The Rising - Ennead 1

Scene 6 - Kaspar's Dreams; Act 2

"You did a far sending you know?" Monica piped.

"You were blaring in my head like a loud speaker".

Mad winced. Monica was the Psychic, and she was only one who should have been able to far send. But lately everyone had been crossing Paths.

Brianna had made plants bloom in winter using Summoner sylvanics; Monica had tweaked a rugby ball out of an Etonian players hand during a match between St. Paul's and Eton (It left Kyle fuming even after Eton had won); Keaton was now using persuasion on the regular, he had had to learn control from Monica eventually; whilst Kyle, a Tweaker, was pulsing as well as Brianna now.

It had gotten crazier after that, and now one never knew when they would begin to show symptoms from other paths.

Jin especially seemed horrified, it was a Summoner thing he had sworn he would explain when the time was right. Mad was sure it was linked to one his vows somehow. Fat lot of good the vows were now.

Since Jin had joined, or possibly completed the Harmony, vows slipped off them like water off a ducks back.

It was the vows that had made keeping Harmony secret even more important. None of them could imagine what would happen when they had to rise to Master and take new vows.

Mad knew the worst off amongst them was Keaton.

The Gaineses were practically Society Royalty in this part of the world and Keaton was a natural Alchemyst.

He slacked off and messed around with a lot of girls but his supernatural facility meant he'd ascend early. Where early was next week.

He had already postponed twice, and the stress was beginning to tell on him.

Mad looks around the table. Keaton's ascension was on everyone's mind and the pressure was like a grim cloud. He tried to lift the mood.

"So people, what's new?"

Brianna catches on to his line of thinking and scowls playfully as she adds on, "This had better be good! I thought we were supposed to be taking a moment of silence before the concert, and now we have a meeting just before it starts?"

Keaton grins, a devil may care grin that contrasts against the dark circles under his eyes. His overtone within the Harmony leaps with barely suppressed excitement as he begins to explain.

"A couple months ago I got a request from my cousin, August, you know, the one who disappeared?"

Jin grunted softly. He was still working on finding out what exactly had gotten August in trouble. He was close to the truth now but he said he just needed confirmation.

Keaton continues in a hushed voice.

"She needed someone she could trust, so I was her best bet."

Mad drummed his fingers on the table impatiently, Keaton squints at him.

"I'll get to the point now, O Great Leader."

"She needed me to crystallize blood, before it got all, you know congealed and shit. It wasn't just any blood, it was some Ethiopian dreamer...some babe with high facility..."

He frowns slightly as he tries to recall the Dreamer's identity.

"What was her name again...?"

"Tesfanesh?"

Mad supplies the name of the most likely person and Keaton nods.

"I failed a couple of times, well actually, a bunch of times. Something about blood is beyond simple alchemy".