Path to the Apocalypse

Over the next few days, Victoria got better about pressing Beatrice about what she was going through. She was beginning to realize Beatrice was one of those people who would suffer silently if you let them, and if she wanted her to actually talk things through, she needed to be very intentional about it. It got frustrating at times, but seeing Beatrice slowly shift, her steps getting a bit lighter, her smile coming a bit easier, made it all worthwhile. She also started getting a bit… bolder, which was an unexpected surprise, though not an unpleasant one. Victoria was finding that she rather enjoyed being pursued, being desired.

However, in the rest of the castle, things had become… tense. Whatever was going on between Ursa and Tiffany, Ursa didn't seem to be handling well. Whenever Victoria saw him, he looked jumpy, constantly looking over his shoulder as if he was scared she'd suddenly pop out somewhere. Things between Albert and Semloh weren't much better, Albert blatantly avoiding the other man by this point. Additionally, Calvin and Melissa seemed to have figured out that they were missing something, and were beginning to ask questions, getting frustrated when no one would offer any explanations. It was frustrating Victoria herself, particularly when she'd just started fixing things again! It seemed like every time she started to actually build her relationship with her new family, something would come around to fuck everything up again, their family dinners once again dissolving into sullen silence. At least Victoria could still talk with all of them outside family dinners this time.

Victoria was considering how to fix the growing tension in the castle as she went through her daily exercises, when suddenly she heard what sounded like a crack of thunder! She frowned, looking up at the clear, blue sky. "What-" *Whoomp!* Victoria's eyes widened as something crashed into her courtyard, sending up a massive cloud of dust! She quickly recalled her points, heading towards it, before she froze, her eyes widening as she saw the sheer amount of energy it had through her point vision. Definitely more than Jocelyn. A lot more.

Victoria gulped, taking a step back, when she heard a coughing laugh coming from the energy source. [Wooo! That was- ha! It worked! Need to work on the landing, obviously, but-] A man's voice muttered to itself in a language Victoria didn't understand as the energy stood up. Suddenly the dust blew away to reveal a youngish looking man, waving his hand powerfully, before pausing as he caught sight of Victoria. "Oh, hel-" He began in Callowan, before freezing, his entire face flushing brightly as he got a full view of her in her exercise outfit. "M-my apologies, I-I was- you see-" He began to stammer, quickly covering his eyes.

Victoria glanced down at herself, flushing slightly herself. She had grown a bit since she'd first arrived in this world, so the form-fitting outfit was more form than fitting. She'd been meaning to get a new one, but it didn't quite bother her enough yet and no one else saw her in it, so she hadn't cared enough to actually do so. "What are you- why did you fall out of the sky like that!?!" Victoria yelled at him, quickly grabbing her shirt with some Spirit and pulling it on. She paused as she remembered the sound she'd heard. "Was that a sonic boom? Did you break the sound barrier?"

The man looked at her in surprise, flinching and going to cover his eyes again before he realized she'd covered up. "Did you say 'sonic boom'?" He asked hesitantly. "And what do you mean by 'sound barrier'? I've never heard these terms before."

"The sound barrier is… well, it's when you go faster than the speed of sound, and it creates a sonic boom, which sort of sounds like thunder, because… the sound waves stack? Something like that." Victoria frowned as she tried to recall what she knew about the sound barrier, but she didn't remember much. She'd never learned it while her memory was boosted, so she could only vaguely recall the general details.

"What a fascinating concept." The man muttered, seeming to ponder Victoria's words seriously. "Where did you learn of such a thing?"

Victoria froze, before frowning. "Look, you're the one who landed in my courtyard! You should be answering my questions! Like who you are, where you came from, and why you're crashing into my courtyard!"

The man coughed awkwardly. "Ah, yes, well, I suppose that's only fair." He then bowed elaborately. "My name is Horace Sebastián Fried. I hail from the Avinter continent to the west as a member of the United Sects of Avinter-"

"Hold up." Victoria interrupted, raising a hand. "You're saying you're from the USA?"

Horace blinked. "You've heard of us?"

"For fucks sake." Victoria groaned. This fucking world! Sometimes it felt like one big joke. "Just- why are you here, instead of there?"

"Ah, yes, well, I'm a traveler, you see, exploring the world, experiencing different cultures, and meeting interesting people. As for why I'm here specifically, well… I was experimenting with a new method of flight, which… well, you saw the results." Horace coughed, flushing slightly in embarrassment. "I shall need to work on control…"

Victoria frowned. "You realize that if things had gone even slightly differently, you could have killed someone, right? You could have killed me! What were you even thinking, trying to do something like that so close to civilization!?!"

Horace's eyes widened. "I-I wasn't- I hadn't expected my method to be so effective! Or so uncontrollable…"

"What did you do?" Victoria asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I- I came up with a method to draw in air and compress it, before rapidly heating it to create thrust." Horace explained vaguely.

Victoria blinked at him. "You created a damn [jet engine]?!?"

Horace cocked his head. "You use many strange words and terms… I had thought myself rather proficient in this region's language."

Suddenly the entrance to Victoria's courtyard burst open as Albert rushed in, followed by several armed guards and Cultivators. "Victoria! We saw- you! Step away from my daughter!" Albert snarled, leveling his sledgeblade at Horace.

Horace raised his hands, taking a step back. "Sir, please, I vow, I have no untoward intentions towards your daughter." He stated calmly. "I simply landed here by accident after an experiment got out of hand."

"Dad, calm down." Victoria sighed. "He's not a problem, he's just an idiot."

"My lady, I resemble that remark." Horace smirked, causing Victoria to roll her eyes.

Albert hesitated. "I see…" He coughed, lowering his sledgeblade. "Still, I must ask that you vacate my daughter's courtyard." He gestured for Horace to leave.

"Of course." Horace nodded, quickly heading to leave, before pausing at the door, turning to face Albert. "I apologize for the rough introduction, however, I hope that you would accept an audience at a more… opportune time." He commented, bowing slightly. "I would like to remain in the area for a time, and I would hate to leave my first meeting with the local leadership on such an… awkward note."

Albert paused, considering the offer for a moment, before nodding. "We would be happy to accept an audience. Perhaps later today? Once you've found accommodation in town, of course."

Horace nodded, smiling. "Of course. I look forward to making a better impression at that time." He replied, before turning and finally making his way out.

The rest began to file out as well, Albert glancing at Victoria. "You're sure you're okay?"

Victoria nodded. "I'm fine. Unless you count getting covered in dust. Which I can fix as soon as you leave, so…"

Albert chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course, yes, I'll leave you to it."

Victoria smiled lightly as Albert left, watching as he shut the door, before letting out a weary sigh. Why did shit like this keep happening to her?!? First she randomly ran into Ursa, then that crap with Duke Duhallis, the Hidden Blades, Obanonos, and now this! Some of it kinda made sense… and she supposed Obanonos was always there, just hidden… but still! It was weird! She honestly just hoped this Horace guy didn't end up being a problem. The amount of power he had… Victoria's expression twisted. If he tried to do anything, no one around here could stop him.

*

Horace hummed to himself as he headed into town. *What an interesting woman.* He thought. *To think of something like a 'sound barrier'... I wonder what she meant by [jet engine].*

A crow materialized on his shoulder. "Horace, that woman-"

Horace scowled. "Philmore, what have I said about materializing in public? This region lacks knowledge of Avatars. They will think you're a Rune Beast and we don't want to frighten the locals."

"Horace, this is important!" Philmore hissed. "When you fell, there was this energy… a lot of pure energy floating around the courtyard. I saw the woman absorb it in an instant! There is something strange going on with her."

Horace paused. "Are you sure? Pure energy?" Philmore nodded. "Interesting… Do you think it's some sort of technique we've never heard of?"

Philmore shook his head. "You saw her cultivation. To control so much energy with so little… if it is a technique, it would be revolutionary! I doubt some random girl in the middle of nowhere could develop such a thing."

"The ingenuity of those who have no idea what they're not supposed to be able to do is a surprising thing." Horace chuckled. "Plus this woman's strange ideas… I would not be surprised if she has developed some revolutionary technique."

Philmore froze, before letting out a groan. "Horace, please tell me you don't have another crush! It took you months to get over the last one!"

Horace flushed. "I-I don't- we've barely even talked! At most she's interesting."

Philmore sighed. "At least make sure this one isn't already engaged first. You know how the nobility around here like to marry their daughters off young."

Horace frowned. "Do you think that's possible?"

"Ha! You do have a crush!" Philmore cackled.

"Damn bird!" Horace cursed. "Fine, yes, I have a crush! But can you blame me? Intelligent, bold… attractive…" Horace flushed in embarrassment as he remembered the view of her in that skin-tight outfit. "She's… interesting in a way few women are."

"That's what you always say!" Philmore retorted.

"But this time I mean it!" Horace countered. "She's really- she's special Philmore, I can feel it!" Philmore just rolled his eyes, wondering what he'd done to be bound to such a ridiculous man.

*

Horace returned to the castle later that day with a mind full of complicated thoughts due to what he'd discovered during his investigations. Victoria did have a fiance, but the man was missing and the engagement half broken due to Victoria pursuing entrance into a sect. Then there was this Ursa character who had saved her from a Rune Beast… There were a few rumors going around that they might be involved, though nothing definite. He also learned of the accident that had occurred with the Potion of Awakening, causing the young Lady to lose all her memories. Apparently it hadn't hurt her much though, since in just under two months, she was already a dual-core, and not a weak one either. At least one of her runes had to be in the first tier already. Which meant she probably had no hopes of becoming a tri-core at this point… Horace cursed this backward region and their lack of education, ruining such an obvious talent. Still, all that could be managed. The problem was her age.

*Seventeen or older would have been ideal. Sixteen could have been managed. But she just turned fifteen?!?* Horace groaned internally as he struggled with the idea. According to this culture, her age wasn't a problem, and in the larger scheme of things, given his cultivation, he'd outlive her by decades, if not centuries, but… Horace's expression twisted. It was only two years outside his ideal range! A blip! Yet… it was too much. For him it might be a small amount of time, but for her? That time wasn't insignificant at all. Horace sighed. Yet another crush, doomed to failure. Was this his fate? To constantly fall in love with women he couldn't have? It seemed that way sometimes. *Still… we can be friends, right?* He muttered to himself internally. *Then in a year or so…* Horace hesitated as he felt the spark of hope reignite, before letting out a weary sigh. *I'm a degenerate.*

No matter how much he chastised himself, however, he couldn't keep his heart from fluttering as he entered the small sitting room, catching sight of Victoria sitting beside her father. He quickly scolded himself for being the dumbest man in the world as he turned his focus to Albert. "My Lord Marquis." He began with a bow. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Horace Sebastián Fried of the United Sects of Avinter, Cultivator of the Unification realm. I have journeyed far from my home in search of adventure, to study different cultures, and to learn ever more of this vast and interesting world we reside in. I would hope for your hospitality, or at least your tolerance, as I may reside in the area for some time in pursuit of these goals."

Victoria watched Horace's performance with a bored expression. She'd talked to Albert about being careful of the man, and after a brief explanation of her point vision, he'd insisted she join him for the audience to make sure Horace didn't attempt anything. A powerful Cultivator like him could have many tricks that Albert would be completely defenseless against. Victoria was of the opinion that Horace didn't need tricks, so even if she could see what he was doing, it wouldn't help, but Albert was insistent, so here she was.

"As long as you obey the laws of this land, it would be my pleasure to welcome you to stay as long as you like." Albert replied, smiling politely, while sweating internally. It seemed like all he did nowadays was deal with powerful Cultivators who could end him in an instant! All he wanted to do was peacefully manage his lands, look out for his people, raise his children, give them the best future he could, and die at a ripe old age! Dealing with crap like this was precisely why he'd been avoiding politics his whole life! He resisted the groan as he gestured for Horace to take a seat. "Please, tell us more about this… Avinter, was it?"

Horace nodded, taking a seat. "Indeed. I'm actually surprised by how little is known of our continent, given our history. Our nation began as sub-sects of the Callowan Empire."

Albert blinked. "Is that so? I never knew the Callowan Empire branched beyond Emarta…"

"We were a minor colony, barely established by the time the Empire fell." Horace explained. "When we lost contact with Emarta, we had no choice but to band together to survive. Avinter at the time was much more wild than Emarta, full of powerful Rune Beasts we had no hope of defeating, not to mention the Beast-men. However, since no sect could claim dominance, we needed to rely on a different system, one where all the sects have a say. Slowly, as we grew more powerful, the bonds between the sects grew deeper and what was initially a temporary alliance became something more, a true nation!"

"How does this system work?" Victoria asked curiously, wondering how close it actually was to the USA from her old world.

Horace glanced at her, smiling lightly as he raised three fingers. "There are three pillars of any nation. People, Power, and Leadership. As such, we have three branches of government. The Council of People, in which each Sect has a number of representatives based on how many Cultivators are in their sect. The Council of Power, in which each sect has a number of representatives based on the effectiveness of a sect's cultivation methods. The sect receives one representative if the cultivation of their strongest member is in the Core Strengthening realm, two if they are in the Circulatory realm, three if they are in the Unification realm, and four if they are in the Aspect realm. Additionally, the member must have reached that realm and the previous one as a member of the sect and must be a part of the sect's leadership. Finally, there's the Chancellor, who is appointed by the two Councils as the nation's voice and overseer of the law."

Victoria nodded slowly. "Not bad, not bad." It wasn't quite a democracy, since the commoners obviously still didn't have a say, but it was definitely better than what was going on here.

Albert frowned. "Seems overly complicated in my opinion."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "It isn't overly complicated. It just takes work to make sure everyone's voice is being heard. It's better than just letting some random dude do whatever he wants simply because he was born to the right parents."

"The nobility system works!" Albert retorted. "Nobles raise their children to be leaders! It isn't random. I would rather be led by someone trained from birth by a legacy of good leadership than some upstart with fanciful ideas that could never work in reality."

"What, like AJ?" Victoria snorted.

Albert scowled. "One bad egg does not mean you need to discard the entire batch." He growled, gritting his teeth.

"True, but if you keep finding bad eggs, it's probably a sign something is wrong." Victoria countered.

Albert rolled his eyes. "Do you really believe these representatives are bastions of moral integrity?!?"

"No, obviously not. People suck and people who pursue power suck more than most." Victoria shook her head. "However, a system that allows others to judge those in power forces them to at least appear good, for fear of losing that power. Power without accountability is just a recipe for disaster. Even good people can abuse it if there's no one around to call them on their shit." Albert grimaced, shaking his head, before turning back to Horace, pausing as he saw the man staring at Victoria looking absolutely stunned, eyes wide and unblinking. Victoria glanced at him too and frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Horace blinked, before suddenly coming to his senses and flushing. "I-I apologize, I was just- I- I never expected to hear such views outside of Avinter, particularly not from someone so- so… young." He finished with an almost depressed sigh. She was so perfect in every way but age! Curse his damnable timing! If only he'd found her a few years later… Though by then, the odds were she'd already have a partner. Damn this region and their rush to marry their daughters off as soon as possible!

Victoria gave him a weird look, before shrugging. "My ideas aren't exactly common around here, or well accepted… but I'm in a sort of unique situation."

Horace nodded. "Ah, yes, the amnesia, I heard."

Victoria raised an eyebrow at him. "You heard?"

Horace froze. "Uh… it's- it's a common topic in the town. The Lord's daughter who lost her memory and became a genius. At least, that's how they put it."

Victoria snorted. "A genius, huh?"

"Hm, something of an understatement all things considered." Albert muttered.

Victoria turned to frown at him. "You agree?"

Albert raised an eyebrow at her. "Victoria, you managed to relearn an entire language in a matter of weeks, recreate toilets and indoor plumbing from memory, design and create yourself an entire new wardrobe, discover-" He paused, glancing at Horace. "-everything you've discovered, and it hasn't even been two months! Even with the advantages you have, your part in accomplishing all this is no less than genius."

Victoria considered his points, expression twisting slightly. He obviously wasn't aware of how much the system boosted her capabilities. She obviously wouldn't say she was dumb, but genius? She doubted it. She sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever." It didn't particularly matter what people thought. She turned back to Horace. "The short answer is that I received a… baptism of knowledge when I took the Potion of Awakening. Wiped out all my old memories and filled my head with knowledge of another world, which had advanced political theories, hence my unique views on government."

Horace's eyes widened again at that. "Truly? You- you received knowledge from another world?!?"

Victoria nodded. "Like I'd grown up there instead of here. The details are a bit fuzzy sometimes, but I know of a lot of things."

Horace hesitated. "I- I would be interested in discussing the details of this other world with you, at length, if you are amenable. I have a fascination towards other cultures, and I would cherish the opportunity to learn of one from a completely different world." He paused. "If- if you'd like, in exchange, I can teach you a few techniques from Avinter, which I promise will help you greatly with your cultivation."

Victoria glanced at Albert, who shrugged. "It is your knowledge. I will not determine who you can and cannot share it with."

Victoria nodded, frowning as she considered whether she wanted to accept Horace's offer. It was tempting, but… with Obanonos around, she didn't really need his help. However… Victoria grinned slightly. This might actually be the perfect excuse! No one would know what she learned from him, so anything she did later, she could always claim it'd been taught to her by the strange, foreign Cultivator! She'd be able to use any techniques she learned from Obanonos without restraint! It could work for Beatrice as well, once she finally came out as a Cultivator, claiming she learned from Victoria, who learned from a strange, foreign Cultivator.

The question was where could she fit him into her schedule? Victoria considered it for a bit before nodding. "Okay. Once a week, four hours Sunday afternoon. Two hours you can ask questions about the other world, and the other two you teach me techniques. Deal?"

"Deal!" Horace exclaimed excitedly, before flushing and letting out an awkward cough. "I mean, I believe that would be acceptable, yes, thank you."

Victoria gave him a weird look. "Right…"