Wish upon the Stars chapter 1041

Changes. That was the first thing I noticed. Not just the recent ones, but all the changes I’d gone through. It had been years now, since I started this journey, and in those years, I’d changed so much. Rank-ups, abilities, my Domain, and now my new office. I was a completely different person now, and despite that building for so long, putting on the crown felt like some kind of trigger. Like the spark that lit the fuse that burned away everything I used to be in a sea of violet fire.

Wishmaster status. C-rank. Ability: Grandmaster Wish- Nine times a day grant a Grandmaster wish in return for proper compensation. Wish must be feasibly  achievable by the candidate's own  efforts within a three day period  with  current statistics.

Grandmaster Path of the Demonbinder- The Domain of a Great King.

Wishmaster candidate points-1000

Might-940,923

Impact-155

Fantasy-825,780

Vitality-831,467

Focus-929,835

Perception-761,873

Creation-712,871

Progress to next rank:5,002,904/10,000,000

Soul strength- Tanzanite Soul Body

Body Forging: Nine Phoenix Reincarnation Art- 1/81 drops- First Layer 1/9

Chronicle: Ten Demons Tome (pages bound:2- 1 Zagan, 1 Leviathan)

wish scrolls stockpiled: 27 (5 in the possession of friends to be used over time)

Bonded companion: Archimedes (Life Nova Phoenix)

Weapon: Ten Demons Tree (reincarnation tree staff that lets him simulate alternate lives to perfect his forms, and when combined with the library lets him simulate and deduce techniques in a process called the "Wisdom of Solomon")

Stored: 10 Adherent Fire, 7 shadow attacks, 10 shadow jump (seven in reserve), 10 Stealth charges,10 triple strength tranq blows (ten in reserve), 10 spider leg attacks (ten in reserve), 3 gravity attacks, 1 shadow clone, 18 scan heals (I-rank ability so Shane can hold more)

Financial resources: 0 B-ranked, 0 C-ranked, 0 D-ranked(worth 100 E-ranked, past master rank is a watershed)

Court of Gehenna:

1.Doom Sovereign- Tier 7

2.Valtek- Tier 2

3.Cooking- Tier 7

4.Inventing- Tier 2

5.Balam- Tier 3

6.Nine Phoenix Reincarnation Art- Tier 2

7.Piano- Tier 1

8.Guitar- Tier 1

9.First Aid- Tier 1

10.Angelic Bond- Tier 6

11.Dust Construction- Tier 5

12. Stone Limb- Tier 6 

13.Moonlit Night- Tier 4

14.Consecration of Flame- Tier 6

15.Ripple Running- Tier 3

16.State of Grace- Tier 4

17.Steam Arrow- Tier 4

18.Afterburner- Tier 6

19.Pit of Despair- Tier 6

20.Mountain Stance- Tier 6

21.Heart over Body- Tier 6

22.Mercy Kill- Tier 5

23.Double Trouble- Tier 6

24.Touch of Tears- Tier 5

25.Flurry of Blows- Tier 3

26.Heavy Hands- Tier 2

27.Marked for Death- Tier 4

28.False Fatality- Tier 3

29.Blood Curse- Tier 4

30.Creeping Darkness- Tier 2

31.Final Strike- Tier 6

32.Overlay- Tier 4

33.Song of the Soil- Tier 3

34.Rhythm of the Wild- Tier 2

35.Eye of Revelation- Tier 6

36.Danger Sense- Tier 5

37.Piece of Mind- Tier 6

38.Empty Spirit- Tier 6

39.Belial- Tier 7

40.Abomination Engine- Tier 6

41.Mephistopheles- Tier 7

42.Cosmic Collapse- Tier 6

43.Circle of Damnation- Tier 6

44.Mephisto's Waltz- Tier 6

45.Mornax- Tier 7

46.Zagan- Tier 7

47.Life Nova- Tier 6

48.Genesis Burst- Tier 6

49.Bael- Tier 7

50.Beelzebub- Tier 7

51.Agares- Tier 7

52.Dantalion- Tier 7

53.Sammael- Tier 7

54.Limbo- Tier 7

55.Gluttony- Tier 7

56.Wrath

57.Pride- Tier 7

58.Retribution- Tier 7

59.Murmur- Tier 7

60.Leviathan- Tier 7

61.Behemoth- Tier 7

62.Glory- Tier 7

63.Abaddon -Tier 7

64.Wisdom of Solomon- Tier 7

65.Promethean Fire Soul Body- Tier 6

66.Fate Sense- Tier 6

67.Scent of Truth- Tier 5

68.Damnatio Memoraie- Tier 6

69.Dark Reflection- Tier 6

70. Asmodeaus- Tier 7

71. Astaroth- Tier 7

72. Azazel- Tier 7

I must have been gaping. We’d stepped back on the stage, behind a privacy curtain I hadn’t even noticed, and Aiden was grinning at me. “It’s pretty wild, right? Feeling those connections? Even for a few minutes. But it’s necessary. The crown isn’t just a totem, it’s a focus. Those bonds to the wishes of the family let you absorb the mythology and renown of the Wishmaster more efficiently.”

That made sense. I’d taken in my entire weight in power this time, and while it had felt WEIRD, it didn’t hurt the way it usually did. I’d chalked that up to my strong soul or Domain, but come to think of it, handling those volumes should have been way more uncomfortable. I suspected the main point had been to show me the bonds though, let me know what the old man would have to deal with if he was more involved.

As for the renown of the Wishmaster, I could definitely see it. My Fantasy and Creation stats had SKYROCKETED. I’d gotten pretty solid boosts across the board, but Fantasy and Creation had been the lowest, and the swing had been most noticeable there. My Might had jumped decently, but nothing too impressive, and my Focus had spiked. The Wishmaster had a reputation for being shrewdly intelligent and a brilliant researcher.

It felt…strange. Like I wasn’t in control of my body almost. The crown seemed to have almost purified the income of stats, like I was receiving them through a wish. Looking at the sheer amount of power, if I’d taken that in as normal renown the recursion would have been brutal. The old man had known what he was doing when he made that headpiece. I shot an assessing look at it.

Aiden laughed again. “I know how you feel. It’s kind of surreal, right? That’s one of the old man’s objects of power. Trust him to build something like that instead of a weapon or armor. I guess that’s why he’s a god. Never does things the normal way.”

I blinked, staring down at the dark metal yet again. Knowing that it was an object of power made a LOT more sense. Items that did this kind of thing were unheard of. I hadn’t known it was possible to purify stats like the Wish power did, or to siphon renown directly and skip the waiting period as the legend spread. Or to help acclimate the power. But thinking about it, the Wish power itself did most of those things. The crown was just a physical manifestation of a power the old man already had.

Still, I was blown away, and I knew I’d need a few days at least to acclimate to the changes. Being so much stronger so quickly wasn’t EXACTLY new, I’d had huge bumps before, and even doubled my stats at one point I was pretty sure, but the sensation of that post D-rank and with stats as high as mine already were…I was fairly close to breaking a MILLION with some of my INDIVIDUAL stats.

Callie took my hand and squeezed it. “You ok, baby?” she asked worriedly. “Your head is a big jumble. I can’t tell if you’re upset or happy.”

“Yeah,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m good. Just kind of overwhelmed. I knew the coronation would be a big bump, but feeling all that at once was a lot.” I looked around at the curtain. “I’m guessing that’s not an unusual reaction. How long do I have to get my head right before I have to get back?”

Aiden snorted. “Have to get back? You’re the Wishmaster, kid. You could just go fuck off to sleep and no one would say a word.”

Davina smacked him upside the head. “Do NOT do that,” she clarified. “That’s terrible advice, and is not even remotely applicable to you. Aiden got away with far too much because of his secondary combat ability and his father’s help. As someone who plans to make real changes, bullying the council and swanning around like you can’t be bothered with anyone else is the WORST possible path for you to take.”

I laughed at Aiden’s sulky pout, but he didn’t contradict her. “Noted, so what do you suggest I do?”

“Take twenty or thirty minutes,” she said kindly. “Process the new stats, get your head on straight, then go out and greet your subjects. Make people feel seen. You just announced your intention to massively upset the applecart, and a lot of people will be concerned. Smooth things over, let them meet you. Change is scary, and the unknown is scarier. If you’re going to hit them with the former, make sure to have as little of the latter as possible.”

I turned shot her a wry smile. “Aiden was right, you are MUCH better at this than he is.”

She shot him a warm smile. “My husband has the soul of a warrior. He was…misinformed about the nature of his former position. I’m dreading having him on the council. He’s quickly approaching S-rank, of course. That’s why the succession war was so much faster than usual this time. Once he breaks through he’ll be expected to create a branch of his own and join the elders.”

“Which I’m absolutely not doing,” he said quickly. “I hate council meetings. I’m just going to go bust skulls on the front lines.” He glared at me. “Don’t end this war too quickly. I know you told the old man you plan to find allies among the Vanished gods. If you peace us out before I get a chance to cut loose and cement my push to S-rank I’m going to be PISSED.”

Davina rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him. End the war as quickly as possible, he’s not going to have trouble with his breakthrough. Very few people have Chronicles as solid as his. The sublimation into a Saga will pose no difficulty to him. He’s just trying to avoid work.” She raised an eyebrow at her husband. “Come along, dear. We need to let the children settle before they go out to mingle. And you and I need to have a discussion about the responsibilities of being a good role model.”

Something about the way she said that made me think that such a discussion might be relevant to them in the near future. Azazel tossing me a tidbit of information, maybe. Aiden didn’t have any kids, but now that he wasn’t the Wishmaster anymore, I got the sudden feeling that there might be a baby in his future. 

Neither of them noticed my insight as she took his hand and dragged him off. I turned to find Callie grinning at me, and just to amuse her I shared my prediction. She giggled at that. “I’m glad. Davina will be a good mom, based on what I saw of her. As for Aiden…hard to say. I wish them both well, though. So, how big was that boost, anyway?”

“A quarter,” I admitted. “I’m halfway to B-rank now.” Her eyes widened, jaw dropping with shock. 

“HALF?” she said in disbelief. “That’s…dear gods, Shane, how are you standing after an influx that large. Wait, no, I know how, he explained it. But still.” Aiden had taken the crown with him when he left, but she stared after it in a daze. “Aiden was right though. Trust the Wishmaster to have an item like that.” Her face firmed in determination. “That settles it. I’ve been wondering what to do once you leave on your trip. Now I know. Aiden’s space flame is similar to my Adherent fire. I need to learn, and I need to make a name for myself if I don’t want to get left behind. I’m going to ask him to take me with him to the front lines of god war.”

I knew there were Void spawn there, mixed in with the forces of the vanished gods, but I still felt my blood run cold at the idea of my wife running off to a war zone. I clamped down on that sensation though. She deserved the chance to get stronger. To learn and grow. She was right, if she didn’t, she’d get left behind, and that scared me almost as much as the idea of losing her.

The next thirty minutes went by fast, and then it was time to go out and mingle. The rest of the night went by in a blur after the news of Callie’s plans. I spent them concentrating on ways to make sure she stayed as safe as possible once she left, and the next day, I put those plans into action.