Chapter 41 – Vault of Something-Wrong
Location: Dominion Vault – Deep Sublevels
Date: December 9, 2008
Time: 3:33 PM
The sealed pod hissed.
Adam flinched. Jessica reached for her anti-mind-control charm, and Frank raised a mana rifle crafted from the castle's forge—because of course Adam had forged mana rifles. (Well, okay, technically the ring did, but Frank wasn't picky about magical provenance.)
The pod split open with a noise that sounded like a sneeze wrapped in a curse.
Inside?
A person.
Or at least… something humanoid-adjacent.
A woman hovered above the ground, hair floating like it had its own soundtrack, eyes glowing a hazy violet. She blinked once, then twice, then looked directly at Adam and asked:
"Do you have coffee?"
Adam blinked. "What?"
She blinked back. "What?"
Frank growled. "Oh no. We woke up a space witch with caffeine withdrawal."
Jessica crossed her arms. "That's the worst kind of witch."
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Unknown Entity Analyzed]
[Designation: Subject Nyxara – Displaced Dimensional Entity]
[Power Signature: Comparable to S-Class Artifact Core]
[Memory Status: Fragmented]
[Personality Status: Mildly Unhinged]
[Awakening Trigger: Extreme Curiosity + Magical Fruit Scent]
[Emotion Spike Detected – Uncertainty / Sarcasm / Caffeine Craving]
[Skill Fragment Gained: Dimensional Sympathy (3%) → Doubled to 6%]
[System Currency Gained: +2,000]
"Name's Nyxara," she said, floating down like she was landing on sarcasm itself. "I don't remember anything before waking up, except... a craving for espresso and the urge to slap a timeline."
Jessica looked at Adam. "Why do you collect broken people like trading cards?"
"Because they're the rarest," he grinned. "And most fun."
Nyxara clapped once. "Okay, boss-man. What's my deal? Am I a ghost? A weapon? A god?"
Adam shrugged. "Working on that."
Frank mumbled, "Just don't turn into goo or explode. We've had enough of that this week."
Later – Dominion Central Garden
Luke Cage had, somehow, taught the Brazilian farmer how to do overhead axe swings using a hoe.
"Just pretend the weeds insulted your mother," Luke advised.
Meanwhile, Jessica trained with Frank using mana-enhanced gloves. She refused to wear armor, claiming it "ruined her vibe." The gloves glowed faintly with red runes.
"Punch that pillar," Frank instructed.
Jessica did.
The pillar cracked.
Frank whistled. "Okay. She's getting it."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Fine. You flinch slightly when someone uses your real name."
Jessica froze.
He smirked. "See? Progress."
She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "Remind me to punch you later."
Back in the Tower – Adam's Workshop
Adam sat with Nyxara at the rune-forge. She was explaining what she did remember.
"There was a war," she said slowly. "Not just gods and mortals. Timelines fought timelines. I think I… broke away. From a collapsing one."
Adam nodded. "Sounds messy."
Nyxara raised a brow. "Says the guy who wears two cursed rings, drinks memory wine, and builds a floating city with soul contracts."
"…Touche."
He tapped his console.
[Artifact Bond Request Initiated: Nyxara]
[Contract Offer: Eternal Vow – Light Version]
[Terms: Loyalty to Dominion, Free Will Retained, Access to Magic & Comfort]
[Penalty for Betrayal: Memory Collapse]
[Consent? Y/N]
Nyxara read the floating glyph. "So I get magic, housing, and coffee if I don't betray you?"
He nodded.
She pressed Y.
[Contract Accepted]
[Binding Complete – Soul Link Established]
[System Recognizes Nyxara as Ally – Skill Share Enabled]
[New A-Level Skill Acquired: Temporal Dilation Field (Shared with Nyxara)]
– Creates a localized time bubble where allies move faster, and enemies slow down. Duration scales with mana.
[Emotion Spike Detected – Relief / Acceptance / Petty Sass]
[Skill Fragment Gained: Emotional Anchoring (2%) → Doubled to 4%]
[System Currency: +1,500]
Late Evening – Castle Watchtower
Adam and Jessica stood overlooking the starlit sea. Below, farmers were lighting mana lanterns. Frank was sharpening something that didn't need sharpening. Luke grilled fish on a floating firestone. Nyxara was arguing with a tree.
Jessica broke the silence. "So this is home now?"
"For the foreseeable multiverse," Adam replied.
She sipped something sparkly. "You ever stop collecting people?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"Because I need them."
Jessica nodded slowly. "Yeah. Me too."
Adam didn't say anything. Just leaned on the rail beside her.
End of Chapter 41