The whole neutral zone stood at a standstill as they all read the system message. Leo included.

Cecelia spoke first, as was common. “Well… this is unexpected.”

“I got so many invites, what does it even mean?” Ashley asked, bewildered. “Who do we even choose?”

“Leo,” Cecelia spoke firmly. “You’ve had the most experience with gods so far, pretty sure the only experience, actually. Any ideas?”

“I’d say we should open up the invites and see if there’s a way to sort ‘em. If I have to look through all of mine then I’d be here all year.”

“How many did you get?” Gordon asked. “I got over a hundred, pretty cool that over a hundred gods want to meet me.”

“Just a bit more,” Leo said quietly.

“Damn. I knew you’d get a lot,” he replied, smiling brightly. Gordon wasn’t a jealous one, he was a damn good guy.

“He’s hiding something,” Ashley said, making Leo’s eyes snap towards her.

“Yes. He is.” Cecelia smiled, devilishly.

“How many did you actually get?” Ashley asked, voice teasing. “Because I got over five hundred. So you, oh mighty Serrix conqueror who is accompanied by a dragon, must have gotten much more than that.”

Leo bit his lip, looking at his friends who were suddenly very interested in him. He glanced at Cecelia, who smiled warmly.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “After seeing what you did to that Serrix creature, I have no false beliefs about my strength against yours. I’m happy with my number of invites. I need only accept one after all.”

“I’ve got about thirteen thousand,” he said finally.

He looked up and around, expecting someone to say something or at least react. They were all blank faced and completely stunned.

“Uh, guys?” Leo said, wondering if the system had frozen everyone again.

Cecelia blinked a few times. “Well,” she coughed. “I suppose I should have expected such a thing.”

“Over ten thousand gods! Are you shitting me?!” Ashley demanded. “How can there even be that many gods?” She started laughing wildly. “What is life now?”

Leo felt embarrassed as everyone continued to look at him. He wanted to disappear.

“Accept your fate, monster man,” Amy said, patting him on the shoulder. “I have a feeling attention is going to be coming your way for a long time.”

Ashley continued laughing. “Oh, he’s going to hate it. On Earth he’s gonna be a celebrity before he knows it.”

Leo looked at her agog. “Why?!”

“Because I’ll tell everyone about your heroic exploits, of course,” she said, matter of factly.

“Me too!” Gordon said.

“Leave him alone, guys,” Lena said, chuckling. “He’s gonna pass out.”

Cecelia shook her head, muttering to herself, but loud enough for all to hear. “How can someone so flashy be so afraid of attention.”

Conversation continued, mostly at Leo’s expense, but the system message could only be put off for so long. They decided to all check it at the same time.

Leo opened his system message and was relieved upon seeing it.

You have 13,210 invitations

You can sort these by parameters of your choosing, simply choose mentally.

Okay, so with this many, I definitely need to narrow it down a little. He considered for a moment. Maybe he could sort them by affinity? Or… a sudden brainwave hit him.

Sort it by gods that are dragons.

Zero results

Damn. Guess Iskarion can’t send out invites. Or he’s just not having a party.

After that brainwave, he was about to decide how to choose next when Ashley voiced her frustration.

“How do you ‘sort gods’?!” She shook her head, groaning. “It’s not like they have resume’s, when I opened an invite from some plant god, all it said was they invited me for a chat about my future. Like, what the hell is that? Some kind of guidance counselor?”

“It is a little daunting,” Cecelia admitted. “And very vague.”

“You having issues, sis?” Amy asked Lena.

Lena shook her head. “I didn’t get many invites, but I did get one from her.” She smiled.

Leo perked his head up, distracted. He knew exactly who she meant. Others didn’t, however, making their curiosity known.

“You say it like you know a god…” Cecelia said, eyes narrowing.

Lena looked sheepishly at her. “Yeah, got a blessing a while back.”

Stunned gasps and questions of intrigue came all at once. They asked her about it, demanding more details about what blessings actually were. Poor Lena struggled to handle all the attention while Leo just smiled.

He moved back to his invites, getting an idea on how to sort them after thinking about Lena’s patron.

Sort them into invites from Primarchs.

3 Results

You have an invite from The Cinderlord.

You have an invite from The Archmagus

You have an invite from The Grave-binder Lich Lord

Okay, so that simplifies things. Sorry, other guys.

He had the option to look through them all in more detail. He already knew which one he was likely to pick, but decided to open them up anyway. Curiosity was peaked when he saw The Cinderlord had sent him one.

He opened that one first.

The Cinderlord has invited you to fulfil the destiny you scorned.
To perish in the flames of absolute judgement. The multiverse will be impure until you and your companion are cleansed.

Well… if that isn’t the nicest message I’ve ever received. What is this? Xbox live?

Cindralus had to be either completely full of himself, or completely stupid. Possibly both. Who in their right mind would ever accept an invitation to just die? It made him laugh, one he couldn’t help but let out.

“What is it?” Ashley asked.

“Ah, nothing,” Leo said, calming. “Just a funny invite.”

“Oh, yeah,” Leo added. “You might wanna try looking to see if there’s any from Primarchs. For you, Ash, there’s someone called Aurelion, or Aurelys or something. Some kind of Radiant Architect. I’m not sure there’s many of them with your guys’ kinda Essence, but you never know.”

“That’s a good idea,” Cecelia said. “I’ll search for those that share my Moon Essence.”

“Thanks!” Ashley added. “I’ll have a look for him. I tried looking for the guy who wrote my profession book, but he didn't send one. He might not be a god, I guess.”

Leo nodded and got back to his invites. Next checking out the Grave-binder Lich Lord.

The Grave-binder Lich Lord has invited you.
They offer a chance to become a Herald of their undead ranks. They offer power, a blessing, and support in return for your humanity.

A bit better than Cindralus, but that’s not exactly hard.

He still didn’t like it, as expected. Although becoming a “Herald of the undead” could be interesting, in theory at least. Undead armies in games were pretty awesome. A lot of the time they would be overwhelming and have these big fleshy constructs that spread the plague and disease. Damage over time and debuff classes were pretty cool.

Not to mention Leo’s love for zombie shows. Something about an undead horde and the apocalypse just tickled him the right way.

Suppose I’ve got my own apocalypse now, kinda. And there’s probably zombies…

Suppressing his excitement and moving on to the last—and most likely to choose—option. Leo opened it up.

The Archmagus has invited you to speak about his close friend.

Leo smiled. Simple. That was all he needed.

You have chosen to accept the invitation from The Archmagus.
You may step into your room to be transported.

So it wasn’t just an instant teleport, that was good. He didn’t want to just abandon his friends in case he was with Caldrin for longer than expected. Although they still had many days left, there were also a lot of questions he had. As long as he could remember them all.

“You guys choosing okay?” Leo asked.

“Got mine,” Ashley said. “Wasn’t the Primarch like you said, but I searched for people related to him and someone had invited me.”

“I have also found mine,” Cecelia said.

“I’ma need a bit longer,” Nolan said, waving his hand. “You guys go on ahead.”

Cecelia stood first. “Time to get my worldview expanded,” she said, grinning.

Leo thought it an odd thing for someone to say but didn’t voice it. Everyone else who had chosen also stood, prepared to go.

“Do you feel intimidated by all this? Meeting more gods I mean,” Ashley asked as Leo and her walked towards their rooms. They ended up being closeby.

“Not really,” Leo said. “This whole tutorial for me has mostly been killing, being almost killed, and having a fuck-ton of questions left unanswered. Now we get a chance to talk to people who can answer at least some of them while not actively fighting for our lives.”

He smiled. “I think it’s going to be a nice change while it lasts. Once we get back to Earth, I’m guessing it’s gonna be another constant shitshow. Maybe just a little slower.”

She considered it for a moment, stopping. “I…I’m worried about being apart from you and Ellie for so long. You guys have sort of become my rock. The thought of being away from you both makes me feel really uneasy.” She pulled her hands up, they were shaking.

“My hands won’t stop trembling.”

He took one of her hands in his. Ellie chomped onto the other gently, it pulled her off balance a little with the height difference.

She started crying. Soft tears spilling down her face.

He spoke softly, but firmly, pulling her into a hug. She clutched to him tightly. “We’re always going to be in each other’s lives, even if we’re a million miles away. The bond we’ve got might be new, but it’s forever. You’re one of the most important people in my life, I never want to lose you either.”

While he spoke, he realised how much his words truly resonated with his feelings. Ashley was his rock too, often pulling him back when he was at the brink. She helped him gain control of his emotions, saved him from harm, and made him happy.

He’d met her such a short time ago, saving her from a cruel and grisly fate. Never at that point had he expected them to become so close. He knew how he felt about her, that much felt obvious, despite his own lack of experience in the subject.

How she felt was less obvious, or perhaps, he’d just ignored it, worried about the consequences of taking things to another level.

Yeah. He was dense, sure. But also a bit of a coward.

She held him for a while longer, neither of them speaking while she quietly cried.

Leo spoke softly after he felt her no longer trembling. “We’ll have to set up a way for you to send child-support.”

She burst into laughter, pulling away. “Do I get to see her on weekends?”

He joined in the laughter. “I’m sure we can set something up.”

They stood there, a bit awkwardly after that. Neither of them wanted to be the first to leave. Leo looked at his door. Then turned back to her.

“Well, I guess—”

She grabbed his face and kissed him. His eyes opened wide before melting into it. It only lasted a moment, but it was like sparks from Nerveflash tingled his spine. It hadn’t warned him about this one.

She pulled back, smiling at him. “Get it now? Ya dense idiot.”

He could still feel the kiss, almost like it lingered. Outside, he looked composed. Inside, he was freaking out like he was still a teenager.

“Wha–” He tried to speak, but she placed a finger to his lips.

“Don’t ruin it. That wasn’t a goodbye forever kiss, that was a: see you soon kiss.”

She walked away, pulling a door open out of nowhere and disappearing inside. Leo looked down at Ellie, who just smiled back at him.

“Suppose we better go too. Although, I’m a little bit distracted,” Leo said as he opened his own door.

Ellie just yipped and chirped as she tried to voice her own opinion. At least, that’s what he thought she was doing.

He stood there for a moment longer, finger drifting to his lips. This day’s surprises just never ended.

Serrix was dead.

The tutorial was over.

Ashley had just kissed him.

None of it felt real.

Just as he was about to enter, a voice pulled him from behind.

“Leo?”

He went cold, swallowing in fear.

Turning, he spotted Ellen, Bjorn’s wife. Now widowed. He stumbled out words as his eyes began to moisten. “I—I meant to come sooner. I just…”

“Shh. It’s okay.” She smiled. “I just wanted to thank you.”

Emotions rose in his chest. “Thank me? Why? He… died because of me.”

She shook her head. “I could see it in his eyes. In his last moments. Saving you made him incredibly happy.”

Tears began to spill down his face. The grief overwhelmed him for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

She pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay.”

He hugged her back while he let out quiet sobs, Ellie had joined him, curled around his leg while she resonated with his emotions.

After a moment, Ellen let him go. “I didn’t want you going forward with any bottled grief. Believe me, it’s not healthy.”

He sniffed, recovering. Leo nodded his head. “Once we’re out of here, I’ll help you find your children that Bjorn mentioned. They have to be out there somewhere. It’s the least I can do.”

Her smile faded, then was replaced with one that didn’t meet her eyes. “He told you about our kids?”

Leo nodded. “He didn’t mention names, but…” He took a deep, calming breath. “At the end, he called me John.”

She flinched, biting her lip as tears of her own started to form.

“What is it?” Leo asked with a worried expression.

“Leo, honey.” She exhaled, lip trembling slightly. “Bjorn wasn’t well.”

“I don’t understand,” he replied, hoping for an explanation.

“Our kids, John and Michael, they are… They’re already gone,” she said, tears dripping slowly down her cheeks.

Leo’s mouth opened, but he didn’t speak. Couldn’t.

“Bjorn felt responsible for their deaths,” she continued. “It drove him to almost madness. I’ve had to pull him back from the edge… so many times. Then, one day, he just… changed. His smile was back. He would laugh and joke. I had my husband back after so many years.” She smiled sadly, almost reminiscent.

“Until he mentioned how the kids were doing abroad. After I questioned him angrily about what he meant, he became that hollow shell of a man again, unable to function. Begging for death. So, in the end, I forced myself to go along with his story. To never mention it again.”

Leo stumbled, mind reeling from the information. “So when he called me family…”

She shook her head. “He knew you weren’t his son. But he loved you like one.” She sniffed, tears forming once again while she forced out the words. “Thank you–” She started to wail, the words coming out in gasped breaths as she collapsed into him. “For saving him. F-for letting him save the son he never got to save.”

She hugged him again. Leo held her tight. The pair cried until she apologised, pulling away.

“Don’t be a stranger, you hear? You better come visit me out on Earth when you’re ruling the universe.”

He smiled. “I promise.”

Entering his room, Leo breathed out. The pent up grief and emotion felt released. The feeling was a lot, but also cathartic in a way. The revelation about Bjorn was shocking, losing him was worse. But now? Things were improving. He could do this.

He collapsed down on a bed that was now somehow in his room.

“Holy sweet gods,” Leo moaned as he melted.

He knew it had been a while since he’d slept in a proper bed, even with Lena’s skills she wasn’t really into making beds. That was fine, he didn’t need comfort.

But sitting on this bed was like nothing his ass had ever felt before. It was like sitting on a cloud, cushioning him perfectly as it molded around him. He was lying down before he knew it, relishing in the feeling.

It was big enough for Ellie to join him too, and the moment the little dragon touched it she curled into a ball and passed out.

Leo felt his own eyes closing, barely able to stop it from happening. He’d been fully restored by the system when he was transported here, which made him feel none of the strain from his Apotheosis.

His mental strain, however, peaked and then some.

He’d fought a swarm of ants, a trio of deadly foes where they’d lost friends. The Queen of the tutorial, and then the hidden boss or whatever Serrix was. He’d transformed into some kind of storm-like being with no reason as to why apart from his bloodline. A bloodline that he had apparently had all his life, with no clear reason as to why.

A thought struck him about said bloodline, wrenching him upright. The bed barely moved. It called to him as he sat up. He had to force himself to stand in order to not just lie back down.

He groaned like an old man as he stood.

Scrolling back through the notifications of his transformation, he focused on a line.

Your bloodline has revealed its true name

Bloodline of the Prismatic Storm

The dormant bloodline within your soul has awakened further.

No longer partially obscured beneath fragmented classification, the System has recognised traces of an ancient lineage once thought lost.

The Bloodline of the Prismatic Storm

A volatile convergence where elemental forces do not merely coexist, but intertwine. The storm within your soul instinctively draws elemental mana toward itself, forcing harmony where conflict should exist.

Your body is capable of harboring and channelling multiple Essences simultaneously.

+15% to all Essence-bound stats

Warning: Further bloodline revelations remain inaccessible.

Extreme emotional, mental, or elemental instability may force premature awakening.

Such events may result in permanent soul damage or death.

“Oh boy,” Leo muttered.

There was a lot to unpack. It almost made him wish he’d opted for sleep instead. His attention was drawn to the big warning at the end.

Kinda wish that had been mentioned when it was first revealed. Thanks system.

It was good to know that another major emotional outburst or build up could lead to further destabilising of whatever this bloodline was. The problem with emotional outbursts or whatever elemental instability was, was that they weren’t exactly something one could control.

He could act like the most held together saint in the world. But if someone hurt his family or friends then he’d likely snap. As would almost anyone. It was human.

But was he even human?

Serrix had called him something else. Iskarion had mentioned some kind of Prismari race that he thought Leo might be a part of. And now the system had basically confirmed something was different.

“Traces of an ancient lineage, huh…” Leo muttered, making Ellie stir a little.

He joined her on the bed, his eyes closing before he realised.

There were a lot of questions he needed answers to. As soon as he woke, he could hopefully get some.

He smiled to himself. All he had to figure out was where to start.