After the whole theater regarding Floor 18 had settled, Rivira began reconstruction work and re-establishment of its local economy. Rebuilding it would take some time, but Rivira was used to it. It was constantly exposed to monster parades, so it was well over the 300th time the small village within Floor 18 had to be rebuilt. So it wasn't exactly a surprise to anyone that it had to be done.
Well, everyone except Bell, easily impressed as always.
Loki Familia had finished preparations to return to the surface from their most recent expedition, and Hestia Familia and Takemikazuchi Familia would return with them.
Hermes has agreed to take the blame for Hestia's blunder regarding using Arcanum within the Dungeon, but in exchange she owes him a favor she cannot refuse. And he made it extremely clear he would cash in on that favor sometimes soon.
And as for Tina...
"You look so cool!" Tiona voiced as she surrounded the red-skinned Sith by herself... somehow. She kept circling around her and observing her every feature. "Tell us more about you! Where do you come from? What are you?"
Tina had quickly found just how damn annoying it can be to have someone fangirling over your literal existence 24/7, and so she was giving Tiona the silent treatment for as long as she could hold out.
Which wasn't very long.
"UGH, FINE!" She shouted loudly with an exaggerated angry expression that bordered on cartoonish, shaking her fist at the amazon girl. "I'll tell you all about it, so just SHUT UP for the love of gods!"
"ehehe~" Tiona simply mused while covering her mouth with both hands in a comedic gesture that sarcastically communicated her supposed silence to be.
This gesture only enraged Tina further, who grit her teeth and made growling noises from her throat.
Riveria quickly joined the Sith's side in hopes of calming her down somewhat. "I will confess, my curiosity is equally high, though I will spare you the unwitting enthusiasm. What exactly are you?"
Tina knew there was no way around answering this question, so she shook her head and hoped to at least delay it somewhat.
"If you want to know, let us wait until we are at the surface so I can tell it to your goddess, Loki, as well. After all, you wouldn't want me lying through my teeth, now would you?"
Riveria had to concede that Tina made a good point, so she nodded in agreement and moved her eyesight forward.
"True enough... but what can you tell us?"
A loud sigh escaped the Sith's mouth before she placed a hand on her forehead, facepalming because of how insistent everyone was being. Riveria was merely the mouthpiece of the masses right now.
"I guess I can tell you about my powers..."
Instantly, everyone within earshot perked up, ears raised and attention sharpened towards what may be spoken next, because Adventurers live for the excitement of something new, amongst other things. Actually scratch that, all sentient life lives for the excitement, because few things are as bad as being bored.
"It is called the Force" Tina began to explain, her hands calm at her sides, fighting the urge to cross them over her chest. "Think of it as a cosmic force similar to Space, Time and such. It encompasses all creation, every living being, every piece of material, every subatomic spec of matter. I am capable of consciously harnessing the Force within me and manipulate it to suit my tastes.
He who can control the Force within them can possess many different kinds of powers such as Telekinesis, Psychokinesis, Strengthening of all 5 senses and every muscle. When you manipulate the Force in your surroundings, you become capable of feats that mimick the realm of sorcery... You have born witness to some of those feats during my fighting. I can conjure lightning storms, Rend all forms of matter from the inside, create thunderclaps and shockwaves, manipulate the force within other living beings to harm and heal... the potential is only limited by imagination."
Moreso than most, Ais and Riveria were paying the closest and most dedicated attention to the entire explanation, both for various reasons.
Riveria had a researcher's mind, intrigued by the sheer level of possibility and magnitude of potential this presented. She simply NEEDS to study it extensively and learn all about it.
Ais was much more complicated... and to understand her motives, one must understand her.
Few people knew the truth about this girl, that she is someone who was, somehow, hurled through time a thousand years into the future. Daughter of the famed Albert the Great, the allegedly most powerful mortal to ever live in this planet's history, and Aria, one of the few Great Spirits, the Spirit of Wind.
Her parents were robbed from her on one fateful day when the Black Dragon, the so far strongest monster ever conjured by the Dungeon, attacked them. Her father died in the ensueing confrontation, scarring the dragon forever by taking out one of its eyes, thus giving it the moniker One-Eyed Black Dragon, or OEBD for short.
Her Mother however... only theories exist as to the fate that became the Spirit of Wind...
So Ais was driven by a desire for vengeance. Hatred for the Dragon, and monsters in general dominated her heart and quelled all other emotions, making her appear very aloof and almost doll-like.
And with that vengeance came a thirst for power unimaginable. To defeat the dragon, she must become more powerful than her father, possibly the new most powerful mortal to ever walk Genkai's surface. So hearing about the abilities of the Force deeply interested her, for she simply must have those powers for herself...
So Ais hurriedly closed the distance between herself and Tina and poked her shoulder to garner her attention.
"Teach me how to control the Force..."
Tina instantly recoiled, not from surprise, but from how intense the gaze Ais threw her was. She truly did not want to, if she could avoid it, but that was the issue here... she might have to concede after all. Tina was not exactly the poster child of stubbornness and strong will after all.
"I'd rather not" Tina said swiftly and made some distance between the two... which was very short lived because Ais closed the distance once again.
"Please, teach me." She spoke with an expression that seemed completely neutral at first, but those who knew her could see the intensity and fixiation she had within her eyes, a strong gleam of fascination and desire for power within her.
"Ugh..." Tina grunted out in displeasure before turning to Riveria, hoping for salvation from the one everyone in Loki Familia jokingly refers to as 'Mama'. But no such salvation came because Riveria had a similar spark of interest and fascination in her equally deceptively neutral expression.
"FINE! You people suck by the way!" Tina shouted before she made distance yet again, wanting to at least preserve her personal space, if nothing else.
"And do tell, what other Abilities do you possess?" Riveria followed up with a question, wanting to know more.
"Well... the most impressive ability I have is visions of the future. Currently, I cannot control it or consciously employ it, but every now and then, like when I am asleep, I get glimpses, visions of events yet to occur. The Force is a cosmic power after all, it encompasses all from the moment of creation until the end of everything. So the Force is connected with itself, sort of like an infinite loop, if you will, across time and space. As such, feats that can defy the natural laws of physics are not beyond the Force, and those that use it."
Riveria was noting everything down within her mind, memorizing every single word with complete dedication. "And how does one learn to use the Force?"
"The Force..." Tina began, recalling one of the pieces of information she was not a particularily big fan of. "It encompasses all beings via a physical medium, something called Midiclorians. The Midiclorian count within any something determines its sensitivity and attunement with the Force. The more Midiclorians you possess, the higher your talent in the Force is, and the more in tune with it you can become."
"And how, pray tell, does one determine their Midiclorian count?"
"That's the difficult part..." Tina spoke and looked onto her left hand, clutching her fist while focusing within, trying to brute force a 'counting' by sensing the Midiclorians physically within her.
Such a feat was theorized to have been used in the most ancient Force-sensitive civilizations before technology became advanced enough to detect it. But just to understand the sheer scope and magnitude of such a feat... it is comparable to someone attempting to physically feel the red bloodcells within their body, and then counting them through this feeling alone. If not for the distinct way the Force feels within each person, it would be a feat beyond impossibility. Dare one claim, not even imaginable.
Tina voiced those thoughts out loud without realizing, and the incredulous stares she received in return was priceless, if not for how distracted she is with her focus.
"If it helps, I can use myself as a measurement. Comparing the Midiclorian difference in rough percentages. The closer your count is to mine, the better your chances to use the Force, I'd say. Until we find a way to accurately measure them, we have no other method available."
Without even realizing it, they had arrived at the surface, and Tina abruptly stopped talking, using her hands to momentarily shield herself from the rays of sunlight before her eyes became adjusted to it. She had been out only with her helmet, the visor putting a filter through her vision, so this was the first time in some time Tina beheld the naked sunlight.
She turned towards Bell, Welf and Lili and waved at them. "Don't worry about me. You guys go celebrate. I have an autobiography to deliver."
"If you think so..." Bell meekly responded, not exactly joyful about celebrating without her, but he understood. Tina was not feeling very social and wanted her peace and quiet, so she wants this over and done with as soon as possible and just retreat. Bell wasn't blind to how reserved Tina wants to be compared to how little she currently is.
The remaining trek towards Loki Familia's headquarters was mainly spent in silence from Tina's part, simply biding her time and thinking of how to explain her existence to Loki herself...
Eventually, they arrived at the Twilight Manor, Loki Familia's Headquarters, and everyone except for the executives, that being the highest level members, were dismissed to rest, eat, shower, do as they pleased.
The Executives gathered in Finn's office.
"So..." Loki spoke after welcoming her familia back with joy and laughter... and a drink in her hand, to either celebrate or mourn, whichever would have been the occasion. "You're miss Stranger that has my familia buzzing so much?" She quizzed Tina, eyeing the tall, red-skinned Sith Lady all around.
One thing to note about Loki, the primary reason for Tina being on guard, was that Loki was a shameless pervert who often tries copping a feel. She never succeeds, but it has yet to deter her from ever trying.
And sure enough, once Loki was behind Tina, she made grabby motions with her hands while inching closer bit by bit... only to suddenly begin floating from the ground.
Tina had her right hand's fingers in a pinching hold, pressing thumb against middle finger and index finger while slowly turning around.
"No touch!" She downright yelled before letting Loki go and taking a generous step away from the red-headed goddess.
"Fiiiine... spoilsport" Loki complained. But then, her Aura changed. Her eyes suddenly turned sharp and fox-like, her posture more regal and refined. "Then lets hear it. What are you and where do your kind come from?"
Tina let out a long sigh before crossing her arms and took a more relaxed stance. "My kind are known as the Sith. We hail from... beyond the stars." As she spoke, she, without uncrossing her arms, waved her right hand momentarily and created visions within the minds of everyone present, that being:
Finn, Gareth, Riveria, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Raul, Lefiya and Anakitty, and of course Loki herself.
They all suddenly saw the same visions and flashes within their minds.
An extended vision of an entire galaxy, of battlecruisers so large they could fit all of Orario within them. And of course, of the Pureblooded Sith, traversing the stars and visiting many different planets.
"You call this planet Genkai, regard it as THE world, but it is only one of hundreds of millions out there. My people traversed such worlds through sheer technologic advancements alone. But... there is a complication. You see... their Galaxy isn't this one" She went on to add, though she remained carefully vague, avoiding the whole Isekai explantion as much as possible.
"I truly do not know how I came to this planet, by what force, or by whose force, but I woke up and found myself on the outskirts a few miles away from Orario. This world... it wasn't supposed to possess us Sith at all. So whether they are out there traversing this galaxy's stars or not is something only the creator himself may know. I am... alone. The first, last and only one of my kind."
A pang of sympathy and an attempt at understanding crossed everyone's mind. Though it was different from person to person. The one who could relate the closest was unexpectedly the usually harsh Bete Loga, whose clan had been wiped out by a monster. Last of his name, he somewhat understands what that feels like, and he felt something he never felt before with anyone ever: Kinship.
"When I die, the Sith might well be gone for good in this universe... I carry the legacy of everything my people are, have been, and could be if I decide to bear offspring at all."