Making Game: CH 162 – Confusing Visit (Patreon)

[CONGRATULATIONS. Profile Completed: Champion of Kanto.]

[Following Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen mechanics, Kanto region is authorized to materialize...]

[Confirming implementation with Universe Law...]

[Scanning host cosmic level...]

[Host Cosmic level passed the threshold...]

[Host Cosmic level passed the threshold...]

Dorian stared at the glowing azure text floating in his field of vision, his eyes widening in pure disbelief. He read the final two lines again just to be sure his mind was playing tricks on him. 

Did his cosmic level just jump two entire thresholds at once? The sheer expansion of the whole region wanting to materialize must have forcefully expanded his capacity far beyond his limits.

Before he could fully process the double level advancement, the system interface shifted.

[Scanning for Suitable Planet]

A massive, three-dimensional holographic star map bloomed across Dorian's vision. The localized projection centered immediately on Friton. The agricultural world pulsed brightly for a fraction of a second, then flatlined into a dull, solid red. Friton was rejected.

The map rapidly branched out, zooming past the local asteroid belts to scan neighboring planets in the sector. Red. More red. The scanning wave rippled outward at an exponential rate, painting the galaxy in a sea of crimson rejections. Out of hundreds of sweeping planetary scans, only a tiny handful flickered with a faint, stable blue light.

"Brother, are you okay?"

Dorian blinked, the galactic map turning translucent as his focus snapped back to the physical world. Marcus was standing near the training ring, leaning on his practice sword with a concerned look on his face.

Dorian quickly swiped the system notification aside with a subtle flick of his wrist. "Ah, yes. I'm just spacing out for a moment. Continue your training with Levi. I'll go in first and get cleaned up."

Marcus gave a slow nod, turning back to face the fierce Palico instructor.

As Dorian walked toward the main estate, the system continued its massive search. Hundreds of new planets populated the peripheral map every second. It was going to take a considerable amount of time to filter through the known galaxy. 

Still, a profound sense of gratitude washed over him. The system was actually giving him a choice. It was a massive improvement over the Mastery Cave randomly spawning on Planet Dagma without his knowledge or consent.

He reached his private quarters and began preparing a hot bath. Just as he was adjusting the water temperature, his wrist console chimed with a private message tone.

He tapped the screen. It was a text from Juno.

"Don't forget tomorrow's meeting with my Aunt."

Dorian smiled, typing out a quick reply.

"{Wink emote.} Of course I won't."

He set the console on the marble counter and plunged into the steaming bathtub. The hot water swallowed his fatigue instantly, seeping deep into his tired muscles. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the porcelain rim.

For the first time since he received the Creator System, he was completely relaxed while completing a major profile. There was no immediate crisis, no panic, and no looming threat forcing his hand.

The bathroom was utterly quiet, save for the soft hum of the ventilation and the faint fizzing of the bath soap. A single, iridescent bubble drifted near his ear and popped with a tiny, satisfying snap.

A long while later, Dorian stood in his dressing room, freshly changed into comfortable lounge clothes.

The blue interface flared to life once more.

[Scan Complete]

[Where would you like to materialize the assets?]

Dorian looked at the finalized star map hovering before him. It was a staggering visual representation of the galaxy. Out of the millions of celestial bodies scanned, the vast majority were painted red. Only twenty planets across the entire projection glowed in a steady, inviting blue, marking them as suitable environments for the Kanto region to take root.

He held off on making a selection.

The system map was a raw cosmic overlay. It lacked the political borders, trade routes, and navigational names used by the Stellar Accord. He had no idea who owned those twenty blue planets, or if they were even inhabited. He needed to layer this raw data over a current Accord star map to see exactly where these worlds were located before he made a permanent decision.

For now, the monumental reward for completing the first generation Pokemon profile would remain safely stored in his system queue.

He tapped the active profile icon instead.

The Regional Champion profile expanded outward, splicing seamlessly into three distinct, branching skill trees.

Champion of Kanto. Champion of Johto. Champion of Hoenn.

The Kanto node rested at the very top, glowing in a brilliant, solid gold. It looked exactly like the rest of his fully maxed-out profiles, a shining testament to another journey finally completed.

…

The following day brought Dorian to the surface of Rodia IV. His destination was far removed from the towering architecture of the Apex Guild central headquarters. He stood before the sweeping iron gates of a secluded private estate. This was the personal mansion of Victoria Park.

Dorian adjusted the collar of his smart casual jacket. He had specifically chosen a subtle black and red lapel to match the signature colors of the Apex Guild. Lyra had insisted on the wardrobe choice before he left, advising him that he needed to show the Park family he stood firmly on their side. Dorian let out a long breath. He had not even crossed the threshold, yet his heart hammered a heavy rhythm against his ribs.

A sudden pulse thrummed behind his eyes. His Eagle Vision flared to life on pure instinct.

A patch of darkness detached itself from the manicured hedge to his right. The shadow stretched and solidified, shifting seamlessly into the form of a female agent draped in dark tactical gear. The woman offered a shallow, respectful bow.

"Mistress Victoria is waiting," the agent said quietly. "Follow me."

Dorian nodded and adjusted his collar one last time. He could hardly blame himself for the mounting anxiety. Almost every piece of public intelligence regarding the Apex Guild centered around Juno's father, Alexei Park.

The galaxy knew exactly how much power the man wielded among the highest echelons of the Accord. Even with that fame, verified details about the Guild Master remained frustratingly scarce.

Information regarding Aunt Victoria was practically nonexistent. If Juno had remained quiet about her aunt managing the internal affairs of the Park family, Dorian never would have known she existed. The only concrete fact he held was her immense power. She was a Solar of terrifying capability.

As they approached the heavy double doors of the inner sanctum, a suffocating pressure washed over him. Dorian could sense her raw plasma count radiating straight through the reinforced walls. She was making no effort to conceal her presence today, unlike her perfectly masked demeanor during the guild's 69th Lustrum. The sheer density of her energy felt like standing at the edge of an active solar flare.

The shadow agent pushed the heavy door open, gesturing for Dorian to step inside. The moment he crossed the threshold, the agent pulled the door shut behind him, leaving him completely alone.

Dorian took a moment to look around. The interior of the mansion defied all of his expectations. The halls felt strangely homey and lived-in. The walls were lined with polished wooden plaques, golden trophies, and dozens of glowing holo-photos chronicling the sprawling Park bloodline. 

He recognized several faces among the cousins and nieces he had briefly met during the Lustrum. For a woman who had never married or had children of her own, she clearly cared for her extended family with a fierce, unwavering devotion.

"Come closer."

The voice was calm and smooth, echoing gently across the polished floorboards.

Dorian walked forward, his boots sinking into a plush carpet. He rounded a corner and finally laid eyes on Victoria Park, the younger sister of the Apex Guild Master.

Her grayish hair was pinned back with immaculate precision, and her piercing blue eyes carried the same incredibly collected nature he remembered. Yet, surrounded by the quiet comfort of her own home, she appeared surprisingly approachable. The suffocating weight of her plasma had vanished entirely, drawn back into perfect, terrifying concealment.

A familiar golden shimmer danced at the edge of Dorian's vision.

Ares and Athena materialized directly beside his shoulders. The God of War crossed his thick arms, his jaw set like stone.

"Focus, boy," Ares rumbled in a low warning. "This woman is dangerous."

Athena stood unnaturally still. Her grey eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the woman sitting across the room. "He's correct, Creator. She is infinitely more dangerous than your soulmate's father."

Dorian kept his expression perfectly neutral, forcing his legs to carry him forward. What he saw was simply a beautiful, elegant woman sitting beside a massive sunlit window, delicately sipping a steaming cup of teebu.

Victoria lowered her porcelain cup to the saucer with a soft clink. She looked up, her blue eyes pinning him in place.

"Dorian Elias Kepler."

Dorian stepped up to the edge of the low tea table. He stopped, bowed his head in a polite, measured greeting, and kept his hands respectfully at his sides. "I greet Mistress Victoria."

"There is no need to be so formal," Victoria said, gesturing to the plush armchair opposite her. "Come sit."

Dorian offered a polite nod and took his seat. He cast a discreet glance around the room. The sprawling mansion was unnervingly quiet. It was entirely devoid of family members, guards, or staff. It seems she had emptied the entire estate just so she could meet him in private.

A household compadre hovered silently beside the low table, its mechanical arm poised and ready to refill their ceramic teebu cups at a moment's notice.

An invisible tension settled over the table as they began to chat. Dorian kept his guard firmly raised, measuring every word.

Victoria took a delicate sip from her cup. "You're registered under the Forger branch. An irregular path, correct?"

Rather than launching into a complicated lie, Dorian decided a visual demonstration would serve him better. He reached out and accessed his spatial inventory. With a soft ripple of light, he pulled a solid steel dagger directly from his Stardew Valley inventory and set it gently on the table.

He claimed the weapon was the direct result of his Solar ability. He explained that he could materialize forged items without requiring heavy equipment, raw materials, or a physical workshop.

Victoria leaned forward, her piercing blue eyes studying the blade. "Fascinating. Many Forger types possess their own specialized pocket dimensions or spatial workshops. Did you know that?"

Dorian offered a modest shrug. "The irregular path has always been known as the most difficult category to pin down."

"Indeed they are," Victoria agreed, setting her cup onto its matching saucer. "And you're a rather special case, Dorian. A late awakening. You also sign a high-level secrecy mandate shielding your public records to keep the exact nature of your power hidden."

Dorian kept his expression perfectly neutral. "I've always been a recluse by nature. If the impostor incident had never threatened my family, I doubt I would've ever revealed myself to the public."

Victoria smiled, a slow, knowing expression. "I do wonder what you will choose to reveal next."

Dorian matched her smile with a polite, commercial grin. "Well, we have a brand new type of agricultural berry moving into production. We'll begin selling it across the sector next quarter."

Victoria simply chuckled at the deflection. She let the joke hang in the air for a brief second before pivoting the conversation with effortless grace.

"How are things progressing with my niece?" she asked.

Dorian relaxed his shoulders a fraction, though his internal alarms continued to ring. "Things are going very smoothly. We're both navigating busy schedules right now, but all things considered, we're closer than ever."

Victoria folded her hands in her lap. "That's good to hear. Juno will eventually take over the guild and assume the position of our family head. She stands in a very precarious position. As a sole heir without any siblings, she carries the entire weight of the main family. If anything were to happen to Juno, it would fundamentally shake the foundation of the Apex Guild."

Dorian took a slow sip of his own teebu, bracing himself for the heavy turn in the conversation. The polite pleasantries were officially over.

Dorian set his cup down. "I love Juno. She could carry the Park name, or she could belong to any ordinary family. I would love her exactly the same."

Victoria's gaze turned cold and absolute. "That's a very easy sentiment to declare when the reality is she remains a Park."

Dorian held his ground, meeting her intense stare without flinching. "I don't know what else I can say if you refuse to believe me from the start."

"There is a way," Victoria said softly.

The air pressure inside the sunlit room vanished instantly.

A sharp, violent crackle echoed through the silence. Deep, pitch-black lightning erupted around Victoria's slender hand. The dark energy twisted and arched, growing rapidly into a localized, terrifying storm right inside the parlor.

"This is Phantasmal Thunder," Victoria stated, her voice echoing strangely through the sudden tempest.

The black lightning surged across the table. It struck the porcelain cups, the wooden chairs, and slammed directly into Dorian's chest. He flinched, bracing for searing agony.

Nothing happened. He felt zero physical pain. The dark bolts passed straight through his skin and clothing like harmless shadows, leaving the room entirely untouched.

Victoria watched him through the chaotic web of black energy. "My thunder inflicts no physical damage. I can strike levels of abstract concept residing within a person."

Dorian's eyes widened in sheer shock as the true nature of her power dawned on him. She was going to strike his intentions, his secrets, and his loyalties.

Floating directly above his shoulders, Ares and Athena remained completely silent, their divine weapons drawn as they watched the terrifying display of power unfold.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me," Victoria said.

Without warning, she thrust her hand forward. The swirling storm of pitch-black lightning condensed into a blinding, silent flash. She struck him directly in the chest as she calmly uttered a single word.

"Falsehood."

Dorian braced for impact. He felt a terrifying, hollow sensation bloomed inside his chest. It felt as though a fundamental piece of his inner self had been violently struck down.

A glowing azure panel snapped into his vision.

[Personal concept of the host has been compromised.] 

[Commencing soul restoration…]

A blue progress bar materialized beneath the warning, slowly inching forward. Tiny, jagged arcs of black lightning crackled across his skin, binding him to the chair.

Victoria rested her hands in her lap. "What is your name?"

Dorian tried to calm his racing heart, falling back on the discipline Athena had drilled into him. He needed to assess the situation carefully. The abstract concept of what made a person who they were was incredibly complex. 

If he made the wrong move, she could potentially erase his existence from reality. Still, every action in this universe required an exchange of energy, whether it was a Solar expending plasma or his own system consuming resonance points. He had to stall.

He decided to test the bounds of her attack. He tried to lie. He attempted to say the name Marcus.

His jaw moved completely against his will. "Dorian Elias Kepler."

Victoria nodded slowly. "What are the names of your mother and father?"

"Eline Elias Kepler and John Elias Kepler," Dorian answered immediately, entirely unable to stop the truth from spilling out.

He watched the system interface. The blue repair bar kept climbing, fighting against the conceptual damage.

"Do you truly love my niece unconditionally?" Victoria asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Dorian swallowed hard, his throat tight. "She always believed in me before I even believed in myself."

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped down his neck. The repair progress ticked closer to completion. Ninety percent. Ninety-five.

"Do you have any intention to harm our family?" Victoria asked, her blue eyes piercing right through him.

"No."

A faint smile touched Victoria's lips. "But you certainly are mad at me."

"Yes."

Her smile widened a fraction. "Are you really a Forger branch Solar?"

At that exact second, a soft chime rang in his mind. The repair bar hit one hundred percent. The jagged black lightning binding his conceptual self shattered into digital dust. Dorian finally felt the invisible shackles drop away, restoring his full control of himself.

He looked her straight in the eye. "Yes, I am."

Victoria raised her brows slightly, studying his face with a calculating gaze. "So be it. We will see how your progression with Juno unfolds."

She waved her hand, and the terrifying storm of black lightning dispersed into the ambient air, leaving the sunlit parlor completely peaceful once more.

"It was very nice meeting you, Dorian," Victoria said, her tone returning to the polite warmth she had initially displayed. "Alas, you will only remember our short, pleasant conversation."

Once again, she pointed a slender finger directly at his forehead. From the tip of her nail, a concentrated bolt of pitch-black lightning struck him right between the eyes.

She spoke with chilling calmness. "Memory."

This time, the system notifications erupted in blaring crimson.

[Universal concept of the host has been compromised.] 

[Host cosmic level sufficient…] 

[Commencing soul restoration…]

The world stuttered. The light in the room fractured, rewinding in a disorienting, seamless flash.

Dorian blinked hard. His mind jolted violently. It felt as though he had just snapped out of a deep, momentary daydream. He was sitting in the same plush armchair. Victoria was lowering her ceramic teacup to the saucer with a soft clink, exactly as she had been moments before.

"Oh my," Victoria said with a gentle, polite smile. "It seems I've bored you."

Dorian sat in pure confusion. He looked around the pristine room. The air was calm, yet his azure system panel was glowing brightly in his peripheral vision, displaying a message about repairing his soul out of nowhere. 'What exactly had just occurred?'

Before he could process the strange notification, Victoria raised a hand and summoned the shadow operator from the hallway.

"Lead our guest out," Victoria instructed smoothly.

The operative bowed deep and gestured for Dorian to follow. Dorian stood up, adjusting his jacket as he tried to mask his profound disorientation.

Just as he turned toward the heavy double doors, he caught a subtle movement from the corner of his eye. Victoria tilted her chin up slightly. She offered a distinct, respectful nod toward the empty air directly above his shoulders, looking exactly where Ares and Athena were hovering.

Dorian frowned, blinking away the lingering dizziness. He must be imagining things. He shook the strange feeling off and followed the agent out into the quiet halls.

~~~

{Phantasmal Branch}

The Phantasmal is one of many branches of the Nullbreaker path. It's a branch with a power that doesn't just kill, but control any abstract concept. Like many other branches, each user has different functions and ways of using them, but all of them control abstract concepts. From minor concepts such as balance, appetite, touch, sound, and more, to absolute concepts such as truth, reality, life, death, and more.

Anyway, I got inspired when I was watching a TikTok Pokémon pack opening and saw the pack name, "Phantasmal Flames." I liked the sound of "Phantasmal," and by definition it basically means illusion or ghostly things, so I took it up several notches by making illusions at the most raw level: abstract concepts.

Honestly, I'm pretty proud of it. It gives more stakes to the story, since many games are very overpowered in terms of power scaling. Hopefully it makes sense. But do tell me if you had more suggestion.