Overpowered Wizard

Loner buckled and dropped to one knee. Everyone except for Zarian was more or less open about their concern for their favorite skelly boy, but nobody stepped in. Zarian was already next to Loner and waiting as the goblin skeleton went through a metamorphosis.

His bones blackened and thickened. He grew a few inches taller. Then a flash of white and blue symbols appeared all over his bones, contrasting the dark color.

The blackened bones and new rune enchantments made the skeleton look more impressive. Strong waves of runic power flowed from out of his skeletal body. Loner stayed down for a little while before he shook his head as the changes finished.

Then Loner rose back to his feet again. He stood as tall as Naomi, which was much taller than Hannah and most of the skeletons. He had broader shoulders, too. And he had a demanding presence that oozed authority.

Zarian checked his golden notifications.

<Goblin Skeleton Loner has advanced to having a rank: Runic Enforcer Expert!>

<Your summons, Goblin Skeleton Loner, gained 3 new traits: Battle Expert, Aura Battery, and Leadership Mastery.>

<Your summons, Goblin Skeleton Loner, gained 3 new skills: Rune Blast Force, Darkness Jettison, and Raise Helpful Skeletons.>

“Oh, wow,” Zarian said. “I know what it means to be an expert. Loner is ranked now. He’s like a mini Master Ranker while still Level 74.”

The others burst out into cheer for Loner. The longest-living goblin skeleton looked down at himself and took in all the changes. Then he shrugged, acting nonchalant under all the praise before the other skeletons picked him up. They paraded around the goblin skeleton expert, all of their bones rattling the whole way.

“I’m so proud of him! Look at our Loner! He’s grown so much!” Bianca cried.

“It looks like he’s taken the runes I’ve set for him as his own. Interesting. He’s his own runic marvel now, and I have little room to do more for him other than a few more supporting enchantments,” Hannah said.

“It’s kind of crazy thinking how this guy helped us when we were weaklings in that spider dungeon way back.” Gilbert nodded before taking a swig from a small cask of beer. “Look at us now. Look at him. It’s like we’re a Saturday morning cartoon, but on crack-cocaine.”

“Well, that’s what happens you put Floridians into the mix,” Naomi said, glancing over at Zarian with a smile. “Ain’t that right, sir?”

Zarian smiled back.

Later, they had a cookout and enjoyed most of the fish they’d caught. Gilbert forgave Zarian, but on one condition. Zarian had to stop throwing around the Zombie Jesus joke. Or Gilbert was going to swing for the fences.

Zarian accepted the condition while making plans to ensure his defenses remained up to par. Gilbert could hit harder than Zarian predicted prior. The Knighted Healer remained a unique member of the party.

Zarian couldn’t wait to mess with him again when the time was right.

They got a little drunk.

Naomi was still suffering from the debuff, but that didn’t stop her from dancing near the fire with Bianca. Then they yanked Hannah to dance with them while they were still wearing their bikinis. It was a fun show to watch, especially when the spectral spiders joined in, dancing in circles on the ground or on the girls. There were even a few that danced around on Gilbert’s head in secret, which gave Zarian a few solid chuckles.

Naomi went to bed first. Then Zarian went off to walk around the lake and have some alone time.

He found a dilapidated hallway through the castles and hills that took him outside of the lake area. He walked through the dark forest and flexed some of his power to scare off beasts that were too curious for their own good.

The moons were out like the first night Zarian had seen them. The twinkling stars were plentiful. Zarian used the void to help him walk out a little further until he was far enough.

He looked up at the sky some more until he mustered enough bravery.

“Para, I’m going to need some privacy,” Zarian requested.

“Understood.” Para disappeared completely inside of his body, cloak and all.

She shut her consciousness down without the skill turning off, which was a convenient loophole. That way, Zarian remained buffed up because of Para’s physical boosts while she could go unconscious and give him privacy.

Zarian let out a shaky breath. He looked around. Then, with a sigh, he looked straight into the deepest and darkest shadows in this section of the forest.

“Happy birthday,” Zarian said. “You’re eighteen now. How does it feel to be an official adult?”

There was nothing at first.

Then there was a scant white color glinting in the darkness.

Zarian heard a small step on the loamy forest floor. Then he saw more of the white color billowing ominously as a short and childish figure approached.

There she was. Ariana Darkrun. She still looked four-years-old while wearing a sparkly white dress and pearly white shoes, her Sunday best.

She stood with the darkness framed around her, making her seem like a ray of hope in the night. For Zarian, that might be true. For anyone else, he imagined they would face something more horrifying than any nightmare they could ever have.

But here and now, she looked like his bubbly and cute little sister. She hadn’t changed or aged whatsoever for the past fourteen years.

Zarian had turned twenty-two in Late Winter.

Ariana’s birthday month was Mid Spring.

“You’re an adult now, Ariana,” Zarian said. “So, it’s time to look like one.”

Ariana gave him an endearing smile that would melt most people’s hearts. “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me or see me for a while longer. And isn’t it better that I’m this way for you?”

Zarian shook his head. “I need to face facts. It’s better if I do it now rather than later, especially after today.”

“Today?” Ariana cocked her head to the side. “You and your pets had lots of fun today. Why ruin that?”

“Because I have problems,” Zarian said. “I’m probably loaded with so much crazy fucked up shit in me it’s a miracle Para’s sanity hadn’t degenerated and she’s still a great friend to me. That’s part of the reason I’m doing all of this crap. I want to make this life better than the past, so I need to acknowledge some things.”

“You wish to acknowledge your demons?” Ariana asked, still smiling, still being cute.

“Yes,” Zarian grunted.

“Interesting choice of words. Am I your demon? Yet, you wish to see my ideal representation,” Ariana said softly. “Even if that’ll hurt you?”

“Healing isn’t always fun. It takes some pain. So let me see you for you, Ariana. Or at least let me see the projection that fits you more when … you’re not awake yet,” Zarian said.

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“Okay, Big Bro. And … Thank you. You picked the perfect time for me to be more of what I really am.”

Ariana transformed. She grew. Her pearly white dress turned to the color of ash and dark embers. Her pearly church shoes split and unraveled to accommodate her more ferocious and risque changes, such as the talons growing from her toes.

Zarian watched as his little sister’s projection became her more ideal self.

He felt like he was dying inside as Ariana transformed.

Ariana stopped being a cute little girl. She stopped being the one he went to when he wanted to feel safe and understood. She became her own entity, even at the cost of burning everything Zarian knew about her to ash.

A tail grew from behind her and snapped around like a bull whip.

She grew up faster. She lost all her bubbly cute youth. She became a dominating and attractive woman. One look from her could break most mortal men. Then she pushed it even further.

Because why not?

Ariana was the daughter of ultra gods, and Zarian could see she enjoyed the benefits that came with it. The women of their family had to wield their power and responsibility from the start, after all.

Her eyes were like roiling flames. Her skin was dark and pristine. She wore a dress that looked like scales and sheets of dark metal woven together, which left little to the imagination outside the most important bits.

Even her shoes had ended up large and tall, with spiked heels that could pierce a skull, let alone crush it under step.

The surrounding temperature became hotter and hotter. The aura in the air became smoky, with flakes of ash seeming to appear from nowhere. The forest floor became scorched under her feet while spreading a black, burning ring of destruction in all directions, passing under Zarian.

Ariana stopped changing and looked down at Zarian.

Then, with a mouth filled with fangs, she said in a womanly tone, “Hello, Big Bro. This is me. This is your little sister, Ariana Darkrun. And yes, I’m eighteen now. And I’m loving it.”

She sounded like a true hellion.

She sounded like destruction and devastation.

She sounded bad to the bone.

Yet, there was still a hint of his little sister in there.

Zarian had to crane his neck back while looking up at Ariana’s staggering stature. This form of hers was over eight feet tall without the heeled shoes. With the shoes, she pushed close to nine feet.

The darkness and the shadows undulated behind her, as if they both feared her and worshiped her. The high heat made the air waver and steam from around her. It was like being close to an overheated furnace. Zarian’s skin broke out into sweat.

“I think it’s safe to say I’m ninety-nine percent sure of what you are,” Zarian said. “But there’s just this one issue. The lore doesn’t match up. You’re eighteen.”

Ariana chuckled darkly as her tail snapped behind her like a thunder crack. Even her laughter demanded respect from everyone who wasn’t family. For Zarian, she still spoke with a hint of adoration and love.

“Here, let me confirm it. Let us be done with the mystery. The issue you’re having is that The Dragon, the First Evil King, the First Destroyer is known as the oldest of the gods. Unkillable. Immortal. The great big bad creature that the Star System, or the Alignment System, used to wipe out the old so it could usher in the new. Well, the truth is that I’m not The Dragon.”

She spread her arms and stroked at the air with her long claws. “Come now, Big Bro. Think about it. What else can I be if I’m not The Dragon?”

“I can’t say. You have to confirm it. But you’re right,” Zarian said, with growing awe and horror. “You’re really not The Dragon.”

Ariana closed the distance in two steps. She loomed over him as two mighty wings appeared from behind her back and flapped so hard they instantly blew out hurricane winds.

Her eyes spun with frenzied flames. But there was more than just the fire in her gaze. Behind the embers in her eyes was darkness, cunning, vile, and ambitious.

“I’m The Dragoness. The Ultimate Queen. The Greatest Destroyer!” Ariana boasted and laughed, her claws stroking at the air close to Zarian’s face. “Unlike you, Big Bro, I suffered the same treatment as Shadowfell, our ultra families casting the girls into Infinita as babies to fend for themselves.”

“Sorry about that,” Zarian mumbled.

Ariana kept on with a wicked cheer. “Luciana found her way two years before my arrival. I found mine by killing the old dragon. I ate his corpse. Every flesh. Every scale. Every bone. Then I went to sleep to grow. Since then, I’ve slept and slept as my body developed.”

Zarian tried to speak again, but couldn’t. He was stunned. The Dragon, the original, had so much lore behind him, Zarian had always felt he was apex. For Ariana to kill the original dragon while she was a mere baby was astounding.

Had she used the power of their dark bloodline to kill the Dragon? Had she tricked the old dragon or struck him when he was weak? Zarian wasn’t sure, but in the end, Ariana had replaced the old dragon.

Now The Dragoness reigned as the strongest of the Star System’s gods.

Ariana smirked as Zarian tried to process the revelation.

His voice came out in a low whisper when he found it. “Please, don’t hurt too many people, Ariana. You can control these … urges of yours, can’t you? You were always kind to me.”

Ariana softened her gaze as she towered directly over him. “Big Bro, I don’t care. My body will awaken sooner or later. I will feast and feast. I will destroy many worlds to satisfy myself. I will have my fun until we finally break free of this play pen and assume our true forms. The darkness within us is grander and greater than these mere universe-bound roles we play as, but until you decide to assume your true birthright, I will play as The Dragoness and reign supreme.”

She combed her claws through his hair. The heat she emitted was scalding.

How could this be? This was just an illusion. A projection from her mind. Yet a person who was weaker than him, maybe even around the Level 60s, would’ve suffered horrible burns and lay dying in pain on the floor.

There were so many things Zarian could say. So many things he should ask. But he couldn’t speak.

It was unfortunate, but Ariana had always been a weak spot for him. She’d been there through the ups and downs of his life. She had a tight hold on him.

This was why he needed to face facts.

He needed to see her for what she was.

He needed this to truly prepare himself and his friends. Because his little sister was a major enemy, and at any moment, she could wreak havoc in their direction.

“I love you, Big Bro,” Ariana said.

“I love you, too,” Zarian said hoarsely.

She took one step back and fell into a crouch. Her mighty wings wrapped around her as she propped her head up on her palm. Her tail flicked back and forth behind her in lazy motions.

Zarian stood from across from her, not moving. They looked at each other as if there were thousands and thousands of things for them to say.

But they held their silence instead. There was no need to talk. They could understand each other quite fine this way, honestly.

Ariana kept smiling her monstrous smile. Zarian wasn’t sure what expression was on his face, but he felt waves of disappointment, hurt, uncertainty, and fear.

Then, as a new morning peeked over the horizon, Zarian found some fire of his own.

“I will find a way,” Zarian said.

Ariana tilted her head slightly in question.

Zarian balled his hands into fists. “I will save you, even if it means I have to stop you with force. But I’m going to do that out of love. I can’t abandon you. I refuse.”

“I will convince you,” Ariana said softly. “I won’t aim to kill you. I won’t even do the most obvious thing and eat you for your power. No, no, no. That’s not good enough for me.”

Zarian chuckled darkly. He hadn’t even thought of Ariana coming after him for his Overwhelming Darkness. It was a revolting idea. He could also see the same disgust written on Ariana’s face.

Despite their diverging moralities, Zarian trusted Ariana not to seek him out for the sake of power. Their relationship wouldn’t dissolve that easily, which made this conversation hard. Well, for him. As for Ariana, she continued to chat with him like it was her favorite pastime.

“I want you to see things my way just like Luciana does,” she said with a rumbling purr. “Then we can truly reign supreme once we have a better control of your darkness.”

She slowly stood to her staggering height and cast an arrogant smile down at him. For a moment, Zarian saw himself in her face. He also saw the remnants of his little sister from when she was small and cute.

But Ariana spoke on with power and dominance, the air shaking as if it feared her.

“The Darkruns took over this universe the moment I appeared. Everyone exists to amuse us or feed us, even the Star System. So ask yourself this. What’s the point in caring for trillions and trillions of strangers you don’t know? Why not focus on the ones who are truly your equals? Why not the few who truly understand you? That way, you can be your true self and nobody important can truly judge you for being you.”

Ariana disappeared.

Zarian slowly looked around him. For miles and miles in all directions, the forest had burnt down, with the ash blackened to the darkest degree.

No wildfires had broken out, either. There was no need for that. This site represented destruction of the purest sense. This was what Ariana could achieve with a mere mental projection while she was still asleep in hell.

Could she think of a world and burn it and all of its occupants to fine ash? Was the Star System truly in control? Or was it being held hostage by Zarian’s little sister?

Zarian knew the answer to that. He could extrapolate based on himself and Luciana, which led to a horrifying conclusion. Ariana wasn’t wrong. The Darkruns ran the entire universe in the truest sense. The Star System was trying to survive while following its parameters.

And everyone else was stuck between a cosmic rock and an existential hard place.

“Wow, okay, alright,” Zarian said. “I’m all sorts of screwy. My ultra god family is messed up. I have a weird-as-hell and submissive wife from an arranged marriage. And my evil little sister is scary as hell and has TWO WAYS of bringing about a universe-spanning apocalypse. What the fuck?”

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