^^ 'Halt' Glyph ^^

--- Day 100 AD ---

I slowly carved the last Glyph out of pure magical energy, something that wouldn't burn in the Suns atmosphere, but would instead stick to the surface and sink in.

It was almost a mile across, shaped loosely like a circle, and hellishly tiring to make.

I jumped off the edge, and my Roc's who'd been patrolling the solar system picked it and it's siblings up, carrying them off towards their destinations, one on each planet and moon and the sun, obviously.

I went into the pit that was my current Nexus, and constructed the last Glyph, then raised my left hand. All the parts of my city were marked with their own glyph, and they started constructing themselves, falling into the places I'd prescribed.

A city named Nexus witnessed its first and last dawn, simultaneously, and I grinned. "Bon Chance..." I said, raising my right hand, activating the Glyph's that were all placed on their respective targets around the solar system.

I felt a small tug in my stomach, but that was the end of any changes. I exited my pit, and found nothing had changed, or so it seemed.

I grinned, and looked at my gauntlet monitor. My teacher was frozen, reading the specs that were circulating through.

All the momentum of the solar system had suddenly been dissolved, and turned into pure energy, powering the Glyph's. They were constantly being fed new energy as the planets and even the sun true to move. All the momentum of the entire solar system was an extreme amount of energy, enough to power the Glyph's eternally, as long as they kept trying to move.

I grinned again. "Safe to say I got that Master Rank?" I asked.

She chuckled. "Grand-Master, more like. You literally just Altered the Cosmos." She laughed in what seemed like innocent joy.

"It's No Big Deal." I shrugged, disconnecting, and mounted Gem. "Let's get back to the College, Gem. We need people to live in our little city." I said.

--- Day 105 ---

I blocked Tizzy's sword easily, and then sidestepped her, knocking her feet out from under her without effort.

"Gr! How do you keep beating me like I'm just an annoying child?!? I AM A TRAINED WARRIOR!!" She shouted.

"You're weak. And slow. And you're well trained, but that is no match for my own training." I said simply.

She sighed, centered herself, and then attacked again.

I grabbed her sword by the blade. "And add in the fact that I'm nearly indestructible, and you're bound to lose." I said blandly.

She sheathed her sword. "Fine. I hope you manage to become a MPWS... I'm only one of 4 here at the college. The rest have moved on to become guards in the private sector or soldiers in the emperor's Military."

"I wonder... Does being a general count as being part of the Emperor's inner circle?" I asked offhandedly.

"Hmm... Not really. The inner circle is comprised of his family members, the Mage Council, and his Advisor." She shrugged.

"And what's it take to be part of the Council?"

"You have to be a Grand-Master in at least three Subjects, and you have to be elected by the current council." She said.

"Term?"

"Until you're dead?" She shrugged.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are there any shifters on the council?"

"Tern the snake, but he's basically retired." She shrugged again.

I smirked. "So I don't have to really do anything?"

"Unless there's a war, no." She said, grabbing a bottle of water and drinking a hearty gulp.

I nodded. "Good... Well, then. I've got work to do."

"You're serious?" She blinked incredulously.

"Would you rather I marry that annoying brat of a princess?" I snapped, annoyed with the thought.

"Annoying brat, hmm?" A snooty voice said behind me.

"Yes. Rather annoying. She was highly disrespectful to her savior, last we spoke, even after she tried and failed to kill me, she didn't even apologize for the sword she planted in my gut. Thank the gods for my armor, hmm?" I said snidely.

"She tried to kill you during your saving her?" The emperor's voice asked.

"Oh? She didn't tell you about that?" I said sarcastically. "I suppose she also didn't tell you that she was extremely rude in the whole process, until I threatened to kick her off the cart and make her walk back, because her insolence got under even my rather thick skin." I commented dryly.

"Is that so..." He hummed.

I turned, and bowed to the emperor. "My apologies for not addressing you directly, Emperor." He was too busy glaring at his squirming daughter to spare me a glance. I hummed. "Is there a particular reason for this visit to the college with a non-Mage, My Emperor?" I asked.

He blinked. "Ah, yes. I was here to meet the woman you were entangled with... Simatis, it is good to see you again, my dear... I didn't expect you to be the one..."

"Only one of Three, I'm afraid." She smiled. "He's a Leopard, so he built a small Harem for himself. Jasmine Calhoun and Ira are also his women." She shrugged.

I smiled and hugged her, kissing her neck. "Aww, remember when we started this? You even tried to slap Jazz, and look at you now..." I chuckled.

"A harem, you say? HA!" The emperor laughed heartily while his daughter looked at me with disgust.

My glare silenced her before she spoke. "Is something bothering you, Princess Teresa? Too young and innocent to appreciate the benefits of a harem?" I raised an eyebrow.

She blushed. "Greedy men are beneath my notice." She said loftily.

"I see. Then you'd have no problem leaving my sight until you learn to respect me? Or would you like the 'dropping you and letting you walk' threat again? There's an ocean out there. Care for a dip?" I said saucily, grinning a feral grin.

The emperor sighed. "You two will never get along, will you?"

"Not as long as she doesn't know how to respect people." I snapped, and then walked over to the punching bag I'd made out of gravel and leather.

I started jabbing, making sure every punch was perfect. Just like Sami always said: Perfect practice makes perfect. Standard practice makes Standard.

"Well, you get married in three months, during the break between semesters-"

My fist slipped, and I accidentally pushed forward as hard as my muscles would go, slamming my fist through the bag.

I growled and yanked it out, flexing my bleeding fist. "I actually had an idea about that, Emperor... If I become a member of the Mage Council, you get your wish, right? Me, in your inner circle?"

"Yes, but That's impossible." He sighed.

"I'm already a Grandmaster of Glyph's. I recently halted the Solar System's trek towards a black hole using a set of Glyph's, each a Mile Wide. It took me two weeks." I said, waving a hand and fixing the bag, then murmuring a spell, sewing my knuckles together with Blood-Thread.

He hummed in surprise. "I'd heard about that... Several people were quite surprised. Apparently it should've been impossible."

"It was, until I invented a Theorem, the Magical Surplus Theorem. I then altered two Glyph's, and used the altered versions. They're unique, and I'm quite pleased with them." I nodded.

He nodded. "Hmm. But still, that doesn't mean that you can achieve Grand-Mastery of two more subjects."

"The college has seen my brilliance, and awarded me a Grand-Mastery of the Physical Sciences, after I displayed such control over the knowledge necessary to create a Magical and Physical Theorem, and also my mastery of the Mathematics required. One more Grand and I am applicable for the Council. I'm hoping its in Physical Warfare." I said, and started boxing again.

He hummed. "I appreciate and admire your tenacity, but even if you are named to the council, you are still marrying Teresa. I've made up my mind."

I sighed and leaned against the 2 ton bag. "Fine. If I must." I said, and then kicked the bag across the room, where it shattered against the wall. I growled in annoyance, and waved a hand. It remade itself, and if easily lifted it, fixing it to its chain.

"I always meant to ask... What are those... Designs, on your skin?" He asked.

"Hmm? Oh these?" I motioned to my arms. He nodded. "That's my skin story... See, in my mother's culture, a man is only as good as his story. When he dies, his story is read on his skin by the Wild Gods, and he is judged. If he has led a Good Man's life... Or a Deva's."

"Deva?" He asked.

"Demon. Evil being's. Basically they judge the rights and wrongs you've done over your life. Your skin story tells them these things. Without a story, they toss you into the Void without a care, because a man with no story..." I slid the bag out of the center of the room on its rail. "Is no man at all."

"Interesting..."

"Of course, this is her Culture. All cultures have something like that, if a little different. Some cultures believe a man's hair holds his story, some his eyes, some say it's a Soul. It differs." I shrugged.

"That's actually a very interesting theology... How are the marks made?" He asked.

"Various ways... In one, a needle pricks your skin lightly, and ink is placed under the skin, so it soaks in. In another, a knife is used. And the third, one I made myself, is that shadows are taken from enemies, and turned into pure darkness, enslaved just as Familiar's are... Then it's injected into the skin, where it takes a shape." I said, and the sparrow on my forearm started moving, ghosting from my right arm to my left, and back.

He raised an eyebrow. "You stole someone's shadow?"

"In the tournament, the Magical Warfare preliminary. I stole Nine Shadows, and made nine tattoos... They didn't die, understand, shadows are something made when the sun is blocked by your body."

"So what happened to them?" He asked curiously.

"All it did was knock them out. They'll make a new one as soon as they step into the sun again, I believe." I waved a hand dismissively, and walked over to the weights, then placed 12 tons on each side, sliding under it.

"Good..." He nodded.

I began my repetitions, lifting with the effort due. 24 tons was extremely heavy, even for me. After 100, I couldn't feel my arms, so I set it on the rack, sitting up.

Tizzy tossed me a towel, and I nodded a thanks. "Anything else, Emperor?" I asked, wiping the sweat from my brow and neck.

"Yes... A shifter has been causing trouble over at your home, and Tern has said he doesn't want to deal with it. So I'm asking you." He nodded.

"What needs done? Does he need to die, or does he need to be taken care of differently?" I asked, pulling on a thin shirt.

"Shifters cannot die-" he started.

"I can bloody well try, can't I? And besides, Even if he isn't dead, he's not going anywhere without a head." I shrugged.

He hummed. "Well, we don't think it's that big of a problem. Just subdue him, and hopefully that's the end of the issue. He seems to be trying to find something. Maybe help him find it, and all will be well." He nodded, and turned to walk out.

"Yes, My Emperor." I sighed. I stood, cracking my neck, and shifted, walking past Teresa with a huff. She hummed, eying my form, and I halted, looking at her. 'Need something?" I commented through Pepe, who was following me.

She flinched. "No... I was just observing. Your shift between is very... Fluid. And your 'tattoos' are still visible." She pointed at my front legs, where my fur was patterned exactly like my tattoos.

"Indeed." I said, and started striding away, looking for Jazz.

She caught up to me. "Uhm... I... I suppose I should apologize for my rudeness... I've been rather stressed, and most of the time when I'm stressed, I react defensively... And also I've been angry at you, rightly so." She sniffed.

"Oho?"

"Yes. You did threaten to kill me." She huffed.

"You threatened to flog me while I was saving you." I said dryly, and shifted human, looking around from the new angle.

She flinched, and nodded. "I did... And I'm... sorry." She forced the word out.

I smiled. "Oh? Hmm. Good for you. You managed an apology to a lesser being!" I smirked.

"I'm trying to be nice!" She growled.

"I don't care. You're a bit pissy with me? Good for you. But one instance of you being forcibly 'nice', doesn't negate the past Three weeks of snide comments and turned cheeks." I huffed.

She sighed. "You can't blame me. I was raised by an Emperor! I was never taught to respect others! I was taught other people were to respect me, and that was it! I'm not responsible for-"

"I can and I will blame you. Don't you dare blame your parents. At least you had them. Want to know a little something about me? I was a street rat. Abandoned in a gutter at the age of 2. I took to stealing to survive. Your entire life has been peachy, compared to just two days of mine. Things you had Spoon-Fed to you with a platinum spoon, I dug out of the trash, and ate with my hands." I growled.

"That doesn't make you any better than me!-"

"No. But neither does it make you better than me. What makes me a better person, is how I acclimated. How I reacted. Do you still feel like you have the moral high ground?" I snapped.

"Of course!-"

"Why, because Daddy was always busy, and mummy ran off with a lord from another country, leaving you behind like so many grains of sand on her pearly sandals? Yeah, Boo Fucking Hoo. Cry Me A River, you Bitchy, Spoiled, Detestable Brat." I spat, and left her frozen with shock.

I passed the emperor, and bowed my head. "That was a bit much, but she needed a kick in the ass, and that was the only type I could safely give her." I sighed.

He nodded. "Indeed. I haven't disciplined her the way I should. She's spoiled. You'll have a hard time with her, but I suppose it's be good for her to be humbled so sternly."

I nodded. "Well, I'll go take care of that Shifter, hmm?"

"Yes. Do so. I'll handle things here." He nodded.