This decade's Widepond Progression Invitational has concluded. As we had predicted weeks ago the winners of all three major categories came from different groups:

  Solo: Walymaer ProudSpear Pairs: The Bickerson Twins Group: Holding Sundo's Second Squad

  Prizes, as is traditional, remain a secret unless declared by their recipient. However, after the last battle we expect that ProudSpear will be requesting a new weapon, hopefully one that cannot be broken.

  Although, if you consider how he made use of the two weapons he may be looking for one that can be separated into two smaller weapons. Hopefully he'll remain in the public eye long enough for us to find out.

  ~ * ~

  Anya spun to look at her sister in surprise. She'd known Sandra was interested in building things, that she didn't want to fight. But for her to recognize Yshe?

  "Yes? She's working on our Holding…"

  "She's retired though," Sandra answered quickly. "She stopped working decades ago and only teaches. She can't be your Engineer."

  "She's got her nephew doing a lot of the work."

  "Oh, so she's acting as a Mentor and Senior? But then why is she running up here in a panic, shouldn't the actual Engineer be…"

  Anya saw her sister trail off as Sam poked his head through the doorway.

  "Auntie," he said as he caught his breath. "What was it doing? I've never seen anything like it."

  "You wouldn't," Yshe answered. "I wouldn't. No one on Earth would. Just like no one should be able to recognize me quite so easily."

  "But you're Yshe!" Sandra said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You helped with the original design and construction of our home. You were here before Lys existed. You've worked on or trained the Engineers who worked on almost every Holding project since… forever!"

  She built your Holding too? Seb sent.

  Maybe? I never cared about that stuff.

  "Lysandra," Lys said with a frown. "This is no way for a heir to comport herself. Some enthusiasm is appropriate, but not, this."

  "Mother," Anya cut in. "Yshe has been working on our Holding and came highly recommended. She has demonstrated knowledge and experience that matches what Sandra has described."

  "Thank you my Lady, but I can speak for myself," Yshe said before walking over and bowing ever so slightly.

  "As your daughters stated, I am Senior Engineer Yshe. I was involved in the original establishment of the constructs within your Holding. My nephew, Sam, has been responsible for much of the implementations here under my supervision."

  "Lass, how and why do you know so much about me?" she continued as her eyes shifted to Sandra.

  "Princess Lysandra, not lass," Lys said.

  "Sovereign you may be, but your founders were still children in my eyes when I met them. My words are not meant in disrespect."

  "It's fine Mother," Sandra added. "I was trying to understand how our Holding became what it is and got access to the records. Your name showed up, several times, so I asked our Seer for more information about you. Which led to more information about-"

  "Ah, you asked," Yshe said with a smile. "Smart lass. And why would you care to start down that Path?"

  She was curious?

  Always, she sent. She wanted to build, to create. She'd try to skip training, at least while I still lived there.

  "Because parts don't make sense. They don't connect how they should. But you said Seed? I know what a Core is, but never heard of a Seed."

  "You'll have to ask your sister about that. It's her knowledge to share."

  Anya took a breath as Sandra turned to her, eyes pleading even as she held back from acting in a way that would provoke their mother further. She could see the frustration, no, the anger, on her mother's face, she could see how tightly she gripped her mug, how stiffly she stood.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "We have a rare type of Core. We were told it was a Seed, but nothing else."

  "Nothing else?" Yshe grumbled. "We told you… Wait, did Valene not bother explaining?"

  "He said it could expand and connect to other Constructs," Seb said.

  "Right, of course that's how he put it," Yshe grumbled. "Seeds expand in their own time. We don't just connect them, they must be ready to grow."

  "Roots?" Seb guessed.

  "Of sorts, at least that is my guess."

  "So when you say ours is ready-" Anya began.

  "I mean that your Seed has a root sticking out, going nowhere."

  "Is that a problem? Is it urgent?" she asked.

  "Only if you want your Holding to grow as quickly as possible. Only if you wish to make use of the unique benefits. You can wait forever for all it matters. The Seed won't care, but it might not grow another connection until you do."

  "Anya," Fay said. "There isn't much about Seeds, but from what I have found, sooner is better."

  "Can I see?" Sandra asked, nearly vibrating with interest.

  "We were going to head into the Holding, I don't know if-"

  "Holders only, unless she's going to be an Engineer," Yshe said.

  "She's the Heir to Holding Lys, her role is clear," Lys said.

  "But Mother."

  "Our Holding needs strength. It needs to maintain itself and push forward. It needs."

  "Yshe is past the wall," Seb said.

  Seb!

  Anya felt his response, his determination to make his point. She didn't disagree, but there were ways to deal with her mother. Standing up to her had never worked.

  "You are?" Lys asked.

  "Yes. Might not be worth much in a fight, but that isn't my Path."

  Anya saw her mother hesitate.

  "Briana and Fay are as well Mother."

  "Next you'll tell me the apprentice is as well?"

  "No your Highness," Sam said. "Not yet, although hopefully I'll be there soon. Working here has helped immensely."

  "He means it's finally shown him he enjoys the work, that he actually likes figuring things out rather than being a layabout."

  "Auntie, you said you wouldn't" Sam whined.

  "Who would teach her?" Lys asked.

  In that moment Anya knew her mother was seriously considering the choice. Was it simply the fact that everyone was acting as though the wall was not an obstacle when no member of Holding Lys had crossed it in living memory?

  She's not arguing?

  She loves you both, Seb answered. She doesn't want you to fail.

  That's what he told us that day. But she's never-

  No one here is from the Holding, no one is judging.

  You think that's- He called her Elle. He didn't ask, he didn't hesitate. She didn't tell him off.

  "If she's serious about it," Yshe said. "If her Path aligns with it, then I will teach her."

  "Her path?" Lys asked.

  "My path?" Sandra echoed.

  ~ * ~

  Fay took a deep breath before guiding Sandra into the training hall. She'd spent most of the tour answering questions from all three members of Holding Lys about Path Selections and how all such things worked.

  The flicker of outrage on Lys's face at the fact that her entire Holding had been forced into options for decades was especially telling. She'd clearly been willing to force her daughter, both of them based on Anya's stories, into roles that did not suit them for the good of her Holding, yet had pivoted to giving them both their own chance the moment a true option presented.

  Sandra had spent the least time paying attention, more interested in seeing another Holding than in securing her own future. Yet she'd clearly listened, she made her way directly to the interface and faced her expectantly.

  "If you would Seer?"

  Fay shook her head ruefully, Anya had been the same at the start, heavy with the formality and treating everything just so. It hadn't helped that she'd been so worried about her own place, so uncertain about how to deal with others, so terrified of being seen as anything but Seer Feh-Lan that she could hardly believe they'd become as close as they had.

  She activated the interface and stepped aside, taking the briefest of instants to confirm that Sandra did indeed have the option to become an Engineer before leaving her to her choices. There were no Notes to process, no details to clarify beyond a handful of terms any Seer could have defined.

  "That was easy, I don't know why you all made it sound as though the choices were difficult."

  "Some people are less certain what they want to do, or how they want to do it," she answered as she returned the interface to it's defaults. "You seemed to be confident about your decisions."

  "Mother says Sovereigns should act with certainty, not dwell on possibilities. She also says that hesitating when you know the answer serves no purpose."

  Fay nodded absently as she led them back to meet with the others. She caught Yshe's eye as Sandra started to go into detail about what her selection had been like. The girl had chosen well, she was making the most of the opportunity.

  "Seer Phelann," Lys said. "If we have others who need to make selections, how would we go about it?"

  "Ask your Seers to assist you. If they somehow do not know how, reach out to local Council office, they can send over a Seer to help educate them."

  "Just not Seer Sean," Anya said. "Do not let them send him."

  "Seer Sean is quite competent Anya," Fay said with a smile. "You can't blame him for talking so fast you can't keep up."

  Fay felt the mood shift, felt the air chill as Sovereign Lys narrowed her eyes. That woman needed to figure out her answer, these reactions served no one and-

  "Is that how it is Fay?" Anya asked, her tone so sickly sweet she barely recognized it. "Is this your payback for my forgetting to leave you any bacon yesterday?"

  Fay glanced at Anya and saw the grin on her face, the exaggerated performance that left her sister giggling and her mother confused.

  "Mother," she continued. "She not a retainer. She's…"

  Fay saw her hesitate, saw how the words might land especially after having rekindled her relationship so recently.

  "She's like a sister, isn't she," Sandra said. "Like we used to be."

  "Like we will be again brat. At least if Yshe ever thinks you're up to helping Sam, so you better learn fast."

  "She'll learn or she'll be sent home," Yshe said with a grin.

  "My daughters are not failures," Lys added.

  "Oh," Anya said. "Mother. Your Energy shapes itself to who you are, to how you are. Understand yourself and you'll understand how to advance. It feels like a bell goes off inside you, your whole self ringing."

  "Anya?" Lys said.

  "The wall. You have your answer, you just have to understand."

  Want to support Confluence Saga?

  Leave a comment to tell me what you think of the story so far.

  Want to chat about the story? Come to .

  Current Bonus Chapter Goals:

  - 347/500 Followers

  - 69/100 Favorites

  - 40/50 Ratings

  - 4/5 Reviews