Cinder X Bella ~ Thirty-Eight!

- Bella -

The two of them sat in their small alcove, both staring at each other without saying a word. Ash raised an eyebrow, his skepticism barely concealed by the mask he was wearing. When he finally broke the silence, his tone was laden with doubt. “I've made several conversational faux pas with you today, and I don't want to make another… but… you're claiming to have earned a Breakthrough Skill, and it's unawakened? I suppose I don't need to tell you how unlikely that sounds?”

Bella nodded earnestly, feeling a mix of nervousness and hope churning within her gut as her companion eased back in his seat. “I have it, just waiting to be unlocked, I simply have no way to make it happen. If I could meet the queen, do you think she would do both for me? Skill and class? Is that something she even can do?”

“Now we're back to you wanting to meet the queen.” Ash's voice sounded very disappointed, causing Bella to be taken aback slightly. “Look. This is going to sound perhaps a bit, well, arrogant of me-”

“No! What? You?” Bella’s laugh turned nervous after a moment when his face remained impassive. “Sorry, I was just… you know, the perfume thing, the entitlement when speaking, the lack of proper… ahem. What I mean to say is, please, enlighten me with whatever you need!” 

“Huh.” Surprisingly, some of the suspicion she could see in Ash’s eyes had faded after her abrasive comments. “Then I won't hold back. Frankly, the fact that you are so insistent on meeting with one of the royals puts a bad taste in my mouth. I don't suppose you know that it's been less than a year since my… king survived an assassination attempt?”

Bella's gasp and the way her hand went to cover her mouth put her conversation partner further at ease. He watched her carefully, but continued speaking after only a momentary pause. 

“Secondly, there's always the chance that you are some High Noble’s attempt at getting around the restrictions the queen put in place for the evening. You are covered in items which have aspects of fire, and the main point of our conversation this evening has been on advancement and skill gain. Either you are very well-trained and very well informed about the prince and his habits… or you are being genuine, which I hope you understand seems less than likely, since you are at this ball.”

He stopped speaking, staring at her intently, and Bella felt her cheeks flush. “I'm so sorry, I'm not sure why talking about my skills would be interesting to him, but I’ll readily admit my godmother chose my accessories for the evening. I'm not sure what they have to do with the prince, but she told me there was a good chance he would appreciate them and potentially introduce me to the queen. You know… so I could advance my class?”

“So you say.” He took in a deep breath, letting it out through his nose, even as his lips twisted to the side in contemplation. “Okay. I want to believe you, and I have a couple reasons to do so. First, I actually quite enjoyed our conversation. Second, you don't seem to have any grudge that you are here to settle. Third… well, Paca liked you a lot, and my father always told me to pay attention to animals when they judge people's character.”

“Paca?” Bella blinked in confusion several times, wondering who this mysterious stranger could possibly be. “Who’s Paca?”

“My father's dog, Pacatezza,” Ash told her with a smile, lifting a hand and motioning at the guard of the alcove to come close. “You may not remember this, but we've danced once before. You even met my father at that time, and he seemed to like you. He's a fantastic judge of character, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Even so… trust, but verify.” 

The guard stepped close, and Ash spoke quietly into his ear. Turning away from Bella, he lifted his mask, replacing it in the next moment as the chaperone nodded his head solemnly. He stepped back, and Ash turned to look at Bella once more. 

“As my friend here is going to be running off to acquire something for me, we can't remain here any longer. No chaperone, no hidden private alcove to chat in.” Ash stood and offered his hand to help Bella up. “Would you be so kind as to accompany me to the balcony? It'll give us the most privacy I can afford us, and I don't know about you, but I could use some fresh air.”

“Sure?” Bella stood and walked next to Ash, wondering at his identity as they moved through the dense crowd of people. Casting a few confused glances his way, she murmured to herself, “Can just anyone order the guards around? He has to be at least a high noble, right? Maybe he's the earl's brother or something? Maybe a nephew? Why else would he have been at that party? No… there wasn't anyone wildly powerful there; Matringa would have never let me attend otherwise.” 

Feeling more confident in herself after making that realization, Bella stood a little straighter and looked around the room a bit more blatantly. Then, she nearly froze in terror as she realized nearly every eye in the area was on her. Specifically, Bella’s eye had landed directly at her stepfamily, who were glaring at her in absolute disgust. They were only a double arm’s-length away and didn't even try to keep their voices down as they discussed her.

“Sure wish I could have thrown a fortune at a dress I'll only wear for one night.” Malvagio sneeringly told her mother and sister. “At least she's going to be going home in pain tonight.” 

“No joke. Crystal shoes?” Cattiva shook her head in mock sadness. “Have you ever heard of something else so likely to tear the skin right off your feet as you dance?” 

“Girls, girls,” Matringa called out calmly, though her tone made Bella begin breathing heavily with fear. “Don't forget yourselves. We are low nobility and lucky to even be here. The reality of the situation is, even though her father must have spent more coin than our entire estate is worth for that outfit, the very fact she is wearing it means she’s precluded from joining in the competition. She will never be our queen.” 

“But we could easily be hers by the end of the night,” Cattiva stated slowly, the covetous stare in her eyes sharpening as she examined Bella’s shoes further. “I don't suppose a queen could order her subject to hand over certain… shoes?” 

Ash cautiously placed a hand on Bella's elbow, pulling her along through the crowd. Though he spoke at a normal volume, due to the cacophony of the ballroom, his words came to her ears almost as a murmur, “Everything okay? You're as pale as cold ash.”

Not trusting that her voice wouldn't be recognized, Bella only nodded and began walking quickly. When they got through the final fringes of the crowd, the hot and humid air was replaced by a cool night's breeze, a welcome relief after the intensity of the last few minutes. They walked slowly to the railing of the balcony, standing in companionable silence and watching the stars twinkling far above.

“Are…” Ash paused, closing his mouth and looking away without finishing his thought.

Bella stepped closer to him, shivering slightly as the wind picked up. “What's on your mind, Ash?”

“No, it's rude, and that's pretty much all I've been to you all night.” He turned to look at her, a rueful smile on his face. “All I can do is beg forgiveness for how I've acted this evening. I don't have excuses, at least not good ones. I'm tired, and I've been worried for my parents' health for a while. It's made me a bit… distrustful.” 

“In that case, now you must tell me what you were going to say,” Bella firmly stated, her eyes locked with his through their masks. “I think we could be friends, were the circumstances right. We’ll probably never see each other again after tonight, so you might as well speak your mind.”

The man let out a deep sigh, lifting a hand and rubbing the back of his head. “I was thinking the same. About us being friends, that is. That's why… well, you don't need to try and impress me with talk of a Breakthrough Skill. Instead of trying to activate it tonight, we could simply part ways, and you could tell me you are more inclined to go to a Class Shrine. Then, I at least wouldn't be able to know for certain if you were only-” 

“Ash, why would I lie about that? It's an easily proven statement, isn't it?” Bella lifted her right hand, pulling back the sleeve of her left arm. “Look, I’ll-”

“Bella!” Ash hissed in surprise, grasping the cuff of her sleeve and tugging it down. “I can't ask you to show me your class or skills, that’s… that would be the height of impropriety! That would almost be the same as having a matchmaker determine the synergy between our classes for the creation of a Conjoined Skill.” 

She blinked at him several times, unable to determine which question she wanted to ask first. Finally, she decided on the one that interested her the most. “A what skill?”

“Oh, for the love of the system. A Conjoined Skill.” Ash lifted an eyebrow and shook his head slightly. Seeing no reaction from her, he tried again. “The skill which is gained by the union of the two highest skills of a couple who undergoes a system-witnessed marriage? If someone saw you showing me your skills, they would think I asked for it, which would be no different than my asking for your hand in marriage!” 

Bella felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, and she directly took a step back, away from both him and the balcony. “What! That's not… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to try and… actually, no. I’ve no idea what I'm apologizing for.”

Taking a deep breath, she tried again. “Whatever you are doing to try and unlock this skill for me, I want to do it. You don't need to worry that I'm lying to you; I can prove it to you one way or another.”

She wiggled her left arm at him, letting out a giggle as he shifted away like she was trying to tether his arm to hers with a manacle. As soon as he realized what he was doing, Ash paused and allowed a slow smile to spread across his face. “Ah. Well, I'm glad. I appreciate that you are so forthright. It's… refreshing. Now, I didn't get an answer, might I have your acceptance of my apology for my behavior this evening?”

“Sure, Ash.” Bella continued to grin at him, rolling her eyes as she finished with, “Just don't let it happen again after tonight.”

Before he could join in on the banter, three guards stepped out onto the balcony. Two of them were flanking the third, who was carrying a small chest on a pillow. With careful strides, they made their way directly over to the duo, and the chest was opened with a flourish.

Radiant, silvery light of the same coloration and quality of the energy captured by Bella's dress seeped out of the small box. It seemed to move almost slowly, as though it was a mix of luminescence and fog, washing over the small group of five and instilling a sense of peace in them.

On a small cushion in the box was an intensely glowing ‘X’, which seemed to be made of pure power. 

She stared at the strange item that had been revealed, wondering what it could possibly be, only to feel her jaw drop as Ash casually reached out and picked it up. He gently tossed it in the air a couple times, catching it and grinning at Bella as her eyes tracked the motion. “Have you ever seen one of these before?”

“I have absolutely no idea what that is,” Bella admitted instantly, unable to tear her eyes away from the two intersecting lines settled on his palm. “It looks like… like a… system mark of marriage? But glowing, and silver instead of gold?”

“You're pretty close, actually,” Ash informed her gently, his voice lowering as he turned very serious. “As you can see, I can hold this and absolutely nothing happens. This is an Awakening Shard. It's not a full Awakening Artifact, which can advance classes and the like, but it is enough to awaken a Breakthrough Skill if you truly have one ready. If you touch it, your skill will awaken without fail, and the Shard will instantly be consumed.”

Bella swallowed, resisting the urge to snatch the Shard out of his hand long enough to ask a question, “You’re certain it's okay that I use it?”

Ash let out an unflattering raspberry, shaking her out of her intense stare at the glowing object. “Yeah. This has been sitting around gathering dust for a long time. It's a whole lot easier to go to a Class Shrine than to send a request for an Awakening Shard from the palace. With how difficult it is to achieve Breakthrough, and the royals being able to directly awaken skills and advance classes, this is literally the first time this has even been brought out. Please use it so the storage space can be used for something else… if you can.”

The note of challenge in his voice caused Bella to look up and meet his eyes, which were staring at her unflinchingly. She felt just a hint of anger run through her, reaching out without another word. Before her hand could fully close around the glowing ‘X’, it brushed against her palm and was sucked through her skin.

“Celestials, she was telling the truth!” Ash barked in awe and surprise, blinking in the sudden darkness.

Bella couldn't hear him. 

Her ears were filled with the sound of dozens of wind chimes gently swinging through the air, and her vision was completely blocked by a wall of light with text forming on it as the system directly assessed and spoke to her for the very first time. 

Codex Arcane Ledger fractional access requested.

C.A.L. is assessing… requirements for Breakthrough have been fulfilled!

Checking all system merits.

Basic Class:

Basic Skill: 10/10.

Advanced Skill: 10/10.

Total: 20/20.

Bonus points

System merit (Unique): Child Prodigy (Achieve Breakthrough in Basic Class before 18th birthday) +20.

System merit (Epic): Gift of Patience. Achieve Breakthrough in Basic Class by not advancing your class at 14 years of age. +15.

System merit (Epic): Incorruptible Youth. Achieve Breakthrough in Basic Class while under the direct influence of a Witch, without succumbing to villany. +15.

System merit (Unique): Apex of the Generation. Be the first person in your generation to achieve breakthrough in a Basic Class skill. +20.

Total class points to be applied: 90/20.

Generating Basic Class Breakthrough Skill. Skill generated!

Breakthrough Skill: Serenade of the Swarm. 0/10. 

The user of the skill can channel their voice into a melodic call, summoning a vast number of creatures to a specified area. Upon singing, the user will immediately direct a swarm of, at minimum, 100 creatures, each weighing up to 10+[0] pounds, to a specific area. The size and duration of the swarm increases with the duration and intensity of the singing. With concentration and continued singing, the user can [Not] choose which species answers the call with greater accuracy.

Caution! The summoned creatures retain their natural instincts. If the creatures are outside the size range of the user’s ability to control with other skills, they may attack whatever is within the target area.

Requirement to advance to level 1: begin to sing, intending to activate the skill for the first time.

Epic and Unique merits unable to be applied to Basic Class skill. Granting rewards or boons based on assessed needs. Assessing…

Gift of Patience (Epic). Boon granted. You may now choose which class you want to unlock at a Class Shrine, or through other means of activation, when unlocking a class, so long as the minimum requirements are met. For example, you can choose to unlock your Advanced Class instead of your Full Class, even when you are eighteen years of age.

Incorruptible Youth (Epic). Boon granted. You are able to visualize cursed energy when it is in your presence, and will automatically begin to disperse it, so long as the source is destroyed or you are in direct contact with the energy.

Apex of the Generation (Unique). Your next acquired skill will be upgraded to contain at minimum five modifiers.

The vision from the system ended abruptly, causing Bella to sway in place. 

Ash stepped forward and caught her before she could fall, steadying her even as he looked into her eyes with something approaching awe. “I can't believe it… I'm so sorry I ever doubted you!”

Before Bella could find her voice to reassure him, the sound of a bell boomed out from atop the palace. She blanched, clutching at Ash’s hand as she found her balance. “Ash. What time is it?”

“The process took a surprisingly long while, but we didn’t want to interrupt you.” At Ash's words, she looked around and saw a crowd had gathered to see what was going on. 

“The time, Ash!” Bella looked back at him frantically, her glare boring into him as she waited for an answer. 

Finally he did so, waving his hand as if to push her concerns to the side. 

“It’s a quarter after midnight. Bella! Wait! That's not important right now. You’re a perfect ten!”