The voice startled Leo so much he bolted upright. Both of the Primarchs just looked at him, confusion evident on their faces.

“Is something the matter?” Caldrin asked curiously.

Leo looked at them both, pausing for a moment. “Did you guys not hear that?”

Caldrin’s eyes flashed for a moment, colours dancing within before returning back to green. “No one is around. What did you hear?”

“I heard Iskarion’s voice in my head.”

It was Caldrin’s turn to leap out of his chair, his hands were suddenly on either side of Leo’s head, holding it firmly.

“I can’t hear anything,” Caldrin said. “Are you sure it was him?”

“I doubt he’ll be able to hear me,” Iskarion said, sounding amused. “Whatever connection we have is through the pact we made, even though it appears you’ve no longer kept my skill… we will need to talk about that at a later date.”

Another voice appeared inside Leo’s head, almost like they were digging into his soul. It didn’t feel uncomfortable, however. He just… could tell that both presences were there.

“Is that really you, Iskarion?” the voice—definitely Caldrin’s—asked almost tentatively.

“Are you crowding this boy’s soul to try and speak to me?” Iskarion asked, voice stern. “Have you learned nothing after all this time?”

“It is you. I don’t believe it. How?” Caldrin’s voice was filled with wonder.

Having two people have a conversation inside his head. Or his soul. Or whatever the hell this was, felt very strange. It was like two people sitting on either side of you having a conversation with each other while you just kind of sat there in the middle.

“As much as I’m glad you both have been able to talk. Why the hell is it through me?” Leo asked.

“This boy… What is he?” Caldrin asked, a bit awestruck.

“Why do people keep asking that? I know Iskarion said it was weird to have six Essences, and a bloodline, but really now, there’s a massive multiverse out there, right? Surely someone has to be like me.” Leo felt a rant coming, so chose to stop it there before he spoke before thinking.

…

“Here we go…” Iskarion said. Leo could almost feel his head shaking.

The things Iskarion told him when he’d found out about his bloodline and amount of Essences was to keep them a secret, and he’d blabbed them the moment he’d gotten a little bit annoyed.

“Six… Essences? Not five? And a Bloodline?” Caldrin’s voice was as disbelieving as it was excited.

“He’s never going to leave you alone now,” Iskarion said solemnly.

Leo opened his eyes for a moment, Caldrin’s hands were still on his head.

“You may as well join this friendly reunion while you can,” he said to Vera, who simply smiled. It made his heart skip a beat.

She walked over to him. “I can tell what he’s doing.” She frowned “It’s a very dangerous method of probing one’s soul. Everything you are can be exposed if he digs deep enough without the proper training or power to resist him. I’m assuming he’s speaking to Iskarion through some kind of bond or pact you have. The fact you can remain so calm while such a presence does this shows both Caldrin’s control and your…” She didn’t finish.

She did continue after a moment, shaking her head. “My control over such things is weaker, and would likely kill you if your soul is unable to handle it. As much as I would like to speak to him, and have a little root around, I shall refrain from killing you to do so.”

“Oh for—” Leo reached out, grasping the gods hand. He wanted this weird meeting to be over so they could start answering his questions. But a part of him also wanted these people, gods, whatever, to meet their friend again. It was clear they cared about him a lot. And Leo was nothing if not a people pleaser.

The moment Leo touched the god, who decided not to dodge with an interested look on her face, he felt another presence join the conversation that had still been happening while he was focusing his attention on Vera.

“Now that we know where you are,” Caldrin said, “We can figure out how to get you out.”

“Wait a moment, is that…?” Caldrin’s shock tingled through Leo as the emotion flared.

“Hello boys,” Vera said, also in his mind now. It was like a murky expanse that contained a bunch of presences.

“Vera, you must leave! The boy will break!”

“The boy is fine, thanks, just finish up so we can talk,” Leo said, still a bit miffed.

“My word, what a soul,” Vera said, exploring him. He could feel her diving through his very being, almost like he could picture her wandering around his veins and memories. His bones and muscles.

It gave him chills.

Caldrin had kept himself in a bubble. Iskarion was… he had no idea. Vera was wandering about.

“Okay, enough of this,” Leo declared.

He focused, hard, pushing himself into his soul-space for the first time in a while. The vast open field with mountains lining the horizon. The storm clouds that sat behind them, dormant and budding.

He appeared suddenly. Then with another thought, pulled both Caldrin and Vera in with him.

“There,” he breathed, a bit exerted from the effort. “Much better.”

Iskarion’s presence was still here, but his form didn’t appear. It was like he was a cloud in the sky. Or perhaps a god in the heavens. The thought made him laugh a little, but he kept it in.

“You are full of surprises,” Vera said, chuckling. “To think a mere E-grade human is able to house multiple Primarchs within his soul—even just a fragment—without breaking… It’s unheard of.”

“He seems to be good at that,” Caldrin agreed, gazing around Leo’s soul-space like a tourist.

“Seconded,” Iskarion added.

What followed was Leo playing house to the three gods talking to each other as Vera was caught up about Iskarion’s situation. All the things Leo already knew from his meetings with them.

Iskarion informed them both about the pact that Leo made with the dragon, but spoke nothing of his Essences or bloodline.

After a while of this, they addressed Leo, finally. “Thank you for reuniting us, Leonidas,” Caldrin said, voice full of warmth. “If there is anything we can do to repay you, it will be done.”

“Will you guys be able to talk to Iskarion yourselves after this?” Leo asked, not too worried about rewards just yet.

Caldrin shook his head. “No. It appears he is connected to you. Iskarion, did anything change to allow this connection?”

“The monolith the boy was about to describe before I interrupted, the one whose writing I could not read until he did, cracked. When it did, I used what little skills I had that are Fate related to follow the small thread that appeared. It guided me right to him, where I was suddenly able to watch him. And only him.”

“Interesting,” Vera said, humming melodically. “It is a shame the little Seamstress left so early, she would have been useful here.” Vera blinked, like she’d received a notification. “My time is running out anyway, I’ll go pay her a visit—should she allow it. Thank you for this boon, Leo. We may not share a full Essence, but my Grove will welcome you regardless.”

And with that, she vanished, her presence in his soul gone with her. It felt a little strange, but he was fine. Like letting her down after carrying her piggyback.

“What did she mean, time running out?” Leo asked.

“It was my invitation you accepted. Both of my guests were just that, guests. The system gives us some leeway due to our position, but even we have our limits,” Caldrin said.

“My time is running out too,” Iskarion said, making Leo suddenly worried about the meaning.

“I can speak now, but I can also feel the limit to my interference. I will still be able to watch, but we will have to reserve our conversations for moments of importance, at least for now.”

“Tell me about the obelisk, what did it say?” Caldrin asked quickly. It was a good thing, too, Leo still couldn’t remember the words.

Iskarion spoke to them like he was reading them directly.

“Through storms and chains, none may leave.

The blood of a true stormbound is the only key.

When one ascends, the realm is released.

Until then, all are bound, be they god or beast.”

“You understand the meaning behind this? Correct?” Caldrin asked, suddenly looking at Leo.

“Yes.”

“No.”

Both of them said at once.

Caldrin huffed a small laugh, recovering quickly. He was staring at Leo like some kind of prized possession. A mystery to unravel. More chills travelled down his spine.

Ellie suddenly appeared within the space, looking extremely huffy. The blue coloration in her rainbow irises flashed brighter, and a small igloo looking structure appeared.

She’d built an igloo in his soul, entered, and closed it off.

“How did she even do that?” Leo asked.

“Fascinating,” Caldrin muttered, stroking his beard. Water droplets dripped from it as he did.

Leo wanted to tell him he was leaking, but thought better of it.

“So? The obelisk? What does it mean, really?” Leo asked, wanting at least one of his questions answered.

“For many, many eras,” Caldrin began, “I have been studying the ancient race known as the Prismari. They were known to be gifted with elemental power, similar to myself, but in a way that breaks common conceptions. They could mix, combine, alter. Nothing was fully impossible. When enough of them combined, it formed what was known as Prism. Or Prismatic mana.”

Leo gulped.

“Records say they were entirely wiped out in the first era, almost directly after the system arrived. They somehow have information spanning across many universes before the system came!” He was getting excited. “Relics, tablets, books. Tales of wandering travelers able to control the elements. But now, they have become nothing more than a legend. A tale.”

He kept going, clearly getting lost in his enthusiasm. “Another name for them was Stormbound. Due to their violent nature and wild elemental power. At least, that’s what the system called them in text.”

“Where did they all go?” Leo asked before he realised.

“We truly do not know,” Caldrin said. “Some believe the system wiped them out due to their power being too great to control. Others believe they were broken under the strength of their own power once the system offered them more.”

“What do you believe?” Leo asked, voice worried, yet hopeful.

Caldrin smirked, removing his hat. “I believe… That they are still out there.”

Leo frowned. “That means…”

“The fact that Iskarion is trapped within a prison fit for a god, designed and inhabited by elementals that exhibit Prismari nature almost confirms it. Then there is you.”

“Me?” Leo felt all he was asking were follow ups but what could he do?

“Indeed,” his smirk grew into a grin. “Tell me, what did the system call that transformation you did? I know what kind of transformation you did. But the name would likely reveal more.”

Leo paused.

“I will form a contract of secrecy if you wish,” Caldrin said seriously.

Leo shook his head. “It’s… fine. It’s something called an Apotheosis. Or more specifically, Prismatic Apotheosis”

Caldrin’s smile vanished. He started looking around for signs of… something. But after a moment he relaxed.

“My word, it’s true. How did you survive such a thing?”

“I’m afraid I must interrupt. Even if my curiosity is peaked. My time is coming to an end to be able to speak. I do not know when I will be able to contact you again, Leo. But thank you for all that you have done. And for taking care of Ellie.”

“I will get you free, my friend. I swear it,” Caldrin said, staring upward.

Leo just smiled and let the two say their goodbyes. Ellie left her igloo to roar into the sky. Damn adorable.

“We will talk again soon, little one,” Iskarion said, laughing as his presence also faded.

“How about we do this outside my head?” Leo suggested.

Caldrin was still looking into the expansive sky above. “Very well.”

He vanished, leaving just Leo and Ellie. Leo took a moment to grab her, nuzzling his face against her. “I’m sorry we ignored you. There’s just a lot of stuff I need to talk to mr wizard about, okay?”

She huffed, but then it dropped as he rubbed his face against hers. Giggles sounded out, her little laughs making Leo forget about all the seriousness of the day.

Oh man this is only day one of my field trip and I’ve had three Primarch’s in my head. This is going to get rough.

Exiting the soul-space, the dragon coming with him to forcefully sit on his lap, unwilling to be ignored again, Leo continued his conversation with Caldrin.

“My soul was damaged during the Apotheosis, but the system fixed it when the tutorial ended.”

“Lucky,” Caldrin murmured. “Did your bloodline change at all? What did the original describe?”

Leo paused again before answering, Iskarion’s warning echoing in his head.

“I know you may be skeptical. I am a strange new person in your world. A god that declares himself a friend of the dragon that can speak into your mind. It must be all very peculiar to you. I swear this on my life, Leonidas. You can trust me. I am on your side.”

Ellie growled.

“Your sides,” Caldrin corrected.

Ellie huffed her agreement, Leo stroked her.

“You’re gonna freak out,” Leo mumbled, loud enough to be heard.

He described his bloodline’s text, its abilities, and the ones that changed during his Apotheosis. He gave him as much info as he could, exposing himself to this stranger god. It was definitely risky, but if there were as many gods as there were trying to vie for his attention, he needed allies. And he trusted Iskarion.

“Never repeat what you just told me to anyone else,” Caldrin said in a serious tone, eyes fixed on him, unable to hide the sparkle.

“That’s what Iskarion said,” Leo murmured. “Is it really that bad?”

“What did Iskarion tell you of bloodlines and their like?” he asked.

“It was the system that I got most of my information from, said they were innate and manifested uniquely, sometimes passed down through kids. Iskarion mentioned they were quite sought after.”

“Iskarion has not been in our plane of existence for a very long time,” Caldrin said. “Bloodlines are not only sought after, but often warred over. Entire factions and civilisations were taken over from simple rumours of a person having one. After that, treaties were put into place, damning anyone who tried to do such a thing.”

“However,” he continued. “It does not make them any less sought after. They simply do it in other ways. Offers, marriage, blackmail. A lot of gods who were watching your tutorial will have contacted you because they were seeking your powers. They likely surmised you had a bloodline. Knowledge of your Essences, and that transformation will spread rapidly. How many invited you?”

“Like over ten thousand,” Leo sighed. “How can there even be that many gods?”

“I believe you’ve; ‘jumped into the deep end’ so to speak.” He chuckled. “Those gods are not as powerful as the ones you’ve come to know so far, yet compared to you are right now, beyond measure. To us Primarchs, they are of no concern. I am curious if any of the Nine sent you an invite.”

“Yeah, you, someone called the Gravebinder Lich lord, and Cindralus.”

Caldrin hummed. “Intriguing. I expected that molten swine, but not the Lich. I assume Cindralus offered you something along the lines of death and annihilation in the name of purity?” Caldrin laughed.

“Something like that. Did he actually believe I’d accept?”

“He’s a fool. But he’s not an idiot. He did it to make you aware of him.”

Just like I thought. Doesn’t make it any less freaky to have a pinnacle existence after you in the first two months. Oh well. Worth it for Ellie.

“The lich is a curious one. If anything, I’d have assumed Velthar would have sent one.”

Leo tried to collect the memory he had on the Primarchs from Iskarion, his memory not granting him much.

“The… Iron? Right?” Leo asked. “Why would he invite me?”

“Because he hates Cindralus as much as we do. And he also fights barehanded.”