Masenia: Chapter 5 An Impromptu Meeting (Patreon)

Chapter 5

An Impromptu Meeting

Maria was floating, at least her consciousness was as she felt oddly lighter than air. Her spirit floated up as if it was a balloon endlessly floating into space. She floated up, up, high in the sky, then through the atmosphere, then to space, and finally a few more seconds passed as she felt her mind warp past the boundary of space, just in time for her to be pulled into a giant white room that glowed brightly.

Instantly Maria knew what had happened, she had died, this was it, the afterlife. She didn’t know how, other than she likely blew up her body by suddenly having so much energy infuse her body at once.

“Oh look at that, we got another spirit with the potential here.” One voice said, suddenly the voice distinguished itself from others and became a shade, or a shadow that was somehow slightly more tangible than the glowing white room that now surrounded her.

“Oh, you are right. Look at that another human. Pity they won’t remember us. Focus on the integration, it will come soon.” A second silhouette appeared from the stream of blinding lights. The second voice seemed to speak to her like she was some form of child.

“Oh look, it knows its soul’s true name.” Yet a third voice spoke.

“And it carved the soul’s name on its body in light blue.” The first voice commented.

“Smart move, that way you can always know what body is yours, even after an evolutionary upgrade.” The second voice said, still looking at Maria, though this time it reached out and plucked Maria’s consciousness from the pools of light.

Suddenly everything was so cold, as the warm light of the flowing liquid around her disappeared, leaving her small spirit wet and dripping away drops of energy.

Feeling the sudden lack of warmth, was very unnerving, and almost caused Maria to want to ball up and cry. But for some reason, she didn’t. Instead, she focused her mind on the present. No longer being submerged in the glowing liquid of energy, the world around her began to come into clarity as her eyes could adjust to the world around her. No, it wasn’t her eyes that were adjusting, but rather her very consciousness that was slowly sharpening.

“Oh look, she is brand new. But already here.” The third voice said, coming closer to peer at the now floating consciousness of Maria.

Maria felt a pulse of energy pulse through her from the two hands that held her up. The pulse seemed to tickle her in places that she didn’t know she had. The pulse went through her entire body, and then finally stopped at a portion of her mind.

“The poor thing. She is part of a world that hasn’t fully integrated yet. Worse, she has a partial memory lock.” The second voice said.

“A partial lock? But how is that possible?” The first voice asked.

“She was clearly sent back.” A fourth and elderly voice called out. Her aged voice speaking to a level of wisdom that seemed to stretch out beyond the comprehension of the universe.

“Why is she here then, should she be preparing her people?” The second voice asked, a wave of displeasure pulsing between her arms.

“Relax child, she was not the chosen one of her people. She is clearly here by mistake.” The fourth voice spoke.

“Not the chosen one? So, she’s what, a false prophet?” The third voice asked.

“Hardly, more like an inquisitive soul. One who punched far above her weight class to get here.” The Fourth Voice said.

“What should we do with her, she has met all the prerequisites, but as you say she is not the chosen one.” The first voice asked, confusion clearly in her tone.

“We should destroy her!” The Third voice said, a note of hostility radiating off of her.

Only now did Maria realize that all four spirits speaking were females, at least she somehow associated their presence with being feminine in some way.

“You can’t she already has the markers in place for being the First Cultivator, and the First Seer of her people. To lose so much now, before the integration of her planet, such a loss would be devastating. Judging by her soul, her people likely don’t have too many more times to get it right anyways. No, we will give her the other blessings, fully awaken her soul and send her on her way.” The fourth voice said.

“But she was the first one of her people here, by rights she should be marked as the Chosen One, as well.” The second voice said, sympathy and compassion leaking through her connection with Maria.

Maria for her own part tried to send thanks and well wishes back through their shared connection, though she was not entirely certain if it was working. Honestly she tried to speak, but felt that her mouth and body were gone, as such her normal means of producing sound and communicating were also gone.

“Look at her, already learning to progress her soul in a means to speak with us. Surely we cannot deny one so promising solely because they weren’t the ones we were supposed to see.” The fourth voice said.

That was it, whether it was the display of trying to share her emotions through her body, or the words of the eldest of the voices present, but finally the hostility in the room dwindled, and Maria found herself relaxing slightly.

“She is perceptive, I will give her that much.” The First voice said, as she noticed the way Maria seemed to relax when the killing intent in the room was suddenly removed.

“Yes, yes. Come on. We have wasted enough time. Let us go ahead and give her the minor blessings that all who come here can receive.” The third voice said, as she came over and pressed hard against Maria’s forehead.

Crack.

“Careful, you will break the protections in place to keep her from accessing her prior failures.” The second voice said, somewhat defensively.

“It was already broken, how else do you think she got here so quickly.” The third voice said a bit defensively.

“I sense she wishes to fly. That is the reason for her light blue coloring she chose it for aspect of air, not realizing that the aspect of air is closely tied to Divinations, as such I will grant her the gift of flight.” The first voice said.

With that Maria felt the burning sensation of two distinct hands grabbing her body and pinching tightly. The fingers were long and seemed to have a number of joints and knuckles along them. The fingers seemed to stretch across her back, as if she was nothing more than an infant being held in the warm embrace of a parent. A parent with burning hot hands that seemed to sear their way into her very soul.

Despite the pain, Maria could see the shape that the long alien fingers made across her back, especially once they had been removed. Once removed, they looked like wings, black raven wings, but wings all the same.

“For my blessing, I will grant you the full ability to see with your real eyes. You will see not only the souls of others, but their potentials, and how far along the way they are towards reaching their full potential.” The second voice said, as she gently pressed her forehead to Maria’s.

“What are you doing, that is a blessing solely for the Champion.” The first voice said angrily.

The second voice looked like she was about to defend her choice, but rather the fourth voice spoke up.

“It is a rare blessing, one that many can awaken over time. Though to receive it as a blessing is rare but not unheard of.” The wizened voice of the fourth spirit spoke.

Again, the first voice seemed like they wanted to complain, but would not do so after the fourth voice voiced their opinion.

“As for me child. I will not give you my true blessing, as that can only be given out to the Chosen one, I can however give you two minor blessings. The first is a guaranteed safe return to your body. And the second being a perfect evolution of your race.” The fourth voice said.

“A perfect evolution? Not even the Champion gets that.” The first voice spoke.

“Right, but the Champion’s base template is what this young one will get as their perfect evolution. Besides, we should reward innovation. Clearly this one is a survivor twice over. The fact that they have made it here, now, should be rewarded.” The fourth voice began, but sensing the way the first voice was still annoyed, they continued. “Also, with this, the odds of this one reaching the full might of their second evolution before the Champion, will be nearly impossible, meaning you likely won’t have to deal with her again.”

“Fine, throw her back in, if we are done with this.” The first voice said, clearly annoyed by the whole operation.

“Perhaps you should travel back with her, let an old one like me keep their word and what little power they still have left.” The fourth one said.

“Right.” The second voice, the one still holding Maria’s consciousness in the air said.

Maria didn’t feel touched by the fourth voice, at least not in the way she had for when the other three beings gave her their blessings. Still, she did feel an odd sense of power coursing through her. Before Maria could take too much time to evaluate the different sensations around her, she felt the second voice move with her. First, she was pulled in tightly against the silhouette of the second voice. Then with a blur of light, she felt her perception twist, as she felt a strange sense of pressure flow over her senses.

It took her mind a half second to process that the second voice, true to her word, had taken Maria back into and then through the blinding white light, and then down the different pathways of the universe. For a moment she could see and experience everything. Planets were being born into life, while others were being culled form existence in a constant cycle of life and death that seemed unending. Then she saw Earth, so beautiful and oddly more vibrant than she ever saw from any picture taken from space. It was so beautiful that it almost brought a tear to her eyes, knowing what would soon befall the planet.

“Don’t worry little one. If you succeed, any damage that happens can and will be undone. Or at least, you all will be powerful enough to fix the world to be a better place.” The second voice said soothingly, as she apparently could see and feel Maria’s concern over the still leaking memories.

Also, she couldn’t help but realize that now everything made so much more sense. Why she could only partially remember certain things, why her memories of her past were being bled through by her memories from the future.

“Yes, little one. It seems somewhere along the way you created an Indomitable will, one that cannot be suppressed even by the lazy gods that are overseeing your trials.” The second voice said.

At that Maria felt both happy and somewhat saddened. She was happy as it showed she was somehow special, that she had a reason why everything had been so off, the fact that she wasn’t crazy was a huge boon to her.

“I must warn you, you should take a moment now to look at your blessings. You were lucky you found us, but I would not suggest trying to find us again. Also, only while you are here will you be able to see your blessings, at least until your planet gets fully integrated. Honestly, I am surprised you have been able to do so much, so quickly. This speaks well for your planet’s chances at survival.” The second voice and temporary mother figure said.

With that, there was a pause, as Maria could see her body. She was unconscious at the Nurse’s office.

“Hurry, it looks like they are about to get serious.” The second voice said.

Maria almost asked what she was talking about, but then realized she likely meant that she would soon be taken to the emergency room, like her mother had all but demanded this morning. If that happened, there would be no stopping her.

Maria blinked, not remembering what she was supposed to do, but then remembered the strange voice’s warning.

With a moment of clarity, she pulled up her list of blessings.

Name: Maria Alvarez

Race: Human ***

Current Attribute Rating(s):  65 / 400 (All).

Blessing Received: Blessing of Spirit Stability: Your Power Attribute has evolved to be able to process spiritual essences.

Blessing Received: Blessing of Perfect Perception: Able to view the spirit of everyone. Allows the viewing of everyone’s true potential, along with their current progress towards achieving their true potential.

Blessing Received: Blessing of Perfect Evolution: You managed to perform a perfect evolution of your body, when going for your first transformation. Base Attribute Potential increased by +1,000% (Maximum of 400).

Titles:

First Cultivator: All attributes +10

First Seer: All Attributes +15, Visions

Having seen her status, she felt oddly nostalgic for some inexplicable reason. While her attributes were at 65, she knew that was more than the maximum for all unevolved humans. There was still so much she wanted to do, so much she needed to do.

Then just as she felt her soul being pushed back into her body, she received another system message.

World First Notice: First Perfect Evolved.

Title: First Perfect Evolution. You were the first of your kind to have a perfect evolution going into your first race change. +10 Spirit, Spirit +10%.

***

Whoosh.

Gasp!

There was a sudden falling sensation, as Maria felt her spirit violently plunge its way into her body. With a violent gasp for air, she awoke, sitting up, as her lungs expanded to take in a deep breath of air.

For a moment, Maria saw the world in different shades. There were people around, but they were blurry to her eyes, as their spirits didn’t glow brightly enough to fill their bodies. At least that was the case for most of the people present. Their spirits were small and nearly hollow as she scanned the room.

“You’re alive!” A voice called out from her side, before she felt a violent tackle hit her from the side.

Oddly despite the sudden force, Maria didn’t actually feel the impact. Not the way she would normally feel such an intense hug.

“She’s awake.” The same voice that was now clinging desperately to her said. With a note, she finally could comprehend the voice and why it sounded so familiar. It was her sister, though she felt like her head had been stuck into a blender stuck on the puree cycle for too long, she was slowly beginning to feel like her old self. Well, not her old self, as she clearly felt better than before.

“I am, now if you will let me up.” Maria said, as she fought her way through Anita’s hugging embrace in an attempt to stand up on her own two feet.

“No, you need to sit back down.” Ms. Sawyer, the school nurse said, in a tone that brokered no argument. At least the tone normally wouldn’t cause an argument, but Maria was not intimidated by such tones. “My goodness, what happened to your hair?”

“What again?” Maria asked, as she felt for the strands, only to find that they had gone away from the ashen white to her normal jet black color. The silky-smooth texture was still the same, but the adaptive coloring was now gone.

“Yeah, how did you do that?” Anita asked, suddenly dislodging herself from Maria’s side enough to take a good look at her hair.

“I didn’t do anything,” Maria protested, as she fought her way free. And began to stand up.

“I’m afraid you can’t go yet. Medical services are on their way.” The nurse said.

“I refuse treatment.” Maria said.

“You can’t refuse treatment.” The nurse quipped.

“I can and I do refuse treatment.” Maria said, forcing her way out of the nurse’s office. Her departure meant she had to move the nurse out of the way. Which in Maria’s case involved her simply picking up the fully grown woman at arm’s length, turning her body ninety degrees to the side, then dropping off said nurse, while exiting the doorway. Had Anita not seen it with her own eyes, she would have thought such a feat was impossible, she knew about leverage and physics, such a lift should have been impossible for her weaker sister, but having seen it for herself, she couldn’t help but gawk for a second. Then realizing her sister was getting away, she darted through the doorway and tried to follow her sister. Had she gotten bigger? Was it the white hair that made her appear shorter somehow?

These thoughts and more flooded her mind as she went to follow her sister.

“Wait, do you even know what period it is?” Anita asked.

That was a good question, at that Maria paused and answered honestly. “No, I do not.”

“We are at lunch.” Anita said, somewhat hesitantly.

At that Maria nodded in understanding, her body turning around as she went from the nurse’s room to the main corridor that would eventually link up with the cafeteria.

“Wait, do you want to at least eat with us?” Anita asked.

Maria turned to her sister, trying to figure out what she meant, but then realized she meant to sit at the jock table. Or the table that held all the athletes. This was part of their separating from each other, Anita got to choose to sit with the jocks, while Maria would sit with the electives. The kids that did afterschool band, drama, or other programs that were different from the various sports teams.

“I’m good.” Maria said, not wanting her sister to feel like she had to cater to her. Also, there was a lot going on right now, a lot that Maria herself wanted to try to sort out. Most importantly, she wanted to see if she could still see the little motes of energy that floated around.

At first she was concerned, as it appeared that the nurse’s office was completely cut off from the floating energy. But the minute she made her way to the main hallway, she saw the layers of energy return.

“Yes, she is up and refusing treatment.” The Nurse called out, her voice echoing down the hallway. Maria didn’t need to turn around to see that the nurse was on the phone, likely with the medical dispatch that came. “Well, I tried, but she physically moved me.”

A slight pause.

“No, she well she is 5’7 and weighs approximately one twenty. No, she is not violent. Yes, I am following her now.”

At this Maria just kept going out of the school to sit in the back court where upper classmen sat. This was the area normally claimed by the different sports teams, but today Maria wanted to be back there, if only to be closer to the motes of energy that were still spewing forth from the practice fields.

“She has stopped, and is now sitting cross legged in the senior courtyard out back of the school. Yes, I’ll wait.”

From the conversation, Maria felt it was going to be a long day.