The Path of Ascension

Chapter 137

Matt froze like a rabbit that had just noticed Aster was standing above it.

He also felt the instinctive urge to run that the rabbit must have felt before it was gobbled up.

In the instant their eyes met, Matt settled his instincts and looked at the Emperor, trying to analyze him as any other person.

Without knowing that he was a Tier 50, Matt wouldn't have looked twice at him in a crowd.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with just a sprinkling of gray in his hair around the temples. Otherwise, his light brown hair was cut in a short but classic style that had been trendy a few decades ago.

The clean-shaven face was otherwise unnotable, except for the classically wide jaw.

It was his eyes that drew all of the attention on his face.

It looked like someone was mixing molten gold in his luminescent eyes.

Despite having a source of light that should have overwhelmed his ability to see the Emperor's pupils, the light did no such thing. In fact, he thought he could see images playing across the Tier 50s pupils.

Matt tried to peer deeper, as he was sure some questions that he couldn't put into words would be answered if he just looked deep enough.

As he did so, the color in the world around him seemed to sharpen to a painful level.

Matt noticed something was wrong, and with that realization, he was able to settle his racing mind and pull his eyes away from the Emperors.

He was met with a kind smirk, if such a thing was possible.

Well done, Matt. I didnt expect you to pull out so quickly.

Matt turned to see that Liz and Aster were nowhere near him, and had seemingly showered and changed their clothes at some point.

A quick reference to his AI showed that he had been standing in the doorway for the last hour and a half.

Mara and Leon both clapped for him as the storm mage said, Better than most people. Now that you know the feeling, you won't be sucked into the passive effect as easily.

Matt glared at Aster, who was shooting him smug thoughts, as she had broken out of the mesmerization in mere minutes.

Mara laughed and ruffled Aster's fur as she said, Don't compare yourself to Aster. It's only normal that us beasts are better than simple humans.

She threw her head back and laughed theatrically as flames flickered around her.

The Emperor shook his head and nodded slightly to Matt. Shes not wrong about beasts being harder to compel, but the dragon blood that you found is also playing a massive part in her defense. Normally the hypnosis effect of my Talent can hold even a beast for a few hours. Someone who tries to peer deeper is usually caught up for a day or two. It's telling that you delved that deep but pulled yourself out. And prescient to the conversation that I want to have. Go shower and calm yourself down.

He turned away to rejoin the conversation that had been going on before Matt had pulled himself out of the trance, before turning back and saying, I did that because people always question if Im trying to influence them with the future sight. You know the feeling, and even if I tried to use the active version on you later, it would be obvious. Even if you can't resist it, you will be aware of it.

Matt swallowed and nodded silently. It hadnt escaped his notice that man's eyes no longer had the magnetic draw they once did.

He quickly did as suggested and moved into their room to clean up.

As he started scrubbing the dried sweat off his body, he thought over the draw that the Emperor's eyes had and how it no longer drew him in.

No, that wasn't quite right.

Even the memory of the eyes still tried to draw him in, but they held no allure now. It was a mystery prize that he already knew the lackluster contents of.

He might decide to open another box, but there was no desire to dive into the pile and tear them all open.

When he finished his shower, he took a few minutes to stretch and center himself before he walked out to join the others at the table.

Liz winked at him and took his hand before giving him an easy squeeze of reassurance.

As Matt sat down, he realized that all of his etiquette classes hadnt prepared him for meeting the Emperor at his girlfriend's parents kitchen table.

Considering this had been a distinct possibility, he found it to be a serious flaw in his education.

Falling back to his general manners and respectful address, he greeted the Emperor with a deep nod and asked, How may I be of service to your majesty?

The Tier 50 tapped the table as he said, This isn't open court, Matt, no need for the formalities. I get this is a weird position for you, but we need to have this conversation. As both the Emperor of the Empire and your significant other's uncle.

Matt lifted his head to meet those golden eyes, but he was able to ignore the pull without issue, and suddenly he was happy that he had been given the opportunity to delve those hidden secrets before this conversation.

The Emperor smiled at Matt and said, Feel free to call me Emmanuel, Manny, or Uncle Manny. But do whatever makes you more comfortable, even if that is using my title.

Matt cringed internally. He didn't even feel comfortable to think of the man by name. It just felt wrong.

Seeing him in person, Matt had a feeling that everything in the room was pulled to the man, like a black hole sucking in stars.

It was only the Tier 50's will that kept everything from crumbling to dust.

This man sitting at the table was the true center of the universe.

Seeing that Matt wasn't able to speak, the Emperor continued, You and my niece are expected to be able to complete The Path of Ascension. He then nodded to Aster, You too, Aster, for all that you arent officially on it.

The Emperor gestured, and Matt felt a great futility and weight in that gesture that he couldn't explain.

Normally, that is a reason to rejoice. We as a political entity have grown in the last two generations of rulers, and our changes have resulted in great strides. Weve been finding the best and brightest of the younger generations. The problem is the timing. The Empire is going to come under a time of great duress. We will soon be embroiled in a war with at least three other Great Powers. Probably more.

Matt swallowed hard, like a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

It didnt help.

This is nothing unique. Small-scale wars are commonplace. Or at least, common enough that it's usually not a worry. We will fight, people will die, and eventually, a victor will be decided, and a treaty will be negotiated. In it, territory, goods, or expansion routes will be traded. Honestly, it's all fairly mundane. At least, normally.

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Matt didnt know if he could wrap his head around wars spanning Tier 15 to Tier 35 as mundane and routine, but he knew of the upcoming wars. Until now, he thought he had been prepared for the idea of them.

Now, hearing the strongest man in the Empire talk about it, he realized that he had no idea of the scale and magnitude of the situation.

The Emperor watched Matt with a gentle smile as he continued.

This next war will be on another level not seen since the last realm war. The Great Powers are much larger than we were back then, by at least half. I want to reiterate, the scale of this war will be on another level. And thats only considering the fact they are scared of our future growth, and want to take us out at the knees to slow us down. They will strike out early to prevent being fully eclipsed. That doesn't even take into consideration the ramifications of your Talent being revealed.

The Tier 50 seemed far too calm as he caught Matts eyes with his golden ones. They now seemed to be harder than steel.

Im sure that Luna and your other trainers have explained this before, but let me stress this personally. The other Great Powers are jealous or scared of our growth. Our political landscape has changed rapidly in the last few rulers, and we have paid a great price to get where we are today. The problem is, our gains have been massive in too short of a time. The others see our growth as a threat.

He paused, and even though his tone and expression didnt so much as flicker, Matt felt like the Tier 50 was growling. As they should. Our political structure has always been one of the more centralized ones, which means we can implement changes quickly, adapting as needed and with fewer headaches. Not that our changes have come easily, or all that fast when compared to a mortal's lifespan. But when looked at from an immortal perspective, they are rapid. This comes back to how my grandmother and father were able to enact large-scale societal changes in a mere sixty thousand years, because of the traditions of the Empire as a whole. It goes back to when the Empire was young and still took the name of the ruling family, right after the political unification wars when all the current Great Powers were forming. Our past rulers made sure to set a precedent of holding onto a greater portion of political power relative to the rulers of the other Great Powers. That has continued even today, and has led us to our current problem.

Matt leaned forward, despite feeling like he was putting his head in a dragon's maw.

The Emperor's words were magnetic.

It wasnt his eyes, but something in the way he spoke. There was an honest belief that came through in the way he spoke, and it pulled Matt in.

Societal changes aren't easy or fast. People don't like change, and immortals less so. The other Great Powers need to buy time, in an attempt to catch up in the next few generations of rulers. We are already expanding faster than them, and if nothing else changes, we will be twice the size of the next largest two Great Powers in three or four generations of rulers. At that point, the others would be at our mercy.

The Tier 50 flicked a finger, and in the air, like clouds, eight bubbles of uneven space appeared. Near the center, they all bordered each other, but they were all expanding outward in different directions away from the center. The display gave a visual to support the Emperor's words.

One of the bubbles with purple and gold colors expanded faster, and then swallowed the others once it encompassed its neighbors.

The Emperor's next words were like falling hammers, despite being perfectly mundane. A position they do not wish to be in, I assure you.

As he lowered his hand, the illusion faded, and he added, To that end, this next war will be especially vicious. They can no longer deny our success, and are scrambling to make up for the lost time. But their time is quickly running out if they wish to hold on to their power. The more damage they can do to us in this next war, the longer they have to enact similar changes in their own societies, and the better their odds to stay in the game. While I do believe this war will be far more dangerous than usual - unprecedentedly brutal, as one of my advisors put it - I don't believe we'll have a Tier 35 or higher war stemming from this. If you want to participate in this war, you need to understand how bad this will get.

The Emperor recaptured Matt's eyes as he said, It will be dangerous enough that I feel the need to warn my niece about her current path. That goes doubly so for someone with a Talent as valuable as yours, Matthew.

Matt couldn't help but scowl. It always seemed to come down to his Talent.

He felt like he could never escape the fact his Talent made people want to protect him for his own good.

The Emperor's face split in a wide smile that felt a little predatory, and Matt was taken off guard, as his words didnt follow the path Matt expected.

I won't force you to step off the Path, Matt. But I will offer the options. They need to be said, if for no other reason than transparency and understanding between all parties.

The Tier 50 leaned forward, and for the first time, Matt actually felt that the man in front of him wasn't the Emperor of the Empire, or even a Tier 50. He was a concerned uncle and wanted what was best for his family.

Liz must have felt it as well, as her hand tightened around his own. Even Aster's tail stopped its slow movements.

As a concerned uncle, I would recommend that the three of you take the vow of non-interference, and leave all the fighting behind. After that, I can have you left alone or rushed to Tier 24. Either way, you would be safe. I have more than enough power to guarantee that.

At that, he nodded to Matt. More ideally, at least for my own benefit, I would allow you to progress until you discover your Intent. It's far easier to do so when you are able to grow on your own, but once you have that, I can have you raised to Tier 48 in the shortest order. At that point, you would be one of the strongest people, and few could harm you. That would also give me access to your frankly stupidly high mana generation, and with that, I would be able to ensure the protection of the Empire even without a combat Tier 50 Talent. That is the ideal outcome from my perspective.

That brought the topic of conversation to Matt and his Talent. A place he was never fully comfortable with.

Matt, with your Talent, you know you will be a great asset to anyone and everyone. But while your growth and future power are without question, the current issue is Mana Concentration. If you simply wish to be a generator of mana, it's not even an issue. If you wish to be a powerful combatant, it will be a problem if not addressed by your Tier 25 Talent.

At that, the Emperor narrowed his eyes, and Matt felt the world sharpen as the very air seemed to harden around him.

Even Mara and Leon, from their unusually silent positions on the other side of the table, joined the Emperor in staring at Matt.

The feeling only lasted an instant, but the Emperor continued after a confirming look with his two Tier 48 subordinates. They didnt try to hide the negative shakes of their heads.

None of us can get a clear vision of your spirit and its growth so far away from Tier 25 to even begin to guess if your Tier 25 Talent will solve this issue. But Aunt Helen is far older than us, and much better at reading the ways spirits grow. From her initial impression, she didnt believe that your spirit would manifest in that direction, but we can hope things change as you advance and have her look. Even so

The Tier 50 took a long breath that he held for a minute before continuing.

Even so, this is an issue that I believe I have a solution for. Or at least, Im working on one that I have high hopes will pan out. But I don't want to speak too much about it until I have more definitive results. Either way, I will be providing Mana Concentration potions as most of your personal rewards for reaching The Paths goals going forward. It's a stop gap solution, but the best I could have done, even if you fell off the Path today. I believe the math says that at Tier 19 you will need to chug Tier 49 potions that don't even exist to fully condense your Mana Concentration. Even if Im unsuccessful with my first plan, I am working to purchase all the highest Tier Mana Concentration potions that exist. You can still use them, even if they aren't enough to fully condense your mana to near zero.

He met Matt's eyes and nodded slightly to him, and Matt thought he understood.

Either as Emmanuel, Lizs uncle, or the Emperor, he would ensure that Matt was well taken care of going forward.

That was a worry off Matt's shoulders, but Emmanuel, and with the man's frankness and caring tone, Matt was finally able to see him as such, leaned forward. But note that being carried up the Tiers comes with issues as well. Being carried will, as is well documented from past attempts, likely result in you being weaker in combat than your peers in a few ways. Not exactly an issue here in this realm, but one that could come back to bite you if you intend to ascend. The combat portion of that is a fixable issue with enough time to grow your skills, and with time spent in combat. Even if its while being watched over by someone. The larger and much harder issue to solve from that plan is your Aspect.

As Emmanuel said that, he sighed so deeply, it sounded to Matt like the man was personally holding the weight of the sky, and someone had dumped another world on his shoulders with no warning.

Considering the man's power, that was a stomach churning proposition.

Domains are inherently about the self. In a civilized society, people give up things to have protections and such, but cultivation is the opposite. We have laws that say you can just go and kill someone who steals from you. We have laws that limit the acceptable amount of power and influence that a higher Tier individual can have over mortals. They are all affectations of the people on high. There is nothing physically stopping a Tier 45 from going around and killing all my weakest Dukes who are only Tier 35. The only thing that stops them is the greater threat of myself, a Tier 50. We accept the restrictions that laws place on us personally because they also protect us and those around us.

The Emperor tapped the table twice to emphasize his point. That is directly contradictory to a cultivator's individual growth. That growth is all about personal power and progressing through said power. Domains, specifically a Concept, an Intent, and finally an Aspect, are about the self. Understanding yourself. Seeing yourself and how you interact with the world around you. A Concept, for all the difficulty you might have had in making it, is the foundation of everything that comes after it. Whether you hone yourself down to a single idea of a Domain, like Duke Waters, or you take the other path. One of expanding and broadening yourself and the scope of your power. Even still, you could take a more personal and varied approach. In the end, it's about how you see yourself fitting into the world as a whole. And a cultivator who wants to walk their unique path needs to experience the ups and down of life. The victories and losses of a battle. Gain and lose love, experience life and death. We can not lock ourselves up in a rift and expect to grow. To grow, we must experience. Some people can grow with protection and help, but others are inherently limited by it. Therein lies the problem. If I have you carried to even Tier 49, there is a real chance you would stall out while trying to find your Aspect. Especially without the challenge and journeys you would have experienced while moving through the Tiers on your own merit.

Matt still felt like Emmanuel was working up to try and get him to accept the offer of being carried to Tier 49, despite him explaining how it would hinder him, but the older man's next words caught him off guard.

Emmanuel laughed. Matt, I believe in self sacrifice. It's what my Domain is centered around. But the core part, the fundamental lynchpin that the whole idea is built off of, is the fact it must be willing and selflessly given. I don't ask that others give up their personal paths for myself, or even the Empire. To that end, I don't believe that you are best served by taking either of those options. From everything Ive seen about you, I don't think you would ever be truly satisfied by taking the easy way out. Personally, I'd be relieved if you took the vow of non-interference, as I believe you could live a full and meaningful life. Even with the restrictions of the Vow. But in the end, you need to decide what you want to do personally, by asking where your heart leads you.

With a circling finger that seemed to encompass the table and everyone else at it, he added, The other option is to continue your current path. Finish the Path of Ascension and show the world we have another pair of Ascenders ready and willing to protect the Empire. Fight, bleed and experience. Show our enemies that our system works, and will continue to work, even if they try to take us out at the knees.

Matt clicked his mouth shut and looked to Liz and Aster.

They already had this conversation long ago, and from the quick glances, neither had changed their mind.

There was a look in the older man's eyes that clearly wished they would step off the Path, for their own safety if nothing else.

Liz shook her head and said, Weve heard all of that before from Luna and others. We don't want to step off the Path simply because it's dangerous.

Aster growled an addition, Why should we pay in blood because the other Great Powers are afraid? If they want to fight, they shouldnt expect us to lay down and take it.

Matt felt the need to add, We are willing to fight to protect the Empire and ourselves. None of us are willing to be in the position to do something, and waste our power by faltering. That would be worse than failure.

Feeling like that wasnt enough, he added, I recognize that because of my Talent, Id ideally be in the backline of society, churning out mana to keep everything running. But I don't think I could ever feel content to just sit around and charge mana, while being as strong as wet tissue paper. I enjoy a good fight like anyone else, but I don't enjoy killing.

Looking to his bond, he ruffled her tail as he said, As Aster said, I can't sit still and watch others trying to hinder our hard work, simply because theyre afraid of what weve done. Besides, I don't think Ill ever be able to rest easy if I can't even protect myself. I'd feel even worse if I can't protect those that matter to me.

Seeing a way to bring the Emperor's own words back into it, despite disagreeing with the man's comments on self sacrifice, he said, We are helped and protected by a society which enables us to have strength. I believe the individual has a duty to stand up and protect that way of life, for everyone who would stand to lose something without it. Self sacrifice is a noble ideal, but if everyone else believes someone else will carry the burden, we will lose the very thing that enabled our growth. No, I believe that everyone has the obligation to give as much as they got, if not more. We must protect what is important to us.

Matt felt the world sharpen for an instant, but the feeling was fleeting, and quickly passed from his mind like a fading wind.

Emmanuel leaned back, and suddenly Matt felt the Emperor return to the conversation.

The Emperor smiled, but there was a sadness to it that Matt didnt have the life experience to really understand.

A laudable sentiment, but one few share. I've learned from a long life that its a hard sentiment to live up to. Still, a commendable point of view. If that is your wish, then I won't interfere, and I wish you the best of luck. Truly, I do. But know that you can change your mind and step off until Tier 24 or so. After that, I will expect you to do the job of an Ascender, and be a bulwark for the Empire. Once you take that mantle, you will be expected to carry it to the end.

Matt swallowed, but nodded. He wanted to protect his home, and didnt feel comfortable putting all of his safety in the hands of others, despite how arrogant that sounded. Even in his own thoughts.

He may be a small cog now, but he wouldn't always remain so. There were no shortcuts in life, and this felt right.

It wasn't the easy path in life that gave the best results.

The fundamental law of rifts came to his mind. Greater risk brought greater reward.

As the conversation settled into a lull, Matt asked, You believe we can complete The Path?

While he was confident in his own abilities, doubly so after fighting his Sponsors, he wanted to get the perspective of a Tier 50.

Emmanuel laughed and gestured with his hand as a view of him fighting Dena replayed in front of them, surrounded by a light golden haze.

Matt, not everyone can fight those two evenly. Even with them being limited because of their cultivation, they are two of my best Pathers right now. They are the one percent that I am looking for from The Path of Ascension. While they aren't quite up to the level of an Ascender, they are close. You beat Dena in a one versus one at the same cultivation level, which is impressive by any measure. While the lack of higher Tier skills hurt their normal strategies a bit, I think only two other teams in the competition could even come close to matching them on an even footing. Let alone beat them. Dena and Eric aren't lightweights, and I expect great things from them when they enter the special forces, and are given the best gear and skills. You forcing her to use a greater level of cultivation to fight you to a draw is The Emperor snorted, not finishing his thought. Let it suffice to say, while Im sure they are proud of you three, the duos pride is sorely bruised about now.

The golden-edged recording changed to the team fight. Then, the three of you forced one of my best Pather teams to fight you with a two Tier advantage. That is impressive, rare, and dare I say unprecedented. He lifted a single finger and waggled it back and forth. Those other two teams I mentioned as having high hopes for in this tournament? I'd give them fifty-fifty odds of fighting Dena and Eric with a single Tier deficit. With a two Tier disadvantage, I don't think they would last for more than a few engagements before they lost. You three pushed them to the peak of Tier 12 power, while being bottom Tier 10s yourselves. I'm sure if I chucked you three into even a full, peak Tier 14 rift right now, locked the entrance and forced you to complete the rift, youd figure it out. I'm also confident that even if I took away Matts ability to give you two mana, or charge rifts, that the three of you could reach Tier 25 in two hundred years. You have enough combat prowess to complete The Path in its intended manner, if push came to shove. You three make an incredibly well-balanced team after Lunas training. You all are by any and all projections, more than able to complete The Path.

Liz leaned forward and slapped the table. Dish! Who else is as good as us?

That broke the tension, and Emmanuel waggled a finger at Liz. I'm not one to spread secrets. He winked at her continued wheedling, but eventually gave a little more information.

There are two other teams, beside your group and Light and Shadow, who I believe have what it takes to complete the Path of Ascension. We'll need to see how they grow in the next few decades, as things can always change, but I have high hopes.

That was enough to force even Lizs good nature teasing to stop.

Aster was the first to speak, as she asked, That seems like a lot. Her tail twitched back and forth faster and faster as she built up steam. I've looked up the records before. Even having two Ascenders at once is usually considered rare.

She raised her paw and started counting. Light and Shadow are one. Duke Waters is another, which makes us number three. Three guaranteed Ascender teams, and two probablys?

Correct. And yes, thats exactly why the other Great Powers are scared. If they have one Ascender every few thousand years, they are happy. That was the normal status quo and reinforced by the fact the personalities and temperaments of those able to complete The Path of Ascension never linger long so everyone loses Ascenders at the same rate. But I believe that weve finally hit our stride. Our mortal population is growing at a fantastic rate, with the subsidies on food and housing giving us more and more births to get lucky with. The Path of Ascension, in its current state, gives opportunity to nearly anyone who desires to improve from poorer backgrounds. That is why they fear our growth. Even if our rate of producing Ascenders stays the same as it is now, they can't compete with the advantage this gives us.

Matt could just imagine. An Ascender was considered the largest threat in any actual battle, first and foremost. But in the end, they were a single person or a single team. And while they were generally considered an instant win condition, that power was balanced by only being able to be in one place at a time.

Most conventional strategies said that Ascenders were a better defensive asset, because they could be entrusted to be a bulwark themselves, while the general army moved through wider space.

Some Ascenders were better on the offensive, and were used to make deep probes into enemy territory. They forced the enemy to assign larger and larger numbers of troops to try to and protect assets behind the established lines of engagement.

Duke Waters was the second type; a single man was hard to find in the vastness of chaotic space. Especially if he chose to flee.

Still, the risks were greater with such tactics, so it wasnt the ideal role of an Ascender.

If the Empire had three Ascender teams, they could have one or two on defense, and safely risk the others on any number of offensive missions.

He started to really understand why the other Great Powers were fearful. The rules of the game had changed and they found themselves flat footed and unprepared.

Wanting to change the conversation to a happier topic, Matt asked a question he had been wondering about since the day he had first met the Emperor.

How did you see when I took the skill shard and hid it in my pad? I know there weren't cameras in those locations but I didn't think of that until later.

Emmanuel laughed as he waved a hand, and an apparition of Matt asking the question appeared. The recursive effect started to loop when the illusion vanished.

Matt, my father had a seeker like Talent. His Tier 50 was the ability to predict the future to an incredibly limited degree. Frankly, it's nearly useless against the other Tier 50s because of their relative power, and the associated cost in trying to predict someone with that much power. But it does let me peer into the past anywhere my spiritual sense covers.

Matt was unable to get his head around the concept of being able to peer through time, like looking through a video recording.

As he was contemplating that, he murmured, I knew there were no cameras there.

That led him to a second question that had bothered him. That also made me wonder, why did you need to get your head healer when you found out about Melindas Talent? Theres no way that you didnt know what Overhealth was.

Emmanuel, who was lounging in an overstuffed armchair, snorted. Matt, youre getting close to forty, but youre still essentially an infant when compared to immortals. You were what? Thirteen at the time?

Matt nodded, but stayed silent.

When you have a few centuries as an immortal, youll probably start to alienate the younger kids for a while. Youll have massively more experience than them, and a near-perfect recall, even discounting your AI. If you want to not seem like an alien, youll learn not to be perfect around non-immortals. That sometimes means asking someone in a perceived position of authority to clarify information you already know. And to be honest, I was pretty baffled. Something like Overhealth has never come up as a Talent, as far as I'm aware. I wanted a second opinion from someone whos first hand experience with healing.

Matt only let out a 'huh' as he thought that over.

So the Emperor had only gotten his head healer because the explanation about a healing ability coming from a healer was easier to swallow, for a bunch of teenagers.

That actually made sense as he thought it over.

Or at least, he could understand the logic behind it. He was pretty sure at the time that if the Emperor had said the sky was purple, and Melinda's Talent would make elephants fly, he would have believed it without question.

It was the Emperor, for ascenders sake. Even knowing him personally, Matt had a hard time doubting anything he said.

Eventually, the rest of Lizs siblings returned to the apartment, and they had what Matt could only call a family dinner.

Matt was kept involved in the conversations, but during one of his trips to the kitchen, he paused and watched how the siblings interacted with Emmanuel.

Alice, Lizs third oldest sister, caught his perusing and stopped to chat about the way each sibling interacted with the Tier 50.

It's all about when we were born. Sam was born and in the army before our parents became nobles, and then made friends with the then crown prince. It's hard for him to separate his work life from personal life and relax around Manny.

Matt nodded. He could see that barrier in their interactions. While Sam wasn't weird or anything, he looked like he was ready to snap to attention anytime Emmanuel looked in his direction.

He just wasn't able to fully relax.

Matt looked at the Tier 37 and asked, What about you?

She winked at him and returned the question. What have you observed?

Matt gestured outward. Leah is younger than Sam, but shes more friendly with him than you. Not sure if that is just individual personality, or something else. If I had to guess, that's because when you two were born, he wasnt the Emperor yet, and had more time to be active in your lives?

He ended the statement with a raised eyebrow, asking if he was right..

Alice sipped at her drink as she agreed. Daniel as well. Emmanuel is a great uncle to the younger siblings, but he had more time to just come visit with us. And when he did, he was just another friend of the family. Or at least, that was how it felt to us as kids. Our parents were only dukes at that point, and we had more normal childhoods. Daniel and I are just more reserved with him, having grown up, than Leah is. As kids, we used to be every bit the immovable burr that Leah remains.

Matt nodded to Erin, the next youngest sister. And Erin was born when your parents were royals?

Alice let out a giant sigh as she agreed. Yes, and she didnt handle that added pressure well as a kid. Not that she shouldve, but her personality is quite a mismatch for such a public position. Our parents learned from their mistakes with her, but she got hurt more than once because of their political newness to the position. She might have a giant harem, but shes an incredibly introverted person.

Matt agreed with the assessment. He often found her sitting on the balcony and watching the city pass under them with a coffee in hand.

She never scorned his presence if he joined her, but she carried an air of solitude like a blanket.

He had misinterpreted it for loneliness, but after interacting with her for a while, he understood the difference. The absence of company didnt bother her, it even seemed to give her peace. He wasn't sure how that led her to developing a harem, but he wasnt going to question her methods of finding love and happiness.

For all she liked her time alone, Matt actually got along with her well, and she had even voluntarily joined him for some silent time while he cooked or crafted talismans in the living room.

They had a companionable silent understanding between the two of them, despite having said less than a thousand words in the last month of living under the same roof.

Matt finished off by hitting Travis and Liz together. Travis and Liz grew up firmly in the my uncle is the Emperor camp, and still hang off of him like a jungle gym. Hes always been larger than life to them, so it never really changed their interactions with him. Matt nodded to Keith, who was the only other non-sibling who came. And Keith is my only bastion of normality in this too damn strong family.

Alice laughed. Well see how you feel after a proper family get-together, with all the extended family. Changing the topic, she hooked an arm through his and pulled Matt to the table. Come on, I want to have a rematch on Battle Bots. That flipper bot was a cheap way to win, and I won't give you such an easy victory this time. I've spent more time as a crafter than youve been alive, and I refuse to let our contest end on a loss from a cheap trick like that.

The rest of the evening was spent in a variety of ad hoc pickup games, and various members of the family telling stories of their past adventures.

It didnt surprise Matt that Mara and Leon always had a wacky story of the two of them doing something stupid or ditzy, then having to clean up massive messes.

After getting comfortable with Emmanuel once everyone had a drink or two in their systems, Matt decided to ask about the Aura rifts and the two rifts he had helped Erwin create. Luna and Kurt hadnt heard anything more than what he had heard from the news about the new skill and [Endurance] rifts so he had been wondering for the last few years about the truth behind each event.

Emmanuel sipped at his beer while giving him such a tired look, Matt almost felt bad.

Do you know how much trouble you dropped on my lap with that? Emmanuel pointed at Matt with his bottle as he added, Never mind, you have no idea. While I've kept it quiet, there are a few people in various guilds and corporations who would love to shake you until you drop all your secrets. Ugh. Anyway, long story short is I showed a few of the samples of the Aura you made to people I trust, and they are salivating to get your mana sample. As we suspected, your mana is acting like glue for the Aura to form when it normally wouldn't. The Aura your mana makes is noticeably different in how it's composed despite working the exact way normal Aura works. They have a million ideas they want to test it with, and when you eventually start your own guild, theyre going to be kicking your door down to partner up with you.

Matt smiled at that. They had suspected his mana acted in that way, but it was nice to get confirmation. It was nicer still that Emmanuel knew of his fledgling plan to start a guild, and tacitly approved of it.

What about the other rifts?

Emmanuel looked off to the side for an instant before he said, The [Endurace] rift was nice, and is well under control. We have a standard operating procedure in place for it, and we let everything play out without interference. Thankfully, the guild who found it reported it up as they should have. So, they got rewarded, and now everyone is delving the rift as fast as the instance can cycle. The [Bandage] rift was more interesting. We kept our eyes on it, but didnt move it at all. At first, the skill was well received by the local guilds and nobles, but they didnt think the skill was all that good until a few teams actually started using it. Eventually, the practical uses were noticed by the local hospital. Now, the skills are being sold for a Tier 20 skill to any healer who can get in line. Harvest Moon pointed one of his subordinates to go check out the new skill and test it, now those healers with it are using the skill to stop people from dying when they need healing beyond their healing limits. With enough mana to throw at the skill and constant reapplication, they can keep people alive who would have otherwise died. We are already acquiring all we can for our combat healers in the army. It's a useful skill despite its Tier 8 rank. It's a wonder how it never appeared before.

He tipped his bottle to Matt and said, Thank you for that. When we go public with your contributions, you will be rewarded for what you have done. Or, when you fall off The Path. It makes me eager for when you can fuel a team of people like Erwin to push past Tier 8 rifts.

The Tier 50 smiled. Can you imagine the other skills and items we havent been able to find? Though if I'm being honest, what Im really looking forward to seeing is what items, skills, and rewards a true Tier 50 rift drops.

Emmanuel had a look in his eye Matt resonated with. One of adventure and exploration of the unknown.

A wicked grin spread across Matts face as he asked, Is there any chance you would be willing to throw a couple thousand upgrade orbs at us when we do? Id love to make a rift that constantly drops them so I can really see what happens to skills when theyre upgraded. The whole different upgrade thing for the same skill has been bothering me, and I want to test it more before I push [Cracked Phantom Armor] up again. Maybe theres a way to control it? But if I want to do any serious testing I need to have a steady source of them and making a rift that drops them should be possible even if it's like skill rifts and counter intuitive and hard. Eventually we could figure it out.

Emmanuel laughed hard enough that he snorted slightly. Now that's ambitious, and the Empire supports anyone trying to learn if possible. To be honest, the items at that Tier aren't that hard to find, it's the mana to run the experiments thats the issue. I have a thousand interest groups who are all sucking my mana budget dry. If youre providing the mana yourself, whos to say what you can spend it on? No one, that's who. That's why I love the idea of you making a guild around Aperology.

As his laughter died down, he winked at Matt as he added, Though, after Tier 30, youll have to start dealing with the guilds, and get them to break open their treasuries. Itll be the only way to get enough seed items to test at that high of a Tier. Good luck with that. He snorted out, Youll need it. Stingy bastards.

Their conversation was interrupted as Liz pulled Emmanuel into a card game as Leah had given up after losing three times in a row and they needed a fourth. She was taking everyone for their shirts as they lost round after round of every game they played.

Matt was moved to help Leah and Keith stack bottles around the passed out Aster when Emmanuel started to make his goodbyes. He was heading off to deal with official details for the start of the Tier 10 tournament.

They also found out that he wouldn't be attending the actual tournament.

Dicomaty, the leader of the Republic, is going to ascend, and that celebration takes a few years normally. Then, Hastor is going to ascend directly after him. So Ill be gone for the next decade or so.

Liz pursed her lips and sighed. I was hoping you would be able to see our victory.

Despite sometimes acting like a kid around her older siblings for humor, she seemed actually disappointed at the revelation.

Emmanuel ruffled her hair, to Lizs annoyance, and dodged the [Fireball] she launched at him. All the Tier 50s are expected to be there to watch the Ascension, to ensure no shenanigans happen, and watch their heir reach Tier 50. We can all feel when a Tier 48 becomes a Tier 49, and becoming a Tier 50 is an even bigger shock. There have been people who tried to time their own breakthroughs in conjunction with the raising of a new Tier 50, to hide their advancement. But with all the current Tier 50s located together, they can't hide so easily. And honestly, we like to make sure that one of the rulers doesn't try to do anything, like remain behind and start playing shadow games.

He shook his head. Youll understand when you advance in Tier. For now, dont worry about that. Just do your best in the fights and have some fun. I know I enjoyed all the twists and turns in my Tier 10 tourney. And I'll be sure to see you before I leave.

And just like that, Matt's second meeting with the Emperor ended as suddenly as it started.

With his official arrival on the planet, the starting ceremonies for the Tier 10 Pathers tournament began.