Wish upon the Stars chapter 1039

The next morning came with a surprising lack of pomp OR circumstance. I woke up, rolled out of bed, and then just kind of…sat there. Today was the day. My coronation. My ascension to Wishmaster. 

Despite having known it was coming, having worked for it for years, having fought and bled and almost died to achieve it, it felt bewildering. I was somehow blindsided. All the panic I thought I’d worked through, the fear I had faced and set down, came flooding back into me like a thundering stampede of wild horses tearing through my mind. Until…

A pair of soft arms draped around me, a chin on my shoulder, and three sets of blue black wings encircled me.

All the panic. All the fear. It vanished. Like ice under warm sunshine, all my hesitation just melted away, replaced by the blazing warmth of the love I had for my wife, and the love she had for me. My shoulders relaxed, head falling forward, and I smiled softly. “Morning,” I told her with a chuckle. “Sorry to wake you.”

“Not at all,” she said wryly. “Your existential crisis was very quiet. I just needed a glass of water.”

“Suffer in silence,” I said solemnly. “That’s my motto. Also showers are better than baths. Speaking of which…”

She giggled at that. “There’s no way we’ll be on time for your coronation if I get in with you.”

I shrugged. “I’m going to be their boss anyway. What are they gonna do? It’s not like I could be worse than Aiden.” She raised an eyebrow at me archly and I rolled my eyes with a sigh. “But I guess we have guests and all that. Fine. Rain check.” I sighed, leaning my head against hers. “Remind me again why I need to do this?”

“Because it’s your dream,” she said gently. “Because you feel like you owe it to your family. Because you want to affect real change.”

I sighed, standing reluctantly to start putting on my armor. I slipped into my greaves, then boots, the motions almost ritual after so long wearing the stuff. I traced my fingers over the metal, relieved at the lack of cracks. Donovan hadn’t been SUPER pleased to be summoned back. He’d been mixing with some of the smiths who were visiting for the coronation, and had been spending most his time at the sword dance symposium.

Fade’s blacksmith elder had come with us because he was powerful enough to be relevant, but we hadn’t really needed any smithing, so he’d been doing his own thing. As the smith who forged my armor, Donovan Redfellow was less than impressed with the condition it was in, though he did calm down slightly when I told him about the horrible attack it helped me survive. Professional pride was a beautiful thing.

I stopped to do my morning ritual, condensing my wishes for the day, and then, when I finished I turned to face my wife. “So, before we go, we have those makeup wedding pictures for my grandparents. I’m ALMOST positive they were joking about bringing a crown.”

She laughed at that, and offered me her hands. I spun her lightly, like we were dancing, and then pulled her against me, resting my forehead against hers. “Thank you,” I said quietly.

I didn’t say for what. I didn’t need to. And I couldn’t. Not really. Not ever. There was too much, too many emotions, too much love, too much that we’d shared. But she knew. She always knew what I was feeling, even without the bond. She kissed me softly, and we stood like that, alone together, letting the world pass us by.

Then the spell broke, and we headed out of our room to meet up with the others. Abel, Mel, Chelsea, Gabe, Bethy, Fade, Ellie, my entire cabinet. The room was packed. To my surprise, one of my cabinet members approached with a wry smile, holding up a small glass cylinder. He handed it to me.

I raised a brow at Wulf. “What’s this?”

“My mission,” he shrugged. “You asked me to find that guy, Tim. Well, I found him.” He gestured to the bottle, which upon closer inspection had what appeared to be a very small chunk of rock floating in it. I squinted, able to make out more with my enhanced Perception. Not a chunk of rock. A continent.

“He’s in HERE?” I asked dumbly. “Why? How? How do you even know?”

He rolled his eyes. “Because I ASKED him. I’ve been inside that thing. I wanted to ask him to come out but-”

“Let me guess,” my dad sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He refused. Because he’s-”

“Tim in a bottle,” agreed Wulf. “Yeah, he was really emphatic about that. He’s got a whole country of citizens in there, and he seems to be doing an ok job. It’s a weird place. Very colorful, lots of strange art.”

My mom laughed at that. “Sounds like him. Here, pass it to me. Eli and can keep an eye on it, maybe slip in for a visit. It would be nice to see an old friend. Before that though, we need to get these pictures done so we can leave.” She glanced at my grandmother. “Do you really need the props and outfits?”

Celia puffed out an annoyed breath. “I suppose not. With Shane’s armor recently repaired, it looks good as new, and Calliope is always fashionable.”

My wife preened, and I rolled my eyes, because my mask made it impossible for anyone but her to tell. I muttered “teacher’s pet” in her head to make sure she got the joke. She stuck her tongue out at me lightning fast when no one was looking, and I had to choke down a laugh.

We spent the next hour taking photos. We got some of me and Callie, me and Chelsea, Chelsea Bethy and Gabe (despite what my grandparents had said about focusing on the happy couple, which I was glad to see), my parents, my grandparents, and even a few of all of us as a group. It was a big day, and they were clearly trying to get the most out of the photographer they had hired.

The photographer was actually really impressive. He was B-rank, but he had this incredibly complex camera made of interlocking gears that took images into like a three dimensional crystal prism. When you channeled light into it the crystal could even project the image as a hologram. It was all very interesting, and my grandparents had to make us all get into position for pictures because we all got distracted questioning him about it.

Sadly, good times always had to end. Eventually we finished the last of the photos, and it was time for us to leave. I headed for the door, but my mom, dad, and Zeke stopped me on the way. “Calliope, darling, can I have a moment with my son?” My mom asked kindly. “I promise to return him posthaste.”

Callie nodded, smiling warmly at my mother. “Of course, Sasha. I’ll wait outside.”

“Please dear, call me mom,” my mother chirped brightly. “You mean so much to this family, there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

My wife blushed a bit, but didn’t say no, hurrying out of the room with a look of conflicted confusion. I could understand her feelings. Unlike her father, who she hated (hence being so willing to accept Atlas as a parental figure), Callie adored her mother. But I know she’d also grown close to my mom and grandmother, and she did consider herself part of the family. I doubted Amelia would care, personally, but I also wasn’t going to push her on it, not would my mother, judging by her expression.

She watched Callie go with a fond smile. “That girl is the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”

“Agreed,” I said without hesitation. “But I doubt that’s what you wanted to talk to me about. What’s up, guys? I’m fine, if you were worried about it. I know this is a lot, but I’ve been through worse. And don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you up there. I CAN be civilized when I put my mind to it, you know?”

Zeke snorted. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said dryly. “But that’s not what this is about. If you’re going to humiliate yourself up there, there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Besides, you’re a grown man, it’s not going to reflect on me anymore, so go nuts.”

“What Ezekial is TRYING to say,” my mother said tightly. “Is that we trust and love you, and we have no doubt you’ll acquit yourself admirably up there. We aren’t concerned about the coronation, it’s mainly a formality in any case. No, we’re hoping to speak with you about your trip to the Void. Are you still planning to go?”

“I think I kind of have to,” I said grimly. “Morwenna has shown an interest in working with Hatescream. I mean, sure, she refused originally because of Callie, but who knows how long that will last. I don’t believe her fear of Atlas can outweigh her goals for much longer. We need to shut down some of the war fronts. Making an alliance would be even better, and my inroads at Mourne Kayze are our best shot. The Lady of Lamentation favors me personally, and if anyone can reach out and convince her it’s me.”

I’d met the vanished goddess once, after all, and as the Wishmaster I would nominally be her equal politically. Given the gods themselves would be unable to enter the Void space occupied by her god world, I was the next best option. Someone with a connection to the Vanished Gods and a high enough position that my words would be taken seriously, but who was expendable enough not to be a vulnerability.

“Ok,” my mom said slowly. “If you’re sure, we won’t stop you. But do you know what the Void is like? How it works?”

“I know the Void roads are a thing,” I shrugged. “Paths through the space that connect to…whatever is out there. Different areas where Void children live, I assume. I’m guessing there aren’t too many real people there, given how much the Void hates us.”

My mom chuckled. “You’d think so. But that’s not the case. There are plenty of people in the Void. In fact, the Void children PREFER them being there. God worlds provide better insulation from the Void, and they contain more noise. While most gods are dead, their worlds don’t cease to exist. They simply remain in the Void, broken but still accessible. The Void roads connect this shattered domains, and they’re referred to collectively as ‘The Hanging Lands’.”

“There are many cities and forces in the hanging lands,” my dad warned. “And they don’t fear the five factions at ALL. Any attempts to cleanse them fails, any attempt to bring them under control results in years of attrition. It’s not so easy for a god to claim another god’s world, dead or not. In order to reach this…Mourne Kayze, you’ll need to pass through the hanging lands.”

My mom looked worried. “The hanging lands are…strange. Their relationship with the Void is complicated. You need to be very careful out there. Don’t announce your identity as the Wishmaster. Their information channels aren’t exactly top notch, so using your name should be fine, but be sure to be careful and rely on your disguise form if needed. Ezekiel says it’s quite impressive.”

“It’s a pseudo-Domain,” I began, then trailed off. “Actually, I guess it’s a demon now. That’ll take some getting used to. But warning taken, guys. I’ll be safe. I have to complete this mission to end the war. I have no desire to be in charge during wartime for any longer than necessary.” I winked. “Plus, accomplishing something like this will give me tons of leverage with the council. I might actually be able to push through some reforms.” My mom laughed at that, pulling me into a tight hug, and then we all headed out. It was time for my coronation.