Grandmaster Olmos seemed utterly unphased by what looked like a small ocean of mana surging through the circuits of the formation that sat only a few strides in front of him.

“First and foremost, please consume the fruits before you leave this room. We have been secretive, but there is always the possibility of a leak, and I truly cannot stress the priceless nature of these Treasures,” he said, looking up as he activated a few last sections of the formation he leaned over.

Porkchop snorted in amusement. “By the Matriarchs, why in the hells would we wait?”

Ignoring the outburst, Olmos took his seat once more as additional mana flooded through the inscriptions in front of him.

“Secondly, allow me to explain a bit more about what few bits of knowledge the Guild has managed to gather about Traits.” The Grandmaster continued. “First, it seems you can only have so many, though the specifics are murky. Some few have been lucky enough to receive Natural Treasures or Tonics from the Depths that would confer a Trait, only to be unable to use them. Most already had three Traits, some had four, and even fewer had two.”

Kaius winced — though he was more than confident that he and his team had the best traits they possibly could, finding out there was a limit to them still stung.

“The limit changes per person?” Kenva asked.

“Maybe,” Olmos replied. “A few Life and Soul mages have researched them over the years, and they are clear that each and everyone is a permanent and irrevocable change to your being. It’s possible that it is a simple problem of compatibility.”

“What about upgrading them? Does that have limits?” Ianmus asked.

“That we do know a little more about. They can be improved twice — to Greater, and then Grand — a similar ranking system to some skill lines. There’s more, so allow me a preamble: Traits can be acquired and improved through more than Treasures. We have records of individuals being born with Traits unexplainable by heritability, and others have acquired them through quirks of fate — some brush with magic that leaves them changed. Eight hundred or so years ago there was a man by the name of Hostus the Inward Eye, who had a strange class focused on steady refinement of his baseline self. He earned one of these fruits young, much like you. Years later, he managed to improve his Dynastic Trait a second time — revealing the existence of the Grand rank, and sharing that further improvement was impossible without some fundamental change to existence that was out of his reach.”

The whine of building magic had built to a roar now, dense enough that it was interfering with Olmos’s projection. Kaius paid it almost no mind, far too focused on what the man had said. His Trait, Greater Beastblooded, was it already in the second rank? Or was it simply a quirk of the name? Surely it had to be the latter, for Porkchop had a paired Trait that referenced the higher races.

More than that, he had some ideas about what barred the advancement of Traits beyond the rank of Grand.

“It might be possible at a high enough tier, or require walking the Path,” Kaius suggested. “Both my guide and an ascendant have confirmed that both make someone more intrinsically magical — it’s why Tiers have Rarity limits, and walking the Path can ease them.

“I suspected something similar,” Olmos replied, his voice crackling as his projection flickered with growing intensity. “Regardless, the formation is about to activate — let us pause for a moment.”

A thrill lashed down Kaius’s spine at the man's words. Within moments the transmission room's projection broke down into a meaningless swirl of colours.

There was a pop of displaced air, like he had just taken something out of his storage ring, and the image snapped back into focus. There was no expulsion of mana, or violent detonation like he had expected. Instead, at the centre of their table lay the box, utterly unmoved from its earlier location — but now solid to his Truesight, glowing bright and true with mana.

Kaius pulled up its description immediately.

Gordot’s Preservation Box:

Common - Tier II

I share my designs as payment: a single fruit for the method to preserve them.

Made of verdantium, a nature attuned metal, this box is specially designed to preserve the full potency of Pneuma Cherries for up to a decade. Mixed efficacy when used for other reagents and Natural Treasures, with a minimum preservation time of six months. Efficacy is drastically reduced when used for reagents and Natural Treasures above Tier II. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Artisan-wrought Artefact.

Tool (Preservation Box)

Potency Preservation IV, Mana Shielding IV, Self Repair I

A second tier artefact? That was impressive — even if it was just Common.

“Pull it over!” Kenva hissed, smacking him on the shoulder.

Kaius blinked away the notification, catching a glimpse of Olmos’s projection smirking at them. Seeing no reason to wait, he did as his friend asked.

The box was cold to the touch, and other than the slight sensation of movement within, Kaius caught not even a whiff of alchemical magic from the fruits it contained within. He placed it down like it was made of thin crystal, terrified of bruising its contents.

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As he flicked open its latch, the enchantments disengaged, and Kaius was hit with a wave of potent magic. It swirled through the room, palpable in its scents of nurturing lullabies and thoughtful contemplation.

Four bone-white cherries the size of an egg lay on a forest green velvet cushion, each one palpable in their magical density. Something deep within him hungered; begged him to rip out a fruit and consume it whole.

Instead, he analysed one.

Pneuma Cherry:

Unique - Tier II

Affinity: Soul, Life

The breath is at the centre of all, a core of being passed down from parent to child. Strengthen the gift of your forefathers, and be reborn anew.

An Ascension Fruit that strengthens Dynastic, or another soul-affiliated Trait if it is not present, to the rank of ‘Greater’. If no soul-affiliated Trait is present, grants the Trait Polished Soul.

Natural Treasure (Ascension Fruit)

Before Kaius could fully process what he was reading the power of the fruit redoubled. Almost automatically, his Authority wrapped around him like a second skin, steeling his nerves against the foreign compulsion.

Judging by the way Porkchop’s muzzle wrinkled as he pulled back from the box, it was affecting all of them equally.

“What is that?” Ianmus asked, frowning down at the shining cherries.

“That,” Olmos said with a knowing chuckle, “Is another reason the guild invested so much in a well designed box. On some level, the soul knows what will nourish and reinforce you — it is a common reaction to Natural Treasures or tonics that will confer a permanent benefit, and few are as strong as granting or upgrading a Trait.”

Kaius swallowed, suddenly aware he was salivating. Gods, they looked so good. It sounded — and felt — like what he had felt through his link with his blade whenever he had found a compatible material.

“I don’t understand why you are torturing yourselves — eat the damn fruit.”

The Grandmaster’s words seemed to break the spell of stubbornness that had fallen over them. Kaius lunged forwards, snatching a single white cherry. It felt plump. Juicy. Like the singular best pick from Vaastivar’s entire year’s harvest.

He knew it would taste delicious.

Thin skin broke beneath his teeth and juice gushed through his mouth.

**Ding! You have Consumed a Natural Treasure: Pneuma Cherry**

It was.

Unable to help himself, he shoved the entire damn thing in his mouth and crunched straight through the pit. Even that carried not a hint of bitterness. There was only the vibrancy of mana-synesthesia as he was sent adrift in the ache of well-worked muscles, learned lessons, and the sheer pride he felt at bearing his name.

Slumping back into his chair, the ghost of a memory washed over him. It was hazy; indistinct. Nothing but the half remembered flicker of firelight and his father’s voice.

“It is a gift, son. One you carry in the deepest bits of your soul. Hundreds of generations of Untersterns, living and dying to build something great. Our house might be all but gone, but we still have our name; we still have our Legacy. The Dynasty persists, that is all that matters.”

Power swelled through the deepest parts of him, fueling the fires of his soul. It roared high, a golden conflagration that coiled and lapped at the base of his Aspects. Slowly but surely, they purified — burning just a little brighter, and shining with just a bit more resplendance.

Then it was gone, leaving only a flushed heat that ebbed outwards to soak into his veins. No, that was wrong. He could sense something else. A lingering wealth of potential suffusing the structure of his class construct.

Before he could consider the sensation any more, a system notification shoved itself upon him.

**Ding! Trait upgraded! Dynastic has become Dynastic (Greater)!**

“It’s a hell of a rush, isn’t it?” Olmos asked, grinning at them.

“Fucking hells it is,” Kenva replied absent mindedly, shaking her head.

Kaius just nodded, still trying to piece himself back together.

“I won't spoil the description for you, but I will explain one thing. You’ve likely noticed remnant energy. That is a wealth of free stat points — the upgrade is retroactive for your current tier. Enjoy the windfall, few get such an opportunity to shore up their builds.”

That was unexpected. With the scaling of their Honours, that was quite the boon indeed — though that left a big question. Did he shore up some of his deficiencies in Dexterity and Vitality, or did he double down on Intelligence to maximise the spells he could inscribe?

Putting the thought aside for the moment, Kaius pulled up the description of his changed trait.

Dynastic (Greater):

Greater Racial Trait - Heritable (Conditional)

Platinum purity burns with capricious light, be thankful. More importantly, be gracious. To be broken and remoulded is a painful and terrible thing, no matter how needed a transformation might be.

Your soul has been washed in the light of multiple legacy skills, fueling your growth. Strengthened further, the soul shines, lighting the path ahead.

+3 Free Stats per Level.

Three free stats per level? That was insane — and meant he had ninety-eight points waiting for him to use!

A windfall indeed. Kaius would need some time to think about how to allocate them, such a thing couldn’t be rushed.

More importantly, the epigraph for the trait had grown. That was something he had never seen before — and would be worth keeping an eye on. On the gods, he had sworn himself to the peak, and that meant that he would see Dynastic improved again eventually. Who knows what insights might be found there.

Looking around, he saw his friends looked similarly contemplative, and Olmos was watching them with a satisfied expression.

“And so our meeting concludes — you have given me much to do,” The Grandmaster said, his smile widening to a grin. “A parting piece of advice: be cautious when you meet the young Lord Flowers, but do not treat him as an enemy. Even if he is involved with Kanmost’s disappearance, you gain nothing by putting him on his guard.”

Right. They had to go to dinner; how could he forget?