Though reluctant, the magic did come eventually, and Jinyi coaxed the molecules drifting in the room to coalesce into a shining lattice formed into a bridge. It was glassy white, sparkled just as the one that had crumbled away had, and just barely wide enough for the two of them.

Or I guess you could walk down single file, if you had no sense of romance and drama. Which Jinyi didn't. Safety first! Shall we head back? You first, he invited the Cleaner.

The bridge rose, and that second, faintest spark of potential came iwth it.

The Cleaner trundled, weakened but alive, and healed. Healing. It would take time.

A mental promise from Mother, a nod to the sentimentality of so many creatures, assured Jinyi that this one would be granted time to mend and survive rather than disposed of after the test. How kind!

But after it reached the end, and limped from the room to safety, nothing more immediately happened. Mother's voice fretted, abruptly, along the link.

"Nothing-? You cast magic three times, did you not? I thought-..." Was it even possible? The briefest rush of thoughts and concepts flashed past: weeks of preparation, study and imitation, her attempt at figuring out how Transcendence even worked and trying to replicate its process.

Had she failed, somewhere, somehow..?

2/3

@Jinyi

Jinyi followed the Cleaner across the bridge, glad to be reassured that it would live past this trial. It would have been such a waste to see it culled right after it was healed of its wounds, and it was only because of him that it had been weakened, after all. It had been quite a painful experience for it, and Jinyi felt some sort of responsibility toward it.

When nothing of note magically happened, and Mother's confusion filtered along the link, the idea of a third spell came to him. If he hadn't felt the same spark of potential he had with the healing and the bridge the first time—perhaps only Ordered magic would 'count' toward the three? He could use the opportunity, as well, to strengthen the Cleaner before it had completely trundled away.

Magic flooded out from him again as the ant brushed past, an infusion of strength and support. Jinyi was sorry that it had been hurt for his trial, but he would support it in its recovery and return, and he would use whatever strength he gained to serve the Hive well so that its contribution would not be wasted. Mother's fretting hung over him—surely this would work, and redeem their efforts.

Whatever it was, this time, it--took. A third flicker, a shimmer of potential--and suddenly the white owl was there.

It almost lunged for Jinyi, blank-faced, and smashed chest-first into him. (It was still learning its new role.) Whatever contact it made sapped Jinyi of his strength at once, as though the Administrator had been awaiting this moment, and now?

Now he felt drained. Emptied, hollow, as though he'd run a hundred miles. But as though after he next rested... he would be stronger. Like a muscle taxed to exhaustion, but with growth awaiting it.

The owl stepped back and simply stalked away, and Mother's voice rang warm and approving in Jinyi's mind; the requisite flood of chemicals was powerful, a roar of congratulations striking from within.

"Well DONE, my child! Well done--the POTENTIAL-" and the potential swam throughout the Hive. All of them, their own nexus, their own hives. Each of them a Hive unto themselves. She could feel the power, the magic of it. She could feel what it could make of them.

Fantastic.

The Cleaner eyed him for a moment with something like wonder, before trundling off to return to its duties, seemingly satisfied that it had served such an important role in strengthening its Hive.

3/3

Jinyi has Transcended. He is now a Transcendent Pupil, and may work his way back up to Transcendent Master. Upon attaining this rank, his player may post in Update Me to choose a Specialization (viewable in the Magic section of the Guidebook).

He has also learned the spell:

Hivemind:

Transcendent Intensity Manipulation. Draws upon the power of the Hive to create a permanent hivemind by personally assuming control of all Infected, uncontrolled Lesser Gembound within thirty yards. A lower roll may indicate fewer available Lessers. The spell can be cast once per thread to direct the caster's personal hivemind to specific actions that would require a roll for success, ex. combat, but the hivemind will obey minor commands freely.

@Jinyi

Jinyi had about two milliseconds to reflect that he'd felt that spark of potential again, before the white owl suddenly appeared in front of him, golden eyes as blank as ever, and slammed directly into his chest. Jinyi was bigger than it, but he still stumbled back, shocked and half-expecting the talons to tear into him like they had the Cleaner.

They didn't, but the feeling of so much strength being drained away was enough of a shock to send the Drone's knees folding. Jinyi crumpled to an unbecoming sitting position on the ground, stunned. The shower of praise from Mother and surge of triumphant chemicals into his body seemed incongruent to what had just happened, but—no, he could feel it. Apart from the exhaustion, there was new potential. New power—he could become the center of his own Hivemind.

... Well. This new power was kind of shocking, too. Jinyi felt breathless with triumphant joy at the new potential unlocked for the Hive—he would have to get to work preparing it immediately. ... Immediately after a nap, that was. Somehow, he mustered the strength to pull himself to his feet and drag himself away to his room to rest, his gait as wobbly as the Cleaner's before him.

exit