The sudden silence that followed was deafening. Four pairs of eyes focused on me with varying degrees of expectation, suspicion, and academic curiosity. I felt like a bug under a microscope, if bugs could accidentally vaporize ancient war machines and trigger cosmic courtship protocols.
"God-tier?" I said, genuinely confused. "What kind of backward magic system are you running here? I just combined Pyraflux and Aerolith mana streams into a condensed lattice weave. Basic level-2 elemental compression. Any decent fire-mage should be able to—"
The system chose that moment to helpfully correct my understanding of what had actually happened:
[CORRECTION: You performed AETHERFIRE manifestation][Classification: Divine-class spell, R-rank potency]
[Method: Direct Fractal Leyline channeling via will alone]
[Note: Mortal mages require decades of study to attempt this]
[Additional Note: Most die in the attempt]
[Additional Additional Note: You did it by accident]
Oh. Well. Shit.
I cleared my throat and tried to salvage what was left of my credibility. "Right, so, apparently what I did was..." I paused, trying to translate the system's technical jargon into something that wouldn't sound completely insane. "I wove aetherfire through direct Fractal Leyline manipulation. Basically, I took mana filaments, compressed them into a spatial lattice around Lumenroot essence, channeled it through a singular force conduit, and released it as a concentrated beam."
The explanation sounded perfectly reasonable to me. Basic magical engineering, really.
"No fancy words, no glowy circles," I continued, warming to the topic. "Just basic will-to-mana conversion. You know, standard stuff."
The effect on Vex and Jorik was immediate and dramatic. Both men dropped to their knees simultaneously, as if someone had cut their strings.
"Forgive us, Divine One!" Vex cried, pressing his face to the dusty floor. "We are unworthy to witness your glory!"
"Please don't smite us for our ignorance, God of the Mysterious power!" Jorik added, his previous skepticism evaporating like water on a hot forge.
I stared at them in horror. This was like watching a bad anime convention panel crossed with a religious revival meeting. The secondhand embarrassment was so intense I could feel my soul trying to leave my body.
"Oh come on, really?" I said, looking between Thane and Kira for some sign of sanity. "This is, guys, get up. You're being ridiculous."
Thane was watching the display with the kind of disgusted fascination usually reserved for particularly gruesome accidents. Kira had sheathed her blade but looked ready to use it on her own teammates if they kept this up.
But I could see something else in Thane's expression. Calculation. She was processing information, weighing options, making the kind of strategic decisions that kept people alive in dangerous places.
This man is either a divine being playing games, or an incredibly dangerous fool, I could practically hear her thinking.
"Commander Aldric will know what to do...." she thought.
Oh no!
The thought of meeting someone called "Commander Aldric" sent an inexplicable chill down my spine. Maybe it was the way Thane's expression hardened when she made her decision, or maybe it was the subtle tension that crept into her posture, but something about that name felt like a warning.
"Kira," Thane said, her voice carrying the weight of command. "Restrain him. We're escorting him to base camp. The Commander will want answers."
The rogue moved with professional efficiency, producing rope from somewhere in her gear with the practiced ease of someone who'd done this many times before. As she began binding my hands, I felt a mixture of resignation and growing unease.
"Hey!" I protested, trying to maintain some dignity as Kira worked. "Watch the merchandise! These hands are insured for... well, they're not actually insured, but they should be!"
"Treat the Sacred One with respect!" Vex declared, still on his knees but now glaring at Kira with righteous indignation.
"His divine flesh must not be bruised!" Jorik added, apparently having decided that prostration was the appropriate response to witnessing casual reality manipulation.
Thane rolled her eyes and made a disgusted sound. "Fine. Treat him well. But keep him secure." She paused, studying me one more time. "If he really can do what we saw, then we need to know more about him. And if he can't..." She shrugged. "Commander Aldric will sort it out."
There was something in the way she said the Commander's name, a subtle tension that suggested their leader might not be the welcoming type. My growing unease crystallized into genuine concern as Kira finished securing my bonds, professional, efficient, and just tight enough to remind me that I was now a prisoner rather than a guest.
As we began moving through the crypt toward whatever counted as an exit, the system continued its helpful commentary:
[ESSENCE COMPATIBILITY: 47.3%][RECOMMENDED COURTSHIP APPROACH: Combat Prowess Display][WARNING: DIVINE MANDATE CANNOT BE IGNORED INDEFINITELY]
I did my best to ignore the notifications, focusing instead on the growing certainty that I was walking into something significantly more complicated than a simple recruitment interview. The way Thane had mentioned their Commander, the professional way Kira had bound me, the fact that they were treating me as a potential threat rather than a rescued ally, it all pointed toward a situation that might not go as smoothly as my new academic fan club seemed to expect.
System, I thought desperately, please tell me you have some kind of escape protocol or diplomatic immunity clause hidden in your cosmic terms of service.
The system's response was a new notification that made my blood run cold:
[TRIAL PHASE 2: INTEGRATION - INITIATED][SURVIVAL PROBABILITY CALCULATING...][RESULT: VARIABLE]
Variable. That was reassuring. About as reassuring as a fortune cookie that said "Outlook not so good" right before you walked into a den of suspicious armed strangers.
As we walked deeper into the crypt, heading toward whatever passed for civilization in this world, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was about to discover just how dangerous it could be to be interesting in a place where most interesting people probably ended up very dead.
But there was nothing to do now except follow where they led and hope that my newfound divine magic abilities came with some kind of customer service department I could call if things went sideways.
Which, I thought grimly, knowing my luck, they definitely will.