202 – Of Halves and Gods

I produced a dumpling and a bottle of water.

The notion of a thousands year old Wizard wanting my babies didn't bother me in the slightest, truth be told.

Nilenna stared at the pastry with a raised eyebrow.

I took out another and offered it even though we don't need food. “Want one? They're super yummy.”

The silver Halve took the dumpling and gave it a cautious sniff. “What's in it?”

“Meat and vegetables,” I replied and took a bite while unscrewing the bottle with my other hand.

She glared at the bottle like it was the perpetrator of all crimes in history, while her glow radiated alertness and hostility. “What is that?” she asked with a lip curled in disgust.

I took a sip and swallowed. “Plastic,” I replied, knowing what she meant and the reason for such a reaction since it was the same for me. “Takes a few centuries to a millennium to decompose, pollutes water and soil, and does a pretty good job as container. It fucked my previous world pretty badly.”

“So you remember a past life,” Nilenna muttered, nodding to herself. “Fits your behavior. I'll ask questions later. More importantly,” she pointed at the plastic bottle, “why do you have such a thing?”

I shrugged, drinking more water. “Ask Galeia. Maybe it's not as harmful as I make it out to be, but it still feel dangerous. How is the dumpling?”

“It's meh,” she replied with a shrug of her own. “That plastic thing is a big Matter Threat, so, potential ecosystem collapse and global decay,” she informed me, looking me in the eye. “Not a problem by itself, though.”

“Ahh,” I uttered in understanding. “We have names for different threats?”

She nodded and stored the half-eaten dumpling. She produced a map of the world and tapped Leks, making the picture zoom in on a mountain chain next to a small settlement.

My eyebrows went up at the thing in surprise. Obviously that exists, I mentally chuckled.

“There's a classification system we use to better understand threats,” she started, pinching the map to zoom out, showing the entirety of the Leks continent. “A single spark can ignite the world, and a single drop can poison the oceans.”

I nodded, standing next to her to better look at the map.

"We start with categories,” Nilenna explained. “Everything that can harm Galeia or her inhabitants falls into one of these: Domestic, Foreign, People, Animals, Matter, Weather, and so on. Each category helps us understand what is causing the threat and how it behaves."

“Like a filing system for disasters?” I asked for clarification.

She grinned and gave me a quick glance, then focused on the map. "More like a framework for action,” she corrected, zooming the map on a random river. “Let’s take an example: suppose a dumb Mortal whom you gave a bottle like the one you have starts dumping plastic into a river. That’s a Matter Threat, subcategory Foreign Substance, starting as a Local Spill. If left unchecked, it could escalate to a Regional Pollution or even a Continental Contamination, depending on the flow of the river."

I arched an eyebrow at her. "Alright, I see the logic. What about, say, a Changeling that wants large-scale change?”

The silver Halve fiddled with the map, showing Lumin Kingdom. "That would fall under People, subcategory Influence, with a potential for several outcomes: Religious Threat, if they oppose Gods and Halves; Political Threat, if they destabilize governments; or even Global Icon Threat, if their ideas spread far enough to disrupt entire societies."

"So, the category tells us the type of threat, and the subcategory tells us its nature,” I summarized to better understand. “What about the severity? You called plastic big.”

She fingered the map, showing a small town somewhere in the south of Lumin Kingdom. "That’s where the threat levels come in. Every threat is measured by its scale, outcome, and impact. For example, a small, rabid animal terrorizing a village is a Local Animal Danger—dangerous, but limited in scope. But if that animal carries a plague that spreads through the region, like E'er Fever, it escalates to a Regional Pandemic, potentially threatening entire ecosystems."

“E'er Fever?” I repeated, understanding the rest.

“Mortals slowly and continuously expel all their E'er when they catch this disease,” Nilenna explained. “They're unable to absorb it and level up, cast spell, use skills, the works.”

“Got it. What about global threats?” I inquired, not that interested in diseases I'd never catch.

"Then it becomes a Global Crisis, requiring immediate and coordinated intervention. At that scale, Galeia herself may be at risk—ecosystems collapsing, nations falling, even E'er density destabilizing.”

I hummed and nodded. "So, each threat has a category, subcategory, and a severity level. But what about the connections? On my previous world, I saw things like climate change or economic instability. One problem feeds into another until the whole system is proper fucked."

She nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Many threats are entangled: a weather anomaly might destroy crops, leading to famine, political unrest, and conflict. That’s why this system also tracks cross-category impacts. A Weather Threat like a prolonged drought could lead to a Domestic People Threat in the form of civil unrest, or even a Global Resource Crisis if water scarcity becomes widespread."

I nodded. “And Galeia calls it like that?”

Nilenna nodded. “Yes. If Mortals can solve these issues, however, we will not be informed. Watchers are spread around for this very purpose, but they're more about justice than anything else, really. The Church of the Eternals helps us considerably with lesser threats.”

“Aha,” I uttered in realization, thinking of Hanna. “One of my companions is like that. She was gathering information and infiltrating a politically dissatisfied group to kill the leaders when we met.”

“Commendable,” she approved with a smile. “Make sure to reward her appropriately. Now, I'll go in depth about the categorizations.”

“Alright,” I accepted. “I'm all ears.”

After a comprehensive explanation, I realized it was more bureaucratic than anything else. The fact we receive the warnings way before the threats evolve into actual problems was pretty neat, like the dungeon beneath us. It was a Domestic Threat, subcategory Area-specific Anomaly as it's geographically fixed in place and poses a threat to the immediate surroundings, like Ualrin. The Undead are rare enough to be classified as an anomaly, too. It was similar to the Blood Fiends and the swamp around the dead tree.

Useful to know, but something I'd only use when Galeia does, or if I really needed to.

“Thank you for explaining,” I told Nilenna.

“You're welcome, little sis,” she said back with a smile. “Any other questions?”

I thought for a bit, picking one from the long list of shit I still needed confirmation on. “How do we compare to mortals? We're made of E'er so I think there's an inherent difference there.”

Nilenna pondered the question, then gave me a look. “You must consider that, without Divines, we'd be the Gods of this world,” she determined without a shred of doubt. “Something or someone put them here a very long time ago, and Galeia accepted them to the point of Godhood. They serve a very specific purpose in the form of knowledge propagation, so we Halves see them as fellow preservationists of the perpetual order.”

My eyebrows went up a little at her answer.

She looked down at her hands and continued, “We’re effectively Gods of Power, little sis. Our E’er affinity, efficiency, and manipulation are perfect. Mortals will never reach that—being made of flesh, they’re fundamentally flawed, which is why they evolve. In terms of raw stats, we’re five times more powerful than someone with the same numbers, as our bodies perfectly convert energy into force. As I told you earlier, we’re fundamentally different from Mortals.”

I frowned a little, feeling a bit of something at the back of my mind shattering.

Tension was lost.

"Imagine the Suns, little sis, burning with unimaginable intensity, lighting up entire worlds, while a single candle flickers in the dark. Mortals are the candle, and we are the Suns. Both give light, but only one can outshine entire realms. No matter how bright the candle tries to burn, it will never match the Suns’ reach."

"That's a bit extreme," I countered, unconvinced. "My party's tank withstood over half my strength without taking more than bruises. And even when I hit her full force, all I did was break a few ribs."

Nilenna smiled knowingly, tilting her head as she looked up at me. "And that’s exactly why you were poisoned instead of attacked outright. The grapevine whispers about nikontia being used against you—a toxin that dissolves E'eral bonds and organic matter at terrifying speed. Do you really think a ragtag group of dissidents has members strong enough to face you head-on?"

I squinted my eyes at her, knowing the question was rhetorical. “Not really.”

"Exactly," she said, her tone amused. "We might be outnumbered one day, but we’ll never be ambushed, you know? It would take a hundred Mortals, each as close to our equal, to take us down, little sis. And even then," she paused, her expression becoming sharp, "where would you find them? Would they really throw their lives away for such a foolish cause?"

“He who has a why to fight for can bear almost any how,” I modified Nietzsche's quote. “If their cause is strong enough, they'd risk everything, even knowing they’d die. I've seen it.”

The silver Halve spread her arms and smiled. “And their sacrifice won’t even leave a scar on us."

I chuckled at her arrogance even though it was fully justified. “Does it happen often? I know Miraztor was attacked, but other than that?”

She shook her head. “Not really. Big bro Perculis was attacked some five thousand years ago, and before that,” she squinted, trying to remember. “I think Urunys, Desseyr's predecessor, was attacked nine thousand years ago. It was reported as a bloodbath.”

“Huh,” I uttered in surprise. “It really doesn't happen often.”

Nilenna nodded with a smile. “They know their place,” she ascertained. “Nine thousand, five thousand, and a thousand. That's once every four thousand years.”

I'm finished, Tylke's voice echoed in my mind.

We looked at the God outside the cave.

I tilted my head in confusion, not having heard a single bang of metal on metal, nor large shifts in E'er.

“About time!” Nilenna complained, walking out of the cave.

I followed, looking for traces of E'er manipulation.

The items were floating around him, each with the thick smell of recently modified enchantments.

“So this is the speed of the God of Craftsmen,” I praised with a smile.

Nilenna nodded several times. “Tyl is unmatched, after all.”

“How did the touching go?” Tylke inquired, a note of amusement in his voice.

“Little sis here is obsessed with breasts,” the silver Halve joked, then turned to me.

I sighed at her accusations. “I was checking for mammary glands, which we lack,” I explained myself. “I thought you, a fully female Halve, would have them.”

She shrugged and explained, “We adapt and grow them when we get pregnant.”

“Ah,” I uttered.

“Here,” Tylke interjected, waving an arm made of many tools and making my Starforged Eternium Plate Helmet float towards me.

I took it and appraised the thing.

+100 Starforged Eternium Plate Helmet of Astute Devising (Mythical) [Ascension Lvl 10]

Durability: EX

Weightless Wear

True Vision

Changeling Spotter

-Starforged Eternium Echo (0/5) *If wearing the entire ensemble: -Total Perspicacity +50%

-No Peeking: Requires Accumulated Power of 1500 levels to appraise.-Worthy Wearer: Attunement only possible for a Halve.-Wearer's judgment is unclouded in the face of Anger.

-Attunement Pending (0/1)

I smiled and nodded. “Pretty good. Why Changeling spotter?”

“I see you had trouble with them,” the God simply replied, waving the rest of my stuff towards me.

I received them and appraised them one by one.

+100 Starforged Eternium Chestplate of Rageful Endurance (Mythical) [Ascension Lvl 10]

Durability: EX

Weightless Wear

No Peeking

Worthy Wearer

-Starforged Eternium Echo (0/5) *If wearing the entire ensemble: -Total Toughness +50%

-Wearer's level of Anger further increases equipment durability.

-Attunement Pending (0/1)

+100 Starforged Eternium Plate Pants of Expeditious Engage (Mythical) [Ascension Lvl 10]

Durability: EX

Weightless Wear

No Peeking

Worthy Wearer

-Starforged Eternium Echo (0/5) *If wearing the entire ensemble: -Total Alacrity +50%

-Wearer’s movement seamlessly displaces surrounding matter, preventing the formation of shockwaves or sonic booms, regardless of the medium.

-Attunement Pending (0/1)

+100 Starforged Eternium Plate Gauntlets of Firm Might (Mythical) [Ascension Lvl 10]

Durability: EX

Weightless Wear

No Peeking

Worthy Wearer

-Starforged Eternium Echo (5/5) *If wearing the entire ensemble: -Total Tenacity +50%

-Wearer cannot be disarmed.

-Attunement Pending (0/1)

+100 Starforged Eternium Plate Boots of Steadfast Bearing (Mythical) [Ascension Lvl 10]

Durability: EX

Weightless Wear

No Peeking

Worthy Wearer

-Starforged Eternium Echo (5/5) *If wearing the entire ensemble: -All Stats + 5%

-The wearer's feet cannot leave the ground unless intentionally lifted.

-Attunement Pending (0/1)

+100 Seventh Circle Reactive Leather Vest (Mythical) [Ascension Lvl 10]

Durability: SSS+++

Form Fitting

No Peeking

Worthy Wearer

-For every 200 of a stat, gain 5% to the corresponding Attribute.

-Attunement Pending (0/1)

The rest of my leather undergarments were exactly the same, but the socks and gloves were connected with a thread of E'er to their respective pair.

“What's this on these?” I asked, smelling the connection.

“It only works if you equip both,” the God replied. “There was too little surface area for me to work.”

I nodded, accepting the explanation.

Four such bonuses was plenty good.

Finally, I took my spear and felt my heartbeat pounding with excitement and expectation.

It was way heavier. If before it felt as light as a pencil, now it felt as heavy as a reasonably loaded grocery bag. Noticeable but manageable.

+100 Natasha's Raging Pike (Divine) {Ascension Lvl 10}

Sharpness: EX

Durability: SSS++

No Peeking

Worthy Wielder

STR + 30%DEX + 20%CON + 15%Total Tenacity + 50%Total Alacrity + 40%Total Toughness + 25%

*Eternal Resonance:-First Stage: 100.000 Kilograms-Second Stage:???? (0/700.000.000)-Third Stage:???? (0/4)

Krodha Viksepa Skandha:

Carries a Rank 10 curse that fractures the victim's systems until healed.

Reduces stats and attributes by 10%, increasing to 30% of their total with successive applications.

Disrupts internal Flow of E’er, causing spell construction to slow by 10% and increasing to 100% with successive applications, preventing spell construction altogether.

Tarnishes the target's Life Energy, diminishing the effectiveness of healing received by 10% and increasing to 100% with successive applications, preventing healing altogether.

Induces phantom pain that worsens with successive applications.

Distorts perception of allies and surroundings.

-Attunement Pending (0/1)

My eyebrows furrowed in consternation as I turned to the God.

"I can see it," he said, answering my question before I could even ask.

Nilenna was quietly inspecting her equipment.

"Well, okay," I grumbled, focusing back on the spear. "Volition, cognition, formation, sensation, and perception..." I muttered, counting the aggregates the curse affected. "Why did you change it so much?"

"It was a time curse," Tylke replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Time curses are heavy on weapons, leaving little room for other improvements. They're also limited to rank five, which monsters like the Blood Fiends you recently faced can heal."

I hummed.

Certainly, the previous curse did not affect the Blood Fiends, which resulted in me biting my tongue off when they hit me with all twenty tentacles at once.

“Anger that disrupts the aggregates,” I muttered the name of the curse. “Fitting. What are these stages of eternal resonance?”

“Use it enough and you'll see,” he replied.

I smiled and shook my head. “Keep your secrets, then,” I chuckled.

The spear had undergone significant improvements, now granting percentage increases to stats and attributes rather than static boosts, meaning it would grow with my levels.

“Won’t the stat increases be irrelevant, considering I can push them to plus ten thousand with a skill?” I asked, recalling the effects of Monster Hunter.

“It’s not linear growth, young Protector,” the Divine explained. “You’d be better off reformulating the skill, as Shorvanna has likely advised. More Tenacity is far more beneficial than absurd amounts of Strength.”

The opportunity presented itself, so I took it. “What exactly do the attributes do? I’ve only asked about Toughness and was told it’s an Energy Dissipation Index.”

“Tenacity is the Internal Energy Augmentation Index. It works like Toughness, but instead of reducing external forces, it amplifies the internal force-energy, helping to enhance your strength and endurance from within. Perspicacity affects Spell Density, determining how tightly spells can be packed together. Insight governs E'er efficiency and affinity, optimizing its absorption and, by extension, skill activation and duration. However, you Halves can't increase it or you’d essentially be creating energy out of nothing. Finally, Alacrity impacts thought speed and reality-perception speed, accelerating both your mental processing and the ability to react to the world around you,” he educated me.

I made a fist and hit my open palm. “Ahhh! I see! So stacking Tenacity is better than stacking Strength?”

“Yes,” he shortly confirmed. “Once you double your Strength, each extra point loses value when compared to Tenacity. You're wasting an entire skill, young Protector.”

“Damn,” I muttered, a little dejected. “I thought it was pretty good.”

“Take this, young Protector,” Tylke suggested, waving a hand and moving a pair of gauntlets my way.

I took them and appraised them.

+100 Raging Fists of Thunderous Claps (Mythic) {Ascension Lvl 10}

Kinetic Link: SSS++

Durability: SSS+++

STR +10%CON + 15%T. Tenacity + 15%T. Toughness + 20%

For Every Enhancement Level:+5% Kinetic Link, +10% ToughnessFor Every Ascension Level:+25% Offensive Skill Potency, +10% Tenacity

Bulwark of Faith

-Increase Max HP by 1% for every 10% Toughness beyond your Con-Tough cap.

-Attunement Pending (0/1)

“She's going to love them,” I chuckled, then stored the gauntlets.