The Tears of Kas̆dael

Jasper opened his eyes to find Kas̆dael looming over him. “Well, what did you see?”

He took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering, but the task proved beyond him. “Honestly, I don’t know,” he admitted. “We were back in our old apartment, the little one we had before Alex was born. I was about 5, I think.”

“We were all in the kitchen, just eating supper, when a man came to the door.”

“Your father?”

“I suppose so,” he replied with a frown. “Frankly, he didn’t seem interested in me at all. Barely even glanced at me. My sister, on the other hand-” he trailed off suggestively.

Kas̆dael’s brows gathered. “Are you referring to the one who died? Jenny, was it?”

“Yeah, Jenny.” His voice thickened as he said the name, and an unexpected feeling of grief surged up again. It had been so long since she had died, but seeing her again, even if was only a memory, had brought those feelings rushing back. “I’m surprised you remembered.”

“Gods forget little,” she replied. “So your father was primarily interested in the same sister that died far too young. I wonder if there’s a connection there,” she added idly. “What else did you learn?”

“Honestly?” Jasper ran his fingers through his hair with a deep sigh. “The whole conversation between my mom and him was frustratingly vague. They were obviously trying to keep us from understanding what they were arguing about which, I get - arguing in front of the kids isn't great - but it made it so damn hard to follow.”

“From what I gathered, my mom left him because there was something about his family she didn’t like. Or maybe it was the place he lived; she said something about not allowing us to be born there.”

“Most of the conversation was about Jenny, though. It seems my sister was gifted with whatever power he possessed, and my mom was desperate to keep him away from her. I, on the other hand, wasn’t gifted, and he didn’t seem to give a crap about me,” he added with a touch of bitterness.

“You seem to favor your mother's race in appearance and magic. Perhaps your sister was the opposite,” Kas̆dael hypothesized.

“Maybe. All I know is that both times he saw me, he seemed pretty disinterested and just called me weak.”

“Both times? Was there more than one memory?”

“No…you remember what happened when the gallû touched me? He was the same man I saw in that vision.”

“Are you sure?” Kas̆dael asked with a furrowed brow.

“Pretty sure. Why?”

“It is not unheard of for talented mages in schools of divination or illusion to be able to appear in others' dreams, but to accomplish this from another world requires an altogether different echelon of skill.”

“I mean, given the way he dismissed me for being ‘weak,’ I’m not exactly surprised he’s powerful, but really what good does knowing that do me?” Jasper griped. “I wish I had picked one of the spells. All this did was tell me my dad didn’t give a damn about me, just Jenny.”

“The system would not have offered this choice to you unless it provided a worthy reward. Are you sure that’s all you learned?”

“Well,” he leaned back in his chair, propping his head against the wall. “At the end, they made some kind of deal. My mom really didn’t want him taking Jenny, and in order to get him to promise to leave her alone, she agreed to do something for him. Unfortunately, they whispered, so I don’t know what it was, but I did overhear her say that it would take almost a year. I suppose that explains the year she was gone.”

“And that was it?” She prodded him.

“Not quite. After she agreed to do whatever for him, he did some voodoo crap with his hands over both of us. A protection spell, maybe?”

“It was strange, though,” he added with a frown. “When he tried to do whatever it was he was doing, this feeling of, like, crackling energy entered me. I was pretty mad at how he'd treated me, so I tried to fight it off with my essence. It felt like I succeeded, like I pushed it back out of me, but he didn’t say anything to my mother, so I don't know - maybe I didn't. Or maybe he just didn't give a damn. Like I said, the man barely even looked at me."

Understanding blossomed across the goddess’ face. “I see now what the system offered you. Come quick, take my hand,” she said, waving her arm in front of him impatiently.

He wasn’t sure what Kas̆dael had deduced, but he grabbed her hand anyway and glanced at the screen. “What am I supposed to be seeing…Oh.”

Jasper Welles

Exp: 3278/35000

Health 7000

Spirit 7000

Essence 11200

Heritage(s)

Greater Djinn

Sukkallu

Watchman of Aldāru

Level: 134

Level up: x0

Hand of Kas̆dael

Level: 36

Level up: x0

Titles

The Blood Runs True

Betrothed of Kas̆dael

Survivor

Champion of Sappiya

Blessed of Hurbas̆u

Nascent Divine

Stats

Racial Traits

Class Abilities

Class Abilities

Strength 75

Scion of Flames

Shooting Star

Scales of Justice

Endurance 100

Uplifted

Purge

Scourge of Despair

Vision 57

The Broken Shackle

Eternal Night II

Hand of Judgment

Inspiration 140

The Bramble Crown

Fiery Shackles II

Hand of Glory

Willpower 140

Unlocked

Seraph Burst

Circle of Forgiveness

Intuition 75

Locked

Heart Stopper (Undead)

Locked

Into the Valley of Death

His eyes fixed on the unfamiliar word that now sat below the Great Djinn. “Sukkallu? What the hell is that?” The question was mostly rhetorical, but he glanced up at Kas̆dael with hopes that were quickly dashed as she shook her head.

“It's not a race I've ever encountered,” the goddess replied, “but I am familiar with the word.”

“What does it mean?”

“Before the Empire was united, the lands of Corsythia were divided into three smaller realms. Though divided, the three realms shared much in common culturally and had usually amiable relations. Sukkallu back then referred to a class of unlanded nobles, who often journeyed between the realms. They quite often held positions of great importance in the royal courts and were regularly appointed as diplomats but,” a trace of irritation flickered through her eyes, “how that connects to a race called the Sukkallu, I cannot say. Still, I find it hard to believe that is mere coincidence. Perhaps,” she added, pointing to another box on the screen, “this will tell you more.”

Jasper followed where she was pointing, and his eyes widened. It had been so long since he last unlocked a new racial trait that he had practically stopped looking at them, but a new box now said unlocked. He clicked on it tentatively and waited for it to open.

Heritage Trait Unlocked

Deathmarked - when the great gods fell, the lords of the Sukkallu scattered through the three realms. Those who fled to Arallû themselves as lords among the dead and wield much power to this day. All who bear their blood have an inherent connection with the dead and are the only ones capable of opening the gates. As one marked by death, related spells will be greatly strengthened.

As always, the vagueness of the description was a bit annoying. “When the great gods fell?” What the hell does that mean? It told him little of who the Sukkallu were, aside from the fact that some of them had established themselves as “lords among the dead.”

“I suppose that explains your affinity for ghost and specter-related spells,” Kas̆dael commented, leaning over his shoulder to read the screen.

“I guess so.” He reread the description and mulled over the memory he’d been shown. “Whatever my father did when I was 5 must have suppressed his side of my heritage, right?”

“It would seem so.”

“And now it isn’t suppressed, which means,” he paused, thinking of the way he’d fought back against his father’s spell, “I changed it, didn’t I? That wasn’t just a memory. I changed the past. Was I possessing myself?” A slight shudder ran down his spine, as the mere idea of possession was a disturbing one.

“Perhaps,” Kas̆dael allowed after a moment’s deliberation, “But I’m not so sure that’s what happened. I think it more likely that the system showed you an advanced illusion, allowing you to have the freedom to act as you chose within the memory, while being the one to unseal whatever your father had done itself. But in either case, does it matter? It seems the damage was undone.” She smiled down at him. “Do you still regret choosing the ‘memory?’”

He didn’t respond immediately. The memory hadn’t been quite what he had hoped for. Frankly, he’d never spent much time thinking about his father growing up. With all of his siblings’ fathers out of the picture, the absence had seemed almost normal.

But just because he hadn’t frequently thought about it didn’t mean he hadn’t ever, and it was hard not to feel disappointed by what he had seen. It was easy to fantasize about a parent who’d welcomed him back, who had some good excuse for being gone all his life. Yet the memory had forced him to accept the fact that just wasn’t true. He wasn’t good enough for his dad. That was all there was to it, and it was a memory he could live without.

Despite that, though, he had to admit that buffing all of his death-related spells was a pretty good reward, maybe even better than the spells he had wanted to choose. And while he wasn’t too thrilled with what he’d learned about his dad, a part of him hoped there was a silver lining there. Maybe there’s more family out there waiting for me. “I guess it was worth it,” he said slowly. “Even if it wasn’t what I was hoping, maybe it’s better to know the truth than keep deluding myself.”

“A wise sentiment,” the goddess agreed. “Knowledge is almost always worth having.”

Jasper slowly let go of her hand and, closing his eyes, braced himself for what he knew was to follow, but the pain didn’t come immediately.

He cracked an eye open and stared up at her. “Something more you need?”

“Are you always this perceptive,” she asked with a wry smile. “But yes. I have another task I was hoping you would complete. This one is purely optional though.”

“Already?” He blurted out. “It’s only been like a month.”

“Closer to three,” she countered, “and, besides, was it not worth it?”

“Weelll,” Jasper stretched the word out. “The levels and spells are nice, but I almost died a bunch of times.”

“This should be an easier task,” she assured him.

“Alright, what is it?”

“When the army passes Dūr-S̆innu, I’d like you to take a detour.”

“I’m kind of part of an army now. I’m pretty sure I can’t just go where I want,” Jasper objected.

“Not without permission,” Kas̆dael agreed, “But I believe that such can be arranged. I believe the quest I would have you take will directly aid the Empire’s war efforts. Plus, the Djinn general is a pious man. If you show him the quest, he will likely agree to give you a few weeks of special leave.”

“You still haven’t told me exactly what you want,” he pointed out.

“There’s a young dwarven prince currently making his way to the Sapīyan capital. I want you to find him and rescue him before he gets assassinated.”

Jasper raised a brow. “A dwarven prince? Aren’t they kind of the enemy?”

“This one is in exile. In his heart, he fully intends to turn us, but when his father’s assassins come for him, I suspect he’ll change his tune. Save him, and not only will the empire gain a squad of warriors perfect for fighting the Zalancthians, but they will also gain access to his unique skill - the ability, imperfect though it is, to read minds.”

“Gross,” Jasper objected. “You want me to rescue a mind mage?”

“He doesn’t manipulate others, he simply can skim - sometimes - what they’re thinking. And his skills are something the empire sorely needs. There are many in Eligon’s courts who wish to see him fail; this prince may make the difference between the campaign for the capital ending in success or failure.”

“And that’s all there is to it?” Jasper asked cautiously. “I don’t have to kill any demigods, fight any undead queens, nothing of that nature?”

“I told you it was a simple quest,” Kas̆dael retorted. “Will you accept it?”

“Why not?” Jasper accepted the quest with a simple push of the button. Only then did her hand burst through his ribcage.