Swarming Sovereignty

Faelyn said goodbye to his viewers and turned to get ready for bed, but was interrupted by his phone ringing. To his surprise, the caller ID indicated that it was one of his mothers, Elora, calling, so he immediately picked up. “Mom?” He said. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing good, sweetie.” She replied. “Do you have a minute? Your mama and I want to have a serious talk with you.”

“I always have time for you two.” Faelyn said worriedly. “Is everything okay?”

The sound quality changed subtlety as Elora switched to speakerphone. “We’re fine.” His other mother, Ayla, reassured him. “But we’re worried about you.”

“About me?” Faelyn asked. “You know I’m safe here, and I haven’t been given any trouble outside of the house.”

“We’re not worried about that.” Elora said. “It’s just…we’re worried that you’re forcing yourself to endure for the sake of your stream.”

“I’m not.” Faelyn reassured her. “I’m enjoying every second of this, really. I haven’t had this much fun streaming in ages.”

“That’s the problem.” Ayla said. “We’re worried you’re forcing yourself to not become Fae full-time for the sake of your stream. We know you’ve already made up your mind to become Fae permanently the moment the Swarm reaches Lim.”

“Was it that obvious?” Faelyn asked. “Yes, I was, provided things keep going the way they’re going.”

“To us it was, yes.” Elora said. “When we see how happy you are as Fae, we can’t help but wonder if you’re letting your stream get in the way of your happiness.”

Faelyn stopped. “I…look, it’s not just that.” He said, not quite convinced himself. “What about you two? What about my friends here? And, even more so, what about retaining the ability to look at the Swarm from an objective point of view?”

“Those are all important, but the difference between you here on Lim and you while you’re logged in is like night and day.” Elora said. “It just makes us worry.”

“I’m not doing it.” Faelyn said firmly. “As things are now, the downsides outweigh the upsides. I lose so much, and the only thing I stand to gain is not being forced to log out when I want to sleep.”

“Then will you consider letting us move in with you?” Ayla asked. “We can tend to your body’s needs and allow you to stay logged in for longer. We just want to see you happy.”

Faelyn hesitated. “Can I think on it?” He asked. “I can get my answer to you after I work out in the morning.”

“Take all the time you need.” Ayla responded. “We’ll let you get back to getting ready for bed, we just wanted to talk with you before you streamed again and this was the only time we knew for sure we could reach you.”

“Before you go…what’s your plan, once the Swarm gets here? Will you be fighting back or joining them or…?” Faelyn asked nervously. He hadn’t wanted to ask until he was sure what he himself would be choosing, but now that he had admitted to them that he was planning on joining the swarm, he had to know.

“You know a lot more about the Swarm than us, and we trust your judgement.” Elora said. “So, we were planning to follow you with whatever you chose.”

Faelyn sat back in his chair. He wasn’t sure what he had expected when he had asked that question, but that wasn’t it. “Oh.” He said. “Well…it’s going to be at least a year before they even get to Yasato, so let’s wait until then before we make any decisions. That way, if we want to become part of the Swarm early, we can do it together. And…you know what, why don’t we meet in person to talk about this tomorrow? We can meet at that breakfast place Mama likes…what was it called…Cal’s?”

“That’s the one. Does ten work for you?” Ayla responded.

“Yeah. I love you two to bits, um…talk to you tomorrow.”

“We love you more.” Elora replied. “We’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Faelyn ended the call and let out a long breath. He was tired, and his bed was so, so tempting, but he needed to take care of his hygiene, so he begrudgingly got up and headed for the shower, taking as quick a shower as he could before tumbling back out, brushing his teeth, and heading to bed.

Fae gave a cute yawn, stretching as she awoke. She wasn’t sure what had prompted her to dream of that day so many years ago…perhaps it was the fact that she was meeting her mothers for breakfast?

Whatever the case, she sat down across from them, yawning once again. She had just gotten up, was she so tired? Still, tired or no, she gave them a smile. “How’ve you…been?”

“Things have been so good lately!” Ayla said happily, her lion tail swishing in the air behind her. Fae’s mothers had chosen to become griffinkin like her, something that had made Fae happy when she had heard the news. “Being so young again is fantastic, and everything feels so fresh and new!”

“Most importantly, we’re happy to be here with you again.” Elora added. “It’s been tough at times since you chose to permanently join the Swarm, but now that you’re back here with us, everything is great.”

Fae felt like a haze had settled over her, and she struggled to speak through her tiredness as a loud beeping came from the diner’s kitchen. “I’m…glad.” She said. “Seeing you two…again is so…nice.”

Fae’s mothers chattered away, seemingly not noticing either Fae’s intense sleepiness or the alarm that never seemed to turn off. And, just as Fae was starting to get really upset over the alarm and was considering getting up to turn it off herself, she woke.

Faelyn groaned, rolling over and blearily shutting off his alarm clock. It had been a while since he had had a dream like that, one where he was so tired he could barely function, but he had the sneaking suspicion that there were many more of those in his future. He sighed and got up, getting himself ready to head out and meet his mothers, all the while thinking on their offer. Namely, was it really better for him if he spent more time logged in?

It would no doubt be more enjoyable for him in the short term…but what if something happened, and the Swarm was stopped or they did a complete turn and became tyrants or something? Then coming back to this body for good would feel even worse.

Still, they had a point; his mothers were very accomplished magicians, and they would be able to ease his current life. For instance, since the gear required to log in to World Saviors was lightweight and needed no charging or cords of any kind, they would be able to use magic to make his body exercise while he was playing.

He had received quite the windfall after expanding his stream to multiple planes, so getting the equipment for a home gym would be simple. Likewise, they would likely end up doing the groceries, with him paying, of course, so he wouldn’t even need to leave the house much. He had chosen to continue going out instead of getting things delivered so he could interact with people face to face while not being part of the swarm, but with them living with him, that likewise wouldn’t be an issue.

That all was…fine, but it hinged upon him deciding that spending more time logged in wasn’t a mistake. However, by the time he had pulled up to Cal’s, he had thought of three reasons that, whether or not he decided to stay logged in more, his mothers should move in with him. And, with those thoughts in mind, he got out of his hoverer and entered the diner.

“Faelyn!” His mothers said happily, rushing over to him and each pulling him into a hug in turn.

“We’ve missed you a lot.” Ayla said. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s so nice to be here in person with you.” Elora added. “Just video calling isn’t the same, you know?”

“Yeah.” Faelyn said, returning their hugs. “I’m really glad to see you too.”

“So…have you given any thought to our proposal?” Elora asked anxiously.

Before Faelyn could respond, however, a staff member came to the front desk. “Table for three?” He asked.

“Yes.” Elora replied.

“This way, then.” The server said, grabbing some menus and leading them to a small booth near a window. They ordered their drinks, and, once the server left, his mothers gave Faelyn nervous glances.

“Well?” Ayla asked.

“Yes, I think it’s a good idea if you move in with me.” Faelyn said. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll spend more time logged in, not just yet. I want to be more certain that things will go as I expect them to before I start letting myself indulge like that. And, I know that your offer was meant to allow me to indulge more, but let me explain myself, I have a couple of reasons why I want you to move in.”

Well, three, but the other reason was that they seemed lonely, and if he told them that, they would just deny it, so he wasn’t going to bring it up. “First, there’s a chance, however slight, that someone might try to hurt you to get at me. So, I’d feel a lot better if you were living with me and could benefit from my security system. And, two, you can help keep me from falling into bad habits.”

“We’re fine with that, but…why are you against spending more time logged in?” Ayla asked softly. “If we’re taking care of you, then you don’t have to worry about your body, so what’s the worry?”

Faelyn sighed. “I worry that the Swarm will be stopped once they encounter the players of World Saviors, or that they’ll lose their way and become tyrants.” He replied. “In either case, it’d feel so much worse comparatively to come back to this body for good. But…over the next year or two, we’ll see if they become tyrants with the control they have over Ratha, and after the initial skirmishes in Yasato, we’ll see if World Saviors will stop them.”

“What do you think is most likely?” Elora asked.

“At this point…I find it incredibly unlikely that they’ll become tyrants.” Faelyn replied. “As for being stopped by World Saviors…that’s more up in the air. I think that there’s a possibility that…” Faelyn trailed off as the waiter approached.

They quickly ordered their food, and Faelyn got back into the conversation. “As I was saying, I think there’s a possibility that World Saviors stops them. As things stand now, if the Swarm was exposed now, I give it…let’s say a twenty five percent chance that World Saviors defeats the Swarm. Realistically speaking, it’s probably going to end up closer to five or ten percent, maybe even lower.”

Ayla quietly chanted a spell that Faelyn recognized as a privacy enchantment, then looked Faelyn straight in the eye. “So, what you’re saying is that you believe the Swarm is overwhelmingly likely to become the  new status quo?”

“Well, if you put it like that…I suppose.” Faelyn admitted, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Why?”

Ayla swallowed, briefly breaking eye contact with Faelyn to give Elora a nervous glance before looking back at Faelyn. “The two of us did a lot of talking last night,” she said, “and we think you’ve done your part. We think that retaining your ability to be a ‘neutral point of view’ isn’t going to be of much value going forward; if you just keep saying that you’re supporting them, then is that really something worth keeping?”

She reached forward and grabbed Faelyn’s hand. “Do you think that, if you asked for permission from the Goddess of Hearth, she would let you convert us? Then, all three of us could join the Swarm permanently. We know your stream is important to you, but we really, truly, think that this would make you the happiest, and that’s all we want for you.”

Faelyn couldn’t help but think back to his dream that night. It had been so nice, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t really want to, deep down. “I don’t know…” He said. “I’m not sure I want to try to contact her over something non-essential, and I wouldn’t dare to presume her thoughts.”

“That is far from a non-essential question.” Hearth’s voice rang out in the air, worming deep down into Faelyn’s soul and leaving him with the undeniable knowledge that it was truly her. “And my answer is that I would absolutely allow that. I will even interfere with their character creation so they’re placed next to you when they first log in, so you will not have to go through Izumi.

“I will remind you that you are free to choose the join the Swarm permanently so long as you keep streaming, as it is my belief that people will be able to form their own opinions just from seeing the living conditions of the Swarm. I’ll ensure you retain the capability to access the internet and stream, so do not fret about that, either.

“Should you do this, I will ensure that your current homes and any other properties are maintained so that you may return when the Swarm reaches Lim. Your raw cash will be of no further use to you, as the Swarm intends to do away with money as it is currently used, so I would ask you to allow me to use it for charitable works, but I cannot force you to do so.

“And, finally, allow me to give you my assurance that, in my estimation, the Swarm leadership becoming tyrants is almost an impossibility at this stage. In my eyes, their good intentions have been proven, and there are multiple gods helping keep them honest in the same way the gods keep ourselves honest. In the very unlikely event that they do lose their way, all that will happen is that the Swarm will be confined to whatever planes they currently control, and their ability to convert sapient beings or reproduce will be removed. The people living under their rule will be mostly unaffected.”

Her presence receded, and Faelyn let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “Mom…Mama…I don’t know if I can make this decision myself.” He said in a small voice. “If I’m honest, I really, really want to. I can’t even describe how much better being Fae is, even outside of the whole energy and power thing. Just lookingat myself is enough to make me happier with that body than I am with this one, but…I’m scared.

“I’m scared that I’d be disappointing you by rejecting the body I was born in. I’m scared that I’ll lose my friends by choosing the Swarm, scared that after the initial rush wears off, I’ll end up regretting the decision. I’m scared that my stream will hate me for this choice, or lose interest, or…any number of things. I…I don’t know. Will you…talk me through it?”

“Of course we will.” Elora said, giving him a smile. “To start with, I think–” She cut herself off as the waiter approached with their food. He didn’t question the privacy spell, those were relatively common, he simply handed them their food as quickly as possible then left, leaving them to their conversation.

“As I was saying,” Elora continued, “if there were no consequences for it, you could be assured everything would go as well as it possibly could, would you do it?”

“Absolutely.” Faelyn said immediately. “Not even a question.”

“Okay. We’ve established that this is something you for sure want, then. You don’t have to be anxious about us being disappointed because of your body; you clearly love Fae’s body, and it’s not like you’re unrecognizable. You still have your mama’s eyes, even if they are a bit more catlike now, and you definitely inherited my nose. You’re still our kid, and even if the body was completely different, it wouldn’t change a thing.”

“We were thinking to follow in your footsteps.” Ayla added. “Thinking about becoming griffinkin like you. We have no great attachment to being elves, and matching with our kid will make us happy too. Even if we somehow don’t like it, which I’ve been given to understand is impossible, a nice thing about the Swarm is that we can always change.”

“I figured you would say that, I just…I worried.” Faelyn admitted. “But, if we do this now, are you sure you’d be able to live without some of the conveniences we have in modern times? No computers or anything until Yasato.”

“The only thing we’d really miss is being able to watch your streams.” Elora said. “And I have the feeling that we’ll be able to work something out. Maybe we don’t immediately permanently join the Swarm, maybe we wait until we have a way to watch your streams, but I’m sure the two of us will be able to entertain ourselves for a year or two while we wait; there’s an entire plane’s worth of new books to read, opportunities to try some new hobbies, all that sort of stuff.

“Onto the subject of your stream…well, I can’t say for sure about your new audience, but your core audience, the ones who were watching you before this, I don’t think they’ll leave. They came to your stream to watch you explore, surf down mountains, and enjoy yourself in the world, and that part of your stream has been some of the best it’s ever been. And, if it really troubles you…just ask them. It’s not like you have to decide this second.”

“You’re right, like always.” He admitted. “They already pester me to log in whenever I’m logged out, they’ll enjoy it.”

“And your friends, I don’t think you need to worry about them, either.” Ayla said. “Knowing them, they’re jealous that you have this opportunity before them. And, I think even if some may disagree with your decision, any friends worth keeping won’t hate you for it. They’ll understand why you did what you did. As for the rush wearing off and regretting it…I have the hunch that you won’t, maybe the rush won’t even wear off, but we can’t know for sure. It’s just a risk you have to take.”

Faelyn looked down at his food, thinking on that. “Y-Yeah.” He said. “You’re right. I think…I think I’ll do it. I’ll do it when I start up stream today.”

Faelyn’s mothers smiled at him gently. “Then we’ll join you the moment you think you can convert us into griffinkin.” Elora said. “Now, why don’t we actually start eating? I’m sure you’re eager to get to it.”

“Eager might be the wrong word. Anxious, excited, disbelieving…I don’t know.” Faelyn replied, stabbing an egg with his fork. “I…thank you. Thank you for helping me decide.”

“Anything for you.” Ayla said fondly. “Anything.”