[Vitalis Gecisia Four]
[First Enlightenment, Sproutia]
[Deals with minor healing that blossoms from within. The Divine can trigger accelerated healing in themselves or others for small wounds, bruises, or minor fatigue. Ideal for recovery between battles.]
[Second Enlightenment, Egeneria]
[A slow-flowing stream of replenishment. This passively regenerates energy, stamina or even mental endurance. In long fights or travel, it allows Vitalis Divines to keep going long after others fall.]
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"And that's Vitalis Gecisia Four," she said, turning toward Natalis and Denisia, who sat side by side. "Sproutia gives you healing and regeneration."
"So we're walking salves?"
"Hardly. You're stamina in the shape of divinity. Warriors like Xander, burn out. You? As mages, your stamina won't be that hard to manage."
Xander gave a short, satisfied grunt. "They can be useful. If they're nearby that is."
"Exactly. Which is where Egeneria comes in. it's a stream of replenishment. You walk into a storm and come out dry. Energy, focus and endurance will be drip-fed into you without even asking."
Natalis tilted her head. "So it happens even when we're unaware?"
"Only once you master the feeling of need without panic. That's the trick."
Farrynelle shrugged. "That's poetic and all, but you gonna tell them the rest or what?"
Phaenora met her gaze and sighed.
"Nope. You're not supposed to know the cake exists until you bake the damn thing yourself. Farrynelle, your turn."
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[Tyrine Gecisia Nine]
[First Enlightenment, Sparkla]
[Emit minor bursts of elements. Effective for quick attacks and effects or elemental harassment. It is an extremely basic form of Enlightenment Power.]
[Second Enlightenment, Sharde]
[This shapes their elements from any elemental form, meaning that they can use any of the four elements in the surrounding to convert it to their own Tyrine element. This helps them to use them easily.]
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Farrynelle saw her own. She didn't ask why Phaenora showed her the Second Enlightenment Power when she didn't advance yet. Phaenora raised her hand and made a spiraling motion with her fingers.
"Tyrine governs anything that's technically part of the natural world… but weird. Basically, Tyrine takes regular elements and goes, 'Let me make you cooler.'"
Narisva clicked her tongue. "And people say I'm extra."
"Oh, you are, but Tyrine's like the 'I wanted to be Elementa's big sister but settled for edgy cousin' type. But honestly? Not as raw or terrifying as the primal Elementa or the wild Mutation of Noreq. So it didn't rank higher in the Gecisia ranking."
Farrynelle gave a small nod. "Yeah, yeah. We're always overlooked. We get it."
"Oh, don't pout. You get Sparkla first. You'll make short bursts of lightning. Good for breaking rhythm or annoying someone mid-combo. It's one of the weakest of the 12 First Enlightenments."
"Thsrs a letdown."
"And then there's Sharde. This one's good. It lets you take any of the classic four elements of fire, water, wind and earth and reconfigure them into something Tyrine recognizes. Say there's fire around, you can twist it into lightning. You're basically stealing from the basic elemental pool and remixing it."
"That," Farrynelle said slowly, "is incredibly overpowered. I would strike a city wall with it.."
Xander finally muttered, "You actually did that once."
The room went still. Everyone stared. Phaenora tilted her head.
"She hit a city wall with lightning?"
Farrynelle groaned. "It wasn't on purpose, okay? And we're not talking about this."
But now everyone was watching her and of course, Xander began to spill.
"It was during a mission. She got hit by a hypnotic hex. She didn't recognize me. Almost fried my insides but hit the wall. And she did it two days ago too."
Farrynelle's jaw clenched hard. "Stop."
Eldrigan piped up helpfully, tossing a grape into his mouth while lounging sideways.
"She almost killed him. Didn't even blink. He was begging her to snap out of it and she just kept striking toward him like a villain. Ouch."
"Eldrigan, you're a nightmare."
"I'm telling the truth, Nelle. I wasn't there you know."
Peroncerea cleared her throat and defended Farrynelle.
"She's been scared ever since. Not of him but of herself."
Farrynelle didn't speak but her fists clenched just enough for sparks of lightning to flicker around her knuckles. Peroncerea continued to elaborate.
"She's afraid that if it happens again, she won't stop next time. She thinks that she'll go through with it. That's also why she's been so cold to him. It's not hate. It's fear of hurting someone she cares about. Not that it matters because she already did."
A long silence stretched. Xander wasn't looking at Farrynelle. Farrynelle wasn't looking at Xander. They were both staring at different corners of the lounge like they were trying to pretend they weren't in the same world.
"Also," Eldrigan added cheerfully, "they're both stubborn as hell."
"Painfully," Peroncerea nodded. "Also, don't use my home as a phrase."
"Okay dear."
Farrynelle growled, "Okay, I get it."
"You sure? Because we could get Vastarael to do a couple's intervention. He has five women you know. He has a lot of experience."
Phaenora exhaled a quiet laugh and turned her gaze back to the table in front of them all, as if mentally checking off another Enlightenment pair.
"Anyway. That's Sparkla and Sharde. You've already used them without knowing. You're basically halfway into your Second Enlightenment already. No surprise there. Eldrigan, Peroncerea and Xander are next. Let's go with Eldrigan."
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[Gecisia Two Ideation]
[First Enlightenment Whisperia]
[Plants a single, vague thought or emotion into the mind of a nearby person or people. It has to feel like their own idea. This isn't mind control. It's suggestion that grows over time.]
[Second Enlightenment: Obstrer]
[Obscures, distorts, or alters a specific memory or piece of knowledge in someone's mind. The stronger the emotional or mental attachment to the memory, the harder it is to erase. It's perfect for erasing faces, names or incriminating moments.]
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"Honestly, this is already self-explanatory," Eldrigan mentioned. "But why do I get Enlightenment Powers completely different from my Divinity of Dismemberment?"
"You're not alone. Ideation Enlightenment Powers don't have much effect until they reach the Seventh Enlightenment. So until then, don't rely too much on them for battle."
"Oh."
"So, Eldrigan. Spill it. How's it going with the succubus herself?"
Eldrigan looked up slowly at Phaenora and smiled.
"It's good."
That was it.
"That's all I get? Not even a 'she tried to suck my vitality in half yesterday' or 'we're planning a date in hell'?"
Eldrigan's lips twitched. Vastarael, still very much stuck in his current female form, knew the friendship she had with Eldrigan.
"Well, guess I'll stop teasing you."
She leaned back against Vastarael, casually throwing one arm over his shoulder and then reached around and gave his chest a blatant squeeze.
Everyone froze. Eldrigan just blinked, once. Maybe twice. Adelasta didn't look up but did pause. Narisva was glitching again.
"Phaenora, don't touch what's mine."
Phaenora waved Adelasta off with a laugh and collapsed into Vastarael's side like a lazy cat. She nudged Vastarael's now very much present bosom again, grinning like a menace.
"Relax. Look at this. He's got both features, a two-for-one deal. He's an androgynous package. I'm living the dream compared to you."
"..."
No one knew where to look. Farrynelle was just staring at her with visible static dancing on her knuckles like she was trying to comprehend whether this counted as normal.
"I..." Xander started, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do we... do we just ignore that?"
"You don't. You get used to it"
Vastarael, for her part, did not look remotely bothered.
"She's not wrong. This form's honestly pretty efficient. I don't know how you all deal with... the constant imbalance, though."
He glanced down, then shrugged.
"New respect for back pain though."
Phaenora slapped his thigh in victory.
"See? Veneri gets it. Why not have both genders? Why not be the chaos? So Xander, want to see yours?"
"Oh uh... I already know mine. I figure it out by accident and I'm still at the First Enlightenment. Peroncerea?"
Xander turned to Peroncerea and she shook her head.
"I know mine too by accident. Well, the First Enlightenment anyways. When I reach the Second, I'll know about it. So what do we do now? Elyonari, the twins and Narisva completed their First Sacred Trials. Mine is just sucking my boyfriend's vitality for a year so I'm done too. Only five of you are left."