You are Exalted!
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.
Arc 1: Exaltation.
Chapter 1.3: Yonaguni-Jima.
I laughed as I tried again the modular outfit function of my Infinite Resplendence Amulet. It was a fantastic useful item: Literally all of Fashion of Earth, real or imaginary, past or future, was at my fingertips. Oh, and I now knew that my eyes were blue since I could change part of my outfit into a reflective surface.
I knew that Exalts, especially the Solars, were supposed to be both attractive and charismatic, but frankly I was approaching top records. My face and my overall appearance was in the domain of those who could build an empire or those that rural folk mistook for an incarnated deity... For a ten years old girl, this spelled GREAT AND PERSISTENT problems in the near future.
Oh sure, the puppy-dog-eyes technique and the cute aura effect should helped me... with provoking massive diabetic shocks and creating hounding rabid fans. Sometimes, too much was TOO much.
I generated a simple outfit of jeans, sandals and tee-shirt and began my exploration. Well, it had been fast: Yonaguni Island, a 28 km² island and the westernmost one of the Yaeyama Islands. The Yaeyama Islands were part of the Ryukyu Islands, themselves part of Japan and included Okinawa as the most known of the lot in the world.
Less than two thousand people including the rare tourist. One airport and a half-a-dozen little seaports. It was a small area and it took less than two hours for me to learn what was needed and found myself drinking a nice cup of green tea in the only police station of the island.
I took the time to sense my inner core to determine what I could do with my initial charms: It seemed to be oriented towards comprehension, integration and evasion. I certainly wasn't a front-line fighter and beside I couldn't really test my powers discreetly: Not enough energy if I needed some charms later.
It was at that police station that I began to built my public persona: I couldn't hide my nature, but I could let them pigeon-holed me into a standard nice and proper recently triggered parahuman. Especially after discovering and then using Mastery of Small Manners powered by my Personal Essence pool to avoid building up my Anima Banner.
"So, you don't remember anything?" Masato-Keishi was the Superintendent of this police station. A fifty years old local man with just a hint of letting go his trained body weathered by age and mileage. He had clear steel grey eyes, a small pepper moustache and an overall serious and stern mien.
"I do remember many things, but it's almost a complete jumble that will take time to organize." I shook my head. "There are, in fact, far too many memories. I know that some of them are not mine." One of those memories was a perfect mastery of the Japanese tongue and included all their writing systems.
"And you're sure that you are a... recently triggered parahuman?" Nurse Fudo was a young plump Japanese woman with a nice smile and steady hands. She examined me after I entered the police station and stated that I was lost without parents, with a faulty memory and a recent triggering due to the total solar eclipse. She also indirectly told me my three sizes, my height of 1m40 and my weight of 40 kg.
I held a gentle smile and expended one mote of Peripheral Essence in a precise way. They gasped as my caste mark burned and shone on my forehead.
Superintendent Masato tapped his lips with a finger. "Right... Well, don't worry. It shouldn't be too hard to conceal your identity as so few know that you are a parahuman..?"
I waived while projecting sadness at him. "Those protocols won't unfortunately be needed in my case. I intuitively know that using my power produce a cumulative side-effect which this." I indicated my still glowing caste mark. "Is far from being the least in power and reach."
Miss Fudo frowned. "You can't control or more exactly stop those effects?"
I nodded. "No, this astrological symbol is going to persist at least an hour before I can switch it off."
Masato blinked. "Astrological? Oh, right: This is the classical symbol of the sun in western astrology." He sighed and began to write a report, taking time to probably consult the few procedures the police had concerning parahumans and asking me a few questions at intervals.
It shouldn't be too difficult for them to help properly a well-behaved and well-educated young girl. I managed to hint through my name to either naturalized foreigners or a mixed couple for my parents. My native-like Japanese would also help to think of me as a Japanese citizen.
And I didn't lie. Well, I did say some half-truths, didn't reveal other full truths and didn't correct them when they assumed some things, but I didn't lie to them even once. A good habit to have since some powers, tinker-tech and plain scientific items could discern my lies and I didn't have the appropriate charms for now.
I eavesdropped, while talking with the nurse, a phone call to the mayor of this island, the honourable Shukichi Hokama as I understood. This should ensure that I would board a plane for Ishigaki airport on Okinawa and then after I caught more attention from the government I should more probably be sent to Tokyo.
Their handling of my name brought a concealed smile on my lips. Although they did identify me as Luminous Amber in proper English, they did mark it as a translation of my name in Japanese: Hakkõ Anbã. Well, when you saw how some parents named their children, I shouldn't have too many problems using it as a nickname or a nom-de-guerre.
The problem of the non-existence of my parents in this world should be lessened by the fact that they had what appeared as a genuine parahuman with potentially useful powers and probably easily controllable as a ward of the state due to my young age. I knew that most of the previous Japanese parahumans perished in Leviathan's assault of Kyushu. Ten years shouldn't have produced many new parahumans, and probably most were villains because of Japan's economic crisis and the conflict bias of the Shards.
Oh, I could have hidden on the island and developed my charms, but it seemed inefficient and time-consuming and would have raised too many alarms.
I had to think like them and categorize my powers by using the famous PRT classification: I was essentially a low middle tier Trump with low sub-ratings in all the other classes. I could use an internal energy source and boost or supplement the skills I learned. I could create new applications, but it took time and training. I was no Eidolon and I was limited by both my skills level and my understanding of Essence.
There could be a problem when I used occult-based charms and my knowledge of Thaumarturgy and Geomancy. That didn't include all the artefacts I could build with Magitech and Genesis, but I was optimist.
But more importantly, I needed to be seen and heard and to be able to interact with Society because it was the duty that I accepted with the mantel of Solar...
I was here to rekindle the Hope within the heart of Humanity.
I was here to guide them on the way to Greatness.
I was here to remind them of their accomplishments, to show them that there were no obstacles, but only challenges.
I was here to prove that the impossible was possible.
I was here to teach and lead, not to control.
I was here to be a Beacon of Light in the grimness and darkness of this universe.
I was here to see them crush those space-whales and I was here to sing their glory as they went beyond me in the infinity...
Yes. I felt my conviction roared within my blazing heart. Let us begun here.
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Notes: Phew... that was intense.
Yes, I had the choice for my character to stay hidden and build her own power-base or contact the authorities and worked with them.
Staying hidden was a good idea, but I think it would take too much time. Working with the Japanese government have its own problems, politics mainly, but I bypass most of the logistic ones. Besides, I don't want to be hindered by the PRT and the Protectorate.
Keishi is a rank in the Japanese police meaning Superintendent.
For my character, well I can say that all her attributes are at maximum human level on all planes. Thank you Charles Atlas Superpowers advantage.
Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5.
Charisma 5, Manipulation 5, Appearance 5.
Perception 5, Intelligence 5, Wits 5.
She has Essence 2, Willpower 8, Compassion 3, Conviction 3, Temperance 3, Valour 3, Personal Essence 14, Peripheral Essence 34(5 are committed) and the ten initial charms of a new Solar.
Charms known: Mastery of Small Manners and Ox-Body Technique.
Flaws known: Child (+5), Obligation to protect the world (+4), Amnesia (+4) and Code of Honour (+1).
Merits known: Eidetic Memory (-3), Esoteric Craft for Magitech and Genesis (-2), Past Lives (-5) and Essence Sight (-5).
Artefact 5: Infinite Resplendence Amulet.
She should receive other backgrounds in the future. Most notably the Familiar background. I am right now hesitating between a classical horse and an Iriomote cat.