"The building zone is marked then?" I had to be sure, since the team that had been outlining the plan couldn't make up their minds on whether or not it was in the 'right' position. Something about grids and positioning, I didn't pay too much attention unless it was something I could help with.

Carrington shrugged once the person who was fiddling with a laser range finder threw a thumbs up in the air. As professional as his demeanor was, I couldn't help but feel that he was extracting some amusement from my exasperation.

Raising a brow I'm sure my voice was appropriately deadpan, "That's very reassuring, thank you." I looked around the site at the various soldiers that had gathered on the outskirts. Carrington thought it would improve morale if they watched while I erected the new buildings.

The older man simply gave me an unimpressed look, "I'm here for coordination and to gather data, not to soothe your nerves." He tilted his head. "Speaking of, MP level?"

I could swear he was being a dick on purpose. I checked my status.

Name: Rachel Adler

Title: Gaia

Level 7, Skills (6/8) - Subs don't count

Race: Human

HP: 100%

MP: 100%

Stamina: 99%

Strength (Str): 22

Perception (Per): 27

Endurance (End): 30

Charisma (Cha): 8

Intelligence (Int): 15 (20)

Agility (Agi): 19

Luck (Luc): 10 (Cannot be Modified)

Attribute Points (15)

Letting out a hum I started to relay information, "MP is at one hundred, stamina ninety-nine. I think I put initial estimates for the two-story building at around seventy percent." I rolled my eyes, not that those estimates really had any kind of justification behind them besides my believing it was probably around that amount.

My logistics officer looked up from his tablet, "Noted, I'm sending the go-ahead to everyone."

I sighed before interrupting him, "Don't bother, I'll do it."

Carrington seemed confused, then surprised as he discerned what I said. "You finally installed a neural implant?"

Grimacing, I nodded, I had an aversion to cybernetics or biomechanical implants. That had been pushed to the wayside when I understood how necessary they were for most UNSC equipment, as well as the fact that the battle net and communication system were built into them. "I Created this one myself after I realized how stubborn I was with proven technology." Sending the announcement over the net took just a thought.

I could practically feel him radiate amusement at something, he turned to me with barely hidden delight as his lips quirked upward. "The net just exploded after you sent that. No one knew you had gotten an implant yet."

The only response I had was to sigh. "Let's get this done please."

He just gestured forward.

Right.

I stepped forward once, mentally extracting the plans from The Index. The materials needed had complete matches, the dimensions were correct, and the boundary was clear.

It was time.

Material listings complete…

Creation beginning…

My second step forward grounded me as I immersed myself in the construction of something so large and complex. My focus was perfect, as was the exertion of my power.

Composition…

Basic grid formed…

Proceeding…

Integrity checks complete…

Creation matches specifications…

…Standby…

My third step forward had a note of finality to it as I came to a stop.

Finalization.

It was like releasing a held breath. Except I wasn't merely continuing as I was. I was performing something no mortal mind could begin to comprehend. It was my will enacted to its exact specifications.

To some it would be a miracle… and I suppose that included me as well.

It was meant to evoke some of the design elements that went into Reach's civilian architecture, mostly to curb the brutalist aesthetic that came with using concrete, steel, and glass. A mix of repeating lines and almost terraced building design. I hoped it would be familiar to some of my people.

I gazed upon a perfectly constructed building and felt conflicted. I knew this would have consequences when I agreed to do it, but it made me oddly philosophical to just consider what I had made.

No human hand had any part in what I had made, and it showed. Utterly perfect, it was not necessarily of the highest quality, but minor imperfections simply didn't exist.

Hm.

Of course, I had to be interrupted as Fynn walked up beside me. "An exquisite first step my Lady." His smile was so bright he was practically beaming at me, "You show your true power and Authority to those who bear witness."

Oh…

I turned around and watched the expressions of those who had gathered around. The awe and wide-eyed gazes just soured my mood as I grasped just how much ammunition I had given Fynn.

My frown must have been something of legend because Fynn actually attempted to reassure me. "Don't worry my Lady, your faithful will support you in your efforts." The worst part was he sounded genuinely concerned too.

Letting out a sigh of exasperation, I just nodded and massaged my brow to stem the coming headache.

Carrington also saw fit to ambush me from my other side. "Impressive as that was, I still need your readouts." He seemed to almost glower at Fynn after he finished talking, Fynn gazed back with the most negative reaction I had seen yet. He was completely passive, not a hint of a smile or smirk.

"Right…" I drawled, it was almost impressive how long they were holding eye contact without either backing down. I decided to ignore it for the time being and pulled up my stats- What? "Everything except for mana is the same. Mana is at fifty-six, fifty-seven- The recovery rate is unexpectedly high." Extremely high actually, it hadn't recovered anywhere close to as quickly before.

Fynn broke his gaze away from Carrington and looked at me with his trademark smile, "Ah, that would be my doing actually." He cocked his head to the side. "Or rather, your followers' doing." There was a satisfied expression on his face as he finished his statement. Right.

Ordinarily, these kinds of vague and mysterious statements would be ignored by me. If Fynn wanted to dance around a subject, fine, I would just disregard him and continue on. Ordinarily, I could handle strange or esoteric phenomena happening as long as it wasn't actively harmful. I continued in this regard even as my patience continuously frayed.

This wasn't an ordinary situation, and my patience had finally snapped.

"Fynn." My eyes bored into his, and I ensured the intensity of my words matched how little I was amused. He seemed to understand that something was wrong because he flinched back at my gaze. This was good. I kept my words steady and sharp, "You will explain what that means, and we will have a discussion later on about the extent of your actions." I took a breath to steady myself. "Now, speak."

Fynn seemed to have faltered somewhat but rallied quickly. He retained a more chagrined expression as he explained himself, "Ah- Besides my stranger abilities granted by your blessing, I have a Perk that empowers you based on how many followers I gather to worship your majesty." He finished with a more timid smile than his usual affair.

Letting out a snort, Carrington gave a retort. "So you do have some kind of use. I had some doubts." I shot him a look when he looked up from updating something on his ever-present tablet. He just shrugged at my peering at him. Fynn actually frowned at Carrington's words.

"Right." A sigh escaped me. "Exactly how am I being 'empowered'?"

Fynn appeared to consider that for a moment, "My comprehension of the mechanics aren't the greatest…" He began slowly before I gestured for him to get on with it. He straightened before continuing, "I believe you are empowered, well, metaphysically. You'll be stronger with magic than typical, your existence will hold more," Fynn looked to be searching for the correct word, "...weight perhaps." He looked to me after he finished for some kind of judgment.

Entirely vague and useless, besides the magic part anyway. I suppose it didn't matter if it wasn't harmful. I tapped on my chin in thought before finally speaking, "Fine." Fynn smiled at that. Oh, he was sorely mistaken if I was going to let him go after this. "You're definitely not off the hook yet, we still need to have a talk." I looked up in the midday sky, contemplating. "I can kind of understand the logical throughline now but we're going to be communicating more in the future. Okay?" I looked over at him for confirmation, and if anything he seemed… Pleased?

Okay?

Carrington seemed equally pleased as he spoke up, though I couldn't really pinpoint why. "I assume you're going to be able to finish up with the buildings and roads." I had forgotten about the roads actually, but they wouldn't take long.

I nodded to him, "I'm going to talk to everyone about furniture and whatnot as well, once I'm done with everything else anyway. " I said, before smirking. "I assume you're going to want a desk, right?" He seemed the type to have an office space that got used, and poking fun at him for being a workaholic was amusing at times.

Unfortunately, he didn't find my prediction very humorous, just shooting me a dirty look before actually considering the offer. He groaned after he probably realized that, yes, I was spot on and he had similar requests. He paused after a moment, "Are there any limits on what you'll make?"

I side-eyed him at the odd question, "As long as it's within reason…" I began, "I planned on spending enough time to get everyone set up with higher quality beds and some basic furnishings. But if anyone wants something specific I should be able to do it." Where was he going with this?

Carrington nodded to himself before beginning to walk away, "I'll send you a list when you get done with the housing closer to the complex." He seemed contemplative almost as he left. Strange.

With an almost predatory smile, Fynn also appeared to have ideas on what he wanted. I just raised a brow at him. Sheepishly he stepped back, "I'll… also send you a list then." He trotted off after that, murmuring to himself.

I looked back to the building. Somehow, I felt better after dealing with Fynn. It was no longer as intimidating, considering his deferential attitude.

Huffing to myself I walked over to the location of the neighbouring site. I would be constructing quite a few dwellings, and I didn't need drama distracting me from finishing that task.

Getting almost two hundred people situated in a day was an almost herculean task, just organizing who went where left my head reeling. We tried to keep everyone mostly together with their squads on Reach of course, along with mixing in some of the staff and rescues, and having at least one Quartermaster living in each building.

There was also the fact that I was the source of beds and the like, meaning I was moving back and forth to provide whatever was needed.

It wasn't all bad though.

"Is there anything else you need, Artemis?" I asked, it was relatively sparse after all. "Bathroom? Bedroom? Living area?" I had decided early on that everyone would get their own space, although most of them seemed puzzled about what to do with their newfound rooms. The marine had just asked for the essentials and watched as I worked, occasionally answering questions about color or size.

She looked around, seeming almost at a loss at the question. She sat down on a chair and appeared to think about it for a moment. Her blond hair fell in front of her face obstructing my view of her expression. I stood with a smile and simply waited. She looked up, grey eyes intent, "Do you know of anything to make meditation more comfortable?" She wove her fingers together on her lap. "I recently got the Skill and it's helped me process a lot, the only problem is how awkward it can feel after a while." She seemed almost embarrassed to admit that for some reason.

I let out a hum, as I thought. Well… "A cushion then- I'm assuming you usually meditate cross-legged?" She nodded, which made it easier, "Here, I made it green too." I pointed to the side where I had Created the circular cushion.

Artemis simply looked at the cushion, she seemed frozen in place, a sliver of… unease betraying the neutral face she had put on. She snapped out of it a moment later, shooting me a stilted smile. "Sorry, that just doesn't sit right with me."

I nodded and gave a small laugh of encouragement as she moved to pick up her new seat, "I get it, it surprised me at first too." It still felt a bit off, like I was missing something.

She shook her head at that before replying, "It's the opposite actually, my Perception is really high and I was expecting something to change." My smile fell and was replaced with a more thoughtful expression as that information sunk in. She looked away and let out a breath, hugging the cushion to her chest. "My thoughts seem to trip over themselves. Logically I knew that it had just appeared but…" She seemed to have trouble finding the words. "It was like my brain rewrote itself to convince me that it had always existed."

I tried to put a nicer expression on, but it was difficult to consider the disturbing connotations.

Artemis waved a hand frantically as if to ward off any negative thoughts. "I was being a little melodramatic! It's fine, really it is. It's just my weird reaction I guess." I could appreciate the attempt to comfort me, but I hadn't entirely considered what my magic was, had I?

"I'll… avoid Creating things in front of you." It was an awkward attempt at best to reassure her, however, there wasn't much I could do at this point. I crossed my arms uncomfortably, looking away. "If that would help you?"

Artemis sent me a small smile, brushing away loose locks of hair from her face as she did so. "I appreciate it, everyone knows how hard you're working to make us feel more at home."

I let my mouth quirk up. Still, that bit of praise left me somewhat bitter. "I just wish I could do more, I can only really help physically."

"Well…" She attempted to say something but it was lost on me.

An increasingly familiar screen appeared in front of me, I paused as I read it. Innocuous as they typically were, I didn't think much of it. Then I read it again.

The world felt like it had ground to a halt.

Frozen, I simply stared at it. For an agonizing moment that seemed to stretch on forever my eyes trailed over the words again and again, the characters practically burned themselves into my brain.

A hand grasped my shoulder, startling me and making me look away. Artemis looked into my eyes concerned, "Are you okay? You were breathing heavily, and shaking." She took my hands in hers, trying to calm me and understanding that I was going through something.

Unsteadily, I nodded, "I…" It took me a second to find my voice, and I pulled away from her grasp. "Yeah, I need to go. I need to go right now." It was impossible to meet her eyes, I had to keep this to myself and keep myself together as long as I could.

I only looked back at her once… But that expression of concern and resolve haunted me as I walked away.

My head was reeling as I walked. I sent out as many messages as I could to those in charge that I needed to take a momentary break, which was true. I stopped on the side of the newly made road, just considering how to word the last message I needed to send to my… friend?

Whatever. I continued walking.

Short and sweet would suffice.

Meet up at your new place? Something's come up.

I gazed forward with a furrowed brow, my pace increasing along with my anxiety. I hadn't even begun to devise what I would say to him, to somehow explain what I needed to do. It was harrowing to even consider his reaction.

Yes.

A snort of amusement escaped me when I received the message, he knew that I would only send a message like that if I was serious. So typical of him to send a one-word response. Still, his response somehow made me feel a little less tense.

There was no way I was going to fall apart now, looking at the brand-new buildings and their occupants moving in as I walked past only cemented that fact.