Nate took a deep breath. Arikanvil had just dropped a bombshell on them. The Law of Reciprocity might keep the True Divine being in front of them from attacking them once they ascended, as being a Lesser Divine put them outside his strata. There would be no such protection from any Lesser Divines present on Galle. Worse, Arikanvil had just told them that the level disparity was unlikely to be small, and as individuals who could contain and generate more Divine Energy, they would likely be considered tasty morsels for older Lesser Divines looking to advance.

  “How many?” Nate asked.

  “Three,” answered Arikanvil succinctly. “And they will sense when you take on your Divine Class. It will be quite dramatic.”

  Kiri looked worried but Nate shook his head. He would come up with preparations to protect them for when they evolved their Classes to Divine. There were other questions he could ask, but none that struck him as necessary. He and Kiri could talk about their findings afterwards. He knew the path forward now, understood how it worked and why, and could make plans and preparations. That begged the question though, about the Law of Reciprocity.

  “What constitutes an act that violates the Law of Reciprocity?” he asked.

  “Any interaction between stratas that The System, in all its vast wisdom, considers to be an unequal exchange,” replied Arikanvil derisively.

  “And the punishment?”

  “Punching down? The System seals your Class Core for a period, locking you away from your Skills and the benefits of processed mana. It basically makes you helpless. The only thing it cannot take away is your access to your own Divine Energy. Punching up? It removes the restrictions of a response from the higher strata. They are free to act against you in any way they see fit. In the heartlands of this Reality, where many True Divines make their home, it is a game amongst Divines to try and bait those lower than them into acting up. Something to consider in the future for you. In your strata, there are no rules. Between equals, as The System sees it, anything goes.”

  Nate thought he understood it. The Law of Reciprocity was ultimately simple. Those bearing a Class Core were broken into stratas. Within your strata there were no rules, which explained why Platinums could attack Silvers. Once into the Divines, the stratas would grow smaller, but it sounded like it was very competitive since it seemed like killing other Divines within your strata was the simplest way to gain Divine Energy, especially for those with more levels who would therefore struggle to generate Divine Energy through their Embodiment. Finally, punching up was allowed, but removed your protections under the Law. Punching down without cause would see you made fair game with your Class Core sealed, weakening most to the point of being unable to even fight back.

  He couldn’t think of any more questions he wanted to ask. Certainly, he had a myriad of questions he could ask, but they weren’t as important. They were things he could figure out on his own or with Kiri and Frick. Besides, the war for Etrua wasn’t over yet either. It was time to return to his friends and family. But first, he needed to close his agreement with Arikanvil. He looked to Kiri for confirmation and when she nodded, he faced Arikanvil.

  “We have no more questions,” he stated.

  Arikanvil opened his mouth and Nate saw consternation on it as the True Divine ground out, “Two tasks then. Two, that I will call on when you evolve your Classes and become Lesser Divines. They will take you to another universe, so prepare your farewells. Your time on Galle is coming to an end. Finally, you should prepare for your evolution. While the Lesser Divines won’t have been able to detect your small Skill usage, they will most certainly detect your ascension. And when they do, they will come for you. Plan accordingly. I will return to you within the month to explain what comes next and what I will require of you. We will speak again soon.”

  The constructed space vanished and Nate found himself appearing in the same spot he had been before Arikanvil abducted them to make his offer. Aisling was hovering in the sky, watching the Capital with the sounds of battle carrying on the winds as the people of the Slums, armed and armoured by Nate, fought back against their oppressors in the form of the guards. Deverell was still lying on the ground recovering with a stack of Orbs next to him. Luc seemed to be getting the last of the Orbs. Britt and Null stood together, both looking battered and beaten but alive. Frick was still banished to the Spirit Realm. It was like no one had noticed them leave. Nate, conceptually, understood that space and time were tied together. He’d just never considered how Arikanvil might be able to leverage that connection.

  Jorge continued to look down over the pair of them and it was clear that even Kiri’s father hadn’t noticed anything odd. A secret then. A secret between Kiri and himself. A secret Nate intended to out to everyone before he evolved his Primary Class to Divine. He would write a tome, explaining everything. A guide for his friends and family for what came next and how to achieve it, along with the risks should they choose to follow him and his sister. Because he knew that once he evolved his Class, Reciprocity would restrict him from directly helping them. There were, of course, loopholes. Nate could see the first as clearly as he could see the ruins of the Guild training grounds. You could make an exchange with someone of a lower strata and have them do it for you. The System had done so when it sent the Challenge against him for removing Kiri’s Class Core. The Demon Lord had done so when it used its subordinates in its games to try and kill him, and now Arikanvil was most likely using them in the same way. The True Divine could not act directly, else why would it need people like Kiri and himself? It was subverting the gap in stratas by using those of the appropriate strata, or soon to be he supposed since they weren’t Lesser Divines yet.

  Which meant it was time to see how close they were.

  “Notifications?” Nate asked Kiri.

  “Yep,” replied Kiri with a sad smile. He figured seeing the battlefield that was the Guild yard again reminded her of everything that had happened. Coralie’s betrayal, her subsequent defence of him and how she had fought against her mother, before finally leaving. He put an arm around Kiri to comfort her as Jorge sat down on her other side, and with a worried breath, opened his notifications.

  Accrued Mana applied to Secondary Class.

  Level up…

  Level up…

  Level up…

  Level up…

  Level up…

  Stats adjusted: +5 Magic Power, +20 Magic Control, +10 Channelling Speed, +10 Mana Reserve, +5 Mana Absorption, +25 Free Stats

  Looking over the Stat growth he had to accept that short of a miracle, he wouldn’t get a second Stat to exceed five hundred. Not that he felt it mattered much. He already had the Achievement necessary to evolve his Primary Class to Divine. So instead he looked over his options for his Free Stats. Intellect didn’t need any help and his Magic Stats were all progressing well. Perception was an option, but in the end he went for the one Stat he felt was important to his Path that was currently lagging behind. He put all twenty-five Free Stats into Creativity.

  Conceptual Insight 56 > 57

  Multi Conceptual Material Shaping 43 > 45

  Conceptual Runic Mastery 56 > 57

  Conceptual Spatial Manipulation 50 > 52

  Conceptual Amplified Magic 49 > 51

  Conceptual Automated Existence 36 > 39

  Conceptual Spatial Authority 36 > 38

  It was hard to miss that his only Divine Skill had not gained a level and reminded him of Arikanvil’s words about how advancing in the Divine Tier required the usage of Divine Energy. More importantly, looking over his Skills, he noted that Multi Conceptual Material Shaping had capped out at reducing the cost for shaping and the time for improvement at ninety percent. He hoped it would mean there were other gains to be had since neither of those aspects had budged despite the additional Skill Levels. That led him to the final notification.

  Skills Available! Please Select 1* Skill.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Class Skill Options:

  Spatial Expansion (Rare)

  Space is malleable. So, why limit your space to the prescribed dimensions when you could spatially expand it. Carry your clothes, your supplies, even your house, with you wherever you go. This Skill allows the user to create spatially expanded spaces. Size of expansion is based on the user's Skill Level. Cost and duration is based on the user’s Magic Power and Magic Control. Spatial space starts at one- half a cubic metre. Skill Level increases space by Skill Level * one-half a cubic metre.

  Spatial Reinforcement (Rare)

  Space is not solid. It is a fluid, three-dimensional area that can be altered or distorted, shaped or dispersed. But, for those wishing to create spaces that will resist the warping of gravity or that will stand the test of time, they need the ability to harden space. They need Spatial Reinforcement. This Skill will reinforce any spatially created area or zone the user focuses on. Extent of reinforcement is based on user’s' Magic Power, Magic Control and Skill Level.

  Spatial Control (Rare)

  All spells require Magic Control to perform effectively. Spatial magic is even more challenging, the complexity of space translating to the complexity of its spells. This Skill allows the user to more effectively apply their spatial mana affinity, giving them greater control over their mana when used for spatial magic. Magic Control Stat is 10% more effective when used for spatial spells. This bonus is increased by an additional 1% per Skill Level.

  Spatial Portals (Rare)

  While a Spatial Mage can normally teleport themselves, moving others can be a challenge. Mana under the influence of others will naturally resist manipulation. That is where portals come in. Why move someone when you can forcibly connect two locations, just like looking through a window. Distance increases with Skill Level. Initial distance is five metres. Skill Level increases distance by Skill Level * five metres.

  Spacetime Control (Rare)

  Space and Time are inextricably linked. While Space Mages do not innately control Time, they can use Space itself to influence Time to a limited extent. While such workings are mana intensive, the results speak for themselves as spaces of sped up or slowed down time can be invaluable for storage, training or even defense. This Skill allows the user to slow down or speed up time within the spatial zones they create. Time is slowed by a 0.1 percent per Skill Level and additionally slowed by 0.1 percent per one hundred Magic Control.

  Nate read through the Skills quickly. Four were the same as last time and he had expected them. He’d also expected, given his plans for his Runic Gallery, that he would choose Spatial Expansion. As he had noted last time, he could achieve the same result with runes and his ability to improve materials, but doing so would be time consuming and expensive. Especially if he ever wanted to raise the space to Divine. He didn’t know the cost to raise a material to Divine yet, but he had a very strong suspicion it would require Divine Energy and far more of it than a Divine Skill would.

  Spatial Reinforcement and Spatial Control didn’t catch his attention at all. Spatial Portals was a consideration, but without Skills to support it, like he assumed Obsidian had, it would take a while to be useful. Still, a strong contender.

  Finally, there was the new Skill, Spacetime Control. Nate didn’t know if he got offered it due to acknowledging what Arikanvil had done, or for another reason such as working with Evindal. Whatever the reason, it would start out as an incredibly weak Skill, but could grow into a monster. It mentioned defense in the description and Nate just imagined creating a spatial zone to catch an enemy attack where time was sped up to the point that the energy in the attack simply expended itself. Or for his own crafting. Could he create a space that he could step into where time was slowed down to the point that he could burn through all his mana crafting, then step out and find that less than a minute had passed.

  How much time would that free up to focus on other things? Like his art, or spending time with the people he cared about? That last thought gave him pause. He had made an agreement with Arikanvil. Violating it would let Arikanvil act against him. And Arikanvil had tasks in mind for them. Tasks that would take him away from Galle. Take him away from the people he had come to know and love, as the Law of Reciprocity put a barrier between them. Something in him responded and a thought bubbled up. A thought not his own. He knew that The System would warn him before he violated the Law. More importantly, it had promised some assistance. He didn’t know what that meant, but as The System was the source of the Law itself, he knew it would pay him back, based on how much it valued what he had done. In time, he would have his answer. For now, his answer was simple. Spacetime Control was too good to pass on, and so without misgivings, he chose it for his second to last Skill from the Conceptual Realmwalker Class.

  With all his notifications seen to, he opened his Status and sighed tiredly. He’d come so far and he had so far to go. At least Kiri would be with him as he continued along this Path.

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