Utopian System

"Well," Kriz groaned, "that was both awesome and terrible."

"But informative," Selene added, already making notes. "The elemental combinations showed promise. We just need to refine them, make them more unpredictable."

"And work on our coordination," Brok rumbled. "There were moments when we moved perfectly together, but we lost it too easily under pressure."

Lila nodded, but her mind was already planning the next attempt. "The seventh ring... we almost made it. With more practice..."

"Which you'll get," Lucien's voice came from the doorway.

"You're going to let us try again instead of doing city work?" Kriz asked hopefully.

They shared excited looks. They'd made it further than ever before, and now they had official permission to continue.

"However," Lucien added severely, "You will have company…"

The other members of the team joined with new combinations. And somewhere out there, Elio's influence continued to grow, marked by the steadily increasing mana gifts to the city.

The race to reach him had truly begun.

♢♢♢♢

'Let's look at the facts,' Zara's consciousness pressed, refusing to let Nala retreat into silence. 'You chose this exact form for your hundred years of "research." You fell in love. You ran away. You erased your memories. And then, millions of years later, you just happen to possess the exact same form again?'

"Those are not facts… And even if real, coincidences, given time can…"

'Stop. Just stop with the excuses. You're supposed to be this all-powerful divine being, right? So why this form? Out of all possible forms, all possible bodies, why do you get twice this one?'

"Perhaps there's some resonance in the pattern that…"

'Or maybe,' Zara interrupted, 'just maybe, this isn't about patterns or resonance or whatever divine excuse you want to make up. Maybe this is about something you've been running from for so long you've forgotten you're even running.'

That struck deeper than Nala wanted to admit. The ease with which she'd slipped into this form, both then and now... it had never felt like possession or control. It had felt like...

'Like coming home?' Zara suggested, catching the thought. 'Like this is where you're supposed to be?'

"That's impossible. I am a divine being. I exist beyond such... such mundane considerations."

♢♢♢♢

As the calcium challenge faded and the book materialized his rewards, Elio felt a familiar worry gnaw at his consciousness. He had been so focused on mastering elements and advancing his power that he'd almost forgotten...

"They're fine," Dionz said before Elio could even voice his concern. The god materialized a small viewing window, though it showed only vague shapes. "Nala's still processing those memories I unlocked, your city continues functioning..." He paused, a slight smile playing at his lips. "Well, let's just say things are progressing quite interestingly there."

"What does that mean?" Elio demanded. "Is Zara okay? The others?"

"They're fine, they're fine!" Dionz waved dismissively. "Actually, they're more than fine. Your little mana gifts are having quite the effect. But..." He closed the viewing window with a theatrical gesture. "You should focus on your challenges. Time isn't exactly on our side here right?"

Elio frowned, studying the god's suddenly serious expression. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Dionz created a floating calendar in the air, "at your current pace, reaching level 27 will take about two days. Level 28 will need four. Level 29 will consume eight, and level 30..." He let the numbers hang in the air. "Sixteen days, assuming you maintain efficiency and don't hit any major setbacks."

"A month," Elio calculated quickly. "Just to reach level 30."

"For another combination, yes." Dionz nodded. "But it's doable if you focus completely on the challenge. Stock up on supplies, potions, prepare properly..." He glanced at his mysterious cube. "The sooner you reach it, the better."

Elio was quiet for a moment, weighing his options. The worry about his friends, about Zara, still pulled at him. But if Dionz was right about the timing...

"The next element," he said finally. "What is it?"

Dionz brightened immediately. "Manganese! And wait until you see what creature represents it! It's this amazing bird that builds elaborate structures just to attract mates. They collect colorful objects and arrange them in intricate patterns..." He stopped at Elio's expression. "Right, right. Hologram."

The image that appeared showed a small, iridescent bird meticulously arranging objects in a complex display.

"The point is," Dionz continued, "manganese is crucial for structural integrity in many organisms. The element itself provides a 10% boost to structure formation stability when properly integrated into magical constructs."

"And I suppose the challenge involves some impossibly large number of these birds?"

"Two million in two mountains now!" Dionz announced cheerfully. "Each one capable of creating and manipulating manganese structures with remarkable precision. They work together to build defensive formations that... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just thinking about the mathematical progression of these challenges," Elio replied dryly. "Two million now, then four, then eight..."

"Yes, well," Dionz coughed uncomfortably. "Perhaps I messed up a bit… But look on the bright side, by the time you reach level 30, you'll be dealing with... um... actually, maybe we shouldn't talk about those numbers right now."

Elio shook his head but couldn't completely suppress a smile. Sometimes it was hard to believe this theatrical god was the same being who had left himself such serious warnings about the future.

"We should focus on the present challenge," he said, moving toward the book. "Two million manganese-controlling birds is enough to worry about for now."

"That's the spirit!" Dionz clapped his hands. "And just wait until you see what's coming next! We have chlorine, represented by this fascinating fish that can actually shoot water at incredible speeds to catch prey, and... oh, you're already entering the book. Well, I'll just save that explanation for later!"

As Elio's entered he caught Dionz muttering something about "humans having no appreciation for the wonders of Earth's biodiversity."

He could only hope that Dionz was right about the city's safety. Because one way or another, they were committed to this path now.

Behind him, Dionz was already practicing his explanation about chlorine-wielding fishes, complete with enthusiastic water-shooting gestures.

Some things, at least, never changed.