she shook her head. As he tasted the treat, however, he hesitated, taking another bite. “That is good.” He let out a small moan of enjoyment, taking yet another bite and speaking around the food in his mouth. “This is amazing. My compliments to the baker.”

The other three were staring at him, aghast, and he finally noticed.

“What?”

Erde, sighed, rubbing his ears in what seemed to be a habitual manner, the large round parts rolling over and flicking up rhythmically as the mouse-kin groaned for an entirely different reason than his fellow.

Pamant chuckled, leaning forward to take one of the pastries and giving her own compliments after the first bite.

Ma-a regarded the tray for a long time before looking at Tala. “You… are not Hallowed. But you are…? Have you veiled yourself so perfectly?”

The other three froze once more, eyes widening.

Tala, herself, felt her eyes widen in surprise. “Why do you say that, Ma-a? And no, I have not veiled my power. I am as you see, Reforged not Ascending.”

“I see.” The man frowned. “Then, something to do with your gated nature?” He took a sip of tea, his brows clearly creased in thought. Then, he looked up, blinking. “Oh! My apologies. Your question. I asked because, to command the physical without magic is the hallmark of the Hallowed, at least within the area of their power.”

Tala frowned at that. “I have been able to command the physical within my expanded spaces for years, well before my last two advancements.”

Ma-a waved that away. “There is a reason that Jord asked—even if jokingly—if you had already consumed the world-fragment. To physically command your own body—or your own soulbound space—is simply a function of it being yours. This space isn’t yours, yet it bows to your will. That is the hallmark of which I spoke.”

“Could it be my rank as Eskau of War?” Tala was genuinely curious what he would say.

Ma-a waggled his head back and forth slowly before he shook it in negation. “That is undoubtedly a part of it, or something that allows it, but it is not the source of the ability.” He seemed to consider, but when Erde lifted his head in question, Ma-a nodded. “If you have a good example, go ahead.”

Erde nodded. “Thank you, Senior.” He then looked back to Tala. “Imagine that you are in your own home. You are allowed to move anything you like, but that does not mean you can. You must be strong enough. It also must be something that is able to be moved at all, and so on.”

Tala gave a slow nod of understanding. “Different layers of ‘able.’”

“Precisely.” The mouse-kin smiled happily. “Even Head Corinis… I do not believe that he would have the advancement to do that.” He gestured at the tray, hesitated, then leaned forward and took a pastry. “These really do look delicious.”

Tala sighed. “Well… I had not known that.”

-It seems like a deeper level of authority indeed. Imagine having the authority to command a mountain to jump into the ocean and have it move.-

That would be incredible, but I can’t imagine that working.

-It would be true sovereignty, would it not? True Dominion?-

Tala mulled that over, finding that she agreed.

Ma-a chuckled at Erde’s comment, reaching forward for a pastry. “Indeed…” He frowned even as he leaned back, looking at his fellows. “I think it best… Tala, if you command us not to speak of this.”

The other three hesitated before each nodding in turn.

Tala did so, feeling the authority tighten around them once again, enforcing her command.

If they betrayed and abandoned the House of Blood, the command would not hold them—not that such a thing would be easy to do—but aside from that? They would be bound to obey.

Once it was done, the four settled back into their tea and pastries.

Tala felt a bit… uncomfortable about having given them such overriding commands, but if anything the four seemed to be grateful, as her command meant that it was no longer their problem. They didn’t have to decide if they should speak of it, or what they were required to do with the information.

It simply wasn’t their problem anymore.

She gave a slow shake of her head before taking another pastry.

They ate in companionable silence for a long minute before Ma-a gave a slow nod. “I was going to tell of the formation of the world-fragment.”

Tala nodded, giving an understanding smile. Things hadn’t gone as she expected, so she could only imagine how these arcanes felt.

Ma-a seemed to gather his thoughts before he began. “While I have been here as long as the House of Blood has claimed this world-fragment, I cannot claim to have been here at its inception.” He gave a huffing chuckle. “Though, I suppose that distinction may be academic, given I cannot imagine any save a Sovereign or god-beast being so.”

Tala tilted her head to the side in obvious question, causing the man to smile and nod.

“Right, right. So, for a world-fragment to form, a coherent bit of existence must return to the place and state that it was in before the fragmentation… or possibly should be if the fragmentation hadn’t happened, depending on the theory you ascribe to.” His tone changed to one of more rapid, excited expansion rather than solemn telling. “The very fact that any world-fragment could ever be formed or found means that the Fragmenting didn’t change our orbit around our sun, nor otherwise throw off where we ‘should be’ in the wider cosmos. It also did not so damage nearby space as to make the replacement of the fragment within it meaningless. We can also intuit that no larger constant was disrupted, and the mass of our planet has been mostly maintained in one form or another as gravity is correct for reinstantiation. More than that—”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Jord cleared his throat, drawing Ma-a up short. “Senior, it seems that you are becoming lost in the ancillary.”

Ma-a cleared his throat in turn, his skin lightening slightly toward gray in a clear flush of embarrassment. “Ahh, yes. Of course. My apologies.”

Tala smiled. “It’s understandable. This is your life’s work, and you’ve been steeped in it for longer than most cities have existed.”

He chuckled at that. “Indeed. Did you know that Croi only blossomed into what it is today after the House of Blood established this as their central branch?”

“I believe I have heard something similar.” She gave a soft smile.

“Good.” He nodded once, emphatically. “Regardless, to get back to the topic… Once a seed of existence—however big or small—is back in its proper place, Existence does its utmost to maintain and expand it. Too much heat? That heat is used to bring in more space. Too much magic? The same. Too little magic or too little heat? Either the fragment will shrink, the surrounding superficial will be drained, or in the worst cases, creatures will come into being to try to force things back into balance.”