Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 7: Ascended

"How are we going to explain this?

New name. New class. New appearance. Are they even going to realize that Odharc entered and Mac exited?" I wondered.

[You aren't going to have to explain.]

[This is rare, a person Ascending and gaining Rank and levels, but it isn't unknown. It has happened before.]

[Considering the rumors about System errors, most people are going to assume this was another System glitch. It would explain and simplify things in their minds. How else would you explain a Seelie bastard becoming a Prince?]

[He certainly couldn't have earned the Rank.]

[Plus, even as rare an occurrence as this is, the Sidhe consider this proof of Divine will. That those Gods that have entered Sleep are still aware and influencing events in the world around them.]

[The Sidhe believe it is further proof of divine providence and firmly establishes that our forefathers were more than myth and legend, that they did exist, and that they were celestial in nature.]

[Proof of concept that we are truly the offspring of Gods.]

[It is one of the reasons that the Sidhe can be so arrogant. When you can trace your lineage and heritage to the Powers of creation and destruction doesn't that provide evidence of superiority? If you are a direct descendant of a God, you must be better than others.]

[By the way, you realize that not only have you retained your memories of past life, but we both have retained full memory of SYSTEM. We may be the only people who really know what happens once one dies. Not just hope and guess, but really know there is an afterlife and karma has real consequences that affect reincarnation.]

[SYSTEM has allowed us to retain the knowledge of how the Universe works. That reincarnation and soul evolution have method and reason. That death is just the beginning. And good or evil, individuals do not experience divine retribution. There is no atoning for one's sins, after death.]

[Just an endless cycle of reincarnation. You either grow and evolve or not.]

That couldn't be good, why would SYSTEM allow me to retain these memories? They were especially useful, the concepts of reincarnation and Karma were bandied about by philosophers since people learned to walk upright. There was no real earth-shattering bit of wisdom that would allow for enlightenment.

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Honestly, it didn't make a difference. It was just one more thing to add to the list of things that didn't make sense. There had to be some hidden reason why SYSTEM had allowed us to retain those memories. Although there was nothing, we could do to change this, I did think it was something I wouldn't mention. Something I would only discuss with Caraid.

There seemed no downside to sharing my experience, but keeping this quiet seemed the smartest and safest thing to do. Who knows if SYSTEM was testing me. Additionally, I had to consider if this really was some kind of cosmic hiccup, a mistake that transcended the rules of the multi-verses.

Better to just keep my mouth shut. I already hoped the Gods and Demons in this Universe wouldn't be able to use their abilities to ferret out my secrets. I really did not want to draw their attention, as such, it was smarter to ignore what I knew, and not dwell on what I couldn't change.

Looking around to orientate myself to where I was, my first impression was that I was in some kind of dungeon.

Not dungeon as in a game instance with monsters, traps, and treasure, but an honest to goodness dungeon. Complete with the brick walls, dripping water, moss on walls, flickering lights, and oppressive feeling could most certainly have been stolen directly from a 16th-century castle's dungeon.

The only real difference between this room and something I might have found on earth was the exit.

The doorway existed, at least the framework for a door. But the actual opening was covered by a softly glowing wall of purple energy. Walking closer, I slowly extended my arm to see if I could feel any heat radiating. Honestly, it seemed to give off a null impression, not radiating, not absorbing, just something suspended in time.

Was it a portal, some kind of membrane that acted as a barrier between in and out, I wondered?

"What is this room?" I asked.

[An Ascencion Chamber.]

[When children of the Sidhe reach their majority, they have the option of entering the ascension chamber. For most the chamber wakens an ability or two, but there are those rare few, like you, that come back completely changed, with upgraded skills and advanced Ranks.]

[The process is not without danger. 1 in 100,000 people die. And chances of dying increase for those that make the attempt before their majority. For that reason, there are strict enforcement protocols that limit access to Ascension chambers. Only those that have reached the proscribed age or those that have the blessing of their liege are able to enter.]

"So, if you can't enter until your age of majority, what is the age of majority, and how old does that make you, err, us?"

[My Ascension was unique, a special circumstance. For Seelie and Unseelie the age of majority is 45 solars. But the bias and hate I have endured carried over into my Ascension. The liege lord's son, Knight Thom A'Kel, has taken me into severe dislike. He ordered me into the Ascension chamber the day after my 16th solar anniversary.]

"He meant for you to die," I concluded.

"This was a sanctioned murder?"

[Essentially, yes. But not sanctioned by Lord Kel, at least I hope not, I hope My Lord had nothing to do with this. At least those were my thoughts when I was forced to enter the chamber.]

[There are going to be repercussions when you exit the chamber. Thom won't be happy to find his plans failed. And to add insult, he is now forced to bend the knee to a person he considers his inferior.]

That alone almost makes my death worth it. He will have no choice. In the matter or Rank and Level Sidhe hold firm, be wary, be vigilant, and trust no one. As an Ascended Prince, most will think you 'cheated' to gain the Rank, that you don't really deserve it. You will have no friends once we leave this chamber.]

[And the fact that you are a Seelie-Unseelie Prince is only going to worsen the envy and hatred you will experience from some. Prince or not, you are still a hybrid abomination.]

"Just step through the opening like a normal door to exit, will I feel anything?"

[You will feel a slight tugging, a moment of disorientation as if you were falling, but there is no pain if that is a concern. Some people are uncomfortable with the feeling and get nauseous. If you feel you have the urge to vomit, try to aim for the liege lord's son] Caraid suggested humorously.

Taking a deep breath, I tensed up, expecting this to be uncomfortable no matter what Caraid said and took a step forward.

There was that slight tugging sensation, and a bit of vertigo, but he was right, the experience was similar to taking an elevator ride, that sinking feeling in your stomach as the elevator began to drop down quickly. It wasn't bad, in fact, the feeling in my stomach was rather pleasant. Mainly because there was any feeling in my stomach. The connection between my soul and this body seemed to be well established, and even the small nuances of vertigo were aligned perfectly.

It shouldn't surprise me. I doubt SYSTEM did shoddy work.

As I finished taking that step, I wondered if this was how Buzz Aldrin felt when he stepped out of the Apollo Lunar module and took that first step on the moon. The idea of that first step may have been the same, but the reality was very different.

My body seemed to atomize and coalesce as I moved into a new room, breaking down into my constituent atoms and molecules and reassembling instantly into the Me that would take shape and form in this new world.

The room I entered was a stark contrast to the austere dungeon-like room SYSTEM had placed me in. Richly appointed, with marble floors, wooden panels, and gold accents. The room radiated wealth and luxury.

The transition wasn't without problems. I had been crippled and bed-ridden for years so moving and balancing a body was interesting to say the least, let alone a body that wasn't mine. Learning to move again was going to be an experience. But my body seemed to stabilize and adjust as my 'soul' quickly began to resonate and establish ownership. That last tiny bit of unfamiliarity as body and soul merged completely.

The changes to my body hadn't included a new wardrobe. Caraid's clothing was ill-fitting. Gaining a foot in height, as well as my new musculature meant the clothes I was wearing were too tight, too short, and too restrictive. My transition back into the real world was accompanied by the sound of cloths ripping and shredding.

[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT: ODHARC OF THE SEELIE FACTION HAS COMPLETED THE ASCENSION PROCESS AND HAS ASCENDED. HE WILL HENCEFORTH BE KNOWN AS PRINCE MAC DE BELENOS, ACKNOWLEDGED AS A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF AND PURIFIED WITH THE BLOODLINE FROM THE GOD BELENOS.

ALL HAIL PRINCE MAC DE BELENOS!

***

EXPERIENCE GAINS WILL BE INCREASED BY 10% FOR THE NEXT SOLAR IN CELEBRATION OF PRINCE MAC DE BELENOS ASCENSION FOR ALL FACTIONS AND RACES OF SIDHE, IN HONOR OF THE DISCOVERY OF THIS NEW ROYAL AND AS A REWARD FOR THE REINTRODUCTION OF AN ADVANCED BLOODLINE.]

Well, that had done it. No way my entrance into this world was going to be ignored now.