A Window into the Soul

From their phone call, Noble knew her mother would be at her home, but in the heat of the moment, she had forgotten.

But seeing Lena meant the world to her—two worlds even!

Her mother had known exactly what to do and say. Even though Lena's mysterious evening plans intrigued Noble, a shower and fresh clothes were far more enticing at the moment.

Almost as enticing as that kiss had been…

Noble shook off the thought and cleaned herself up. She dressed quickly in the clothes her mother had set out on the bed. Thankfully, Lena knew her daughter's taste and had put out a comfortable top and stylish pants.

'Ah, I have forgotten how nice it feels to be in cotton and not armor or a corset.'

There were many modern comforts that Noble was looking forward to, but not having to be cinched and tied into her clothing was pretty high on her list.

'It is good to be home.'

Hovering over a stool at her vanity, Noble took a brush and hairdryer to her long auburn locks.

While she tamed her unruly hair, the floating awakened ducked quietly into her soul sea.

It had undergone a transformation. Her core shone brightly, looking larger and more powerful than it had before. The water below shone with its usual iridescence, looking deeper and richer than Noble had ever seen.

It made sense. She was far more powerful now that she was a Master.

A Master! That was still too much to process.

But she had seen that her ability to sense others' emotions had grown exponentially. It was both frightening and invigorating.

Above the shining water, dozens of orbs waited to be plucked from the sky. She had gotten a few new things in the final battle for Crestfall.

One shone differently than the others, making Noble's heart ache. She turned away and called another down from the heavens.

What had the Bloom of Doubt given her in the final foray?

Having lost her beloved Estoc in the furious struggle to survive, Noble hoped that it would be a weapon-type Memory.

This time, the Spell was kind.

A Xiphos formed in her hand. The double-edged, leaf-shaped blade was made of polished steel. Filigreed vines coiled around its waist-like neck, the metal tinged with green.

Noble had seen a weapon like this before. It was efficient for slashing and thrusting. While it was a far cry from her delicate estoc, the weapon was well suited for powerful, hacking blows.

'Not exactly my strong suit, but I can adjust.'

Noble turned the weapon over in her hand before gripping the hilt tightly.

The small pommel of the sword ended in the image of a flower. The pink bud did not resemble the bloom of doubt, and Noble wondered if this was what the flower should have looked like before it was corrupted.

Shifting her attention, she examined the runes.

Name: Zenith

Rank: Supreme

Type: Weapon

Description: [When the Bloom of Doubt tried to spread its seed, its life was cut short by a confident Queen.]

Noble blinked a few times. The rank alone was incredible, but that was not what caught the woman's attention.

'It..it sounds like it is talking about me.'

But Memories didn't work like that!

Had Emira killed the Bloom of Doubt in the original timeline? Or maybe another Queen after her reign ended.

That had to be it.

'Still sounds like it is talking about me, though, and it doesn't say what it is supposed to do.'

Noble hummed softly. She would have to run a full scan on the sword when she got back to the Academy. Bee Two would be able to give her more insight into the strange blade.

For now, the professor was satisfied that it was a quality weapon. While it could never replace her [Unlikely End], Noble would do her best to treat this weapon with equal respect.

"Welcome to the team," she said absentmindedly.

Then she frowned. The blade was perfectly formed, stunning even. But it was front weighted, pulling Noble's wrist slightly down.

"If only you were a little lighter, my friend," the woman joked.

Instantly the Xiphos adjusted to her liking, startling her.

Was that a hidden quality of the blade? 

Noble didn't think so. 

The tiny amount of essence that Noble expended told her that the change was more likely due to her, not her Memory.

That's when she remembered her new Ability.

Aspect Ability: [Weight of Doubt.]

Ability Description: [A clear conscience can be lighter than air while a burdened one can sink like a stone. You can change the weight of objects at will.]

Apparently Noble only needed to think about changing an object's weight for the world around her to comply. She was very thankful the ability did not require her to specify an exact weight. It just intuitively bent to her will.

How did it work? Did it somehow change the object's mass? And for how long would the effect last?

'Quite a lot to explore.'

Noble guessed that altering things was not permanent and would require different amounts of essence both to activate the Ability and maintain it.

Magic worked by its own rules and the only way she could fully understand them was through trial and error.

For now, Noble was satisfied that she could change the weight of her blade using less essence than her body could replenish naturally.

'Very handy in a duel. A duel!' 

Noble sighed sadly.

There would not be any more duels. She was a Master now. The Dreamscape was designed for Awakened and mundane humans, not her.

She would have to find another way to practice her skills. At least she would have Sarai to spar with.

Maybe together they could convince Saint Thane to make an arena for Masters to practice or even compete.

Not that Noble would have time for fun and games any time soon. She would first need to get her life together and figure out her new place in the world.

Something told her that would not be easy.

'One step at a time,' she reminded herself.

Taking a deep breath, Noble left her soul sea and set down the hair drier on her vanity. She hadn't paid much attention to her face in the mirror until now.

For better or worse, it had changed. 

Not to the point that she was unrecognizable, but Noble looked younger, and her skin shone with a subtle luminescence. It wasn't quite as drastic as the shimmering glow in her ever-changing eyes, but the similarity in the aura they put off was unmistakable.

Knowing that the path to ascension made one look more attractive and seeing it happen to oneself were two entirely different things.

Noble felt suddenly self-conscious.

She had never really liked public attention, and now she would be drawing even more of it than usual.

That was tomorrow's problem and not something Noble could control.

'I need to focus on right now.'

One more brush through her hair and Noble knew that anything else she could do would be stalling.

That's when she heard a sound that made her heart clench.

In addition to Lena and Fort, two younger voices were happily chirping about their day.

She was both glad and sad that they hadn't burst through the door to wrap her up in a tight hug as soon as they arrived.

From their chatter, they didn't even seem to know she was home.

That was because…they didn't.