The ethereal blue interface shimmered into being, overlaid with the spectral remnants of notifications from his previous resonant connections. It was like two sets of arcane logs vying for his mental attention.
[Echo of Resonance: Connection with Seraphina Nightshade – Acquired Glacial Essence (Apex Tier) and Ice Dominion (Apex Tier) Talent.] [Echo of Resonance: Connection with… (numerous entries detailing various Essences and Talents).]
Kaelen's mind reeled. He had not only been reborn yet again but had also retained the boons – and the fragmented recollections – of the Resonance Concord from his second life. This was… an unexpectedly potent advantage. He was no longer the inept noble of his prior existence. He was a nascent vessel capable of wielding a diverse array of formidable abilities.
"Young Master Kaelen?" Lin Yue's gentle voice drew him back to the present. Her concerned gaze held an innocent allure.
"Lin Yue," he said, his tone shifting to one of feigned solemnity. "I have experienced… a profound awakening. My previous iteration was one of utter insignificance. But no longer! The heavens have granted me a second… nay, a third opportunity! And I intend to seize it with both hands, and perhaps a few strategically placed alliances."
Internally, he was sketching out a rudimentary plan. He possessed fragmented knowledge of the major powers of this era, the ascendant talents, the concealed dangers. He recalled whispers of hidden legacies (most of which he would meticulously avoid unless they offered ludicrously potent abilities with minimal entanglement in destined events). And he could vaguely picture the faces of those who would eventually become his adversaries, both familiar specters and unforeseen threats.
"Your pronouncements are… intriguing, Young Master," Lin Yue said, a spark of curiosity dancing in her twilight eyes.
"Intrigue is merely the prelude, my dear," Kaelen responded with a suave wink. "The main performance will involve considerably less drowning and a great deal more… calculated influence." He needed to forge a new identity, one unburdened by the doomed lineage of Blackwood. Vane was sufficiently unremarkable, and a touch of enigmatic charm would serve him well.
His immediate imperative was to cultivate power, and with haste. He needed to be strong enough to safeguard himself and, if he were being brutally honest, to attract the kind of attention (from captivating and influential women, naturally) that his previous lives had conspicuously lacked. The Resonance Concord, coupled with his fragmented memories of potential affinities, was his most valuable asset.
"Tell me, Lin Yue," he said, his gaze both piercing and playful. "Do you subscribe to the notion of destiny?"
She tilted her head, a delicate furrow appearing on her brow. "Destiny is a potent current, Young Master."
"Perhaps," Kaelen mused. "But I harbor the suspicion that destiny is… amenable to persuasion. Or perhaps even… outright sabotage." He thought of the protagonist of "Celestial Ascendancy," a sanctimonious brute named Chen Lei. He held fragmented recollections of Chen Lei's destined path, his fortuitous encounters, his eventual ascent to godhood. And Kaelen intended to ensure that path encountered a series of… unforeseen obstacles.
"Now," he continued, his tone becoming more serious, though still laced with a hint of amusement, "enlighten me on the intricacies of this realm, the dominant factions, the notable lineages… and any whispers of exceptionally gifted… individuals." He emphasized the last word with a suggestive glance at Lin Yue, whose blush deepened enchantingly.
Focus, you incorrigible romantic! he mentally chided himself. Information precedes infatuation. Though, a touch of strategic charm to loosen lips is hardly a transgression…