A Gacha-Grimoire System's Fae Gamble Ch.3 (Patreon)

Dreams of crystal babies and darkly ethereal lovers plagued Fortuna’s sleeping mind. Then she woke up. And found out they weren’t dreams at all…

She knew warmth as her brain came back around to waking awareness. Dark, cozy warmth. The ‘pillow’ beneath her head shifted slightly, not even enough to disturb her if she’d still been asleep. Her trademark hat sat low on her face, covering her eyes. She reached up to move it and found a Fae vision of masculine beauty staring calmly back at her. The intense interest she saw in Edgar’s eyes set Fortuna’s heart aflutter. She’d caught the devoted attention of the Fae and he wouldn’t be letting her go easily, if at all…

Fortuna stared up at those Fae eyes. She felt as if she could lose herself within them without even trying. Her hand righted her hat on her head. Her other hand was clutched around something, holding it to her lower abdomen. Fortuna frowned slightly until she realized what it was. Then a thrill went through her, one of both dread and… excitement…?

“It was real…” She croaked.

“Painfully so,” Edgar’s lips twitched in amusement. “Personally, I think it’s quite an interesting development. I won’t be turning my back on it.”

“It’s… ours…?” Fortuna asked slowly, still finding her voice.

Edgar nodded, “Essentially. We’re both equally responsible for bringing it — her — into this world. Will you take responsibility?”

It was an honest question. There was no judgment in Edgar’s tone or words. He simply wished to know. Somehow, Fortuna knew his mind was already made up on the subject. Still, she froze as she thought about it for herself.

Would she…? Between her fingers, Fortuna held a Shardling. A baby Entity. One that had done none of the crimes of its ‘ancestors’. It may have been from Eden’s crystal ‘DNA’ but it wasn’t Eden, it wasn’t the Thinker. Fortuna somehow knew that as readily as she breathed.

The Path was suspiciously silent. Fortuna would find no help there. Not for this. The decision of what to do with the embryonic Entity was entirely up to her. For a moment, she was utterly lost, cradling a vial of blooming life in her palm. Then it pulsed with that beating light of life, magic, and… love… In that instant, Fortuna knew her answer.

Decision made, firm in her heart, Fortuna was able to process the rest of her surroundings. More specifically, the fierce argument happening in the same room between her peers and colleagues.

“We’re not going to KILL it! Are you mad?!” Keith shouted.

“Technically, it would be an abortion, not murder,” Doctor Mother pointed out ‘reasonably’.

“That doesn’t make it any better!” Keith snapped at her.

“It’s an Entity, Keith. What other choice do we have,” Rebecca argued, her voice stern and detached.

“We don’t know that!” Keith shot back. “We don’t know anything! We’re in entirely uncharted territory here! And I won’t let you kill something — someone! — Simply because they ‘could’ be a threat!”

“You’re forgetting our purpose, Keith,” Rebecca glared at him. “Permanently ending the threat of the Entities is the SOLE reason Cauldron exists.”

“This… thing…” David said, unsure what to call anything in their current situation. “Could disrupt the Path. Is a single… life… really worth potentially dooming humanity?”

Keith waved harshly, “That ship has already sailed! The Path we were following is shot to shit and has been since we successfully summoned a fucking Fae!”

“He has a point,” Kurt reasoned logically. “Multiple, actually. The Path is dead in the water. Contessa’s power is acting unreliably and unpredictably. And that may not even be a bad thing. The… child…? They could be Eden’s second coming. Or they could be the savior of humanity. We simply don’t have enough information to make any informed decisions right now.”

“… Eve,” Fortuna spoke up, stopping the argument dead in its tracks. “HER… name will be Eve. And she’s mine. Maybe not of my blood but my child all the same.”

Rebecca stared at her, as close to gaping as her usually placid expression ever got, “You can’t possibly be serious-…”

Fortuna turned her head to glare at flying brick — in power and personality… —, not willing to shift her head off Edgar’s lap pillow, “My decision is final.”

“Excellent~…” Edgar purred. “I would not accept anything less than that resolve from the mother of my child.”

“Shouldn’t we talk about this…?” David tried to reason.

“Yes,” Doctor Mother jumped on the chance to regain some semblance of control. “Surely, there’s more that must be considered-…”

Fortuna firmly denied their attempts, “No. It really is that simple. Eve will have her chance at life. I’ll raise her as my own. With or without Cauldron’s help.”

Her mind was made up. She would not abandon the life clutched to her womb. The origins of Eve’s crystal DNA wouldn’t affect that. Fortuna wouldn’t let it. Nor would she allow Cauldron to interfere. She’d given the grand conspiracy her whole life. Every moment was devoted to the Path. Fortuna felt she’d more than earned the chance to be a little ‘selfish’.

Her gaze, unflinching upon the rest of Cauldron, said as much. Fortuna wouldn’t back down an inch. Not on this. Her determination was met with mixed reactions from her colleagues. Doctor Mother and David flinched, unwilling to demand anything of her. They knew they wouldn’t win. Rebecca simply stared at her, expression unreadable. The Path whispered of the complexity inside her — of ways to gain her begrudging acknowledgment and placate her… jealousy…? By comparison, Keith looked proud and sympathetic — he’d adopted a child himself, Fortuna remembered. Kurt’s expression was calculating — it always was — as he openly tried to figure out what all of this would mean for Cauldron’s true goals.

It wasn’t as if Fortuna was completely abandoning her duties and ambitions. The moment she’d made her decision, the Path had spun up into action. Only now, it was forced to adapt to the unknown. Her Shard seemed strangely ecstatic about the opportunity. Truthfully, it wasn’t just the Path that changed, but Fortuna’s definition of ‘Victory’ as well. She no longer simply wished to rid Earth of the Entities. There was more at stake now, more to consider.

“The Path still holds true,” Fortuna explained. “Simply… changed. Earth… Cauldron… We’ll all have to be ready and willing to change with it. There are new possibilities available to us.”

“Like what?” David asked, not meeting Fortuna’s scarily steady gaze.

“Well, for one…” Fortuna paused. “We now have the one true heir to the Cycle on our hands.”

Her words took a moment to set in. The others stared at her, slowly processing them. Doctor Mother was the first to break the stunned silence, “Surely, you don’t mean-…?”

“In truth, nothing has changed. We trust the Path. It will lead us to victory,” Fortuna interrupted, pointedly not mentioning what that ‘Victory’ was with Eve included in the Path.

David slowly nodded, “Well, when you put it like that…”

“Wonderful~!” Edgar injected himself into Cauldron’s convincing conversation with a chuckle and a clap. “I’m glad you could work that out between yourselves. I would have hated to have to step in.”

Cauldron exchanged wary glances at that comment. Even Fortuna. Edgar gracefully didn’t mention what his luck might have done to smooth over the outcome they’d come out to. It was nothing much to a Fae. A few perfectly chosen words and inflections of tone here and there. But then, Mother always said humans were strangely uncomfortable with influences they couldn’t see.

“Now,” He continued. “In all the excitement, I’m afraid we skipped over a rather important introductory ritual. You have my name. May I have yours~?”

“Oh, fuck no,” Keith scoffed. “There’s no way I’m giving a Fae my name. You can call me Legend if you have to call me anything at all.”

Edgar grinned with lazy amusement, “The Fae Magic is more involved than just that but the general sentiment and caution are not undue. Many of my peers would attempt to rob you blind. I, however, shall take your introduction in the spirit it was given. Furthermore, I promise not to act out of malice with the information you give me now.”

“‘Now’,” Rebecca repeated.

Edgar’s grin grew ever wider at her perceptiveness but he didn’t say anything more. Still, his light twisting of words was noted and even with his promise, the other Cauldron members followed in ‘Legend’s’ footsteps.

“Alexandria.”

“Doctor Mother.”

“Eidolon.”

“Number Man.”

Until, that is, the introductions got to Fortuna, “… Fortuna.”

Keith drew in a sharp, hissed breath. Fortuna ignored him. And the others. She stared up at Edgar as if daring him to go back on his word. Edgar’s Fae interest in her spiked even higher than it already was. She was turning out to be a truly fortuitous find~.

The others warily awaited his reaction but Edgar just chuckled, “Feeling brave, my dear Fortuna of the Fetching Hat~?”

Despite the control over her reactions granted to her by the Path, Fortuna blushed at the oddly flattering title, “Something like that.”

“You are truly fascinating, my dear~,” Edgar shot her a sultry smile before sighing. “Alas, I am also interested in the rest of your world. I’m afraid I can’t give you all of my venerable focus. I simply won’t pass up this chance to explore outside the Faewilds.”

“That can be arranged,” Fortuna said quickly, sitting up as an experimental Path took shape in her mind.

It was a unique experience, planning around something she couldn’t predict. Not because she’d never done so before. Eidolon and the Endbringers were blindspots to the Path, as was Scion himself. But not in the same way as Edgar. They were all forced blanks in the Path. Edgar was visible, and all the more confusing because of that. Fortuna and the Path tried to predict him. It ‘worked’. But Fortuna already knew the steps around and including him wouldn’t go anywhere near to plan. He was a truly uncontrollable variable and that prospect thrilled Fortuna and the Path instead of terrifying them as it likely should.

“Your assistance would be greatly appreciated~,” Edgar nodded agreeably. “Mostly in transportation. While I could manage by myself, I’d rather not.”

“Where would you like to go?” She asked, holding up a hand to stop the rest of Cauldron from potentially interfering in her ‘negotiations’.

“Someplace interesting. Surprise me~,” Edgar chuckled. “I’m not exactly working with a full map at the moment, after all~.”

Fortuna stood and Edgar followed. She took a moment to consider his request, trying to ignore how much she was now looking up at him. A few ideas came to mind and the Path projected future events off of them. With each one, Fortuna ran into the same problem. The Path simply couldn’t predict Edgar as she was used to. And while that was exciting, it made her decision somewhat difficult.

Eventually, though, she nodded, “I believe I have somewhere in mind.”

Some kind of trepidation must have leaked into Fortuna’s voice. Or perhaps it was planted there for the Path to further test out Edgar’s reactions and his investment in her. Still, the result was the same and if it was the latter, Edgar didn’t seem to mind being manipulated at all.

The Fae Prince gently took hold of Fortuna’s chin and tilted her face up to look at him, “Listen close now, my Fortuna~, I won’t completely abandon the mother of my child. If you or our child ever need me, simply say my name. Heaven and Earth shall part before me. You have my word.”

“Mn…” Fortuna blushed but didn’t look away as she made a little noise of acknowledgment. “You’re… taking this whole situation remarkably well… Edgar. I wasn’t sure you’d be this quick to claim Eve yourself. Or me…”

“This situation has been as unexpected as it is interesting,” Edgar nodded. “But I’ve never been one to avoid responsibility. Especially not for a chain of events I helped set in motion.”

“That’s… good to know,” Just a few words, said simply, but they carried much more weight than Fortuna intended them to.

Something Edgar picked up on, “You’ll get to know me very well in due time, my Fortuna. Perhaps we will become lovers. Perhaps we will only share custody of little Eve. No matter the outcome, I so swear — as Raven Prince of the Winter Court — that my responsibility to you shall not go unfulfilled.”

Fortuna smiled slightly with his promise, the expression barely there on her lips. Then she schooled her face, growing serious, “Door me, Ciara’s Cell.”

A portal appeared behind Edgar and Fortuna didn’t give him any time to protest or say goodbyes that already felt premature. She pushed him through the portal, eyes locked to his the entire time. Edgar laughed and allowed himself to be pushed. The interest quite literally shining in his eyes was palpable, a promise of ever more to come that sent shivers she barely understood down Fortuna’s spine.

Then, he was through the threshold and the portal disappeared behind him. Fortuna took a single moment to sigh and collect herself. When she turned back to the rest of Cauldron, her face was the impassive mask, always devoted to the Path, that they knew. The proverbial (and literal) hat was back on.

“David,” She said curtly. “I need you to take on a construction power of some kind.”

She continued, taking charge, when he hesitated, “Chop chop! We have a nursery to build! Rebecca, you’re going to help with any heavy lifting. Kurt, Eve isn’t going to pay for herself.”

David and Rebecca moved to obey automatically, so used to following Fortuna and the Path that they didn’t stop to question it until they were already in motion, “… Wait, what the Hell are we doing…?”

“What’s necessary!” Fortuna glared them into submission (mostly David).

Kurt chuckled, “I do believe things are going to be very different around here going forward.”

As David, Rebecca, and Kurt made themselves busy with their Path-assigned tasks, Doctor Mother excused herself, seemingly stuck in a state of perpetual shock by the entire situation. That left Keith alone with Fortuna, looking at her strangely with a single question on his lips — an achievement considering all the chaos the Fae had brought with him.

“… Did you really just send the Fae to the Faerie Queen’s cell?”

Fortuna smirked mischievously, “All signs point to yes~…”

IIIII

“I find myself quite taken with her,” Edgar mused aloud as he watched the portal close.

[+200P via time elapsed, 700P total… It’s a very nice hat.]

“That it is,” Edgar chuckled. “Now, where has my good lady sent us, hmm?”

Edgar examined his new surroundings, stretching out with his Fae senses. A world within an ungilded cage. The story of the place was laid bare to him, countless ballads that had been sentenced to their fate. On the outside, it seemed as if those stories had come to an end. Yet within, they continued, limited but not yet chained.

He stood within a rather spartan dwelling. A cell of some kind. Even though physical shackles were unnecessary inside the Birdcage, there was no shaking the feeling of confinement. There were no bars. And no windows either. The door was left open, letting anyone come and go as they pleased… if they dared…

Because the queen of that limited realm held court within the cell. It was a scene Edgar was intimately familiar with, amusing to see recreated in such a mortal way. With nothing more than a bed and desk to call her own, a young blonde wisp of a girl made as if she was looking down upon Edgar from a throne of shadows… The effect was greatly diminished by the fact that she had to crane her neck to look up at him, even from her shadowy throne.

She was Earth Bet’s Faerie Queen. A cape named Glaistig Uaine… a young girl named Ciara… Despite her assumed title, she was very much not of the Fae. She was merely a parahuman with a terrifyingly potent power over powers, who saw more than she should and coped in the only way she could. Her shadows were other parahumans, claimed as imprinted thralls upon their deaths, either at Ciara’s hand or otherwise.

With a single glance, Edgar saw as much. He saw that she was truly nothing more than human, nothing more than a girl broken by visions of Entities beyond her ken. Still, her claim of Fae power had not left her unaffected. She believed in her title, delusionary as it may have been. It opened a route for a true Fae to walk into her life. ‘Someplace interesting, indeed~,’ Edgar chuckled internally.

“Greetings and salutations, Your Grace,” Edgar sketched a slight bow.

“Hmph,” Ciara sniffed, acting adorably imperious. “You have manners, at least. Still, you intrude upon my realm, aided by the Eye, the Observer, and the Passage-Maker. Name yourself friend or foe before I am forced to strike you down, trespasser.”

Edgar grinned at the precious human playing at being Fae, “Gladly~. I am Edgar, Raven Prince of the Winter Court. I would be honored to have your name, young queen~…”

Ciara sat up straight, her movements slightly stiff, “You may not have it. But I will give you permission to use it in the spirit it is given. You will call me Glaistig-… Ciara. You will call me Ciara… your royal highness…”

Her discretion got an almost proud look out of Edgar, “Clever girl~. You recognize me. Not by name or title but by nature.”

It wasn’t said as a question and Ciara didn’t mistake it for one, nodding in confirmation, “… I do. I was not expecting… foreign dignitaries… to include themselves in the dying dance of two courts. If I may, Your Highness… what brings you here?”

“I am on a quest…” Edgar declared with a pause, leaning in as if sharing a secret. “To find my lost amusement!”

To her surprise, Ciara actually giggled at that — a light, airy, childlike sound that she thought lost to herself upon taking up her mantle as Faerie Queen, “Hehehe~, how noble of you, Raven Prince.”

Playing up his part, Edgar nodded ‘nobly’, “Yes, and humble as well. A hundred-plus years with my peers in the Winter Court may have drained my will to live but I’m not even out for revenge!”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Your Highness. I hope you find your lost amusement in due haste,” Ciara said seriously, suppressing her unseemly humor. Speaking with a proper prince of the Fae had her quite nervous, though she thought she hid it well.

Edgar, of course, easily noticed the young Faerie Queen’s nerves and took it upon himself to continue bringing her out of her shell, “I’ve made good progress already. First, my lady Fortuna of the Fetching Hat. And now, you, little Ciara. The Faeling Queen in training.”

Ciara blushed lightly, “My existence does not offend you, Milord…?”

“Anything but!” Edgar assured.

“T-Truly?” She asked shakily.

“Truly,” He confirmed with a soft smile meant just for her.

Ciara worried at her lip for a moment, unsure of the warm, fluttery feelings that his approval inspired in her breast, “… Would you like to meet my subjects, Milord?”

“I am merely a guest in your court, Ciara. I could hardly hope to impose,” Edgar demurred.

“Nn,” Ciara shook her head with a small noise. “Tis no imposition. It would be an honor.”

“Introduce away then,” Edgar waved agreeably.

He smiled as she brought forth some of the shadowy court she’d gathered. They were far from magic, far from even simple ghosts. Still, they were fascinating in their own way, like nothing he’d seen before. Something like projected memories and preserved connections to something beyond dimensional walls. Edgar indulged the girl who so badly wished to be a Fae, more than happy to greet each ‘spirit’ she brought forth from her mind and power.

Ciara herself used the activity, the familiarity offered by her court, to conceal her inner turmoil. Something had changed with Edgar’s appearance. Something in her mind and in the great game between the two ‘Fae’ courts she knew. Faced with a true Fae, Ciara was forced to acknowledge and confront her Fae dreams as nothing more than mere delusions.

Not entirely. She knew she still saw something in those dreams. But that ‘something’ wasn’t of the Fae as she’d thought, as she’d hoped and wished and deluded herself. Even partially broken from her delusions of Fae grandeur, she couldn’t completely grasp the truth. The Cycle, Entities, and their Shards were beyond her comprehension, and in a way, she didn’t wish to abandon her Fae dreams.

She’d been right! And yet, so wrong in that ‘rightness’… She could no longer deny that she’d been mistaken. Meeting the Raven Prince, Ciara would never again mistake Shard-granted powers for Faerie Magic. She could see the difference with her eyes now, feel it in her bones. The Fae — the true Fae — were as incomprehensible as the Entities. But they were so in a distinctly different way. Her ignorance banished on the flap of a raven’s wing, Ciara could see that in Edgar, Honored Guest of her court.

Where the Entities were an alien sort of logic, the Fae were ‘illogic’-incarnate, only comprehensible at all through the ancient, legendary rules that bound them. Those stories she loved… before… They saved Ciara now. She didn’t forget her manners. She didn’t allow the Fae to steal her name. She promised herself that she would always keep her word when dealing with him and any others she recognized as his kin.

Still, the Raven Prince… Edgar… was amazing! Other than being forced to confront her Fae delusions, Ciara had been grinning like a loon inside since he appeared! He was everything she’d imagined, everything she’d dreamed about so many times when she was merely… Ciara. He was unique in the mundanity of the world she knew, a spark of magic that shined past even the alien logic of the Two Courts.

Despite his Fae nature, there was something inherently relatable about him. Something almost… human. Ciara didn’t know if she recognized it because of how long she’d assumed the mantle of Faerie Queen or if it truly was there, a human influence woven into the core of his Fae being. In the end, it didn’t matter. He was kinder than Ciara expected of a true Fae. He was willing to listen and humor her, not simply out of fear but because he knew there was truth to her ‘act’. And though she would hesitate to admit it, his approval soothed cracks in her fragile mind.

She imagined that having a loving, fondly patient, big brother in her life would not be so different from this…

Before Ciara realized it, she’d gone through her entire court, almost giddy to be talking to someone she felt understood, TRULY understood. She briefly worried that the conversation would lapse, that she’d spoken too much, that she’d wholly run through the Raven Prince’s patience. Edgar immediately proved those worries unfounded, seamlessly transitioning into a story from his Winter Court that had Ciara listening with rapturous attention.

“-The misguided fools thought to poison me. A common tactic in the Winter Court, especially amongst my younger peers. It takes a few decades to grow out of that decidedly unsubtle phase of Fae youth. This attempt was only notable because so many had joined forces against me. Enough even that there were two separate factions that each attempted to taint the food and drink. Both failed miserably, of course, since I knew much better than to indulge in the offerings of the Winter Court’s public parties, even back then. At the end of the night, I simply walked out of the grand hall as the two competing factions began to collapse where they danced.”

Ciara giggled, feeling the ability to be free with her laughter for the first time in years, “And what did your royal mother think of the chaos you left in your wake~?”

Edgar gave a small smile, his eyes briefly distant as he remembered, “She was very proud.”

[Feat: Entrance the Faerie Queen, +100P… I really should have expected this.]

[800P total. Would you like to roll the Gacha? Y/N]

With the reminder, a smile and an idea sprung to Edgar’s face, “Say, little Ciara~? Would you like to do something fun~?”

She cocked her head at him, assuming her overly formal manner of speech with her confusion, “Something fun…? What doest thou mean, Raven Prince?”

At that moment, she was the cutest damn human that ever was in Edgar’s mind. He smirked, “Perhaps it would be better to just show you. Can we do that, System~?”

“System-…?” Ciara’s not-quite-question was cut off by an illusionary window appearing before her eyes. She squeaked and Edgar chuckled.

Though Ciara blushed at his laughter, she quickly recovered, swatting his arm with ‘uncharacteristic’ immaturity, “S-Silence! Y-Your Fae Magicks merely surprised me!”

“Of course, Your Grace, of course,” Edgar smirked. “Though this is not Fae Magic. It is something else. Something unique and curious even to me.”

“It is?” Questions bubbled in Ciara’s mind. “I did not, um… I did not know such a thing was possible, My Prince.”

“I am not infallible, Ciara,” Edgar chuckled and shook his head. “Far from it. If anything, I’m still rather young. Scarcely more than 20 on a human scale.”

“Wow…” Ciara mumbled, shocked out of her usual formality by the candidness in that admittance. She would never have expected to be confided in by a Fae.

Edgar continued, “Indeed, in some ways, I am less worldly than my years may suggest. All 200 or so of them have been spent confined to the Winter Court before now. Regardless, this ‘System’ was visited upon me. And it sent me on this quest to regain the interest in the world that I had lost.”

“How does it work?” Ciara asked curiously.

“It’s quite simple, really,” Edgar said, grinning with wicked amusement. “… By gambling.”

Ciara blinked, “Gambling…?”

“You know, games of luck and chance~,” Edgar teased.

Ciara definitely didn’t pout, no matter how much her cheeks seemed to puff up, “Yes, I am aware of what gambling is. It is merely strange to hear about a power that works in such a way. None of my subjects have anything close to similar.”

“Neither do the Fae but I’ve been having fun with it so far,” Edgar chuckled before growing serious. “I trust you realize that I am placing my faith in you with this. I do not reveal this easily. The System is what makes my current quest possible. And while I very much doubt anyone or anything in your world could separate me from it, I would be very cross if that event somehow came to pass.”

Ciara matched the gravity of his tone, “Of course, Raven Prince. You have my discretion, I swear. Any and all of your secrets shall always be safe with me. And I shall ever strive to live up to the faith you have placed in me.”

“Very good,” Edgar nodded with a satisfied and again, proud smile on his face. “I knew I was right about you, little Ciara. We’ll make a true Faerie Queen out of you yet.”

His smile quickly spread to Ciara’s face as well, a giddy thing that left her cheering and pumping her arms victoriously inside. Moments later, she did her best to school her expression, “A-Ahem, you honor me, Raven Prince. N-Now, how doest thou ‘System’ work…? And how may I help?”

The way Ciara fell back on her overly formal persona whenever she was flustered was simply adorable, Edgar thought. She truly was an interesting find. He’d have to thank his lady Fortuna for sending him here first, even without having explored the rest of this ungilded cage.

“Now,” Edgar repeated and elaborated. “You act as my lucky charm, little Faerie Queen. I have a sizable portion of ‘pulls’ saved up. Together, we shall enjoy the thrills of magical gambling~!”

Ciara sniffed to hide her excitement and humor, “Hmph, how ignoble… Corrupting the youth via temptations of luck and chance.”

Edgar laughed, “I am indeed a wicked, wicked Fae. Does that mean you no longer wish to assist me~?”

Ciara sniffed again, “… I did not say that.”

“Then if you would, my little Faerie Queen,” Edgar waved his hand with a flourish, the System following his will. “Let us roll the dice~.”

The System ‘window’ before Ciara’s eyes flashed, grabbing her attention. Slowly, almost nervously, she reached forward. Her outstretched finger impacted nothing and yet everything happened from there.

[Rolling…!]

Ciara jumped slightly at the flashing lights that danced in her vision. They were much prettier than they should have been. Colors that Ciara couldn’t begin to describe, yet that reminded her of gold and silver, ran up and down along the frame of the window. A rapidly clicking roulette wheel spun, its seemingly infinite options a blur and somehow perfectly clear at the same time.

Ding! [I However Am Real - Magitek (Marvel 2099, 200P)]

Edgar hummed as the Gacha rolled its first pull of the session, the perk’s description filtering into his and Ciara’s minds, “Hmm, intriguing. I don’t have any way to explore this ‘virtual reality’. I’m not even fully sure what it is. Your thoughts, little Ciara?”

Ciara simply stared at the magic — real magic quantified and distilled into power with an actual description — for a moment before responding, “It’s beautiful… True magic, granted by a seemingly simple spin of the wheel…”

“Ciara?” Amused by her reaction, Edgar got her attention with a snap of his fingers. “I would like your honest opinion, not unthinking awe. Perhaps you can enlighten me about this ‘virtual reality’?”

“A-Ah…!” Ciara twitched, startled slightly. “Of course. My apologies, Raven Prince. Virtual reality typically refers to the realm of the digital. Realms composed entirely of information made real. Such is not my strongest suit either, unfortunately. And of course, I shall defer the final decision to you.”

“Well, it seems like a perk that will open doors for me in the future,” Edgar considered for a moment, eying Ciara as she still tried to conceal her awe for REAL MAGIC! “But I think there is a more important consideration than my potential future adventures. This is the first perk you’ve rolled. I think I shall purchase it just for that.”

Ciara turned to look at him with wide eyes of almost worshipful awe, “T-Truly…? You would grant me such a privilege? You would spend your magically valued, precious currency merely to mark the occasion for me?”

“Not only for you,” Edgar smirked slightly. “But yes. Firsts should be celebrated. Don’t you agree, my little Faerie Queen~?”

Ciara couldn’t help herself. She squealed and leaped from her shadowy throne like an excitable babe. Edgar didn’t have to do any of this, she knew. But here he was, involving her and indulging her. Not only that, he’d invited her to take part in his secret System and even gone so far as to make her first ‘roll’ special. Though she was Earth Bet’s Faerie Queen with countless subjects beneath her, Ciara was painfully isolated from the rest of the world. With everything he’d done and continued to do, Edgar had firmly broken through her shell and cemented himself as the best Fae big brother Ciara could have asked for!

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Ciara repeated, latching onto Edgar with a tight hug around his neck that left her feet dangling a good foot and a half off the ground.

Edgar froze for a moment, completely unused to being shown affection like this, “Err… You’re welcome…? I did not realize it would be this important to you.”

Ciara laughed, almost incredulously, her face smiling against the feathers of his cloak, “Don’t be silly! You’re spending something that could be used to buy MAGIC, simply because it would make this experience special for me. I’m sure most people — Fae or not — wouldn’t even THINK of doing that!”

[Feat: Best Faerie God-Brother Ever! Honestly, you two are sickeningly cute… +100P, 900P total.]

[Perk purchased. 700P total remains in the bank.]

[I However Am Real - Magitek (Marvel 2099, 200P): When most beings enter cyberspace it is only as a virtual reality avatar, their mind is there but they are not actually real. You, however, are different. You may enter cyberspace, VR, or simulated realities as yourself, forcing them to bend around the full nature and capabilities of your true self, able to use your powers and abilities even if they were not programmed into the simulation.]

“O-Oh…” Edgar blinked as it was all spelled out for him. Very quickly, he shook off his shock, “Alright, enough of that, little Faerie Queen. Remember your manners. This is getting unseemly. And you really shouldn’t get into the habit of thanking the Fae. I won’t use it against you this time, but willingly putting yourself in another’s debt, even mine, is never a good idea.”

Grinning, Ciara dismounted him, alighting herself back on the ground with dainty grace and a still-wide smile, “Of course, Raven Prince. I will always strive to keep your advice in mind. Shall we continue?”

Edgar rolled his eyes and waved a hand to continue. Thankfully, the Gacha had been tactful enough to pause the rolling session so they could have their moment. With Edgar’s wave, the rolling resumed.

[Rolling…!]

“How many chances do we have here?” Ciara asked curiously.

“Eight,” Edgar answered with a shrug. “We could have one more now but I think that should be enough.”

Ding! [Invasion - Domain (Dark Souls 1, 600P)]

Ciara paled slightly, having a better idea of the value within the System after her first roll, “That is a lot of points…”

“Indeed,” Edgar nodded. “The perk itself could be fun though. Mostly for tricks and pranks. Being able to affect changes from a parallel dimension overlaid onto reality would open many proverbial doors. Or literal doors, I suppose…”

“Still, I do not think it is worth the expense,” Ciara opined.

“We’ll see what else we ‘pull’,” Edgar decided. “Thankfully, rolls from a single session don’t disappear back to where they came from until the wheel is done spinning entirely.”

[Rolling…!]

Ding! [Firebombs - Making (Dark Souls: War of the Ancients, 50P)]

“Oh…” Ciara deflated slightly at the lackluster pull. “Simple grenades by another name. Several of my subjects could do better on their own.”

Edgar laughed, “But that’s part of the fun, isn’t it~? The ups and downs of gambling, with a sense of wonder and magic and exploration! If every roll was some big winner, I think I would lose interest rather quickly, no matter what personal strength the System offered.”

“I suppose…” Ciara nodded, not sure she completely agreed.

Ding! Ding! Ding! SSR PULL! [Sealed True Name - Source (Skulduggery Pleasant, 1400P)]

[Sealed True Name - Source (Skulduggery Pleasant, 1400P): Somehow, you discovered your True Name, and, through a process that may or may not have involved temporarily killing yourself and carving a delicate series of runes into your own heart, you have sealed your True Name.

[This offers a number of considerable benefits. First of all, your name being sealed means it cannot be used against you, even if others know it. Second, it enhances your magic tremendously, affording you a considerable boost in both raw power and your growth rate. While this will not grant you access to an unlimited font of raw magical power until you attain your Spark, it will make it so your well of magical energy grows by leaps and bounds continuously, even without any training or effort on your part.

[This perk also grants you a notable healing factor, which scales in effectiveness as your overall magic capacity grows larger. With enough magical power, your body could heal itself from being shot in the head fast enough that the entry wound closes before the bullet exits the back of your skull. Even more impressive than this is your ability to copy any discipline of magic by seeing it in action only a single time, though it will take practice and time to build up a greater level of skill in wielding it.

[Learning your True Name has also given you access to the souls and consciousnesses of others, allowing you to manipulate and destroy them as you desire. This allows you to do things like tearing Remnants from their hosts, regardless of how long they have been fused. You can see the magic of others, and even cycle through their souls, seeing everything they have seen and learning everything they know before absorbing it for yourself, as Darquesse did to Argeddion in Dying Of The Light.]

Even more than normal, the System flashed with lights and sounds. The world itself seemed to rejoice. The System practically pumped its arms with victorious luck! Edgar suddenly went very, very still…

His voice, when it came out, was deadly serious, “I want-… No, I NEED that perk.”

“Yes… Yes, I can see why. I cannot think of many more things that would fit the Fae so well,” Giddy butterflies fluttered in her stomach (she’d made that happen!) as Ciara gaped at the SSR perk. Then her heart ached as she realized something. “But… you don’t have enough to afford it…”

Bringing himself back down to reality, Edgar took a steadying breath, “That won’t be a problem. The System has the ability to ‘save’ one perk at a time. It has its downsides but I think they’ll be well worth it in this case. And thankfully, those downsides won’t affect the rest of this session. RIGHT, SYSTEM…?”

His tone grew dark and serious with his last two words, sending a visceral shudder up Ciara’s spine as the Fae glared at seemingly nothing. For a moment, she was reminded of the dark stories of twisted Fae curses — reminded that though Edgar was remarkably personable, he was still a Fae Prince of the Winter Court. Strangely enough, it seemed as if the System was reminded of the same. From her weak and temporary connection to its wonders, she felt the curious thing nod frantically.

Edgar nodded as well, lightening up, “Very good. I would hate to cut Ciara’s fun short.”

[Perk reserved… Bully… Rolling!]

Ding! [Flame On! - Transformation (Marvel Civil War, 400P)]

The instant the perk was rolled, Edgar waved dismissively, “Boring. Next.”

Ciara couldn’t help but giggle, “Many Shard Hosts would kill to have a power so potent.”

[Don’t I know it… Rolling!]

Edgar rolled his eyes, “Ignore it. The System has entirely too much personality for its own good at times.”

Ding! [Original User - Divination (Kara no Kyokai, 200P)]

“Oho~? Eyes for the Origin of one’s self~?” Edgar chuckled. “Ciara, little one, you truly are my good luck charm, it seems~. I do believe that’s a keeper~.”

[Perk purchased. 500P total remains in the bank.]

[Original User - Divination (Kara no Kyokai, 200P): If the Origin is the very core of someone’s character, wouldn’t seeing the Origin be like understanding the person fully? Past all the lies, misdirection, and facades, people can’t change what they truly are. Being able to see that Origin becomes like playing with a full deck of cards while everyone else is left with scraps.

[You can visualize the Origin of any being you see, gaining an intimate understanding of their true character and nature from that experience. It makes it fairly easy to manipulate others, to cause them fear, or lead them along into your plans, because you know what it is that drives them.

[Should you have their consent, you can even Awaken their origin by force. It draws out their potential, especially in magical terms, and can even result in gaining strange new abilities. But their Origin will affect them more and more, depending on how deeply you awakened them. Perhaps they might even be consumed by their own selves, a self-eating snake that demonstrates to all others the folly of living for one thing alone. In future jumps, you’ll remain able to see and awaken Origins and potentially even similar enough traits to Origins.]

Ciara cocked her head slightly, “It does seem potently useful. I am curious though, what do the accompanying… phrases…? Categories are relatively apparent in my mind. But that ‘Kara no Kyokai’ portion? What does that mean?”

“You know, I am unsure as well,” Edgar considered. “The original user or creator of the magic, perhaps? Ah, no, it refers to the realm the perk is copied from. Fascinating~.”

Ciara blinked, “… I’m starting to think this ‘System’ is even more potent than you have led me to believe.”

Edgar smirked, “Who could tell~?”

[Rolling…!]

Ding! [The Streets of Paris - Divination (Miraculous Ladybug, 100P)]

“Ah, back to the flops, it seems,” Edgar sighed.

Ciara nibbled on her lip, “… I think you should take this one as well.”

Edgar raised an eyebrow at her, “An interesting stance. Your reasoning, little Ciara~?”

“You are foreign to this world,” Ciara said quickly, anxious to make her case. “And while I do not doubt you could make your own way, it would be prudent to have additional aid. If there is someplace in an urban environment, no matter how hidden, this perk will allow you to find it eventually. For only 100P, I think that’s a rather good bargain.”

Edgar gave her a small approving nod and smile that had Ciara’s mask breaking into a giddy grin, “Well spoken and well reasoned. I’ll offer a counterargument but don’t think I am trying to diminish your opinion, little one. Simply put, the perk doesn’t offer me anything that a well-drawn map wouldn’t. Is that worth the cost when I will be saving up for the SSR perk after this?”

Ciara frowned before sighing, “No, I cannot say with certainty that it is.”

“There, there, little Faerie Queen~,” Edgar chuckled. “At another time, I would have agreed with your reasoning. So, chin up. We still have one last roll left.”

[Rolling…!]

Ding! [Fantasy Seal - Control (Touhou Project: Forbidden Hermit, 600P)]

“Dang it…” Ciara pouted, she couldn’t stop herself. “You can’t afford it. What a lousy way to end things… A-Ah, I mean… ’Tis unfortunate that our fun must come to an end here. Verily so.”

“Verily, indeed,” Edgar laughed. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

Despite readopting her formal mannerisms, Ciara smiled brightly, “Verily!”

“And you’re sure you know what that word means~?” Edgar teased.

“Verily! Verily means verily, verily so,” Ciara giggled.

“Enough, enough~! I believe you,” Edgar shook his head fondly. “You, little Faerie Queen, are a menace.”

“Verily~!”

For the first time in years, Ciara felt free to laugh. The visions were silent and Ciara felt like a version of herself she’d thought lost. Ever since a certain Fae Big Brother walked into her routine imprisonment, Ciara was genuinely, genuinely happy.